poodlefan

Hi Littlelab! I was hoping you'd post an update. I'm glad things are going well.

I'd be trying to borrow the right size Coat King and try it yourself Muttley. It will definitely thin out the coat. If you can't borrow one with the right blade, you can buy them direct from their website and they offer advice on the right blade for your dog.

If she's not underweight, she is eating enough. How many times a day are you offering her food? Don't leave it down.. offer it for 5 minutes, pick it up and don't give her anymore until the next feed. Hovering over the food won't be helping I'm afraid. You'd be radiating anxiety I expect and some dogs prefer to eat alone. Are there other dogs in the house?

Generally? Excitement. or arousal Darce does this frantic tail wagging in every direction when he's seeking something by scent.. maybe it means 'concentration'. Actually I think it just indicates a higher level of arousal.

Edited. She's a Shih Tzu - a breed not prone to HD. If you want to prevent bone/joint issues in any breed, keep them lean, feed them a balanced diet (eg. avoid excess calcium in a puppy diet), grow them slowly, avoid excessive exercise on growing bones and keep them fit and regularly chiropracted throughout their lives. Starting them early on a maintenance dose of a decent joint supplement won't hurt either.

Codygirl, most studies seem to conclude that both genetics and environment (diet, exercise etc) play a part in this condition. All you can do is lower the risk of HD but selecting a dog from generations of well scored parents and carefully raising it.

The issue here Dogdude is that dogs are not generally bred for the traits K9 searches for. However, if he's looking for a GSD for protection work, he'd have a higher rate of success looking to dogs bred from working lines and who have relatives in protection work than from exhibition lines. That's not necessarily a bad thing.. a full on GSD or Malinois is not going to fit well in your average family home. The difficulty is that the traits you want in the adult aren't always easily selected for in a pup. Breeding for work is about improving the chances of getting the right pup. All over the world, Guide Dog organisations, police and the military have or are establishing their own breeding programs. They will breed dogs selectively to increase the potential of the pups for future work. The reason for the establishment of these programs is that such organisations can no longer rely solely on other breeders for the dogs they need. Selective breeding to increase the prevalence of certain physical or mental characteristics is precisely the rationale for why today's purebred dog breeds exist. It's also the reason why so many breeds display traits they may never have been taught to use eg. herding, guarding, retrieving, or hunting prey.

How about a really full on session with a Coat King Muttley.. to strip and thin the coat rather than clip it???

I would expect it to produce more consistently trainable dogs, not necessarily smarter ones Yarrowfell. Any dog sports person will tell you the best indicator of the potential of the pup is the achievements of its parents.

Is the dog corded? If it is, you don't brush them. You separate the cords. Snarfarama or Puli Lover would be the folk to talk to but the puli owners I know use a hydrobath and air dry the cords - takes ages.

I'm really sorry to hear this HFB. Good luck with managing this. I don't know anything much about HD but I'm sure that DOLers with the knowledge will help you out. I know a few dogs with it that seem to manage OK. She'll be in good hands with you I'm sure.

Fingers crossed here for a good result HFB.

Kathy, keep a food diary. Write down what you feed and note what comes out the other end. Find out what, if anything he is being given to eat by others when you board him. Dogs are all the same on the inside. Weimaraner stomachs don't differ from other dogs'. :rolleyes: I'd highly recommend you start a post here about best diets for growing large breed pups and reap the benefits of advice from some very experienced dog owners and breeders. The best food for your pup will not be found on a supermarket shelf. Personally, I'd be feeding the best quality large breed puppy diet I could buy (people can recommend it) or I'd be raw feeding (which is what I do). Having your dog constantly exposed to high numbers of strange dogs in dog boarding/daycare areas is increasing his chances of picking up bugs by the way. Next time he's got bloody poo, don't take him to be minded by anyone but a vet. If it's a contagious bug, you run the risk of him making other dogs ill. If you really want to knock this on the head, take a faecal sample to the vet.

What Erny said. Buster, precisely what ARE your 'rules' as to when and where you want your dog to toilet because I'm confused. She's not lazy, she's not doing it for attention. She's doing this because she's confused and the reason for that is the conflicting messages she's getting about what's acceptable. You have taught her she can toilet in the house sometimes - using toileting mats teaches that. You say she doesn't have to go outside at night because she's too small (try a dog coat) and that reinforces that. As you place her outside and leave her there, you are missing opportunities to reinforce correct behaviour and simply saying no when she does the wrong thing and putting her out, is not a fast method of teaching her what the right thing is. When you cannot supervise her you need to have something established so that she cannot toilet where you don't want her to. Where do you leave her when you're out? Sorry to be a bit harsh, but the responsiblity for this behaviour lies with you, not the dog. You are reaping the results of confusing and inconsistant training. You're not alone - this happens to lots of people. You need to start over. Sit down and figure out exactly what you want her to learn. Choose ONE place as the correct place to toilet. Take her outside (if that's where you want her to toilet) after eating, after play, and when she wakes, regardless of the hour. Praise and reward for the correct behaviour. Move the cat litter to the bathroom or off the floor. It's like leaving a packet of lollies for a dog to sample - dogs love cat poo but it's not good for them. You're other dog probably never paid much attention to the litter tray but now he knows what's in it, he will. Immediate removal of poo from the tray would lessen the attraction. You don't have too much longer before you're going to end up with a dog with a long term issue about toilet training. A couple of weeks of consistent messages WILL get the result you desire.

Kathy: My guess is that the environment doesn't have a 'quiet area' and that he's over stimulated. I'd not send a pup to such a place. They can learn a lot of undesireable behaviours. Personally I think it's pretty rare cheek (not to mention not very logical) to suggest an inhome consult for a problem that's daycare specific. That's pretty telling about the level of knowledge of the operator IMO. Save your money. A lunchtime visit to feed and a bit of a play would be enough provided some boredom buster toys are available.

A flat collar does not tighten. A check chain tightens. Don't walk your dogs on a harness unless it's a Y type one. Harnesses that have straps that go around the front of their chests restrict movement and can lead to long term physical issues. Many harnesses also cut dogs under their front legs. On a dog that small, I'd be using a flat collar or a martingale. It's not like you need more leverage for control.

Oh Cassie, I'm so sorry to hear this. ;) It's even harder to lose a dog so young. ;)

JJay: And I prefer french fries to brussel sprouts. That doesn't necessarily make fries better for me from a nutrional perspective. Cooking destroys some enyzmes present in raw meat and also depletes the taurine present in food. Cooking does improve palatability and there are definitely times when cooked food is a very good idea (eg. after oral surgery or a gastric upset) You are never going to get people to agree on what is the best diet for dogs. Furthermore, no one diet is going to suit all dogs. Raw diets aren't for the lazy or uninformed and optimum processed diets aren't found in generic brand dog foods in the supermarket. When people ask me what to feed their dogs I advocate the best quality non wheat based dry food they can afford (preferably supplemented with raw chicken on the bone) or a carefully researched raw diet. My vet is not an advocate of raw diet but respects my decision to feed that way - and that's all I ask.

Moirat whole poultry is probably the closest thing to a natural diet a dog could get. Whilst such a diet might optimise a dog's genetic codes for height, it can't make a dog taller. I'd say there's some taller dogs somewhere in his lines.

Actually this is a myth. In the wild, animals will eat the muscle meats and some organs but stomach contents are often discarded. They certainly don't eat grain though. Dogs are still carnivores with digestive systems designed for breaking down foods quickly. Their short intestinal tract is filled with much stronger stomach acid than we have. Food that would make us sick passes through a dog's digestive system much faster. They also have no ability to break down cellulose. Domestication and selective breeding hasn't changed that.

C&Z: How on earth would a dog view a rock thrown over the fence as a "gift"?

Daggles: Why don't you want to use a correction chain? If you think a halti is "kinder" think again. A chain only works when you apply it. A halti creates pressure on the dog all the time, regardless of whether or not it is behaving. I also think a martingale collar could be the go here.

Hi PF :rolleyes: Would you mind explaining this to me? The Infin8's work from behind the dog's neck via the martingale style section of collar. You get less physical directional movement in this way, so I would have thought less leverage/strain/injury risk than the usual head collars? Howdy Erny!! The one I looked at had had a tape starting at the nose part and going down behind the collar. The action, although working behind the collar draws the nose section towards the neck, forcing the head/neck to flex where they meet. It's a similar leverage to draw rains on a horse and the pressure can be considerable. In eliminate the potential for sideways pressure, they've now caused another kind. If you try to touch your chin to chest between your clavicles you'll get a similar feeling.

Yep, talk to your trainer and ask why he/she isn't keen on the Infin8. The fact that I'm not keen on halti's is not news here but I would say that a dog that lunges would be about the last dog I'd fit one to. The Infin8 has even more leverage on the dog's upper neck than a traditional halti and could cause harm. There is no one way to train a dog and that's why there's plenty of debate amongst dog trainers about methods and equipment.

A laundry is all hard surfaces. Noise reverberates around in it. It's also the coldest room in the house. What is puppy sleeping or or in? If you want immediate silence, the answer is simple. Bring her bed into you. If that's not the choice you want to make then add a radio, make sure she has a warm secure den and tough it out. You've taken a social animal from its pack and placed it in isolation in a new and unfamiliar environment. She's doing what comes naturally. Her barking would be a combination of distress and calls for attention. If you're worried about 'accidents' in the house, buy a crate and let her sleep in there.