poodlefan

Keels if you make up the BARF pattie mix and do 50 percent that and 50 percent raw meaty bones meals you should be fine. I have a smaller breed so the first bones I fed were chicken necks - bashed well with a mallet to make them easier to eat. Great stress therapy! Important tip - put them in a plastic bag first - saves cleaning bits of the walls.

I think you may be able to get the book at Dymocks. My youngest dog was raised completely on BARF. Despite predictions of doom by some people, he is happy, healthy, sound and the biggest dog from his litter.

Aatainic writes: Oh puhleeese... How can anyone watch their dogs in a household and deny the existance of a hierarachy. Perhaps if we all start talking about 'leadership' in a pack instead of dominance its more socially acceptable? To suggest that dogs can be aggressive but to eliminate dominance as a source of aggression seems illogical to me.

Elmo most of the ACT Groomers I know are very busy. 3P's at Duffy would be my top recommendation but Karen has a full client list. Capital Grooming at Chiefly are very good. Hair of the Dog at Hawker and Tuggeranong also have a good reputation. Be VERY specific about what you want or you may end up with an all over clip. A picture of your desired cut may be wise.

That's not too bad Madikeira... Do you blow wave the coat before clipping. A straight coat will give you a smoother finish. Makes me want to clip her muzzle, feet and the top third of her tail.... once a poodle owner...

Is there a pack structure - HELL YES! How can there not be in a species that is inherently social and by preference lives in a group. This theory is based on the observation that many of the original studies of wolves were based on animals in zoos that could not exhibit a full range of social behaviour. My understanding is that wolves in the wild have a pack structure in which only the alpha dog an bitch mate and raise pups and in which you may see other wolves take the lead in various roles - eg. the best hunter leads the hunt and the best fighter lead territory defence. So, there IS a structure, it just isn't as static and rigid as the early studies believed. The existence of a pack structure obviously limited to dogs who are member of the one household. I have disruptions to the pack structure of my dogs at the moment. Teenage alpha wannabe is testing the limits of his dominance... not fun. He's currently nicknamed the "granny basher" as he'll pick an old submissive female dog visitor and bully them unmercifully(before I step in). Like all bullies he's a wonderful judge of character and won't given any grief to a more physically or socially dominant dog. Delta Society... hmmm. Doesnt do their credibility any good in my eyes. What was the suggestion for how we are now supposed to interpret dog social behaviour?

FHR writes: It was definitely the standard poodle that ate the entire box of licquer cherries - the evidence came out the other end...

Actually the breed mix that would worry me if entered would be Lab/Beagle - now THAT would be a food motivated dog.

Perhaps it would be indelicate to mention Flynn's activities at one rather memorable Christmas lunch.... boy that dog can counter surf.

FHR, what did Flynnie the Wonder Dog get through in his big fridge raid??

I'm not ageist - dogs of all ages are allowed to enter Rozzie. However speed will also be important.

Ha Kitkat - your puny lab/rottie mix cannot compare to a really serious eating Machine. Look into these hungry eyes - its no coincidence that my friends have nick named this dog "ORCA" - she likes her treats with a side of fingers.

Weeeelll - sounds like this is going to be a very serious competiton. Lily will enjoy her training for this I think. :D Now remember, its judged on how well the dog does by percentage of food scoffed as measured against body weight so size is no advantage... Dog must also show motivation to eat unusual foods... how are your dogs on olives - Lil LOVES them. :

Only "iron dog" competition I know is the challenge I have issued to FHR to pit her Vizsla Flynn against my toy poodle Lily in a race to see which dog can consume the biggest and widest variety of food (by percentage of body weight). Both of our dogs are pretty good on the fang. Flynn has been known to raid the fridge. Lil prefers to panhandle for her food. Loser has to have both dogs in their house for the days it takes to detox them.

My pleasure Maverick.. I actually developed the technique washing the "chrome" on my Quarter Horse. I gave the tip to a English Springer showie who was very happy with the result. Its great for grass stains (and horse poo) - really work the sunlight soap through into a thick lather. And have your sunnies ready - the white will be WHITE!! ;)

Iceni, If you have a stained area you want to whiten, I find that working some sunlight soap into a lather on the area first, then rinsing and washing with a white enhancing shampoo, works really well. I like the Plush Puppy whitening shampoo too. You can actually use it on other colours of dogs and it won't affect coat colour - it actually pretty good for black dogs too.

No point in having a fast dog in agility if it ain't accurate... and frankly it takes lightening fast reflexes to handle a superfast dog well. I think this is something that people who think that getting a superfast working dog need to keep in mind sometimes - the dog is only HALF the equation. I know I"m not the right home for a high drive working dog - it would be a bit like putting your average driver in a Ferrari... I'd go for a more laid back dog but not a slow one.. already had one of those... There's a happy medium here... pretty good drive but a bit easier to control too. Obedience wise, my latest dog is one of those "busy" boys - always into everything, hard to focus... but once you do get it he learns quickly which is nice.

Glad to hear Teddy is on the mend - pity about your bank balance Darcy wasn't desexed until he was 14 months old. Whilst he may not have his testicles any more, I am happy to report that he still has the (reduced) bag they came in.

I listed all my favourties on a thread on grooming poodles. Basically I like most of the stuff from Biogroom (who make a range of colour enhancers) and Plush Puppy. I use different shampoos for each of my dogs.

Divine Angel writes: Can I just say that I consider Halti's ENTIRELY unsuitable for pups of any size. A flat collar is IMHO the only method of restraint that should be used on a pup. Don't let anyone tell you that Maremmas can't be trained - we had one at our dog club with agility titles! Any dog can be obedience trained - the success depends on the ingenuity and perseverence of the handler. Why not train a pup to walk on a loose lead - then you'll never need a halti. :D

There have been a couple of threads in recent months on head halters. Like K9 I'm not a fan - PARTICULARLY when it comes to head halters use on small dogs - because the angle of use is much greater and the same amount of force on a small dog's lead leads to greater impact. Buy hey don't take our word for it, look around, do your research. The premise of the halti is that it acts like a head halter on a horse. BIG PROBLEMS with this theory. A halti must be fitted so tightly on a dog that is often uncomfortable (on a horse you should be able to fit your hand anywhere between a halter and the horses head. A horse is led with the lead attached to the halter at such an angle that any pressure is downward... not the case with a dog. If you think a dog can't learn to pull on a halti - think again... IMHO if a dog fights when a halti is fitted - it is trying to tell you something...like it is extremely uncomfortable or painful? And here's Susan Clothier's views to consider. http://www.flyingdogpress.com/headhalters.html

Ok Yappy and V.A.H, here we go (here's a post I never thought I would do) However, I would caution that this is something that you really need to see done a couple of times... nothing like hands on experience Get your vet to show you.. Gloves are for sissies by the way! Dog into washing place, run the tap warm. Feel around the dog's anus with your thumb and forefinger.. do this gently or you might get a nasty "spontaneous" surprise.. At around the four o'clock and eight o'clock position (think of a clock face) you should be able to feel two slight bulges..probably about a centimetre or so from the opening of the anus - these are the glands. What you want to do is put your thumb and finger on the outside of the glands and push in behind them and then up towards the opening of the anus in a kind of 'milking' movement - the trick is slow and steady pressure not hard or sharp. If you get this right you will get a secretion from the anal glands. The secretion will vary in consistency from very liquid (kind of looks like coffee) to almost like tooth paste. This can almost erupt out or arrive more slowly. When I do it it basically deposits on my hand which I then rinse under the tap and do the dog's bum while I'm there. Some people do it into a tissue but I prefer to rinse if off. I don't find it particularly smelly or unpleasant - but I'm probably used to it. Safety tips - have the dog's bum facing slightly away from you - this stuff ain't nice in your face as a friend of mine can attest to. ;) You will be doing this by feel and not by sight anyway. If nothing arrives under gentle pressure, STOP. You are either squeezing the gland and not opening it or there's nothing in it. Some books provide explanations of this practice with pics BTW Oh, by the way, Teddy will tell you if you're not getting it right. This is a very sensitive area on a dog - too much pressure and it hurts them. OK V.A.H - how did I go! [i'm picturing readers feeling their dogs bums ] How are you finding the Slicker yappy? Is it black and green? I find them a really nice fit in your hand.. I like the Essentials brand stuff - reasonable priced too. The coat oil is lovely!

Hope you charge extra for dematting and badly tangled dogs Vehs.. nothing like money to encourage people to keep up the grooming. Its the lack of regular visits that seems to end up with bad matting. My former groomer wouldn't take anyone on who didn't have their dogs clipped AT LEAST every 6 weeks - and her books are full! She wasn't at all shy about giving people a stern talking to about lack of grooming at home either.

That's right Vehs.. forgot you worked in a salon. The absolute BIBLE of poodle grooming is a book by Shirlee Kalstone called (not surprisingly) Poodle Clipping and Grooming. Here's the link on Amazon but last time I checked Dymocks carried it and you can sometimes buy it at stands at Dog Shows. http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/search-h...1862530-3195941 Much of the book is devoted to show grooming but there are step by step pics on how to do a pet clip (including scissoring) and a really good section of disguising faults with some very unfortunate looking poodles. Lots of interesting pet clips in this book! Also all the good oil on what tools you need and even advice on starting out in pro grooming. When I did my first clips I used to groom with the book open and follow the steps and the pictures.. (FHR would argue that I still should be ) Edited to add - looks like link failed... here's the info: Poodle Clipping and Grooming : The International Reference (Howell Reference Books) by Shirlee Kalstone

I agree Nynka - the Kojo conditioner actually works!