Stitch

Yep my lot don't do that well on Advance but I have two BIG bags so they are stuck with it for a while. I found Royal Canin was generally the most acceptable with the dogs and most acceptable for me as the resulting poos were quite small & firm. Unfortunately I think it is also the most expensive of the readily available premium foods. Tried Eagle Pack, Evo, Artemis etc. but wasn't that impressed although I know there are several people on the forum like EP. Perhaps that is one you could try - down side is that not everyone stocks it. But really they don't need dry food if you are feeding BARF which is what I am doing. I just have the dry for maintaining condition on dogs that are very active but I could substitute chicken necks etc. for it. Biggest concern when feeding BARF is that it has to be balanced but if you feed Dr. Billinghursts BARF which is already prepared, it has the right balance.

If all the dog will eat is chicken fillets and you are happy to feed that, then feed him chicken fillets with a multi vitamin/calcium sup. mixed in. I have a dog with similar problem and I am wondering if your dog may need to go without food for 24 hours to help stimulate the appetite initially, then feed something like Hills I/D diet mixed/soaked with a little warm water - but only enough to satisfy the hunger - be careful not to overfeed as you want to keep it interested in its next meal. As long as the dog can tolerate it, adding a product like Livamol or a little molasses can be a good appetite stimulant.

Salthegal - It may be the Advance, I have found that some dogs don't tolerate it as well as others. Or it may be that your pup has picked up a mild gut bug - you can tell this by stopping feeding the dry food and put the pup on chicken & rice for a few days. If you see an improvement then try the Advance again and see what happens. Archerlove - try it without water and see!!

Apart from all the training & health issues Myrtie may have, you could always just try to rehome her. People will often surprise you and there just may be someone out there (like you) that is prepared to take her on. It doesn't hurt to try!!

She will be speyed after her next litter. It makes interesting reading to Google Phantom Pregnancies in dogs - seems its not so uncommon after all - it is just the degree of the reaction!

Hmmm, I don't think that would last - she would tear it off.

Parvo stays in the soil for ages so it might be that. Coconut mulch is a no-no and can poison dogs. Some dogs like Ecco 88, Chook Poo and similar and get sick when they eat it. I wouldn't be using the green waste from the dump as you just don't know where it has been - I have heard of that carrying disease problems. Use tea tree mulch - no problems with that one!!

If you are concerned about skin problems then you should get an appointment with the dermo. specialist. I believe there is a good one down Beenleigh way (South side of Brisbane anyway).

I have a bitch that has had a mild phantom pregnancy ie. she has a small amount of milk. If she has been mated then it would be about now that the puppies would be due. However it is the excessive licking of the teats that is causing me some concern. I took her to the vet yesterday and he said to put some cortisone cream on her. I have also put an elizbethan collar on her because the licking is now causing the skin to break and the whole abdomen is red looking. The vet didn't seem too concerned - he didn't even suggest the 'hoodie' - however it distresses me to see her in such discomfort. Does anyone know of anything else that is useful in these situations??? Maybe a soothing wash or something???

What breed are you getting? I ask that because temperaments vary with breeds, even though they are all dogs they do learn differently and all have their own personalities within a breed. Some are 'naturals' and very quick learners and some are 'special' and have to be taught differently to others. The basics of dog training are much the same but the methods of teaching sometimes have to be adapted. I have one line of dogs that as pups will not take a treat from my hand - whilst another line of dogs will be more vocal, etc. etc. All require adaptablility on my part. IMO the biggest thing overall to teach a dog is how to relax and that starts with you and your methods.

Ignoring whatever is going on around them is better than being scared but the more relaxed they can be the better. Hoovering is not really relaxation - I prefer a dog that sits/lies beside me so it is the benchmark behaviour that I would accept and aim for in this situation. If you don't have a picture in your mind or a goal of the behaviour you want, how can you expect to achieve it? Relaxation is very important in all aspects of dog training which you are doing every time you are with your dog.

Yes, parks with play equipment etc. are a great place to socialise puppys/dogs. The BIG thing when socialising any puppy/dog is to settle down where ever you take the pup/dog, read a book, calm down, don't draw the dogs attention to ANYTHING - just sit there involved in whatever you are doing and let the dog think that all the noise/people/activities etc. going on around it are NORMAL. Don't go to the park with the preconceived idea of only staying a short period of time. Go there with the idea of staying for a while and doing something that you want to do and your dog is tagging along and stay until the dog actually relaxes too! This way the activities of the children etc. are not the focus of attention - the focus is RELAXATION!! This is an important aspect of socialisation training. Sure you can watch your dog out of the corner of your eye, keeping under control, discouraging any barking etc. but the goal should be to get the dog to settle beside you and just relax!!

As a breeder I have desexed quite a few dogs and have found it usually makes a difference to male moreso than females. Males tend not to want to fight or roam as much as they used to but it doesn't cut down the territorial protective instincts - it just reduces the aggression to varying degrees. In females it sometimes just takes the edge off any aggression or excessive behaviours but is certainly not a panacea for all behavioural problems. It comes down to the fact that all dogs are different and every outcome will also be different. :p

Any dry dogfood that doesn't have meat or chicken as its FIRST listed ingredient doesn't make it through the door of my house!! Last time I looked Bonnie listed cereal/grain as its first ingredient!

Yep most of it was old news to me however there was one bit........the part about the irradiation of all the overseas made dogfood coming into Australia!! They are unsure as to whether it really is 100% the Orijien food or if it is the irradiation that caused the problems. I guess there are a lot of things we don't know or aren't told about dry/canned dogfood. Makes locally sourced dogfood look really good doesn't it!!

I give turkey necks not chicken necks to my four legged vacuum cleaner - that slows him down!!! He is only a small/medium sized dog but he sucks chicken necks down like spaghetti without chewing them.

Possum Corner, the reason that smaller more formed poos are best is because the less that comes out, the more was metabolised by the dog. Raw food tends to be metabolised well and produce dryer, smaller poos that go white really quickly. Dry food tends to produce larger poos that are 'well preserved'. The cheaper the dogfood usually translates to more fillers or cereals in it plus the preservatives. Raw all natural food is definitely the best however for many different reasons it is not always possible to feed this. I tried to get UA and GB's locally but couldn't. The produce merchant I was told to go to was so dirty & smelly I couldn't wait to get out of it. Looks like its going to be Optimum this time!

How long is a piece of string??? Just depends, dogs like different toys at different ages and usually the older they get the more capable they are of destroying the toy. Currently we have 3 types of toy in the backyard and they rotate them. The most favourite is an old T Shirt that we used to use to wipe our feet on - it is very popular, they can play tug a war, run around with several pups hanging onto it, shake it vigourously to kill it and play chasings with it. There is a couple of tug toys made of rubber and there are a couple of tennis balls. The most important aspect of these toys is that they are 'survivors' and also 'safe' to leave out.

Yes, oatmeal added to the usual food will put weight on. Sort of doggy porridge! Lamb flaps are the section on the end of the ribs, it tends to be more fatty in that area of the sheep so not that popular with humans. You buy the rib bones all joined together in one strip usually, if you know what I mean.

It is very expensive but it was the only dryfood that one of mine could eat.

Feed twice daily???

Well, it has been great to read all your replies. My boy is nearly at the end of the Pedigree Natural that I bought last time, before that it was Supercoat. I think we can do better than the Pedigree although I must say it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. It didn't aggrevate his allergies and the poos were OK. I am hoping for better though so this weekend I will try to buy Great Barko or Uncle Albers. The rep contacted me and I think I can buy it locally now. If not, I will try Optimum on my boy the 'vacuum cleaner'!!

If you realise that all bones have a % of marrow in them, then you will also realise that bones are very high in fat. It is often this fat that causes vomiting as the dog simply can't digest it. Most of my dogs have no problems with chicken necks but I have one older girl who could never tolerate bones (this includes necks) very well at all and it took a while for the penny to drop for me to realise what was causing the vomiting. Younger dogs seem to be able to digest them better than older ones and some have no problems at all ever - it just depends on the dog. So bones, in moderation if the dog doesn't tolerate them well. If that stops the vomiting, great, if not then no bones!!

Dr Billinghursts BARF is a complete food with all the natural vitamins and minerals. You don't have to add anything to it. Problem is that we have been so 'brainwashed' into believing that if we don't feed dry food that our dogs are somehow not going to get good nutrition. Where do you think vitamins and minerals come from in the first place??? Of course they come from good quality meat and veges, etc, and that is what Dr.B's BARF has in it. Do a google search on his food and have a look at this website, that should allay your fears.

As no one else has answered you, and you are a newby, I will put forward some ideas. I don't have samoyeds but IMO I would feed it a good quality raw food like BARF. You can get Dr.Billinghursts BARF in various meat ingredients at most pet shops/barns. They come frozen in meal sized pouches and are excellent. The majority of dogs really love it. Cut out the milk from the diet as it can upset the digestive system. You can feed kibble - I have found Royal Canin best for most of mine however opinions will differ. In the end you have to try what is available and choose what your dog likes best and what it does best on. Some dry foods result in huge smelly poos, or aggrevate allergies in dogs. It is the poos that IMO are the best indicator of how your dog is processing his food. I am happy when they are small, dry, and well formed. :p Raw food usually produces the best poos!!! :D