Sarah L

Hi All........... PROBLEM SOLVED I just got a call form owners, they took her for a second opinion. After alot of questions asked and yet more tests done, the poor dog does have Toxo Plasmosis. The second vet they saw was very very good the owners told me. Extremely detailed questions asked on just about everything. They took her a week ago and got the results back today. Apparently toxo can lie dormant in the dogs body showing no phyisical signs for quite some time infact it may never show symptoms at all unless the dogs immune system gets lowered, or an injury, or severe stress. As the dog is an inside pet, one of the owners is home all day, sleeps on the bed gets walked on lead and is always visible to the owners when taken to the park and let off leash then injury was ruled out. Other than Toxo the dog is very healthy so a lowered immune prob was ruled out. They have put it down to stress. The couples only son left home a month ago to work abroad and the dog was very attached to him so Bingo stress was the answer which brought out the symptoms. As the dog has never been bush to eat wild animal poo which is where some dogs get infected from and as far as the owners know has never eaten anything of the ground. Then the cat litter tray which the dog did eat the poo from, they figured was where she picked it up from. The good news is she will recover with medication and apparently once a dog has had this it wont get it again. So pretty soon she will be back to normal. I am so happy and releived.

I have to go to work now, but will check back in later. I will also do a google check for any ideas later. Thanks to everyone who has replied so far. It sure is a puzzling situation and I am grateful for your replies and any further ideas.

The owners were asked this and they said no. The dog is an inside pet, I really feel for them they love and care for this dog extrmely well.

The dog is a cross, labrador with border collie was bought from a pet shop at 6weeks old. So have no info on parents or breeder.

The dogs symtoms are, The dogs skull above the right eye has lost muscle mass, a sunken appearence. In both eyes it looks like the third eye lids are coming over the eyes. Loss of proper movement in the right front leg. Seems not to be so aware of whats going on anymore. The dogs appatite is normal and eating well still seems happy not depressed or withdrawn. I may have posted this in the wrong section, but I am new to the forum and still finding my way around. Thanks puggles for your reply I hope the symtons above described will help.

Can any long term behaviourist or vets on this list help me with this problem. My query is about demenshia(excuse if spelled wrongly?) in young dogs about 2 to 3 years old. The reason I am asking is a client of mine who's dog seems to have this problem and who does not have cushings but veterinary work seems to be dumfounded because they were expecting cushings sydrome. Nothing we do behaviourally or veterinary seems to work and I am quite concerned for the owners and the dog as it is becoming quite an anxouis problem for all. The family also have a cat which I am suspisous may have something to do with the problem. But not sure quite what that might be. The problem I am thinking of is toxo plasmoses( again excuse spellig?) I know the dog has eaten the cat poo from the litter tray. I pointed out to the owners that they must not let the dog do this, but it had done for quite some time. They have now thankfully put the tray out of the dogs way. The dog has now got this problem have I done something wrong or was it a problem that was building up in the dog. Any answers would be gratefully received. Also would an MRI be useful if so where can they get one done. Need to hear replys to this queary soon. Thanks to anyone in advance who may have an idea what is going on.

Sounds like all the dogs you get have remarkable bladder control but not much said on their behaviour, toilet traning dogs is one of the easiest things to assosiate if done correctly. I am still dumfounded why so many people have this problem in their dogs. Obviously they are still getting the wrong advice what do you thnink?

Poodle wrangler do you mean you have never brought any of your dogs inside until Charlie, who for some reason you now want to clip in the middle of winter. Or have you clipped your dogs before in winter but left them outside. I only ask because I am a thinker before I do. Any further information you can give me will be helpful in solving your problem.

Hi janis, can I firstly say that no where in my last post to you did I recommend you to leave your puppy outside on the first night home. All recomendations from me where treating your pup as an inside dog. Crate training is a very good idea, however what is the point in getting a crate and still teaching an 11 week old puppy that it gets out during the night for wee's and poo's. At 11 weeks your puppy should be trained straight away to hold on during the night as its bladder mucsles are more developed than that of a giant breed of dog. Why you are being told to ignore whinning and howls one minute, then if the dog whines it means it needs the toilet is beyond me. Dogs do not urinate or deficate in their bedding area this is correct. You can withhold water one hour before going to bed. I am glad someone else told you this. However for very sensative puppy owners this is hard for them to accept. It is also not he be all and end all to successful toilet training. Start as you mean to go on. That is what my last post was all about. It is far more important to establish a new pup coming home with what you are going to have that puppy doing in your lifestyle than what it did with the breeder. No matter what you do I STRONGLY RECOMMEND you leave a radio on at night complete silence to a new puppy in a new environment means it will howl for attention in some way at some point. As I said toilet training is all about assosiation. Just because you give a puppy a substrate in a receptical while it is not supervised does not mean the puppy assosiates this with toileting in the resepticle. They are far more responcensive than that. This was recommended to you because although your pup may be an inside dog then I expect you will want it to do the toilet outside. This is why I recommended a recepticle with the same substrate as you have at home in the back yard. Everything I said still stands. However I hope I have made it more clear to you and wish you every success with your new pup. Alternativley you can ask me if something is not clear. I am happy to post in the list my qualifications and experience in dog training and behaviour. I have nothing to be sneeky or hide on the subject of dogs. I wish every dog who has a human companion every success and I am always open to new learning myself and not just getting my ego in a not because someone new has joined in a forum.

Hi Crazydog, Thank you for answering my questons, it gives a clearer picture into what the problem is. In my experience your dog is displaying fear anxiety behaviour. When your puppy was with the breeder and used as a show dog then all training would have been geared towards show ring behaviour and not towards life training that pet dog owners have with their dogs. For a start I dout very much that your puppy got on that well with the man in the breeders house, but it may have looked like she did. Show training can be quite stressfull on the dog. Breeders have their own way of coping with this which is very different from what you will do with the puppy. Now that your puppy is getting older and has this problem there is only one or two things will happen. Your puppy will either turn and run from any confrontation that causes fear or anxieity or stand its ground and defend it's self. Your puppy has learned very quickly that offensive tactics works with both of you when they did not work before Solving any fear anxiety problems can be simple or very hard depending on what you do. Firstly you must take each problem on its own merit and not lump it into one catagory. If your puppy has a fear of people then that has its own training solution, if it has a fear of other dogs, then that has its own training solution, if it has a fear of travel etc..etc..etc. For other people who read this, these are examples so please do not latch onto this part as your chance to discredit what I am saying. Crazydog I would not be hung up on food as a training solution, it will be very useful in taking away fear related problems. Toys or anything useful that motivates your dog will all help as training aids. The first thing I ask a client, is what desired lifestyle do you want for you and your dog. So if the client wants the dog on the couch they can have this. If the client wants the dog to be friendly with people they can have this etc..etc..etc. Your puppy needs more exposure to life which is done in the right way, rather than being always corrected into certain types of behaviour or denied life experiance which is avoidance behaviour to a problem not cure. This is not a pack related problem as your dog has actually come from a pack type existance to a none pack type existance in your dogs mind. Can you now see why your dog is confused. Your first desired behaviour from your dog may be for your puppy to stop its bad behaviour with you husband, may I suggest that both you and your husband think clearly about how exactly you want this puppy to live with you. Send me a list of exactly the big picture and we will take each account seperatly to build up your dogs confidence with life and all you want from your puppy. Quick fix's rarely work as side effects appear later on, it takes team work and consistancy from both dog and owner to acheive a peaceful and harmonies life for all. I look forward to hearing from you.

Hi Crazydog I have some questions for you before I would like to offer advice on your problems of snaping and biting at your husband and your transport problem. Questions: (1) Has your pup always acted this way with your husband from the day you brought her home. (2) If not when did the problem stat to happen (3) Is there any part of the day when she does not respond to your husband in this way. (4) Was there any occasion that your husband may have accidently tread on your puppy. (5) From day 1 how much interaction with your puppy did your husband take part in. (6) Do you have space between the 2 front seats of your ute including the console. (7) Do you have a play pen aswell as a crate. (8) How many toys does your pup have in the house.

In Memory of Callie I lost my beautiful girl last November, she was 15 years old and had been my best friend for the 15 years I have lived in Australia. I found her on Camden Valley Way one cold July morning 1 month after arriving in Austaralia. She was exhausted and thin and walking the white lines at the side of the road. She happily hopped into my car and after that we were never apart. She was a Border Collie x Golden Retriever but not a bumb blond. Even to her last day she was smart, sassy and ever loving. I do miss her terribly. I feel she deserves a mention in rainbow bridge because I know she is still with me yet waiting on me aswell. She has appeared to me in my dreams since she past away, as if to let me know she is still with me. To my friends on DOL who new her, I know you will agree she was one special dog in a million and I know she is in no more pain. But my pain is with me every day.

Thanks Russ, I new I was confused by what she meant. The best way I know how to settle a puppy in for the first night is ask the breeder: what puppy has been fed on and when the last time it was fed before travel if less than 1 hour before travel wait a while before heading home as it may vomit in the car. The breeder should provide a sample of food in order for the owner to use and at the same time depending on age of pup use a quantity of 3/4 food provided to 1/4 of new food should be fed 1 hour after arriving home. 3/4 of food provided to 1/4 of new food should be done for the first day or so the gradually increase the quantity of the new food until after 7 days the puppys is eating the new food that the owner is going to be using. Also ask breeder where and what puppy has been going to the toilet on. If it has been on pads or newspaper do not continue this at home as it makes toilet training difficult for owner. When puppy gets home put it on the front lawn as it will need to go weeees after travel. If no front lawn is avaiable owner needs to think before hand where they want the pup to do the toilet and set this up before the pup gets there so they are ready to take it straight from the car to the toilet area. Once puppy has done weeeees then take it into the house. Let it sniff the surrounds and after 3mins take it to the toilet area again. When the puppy has been fed after 1 hour of arriving home it will need to be taken to the toilet area again straight away. The owner also needs to decide before hand where the puppy is going to sleep when it is an adult and start straight away by having the puppy sleep there. Warm blankets and something from the breeder as a reminder to the puppy is a good idea. A radio left on low in volume is also another good idea so the puppy can hear sounds around it. Fresh water in a bowl aswell. Please ignore any howls or screams the puppy may make. This will only last 2 nights and then puppy will be comforatble with the sleeping area. In addition to the sleeping arrangements I have always brought the toilet to the pup. If you want your pup to wee and poo on grass, gravel.paving etc........ then provide a reseptical like a large cat litter tray or something similar that your pup can easily enter, with the desired substrate in it the pup will smell the substrate and use it for the toilet. The pup should be introduced to any other dog members of the family the same night it arrives home. Do this by holding pup in your arms and bend down so pup is not above older dog. Let the older dog sniff the puppy keep your voice out of the situation when the older dog looks at you as if to ask what do I do next, then tell the older dog to sit and give a nice tasty treat when it does. Further meetings with the older dog should be done on a daily basis but this will require you to have more advice after 2 days of your new puppy being at home. I know this may be the longest post in history but the advice above has never failed for me and was taught to me by a very wise person in relation to dog behaviour. The person who taught me this was like myself from the UK. If anything is not clear do not hesitate to ask further questions. Best of luck your little cav who looks so beautiful. :D

Please don't take this the wrong way but you are not making sence. You say you have 1 other dog that was outside from the start so he had company....... with what? I did not ask these questons to waist your time, I did ask them in order to give you the best possible advice. In order to do this I don't just jump in without finding out more info unless the problem is clear from the start, which yours is not. When you have other dogs in the picture it is important to include them in the senario if you can provide me with more info, settling your new puppy in for the first night does include any other dog. Sorry if I am not understanding what your saying please try again. the first night of a new puppy is crucial to success.

How many dogs do you have? If more than 1 what did you do when you got them home for the first night?

I wish you every success in your training with your beautiful puppy, I am sure he will get over this problem, I am glad you are working to fix it out rather than give up on him and rehome him which so many people take as the easy option. GOOD ON YOU!!!!!

Can I ask, when your puppy is at home and you take her outside to do the toilet what kind of surface is this on? eg... grass, gravel,paving etc. How many times does your puppy go outside when at home to do the toilet? I agree with the other member, there are 4 main times when a puppy will need to go to the toilet. After Eating, After Drinking, After Play and upon waking from sleep. Toilet traing is very much about assosiation to the puppy were and were not to urinate or deficate, also the older the puppy gets it will take longer after each of the 4 main times have occured for them to do the toilet. If you can give me the info I have asked for above. I can better give you a very good assosiative toilet training routine. When your puppy is at work with your partner the same routine will apply whether you puppy goes outside or not.

Please do not take him to another class type environment just yet. His next experiance needs to be short and positive. The first sight of another group of dogs he gets will only bring back the memory of his already bad experience, this will make your job of trying to train good behaviour very difficult and may the problem worse. Please work one on one with a trainer and build him up slowly, one dog at a time. when he can be comfortable with meeting and greeting 4 or 5 dogs in one day, then he will be ready for a class. No class instructor will let him work with the class initially if he is that bad, but being pulled to one side to work away from the class wont work either because in his mind its just another group of dogs that he needs to stay away from, remember he is already imprinted with a fear of dogs in a group. When he is ready it certainly would be good for both of you to join a class. On selecting a good positive reward method trainer/behaviouist, make sure they practise what they preech. This means no water bottles with water to spray at your puppy, no being tied up to control behaviour, and certainly no sreaming in your puppy face. Its about team work between you and your puppy right now, you getting the right avice to apply to him and then praising him for the right responce. Any negativity right now in his training will prolong the problem. I know I have just written you a novel but I feel for you and your puppy right now. I am new to this forum but not new to dogs and their behaviour. I hope what I have wriiten will be of help. Feel free to ask me any questions you like at any time.

I would pull your puppy out of puppy class as this is reinforcing the behaviour. He is not protecting you but looking to you for guidance on what to do and for you to protect him. Find a good dog behaviourist who uses positive reinforcement methods and work one on one. Start by introducing him to one dog at a time preferably a dog that is a similar age to yours and is not to boistrous in nature. keep your taining sessions short and happy so that your puppy does not get to overwhelmed. This is a crucial stage for your puppy in learning right from wrong. Does he have basic commands down pat yet, this is also important.