luvsdogs

Feeding raw meaty bones is what dogs were meant to eat but I wouldn't leave them with a puppy all day. By all means give him bones but be there to make sure he can handle them. Start with raw chicken wings, legs & thighs, turkey wings, lamb shanks & necks. The big weight bearing bones will chip the teeth if left with a dog to finish. I would only let them have a go at the cartilage on the ends & the marrow then dispose of them.

I love my dogs and I don't feed Artemis Me too! And OMG..... I don't feed premium foods or even semi-premium foods either! So, what do you feed?

Can't wait to hear how you go.

I would take a specimen to the vets to get tested as a 1st step. Ask the vet if this is common after a neuter? If everything turns out ok, it's back to basics. Take him out regularly, watch him inside & praise for the job done outside.

Where, when is it?

As long as you've put in all the training, you can trial your pup at 6 mths.

To me, 5 - 6 deg is not that cold for dogs. Is your house heated during the night? If not, they will be used to the cold. If they play like you say, they're not going to notice the cold. As long as you bring them in when they're finished for another nap. My dog is taken out in the early hours to toilet by my son on his way to word & sleeps until I get up & let her out. Do they have coats?

So does Tilba.

I would be restricting too much exercise/walks until he's 12 m/o.

My dog goes crazy for Chunkers. You can get them in the fridge at Coles & Woolies. They're little meat balls that are easily broken into tiny bits. Tilba will work for a fingernail's worth.

I've never trialled a dog but I stewarded in CCD on the weekend. The other steward & I were amazed at the lack of fine tuning that most of the competitors had. Years ago when our club was traditionally trained we were drilled on loose leads, sharp turns, consistant hand signals & positioning. Some of the competitors even gave little lead corrections in the ring which to my knowledge is or was a big no, no. So apart from all the above advice I would say to practice using a loose lead & no lead pops. Sharp turns & if you get to the stays remember to leave with the other competitors & stay in line. This didn't happen in my ring on the weekend. Have things changed so much?

That's exciting. Have you got a puppy in mind &/or breeder? The longer you can take off work the better, to get her into a routine & getting used to being without her mum & litter. I've only ever had puppies after I left work so was able to be home with them most of the time in the early weeks. Friends of my sons have recently got a SBT puppy & they both work & she is left in their backyard. I have yet to hear how they are getting on with her. Hope to see her in the coming weeks. Imo not a good situation for a baby. If your yard is secure I would leave her in the yard with shelter & shade or else a room inside with her bed, water & some food, maybe stuffed in a couple of kongs, but this would encourage toileting inside. Up until 6 m/o they need 3 meals a day. Is anyone able to come home at lunchtime to feed & check on her?

She sounds like a very smart little pup. Keep up the good work.

It sounds like you had a wonderful time. I hope I can make the next one if there's nothing else on.

Here are links to trainers on the Gold Coast. I don't know anything about them but maybe worth finding out. Cynthia Fisher Gold Coast Dog Obedience Training Club Inc. Puppy classes, Pet dog training classes, agility, tricks & competition obedience training Phone: 07 5591 7048 Email: [email protected] www.goldcoastdogobedience.com QLD Gold Coast Evelyn Williams International Dog School Obedience - advanced - beginners - puppies - agility - beginners / triallers Phone: 07 5592 9132 Email: [email protected] QLD Gold Coast Lisa-Maree Price A1 Dog Training & Care Pet dog training, Consultations, Pet Care, Home Visits Phone: 0417 642 382 Email: [email protected]

A very helpful site for everything puppy/dog is www.dogstardaily.com You can download Before You Get Your Puppy for free. It takes you through the process of getting a puppy & what to look for to The 1st weeks at home. There's also exerts from After You Get Your Puppy. They both go through the stages a puppy goes through & at what ages. If you want to know anything else you can use their search engine. There's also lots of videos to watch. I'm glad you got him a crate, but as he gets older & starts to teeth he will probably start to have a go at chewing on it. Tilba is now 18 mths old & I've only in the last few months thought of getting her one. He will need lots of chew toys & rotate them so he doesn't become bored with them.

Me too, why do cats love to sleep amongst the puzzle pieces.

My dogs eat the dirt when they dig holes after it rains. Some say its to eat the grubs/worms that come to the surface when the grounds too wet. I have heard that there are nutrients in the ground, as long as there are no fertilisers or weed killers.

That's good to hear. Tilba still sits & waits for her dinner. Treats should only be used for learning new things, then when he's doing them reliably you can phase them out. But don't be fooled, if he starts to regress introduce the treats again to get him back on track. Keep him guessing.

As Shel said it's perfectly normal. Tilba did it a lot when she was younger, I haven't noticed so much lately & she's 18 m/o now. Now she will sniff at them & wiggle.

April had an incontinence problem on & off in her later years. I found she had become allergic to wheat. When ever she ate dry dog food she would leak. Once I discovered this the problem stopped. I always knew when anyone gave her a crust or biscuit because she would start leaking again. In the beginning she was put on hormone tablets & I thought this would allow her to eat kibble again, but when I gave it to her she kept leaking. The dosage was 1 Stilboestrol tablet at night for 3/7 days then 1 tab a week. She lived mostly on raw chicken bones & occasional lamb bones with Nature's Gift tinned food. Not the one with pasta. When I discovered Purina with oats instead of wheat she was ok eating this. She went on the course of tablets a couple of times when it got really bad, but if she had a slight relapse I would give her 1 tab for a couple of days then maybe 1 a week for a couple of weeks. The funny thing in it all is that our other dog Sooty would sometimes become incontinent at the same time as April.

The vet recommended I use Aloveen shampoo & conditioner on Tilba as she's been scratching ever since I've had her. So far I've used it twice. I want to know how much do you use? It says to use sparingly so I've dabbed it on britches, chest, tail & a little on the back. It's not enough to go all over, otherwise I'd use the whole tube. I've rinsed out lightly. Does it affect the skin if left in? or does it really help?

Keep us posted on the results. I'll be interested if it clears up completely. I never noticed any odour on Tilba's eyes, only the usual doggy odour sometimes.

Your welcome, let us know what you decide. If you want your pup to get to know other dogs you can also join an obedience club. They will also help with his shyness. Did he go to puppy pre school?

What were the drops called? Tilba had sore eyes with a coloured discharge. The vet prescribed a prednasone ointment. To me it didn't help terribly much. I took her in twice. She said it was very mild & wouldn't harm her eyes. I wasn't comfortable using it. The redness went away, vet said she was allergic to something especially as a couple of weeks later she had a sore ear, but she still has a crusty eyes every day. The vet said it was sleep & normal.