Toohey

Agreed Dru and Xavier. Canberra labradoodle has the right to call her dog by whatever name she chooses. Welcome to the forum, Canberra labradoodle! Do you have a slicker brush? If not I would suggest you grab one, and get your dog used to being brushed every day. They will get the majority of the burrs and mats out for you.

Squirt Coconut Spray and Shine is lovely stuff.

What has the vet suggested is wrong, and what have they prescribed to fix the problem? I wouldn't put anything "wet" into her ear, including vinegar or Leo. If you use a cleaner or vinegar, put it on a cotton wool make up pad and wipe the ear out with it. filling her ears up with liquid will only make them worse. If it is an infection, yeast or otherwise, the vet should give you an ointment product such as Dermotic or Otomax which is inserted and then the external base of the ear massaged. Also be careful you are not pushing any gunk further down the ear canal when you clean them. Does she have any gunk there you can see?

I have been introducing a new pup to my older dog over the last three weeks. At first he wanted nothing to do with her and skirted way way around her, growled if she came close but no biting, just a very annoyed and upset boy. I closely supervised them together and separated them when out, ie. her in the kitchen with a security gate, him in the rest of the house, so they could still see each other but she could not annoy him. This is a very confident pup too, and no matter how severe a telling off she got from him, she has not been frightened, just backs off and sits nearby watching him. Took ten days until I could see acceptance happening on his part. He began to tolerate her EXCEPT for when she tried to jump all over him or swing on his ears. She got a telling off for that and learnt to back off. They now run around the garden side by side and sleep on the same bed, BUT she still gets reminders from him that it is not acceptable to harrass and chew on your elders. I am allowing them together time outside when I am not home now, and there are no problems at all. He is disciplining her when she gets out of line, as I do too, as she has this thing where she likes to leap and snap at faces and both Leo and I are not enjoying having our faces and other bits chewed. But they are becoming freinds, and things are improving every day. With Leo, it was never a jealousy issue as I have had several adults visit and stay and never had a problem. With him, it is the issue of an annoying puppy who gets in his face.

Thanks for your response K9, and I promise to sit down and read this thread properly but just wanted to address this: The pup won't be leaving the breeder's yard until around 12 weeks, (hopefully earlier), as she is tossing up about which one to keep. There is also a distance factor. And there are no shows planned until at least 18-20 weeks. I gather you consider the show scene the wrong type of socialisation for a young pup? Or is the lack of full vaccination that is your concern?

Steve thanks for posting this topic and giving us your thoughts. Can I present some real life scenarios I have at present? First one, an 8 year old ex show/breeding bitch who has had little exposure to the real world, is staying with me temporarily at present. When I take her out in public she becomes very nervous around strange dogs and flies at them. Some dogs she finds less threatening than others and is OK after a tentative sniff. I keep her on a lead and talk to her and tell her she is a good girl as the dogs approach, and she seems to be doing the flying thing less after a couple of weeks of this. Am I managing her correctly? Second scenario, I am getting a new pup soon who will be at least 12 weeks old because her breeder wants to run her on a little. I am nervous about the fact I won't have her from 8 weeks as I have always believed, and have experienced with my other dog, that the earlier they are socialised and trained in the basics such as toilet training, the better they absorb and remember. Your post states to keep them home during this fear period, so are my concerns unfounded? Thanks again.

Dose of ACV???? Hmmm. Caffiend said it best. A good slurp!!! I tend to splash it into their bowls at dinner time, would probably equal a teaspoon per dog (12-15 kg dogs). You cannot overdose with it. I read ages ago in Pat Coleby's Natural Pet Care that you should use the natural stuff from the health food store, with all the sediment. Have always done that. I don't know about the supermarket stuff, whether it is as good or not. Does wonders for immune systems, kills bacteria and seems to keep them nice and healthy. I recommend it to all dog owners I meet.

If I were you, I would be taking Steve's advice. She has many years of study and experience in breeding and raising/managing several different breeds of dog. My dogs have benefited enormously from her knowledge. If you have no intention of following the advice given, why ask for it? Do you believe YOUR preference for feeding dry kibble is what is best for your dog?

Add natural apple cider vinegar to their food every day. A good teaspoon for a medium size dog.

Hi merlin and welcome to the forum, just curious, is there any reason why you are not buying a pup from registered breeder? Are you aware of the benefits of buying from a registered and reputable breeder? I can't help with the nose question, but 8 weeks is the accepted age for pups to go to new homes and it is against the code of ethics of the canine council if breeders do not comply with this.

My boy was desexed at 6 months and started cocking around 12 months. He is a cocker though

Actually the first thing you should do is talk to his breeder, and see if she knows what may be causing it. She knows him best after all

Malaseb shampoo AND the addition of oils to his diet.

Oh Gawd, I couldn't be bothered reading all that! What's the point of it all? Are we supposed to feed Pal?

Do you know what came to my mind when I read this? Patient controlled analgesia. Yes, strange, but bear with me! After operations, patients are given a machine whereby they can give themselves morphine/pethidine. The machine is tamperproof, and will only deliver a set dose at set intervals. If the patient tries to does themselves before the time is up, the machine won't let them. Something much more simplified, but along those lines may work here. Perhaps a regulated self feeder of some sort? Yes, the idea definitely needs work, but worth a mention maybe?

Same website where I am presently still stuffing my cart with goodies

You just made me go and buy that ittle Pixie Now my dogs will smell of Kahlua and Pina Colada!

I have recently discovered the Biogroom range from The Vet Shed The honeysuckle shampoo leaves a lovely fragrnace and they also have matching colognes.

That is another reason dogs don't often get food poisoning. This dog would do best on thoroughly vitamised food.

I feed bones nearly every day and the dogs have nice hard poos that soon go white. Doubt it's the bones causing the problem. What else do you feed? Have you changed anything recently?

A thought Jeanne, the reason dogs rarely come down with food related infections such as salmonella poisoning, is because their digestive tract IS short. Bugs are not in there long enough to cause trouble.

Sounds fascinating Tell us more, please..........

And after, I took that pile of fur off in about five minutes.

I use a 20 blade CK on my girl. Have bathed and dried her this morning (CK works far better on a clean coat) and taken some before and after pics. This was before, pic not great position sorry....

I know an excellent groomer in Ringwood East. She is also a cocker breeder and vet nurse. PM me if you are interested in her details.