megan_

I fond a flea on Fergus on Sunday and put on a vial of Frontline Plus (a lot went on his fur as he was squirming). I noticed that he is still scratching like crazy this evening. Is Frontline Plus any good? Is there anything else that I can give him to get rid of the little buggers (I don't want to expose him to too many chemicals, but I do want to kill the fleas asap).

plenty of people have responded to the exercise bit, so I'll respond to the vaccination part. There are differing opinions on this so you just need to do what you're comfortable with. IMO, and in the opinion of every trainer I have ever met on talked to "online", you need to get your dog out of the house and socialised before 14 weeks. Between 10 - 16 weeks is a critical sociliasation period and by not taking him out you run the risk of having an unsocialised, fearful dog. Of course, there is a greater risk of infection outside of your home, but I'd take the risk of infection over the risk of a poorly socialised dog any day. This means taking him to meet dogs that you know are vaccinated (and good with puppies). Inviting people of different ages and races over to your house and taking him to visit them too (ie he needs to be outside his comfort zone). Take him for drives, to shops, to puppy school etc etc. If you do a search on "vaccinations" and "Erny" (a trainer who uses this site), you'll find more info.

Fergus does this too - but it is only the ball he is interested in. Fortunately (for him) he is very fast so the other dog, who usually isn't charmed at his antics, can't catch him. When he is off leash I now carry his favourite squeek ball (a dino cuz) with me. If he starts eyeing up another ball I squeek it a few times and that focuses his attention back on me.

As part of a meal (not an extra treat, otherwise he would be a fatty): - small can of tuna - pulped veges - youghart to combine

my dog used to do this when he was young. Sometimes people would get down to give him a tummy rub...and they'd get wee'd on

Never done this myself. I suggest finding out what is causing the issue first (via the behaviorist). If it is fear aggression driving the behavior, this could make it worse? To the OP - the behaviorist works with both the dog and you - so they should be able to look at your leadership and help you determine what you need to change (because, 9/10, it is us making the mistakes, not the dogs!).

I think that you need to consult a behaviorist asap. What you interpret as jealousy may be fear aggression, or some other cause. It can't be diagnosed over the net - you really need to see someone. In terms of hurting other dogs, while you think your dog might not want to, other dogs might not tolerate him and try to put him in his place - and it can all end in tears.

could be a cold, an allergy or something stuffed in the nose. I'd get it checked out by the vet soon

I took my pup to the farmer's market (there is one at least every week in Melbourne). There were people of all ages, races and sizes, live music, an enclosed petting zoo and all sorts of well behaved dogs on leash (so much safer than a lot of parks if that concerns you).

Necks can be dangerous (just the right width for chocking...) especially for a food-driven breed like a lab. I feed chicken wings. Be aware that they are quite fatty though, so I actually cut off a lot of the skin. I also join it (it break it up at the joints) and I don't feed the little bone that sticks out (too much fat).

You need to start leaving him for short periods immediately - then build up over the next few weeks. Truth is, you should have done this from the day you got him, but it isn't too late to start! When you leave him, don't look at him, don't say "bye", don't play with him - just pick up your bag and walk out. This might seem cruel but if you make a big fuss over leaving he will get more stressed. If you do some training with him, and take him for a few short walks (at his age and because he will be so large he can't go on long walks) that should help tire him out. I don't recommend getting another dog while this one is so young - you are going to have your hands full as it is and you're going to have to do heaps of training and socialization too - and you'll be starting a new job etc. Another dog will just add too much burden IMO.

you could try substituting some of the mince and/or dry with pumpkin. It won't pack on the weight but it fills them up.

relapses in toilet training are normal - don't expect 100% reliable-all-the-time-fail-safe toileting until 6ish months. Weeing while walking is strange though - perhaps get him checked by the vet for a UTI? How much is "a lot"?

As long s you're not walking him in a dog park and not letting him sniff poo, he should be fine. Getting out and socializing is critical to his well being. At this age, walks should be short (my vet says max 15 mins) and interesting (let him sniff around, stop if he gets tired etc). If you over exercise him now, you will be up for some pretty hefty vet bills later on

Part of me says "leave some sort of treat so that they view alone time as positive". A bigger part of me says "he is a dog. He has to get used to it. Take the other dog out, no big deal. He will settle and he'll be a better dog for it" (ie more confident on his own, less jealous etc).

Sounds like SPAM to me (hmmm...pig snount....)

I believe it is high in salt - the "corned" bit means cured in brine

From what I have researched : Feed all the dog can eat and when he's giving you that "couldn't fit another thing in" look and/or 'stashing' his food for 'later', you know your dog's capacity. THEN you feed about 2/3rds of that quantity. This is from Ian Billinghurst's "Give a Dog a Bone". OR Feed 10% of your dog's current weight (I think that's written here, too) OR Feed 2/3rds of your dog's projected adult weight (I think that's written here too, but can't say I agree with that for a growing pup). 10% seems very high. For Ian Billinghurst's BARF patties, the guide says: 4 - 5% ideal body weight for puppies 2 - 3% for grown-ups, if pets 5 - 6% for working dogs

I'm no photography expert but this looks 3D.

Orijen has pulled out of Australia all together. Artemis make a wheat free kibble. Alternatively, have you given any thought to a RAW diet - you will then be 100% in control of what your dog gets. My mini schnauzer cross used to get flaky skin, but since changing to RAW (I follow the BARF model) his skin is fantastic.

How much exercise is he getting? I find the Dog Whisperer's philosophy of "exercise, discipline then affection" to be a good guide. He comes from an active, working breed. This means he needs lots of exercise, with some training added to this to help tire him. He may lots of pent up energy and this needs to be spent before he can be disciplined (a lot like kids, If they're locked in the house all day, bored to tears, they go feral and no amount of reward or punishment is going to control them!). I am not a trainer but I believe that sit, stay etc are great things to learn, but they are essentially just tricks (very useful ones though). It sounds like he needs to be trained in good manners (ie the house rules). You may be inadvertently training him to jump up and carry on by paying him attention when he does these things, even if it is negative attention. I am loath to say "see a behaviorist" every time some one has an issue with a dog, but I think it would be a good idea in your situation. You have a dog that is very strong, and will only get stronger and you have kids in the house. Mouthing may be annoying now, but in another six months it will be worse. I would recommend getting some one in to assess the situation at your home and give you ideas on how you can train him to listen to the house rules.

Feeding a RAW diet is great for your dog. Before you go down this path though, you need to find out what is good/bad (that's why you're posting I guess!) - otherwise you can do more harm than good. For example, mince with no bone is a bad idea for dogs as the phosphorus (meat) and calcium (bones) balance is out of whack. I would recommend getting a copy of Ian Billinghurst's "Give a Dog a Bone". It explains what to give/what not to give and gives some background on RAW feeding. Bear in mind that there are many different schools of thought when it comes to raw feeding (eg BARF and the prey model are different). I found the information overwhelming, all had pros and cons, so I chose BARF and stuck to that. You can also use the search function on the forum as there is plenty of information here. In terms of feeding time, many people recommend limiting it to 15 mins. I don't do this as I feed RAW and my dog needs time to chew the bones properly. I don't want to rush him lest he chokes. In terms of over/underfeeding, if you can see his ribs he is too thin. Standing behind him you should be able to see a clear waist, and feel his ribs without pushing too hard. A few studies have shown that it is better to be on the lighter side than overweight. Even if you don't go down the RAW path, giving your dog a raw bone to chew (not marrow as it is very rich) will help clean its teath.

I'm no expert but I think it may be due to the restrictions on your dog. Is there any reason why he is only in a 1x1m pen and only let out after every 2 hours? At 6 months, I would think he could be allowed a lot more freedom (I don't now the affie breed, so this might not be appropriate). By being in a pen a lot he isn't learning how to behave in the house and garden, and you may have big issues later on when you want to get rid of the puppy pen, because he hasn't learnt how to cope with "normal" life. How much exercise and play does he get every day? How much time does he get to just be a dog? To wander around the yard, sniffing, exploring etc? How much "good manners" training is he getting so that you can let him out, keep and eye out but just let him do his own thing? I don't have an affie, but at 6 months my pup was getting about an hour of offlead play a day, 15 mins of a "structured" walk on a lead, witha bit of training thrown in on the walk. I put up some baby gates so he had access to some of the house and the garden each day while I was at work (I have a doggie door). This was pretty much the routine from day 1 (with less walks).

same with me - with the exception of that horrible adolescent period when they play up! It is all about risk vs reward. You can live a very low risk life without having much fun. My dog's recall is 100% with no/little distractions (add a dog chasing a ball then all training is forgotten. Even then, he doesn't actually run away). I take him to the fenced dog beach first thing in the morning (that's 6.30 am for me). We're either alone or there are one or two well behaved dogs there. I check them out and make an assessment before releasing him. He adores his sweaky toy, so I take it along in case of emergencies. I throw a ball and play with him so that I' the most interesting thing on the beach. I only call him if I am 100% sure that he'll come to me, so that I don't "untrain" the recall. I also walk along the water line and he always follows - they often wander when you just stand still dong nothing. I agree in theory with "only let them off until you have 100% recall". The thing is, you only know if you have 100% recall when you actually let them off. Many dogs are smart enough to figure out that ona long leash they must come back every time. Off leash is a different story. If I was in your position, I'd take him at a few set times on certain days (very early mornings are the best). Take him on the leash a few times, show him the "path" that you walk and check the other dogs out. After a few visits, let him off, play and keep walking. Bring an emergency recall item (food, toys, whatever attracts him) and have some fun! edit to add: I assumed when writing this that your dog doesn't just run away when let off the leash and that you're doing recall training on a long leash already. If you haven't started this yet then, as others have said, this is the place to start.

VAN = Vets All Natural. It is a mix of grains, kelp etc. There have been a few recent threads on it here (some pro, some con).