VJB

What a scary experience. I've heard that not all dogs can swim and that some need to learn. I would never throw a dog into the water though, I think they need to experience water in a positive sense otherwise they could end up fearing the water.

My dog is fed Advance and her poo's are nice little logs, easy to pick up. There are so many foods out there that can make sloppy stools, so it may take a while to find the right one.

I'd be interested in seeing a photo of this dog. Can you post any up for us to have a look?

Hope Rogue recovers quickly. Heidi had a UTI when she was 15 weeks or so old. Horrible to watch them constantly trying to pee. Good luck

Is she desexed..... could it be incontinence?? I've heard it can happen.

What a cute photo. I'm glad too that she is herself this morning.

Could it be from running under a plant and something icky/sap on the leaves?? It's on her hair? not on her skin.

I know lots of people who give bones for entertainment when not home, but I personally prefer to supervise. I'd want to be around if anything gets stuck. I am comfortable leaving a stuffed kong when left alone. If its frozen, it'll last longer too.

ahhh, these photo's are so so good. I think you would be feeling pretty fine with those shots. The detail, the detail,,,, that's it, I NEED to invest in a new camera.

My dry food is kept in a big metal bin from bunnings... around $50. Ive not yet reached the bottom of the bin as it's a recent purchase, but would be concerned if it was going stale or off.... how'd you tell,,, did you taste it?

In the early days with out dog, I woke twice a night to take her out. I would take her at 11pm before I got in bed, then wake at 2ish, and again at 5am. This didn't last long before we went longer, and only got up once a night at 3am. Before long she started going all night without needing the toilet, by which time we had installed a doggy door. It seems like it will last forever when you are in the process of it all,,,,, as well as the sleep deprivation. (luckily our dog has never wanted to play at night time). You will get there in no time at all... good luck.

You are not over reacting at all. I'd get it checked out. My in-laws golden retriever recently had a reaction from vaccination and it turned nasty, requiring draining etc. Not sure what happened entirely but it left a big wound, and the pup got sick.

The lump is something that is expected and should go down in a few weeks. If not, you'd have to get the vet to check it. As for the stitches, I would be keeping a very close eye on them, and if in any doubt, go back to the vet.

It's an expression. "Rude health" means "very healthy" or "robust health". See here. Well what about that,,,,, never heard that expression before... I am glad to hear that you girl is in rude health. As for the girlie bits, I'm unsure about infections in that region. Did they give it a name. It wasn't a bite from an ant or something??

What does "rude" good health mean?

You are not a :baddy owner".... You will learn heaps from this forum, believe me! It's great to hear other peoples perspective, and sometimes things are so OBVIOUS, you can scratch your head and wonder why oh why did you not think that yourself! It's easy to spoil our dogs sometimes..... hey, I'm guilty too Maybe reserve the chicken breast and put it in the kong in a few weeks time.

Maybe you could try smearing stuff on the outside of the kong, and just put a little bit of kibble inside the kong. As he licks the outside (hopefully) it will roll the kong around and he will learn that a reward comes out of inside. It's a bit tricky when they are not food motivated, but being young, he may develop an interest in time.

I've been following this thread....so glad Henschke now has a back yard to play in. You are not the only worry wart..... I tend to be too ... but I'd have no luck keeping a GSP inside. He will be so happy, when is the new buddy arriving? Sand pits are great,... we need photo's of him in his fun park

I feed Advance dry, buy the big bag, and feed 3 cups per day, so it lasts a while. Costs about $103. We recently bought 2 bags because they were on sale. I really want to buy a tennis ball with a "tail" attached to it, like a racoon tail. I've seen them on websites for overseas, but have yet to find one here. Thats about the only thing I have trouble finding in pet supply stores. I like looking at different toys, things that you don't just find anywhere.

It's so sad isn't it? Don't you just wish they could live a MUCH longer life. I can understand your pain, even though it's been 10 years for you. Sounds like you had a very special bond with eachother. It's really hard.... I miss my Jessie girl.(Border collie/kelpie/lab) and she was only recently PTS. We now have Heidi and they are so different.... if fact, I wouldn't be having my special bond with Heidi if it wasn't for my old girl Jessie. I will always believe that we had a connection..... it's very real, and sometimes others don't understand. It sure feels very "empty" not having her around, like somethings missing...... even though I'm kept well and truly busy with Heidi-ho. You must have some wonderful memories.

My puppy didn't really know how to "play" when we first got her. If I'd throw something, she'd just look at me strange. It didn't take long though, and before long, I bet your puppy will know all about game playing. As for the kong, keep it simple to begin with. Try a little bit of grated cheese, and a smear of peanut butter. Make sure the stuff can easily come out for now, because if it's too challenging, they don't stick with it long. Gradually make the kong harder to work.

Have a look at the Kong website, there are some great recipe idea's there. Also give a thought to making doggy iceblocks. My dog loves these, and they consist of chicken stock, bits of veges, boiled chicken, any leftover roast meats, or sausages/ blobs of peanut butter etc. I even make natural yoghurt ones with bits of watermelon in it for her. Some people even make huge iceblocks in ice cream containers. I've heard that you can even stuff a kong, then freeze it in water or chicken stock and they will spend a while trying to get thru the iceblock to phase 2... the kong.

We had that problem for a while, in the middle of toilet training. Our dog would go on the deck, (wee and poo), when it had been raining. Once all the toilet training was complete, it was in her head that the grass was the area to go, and we've not had an issue since. The fact that most of the time he goes where he is suppose to, I would not make a rod for your back (you'll regret it) and hope the problem sorts itself out on its own accord, with age. I have a friend who takes her ridgeback out in the middle of a rainy night with an umbrella etc... now she's just had a baby, and I don't know what she's gonna do ..... sleep deprived new parent getting constant interruptions from big woos who doesn't want to get his feet wet

I tend to give our dog, cheese, cabanossi or cooked chicken as treats, but did have a bag of chicken strip things in the fridge that I bought from a pet shop. They were long thin red and white, and about as thick as a shoe lace. Looked on back of packet,,,, made in china... In the bin it goes. It's just easier making my own treats and freezing them in little zip lock bags. Less worry, and anything that doesn't get used in daily training gets stuffed into a kong tomorrow. It's a real worry that these products are still on the market though, and I will be spreading the word to pet owners.

I too, after spending a fortune in having polished floor boards included in my home, now have "Clark Rubber" carpet (rubber backed) covering the most of it. And the lovely tiles in the laundry (which is where pup is fed and also leads out to the back yard, so he is a bit inclined to scoot through there quite a bit) is covered with "Bunnings" rubber mats for tiles. And the quite large espanse of under cover decking, wooden floor lovingly oiled over the years to keep it nice, is mostly now covered with "Bunnings" black rubber matting for decking & boats. But like you .... it's a tonne better than pup doing damage to himself. AH HA!! Thats what its called...... Bunnings black rubber matting for decking and boats......that's the stuff in my house!! ;) covering my nice floor boards. Hubby was never really that good at decorating interior design skills... I should have gone with him, as all I could do is "grin" when he arrived home with it.