poodlefan

Baby oil works a treat on gum (great for removing elastoplast without pain). Put some on, leave for a few minutes and it should be easy to pull out. I'd recommend a thorough bath afterwards. Frankly if the gum isn't anywhere too unsightly, I'd just cut it out.

So are you saying that any dog that doesn't like puppies is exhibiting abnormally aggressive behaviour? None of my little guys tolerate any shit from big baby pups.. If pup wants to get physical, pup is told to piss off. They give no license for being pounced on, grabbed or mouthed but they dont' over do it. They are better with pups that don't physically overpower them.. well two are anyway.

The problem with that Aidan is that this dog will be so much bigger than the adult dog by that age. Some smaller dogs aren't going to be in the slightest bit effective curbing the excesses of a giant puppy. In fact Nate stands a very real chance of being hurt.

Looks like Nate is a submissive dog. Given that Sarge will soon dwarf him, I'd say that's a smart move. Now you have to deal with curbing excessive dominance in the pup. You will have to discipline him for grabbing Nate (take his collar off) and for other inappropriate behaviour. I would keep them separated unless they are supervised. Allow Nate to have access to you at times when Sarge is confined elsewhere. Big pups and tiny adult dogs are never an easy combination Tatsu. It's down to you to ensure that Nate can enjoy his life without the stress of having to deal with a big pup. Otherwise, his life will be hell.

I've got some offset ones BMP. You are welcome to come and try them out to see if they are what you like. I'll offer up a poodle as the guinea pig! With the $AUS so strong at the moment, its a good time to order from the USA. Mine are Heritage brand from there. I've attached a linky..here they have a shot of some offset ones. Mine are Sabers. I've I had the cash, I'd go for Stilletos. I have curved and straight offset shanked ones. I prefer offset shanks because the blades stay level with your fingers, giving you a good feel for where you are cutting. Heritage do pinks ones but not in offset shanks

The pressure of the head collar on your dog's muzzle is supressing your dog's drives Fainty... that's why she's not pulling. It's shutting her down. She's rubbing because she finds it uncomfortable. If collars rub her skin, expect to see hair loss on her muzzle also. Does a cotton martingale collar rub her skin?

On that point Corvus we are in complete agreement. The dog gave a warning.. which should be heeded. Now its time to figure out where this behaviour is coming from. This is not new behaviour for this dog. He displayed similar warning behaviour when the OP's boyfriend tried to lift him off the bed in June. I would be recommending an in home visit. However as money is an issue, the OP needs to find ways to motivate the dog to do what she wishes, to keep him off the bed and not to try to "punish" this behaviour in ways the dog doesn't understand. I think Pete probably thinks he was within his rights to warn the OP off. What the OP needs to do, in a non confrontational manner, is disavow Pete of the notion he has such rights.

You need to actually handle the different brands to feel how they fit in your hand. I personally like and use Andis Pro 2 speeds but I'd really recommend you test each to see how you like them.

S&T: The issue as I see it is not the fitting of a head collar to a pup, but the impact on the pup physically (they can lead to neck issues) AND the real need for this level of control on a very young puppy. Maybe not but dog owners do it every day. There is no trainer involved here.. just an owner and one that proposes to have this pup walked in head collar by children. There is no way I'd ever allow a child to control a pup with a head collar... they don't have the understanding as to how the collar affects the pup and the potential for injury is too great. I'm not real keen on kids controlling dogs with head collars at all.. kids can be rough. Walk the puppy yourself until she has better manners OR attach a second leash to a flat collar and allow the child to take the second one. Rest assured a motivated pup will lunge and pull on the head collar, not only learning the wrong lessons but potentially doing itself permanent damage in the process. Pups need to be taught manners before children can safely control them. Best Mum do the walking with the kids helping out on a second lead as suggested. Pup will be safer and Mum will have control.

If you don't know what's causing these you need to see a vet. They could be flea allergies, hot spots, ringworm or a bacterial infection. You need a professional diagnosis.

You were more than disobeyed PTD.. you were threatened. How far away is training?

Breed specific adverse reactions to Revolution have been noted - collie breeds in particular. What breed of dog are we talking about?

At 12 months old, Jet would still be too young to train at my dog club for agility. I'd start with some obedience and then go on to agility when he's fully mature. Neither being crossbred, nor small is any barrier to agility competition.

Oh no! What happened?

Especially the unneutered males.

Amen to that. Trouble is that people sometimes have this idea in their heads of a older, placid family or friend's lab and forget the process of age and training that led to the end result. Or they listen to the pet shop person telling them that Labs are "naturally placid and obedient" [yes readers, I've heard that through my own ears ] I once taught a remedial beginners class that was entirely comprised of adolescent Labs and Golden Retrievers.. smart as whips but with the attention span of gnats. It was a fun class to teach.

No. probably not all labs ( or any pup) will chew /dig etc.. but most do, and first time puppy/dog owners need to be aware that these things are part of owning an active, strong puppy. We had labs and a toddler- no problem.... I have also seen toddlers bite the dust as the resident lab youngster does a bum waggle too close, or leans, or just runs thru the toddler It happens. Persephone, I find baby puppies (say up to six months) while requiring a lot of intensive feeding etc are pretty easy to live with. They eat, they wee and poo, they play and they sleep.. a lot. Come adolescence and increased physical size and activity levels and things start to change. It's one of the reasons I wish people took their dogs to training beyond puppy preschool. Most dogs need puppy highschool even more because its a bit of maturity that often produces the most challenging behaviours to manage and train. There's a reason why so many dumped dogs are adolescents.

I wonder if you'll be saying the same thing when your pup is 10 months old!

I missed the bit about wanting a working retriever. IK, if your OH is serious about that, you'll need to source your pup from dual purpose (show and working) or working lines. That will really narrow your search. Has you OH trained a working retriever before? If not, he's got a lot of work to do and I suggest he'll need to find an experienced mentor to assist him. There is a Working Retriever forum based on Oz which I'd recommend he join. A pet shop Lab would probaby have had a pretty low chance of becoming a useful working dog - you need to buy a pup from a proven line. Lablover here breeds and trains for retrieving trials. She might be a useful person to PM. Other Lab breeders may know of good working lines. There's no way a dog from working lines will be content with a half hour walk a day. These are active dogs bred to work all day in the field and they need a lot of mental and physical stimulation. I'd be talking to Lablover about that.

Good decision Ivory Kitten!! I think if you ask questions in the Labrador thread you'll get plenty of assistance with finding a pup from a responsible breeder. I suspect such a pup won't cost any more than the pet shop one but you'll get health testing and breeder support. Flying a pup interstate is very common and a pup from Brisbane or Adelaide would come on a direct flight. Good luck with your search and make sure to post pics of your new family member when he/she arrives. If you have your heart set on a yellow pup, that shouldnt' be too difficult - they are a common colour and far less "popular" than chocolate labs at the moment. I love the yellows too!

Because the RSPCA is organised on State lines but has a Federal Executive. The states are relatively autonomous.

The German Shepherd was never subject to the same degree of restriction as the APBT nor was it restricted in as many states. GSD people also did a lot of hard work to improve the image of their breed. Circling the wagons and telling everyone they were wrong about the dogs didn't seem to feature much in their campaigns.

I was going to post that Hugh Wirth's opinions did not reflect those of many RSPCA CEO's. Lynne Bradshaw's letter is very encouraging. Now they just have to muzzle Hugh.

You need to check between your dog toes daily, clip his feet or both. He needs to be trained to tolerate having his feet handled.

I suggest you make your way to the Labrador thread in the breeds subforums to ask questions there. Is the pup coming from a registered breeder that did health testing on its parents? What does the breeder recommend you feed?