RiverStar-Aura

Lol!!! I'm glad to see she's got a loving home and has a good life!! What a cutie!!!!!

I had a lovely experience with P@P too. When Poochie was PTS I had a terrible time trying to decide what to do as there were family arguments -- mum wanted the vet to "just get rid of her" and she didn't understand why I was so distraught saying she deserved better than that. In the end I was at work (spent my shift crying in the staff toilets) and I just called P@P myself and organised everything. I was glad my vet kept Poochie for me until we decided what to do with her. She arrived in a lovely white scatter box with a plaque with her name on it. Eventually I was able to scatter her in the garden but her collar, lead and name tag are still in the box on my desk behind a lovely photo of her. I'm grateful there are companies like Pets at Peace around; they help the grieving process.

My old dog Poochie lived to 16 and she was never heart-wormed or vaccinated (with the exception of her puppy vaccines). We never had a problem with her and we live in a high risk heart-worm area. I'm definitely taking my 2 dogs off the injection this year.

I've witnessed her harassing a golden retriever puppy and a boxer in the same way as Zeus but luckily other owners step in before it turns sinister. I can't remember if there were raised hackles but the growling and snarling indicated aggression to me. In the two instances both she and Zeus have met up, a full-on fight would've broken out if I hadn't stepped in to separate both dogs. Luckily I've been able to get to Zeus and keep pushing the other dog away until her owner comes to get her. And I know it's not just rough play because Zeus himself is a rough player with mouthing and "tackling" but there's never any snarling. I haven't been back to the park since but that's due to work. I might head out there earlier this afternoon before this dog and owner arrive.

I take my guys into Pet Barn too and they love it. I tell them "we're going shopping" and Zeus gets very excited. They're happy just sniffing around the food and watching the resident corellas squawk in their cage. Zeus will occasionally try and get to a stray piece of food lost under the fixtures though!! If I'm buying them a toy I'll let them pick it out because they seem to enjoy this. All I do is tell them "pick one" and the walk along the bottom shelf sniffing at the toys. The first one they pick up is the one I buy -- luckily Pet Barn hasn't caught on and started placing their most expensive toys on the bottom shelves!! :laugh:

I know my small breed pup, Kirah started getting fussy around the 14-15 age weeks so I completely cut out the midday meal and hey presto, she tucked into her breakfast and dinner no probs after that

At a new off leash park I take Zeus and Kirah to, there's a pair of female American Staffy puppies (I believe are about 6 and 10 months old) that also frequent the park. Twice now, Zeus has been baled up by one of the females almost to the point of a full fight breaking out if I don't step in. What confuses me about this dog is that it shows no sign of aggression towards other dogs although I have witnessed it bullying a Golden Retriever puppy (male). Its owner puts her back on the lead but she still barks and lunges if Zeus comes too close to her when playing with the other dogs. I've been watching Zeus closely but he only ever plays with the other dogs and shows no aggressive behaviour at all. He flops down on his back and makes little barky puppy noises (he's nearly 3 though) and is just so happy and smiley. The sister of the Staffy plays fine with Zeus and the others it's just the black one. I did hear the owner say that maybe she's prejudiced against male dogs but I seriously doubt it. Could it simply be a matter of two dominant dogs and she feels threatened by Zeus thus her need to attack him? I'm just worried that if I don't step in or if she gets in a mood, she'll go at Zeus and as he's such a doofus, he'll get seriously hurt. I know the easy answer is to not go to the park but I don't see it fair that Zeus misses out because of one grumpy dog. I was just wondering what you all thought about this female's behaviour. Is it considered a DA dog or aggression??

Naaaaaw isn't he a cutie!! And I wouldn't mind if his ears stated that colour cause I like it -- but if you're not expecting that colour I can understand!!

I'll tell you what though, the poo bags aren't cheap. I was looking at the Dogs on Board ones in Pet Barn and they're like $30-$40 for 6 rolls!! I never even knew nappy bags existed until now. Might look into it. A friend of mine uses her council supplied biodegradable green waste bin bags and as she gets given hundreds every couple of weeks she's all set!! And it's good cause she has 3 dogs.

What is the toy? Cuddles Plush Duck -- yellow version but also available in drake colour of grey/green. Estimated Price: Small $15-$20 Large $20-$25 Purchased From: Pet Barn, Pet Stock, Big W and a local produce store which was the cheapest. How tough/How long-lasting? Sadly this is just another stuffing filled toy, which Zeus loves to destroy. If he's left alone with it, it won't see longer than 5 minutes. On the plus side, these ducks have a fantastic squeaky noise. They don't squeak like a normal toy but instead quack like a real duck. I once had Zeus playing with one in the backyard and a group of kids walked past our property. I heard one boy exclaim "OMG they have a goose!!" As they're so expensive I don't let Zeus play with his duck unsupervised and they get put away after each play session. This means they can last up to a year (unless my brothers get it out for Zeus to play with as they let him rip it open ). How much time is spent playing with it? Until I or the family get sick of playing "where's the duck?", otherwise he'd never stop playing with it even once he's completely gutted it. This duck is primarily used for Zeus's favourite game "where's the duck?" in which we hide it various locations around the backyard and he then uses his beagle nose to search it out. He gets so excited, happy and smiley when playing this game it makes me happy watching him. When I run out of hidey-holes we switch to fetch, which never lasts long as I get bored throwing the toy! Edited for premature posting of reply :laugh:

I guess she's not such a nice dog after all ... Poor girl

I will always own an Aussie Terrier or two (or three or four) but since being on DOL I've fallen in love with Salukis!! They are such gorgeous, regal looking dogs and I'd love to try my hand owning and showing one day. I've also always wanted a Norwich Terrier, which I think will be my next puppy and I'm also very determined to own an Old English Sheepdog one day as I swear I've wanted one since birth!! ;)However that will have to wait until I move to the UK as I don't think it's fair keeping one in Aus with their coat.

There is no "best" dry dog food. It's all about what agrees with your dog and what works. Any of the premium dry foods are good: Black Hawk, Royal Canin ... The list is endless. Then there's the feeders of an all raw diet, which is also fantastic if you know what you're doing. My guys thrive on Royal Canin but it might not work for your dog. I've also been told that if your dog is overly excitable to watch out for the amount of protein it's being fed. I don't know how true this is though.

Thanks for the link Alyosha!! From the look of a Parsons I'd say that Zeus is more beagle x PRT not JRT as his legs are very long. Parsons are gorgeous looking dogs!!

It's not a matter of loudly yelping, it needs to be very high pitched like a squeak as that's how puppies tell each other they've gone too far. But when interacting with him definitely make sure you have a toy in one hand do that when he nips you, shove the toy in his mouth instead!!

Lol!! Welcome to the world of the beagle x JRT!! My boy Zeus is one and you're in for the challenge of a lifetime. Zeus is nearly 3 and he's just as hyper now as he was as a puppy and he doesn't appear to be slowing down. For this cross breed you're in for a LOT of training and you have to be boss. Give them an inch and they'll walk all over you. At 4 months you really need to be working on his recall as his beagle nose is not generally scent and distraction friendly. I don't know about your pup either but Zeus is super smart and learns new tricks in about 10 minutes. He's keen to learn, has a real zest for tricks resulting in a trick list a mile long. For the biting you'll find he's probably teething so when he bites you say "ow" or "ouch" in a high pitched yelp so he knows he's gone too far. Make sure you provide him with plenty of chew toys such as Kongs or Nylabones and when patting him and he bites have a toy to distract him so that he learns to chew the toy rather than your hand. Enrol in some obedience classes as you'll find your boy will thrive and if possible I'd put off going on this holiday because if there's no one to look after him it won't work. I agree that he's too young for a kennel and it's you who really needs to go to the training sessions so you can learn how to handle your dog. I'd be worried that you'll go away for two weeks then expect to come home to a perfectly trained dog. With this cross breed you'll always be training him -- at two and a half, Zeus and I still do training twice a day for 10-15 minutes each session. My problem is that I'm running out of tricks to teach him!! Good luck and I hope things work out. I love this cross breed but never again would I own one. I'll stick with pure bred terriers!! :laugh:

I guess that's where miss spoke (well mis-posted) anyway. Rather than annoyed I think the word I was searching for was surprised. I was surprised at the info given. The dog is clearly a little overweight however she wasn't given advice (so she said) about reducing its food intake. And I wasn't preaching to her about the "awesomeness" of Royal Canin as I understand each dog is different. She merely asked what I fed my two dogs and how much they get. She also said she'd been given a sample of Eukanuba and said her boy enjoyed that so I let her know that it's another good quality dry food.

I was just down at the dog park and had a conversation with a dog owner about her dog's diet. He's a two year old maltese x shih tzu and she's a first time dog owner who admitted to me that she has know idea when it comes to feeding her dog and was looking for some advice. She told me she's feeding him My Dog (those expensive individual square tins) along with a supermarket brand dry food (she mentioned VIP but I didn't think they made dry food ??) once a day. Now I don't have a problem with her feeding this food because some dogs thrive on it, however, her poor little guy is a little on the porky side (she actually told me she noticed he was getting fat and she'd expressed her concern with her vet). She said she was told by the vet that his diet was fine but to add in a Pedigree Dentastix ONCE EVERY DAY to keep his teeth clean so she's added that to his diet too. I was shocked that a vet would suggest feeding a Dentastix daily over a nice raw chicken neck/wing. So I told her that if she was worried about his teeth to cut out the Dentastix and give him a raw wing/neck to gnaw on. She also asked me what I feed my guys so I told her about their Royal Canin diet and she was surprised that they only get dry. I did tell her that they also get natural yoghurt, tuna, mackerel, chicken/turkey wings and brisket bones for treats and she told me she's going to look into getting her guy onto Royal Canin too. Even if she doesn't make the switch to premium dog food I did tell her that she should look into reducing the amount he's being fed and she agreed that he does get a LOT of treats. I'm just hoping that I've helped her out a bit because she does really love this little and was really listening to what I was saying so I hope I was somewhat helpful. Oh and my bubbas and I met and played with our very first Border Terrier. Very cool dogs!! :D

I don't understand why people say terriers are such hard work to train. All dogs have their difficulties and it saddens me that they've been given such a bad rap by idiot owners who don't understand them. People are always commenting about their stubbornness but all the Aussies I've owned are so willing to please that they're easy to train. And they don't bark a lot either. I know the poor JRT gets a hard slog because of their hyperness but in the right hands they're gorgeous dogs and not at all as bad as their reputation states. If you wouldn't suggest a terrier for this family based on the fact they're "hard work" maybe no dog is suitable as IMO they're all equally hard work -- just in different ways. If the family isn't willing to take the time then maybe they should get a fish.

They look like grass mites. Actually upon further googling I've discovered they look more like bird lice (which are actually mites). These leave me covered with itchy red welts up and down my legs. Scroll down to the bird lice image and description!

I find it tricky when people mention the "preferred size" because have they taken the adult weight of the dog into account or just the height? Some beagles can be quite short and stocky whereas some of the other medium size breeds may be longer and leaner limbed. What sort of build do they want in their dog? Stocky like a beagle or cocker spaniel or more dainty and leggy like say a dalmatian or whippet? On a personal note, I too (like Bailey's Mum above) sing praises for the Australian Terrier as I love the breed and think they're the perfect addition to any family (1st time owners or not). They're very easy going, as active as you'd like and very loyal and intelligent. Very few health issues to look out for and reasonably easy to look after in regards to coat maintenance and feeding. Or if they're after something a bit larger, how about a Wire Hair Fox Terrier? I don't know much about breed as I've just fallen in love with them recently. I know they said they didn't like the curly hair look but seriously … who could say no to this cutie? :D

The more I look into all the hundreds of different products I'm leaning towards Heartgard -- especially since my guys already have tick treatment every 2 weeks and Drontal all-wormer every 3 months. I'm happy giving them everything separately because over winter I usually stop the flea/tick treatment and I don't see that worming every 3 months is a problem.

I'm so sorry to hear about your gorgeous girl. You must be devastated!! Have you tried smothering food in honey or maple syrup? My guys love the sweetness of honey and I'd be trying even peanut butter and honey sandwiches! Can't really think of anything else that hasn't already been mentioned. Hugs to you and your girl at this hard time. She's lived a fantastic life and is clearly very much loved!!

Just wanted to start asking for advice before the time arises mid-year for me to have come to a decision. Both Kirah and Zeus are on the yearly heartworm injection and after much thought (and after reading lots on DOL about it) I've decided to not give it to my guys again. I've had no problems with the injection so far and my old dog Poochie lived 16 and a half years without heartworm prevention, but I'd just prefer to not dose them with so many chemicals in one hit. I've been looking into both Panoramis and Heartgard and I think I'm leaning towards Heartgard as I treat both my guys fortnightly with Advantix for tick prevention (which is why I won't use Advocate as I don't want to double dose for fleas). My question is this: When it says to treat monthly do they mean every 4 weeks or on the same date each month (eg their first treatment was on Jan 1st so next month's dose is Feb 1st)? The reason I ask is because I'd like to know that my guys are getting the best protection possible and after having the yearly injections, monthly treatment has not concerned me.

Aye but there's the rub. To treat for ticks you're still treating every 2 weeks for fleas if using Advantix or Frontline. Permoxin I've never heard of but am interested in learning more. How is it administered and is it only a tick preventative?