Faolmor

I've fed both Royal Canin and Eagle Pack to mine, and I tend to prefer the Eagle Pack as I feel that my dogs do better on it. I was also concerned that the Royal Canin smelled strongly of corn - the first time we opened a bag, my OH said, "it smells like CCs or twisties!" Having said that, I don't think my dogs necessarily did pooly on the Royal Canin, and I'd feed it again if there was nothing else. But I do feel that they do better on the holistic EP.

Has anyone ever tried contacting the...um...turkey slaughter houses directly to get prices of bulk orders?

Yep - Woolies - between 3-6 in a bag and usually around $4.50 or so

I'd be more worried about the bite-size portions for a larger dog causing a blockage, because the dog probably won't bother to chew them at all, and therefore the bone piece will be going through the intestine whole, rather than broken up. Imagine swallowing a piece of neck vertebrae - any meat will be digested, but the bone will be left intact. With smaller dogs, they can get away with bite-sized pieces as they'll probably still chew on each piece. I guess it depends on the size of the chicken neck, ILoveFlatCoats. If they are fairly large, which some can be, Grover will be happy to much on them. If they're small, and he's a gulper, he could well swallow them down whole. If he's a careful eater, then he'll chew on any size chicken neck. The turkey necks are great though, if you can get them - there's no way a dog could swallow one of those things whole. Maybe give him the largest one you can find in the packet first, and see what he does with it. Once he learns to chew them, he will.

I prefer giving my larger dogs turkey necks if I can find them. Woolworths often sells them near the cold meat pet food section where you get the bags of chicken necks and frames etc. They're about 3 times the size of a chicken neck and the dogs really enjoy chewing on them. I've also found that my lab who is allergic to chicken is fine eating turkey.

Dogcop, I don't believe that's what I was saying at all. If you re-read the post, you'll see that I was actually agreeing that dogs do benefit from chiropractic care. I take my dogs to both a chiro, and a vet - however, I do have an excellent vet (one of the best joint vets around) and I have the luxury of trusting his opinion. I'm also lucky in that my vet doesn't charge an arm and a leg for visits/treatment. In terms of cost, in my case, the chiro charges more than the vet ($25 for maybe 5 minutes manipulation as opposed to $35 consult fee with the vet which has, in some case, lasted for two hours). This is, of course, in my particular case. Others will have differing experiences. I have also had the experience - and know of others - who have had chiros mis-diagnose what eventually turned out to be serious problems. These problems were eventually diagnosed by experienced vets. This is why I would personally always push for a medical diagnosis FIRST before exploring all available treatment options. That is what I am suggesting the OP does. Jonzeight, manipulation of the joints for x-ray is done very carefully, and unless there is a serious problem, shouldn't exascerbate any injury. Most x-rays are done under sedation, not a GA, and can be over and done with in a little as 20 minutes and you can take your dog straight home again, a little dopey, but none the worse for their experience. I would speak with your vet and see whether or not they can do the x-rays in this manner, to spare your dog the stress of a longer stay (and you the expense!). I would (personally) also question your vet as to why they are reluctant to do an x-ray - don't they want to know what's wrong? They are happy enough to medicate...why not explore? I know how frustrating and upsetting it can be to have a dog with an intermittant limp. Just when you think they've come good, they start limping again, and you feel so worried not knowing what is wrong with them. Like I said, if it was me (and it has been me, which is why I'm posting to tell you my own experience), I would press for the x-ray to rule out anything structurally wrong with the limb or joint. Then I would weight up treatment options in consultation with my vet. These could certainly include chiropractic care as part of an overall treatment plan.

I have been to several very good doggy chiros. Although I have found these experiences to be beneficial to the dog's overall well-being, I think you should keep in mind that a chiro can only relieve symptoms - they cannot necessarily fix problems, especially if they are as a result of a degenerative joint disease. Your dog's problem is undiagnosed - is that correct? If so, I'd push for a definite diagnosis from at least two vets, then use the chiro as an option for physio and long term well-being. Edited to fix typos

Sorry to hear that your dog is lame. I guess the questions to ask are: - Why is the dog lame - did it suddenly seem to "go lame," or was there an injury or something preceding the lameness? - Has the dog been x-rayed, or diagnosed with a pre-existing condition? Labs can suffer from arthritis and also hip dysplasia, so these are things to get checked. Definitely, excess weight can exascerbate any condition, or even an injury, so getting the weight off is the best thing you can do for your dog's long-term health. Hind leg lameness can be a result of several areas - including the hips, hocks, kneecaps, and even the spine. It's common for dogs to appear lame upon rising in the morning, as they can stiffen up over night (just like us). Once they get going, they seem to come good, even though the actual injury is still there. Labs are notorious at being stoic - that is, they don't make a big fuss of being in pain. They just keep going. Probably best to find yourself a good joint vet, and get a second opinion, for your peace of mind, if nothing else. Good work with getting the weight down, and I hope your dog feels better soon!

I can't give you a percentage, but I have heard of vaccinated dogs catching parvo. I think the rationale with vaccinating is to try to limit the severity of the disease in puppies. It's an awful, awful disease. I've seen it kill a puppy in hours ;)

When you washed her, did you give her a good, thorough brushing? It could just be brush burn, especially if you didn't notice anything while washing her on the weekend. If you brush repeatedly with a hard brush, it can cause "brush burn" which results in crusty, scabby sores where the skin has been grazed by the hair brush. Hope your dog is okay

All really good points and questions, Lablover. Certainly something to think about. You're right - we can only ever perceive that our dogs understand us based on their behaviour in response to a certain command or situation. But whether or not they understand or comprehend on the same level...certainly something I wished I knew the answer to! For time-outs for my dogs, like I said, I try to make them consistent. I recognise that consistency to me is not the same as consistency to a dog, but for my part, I try to use the same words, same room, same tone of voice etc. I know my dogs at least recognise this routine, even if they don't comprehend it on the same level as I expect from them. I could imagine that the dog could perceive any number of reasons for a sudden exclusion. But based on the fact that when they return from a time-out, they don't tend to reoffend with the same behaviour (at least, not immediately), I can only take this to mean that, for whatever reason, the dog has chosen not to re-offend. Why? I would like to think it's because they understand the circumstances behind their time-out. But then, I'll never know, because I don't speak dog and never will. Neither will my dogs ever speak human. It's all just guess-work! I guess we can only go on results and make our own assumptions in the end. But you raise some excellent points that anyone interested in canine behaviour should keep in mind when demanding anything of an animal with a mind of its own and an inability to understand human social rules, customs and expectations. The most important thing, to me at least, is to make the time-out quick, consistent, and to remain calm and above-all patient with the dog. I think perhaps also a time-out is a good tool for those inclined to lose their tempers and scream at their dogs - preferable to separate an animal for a few minutes, than to scream at it, or worse, strike it. Ultimately, the dog might not understand any of the punishments...but I'm sure the dog would prefer a time-out to a belting.

Hi Lablover I can only speak for myself and my own dogs, but I have found time-outs (or maybe a better term would be "pack separation") a useful tool in helping to teach a dog a) that unacceptable behaviour will result in an undesirable consequence, and b) to give the dog time to work out for itself, without being told or given constant commands, the best way to behave. In my experience, with my dogs, I have found that this really does work - providing that it is used consistently, and fairly. For example, I see no point in putting a dog in time out for any longer than a few minutes. They forget why they're there, and thus learn nothing. I would prefer to use a time-out than to shout at my dogs, or to bombard them with commands "No, stop, don't do that etc" They don't speak English and have no idea what I'm saying. A time-out is a good way to SHOW a dog what you mean, and to give them a few moments to ask themselves, "why did I just do that? It got me nowhere." In most instances in my house, when for whatever reason we put one of the dogs in time-out, (in a separate, quiet room, with the door shut) they do usually re-emerge much calmer and in a much more productive frame of mind! Like I said, however, this method works for me and for my dogs. I'm sure others have different methods that work for their own dogs. I hope this helps to give you one perspective on the use of time-outs

If they push him away WITHOUT looking at him, or speaking to him, this is not giving him attention. This is showing him, kindly and firmly, that his behaviour is not acceptable and that he will not receive attention (that is, the type of attention he is craving in the form of speaking to him, pats, cuddles etc) until your visitor wishes to pay him attention. On the other hand, it's better to prevent him from getting to the point where he actually needs to be pushed away. I would agree with Erny that the reason he over-reacts to visitors is because of their behaviour - and yours - when they arrive. Just think - when visitors arrive, there is lots of excitement and from the dog's point of view, the unknown. Who is this visitor? Why have they troubled the pack's peace? Are they a threat? All these cues, your dog must receive from you. If you don't show him how to behave (remember, he doesn't understand English), then how will he know how to respond? He might decide to take matters into his own "paws" and investigate. This could be in the form of demanding attention from your visitors - or in the worst possible instance, in aggression. Obviously your dog is a happy little chap, and not inclined to aggression What he is trying to do, however, is manipulate the situation his way. By keeping him on lead, and by being consistent in NOT giving him attention until you and your guests are ready, you are showing him (in dog language - that is, in actions, rather than spoken language) that this is the way you would like him to behave. ETA: When you release him from time-out, IMO there's no reason why he can't be off-lead...providing, that is, that the millisecond he breaks the rules, he's straight back into time-out. DOn't make a fuss or speak to him - just pick him up and straight back into time-out without a word. This way, he gets to learn to make decisions for himself. You could put him on-lead - but then, how will he be able to decide for himself the best way to behave? If you need to put him back into time-out 50 times, that's fine. The penny will drop eventually.

Sounds like you're trying to do the best thing by everyone, especially Zorro Good luck - I hope it works out well for you.

Another thing to consider too... you said that when he first barked at and nipped the 8 year old, he was on the lead. If he's already frightened of these children, having him on the lead - whilst giving YOU control of him - tells HIM that he can't run away. If he is frightened of those particular children, and then finds himself confronted by them and at the same time unable to flee, his only other option at that time was to warn them that he might have no choice but to defend himself (the barking) and then to defend himself (the nipping). You said he's fine around other kids at the park...is he on the lead then? Or off-lead? As others have posted also, he is obviously more defensive around his own property, which makes sense, because he needs to protect his "den." Anyway, just something to think about! Hope it works out well with your dog

I would recommend keeping him on the lead around visitors until he can learn to control himself. How he learns this will be up to you, and there are many methods you can employ to help train him. Find one that you can do consistently, and stick with it. For me, personally, this is what I do (others will use different techniques, and that's fine - whatever works for YOU is best): - visitors arrive and the dogs bark to announce this - I acknowledge the dogs (this helps to takes the responsbility off them - they've warned me that there is a possible intruder - great, thanks guys! Remember also that until you open the door, the dog has NO idea who is on the other side. Everyone is a potential threat.) - the dogs are put in another room - the visitor is welcomed inside and when and only when we are all relaxed and settled, do I "release the hounds." This is logical for several reasons, the most important of which is that the dogs then re-enter a calm and pleasant environment, which takes pressure off them and tells them it's fine to settle down again now. - if the dogs rush over to the visitor, i tell the visitor to ignore them COMPLETELY. no eye contact, no pats...nothing. This tells the dogs that they may not demand attention on their terms. - if they won't settle, they are removed for a time-out until they can behave acceptably - once they have settled, it is then up to the visitor to choose ONE of the dogs, and to call that dog over for attention. any other dog that comes over is to be ignored. Obviously, if you have only one dog, then that's the dog they're going to choose. But only when they are ready. This works well for my pack...others will use different methods that work well for them. But the main thing is to make sure that your visitors are comfortable and happy. There's nothing worse than being accosted by someone else's rudely mannered dog, even if you are a total dog lover. If your dog can't control himself, put him on the lead for everyone's sake...or if he's being a real pain, remove him to another room until he learns that his behaviour is getting him nowhere.

Mine seem to start at 7am and keep going right until about 10pm at night

I never follow the instructions on the packaging and always feed by sight and by feel. By this I mean - do I think the dog looks like the optimum weight? (nice waist? can you feel the last two ribs? Is the coat healthy, shiny and are the eyes clean etc) If yes, then I'm feeding the right amount. Are more ribs starting to show? Is the coat looking dull or shabby? Then I might need to increase the feed. Is the dog too fat, in my own personal opinion? If yes, then I'm feeding too much. Labbys can be chubby lil puppies, but that's no excuse to let them get overweight. Overweight labs can end up with joint problems later on in life, just like with any breed. Too many people think that a lab should be barrel on legs. IMHO, however, there's nothing worse than a fat lab! They look so pudgy and uncomfortable. Some premium feeds can actually give puppies too much of a good thing. This can lead to problems with the rate at which the bones develop and lay down calcium, the most common of these problems being a condition called panosteitis. Although a temporary condition that the puppy will grow out of with age, it can still be painful for the dog. You know your dog best. Feed what you think is an appropriate amount, and if unsure, ask your vet or breeder their opinion on what the ideal weight for your baby should be.

It could just mean you're poking and prodding it too much and it's swollen! I know it's difficult, but try to leave it alone for a day or two (but keep a close eye on it). If there is no change within the week, take the dog back to the vet and ask for biopsy or removal and pathology.

If it was me, I'd wait the week and then, if there was no change, I'd be asking for a fine needle biopsy, or an outright removal under GA and a full pathology work-up. Lumps that don't move are not usually normal fatty deposits, injection scars or swollen lymph nodes (which are indicative of infection).

It's common for puppies to dislike the feel of wet grass...it does seem to put some of them off "doing the deed" as it were. It's also common for dogs to toilet somewhere nice and quiet and out of the way. This is what they would do "in the wild." It's not polite, in dog circles, to poo near where the pack socialises, sleeps, eats etc. Your puppy knows this instinctively. The garage is obviously nice, quiet and out of the way of the pack's social area, so it makes sense to your puppy, who doesn't like getting its paws wet, to go there to toilet. You need to be patient and continue to reinforce the idea that toileting in the garden or on the grass is where you'd like the puppy to go. It will soon learn. Just be patient, and don't punish mistakes, set-backs or garage behaviour. The puppy doesn't realise that the garage isn't the place to go. Good luck!

A lot depends not just on the dog's behaviour, but on the behaviour of the owners. For example, do they make a fuss of him before they leave - and by fuss, I mean, do they say, "Good bye. Be a good boy. We'll be right back...etc" If they say ANYTHING to the dog before they leave, they are starting to wind him up before they set foot outside. So before they've even gone, the dog has started to panic. Dogs are incredibly perceptive. They know when you're going to leave, because they recognise the "leaving" routine. You might pick up a coat, or your purse, or pick up your car keys. All of these things are cues to the dog that something terrible is about to happen. So, what you need to do is to desensitise your dog to these cues. Start picking up your car keys and just moving them around the house. Ignore the dog if it reacts at all. Pick up your coat and move it somewhere else. Do these things until the dog doesn't get bothered by the normal leaving cues. Then, try a quick separation. Get up and without speaking to the dog, go outside as if you're leaving and wait for one minute. If you can hear the dog starting to panic inside, IGNORE IT. Then, after a minute, simply walk back inside WITHOUT speaking to, or acknowledging the dog in any way. What you're trying to do is to show the dog that you can come and go as you please and it's nothing for it to worry about. Do this until you can leave for at least 10 minutes without the dog making a fuss. You can practice at home in the evening or whatever. It might take a week for the dog to "get it" - it might take a month. But be persistent and the key thing is to come and go without acknowledging the dog. If you acknowledge the dog, you reaffirm to it that a) it is leader and you're making a fuss of it for that reason, and b) it is right to panic if you leave. Do not resort to drugging your dog. This will mask the symptoms of the dog's fear, but WILL NOT fix the dog's problem. If anything, it will make it worse, because it will very quickly recognise your leaving with feeling foggy, confused and unable to function properly. How on earth does that help the dog? You can teach your dog to relax by being consistent, patient and respectful of the dog's understanding of the way the world works.

Just don't make a big deal out of it and it won't become a problem. If it does start to get out of hand, or if she ignores you when you say, "that's enough," gently remove the sleeve from her mouth, get up and walk away without a word. She will soon learn how much you will tolerate. If you make a "thing" out of the behaviour, it will become a "thing."

Thanks for the replies everyone. My dogs do get schmackos, but luckily they do enjoy other treats as well. I've been chopping them into tiny chunks for training treats, but maybe I'll look for something else (or resort to making my own liver treats...ugh...cooking!). The dried banana chips is a good idea, because they LOVE bananas smushed up with plain yoghurt, but fresh bananas are not practical as a training treat! Might also get some milk arrowroots instead.

If so, why?