Red Fox

Thats the problem around here If I tell her off or take what she has given Rascal I am the one to get into trouble from my parents. My aunties excuse as to why he can't have bones is his mouth is too small, She has no idea about dogs but claims to know it all. My dad and mum have mention there sick of my auntie aswell but they won't do anything. Your post confuses me So your parents are sick of your Aunts behaviour, yet you get in trouble when you stand up to her? Sounds like there is a need for some better communication in your household. If you cannot all communicate like adults then perhaps it is time to move out for your own sanity. I tend to agree with MRBs post: There's no point whinging about something if you are not prepared to take action and manage the situation. Your Aunt cannot call your dog away from you if he is on a leash, she cannot take his food away from him if he is eating inside a crate whilst you supervise, she can't slip him extras or interfere with your training if you have the dog with you at all times. Given that Rascal is a small breed and you are home all day it shouldn't be that difficult...

I'm sorry but I find this all a little hard to understand. He's your dog. Don't LET her change his food/take it away/give him extras. Feed him in a crate, take him with you when you leave the house (or have a friend care for him while you work if that is an issue). For a Chi this should be too difficult, he's only little. How is she gaining access to his food in the first place (taking his chicken necks away and stripping the meat off)? Do you just stand aside and let her? When she gives him a Kong what do you do? Do you take it away from Rascal or do you give in and let him have it? Or does this happen when you are not home? Not having a go but it sounds like you need to be more assertive Stop picking up her dogs shit for one. Eventually someone will get fed up and say something to her. And as for your dog abondoning you? Dogs are hedonists (pleasure seeking pain avoiding). It has nothing to do with "love" I can assure you ;)

Right next to the icecream Erny ;)

Try something simple like fresh chicken or beef boiled in a little stock then cut up into little pieces. There might be some ideas in this thread too: http://www.dolforums.com.au/topic/220587-training-treats/

Fresh are. A big box of snap frozen blueberries might work out cheaper though ;)

Thanks Erny, sounds like they work the same way in dogs as they do in humans

Poor Mandela, that sounds painful. Erny, why Turmeric, Oregano and blueberries? What are the benefits?

Now why doesn't that work for kids?

The Proclaimers - 500 Miles ETA, or On My Way http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H1yYDuSf3C4&feature=related ...now wasting time listening to music on YouTube when I really should be doing something more constructive

Well that says it all... And for the record not all dogs just "get a scare and get over it". If that was the case this thread would never have been started in the first place, would it? Yes, exactly.

What? Why on earth would you put your dog in that situation? What did you think the outcome would be? What would you have done if Jenna did turn around and nail the Lappie? Excuse me, but I didn't 'put my dog in that situation' - it is an incredibly big park and we stayed away from the dog, I turned around and then turned back and Jenna was over sniffing the other dog. And I would've gone over there and gotten her away from the Lappie. There were about 20 other people in the dog park, do you expect us all to leave from one dog? We just went about our business staying away from the dog. The woman shouldn't have brought the dog in in the first place. I understand where you are coming from but don't condemn ME because I wasn't even expecting Jenna to go near the dog... and yes yes 'expect the unexpected' - its happened now. Its over. jennas fine. next time someone comes into the dog park asking that sort of question I will leave. Oh and thanks for the good wishes for jenna :rolleyes: Well if you don't want an incident, then yes. You did put your dog in that situation by remaining in the park.

What? Why on earth would you put your dog in that situation? What did you think the outcome would be? What would you have done if Jenna did turn around and nail the Lappie?

Go on Huski, post the pic of Daisy with the donut Christmas tree In answer to the OP - we use 4Paws mostly and cooked roo or chicken sausage. Occasionally a bit of left over roast chicken (which I find a bit too messy for my liking), meat or cheese. At home I use a variety of lower value treats - cheese, ham, cat biscuits, natured gift treats, whatever is on hand at the time.

Love these balls I bought one which arrived last week. Lost it for a few days - found it last night when the cat came shooting out from behind the couch inside his cat tunnel, attached by his claws with saucer eyes and making odd animal noise sound effects. Turns out the babble ball was stuck in the tunnel

You wont need a huge crate for a Toy Poodle so you'll have the advantage of being able to move it around as it suits you Personally I'd have it in the bedroom at night. Being able to hear the puppy as soon as he wakes and take him outside immediately will help with toilet training. I'd not have him sleeping on the bed (at least in the beginning) for two reasons - 1. he could injure himself by jumping/falling off and 2. he will probably take himself off to quietly toilet in the corner, explore the house or chew something he shouldn't whilst you are sleeping. During the day pop the crate in an area such as the family room or kitchen.

You can use a harness at any age, just make sure that pup can't get out of it and that it's of decent quality http://waggle.com.au/harnesses-dog-supplies-m5

Boiling water? Wouldn't that destroy some of the goodness in it? I thought the water was supposed to be warm. From what I've read up on it, it seems good food and I'd be happy to support it as a back-up to raw/natural, save that I've been unable to try it out because of my boy's digestive issues which seem to relate to his inability to process certain proteins and isn't anything to do with how good a food is or isn't. The people at K9 Natural here in Australia are really helpful and pleasant to deal with as well. Not that this makes for good food, but it is an added bonus :D. Sorry Erny I missed this. Just to clarify I don't pour boiling water on it - just boil the kettle just until it warms up a bit. So yes hot, but not at boiling point. I find the water absorbs quicker and better with the hot water and it ends up a nice temperature by the time it's absorbed and ready to eat. I'd not thought of it destroying the nutrients, perhaps it would? Though I don't feed it often enough for that to be a huge concern for me .

And this is exactly how something like this could and will no doubt be used maliciously. There are no doubt those who would think nothing of doing exactly the same thing to a breeders dogs. Yes, I was thinking the exact same thing

Just a quick update. We ended up buying a Singletrack pack from http://www.twobigdogs.com.au/ Fantastic price (by far the cheapest I could find anywhere), fantastic service and fantastic product :D We've been using it for a week now and so far I am very, very happy with it - exactly what I wanted. Thanks to all who relplied.

So the house is a rental and also for sale? Whose name is on the lease? Has the housemate actually TOLD these people she does not agree? Does the landlord approve? Seems pretty clear cut to me. You can't have a puppy in a rental property (particularly one that is for sale) unless all parties approve. Communication would be a start....

Home made wins hands down (provided you have some idea of what you're doing). Cheaper to feed, more choice and flexibility and you know exactly what's in it. Plus unless your dog has no teeth all meat should come on the bone. A BARF diet means RAW meat, bones, veggies, fruit, offal, eggs, fish and a small amount of dairy. Apart from the veggies/fruit mix nothing else needs to be mushed ;)

Kei too. As a 12 week old puppy the resulting lump was the size of half a golf ball, after the 16 week vacc (given in a different area) another lump came up the size of half a tennis ball -and took 2 months to go down. Both the 12 and 16 week vaccs were C5. Interestingly enough I never noticed a lump from the C3 the breeder gave at 6 weeks. When it came time for the 12 month booster we did and anti-histamine injection half an hour prior then followed with a C3 only. This time no lump but I won't be vaccinating again if I can help it.

If a dog will go to it's crate on command, accepts it and can relax in there I'd consider that dog to be crate trained. Each of the first 3 choices fit that definition, hence I ticked "other" for the first question. Of course it's preferable if the dog actually likes the crate rather than just tollerates it, but provided it's not kicking up a stink I don't see that as a problem. My own dog is happy to sleep in the crate at night if that's where I put him, but is just as happy to sleep on my bed. Most nights I Iet him choose. Daytime he actively seeks out a crate as a comfortable sleeping place. He will go to the crate on command, considers it a safe place and can relax when confined. So yes I consider him to be crate trained

Has C-crates changed hands recently? And if so has anyone bought from them since? Are the crates still the same? PM please Thanks.

Another good reason not to go to dog parks Article on how to break up a dog fight: http://leerburg.com/pdf/howtobreakupdogfight.pdf