Red Fox

Because some puppies can climb and the ones that can't can usually jump . I had a tubular one without a roof for my Ridgeback as a pup (like this http://shop.vebopet.com.au/store/6-panel-tube-pet-dog-exercise-pen-standard.html). Very sturdy but it only took him a few short weeks to be able to stand and/or jump with his front paws on top and push it around. I got a lidded one instead for my Malinois pup and am so much happier with it. It's essentially a giant crate, plenty of room and no chance of her escaping it and getting into mischief the second I turn my back! I did buy a small, cheap 60cm high pen from Cheap as Chips just to seperate the dogs whilst eating outdoors and she was jumping it by the time she was 9 weeks old!! Bernese are large puppies, I'd be looking at getting something as big and sturdy as possible, particularly if you plan on leaving the pup in there unsupervised. Toilet training can take a while, particularly if you're working during the day and not home to take the puppy out frequently to begin with. An adolescent dog (regardless of whether or not he is toilet trained) may well find joy in tearing up the house when left alone too. ;) A dog run might be a better option.

Not sure what breed you're getting but the pen in that link won't safely contain anything larger than a toy breed - too low, too flimsy. Try here http://shop.vebopet.com.au/store/dogs/dog-pen-dog-run/ I'd highly recommend the pen with the top on it. I currently have the largest size sitting in my kitchen and it was well worth the money.

Kikopup has some good ones http://www.youtube.com/kikopup easy to follow. Leerburg on demand has a lot of free vids too http://leerburg.com/flix/category.php?categoryid=30 the Michael Ellis vids are very good http://leerburg.com/flix/category.php?categoryid=10 (there are some free ones in there if you look through the pages).

A nice house in the hills with a massive training yard and air-conditioned kennels.:D

Thanks SG

Thats interesting Perse. My older dog is fed raw so I'm really noticing the amount my pup drinks eating mainly dry food. I'm also noticing the difference in poop! I think I'll feed her a raw meal of a night from now on and see how we go. She seems to enjoy it more anyway.

I hope you gave him a mouthful. Next time the housemate is doing something that you don't like walk up and slap him fair and square in the head. If he protests just say "just trying to teach you";) .

BBQ chicken is fine for small training sessions, it's what I'm currently using for my Malinois pup. If you want a healthier option try 4paws, chicken chunkers, dog roll, bolied steak cut into little pieces, liver or raw meat if you're game, cut up chicken necks, etc. In the beginning just use what works and small amounts. You want small, soft, smelly, moist treats for training. Not hard chewy ones like Schmakos. Re the biting; a thumb under the tongue with a little pressure works well for pet dogs. Screaming and running off or turning your back doesn't work too well for pups with a bit of prey drive - just makes it more exciting! Redirecting onto a toy is another option. Just be glad you don't have one that latches on to you and thrashes about! I've copped some pretty decent 'love bites' from my girl! Often when they start to get nippy and stupid they are either over-tired or over-stimulated. Try popping the pup in her crate with a Kong when she gets like this and see what happens ;). If you'd like a good book to get you started I highly recommend "The Focussed Puppy" http://www.agilityclick.com/prod53.htm I've read the Dunbar books but have found the advice in this book to be much, much better. Good luck with it all

I'd take a different approach. A 10 week old puppy doesn't 'need' to walk on a leash yet (though it's handy for getting them from A-B). Instead of luring and distracting, put a harness on him to keep the leash back and out of the way (or train without a leash if you can) and work on teaching him focus and engagement with YOU. There are lots of ways to do this but a clicker is probably the easiest. Once pup understands this everything else is much easier. You can then work on clipping the leash on. click/treat, remove the leash, build a positive association. Then when the pup is older you can try some leash pressure work with a collar - you pull gently on the leash, pup yields to the pressure, you C&T. As others have said - short sessions for training, 1-2 mins is enough. Formal heeling is very different to loose leash walking and can be taught without the aid of a leash.

One baby, one puppy and a patient, organised owner - Yes Two babies, one puppy and a patient, experienced owner - Maybe Two babies, two puppies and anyone in their right mind - No way! I don't necessarily disagree with this and with one pup it may work out nicely. But it would be wiser to wait until the babies are born, get them settled in and into a routine, then look for a pup. Twins are often born by c-section so she might not be up for walking or training for some time after they are born and may require a hospital stay. Either way she'll be very tired just from dealing with the babies. She'd need a huge amount of support to manage two giant breed adolescent pups during that time. Is hubby is going to do the majority of walking and training? Or is she likely to be the primary carer? Worth taking into consideration.. Don't get pups from the same litter, crate train from day one, feed and train seperately, establish rules early on, make sure she has a lot of support from family, have a reliable back-up person to help out in case of complications during pregnancy / birth / sick kids / exhuastion etc.

Update: Turns out she's absolutely fine. I swapped the bedding in her pen, washed everything in Biozet, changed her dry meal on a night for a raw one (and no water in the crate overnight) and have been making sure she goes before leaving her in the inside pen - no more piddling. So probably just me being a little too complacent with her toilet training. Interestingly, two nights feeding raw and she has slept solidly through both. Where-as normally she would wake up around 3am for a drink and a pee.

http://news.ninemsn.com.au/world/8380479/famed-iraq-dog-makes-headlines-again A dog that was flown from Iraq to America as part of a national campaign to help the family of a killed soldier has again made headlines. Hero, who was rescued from the Iraq war zone after its owner, Justin Rollins, was killed by a roadside bomb in 2007, has been captured in an eerie photo. An ABC News reporter, who went to catch up with Rollins' parents Skip and Rhonda recently, captured a photo of Hero standing in a beam of sunlight shining through broken clouds. "As this dramatic ray of light was shining on Hero she turned to look at me and it was all I could do to hold the camera steady and not drop it in astonishment," reporter Kimberly Launier wrote on the ABC Newswebsite. "It was an unforgettable moment and made me wonder if in fact Justin was in there." The last photos Rollins' girlfriend and family saw of him were taken after he and his fellow soldiers rescued a litter of puppies from a portable toilet near their camp. After seeing the photos, Mrs Rollin asked if she could have one of the puppies her son was holding. The story attracted wide public interest and the puppy was eventually found and flown to their home in New Hampshire — via Bahrain, Brussels and New York — where it arrived to enormous media coverage.

....and the footpath you walk on could be contaminated, or the carpark at the vets, or the posties dog might have had parvo and he may track it into your yard delivering a parcel, or the neighbours dog might have KC... Unless you are going to keep the puppy confined to the house 24/7, put a footbath at your door and disinfect anyone that enters there's always going to be a risk. You can't keep them in a bubble. Personally, I take my 11 week old pup as many places as possible. Considering her breed and what I want out of her the benefits of socialising her at this age far outweigh the risks of keeping her home 'just in case'. That is the big picture for me. I wish I'd done the same with my older 'pet' dog. Socialisation is NOT taking the pup to dog parks or letting them interact with strangers or random dogs (which does put the puppy at risk), nor is it taking a young pup to puppy school once a week. It's about exposing your pup to new sights/sounds/objects/people/situations - things he is likely to encounter over the course of his life - so that he learns to accept them as part of his environment. It's ongoing and continuous and should be started as young as possible. JMO..

If he doesn't graduate (which I'm sure he will ) are you given the option to adopt him?

Thank you .

Juice or tablets Perse?

Your pup will be fine. I completely disagree with confining a puppy to the house until vaccinations are finished. The benefits of socialisation (exposing the young pup to new sights/scents/sounds) far out-weigh the small risk of disease. Either way, taking the pup to a relative/friends house with vaccinated dogs is not an issue.

My 11 week old puppy has regressed in her toilet training the past few days and decided that using her mat in her pen as a giant pee pad is a great idea :rolleyes:. I've gone out and bought some Biozet today and will rewash all bedding in that to see if it makes a difference. I wonder if it's just that the bedding is absorbant and the scent is now in there, hence the repeated accidents as she's been pretty good in the house apart from this. However, last night she peed in her crate for the first time, I'd put her down at around 9:30pm, heard her whine at around 3am and the bedding was soaked. Cleaned it up, put in a new bed and she slept through until 7am with no probs. Then she did it again in the crate in the car this morning. Both times she has been quite tired so maybe that has something to do with it? Her urine is clear-ish and not overly smelly, no signs of blood, no obvious pain, no licking at herself etc. Could it possibly be the beginnings of a UTI? Or just a hiccup in training? And if so is there anything I can use to head it off just in case? I have cranberry juice here, I was thinking perhaps the capsule/tablets from the chemist might be helpful too. The vets are closed until Monday and I'd rather not bring her in as an emergency at this stage.

www.dogfood.com.au does dry food in bulk. I think they deliver free to most areas too.

Local pick up only, unfortunately. Most sellers will courier it if you ask though ;) . Gumtree is another good one for cheap second hand crates. Cheapie stores are worth a look too. I picked up a pretty decent one from the reject shop a while back for just $30 on special!

eBay http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Vari-Kennel-travel-crate-airline-approved-/170734996025?pt=AU_Pet_Supplies&hash=item27c0994a39

Denise Fenzi? Yep, I am watching her blog with interest :D . She puts my training to shame though Her progress with that pup is amazing!

I reckon you should come up for a visit ;)

I'll have to get onto that soon. We have a seminar coming up in a couple of weeks so hopefully someone with a decent video camera will be there. Hmmmmmm.....