giraffez

Ok, now for my younger mini, i think he has a bit of separation anxiety towards me. Its okay if i'm out of sight, he won't make a fuss when he sees me. But when i get home from work everyday, he makes a big fuss with barking and whining. I've ignored that since day 1 and he hasn't stopped it at all. In the morning, he does the same thing but instead of barking he cries and follows me around whinging until he can jump up and touch me - this is when he sees me for the first time. How do I correct this behaviour.

thanks all, very good advice. I will practice that. I currently do it with a liver treat in one hand and pick him up when he is trying to get it out of my hand. He no longer tolerates that and will fight me off. Will try outside the normal bathing period.

thanks, yeah i only carry him for taking a bath. I do bring him onto my lap often but that is quick and sweet and he is not off the ground for long. Now that he is nervous when i carry him, how do i do it more often... because he would now think he is going to get a bath He is always 100% ok when i get him out of the bath and carry him 20 steps into the laundry to get blow dried. Initially i did think that the way i'm picking him up may be the issue but it doesn't explain why he is okay getting out of the bath. I pick him up with one arm under his arm and my hand carrying his butt. He does hate getting picked up with both hands under his two arms like how you pick up a baby so i never do that anymore.

Recently my boy seems to hate being carried. As soon as he is lifted off the ground slightly, his lips are curled and shows teeth and a bit of a growl. I used to be able to distract him with a treat but lately it seems to be worst. I need to carry him into the bathtub and he doesn't like being bathed very much. When i carry him out of the bath tub its not a problem.

I have been grooming my dogs for 3 years now and have not had a professional pair of scissors. I don't use normal elcheapo ones from the bargain shops but i buy ones for about $10 (which was designed for fabric cutting and the likes), i've used them since and they haven't gone blunt yet. I can't justify spending over $50 for a pair of good scissors but there must be good reasons why groomers get these and would like to find out from the groomers here the benefit of getting a better quality pair of scissors. I'm going to the states soon and if it does make a difference on the cutting, I would like to get a pair. Which brand is recommended and what length should i get? Is there a pair under $50 that is relatively good?

My younger one doesn't seem to be the dominant type, he is more of a follower. If his big brother wants to do something first like get a cuddle or play with a toy, he will just let him with no issues. This doesn't sound like he wants to be the top dog, or does it? Not sure what the tolerance level of dogs is, lately the big brother sometimes put his paws on the little ones head (as to hold him down) and start licking one of his ears, the little one doesn't seem to mind but if it was me, I'll be putting up a fight :D

both boys both desexed. 3 and 1 1/2.

My two boys are best mates most of the time but lately for some unknown reason they would all of a sudden get into a big fight where there is lots of growling, screeching and rough physical contact. Pretty sure its not play. When i see it happen, i break them apart and separate them into different rooms. A bit later when they are back together, they are fine and return to being best friends again. How do i discourage the fighting?

Yep, its the official KOng that has the packaging the the single treat hidden inside the packaging. It had Made in USA. I would never knowingly buy a imitation kong knowing full well of the consequences of choking and the kong not being as durable as it should. There is no Kong Manufacturer in Sydney i don't think, I'll email the head office in USA to enquire. Thanks I don't think its bateria slime, my older kong would be the same if it was. It does feel like the rubber is breaking down. Even if it was sitting in the store for a long time, it should not really become like this. The old kong has lasted several years and is still going.

Nope. Anything that would have touched it is the concrete, grass, water, kibbles and lots of dog saliva! I can't take it back because i threw out the packaging already and the receipt with it.

I brought a kong not very long ago and recently its really sticky, no matter how much i clean it. Almost like the glue on sticky tape. My older kong which i have for 3 years does not have this problem at all. I clean my kongs with just water. Any one else have issues with their kong going all sticky? Both of my kongs are the red standard ones

Thanks all. I've never thought about giving them the shell. I do give them egg but i cook it first and not raw... judging from the sound of some of the posts above, it is okay to give raw. I'll try that next time. Does it matter whether its raw or not - i mean does it lose the goodness if its cooked opposed to feeding it raw? One of my dogs I find gains weight very easily so in the last couple of months, i have reduced the kibbles to half and fill the other half with sweet potato or vegetables. He seems to do well with this combination. Because i reduce the intake of kibbles, I'm a bit worried he isn't getting the right amount of nutrients in his food. So when i read about the egg shell thing, i was thinking of grinding up and giving a teaspoon in his food once a week.

I was reading an article that mentions that grinding egg shells and giving it to dogs is like giving them pure calcium and that its really good for them. Is anyone doing this and if so, how do you prepare it. Do you wash the egg shells and dry it and then grind it to powder? How often do you give this to your dogs and how much at a time?

Thanks! I might try that.

Hi My dog seems to like to lick. He will lick you to death if you hold him in your lap. He will lick you if you try to pat him. Not sure whether this is considered mouthing. He is one year old. How can i (or should i) discourage this behaviour?

Yes i think thats exactly it. I think i got a pair that it way too large as its exactly how you describe it Crazy Daisy with the surface too large. My shearmagic was the same size lengthwise but the blade was thinner and smaller. I got the doggyman for around $30 including shipping, the blade was literally the same price as the shipping! But the thing is you can't get it here so a good nail clipper is worth it even if its more expensive in my opinion. Probably not cost effective to send it back but I'll sell it. If anyone is interested, please send me message - I'm in sydney.

I got mine from petedge as well. but i got the large one because that was the same size as the shear magic i had. I reckon they are a bit bigger though but should be sharp enough but not getting that feeling. Feels rather clumsy while clipping as well

Same here. Any brush will do. oh really? I didn't think a toothbrush brush area is long enough. Will give it a try. Thanks

I brought one of this: http://www.amazon.com/MILLER-FORGE-DOGGY-CLIPPER-LARGE/dp/B001DYJQ6Q I brought an expensive one (thinking it would last me longer as my old Shearmagic didn't last very long) and seeing that its made in Japan I thought must be good. But i'm having trouble using it. I'm not sure whether its me or its the clippers but its very hard to clip the nails using these. Anyone used these before that have a better experience than me? It almost feels blunt and doesn't allow me to secure small amounts of the nail at a time.

Does anyone know where I could get a clipper brush - looks like this: http://t3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRN2kZ2XqXae-Iw3GXSnFYn3kqWQ70gtAK77dmgthTLPLtUZwiEmg My old wahl clipper came with one but the bristles are near the end of life and I just brought a new andis which didn't come with a brush. I tried pet stores and ebay and i can't seem to find it. Maybe they have a more technical name than clipper brush ?

i monitored my dog with the go slow food bowl. It does slow him down but i think his "i want to eat as fast as i can" drive is still there. He doesn't take a breather at any time unlike the dog in the go slow video, he will just eat away until he is done.

yeah i'm currently using the plastic rectangular box like containers you get at kmart. Doesnt smell until you lift up the lid. I was thinking an airtight one would be good to keep the kibbles fresh. Takes about 3 months for mine to finish a 15kg pack. The scoop n store looks good, if there are any you know that are on special in sydney, please let me know, the original price seems a bit expensive. Had a look in the US for some and they have a lot of varieties and very cheap too.... too bad the shipping is so expensive. Are there any with two seperated compartments? My two dogs eat different brands.

I am curious how people store their big bags of kibbles? Any good containers that can be recommended? I notice after a while, the kibbles start giving off a eek smell. More during the summer.

I ended up getting a Go-slow bowl today http://www.dogtipper.com/products/2011/02/dogit-go-slow-anti-gulping-dog-dish-review.html It slowed him down definitely and its funny watching him for the first 30 seconds unable to get anything out of the bowl because he was rushing it . He worked out to slow down quite quickly. Takes him about 3-4 times the amount of time he usually takes and for the very very first time, his big brother finished dinner before him! I'm still skeptical whether he is spending the time to chew. Still think he is just swallowing. EDIT: i wasn't looking for any particular brand of slow feeder bowls, the shop only had this one. Just noticed its the same one as the user "Online Pets" recommended in post #6. If anyone is thinking of getting this, its quite sturdy and has a bit of weight which is good because the bowl doesn't move around like it used to. I think need a couple more meals in it to know whether its really good. Watch this space, will post my observations. Not too expensive either considering the ones I saw at other stores - around $14 for the small size and I think $20 for the big.

Thanks for all the very good suggestions. I was looking at the videos in the scoff stopper website and my dog actually finishes his food half as fast as the video of the dog without the scoffer bowl in place oh my! The bowls do seem to slow them down by the looks of the video, but does it really encourage them to chew? Thats the main problem, my dog woofs it down so quickly he doesn't chew, doesnt get sick afterwards either. Slowing him down is good but I need him to chew his food - the little bugger :D Initially i thought he was worried that his brother will get at his food but i have seperated them in different rooms while eating and he hasn't slowed down one bit. I'm going to try some golf balls, they are heavier and smaller which I hope will help. Don't think he will ingest the golf balls. His bowl is so small i don't think a tennis ball will give him much room to move and it will get so dirty - the ball and him! :D