Tilly

A lot of obedience clubs are telling owners to have one or the other - some of them wouldn't even let dogs have a collar on if they were in a halti. They claim it confuses the dog

When I had my two dogs - it was always on the left with alpha dog closest to me. They wouldn't have it any other way

I have seen a lot of little dog owners with the retractable leads. They are great if you have a smallish sized dog who is well behaved and doesn't really need a lead. It covers the need to have a lead but without the restrictions of the owner having to feed the line in and out when the dog stops to sniff. Or they are useful when you are doing recall with a young dog (on the small size) - easier then feeding the line back in. ... but as I own a 60kg deliquent - they are of no use to me

Our GSD got a small pea size lump on his side - it was firm but didn't seem to be attached to anything. It seem to suddenly appear but didn't grow in size once I had found it. It turned out to be a fatty lump which was removed when he was under getting stitches (for a cut in his leg). I was very worried about it and feared it was cancer. I told the vet not to tell me if it was anything bad - so when he had removed it and didn't mention it ... I naturally started to worry it was bad news. I lasted two days before I rang to find out exactly what it was ... only to be told it was a fatty lump and harmless. Hopefully it isn't anything too bad.

Tracking is open to all dogs who have the potential. Definately give it a try ... it can be lots of fun

My older brother and his wife used newspaper but often the dog would hit the edge and it ran everywhere. They then switched to a kitty litter tray. I could never understand why they just didn't take the dog outside a couple times a day. She was as regular as clockwork so they knew when she was going to do her business - they used to go in and cleaned it up straight away. To me it would have just been easier to take her outside to do her business.

I always give my boys Inner Health Plus capsules after they have been in antiobotics - I just break one open into their food. I was told this was better then yoghurt to restore the gut. I use them myself...

Make sure you give the whole area a really good clean - maybe get a black light to check that you have got it all. I know some places sell piddle posts - they are a plastic stake that is put where you want the dog to piddle and apparently they encourage to dog to piddle in that location. I have never tried one but I have had a friend who said to helped with their dog. The other option is to take him to the area you want him to use (on a leash) and praise him when he goes.

Our GSD's breeder recommended "Dog Delite" which is based on corn not wheat (economically priced) but we could never find a place that actually sold it so I don't know what is was like. The also recommended Pedigree Breeder Formula range or Advance - we also had trouble finding both of these. Our rottie at the time was eating Eukanuba (I can never remember the correct spelling) and wouldn't eat any other dry food. So we ended up feeding our GSD on Eukanuba as well. We did try a few others dry foods including Nutro. Our boys looked great on Nutro but then our GSD started to get really smelly pees and would drink lots and lots of water. Once we stopped feeling Nutro he went back to normal. We have now just stuck to Eukanuba and currently feeding the high performance large breed variety. Edited for spelling...

If he is crawling under the house in the confined space then having long sleave clothes and a breathing mask would be the best way - you don't really want to breath in all the dust etc and the lime while dealing with any creepy crawlies.... I don't tend to use anything when I am spraying the yard unless I am using it in a high concentration - I don't spray in windy weather and keep the spray nozzle close to the ground so it doesn't go all over me. Edited for spelling...

Malawash is a concentrate flea treatment available at most pet shops - about $15 to $20. The only problem I know with getting professionals in is the fact fleas have a continual breeding cycle. Getting them out to spray just really means they kill the ones that are there at that point. Most sprays (unless they are residual) don't kill the ones that hatch later. Lime is good for under the house as Cavandra said. It can affect some plants if used in the rest of the yard so I prefer the Malawash made up in a large garden spray pack.

I would be flea bombing the house, spraying the entire yard and under the house with Malawash, washing/spray the dog bedding with Malawash and giving the dogs a good bath with a flea wash ... and then repeating the process every week for a couple of weeks (I don't do things by halves ). It is really the only way to break the flea cycle. Also when you vaccuum put a flea collar in the dust bag - this will also kill any that you pick up. Make sure you vaccuum thoroughly after bombing the house.

If you didn't want to use a flat collar then maybe try a limited slip collar (Martingale Collars).

Have you tried "Inner Health" capsules or powder? They helped my boys upset tummies ... and mine.

I have a hatchback so the back seats get folded down and our GSD has the back half of the car. I put down a waterproof blanket and then layers of towels and doona covers to make a nice comfy bed. The dog is in a harness which is secured to the anchor point in the rear of the car (designed for baby seats etc). I use a double ended lead which is made to length - so he can put his nose up at the window but not get too far forward. A crate would have just been too difficult to get in and out so I found the harness much easier. If you do get a harness - just be aware of some of the cheaper harnesses and their plastic clips. The first harness we brought - the clips just fell apart when it was tested with the dog pulling. Has anyone tried the Kramar Roadie ?

Breed and age: GSD (5 years & about 5 months) Product name, size and cost: Eukanuba Premium Performance - 15 or 17kg for around $100 Daily amount fed: 3 to 3.5 cups per day How long does the bag last: about month or so Average cost of feeding/week: not sure as I have never worked it out Anything to add: he also gets about 1kg of meat, bones, chicken frames, chicken pieces or chicken necks most days depending on what he has been doing and the weather (hot weather it is every second or third day). He also gets sardines and eggs regularly. Most days he will clean his bowl but there is some days when he leaves some dry food but it isn't often.

I just love my Tracking Line from Canine Outfitters. Their tracking line is silky smooth to hold and is perfect in either dry or wet conditions ... even without gloves. They also have a good range of harnesses but I still can't decide which style I prefer.

With our GSD I used to give him a treat as I put the collar on and another when it was on - praising him all the while. He doesn't normally wear a collar when at home so he knows when the collar goes on then he is going in the car (which he loves). The only problem we have now is that when I pick up his leather collar he is trying to shove his head into it even before I have it ready. He is told to heal but he heals for a second, does a loop around you and heals again, then does a loop and heals again. He knows the leather collar means he is going to work and he is very excited it. Once the collar is on then he is all business. If I pick up the prong collar he is even more excited because that means he gets to go out for a run around ... he hasn't worked out yet that it could also mean he is going to the vet

We found Tonymc's method worked well with our dogs. We also occassionally played with them on a long line so we could guide them back to us. My brother's dog would only play fetch once or twice - after that when you threw the ball she would grab it and then run off and put it in the toybox. She doesn't see the point of giving it to you if you are just going to throw it away again...

Try massaging some PawPaw ointment into the pads - it is in a red tube/tub from the chemist. This worked for our GSD when he was paw sore after starting security work. I would lay him on his back and massage the ointment into his feet each morning and night.

I picked up the crap from the neighbours dog (across the road) after it did it's deposit on my from door step. I am really tempted to pick the next lot up and leave it in their letterbox - but I am told that would be rude. Very inconsiderate of them to allow it ...

Unfortunately it is a loop so I don't go back the same way. I usually double bag it and then hang it off a clip on the back of my backpack. After seeing the number of cigarette butts left laying around the place I was tempted to leave the poop on the ground to break down but I just have to pick it up as 2 wrongs don't make a right.

My boy will go at home and when we go walking. What I find really annoying is that he must also go 10 minutes into the walk when we are at the local forest (yes dog are allowed on leash). The only problem with that is there are no bins so I have to carry around with me on the 3 hour trek. I thought I would outsmart him by taking him for a short walk so he could do his business, I could then take it back to the car and then I wouldn't have to carry it for the next 3 hours ... only for him to do another one 10 minutes up the tracks again. And this is from a dog who hadn't eaten since 5:30am the day before. I swear that dog laughs at me having to carry his poop with me for 3 hours!!! He will pee and poo when he is told but that doesn't seem to stop him from also going when he wants to.

When I take my GSD for a walk he pulls a bit on the lead as soon as we get out the house as he is a bit excited. So I tend to jog with him to the end of the block. After that he is told to walk close so I expect him to stay by my side and walk properly. Once we are off the footpath and along the biketrack area (off the track and on the grass area) he is allowed more freedom to sniff and explore but only at the end of a 5 metre lead - he is given a release before he is allowed to wander off. I don't normally walk him for exercise but more of a chance to get out and sniff around. He normally gets his exercise at work where he has to toe the line - walking with me is more fun then anything.

I found Fontline wasn't as effective as Advantix. When we had a flea problem we flea bombed the house and garage. I then used Malawash (Malaban) to wash the bedding and then give the yard and verandah a good drenching - I repeated the spraying with Malawash every weekend for about 2 or 3 months.