BC

Are you making BARF yourself or purchasing BARF patties ? BARF patties should have the required suplements already added, which you can add jointguard to. If you are making BARF yourself you will need to add supplements such as kelp, fish oil, flaxseed etc but you will have to research this and work out what doses of what your dogs will need depending on weight and how many times per week.

VCA trial

She'll be fine. They have to eat a good quantity of these foods to be toxic. In saying that, dont feed these foods to your dog. Mine have eaten grapes before, and eaten 3/4 bag full of chocolate bullets they found after opening the cupboard I was expecting 2 days of the runs, but they were fine.

My dogs also "toilet" on command, and as soon as they're done I say "inside" and they run straight to the door. If out on a walk, they get 2 wees, no more. I dont give them the chance to do anymore than that eg. I try to walk really fast but if they still try and stop they get dragged . They soon learn Cooper didn't cock his leg until he was over 12 months and both Vinnie and Cooper will still squat sometimes if they're really busting.

As Miranda said, seperate when they are eating. When mine have bones it is usually in their crates or outside on opposite sides of the yard when I'm out there too. Luckily once they have finished they dont go near the other one who is still eating, and are really not fussed with fighting over food, but I'd rather be safe than sorry

As far as I know the vaccination does not cover all strains of KC and I think there is around 5 ?? Someone please correct me if I'm wrong.

I use hotdog or leg ham most of the time and it is easy to hold in your mouth and spit. Cheese is also a good one for Cooper but I cannot spit this as it clags in your mouth :D

Mine get a raw egg once or twice a week, and yes, I think that daily is too much.

I'm not really fussed with their "own" toys etc, but I make sure I have something for each dog. They work out what they prefer on the day.

It's just different and new and they're not sure about it. My friends dog loves teh soft crate but is wary of the wire crate. Put their food or bone etc in there to get them in and you should be fine. Once they realise this is there new safe place they should be fine :rolleyes:

As Rysup said, check your dogs tummy and groin cos fleas love to live there. Much easier to see on a black dog there and long coated breeds. Could possibly be just flaky skin due to poor diet, but probably start on a good "spot on" flea treatment along with a good bath, and pop some fish oil and raw egg into the diet and see how you go.

A bit of work will go into a show dog, and its hard to explain in writing. Their feet, ears, feathering, hocks etc are all trimmed in a certain way, and depending on the coat, that will also be dried and set in different ways too. You can however make him look clean and neat. You can trim feet by cutting all fur out from underneath his pads, and trim around the outside of the bottom of the foot to give him a neater more compact look. Can trim the hocks and feathering with thinning shears if they're very long, but at 8 months he most likely would not need this. A good rake and slicker will remove any dead hair. A good wash to make his whites sparkling, and a good blow dry to remove any further dead hair and it frees the coat up. The another gentle brush and he will look gorgeous.

Just thinking about different finishes and how most handlers in a club situation are taught the finish where the dog walks around the handler from the right hand side. I know that certain ones were allowed and not allowed at different stages in obedience, but know that flip, swing and the "right?"finish are all permitted to be used in the ring now. Can anyone fill me in on the background of when they were all introduced into the obedience ring ?

I dont have one at the moment but have used one. I think they're very handy with a body strap, for those dogs that just have to lie down or are bloody overweight and cannot stand for long periods themselves. They can also stop the temptation of wanting to jump down as the dog feel restricted, but if you think they're gunna jump push the table up against the wall so the dog is limited as to where it can jump. You will always hear horror stories, but if you can read a dogs body language, there are many signs a dog will display prior to jumping. I prefer not to have the dog tethered while grooming, and when I need to walk away from the table I will put the dog on the floor, but some dogs just need to be held up.

I would just plough on. Layer brush with slicker first and then comb. When you're feeling fresh get the hard bits done first, legs feet etc, then move onto the back. Good luck (Thats why groomers shave off matted hair )

Try wrapping some bandage around it and maybe put something on the bandage like metho that tastes disgusting. Dont worry, when Cooper was about 16 weeks old I jammed his foot in the car door, but it gets worse, I had locked the door prior to shutting it and OH had the keys about 20 metres away from the car. Cooper was screaming and I was screaming and we were all screaming LOL No damage though, he continued to run around with Vinnie.

He's cool racing around. Such a speedy little tyke !!!!!

umm sorry I don't see why you have attacked me this way. All I made was a comment, which BTW I am entitled to do. Maybe you should take a chill pill? I was thinking the same ;) I completely understood what you were saying and there is a differnce between the flip and swing finsih :rolleyes:

She sounds like a normal lab puppy to me, apart from the food bit, but that can be worked on. I strongly suggest obedience training when she's a little older, but you need to establish who the leaders are now. She is going to to a large dog and labs tend to mature much later than some other breeds of dogs. When she jumps keep turning your back on her, when she nips yell in a high pitched voice "ouch" and then turn your back. The worst punishment for a dog is to be ignored. When she calms down she gets pats and gentle play. She is only 11 weeks old and needs to learn a lot yet, and it is going to take a lot of time and persistence. As with any dog breed, if you are prepared to put the time and effort in you will end up with a lovely dog but you need to give it a lot of time. They dont learn overnight.

I have had a couple of people do this. One person accross the road knocks on my door all the time, but they at least make an appointment now. I have had people on a Sunday, or late an night knock but I just tell them I dont work x and x days, and if they would like it I can book them in in the next couple of weeks. Some will say "oh, you cant do it now" and I just say no, or "oh, you dont work Sunday" and I say do you ? Also say, yes I am very busy and thats why I need a day off !!!! I'm not rude but I dont care if they're offended, cos they're rude for knocking on my door and asking me to do it now when everyone else can pick up the phone and make an appointment.

I am not sure about other states, but you could try Clipper World here in Melbourne. http://www.clipperworld.com.au/shop/

I would suggest joining a good dog obedience club to get some general obedience skills happening and have a chat about different methods of getting your dog to walk calmly on a lead. But another method is, as soon as you feel tension, quickly and sharply turn the other way and continue to walk, and then again, and again and again everytime there is tension. You may be doing 20 quick turns up and down in a straight line, but the dog will soon click.

I would continue to tell him as he is still not sure what he is meant to do. My last step is with my right foot, and slightly larger than my normal pacing steps. I then bring my left leg up and make sure my body is staight up and I would say sit at the same time as bringing up your left leg to a halt. As he is still learning you can really exaggerate the last step on the right and bringing up your left. Keep repeating this, and one day soon you will be pleasantly surprised !!!!

One of my friends will sprinkle the food over an area of the backyard in the grass so her dog has to search for it and it definately slows down the eating process

Most dogs will eat grass. Mine eat it everyday. It can be a sign of sickness, but generally it is good for their digestive system.