♥Bruno♥

I use a check chain for Bruno, mainly because he grows out of his nice expensive leather collars too quickly! Also, I have so much more control (therefore confidence) when walking him on a check chain. He never pulls, he's a great walker, but being as big as he is, I need to know that should a situation arise where I needed to have total control, I could. In your situation, I would give the check chain away and try using a softer collar. As others have said, maybe your dog is just really excited at the thought of going for a walk? Took me 2 months, but I finally have Bruno sitting down waiting at the door for me to come and put his collar on, not jumping around and being a lunatic when I say "walkies"!

Bruno is on SuperCoat Puppy, and he loves it. I bought a bag of expensive stuff last time I was in Brisbane (Nutro) and Bruno just hated it. I ended up giving it away as he wouldnt eat it, and I was sick of the battle. He has gone back onto Supercoat ever since and loves it. I feed it about 25% of his diet, then rest is raw. Whatever works for your dog is whats best. Sometimes the most expensive products arent necessarily the best!

I have kept three of Bruno's baby teeth - lucky he lost them when I was around! I keep them in a little tin, but you have to make sure you clean them well first, then keep them in a container in cotton wool because they do deteriorate quickly if you dont. I dont think its weird at all!

Paralysis ticks are bad in parts of Qld, luckily there aren't any out west where I live. When I lived in a paralysis tick area, I sprayed the yard and the dog with Malaban. It's a sheep mulesing spray, which works as a repellant to any insects. It is safe to use, and once you spray your yard, you wont see as much as a flea for at least 3 months.

Beachmere has a lot of stagnant water, so mozzies can be a problem. I use Advocate once a month, a tapewormer every 3 months, and Bruno wears a tick & flea collar permanantly. Does fine.

Could you seperate them during the day?

I won't even recount the amount of things Bruno has managed to consume before I could get it out of his gob - including a whole teddy bear, which he later pooped out!

First one - Bruno keeps on picking things up on our walks, and sometimes eating them! I try to steer him away from stuff I see, but sometimes it's in his mouth before I even knew there was anything on the ground! I am so sick of pulling yukky stuff out of his mouth on walks. No amount of reprimanding seems to work. Is there a trick to make him not want to eat everything he sees on the ground, or is it just a fact of puppy life? Second one - What sort of brush should I be using? He is a Ridgeback, so has quite short hair, but just can't seem to find a brush that actually gets all the loose hair out. Anyone help? Thanks! :rolleyes:

Bruno farts, but hey, so do I, and mine don't exactly smell like roses so why should his!! You can buy some Pedigree Wind Buster chews from the supermarket, they are made from charcoal and claim to help gas. It's natural, as long as his poos are firm and regular, hey who doesn't fart!!

I wont put you off completely raz, but ladies have smegma too!!

Below is a Vaccination Schedule I received from my vet. It's quite comprehensive and will hopefully be of some help to any first time puppy owners. Note that the costs listed are what my vet charges, costs may vary between vets. Puppy C3 Covers Parvovirus, Distemper, Hepatitis. For puppies 6-12 weeks only. $52.30 C3 Covers Parvovirus, Distemper, Hepatitis. Pups older than 12 weeks. $56.30 C5 Covers Parvovirus, Distemper, Hepatitis, Parainfluenza, Bordatella. Includes full cover for Kennel Cough. $74.35 Extras (given in addition to one of the above) C2i Covers Leptospirosis, Caronavirus. Caronavirus is similar to parvo. Leptospirosis is a common disease in South West Qld. For puppies up to 15 months old. $24.75 Tetanus Covers Tetanus. Recommended for working dogs, pig dogs, or any dogs in contact with livestock. Also important for teething puppies, and pups prone to simple wounds such as cracked teeth and cracked toe nails. $16.90 KC Covers Kennel Cough. Required for dogs who travel or may board in kennels. This vaccine is also included in C5 vaccination. $32.15 Heartworm - SR12 Yearly injection, but puppies require two injections in their first year. Cost depends on the size of your dog. In summary, your pup will require one of the first three vaccines (puppy C3, C3 or C5) at 6, 12 and 16 weeks (approx). The Extras listed are helpful if you are unsure what vaccinations your dog has had, or if your dog is in an area where the diseases listed are prevalant.

Can you not confine your puppy to one room of the house? I would never ever leave Bruno alone in the house for even a second without me watching him like a hawk! Even when I have a shower, he knows he has to come into the bathroom with me, and I shut the door behind him! He has grown out of the really naughty stage, but it just prevents you being angry and frustrated at yourself for leaving something where puppy can get it. I think you should look into building a large dog run, so he can be kept out of harms way and also have room to run around and play.

I think the leather collars can sometimes cause the skin under the collar to get very hot and sweaty, and this is where the irritation begins. Have you thought of using a choker chain? Its the one that forms a loop and is made out of chain. These let the fur underneath breathe. Not sure how politically correct they are anymore though, but I use one.

You get what you pay for with dog food, same as human food. If you are on a budget, then find a good quality cheaper brand and supplement it. If you are keen to give your dog the best diet possible, opt for one of the super premium types suggested. Being a working dog, he needs good quality food to keep his energy levels up. Cheap and nasty dog food is the same as us eating a chicko roll and being expected to work all day on it.

Roxiekda this is what I did with Bruno too! I had every good intention of training him to sleep in his own bed when I first got him at 9 weeks, but as I live alone, and got sick of hearing him crying all night every night for two straight weeks, I gave in and put him into bed with me. Now he sleeps like a rock all night! He even puts himself to bed at 8.30 each night. When the alarm goes off in the morning he gives me a filthy look until I hit snooze and then he hits the pillow again! He's so good to share a bed with, I know this isn't everyone's ideal situation, but it works a treat for me!

If more is coming out than going in, then maybe the food isn't what suits her best. Have you thought about experimenting with other foods - mince, raw bones, chicken wings, necks, veggies, stuff like that? Maybe the dry food isn't very good for her if she is pooing it out and also putting on weight. Go with your gut, you know what she looks like and if you are really worried, take her to the vet or ask the breeder to weigh her and give you a good opinion.

No such thing as a stupid question, just stupid answers! Bruno was done at 6 weeks, 12 weeks and 16 weeks. At 16 weeks I got the c7, which includes kennel cough and other stuff (at least I think thats what it was called!)

Thanks MP, Bruno has recovered after the "giving birth to a bear" incident! I dont have an OH or skin kids to worry about, so it's just me and Bruno, which sometimes exacerbates our power struggles! One day he's such a polite, obedient snuggly little man, next day he's a bitey, naughty, smartass teenager! Just think it comes with the age.

Mum was a GSD breeder for over 15 years, and swore by this trick - She'd get some old rags or clothing we didnt want anymore, wet the bottom of them and then sprinkle pepper all over them, so the pepper would stick to the clothing. The dogs only ever tried to grab onto the clothing once, and never again!

Bruno is going through a similar thing at the moment, and he is also an entire male ridgeback. He's been very dominant of late, trying to push me off the couch, squeezing in next to me to shove me over, or getting very very sulky if he doesnt get his way with everything. Only started about two weeks ago, and I'm being quite firm with him. His sulks can last for hours! He has also been pulling clothes off the line for the 1st time in his life, and eating his toys (see thread in general!). He has "good" days and "naughty" days, and I'm hoping he gets over it soon - or just goes into his kennel and turns the music up loud (like every other normal teenager hahaha!)

Good advice as always Tony, but I find a quick spray with a water bottle soon teaches them too!

Hi all Just want a bit of advice from you guys about when I should cut back on Bruno's feeds? He's a 6 months old Ridgeback male. He is currently being fed three times a day, and eats it all up, but just wondering when I should start scaling it down. I dont feed him huge meals, but as a guide, he generally gets about a cup and a half of bikkies with mutton meat, shin steak, or chicken, pork etc cubed in the morning, I come home from work at lunch and give him a cup of bikkies, a chicken wing and a bone to chew on as I leave (so he doesnt notice so much that I'm leaving him (again ) and then at night he has about a cup of bikkies, cubed meat and grated vege & fruit (a mix of whatever is available, such as potato, pumpkin, cabbage, apple, pear etc). He may also get another chicken wing or small chew for bed time. Gee this sounds like a lot when I write it all down! But should I cut out lunch? I feel bad because he is 32 kgs and still growing, and the vet says he is nowhere near fat, just a healthy growing boy. Does anyone have any advice? Thanks.

I actually grate the vegies and fruit into Bruno's meals. That way the juice goes in to the meal too. I usually use a mix of whatever is available (i.e. carrot, apple, pear, potato, cabbage, celery, pumpkin) all raw and grated straight into his mince. Try using only a very small amount of one fruit or vege first, if no upset tummy or bad reaction then try slowly introducing more, one at a time. Hope this helps, and I'm certainly no expert on diet or chi's, but this is just what works for me.

Thats awesome news! I got Bruno to start using his kennel by letting him watch me throw a treat to the back of the kennel so he had to enter it to retrieve. This eliminated his fear of the new big dark cave! The I put a bone in there and he couldnt be bothered dragging it out, so sat in the kennel to eat it. Now he's in there a fair bit.

Mil, I generally just play tug games with Bruno. Being a ridgeback, hge wont play fetch, or anything he deems "silly" haha! I usually play running "chasey" type games with him, which doubles as a training routine - I run, he catches me, then I turn around and say "sit!" and he has to sit and wait until I say "chasey!" and he is allowed to get up. I am now trying this with a "drop" command, and getting him used to laying down for me. He loves going to the park (the only place in town with any grass left in it) and rolling, and he loves loves loves it when I roll next to him. I'm sure passers-by think I'm one of those drunk 'park people' haha!