♥Bruno♥

I actually had to remove my flyscreen door after Bruno (also a ridgy) launched himself literally through it one day! Now the glass door is all that remains. I find closing the curtains so he cant see whats going on inside helps calm him. Or else I let him in. I know I know, its giving in, but he just wants to come in and be close to me. He only seems to do it when excited, like when he hears me come home or hears the car keys jingling and his lead dragging along the ground! He's now 5 months and it has certainly lessened. Sorry, no great advice, except to wait it out.

Frames, wings, necks, brisket bones, lamb flaps, roo tails, pig trotters, pig snouts, pig ears - all on the menu at my place!

Yep Bruno had one at 6 weeks, 10 weeks and 14 weeks. I would be very hesitant about taking your pup to preschool if he's only had one shot.

Oops, I forgot to mention the vegies! Yep, plenty of veggies too, Bruno loves carrots, potato and pumpkin, and also loves eating apples, he eats them whole and leaves the core!

I have a ridgeback boy who is 5 months. He's currently 31 kilos and growing at a rate of a kilo a week. I feed him royal canin dry food, and top it with either shin steak (about $6/kilo, eats 2 kilos a week), chicken breast or human quality mince. He gets three meals a day still, but I have cut his lunch feed down to about half the size of brekky and dinner. He gets chicken wings, necks, frames, pig trotters, pigs ears, lamb flaps, brisket bones, and roo tails as his bones and treats. I also occasionally give him some sort of dog bikkie (schmako or similar) as a reward when we are doing some training stuff. I also give him two eggs a week, shell and all, mixed into his meal. His coat is so shiny you can almost see your reflection in it! I have worked out it costs me about $30 a week to feed him, which I think is reasonable.

Bruno is only just growing out of the biting phase, and he's 5 months old! I tried everything, I was at the point of despair, even crying once because I thought I was a failed parent as I'd never had a dog that bit me as much as he did! Eventually the thing that worked for me was isolation. He hates not being near me when I'm home, he's like a shadow. So every single time he nipped me, I would march him out the door. Yes, it got harder as he got bigger (he's 30 kilos now, sheesh Im glad he's stopped!) and I ended up having to literally push him out the door sometimes. but after about a week he finally got it. Now if he gets out of hand, I just point to the door and say OUT and he sits down and behaves. I reckon you're on the right track with Time Out, just be consistant and put him out every single time he does it. This is just what has worked for me, others on here would have a lot more experience and advice on the issue.

Try buying a lotion which is a Sheep Mulesing Powder or Spray, dilute it as per package instructions, and spray spray spray!! Try Maleban, its a good brand. I put some in a pump pack and saturate the ground, bedding, kennel and wherever else the dogs lay. It's safe to spray onto the dogs too, but I dilute it further so as not to dry their coats out. It's the perfect thing to use, as its primary purpose is to stop flystrike and other bugs getting into sheep after they've been mulesed. I spray once a year and never see a flea or tick around the place. Its brilliant stuff.

Thanks for the reply Tony, wasa bit surpised that only one person offered any advice! I took Bruno to the vet yesterday (he handled the trip ok) and the vet diagnosed him with an allergic reaction. We live in a heavy wheat and sorghum area and they are harvesting at the moment, and the pollens in the air has set him off. Vet said he should be ok in a few weeks, and gave him a shot. Thanks.

I swear by Advocate. It's the ONLY spot on which covers all intestinal worms, fleas, ticks and Heartworm. The only 'extra' I have to give is a tapewormer once every 3 months. The trick to using a spot on is to Part the hair and put it directly onto the skin, that way it doesnt run down the back, and dries a lot quicker. My pooch has never had a flea or tick on him and we live in a brown dog tick infested area. It may seem dearer but its cheaper than buying all the separate products, and prevention is better than cure.

Hi, just after a bit of advice as I've never come across this before. My 5 month old ridgeback Bruno and I have just returned home from a week long stay in the city. He seemed ok while we were there, but since coming home he's been sneezing quite often (no cough) and has been quite lethargic, just wanting to sleep and cuddle and generally be close to me at all times. I understand he may be relieved to be home, but I'ma bit concerned about the sneezing. Could it be because of all the smog in the city (we live in the country) or could it be the start of something more sinister? I'm 200k's from the closest vet so thought I'd ask here before packing him into the car for another long trip. Thanks for your help, in advance.

My ridgy boy is also 5 months, and he doesnt bark in the mornings but usually wakes me by crying at the window around 6am. Ok, this might sound weird but if you had a baby who cried every morning at 6am, what would you do? Because at 5 months they are still young. My baby just wants a feed! Once I get up and get him his brekky, he happily plays and sleeps until about 10ish. Have you tried this??

Try stuffing it with some mince, either chicken or beef, from the butcher. My boy also loves me smearing the ends with peanut butter and then filling it with roo meat (sounds yuk but he loves it!). Try filling it with some apple, carrot or even some cooked rice mixed with bikkies. They will pretty much eat anything you put in there, all the fun is getting it out! Your pup will be fine licking some peanut butter or vegemite, but if its diet has been quite restricted so far, I'd probably only use very small amounts and see how his tummy reacts. Likewise with the dairy products, my boy must be lactose intolerant or something, even the slightest bit of yoghurt ot cheese hits him with the runs. All in moderation until you work out what your pup likes and can handle.

Oh he's too cute!! George suits him. I think he's got the cutest smile, just want to cuddle him!

Malaban is awesome, the only product I'll use now! I live in far south west qld, we have major brown dog and roo tick problems out here. No paralysis ticks luckily. But since spraying my yard, dog bedding and actual dog with malaban, havent had a flea or tick some near the place in 3 months. Another good one is to use Sheep Mulesing Powder. Relatively cheap, and keeps flies and other insects off your dog.

Regarding what this post was originally about, I agree with the majority of bloggers here, its not safe to take your pup out into the public until a week after their 12 week shot. That doesnt mean you cant take your dog anywhere, it just means dont take your dog to the park or walking down the street. I have always taken my pups from 8 weeks to socialise with friends dogs who I know are covered (show dogs mainly) so they get socialisation anyway. As for Kool, I think you should change your name to Fool. We come on here to get advice and share ideas, not waste time reading posts like yours.

I had this problem with a previous rotty I owned (rip Sabre). He got the taste for horse poo, and then proceeded to dig up our whole garden and eat every piece of poo he could find under the plants (we'd used it as potting fertiliser). He only stopped once he'd eaten every last piece of poo! So sorry, I have no idea how to stop your puppy doing this, except to pick his poo up as soon as he does it, or try sprinkling his poo with chilli or pepper, he'll soon lose the taste for it!!

I'm a big fan of the BARF diet, and the best way (IMO) to dispell myths such as this egg one, is to think "What would my dog eat in the wild, if left to fend for himself?". Of course if your dog was out in the wild, and came across a chicken pen and a load of eggs, as if he wouldnt gulp them down. Its animal instinct to eat other species eggs. I have never heard of egg yolks, whites or otherwise being bag for a dog. My mum has bred and shown GSD for over 30 years, and maintains that eggs are a very neccessary part of a healthy dogs diet.

Bruno had his C3 at 6 weeks, C5 at 12 weeks, then another C5 booster at 16 weeks. Have never heard of the nasal spray before, sounds painful. Bruno has had no side effects, and has already been boarded once, so I'm confident this vaccination routine has worked well for him.

I think its fantastic that you took this puppy on with his health problems and are a good enough mummy to have him checked out. Congrats, I wish there were more people like you in the world to look after our furry babies.

Hi N&E Just a quick observation on your daily routine, I would be inclined to be feeding him three solid meals a day. Rotty's are very fast growers, and he would be seeking more than bikkies in the morning, a chicken wing at lunch and bikkies & raw meat at night. At 15 weeks he really should still be eating 3 full meals (eg bikkies & meat) supplemented once a day with a bone.

Hi, my puppy is 15 weeks old (Ridgeback male) and has been putting on about 1 - 1.2 kilos a week. I would never feed him anything out of a can or roll, they are full of preservatives and you can easily make these types of foods yourself. Bruno eats Supercoat Puppy biscuits as the base, and I build on this using either mince, shin steak, chicken breast, or another type of meat (all raw) and then grate in some carrot and apple. Bind it together with an egg once a week to keep the coat shiny. Bruno love muching on an apple every now and again (skin, core and all), also enjoys chicken wings and roo tails. Find out what your puppy likes and build on that. Bruno doesnt like gravies or sauces, so all his meals are moistened with either a little water, or the blood from the meat. Try experimenting with cooking too, its easy to put some mince (or chicken breast), rice, celery, carrot and potato in a pot and boil until all soft and mushy. Its ten times cheaper than canned and your pup will love it. Hope this helps.