austen

I am about to purchase a canon 400d. At the camera shop, the assistant told me that I should really buy ultraviolet filters for the camera (I think they are about $%20.00) to protect the lens from scratching. does everyone use these? Years and years ago when I had an old SLR camera, I remember thinking that it made the picture look darker? Is this the case these days or have I got it wrong?

Ripley - what is the two day course that you did and where did you do it?

thanks dogmad - yep someone said to me you will definitely know when your dogs are fighting.

Was just at the vet's and talking about one of our dog's diets. He reccommended Royal Canin dry. When I said I also feed raw chicken etc, he said it is very difficult to replicate all the things dogs need in one particular food e.g. chicken, rice etc. He said he would just reccommend dry food and bones. Was just interested in finding out if there are any people on here who do feed their dogs just dry food and bones. This particular vet didn't sell any dry food so i don't think he was trying to just sell the dry food to me for that reason/ What do other people think?

Monah, How did you know your dog had HD - was it something to do with the way they were walking? Is it a rescue dog or a dog from a breeder?

I have never had two dogs before and was just wanting to know if it's difficult to tell if they are playing or fighting. Our two dogs roll around on the floor making funny growling noises (but doesn't sound nasty) and try and jump and nip each others ears and the fur underneath their mouths - is this normal behaviour - how can you tell the difference between playing and fighting (don't think I've ever seen a dog fight)

Just also wanted to check, with crates and a 12 week old puppy, can you leave them in there all night. We have crate in laundry - hooked up an old baby monitor so we could hear him if he woke up but he slept all night long - I got up about 5am and let him out to go to toilet. Should I be waking him up in the middle of the night to go to toilet? Didn't think puppies could last all night long?

I am certainly no expert but when our dog had it she sounded like she was going to throw up, only nothing ever came out (charming I know) Apart from the coughing, she was behaving completely normally, running around as usual. The vet gave her some kind of medicine as well as cough mixture, he also added that most of the time they just get over it on their own. She had been vaccinated, but apparently there are many different strains. We think however she only got a very light dose of it as she would only ever cough a couple of times a day.

Thanks for your ideas everyone - my Snooza futon arrived and it fits perfectly (well nearly) into the crate. Looks nice and cozy.

Haven't got him yet - he is arriving on Saturday - will be 12 weeks old.

Thanks for the info. Is it okay to close the door at night? Should be fine if you take puppy out for regular wee breaks, not sure how old your pup is, but usually an 8 week old pup would need to go out every 3 hours overnight for a wee break. Older pups can hang on a bit longer, but usually take pup out to toilet before you go to bed, and then once during the night, and again early morning. Once again - thanks for your help.

Thanks for the info. Is it okay to close the door at night?

Hi everyone. Have got my crate organised with a mattress, blanket and toys. The crate will be in the laundry(with our other dog who just sleeps on a normal dog bed.) My queston is - from time to time I will have to go out through the day. I don't want to leave the new puppy alone with the existing dog till I discovr how they will get on. My question is - how long is too long to leave in crate on its own. For example, if I go out for a couple of hours is that too long to leave in crate? Otherwise I will leave older dog outside and new dog in laundry whilst out.

Thanks guys - you've eased my concerns a little.

Thanks Lewis & Lyn - have just bought a Snooza futon and also a mink looking blanket to put over the top, so hopefully he will be fine!

thanks gomez - have been trying for the last 3 months or so. No problems e.g. diahhorea etc) just doens't seem to want to eat it. (wheras with outher types of dry, she eats it as soon as you put it out.)

Thanks Gomez. Have tried for a quite a while with Nutro, but for some reason our dog doesn't seem to have taken to ti. So Eagle Pack and Natural Balance are better than Royal Canin? (have done a search, but everybody seems to say something different so not sure what is right and what is wrong.)

He looks comfy! Is it important to get the right sixe crate? We got ours a bit bigger because we wanted our dog to grow into it - but maybe that wasn't the best thing to do.

Don't know really - they just seem to be the main 3 I have been able to find at pet supplies stores. No - just a minute - seem to remember a vet or somebody saying to me ages ago that these 3 were far better than the supermarket brands?

Hmm - so confusing. How long should you perservere with a particular type of food before trying something else?

Okay - looks like I'll be giving Royal Canin a go! Out of the three, Royal Canin is the only one I haven't tried.

Just be thankful he does it outside! If it's been raining, our dog, will poo on the concrete instead of the grass, because she doesn't like her paws getting wet in the grass.

Tell me about it - some of the spelling words my Year 3 daughter gets, I have to look at twice to make sure they are right!

The diahorrea, i think was caused by the large amount of fruit I was giving her (thought I was doing well), is there a spell checker to use on this forum - I really need one my spelling is a shocker and so is my writting (thanks to the age of computers I never needed to know how to spell, only to type) I know - me too - thought the fact that i was giving her all the raw meat and veges, I was doing the right thing - she seemed to love it so I just kept giving her more. I know what you mean about the spell checker.

Hmm - maybe I should try the medium energy one for my dog - we feed her HEAPS but I still think she is a bit underweight.