poodlefan

To the bones? Nothing. Thank you! I make even larger quantities in bulk these days. I've added a commerical juicer and a freezer to the kitchen. The juicer is 750W and has a 20L pulp chute.. the mother of all juicers. I probably add more pumpkin that I used to to the mix and am using a range of general food supplements including the Greenpet one and the Chew Chew one.

To the bones? Nothing. However, I do feed separate meals based on my famous BARF mix. Recipe is here

Myszka if the aim is improved front end muscle, it's actually bloody hard to do that unless she pulls weight. I'd be getting her swimming every chance you could.

Teach her to pull on a harness Myzska.. .sledding here you come!! She can learn to pull on the harness (get a proper Y-type one) but still learn to walk nicely on a collar.

See a decent behaviouralist. I'd not want to suggest what's going on unless I saw the behaviour and I'm not really qualified to diagnose it anyway. Your dog does appear to have good bite inhibition. Be grateful for it.

Time for some hard decisions then. You will never reliably toilet train a dog that cannot relieve itself outside each and every time it needs to go. General rule of thumb I was taught is that every accident inside sets up another 5 'accidents'. What do you think your dog's understanding of where she's allowed to toilet is? You can get electronic dog doors that allow some pets free access but restrict others depending on how you set their collars.

Seriously? 5 months old and certainly no older than 6 months. If you are creating the situation where she is compelled to go in the house sometimes, then you reinforce that that's OK. Have you considered a dog door?

Cowanbree, I'd be recommend a telephone consult (if you can't go in person) with a holistic vet. Perhaps alternative medicine may assist where conventional medicine has not.

Intially Carp you reward every request with the motivator. Then you move to a random reward schedule. You also raise the standard of behaviour required reward every request.. eg. she gets it for fast sits, not just any sits. You also extend the duration of training before rewarding. The aim is to reward in a manner that the dog works not knowing when the reward will come but getting it often enough to maintain focus and willingness to work. No point in training using any reward the dog doesn't really want.

Shut the doors to the bedrooms. Can the poodle access the back yard from the house at all times?

Go easy on the on lead walking. Pups really aren't up to a lot of forced exercise before 6 months for the littlies and up to 12 months for the larger breeds. Exercising pup's brains is often more effective for tiring them out than exercising their bodies. When she is fully vaccinated, will you be taking her to training?

Many humans cope with it by dumping the dogs or having them PTS. The better ones do what you a doing.. summon a behaviouralist and get professional help. Sometimes rehoming one dog is necessary.

Carp: I'll give an emphatic yes to that. Steve is who I recommend to any Canberran with a dog like yours. ETA: Carp, I've been mulling over some of what you've discussed. A strong instinct to chase and nip moving objects/creatures suggests to me that you may have a dog with high prey drive - not unsurprising in a herding breed. Unfocussed and unharnessed, this can be a challenge in for an owner unused to dealing with it. I would recommend another good professional behaviouralist consult. How much exercise does your pup get? Does she get the opportunity to romp offlead regularly. Incidentally, the body language of aggression doesn't tend to differ between dominant and fear aggressive dogs all that much once the dog goes into aggression mode - its the motivation that differs and that's why you need expert help. My fear aggressive boy does a very impressive display of hard staring, teeth showing, lunging and snapping but it's not dominence that is motivating it. Fear aggressive dogs learn that a preemptive show of aggression can drive off unwanted canine or human attention.

Shekina, I'd be lining up the crates and letting the dogs meet the kids one at a time. You need to focus on each dog while you train for a calm greeting.

4Legged: 4 Legs, I'm not going to debate strategies for dealing with dominance with you as I've never seen this dog and a qualified veterinary behaviouralist is now involved. I think we've discussed the dangers of online behavioural management before. However, did you actually note that this dog has bitten Carp?

Breathe deeply. Don't panic. Not every dog who eats cooked bones has an issue with them. Just watch for signs of discomfort in her. Keep an eye on her for the next 24 hours and try to give her a soft meal at the usual time you'd feed her next. Filling her up with bulky food won't assist if she develops a blockage. Just watch her.

Carp, I live in Canberra and to the best of my knowledge there are NO qualified veterinary behaviouralists here. There is one who visits from Sydney but that is all. Is that who you saw? I think you've been dealing with trainers who have some knowledge but between you, me and the gatepost, based on what you've said I'd really question some of the strategies you've been given to work with this dog. None of them seem to be focussed on establishing you as the leader in this relationship. It seems to be all about damage control, not relationship building. Frankly, I think you've gotten a lot more dog than you bargained for and she needs some very clear direction on what is, and what is not acceptable behaviour. If you are not a naturally assertive person, I'd honestly recommend you cut your losses and return this girl. In the right hands, she might well make an excellent sports dog but it is absolutely no fun at all to have to work with a dog that simply doesn't suit you, your personality or your other dog's character. I can quite confidently predict that, without qualified and experienced intervention, what you are seeing now is only going to get worse. I know someone who got a poodle very very similar to your girl in nature. It's never been easy for her to manage him and she simply never had the heart to enforce the kind of rules he needed to respect her. He sent her to the hospital for 20 stitches a few years back - she loves him to death but he's simply a more dominant personality than she can deal with. I actually think that she's more than a little frightened of him at times. He is also seriously dog aggressive to dogs he doesn' know. ETA: As Convenor of Agility at the ACT's largest training club, I can tell you that a dog with unmanageable dog aggression issues is most unlikley to be accepted for training because it will not pass our intake test. I'd hate to see your dream of agility competition buried before you start training. Listen to your gut... Dog ownership isn't meant to be all heart ache Carp, it should also bring you joy. There is also the impact on your other dog to consider. Are they the same sex?

Did the vet eliminate constipation as a possible cause?

If she's only itchy in spring, I expect the allergen (if its a contact allergy) is outside, not inside. You could try putting socks on her paws for a few days to see if it makes any diffference (after a wash of course)

Seita, some dogs have allergic reactions to flaxseed. You could try removing that and the vets all natural (mostly grains isn't it?) to see if it makes a difference. Is Megaderm the oil blend?? That's what I use if it is.

where can you buy these? Any heath food shop stocks Green lipped mussel. If you want a canine specific one, you can buy Technyflex. I've just started my two older dogs on it. Direct from the importer is as good a source as any. Here's their website. It comes in powder or capsules. All the specs are up there for it.

Seita what does she eat? Wheat is amongst the most common dog allergens. Dietary changes and the addition of some good Omega 3 oils may assist to combat this issue - you can treat from the inside as well as outside.

I have no idea about natural sources of antihistamine but a natural source of anti-inflammatory that's meant to be good for skin issues in NZ Greenlipped Mussel. It's joint for arthritis and joints too.

Oh God. I'm so sorry to hear this. Poodle hugs to you Springergirl.

Muttley, if you want a less extreme look on the legs, clip the front only and use thinning scissors on the back.. like a spaniel would have. At this rate, you'll own a grooming arsenal soon... next stop a dryer!!