Andanin

Funny question, but what time does the Saturday morning session start? Can't wait to see the dogs (and owners) in action!

We've got ice cream containers inside (the big 10L type), which Todja has been trained not to run away with and chew (it was a wet few weeks before he learnt though!), and we have a large 70L thick plastic trough outside. In summer he also has one of those plastic half clam shells full of water to drink from, play in, lay in, etc, but we're in an area without water restrictions. A friend of mine uses one of those old, colourful square boxes, the ones that you always used to see in car boots. They always remind me of rubix cubes.

I read something recently (and can't for the life of me remember where!) that some people use cornflour as a quick fix for smelly coats etc if a bath isn't an option at the time. Dust over, then brush through. Apparenty works wonders on a doube coat. Haven't had a chance to try it myself yet though. Usually I'd just use a damp cloth, but then I have a smooth dog, with no double coat.

Sorry WalandLibby, I really couldn't comment on whether or not it was because the pup felt unsafe. I'm not a behaviourlist, just a biology student. I only mentioned it so that viddee could perhaps look into it further if it was something that really worried them. It's something we learnt whilst doing Animal Biology units in first and second year at uni. We focused on animals in the wild, rather than domestic animals, and were looking at the mechanics, rather than the psychology.

Very quickly discovered when Todja was a pup that Yoga was his favourite 'game'. Everytime I tried to do my stretches while he was in the house, he was convinced I was trying to play a new game, and would decide to help. It usually resulted in my giving up and just wrestling around on the floor with him, which apparently wasn't half as interesting :D

Just thought I'd mention about the waterbowl - some young animals in many species urinate in water at certain times. It's a survival mechanism for masking/diluting their scent so that predators don't catch it and find them when mum isn't around to protect them. It particularly seen in felines and canines, and may explain why he did this. Edited for Clarification.

Thanks very much Helen, I'll keep all that in mind! And having shown horses, I'm well aware of the problems spectators can cause with food and noise!

Is there any cost involved in coming purely to spectate? Is it discouraged at this sort of event? I live in the area, and am hoping to get a feel for the club before I get a dog next year, and thought a large meeting like this might be the way to go.

Upper respiratory tract infections present with bad breath, so post-nasal drip, ear infections, etc.

When you wash her bedding, put a tablespoon or two of eucalyptus oil in the washing machine with them. Helps to kill the fleas, discourages them from reinhabiting, and makes everything smell nice! This was suggested to me recently by a friend, since I've never lived in an area with fleas, and am having to learn before I get a pup! And your girl is such a cutie! Looks like lots of lovely room for her to grow up running around!

The light sensitivity and restlessness sounds like the markers for an auto immune response to an allergin. The immune system could have been provoked, and if it was a stong enough reaction, may have started attacking itself, i.e. an autoimmune response. The colvasone, as an anti-inflamitory, would have helped to stop the body attacking itself, and allowed for the damaged areas to heal. The response doesn't have to have been caused by something unusual, either. Sometimes immune attack can be triggered by something you have previously been exposed to, which the system has become hypersensitive to. Thankfully I haven't had this experience, but I've just finished studying a unit on toxicology, which dealt a lot with this sort of thing. I hope your boy feels better, and that you do to! It must have been such a scare.

Our dog used to jump our fences with no problems, and they are all at least 6 ft colourbond, and two of the side fences were even higher than that. In his case, he didn't even need to scramble for purchase on the way over. We got some cheap wire mesh, a bit like chookwire, and attached it to the top of the fence so that flopped out and down inside the fenceline. Because it widens the barrier, and gets in the way, he quickly learnt not to jump it. After about 3 months or so, we took it down again, and he hasn't done it since.

It could have something to do with it taking more energy to break down proteins than carbs, and the excess heat from this reaction is what causes it. I wouldn't have thought it would produce excessive heat though...? Would have thought a high protein (but otherwise balanced) diet would be ideal for an active dog, much the same way it is for very active humans!

You may also want to remove the 'choker bone', the long, tapered bone that runs parallel to the main bone of the leg. They can be quite sharp, and lodge in the throat if not chewed properly. I tend to give my dog legs, since they last him a bit longer, but I always remove that bone first, ever since one almost went through the roof of our family dog's mouth as a kid.

That's what I ended up doing with mine! The dog doesn't complain as much when I spend time with my friends, and doesn't shy away from spending time with my family... in fact, he quite enjoys it! Dachi, I wouldn't say you were being silly, or over reacting. You have every right to be annoyed that he's not helping out. Was simply pointing out that I had a similar issue with my ex, and that because of that, I'm rather jaded when it comes to the idea of partners paying for dog care.

Did you discuss sharing of expenses before you bought the puppy? Have you spoken to him about it since buying the puppy? Personally, I would not expect my partner to pay for expenses of my dog. If we had bought the dog together, then yes, perhaps a shared responsibility would be appropriate. Before I seperated from my partner, I rescued a dog from our local pound (He was stolen from our yard 3 months later, but that's a different story). Because he was my dog, and not my partner's, I bore the brunt of the expenses, including food, toys and vet bills (and as he had some issues from before his rescue, these were quite large). Yes, my partner loved the dog, played with him, etc., but the dog was mine, and therefore my responsibility.

I would ring your vet and enquire if the antibiotic they've given you is known to have those side effects. If she has been vomitting for more than 24 hours, you should definatly call the vet, as there can be problems with dehydration as well as whatever the underlying problem is. With antibiotics, most do have some effect on the digestive system. That's why humans are told to eat yoghurt when they are on them, especially yoghurt containing acidophilus and other pro-biotics, that are required for digestive health. any time our animals have been on antibiotics, we always include one serve of yoghurt in their diet, and have had few problems.

We used tubular leadropes with our horses, but not with our dogs (since there was no loop on the end, which was desireable with the dogs, not so much with the horses). They were nylon, and woven into a smooth tube shape, rather than a ridged shape like a normal rope. because of the tube shape, didn't get as many cuts and scrapes as from flat nylon edges, and its easier ont he hands than the ridges or a normal rope. Not sure if these are the same sort of thing, but thought it might help.

Hehe, my dog just developed a taste for tabasco. nWe solved the no lawn problem by putting him in the house while the sprinkler was on. Yes, the old fashioned hose type, which then gets put back in the shed as soon as it's finished.

Indigirl, so glad I'm not the only one with an enthusiastic digger! Todja was obviously a miner in a past life! It's entirely normal in our family to come home to a bright red dog (very attractive on his black & tan coat ;)) One day we came home from work, and found a huge hole in the middle of what we thought was fairly compact, solid road base. My ex went in to see just how deep it was - He was over 6', and it was above his waist! Though I suppose where we are, its not unusual behaviour, we live in Alice Springs, so it gets very hot in summer, and that day was no exception. He managed to dig to a level where it was quite cool. He came very close to the sewerage lines though! I had no idea a dog could move so much dirt in such a short space of time! As for the pop-up sprinkler system, he had that up within two weeks of moving in, and we never got it replaced. We tried toys and two long walks a day, but he's just a digger. I'm just thankful that he learnt to stick with the one spot, and doesn't dig up the lawn anymore!

We use lunging lines too, usually quite durable, not overly expensive, and can be found at any saddler. Not to mention they come in loads of colours