Sticks1977

When Fraser was around 18 months I was able to take him on some longer walks (around 5-7km per day) Even though we never went to any outrageous or out there places, we had some memorable walks - to touch on a few: Football training was on during winter at the local football ground, there is a raised path around the football ovals and as we were about to walk off the path and back down to suburbia Fraser noticed his shadow on the fence that was from a house below the path - the lights from the football training were shining on us and reflected our shadows on the fence. Will always remember that one... Another memorable walk was at 4.00 am on a cold winter morning when I woke up early before getting ready for work. Took Fraser for a walk and even though it was freezing it was just me and him and completely quiet. So even though taking our dogs to different and exciting places - sometimes the simple things and taking your mate for a walk at a completely different time to normal can bring out wonderful moments.

I am also with Pet Insurance Australia. Fraser was covered with PIA and I took out the policy in late July, he became ill in mid-September and his policy was only 'active' for 2 weeks due to the 30 day waiting period. PIA paid out the claim in full (minus the excess) and the total bill came up to $7,500 for 2.5 days in the Animal Emergency Centre. When I received the final invoice from PIA the last line printed was "we are so very sorry for your loss"... coming from an insurance company, that's pretty rare I feel. I am now with PIA again for Henry and took out the cover when he was 8 weeks of age. I went for the highest plan ($500 excess) and it costs me just over $178 for the entire year.

From what I know, it is a submissive gesture - yet I'm sure that most dogs also love a belly rub... I was told at obedience training that if Henry is to bite or nip at me, that I should put him onto his back and hold him there as this is a submissive position for a dog to be in.

Update: Rang Frontline Plus this morning and spoke with one of their consultants. They mentioned if I bathed and washed Henry within 24 hours of applying the liquid that it would not have soaked into his skin. Thanks again to all for the idea to bath him - sure did save me a lot of worry and he was bouncy and lively this morning when I woke up. Will be sure to post some new pics of Henry soon (have been meaning to do it for a few weeks now!) Regards, Shaun (Sticks1977)

Are trips in the car usually for a fair distance? Perhaps try and mix it up a little if not... Try and have him in the car and only go for a very short drive and see how he handles that - if he goes well and does not poop in the car give him heaps of praise. Even maybe practice going in and out of the car a few times without going anywhere and maybe even try someone elses car to see if it is a problem limited to your specific car (since you mentioned it has been serviced). The only other advice I could also offer is perhaps go for a drive in a car and have someone holding him or in the back seat with him.... best of luck and hope it all turns out ok! Regards, Shaun (Sticks1977)

I seem to recall the trial that Casey Council had going with the poo bags. I mainly remember it as someone from Cranbourne News rang me up asking for my opinion about dog poo bags and whether the council should supply them. I responded that it is the owners resposibility to pick up after their dogs and suppy their own bags are they are readily available in supermarkets and pet stores. Sadly, the day they rang me about this story was only a few days after Fraser had been given his wings... the comforting thing was they were willing to use a file photo of me and Fraser in the paper for that story. I have since heard back from the council and they have told me that they are looking into installing bins and some signage in the park - hopefully it makes some what of a difference!

I just gave him a bath with warm water and a mild shampoo making sure that I lathered up the area where the Frontline was applied. I will definately be calling the vet tomorrow to give them my 2c worth and to let them know of the potential for something to go wrong given the vial they gave me and the weight that Henry currently is. I feel a little paranoid about it and hope that he will be fine - I will keep my eye on him and see how he is in the morning. I am due to head off to bed shortly but will be awake again at 4.00am to get ready for work. Thanks all for the quick replies and the idea to give him a bath. I applied the Frontline around 5.00pm today and just gave him a bath (being 4 hours later) so I hope that all of the product was not absorbed during that time. Will keep you all updated if his condition changes - all seems OK with him at the moment... he ran around the house doing 'zoomies' straight after his bath but is now at my feet under the computer desk having a sniff and licking at the sock I have on my foot.

I have just given Henry a vial of Frontline Plus earlier this evening which I purchased from my local vet. I told them that Henry was 9kg and three months of age and they gave me a vial and instructions on how to apply it. I arrived home and placed the vial on the back of his neck, it was only afterwards that I noticed it was a vial for "large dogs". I researched on the web and have noticed that the vial is for dogs in the 20 to 40kg weight range! Have since contacted the local AEC branch in Hallam and they have mentioned to keep an eye on him and look for any signs of vomiting, twitching, wobbly on his legs or runny poo. I was just wondering if anyone here on DOL has had experience giving the wrong dosage to their pet. I am not too happy right now with the vet who has given me a vial of Frontline to use, I did mention his weight and had full trust that they had given me the correct vial - I will have to be a lot more cautious next time... Regards, Shaun (Sticks1977)

Thanks for the replies - I can always seem to rely on the members here at DOL to put my mind at ease... I ended up sending an Email to the local council and it read as follows: I didn't expect to hear back any time soon, but I received a reply shortly after from the council... Whether I hear back from them is another matter - but hopefully they make some improvements!

There is a rather decent sized park in Cranbourne that I used to take my old labrador (Fraser) to on a weekly basis for some exercise and to also see how he behaves when he is off-lead. It has been several months since I have visited the park and on Sunday afternoon I attended with Henry (13 weeks old - he had his C5 vaccination at 12 weeks) and Marcus (10 months old) who we were minding for the day. I was in the park for a few minutes and was disgusted by the amount of dog poo/droppings that were around the park area. There were no bins in the park for rubbish and I located two tied dog poo bags near the gate (so at least someone has been responsible to pick up their dogs poo...) Since I had some dog poo bags with me I walked around the park (while my wife attended to Henry and Marcus) and proceeded to pick up most of the poo that I could find, some of it had been there for quite a while. In total I ended up with four large poo bags of it... My main concern now is would it be possible that parvo or any other awful diseases could be in this park? Is there any way to find out? After I had picked up the poo - which I left in the four bags at the park - we took Henry and Marcus back home and I gave my hands a good wash with soap and also dettol wash. I have since sent an email to my local councillor to alert her about the state of the park and to also let her know that the bags are sealed and ready for collection by council - I figure I have done enough to make it a little more pleasant to be around and to visit. I would be interested to hear of any replies and I wonder whether I should be going to the local paper if I hear nothing back from the council over the coming weeks... I just hope that it is not an ongoing health hazard to dogs, as when Henry gets older I would like to take him to this park on a daily basis as it is within walking distance from home. Regards, Shaun (Sticks1977)

Our previous labrador (Fraser) loved the squeaker toys and made it his mission with each new toy to seek out and destroy the squeaker part of the toy - the chicken was the only toy that would last longer than a week due to the squeaker part being between the legs! Quick update on the two of them this morning - they have been much more relaxed around each other and I figure that with all the play they have had last night I hope that Henry has learnt a little about bite inhibition and how hard and not hard to bite. They are both flaked out at the moment with Henry asleep in the laundry and Marcus asleep against the couch in the living room. Pure bliss at the moment but I'm sure it won't last long... Thanks again to all for the replies - will probably take some more video throughout the day and if there is anything of note will be sure to post another Youtube video. On another subject, Marcus has used a dog door for the first time in his life following Henry outside and back in this morning, best part was a near adult labrador was able to test the ramps that I have made out of plywood... so far it is still holding together quite well! Regards, Shaun (Sticks1977)

Thanks to all for the replies so far - it is good to know that it has mainly just been viewed as playing... At times last night they did both settle down and seemed to leave each other alone. After I had stopped recording the footage they continued to play in this manner chasing one another and still nipping and biting whenever they got a chance. They seemed both calm when they were chewing or had a toy to themselves. It has been good to see that they are sharing their toys, at one stage Marcus was chewing on some soft toy that Henry has, and Henry decided to knaw away on a plastic dental bone. Marcus (the black labrador) does seem to be tolerant of Henry and I have been keeping an eye on both of them to make sure it does not get out of hand. Late last night I did notice Henry was showing his teeth and was nipping at Marcus' ears and at one stage when Marcus was in a 'drop', Henry decided to climb over his shoulders and have a lick around his ears but this quickly turned into some more nipping. I do have the option of separating them both which I think I will do throughout today (it's Sunday morning and we are due to "babysit" Marcus as his owners are going to the Guide Dogs Open Day). I feel I may have to play the mediator today to curb the nipping behaviour - I did notice Henry had a nip/bite at Marcus hind leg as Marcus was walking away, I immediately grabbed Henry by the scruff of his neck and held him on his back and said a loud "No!". Is there any other suggestions you may have so that a 12 week old puppy and a 10 month old labrador can play and get along, without all the mouthing and nipping?

I have just taken some footage of our 12 week old puppy Henry playing with a larger labrador (Marcus) in our backyard. Friends of ours have come over and he has been supervised the entire time while they have been playing with each other. It seemed to get a little rough - or so it appeared - so I wanted to get the opinion of some DOL members if I have anything to worry about. Since they have met (which was around 6.30pm this afternoon, and it is now approaching 9.00pm), they seem to be more settled around one another. Henry has been nipping at Marcus' ears a few times and has been trying to get underneath Marcus' feet as well - it is wonderful though to watch Henry socialising with another dog in his own backyard and home. Have also noticed in the last half hour or so that Henry has had a few small growls at Marcus - he does not seem to show any agression but in the back of my mind I do worry. There is also the option to separate them as there is a puppy/wire fence down the middle of the backyard and I can block Henry's access to the rest of the house with the baby gate on the internal laundry door. If some of you could please view the video and let me know whether they are only just playing with each other or whether I have more to worry about. Henry is usually quiet and submissive at dog obedience training yet he has shown a different side with a visitor here tonight. Regards, Shaun (Sticks1977) Youtube Video - Henry and Marcus

If I were you I would get in contact with either your local newspaper or Council. A year or two back when I was walking Fraser I always had my eyes 2-3 metres ahead of us as I would commonly find smashed up bottles over the footpath. Most times I attempted to dodge them by either taking Fraser onto the nature strip or onto someone's property dodging the broken glass on the footpath. One day when Fraser was on a walk I noticed him looking back at one of his hind legs and I looked behind me, seeing that we had walked over some small pieces of glass. I immediately thought he had some glass caught in his pad but was unable to find any. As soon as I got in the door I contacted the local paper and they came out to take photos and do a story on what was happening. In the end, the paper contacted the Council to get their point of view and the Council mentioned to contact them if you ever see broken glass on council land (footpaths, parks, etc.) and it will be cleaned up within 24 hours. I never ended up contacting the council personally but there are plenty of inconsiderate people around - half the time it can also be due to the lack of public rubbish bins. All the best to you and Puck and hope he has a speedy recovery. Even though we should not have to do it as dog owners, perhaps think of purchasing some paw shoes for Puck to wear as this may prevent further injury in the future? For what it's worth I belong to the City of Casey here in Victoria and that is their stance on broken glass... I will be sure to test it out when I am able to take Henry for some long walks in the future. Regards, Shaun (Sticks1977)

Yeah we are thinking of getting a different bed for the living room eventually, or even having that one in the living room and getting a different one for the laundry (which has had an overhaul since Henry's arrival). It is a pain that I am unable to get through the exterior laundry door, at the moment there are two ramps setup on either side of the laundry door so that Henry has access to go through the dog door itself. During his growth spurts I will be able to lower the ramp down in height and eventually not need it at all when he is fully grown. The baby gate door is usually left open when he is in the house, he is fed in the laundry and also the water bowl stays in the laundry as well - so I'm sure it is one of his favourite rooms in the house. When I get around to it I shall post some pictures of my handyman work when it comes to making ramps. Regards, Shaun (Sticks1977)

Henry has access via the laundry external door that the dog door is installed into. The internal laundry door has been blocked off by a baby gate so he still is able to see into the rest of the house (mainly the living room and kitchen). When we are home, I place him into the laundry and close the baby gate, then I proceed out the sliding door at the side of the house (in the living room) and step over the fence to see him in the rear of the yard - when he comes out the dog door. There are other times where he will come out the side sliding door with me, we walk over the deck and then onto a grassed area where he then does his 'business'. Perhaps I should limit where he is going to the toilet to only the rear of the yard (in his fenced off area) until he starts to have toilet training more under control.

Henry has had a few accidents inside recently when it comes to peeing and going to the toilet - he is fine when it comes to #2's (poo) as he has only ever done one inside but the rest have been outside even when we are not at home. He is currently just over 12 weeks of age. Both my wife and myself work full time, yet due to my permanent morning shift Henry is home alone from 9am until 2pm. I notice when I arrive home that he does not pee or mark at all in the laundry (where he sleeps) and I praise him alot when he has a pee or poo outside. The problem seems to be when his bed is out in the living room after dinner. We take him out regularly (after a play / sleep / meal), yet twice in the past day he has had a pee on his bed. I immediately reprimand him with a loud "ahh!!" and take him outside. He has been wonderful over the past week or two with hardly any accidents inside and the praise ranging from carrying on like a clown outside (happy like I've won the lottery), or giving him a treat immediately after he has had a pee especially out in the backyard. The setup at the moment is that the laundry interior door is blocked off by a baby gate and he has rear access via a dog door in the external laundry door to his area of the backyard. Half of the backyard has been fenced off so that he only has a small area to run and play (and to also protect him from tanbark and a small garden bed). My methods and routines when trying to housebreak him is to place him into the laundry, close the baby gate, and then I venture outside and step over the fence into his area. He then comes out the dog door and I walk around relaxed and not paying him any attention until he begins to sniff the ground and eventually squat and have a pee. As soon as he is finished I praise him greatly since he has gone in the correct area - and it will either be in the form of a belly rub and pat on the head, or a treat, or simply saying "good boy" in a happy voice - or even a combination of all three. At times he will be taken out to the other section of the backyard via the sliding door in the living room - again out to a grassed area and the same method of praise is used when he has a pee or poo. I just cannot understand why he is having these small accidents - particularly on the bed that he sleeps on during the night. So far each time he has done this I have emptied the stuffing out of the bed (it has a concealed zipper) and have washed the outer cover in the washing machine with powder (Cold Power), it is rather time consuming to wash the cover, then wait for it to be tumble dried before I head off to sleep myself! I realise that every dog is different when it comes to housebreaking and the amount of time it may take. I feel I have been following all the basic rules when it comes to praising Henry and that after 4 weeks that he would have housebreaking under control, the last labrador we had (Fraser) had toilet training under control after 2-3 weeks and rarely had an accident inside, again each dog is different so I do not expect Henry to be at the same stage - but it seems there is no light at the end of the tunnel... I guess why I'm typing this... If anyone has any advice on how I can manage his toilet training and peeing housebreaking issues I would love to hear from you - I feel that I am doing everything right and eventually I would want Henry to be using the dog door independently (he already goes through the door numerous times himself through the day when we are and are not home) and heading out to his area to go to the toilet. Thanks for reading my rather long post, look forward to some replies and my apologies if this topic has been rather common over time - it just seems really weird that he is going to the toilet on his own bedding, I thought that dogs did not like to soil where they sleep or play? Regards, Shaun (Sticks1977)

The first labrador we had - Fraser - was named after 'Fraser Brown' who played for Carlton in the AFL. The name seemed to suit him and since he was a chocolate labrador we figured that who he was named after also had the surname of Brown. He commonly got "Frase" or "Frasey" as a name. The second labrador we now have - Henry - was named after Fraser's father (Fraser our labrador, not the AFL player), figured that it would be a fitting tribute as Fraser was taken from us at an early age... I actually called Henry just "H" the other day... that may end up becoming one of his nicknames! Regards, Shaun (Sticks1977)

I just had Henry vaccinated today (12 week vaccination) with a C3 vaccination and another given as a squirt up the left nostril for bordatella and parainfluenza. The vet then mentioned that he does not need another vaccination until this time next year. Is it normal for a puppy to only have a C4 vaccination at 6 weeks of age and a C5 at 12 weeks? I thought there had to be another vaccination at 16 weeks? Also since he is growing over the next few months (8.5kg at the moment), what is the best way to tackle worming and flea control? I do not really want to head down to a local pet store and purchase a whole pack of heartworm tablets or flea control when he will be putting on weight and will most likely not finish a pack. I am quite open to buying the products online if it works out cheaper and I can buy certain amounts for what weight range he is in. Lastly - please feel free to recommend any products to me for Henry (chocolate labrador), there are so many products out in the marketplace I am not sure which ones I should be using - to use a combination of products (liquid applied to skin for fleas, and tablet for worming) or whether to use an all-in-one product for both fleas and worming. My apologies if these topics have been covered to death on here... I did a search for vaccinations and did not seem to find a thread that answered my question - and thought I would throw in some worming and flea questions in for good measure as well - thanks for reading and look forward to some replies. Regards, Shaun (Sticks1977) and Henry

Thanks for the reply Smoothie... he may just be getting a little rev-up before bed since I take him for a walk just before I head to bed myself - I might try and stagger his walk times over the next few days to see if it has a different effect on him and how he is when it comes time for bed. I am hopeful over the next few months to teach Henry "bedtime" as our last labrador headed off to his bed on the first mention of the word (mainly because he used to get a treat!) - thanks again for the advice though as I never really thought that the exercise just before sleeping may be part of the reason - better run as I'm taking Henry to get his 12 week vaccination later today. Regards, Shaun (Sticks1977)

Henry will be 3 months of age tomorrow (12 weeks) and approximately 15-20 minutes ago we put him to bed after I took him for a short walk around the block. I have only noticed tonight after I put him in the laundry (which has outside access via a doggy door - with ramps either side) I have heard him going in and out of the door on a regular basis as I'm winding up for the day and checking some internet forums before heading to bed. The PC is in a room where Henry is unable to see me - but can probably hear me typing away... Is it normal behaviour for him to be going in and out of the door regularly, and then crying or whining near the baby gate (as we leave the laundry door open)?. I am currently ignoring this behaviour and funnily enough as I am finishing typing out this thread all has gone quiet up the back of the house. Usually during the day if we have to leave him for short periods (such as going out for lunch, food shopping, etc.) he seems perfectly fine - he only seems to carry on a little when it is bed time at the end of the day. Any advice would be appreciated as he seems great to be left alone - I just hope that no periods of separation anxiety will be happening in the near future. Regards, Shaun (Sticks1977)

Have you thought about putting a baby gate into the doorway or door frame? When Henry arrived home I placed a baby gate (metal) within the door frame on the laundry door. He is able to see into the rest of the house and it has a dual lock system so would be difficult for any dog to get out of. The gate is almost 1 metre in height so I doubt there would be any chance for escape. Baby gates are readily available on FleaBay and heaps cheaper to purchase from there instead of a store. The gate I purchased for Henry is below: Metal Pet Dog Barrier Regards, Shaun (Sticks1977)

Over the last few days I have started to take Henry for a short walk around the block (approx. 500m) and he is doing very well on the lead, usually walks behind me or at my side and does not pull or bite his lead - that's not to say that it may happen in the near future... Along a certain section of the route that we take there are some houses with dogs in a garage or behind a fence that bark and carry on as we walk past. I notice that Henry has his tail between his legs and seems quick to want to keep going (perhaps skiddish?) yet once we are past this section his tail is wagging again and he continues to enjoy the walk. Since we are in the period of socialisation between 2 and 3 months, should I be ignoring the behaviour that he shows when these dogs are barking (to me I hear it as agressive or territorial barking)? At the moment I have been continuing on the walk and acting like nothing is wrong or paying him attention when he seems fearful. He is doing well at home as well, I mowed the back lawn yesterday and he is getting used to the lawnmower and the sudden sound it makes when I start it up - he was fascinated with the line trimmer/whipper-snipper as I had him on the other side of the puppy fence and he supervised me most of the time. Also heard him bark for the first time yesterday out in the backyard - it seemed that he was barking (and a small growl) at one of his soft toys that was in the backyard at the time. At least that was all I could see that he would have been barking at - was either that or the fence. Thanks for reading, I must get off my rear end and add some more photos of Henry as well for you all to look over... Regards, Shaun (Sticks1977)

Some local councils offer a microchipping day, it is not free mind you ($25) but I see it as a wonderful initiative to let people know that microchipping is out there and one of the best forms of identification for your pet. If anyone is within the City of Casey (south east of Melbourne) here is a link below... City of Casey - Microchipping Day

I have just started to put a collar on Henry as we have had him at home just over 1 week now. We will be heading to dog training on Saturday morning so I thought it would be a good idea to get him used to wearing his collar. He has a small rogz collar that has a small black clip or buckle to attach it around his neck. I had a play with him outside while I put it on him and had a small 5 minute walk in the backyard with his lead on and I think he is getting used to it (biting the end of the lead a little). My main concern is he is stratching with his back legs at the collar around his neck. Should he only wear the collar for short periods of time? or should I leave it on him so that he gets used to wearing it? Thanks to all in advance for any advice and will have some more pictures of Henry up in the photos thread shortly. Regards, Shaun (Sticks1977)