OSoSwift

I am sorry but the vet that sent in into a spin sounds like they have a screw slightly loose. People rescue dogs and puppies from horrible and unsanitary conditions every day and don't die from worm infestations, or have diseased dogs running all over. I would imagine if they were going to have mange problems etc they would have shown up by now. Yes Parvo is a risk purely because they are travelling and not yet vaccinated, but that situation is unavoidable. Don't freak out, take a deap breathe and relax. It really isn't that much of a major drama and the alarmist vet needs a good smack under the ear! When you rehome the puppies you can explain the situation they were in, show they are vaccinated, dewormed, flea treated etc. You can't offer guarentees for any hereditary diseases as you have no idea about the parents. You are doing a great job that has unfortunately been a little hampered due to negative alarmist people. By all means try finding a shelter they will be accepted by as then yes they will be desexed before going to their new homes. Goodluck and please relax.

As hard as it sounds, I wouls consider returning the puppy. It is easy for me as I do not have any emotional attachment to her. The breeder sounds ethical and willing to work with you which is great. You may decided to keep the puppy and get the replacement puppy, but the thing you need to think of is do you want two dogs? Can you afford two dogs? Especially seeing as one may have long term medical issues. I really do not envy your situation. I hope you find a solution soon.

Blackdog make some I think, anyone up there you know of that stocks Blackdog?

I would definately be asking for the papers and of course transfered into your name. There is no reason why they shouldn't do it. My dog was bought with limited register papers and I asked to make sure they would be transfered to my name, no worries all done.

Me too RS, I read from cover to cover - pity I am a bit far away to enter anything though! When the kids grow up I will be right though - back into it then :D

Hope Ryan is okay, I would never have thought of worry about them trying to eat chewing gum! WHat a great vet you have to ring you at 3 in the morning!!! Don't beat yourself up, these things occasionally do happen and I wouldn't have though a dog would even eat gum, so it could have been mine - except for now I will definatly move it!

It depends on what you want to do with him and why you are training. I train my dogs because I love it, I like the challenges and trying different things. I have one dog who would work until he dropped and will train daily, the other enjoys what we do, but you can see definately when her interest is starting to waiver. She also trains and learns really well when she is trained around every 3 days. I try different things to motivate her, but I also try to do what makes her work happily and stop training while still wanting more. I do think though if your dog has good house manners, is happy and not destructive and bored, then if you don't want to train then don't. Our aged Stafford is easy to live with and a pleasure to have around. When my bitch was back at her breeders for her matronly duties I decided to put some obedience training into him. Lets just say he is not the sharpest tool in the shed, he tried and happily, but progress was excrutiatingly slow and I gave up as I was doing it for me not for him. He is still extremely easy to have around and very happy. I also have a 5 year old horse that is not started under saddle - I have clicked trained many things on the ground including dumbell retrieving, the farrier said - I have never hear a horse complain it isn't being ridden yet! As long as they have house manners who cares what anyone else thinks!

I use ones that are like a plyer X Scissor type. They have a sharp blade on each side so the nail doesn't get squeezed like the guillotene ones. I have had mine for a good ten years, I trim nails every 2 weeks or there abouts and am still using the same nail trimmers. Can't remember the exact name now though. Will try to remember

Lewis will occasionally eat Rommi's poo. He has been taught leave it and gets severly growled at for trying to wrap his knashers around poo. He still sniffs and his nose is right on it, but as soon as I see him doing that he gets growled at. Most times he can move on happily, every now and again he is very tempted. I also follow them with a pooper scooper when they are let out first thing.

Depends on the size of your dog as many things are related to size eg doses of drugs/tablets. My Whippets tend to be around the $80 to $120 mark. I have $100 excess. I probably would go for the $200 excess as $500 is still a fair bit to find out of the blue. I have also only had visits for toe sprain and limping, no problems with dog fight stitch ups and possibly a very low likelyhood of happening. The main reason I have mine is for broken bones, snake bites and stitch up for tears - from sticks etc.

Coffee would be perfect. Hope you are feeling a little better today Jed, sending lots of healing thoughts to you and wrapping just a very gentle hug around you as well.

She has admitted that she rarely had to work with spitz breeds... and if so, she worked with them when they are older and more settled. She may not have worked with many Spitz breeds - neither have I, but she should be prepared to at least try and try different things to help you. I had not had a lot to do with Sibes, but we had one with a owner that had a whole lot more of an idea than me, and together we ended up having a very enthusiastic dog that did mostly wonderful recalls , occasionally he would go "Chile" on us, but never ran away just did a little zoomie. He also worked well off lead and was a very obedient boy. He taught me a lot and now if I ever get presented with another I will have a little bit more of an idea. Your trainers problem is she is not prepared to think outside the square, take on a challenge and try to learn something. I find that a bit sad really. Nothing I like more than trying to find something that will work on a particular dog. I was told Whippets can be hard to train and forget a reliable recall, we my Whippets are amazing to train and have a much better recall at a much better age than my Dobes ever did. It is best not to go in with pre-concieved idea me thinks! Hope you find a trainer that will be able to help you.

You need to give the pineapple to the dog who's poo is being eaten for it to work- if it does. The idea behind Thrive D is he may not be digesting his food properly and it contains digestive enzymes so will help him get more from his food and maybe he will stop scavenging as he is not "missing" anything. That is what I have been told anyway.

Hmmm, well if you had of asked me that a few years ago it would have been my Dobe girl, we travelled a lot together and did so many firsts together and were very very close. When she died I felt my heart had broken in two, It took at least year before I could speak about her and not cry. I still get tears writing this. However. I honestly have to say that both of the dogs I have now I also have the same sorts of feeling for, the are both fantatstic but quite different. I am quite sure if anything happened to them that I would be completely devistated. I do feel I will probably never have another Rotti after my girl Arizona and I know I will never have another Dobe. Maybe that is how I cope? Not have another of the same breed after a much loved one has passed?? Not sure. I love all of my dogs (and other animals) and each one takes a chunk of my heart when they leave and each one hurts, but do I or have I had a heart dog? No I don't think I can pick one above the others - yet anyway.

That is so fantastic to hear - Go Charlie

I know people who had fed Thrive D and some say it has helped. It is a bit gross isn't it and Pers is right, he could pick up all sorts of nasties, not to mention Gastro bugs and things.

I would try a soft toothbrush and glycerine saddle soap, give it a good clean with the tooth brush, then wipe off firmly with a cotton cloth. I would do it a couple of times, then get some leather dressing/dubin and a soft cloth and gently polish the leather with the dubin. I clean all my bridles this way and they always come up soft, clean and shiney. Never had one pee'd on though!

I agree with the training with a competant trainer. However the average person living in an average world still needs to walk their dog. Because after all a dog that pulls and gives you a hard time is only going to get worse if it doesn't get walked. The walk after not being walked for a few days/week is going to be worse than if they are getting regular walks. Also the more a dog pulls the more they are being reinforced for pulling. So surely something that helps reduce or eliminate pulling so the dog can be walked while the dog is being trained is not a bad thing? I don't mind what people use as long as the dog is not hurt and they are not being nasty about it. Remember we are talking the "average" dog owner not obedience enthusiasts or trainers with a wealth of knowledge and training techniques. It is fine to say anything other than a flat collar and lead is nasty and cruel and try to make people feel guilty about training in no pull harnesses or halti's, but that is not productive. If I walk my dog in a prong collar and it is not pulling or putting any pressure on the lead then I would consider that the dog wearing the collar is not an aversive??? I have seen a dog severly corrected in a flat collar as well. I train with no collar and lead most of the time, but of course I don't when we are in areas where this in not appropriate. I would like to think everyone can do that, but if course that is not always possible. I haven't had a dog that pulls so I am sorry I cannot recommend any of the no pull things as I have not used them.

Good to hear it has worked for you. I don't allow mine sticks either. Not to mention a whippet in full flight with a stick pointing towards the back of his throat scares the crap out of me! They are not totally obsessed though and will drop them when told. I do let them race around with big strips of bark, heaps of fun and much safer.

I don't have a particular breeder to recommend, but there are some things I would definately be looking for. do you want working lines, showlines, mix of both? Makes sure they are health tested, absolutely and definately! I lost my girl at 8 and a half to DCM. So if I was to get another it would be from lines tested for everything there was to test for! Goodluck

Could say the same thing about my Whippets, but they are fantastic workers. Need to find someone who can help instead of not even wanting to try.

With 3 Rottweilers (and 1 pug) I just don't want to know what they cost either. I added up just my vet fees for year once and nearly fainted - I always prefered to live in ignorance! One old Dobe, a young one that took heaps to feed and a very oversized Stafford with major skin issues-nup never wanted to know!

I have used live in pet sitters quite a few times, but it is always someone I know. I wouldn't have just anyone move into my house and look after my animals

I have seen it from a very small particle from a grass seed which did come out eventually, but too ages to clear up. I have also seen a dog around 3 years of age with an aspergillis infection of the sinuses which did clear up but it took some pretty extreme expensive and drawn out treatment. The only other one I have seen was in our 16 year old dog who was treated for an infection on and off for ages, it was later discovered she has a sinus tumour and she was PTS when it started causeing pain and interferring with her breathing. I would consider referral to a hospital that has the means to investigate it more thoroughly

I have used MSM on a horse as well. it did work well, considering her size! Thanks for those others doses I will write them down so I don't lose them