Kissindra

best to have them removed asap, if your lucky they will be loose and the vet can just wiggle them out but Boo's is firmly in there so he's under a general to have it taken out. Give bones and hard chew toys a try for a couple of days and see if it will work it's way loose but if not, get to the vet

I've never been to a groomers and was wondering what kinds of things you do? Do most places just do the basic clipping, wash and nail trimming or do you offer "styling" or dye jobs etc? Any pics of styles/etc you've done would be nifty!

we are off to the vet tomorrow, (our preffered one this time) Boo is getting a puppy canine removed as it hasn't gone by itself and isn't in the slightest bit loose! Hopefully we'll find out what's causing it :rolleyes:

no real pluses or minuses between de-sexed boys and girls, some people just have a gender preference (for instance my mother always owned females) but those with a preference can have to do a bit more searching to find the perfect pup (if I'd been set on a girl when I looked at Boo's litter we would have had to decline because she was shy where Boo is outgoing) so yeah, you can pick a gender if everyone is particularly set on one over the other but more important than that is personality

awww what a cutie! Love the name

already checked with the vet, just usual for Cavaliers to have staining. Boo is fed BARF and none of his treats contain preservatives or artificial additives - still with the tear stains!

I'd like to know too! We've tried the tear stain wipes you can buy and they remove a little bit but the staining remains.

thanks for posting the letter, still think a undisclosed high percentage of recycled materials ONLY on the cardboard is a shame, I'm guessing they would have said in the plastic was properly biodegradable, then there is the other consideration of what TYPE of plastics they've used (some leach chemicals when frozen which is why there are special plastic used for storing things like breast milk in freezers). I see why they've done it, just remains to be seen whether they've done it well.

With Boo we had picked him out when he was 6 weeks old and emailed the breeder on the name we decided on a few days later, his litter name was Freddy (they were all F names) so she took to calling him Freddy-boo-boo so he happily responded to Boo already at 8 weeks old when we took him home. So for us the first command was sit and he learned it very quickly. The vet was terribly amused that such a tiny wee fluff butt would sit on command

oh and FYI anyone who doesn't mind paying for convienience, you can buy Dr Bruce's Vet's all natural complete mix, which you soak in water overnight then add fresh meat to. It's preservative free also. www.vetsallnatural.com.au

goodness, are people really that squeamish? I just think it's a darn shame we now have all this extra plastic packaging, not terribly environmentaly friendly. I only have Boo to feed and he gets a third of a patty per meal with the equivalent weight in RMBs (two meals a day) so I hope it doesnt make it a pain to seperate it out.

Sheba - German shephard I was only a bub when we got her, I used to totter along holding onto her. My memories of her are mostly as an old girl, my mothers shadow who was always ready for a belly scritch and a pat or a game of fetch. She was definitely my mothers dog but was also very much family orientated and would protect us and come on long wanders with us around the countryside. We were heartbroken when old age and pain meant we had to give her rest. Tagger - German shephard cross The neighbours across the road had an accidental litter, and I remember looking at the wee tiny black pup, so sweet. I remember her puppy stage as a series of missing shoes and innocent expressions Where Sheba was always a grand and confidant lady, Tagger was an eternal puppy, always eager for approval and love. Again, she was my mothers shadow yet loved playing with us kids and took up Shebas habit of following us on our wanderings. She loved the water, and would disapear down the back of the property, coming back looking gleeful and covered in river mud. She was your constant companion on fishing trips, attempting to land the fish for you, or at least splash about madly. Where Sheba was happy to see you when you got home, Tagger was filled with bouncy glee Even when she turned grey she still looked youthful, and acted the same rigth up to the end when it seemed her years all caught up with her at once. I remember her trusting look as we took her to the vet that last time. Taffy - cockerspaniel Taffy was a free to good home, she was the most beautiful, lively, funny girl. I remember my mother saying "why on earth would anyone give her away?" and we both knew we were lucky to have found her...then one day a few months after we'd brought her home she had a fit, I called my mother, frantic and terrified. We found out that Taffy had severe kidney problems and epilepsy. She was put on medication and special diets and continued to have intermitent fits that over time got worse. Through all of that she remained the sweetest, cheekiest bundle of love and we never once stopped feeling lucky to have found her. We knew we would only have a short time with her, but in that short time she supplied so much love and laughter that there is no way we could ever EVER forget her. Her flame may have burnt out quickly but it was the brightest of sparks. She was a sock and tissue stealing fiend, always ready for a game, always full of joy and she filled our hearts with love. Dogs are the most lovely of creatures, when they pass it is so painful, but I am thankful of the memories I have and that I have been lucky enough to have them in my life. RIP beautiful pups.

I should add that Boo is very "licky" in general encouraged by my OH

Boo is great with the leave it command, he'll drop food or toys when asked, but he just wont stop licking the face of the 10 month old who I look after a few days a week. They are not left alone together, we've got an area seperated by a play pen but he'll lick him through the bars too! Is this behaviour motivated by more than just "mmm tasty baby drool"??? Any thoughts or suggestions most welcome!

I believe there are some that do but it involves an awful lot of supliments added and just isn't good for the dog.

hrm let's see! Don't buy a pen from a pet store, bunnings has coated wire compost holders that are only $20 and make fine puppy pens with a tiny bit of tweaking, so that saves you a good $100 to put to more toys Get at least two blankets so you have one while the other is being washed, you can get these cheaper at bargain stores. Get a range of different toys rather than buying lots of similar things - a treat ball, kong, at least one soft toy, one squeaky toy, a ball, a rope bone, a hard wearing chew toy- I think that about covers it! Mind you there are lots of simple ways to make toys your pup will love. My pup used to have a ball with a pile of shredded paper and cardboard tubes that we'd coated inside with cream cheese or liver paste etc. You SO don't need the wee pads, newspaper works fine. Get some special cleaner for carpets if you have them, one that neutralizes the smell or your pup will keep weeing there, if you have hard floors get some laundry detergent that has enzymes to spot clean with. It's a good idea to get one of those little engraved nametags made if your pup isn't already microchipped or registered, that way if he/she gets out your details are right on the collar and someone can call easily. Avoid the extendable leads, some of them are longer than local regulations allow and it's better to have your pup close when you walk (once he/she is old enough that is) Dome beds are nice and snuggly but the plastic ones tend to last longer and be easier to clean, we have one with a pillow in it for cushioning, when it starts to get dirty we wash the pillow cover and put the pillow in the sun then wipe down the plastic which is much easier than tring to hand wash the foam ones, they also tend to loose shape and take AGES to dry. It's helpful to get at least one extra collar in the next size up so that when they grow out of the first one you've got another right there ready. oooh! Food and water bowls! I believe that the stainless steel or ceramic ones are considered better than plastic, can't remember why!

ok, I've got the Billinghurst beef recipe and chicken recipe patties here: Beef: beef, finely ground chicken bone, beef liver, whole egg, fresh yogurt, seasonal vegetables selected from broccole, cabbage, cauliflower, celery,coloured lettuce, spinach, carrot, boy choy, capsicum, dried alfalfa leaf powder, ground flax seed meal *BOO stop sniffing the packet you have already had dinner!* beef kidney, beef heart, beef tripe, seasonal fruit selected from apple, pear, grapefruit, tomato, orange, banana, dried kelp powder and garlic. guaranteed analysis: moisture maximum 71% crude protein minimum 11% (35% D.M. basis) crude fat minimum 11 % (35% D.M. basis) crude fibre maximum 2.0% (7% D.M. basis) calcium (Ca) minimum 2.2% (D.M. basis) phosphorus (P) minimum 1.5% D.M. basis) Calcium:phosphorus ratio 1:0.7 edited to add the other products info to make it easy to compair INGREDIENTS: Wole Beef cuts,Beef hearts and Liver Fine ground bones(from Kangaroo and Chicken) Carrots,apples broccoli, spinich,pumlin,Ground Flax seeds,whole eggs, Kelp meal,garlic,celery,salmon oil and mixed Tocopherols. PROTEIN 17% FAT 9% FIBRE 1% OMEGA 3 FATTY ACIDS <0.5% OMEGA 6 FATTY ACIDS <0.1%

sounds interesting, gimme a minute and I'll grab some barf patties out of the freezer so we can compair them...

tricks training, it's lot's of fun and he's so food motivated - I get his undivided attention and the satisfaction of seeing him learn new things

So many cute pucakes! CONGRATULATIONS everyone

I usually find my boy is more inclined to chew them if I give them to him after I've given him the mince etc. portion of his meals. Maybe give that a go and see if he takes more time with them?

Boo has a dogbook as well Name: Boo-berry Pupcake (means "Help! My new owner is a loony!") Sex: Male Date of birth: July 22 2007 Age: 8 weeks old this Sunday Colour: Blenheim Breed: Cavalier King Charles Spaniel Hobbies: currently enjoying playing with his litter mates and snoozing with the older crowd, but quite partial to shoe lace chewwing. Loves: shoe laces, bounding around and food thankfully! We were a bit worried he'd have to stay with our breeder another week as he wasn't too happy about weaning Hates: nothing that I know of! This is Boo at 6 weeks old ***Picture used with permission copyright Oronsay Cavaliers www.oronsaycavaliers.com He comes home this Sunday!

hurrah for victory!

same here!

oh dear! It's stories like this that make me glad I have a paved courtyard