Sticks1977

The other morning Fraser was due for his Inceptor Spectrum all-wormer tablet (Heartworm, Ringworm etc.) and since we were 1 to 2 days late I gave it to him in his breakfast. Only problem was about 10-20 minutes after his breakfast, he brought most of it back up on the carpet - he was not feeling all that well so down to the Vet we headed... a needle or two later and some tablets for him to eat and he is slowly coming back to full health. The only other worry I have is whether or not to give him another Spectrum tablet for worming? I did not notice the tablet when I was picking up his 'breakfast' that he brought back up - although it would have been hard to tell whether the tablet was there or not. Should I give him another tablet? Or should I just wait until next month comes around on the 23rd to give him another? Regards, Shaun (sticks1977)

I currently have our chocolate labrador - Fraser - in training at Australian Dog Training in Berwick. They give you a free first lesson which is to find out about the temprament of your dog and what class or level you would be suited to. Most of the people (including ourselves) have gone for the 'Gold' level of training. The upfront cost is pretty hefty, but considering it is training for the LIFE of your dog (you can take your dog to training as often as you want to for as long as you want to) I think the cost is pretty good for what it is. They have training in Berwick at the Chisholm Tafe Campus each Saturday morning. We started taking Fraser from 12 weeks of age (once he had his second vaccination) and he started in a "puppy class". I highly recommend ADT if you are looking to have your dog advance past puppy pre-school and want to get into training. Regards, Shaun (sticks1977)

Thanks for all for replies - might look into purchasing a Compost Bin to place food scraps and more importantly his droppings into! I will also have to get out there each day after reading a few replies stating to pick up his droppings on a daily basis.

Fraser is 25 weeks old (just short of 6 months?) and I walk him roughly for 20-25 minutes per day (depending how much sniffing along the way he does). I just measured out roughly in Google Earth how far that is and it gave me the measurement of 1.56 km

Hill's Science Diet - Puppy Large Breed He is on that at the moment and has been on Hill's for the past month or two, started out on Advance when we brought him home from the breeders (this is what he was fed there) and eventually made the change to Hill's.

Probably not the most pleasant of subjects - but I figured I may as well ask as I am not sure of the answer or if there is a "dog poo patrol rule" that is already known by most people. How often should I pick up my dog's droppings? and what is the most appropriate way to dispose of it? At the moment every second to third day I am out in the backyard scouting the area for any signs of his poo, I place it into a plastic bag with the help of a garden trowel (small shovel) and a barbeque knife - forever for both to be known as 'poo patrol tools' and never to be used in the garden or on the barbeque ever again! After I have it in the plastic bag, I will dig a hole somewhere in one of the garden beds in the backyard and empty the plastic bag and place the droppings in there and cover it back up again. Then with the plastic bag I will safely look around the backyard (no poo to dodge now) for bones, throw them into the plastic bag, tie it up and then throw it in the bin. Is there any guide to the frequency that I should be going out into the backyard and picking up his droppings? Is there another method of disposal instead of digging holes in the backyard to bury it? Digging the odd hole every second day in a different spot is starting to bug me - in no way is it frustrating or annoying - it's just one of those things I am not too fond of!

Over the past week or so Fraser has started to discover that he can dig with his paws in certain parts of the backyard. Luckily he has not dug near any fences or escape routes. The main areas he has been digging have been near the sliding door (where he goes in and out for toilet or access to the backyard) and also near the rear roller door for access to the garage. Each hole has been up against the slab of the house and have been rather deep (at least 1-1.5 feet in depth). My partner finally managed to catch him in the 'act' tonight and disciplined him, telling him to get on his mat. He had a rather guilty look on his face - this has been the first time we have been able to discipline him for it as in the past we have come home to discover the holes and are unable to punish him as he would not remember what he had done. I doubt that he would be bored, when we are at home we are always willing to play with him and I take him for daily walks around the neighbourhood which he seems to enjoy. The only thing I can think of is sometimes he watches me when I am on 'poo patrol' and picking up his droppings. I then proceed to dig a hole with the shovel and bury the droppings in there. When I was first digging holes he seemed absolutely fascinated with the shovel and what it could do. Are there any tips or advice you can give to refrain him from digging? Is it something he will grow out of? He is left for approximately 4-5 hours during the week when we are both at work but we leave him with plenty of toys and rotate around different toys every day so he does not get bored of them. My partner has just called me (as I am at work) and mentioned that she caught him just starting to dig again in the same place near the sliding door and said he seems to be wanting to get small rocks that are underneath the soil - perhaps this is what he is after? I have also noticed lately he seems to be spending a bit more time in the backyard when we are both home. I took him on his walk last night and when we arrived home he was in the backyard for a good 30 minutes (in light rain) and when he was near the sliding door he did not want to come back inside. As I mentioned earlier he is left outside when we are not home but all other times he is inside (sleeps alone in the Laundry at night) - is this perhaps a way that he is telling us that he prefers to be an outside dog at times? Sorry for all the questions - I am a first time dog owner (had family dogs when I was growing up, but never been responsible for one of them 24/7). Apart from the digging, he is an absolute joy to have around home and as a companion. The amount of walking I have done in the past month I owe all to Fraser, he is responsible for getting me (and him) both fitter and healthier... Regards, Shaun (sticks1977) PS. My partner just sent me a MMS picture message showing Fraser asleep on the couch, wish I was at home!

I was out walking 'Fraser' (our chocolate labrador) who has just turned five months of age. He has been really great on his "walkies" so far and is hardly pulling the lead at all when we are going on our daily walk through the neighbourhood. Normally he is very happy and alert when seeing people come out of their house or seeing someone on the other side of the road. I am also teaching him to sit whenever we come to a road crossing and lately he is starting to sit without me having to tell him - I just slow down to a stop, look down and he is sitting there next to me. Anyway... we were out walking last night just before dusk and I noticed another dog about 10 metres ahead of us sniffing a plant or two and he was off his lead. A young boy was walking him and he had the colar and lead in his hand. This male dog - who I later found out to be called "Lollipop" - came bounding up to Fraser and initially I was unsure of what might happen. Lollipop ended up sniffing Fraser, and as Fraser is used to other dogs from the socialisation part of training at ADT he didn't seem to mind. However Lollipop ended up a bit rowdy and perhaps he hasn't been "getting any" as he tried to 'mount' Fraser from behind. I tried to pull Fraser out of the way while the young boy who had caught up to us was attempting to get the colar onto his dog (who was a little bit bigger than Fraser). I could see that the young kid was struggling so I held his dog by the scruf of the neck while trying to also keep my attention on Fraser to make sure that he was fine. Lollipop again attempted to 'mount' Fraser just after his colar was fastened and I again pulled Fraser out of the way as I would think this is something he would not be enjoying. I did not make a fuss over Fraser after the incident, we (handlers) both stood there roughly 2-3 metres apart and Fraser was wagging his tail and seemed happy - I think he mainly wanted to play. The other dog was obviously 'rowdy' as he had his "lipstick" out (it wasn't hard to notice!) and then I proceeded on my way with Fraser continuing our walk. Was the way I handled the incident OK? I was not sure whether I should have handled the other dog... Fraser seemed fine on the rest of his walk - he met a few more people along the way that took an interest in him and asked how old he was etc. and he seemed happy with them. Seeing as though Lollipop (funny name for a male dog!) was off his lead, is there anything I can do in future to make sure that Fraser is not harmed? I think I was lucky on this occassion that Lollipop did not turn on him and start to get viscous and after the event I was rather angry that the young boy had his dog off lead in the first place - ANYTHING could have happened and luckily both dogs are seemingly fine. Regards, Shaun (sticks1977)

We have had a few marks on the carpet as well, whether they have actually been dog/urine related I'm unsure but they have been turning up ever since we brought Fraser home. We have used a few products, Preen for Carpets did not seem to do anything at all to help. We used an Industrial Strength Puppy Cleaner that we purchased from Pets@Home (Pets Paradise also have it), I don't remember the exact name but it was in a yellow bottle and it seemed to work for instant stains and removal of them. For any stains that have been there for a while (unfortunately a few in our place!) I picked up Carpet Power the other day from the Supermarket, it's made by the same mob that do Shower Power - OzKleen? - and I have used it on the carpet near the front door and it has brought up the stains. It has not seemed to discolour the carpet at all and after a day or two the fabric in the carpet has come back to normal, it seemed a bit 'puffy' to begin with. Best of luck!

I have read a bit of advice on this forum (going from memory here...) that 5 minutes of exercise per month of age is sufficient. I currently take Fraser - our chocolate labrador - for a 20-25 minute walk (depending on the amount of times he stops for a sniff!) and he seems to enjoy that. Usually after his walk he will walk inside, have a drink head to the loo and then lie down on his matt and have a nap. He still has not grasped the whole excitement behind when I say "go for walkies?" and he is starting to learn to go and get his lead when I mention to him "where's a lead?" sticks1977 ;)

Thanks for your long reply mercedes, just a few things I wanted to reply about... I have given him lamb shanks in the past he seems to LOVE the meat on them but I am a little worried over the two bones that are in there - they seem to get pretty small after a while. He has a Kong but has never taken any interest in it... I have thought about the other Kong products out in the market but considering the price of 'em - meh... We are already doing this with Fraser, we taught him from an early age to wait for his dinner - they suggested at training to pick a certain word before feeding him ANYTHING - to help with food refusal. We picked the word "tucker" and these days he is very good and will not eat his dinner until he hears the word. Can try and trick him sometimes with 'sucker', 'rucker' etc. and he won't budge. The longer we keep him though the more drool and dribble he produces as he has the stare down with his meal. I am taking him for roughly a 20-25 minute walk at the moment around the residential areas around home. He is told to sit every time we come to a road or street to cross. He is getting to a stage where I am not having to tell him which is great for me. We have him in training at ADT in Berwick and he has been enjoying that, plenty of socialisation and learning what and what not to do - and to have plenty of fun along the way. I also take him down to an off-leash area near my partners work place, shame we don't have one in our local council!! Thanks again for the reply - it seems like a real nice community and forum here! ;) sticks1977

Thanks for the reply Paganman - just hope you are not a supporter of Denis Pagan while he was at Carlton F.C in the AFL. Glad to see the back of that man... anyway... Glad to hear that your puppy grew out of it - I hope that Fraser is able to do the same. I think he just forgets about bladder control and is so happy to see certain people. I have never thought to actually rub his nose in it and never will - he understands at times what he has done. On a side note, he knocked over a bucket of water in the lounge room the other day, it was sitting there from me cleaning the carpets earlier in the day. As he knocked it over he barked once at it (both me and my partner were in another room), it was like he alerted us to what he had done. Had no reason to discipline him as we didn't see him do it but he realised what he had done and took a keen interest in me soaking up the water with paper towel. He seems to take an interest in a lot of things, when I was putting the washing away today into certain drawers he was absolutely fascinated watching everything I was doing - gotta love him!

Our five month-old chocolate labrador 'Fraser' has cut a fair few teeth and his adult teeth at the front between the fangs are all through and he has two large teeth a the back on the bottom and top of his jaw/gums that have come through. The other teeth are on their way and over the weekend his gums were bleeding as some of them have cut through the gums and are starting to come through. Is this painful for him with his teeth coming up? Is there anything any of you would suggest to give him to help the teething process? At the moment we are feeding him Hill's Science Diet Puppy - Large Breed Dry Food and PAL Pedigree Wet Food that you can buy in the supermarket for puppies (usually Chicken & Rice, Chicken and Turkey, Chicken). During the day he will get some Bone Biscuits, PAL Puppy Trainers (Liver?), and a Smoked Lamb Bone from who-ever is last out the door on the way to work. He also has PLENTY of toys at his disposal, the main toys that seem to be useful for his teeth are a Nylabone (navy blue in colour, has small ripples on it), Squeak toy (in the shape of a bone with small soccer balls on each end - he loves it!), and a teething ring made of very hard plastic with some small plastic keys on it. If there is anything we have missed to assist him in the teething stage, let me know... just don't want the poor bugger to suffer when his teeth are coming through. Regards, Shaun (sticks1977)

I have just had a phone-call from my partner who came home to our chocolate labrador 'Fraser' who was very excited to see her and subsequently had a pee on her work jacket and it also sprayed up onto her face and neck. He has recently turned five months of age and it sounds a bit 'taboo' but his 'nuts' have finally come down as well. She was bending down to give him a belly-rub and in the process got a squirt from him. Is this something that Fraser will eventually grow out of? I have also noticed when some neighbours come over or he meets some new people in his own home or even at our parents when we take him over that he also has a small pee here and there - funnily enough he does not squat like he will normally do in the backyard when it's time for him to go to the toilet... His toilet training is very good - he will tap on the sliding door with his paw to alert us that he wants to go outside. At times it is for the toilet and other times it is to play outside, but at least he is letting us know. Over the weekend I was hanging out some washing and somehow he actually opened the sliding door himself and came out to see me! Lastly, should we be disciplining him at all when he does the accidental pee inside, around new people or when we come home? I have heard some people have said that you never rub the dog's nose in it (and we have'nt at this stage). It seems that he does get over-excited and this is the main time that he happens to let go of his bladder - or perhaps forgets about it? Any advice would be appreciated, we are both first-time puppy owners and this seems to be his only down fall. He is a delight to have around home and I'm proud to say that he is getting me out of the house on regular daily walks - I have even lost a few kg's in the process... If any of you require more information just let me know, we are thinking of getting him de-sexed soon as well - will this perhaps improve the puppy peeing stage that he is going through? Regards, Shaun (sticks1977)

Our nearly five month old Labrador - Fraser - has done this a few times as well... He mainly has a small "squirt" when he notices new people (and they notice him!) He has become much better at my parents place when we take him over, originally when he was doing it I would immediately take him outside for the toilet and keep him out there until he knew that he had to pee. We currently have him in training with ADT @ Berwick and I asked them why he appears to pee everywhere at my parents place yet he is very well toilet trained at home. They then asked a few questions and sure enough it is because my parents home is mainly tiled throughout all areas and the smell/aroma from the cleaning product used on the floor entices him to pee!! As far as a solution... I think your puppy will grow out of it - come to think of it when Fraser last did a wee at my parents it was wiped up with paper towel and then put in front of Fraser's nose and a stern "No!" - I think he clicked on to what we were talking about. Best of luck!

Currently our little Fraser is being fed Advance Puppy Growth which has the following breakdown: Crude Protein (32%), Crude Fat (19%), Crude Fibre (5%), Moisture (10%), Ash (10.5%), Salt (2.5%), Calcium (1.2%) and Phosphorus (0.94%) I finally made sense of the feeding table on the side of the big bag of this food that we got for him. It was the same food that he has been having when he was at the breeders. He is now just over 10 weeks old and he is due to get his second vaccination on the 21st August. However after looking on the feeding table it states that when he is at two months of age he should move onto Advance Growth Large Breeds which says is for puppies and larger breeds that are 25 kg and over, I would think this would apply to Fraser being a lab! The breakdown of the Advance Growth Large is: Crude Protein (28%), Crude Fat (16%), Crude Fibre (5%), Moisture (10%), Ash (10.5%), Salt (2.5%), Calcium (1.0%) and Phosphorus (0.85%) I know that if I am to change his diet this should be done gradually over time, he has also had a little trouble going to the toilet when needing a poo - most of the time it seems solid and normal colour but every so often it seems light in colour and resembles diarrhea. Should I just wait until he goes to the vet for his second vaccination and bring it up then? Or should I be looking at other alternatives for him as he is growing up? He is a very active puppy and has just learnt how to leap up onto the couch to sit with us and watch television... He seems to have SO MUCH energy at the moment and is full of beans most days when I come home from work to be greeted by a smiling and happy puppy. Any help would be appreciated, you are welcome to click on the links provided to the two specific products, I am just a little worried that he may not be getting certain nutrients especially when the manufacturer of this product suggests to upgrade the puppy to another product at two months of age. Regards, Shaun (Sticks1977), Gaylene and Fraser

Whoops! I thought whelping was basically another word for crying or making some noise... I guess though for a dog giving birth she would make a fair bit of noise! - my mistake... *makes a mental note not to use the term 'whelp' ever again* Thanks to all for the replies so far, we are taking Fraser to Puppy School at Aust Dog Training on Saturday so I might ask a few questions there also about sleeping and if they would recommend getting a crate. After reading a few posts about the success some people have had with them I might have to look further into it. I think we will place him back in the Laundry tonight as it is a much smaller area and there is nothing he can really get into. When he has been in the Laundry and I have let him out in the morning he seems to not want to go to the toilet in the Laundry at all, he will practically run out of the Laundry, say a quick hello to me and then go out the sliding door into the backyard to do his business! ;) Would any of you also recommend a doggy door for him to go in and out of the backyard from the Laundry?

We have had our chocolate labrador puppy for about two weeks now and over the weekend we thought we would trial him in our bedroom for sleeping at night. The first two nights he was in the ensuite and separated from us by a baby gate but he was heaps noisy crying and whelping so we then moved him to the Laundry. At first he was unsure and still crying a little but since the Laundry was at the other end of the house we could not hear him as much. Lately when he was in the Laundry he would only make some noise once he knew we were awake and organising our breakfast. His toilet training has been getting better when being inside so we thought with him getting a little bigger and being really good we would trial him in the bedroom. The two nights he has spent in there he has been very good and made little to no noise at all - but he seems to want to get into everything. We have a pretty basic metal frame bed with wooden slats underneath that have a flat plastic tape that keeps them all together - and he seems to love chewing on them in the middle of the night... he has also had a few accidents with peeing in the bedroom even though there is newspaper down in the ensuite for him. I did not really expect him to go straight to the newspaper as he is not very familiar with our bedroom. Should we persevere with him in the bedroom or wait until he is a few more months older? I feel like placing him back in the Laundry but it has been good having him in the bedroom and knowing that he is warm and comfortable. Last night when I was coming to bed (he was already in the bedroom asleep) I did not know where he was - sure enough I looked under the bed and he was fast asleep and looked as content and comfortable as a puppy could be. Any advice would be welcome, we are not really looking to use a crate or any other method, he currently sleeps on a large pillow that has been wrapped in a fleece blanket. We also use this same bed to put in the garage when we are at work and we are looking to give him some shelter. Regards, Shaun (Sticks1977), Gaylene and Fraser ;)

I posted this in another forum, but thought it would also be applicable to post here - so here goes: Thought I would post on how Fraser's progress is going now that he is settled into his new home. He has been 'home' now for almost two weeks and as far as I can tell he is loving it. Just a few things I thought I would mention... His understanding of 'No' is becoming much better, if he ignores the command he is picked up and put into the bathroom for 2 minutes and then straight after he seems to realise the error of his ways. The trips to the "naughty room" are not as often now so he is starting to understand what he can, and can't get away with! One of the favourite things that he tries to get away with is biting/nipping at our jeans and also shoelaces - he can't get enough of them, usually a toy substitution works wonders so that we are able to move around the house and not be dragging a puppy along for the ride. Another thing Fraser loves is paper/cardboad - the box we had his bed placed in has been ripped to pieces, I watched him the other day have a go at it - it's amazing how quick he can make a mess! The other day when I was hanging out some washing I could hear the russeling of pages inside, I turn around and see him practically leap out of the house into the backyard with the tv guide in his mouth looking as proud as ever... my partner ran after him and he did not want to let go of it - he thought he could get away with it and rip it into many pieces - we managed to save it... His sense of smell and knowing when it is breakfast / dinner time is spot on. He will be on his best behaviour and he already knows to sit even before his bowl is on the kitchen floor. He has perfected the art of the "food stare" as well - when I was starting to make my lunch today I looked up, he was sitting on his matt and his eyes were fixated on me, he was not moving an inch and you could tell that he could smell food and was wondering if he would get any... sorry Fraser, none for you mate... The belly rub... something he LOVES to get from me and my partner, most of the time when he is playing he will roll onto his back and want us to rub his belly. Why do dogs - esp. labs - love their belly rubbed? The lab that I grew up with always loved a belly rub but not as often as what Fraser seems to demand. I have noticed as well after a rather long belly rub, he will roll back over and guaranteed he will sneeze... it's so damn cute! Lastly, when I got home from work last night he was sitting on his matt. I put my supplies etc. on the kitchen bench and said hello to him, he turned his head ever so slightly and had this shocked look on his face - like he couldnt believe he was seeing me. He practically leapt from his matt and ran over with his tail going a million miles an hour. Damn he was so happy to see me and I was just as glad to see him, glad to say he doesn't mind giving out kisses when we come home. It's just so fantastic coming home to see someone so happy to see you - he has definately helped me put everything into perspective and I am much less stressed now - he makes both me and my partner very happy. Fraser is also due to attend his first class of 'puppy pre-school' on 11th August. Just hope that he will enjoy it... Also stay tuned, I will be uploading some pictures of Fraser onto photobucket from the digital camera in the coming days - I will post again when they are available. Regards, Shaun (Sticks1977), Gaylene and Fraser

We have recently brought home a chocolate labrador (Fraser) and so far he has been a breath of fresh air through the place at home and me and my partner both love spending heaps of time with him. I was looking over the papers of his mother and father last night and reading the hip/elbow scores and was not too sure what to make of most of it... The mother has scores of Hips (2:3 = 5) and Elbows (2:2 = 4), and the father has scores of Hips (7:0 = 7) and Elbows (1:2 = 3) are these rather OK scores for the hip and elbow scoring system? I am currently at work so I don't have the documents nearby so I am only going from memory. There were also scores relating to the International Hip Grade (A to E) but I would have to look again at the documents to make sure. Also is it worth finding out the hip/elbow scores of our puppy? We are not sure whether we would want to breed him in the future, more than likely we will not as we mainly have Fraser as part of the family and a companion to have around home. If we were to get him hip/elbow scored, at what age should this be undertaken? Regards, Shaun (Sticks1977), Gaylene and Fraser

Fraser is on Advance Puppy Growth at the moment, he was on this same food at the breeders. It is watered down with boiling water and then served once it has cooled down. Any recommendations or advice is welcome on what other quality foods are out there. Also how much should I be feeding him? He is a chocolate labrador and currently at 9 weeks of age. At the moment we are giving him 2 cups per day with 1 cup each for breakfast (7am) and dinner (5pm).

Fraser is a chocolate labrador and is the first pet that me and my partner have had, we have grown up with family pets but never owned a puppy from the get-go. He has been an absolute joy to have around home and most of the time he is really happy to be around us, and us around him. The only question I really have is in relation to discipline and teaching him right from wrong. He seems to respond quite well at times but other times he just ignores us and continues on his rampant ways. Fraser is 9 weeks old today and he really loves the company of us around him. It's not un-common for him to fall asleep as the base of our feet. However, when he does get into a bit of trouble (biting/pulling our dressing gowns, biting the rug under the coffee table) we give him a stern "No!" and try and substitute what he is biting with one (of many) of his toys. Eventually after the third warning and he is still not paying attention we pick him up and put him in the bathroom and close the door. He whines and cries for a little while and after 2-3 minutes we turn the light on (handy as the light switch is on the outside of the bathroom) and we let him back out. After this he is usually well behaved and will play with his own toys as opposed to biting and playing with things he shouldnt. But in the back of my mind I have wondered whether this is the correct approach? He does seem to realise what he has done wrong when we let him out of the bathroom. We would never hit him or try to punish him in a cruel way so is this the right way to go about it or should we just accept that he is being a puppy and that in his eyes he is just playing? Any advice would be appreciated, I am rather new here to the board (and very new to puppy ownership) so at times I become a bit unsure and cautious. Thanks to all in advance and I'm glad I've stumbled over this forum! Regards, Shaun (Sticks1977), Gaylene and Fraser

This is my first post and I am very new to dog and puppy ownership. 'Fraser' was picked up from the breeders on 21st July from Longwarry, Victoria. He is a chocolate labrador and apart from a few episodes of biting and playing up he has been an absolute joy to have around the house and as a companion. He is just on 9 weeks of age today and I am looking to enrol him into Puppy Pre School and Obedience after that. I have been browsing a few dog obedience clubs on the web but I just do not know what to look for and how good some of them are at what they do. Hence why I thought I would come here! The few I have found so far are: Australian Dog Traning (Berwick) Knox Obedience Club (Knox) Paw Behaviour (Carrum) So far Australian Dog Traning seem to be more professional and the class at Berwick on a Saturday morning is perfect for me and my partner as we work during the week. However, after reading some posts on this forum about their methods of teaching and some experiences people have had - I am not so sure. We are currently living in Cranbourne West, Victoria. I have already booked Fraser in for his second round of vaccinations on 21st August at Casey and Cranbourne Veterinary Hospital. They have a Puppy Pre-School but the next available timeslot is at 4.00pm on Wednesday 22nd August which does not really sit too well with our timetable - since both of us are at work. Any advice on dog training or puppy pre-school would be fantastic - me and my partner are not really looking to have Fraser be super-obedient, we just want the basics that he will be able to heel, come to us when called and overall just be a very happy dog to have around and live with. At the moment he is asleep on his matt so I better submit this post and then get back to him and see how he is doing. Regards, Shaun (Sticks1977), Gaylene and Fraser.