The Spotted Devil

Glad you went OT personally - very interesting - esp. about one of your dogs playing differently with another person - thanks Vickie

So you don't think dogs can have a favorite drive toy? yes, of course they can, but I just feel that what you do with it is much more important than what it is. It seems easy for people to blame the toy when things aren't going right and then there are people who seem to be ETERNALLY searching for EXACTLY the right magical tool that will send their dogs over the top. I often find myself out & about with my dogs & no toy. Grass, leaves, bark...and my all time dependable, an empty smoke packet ..they all work, just as well as any tug or ball. I find the same with food, whatever I have seems to achieve the same result from them...even stuff they wouldn't eat if I put it in their food bowl is delicious if it is used in training. I don't do formal "training in drive" so maybe I am missing something & shouldn't even have replied. Vickie, I found your comments very interesting and wonder if it is perhaps a little dependent on breed and the individual dog. My last dog was a wonderful ACD who would go to the ends of the earth and back again for me - I didn't need a toy or food or anything to get her working - just a look was enough and I didn't start training her until she was 2yo - just wish I knew then what I know now about training a dog Anyway, my current Dally - boy, what a tough nut he has been to crack and a WHOLE different learning curve I feel like we're finally getting there but it's taken a lot of experimentation about what works and what doesn't. Ziggy is equally as wonderful as my dear old Dolly when he gets going, but he's just different.....very different ;)

Just went through this with young Ziggy - I wasn't home but OH said he suddenly started shivering then had the runs (which OH, in his haste, managed to walk through the house *yucky* ) I kept an eye on young Zig (he was bright although happy enough to curl up in his bed with a warm coat on), fasted him for 24 hours (ad lib water), then tried him on a little boiled rice and chicken. 3 days later and he is jumping out of his skin! If it had gone beyond 24 hours and if he hadn't responded well to the chicken and rice I would have taken him to the vet. All the best

Congratulations to everyone on your achievements A teeny brag in the scheme of things - Ziggy had his first agility experience today and he was bloody fantastic. He was confident, bold and gave everything a go that he tried. I was a bit concerned about his off lead control in such a stimulating environment but his focus just got better and better as the morning progressed. Thanks to all at Hastings Dog Club for a great introduction - very lovely, knowledgeable and full of encouragement I'm not sure which one of us had more fun Me, on the other hand, will need a lot more practice - it's been a LONG time since I was in an agility ring

In regards to natural flea treatments, the garlic one is a myth unfortunately - can't remember the specifics but a very good textbook on cat/dog nutrition debunked this one and explained why the myth arose. Sorry I can't help any more than that

So pleased he is feeling better - breaks your heart doesn't it!!!

As I said, Morgan, it's a very grey area. In the paper by Spain et al. (2004), although CHD was more likely to be associated with dogs desexed at less than 5.5. months, dogs that were desexed after 5.5. months of age and were diagnosed with CHD were 3 times more likely to be euthanised for the condition. 5.5 months is not a very appropriate age to be judging desexing effects either as the dogs haven't finished growing. It's also worth noting that a large number of dogs and owners selected for the study were not able to be traced for the duration of the study and those that did respond may have differed systematically from those that didn't. The Salmeri et al. (1991) study is well known and not a point of contention. I'm mainly familiar with studies on HD and they are terribly inconclusive - even the authors admit that. It really warrants a lot more research though.

You can ask. The worst he'll say is "no". I think if your dog looks sore, that you've probably left it a bit long. The longer things are out of alignment, the more muscles and ligaments adjust to the new position, creating an ongoing need to recorrect alignment because things then get pulled back out of place. That's what I found, PF - the adjustments are now 'holding' for want of a better word but it's taken some time. The first treatment was a real eye opener - I thought Ziggy was moving fine.....until I could see how he looked AFTER the treatment!

Yep - you've nailed it If you waited until 18 months to 2 years you wouldn't see such a dramatic difference - in the end, it's impossible to tell how dramatic that difference will be because you have nothing to compare him to (even litter mates don't make a great comparison because of different genes, different environment in utero and different environmental effects due to upbringing). To maximise joint health (which is probably the biggest concern) keep your young dog nice and lean, feed the best quality food that suits your budget and your dog (raw OR commercial) and don't over do fetching play (due to the twisting nature of stopping) and running on hard surfaces (i.e. don't take him jogging) whilst he is still developing.

What a shame, Tess32 - must have been very disappointing

She's pretty flex - when I was doing my research she said she would come out and see Ziggy in the evening if necessary. Give her a call

Hopefully I can clear this up for you - I know it's confusing! Basically, when the growth plates close in your lab's long bones he will have reached his full height. The sex hormones promote this growth plate closure. If you have him desexed before the growth plates close (which can be anything up to 18 months), you remove the sex hormones and thus growth plate closure is slightly delayed - therefore you end up with a very slightly (note I said very slightly ) taller dog. This tends to be accentuated by reduced muscle development - again this is promoted by testosterone. This is probably what your breeder was referring to by your lab growing "bigger and more boyish". At the end of the day it's a case of weighing up your particular situation. I have an entire male Dalmatian but he is an absolute handful - fine with me but others have real problems handling him (even my OH ) - if he belonged to anyone else I would probably suggest desexing him but I can manage him with no problem, keep him confined (i.e. no escaping for romantic rendezvous) etc.

I can't remember if there is an initial consult fee? But I *think* I pay around $55 a session - I just hand over the credit card whilst we have a coffee Seriously, she is worth every cent and I have her out to see Zig around monthly at the moment. When he is really sore, she will do a couple of short massage treatments and then let him run around and have a shake and a play. By the third treatment he's stopped wriggling and starts to fall asleep - she does a couple of adjustments (that Zig doesn't notice at all) and it's all over. I was a real sceptic to begin with too - Georgia is a human qualified chiro and has also got formal training in animal chiro.

Breed is an important consideration as is a chat to your breeder if applicable - they will have a lot of experience In terms of growth - it makes no difference whether you have a pup desexed at 12 weeks or 5-7 months....pup will tend to grow very slightly taller regardless. For a large breed, I would personally wait until growth plate closure before desexing - there is no evidence that desexing later in large breeds will prevent joint problems but it's a very grey area. ETA: Just saw your response, Chia - I would definitely suggest a chat with your breeder as they will know the risks for their particular lines. The above still applies, so if you want to get pup desexed in the next month or two, doing it at 5 months or 7 months will make no difference to his growth.

Don't discount the preservatives either - I avoid them like the plague due to skin reactions.

Georgia from Optimal Chiropractic travels to your home - she's brilliant and very, very gentle (lots of massage). I know you asked for a physio but she has worked wonders with young Ziggy who throws himself around like a typical mad Dally. After a treatment with Georgia he sleeps like a baby for several hours and then is bouncing out of his skin Ring her on her mobile

At this stage, we are going to cancel today

There will only be 3 of us going now......will PM you Luke W and shoey

See you all tomorrow Maybe meet near the enclosed off leash area as it's pretty easy to find

Oh, what a shame JulesP Next time maybe? PMSL shoey - I bet Isiss didn't think she'd be quite so busy

See below LukeW

Any more interest?

Zig didn't do that as a puppy but I had a similar problem with my Burmese kitten - she would gallop to her litter tray, scrape the litter enthusiastically (getting most of it on the floor ), wait for the praise then jump out and run back to bed with a bladder close to exploding

There's only room enough in this world for one mad Dally Emmabelle - one more thing....exercise is important for your GSP but training (beyond sit/drop etc) can also really help. I just spent 10 minutes doing a training session with Ziggy in the lounge room. You can use a clicker to shape behaviours (do a Google or a search on this forum for heaps of ideas) and just get your boy to work his brain. Some things I've taught will help with trialling in the future but all are really good at keeping Zig out of mischief e.g. touch (my hand or target with his nose), punch (with his paw), finding "heel", watch, "front" (i.e. formal recall), "around" (anything - a chair, his bed), "find" (his favourite squeaky toys that I show him before hiding them). I even used the clicker to teach him to put his head in a bucket - very funny It's heaps of fun for you and your dog and is a lovely way to improve your relationship with him. You can observe your dog "learning" and work out what suits him best. Better still - you can do some of it whilst sitting in an armchair

For the recall - think about the value of the rewards you are offering him - they have to be much better than the option of running off. For instance, in the house I can do any form of training with my Dally using his normal dry food. When he is highly distracted at the beach/park I use cooked chicken and 4 legs dog food balls. I've recently included a bit of raw chicken mince in the training treat pouch which he goes absolutely spare for. He's nearly 2 and I've had him since he was a pup - his recall is pretty good now but I still practice every time he has an off leash run.....at least 4-5 recalls each time - he comes, I give him a treat or pat and release him to continue his fun. IF he ignores me, I walk up to him calmly, say "Oh well", snap the leash on and he has to walk quietly next to me with NO sniffing or leg lifting. He knows darn well he has lost the privilige of a free run - after a few minutes of this I release him again and he will recall like a bullet for the rest of the walk As for being an escape artist, I suspect my Dally would have been had he been given the opportunity to learn. I never leave him in the backyard unsupervised - he is either with me or, if I go out, he is in his open crate in the laundry. He happily curls up there with a stuffed kong before sleeping the day away. Zig is a pretty intense, active dog and I have had to teach him to relax - as a puppy he couldn't even sleep in the lounge room as he would get too distracted. I had to put him away in his crate for a few hours nap. Good luck ETA: If it makes you feel any better, I wouldn't trust Ziggy to be left on his own for any money!!!!