kiwioz

My labrador I had as a kid had HEAPS of lumps from about age 7-8 onwards. He was actually rehomed to live with my cousins when my family came to Australia, but apparently they had him at the vet a fair bit. Eventually he did get sick and had to be pts, but that was at about age 13-14 Lumps go with the territory with older dogs sometimes. I'm sure Riley will be fine

I had to take Finn to the vet yesterday so asked about his weight while I was there - the vet said he was "on the lighter side of normal". He said personally he'd probably prefer just a little more on him to cover his hips a bit more, but that he certainly wasn't 'skinny'. So that was good news

Hmmm I never thought of that. Cal isn't scared of thunder/noises, but he does bark at them a LOT so a zapper could potentially be problematic! Have discovered a temporary partial solution though - turns out the people who owned my house before me left one of those plastic fly curtains behind in the garage that they had on the back door. It's ugly but you can't really see the back door and it should help. Doesn't solve the windows, but a lot of them are coming in through that door cos its open for the dogs.

Thanks guys. Okami unfortunately the dogs stay in the house when I go out, so I can't do the big spray. Stickers maybe could give a bit of extra help by the sounds, but its a bit of a spread out area. Maybe I need to get my swatting arm ready after all

Thanks for the tips and ideas guys. And I'm glad to find out I'm not being over paranoid I'll try and avoid spray as much as possible. Spotty I can just imagine trying to swat them all, who would need a gym membership :D

Oh I haven't seen the surface spray, that sounds good. Unfortunately I don't have fly screen on my windows, hence the problem. Anybody had any luck with those window sticker things?

I am being overtaken by flies in a way I never was at my old house. They are driving me nuts! I can't help feeling slightly weird about spraying fly spray around with the dogs inside though - is it all ok? It's a 'natural' one, but there's not a huge amount of ventilation in the room. How about the ones you put on the wall that regularly puff out the spray? I used to have rats and their little lungs needed more care - it may have made me over paranoid

You're right deelee! He's definitely not as skinny as the 'thin' dog in the diagram, but he's probably a bit under ideal as I can feel his hip bones and the end of his spine. His ribs are quite well covered though! I agree that this thread shows the right attitude towards a dog's weight! I cringe when I see the shapeless lumps that people have on the end of a leash sometimes...

Hmmm I think Finn might still be too skinny. I've posted about him before but he's pretty tricky to keep weight on. That's another trouble with having a cross breed - there's no 'ideal weight' to refer to!

Same Me too :D same me too, I really cant beleive it. RIP big man! Another one here He was one of my favourite DOL dogs. Condolences to Rocco1, ralphdog, and of course poor wee Ralph. He will be sorely missed

Absolutely! Okay, well let's make it the 12th of December at Erskine Park - maybe 12pm ish? Speak up if you have any objections! Sophie, would be awesome to meet up with you anyway...maybe we could do something separate? :rolleyes: Sounds great!

I'd be keen and am in Sydney for a few weeks over Christmas, but I don't get there til Dec 15!! If you end up doing any after that I'll come along

1. What is my relationship with the breed? (ie breeder, first time owner etc) First time owner - Cal is now 10. 2. Where and why was the breed first developed? I don't know a lot about their history, but I know they are named for the scottish 'cairns' that they used to hunt among. They are a hunting/ratting breed with high prey drive, so keep this in mind. 3. How common is it in Australia? I don't know numbers, but they are not hugely common - a lot of people on the street think he is an aussie terrier. He's only ever met about 2 other cairns in his life! I believe they're easy enough to get hold of though. 4. What is the average lifespan? As with other small terriers, mid to late teens is fairly standard I think. Cal is going great guns at 10 years old - people are usually shocked that he is that old, they think he's just a spring chicken A couple of years ago when he was 8 someone at the park asked his age, and when I said 8 they thought I meant 8 months! 5. What is the general temperament/personality? Lots of terrier spunk Not the most affectionate of dogs in my experience though - not the type who will willingly spend hours on your lap. Too busy for that! He'll put up with a brief cuddle but won't hang around. He's slightly cuddlier in his old age though! And you still get the huge welcome after a day away at work - definitely loving, just not overly physically affectionate. Very happy little dog generally, very social with both dogs and people. 6. How much daily exercise is needed for the average adult? Daily walk, and they'll take as much as you want to give! Cal copes ok if we miss a few days, but then will start to bark more etc. Currently he's only getting about 20 min walk and doing fine, but will go for much longer than that. He has slowed down a bit now though compared to his younger days. 7. Is it a breed that a first time dog owner could easily cope with? Yes - as long as the owner is aware of the breed. I was only 14 when we got him so he was a family dog and more my parents responsibility initially, and we were not hugely dog aware. We did not do enough to control his barking as a puppy and it has been a significant problem throughout his life. With better training from the get go it would not have been such an issue. Also he was a major escape artist as a younger dog so bear that in mind! But overall he's been pretty easy 8. Can solo dogs of this breed easily occupy themselves for long periods? Cal has been a solo dog until recently (Finn is 2) and has always coped fine - but we have had a lot of barking issues as mentioned above. But with proper training, exercise and stimulation they would be ok as an only dog. He seems to love the company these days though 9. How much grooming is required? I believe that their show coat is meant to be hand stripped, however Cal is just a pet so we clip him once a year at the start of summer. Then by the time winter comes he's good and shaggy! The coat is coarse and doesn't knot easily, we don't need to brush him much - but like I say if you are showing the coat requires more care than this. 10. Is it too boisterous for very small children or for infirm people (unless the dog is well trained)? Cal is great with kids and small enough for them to cope with. He's also very tolerant. He's developed some arthritis recently which has made him slightly prone to snappiness, but on the whole he's great with them. They are a lively breed though. 11. Are there any common hereditary problems a puppy buyer should be aware of? I'm not sure about this one! 12. When buying a puppy, what are the things you should ask of the breeder? (eg what health tests have been done (if applicable) and what is an acceptable result to those tests so the buyer has an idea of what the result should be) Again, not very knowledgeable on this sort of stuff Overall, they are a great breed. We initially chose a cairn because they are a small dog with a bit more substance! Great personalities, lots of cheekiness and fun. Everyone who meets him loves him The barking has been a big problem for us, and new owners should be aware of this. But if you are onto it from the start you'll have a fantastic companion Hopefully some of the breeders on here can help with the more detailed stuff!

So sorry chewy Thinking of you. He is an absolutely beautiful old man

Will do! It is at a point where I'm not enjoying taking him for a walk, and dread the sight of another dog (which is fairly often in our neighbourhood!) - I guess thats a fair indication we need to do something about it.

Hehe thanks for that huski, and quickasyoucan for the address. Sounds like the way to go.

Thanks for the suggestion, I will look her up. And thanks for the thoughts PF on what to do in the meantime, it is so hard to know what is the right approach.

I thought it might be at a point where this would be necessary. It's severity has kind of snuck up on us as it has worsened gradually. What sort of person am I after? Dog behaviouralist? How does one go about finding someone appropriate?

I was wondering if anyone had some thoughts/experience/advice about this problem. Finn is a 2 yr old poodle cross, very sweet, very friendly, puts up with anything, loves Cal and other dogs, and if anything tends to be overly submissive. This, however, is OFF lead. He has had a developing problem with onlead though. Out for a walk, if he sees another dog, he just goes nuts. Very snarly, aggressive barking and lunging on the lead. If he actually gets to meet the dog he is fine, and will often be submissive up close. Somewhat understandably, many do not want to get close enough to let him do this. This seems to have stemmed from an incident where he was set upon by another, bigger, border collie type dog probably a year ago now. Initially, it was dogs that matched this description that would set him off. Now, however, its any and every dog. We've started by working on his lead work in general, as he wasn't very good at walking to heel so we've tried to get him more under control. We try to turn him away from the dog, get him to sit, and try to distract him, praise him when he's not barking, etc. But the behaviour is out of control, not to mention quite embarassing It is very specific, and very out of character, and desperately needs controlling. Any thoughts?

Now I get it!! I always thought the grass was making them sick, that it was a bad thing, and I could never understand why they persisted in eating it!

I am so sorry Greytmate What a beautiful girl.

Thanks suezija that's a good comparison to use

Thanks for the link lucknow. I'd guess he's around number 3, so we'll aim to bulk him up a little and keep an eye on those pelvic bones and vertebrae.

Yeah that's what I was thinking. I've always gone primarily by ribs, but then his back started to remind me of our greyhound fosters and I got a little concerned!

I've been concerned recently that Finn may be underweight and wanted to ask for some advice. He is a hairy fuzzbutt so its hard to tell just by looking, but he does generally have a lean/slender frame. I can feel his ribs easily, but they are not protruding. They seem to have a nice layer over them, which I would think was pretty spot on. However his spine seems to comparatively really stick out a lot. The vertebrae are very easy to feel, and his two sticky outy hip bones are fairly prominent. Being a mutt I can't refer to a breed standard, but he is around 11-12 kilos and approx 43-44cm at the shoulder (done with a 30cm ruler so not terribly accurate ) He is a cavalier x mini poodle - I am not sure what their build is typically like? Any help/suggestions/advice greatly appreciated