poodlefan

I use medicinal grade Manuka Honey for wounds.

I think your best source of guidance is probably your dog's breeder. However, for a giant breed dog I think the closer to 18 months old its done, the better. Your vet needs to rethink their spiel.. desexed dogs still have a prostate. Desexing is a complete protection for testicular cancer but its ain't that common anyway. You may find reading this link helpful. What a gorgeous dog! :D

she has a couple of soccer balls that she chews on and runs around with. We have stopped giving her bones because it sets her off, she starts trying to "guard" them, instead of eating/chewing them she will sit near them and grow/lunge at her tail. She used to sneak inside and steal soft toys quite often, but has stopped that. She also used to chew shoes, seat cushions off the outdoor chairs etc. She seems to have grown out of that now. She's not allowed inside the house, (we rent, otherwise I'd let her!). We have a large semi-enclosed veranda type thing out the front where we spend a lot of time, especially in the evenings and she is allowed in there, she sleeps there Bugger - forgot about that. :D

Another question: Does your dog have anything else she can chew on? Is a big recreational bone something she gets? Is she allowed in the house?

What time do you feed him? Do you take him outside to toilet before bed? I do this with one of mine last thing at night.

Have you noticed any reduction in the behaviour after she's had a good run? In people, OCD is linked to low levels of serotonin. Studies have shown that this can be linked to poor diet and lack of exercise. Increasing the amount of exercise she gets won't cost you anything and may help. What do you feed her?

Lots of variables in the answer. In a high rental demand market, pet owners can lose out. The more dogs you have the more difficult it may be. Its always going to be harder in the larger cities but references, an obedience trained and regularly groomed dog may help. Its usually easier with smaller dogs too.

Being a 'good home' is no guarantee that your dog won't be DA or have high level prey drive. Socialisation and training are not cure alls.

From news.com.au They build dogs tough in Chinchilla!

On Canberra red clay, it will soon be apricot Chewie

So what happens if you have to go out on the weekend or at night? You need to secure your fences, whether you opt for daycare or not.

I don't think that it is 'bad'. But being the bush it is a real possibility. If its on the western side of the great divide and close to Canberra, there shouldn't be any ticks. :D

:D Guess I met one with a good home. The owners were from the UK and went to a lot of trouble to get their Bouvier. We talked about them a fair bit and I have since done a bit of research because I was really taken with this dog. The descriptions I read didn't match up much with what these other people with a Bouvier told me, let alone what I saw from the Bouvier herself. Maybe she was an odd one. Oh, that's right.. good homes get the nice dogs and only bad homes get aggressive ones. Riiiiight. Given the number of breed temperament descriptions that note the potential for DA and prey drive, I don't think a "good home" would be all that's required to manage one. A 12 year old Bouvier is a very senior dog. It's possible that the dog's mellowness was because it was old, not odd. Then again, there are always variations within a breed.

Not according to its maker Linky here It says its for oral use and that it shouldn't be used with Ivermectin based drugs.

Not much! The one I met was quite old at 12, so was pretty mellow. We were camping next to her owners over a long weekend. They said Bouviers are a little strong-willed, but no trouble if you're firm about rules. They do need clipping periodically. Large, but not huge. Not hugely active, but happy to go on hikes and happy to chill when nothing is going on. Good with the kids, great with small animals, smart and biddable. They are a little protective. The one I met was not at all happy about my poor old corgi crashing in her peoples' tent one rainy evening. She wasn't allowed in the tent and was not about to let the corgi break the rules. She seemed to take rules very seriously. Other than that, she got along very well with a lot of other dogs and could be trusted to mind her own business and stick with her family. Never saw a leash on her and her owners said they don't wander. The only two Bouviers I've met were dog aggressive with one showing strong prey drive towards small dogs. Browsing through a few breed reviews, that behaviour is not uncharacteristic for the breed. They can be pretty dominant. Not sure I'd describe them as "biddable".

I hope folk realise that how a dog pees and humping aren't gender or hormonally based. Neither is marking. So desexing probably has little impact on it. If you're desexing a dog because you think it won't hump or mark, you'll quite often be disappointed. Hell my Toy Poodle will mark outside. She's a she!

Oops wrong thread..

Unless he's an exceptional child, I'd recommend you do the bulk of the training Toolz. Much easier for a child to work with a dog that already knows the ropes. There's a reason junior handlers don't compete (as opposed to show) dogs under 12 months old. He'll need another dog for handlers initially.

How old is your son? Reason I ask is that I think it often profits the dog if an adult teaches new behaviours and a child practices with the dog. I hope you are buying a pup rated as a show prospect from a very experienced show kennel. It increases the chances that the pup will make the grade in the ring.

Growth plates closer later on a desexed dog. This leads to some bones growing for longer than they would do otherwise. That in turn effects the structure of the dog.

Mostly they chase.. I'd not guarantee a recall with live prey running away but they can be trained for recall in most other circumstances. I walk my boy offlead in winter but I leash him up if I see prey. However because they are soo fast they tend to pull up pretty quickly - they are sprinters, not distance chasers. Its roads that you need to watch out for.. they're so fast and cover so much ground in no time at all.

How much exercise and training does this dog get daily? It does sound like an obsessive/compulsive behaviour. This can be managed with drugs but I was wondering if lack of stimulation might be playing a part. An Elizabethan collar should be long enough that it goes well past the dog's muzzle. Eating and drinking in one shouldn't be possible let alone chewing on a tail. They aren't meant to be left on when the dog is unsupervised by the way.

How about a Whippet? They're not as into pleasing as some breeds but I'd not call them "independent" either. They tend to be good with small dogs and they love a good run.

Not necessarily. They might fence fight or wind each other up. Oh no I hope not. If you don't want that to happen I suggest you find a way of permanently separating JJ from the place in the fence where they interact. It doesn't have to be flash.. a line of star pickets (make sure you put caps on them) and some chickenwire would probably do the trick.

Sounds to me like he's at the stage where he still needs supervision and encouragement. If someone reliable can't watch him, I suggest you consider crating him. Close the door to your sister's room.