poodlefan

The Breville Juice Fountain is a SERIOUS juicer. You don't spend nearly as much time chopping. I only have to cut big apples in half, but juice whole carrots, zucchini, sweet potato and multiple sticks of celery. The external pulp collector is a blessing too, no pulling the juicer apart periodically to get at the pulp. I usually juice some apple, carrot and celery first up and drink that juice while I process the rest. I use the blender at the same time, adding some juice and what every offal I'm adding to BARF mix to make 'liver smoothies' which go into the mix. Not nice

Pe Dubbya, I had to start with a whole lot of mince and a little bit of veggies.. after that got eaten, I slowly upped the quanity of veggies - now its 50/50 or there abouts. So, maybe try less veggies before you lash out on a juicer? Oh, and try a garnish of grated parmesan cheese - my dogs love it.

If you are going to buy a machine, I would recommend a juicer over a blender – I do use both but I think the juicer does a better job on the veggies. Paula you have the Breville Juice Fountain I think – same as me. I think we extolled the virtues of our machine on a previous thread.

One of the problems with “BARF” is that people use the term to describe a range of diets. I’ve heard the term used to describe feeding the odd bone to a kibble fed dog, to feeding home cooked diets, to feeding the odd bit of grated carrot and so on. Unfortunately as is often the case with such “new” ideas, people grab onto one element of the diet and don’t do their homework. The true BARF diet feeds a balance of raw food over time and certainly doesn’t advocate the feeding of only raw meat/offal (yikes) or “recreational” bones and so on. I’ve now raised my third dog from puppyhood on a true BARF diet, the other two dogs have been on it since quite young. What I refer to as a BARF diet is based on two thirds raw meaty bones, and one third regular juiced veggies/mince and other additives. I follow Dr Billinghurst’s method, eliminating all cereal as per his second book. Anyone who purports to feed a BARF diet and isn’t feeding according to Billinghurst, Shultze etc should put straight about the dangers of such practices and have their terminology corrected IMHO.

The other possiblity is a grass seed. If the head shaking continues more than a day or so, I'd be off to the vet. A vet visit can also tell you if there are mites etc.

Personally, I entrust the fire safety of my home to a hard wired, externally monitored smoke detector - it protects me AND my dogs. Dogs suffer from smoke inhalation and die in house fires too - looks like two kelpies did that here in the last few days. Puppies are like babies - while they are young, they don't tend to sleep through. I suggest he is barking for attention. The presence of some interesting toys and perhaps a slightly later bed time may help. However, as with all babies, sleep deficit does seem to happen for a while. I agree with Sidoney's advice - particularly on limiting on lead exercise until your pup has reached its full height. Concrete paths and time on lead don't help growing bones. Off lead play would be better at this early age as the pup will have more control over the amount of exercise it has before it feels tired. On the communication side, you will soon learn to recognise that your dog has more than one bark. I know my dogs have a "general" bark, hunting bark, an alarm bark and an attention seeking bark - all quite different.

Lablover writes: Could you give us a "for example" Lablover?? Personally, I think obedience provides the ground work for any dog sport. If you don't have a good training relationship with your dog and do some basics at least, its heard to maintain focus and control doing anything else. Eg. you need a solid 'wait' and good recall for agility and a good recall certainly helps at lurecoursing.

Why do you laugh Black Lab.. we have a SDX black lab in the Association.

Blacklab writes: You can always start your own sporting association or seek incorporation under the ANKC. (Writes the President of the Sprinkler Sporting Dog Association of Australia) Our titles. Sprinkler Dog (SD) shows sustained motivation to attack and tame domestic sprinklers or hoses. Sprinkler Dog Excellent (SDX) same standard but on public grounds sprinkler systems eg. ovals, dog club etc. Sprinkler Dog Masters (SDM) same again but on agricultural sprinklers... I have one SD dog and one SDX. Need to spend some time on a farm to gain some SDM titles.

I've done agility with my older two (they got their AD and JD) and Brat Boy is currently in training. Should hopefully start trialling in at least jumpers at Easter. BB was shown but didn't set the world on fire. He doesn't seem to care. I haven't been humiliated enough lately so its probably time to start obedience trialling again... I'll start again with the older boy who's trialled but not qualified in Novice. I also enjoy taking the dogs lure coursing at Erskine Park when I can. Am toying with the idea of tracking... FHR reckons I should give it a go. I'd love to train Ted (older boy) in some gundog work but have difficulty finding someone willing to let me try him out... he loves to retrieve. FHR might step up to the plate if I nag her enough. Lily the toy poodle would be a kick arse Shutzhund dog if only the person to be attacked dressed up as a cow... or was covered in food. She excells in panhandling and barking at cows (either live or on TV) I probably just like taking them swimming and walking more than anything. Of course, I do sprinkler attack work with them. Ted and Darcy (aka BB) are both very keen...

Toohey, being out and about will only build their immunity if they don't actually succumb to it... I consider my dogs to be at high risk for contracting communicable diseases. I go all kinds of places including those where there are high concentrations of dogs... shows, trials etc. You are required to have a vaccinated dog to attend many ANKC events. Unless you are sure that your dogs HAVE built up immunity (eg. by titre) then essentially you are taking a risk. Some diseases eg. Parvo are to risky to me. Mature dogs don't tend to die of KC but distemper, parvo will hit them hard.

To vaccinate or not is a tough decision. I have adopted the risk minimisation approach. Personally I think the risk of the diseases we vaccinate against far outweighs the possiblility of an adverse reaction. Parvo is a definite case in point IMHO. Unvaccinated dogs are a risk to other dogs and especially to pups/old dogs and ANY dog with a compromised immune system. I will continue to vaccinate but will await the verdict on how often they need to be done to be effective.

OK Rozzie, if a dog is REALLY matted then I'd recommend a 10# blade or higher. However for little fluffies and particularly white ones, its best to avoid taking them tooo short because they can can sunburned. I'd suggest about a 4# blade which is also useful for grooming muzzles if you want to keep a slightly scruffy look.

I have both Wahl KM-1 and Andis two speed. I think the Andis clippers are far superior. Its a sealed unit so cheaper to run longer term and the hand fit is more comfortable. The blades seem to stay cooler too. Provided you buy Wahl, Andis or Oster, the blades are interchangeable. You usually get a 50# blade with whatever you buy but that's essentially useless unless you need to clip a dog for surgery. What breed are you looking to groom Rozzie?

Hi Everyone - this is my first post for the year! DA - I think the advice about more fruit or vegetable fibre in Jasmine's diet is very sound. I'd like to add something else - EXERCISE. One of my dogs gets very 'bound up' on the BARF diet if he misses more than a day or so of vigorous exercise. So if Jas is getting a bit constipated, try giving her some vigorous play time and I'm sure it will help to produce "results". Incidentally, I wouldn't recommend you add pasta or any other cereal to her diet. Dogs don't digest cereal very well and wheat based products can produce increased allergies. That's one of the reasons Dr Billinghurst is so anti kibble based diets.

Good on you DA - I see you got some Exelpet... good stuff for the price. When I do the whole dog, I always wet and wash the head last. That way they stay more comfortable and I can rinse the shampoo away from the head immediately. Keeping their head high helps to avoid water in the nose and ears .

PQM writes: PQM you are making my head hurt. I'm happy to agree to your views on the difference between theory and method. Don't see how this helps Whisper though. I feel the need to post a warning.

Rereading this thread I noted Whisper's question: It seems to me Whisper that you felt confused and hostile when your question met with admonishment and aggression. No great surprise there. Now put yourself in your dogs shoes (or should that be paws). The dog is punished for doing something wrong even though its actions (to it) are natural and justified. It is confused and possibly fearful. Wouldn't you prefer to be shown the right thing to do and rewarded for doing it? The suggestion about asking your dog to sit (assuming that it knows how and what 'sit' means) and THEN giving it its meal is the way to go. Once the sit is reliable, you increase the time of the sit and possibly the distance from the bowl. However, that bowl has to be safe from other potential diners. :rolleyes: I'm not for a moment suggesting that a dog and a human think alike. However, I do think its possible to emphathise with a dog and to conclude that a reward based training system will encourage a better response than one based on punishment.

No offence taken pqm. Not entirely sure of your point though. :rolleyes: Experience is great - even better when its used to create or validate a theory. However, experience without some kind of conceptual framework (theory) is darn hard to pass on... If you are saying that pure theory is not as good as theory backed by experience then I totally agree.

Whisper writes: Another interpretation of the leash issue Whisper is that he hasn't been on one before and lacks confidence in new surroundings. The wetting may not be fear based but can be a submissive act. I'd suggest that your dog lacks confidence in unfamiliar situations. You need to be socialising him as much as possible and ensuring that he receives positive experiences. :rolleyes: Your emphasis on 'negative reinforcement' may be working for stopping your pup from doing things. However, I would argue that there are better methods that will not only increase the speed that your pup will learn but will help to grow a bond between you based on respect and a willingness to please rather than avoidance and potentially fear of consequences. Dog training is like many things. Newer, better methods are being explored and tested all the time. The "clicker" is one example. Most methods these days are based on understanding dog behavior better. To put it in simple terms, your training methods are soooo 1950's. Why don't you do some research or join a positive motivation based dog training club? "Punishment" has its place, but it shouldn't be your key method of training. Edited to add - keep the cat away from the pup at feeding time. You want the pup to learn that he doesn't have to defend his food from potential competition because YOU will keep it safe. Your job as the "leader" is to see that he gets to eat it peacefully and without rushing. Agro from you/competition/punishment at meal times may lead to INCREASED food aggression - not the result you are looking for. Don't put him in a situation where he feels the need to defend his food. Meal time should be calm. Making him wait while the cat checks out his food will only increase his possessiveness.

Gee 2 years... time has flown. ;) That picture brings memories of Bella flooding back. I miss you too Bella. I miss shrieking with mock horror and grabbing for the paper towel before you drooled on the couch. :rolleyes: I miss your soulful expression when I'd ask if FHR was still beating you (joke folks). I miss Spinone sitting. [sigh] Edited to add - and I miss your misguided but enthusiastic attempts at agility. Big Ted misses your protection in the off lead paddock. And Lily the Toy Spinoodle doesn't enjoy being the last of her kind.

I checked the site L.B and saw that too - they must have stopped selling them. I soooo want one of those plastic tubs though. I already have a grooming jacket and would highly recommend them - beats getting your clothes covered in hair. Mine is pink of course! I would recommend any scissors by Roseline.. very nice. www.gonetothedogs.com.au sell them but it might be wise to wait until you've done a seminar and see what they recommend. I was thinking a straight pair somewhere between 6.5 and 8 inches. Buy the very best ones you can afford if you are going to be using them a fair bit. Personally I wouldn't buy a pair I hadn't been able to handle - fit and comfort is a very individual thing. Jodie is an ACE groomer... she and Peter really helped out a friend of mine who lost her grooming business and all her supplies in the bushfires here.

L.B see if you can find a wholesale hairdressing supplies place - the scissors will be much cheaper and you'll find a million things you can use for grooming including snazzy bathing aprons to keep you dry. Scissors can cost ANYTHING... I paid between $80-$100 for my pairs but would like some of the more expensive ones... like around the $450 mark. www.groomersfriend.com.au is a great place to buy grooming gear online.

Ci writes: I agree Ci - but pack hierarchy DOES change - and that's when the challenge for dominance will spark aggression. Have also seen where conflict between dog and owner for dominance has led to aggression from dog.... no conflict of course if owner knows his or her place.

ahhh - yup Fast learner though - only did it about half a dozen times..... (duh!) Make sure that the bones you feed most of the time are fully consumed. This will confine you to chicken and some of the ribs of other critters until your dog is fully grown. Is he going to be a small dog? If so, I feed mostly chicken but also lamb and pork ribs and lamb necks to the adults.