Starkehre

Ann, we all do slightly out of the ordinary things when we are grieving. It is all part of the process, and I am sure you know that... but it still seems weird to us at the time. Just do what you need to do. There is a calming comfort when we bring our lost one's ashes home... back where they belong. I hope Bron is coping. Do take care Ann. We are all thinking of you.

Anne, was thinking of you and hoping you are managing each day with your very difficult loss of your special girl Faith. Take care of yourself and take your time grieving and healing.

IMO, 8 weeks is way too young to be going around even the smallest of blocks, for a large breed. Unforced exercise only at least for the first 2-3 weeks. Leash work at home or in "safe" areas, but not going for walks. If you must walk the pup outside the yard in public, 2 house lengths in more than enough.

A couple of great posts PF

Well done team Smoothiegirl I am very happy for you SG, and Bronte is a very clever girl. Bet both of you are sporting big smiles this afternoon.

My soft crates have a facility for the type of drink bottles that Mystiqview is referring to, and I sell the bottles as an optional accessory. However, in my personal opinion, I do not like to supply water to dogs for over night crating. If the weather and house is particularly warm and I feel they are going to NEED water during the night, then I will take them out for a drink and an empty during the night. I would prefer my dogs to be a tad thirsty during the night that NEED to go to the toilet and either eliminate in their crate or hold on until they are in pain. It is also not good for them physucally or emotionally. My dogs sleep in my bedroom also if they are crated, so I will hear if they are really needy of a drink. Once again IMO water in crates is for competing

Personally, if I was thrilled with the breeder and her dogs I would be purchasing the pup outright. It is so common for owners and breeders to have a falling out, uncomfortable for everyone. Who knows what will happen down the track, if you still want another pup later, buy another pup. You will still have breeder support etc, just not the ties that bind you into the terms contract.

PoppyDog, some breeders will allow visits and some will not. There is not a right or wrong, just whatever that particular breeder feels comfortable with, and as a puppy person, we would all respect their wishes. If you raise the question with your prospective breeder in an open and friendly manner, I am sure they will happily let you know how they prefer to do things. My guess is with that wording they may allow earlier visits prior to vaccinations, but no way of knowing without asking Best of luck with your search.

Small amounts OK as in for training treats and similar, but I would not suggest you feed as a staple. Also perhaps have another look at the nutrition panel, there is likely to be a difference in sodium content. Cats can be finniky eaters, hence in most cat foods the sodium levels are high as sodium is a booster (flavour enhancer). Too high salt content in your dog's diet can lead to some issues such as pancreatitis, kidney stones and other nasties. You may have noticed that as a general pattern, cat foods are double the price of dog foods. this is becuse of the boosters they need to use in the cat foods to make them palatable for cats. I do not advocate feeding such tasty foods to a dog other tha in a training situation, when they can be equally satisfied on dog foods. IMO it is setting yourself up to have a fussy dog. It also gives you nothing to fall back on if you ever have illness and eating issues down the track and need a back up plan for desperate feeding times.

Good advice and well taken TD. I think what you will probably find (I find this quite a bit in large breed puppies, more so males) that if you are concerned about their feeding (and they can be pretty unenthused by the whole thing) you may find yourself offering him things so regularly during the day and him taking tiny portions, so that in affect, he is constantly being topped up to the point where he is getting just enough to curb his hunger. Then this type of eating becomes habitual for him. He is learning not to be food orientated. Now, I don't know about you, but I LOVE a food motivated dog as they make for easy training. Let him get good and hungry. No top ups between meals. Try and ensure he get a good 6 hrs between feeds of nothing. I understand you will be doing some training and treats may be involved, but try to keep these to a minimum until you get his feeding habits back on course. I agree with Danois when it comes to feeding a raw based diet on these larger breeds, particularly males. IMO it is difficult to get exactly right, and near enough IMO is not good enough for these big boys. Things can and do go wrong. I love feeding barf, but would only do it for smaller breeds, adults or medium/large breed bitches. If he was my dog I would be feeding a super premium dry until he was fully grown 12-18 months, and then switch slowly to a raw diet. And doing any 50%-50% will only unbalance your dry. Just be careful. Best of luck with your pup. he sounds beautiful.

Hi PoppyDog, like PF suggests it sounds like it might be a P1 (Pre Molar 1), which is a small tooth that stays will always appear low to the gum. This is the first tooth past the lower canine, which is a very long and substantial tooth.

Sadly Staffords get a reasonable amount of bad publicity (as do my breed), so temperament is paramount. Leaving home early could be detrimental to any pup's temperament. Non ethical breeder, run a mile. Personally I recommend you spending a lot more time researching the breed and general husbandry etc and put in some quality time finding a reputable, ethical, registered breeder that you will spend time getting to know and them getting to know you. Please do not be in a hurry. This is an awesome breed of dog. You owe it to yourself, your community and the breed to purchase carefully.

I am sorry but I do not see this as "yuck" or abnormal. This is normal behaviour for an entire male dog. Arousal can come in a miriad of ways and he knows how to deal with it in the healthiest physiological way that he can. Some do it, some don't, but perfectly normal and should be expected if you own a male entire. He probably looked upset because of your body language.

Sorry to hear Whitey has had a set back k9angel. Hope he is settling down again now. Unfortunately with IMT when the platelets are so low the blood does not clot and there is risk of internal bleeding into and out of all the organs, and I am assuming that is what the vet meant when he mentioned the bleed to the brain. If that is the case and he gets over the IMT, there is a good chance he won't be an on going epilept. Sounds like his platelets have lifted somewhat though, so hopefully he can get them back to normal very soon and maintain them.

Congratulations on your new puppy. Lots of great advice here. Regarding travel, I always crate a new puppy for the trip home. Keep the crat dark as possible as this is more settlign for pup. I would not recommend holding puppy for the trip. Puppy will get hot being held and will probably struggle and make the trip very upsetting for everyone. Pup will become more anxious with so much going on around him and will be more likely to vomit this way. He will associate the holder with this first stressful trip. Pop pup in a crate and ignore. Puppy will probably not be car sick, but if he is, clean it up when you get home. I would not be feeding puppy any ginger as it is new to his system and may cause all sorts of other issues out the rear end and with his tummy. Also, just make a bit of extra effort to drive smoothly. Another suggestion other than a crate is to use a sturdy cardboard box. This way if pup does become ill or eliminates, you can just throw it out at the other end of the trip. Also any nasty associations are thrown away also, rather than using the same crate you might be using later on. This must be a carton that is not going to be able to be chewed up easily. The breeder will ensure he has not been fed for several hrs before the trip. Just drive and ignore the crying. Enjoy your gorgeous new baby, and try not to be so stressed about the vomitting. If it happens, it happens, but it probably won't.

Hi smoothiegirl, I have a plumbed in hydro. I had the hydro already for about 4 years, then when I moved into the house I am in now, I got it plu,bed in. I now have hot a cold water taps coming out of the brick work above the hydro, with a mixer, so I just have one hose attached there. I also got an electrician out to wire me up an outdoor power socket and some lights for if/when I need to bath dogs in the dark. I am thrilled with it the way it is now, so much easier than when I used to cart buckets. I have a drainage hose which runs the hair filtered water directly into the storm water drain. It is along the side of the house, so although it is not under cover as such it gets a lot of protection from the house and the tall side fence. I cover it with a barby cover when not in use. I love it. Can highly recommend doing it. :p A mud room sounds very cool

Thanks Rappie, will go and check it out...

Yes, I did also wonder about all that hind leg work. The way I got my head around it was to believe that the dog has obviously over time built up amazing strength in those muscles and manages very well. It certainly seems happy enough.

Same... to date the most spectacular and awe inspiring I have ever seen. what a bond and understanding those 2 must have. It brought me to tears. Just loved it.

Same here Boke. You and I know all about how horrible IMT is. I keep popping in hoping to see some news. Wishing Whitey a full recovery. Hugs and kisses. I am sure we will hear from k9angel soon.

We're setting the date any day now ... Noooo! ;) Hahah He is way too good looking for me I'm afraid! ;) Jed, hope you're feeling a little bit better every day Ah Fran, he is not worthy of you. I mean I am sure he is absolutely lovely... afterall he did have a hand in saving jed's beautiful babies.... but Fran, you are gorgeous. Anyone would be honoured to have you as a date. Sounds like your self esteem needs rebooting

My chosen breed gets a lot of bad publicity. So I feel it is my responsibility to be out amongst others with different breeds campaigning to show the public how my breed has integrated well into the community. As far as herding is concerned (just one of the sports we enjoy) Rottweilers are perhaps the oldest herding/droving breed. It is an honour to this wonderful breed to be able to demonstrate that they have not lost their original bred instinct. My dogs love it I enjoy collecting titles It keeps me motivated and challenged My breed is bred to work therefore has a healthier body and mind by being kept in continuous training for these disciplines

Hi Jed, I was just thinking about you, so wanted to pop in and say HI. Hope your healing is still booting along. Did Fran get a date with Travis yet?

k9angel, any news on how Whitey is responding to treatment? I hope all is ok.

Way to go Trina. I am very happy you chalked up your first title blossom. Good work. Jett is such a great girl.