KitKat

Another little hint...always have treats with you, don't always give them to the dog once the recall is completed, but do so enough that they think there will be a tidbit waiting for them when they get to you. Give the dog lots of attention when they come in whether they get the treat or not. It's worked for me...lol, but my mob are a bit food orientated.

yeah...if i fed my dogs what was on say the back of the kibble packets they would be as wide as my car :rolleyes: if they start looking a bit too lean i feed them a bit more if they start looking (or feeling) a bit pudgy then they might get a fast day or a little less in their dinner bowl. It's is one of the 'fun' things about the Barf diet...'go by feel' as it were.

There are a few 'diet' pages on this forum if you do a search. But perhaps cut her kibble meals back but say a quarter adn replace that quarter with raw mulched vegies, eg carrot, beans, etc. With the BARF diet...if they start putting on weight you cut back how much you are giving them...and a fast day once a week or so doesn't hurt either. (Both my dogs are on a mostly BARF diet) Kit

Yay for Wilbur (and Gibbo too )

Thanks for posting everyone Yes, Molasseslass, it has been a bit ongoing now but just it was just the last straw really. They used to be fairly reasonable but it's gotten a bit iffy since i got my hands on my GSD pup. But then my other two pets only ever needed they're yearly injections, so didn't really take much to treat them.

I think EddyAnne was just giving the background for the comment if anyone was interested, or wanted a good read. I found it interesting as i have this type (not brand tho) of collar keeping my dog in my yard

So.....what would cause you to change vets? and have you had reason to change vets? I ask this because i and thinking of changing vets, but i'm not sure if i'm just seeing more into it then i should. Here goes...I recently took my pup to the vets to be weighed, just for interest's sake more then any other reason. Ran in to the vet and he told me the pup was growing too quickly, that i should put him onto a quality/expensive brand of puppy food and feed the noted amounts because it's a proper balanced diet, give him calcium suppliments, give no treats thru the day and then finished with 'he's going to be a big dog' and then was asked if i was going to breed with him when i said no i got then when i take him there to be desexed they will take his rear dew claws off at the same time. Previously i've had pet insurance pushed at me and was signed up without my permission for a two week trial with one of the companies. Now...i agree my pup is rather large, but he is growing in line with the rest of his litter, he is kept lean (under all the fur), his lines run to large dogs, all this he knows because i have told him, and i have told him the pup is bascially on a raw/barf diet. I had intended to get the pup desexed anyway....but elsewhere as it's much more reasonably priced. The calcium suppliments thing really thru me. I am realitively happy with the vets otherwise...but...it has me thinking of checking out other vets. If i was my Dr i would leave...which is why i'm seriously thinking of changing. So...what do you think? and what would make you change vets? and if you have for various reasons throw them in as well Thanks all Kit

You probably could....but i'm not sure i'd chance it with this stuff...but then again i have only just started with it and am still being uber careful.

I've just started my pair on sentinal spectrum, i chose it because it does the tapeworm as well, whereas the advocate doesn't. So the sentinal was a 'complete' product and i would still have to get an extra to cover tapeworm if using the other. My pair are on the biggest dosage (white packet 22-45kg) and the tablets are huge! lol, but are apparently meat flavoured...and both dogs just ate them without a problem which was nice.

According to the RSPCA the 'invisable fence' that i have to keep my dog in my yard, with it's (as i call it) zappy collar, is inhumane and should be banned and is apaprently banned from being imported unless you have the required licence. Now my older dog loves to go for wanders, he is desexed and is not bored, he just does it because he can. I fixed the fences, i put up extra fencing, i tried training, i tried repellants, he was desexed but nothing worked...ti was either chain him, give him up or use the invisable fence. Guess which i chose? and it has been the best thing since sliced bread as far as i'm concerned, it doesn't hurt him but it keeps him in the yard nice and safe. But the RSPCA considers it inhumane and if they haven't managed to ban them, i believe they are trying to do so. I will continue to use this fencing as i see fit, and the same with the future use of a prong collar. If the RSPCA wants to spend it's time hunting me down to charge me for having safe, polite, healthy, happy dogs then that's going to be their problem.

Pitties and their x's are banned in most places too....some laws are made on the wrong basis and with little to no research and often due to what kinda of media exposure might result. I might get one myself and if anyone questions me i'll show mine around my neck and the dogs matching one and say as far as i knew they were a new fashion accessory

Yeah...thought about importing for about 15 minutes, and then decided against it, it would indeed be my luck for my order to be checked by Customs.

Hmm...but those collar's don't look like prong collars...and not much of it would come up under x-ray...might be interesting... Anne...if possible, and if you don't mind, would you be able to pm me the name of the company in Brisbane that you got your prong collar from?

Thanks ChelseasMum, i did check out the site and that's where i saw K9Force has the smaller ones with the plastic stuff over the prongs, i think that would suit my friends dog better then the other types. Angelsun...so..have you a pic of these plastic pinch collars perhaps? can they be shipped OS do you think?

Hmm...are these collars able to be sent interstate without any hassles? They look pretty good and i know some one who might be interested one of the ones for smaller dogs...

hey Black Lab....hehe you did make me laugh and if you are about...get yourself on im! lol. As to the prong collars...well...i'd like to get my hands on one personally, only prob is the price seems to vary from $10 to $50 for the same darn thing.

I would have to say that the poo method does not always work My older boy just digs it out the way and continues in his efforts at landscaping my lawn. I wish it would work actually, but perhaps i'll give it another go...lol. But yes...i too would like to know what happens to all the dirt they dig out, i have spent oodles on buying dirt to refill the holes as i can never scrape up enough dirt from the surrounding area to fill the hole in. As to the black pepper....well tried that, no success...was told chilli power or curry powder, both times no success either. Mind you the rotten sod of a dog was snuffling around licking up the curry and chilli powder ,darn dog.

It is interesting actually because i know of at least 2 police dogs that prong collars are used on. I was actually looking for one as i thought it would be interesting for my older dog so my Mum could walk him without an issue, while i walk the pup...but the place i was going to get it from closed before their shipment arrived. Also as to the containment collars? i use one on my older dog...best thing since sliced bread as far as i am concerned...doesn't hurt him, infact i think i have gotten more zaps from it then he has, and it didn't hurt me anyway. *twitch twitch* lol. But before it he could get out of anywhere...for no particular reason then that he could do so, now he doesn't even bother trying to get out which means he is safe yet has the whole yard to play in and to me that is what matters.

I'm glad to hear your pup is and will be fine Don't forget to keep us up to date with lots of pic's in the photo forum Kit

Thanks Molasseslass for posting those links , I was being lazy in not hunting them down to post myself. Feel free all to post links if and where possible so that others can have a good sticky beak on what others are talking about . Could make it easier for those curious enough to be interested to see if any of these sports and such are located anywhere near them, etc etc.

I just thought i'd start this topic since i'm looking into a variety of things to do with my dogs starting this year. And since i was curious i figured others out there might be as well If nothing else it will be good to see what sports and types of training people do with their dogs, it might give others ideas one what they can do and where. My older dog, rotti x lab, does obedience and that's pretty much it. He had an unusual averson to frisbee and will only sometimes play in the back yard, usually so the pup doesn't get all the attention. Lure coursing proved a bit of a flop as he ran on the puppy run...just not after the lure...just sort of in a casual direction of his own until he resonded to a friends recall command at the catching area. I may try tracking as i am hoping to get the pup started this year but it will depend on how quickly i train up My pup, GSD, is already doing obedience, has started frisbee training and is also requiring me to follow less and less when doing the puppy run at lure coursing. I will be looking into tracking, agility and possibily herding for him this year depending on what gets him going. Much of this stuff he can not do fully yet and won't until he is old enough and grown up enough, but he can start on the basics and work up from there. He has started as a bit of a therapy dog as he has been allowed to go with me on a visit to a hospice, he proved extremely well behaved and even the nurses were impressed. He will be going again this weekend but for now it's just an in family thing, perhaps after things are sorted i might look into doing it properly. I might well look into other things depending on what is out there but may need to get a second job to pay for it all though Kit

Ok, well that's not a good diet for a young pup to start with. For the moment i would look at putting the pup on a good quality puppy food with chicken necks and a little puppy milk after supper. You might already have him on a diet much like this. He may indeed have a calium deficiency but i would stick to the safer side of not giving the tablets until you get a second vets opinion.Also follow Brigantia's advice about going to see a second vet who might be a bit more familier with the problem. It also sounds like the pup wasn't getting enough exercise either which will not be helping as his muscle tone could be fairly slack. I think Dru has seen this problem once or twice, i think information was noted in the rescue forum under.....Hero and Hogan? i think they were the two dog's names?

Ok, i would agree and say hold off on the calcium for a little bit. Is it possible to get in contact with the breeder's vet? And the pup is how old now? It may well be worth getting a second opinion, just in that this pup's case might be a little out of the usual. It is a terrible decision to have to make, but with more information would should be able to make a more informed decision on what is best for your puppy.

What breed is this pup and is it possible to post a picture showing his legs? Have you spoken to the breeder about this? If so...what did they say/recommend? With the extra info people might be able to give a more informed opinion is all. I assume the vet thinks there is hope else they would have asked you to make the decision within a few days rather then trial a high calcium diet for a couple of weeks. Hopefully a few people from the Rescue Forum will have a look here and post an opinion, many of them have come across a variety of issues along the lines of this one and may be able to offer some information from their experiances. Kit

Well my mob seem to now be all fine, they have stopped coughing but i'll will be very careful with where they go etc for the next little while just in case, i'd hate for them to manage to pass it on to another dog.