luvsdogs

Have you tried him on a natural, raw diet of bones, meat & offal? Cooking the food destroys the enzymes they need, I think to digest the food & other things I can't remember. www.rawmeatybones.com

It's perfectly normal for some puppies. April did it for about the 1st year when I got home, vet visits & if someone frightened her. She eventually grew out of it. Tilba on the other hand doesn't do it.

My son's dog when she was a pup used to swallow chicken necks whole. She would yelp with the pain of it going down. I worried about it so cut them into pieces. I also gave her single lamb flap bones & she swallowed that whole, same thing. It worried me at the time as to what happened to the bones. Nothing came out the other end recognisable as bone. I learned later that a dogs stomach juices are designed to dissolve raw bones. Nothing ever happened to her & she will soon be 9.

I have one of those grooming mitts, had it for April, she hated it. Tried to use it on Tilba & the cat & they both hate it. Sounds like a better idea for the carpet. I had heard on another doggy forum that some ppl vacuum their short coated dogs. Supposedly works & the dogs love it, if they are used to the noise. Of course I wouldn't use it without an attachment.

My bc is 20 mths old, is that too old to start? Maybe even just over 2 b4 I get around to it.

I found this link just b4 getting Tilba & waited until she was 14 m/o to be spayed which was 4 mths after her 1st/last season. http://www.caninesports.com/SpayNeuter.html I believe it's best to wait til 18 mths for a male but as his testicles haven't come down you may need to have it done sooner. Ask your vet for his opinion. He's such a cutie, but you know that already.

I've have 3 children & believe me puppies are so much easier. They go through babyhood in a matter of weeks & you soon wonder where the time went & want that cute little puppy back again.

Anyone know if you can buy your tickets at the gate on the days?

I haven't been able to teach it to any of my dogs but I've heard that while a dog is barking is the time to get it to shush. While your dog is barking have a treat in your hand & put it to the dog's nose. While he stops barking to sniff the treat, reward with the treat. Once he gets the hang of it you add the cue. While barking you use the hand signal for speak which usually is hold your hand with finger tips together & open fingers at dogs nose, again when he gets the hang of it give the cue.

It's the worst time. Tilba was spayed back in March & came home groggy & wearing her eliz collar which she needed the whole time because she wouldn't leave the incision alone. My son's dog was totally different, didn't touch her wound once, you wouldn't even know she had been done. I wouldn't encourage too much exercise until the stitches come out/dissolve even if she shows she feels better.

I 2nd the books Before You Get Your Puppy, worth a look even though you have your puppy & After Y G Y Puppy. by Dr Ian Dunbar at www.dogstardaily.com

Oh the joys of trialling.

I use Chunkers from Woolies & Coles. They are messy but I can get about 10-20 treats out of one meat ball. Tilba loves them. They can be broken into any size.

I haven't had this problem, so can't really say. You could start teaching give. Have a food treat near her nose & when she goes to sniff the food she should let go of the lead, while saying give. You could also start teaching leave it, saying it b4 she takes the lead in her mouth. It's generally said to start lead training by having a short piece of light rope attached to the collar. Then adding more length & finally adding extra weight. I have since heard that this encourages pulling as the pup gets to feel the weight on the lead & they can go where they like. The other way was to not move at all, be a tree, while the pup tries to pull. When the lead is loose is the only time you move forward.

This is a good rule for young puppies, they need their rest. Show the 2 older children how to train the puppy with food treats. Teach them not to run around squealing & flailing their arms around. This gets puppies excited & they chase, jump up on & nip.

Lots of good advice in the link. I have only ever introduced 2 puppies to our household & both went much the same way. April was 7.5 y/o when my son brought Sooty home, I didn't know anything about it. April wasn't very good with many other dogs & she pretended the pup wasn't there the 1st few days. Then she started playing with it but had to be watched when she got too rough. When Sooty was 7.5 y/o we got Tilba. Didn't get a chance to intro on neutral ground although I knew you should from b4 Sooty came to live with us. Again I supervised the 2 as much as I could & crated Tilba inside when I had to go out for short periods. I didn't leave them in the backyard together until Tilba was bigger & they were more used to each other & could be trusted. Both dogs got/get on fine & love to play with each other. Sometimes Sooty gets snappy with Tilba, mostly concerning food, but Tilba knows to give her a wide berth. With an older dog, I would be more careful that the pup got too much for your 1st dog & take appropriate precautions. As to training the pup, do it when the other dog's not around so the puppy can concentrate on you without distractions.

That's great news. The no. of times I've been worried about what Tilba may have eaten is beyond belief.

This is the most important thing you can do for these puppies. It is not generally recommended to get 2 pups of the same age at the same time. So as much as you can, train & walk the pups separately so they don't become too dependant on each other & not you. Otherwise you'll have problems with one if the other one has to for e.g. go to the vet for a day or so. Good luck & we can't wait to see pics. I have a soft spot for paps & would have got one if it weren't for my son's big dog.

Tilba is the 1st dog I've used a crate for. It's great to use in the car & she travels well in it. I have also used it while we holiday, gives her somewhere familiar to sleep. Young puppies can get into a lot of mischief while young, so a kennel run would be an ideal outside home while you're not home. I don't have one but I know a lot of breeders use them. As long as you introduce puppy to it gradually. If she's been in one at the breeders, that's a bonus.

Tilba got her 1st 2 vaccinations while she was with the breeder & I think my vet gave the C7 for her 12 week vac. I know she got C7 for her 1st annual vac. which for the 1st time is the 3 yr vac except for kennel cough with is still yearly.

I have been using the Woolies acv to no effect. Will have to give the health shop one a go. I've been putting it on Tilba's dinner for over a year.

It's not a good idea to get 2 puppies together. They depend & bond to each other more than they do to humans. As said they should be trained & walked separately so they don't get separation anxiety when one has to be alone.

I got April just under 6 weeks old & so did my son with Sooty. Although both dogs were great to live with, they both lacked the socialisation they would have got from staying longer with their litters. Tilba was nearly 12 weeks old when I got her & there was a great difference. She is so totally different. I was worried about missing out on those extra 4 puppy weeks but in the end she was still a puppy & more outgoing. The link that poodlefan gave is the one I 1st saw b4 getting Tilba. I waited until she had 1 season & had her spayed at 14 m/o to give her the best chance in life.

I always put the dogs to bed when I go. They are usually asleep b4 this but are taken out to toilet & back to bed. Wake up time varies. Sooty the older dog sleeps later than Tilba

I still roughly follow the breeders diet with Tilba which was sardines in oil, raw egg, raw meaty bones, yoghurt & cottage cheese. All of these are alternated & added to her kibble which at present is Advance adult. In the past I have used Purina one, Innova & Supercoat. An ideal diet for any dog is raw meaty bones.