Sally

Hi all, In the newsletter for a local vet yesterday, I saw a product called Aquadent. You put it in the dog's water, and they said that it's proven to help avoid tooth decay. At one time I had some mouth wash stuff for myself called Plax that you use to rinse with after brushing your teeth. It made my teeth feel super clean. I wonder this Aquadent does the same for dogs. My dog chews on bones or pigs ears every day, but I'm wondering if using this product would help her teeth stay clean. Has anyone tried this product? Anyone know how much it costs?

ooooooh riiiiight. ;). I kind of got the wrong impression from your first post then. How much of your dog's hair do you cut with the scissors? I know of a lady who cuts her Maltese's hair with scissors only. My Maltese needs doing, but I'm thinking it would take a long time to do the whole dog with the scissors.

I wouldn't cut the dogs nails with the hair cutting scissors. That would make them go blunt quickly I would think. Correct me if I'm wrong anybody.

I have seen people on this site complain about the course interstate before, that's why I thought I'd ask if anyone has done it in S. A. I'm not sure I'll get to do the course anyway. My husband and the rest of my family think I should use the qualifications I already have instead of doing dog grooming as a job. I may just do the Wea course so that I can learn to groom my own dog. That course is a lot cheaper.

A lot of people on here recommended Aloveen when I asked. I bought the shampoo and conditioner. It makes my Maltese's hair extremely silky, soft. It has some oatmeal in it which means she doesn't get itchy afterwards like she did with a cheap shampoo I tried.

Here's the link to the info about the course: http://www.tafe.sa.edu.au/Portals/13/files...ogram_north.pdf The Tafe one allows you to work in dog grooming after the course. There is also a WEA one which is not quite as intensive, and aims for you to be able to groom your own dog, rather than get a qualification. From memory the Tafe one is $480, and the WEA one was around $60, so there's quite a price difference there.

Just wondering if anyone has done the Tafe dog grooming course in Adelaide. If so, what did you think if it. I'm wondering if this course is a good idea.

o.k I'll give the raw meat a go. It will save me time anyway. Do I cook the veggies?

oh dear, I know it sounds superficial, but if I feed my snowy white Maltese raw red meat, she'll look like one of those polar bears that's just been munching on a seal, all bloody faced. I guess I'll see if I can find some chicken mince at Leonards.

How is your dog now Linda? I hope he's o.k.

When I got my dog, she had kennel cough. A teaspoon of honey was the only thing that would help her cough. She liked it too .

I'm feeding my dog cooked mince with veggies, rice and pasta, plus chicken necks for a day time snack. Is there something wrong with cooking her mince?

Thanks for all of the responses and discussion re. how much obedience training a dog needs to do agility. I called the agility club I hope to join, and they said you need the basic level obedience certificate. We will have that in about 4 weeks, but the owner of the obedience school says you're not to take your dog off the lead until you've reached level 3 or 4 of obedience (I can't remember which one, but it was at least level 3). I guess I'll just have to see how I go at agility. I hope my small dog doesn't get eaten by one of the bigger ones :rolleyes:

Thanks kavik and Sandrasm, I'll be checking out those links.

good luck

That's cute Kaz. I do that with my (human) kids when I put them in the car and realise their faces are dirty but don't have time to clean the properly. I just found this info re. avoiding tear stains http://en.allexperts.com/q/Dog-Grooming-35...ar-staining.htm Not sure if it actually prevents the gunk though.

My dog will stay while off the lead at obedience classes, but the instructor has warned us that our dogs are not ready for being off the lead in public. I'll have a look for that foundation work thread, it sounds good.

Hi all, I'm keen to start doing agility with my dog, but we've only been to a few obedience classes, and she's not ready to be off a lead in public. What level of training does a dog need before starting agility? She's really trainable and is good at the sit, stay and heel commands, but needs to be on a lead.

My dog has tried to run out the front door a few times, and yesterday she actually made it down the street. Since then I've been teaching her to sit and stay before I open the door. The only reason I'm managing this, is that I'm taking her to obedience training. Heaps of dogs there lunge and try to have a bite of another dog, but they are all on choker chains and the owners are learning to control them. My dog school is indoors, in a basketball stadium, so you don't have to worry as much about a dog running away if it got off the lead, and it sure helps you to not freeze in the winter. I'd recommend calling your local obedience club, and see what the person who runs the club has to say. Chances are they have seen plenty of dogs like yours. If anyone has Foxtel, I highly recommend "The Dog Whisperer" on the bio chanel. He is amazing with aggressive dogs, and dogs in general. In fact I think I've learned more from him than the obedience classes.

Thanks for your help everyone. Sorry I haven't been able to get on here to reply until now. It sounds like a daily wipe with some wet cotton wool may be the go, to prevent a build up. Such common sense, but I didn't think of it myself. Dru, you have just put me off my breakfast big time .

Sorry for the icky question, but I'd like to know how to clean that dried muck that accumulates under my dog's eyes. I have a Maltese, and have read somewhere that you can use a toothbrush to clean under their eyes. It has been working well when I bath my dog (I just use the toothbrush with water, not shampoo or anything), but at the moment it's too cold and rainy to bath her, and I'm not sure how to clean up her eyes without a bath. Any ideas? Thanks!!

Well, I watched The Dog Whisperer (on Foxtell) last night, and I realised that my stress levels have been conveyed to the dog, and have been stressing her out, making the situation worse. I've been making a point of being more relaxed today, and have noticed that she is a lot happier and more relaxed. The other thing is that instead of avoiding the situation where she behaves badly, I should put her into that situation, so I can correct her, in a calm way, so she will respond in a calm, submissive way. I know this all sounds a bit airy fairy, but that Cesar Millan (the Dog Whisperer) really seems to know what he's on about, and you can see how his approach seems to really work. Today she has just opened her mouth to mouth one of our hands playfully today, and I have said no, and put my hand over her nose in a calm way, showing through my body language that I am calm, and in control. This approach works a lot better than me getting angry, and putting her on the defensive. Since I have stayed calm while she has been around the kids, she hasn't snapped at them at all. The obedience training is working, and I am even making progress towards her being calm when people come to the door. Obedience training is definitely the best thing I could have done for my dog, and it's so rewarding to see her making progress every day.

taffy yes I'm going to the obedience classes at Enfield high. My class is on Wednesday though, so I'm sorry I won't get to see you. It's so much fun seeing all of the dogs there, although, I was a bit worried one of the bigger dogs was going to eat mine. My pooch and I are practicing every day, and I'm so happy with her progress so far. The trainer at the obedience classes said that if my dog growls or snaps at someone's hand, I need to put my hand around her snout and say "no" on a low growling voice. I've done it a couple of times, so I hope it's made an impact on her.

Thanks for your help everyone. I've been trying to teach my 2 year old not to touch the dog while she's in her bed, but me telling him not to go near her, makes him want to touch her more. It's hard to reason with a child his age, but if I persist, I'll hopefully get there. One of the tricky aspects is that if I tell off my son, I can tell from my dog's body language, that she thinks I'm telling her off too, making her encounter with my son more stressful. I guess I'll have to physically remove my son to a different area, and then tell him off. One thing I have learned is that kids are a lot harder to train that dogs. I'm hoping I won't have to resort to a crate. If my dog gets fed up, she sleeps in her second bed, at the other end of the house, or on the dining room table (weird but true). I'll see how we go.

I'm happy to report that since I've started the rule of the dog staying on the floor (rather than on my lap, or on the couch), plus the dog sleeping downstairs, rather than in our room, she has not been aggressive at all. I'm still closely supervising her at all times, especially with my 2 year old who wants to talk to and pat the dog every few mintues. When I have said the dog has been aggressive, she has either growled under her breath, or snapped at fingers as a warning, without growling. She hasn't bared her teeth, or growled in a way a dog would do if it is going to attack. Still, I want to make sure she is trained in social skills and obedience, so that's why we're starting classes tonight. The dog has responded exeptionally well to the new rules, but it's my 2 year old son that is harder to train. He is always gentle with the dog, but he can be pretty annoying. I'm thinking of making a rule that my son can't touch the dog while she is in her bed, so the dog can have a break. It sounds like a lot of people are saying the NILIF program works well, so I'm going to make the time to look it up right now. Kanga, your dog is soooo cute.