luvsdogs

I would stick to the diet the breeder had her on. Did they give you a diet sheet. My breeder did & as well as the kibble there was yoghurt, cottage cheese, sardines in oil & raw mince. I was to alternate the extras at each meal. I pretty much stick to it although I did change the brand of kibble & added raw meaty bones. Tilba is still a guts & would eat all I gave her if I weren't sensible. With large breed puppies you need to grow them slowly to avoid bone & joint problems.

I'm so sorry to hear that, but it's probably for the best. Mother Nature knows what she's doing.

How old is she? & how long during the day would she be outside on her own?

That's the same at our place. I would love for Tilba to sleep on the bed, but once started........! I don't think it's fair to change what's been started. Some dogs can become overprotective of their main caregiver & growl at an interloper. I would get her a crate, leave the door open & put it in another room that can be hers alone. Sooty used to sleep outside in a kennel when she was younger & I made her some coats for the winter.

I would not take on a dog that is timid. If you're not used to training dogs, then you'd be in for a lot of work. And being timid could be dangerous for your children especially the baby. Then there's the possibility of this dog having cocker rage syndrome. Apparently it's more prevalent in certain colours, the cocker ppl will be able to tell you if this could be a problem. Ethical breeders wouldn't breed known carriers, but with this pup you don't know. Most of what a puppy needs to know & learn, socialisation, needs to happen b4 16 w/o. Other wise as I said it takes a lot of time & commitment.

My dogs live inside/outside. Whenever they are in the house by themselves they are confined to 'their' room & are not allowed full access to the house. It's important to not scold the pup for going in the wrong place bc he will hide from you when he wants to go. What are you going to do when he gets older, paper isn't going to be enough.?

I would try him on raw chicken meat & raw bones. It's best to give him meat chunks than mince. As stated put the food down for about 10 muns & if he doesn't eat it take it up until the next meal.

Uncle Albers has meat and fish as the first two ingredients, and I'm am just as happy as can be with it. After 18 months of super premium brands, I can't believe the improvement in Bensons coat and skin. And at $30 for 22kg, my purse is equally as happy with it. I'll have to look into getting Uncle Albers or Great Barko. Yesterday I paid nearly $30 for 3kg of Advance.

Regardless, most people know Grapes are a definite hazard to dogs, so one would assume sultanas are as well, which possibly calls in to question other aspects of Billinghurst's products and suggestions. Actually, until a few years ago no one had ever told me grapes were poisonous to dogs. Aesop's fable of the fox and grapes gives a general sense from early childhood that dog-like animals like grapes (though not sour ones). And I saw dogs snacking on vines in my childhood with no apparent ill effect and no attempt by the owners to keep the dog from eating grapes. I agree, though, Billinghurst presents a lot of ideas with anecdotal evidence only . . . I don't regard him as a reliable veterinary reference. I hadn't known grapes were poisonous either, when we used to give them to our lorikeet, the dogs would hang around until we gave them some. And when I 1st bought Billinghurt's 1st 2 book back in the late '90s I once put a handful of sultanas in the vegie mix while I was making it up. I often wonder about giving dogs pork bones?

They usually can go to 1 meal a day at 1 y/o. Tilba used to always let me know if I was late with her breakfast but when she turned 1 y/o she stopped doing that 90% of the time. Because she's so thin I mostly still feed her twice a day. I feed both mine (13 months and 16 months) 2 meals a day and would continue to do so. I was told by the vet that giving two small meals a day instead of one large meal reduces the chances of bloat. I've also heard this.

I'd be waiting to see how they get on b4 leaving them alone at all. They may be a similar size to start with, but a lab puppy will grow quickly & the resident dog needs time to having a strange puppy in her territory.

I agree with everyone. Have him outside. He will get used to it & be much happier. It took a couple of months to be able to trust Tilba outside, she would find all sorts of things to chew. Now she's happy to be outside when no ones home, except for Sooty of course. All the responses made me laugh, because if this were an overseas forum you would be run out of town if you didn't have your dog inside. They just don't understand the Aussie way.

Have a look at this link, you may find someone in your area. http://apdt.com.au/trainers/directory.html#qld

I put a post on another thread on the same subject, would also be interested in how many ppl use one & what they think of them. (dehydrators)

I had read on another forum, with regard to the poisoning of dogs with chicken jerky. Someone said they would be doing their own meat treats using a dehydrator. Made me think what a good idea it would be to make my own. Where do you get one & how many types are there?

Puppies do bite. She will have to learn bite inhibition. Here's a link on what to do. http://www.dogstardaily.com/training/teach...bite-inhibition Welcome to the forum & is that your puppy in your avatar? If so she's gorgeous.

Tilba used to bark whenever I was late with her meals. Doesn't seem to do it much any more. When she turned 1 & went to 1 meal a day she seemed to recognise she didn't need that extra meal any more & doesn't demand breakfast, although some times she still gets it.

Here's a link to the methodology to teaching a dog to bark & shush on cue. http://www.dogstardaily.com/training/woofshush

When your expecting guests have some treats or a soft toy handy. Show your guests how to get her to sit for a treat. With the toy get her to play with it long enough for your guests to get inside & sit down.

Yes that's true. Of course if you've been going to her while she's whining & let her out it's going to take longer. I usually start with pups in the room that they are going to sleep in from the 1st night home. If you get a crate for her & start her sleeping in it in your room, take note at how long she can hold it b4 having to go outside to relieve herself. Take her out & allow her 5 mins to do the deed & if she doesn't back in the crate. If she's kicking up a storm don't go to her. Once she gets used to the crate & can hold it all night move her out to the laundry. You may have a few sleepless nights but it will be worth it in the long run. I tried this with Tilba, I would have left her but sons & oh would go out to her because of all the noise she made. I eventually let her sleep in the room on a dog bed & she was more settled.

Are you using the halti alone? If so I would also use a flat collar with either a double ended lead or connector to protect her from neck damage if she pulls on the halti.

I tried double sided tape on one of Tilba's ears. Because she has very hairy ears, it wouldn't stay on more than a couple of days. Held the ear down but it still wants to stand up without anything on it. She's now over 1 yr.

Karin Bridge is the president of APDT & runs Get SMART dogs. http://www.getsmartdogs.com.au/index.html

You have to be so focused on not interacting with him when he does these things. Even a sigh will give him the attention he's demanding. When he's quiet give him praise. Stick with it, he will have an extinction burst b4 he gets better where he'll seem to get worse. Keep with it & he'll improve. I had the same thing with my cat when she was a kitten. She attacked our legs, feet & hands all the time. I don't remember a kitten like it. Check out this website. www.dogstardaily.com

A lamb shank would give him & his teeth a good workout when he tears the meat off the bone.