Red Fox

Hmmm, that was my concern. My boy had the 6 month implant, has had it for around 4-5 months now and it's showing no signs of wearing off just yet. actually, up until around 6 weeks ago his testicles were still shrinking. At this stage I'd like to continue with the Suprelorin rather than desex him but am not keen on giving him a double dose. I presume that if the vet put in a second implant before the first had completely worn off that the dog would be getting a higher dose of hormones? (or what-ever is in it)? I'm trying to get my head around it... Kei was the first dog that our vet had done so they have no experience with it either.

How do you know when the implant has worn off? Can the vet test? Or just go by behaviour and the testicles returning to normal size? I'm curious to know what happens if you want to give a second implant, assuming you don't just give it at the point when the last one is 'due' to expire? Given that they can last up to double what they are supposed to...?

Nothing is 100% rope burn proof (LOL) but some lines are safer than others IMO :) Training with shoes on helps too LOL

Any line can cause rope burn if you're not careful, the nastiest one I have ever had was from a gripper line running behind my ankle when I wasn't quick enough, still have the scars! Also copped a nasty one from a nylon line running between my toes. Ouch!

TopBuy. Best value for money as far as soft crates go, the quality is as good as any of the more expensive brands: http://www.topbuy.com.au/tbcart/pc/Lightweight-XXXL-Travel-Crate-for-Pets-Soft-Waterproof-Fabric-Easy-Fold-Away-p14748.htm If you want to splurge a bit on extra features K9+ are also very good: http://www.k9softdogcrates.com.au/

The dog is only 4 months old! She's just discovering that there is more to the world than you. Step up your leadership. (Goolge NILIF / Cesar Millan / Leerburg for more info) Don't give her the opportunity to stuff up - crate the dog when you're not watching to avoid toileting mistakes, use a long line or leash at all times to avoid her not coming when called. There could be many reasons why she's not responding to your food rewards. The most obvious being that she is either full or bored. Cut down on her meals and make training sessions shorter, see if that helps. And if you don't like/follow the methods that the local club uses either don't go or train outside of the class. Otherwise you'll only confuse the poor dog with using different methods. Out of interest, which book do they base their training on?

What do you want to do with it? A tracking leash needs to be 33ft/10m, a line for training can be as long or as short as you want it. 15ft/5m is generally long enough IMO.

Looks like a Ridgie.

Did the cheese cause the problems? 1kg per day is a huge amount, I would think the salt and fat content would be a bigger worry than the dairy though?

chicken chunkers or 4 paws dog roll Fritz/devon/chicken roll liver cake boiled meat raw meat/chicken necks cabana cooked roo sausage Any of the above cut into small cubes works well. Just don't give too much of one thing.

It's not that he breaks them, its more that he just flips it over instead of working out the puzzle My Ridgeback is very hard on toys too - prefers bashing the treats out with his brick-like paws to manoeuvring them around with his mouth. My Malinois, on the other hand, is very gentle but likes to dismantle the whole bloody thing, right down to the little rubber grippers on the bottom in case there are more treats hiding there. Apart from a chewed (and now demented) plastic bone neither have managed to destroy the plastic Nina Ottosson toys. We have the Tornado and the Twister. ETA, if he flips them over let him work out how to flip them back. The treats wont come out if the toy is upside down anyway.

If your dog eats then she has food drive. As far as the destruction and the toileting in the house - Have her checked for a bladder infection, if you can rule that out then she's probably NOT reliably toilet trained. Go back to square one and be consistent. Crate/confine the dog when you're not home. More mental exercise as opposed to physical wouldn't go astray either.

Roofed pen from Vebo Pet: http://shop.vebopet.com.au/store/120x120x120-pet-dog-exercise-pen-run-kennel-enclosure.html Their crates are good too, they are located in Qld.

I love Mals but I don't think I am ready for one yet! :laugh: They're really not that hard. If you can handle the active mind of a working Kelpie I can't see why you wouldn't be able to handle a Mali? Sure they are not a 'pet' but (given a suitable outlet) they aren't devils either. There are some good litters coming up next year. PM me if you want details.

What was the reason why you stopped training your dog? I stopped attending the local obedience club with my eldest dog around 3 and a half years ago when he was approx 6 months old. At the time we were not getting results, my dog was not engaged and nothing was being done to address the problem. Do you feel your dog is well trained enough? As a pet? Yes. An an obedience prospect he could use more work. Did you not get results from previous training attempts? No, see above. Is training too far away/ too often/ too expensive? Are you simply too busy? No. Did you find training boring? Local club training? Incredibly! What would prompt you to start training again or would you not start training again regardless? I haven't stopped training, but I would not return to that particular club for the following reasons; Dogs are required to have a C5 vaccination (I use C3 and titer) The classes are too long (one hour) and poorly structured (dogs are not given enough space, owners are not taught how to correctly engage their dog). The instructors are not equipped to deal with even minor behavioural problems and use too many 'quick fix' solutions IMO - ie dogs pulls? Use a halti / dog barks at kids? Use a husher. 'Purely positive' training. Sorry, but it IS possible to use a clicker AND a prong collar... ETA, I should add that I am a member of a very good, supportive and well rounded sportdog club club where I train my young Mali. Unfortunately it's a 3 hour drive each way and if I want to track we need to be there at 7am! Hence we only attend club training every 6 weeks or so and do the majority of our training alone. If I lived closer I would attend training there twice per week.

I never stopped walking or training mine, just was a little more careful in where we went. I don't go to dog parks or train locally with a club though so it wasn't really an issue.

Have you seen the Michael Ellis Retrieve DVD?

Just a quick update on mine; day 20 now and she's stopped bleeding, still swollen though. She did not swell before her heat but rather a few days into it. My male has a Superlorin implant and has (so far) shown no interest beyond a quick sniff. Either way they've only been out together whilst supervised. I've never seen my Mali so soft and sooky as during her season though! Nice for everyone else but I'm missing my psychotic puppy!

Teach the dog the hold with something solid - PVC pipe or wooden dowel is good. If you want the dog to retrieve to your hand then you need to back-chain it.

Any chance that these will be available in SA? Yes, when we release the pet shop/vet ones it will be Australia wide Does that include Woolworths in SA? Thanks.

Any chance that these will be available in SA?

Collar tags from Boomerang tags. Natural Pet Store have Breakaway collars on special at the moment - $10 http://www.naturalpetstore.com.au/p/35/specials--offers/

Romana, I DO live in your area and use the same vet. It sounds a bit odd that they don't want to see the bitch?? If it were me I'd be contacting either John or Nicola (at that clinic) for a second opinion. Both are very thorough and will give you good advice.

Put the chew between two pieces of cling wrap and bash the shit out of it with a mallet until it turns to powder. Mix that in with the dogs food and add a cheap can of sardines to mask the smell/taste. You don't need to start heartworm treatment at 8 weeks anyway.

The best thing we ever bought was a Bissel carpet cleaner (power wash).