persephone

yep - no need to 'come down hard' ..just from NOW show her her boundaries, make yourself a wonderful person to be near , and start teaching her leash walking, and basic obedience at home- indoors, out in the paddock- wherever! It will be MUCH more difficult for her if the rules change yet again Start as you mean to continue :p

She'll gruff at them if she is really fed up Just reduce her food to a maintenance ration & increase theirs ... I have fouond often pups will still latch on, only for a second or two, as a comfort thing - even if there's no milk

This dog is reacting as do many dogs when given sudden freedom in an unknown area-show dog or not Please make sure she is always on a long lead/confined ,while she adjusts, so as to stop the forming of any bad habits . Set her up to WIN every time Reward her handsomley when she comes to you - or looks at you ! maybe use the Triangle of temptation, LINK to set up the relationship in a basic way?

A practice baby is one of those computer-chip models given to teenage girls at school - that drive them mental with demands A wonderful invention, btw !!! A pup is a furry package crammed with all sorts of instincts and behaviours which do put newbies on a steep learning curve, and help teach the patience, sleep-deprivation coping options, and the cleaning up of vomit etc :D These things can be useful when/if a human baby comes along ... I guess but ... I am always concerned when folks tend to humanise their 'furbabies' *insert skin-crawling emoticon*....

I have a couple of hi vis (orange with reflective strips) strap/vest things like THISbought from a $2 shop have had them for about 3 years ..they work well, and do not keep heat in , etc. All velcro fastenings .

poo needs to be both bulky and a bit dry/hard.... your dog should 'work' a bit to relieve herself ... try adding psyllium husks ((start her on about 1/4 tsp.a day - soak it in warm water for about 10-15 minutes... it will make a gel -mix this with food...... gradually work up to 1/2 teaspoon full of the dry husk , see how she goes. She may not need it every day . Also add more bone - either minced chicken carcasses -DO NOT COOK- or more chicken wings/lamb flap bony bits... ?

If they have been there more than a few days, I would be getting them checked .... the photos are very fuzzy- but are they on/around a spey or other scar? How long ago was it done?

I agree- let her see that they are dead.... then when she leaves them - clean away any smells- and then just keep her really busy and with lots to do /sniff/chew... DON"T coo over her, or sympathise or pay her any extra attention unless she is up & doing stuff Cut back her food a bit .. so she's a bit hungry and keen to work for her food ....

Bernese mountain dogs are just GORGEOUS!!!! Lucky you

Something I often wonder at ,as well My feeling is that Mince is great for weaning pups, and dogs who are old, or ill, or have digestion trouble- otherwise I prefer they get their meat on the bone .

I'm thining of getting Hamlet one of THESE, one day

a bit ;) but how does a new dog owner do this? VickieP is obviously a bit concerned in trying to do the right thing by her pup - how does someone unused to doing such things know if their vet is trustworthy/knowledgable /'good' ? I was thinking about this yesterday ...and thinking how hard it would be... especially if you had an illness/injury putting you under pressure

Just wondering this little fella's wrist/foot is today ? Hopefully the rest & drugs are having a good effect

*looks out window at silent cage* ..thanks. I might get a pair next time .. green ones again I think ....in a while

belly band with a high capacity -type pad inserted ? Some of those pads hold a lot of liquid LINK

I do- it only takes one misread signal for things to go wrong

"sweet and soft' Hmmm.. could be your girl has some fear aggression issues . Impossible to accurately tell you what's happening on a forum such as this- but I will suggest you contact an experienced trainer/behaviourist , before the problem gets worse that said- has she had a vet check recently? Is she speyed?

Oh chasing kids is a bad plan, sorry . When he weighs 35 kg and chases the kids and runs into them , it is not a good thing. There are ways the kids can interact with him safely - like playing fetch--kicking a soccer ball he CAN chase ..learning how to walk him on leash - hiding food treats for him to sniff out lots of things which will not encourage him to chase/nip excited kids. some links for you , which may help avoid future problems LINK LINK LINK

Hi Until you make your decision- please keep pup QUIET. ;) no walks/jumping/running/steps- to let his wrist settle. it won't be easy, but will be easier if he is crate trained yes, if he does have severe injury, it could need surgery. did the vet mention greenstick fracture? This happens in puppies , as their bones are softer.. it doesn't break all the way thru.. "he is in no pain" Sorry to disillusion you if there is a LIMP, there is pain ! Hopefully , being young he will heal quickly

Thanks.... the next day or so will be watching to see if there any signs of foreign body :D ..toileting fine this morning, so I was worried about mum- she is very fragile, and has osteoporosis , so have to be careful with her .. 'luckily' she just got a bad fright, with a steaming, screaming dog leaping onto her chair .......

Hopefully today will be a bit better than yesterday ! yesterday staerted off by finding my dear little "Nary" canary dead (he's now buried in teh strawberry patch)... and ended with 2 dogs getting into the garbage - lord knows what plastic/indigestibles they have consumed ( Dosed them on paraffin ... then another 2 dogs decided to fight- crashed into me , who was unfortunately carrying a jug of near boiling water for mum's HW bottle !!! I hurt my knee- spilt very hot water over dogs - one dog took off screaming into the lounge. This poor dog jumped on mum - knocked everything off the coffee table ... and ended up outside with me, being held under the flow of cold water from a hose :D( (she has a small patch of pink skin this morning- which is shedding hair,but no blistering ) So around midninght I was cleaning up spilt water, broken glass, all sorts of things! *fingers crossed for today *

so- I had to bring the subject up to my level ;) Link to redbubble

Thank you, folks....

Sometimes , it's the little things which make a big crash. This morning, I found my little canary dead. He was around 8, which is a good age. 'nary' canary was a common 'green' canary, with a talent for mimicry and the sweetest whistle he would trill in the phone's rhythm, as well as his own gorgeous calls. He was a very communicative little guy- he had a large cage hung under the eaves - just outside the window where I sit at my puter- so if he saw me ,he would chirp 'hello' even at night. When he saw me coming with greens/treats, he would chirp.... or if I walked past and actually forgot to give him some thistle, or a bit of biscuit, or apple- then he would gently remind me Some years ago he had a mate- she was a lot older than we were told, and died early on .... nary would have a bath every morning- even in minus temps! he loved picking aphids off thistle tops or rose leaves , and would always demolish small pieces of multigrain bread . The house and surrounds is a lot quieter, and my little computer corner is suddenly very empty. Fly high, little one. yes, I am over a canary....

Don't fuss over a dog who is displaying such signs ... it's hard, but they need to follow normal routines- get dog out& about, and ONLY pay attention to it when it is looking a bit happy/relaxed- NOT when it is crying/sooking. Try Rescue remedy - also a D A P diffuser if the dog is indoors ... Poor dog - is there anything it really enjoys? a certain bone/toy/place/food ? Find something really yummy to chew, or noisy and chewy to play with .... LONG, frequent leash walks(maybe in new areas)? if it is capable- to get it out & sniffing ... and tire it out so it will sleep .Sleep is good, and a tired dog will sleep. Obedience classes/herding/playdates? Lots of things to get it thinking/sniffing/moving .... Sad for everyone, and I hope that soon things are happier