VJB

I think you may benefit from getting a behaviorist session for yourself. Positive re-enforcement will always win hands down, although some dogs need a firm leader, dealing with it in this way will surely harm your relationship with your dog rather than enhance it.

Toilet training times depend on the dog, but mostly on how you, as the owner, get the message across. There is lots of advice re toilet training on this forum, and consistency is the key. For every wee or poo they do outside, the clearer the message gets through, as you have gained yet another chance to praise-praise-praise. Night time can be tiring, I think our dog was lasting from 10pm till 6am from around 16 weeks. It feels like ages at the time, but if you spend the time getting the right message across, it should help.

How long does this take in the oven approx?

Its normal unfortunately, and you'll eventually get over the shock. I've never had a dog eat their own, but many people have. If possible, pick it up before they get a chance to eat it. I also heard that if you give them pineapple, they won't eat it, someone else may confirm this for me. :D

Incontinence is a possibility. How long has it been going on for?

I'm unsure of the brand of mine, but it adjusts and works so so well. I throw away packets once opened. Bought it from pet supply store in sydney, cost about $20. Once you adjust to the frequency you are after, a cover goes over the end to lock it in. Well worth it for those beach trips and high distraction areas. Mine is called a silent whistle, I guess this is what your after...

Hi, how old is your pup?

RIP beautiful animals. Too soon to go.

RIP Scout. It's so sad when pets pass over.

Thats good, let us know how it goes.

If she's still shaking it, I'd recommend you take her to the vet before Saturday. It can be quite painful for them to have an ear issue, and rubbing on the carpet is indicating that it's not comfortable for her.

We are using Advance, and I add a variety of foods to keep it interesting for her. Somedays I add sardines, and/or pumpkin, cottage cheese, egg, chicken etc. She's doing great on it, and most people comment on her shiny coat. Raw just didn't agree with her and made her vomit. I've even tried in small doses and this doesn't work, but she enjoys a raw roo tail without many issues. I don't consider myself lazy either.

RIP Paddi girl. I love reading stories about how our four legged friends become such a big part of our family. You will miss her for sure. Love the Christmas pic. Beautiful.

We have a Cuz, and I think they are pretty heavy duty, but my dog only tends to rip soft toys to bits, rather than these rubber type ones.

Glad to hear your dog is OK. A very worrying experience.

I've been adding pumpkin to my dogs dinner. Just steamed it, then froze in ice cube trays like I did when I had human babies. I grab a few cubes every 3rd day or so and mix them through her kibble with other stuff. She's loving it so far, and thankfully it hasn't given her any tummy issues. I haven't thought of giving her the seeds though.

Oh, that is sad. I'm sorry. RIP Pumba.

A lot of grieving is going to be happening. RIP all the animals who have had lives prematurely taken by the force of these fires. Tragic.

A massive loss. RIP.

OMG Rysup, that is terrible terrible news. I'm so sorry. What a gorgeous girl. My heart would be broken too. RIP Paris

Sounds like a fear period to me, new noises have a way of doing this sort of "sit on bum and don't move" stuff. How is he responding to the lead? Maybe he's not use to that. If this is the case, then sit in the back yard with him and let him drag the lead around behind him for a while, so he can get use to it. They say at his age, all the exercise they need is their own play time, but I found the need to walk our dog to burn off some energy too. Mental exercises are said to have an even better effect on wearing them out too, but it's good to combine both mental and physical for socializing purposes. We never forced the issue when our dog sat down. Tried to encourage, and sometimes she would only want to go "so far" and then no more. Gradually her confidence grew, and now she's 8 months, and we go everywhere together.

You could try adding something to his kibble to make it more tasty. Maybe try mixing in one sardine. Lots of people feed raw and have success with it, but it doesn't agree with every dog. If you want to try something new, give it in small doses. I'd also watch him with the chicken neck, even give it frozen and see how he goes. Supervise, as I've heard many good and bad experiences from chicken necks. I agree with Poodlefan re the heat decreasing appetite, and your breeder will certainly be able to advise you.

Im confused, maybe it's late ;)

Don't stress mate. You'll get a lot of very opinionated users in these forums. Even seeking the most basic and innocent advice can turn into misplaced accusations. I don't think anyone is mean spirtied but some people here have strict methods of raising their dogs and don't take kindly to any suggestion that you may be doing things differently. It's so hard when you get contradictory advice from books, vets, trainers, dog owners, family, friends, forums, but I reckon you're doing the right thing just asking advice and your puppy will grow up very happy and loved. If it helps- we kept our puppy in the laundry and woke up once or twice a night to let her out for the toilet. My baby cried for about 30 minutes when we put her to bed, and sometimes for 15 minutes once she returned after the toilet. It was incredibly difficult but we never went to her and eventually the cries shortened and then, stopped. When she was around 15 weeks we put her outside to sleep and she never cried. Sometimes I think it was the small laundry that was distressing her. We intended to have an outdoor dog too, but now she sleeps on our bed at night. Oops! Good luck! I think your doing a great job too. Its easy to feel ganged up on sometimes when your trying to find a way to make things work for you. Your dog will adjust in no time at all, it just takes a while for them to get use to life without their littermates etc. Plenty of dogs are perfectly fine living life outdoors. Some people do unfortunately leave pets outside to be forgotten, and I've seen this happen before, but it doesn't sound like you are going to go down that path. Some pet owners just need to remember that while they have their whole life AND their dog,,,,,, their dog has just them. You sound committed to giving your pup plenty of company. You'll find lots of information on these forums. Don't forget to post some pic's too, we'd love to see him.

Your pup in at the right age for the "fear period" and will spook very easily at the moment. It's best to be careful at this stage and a huge fright in the outside world can stay for a long time. As for stopping and starting with the walks, our dog did this as well. I think they are just unsure of their surroundings and feeling a little insecure. It should pass as the weeks go on and he gains more confidence. I too, waited until I'd passed the 16 week period for walking around the streets. He should be fully satisfied with the exercise he's getting at home, and lots of little games. It won't take long before he's that bit older....... it goes very fast. Maybe have a little read of the pinned topic "puppy development", there is lots of info there about what to expect and when.