poodlefan

I've been at it seven years Reddi and there are times when I feel like a complete numpty. Last time was on Sunday! I know it took me the better part of two months to learn the basics of where I had to be for a front cross. Call me athletically challenged. I think it gets easier with every dog but I am still learning and refining my handling and I expect I always will be. Every course is different, every dog is different and both dog and handler have good and bad days. I think that's what keeps the sport interesting! I have to say that both seminars and private lessons have really helped me along - although you'd never know that some days! Every now and again, you get a course where you and your dog just 'click' and it all happens - that's what keeps you going.. that and seeing your dog having a blast.

Yukky, does it smell really bad blended? Smells gross when i cut it down to size Put it this way Tollers... I've only ever sniffed it once.

Scales: Or the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition? http://www.ajcn.org/cgi/content/full/75/2/179 It takes a fair bit to cause biotin deficiency. It's rare and I've never seen anything that suggests that anything other than a digestive disorder, pregnancy or excessive consumption of raw egg white can cause it in humans. If you have a source that shows otherwise, I'd be keen to read it. I don't pull this stuff out of my armpit Scales. I don't advocate raw feeding as the only way to feed a dog.. and I don't advocate it for people who aren't prepared to research it. However, I do believe that I'm more than capable of meeting my dogs nutritional needs by making their food from scratch. Quite a few knowledgeable dog people agree with me.

Lablover: Um, no. I know plenty of people who don't play with their dogs outside of formal "play as part of training" or indeed at all. If the GSDs won't play some games, try others. I can proudly report that aged 9, Miss Lily is playing tug of war for the first time in her life. I started with teasing with prey like toys, moved slowly to retrieve and only know does she have the confidence to tug rather than release. I didn't have Lil as a baby pup but I'd also say that lack of confidence is and was an issue with her. Fortunately she has great food and prey drive.

Lablover: Um, no. I know plenty of people who don't play with their dogs outside of formal "play as part of training" or indeed at all. If the GSDs won't play some games, try others. I can proudly report that aged 9, Miss Lily is playing tug of war for the first time in her life. I started with teasing with prey like toys, moved slowly to retrieve and only know does she have the confidence to tug rather than release. I didn't have Lil as a baby pup but I'd also say that lack of confidence is and was an issue with her. Fortunately she has great food and prey drive.

4 eggs is, in my opinion, far too much. The Albumin in raw egg white breaks down other vitamins and it is not recommended that dogs get eggs too often for this reason. Because raw feeding is a guessing game, that is the reason I recommended a good quality dry food. It doesn't have to be a guessing game Scales and nor should it be. My view is either do your research and feed a "proper" raw diet or feed the best quality commercial food you can afford. Some of the diets that are considered by their owners to be "BARF" are entirely inappropriate for a dogs nutritional needs. Raw egg whites contain a glycoprotein called avidin which binds Biotin (a "B" vitamin). However, raw egg yolks are one of natures richest sources of Biotin and there's more than enough Biotin in the yolks to override the effect of avidin. It's feeding raw egg whites on their own that can create a Biotin defiency. :rolleyes:

I agree with Kitkat. If you are trying to feed a BARF type diet, about 50% of the diet should be raw meaty bones. I would assess this diet as deficient in calcium and phosphorus and probably over supplied with protein. Ditch the meat strips and substiture chicken wings, necks or drumsticks, lamb or beef flaps, necks and other soft bones. Make up a proper BARF type mix of veggies, mince etc and feed that for the other 50% of the diet. You'd up the bones component to about 2/3 of the diet once she is more mature. Have you done any reading about raw feeding? What you are feeding now isn't really a BARF diet - the basis of that is the bones.

Yep, I see it too - rewarding through gritted teeth because others are watching or they've been told to by a trainer.. or too late. Especially those who are just itching to tell you where you mishandled and how you should do it. ;) Work is busy. Frankly I'm a little sick of being accused of bullying everytime I state a differing or strong opinion too. ;)

Do you ever wonder if people over intellectualise playing with their dogs? Before I knew a damn thing about dog training I played with Ted.. toys, balls, games. I love to play with my dogs and I think my dogs are playful as a result. I know people who seem to think playing is some kind of chore.. it's like "between 6.30 and 7.00 am I will play with my dog".. yet they don't tend to play reward unless prompted. Just get out there and have fun! Playfulness reflects the bond you have with your dog I reckon. For some it comes naturally, for others not. I do know that dogs that have had access to an array of toys since puppyhood are more likely to have learned it spontaneously and gee that makes life so much easier. My advice to anyone would be to try lots of different things.. not just a ball. Head off to Vinnies and buy some cheap stuffed toys. The GSD next door goes crazy killing large cardboard boxes - he loves them!! Sidoney, if your V has prey drive, try tieing the tug to the end of a lunge whip and doing circles with it.. Ted's favourite game is "scarey monsters".. I act like one and chase him round the house.. not one for the side of the agility ring but he loves it. :rolleyes:

OK, I have asked RSPCA ACT.. CEO's response to the idea of banning obedience trials... "ludicrous idea". He is checking around the country (thanks Michael) and will get back to me. :rolleyes: Edited to add State stances on trialling as they come in. ACT - encourage it TAS - encourage it QLD - encourage it

I feed my dogs in a strict order with each dog fed in exactly the same place.. they know the routine and I think its less stress this way. I feed them in pack order of dominance. I stand and wait until they are finished and pick the bowls up straight away. Outside it's much the same but I feed the Omega dog first - she gets less, finishes first and comes back inside.

yeah it is. If you buy offal from the supermarket/butcher how can you be sure there is no hydatid (sp?) tapeworm in it? Because it's been inspected and passed as fit for human consumption. I won't feed any other kind. I use any kind beef, lamb and chicken liver, and kidneys. I blend it and add it to the BARF mix. My dogs won't touch it raw otherwise. :rolleyes:

Sheesh, rather than work ourselves into a lather, why not ask the RSPCA? Sounds like total crap to me. Furthermore, you don't need a check chain to trial and I've certainly never used one.

That bit sounds fantastic!! What is it like to clean? Dead easy.. no plastic, you undo the top with two clamps and the juicing basket is held on by a nut. It's large but I washed most of it in the laundry tub and put the juicer bit in the dishwasher. All the bits that come into contact with the juice are stainless steel. The only plastic thing is the bit you shove stuff into the feeder chute with. Oh, and the pulp bin. The Ebay seller I bought from has put another one up if you're interested. One thing I like is that you can configure the pulp bin and the juicer spout to point either way.

Well folks, tonight was the juicer's maiden run.. and I'm really happy with its performance. It's quiet, fast and produces very fine, even pulp. It left very few big end bits and ploughed through all the veggies without protest. It's also very easy to assemble and disassemble. It gets a big thumbs up from me. Being able to juice a whole run of veggies without having to clear anything or empty the pulp bin took half an hour off my BARF mix making time.

Thanks for the tip about the pumpkin Jed. The Breville coped fine with juicing it.. it's the drama with the end bits being shot into the pulp chute that creates all the trouble. I'll be giving Arnie the juicer his inaugural workout on Monday and will report on his performance.

I think you did all the right things KenDOL. You did far more than many people would have done. Maybe you just hit a grumpy cop.

My Breville nearly ended up through the window at one stage.. this whole lid shifting, pulp spewing thing is fairly new. It didn't used to do it. Maybe I stressed the poor thing. I haven't used it yet and am wondering how noisy it is.. hopefully it won't be like being on the tarmac at the airport. If it shifts I'll be surprised it weighs over 20kg..

I found my Breville was spitting large pieces of the ends of harder veggies into the pulp shoot, making the lid of the juicer shift and actually shifting the whole machine.. making juice go everywhere and my blood pressure and language erupt. It was actually quite violent and I'd end up with pulp up the wall too. FP the only reason I don't use all the juice is that it makes the mix too sloppy. So I always start with some carrots, apple and celery to make a glass of juice for me and ditch some of the more bitter juice like broccoli.. I use a lot of pumpkin too.

Puggles, I juice all the fruit and veg for the pulp.. It's actually the pulp I want, otherwise I'd have bought one of those mill style masticating juicers. I don't use all the juice.. I mix up the pulp with all the other goodies and only add enough juice to make a firm, not sloppy mix.

He may have been restless and uncomfortable due to stomach pain. Or he may simply be turning into a teenager.. he's about the right age. This thread might be useful to read. The key to surviving these lapses in previously established training is to be firm and consistent in maintaining the standards you have set. If this happens again without any signs of illness I'd say your new teenager is pushing the envelope. Equip yourself and hubby with some comfortable earplugs and ride it out.

Malamum I got it brand new off Ebay for $599.. not what you call an impulse buy but it will definitely get the use to justify it. I've seen them second hand for a lot more than that.

Maybe I should start a small business, buy one of those groovy commerical food mixers and sell my BARF recipe. Today Canberra, tomorrow the World!!

Howdy Barfers, Are you tired of wrestling with your juicer and cursing as it spits bits of pumpkin at you? Sick of emptying the pulp container after just a couple of vegetables? I sure was so I've taken the plunge and bought a big arsed commercial unit. It's this type. I can't wait to see how it handles the pumpkin and sweet potato that gives my Breville trouble. I'll report back on how it goes.

Crikey, if he doesn't fit in a hydrobath Wally, the only thing I can think of its to ring the Irish Wolfhound Club of NSW (linky here and see if they know of somewhere. If you got really desperate, some of the more upmarket horse stabling complexes have wash bays with hot and cold water on tap.. That would be OK on a sunny day.