Sticks1977

Henry has just come into my life (it is his first day at home) and I have noticed as I have been house training him that he will come outside with me, sniff at the grass and then proceed to eat some of it or pull and break off small roots in the grass. We have that kooch or buffalo type grass that has a massive root system and is quickly taking over the backyard (but turning brown) at this time of year. Should I be telling Henry to stop eating the grass and pull small pieces out of his mouth or simply ignore the behaviour as grass may not do too much damage? He is on two meals a day at the moment, 3/4 of a cup of Supercoat Puppy in the morning, and 1 Cup of the same in the evening. He is doing really well with toilet training so far and has only had a wee inside twice since last night. I have also noticed that the past one or two times his wee has been clear - similar to water - when he has been passing urine. Thanks to all for any assistance and help, this is my first puppy in two years and I am experiencing grass eating for the first time. I just do not want him eating something that he shouldnt and making his stomach possibly upset. Regards, Shaun (Sticks1977)

Just a few photos taken of Henry (Clemkirk Southern Cross) on his first day at home. He has been an absolute joy to have around the house - he slept through last night really well and did not cry or make any noise. He is currently asleep on the kitchen floor as I type this message - with his tongue out - so without further delay, here are some pics! Dodger (Clemkirk Brumbies Run) - Henry's father Henry's first night at home - sleeping with 'Pooh' nearby which was a soft toy given to us from the breeder Asleep underneath the computer desk - with his tongue out! He's awake! Playing on his bed with one of the soft toys that were waiting for him Between his bed and the couch - I like this one...

The Dog Whisperer DVD series are useful as you can see Cesar work wonders with many of the dogs that he has on the show. Firstly, he is treating dogs with extensive behaviour problems or concerns that owners have - being that your puppy is only 10 weeks old at the moment the DVD may not be useful as of yet. In the near future if any patterns in your dogs behaviour is concerning to you, you may be able to refer to the DVD. It does mention throughout Cesar's show that "these methods are performed by a professional, please seek advice if attempting" or something along those lines. I would imagine that each episode would be heavily edited and at times a result can take anywhere from minutes... to days. There have been occasions watching Cesar's show that he takes the dog in question back to his Animal Rehab Clinic in Los Angeles. What I would deffinately recommend is some of Cesar's books - I recently purchase the Cesar Millan: How to Raise the Perfect Dog book, I have found some of what he has mentioned throughout the book more helpful than any of his episodes on "Dog Whisperer". Good luck and please feel free to purchase the DVDs as they are rather interesting to watch - personally it makes me want to get involved into dog training Regards, Shaun (Sticks1977)

I have been thinking when Henry arrives home in a weeks time, whether I should enrol him in puppy or dog obedience as soon as possible. Is it safe to take Henry to classes at 8 weeks of age? I can't seem to remember how old Fraser was when we first took him to classes and to be socialised around other dogs. Should there also be a certain amount of time before Henry is allowed out in the general public on a small walk or to meet other dogs either here at home or out in the suburbs? Thanks for reading and look forward to some replies. Regards, Shaun (Sticks1977)

We will be picking up Henry around this time next week... can't wait! Infact we should nearly be home from the breeders around this time. It has been a rather different house since Fraser has passed in mid-September. Have dealt with his passing and have come to terms with it yet his ashes still remain in a small wooden box overlooking the living room and kitchen. The puppy stage seems a bit scary again - but I think we will both be looking forward to the challenges that will arise - and the differences that Henry will show us, we are not expecting the same puppy or dog that Fraser was. Will be sure to post pictures (and maybe a Youtube video???) when Henry arrives home. Regards, Shaun (Sticks1977) and Gaylene

With how crazy my mind works - I was wondering whether there should be a forum thread on people who have purchased a puppy from an advert on DOL. I have only started thinking about this as a friend of mine is raising a guide dog labrador puppy and regularly catches up with other people who are raising the puppies from the same litter. Personally, I would be willing to mention the breeder that I will be getting "Henry" the labrador from, but would rather gauge to see if this has any interest in taking off - and also whether it would be suitable to have a topic such as this. I thought it would be a wonderful idea for other DOL members to find puppies or other dogs that may be related to one that they are going to purchase. Feel free to discuss, or shoot this idea down in flames if it's a terrible suggestion... Regards, Shaun (Sticks1977)

I have never used Dogwise so I cannot comment on their delivery times... But I have used Amazon on numerous occasions and have found their postage/delivery time to be superb. Often the website will give a date of 3-4 weeks from the time you have placed your order, yet I seem to receive the books or items I have ordered from Amazon within 5-7 working days. Regards, Shaun (Sticks1977)

I had Fraser insured with Pet Insurance Australia. The total amount for a year of cover (up to $15,000 of cover) was $302 with an excess of $500. I took the policy out at the end of July, then in Mid-September he became ill due to a foreign object blockage and passed away. Theoretically I had only had cover for 2 weeks (since the 30 day waiting period) and they paid out the claim in full. I was rather worried as the documentation from AEC said that he had gastro and the notes from my local vet mentioned he had gastro when he was around 1 year old. I thought that they may have not paid out part of the claim due to these notes. The comforting part was that PIA were very sympathetic at the time and did correspond with me throughout the whole claim process. When a final invoice was sent out of what they paid for in the claim (total of $7,500) the last note on the invocie said "We are so very sorry for your loss". For that coming from an insurance company, it did surprise me! Pet Insurance Australia will definately be the insurance company we will use when we insure Henry when he comes home. Regards, Shaun

There is also K9IQ who are up at the Swinburne Campus in Berwick - classes are on each Saturday morning between 10 am - 11 am. The classes are run by some of the ex-ADT trainers and the business model as far as I am aware is not like ADT, you pay $10 for each lesson (on a pay-per-lesson basis). I do not think that they have a website but you may be able to find some information on them with a quick Google search.

The only advice I can offer is what has been noted on the website of the breeders where we are getting Henry from: 1. No throwing balls great distances for the pup to chase. Besides over reaching with front legs, its the sudden stopping that is the danger. 2. No jumping in or out of the car especially utes, four wheel drives or station wagons. As all the dogs weight is on the front legs as it lands. 3. No Agility or Flyball. Tracking is fine as they start with very short runs. 4. Swimming is great and there is no limit to it as there is no concussion on the joints. 5. No jogging or chasing push bikes. Lead work should be introduced gradually from eight weeks in the backyard to start with till the pup is comfortable with the collar and lead. 6. When walking on concrete footpaths up till four months, 10 minutes is enough. 7. Four months to six months: up to 15 minutes. 8. Six months to eight months: up to 20 minutes. 9. Nine months to twelve months: up to 30 minutes. I am not sure how accurate the above information is so if anyone is able to confirm that these details should be followed it would be good to know for myself as well for when Henry arrives...

We made the drive up to Ballarat on the first day of this new year, and this morning went up to see a litter of chocolate and black labrador puppies in Moonambel, Victoria. After viewing the four male puppies that were in the litter we picked a little inquisitive chocolate labrador - he seemed very affectionate and turned over to get a belly rub from me! Must have hit the right spot as his back leg was moving as I scratched away... So here is the first photo of Henry being held by the breeder up in Moonambel - now just have to wait another 4 weeks until he comes home!

I personally think the best thing to do would be to get on the phone and give them a call - sometimes numbers can be hard to find... Being that tomorrow is New Years Day I would assume that the company that makes Advance (PAL Pedigree?) would be back in the office on Monday 4th January. Over time I have found that Emails can be useful to get across your information, but unfortunately sometimes they are ignored or not responded to. The number to contact Advance Pet Foods on is 1800 640 111 or 02 6055 5200, just found out they are owned by Mars Australia!

If you want to follow the guide on the side of the RC bag, the way I see the table is their approximate adult weight versus how old they are at the moment. So if your pup is 6 months old, and their goal weight range is around 20 kg then feed 360 grams. The best way I found to do this was to purchase some digital kitchen scales and weigh the food that way. I would not go by the cups table they have at the bottom of the table, just weigh the food and see how many cups that equates to... Lastly, this table would be taking into account that this would be the ONLY food the dog would be getting throughout the day. If you are feeding bones / treats / raw food then you should subtract these items from the total amount of weight that you are giving from the dry food. Best of luck working out the table, I could never get my head around it when I had the RC Labrador dry food... until I sat down and had a good read of it. You should also be able to tell how much you should be feeding your dog depending if they are putting on much weight. I know with Fraser we were told to feel around his side and if we could just feel his ribs then he was around the ideal weight. Another thing open to you is to jump on the scales while holding your dog in your arms, then subtracting their weight from yours. Best of luck! Regards, Shaun (sticks1977)

I'm pretty sure you can get the spray from any pet store or pet barn type place - just explain to them your situation and they may be able to recommend a particular item. I remember I tested the spray out one day on an old toy that Fraser had, he never really touched it again once the spray was applied. on the health insurance as well - better to have it than not... I was extremely lucky that I took out health insurance on Fraser 6 weeks before he became ill, in all it was a $7,500 bill for roughly 2 days in the Emergency Dept, the insurance paid out the claim in full minus my excess.

Not sure if it would help but perhaps you could spray some bitter apple spray or something similar that dogs do not like the taste of. If there is a particular area of the gravel that he chews, you could perhaps spray that area and see if this deters him from chewing?

You may want to invest in a LED headlamp (you can get them at Aussie Disposals or Anaconda stores), I found it useful if I had left 'poo patrol' until the sun went down, on the head lamp went and was easy to find all that needed to be scooped up... also enabled me to keep my hands free for such scooping purposes.

I have been thinking back and forth of how to setup the backyard for when the new labrador puppy arrives in late January next year. Our previous labrador (Fraser) used a large dog door (DogMate brand) from approx. 9 months of age as his main sleeping area was in the laundry. The dog door is still built-in to the external laundry door and currently is covered over with the supplied cover. When the new pup arrives, should I encourage him to use the dog door from an early age? or keep the existing cover over the door until he has grown to a suitable height to use the door? I will be using a baby gate to put across the internal laundry door so that the pup is able to sleep in the laundry but also see the rest of the house throughout the day. Ideally the laundry would be the area of the house that the puppy would spend most of the time in when sleeping with access to the backyard throughout the day. Approximately half of the backyard will be fenced off originally so he only has access to the rear of the yard. If he is to use the dog door from an earlier age, I will be able to build a portable ramp for both inside the laundry and heading outside so that he would not have to jump through the door (this ramp would have to be adjustable as he gets older and grows taller). As far as how to make the ramp - I have no idea but I'm sure a quick trip to Bunnings will sort me out... Regards, Shaun (sticks1977)

Another recommendation for Christian in Frankston... took Fraser there a year or so back when he sprained the ligaments or muscles around his knee, I was initially worried that Fraser had suffered a serious injury but after a visit to Christian my mind was put at ease and all was well. He gave me some sound advice in regards to the brusing that Fraser may have experienced and also some supplements for him to take to help with his joints and muscles. Within a few weeks Fraser was back to his active self again.

It is still several weeks away but I figured that I would get a start on some questions and queries that I have... Have been around these forums for a while now so I know the whole "dry food" debate has been going on for a while as far as what brands are better than others etc. Just did a quick search and it seems that Supercoat is not held in a high regard at all - and that there are much better dry foods out there. In approximately 7 weeks I am due to pick up a new labrador puppy. The breeder has stated that the litter is fed Supercoat Puppy Formula and that this should make up the most of their diet while they are growing. With the previous labrador we had, he was originally on Advance, then switched to Hill's Science Diet (before I knew much about dog food!) then finally onto Royal Canin Labrador which Fraser did really well on. Main concern I have is should I be switching the dry food that the puppy is on as soon as he is home? I know with the introduction of a new type of dry food that is should be done gradually over 1-2 weeks... I am just wondering whether there are better options out there than Supercoat. Thanks for reading, and I will be sure to post updates (and importantly - pictures!) once he is home. Regards, Shaun (sticks1977)

A very wonderful tribute that you gave Stella... treasure all the photographs and video that you took of her - hopefully one day you will be able to look back on them and think of all the playful and happy times and smile Now have to reach for the kleenex to wipe away the tears - I'm sure you will see her again... one day I hope that Fraser has been able to greet your girl up at the Rainbow Bridge - free to run, chase and play ;) :D

Rest In Peace Nova... Thank you for being able to save countless lives - I hope that your legacy will live on. I would hope even though you were only a dog, that you will be honoured by our defence forces...

Words do not seem enough at times - I have been delaying my post here in the Rainbow Bridge, hoping to wake up from this awful dream but today I have faced reality that you are no longer here physically. Both me and 'Mumma' miss you dearly and there is not a day that goes by without you in our thoughts. I still remember the day we found you, and you found us in Longwarry - you were so loving to us both, we named you "Fraser" and brought you home two weeks later. You were an absolute joy to have around home, your toilet training was easier than we expected, our company you craved and we spent every moment with you that we could. You were only with us for two years but it seems like a lifetime ago that you came into our lives. We miss you every day and treasure greatly the photographs and video that we can look back on with happy thoughts and smile. You were the first dog for us that we took care of and you showed us so much, taught us so much and most importantly loved us and enabled us to love each other more than we knew. All the walks we went on, the places we visited, the people that we met (I hope you always got a kick out of people noticing you, the amount of children that would say to their parents "look, there's a doggy!"), the adventures that we went on, I hope that you remember them all Fraser - for I will never forget them and the time that we shared. Then the eventful day came that we had to give you your wings and send you away to the Rainbow Bridge. God must have wanted you more than we did but you put up such a strong and brave fight. We remember taking you into the Emergency Centre on Sunday evening, a family came out of the consultation room with two young children - oh how you loved kids! As sick as you were, you were able to stand up with your tail wagging ever so quickly... we never knew what was to come in the next few days and hours. You fought on so hard, your body rejecting the fluids - but you had your dignity to the very end getting up and walking to go to the toilet and feeling so guilty that you had been sick in your hospital bed. I wish that we had found the knotted rope earlier - that there was more we could have done to try and save your life.You went in for emergency surgery on Monday night and they found the rope, you survived surgery that you were not an ideal candidate for it, and held on long enough for us to say goodbye - for that I will forever be grateful. I was with you when you had the needle... I cannot remember my exact words to you just before you passed on but I hope they were "I love you". I can still hear your last breaths and I know that you are no longer in pain... running free up at the Rainbow Bridge, making new friends and awaiting old acquaintances. A giant hole has been left in our world - the house is so quiet now without you here. We miss your company, the hugs, the kisses, your breakfast and dinner - and even your drool! Your friends that you knew around here seem to know that you are gone - the magpie that used to sit on the antenna comes down into the backyard to visit now. I went on my first walk today without you - there is so much missing and it does not feel right to be walking alone. Someday soon we will get another labrador puppy - and I can show him or her the walking trails that we discovered together. Thank you for the greatest two years of our lives, without you I doubt that I would be marrying 'Mumma' in January next year. You were such a big part of our small family circle and no other dog, person or being will be able to replace the legacy and love that you have given us both. We love you little man - until we meet again... some day Fraser Blamire 29.05.2007 - 15.09.2009 Lots of our love, Shaun 'Dadda' and Gaylene 'Mumma' Blamire

Thanks to all for your replies and well wishes - it is getting easier with every day... We now have Fraser at home with us (his ashes are in a silk/material bag inside of a wooden box) and it is more comforting now to know that he is back there with us. I still look at the wooden box every day when I get home and say a quick "hello" to him. I think after we get married in January 2010 we will be looking to have another labrador added into our small family circle. Regards, Shaun and Gaylene

Just checked my bank statement and PIA have paid out the claim minus the excess ($500) that I had to pay. I am thankful that even though I have had the policy for less than 2 months that they were willing to pay for all costs incurred during Fraser's hospital stay at Animal Emergency Centre. For those that do not have pet insurance, I strongly suggest that you think about purchasing it for your loved one as you never know when you may need it... On a brighter note, we picked up Frasers ashes from the crematorium on AFL Grand Final Day - it's good to have him home! Regards, Shaun (sticks1977)

I have recently had Fraser at the Animal Emergency Centre to receive treatment due to him vomiting frequently on Sunday. Since then, Fraser had to be put to sleep due to further complications and the cause of the vomiting being put down to him swallowing a foreign object - a knotted piece of rope. Fraser had health insurance (through Pet Insurance Australia) and I had taken out the policy on 31 July 2009 so he was covered for all costs after the 30 day waiting period. The only concern I have is in regards to pre-existing conditions. Fraser's history from our regular vet showed a bout of gastro interitis way back in December 2007 due to him vomiting and unable to keep food down, he also had gasto interitis during his stay at the AEC due to the swallowing of the foreign object. The diagnosis that Fraser had from his recent hospital visit was pancreatitis and then a severe case of gasto interitis caused from the blockage of the foreign object. Would I still be covered under my insurance policy for the treatment Fraser received at the AEC? I have checked the PDS from the health insurance company and it mentions that he is covered for the swallowing of a foreign object requiring surgical or endoscopic removal. If anyone has had similar experiences I'd love to hear from you - I will be in contact over the coming days with the result of the claim as I have sent all the appropriate documentation to PIA on Friday. Regards, Shaun (sticks1977)