Odin-Genie

I don't think all Fuzzyard shampoos contain cocoa butter. Only the super shine ones. How does cocoa butter affect dogs?

Survey completed. I stressed that instead of destroying dogs there needs to be hefty fines for dog owners whose dogs roam or bite. Destroying a dog may not affect those who don't care to keep their dogs safe. They would simply go and get another dog. The only way to make people responsible is to educate them as well as fine them.

I would never ever agree to such terms however close I might be to a breeder. For me, my dogs are part of my family and I would not relinquish their responsibility or wellbeing to anyone else unless I had absolute decision making powers.

I feed both my dogs twice a day. Less chance of bloat that way.

My goldy was spayed at 6 months. I haven't had any issues with her, though she is a bit taller than her mum, which might be a result of early desexing.

They need to spend the two weeks getting the puppy used to being on its own. Starting with 1 hour on the first day then building it up. Otherwise the puppy will stress when they go back to work. True. Tell them not to spend all their time with the puppy, but leave it alone for increasing durations each day. Otherwise the puppy will have serious separation anxiety when they go back to work.

My dogs managed fine when they were puppies. Of course I initially took 15 days off to make my first puppy feel settled. During this time we left him alone for a few hours and gradually increased the time. I also left midday meal for him in treat balls which kept him occupied as well. I have a secure yard, so he had access to the backyard through a dog door once he was old enough to use it. Before that he stayed inside and toilet training was with newspapers!!!

I and my OH work similar hours. However, we have two dogs who are mostly inside and keep each other company. They also get 60-90 minutes of exercise everyday after work. Then they spend the evening with us and most days sleep on our bed. I am usually complemented on how happy and relaxed my dogs are. So yes, I do think it can be done. But in such situations, I would always recommend two dogs, though, of course, they should not get both dogs at the same time.

My Elkhound loves to play with any dog that is his size or bigger. He completely ignores smaller dogs. I don't think he has a breed preference. Some of the dogs he plays with include staffys, GSDs, labs. He, however, doesn't like group play. If too many dogs get in, he walks away. My goldy plays with staffies and small dogs.

I don't think you should ever allow your dog to approach another dog without the permission of that dog's owner. But that's just me. They don't know if your dog is friendly or not. Their dog may have issues and not like being rushed - previous aggression by other dogs, and injury that can cause pain if the dog is knocked over, or may have behavioural issues that are controlled as long as the dog is not crowded. Well - I agree if the other dog is on the leash I would never let my dog approach or if the other owner says something. But in my opinion the dog owner with the issue should react... That would make things so much easier! I mean she saw me and walked past us it was not like that Teal'c came out of nowhere... The dog in this case may not have an issue, but in my opinion you should not let your dog approach someone elses dog without their explicit permission. You don't get my point :p ... It's about how people, not dogs behave in a public space. And to be honest: "explicit permission" kind of takes the fun away. If your dog needs "explicit permission" to be approached then don't walk it in a park with 200 other happy off leash dogs. Because if it all was about asking for "explicit permission" it would get very noisy... But hey - my first day in the forum... I better shut up. I agree with Teal'c on this one, if you don't want your dog to be approached by other in the park don't take it to an offlead park. It's kind of silly to go to a public area where you know dogs are going to be allowed offlead and expect everyone (and every dog) to keep their distance from you and your dog. I believe in controlled introductions at the dog park. I never let my dogs crowd other dogs coming in or rush at other dogs. If after general introductions my dog starts to chase another dog, I always ask the owner if their dog is ok with it. My dogs are non-reactive and give plenty of space to other dogs. They would do the play bow thing before they actually start to play and if the other dog doesn't respond, they would walk away. But then my dogs mostly like playing with each other and one or two other dogs at the dog park.

If someone told me that there was a dangerous dog at the park I would keep my dog away from them. And I'm not Asian. . Your post implied that BECAUSE there were Asian they didn't know better. You might have meant no offense, but you are perpetuating a stereotype that Asian's don't know much about dogs. It is silly and untrue. So if some one told you that because a dog still had his nuts he was dangerous you would believe them? I said Asian because most asian people have a fear of larger dogs, PLEASE NOTE I SAID MOST and was implying "Oh great another person telling lies about big dogs to make them more scared of them" But didn't really think I had to explain every little detail. Well, if I saw an unknown dog in the park and someone told me that dog was dangerous, I would be vary of it (desexed or not) and would call my dogs away. If the person specifically said the dog is dangerous because it is entire, I would correct the person, but would still watch out for that dog as I would with any unknown dog. But I have no issues if my dogs play with entire dogs.

Breed: Norwegian Elkhound Age: 2.3 Dry food: Artemis Maximal (grain free) Cost per bag (13 kg): $127 (inclusive of postage) Lasts for: about 40 days Other: BARF patties, fruits, raw bones. Total cost per week: $35 Total cost per day: about $6 Breed: Golden Retriever Age: 2 Dry food: Artemis Maximal (grain free) Cost per bag (13 kg): $127 (inclusive of postage) Lasts for: about 40 days Other: BARF patties, fruits, raw bones. Total cost per week: $35 Total cost per day: about $6 So, for both of them, it's about $12 a day.

Thanks everyone. It's quite a sight watching my goldy crunching the cicada shells like prized delicacies!!!

Hi, In summer we get lots of cicadas and crickets in our backyard. My goldy has started chasing them and eating them. I stop her when I see her, but there are usually a few dead cicadas lying in the lawn and it's likely she eats them when she finds them during the day. Can this be harmful? I can't keep her locked inside all day. She has access to the backyard through a dog door.

Since my dogs are bathed frequently, I use sulphate free organic shampoos. Fuzzyard organic is pretty good. I use Alloween conditioner.

So you think it is ok to bring food into dog parks but not squeaky toys? If dog owners are expected to call their dogs away from food, shouldn't they be able to call them away from toys as well? Food is something you control and normally a reward that is given and eaten right then and there. Not something that is thrown away from you and into a mix of dogs that you have no idea of their drive. And I did say it should be Ok but that I won't bring food into an off lead dog park anymore due to past experiences. I don't expect anyone elses dog to do anything. I have a certain level of behaviour I expect from my own dogs but I can't be certain of how other owners have trained their own dogs in a public park, so why take the risk? I agree - no difference between food and toys, if other dogs are expected to ignore one type of reward then they should be expected to ignore all. I'd like people to call their dog if it is annoying me and my dog, whether that be because I have food or any other reason. My dogs cannot leave others toys alone so I won't go in if someone is doing this (or training because people who train in dog parks are nazis IME). My ideal would be for parks to be used just for dog play - no training, no private ball games, no on-lead walking with dog to be left totally alone, etc - but for all dogs to be well socialised and owners knowledgable and observant. I don't mind people using the dog park for training or private ball games so long as they don't expect all other dogs to stay at a distance and not play around them, or get cranky if another dog chases their toy, particularly in regular suburban parks which aren't very big. When I take toys to the dog park, I throw it for other dogs as well. And if I don't want some particularly destructive dogs to take the toys, I just put it away. I would not want to stop my dog from doing zoomies just because someone has come in and wants to train their dog. But if the park was big enough and they were there first, I would definitely move away. If my dogs were going after their dog or bothering them, then I'll stop them. But I would not stop them from playing with each other unless they had booked the park. My goldy used to beg and jump for food when she was a puppy since a lot of people in the park gave her treats. I had to physically restrain her a few times. It's better now since I don't let anyone give her treats. I see dog parks as a place where both humans and dogs socialise. Where people know each others' dogs and feel comfortable letting them play together. I love dogs and I love being around dogs. I drive around or go into the dog park even when my dogs aren't with me. I completely agree with the sentence above in bold. That's my expectation from a dog park.

So you think it is ok to bring food into dog parks but not squeaky toys? If dog owners are expected to call their dogs away from food, shouldn't they be able to call them away from toys as well? Food is something you control and normally a reward that is given and eaten right then and there. Not something that is thrown away from you and into a mix of dogs that you have no idea of their drive. And I did say it should be Ok but that I won't bring food into an off lead dog park anymore due to past experiences. I don't expect anyone elses dog to do anything. I have a certain level of behaviour I expect from my own dogs but I can't be certain of how other owners have trained their own dogs in a public park, so why take the risk? Fair enough. I usually don't take food treats to dog parks. On rare occassions when I do, I ensure that the treats are in a sealed container so that it doesn't drive other dogs crazy. When I reward my dogs I ensure that there are no other dogs around. I also take squeaky balls to dog parks, but I put it away when there are unknown dogs. My dogs have no resource guarding issues. However, I believe it is good to avoid taking high value food or toys to dog parks unless one knows all the dogs that are there and can be confident of their behaviour.

So you think it is ok to bring food into dog parks but not squeaky toys? If dog owners are expected to call their dogs away from food, shouldn't they be able to call them away from toys as well?

Do you use all of these? I use Advantix on my dogs every 15 days. Do I need any other flea protection, particularly since they play with other dogs in the dog park? Use all of them together? No, that's not necessary. There are just different characteristics to each product that mean you might choose one over another for a particular dog. Thanks Rappie. I've seen a few people use flea collars with Advantix. Which is why I was wondering if Advantix by itself is not enough for flea protection.

This is an amazing photo. Great photos here.

Do you use all of these? I use Advantix on my dogs every 15 days. Do I need any other flea protection, particularly since they play with other dogs in the dog park?

I have a northern breed as well and he used to be exactly the same as a puppy. For the first two months, we used to be covered with scratches. He was great at puppy class but wouldn't do anything he was told at home if he didn't want to. We persisted with his training, including some sessions with the trainer at home, and now, at two years of age, he is the gentlest boy, still very high energy but with a very high bite inhibition. With my limited knowledge of northern breeds (just one dog) I would say that you need to be firm but gentle. Screaming or shouting doesn't work. If he nips, give a sharp yelp and move away. Turn your back to him or go out of the room.

Yes. Yuck

Ditto! My goldy walks around. My elky doesn't. If they ever have tummy upsets, I can easily tell who it is

I have a big goldy as well. During the day my dogs come and go as they please through the dog door. At night, my goldy barks once if she needs to go out. My elkhound scratches on the door.