megan_

Give a vet a call ASAP. He may have an infection and be in pain.

Sandowne St Beach (often called Brighton Beach, but Brighton beach isn't the beach for dogs).

EP Holistaic Salmon - it has a strong smell and mine love it.

Two dogs is my council and personal limit (in terms of training and walking, one-on-one time etc). As much as I love puppies I hope I'm not ina position to get one for another 15+ years (because getting one would mean that I've lost one of my current ones :-().

A few random thoughts: i) Overall, you need to set your dog up for success. This means being really honest about your dogs tempremant, your leadership and the amount of control you have over your dog. A dog that displays aggression in some circumstances isn't a bad dog, it is a dog that needs to be managed. Putting a dog with issues, however minor, with 12+ other dogs that you don't know in a small fenced area is setting your dog up for failure. ii) Never go at peak time, especially if there is good weather. This is particularly true in winter. This is when the idjits come out to play and dogs that haven't been walked in 2 weeks are let off leash. If you go at dawn or dusk you tend to get a better class of owner IMO. iii) In Melbourne, there is no such thing as a dog park. There are public areas that allow off-leash dogs. I think this is important to remember as you are sharing a space with the community. People without dogs are allowed in these areas, people are allowed to go for a jog, ride a bike, kids are allowed to run around etc. If your dog can't handle this, then you need to do more socialisation before putting them in the park. iv) I don't go to fenced parks unless I'm the only one there/with dogs that I know very well. Why? I think fencing dogs in seems to change behaviour. Dogs tend to rush to the gate to greet new dogs. Dogs can't get away from others etc. All of the off-leash parks in my area are unfenced and I have never witnessed most of the behaviours described in anti-off leash park rants. v) Most people arrive at the park, let the dog off leash and it runs away as fast as it can. This adds risk to the situation. Teach your dog to focus on you as soon as the leash comes off. You can do this by playign with a tug, giving a treat etc. Practice this and get it down pat before you go to the park. Basically, you want a "leash comes off, dog focuses 100% on you" response. Then you release your dog to play. vi) When we arrive at our park (not a dog park, a park that is used for sport, games and allows off leash dogs) we walk around the perimeter first. Somtimes this is on leash, sometimes off. I do a bit of training and focus exercises with my boy. He doesn't get released to play until we've had some calm, focused time. Only after I know that he is listening does he get released. If he is having a bad day and he isn't listening (which is very rare) we go for a leash walk. I still make it fun but I don't risk letting him run off if he is in a silly mood. vii) Know the dogs at your local park. Know the owners who stand and babble while their dogs wreaks havoc. Don't go when these people are there. There are a few dogs that I don't trust at our park and I leave if they come. If they are there when I pull up, I simply drive to another park. viii) Pay attention to your dog at all times. Always keep them within calling range. Practice calling them for no reason, reward and free them. Watch their body language. It is much easier to diffuse a situation early on than it is to stop a brawl. I assume that the on/off leash scenario that people are talking about is for fenced dog parks?

Sigh. Someone turns to DOL for help and it turns to small dog bashing. My dogs are small and very well behaved. They don't run up to any dogs without my permission. My boy has been stalked, charged, picked up and flung into the air by a dobe - it wasn't herding or play drive, it was prey drive. He was on his lead and we were minding our own business.

Then they will try to get the dog and remove the tag. After being broken into twice through a very small dog door (I have mini schnauzers) I wouldn't recommend getting one - and I live in a nice area! I can't be much help deelee - since the dog door is gone my doy just taps the kitchen door glass (which is not near the dog door) when he wants to go out - I never even trained him to do this.

I wouldn't get a second dog until the first one is well trained and can help "teach" the new one the ropes. Two well trained dogs are a joy, two unruly ones are a nightmare! Since everyone is saying "do it", I think there are some other factors to consider: * Cost - the cost of everything is double. Both seem to get sick at once and you have to pay for double consults, meds etc. You also need to double your budget for feeding, vaccs etc. * Time - Both dogs will need time apart, for training and socialisation purposes. If your dogs are together 24/7, they will become too attached IMO and you'll have two very fretful dogs if they ever need to spend time apart (eg if one gets sick and is in hospital). Do you have the time to train and walk them seperately? If you do get another dog, it is best to ensure that they spend some time on their own, for their own good. Bear in mind that the first and second dogs might not actually become good "friends" either. My two get along veery well and there has never been a fight, but they have never snuggled up to each other and ignore each other 90% of the time. They will play for about 1/2 an hour a day but that is it!

Someone comes onto a dog forum because they are feeling worried/a bit guilty about elective surgery and they get made fun of. Nice.

Has anything else changed? Have you been molly-coddling her a bit because she was sore etc? Maybe a vet check is in order? My boy had an op (not desexing) and it took months for the scar tissue to heal properly and get back to his normal self.

My boy was fine as soon as I brought him home. Dogs are very resiliant!

The report doesn't say anything about supervision though? I think the whoel "supervision" thing gives people a false sense of security. A dog attack happens in milliseconds and I can't imagine that someone could pull off a few attacking dogs of that size. Being int eh same room as the baby wouldn't make a difference unless the mother knew how to read signals from the dogs and exactly how to react? Most people don't seem to know the signals of an arroused or scared etc dog.

relax. You will make plenty of mistakes and it will be okay.

Post pics anyway? He might not know about those breeds. Emmy looks very "expensive".

I had a dog door for small dogs and was broken into twice. The police said that they can get through tiny ones. My dogs are good watch dogs too. I'll never have one again :-(

I hope I'm allowed to post this. I know some here feed Nutro Natural and when I went to go buy it yesterday Petstock had this great sale. It lands up being just over $5/kg. I don't know how long it runs for.

It is worth remembering that some people here are VERY experienced and so would notice tiny changes in their dogs. Most people wouldn't. I go for annual check-ups and get the CC vaccine at the same time 9they do go into kennels occasionally so need it). I am not an experienced dog person so I would take them in for a check-up annually regardless. Also, if you have insurance you'd need to check if it is impacted by not getting an annual check-up.

same thing happened to my boy. They had to chop him open because the ultrasounds and x-rays don't always show everthing up.

It is an offence not to give vet treatment if it is required (ie the are actually sick or injured). It isn't an offence not to take them to the vet for routine check-ups.

I think it depends on the breed. I have a tiny yard and I think it is great because it "forces" me to walk them twice a day. You do need to make sure that you get them out-and-about even when the weather is terrible though!

Many cheaper vets don't have anyone staying when a dog is hospitalised overnight, hence the price difference.

but you have to pay upfront with pet insurance and then claim (unless you have one of the very few vets that will accept the insurance paid to them directly).

I'll adopt Tom - where is the application form?

I had a small normal dog door (for mini schnauzers) and have been broken into twice. Teh police now believe that this is how they were getting in. I'll never have a dog door again!

I walk them regardless. I don't walk in a thunderstorm or when there is severe wind and rain due to the risks. I'll wait for a clearing and take them out (even if it is just a 15 min walk).