The Spotted Devil

Dogs actually have no dietary requirement for carbs. They are simply a cheap and effective energy source when processed correctly (generally heat treated for commercial food). The vets are a bit limited....they get deals for selling so much food so it's no wonder they recommend it. There needs to be some sort of guideline on this....similar to the recent uproar about human doctors. There's not a lot of research in Australia on dog nutrition either - much more research $$$ to be had in livestock nutrition. ETA: I can understand your vet brushing you off to some extent as there is so much mis-information on the internet - loads of scare-mongering which is completely unsupported by research. Science is a difficult discipline to understand if you haven't studied it. But...I can certainly understand your concerns. I also did a quick search on my Uni's online journal database - not much to be had...but I didn't look all that hard and am too tired tonight!

Ain't that the truth Everything, everything goes in the gob....10 minutes in the garden looking rather innocent - turns out the lad vacuumed half of it up and threw up a great black mess about 30 minutes later. Luckily OH slipped a pile of newspaper between Zig and the cream carpet. At the beach a few weeks ago, Ziggy literally inhaled a plastic bag - OH was on the ball again and whipped him to the vet quick smart - a nice emetic and up came the bag. Wagged his silly tail the whole time too :rolleyes: I just hope he grows out of it!

Here's a link to Nutrient Requirements For Dogs A bit of night time reading for you :rolleyes: It's outdated but covers a lot of the scientific research that has been done on nutrition. Not much help with your grain argument but gives a really good outline of the requirements. Trouble is, science is expensive and the only people with the $$$ to do the research nowadays are....the commercial food companies. Having said that, they are doing some good work and it is very difficult to compare our feeding habits to the past as our pets are living so much longer. One thing we are told over and over in nutrition: animals require specific nutrients, not specific foodstuffs. BTW - I feed my pup a prepared food but have nothing against raw. You'll struggle to convince most vets that anything other than commercial food is the only way to go - like many things in life it's important to be educated and make informed decisions.

Perhaps more of a bladder strength issue at that age.

Perhaps it's for the best....as I would think that fencing off the ducks would be a reasonably simple option :rolleyes:

I love this thread! I adore the standard especially in show clip...but all that work - you lot are amazingly dedicated. I also appreciate the short wash 'n' wear coat on my lad

Can I suggest you get the groomer to show you how to clip his claws - it's really helpful to have a dog that you can handle easily - teeth, ears, paws etc. Just play with his paws to get him used to you handling them. I clip Zig's claws once a week and both my cats lie on their back and purr like idiots when I do theirs....no tricks, just practice! Clicking is great fun - some people use it as a singular training tool but I just use it for specific exercises. Just remember, that if this jumping up and biting has been a problem for a little bit, it will take some time for puppy to realise that he gets NOTHING out of it. Reddi...rather than using a short, sharp voice correction (which just hypes the dog up) I use a low, drawn out commands like "Steady" to calm him - because he's mostly just so pleased to see me or excited because I have food etc. But not all dogs are the same so use what works best for you! ETA: The bonus of calmly saying "Steady" is that it not only settles your puppy but makes the handler feel more relaxed too - when I say "no" I'm sure I'm frowning but when I say "Steady" I start to chill.

Forget the yelling! Just stand up and turn your back every single time puppy bites or jumps up....don't be surprised if he tries even harder, though - it's perfectly normal. You must be 100% consistent. Grab a handful of treats - ignore puppy when he's being silly and jumping up and then the second he has 4 paws on the ground (without you saying a word) say "good boy" and treat. It's that simple....then progress to not giving attention/treat until puppy is sitting nicely....let him work out what you want - it's a great brain work out....just ignore until he sits and then praise and treat. You can use a clicker to pin-point the behaviour but simple positive reinforcement is a good start ETA: every time you push puppy down or yell at him, he's getting what he wants...attention!!!! Albeit negative...but any attention is better than none!

Not much use here either! Every single day is different for Zig - sometimes he's up with me at 5am or 6am or sleep in until 9.30am. Some days I'm home or at Uni or at work. OH works various days too. Ziggy doesn't seem to mind the lack of routine though.

Zorro sounds like he's hit the jackpot with his parents anyway ;) Good luck! I'm sure he'll be fine. BCs are smart little dogs - are you going to do obedience/agility with him? They really do excel when they are using their brains

Yep - that's the stuff - black bottle and yellow label I think. I'd think by 6 months he should be able to hold on over night, so I'd say you are spot on about him not going to the toilet before he's going to bed. Admittedly, Zig has always been a very mature puppy but he was holding on all night by 9 weeks. Don't forget to use some food treats to really convince him he's on track!

There's a product called "Urine-Off", which is terrific for neutralising odours - some of the chemicals in your laundry cupboard can make it worse, but which ones escape me at the moment. Try teaching a command to toilet as well....my lad is great with this now and will even squeeze out the tiniest amount of wee even if he doesn't really have to go. It's very handy in all sorts of situations. I use "quick, quick!" ETA: I don't even have to go fully out in the rain now...I just stand on the back step and Zig runs out, does his business (heaps of praise) and comes straight back for the towel dry! Takes less than 2 minutes. ETA: Just read your post about the little sh*ts next door teasing your poor puppy.....I'd be furious it I were in your shoes. I crate my lad when I'm not home (luckily I'm studying so home a fair bit) just for that reason....building works behind us had me worried. Anyway, now that I've got that off my chest, perhaps that's why puppy wants to come inside to urinate - much safer! Definitely accompany him outside.

Are you just putting puppy outside on his own for 20 minutes or supervising? I still supervise my 6 month old boy when he goes outside, still give a command to 'toilet' and still rain praise on him when he does it. Make it fun to go outside - if you just put your dog out in the rain and don't want to venture out there yourself, well I can fully imagine why puppy wants to come in too! You also need to thoroughly clean the area where he has been toileting inside so there is no trace of smell to remind him. There are some excellent commercial products available to neutralise odour but I'm sure someone will come along with some home remedies.

SwaY - do you want general info about the growth plate itself or only damage to it? I've just searched the online journal papers through Uni and everything that came up was very, very specific and not particularly helpful I can help you with the growth plate itself....maybe could have a look at the vet books at my work for you re damage

Great

Absolutely spot on PF. This is not something that can be sorted out on a forum - please get a good behaviourist and quickly.

The lad gets one and a half cups of Advance Large Breed Growth morning and night...plus a quarter to half a cup in his puppy Kong throughout the day when he goes to his crate for a puppy nap. Plus a huge chicken neck last thing at night. He's around six and a half months and weighs 22.5 kg. He gets the odd Farrell biscuit (usually to keep his tummy from growling on the trip home from training) and a few Natures Gift training treats. He's a very busy puppy but sleeps an awful lot too.

Ziggy sometimes does his 'Mad Half Hour' with a favourite toy in his mouth. It's terribly funny because he shakes the daylights out of it and does wild 'bucking broncos' but it's not so funny when the toy flies out of his mouth and hits me in the head at top speed Actually it is very funny :D

There is no way in this world I would leave my 6 month old lad unsupervised in the house for more than.....say about 2 minutes! They are puppies and the only way they learn is to explore thoroughly and put everything in their mouth. Some good advice in this thread. Morning walks or I find a free run much better....training...lots of toys (different shapes, textures, squeaks, rattles), rotated frequently....puzzle balls for biscuits and stuffed Kongs...confine puppy to a crate or a small room or a run (make sure he's tired first) and always close doors. If you forget to close a door or pick up your shoes, you could always try my favourite tip: take a rolled up newspaper and hit yourself over the head while saying "I must remember to tidy up, I must remember to tidy up." Repeat daily. Good luck, and enjoy your puppy being a PUPPY! :D

What breed Optimus? It's important as large breeds, for example, have different requirements. My lad is on Advance Growth for Large Breeds - it's highly recommended by several vets (not just because they sell it, either). If you're feeding a dry food, there's no need to supplement but there's nothing wrong with a chicken neck or similar - I give my boy one last thing at night...he loves it! I'm not knocking BARF or raw feeding either, but dog nutrition is complicated, especially for puppies, so I would personally stick with a top quality commercial feed if you're not prepared to fully research raw feeding. Hope that helps :D ETA: as for the colostrum...it's usually bovine colostrum. A great source of protein but doesn't do anything in terms of immunity - firstly because cow antibodies are different from dogs but also because the GI tract of an animal is only able to absorb antibodies (whole proteins rather than amino acids) in the first week or two of life. It may help to line the GI tract and prevent sensitivity.....or not!

Oh dear...that is very funny. I must have got lucky - my lad's a sleeper. If you keep him awake for more than 2 hours, he starts to whine and frown and carry on. I only have to say "time for bye byes" and he runs with glee to his crate, waiting for his Kong and a snooze. Such a baby :D The resident feline princesses are grateful at least

Maybe some good chew toys too...hope your Dal is ok - there is a lot of info around on low Purine foods....what about a whole carrot?

Good work....one of my favourite games is to hide Ziggy's toys in the lounge room and then give him the command "Find"....start really simply and build up - it's loads of fun and tires him out beautifully!

I'll be sticking with 2 meals a day. Firstly because of the bloat factor but also because it's good to break up a dog's day, especially if they are left alone for part of it. Ziggy gets breakfast and dinner (about one and a half cups each) in his treat ball....that's a good half hour work out each time. Plus he gets a few biscuits in his puppy kong to help him settle in his crate, plus a huge chicken neck last thing at night. When I wake him up at around 10.30pm for his last toilet break, he is desperate to run out, toilet then back to bed for the chicken neck. Never a peep after that

I call it 'The Mad Half Hour'. My lad is in bed by 7pm but he usually just has a burst of energy and flies around the living area at 100mph. How he manages to dodge all the furniture in a very small space is beyond me. I just sit perfectly still hoping he won't run into me. Luckily he falls in a heap of sleepy spots afterwards