poodlefan

I haven't watched Crufts but the World Agility Championships gives you more variety in breeds - including ones we have don't have here. Worlds have separate height divisions - not sure if Crufts doesn't but that may be a reason for the lack of variety. 500 dogs pretty dominate the sport here and BC's dominate the height - Crufts might be the same. I do know that the Brits have to win classes to advance through the levels.

A friend of mine has a Cocker with pancreatiis and the dog copes fine on low fat kibble. Most minces are also high in fat - you might be going from the frying pan to the fire here unless you are feeding a low fat premium one. My friend feeds her dog chicken breast meat (no skin) with its veggies. If you buy lean human great meat from a butcher you should be able to get them to mince it for you so you know what's in the mince you are feeding. Blade steak might be a good option there. Vets all Natural has a lot of grains - not all that beneficical for dogs.

Maiko, your friend will have no difficulty with family members "corrupting" her dog at meal times if the dog is crated. I honestly think crate training would make a big difference to both your friend and her dog while issues are worked on. A timid dog will safe and secure in a create with visitors in the house and your friend will have a lot more control over how her dog is interacted with. How old is your friend? Does she have some income of her own?

Sounds to me like the owner needs education or nothing will change. This dog's behaviour sounds pretty much entirely the product of the time and effort that HASN'T been put into her development. No walking, no socialisation...imagine how stressful the dog finds the odd walk she gets. No established boundaries of acceptable behaviour and confusion about her place in the pecking order. More stess. Never taught to accept brushing so it hurts every time now because the coat is matted... pain and stress. Until the owner changes HER behaviour and steps up to meet her dogs needs, I expect you are wasting your breath. 2 kg or 60 kg they're all dogs, they all need exercise and they all need leadership and training.. On the socialistion side of things, the boat has pretty much sailed. What dogs don't get as pups, they don't always recover from. I'd not be having my dog anywhere near this one unless the owner has a fundamental change of attitude. They haven't established any real bond of trust with the dog and they have little control over its behaviour. With a potentially fear aggressive dog, that's no recipe for a successful play date.

Gerda.. take a deep breath. RELAX She's not made of glass. Even is she is stressed, it's all part of learning life in your household. She'll learn to cope and you don't need to try and soothe her. It should be business as usual in the household, not the dog commanding your attention with her behaviour. Unless she' obviously in pain, is vomiting or has diarehha for more than 24 hours or is listless you needn't panic. Just out of interest why are you wetting her dry food? She has teeth and she can use them. ETA: Half a cup of liver is a fair bit for a pup. I'd expect to see 'results' when she toilets. I think there are better treats and a mix of treats is a good idea. Remember that you only need to use treats the size of your smallest fingernail - they don't have to be big. What's she getting all the treats for?

Blackdog do good martingale collars but only in red, purple, green and blue from memory.

They are quite popular with folk at my club. Susan Salo's jumping training DVDs are very popular too. Go have a browse at the materials available at Clean Run. Their magazine is also very good.

My bitch has a desexed tattoo in her ear. So do my dogs. There would also be a scar but that might be difficult to see on some dogs. You can wait to see if the bitch comes in season I suppose - I'd prefer that to potentially unnecessary surgery.

I'd suggest a few months of obedience to develop some focus and teamwork and then agility or flyball. I don't know how much weight pulling is around - none here that's for sure.

Well my dogs are on Advantix but one of them is slightly allergic to it. I can't use the tick collars because they play all the time and swim a lot too. So I am just exploring different options How about Permoxin sprays? It kills ticks on contact. Dogs treated with homeopathic nosodes die of Parvo etc. The problem with homeopathics is that there's usually no research to support their efficacy. Putting your faith in an untested product be it pharmacuetical, homeopathic or whatever is not my cup of tea.

I don't know about you, but I'd not risk my dog's life to find out if it works.

I can't recommend anyone but hopefully a local will. When they put the word "tenacious" in a dog's breed characteristics, it certainly can make it challenging for the owner. To paraphrase another trainer, you are going to have to teach your boy that with regards to behaviour, what you say absolutely positively goes.. compliance every time - firm boundaries and no room for negotiation. What training resources to you have access to? Have you done much reading? The triangle of temptation (TOT) and NILIF (nothing in life is free) practices would assist you to establish the right sort of relationship with him I reckon. IF you head to the training thread, you'll see a pinned topic on the TOT.

If you're experiencing difficulties managing this pup so young Jenz, I think you need a home visit from a really good professional trainer. If you tell us where we are located, we may be able to suggest someone. I'd also recommend you join a decent dog training club and do ongoing obedience training with this boy. He sounds like a tough cookie and you're going to need to establish a good bond of trust and leadership to help him develop into a well mannered adult dog. Were you planning on having him desexed? If not, have a good hard think about it when he's old enough. Have you discussed your concerns with his breeder? Someone knowledgeable about this breed will be a big help to you. How much do you know about the history of your breed? Are you aware that they are dogs of fighting ancestry? There is an Amstaff thread in the breeds sub-forum. I'd strongly recommend you introduce yourself the members there.

Sorry Nekbet I'll fix it. You're still right though.

Is he refusing to present one or both paws?

Just be grateful he ain't eating it as he goes. I haven't owned poo eater (of their own poo) and I'd like to avoid that honour. :rolleyes:

Not if your dog is simply repositioning. If he's yelping then that is a symptom of blockage. With my older boy, he'll strain a bit if he misses more than a day's exercise. Exercise, in addition to fibre stimulates the gut and keeps everything moving along. :rolleyes:

Ah, now we can discuss the fascinating subject of pooing styles. :rolleyes: I have a circler, a walker and a backer up into bushes.. I think it's more a matter of style than function SM.

It's usually a sign of high bone content in the diet/faeces. Nothing to worry about and a lot more pleasant to scoop than the stuff that's like chocolate mousse :rolleyes:

Jet, the first piece of advice I'd give is that you shouldn't be allowing your dog offlead if she can react aggressively to strange dogs. You can't control her behaviour unless she is onlead and unless she is close to you, you've got not a lot of chance of keeping the other dog away from her. And, people will let their dogs run up to her I'm afraid. The second thing I'd say is that you may get to the point where she might tolerate some dogs but having her become the social butterfly of the dog park seems unlikely. Don't fret about it - dogs in the wild often kill strange dogs and many dogs really don't get a kick out of socialising with strangers. But Nekbet :rolleyes: is right - you need qualified experienced assistance with any dog aggression issues. Advice on your location may assist us to suggest someone. I'd be avoiding dog parks like the plague for now - you just can't control what sorts of dogs and owners you will meet there. :D

My chiro says the same Cavs - air escaping from joints. Nothing to worry about apparently.

Vision: Yup. My toy poodle can accomplish it also. Dogs know what they like and chicken necks are no challenge for a larger dog.

I'd have thought they might be able to check hormone levels by blood or urine? I guess it's probably behaviour that's been allowed to develop. It is rewarding for dogs and if two males constantly over marked one another, probably well ingrained. It's beyond my expertise but I know Bitty Mo Peep had a foster dog like this, you might PM her? Happy wore a belly band when he came to my place for grooming.

Any chance he's still got a testicle tucked up somewhere? Perhaps a belly band might convince him that leg cocking isn't required in the house?

Only one in agility training at our club. Not so many GSDs around our club these days. In years past, they were everywhere.