Papillon Kisses

I see this is an old thread that has been bumped up, but if you’re still looking you could try the Swimply, Sniff Space and Sniff Spot directories.

I wouldn’t. My chi terrier mix almost choked on a big wing after downing it in one go and they are much bigger than necks.

Hi Ben, I’d go to the Pet Professional Guild Australia’s advanced directory, leave the search field open to QLD (i.e. don’t go more specific), then in the pet care section select all relevant options – that is, include things like house and pet sitting, not just pet resorts or boarding. https://www.ppgaustralia.net.au/Member-Search?&tab=1 The majority of those listed are qualified force free dog trainers, and there’s also a behaviour vet there. When you click on their profiles, you’ll also see who does aggressive dog consults, which may be a further mark of potential suitability. If they can’t do it themselves, ask who they would recommend whether that’s an individual or facility (and perhaps places to avoid if they are open to answering that). The industry is pretty well connected. Note that sometimes dog trainers don’t mention it on their own websites that they offer pet/house sitting if it’s something they only do occasionally, so if you navigate there and there’s no specific page it doesn’t necessarily mean that they don’t offer it anymore. Good luck!

This may not be a factor with the wire fox terrier, for all I know they might be fabulous in this regard, but I don’t think one should complain about unethical breeders, purpose bred crosses or the people buying these dogs if you’re not prepared to support newcomers.

Have you enrolled in puppy preschool - I’m assuming the one reference to an 11 year old dog rather 11 week old pup was a typo? A quality, force free puppy preschool will include instruction on home alone training as well as other important things like how to properly socialise to the world around them. You should start now - from 8 weeks actually, rather than waiting until vaccines have finished. https://avsab.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Puppy_Socialization_Position_Statement_Download_-_10-3-14.pdf A heads up that this particular breed mix can be prone to separation anxiety, so if you/they think you’re seeing signs that it’s beyond what is developmentally normal for a puppy, getting on top of it with one-on-one training +/- early referral to a behaviour vet is wise. I had my parents do the former with their toy poodle as he had a high level of distress when away from my mum’s sight for even a second and was escaping from the house when alone. No problems with separation now as an adult. Good places to look for dog trainers: https://www.ppgaustralia.net.au/find-a-professional https://www.deltainstitute.edu.au/accredited-trainer-search

I would choose a healthier pup. In this situation you’re not just looking at the immediate challenges of crate rest. But also an earlier onset of arthritis and, as twodoggies alludes to, a higher likelihood of behavioural problems/illnesses like anxiety, aggression, reactivity and noise sensitivity, due missing those important milestones, and also due to being in pain at critical stages of development. More about socialisation as there are many misconceptions: https://avsab.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Puppy_Socialization_Position_Statement_Download_-_10-3-14.pdf And studies about the impact of pain on behaviour: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fvets.2018.00017/full https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7071134/ If you proceed with pup, extra care and an alternative approach will need to be taken during the critical socialisation period to help steer things in the right direction. Here are the best places to look for dog trainers who can help you with this: https://www.ppgaustralia.net.au/find-a-professional https://www.deltainstitute.edu.au/find-a-trainer I would look specifically for someone who takes behaviour cases rather than just running puppy classes. They’ll be more knowledgable about the things I’m talking about and can do one-on-one consults. Polite Paws Sydney can do online consults and classes if needing to go that route. https://www.politepaws.com.au/training-services.html If you proceed with pup and later on need a vet behaviourist / behaviour vet, here is where you can find one of those: https://www.anzcvs.org.au/chapters/veterinary+behaviour+chapter And do ensure you have a rehab vet or physio for aftercare. Best wishes whatever decision you make.

Canine Arthritis Management is an amazing resource that you’ll want to check out. https://caninearthritis.co.uk

I can’t seem to send you a message with more information, but try Pharmacy for Real or Clayton Central Pharmacy. Both post if needed and were recommended by vet behaviourists (so have good quality control). Bova is the most expensive I came across in my travels.

It’s their superior sense of smell! Some meds are disgustingly flavoured (hello Lovan) and notorious for rejection. You could try putting it in a plain gelatine capsule (chemists stock them) or have it compounded into a flavoured suspension? I have it on good authority that chicken and fish are particularly tasty. Also, shout out to our Papillon who used to cheek medication then spit it out behind the furniture when no one was watching and you’d find it days later. Edit. Our compounding chemist was particularly well priced if you’d like his details.

Are you buying the Antinol rapid from your vet? If so you can possibly buy it cheaper online, which wouldn’t be a case of your lovely vet ripping you off but that they typically don’t have the same buying power as the big pet supply stores and chemists.

@Troy

Sudden behavioural change is a red flag for medical problems. I’d get a thorough wellness exam at the vet including bloods and assessing for pain. You could also consider getting a checkup by a rehab vet or physio, as they can pick up on things that a GP vet might miss in a consult (stress/adrenaline can mean dogs don’t show obvious pain). I’d be shocked if a dog her age wasn’t ouchy somewhere, and the potential role of pain in ‘problem’ behaviour is well established. It could be that she hurt herself when startled by the noise. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7071134/ https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/03/180320100719.htm While you wait, I’d try to give her calming things to do, rather than high adrenaline activities like fetch. You could play dog relaxation music like Through A Dog’s Ear, try adaptil (if you have cash to splash on it), give her something to chew or shred, play scent games like tossing food on the grass to sniff out, gentle massage if she likes it, and go for walks (ideally somewhere more natural vs street) where you let her sniff to her heart’s content.

Indigo is at VSOS now. I can’t link to their Facebook post, but they are in urgent need of blood donors for her and other patients. https://vsos.com.au/blood-bank-program/?fbclid=IwAR0pHozwhG8kbhPcX2O4Dx_tqoF5766TzWC2TNC4MJEkBE08VobneqWqqtM_aem_AUe00nlDBoKig-TTU1I4YBjM5eIA05LE_VpTQjRFKkeWV8PVuliTRpROWrGqpExdryM

Welcome to DOL. When you’re looking at photos of dogs or meeting one on the street, be sure to go beyond appearance. Research their temperament and care requirements too, such as coat care, mental enrichment, physical exercise, and veterinary costs - both standard and if your dog were to have a condition that is common in the breed. The same goes for cross breeds where you need to be knowledgeable about the component breeds. You won’t just get the coat you desire from one breed and the temperament of the other. Poodle mixes for example can have coats that are many more times difficult to care for than their component breeds. Crossbreeds aren’t automatically healthier dogs with hybrid vigour either. My multiply-crossbred rescue had a 44% coefficient of inbreeding, which is far beyond even the most unhealthiest bottlenecked pedigree dogs, and this was reflected in his health. All of which is to say, there are breeds that I love the look of and interacting with, but I know I wouldn’t be the best caregiver for them as what we want out of life clashes. I’d hate to give a dog a sub-optimal life, or contribute to the numbers of pets in shelters. I’m sure the same applies to you too. Oh, another thing to be aware of is that puppies can sometimes look quite different to their fully grown counterparts, such as changes in coat colour and texture. I disagree. I think it can be a jumping off point. If my parents’ neighbours hadn’t bought a Papillon in the late 80s they’d have had no idea that the breed even existed. It was a perfect match both in breed and the pup selected by the breeder. The mistake would be to see a cute pup and buy it without doing any research. Simply asking a question on a dog forum doesn’t mean someone is about to do that, especially when they’ve gone to a purebred forum where members are likely to have specialised knowledge of different breeds.

Welcome to DOL. I think it’s something that they can technically do at any time, but I think they usually wait until dogs finish their heat cycle. That might be outdated information though. I’d call your vet and ask. The vet nurse likely knows the procedure. If you’re struggling with the mess and protecting her while she’s fertile, I’m sure someone here will be able to give you advice. I’m not that person having only had desexed males.

I’m so sorry, Rebanne. Please take gentle care of yourself, ok? When the shock wears off you might find yourself spinning. Vale, darling Opal.

Poor dogs, those three things would certainly be feeding into each other. Dr Michelle at Earlwood Animal Hospital has a special interest in behaviour, as does another one of the vets there but I forget which one exactly. Or if you can afford a behaviour vet, Pet Behaviour Vet, Vet Behaviour Team, or The Whole Hound. I can personally recommend PBV.

Erm, sorry T, but you’re outing yourself as never having looked at any dog bite statistics as they are there. The small breed most commonly ranked higher up is the Jack Russell, not so surprising given it was historically bred to dispatch vermin. The dogs that rank highest usually have some biting or killing aspect in their breed history. Staffies, Amstaffs and their mixes typically well outnumber the others. To be clear I don’t support breed bans as they’re not supported by science. What is needed is education. For everyone. And part of that education is understanding what the dog in front of you has historically been bred to do, it’s capabilities (yes any dog can bite but let’s not pretend there aren’t differences in the amount of damage that can be done), and how they experience the world. Yes I’m including all breeds in that, lest anyone jump to conclusions. Many don’t pay any regard to a tiny dog’s rightful fears and autonomy, especially when it comes to Chihuahuas and small white fluffers. They learn they have to shout to be listened when their subtler body language is ignored. I’m sending this comment out into the world rather than you specifically, but I get very tired of “don’t bully my breed” types turning around and shitting on small dogs and their people.

Zylkene is one of the few supplements that has an evidence base, but again more for mild-moderate anxiety. We tried it as an adjunct to meds at our BV’s recommendation and decided not to continue. We learnt from adaptil to stop after the recommended trial period if something didn’t seem to have much/any benefit, rather than just holding out hope… all these things can really add up. So that’s our story with Zylkene, but I know other dogs who benefit from it either by itself or in addition to their anxiety meds.

You’re welcome. Your dog being unable to eat suggests that he’s too anxious to do much of the training component and you need to treat the underlying medical problem first (e.g. anxiety disorder). If you were being chased by a lion you wouldn’t want to stop for snacks! Being unable to eat is also a reason why I suspect DAP by itself may not be enough. I too would start with a vet. I’m getting the impression that the vet you saw isn’t that knowledgeable about behaviour if they just referred to you to what sounds like a dog trainer (any non-vet person can call themselves a ‘behaviourist’) and they had that setup. Idk it just seems suss to me. The Behaviour Vets I know cost a bit more but their consults run anywhere between 1-3hrs and include things like phone/email support in between consults. You’re not just palmed off to a trainer after 30mins. Unfortunately I can’t think of any suitable GP vets in WA, only BVs. Good BVs are worth every cent but are a chunk of cash if your budget is stretched. Do consider when crunching numbers that all the over the counter stuff adds up fast whereas the most common meds for GAD (if he ends up needing meds) are something like $10 from chemist warehouse. Regular vets can prescribe too, it can just be a challenge sometimes finding someone knowledgeable about behaviour.

Hi Nick, My dog didn’t have storm phobia, but he did have generalised anxiety disorder, noise sensitivity and OCD. We saw a number of behaviour vets and a vet behaviour specialist as he was a tricky case, alongside a lot of behaviour management and force free training to help him feel better about the things that worried him. DAP is one of the few over the counter remedies that actually has an evidence-base, however by itself it’s only really for mild to moderate fear/anxiety/stress. There is a money back guarantee (see ADAPTIL website for terms) if your dog doesn’t respond to it. Mine didn’t, but my parents’ dog is now able to have a lower dose of one of his anxiety meds as long as he wears his adaptil collar, which I think is very cool! I have a sneaking suspicion that your Huntaway has generalised anxiety disorder and storm phobia. I’d recommend getting him assessed by a Behaviour Vet or a behaviour-savvy GP vet, to see whether that’s the case and if so what treatment he needs, such as anxiety medication or an evidence-based supplement, along with DAP if you choose to try it. If nothing else you need them to rule out and treat any medical problems that might be contributing. Chronic pain for example is highly comorbid in dogs with noise sensitivity/phobias. Please don’t just go out and buy stuff without individualised vet advice. While DAP has an evidence base and is unlikely to harm given that it’s just a smell, over the counter products often promise to do things they do not and are sometimes contraindicated for the dog in front of you (a product being perceived as ‘natural’ doesn’t necessarily mean it’s appropriate, safe or effective). One can waste a lot of time and money on things that were never going to touch the sides, all while the dog’s underlying medical problem/s go untreated and worsen. If it’s determined that your Huntaway would benefit from anxiety medication, know that the right medication/s and dose/s for him won’t change his personality for the worse, nor turn him into a zombie. If anything it will enable his personality to shine as we’re not our best selves when riddled with anxiety. Once his anxiety is reduced to a level where he’s able to eat, you can start playing counter-conditioning games where boom = high value treat rains from sky. Don’t be stingy, use something special, and make sure you do it in that order: thunderclap THEN treat. You want the scary thing to predict good things happening, rather than the other way around or else your dog might start panicking at the mere sight/smell of that tasty treat! On a related note, our behaviour vet recommends staying away from thunderstorm CDs without professional instruction, as she frequently sees dogs whose well-meaning humans (before seeing her) have accidentally sensitised rather than desensitised their dogs by playing them. Oftentimes when storm phobia is left untreated it generalises, and everyday wind, shadows, and other noises can become triggering. Untreated and under-treated anxiety also tends to worsen over time. This may have been what happened with your guy. It highlights how we really want to treat storm phobia early, often and thoroughly. That and panic attacks place tremendous stress on a dog’s cardiac and respiratory systems over time and this can be deadly. (I am not being hyperbolic, see first section: https://www.dvm360.com/view/storm-phobias) Re thundershirt, you could experiment with a scarf or bandage to see if that helps (look up ttouch wraps). Unsure if thundershirt also has a money back guarantee. You do need to be careful that your dog is genuinely calm not just shut down, and that it doesn’t come to predict the scary thing. I know dogs who ask for their thundershirt when they sense that a storm is coming (no better meteorologist than a dog with storm phobia) as they know it helps them feel better. I also know dogs who panic at the sight of it because it has come to predict a storm. Note also that thundershirts do up by velcro which can be an issue for noise sensitive dogs. With the “sulky” look when you ask your other dogs to do something. What you’re likely seeing are more subtle signs of fear/anxiety/stress (see link with body language handouts). It wouldn’t surprise me if he has a punishment history from the people or rescue who had him before you, and has come to fear anything that looks like obedience training despite not raising your voice. I can’t stress enough how important it is to stick to rewards-based/force free methods, for all dogs but especially these sensitive ones. A force free trainer can help you with a behaviour management and modification plan for his anxiety including the game I mentioned above. For WA, I’d check out Pet Professional Guild Australia and IMDT directories. Link dump https://www.anzcvs.org.au/chapters/veterinary+behaviour+chapter (many of these will do Telehealth consults if needed) https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/03/180320100719.htm https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/10/2/318 https://www.drmartybecker.com/wp-content/cache/wp-rocket/drmartybecker.com/fear-free/2-things-pets-firework-fears/index-https.html_gzip https://illis.se/en/eliminating-firework-and-thunder-phobia-in-dogs/ https://www.vetbehaviourteam.com/client-handouts/ https://www.patriciamcconnell.com/theotherendoftheleash/you-cant-reinforce-fear-dogs-and-thunderstorms https://www.companionanimalpsychology.com/2016/06/seven-reasons-to-use-reward-based-dog.html https://www.ppgaustralia.net.au/find-a-professional https://www.imdt.com.au/find-a-qualified-imdt-trainer

I chose Central Animal Records as a second (to NSW CAR) registry many years ago after asking for or reading recommendations here. There were a bunch of media stories around the time about holiday goers driving found pets across borders so their usual vet could scan them, and these weren’t even dogs in border towns…

A classic case of before you buy a dog, look into what they were historically bred to do lol.

Big day! You might like to ask him about trying Pregabalin in place of Gabapentin. One of Malcolm’s more specialist vets, who had MANZCVS level qualifications in anaesthesia and critical care (which overs analgesia) and in vet behaviour, switched him over to it as it’s easier on the organs and has fewer side effects. Malcolm was getting completely wiped out by gabapentin at doses high enough to control pain, whereas with Pregabalin we got the needed level of pain relief without the side effects. Another more novel drug she prescribed was Amantadine. You’d need to search “amantadine and analgesia” to get relevant information as it’s used for different things in humans than in dogs.