poodlefan

Gunoush, I feed two days of RMBs and my "world famous" BARF Mix on the third. :D Do you want the recipe? As I have only 3 small dogs, I source most of their RMBs from the supermarket or Lennards (the chicken people). Any poultry supplier should have reasonably priced chicken frames - that's the basis of the diet's of all the BARF fed big dogs I know. Do you have a big chest freezer - a BARFers best friend. I also have a commercial grade juicer for juicing all the veggies I use. I make the BARF mix up in bulk. Can't help you on local suppliers down there I'm afraid.

I'm not a vet. I don't sell dog food. I agree that it's not a good diet. You don't need an ulterior motive to say that. If the pup is not being regularly fed raw bones or a decent kibble (what brand do they use), then this diet has the potential to be seriously deficient in calcium and a range of other minerals. That's potentially disastrous for a growing pup, more so for a large breed pup. If you're going to feed a home prepared food you HAVE to do your homework, especially with feeding pups. I'd either recommend a fully researched RAW diet or a premium kibble with some chicken wings and sometimes the home made stew. Dogs cannot digest cereals - all the pasta is is filler. Time for a rethink of this diet.

Marble, it's time for the vet. Gums turning white when you press them is normal. However an 8 week old pup should have a full set of teeth. I've got a sneaking suspicion the pup you've bought is far younger than you were told. Where did you get her? An all meat diet is the fastest path to rickets and calcium deficiency I can think of. Time for a check up.

Marble how old is your puppy? Has she been vaccinated and regularly wormed? Where did you get her? If her gums are white without pressure, I'd be making a beeline for the vet. She CAN chew. Many pups are weaned straight onto food like chicken necks. If she hasn't been to the vet for a check up, it's probably time to do that and she should have a vaccination shot due soon too. Is she's healthy, the most likely source of her runs is you constantly changing her diet. New foods should be introduced slowly over time.

I find the more often it's done, the less offensive it is. I do my dogs anal glands every time I bath them. I reckon it would be a bit like changing nappies though - not to keen to try it on a dog I don't know!

If you reread your posts about the vets you spoke to HMH, I think your choice is pretty clear cut. Choose the vet you think will do the best job, both in terms of surgery and advising you. My personal belief is that if you can't trust a vet sufficiently NOT to get a second opinion, don't use them again. I don't care who's cheapest. I care about who I think does the best by my dogs and me. Good luck with everything. Lumps are very worrying. :D

I've always like the Plush Puppy puppy shampoo.

Why don't you ask your retiring groomer? If you've been happy with her, she's bound to know who's who in your local area and may be able to recommend one.

I'd feed the best quality premium kibble I could get, along with chicken wings etc.

If you did a poll Bub, you'd probably be surprised at how many dogs don't chew or tear. My dogs like to fetch and "kill' (shake) toys but they don't even squeak them. You have a quiet dog. My guess is that he was a quiet pup. It's also my observation that the dogs that are most "into" toys have had a lot of play activity with them early on but play can most certainly be learned. My 10 year old toy poodle is just getting the hang of tugging games.

He's a gun dog Bub. His forebears were selectively bred is to fetch and carry prey, not bite and tear it. That's why he's got those big loose flews. His working cousins retrieve game without putting a tooth in it (or are supposed to) His behaviour is normal and desireable for a dog of his breed. I can't name a gundog that's a ripper although I know a few chewers. None of my dogs are rippers but if there's a hole, they will happily destuff toys. If you want a ripper, head for the Terrier Group! :rolleyes:

To the best of my knowledge, there are no earth dog events here in Canberra. The closest I know of are at Erskine Park. They also have JRT racing there.

Is the skin cracking? If not, I'd leave it alone. A dry nose is perfectly normal for a lot of dogs, especially in warmer dry weather. Nothing you put on is going to stay there anyway - the dog will lick it off.

Tess, the heat and the stress of relocation could be enough. Even a change of water source upsets some dogs. If he's taking in plenty of liquids and doesn't have the runs, I'd wait. If he starts scouring, I'd have him to the vet ASAP.

Bub, dog ownership is supposed to be enjoyable. You seem to channel a hell of a lot of energy into worrying unnecessarily. So yes, I do think you are paranoid. Bub would look leaner than most GRs because your average pet GR looks a lot like a big sausage on legs.. no waist and a a lot of fat. If you want to know what a GR should look like, search for pics of working GRs. Bub should have an obvious waist and belly tuck and you should be able to feel his ribs with the flat of your hand without placing much pressure on his side. Lean dogs live longer and have fewer joint issues. His toileting sounds perfectly normal to me. All that peeing in the park is marking behaviour rather than needing to go. Personally, I'd not be trimming the fat off his meat. Dog's need a certain amount of fat in their diet. Fat is the primary source of energy and also contains nutrients essential for a healthy skin and coat. Does he get fish or an EFA supplement?

Orson is 2 and a half years old and yes, he's sound. Im saying 30 mins as an example. Minimum is 30 mins at mostly a jog. Majority of the time are more than 30 mins. It really depends on what we do on the day (some obedience training, playing tug and fetch, running around in the backyard etc etc). Sometimes hes content just snoozing. The vets says he's very healthy (perfect weight, great teeth etc) and happy. He has a good diet and exercise. There's been no problems with the neighbours now so its working for us :D No worries KW. I was just going to say that a sound young Cocker could be on the go all day if he was fit. They were bred to do a days work in the field and most of the ones I know will walk your legs off. You could put an Endurance Title on one if you trained for it.

I'll be a party pooper and say that 15 weeks is way too young for an offleash park if it has unknown dogs at the time.

Thanks, I need to place an order with Amazon in the next few weeks, I'll add that one to the list. I can't concentrate on television for very long so I prefer books over DVD's. Check Dogwise too - I often find their prices more competitive for dog books.

If you are looking for a good book on clicker training, I'd rate Morgan Spector's Clicker Training for Obedience as one of the best. There are also a lot of really good training DVDs around these days.

How old is Orson now? Is he sound?

It does if the person gets what they need Gayle - they come back. Selling someone a item they don't need and that won't work doesn't. Most of my local pet stores have the brochures for trainers on display on their counters. Did you see what I wrote about clicker training for loose lead walking.

Yep, I know you were joking Mystiqueview! :D GayleK, back to your original question. One of the most effective training methods I've used and seen used to eliminate pulling on the lead is clicker training. Is that something you've read up on?

I prefer to treat fleas only when they are present. I've had to use flea treatments on my dogs twice in 10 years. Every chemical you give a dog impacts on its immune system - why do it if it's not necessary?

Louie: Then don't let him. The time to nip this in the bud is NOW.

It was kind of hard to resist the urge to grab them by the throat but you have to remember this isn't a mean or stupid person - just ignorant. It really worries me that such people can buy a dog knowing nothing and not getting the kind of support they'd have from a good breeder and a good dog trainer or club. :D