Stitch

IMO I desex a male dog if the testosterone 'surge' is too much for me (for a pet) or if I do not want to use him for breeding or before I rehome a show dog. Otherwise, if he is not making a nuisance of himself for whatever reason which can be put down to being entire, probably about 12-18 months (again for a pet). I have desexed some at around 5 years of age and found the result was perfect. It is really whatever age suits you after they are physically mature.

Apart from the 'package' thing - I would NOT be desexing a male puppy at that age!!!! IMO it really is way too young as it does effect the growth of the boy bit, etc. Do you really have to get it done so soon????

Currently I have found that Royal Canin and Eagle Pack are the best. I say currently because I have found that manufacturers change the recipe every now and then and what was good isn't any more. I am feeding Royal Canin and my lot are doing fine. Other brands tend to give them tummy upsets ie. they puke it back up again. I only feed dry of a morning and then BARF of an evening. However in your case, and if it was my dog, I would be feeding less of ALL food including treats. There is nothing like hunger to make the food they are given very acceptable!!! So, cut out the treats for a week, cut every meal down by 1/3rd for a week and I bet you at the end of that time your dog will think your dry food is pretty good!!! Feeding a dog is an art - too little and you get a skinny, hungry dog, too much and you either get a fat dog or a picky dog.

Ummmm, ........ how about taking it back to where you bought it and getting them to assemble it and show you how it is done????

If it were me I would phone the Dogs Victoria, tell them what happened and ask them the correct procedure. If he threatens you then call the police.

I have seen some of the greyhound walking machines and they are so big and bulky they look like cattle crushes and they seem to be driven by a petrol powered motor. Do you know if they have electric ones?

Yes they are expensive but I have some savings that I would be happy to part with if it was a good investment. However I am concerned that it might not go down slow enough to teach them easily. Aussienot, do you remember what the slowest speed of your walking machine is???

Yep, newly acquired pups can be difficult to start with and some are worse than others. Until he becomes comfortable in his new environment it is probably easier to keep him with you as much as possible. I know this isn't always practical or achieveable but it does make things quieter. He will eventually settle down, especially if you start by only disappearing for a few seconds so he gets used to the idea, then go for a few minutes, then 1/4 hr, etc. and leave him with something to amuse him ie. food or toy. No instant cure I am afraid as every one is different - he is just feeling lonely and insecure in his new environment, missing his buddies, etc. but he will adapt fairly quickly. In the meantime if you have to go to work, get a playpen or large crate, make sure he is secure & has water etc. close the doors and go. It is the only thing you can do if you can't get someone to mind him for you.

Thats interesting - I thought they would be more prepared to concentrate on the message at hand after they had a bit of exercise. I can't get out to walk them currently as we have BIG trucks using the roads around us now and no footpaths.

I was thinking of it to get rid of the excess energy of younger dogs before I do their obedience practice.

Just wondering if any has or has had an electric doggy treadmill and what they thought of them??? Saw the advert. in the dog magazine - Fit Fur Life they were called. They sound like a great idea - I have tried our lot on our human electric treadmill but they can't seem to get the idea of it as it doesn't have a very slow speed. What do you all think???

My initial response to your last post is why would they worm it twice since they have had the pup such a short time and it is only 9 weeks old????? It would seem that there are just way to many possibilities to even guess at what is wrong with the pup without seeing it. If it was me I would take it back to the breeder and show them and ask for some help - bearing in mind that the breeder may not be at fault in any way. I certainly wouldn't be putting a new pup in a position where it could be accessed by party goers - so who knows what else may have happened to it.

A very hard decision but you will know when the times comes However - is she not eating because of the diet you have put her on or because she isn't eating her normal food?? If she's not eating the diet food perhaps you could just give her what she likes but less of it??? Just a thought!

One of mine has the same problem. Dental specialist said that it is the specific type of bacteria in the mouth that causes the staining. He said there was very little you could do about it however getting the teeth descaled helps to reduce the amount of bacteria in the mouth plus clipping the hair off around the mouth also helps to ease any gum issues. In dogs that have long hair around their mouth, like schnauzers, the hair is constantly being dragged into the mouth and across the gums, so the gums have very tiny lacerations on them, sort of like if you were constantly flossing your teeth only with really fine hairs. If you trim a very small amount of hair off just around the mouth so the hair can't be dragged into the mouth it also helps! I have one of the very small battery clippers that I use to trim around the lips.

Could be a coincidence but my lot have had the same thing so I am inclined to think that there is a mild stomach bug doing the rounds in Qld. Initially I thought it was just a reoccurance of my older girls IBS/gut problems but as it worked its way through the rest of my dogs I am inclined to think that it is a bug. It hit her hardest as she has a problem in that area but my others just had a bit of a vomit and a bit off colour then they were back to normal the next day or so. If you are concerned just withhold all food for 24 hours then feed a bland diet for a few days.

Thank you for the ideas. My lot are always listening and watching for clues as to what is going to happen next. Dogs are supposed to like routine! I guess that is so they can anticipate what is coming next!!! Anyway, I will continue on with my goal of her calming down and try to reward the calmer behaviour. Of course there are always times that things have to be done quickly - sigh! That is when I feel we are going backwards!!

I would suggest boiled chicken (skin removed) plus veges. & rice. No added salt but if you include celery in the veges it gives enough taste to the mix. I boil chicken legs then remove the skin & bones when cooked, then I boil the veges & rice in the chicken stock and cut up the chicken and add it back into the veges. when they are cooked.

Looks like I have been practicing a 'technique' all these years without knowing it! All my pups have to permit touching in all areas. They are all well handled before they go to their forever homes and their new owners know to continue with this practice. Any breed that needs regular grooming ie several times a week, must be able to be 'touched' everywhere. All mine, including my hyperactive girl, stand for inspection on the grooming table.

Time for some feedback for those that are interested in this complex situation. Correction definitely has very limited effect so has to be used very sparingly but definitely used in some situations. Praise works better if I can find something to praise and it is very difficult sometimes to find something positive. We almost have the sit every time now but I still don't think the brain is totally grasping the exercise as she is jumping around so much she can't possibly be concentrating. I am trying to achieve 'quiet time' with this dog ie. sitting quietly and trying to get her into relaxation mode. I have noticed that she rarely relaxes - she goes from 0 to 100mph in 1 second! I think Caesar Milans methods to encourage a relaxed state of mind have a definite place here and this will have a roll on effect to reduce the talking although achieving a relaxed state of mind with this dog is definitely not easy. It is the waiting for the relaxation to kick in that is difficult for me as she is not my only dog and I don't have unlimited time. It took me 10 minutes last night to calm her sufficiently (not entirely) to stop the yapping and running around that always preceeds feeding time but we did it in the end. Everything excites her immediately hence me saying the 0-100mph thing. I just have to factor in more time for doing anything that involves her.

Many bitches go off their food at this time so you need to offer special food and as much as the bitch wants to eat. Things like 'mummy shakes' which are a mix of Jalna Vanilla yoghurt, raw egg, honey and you can add goats milk if you want, or otherwise leave it out. Do not feed cows milk. Otherwise tempting food like chicken broth, stews, or anything she really likes even BBQ chicken, etc. just so that the bitch starts eating again.

Specialist repro.vets recommendations - DON'T GIVE ANY OF THESE THINGS INCLUDING HEARTWORM MEDS. ETA: All worming meds. are low grade poisons. All vaccinations should be brought up to date prior to mating the bitch.

Must be the season for stomach upsets! It is easy to forget and/or get distracted by the details of your particular circumstances but as a basic rule - if your pup/dog goes off their food, won't eat the usual quantity, vomits, gets diahorrea, etc. then your first reaction should be to presume that the gut is irritated. If there are multiple vomits, if the pup/dog is depressed and has a high temperature, if there is blood in the stools, or if the symptoms are obviously severe then you should take it directly to the vet. So firstly you should decide if the problem is severe enough to visit a vet - otherwise try the following: If there is mild diahorrea, then fast the pup/dog for 24hours making sure that it doesn't get dehydrated, then feed a bland diet like boiled chicken (skin removed) & rice in small quantities for 3-5 days. If there is no diahorrea then just go onto the bland diet in small quanitites until the dog for about 3-5 days or until the appetite improves. The smaller quantities will help the dog look forward to their next meal and will either help their gut to settle or sort out the pups that are just being picky.

Dogs are no different to humans ie. if you eat something that doesn't agree with you then you get gas. Feed him different food - something that his gut can cope with better. I would put him on boiled chicken & rice to settle the gut down, then progress to a more natural food like Dr. Billinghursts BARF.

Be careful with the Livamol - it's base is molasses and it can affect the teeth and result in excess tartar being produced.

Her stomach may inflammed after all the meds etc. Have you tried her on a bland diet of steamed/boiled chicken (fat removed) & rice, warmed, instead of everything else you may be feeding her just to get the stomach settled again??? You can also add a probiotic to put back the flora into the gut. Even Hills I/D diet can be a bit much initially for some gut problems plus it does bloat them. I have found that some dogs just prefer a bland home cooked diet.