Tilly

I had water for my pup. It was in one of those bird dishes - it is a metal ring that secures to the side of the cage and then the metal bowl slips into the ring - it meant the water couldn't be knocked over and wet the bedding. Found pic ...

I don't show ... but I do have certain expectations of my dog that "don't fit" the general dog obedience classes. I found it easiest to just talk to the instructor and make it clear what training the dog already has - and also what you expect to get out of the training.

I prefer my boys to have access to water 24/7 when they are home and frequently offer them water when we are out and about. Even when the youngest was just a puppy and being crate trained he had water in his crate 24/7.

I looked into pet insurance for our boys but at the time because they are working dogs (security) the regular "pet" insurance wouldn't cover them if they were injured at work. So we set up an ING Direct account and transferred a set amount into the account each pay (eg $50 per dog). This has worked well for us because the other issue is most emergency places require payment up front or before you leave with the dog - so you need to have the money on hand first because you can claim it back.

I have just been cleaning out my car ... and there is at least another dog worth of hair in it!!!! Mongrel dogs will have to walk if they keep shedding like this.

This was posted on Facebook by QPS

They are saying the mother was inexperienced ...

Rest in Peace little puppies

I also use the prong (with quick release) but use a "dominant dog collar" as a back up ... sometimes I just use the DDC just by itself as it is the easiest to put on and it isn't as heavy as a check chain. I don't use the DDC as they are designed to be used ... but mainly as a backup for even the regular flat collar as he can't slip out of this collar.

I really wanted to get my youngest into SAR but with the level of training involved that I just don't have the time to commit to it and still work full time and do my other volunteer work.

I have one and they work just the same ... no snagging or sharp sliding. I would have preferred if one side came out of the loop so I could wrap the collar around the neck rather then slide it over the head (if that makes sense) ... because my boys have boofy heads which means I had to adjust the size of the collar, fit it over the head and then readjust the size of the collar. It is probably a little easier to use then a regular martingale ....

I have seen a lot of black dogs walked in the middle of the day. For some people they just have no realisation that it is not good for the dogs because they think that if they can handle it then the dog can too. I rarely walk or run my dogs in daylight hours during summer.

Get a new car ...

Comfortis has been working wonderfully for my dogs. Cats tend to pick up fleas and bring them home so some flea treatment for the cats is essential. Flea bomb the house and then repeat weekly for a couple of weeks to get any that hatch later. Permoxin or Malawash/Malaban can be mixed up in a garden spray and sprayed around the outdoor areas and bedding. Regular treatment is the key ...

Usually when I give my boys their tablets I have had to straddle the dog, put a hand under their chin and bring their head back. Open their mouth and push the tablet right down the back of their throat and then hold their mouth closed while rubbing along their neck until they swallow. I had been using this method for our dogs because they were difficult about taking their tablets ... until one day I had a bit of chum (don't normally feed this stuff but it was needed to give a dog a bit of a clean out after he had eaten too many bones and was a little blocked up) and put that around the last of a tablet and they inhaled food and tablet. I then started breaking the tablets up and putting them in a couple of pieces of food. Line the dogs up and give them a normal piece each, give them a piece with a tablet and then line up another normal piece straight away so they inhale that piece waiting for the next. Now ... with my two current dogs - they are just handed the tablet and they are stupid enough to think they are getting a treat and inhale the tablet whole and line up waiting for another

Another for Animal Options and Dr Rowan Kilmartin - the guy is absolutely wonderful and is all about the dog/animal

When I collected our youngest from the airport as a puppy ... there was no ID checks at all. I arrived early so was sitting in the lounge. After a while the guy asked if I was ok - I told him I was waiting for a puppy to arrive but I was early. Some time after the pup was due to arrive I could hear a vehicle coming with a puppy crying. The guy went out the back and come back with the crying pup and handed him (in a crate) over to me saying "this must be your puppy" to which I asked "Is it?" There was no paperwork exchanged, no checks undertaken etc and my $1500 pup could have been handed to anyone.

Hmmm ... sounds like a nice holiday opportunity ... shame I have barely been at work for the last 5 weeks

There is a number of trainers out there that believe a dog should never be left with toys as they should look to their owner for fun and not find it themselves. There is also a number of people who believe their dogs should never be fed, patted or rewarded by anyone other then the handler as they will look to others for rewards.

For our last 2 dogs I have been very happy with the dogs (loved their pedigree/bloodlines and the dogs themselves) but found communications with the breeders a bit difficult. Either they can't be bothered too respond or they simply just don't care about what happens to the dogs once they get their money. I wouldn't recommend either breeder simply for that reason ... and we had gone through many breeders before we settled with the two that we did get our dogs from. If we had been looking for a pet and not a working dog ... then I would have simply brought from a petshop or from the paper. That way I wouldn't have had to deal with the many rude people that call themselves breeders.

Poor baby :D If it is something like bruising then applying ice for short periods of time and rest may help. I know when my now older GSD was a puppy he injured his leg and was sooking and appeared in great pain (I thought he had broken a bone or something with all the carry on) ... so with a frantic telephone call and an emergency dash to the vet I was stunned to find he suddenly made a full recovery the moment I carried him into the vets!!!! Mongrel dog

My youngest doesn't tolerate grains so we feed our dogs raw. But because they are working dogs and I wanted to have a dry food option ... so I have been also giving them Canidae Grain free Salmon from time to time. Both dogs love it and I have had no issues with them on it.

Hope your hand is feeling better soon. It is just plain instinct that makes you want to grab the dogs to seperate them. For a while there our older dog would have a go at the youngest to the point we never left them together unsupervised. He would normally back off when told .. expect there was one day when I was getting their food ready when the older boy got stuck into the youngest and refused to break it off. I tried seperating them with a broom but when that didn't work I grabbed the older dog (who was closest to me) by the back legs and pulled him backwards into the garage ... I don't know what I would have done if the youngest had wanted to continue the fight and came with us. I was shaking as I was checking both dogs over for injuries ... which thankfully wasn't too serious.

I use an old cut down rake and a 5 litre empty plastic acid bottle (attached to a broom handle and cut off at an angle so it makes a scoop - rinsed well first of course). The plastic rake and scoop is easy to hose off and it doesn't rust with being left out in the weather ... but handles sometimes need replacing when the youngest decides to have a bit of a chomp on the wood.

Both my boys (GSD's) are on it ... and thankfully no issues here :D