persephone

as above.. and.... most important- do NOT fuss too much, and goo&gaa over the pup. Go about the daily routine calmly and efficiently ..and do NOT let pup get away with anything .Today will be a starting point for your long term relationship. The rules you set OR break today will be the ones the pup will remember

How would a 4 mth old small puppy swallow a 12 cm long bone whole???? his whole THROAT wouldn't be 12 cm long!Even our adult dogs can't swallow a bone like that without a lot of pain. Surely he chewed them??.... it would be like sword-swallowing!!OUCH. give him a pinch of PSYLLIUM husk (buy from health food store or chemist) twice a day... just a tiny pinch... this will form a nice gel in his intestine, to help with sharp bone .

We use large meaty bones!!VERY large- so they won't move with pups sucking ion them.I score the meat..to make getting a mouthfull easier.. the pups lick/suck at first... then after a very short time, are chewing off meat! This exercises their jaws perfectly.I don't believe in using mince for dogs or cats unless they are toothless or very old. Once they have the idea... (they will take their time at getting a meal, too- no scoffing!) then they get a puppy kibble as well.. DRY. Water is always available.

I'd agree with a meal of the fattier cuts of meat ..lamb flaps.. a 6 cm square, is a good start ..as some dogs ned to get used to the extra fat. Work up to what she needs.. We NEVER weigh food- just go by what the dogs look like. It's not hard- skinny?feed more Chunky? feed less.

~debs~ how is you girl now? Did the vet have any suggestions?

Hi- what breed is your puppy?If you are buying a smaller breed , bred to be companions- they may not do too well outdoors all the time... Is there a specific reason you want puppy to be outside all the time??? (A puppy/dog is as clean and well behaved as its owners make it ) Why not build/buy a decent kennel and run.. so pup can be outside and SAFE, plus warm and feeling secure? That way , too- if there are times you need to keep pup confined, everything is there ready!

Dear little boy RIP micky

Give him something else to carry?? One reason I didn't ever consider a GSD as a pet was that ones I worked with were such vocal critters

Ok referring to the bolded bit (my bold) I would say that because of the constant leash restrictions,plus(hard) corrections..you now have an anxious pup- who vocalises even more because of this whining and yawning are a classic show of anxiety... but I could be wrong.

agnus castus (chaste tree) a herbal preparation used for PMT and other hormonal things, I believe. pulsatilla- I think it is a homeopathic remedy for colds???

Are you sure it's a phantom pregnancy? What did the vet suggest? She couldn't have an infection???

Hi- you have an adult dog- with a lifetime of habits. You want her to behave totally opposite of what she has done for years. What dog loo are you using? This will be important! Do you use the fake grass one? Maybe you need two- so she has a fresh area to use. Outdoors- she probably goes in seperate spots! It sounds as if you need to go back to basic with her housetraining... Poor little dog- she must be very confused. I guess she does toilet outdoors sometimes? then she will be wondering why she cannot go outdoors the rest of the time... and seeks something that, to her sensitive pawpads "feels' like grass/soil! ANY fabric will trigger her urinating/defecating response oh, and IMO, means she was IGNORANT when you got her... not 'disobedient' She had NO idea what was expected of her..it wasn't as if she knew your wants and deliberately did the opposite

Oh Not much of a solution...especially when you're trying to do the right thing ;) Clare L- what have you read on 'what makes dogs tick?" It helps to understand why dogs do what they do- then as the pack leader/trainer...you can work with the dog's instincts !! If you tell us where you are situated (city/town) I am sure there will be good trainer recommendations! Several DOL members are trainers, and very good at what they do!!

Ok- thanks for clarifying

Sorry- but I cannot see how being charged at by an aggro dog and pulling your dog out the way makes you distrust chain collars????? Is it because she froze? Was she freezing prior to attacking? Or?

Hi- sorry you have reached this stage. If it were me- my dog would have his wings by now. I prefer to see my dog happy and as comfortable as I can make him. Once my dogs have been uncomfortable..and cannot do all they want to do, then it is time to let them go, and remember their last days as happy ones! When I look into their eyes, I would like to still see a spark... not eyes dulled with pain and effort. It is hard.. but If you love someone/thing, then letting them go is the final declaration of that love.

An Answer to your question... No. Dogs are made to eat bones and flesh. If you give your dogs bones too big to fit in their mouths- bones they need to chomp& chew... there should not be a problem. Try turkey necks/wings - they are still soft enough to not cause problems.. but large enough to be chewed feed the pups seperately- so they don't feel a need to gulp...and don't 'hover' and make them anxious .

could well have been the marrow out of the bone maybe hava a look at your supermarket for bags of dog bones? or ask your butcher? Ours have the boned beef ribs/lamb flaps..all sorts! You can buy chicken frames/carcasses from the supermarket, or a chicken supplier.

Instead of shanks- which are hard. try brisket or flaps or chicken carcasses or turkey necks perhaps

Sounds normal soft gums...especially at this age, as the baby teeth start to loosen slightly, may bleed after eating hard things.

May I suggest acupuncture? I have seen it work wonders on a (much younger) dog with painful lower spine probs

It all depends on the amount of expertise of the HANDLER Any training aid- collar, halter,lead needs to be used in a certain way. Most pups/dogs would pull on a lead. They automatically do it :cool: You say your pup is a puller.......... what method have you used to try and correct this? It is the handler's responsibility to study WHY this occurs, and then seek help for methods to show the dog another way of walking. each pup/dog is different... and not every method is comfortable for every handler I cannot advise you to use either.they are very different tools. I have trained many dogs in chain collars..and quite a few in haltis. Haltis are a very controlling tool... and I believe should only be used after training and assessment.

Glad she is more comfortable now

Why do you need mince? Your boy is plenty old enough to eat chunks/strips of meat---or soft bones with meat on (and it will give him a way to use up some energy!)

A couple of our working dogs need a muzzle in the yards...they get a bit nippy We say "come, put your helmet on"...and they are quite happy Our dogs are like 4kelpie's..the sheep work is great distraction..we just pop the muzzle on..and off they go. There are a few half hearted attempts to rub off the nasty thing... but work is much more interesting !