angelsun

Some lines grey early. I had a line of Manchesters that did not have a grey hair til they hit at least 7...another line was noticably grey by the age of 2. No pain involved...hereditary.

Used to feed Proplan but had a bit of a falling out with Purina over a PR issue. I use Iams now, but would use Eukie if I could get it reliably here. I do try to raise the pups on Euk puppy if possible but the last couple litters have been Iams puppy and they seem to do just fine. For now, it's Iams Minichunks and I use a Canadian dehydrated food called NRG. It's sort of a lazy man's raw diet. proteins are cooked but the rest is just dehydrated. Dogs love it, it's great to travel with and they seem to do well with it.

Boiled or baked beef heart with a touch of garlic while cooking. Sliced after cooling. They never tire of it..even my fussy ones. As for food rewards, timing is everything, I teach people to use food, but also praise, and in time, just praise. You always have that..you don't always have a pocket full of goodies...and the dog knows this when it's off and wont come back to a recall out in the open after slipping off a lead. We teach the dog that the human is the most fun, and most enjoyable thing in the whole world....starting with food...moving through the stages to teach the dog that regardless of the type of reward..it will get a reward. I also have taught some obedience folks to teach a dog that's lazy in the ring, that once the exercises are done the treats are OUTSIDE the ring. Praise is the only thing happening while working...but BOY what a treat when they're done and they did well! It really works....handlers are happy as they feel the "need" to treat..dogs are happy cause they get the rewards they like.

The recall is not something that is taught quickly and expected to be retained under distracting situations. Go back to the beginnings and use a LONG line. Dogs know when you are not connected to them and they will take advantage of this. ALWAYS use plenty of treats and praise along with a very happy voice when training the recall. NEVER grumble of punish a dog that comes in too slow or not at all....they will not come to you again if you punish...don't blame them. Begin retraining in a familiar spot ON LEAD with the above rewards....eventually go off lead in this place but only after you are 100% successful each time you do the recall. Move to an unfamilar place, BACK ON LEAD....begin again. Give yourself twice as long to succeed in this new enviroment. Try to get distractions in there but remember...ON LEAD. If you can not be 100% successful with a recall anywhere, the dog does not deserve the privalege of being off lead. If you feel the dog needs a good run on a beach etc...leave a long 10m lead attached so you can grab it if need be. How old is the dog? Often age is a factor when it comes to a solid recall. Remember to make YOU the most important thing to the dog and therefore he will want to come to you no matter what else is going on becaue you are the source of the treats/praise every single time.

On this thread...just had two dogs in class tonight..came to me from other obedience schools...instructor death on pinch collars..dogs were large, powerful and handler/mom's small and getting very sore shoulders...we introduced the pinch after I had thoroughly explained why it looked like it did and how it worked. ONE correction....no more pulling...the mum's jaws hit the floor...next question...."I can buy this right?" ( I always loan to try and never push to buy) Two happy people that now can enjoy walking their dogs....they are excited about being able to be out and about with them..whereas they would choose to leave them behind because it was simply too hard for these ladies to manage.

Sounds like that vet really doesn't know much...it's well documented that a raw diet grows dogs slower...any puppy kibble is usually chock full of fat etc and sure to pack on the pounds...ask giant breed dog breeders who NEVER use puppy formula on their pups! As well,,,anyone that pushes anything on me, I"m gone..pet insurance or anything...you are a consumer, and entitled to find the best one to offer services to you for your pet and your satisfaction. Remember...all vets are not created equal, and all vets do not necessarily know it all! (just because they have dvm behind their name!) Bottom line, you have to go where you are comfortable, where you dog is comfortable and deal with someone you can trust.

I have to agree....I'm not sure it's worth it in the long run....unfortunately it's a battle that the politicians have won. I'll stick with shipping over care packages of maple syrup and Canadian candy! (won't get into trouble with that!)

Yup, that's the ones....I still doubt they could be brought in from this way though....I"m sure those blunt plastic points MUST be deadly to the average dog! *cough, cough*

That is SO right!!!! The solid plastic "prong" type collar seems to be what people are using more around here lately....looks less "nasty" to Joe Public...and VERY blunt points....anyone would be hard pressed to cause damage to the skin with this one....

No slinging match...just the facts really....doesn't matter if I agree with their use or not....they are not designed to do what the Customs folks claim they are. Funny how no one talks about the neck injuries on dogs using head halters? oops...that would be another thread! hehehe

This is just another example of uneducated media.....the prongs do not bruise, nor pucture and are not designed to do so. But...it makes great news for the uneducated and bleeding hearts that are out there....those are the ones that also brought in the tail docking legislation I think...right?

Perhaps the kibble has reacted similar to how some children get when they pig out on candy...sugar high and off the walls they go! I"m pretty sure many of the processed kibbles are higher in sugars than feeding natural. Gotta wonder if that isn't the case here? As well...like any food...dogs fed this diet for extended periods probably build up a resistance or react less over time to the food as do people while trying to desensitize for allergies for example...just a thought