Danois

Nah Lake Parramatta is on lead too. Best bet for a good off lead romp is Callan Park in Rozelle - 120 odd acres at the old Pschy Hospital Grounds. Start up by Balmain Road, head all the way down and there is a little beach at the bottom (down by the bigger playing fields) where dogs can go. Then wander all the way back up again in a big circuit. Just don't park fully on the grass otherwise you get in trouble. It would be about 25 mins from Kingsford I guess.

No dogs on ferry from memory. I'd say - drive down to Little Austimer before Wollongong. Its an off lead dog beach about hour's drive south. Otherwise, go up to Lake Parramatta - its a 4km walk around it. Closest big offlead area to where you are is Sydney Park at St Peters - about 10 mins from you. Just don't let them in the ponds because you get fined plus they've normally got blue green algae in them.

Behavourist would be my recommendation and as the owner of a large dog, addressing the behaviour would be appreciated. Especially as I'm having to see one too to address the growing fearfulness towards small aggressing dogs carrying on in this manner towards him.

Standard in most of the parks around here. I'm not a huge fan of them as I prefer to tip out the existing water and refill with fresh water and also because the bowls are a bit little for big dogs. The other style around here have a fixed bowl which swivels to tip out.

Can't claim credit for this one but I marinate beef stirfry strips in oil and crushed garlic and then fry in a rather liberal amount of butter. Dog is not normally hugely food motivated but turns himself inside out for this when it's still warm from the pan.

I am most wary of SWF as a collective rather than a specific breed. Without fail, if we encounter them on a walk, my dog gets rushed at complete with yappy barking and attempts to bite ankles.

There was no difference in my boy between between entire and desexed except for how some other dogs reacted to him.

Hanrob at the airport is not the right place for 2 GSDs for 2 weeks. Runs are in 1 room facing each other, small beds, no personal items allowed including bedding, toys. Its pretty noisy and full on there when they're busy.

It is not their own insurance per se- they are simply the retail front. The insurance is underwritten by Hollard who underwrites the vast majority of pet insurance in Australia.

It is not illegal to have them unrestrained unless the police think they're interfering with your view or control of car. It's illegal to have them on the lap of driver. It's road rule 297.

I would not mix 2 foods together as it could throw all the ratios out and this may be very important if you're getting a larger breed dog. You're better off feeding 1 higher quality food - less hassle and you feed less. Otherwise you could look at a mix of raw and dry - but again, may depend on breed. I feed Canidae now - feeding a lot less of it than I did the Eagle Pack, he holds his weight and has a thick, shiny, healthy coat. I feed around 300gm a day plus a couple of chicken wings for a 63kg dog.

As your other dogs are overweight too I think you need to look at the bigger picture about what is going on in the home. If it was just one dog then you should perhaps investigate underlying medical issues but when its all of them - its fair to say they are a product of their environment. In those circumstances the best weight control food is you. You need to stand up to your mother and make her stop feeding treats - she is killing the dogs with kindness as PF said. If she continues then stop feeding the dog their meals otherwise leave a bowl on the bench of her daily food ration and make your mum only feed her from that bowl and no more. If the chi is that big and gets 2k of exercise a day then he's getting a massive amount of extra food on the sly. Research the costs of managing a dog with diabetes, repairing ruptured CLs, treating pancreatitis - not cheap!

Donatella - ever taken into account that hospitals would buy IV supplies in massive volumes whereas a vet surgery would buy them in limited quantities in comparison so not getting the benefit of bulk buying discounts? I don't think IV fluids are a sham. I'd rather my dog was set up for it on the table so if something went wrong it was all in place as opposed to them wasting precious time trying to get the lines in. My view is that price is secondary to the service and level of care your vet provides and I really do shake my head when people post here trying to find the cheapest price for things like desexing etc as opposed to finding the best care for their dog. Would you go to a surgeon for yourself based on price and not reputation/ skills/ experience etc? I don't know if my vet is competitive with their prices - have not bothered to research it - all I know is I trust them without hesitation and drive about 45 mins to get to them - passing the 5 other clinics nearby and the Syd Uni clinic.

Might be information in here about why: http://www.dolforums.com.au/topic/226156-how-to-stop-dog-pacing-in-the-show-ring/

So sorry to hear Webster has left you He was such a lovely boy.

http://www.dolforums.com.au/topic/105948-chihuahuas-i-know-there-are-a-few-around/page__st__2595__p__5503610#entry5503610 That's one large chi! Back to the comment re 2km of exercise a day its getting - that's a terrific strain on the joints when its that big. I had a feeling of deja vu - there was lots of advice given several months ago when you were posting about the weight issues the chi and GR were having so maybe read back over that especially the advice re cutting right back and bulking with vegies.

Why not just find a great vet and then be assertive and say - thank you for your advice however I am comfortable with my decision to feed raw/ vaccinate less frequently so don't need to discuss it. A good vet should respect your decisions regardless.

Why engage in the further conversation. You said your bit and they responded. The conversation could have easily been left there. Whilst the reply may not have been too harsh, it has left them with an impression about registered breeders. Registered breeders should use such enquiries to politely educate not alienate puppy buyers or they will go to a puppy farm.

2 hours of walking a day for a chi??

I agree Crisovar - I feed chicken wings to my 63kg dog as he is a careful eater.

I used to be able to do 1 nail at a time and that was it. But I used one of those clicker training videos Meh posted initially to desensitise him to the process. I also started to look at it as something which he simply had to accept and he soon realised that and let it happen. He now lies there and barely even moves when I do all of them in one go. LOL Crisovar - we also used to have issues on that! He had me well trained by going into shutting down and avoiding behaviour. Now he sits, lets me open the mouth to pop the drugs in and waits for his treat.

Actually it is not the protein to fat ratio which is the important bit. The calcium to phosphorous ratio is also as important (if not more so). Plenty of time for a raw diet once they're an adult. It is really important that large breed dogs are grown slowly and steadily with the right ratios (per my comment above). A decent dry food will help you do that without the hassles and research. I have raised my giant breeds on Eagle Pack and Canidae and Royal Canin and recommend any of them. I would not put any weight on the comment re RC from the pet store. From what I have read RC spends a lot of time and money on research.

You might not agree with her decision but at the end of the day it is her life and she can make whatever decisions she chooses. My best friend owns a poodle x spaniel. He's a nice dog. I would not unfriend them for their choice in dog.

I only flea treat as necessary with Comfortis which means for a couple of months over summer - I don't agree with putting unnecessary chemicals on the dog. Worming - only something I do as necessary as opposed to as a matter of routine. Vaccinations - don't vaccinate unless for KC for boarding. Check with your vet but I doubt it would be an issue if wait a bit longer between some of the treatments so you can align treatments dates and then use a product like Sentinel Spectrum to cover fleas, worms and heartworm.

Good luck for that price Have a look at Rrruff Wear (they advertise in the banner ads). Otherwise best option for big dogs is the Snooza D1000. Another option is getting a foam mattress from Clarke Rubber, cutting in half and doubling up and putting in a doona cover.