poodlefan

Because if you, as the owner are dictating pace and duration of walk, it's very easy to over do it and damage growing bones and ligaments, particularly if you do it on concrete paths. I shudder every time I see a young pup being dragged along struggling to keep up with its owners pace. Lucien's Mum: It's developing bones that are the reason for the caution. Having seen the damage that can be done by over exercising a pup, I support such caution.

Yep. I agree. I've seen Dr Billinghurst present on his subject and found him very interesting. His views have changed a little over time. He no longer promotes feeding cereal at all. I'm always wary of anyone who has to bag others to get their point across. I feed Dr B's recommended diet. I have the full support of my holistic vet in that and the ordinary vet, while not endorsing it, agrees that a carefully researched and prepared raw diet does no harm.

Suzanne Clothier talks about 'obnoxious submission' in dogs. A good example is the kind of dog who grovels and makes all the right submissive gestures but crowds other dogs and gets in their faces when they do it. I know a couple of dogs like this.

I think it changed when the term "BARF" crept into popularity amongst the wider dog owning population. People who fed their dogs anything raw or homemade claimed to be feeding a "BARF diet" and the reputation of BARF as a method of feeding suffered accordingly. An all raw mince diet is not BARF. Neither is feeding ANY kibble. A cooked homemade diet is not BARF either. But I've heard owners who fed these diets claim them as such. No wonder a lot of vets are wary of the term.

I'm not familiar with that juicer but if you end up getting one, try within your budget for: Powerful motor (helps with the tougher veggies) Big external pulp collector (so you don't have to pull it apart to empty it all the time) Easy to pull apart. Quite a few DOLers have the Juice Fountain. If you search here on "juicer" there are a few threads about what brands to buy. ETA: Here's the latest version of my recipe by the way. Poodlefan’s BARF Veggie Mix Ok here it is. I've left references to the cat in in memory of my cat Haile (RIP) I based this on Dr B's recipe for veggie patties in GYPWB. Lets see if I can explain it like a cook book does! Ingredients 4 eggs (or can be added prior to serving) 1 small container of low fat natural yogurt 2 tablespoons of flax seed oil (I'm using a blend of oils these days called Megaderm) 4 tablespoons of Missing Link or other diet supplement as per dosage (optional) 2 kg of mixed fruit and veggies (I use some root veggies, some fruit and some green veggies in every mix) 1 kg full fat beef mince 1 large piece of liver or a few kidneys Method 1. Add eggs, yogurt, flax seed oil and Missing Link to huge bowl (I use a big laundry bucket) and blend well 2. Add the mince and mix well . Remove cat from kitchen bench. 3. Juice a little of the fruit and veggies. Add some of the juice to a blender and blend the offal until smooth. Resist urge to smell mix – you will regret it. Try not to vomit at result’s appearance and add to main ingredients. 4. Run the rest of the fruit and veggies through the juicer or blender. Add all the pulp to the mix and enough juice to obtain a firm but not sloppy consistency. You should end up with about 30% mince mix and the rest is veggies. 6. Remove cat from bench again. 7. Cave in and give a little of fresh mince and mix to cat 8. Put into storage containers and freeze. I find this mix feeds 5 mini poodles for 5 meals. My mix is evolving over time. I’ve used other additives like Power Blend, Barley Grass Power, Brewers Yeast, Vitamin C – I just change them from time to time. Currently I'm adding the an egg, Vitamin C, E and oil to each mix just before feeding. I'm using quite a bit of pumpking in the mix these days to keep my dog Lily's anal glands moving. My large dog owning friends do all the stages from 1 to 3 and then freeze the mix, juicing fresh veggies separately to add to it. This cuts down on freezer space and the time taken to make the mix. If you find your dog is not accepting the mix, add a little more fresh mince to their feed and slowly reduce the amount of mince they receive.

A lot of people use all of it CM but I prefer not to feed a sloppy mix. It's the pulp that has the value in terms of roughage. I had a Breville Juice Fountain but found it really didn't have the horsepower for the amount of stuff I was juicing and it found pumpkin hard going. I now have a commerical juicer like this: That's probably overkill for most people but having such a powerful juicer has halved the time I spent juicing veggies for mixes and it powers through stuff like pumpkin.

I use a juicer so I can add all the pulp and just enough of the juice to make a firm mix. If you search here on "Poodlefan BARF Recipe" you'll find mine.

Any dog can be eligible to compete in agility. If he is on limited register, he can compete on those papers in ANKC agility. Dogs without pedigree papers can be registered as Associates for ANKC agility. The other forms of agility register any dog. Agility isn't easy for a Great Dane (especially the tunnels) but there's at least one out there with some ANKC titles.

With this many issues, if the raw diet or a better kibble doesn't work, I"d be ringing a holistic vet down south (eg. Sydney) and getting some advice. They do phone consults all the time and can work with your current vet. Constant use of steroidal products (eg. Prednisone) leads to thining of the skin and can exacerbate these issues. Personally, I don't think you are going to find a magic bullet for this. However a carefully researched raw diet with NO CEREALs an the use of good quality, non-detergent based shampoo won't hurt and might help.

Ah, no. Cheapest I've found is $21.

Run free Angus. You were a sweetie. Angus and Darcy did beginners obedience together.

I had an interesting discussion with the holistic vet about tear stains Bitty. I mentioned that I'd heard it was a sign of a depressed immune system. She said that in her experience, its overwhelmingly linked to health issues in the head, jaw or neck, with teeth the most common trigger. Have you tried Kojo Eye Treatment, I found that very effective for Lil's stains when I first got her.

Is this when not in use for some days, or when you take it off the dog for the night or something like that? Would it be a bit pesty to do it that often? I agree about the Husher ... would never leave it on unsupervised. I bought one for Xia and she gets if off anyway if I'm not watching her. The Jetcare collar is superior. Sidoney I take the collar off, remove the little cover and the battery and leave them like that every night. In the morning, back in with the battery and cover screwed back on, check the thing is full and put it back on. It doesn't take much time at all and does wonders for the life of the battery. Besides, with FHR's Flynn coming to visit regularly, nowhere in the house (except maybe the bottom of my sock draw) was quiet enough to prevent it jetting when Flynnie barks.

Agree that discipline will reinforce this submissive behaviour. Ignoring it will most definitely help. Giving him an alternative might also speed extinguishing it. If he goes to flop, ask him to sit or drop where you'd prefer him to be (assuming he knows these cues) and reward that instead. A sit or a drop in front or beside you would be far less annoying I'm guessing. At least he's wanting to interact with you - that's a good sign. Now you have to show him the kind of interaction you'd prefer.

I would never leave a husher muzzle on a dog unsupervised and certainly not all day. Husher muzzles are a bit like haltis in that many dogs find them unpleasant to wear and that effect is felt whether the dog is barking or not. Not a good use of an aversive IMO.

I take the batteries out when the collars aren't in use. No accidental vibration or noise triggered jets and the batteries last a lot longer Incidentally, one of mine stopped working after 8 months. I rang Innotek who are providing a replacement new collar- no questions asked. A friend of mine with a Citronella collar from another manufacturer can't even get them to send her a part. We can't use electronic antibarking collars here in the ACT. I'm glad my dogs have softer temperaments and that the Jet Care collars work.

Jules Sunlight is also a type of hard yellow laundry soap. That's what I was referring to.

The only thing I can suggest is hyper vigilance. I know food stealers who've never gone hungry a day in their lives. Background doesn't seem to have all that much to do with it - some dogs are just 'good hunters' it seems.

Pebbles I use Sunlight soap (or any laundry soap) on stains and follow up with two washes with Fidos White and Bright Shampoo. It also has a nice citrus fragrance. Try your local pet supplier - a lot of places stock it these days. Failing that, Vetproductsdirect and the Vetshed have it online. Plush Puppy whitening shampoo is also good.

Does the chicken mince have bone in it? A diet of entirely soft food isn't going to do much for dental hygiene. I'd be trying to feed some meals of bones. Rice is a filler, it's useful for giving fast energy to a dog but other than that, it's nothing but bulk.

Staffies and skin problems often go hand in hand. If you've got an upset stomach and skin issues, I think you are possbibly looking at food intolerance and a need for some nutritional support. If there's an holistic vet in your area, I'd be going to see them. Cortisone is not a good long term method of dealing with these things and anything steroidal will contribute to hair loss issues. Personally, I'd be ditching all kibble (or at least wheat based ones) and going for a raw diet. If you are feeding it correctly, a protein deficiency would be the last of your worries. Consider adding zinc and a good oil supplement to his diet to help with the skin. A good probiotic would help his tummy and you may want to try a detox diet under the supervision of a holistic vet to help the stomach issues.

This thread seems to have run its course but I'll make a few [hopefully] pertinent observations. Socialisation and discipline on their own will NOT fix a serious aggression problem. They can, in the worst cases, make it worse. Sounds like there may just have been some settling in problems but don't hesitate to seek help if they re-emerge. The earlier and the younger these issues are addressed in a pup, the better the outcome is likely to be. Agility and obedience dogs are unlikely to get far with aggression issues. They are required to mingle with and compete along side many dogs. Implementing the NILIF and TOT practices with this pup will cost NOTHING. I highly recommend you commence them immediately. Do desex this dog (and your lab bitch). I'd not be waiting past 6 months with this pup. A crossbred dog is like a box of chocolates - you never know what you're going to get. However, given the parent breeds of this dog, you are going to end up with a powerful animal who is hard wired to be tenancious - the sooner you commence obedience training the better. I highly recommend you keep training to reinforce your leadership with this dog.

Poodlefan’s BARF Veggie Mix Ok here it is. I've left references to the cat in in memory of my cat Haile (RIP) I based this on Dr B's recipe for veggie patties in GYPWB. Lets see if I can explain it like a cook book does! Ingredients 4 eggs (or can be added prior to serving) 1 small container of low fat natural yogurt 2 tablespoons of flax seed oil (I'm using a blend of oils these days called Megaderm) 4 tablespoons of Missing Link or other diet supplement as per dosage (optional) 2 kg of mixed fruit and veggies (I use some root veggies, some fruit and some green veggies in every mix) 1 kg full fat beef mince 1 large piece of liver or a few kidneys Method 1. Add eggs, yogurt, flax seed oil and Missing Link to huge bowl (I use a big laundry bucket) and blend well 2. Add the mince and mix well . Remove cat from kitchen bench. 3. Juice a little of the fruit and veggies. Add some of the juice to a blender and blend the offal until smooth. Resist urge to smell mix – you will regret it. Try not to vomit at result’s appearance and add to main ingredients. 4. Run the rest of the fruit and veggies through the juicer or blender. Add all the pulp to the mix and enough juice to obtain a firm but not sloppy consistency. You should end up with about 30% mince mix and the rest is veggies. 6. Remove cat from bench again. 7. Cave in and give a little of fresh mince and mix to cat 8. Put into storage containers and freeze. I find this mix feeds 5 mini poodles for 5 meals. My mix is evolving over time. I’ve used other additives like Power Blend, Barley Grass Power, Brewers Yeast, Vitamin C – I just change them from time to time. Currently I'm adding the an egg, Vitamin C, E and oil to each mix just before feeding. I'm using quite a bit of pumpking in the mix these days to keep my dog Lily's anal glands moving. My large dog owning friends do all the stages from 1 to 3 and then freeze the mix, juicing fresh veggies separately to add to it. This cuts down on freezer space and the time taken to make the mix. If you find your dog is not accepting the mix, add a little more fresh mince to their feed and slowly reduce the amount of mince they receive.

The only mince my dogs get is human grade, not "pet mince". That way I know what's in it, and more importantly, what ISN'T.

What breed/type is your dog Laffi - I can't remember. I prefer agility - each to their own. :D