Papillon Kisses

Greenies are harder to eat than dentastix so you may have more luck with them. I can't comment on a setter mouth, but Malcolm was verrrry wiggly and uncooperative when I first started brushing his teeth. I kept sessions super short at first before building up, and always gave (and continue to give) him his greenie afterwards. I think originally it was just a swipe on each side! He gets excited about teeth brushing now and tolerates it because good stuff happens afterwards. I do think you'll probably find it easier with a finger brush or some gauze wrapped around your finger.

Lots to think about! Thank you all for your replies. :) It looks like the k9 pro crates would be the best option if we were to go with a (brand new) wire crate. They're well priced too compared to others seen online. I couldn't see their canvas crates, perhaps they're no longer sold. A forum search brought up lots of fans of noz2noz (?) soft crates though. It's funny you should mention the cat carriers blinkblink. I've previously thought about getting Malcolm one of those cat igloo-type bed — most cats are around his size or bigger! :laugh: There's a massive price saving vs. similar dog crates too. And those pods4pets look very lush Snook with the addition of a pillow (he likes his bumpers) and blanket. :)

Our vet bet behaviourist wants us to get Malcolm (Chi x) a crate to retreat to when anxious etc. We've already encouraged this behaviour with his beds but the idea is to have something more enclosed. She mentioned that dogs tend to have a preference as to what type of crate they prefer and that sometimes you have to try a few out. I've been looking at the options available and articles about crate selection, but thought I'd consult the DOL knowledge bank. Is there any way to predict what sort of crate a dog would like? Best places to hire a crate to try before you buy? What are your favourites (brands etc) out of the different types? Pros and cons of different types/brands? Malcolm happily curls up in his wooden outside kennel (with bedding) though it took being stuck outside in a thunderstorm to convince him it was a good idea. He loves bedding in general and burrowing under blankets and into pillow cases. Sometimes he can be found with just a blanket over his head. I'm not sure if this means he'd prefer one type over another or if it'd just be a matter of making it all plush on the inside. :) Other than purely being something he takes to, I think I'd like the crate to be portable so we could take into my parents house when we visit. It being a quiet and dark place would probably be preferred as loud noises and light reflections are two of his main triggers. Thanks!!

Naww, Happy Birthday gorgeous!! xx

Love the setup Thistle!

Thinking of you both. x

Yep, our vet has other clients who swear by MaxiGuard. We use it as part of our regime, though I can't personally vouch for it as it hasn't been used in isolation.

This is what the AVA says: http://www.ava.com.au/dangerous-dogs They do not agree with BSL as it lacks an evidence base and for the reasons noted above (complacency etc).

I find the lint rollers with sticky disposal tape better for de-furring clothes than the material clothes brushes, but mostly I just avoid wearing any dark clothes! (our dog is fawn & white) :laugh: I cover furniture/seats with towels, blankets or sheets, and we vacuum weekly using a top of the range vacuum cleaner. I also practice actively avoiding looking at dropped fur, lol. Our dog is part of the family and he's allowed on the furniture, so while we do our best if people are so against having a little fur on their clothes when they visit they can just deal with it frankly. I'm not sure how to specifically groom a husky, so hopefully some husky people with drop in. Either way, regular grooming will really help with cutting down on the amount of dropped fur.

Hi Funnychat, Selecting these products is a bit like putting together a jigsaw puzzle! - Advocate covers heartworm, intestinal worms and fleas - Advantix covers fleas for 4 weeks and ticks for 2 weeks - Interceptor covers heartworm and intestinal worms - There are other products which cover various combinations too. The pet shop rightly pointed out that with Advocate + Advantix you're doubling up on flea treatment. However, if you went with Advocate + Interceptor you'd then double up on heartworm and intestinal worm coverage! I give my dog Interceptor Spectrum (heartworm + intestinal worms) and Advantix (fleas + ticks). I'm happy with Advantix as I'm not too concerned about my dog's exposure to ticks, his short coat is easy to check, and I can just apply it sooner if we're going somewhere riskier. However, Nexgard might be a better option instead of Advantix if you live in or take your dog to tick prone areas. Nexgard covers both fleas and ticks for a month, so it works out cheaper.

When ours came in the mail (months ago?) my husband and I each considered keeping it just because there was a dog on the cover. Because dogs. We threw it in the recycling about two seconds later.

Haha, true about the dickheads, microchips and gonads. :laugh: Dog ownership culture seems a lot different in NZ from what you've been saying here and in other threads. I think it was you who mentioned that a lot of New Zealanders seem to keep their dogs on chains in their yard? I wonder if/how that may influence the number or severity of dog biting incidents.

An amnesty on registration, chipping and desexing sounds good on paper, but I'd be worried about them using the information against me and my dog if I had a breed or type of dog that could be determined to be "menacing" on no other basis than appearance. "Menacing" seems to mean whatever anyone wants it to mean in this instance. I'd like to see a public awareness campaign about responsible dog ownership, how to read dog body language, and how to interact safely with dogs. Something like this: http://stopthe77.com (lots of good videos on that site). The nanny dog myth needs to die, too.

I can't help you on the lung worm front, but as an dog-owning organic veggie gardener I can help you with the snails. :) As mentioned above, a hidden beer trap may be your best bet, but do hide it away from prying puppy paws – you don't want him drinking beer! Remember to check the trap regularly to get rid of snails and slugs which have died in merriment. Here's one example: http://www.bunnings.com.au/on-guard-snail-trap-2-pack_p3010313: Another option is an iron-based snail and slug killer called Multiguard. The manufacturer says it's is safer for pets and wildlife so long as you follow the packet instructions (see the PDF below) which is basically just about making sure the dog doesn't consume large quantities. My dog isn't at all interested in it and he's a guts, but he's also not a Labrador puppy! :D http://www.multicrop.com.au/home-garden-products/multiguard-snail-and-slug-killer.php Info sheet, must read if using: http://www.multicrop.com.au/pdfs/Multiguard---information-sheet.pdf Another solution is to do things to encourage birds and lizards into your garden that will eat the snails and slugs, but that's a more longterm approach. :)

Perhaps try a calendula tea soak/rinse while you/the vet investigate the cause. It can help them feel better. http://www.dolforums.com.au/topic/254792-o-m-g-calendula-tea-rinse/

LOL! :laugh: Love what you're doing. Startle/recovery response is SO important.

Ah ok. It's kind of obvious now having flicked over to full version where signatures/profiles pics show up, but I was checking whether Nova was an elderly dog. They feel the cold more keenly. Clearly the opposite though!

How old is Nova?

The national park thing might have to do with native fauna and flora. I'm not necessarily talking about people not picking up after their dogs or allowing their dogs to attack wildlife. More about the scent of dogs and their urine stopping animals from living/procreating in areas frequented by dogs. It's just something I've heard. Snap: ohsoswift replied first. ;)

From the article: Rubbish. My dog does not care whether he's wearing his sailor suit, his fancy shirt and bow tie number, or his muck around cotton jersey. It makes zero difference to him. All he cares about is whether it's comfortable (yes), restricts his movement (no), and keeps him warm when he wants/needs an extra layer (yes). He's small and he feels the cold and no one's laughing at him. They're telling him he's adorable in happy voices and giving him affection, all of which he thinks is good. We've all seen videos of people putting clothes on their dog and the dog freaks out and they think it's funny that their dog is frozen in fear. It isn't funny. Perhaps that's what they're talking about but to dismiss putting clothing on a dog across the board is silly. Know how to read your dog and adjust the clothing to suit his/her comfort and the weather. Malcolm also has a ridiculously cute reindeer outfit. He didn't wear it at all last Christmas as it was too hot.

It could be something like bringing home a special type of food that you only have on those Friday night dinners, or doing more or a different type of cleaning on Thursday or Friday in preparation, way before you start setting the table. You can use a process called counter conditioning to change Elliot's emotional response to beard washing. In case you're not familiar with it, counter conditioning is pairing a bad thing like beard washing with a good thing — say a highly valued treat or toy — that your dog gets EVERY time that the bad thing happens, and ONLY when the bad thing happens. In this way, the bad thing becomes a reliable predictor of that very good thing happening, and how they feel about it changes. I've done this with my dog for many things, but a good example is having his teeth brushed. Malcolm doesn't like having his teeth brushed and he'd previously fight it, and he now not only accepts it but actually gets very excited about having it done, because he knows that afterwards he'll get his super exciting dental treat then get to go upstairs for for bedtime cuddles. This bedtime routine is now a highlight of his day. One obviously can't give a dog treats while brushing their teeth, but with Elliot you can throw him some treats while you're getting your supplies ready for beard washing, feed them to him while it's happening, then follow it up with more treats and lots of praise afterwards. Hope this helps!

Sometimes I suspect an inbuilt calendar, but who's to say! :laugh: There's probably little signals that aren't obvious to you or which go back much further than you realise. Dogs can be incredibly good at back-chaining aversive events.

I'm so happy to hear the good news Mumsie! And I second the request for a picture. :D

One thing I noticed was that when outside, the visitors were kind of all over the place which could have made it more stressful since she had multiple areas to look at and get worried about. At one stage your dad was also peering into the windows of the other building which is unusual behaviour that could make her more suspicious. People are people and you can't control them, but perhaps one way to tackle visitors in the yard (figuratively ;) ) would be to have everyone in the one area sitting down quietly chatting, with Thistle able to choose how close she wanted to be to the group. Obviously this visit was a bit different to most, but it can also help to gradually add one person at a time then slowly widen the circle of trusted humans until confidence around strangers is generalised. We did this with Malcolm, who was originally very fear reactive with all men — no man could enter the house, talk, move or basically exist without deafening barking and lunging alternated with hiding under furniture. We first desensitised/counter conditioned Malcolm with my dad, then my now-husband, then a couple of close family friends... a new person was ONLY introduced when he was comfortable with he previous additions... until many months later we happened to essentially have a parade of different types of men of all ages and appearances. Most he already knew from previous visits but there were some strangers, and Malcolm was absolutely fine. These days he's only fear reactive with men when they startle him by thrusting their hand over his head to pat him when he hasn't registered their existence. He also recovers from that pretty quickly. We did it a bit differently to you in that we had a container of treats set up at the front door. Whenever any man entered he had to to pick some up and put it right under Malcolm's nose right as he came to them, then they'd calmly say "hello Malcolm" before moving on, not dwelling or forcing interaction. Having the food immediately presented like kind of short circuited Malcolm's response before the fear center in his brain kicked in. By the way, that parade of men culminated in Malcolm selecting the scariest looking man in the room to jump up on for cuddles. A big burly tattooed man whose appearance would have previously terrified him. I may have shed a tear at that point. You can do this!! ETA: not saying this way's better, just sharing. :)