conchy

My dog has fear problems and getting the help and advice from a proffessional, reputable trainer is absolutely the best way to go through this process of helping your dog become confident and well adjusted in strange situations. I must say I have also found the NILIF (nothing in life is free) concept to actually be helpful in that it gives my dog more confidence in me as his pack leader (and me) and it also seems to have given him more confidence in himself. You can get info on it on the internet but it might be an idea to run this past the trainer you get as i am no where near experienced enough to be dishing out advice but am just plugging away with a similar problem to yourself. The people at obedience have been great and obedience has also been really helpful for his confidence. He loves learning and doing good so I am trying to use this to our advantage.

Does he seem to display dominant behaviour at home when he is in his comfort zone like attention seeking when it suits him, prolonged eye contact or such? ETA Does he have fear of people he isnt famliar with mainly or just a fear of unfamiliar situations across the board.

Now, I could be completely making this up but i seem to remember maybe reading somewhere that a little bit of vegemite on the roof of the mouth 1/2 an hour before a meal can help to stimulate appetite. Can someone in the know, please, confirm or quash my possible false memory.

I found these in the pinned message 'General Health Information' at the top of health/nutrition/grooming. You might also find this old thread informative... http://forums.dogzonline.com.au/index.php?...;hl=satin+balls

I have one deep chested dog so they both get fed twice a day.

Thanks for the link gomez. I'll go back and have a proper look in a minny. Not quite sure if I had seen it cos I have spent so many nights into the wee hours looking at all those dietry sites. I couldnt really see me being quite so fervent regarding my own diet even though I think I could probably do with it at the moment :D . Gezza, that is my plan to get some fresh stuff into the mix too.

My male dog grew up eating science diet and I had never even looked at the ingredients list until a few weeks ago . I have been on a really steep learning curve these past few weeks that's for sure. I am really looking forward to seeing if this change in diet makes a difference at all. His coat is quite dull, dry and wirey.

I have really been investigating the best food for my dogs lately and I am going to try Eaglepack Holistic. Having read the ingredients and then read up on those ingredients in many of the other foods this seems like one of the more natural, healthy options at the moment.

Ashka1, How much of that do you use for your big babie and how much does a newfie generally weigh? I am wanting something with the msm added.

I know this sounds simplistic but lots of walks...........lots of exercise....heaps..... on lead (as much as possible) and off lead (if possible). not only is the dog grieving for his companion but his whole pack is grieving and this makes his pack seem unstable to him... Not only will walking (and running) tire him out which will help him to shake off some of his distressed, anxious energy but it will make him feel that he still has his place in the pack and that there is some stability. I was in a similar situation last year when I lost my soul dog . Obviously this is not the complete solution to your problem but I cannot emphasise enough how much it helped us. Trying to make life seem grand for your other pooch when you have lost a soul you love dearly is very difficult to do especially when you feel like curling up in a ball and staying that way but we owe it to them.... They are our responsibility........and in focusing on making them feel better and going for loooonnnnnggggg walks we can help heal ourselves in the process. I still sob for my girl but I can't imagine how much worse I would have been if I hadnt had to make helping my male dog a priority. They say not to get a new dog whilst you are grieving (not til you are ready) and we were not ready to get another dog but we did. We were sooo (I mean sooooooooooooooooooo) unsure if it was the right thing to do but we got her for him. she is about the same age as him. We love her now in her own right but very much so for how she has helped to heal him (and us). If they do decide to get him a companion they need to be mindful of getting a very mentally stable dog with similar energy levels.

My boy is 18 m/o and I saw him cock his leg for the first time today. Actually it was more of a leg lift whilst half squatting. He was right beside a tree and looked like that was where he was aiming but alas twas not to be. I think he needs a bit more practice.