megan_

I agree. It might work out well but it might not. You might be sleep deprived, coping with a baby with colic and suffering from PND all at the same time. Add a puppy and that would be hell. If you get a pup now and things don't work out it will be bad for both you and the pup. If you wait there is no downside other than you don't get a puppy now. There will always be another puppy. I would looove to have a puppy now. I can afford it, have the space, there is a breeder who has dogs I adore coming up in December etc etc, BUT I know in my head that now isn't the right time.

Buster cubes are great - mine find kong winnowed too easy. The Nina ottoson stuff is great too, but you need to supervise them using it

Honestly I'd take him to the vets - he has been listless for a while? - pacing can mean he's in pain. My boy had something similar a few weeks ago ANC he landed up in emergency. I would feed BBQ chicken as it is very fatty. I'd feed poached chicken breast. No psyllium husks for tummy problems as you want them go eat easy to digest food.

My cousin got a STD schnauzer puppy with a 13 year old mini schnauzer - she has brought him back to life. He is like a puppy again. What kind of attributes do you want in a dog? Do you want to provide daily training for a smart dog or do you want to teach to a standard and leave it at that? I wouldnt suggest getting a smart breed unless training interests you

Thanks with the advice everyone. We are seeing Michelle on Thursday and we'll see how that goes. I don't want to take him to too many different people at the same time as I've found with myself, you get people doing conflicting things. If we don't get progress with her I'll be calling some of those recommended here. I'm feeling more positive as Ray mentioned both his hips and spine had been x-rayed when this first occurred and they were in good nick.

It wasn't this Thursday - it is next Thursday

Sorry didn't mean to sound terse - I'm on the iPhone and can't type long sentences

The vast majority of people don't go tondog parks. Snook took her dog into one once when no one was there. The problem is that off leash dogs are everywhere. Most people here are working with professionals including Steve.

Itisnt standard. I believe it us called breeders terms? If they want to use him as a stud would they want him to come to them, or would he just go to a vet for collection? I'd never want my dig to leave my care and stsy with someone else for breeding. Whatever you fo make sure the contract is rock solid

That is great news! It IS a big deal. Well done for persisting

Ta neks. Ray recommened Michelle monk from dogs in motion. He breeds greyhounds - the greyhound people have all the best connections!

DOL isn't really the right place to ask if you want a new puppy....

Why is he recommending this? If she's on a balanced diet then I've heard that extra calcium can be very detrimental to a large breed dog. IF she's already on a balanced diet then I'd find a new vet...

Don't assume that puppies fit in easier. When the pup grows up there could easily be a bit of tussling to sort the "real" order out. Maybe I'm reading too much into it, but I'm seeing a lot about what Lucy wants, not what you want.

I'll give some of the negatives for thought: * #1 may not like #2 and vice versa. Where does that leave #2 because he was bought to keep #1 company? They'll most probably need to be separated at first anyway as a pup needs rest time and not constant play with an older dog. * There is more work involved because you don't want to raise 2 co-dependent dogs that don't know how to cope if the other one needs to spend overnight at the vets etc. So this means time alone, some separate walks and training etc. This means more of your time. This is especially true when #2 is new to the household. * If one breaks into the bin/gets sick, then chances are the other one will too. Can you afford double the emergency vet costs (to give you an idea, mine spent a night at the emergency vets on a drip only, and the cost was just shy of $1000). I have two dogs and I love them and they get along really well, but I don't think I could cope if they didn't. I'm a firm believer in getting a dog for yourself, and not your other dog. Do you actually want another dog? If you're worried about Lucy being bored, what about a dog walker during the day? ETA: they'll need to be fed separately too. I actually miss leaving a bone for my boy to chomp on.

I belong to two agility clubs and one OB club, however I don't attend the OB classes (I just train on my own and use the club as a distraction. * I think pet clubs and sports dog clubs need to cater for different requirements, so I'd like to see them separated. People training a dog for sports are more likely to accept that things take a long time to train properly and want more accurate results. Most pet people don't need a proper heel for example, they just might want the dog to walk sorta-to-my-left. * I'd like obedience clubs to join the modern world. Focus more on motivation and foundations, which can then be built upon regardless of which sport you go into. *I'd like sport clubs to acknowledge that it takes a long time to develop true foundation skills and not push things to improve every week. I've been to a fair few seminars from world-leading OB and agility people and one thing is clear that it takes years before they trial their dogs and years before they put exercises together with equipment etc. * I'd like pet OB clubs to focus more on having a well behaved, well adjusted pet. Exercises like "go to your mat" etc with info on how to safely use an off leash park, how much exercise a dog should get, simple tricks etc. * I'd love clubs to run special seminars and intense learning workshops.

Jozlyn we've all made mistakes. If your dog is well adjusted and resilient it normally doesn't matter. Just a word about expectations: Crate Games was developed for sports dogs to help build drive and self-control. They don't help your dog to sleep in its crate. For that you just need to feed her in there, make it a nice place etc. Then leave her in for a few minutes, building that up. The trick is to only let her out when she's calm. Tantrums = you don't get let out.

I wanna tiny pony! Now!

I wouldn't step on a lead unless I had a bungee attachment - think of the force that your dog's neck is absorbing. I got mine from Erny here on DOL. It doesn't absorb water (learnt very quickly that ones that do are pretty useless) and it very light to handle. It is made out of a leather like material and has lasted me over 3 years, still as good as new. It was significantly cheaper than anything else I've seen.

I think Nekhbet is rehoming a lab that has been around kids and dogs.

I don't work in the vet industry (I work in IT). However, I imagine that it would cost a lot to set up a proper emergency center. You need more than just extra staff available, the place that I use has a blood pathology place on site operating 24/7 (in an emergency, you can't wait 24 hours to get your blood test results back), an MRI etc. This equipment costs a lot in initial outlay and ongoing costs. They also have a vet onsite 24/7 and a few vet nurses. Most normal vets leave pets unattended overnight, which saves you money, but if something goes wrong no one is around to help your pet. People need to remember that they have a choice. They need to discuss options and consequences with their vet. I'm glad that the top-of-the-range treatments are available because I can then decide whether or not I want to use them (assuming they don't prolong pain for my dog, of course). We also need to remember that an op by a specialist will cost more than your average vet (eg patellas by a specialist). My vet costs a bit more than standard ($60 per consult) but he is very well known for his work with dogs that do sport, so I'm willing to pay extra for someone who understand the requirements of my dog.

Dogs In Motion in Doveton is apparently very highly regarded. They also have a therapy pool on site.

Crate games is about control and drive - not about dogs sleeping in the crate. Chances are she sees/hears/smells rats and possums.

You need to learn "crazy eye look" - if you come near me and my dog I just might go nuts, so it is safer for you to stay away!

Sorry I didn't mean it ss "you should have tried earlier" rather that you shouldn't feel guilty about giving her meds