Mango

Thanks everyone, it's been really good advice. Sadly he had another serious attempt at my other dog last night and my husband and I decided that was it. He went to the pound this morning. I think the crating would have been a good option. There have been many excellent suggestions in here, I really appreciate them all. I believe we made the right decision, I could imagine even months down the track there might have been a slight incident of jealousy over a ball resulting in me coming home to my other dog seriously maimed or dead. I made the decision not to risk that occurring.

Oh, and they are definitely being fed apart, food is not going to have the chance to come into the equation between them at all.

Thanks for all the responses, people, I really appreciate them. The dog's previous history was not known, he was not microchipped. They did keep him for a long time though as they wanted him rehomed, they must have seen some good in him. I have him temporarily muzzled, he has realised he can do less and so has the other dog. I like the on the leash idea inside the house, I will consider crating him... lots of good ideas in here. He has only just been desexed, and I will start exercising with him now he has been here a couple of days. The riding crop is actually working extremely well. We hope to see at least some minimal improvement to give us hope by the end of the weekend, otherwise he will go back then. I might be the bleeding heart who would persevere with him longer but my husband might, in all fairness, say no.

Please, please do tell me - I am very experienced with training horses to a high level and have had dogs my whole life, also being around my father who trained gun dogs to a high level, so I think I would understand the theory behind it. I am also a people trainer in everyday life... Thank you everyone else for your comments too... I am considering enlisting the help of local behaviourist I know...

We have brought home a dog from the pound yesterday and after the initial good introduction at the pound, he is being very aggressive toward my existing dog at home. He’s absolutely lovely on his own around all people, but is understandably very needy and insecure. He is crowding the other dog out, growling at him, has had a go at him several times, jumping up at me all the time. I have taken to carrying the crop around the house all the time to keep an eye on him near the other dog. He’s responding well to reprimands but it’s too early of course to say whether there will be any improvement long term. I feel he has over-bonded to me and I haven’t been overly encouraging this. He’s a youngish cattle dog/Basenji cross, the older one is a very laid Parson Russell terrier, who generally gets along with all dogs. Could people give me some tips for dealing with this type of aggressive behaviour, we are very worried but need to give him a fair chance, he has been with us for less than 24 hours. I am doing things like: Not letting him jump up on me. Sit nearby while I pat the other dog, or am patting them both simultaneously Give the other dogs treats first and make him wait and be second. Feeding them separately outside. He clearly needs to learn his place in the pecking order but I am wondering at the likelihood of success in retraining him. What are the chances of success and how quickly is it fair to expect some improvement? I’ll take him out on his own this afternoon for a good bit of exercise, probably a run to try to tire him out a bit. We’re very nervous, this sort/level of behaviour can’t be tolerated for any length of time.

Hi all, as this is a behaviour question, I hope I'm posting in the correct area. After recent instances and particularly yesterday, I'm becoming disturbed about my dog's behaviour. He is a 4 year old Parson Russell Terrier, and still has all of his boy bits. I have no problem with dogs doing grotty things but I am finding that when we meet other dogs, he is now ONLY interested in their back ends, in particular, licking their penises. We go to an off-leash area and his behaviour is becoming increasingly embarassing. Yesterday I put him back on the leash. He's generally very well trained and obedient (I have put a lot of effort into this) and sure, I think he could do with a refresher in the obedience department, but anyway, he has become insanely obsessed about this. He never displays any interest in humping dogs, and is quite interested females as well. I have never considered having him desexed but for the first time, wondering whether this would have a high likelihood of adjusting his behaviour. And any other tips would be great, please.

I have just booked my dog in to the local vet as he is still itching his bottom a lot despite being regularly wormed, so I've realised something else may be going on. I was very unimpressed with my conversation with the vet when booking in so need some advice. I have always been particular about yearly vaccinations until the information came out from the AVA saying that they are no longer required on a yearly basis, so I was thinking of going every second year now instead. When I rang, the vet gave me the big guilt trip for not bringing the dog in to his vaccinations 3 months ago. I advised I was aware of the AVA information and had discussed it with the other vet (his wife) when I was there 15 months ago. He also poo-poo'ed the worming products I get from the supermarket, saying they are from Africa and America and generally no good. I am starting to see red and inclined to cancel the appointment. I also deal with another excellent large vet surgery in the area when this little one is too busy, it's just that I like to give the small family concern my business when I can. Can anyone please give me some current opinions/advice on the yearly v 3 yearly vaccination debate, and also supermarket worming products?

My 2 year old Parson Russell is having a rough time with his allergies this summer. I believe I have pretty much eliminated the fleas from his environment, but of course, it's impossible to be 100% sure. A friend yesterday identified Wandering Jew in my backyard, I had heard of it but didn't really know what it looked like until now. There was only a little, and not in a spot he was likely to come into contact with it. Does the dog need to be coming into contact with it, or could it have beeen blowing pollens etc around the backyard? Would like some advice on the process and success of allergy investigations at the vet. When he first went off the richter as a 3 month old puppy, we tried him on Iramine and Polaramine with no luck. I understand we could try a variety of human antihistamines but that finding the one that works for your particular dog is very hit and miss. Last summer he wasn't that bad, this summer is much worse. What is the cost of allergy tests, etc? If the source/s are found, how can it then be treated? Is there any use in perhaps doing one cortisone injection each summer, or would this not last for several months anyway? Any advice would be appreciated. He is red and itchy on his belly, chin, and knaws also at the back of his lower legs...

Exactly. Advantage and Advantix are exactly the same, except for the addition of Permethrin in Advantix for the ticks. There shouldn't be any reason why Advantage would work and Advantix doesn't. I'd be actually looking to see whether the dog actually has fleas. I have to admit I haven't seen a flea on him in ages, but it only takes one to get him going. I put the Advantage on, on Monday, and I feel we are seeing results. I am really scratching my head over this one (maybe the fleas have jumped across to me now, lol.)

Thanks all for your comments. I am definitely not getting the results from Advantix, tried it again after two weeks. My new Advantage has arrived in the post today, I will put it on him and see if he gets the usual relief. If not, then I guess there could be some grass or other allergy issue around us in our environment. But in the past Advantage has always solved our issues. I really want some sort of tick protection too, as I take him out to the farm where my horses are, and we have ticks galore out there.

After Frontline became less effective for my dog, I moved to Advantage. Have always been very impressed with Advantage. Now into summer I've moved to Advantix. I thought it was supposed to be effective for fleas as well as ticks? But I'm finding the dog is still scratching a lot, must still have a flea or two. Should I perhaps be alternating between the two products? I notice Advantix doesn't have the "perkins paste" smell of the Advantage, so perhaps its missing the ingredient that works for us with the fleas... What have been your experiences?

Hi, I'm in Wollongong and have a 1 year old broken-coated Parson Russell Terrier. I do some running with him, and he has grown a lot more coat than I expected, so I don't want him to cook in summer. What would a typical short trim cost for a small to medium size dog around Wollongong? Any recommendations as to where to go? How long does it take for a coat to grow back in summer? Thanks so much.

The vet recommended the 2ml of Polaramine as my dog is fairly small.

Hi all, I am going through the process of trying to find an antihistamine which helps with my puppy's atopic allergy. We have already been to the vet and tried Iramine for 3 weeks (apparently usually the most successful one for dogs). We are now onto stage 2, trying human antihistamines. The vet has recommended that I start with Polaramine, which I've gone and purchased today. Can anyone give the names of ones which have worked for their dogs? Thanks so much.

My puppy apparently has an atopic dermatitis and has now been on antihistamines for 2 weeks. Is it possible that he may need to stay on them permanently? The vet said to stop giving them if the itching stops, we're not at that point yet although he does seem somewhat better. I understand we may need to try a different antihistamine but my main question is that it's okay if he has to stay on them permanently? I understand anti's are a very "safe" drug so imagine there wouldn't be much of a problem with this?...

My Parson Russell Terrier also travels very badly. If I am taking him in the car, I have to make sure he hasn't eaten for several hours beforehand. In my sedan with just me, he has learnt to lie down on the front passenger seat and sleep the whole way. In my partner's ute, he gets tied in the back like a real dog and travels much bettter than in the front with us. He hates being put in the back, but the fact is, it's better for him. He alternates between getting up and having a look when we're travelling through suburbia, or lies down when we're going too fast for his liking. I do feel it's gradually getting better and he is handling his nervousness about the cars better.

My 6 month old Parson Russell Terrier has also gone ballistic with his allergy since Christmas. I am trying to be careful with wearing my perfumes around him, I have heard that can be one of many things that affect them. I have picked him up today after a week at a boarding kennel, as we went away for holidays. He seems to have been better while I've been away, so I wonder whether I'm part of the problem, or whether it's just because the antihistamines have finally started working for him...

My Parson Russell Terrier puppy, Oliver, now 6 months old. A baby shot, and a more recent one, mainly distinguishable because of the extra facial hair!

I originally posted some weeks ago, worried that my puppy only wanted to eat raw meat. Well I've now got him eating dry food as well, and when I ran out of the cheap supermarket brand I had originally bought, I moved on to Advance Puppy Plus last week, which was recommended to me. He really seems to like the flavour better than the other one, but it's not that he is gorging himself at all. He has had diarrhoea the last couple of days and I've sometimes seen blood in it, which is obviously worrying. Silly me, I've since realised I didn't transition him between the two dry foods, I just ran out and then bought the new one. Should I persevere and hope his system gets used to it? I got him to eat the dry food by mixing it with other stuff, mainly raw chicken mince, although he'll now also eat it on its own. He loves everything chicken and not much else. I was thrilled last night when he ate a bit of steak from our bbq. I don't want to do the wrong thing and am not sure whether to persevere, change his diet, or reintroduce some of the old brand of dry food - or take him to the vet! He is still happy and very energetic and eating well, and is 4 months old.

Gosh, I've always been wishing my 4 month old Parson Russell terrier would eat more, you have the opposite problem! However, mine is growing at a great rate of knots, so there really can't be a problem.

Thanks everyone, he's already eating a little better. He eats two reasonable meals a day. I'd still like to see him eating more, but he's happy and healthy and energetic. I mix the mince in with his dry food, which I pre-soak in water so that it expands and softens. We leave dry food around for him but he doesn't eat much at night or during the day when we're not there, and I'm pretty much only feeding the ants and birds really. Later in the evening, well after he's eaten as much normal food as he wants, I drag out some chicken for a small treat, so I guess he's getting almost a third small meal. I will move on to a top quality dry food once we've used up the standard supermarket brand we've got. PS Percyk, I absolutely love some of your logic...

He's a Parson Russell Terrier. I asked the breeder originally and he said he fed them anything. No particular brand of food, and mentioned chicken carcasses (I assumed cooked at the time, but judging from the pup's behaviour, maybe they were raw?!) I was expecting to feed mainly dry food, with a combination of a small amount of tinned food, food scraps (ie sausages, fat off meat, etc) and supplement with raw bones, chicken/lamb necks, etc. I don't mind feeding what it takes, but as per the first post above, don't want to be responsible for creating a fussy eater. Well, this morning, he must have been hungry, as the mince he rejected last night was acceptable in the end after all!

Hi all, Just hoping for a bit of advice here. I got my new pup a week and a half ago and started feeding him dry food and tinned puppy food. He has been eating a little but never heaps (and I always thought puppies were ravenous!). When I offered him other treats like cooked chicken pulled off the bone, cooked sausage, fat left over from steak, etc, he was only mildly interested. The only thing he got absolutely excited about (after a week) was when I recently defrosted some mince, he loved the left over blood. So I bought him some raw mince and raw chicken, which he was very enthused about for a while. He has since lost interest in the mince after I mixed it with a little dog food. He still thinks raw chicken is awesome, and today I gave him raw chicken wing as well. I don't know what to do as I know full well I can't keep him on an all meat diet. I can't believe he doesn't like tinned food, etc - should I just try different brands and flavours? I haven't tried wetting dry food yet and mixing it in, but the mince (even pure mince) now seems completely uninteresting to him. I might add he has been healthy and very energetic and happy the whole time. I am taking him to get his second round of shots tomorrow, so will also talk to the vet. Help!