poodlefan

Yep. They love it. My housemate's boyfriend shoots, skins, cleans and chops them up for our dogs.... now THAT's true love. :rolleyes:

It could also be a luxating patella - definitely worth a trip to the vet to have it checked out. ;)

God I hope not (in moderation). It's Big Ted's favourite treat.

Perry's Mum: If you are talking about the requirements to do agility at the ACTCDC, that's not correct. There is no formal entry requirement but your dog must pass a control test which includes off lead control. Whoever told you that was wrong.

That's funny - I talk about my dogs armpits too. You lucky lucky b..stard (quoting Monty Python) WS... one of the downside to the non-shedding breeds is they attract burrs like magnets (well burr magnets anyway) I am sooo getting one wash and wear dog before I die. I love it when FHR and I get back from a river trip... I wash my dogs... she collapses in on the couch.. It's sooo unfair.

Are you getting tired of grooming all the burrs out of those Setter coats WS??

The pattern of the allergy suggests possibly contact but you need an expert opinion. Some dogs are allergic to dust mites - is he lying on carpet?? What do you wash his bedding with? It certainly wouldn't hurt to eliminate cereals from his diet. Zayda Asher is a DOLer you could do well to PM - he did a lot of hard work to beat the allergies his dogs suffered.

Kavik you can make basic dog training fun with a little imagination... and some games. It wasn't the dog owners who wanted the change but the instructors... most pet owners I know want their dogs to sit, come when they're called, not pull on the lead and not jump on the kids. Introducing the basics of obedience exercises early on (when taught by people who don't do competition obedience) leads to some very bad habits being ingrained... and having to be undone later. ETA - when you teach adult dogs in beginners you are usually faced with a few training issues. Trying to get someone with a disinterested JRT to get the dog to focus on them rather than the other dogs in the class is a big enough challenge without trying to teach it to retrieve. "Traditional" obedience breeds cope with the extra exercises. A lot of people with dogs with issues find them rather demotivating. Spending time correcting a bad leash puller is far more rewarding for me and the handler than teaching it to hand target.

Dogdude: Sure. Our club was keen to introduce the basics of more complex exercises early on. So the powers that be included things like the beginnings of retrieving and scent discrimination in the beginners curriculum. My view is that more focus and control should be taught early on because your average pet owner only does one or two session (each of two months) tops. I see little point in having a pet that can find a toy under one of three cones but can't walk on a loose lead or come when its called. Others think we need to include more complex exercises because "they're more fun to teach". I don't give a damn about stuff like that because its control that keeps pets being walked - a dog that won't come or a dog that pulls on lead simply doesn't leave the yard. I'm in it for the dogs.... not for my own "enjoyment". I train my own dog for that.

At our club we run classes three times a week. However the higher classes tend to be at different times to beginners because many of the lower class instructors have their own dogs in the higher classes. I'd love to change the curriculum at our club... too much focus on the "nice to have" exercises and not enough emphasis on the need to have stuff at the lower levels IMHO. However my opinion is not the majority one.

What breed/colour is he? Has he had his thyroid checked. I'd still be going for a specialist consult. Allergies can be damn difficult to nail. Has the vet given him any shots? eg. cortizone. I'd have to say that the pattern of his itchiness does sound like a contact allergy... but inhalant ones cause many issues too. Could you try putting a cotton T-shirt on him for a few days to see if that eases things. What's your backyard like...lots of grass? How much cereal does he get in his diet?

What does he eat? Have you had contact allergy tests done on him? Where does he scratch (what parts of his body)? I'd be taking him to a dermatology specialist for a consult.

First rule of dog training.... NEVER allow behaviour in a pup that you don't want to see in an adult dog. Imagine an adult Rottie trying what your pup is now doing- it won't just be kids who get skittled!! I'd be insisting on the sit. Don't move until he settles a bit (I imagine this doesn't last long?) and encourage him to walk beside you. Put him on lead if necessary.

No flames from me Showdog. I was wondering what Tashnsw's research into GR's had led her to believe a 12 month old dog kept isolated from its family, underexercised and seemingly with not much training would be like. The odd gundog I've known kept in such circumstances has done a fair bit more damage than this - whole irrigation systems have been removed for a start. Where did you buy your girl from Tash? - I can't think of too many breeders who have been happy selling a dog into such a home. Most are pretty insistent on a dog being obedience trained and having plenty of time with the whole family. Take her to obedience classes - she'll soak it up like a sponge.. I'd recommend you buy a crate and set it up inside your home in one place where she can see her family. She can have time inside in her crate. As Nekbet said, an inside dog doesn't have to be let run riot. Your OH might be a bit keener to have her spend more time with you inside if it will save his Greenhouse.

LilyW I predict you'll wear your dog in the bathtub before too long!! Uforia I'd recommend you just wash your pup's feet/legs rather than all of her is she's walking in wee.

Given the size this pup will grow and your need to learn to effectively control him, I think long term obedience training with a good trainer/school, rather than puppy preschool, it what he needs. What you are describing sounds like fear aggression but you need a professional behaviouralist to look at behavior problems, not the internet. I sincerely doubt he was protecting you. Where do you live - DOLers may be able to recommend a good obedience trainer/club.

Wow Ahaze - that IS one hell of a coincidence. Kymythy's book basically follows Billinghurst's principles but she's a far better writer than Dr B. I tend to recommend Kymathy's book for people who are thinking about raw feeding as she spells out the principles very well. Dr B's books have more detail on the actual "how to". Edited for spelling of Kymythy's name - my copy is out on loan at the moment.

Ahaze if you are interested at all in raw feeding, perhaps the most "accessible" book would be "Natural Nutrition for Dogs and Cats" by Kymathy? Schultze. Billinghurst is excellent but it takes a while to wade through his stuff. He's also dropped feeding cereals since he wrote his first book Give Your Dog a Bone. His new "BARF Diet" is an easier read and as I said earlier in the thread his other book is about puppy raising "Grow Your Pups With Bones" As Jed said, the fact that you've taken the trouble to post shows that you are on the road to success - whatever feeding regime you choose. Your dogs origins and breeding are irrelevant really -they all need the same TLC.

Dougie: Um, Dougie humans AREN'T at the top of the food chain... there are a quite a few species prepared to prey on us.

I use the Greenpet nutritional supplement and the joint formula. I have seen Billinghursts books in a few Dymocks book stores.

From Billinghurst's Give Your Dog a Bone: Kangaroo and pig hunters, farmers and anyone who feeds suspect offal to their dogs should worm their dogs with Praziquantal (eg. Droncit or Drontal) every six weeks. He also mentions that anyone who allows their dogs to roam in bushland should adopt a similar regime. Other precautions include to feed only human grade raw meat and offal to dogs. ETA he says that dogs that get out into forests/bushlands are at constant risk from Hydatids... as are their human families if the dogs are not wormed.

Arby provided your dog receives plenty of raw meaty bones, he shouldn't need calcium powder. Too much calcium can be as harmful as too little. The aim of the BARF diet is to grow a dog SLOWLY.. less bone and joint issues that way. BARF fed puppies are often smaller for their age than commercially fed puppies but grow for longer.

10 pups was probably overwhelming for your dog... better to start with one and work up from there.

Ahaze: Quite simply... some of them didn't. A good worm burden still kills many a puppy when wormng regimes are neglected. Companion animals also live longer than their wild cousins. Yep, you are bang on about people holding strong views about feeding regimes. However, feeding pups should be done cautiously.. get it wrong with a puppy and you may end up with life long complications. I "stuff my dogs with pills" as you put it once every three months. Sure beats them having worms... and passing tapeworms on to me. Ask your farming friends about THAT risk. My dogs are also vaccinated. ETA. Yep Billinghurst says dogs are ominvores but he does not advocate the feeding of cereals at all. The basis of canine diet is still animal proteins too. A bit more research on the dogs digestive system might help you to understnand why a cereal based diet is problematic for many dogs. Many pups react adversely to new food in their diet... add a little and create variety (that's import in any diet) Lamb is too fatty for many dogs - try some beef bones.

Billinghurst has written a book specifically on puppy raising. It's called Grow Your Pups with Bones.