megan_

I don't use the biscuits etc - they're really junk food. You can just stuff their norma meal in there and use youghart as a binder.

What is the difference between making up your own BARF patties and feeding them as well as bones, and buying the commercial BARF patties and feeding bones. Nothing that I can see apart from convenience. The dogs are still being fed BARF they are still on the receiving end of a good diet, which is the aim, Yes? the problem is that anyone can sell BARF patties with no standard being adhered to. If I went down the commercial path, I'd rather feed a good kibble where I knew there was quality control etc. My feeding regime is mostly meat directly on the bone - doesn't get much more convenient than that. All of that said - if the commercial patties work for you and your dog then go for it!

Check chains are not cruel if used in the right way. At my training school you can use them if you want but only once you have taught a dog a command 100% - not before, because you are "punishing it" without it knowing what it is meant to do. Also, it shouldn't hurt. IMO poor trainers like this give this tool a bad name. Some dogs don't respond to purely positive

lack of bones?

the basis for my RAW diet is chicken wings (with tuna, sardines, egg, flaxseed oil, youghart etc thrown in on occasion).. My dog seems to get itchy if he has beef or lamb, and he refuses to eat kangaroo (and I'm fine with that. I don't like the pet grade cr*p and it is too costly to buy the human grade stuff). Dr Billinghurst's books say that many dogs have thrived in a mainly chicken wing/neck/frame diet. It doesn't seem to be doing my boy any harm. Also, most commercial puppy food is based soley on chicken as the source of protein.

thanks...they are in iphoto! So I'm not going mad.... ETA: tried the above, it still doesn't work. Tried it on Flickr too...are there any mac users out there that can help?

confession 1: I am a manager in IT. confession 2: I don't know how to upload photos to photobucket from my mac. Can you please help me? I go to "Upload File", I select the jpeg I want, I press "select", I get taken back to photobuket and *nothing has been uploaded*. It can't be that hard, can it?

your vet sounds wonderful!

looks like one of the dogs from the hoarding case in Vic? I agree you need to see a behaviourist. In the meantime, I wouldn't focus on toilet training. So you need to do a bit more cleaning, big whoops! I believe your focus should be on gaining her trust - in a doggy, non-human way. THe human way would be lots of cuddles. If this dog has really been abused, cuddles, new people, walks etc may be too much for her at this stage. For the last week or so I have been looking after a dog that was used as puppy farm breeding stock. We are on trial and I hope to adopt her when the trial is over. This dog won't even let you walk near her or look you in the eye. The rescuer that I got her from told me to totally ignore her for a few weeks, feed her and talk to her in a nice voice (but not directly at her). This has worked miracles - she now runs up to me, wagging her tail when I get home. She still won't come for cuddles, but the progress has been remarkable. Maybe this approach is worth talking over with a professional?

thanks - just googled it after m post. Seems about right. I'll tr the betadine first and then take the vet route later if necessary. Approx how many days should it take for the betadine to work its trick?

thanks - it is definitely dry and scaley - like dandruff. Should I give him an extra dose of Drontal (he is due in 2 months time)?

7 months ago

My camera isn't working at the moment. Do hot spots normally show on the back though?

Hi Fellow DOL'ers, My 1 yr old mini schnauzer x mini poodle has developed a small (1x2cm) bald patch on his back (middle). It is also "scaley" and has lots of flakes. I noticed the flakes a few days ago, but only noticed the patch tonight. He is fed a RAW diet, but over the last few weeks I have occasionally given him EP Holistic. His treats are all natural (happy paws), but he does occasionally get the treats from the bouncy buddy bone (he has had these for months though with no problems). I occasionally give him a pig's ear as a special treat. Any ideas on what it could be and how I could get rid of it? Could it be mange (my fear!). Thanks, Megan

thanks. So far, so good, but I like to have a back-up just in case

Last night Fergus was playing with his toys (lots of jumping as per usual), when he suddenly let out a blood curdling scream. He then tried to walk and his back legs looked lame. I scooped him up and went straight to the Emergency Vet. I carried him in and they asked me to put him down...of course, he happliy trotted to them and smooched his little heart out. I was happy and embarrassed all at the same time. :p They did some testing and his back appeared to be sore (to touch, didn't want to jump up when encouraged). She said to keep an eye on him and take him to my vets if it didn't improve over the next few days. This morning he was jumping (tried to stop him, he wouldn't have a bar of it) but he wasn't as active as he normally is. I'll keep an eye on him but I'd like to have the name/contact details of the best pysio/chiro out there "just in case". I'm in the inner SE suburbs of Melbourne, but I'd be willing to go for a long drive if that's what it takes. Thanks, Megan

I'd check where they come from. There is some shocking footage of fisherman catching sharks, cutting off only the fins and then throwing them back into the sea - where they drown because they can't stay upright. And the flesh isn't even used for food.

A the school they don't teach it to any dogs at all. The reasoning is that the dog should "stay" until it is released - no special commands needed. For example, someone comes to the door and you have trained your dog to sit when this happens: * The "sit, release" trained dog sits while the owner talks to the person at the door etc. No interruption of conversation. * The "sit, stay, release" dog wants to come to the door unless the owner is constantly telling it to "stay". This makes answering the door etc hard to do. This works really well for my dog. He now stays for about 15 seconds, even if there is a delicious treat to tempt him away.

love the canine country club idea...now to find a council willing to fund it...

I use: 1. Most often - praise. A "good boy" seems to be enough for him most of the time 2. Happy Paws treats - as a special bonus when learning something new and important (eg recall, letting me out the door). They are made by a doler and don't melt (all natural etc).

I used to use it but stopped and changed protocols when my vet said it doesn't control hyatid (sp) - the one worm I'm really afraid of! Also,I don't treat fleas in winter (not a problem here at that time) but I do wrom him, so I don't like advocate because you have to keep up with the chemicals even when it isn't needed. If you are going to continue using it, you need to include an all-wormer like drontol too.

She plans to have the dog clipped by a professional groomer. I have read not to clip them before 8 - 10 months of age. Is this correct? it needs to go to the groomers at about 14 weeks for a "puppy groom" which is basically just getting used to the groomers. If she doesn't do this, she could be in for a heap of trouble in the future. The critical socialisation period is 8 - 16 weeks and he needs to be (safely) introduced to new experiences at this time. Also, the puppy should be with its littermates until it is 8 weeks old. The reason is that it learns social skills and bit inhibition from its littermates. If she needs convincing, tell her that she could have a real biter on her hands if she doesn't do this.

bear in mind that you have a puppy though so their immune system is even more susceptible.

Thanks - I agree. This is why I only use a flea treatment if I see a flea. For 1 yr he has been "flea free".

thanks. I might get some capstar tablets to kill off the current lot and go from there. I have only see one and managed to catch it, but I just know more are lurking!