RuralPug

That board must be an old boys' network. Repeated breached of basic sanitation and lack of duty of care, even without the lying to owners of patients and abuse of his position, should mean that he is banned from running that clinic - but he is allowed to manage it, just not practice as a vet? Unless they are going to run very frequent hygiene control and health standard checks, he should NOT have been permitted to continue managing that clinic. Suspending him from clinical duties is insufficient. Two or more of the defrauded owners are taking him to court - I hope they succeed in hitting his hip pocket at least.

Thanks guys. I wouldn't be using it as a cool coat, but I would imagine you could use it longer on a hot day than the Thundershirt. It does look a bit like getting on a wetsuit or compression stocking, so I can imagine then a wriggly dog or heavily coated one might be a hassle - thanks for the tip about sizing, too! Edited to replace emoticon with appropriate one.

LOL we have all had our off days...once I went into the ring with one of my bitches, idiot OH of the time was holding my older bitch for next class but one in assembly. I was doing the triangle, concentrating on the dog and the judge, suddenly there was a murmur around ringside and the steward started advancing on me at a rapid pace. I came to a stand in front of the judge wondering WTF and the steward lunged past me and popped back up holding my older bitch who had escaped OH and had neatly followed me around the triangle! I can't remember what the judge said, she was laughing so hard. Something about a new angle on double handling....I wanted to shrink into the grass, these days I can laugh about it though!

Yup those should do the trick. You will find that if you get all that dead undercoat out (it will take a while the first time and you won't believe how much hair comes out LOL) and keep up with a quick but thorough brush every other day, that he won't smell as much so you won't need to do a full bath that often - just a wipe over with a damp washcloth or unscented baby wipe keeps them sweet between baths as long as all that mattress fluff dead undercoat is gone. :)

LOL looks like no-one else has tried it either. Perhaps I will be the first, then.

Do get as much undercoat out as you can with a decent rake or similar tool, it is the dead undercoat caught in the live hair than can cause problems, including. occasionally, overheating. A lab carrying no dead undercoat is much cooler than a lab that has been clipped.

So has anyone tried the ZenDog anxiety products shown on this website? The manufacturer is Contech, a Canadian maker of innovative agricultural products. I am particularly interested in the calming compression shirt as the hype says that it can be used as a cool coat when wet and is a lightweight breathable fabric, which would be a major point of difference from the Thundershirt. Would love to hear if anyone has tried this one... EF fat finger typo

Stuff his meals inside large Kongs or similar - or two or three clean empty plastic jars. That will make him work to get his feed out and he won't be able to guts it down all at once. ETA: Sorry TSD, didn't see your post until now - you beat me to it! I agree with TSD LOL

PUGS SOS now operate in all states, although their primary interest is rescuing entire pugs from puppy farms and can probably assist if Denise doesn't have a foster space, but I would try Denise first if it is a surrender or pound situation. :)

Sending positive thoughts and healing vibes - the seniors can often be quite knocked about by anaesthesia, and recovery may be a bit slow. I hope he picks up soon, feeling miserable is no fun for pet or owner.

Would like to know the full story...unsure as we definitely have only one side of it in this article. One single line at the end seems to have come from the other party? I am also confused as to whether it was operating as a shelter or as a boarding facility while leased to the rescue group - or was it both? From that article obviously sub-standard care was provided and the owner took no interest in all that time in how his business was being managed? Who was getting any profits form the boarding while volunteers instead of paid staff were working at the business? Not a lot of information on that rescue's FB page, except to say that they have "removed all the fosters" from there and have rented a 12 acre property with a dam elsewhere for their animals in care and have started a foster care network. ETA: here is an earlier newspaper article from earlier this year: http://www.gympietimes.com.au/news/fate-in-councils-hands/2247203/ "OWNERS of a Gympie dog shelter are facing a battle with Gympie Regional Council over noise complaints.Best Friends Fur Ever Rescue is a no-kill dog shelter which works as a boarding kennel and rescue shelter. The facility, located on Eel Creek Rd, is home to 40 dogs, and residents in surrounding streets have made complaints about the barking. They petitioned the council to have the kennels reach "no noise" status by the end of April. Operator Peta Herrero-Lopez was warned by Gympie Regional Council that if she made no immediate solutions to the noise, she would face a $30,000 fine. Ms Herrero-Lopez said she needed to raise funds to make changes and it was impossible to create a no-noise shelter. She created an online petition to ask the council for more time to raise funds for noise reduction infrastructure. "The business has been here for 40 years and there have been complaints for a long time, but mainly since I took over in October because I have the dogs in the outdoor runs," Ms Herrero- Lopez said. "The council has said there can be no noise whatsoever but that's not possible with all the work we do. "The council has not measured the noise, all they have told me is that it is too noisy." The petition, which received more than 4000 signatures, has been handed to Gympie Regional Council. However, Councillor for Planning and Development Ian Petersen said no decisions had been made yet and further action may be taken. "The situation is that their time has expired and we are undertaking noise testing," he said. "If the testing confirms the complaints, we will go to court and it will be up to the court to decide." The shelter's fundraising manager, Jazmyn Smith, said there were many factors the council had not considered. She said the dogs generally only bark during feeding or the arrival of visitors. "It simply cannot be helped that the dogs have to spend a large part of their time caged in runs and lack of exercise and stimulation can cause all sorts of problems for dogs, one of these being a lot more energy to bark," she said. "However, the shelter is built from the exact same materials as both the RSPCA and Council shelters; besser blocks, wire and concrete." Councillor Peterson said other residents are entitled to enjoy a quiet neighbourhood. "The council is sympathetic to people who care for animals and no-one wants to cause problems for the owners of the shelter but we have a duty of care to maintain the other residents' quality of life," he said. "Barking is frequent and , it can go on for hours, no-one can be expected to put up with that." Ms Herrero- Lopez said fundraising efforts were being undertaken to buy acoustic foam, noise barriers and plants to alleviate the noise."

For a homemade detangling spray you can melt a couple of tablespoons of copha in a litre of boiling water, add a few drops of glycerine, mix all together and allow to cool. Decant into a spray bottle and shake vigourously before using. The downside is that mix doesn't have preservatives and will go off in about 10 days.

It is a matter for personal preference, but in the case of a teenage bouncy dog I would recommend the sit as it is easier to see when/if he is about to lunge out of a sit than if he is standing and you can react faster and so guide him better, or as you put it "refocus" him. Over regimented, in my view, is a dog that never moves without command, not something I think you need to worry about in training a polite companion dog. But I also want to emphasise that every one in the household is aware that he needs to sit before going out that door, and how to reinforce that happening. :)

Listerine? I bet that chow didn't get hot spots LOL!

It probably either tastes sweet or fatty (chicken poop or seaweed fertilizer?) I would try adding something to the pots that puts the dogs off eating the soil without altering the soil ph too much, or just barricade the pots off.

Most commercial pet doors come with a lock...obviously yours doesn't. Can you get a piece of perspex or even plywood and slide it to wedge between the frame and the door so that it covers the flap but leaves the flywire above the flap exposed?

Honestly I would not give antis to a dog in that instance. They could create a problem with the slaughter of good gastric bacteria for no gain. See another vet, or even the original vet (if you need to go back to the same clinic insist to reception that you don't wan't to see Vet X. They should be able to accommodate you.) If you are unsure are timid about speaking up (I was brought up to be respectful of my elders and professionals and it took me a LONG time to learn to demand explanations of things I was not sure about) then it is really important that you have the utmost confidence in your vet.

I think your kids are probably a wee bit small to cope with the adolescent shenanigans of many of the larger dogs, but that shouldn't preclude you looking at those breeds and considering an adult of that breed. Dogs 4yrs and over are commonly settled nicely, especially if already raised with kids. Labs, goldens, flat coats, curly coats, the other retrievers and even busy dogs such as Dalmations and Vizlas and pointer types are quite settled at that age. If you are determined to raise from puppyhood, then I would say it is easier on a young family to choose a small to medium breed. There are very few breeds that don't go through a silly adolescent phase, but larger dogs do tend to knock little people flying while in theirs. Another plus for getting an older dog for a first family dog is that they have already been through all the vulnerable stages where a mistake in rearing could make them nightmares to live with - and when you need a lot of energy keeping up with small kids it is not impossible to make such a mistake with a puppy, just through not having enough time. Whether you choose a puppy or an older dog might well depend on the breed you set your heart on - talk to as many breeders as you can at the shows (when they are relaxed and seated - not while waiting to go in the ring or grooming!) and you should get an idea whether a baby or an adult of that breed is best.

Idiot owners. History of non-compliance, reports of aggression when the dog was roaming loose, they think a few signs gives them the right to deny access to meter reader? No, it doesn't. Who is to say that the meter reader didn't proceed with caution, and then once he was past the final gate the dog came at him out of nowhere? I can't imagine a meter reader opening a gate right into the face of a large slavering, menacing dog when there are "Dangerous Dog" signs posted on the property! The owners did not comply with the council directive not to have the dog loose in the yard except when supervised. Another dog will probably suffer due to the idiocy of his owners.

I get a galvanised bucket (no fun to drag) and chain it firmly to a post or chain link fence. I use a slightly smaller plastic bucket as an insert. Only ever had one crazy who removed the plastic insert. Those large elliptical enamelled ice buckets that were in the cheapie stores everywhere a while back are great too.

My favourite is the poker game as well. Clever photoshopping as the same GR is in every chair LOL!

Ups and downs will happen. Do try the Thundershirt - perhaps ask if someone could lend you one for a trial before you purchase your own. If I had seen the post earlier I might have suggested trialling Rescue Remedy, but he is already on vet medication so I wouldn't mix the two.

So she has the potential to be a normal little dog but something about your approach (completely innocent on your part I'm sure) feels threatening to her. It might be as simple as you being anxious about her behaviour and your anxiety she picks up but doesn't know why so runs... I think you need to see a competent behaviourist (which strikes out the one you have already seen) who can teach you how to relate to this little one a bit better. I'm sure you have a great relationship with your other dog and others in the past, but hey are not all stamped in the same mould and you may have to learn to adjust your approach. I suspect you and hubby may need to be more relaxed and confident with her, but a good behaviourist observing the interaction between you and the new puppy could tell you for sure.

Have had a look at their website. They claim to be "professional pet breeders". They do not show, because the colours they like best are not permitted in the show ring in Australia (there is a REASON for large amounts of white being a no-no in this breed!) They claim that they will never ever line breed, but their imported stock is from breeders who heavily line breed. I lost all faith in them when I read their article which stated that when they found that almost all of the swabs they sent in for DNA testing for an eye disease resulted in all the dogs they had tested being carriers for that disease, so they pooh-[poohed the tests, based on the faulty statistics that the incidence in the breed should be the same as the incidence of carriers in their kennel (which would only be the case if no one else bred dachshunds. LOL). I think your instincts are good, Mercedes. Avoid them.

I have a friend who breeds the smooth collies and they seem to be a lot more full-on and have more drive than the roughs, more in line with the average kelpie or ACD. They are clever and gorgeous but not really the quiet family dog... A cocker spaniel or corgi from a GOOD breeder should suit you. Personally I feel that you would struggle a bit much much as a novice in Obedience with a beagle or whippet, although they might tick your other boxes. If you are really interested in a smaller dog with great obedience potential, you might want to consider the Schipperke, but being VERY intelligent they are not really the breed I would recommend for a first family dog, they are easy to "break" which can lead to behaviour problems.