The Spotted Devil

I've been remiss....

Brilliant!

Just a note...in Australia there are NO meat chickens raised with hormones nor are there any raised in cages. It's just clever marketing. And most so called free-range chickens rarely venture outside the barn. There's some good research happening in this area at the moment. Yes ABs can be used.

I've encouraged mine to avoid floorboards when playing indoors - they gravitate to the slate or rug. And Zig would not DREAM of lifting his leg on our large deck even when a visiting dog or one of the girls pees there. So yes, anything is trainable.

I like the idea of lifting the boards and re-laying them. Marine carpet is brilliant stuff - I use it in the whelping box - but being constantly damp isn't going to do the decking much good.

I'd go straight to a specialist I think. I have done that with serious eye issues twice now - first time (cat) they had several vets look at him and they voted "would be great surgery to do but not necessary at this stage due to awesome quality of life" and the second time (pup) it was immediate surgery, not negotiable.

Agree with showdog to an extent but they are super handy to take on the road to training. I have a specially designed bowl that attaches to the crate and can be quickly removed for pack down. On hot days, if we are trialling, I much prefer wire crates despite their weight and I mostly use them at home too as it's generally if I have a bitch in season, or the Spaniels are wet and muddy or if I'm playing crate games. I use my old soft crates for Agility training foundations - better than wire as they can drive in at speed without risking injury.

I prefer K9 soft crates. I'm about to replace one of mine that has been in constant use for 9 years. http://www.k9softdogcrates.com.au/company

@kamuzz could you please change the title or move the thread to the animal cruelty forum? I really don't need to see it every time I come into OT. Thank you.

So so sorry @Scottsmum. It's the toughest decision to make. After going through this several times I can only say that I strongly believe that it's better a week too early than a day too late. Hugs to you

I feed one meal in the evening BUT my dogs get quite a bit of training...up to 3 short sessions on a good day but I always try to squeeze something in....recalls on free runs or around the house, body strengthening, core conditioning, stretching, agility, retrieving, foundations....anything really! I use a high rate of reinforcement - tug and food. Pups get stuffed food toys, scattered food and RMBs.

Oh well said @JulesP!!! Nailed it.

As a breeder, honesty is everything in my puppy enquiries - this is a guide from my website: http://www.thornfield.com.au/looking-for-a-puppy.asp And with regard to English not being your first language, it's totally ok - if it were me in another country (I have done this countless times as a traveller) I just start by saying as best I can "I'm sorry my German/French/Czech is not good". And your English is SO much better than any of my high school second languages! As a breeder I would want to be confident that you intend to commit to the pup whether or not you plan to stay in Australia.

If you contacted me and said you were trying to get a feel for the price of puppies of my breed I would be more than happy to share that with you. Money is always a tough conversation and I prefer to get it out of the way early

Well that was simply THE best, most transformative three days of my life. I just got soooo much out of Bob's feedback. I watched my videos each night and managed to be better at something each day. And the most exciting thing is that I know I can be better every day if I want it badly enough.

Em had what I was quite sure was a fatty cyst on the back of her neck. I had it aspirated during her annual check up - no apparent issues. A couple of months later it erupted. Was quite the show - I was fascinated and Mr TSD was totally grossed out Hasn't recurred either.

Message @leopuppy04 or post in the Aussie Shep Breed Sub-forum. Someone will be able to help I'm sure

I compete with my Springers in Agility and Retrieving as well as work them in the field. My preference is to keep them. Definitely. My Dally had his removed as a baby puppy - looks clean of course and it was the breeder's choice.

That's the thing though....I reckon Em looks pretty darn fine on a dry/raw mix...

I'm not a dry vs raw food zealot but the improvements in puppy growth and development since the advent of dry food is something I've observed first hand. If you're well informed and prepared to feed appropriate ratios, particularly Ca:P (critical for correct growth), meat, bone, offal etc then go for it. Every animal needs a complete diet. A whole lean rabbit is a complete diet but not everyone has the time, energy, knowledge and resources to meet that need. I'd rather people fed a quality dry food than mince, weet-bix and pasta. Personally I feed a combination of raw and high quality dry. It suits me and my dogs and cats look great. Calling it "junk" equates it to KFC or McDonalds. I don't agree but you're certainly entitled to your opinion. Just to add to this....a few years ago on DOL several (well-educated) people kept saying how terrible it was to keep puppies indoors as they wouldn't receive sufficient Vitamin D, would not be able to sufficiently absorb Calcium and would then get rickets. However dogs get nearly all their Vitamin D from their diet, not the sun. Just be aware of some of the random ideas that get passed off as fact. Do your own research.

Agree with a number of comments, vet visit being one of them. My youngster that I bred was the most distracted pup ever. One sniff or bite of food and she was GONE RUNNING! It's like her legs had their own brain!!! I had to put her in a very quiet space with her meal and leave her be for 5-10 minutes. She now eats like a horse - still runs like a maniac too