MsBex

They are aptly named "marrow bones". Try not to feed these regularly, more like a treat, as the marrow is very fattening. Also, as they are weight bearing bones it means they are very dense and hard, probably not a good idea to give them to your puppy as it can break his teeth (can even break adult teeth) Thanks for the tip! I actually got them thinking they wouldn't cut too much into his daily food intake ... lol. But they are huge for a 4mo, think i'll stick to chicken wing tips :D

OMG! I feel a little silly, I didn't know that! I've always let my dogs chew them at will. Sometimes have seen them dragged out a week later! Is that true for all bones? Usually I get the big ones with hardly any meat, but a lot of marrow. Have no idea what they're called.

Stormie, absolutely nothing wrong with giving cough medicine, but the Vet should have told them what it actually was. When my boy caught KC, I gave him Benadryl. Hmmm ... got so mad after I paid $50 for cough medicine from the vet (for my puppys KC) only to peel the label back and realise I could have bought it over the counter for $10. Changed vets straight away!

I think I got jipped by my vet. Breeder did C3 at 8wks, then my vet gave C3 at 10wks and C5 at 12wks ... BUT he told me it was a new one that could be done every 2 weeks!?!? Have since switched vets for that and other reasons.

Jethro I may be biased because of Jethro on NCIS

Cory seems to breathe alot faster and harder when he's sleeping/relaxing too! Will watch this thread with interest. I usually release him from the crate if it's really loud, to let him get a drink, and he does drink alot when let out, so assumed he was thirsty??

Could you put him on a leash and restrict his area of movement, so that he's not sniffing/walking in a big radius? (Still a puppy newb myself so not sure if thats an option). Not sure how old your pup is, but when I bought Cory home at 10wks, he was able to hold it all night while crated, so knew he had that potential to hold if I took him out. Cute puppy you have

I switched vets when I wasn't happy with my first vets diagnosis (or lack of)/costs etc. Went to the vet associated with the Animal Welfare League and explained I was changing vets, they were really helpful, charged a return consultation fee, and medication was noticeably cheaper as well! Good luck with your dog

Hi, I'm sure this must be as confusing for you as it was for me when I first found this forum! My head was totally spinning, but have learnt so much in the last few months. We got a puppy a little over a month ago, and while he has really become a part of our family, I'm not sure I'd get a puppy again! People tell you how much work they are, but until you experience it I don't think you can appreciate the effort required! If we look at a second dog, I'm pretty sure we'll be getting a mature dog (there are dogs available in the dogzonline 'mature dogs' site). Good luck with whatever you choose, and i'm sure whatever dog you bring home will be worth the effort. P.S. I'm not a fan of pet stores either, i'd be looking at registered breeders or rescues.

Sorry, not posting as I have any helpful information ... Just to say she's SO gorgeous!! Good luck, and hope things get better for you soon.

I do like this trainer alot so will just ask her to keep an eye on him and tell me to relax and back off if that's what needed Sandra - that whole correcting thing was my worry too, as I don't want to be creating a phobia in him. I think in that case if needed the distraction with a treat is probably the best option? Poodlefan - I like the idea of Stafford play! He's gotten a little bigger now, so let him have a little play with my sister's staffy again, and they really enjoyed it. Gave him some safe places to run to, and he definately used those safe places when he needed, but kept going back for more

Hey all, Well Cory's 16wks now, and has graduated from his puppy pre-school, and started last week in puppy obedience. Great school btw :D Just a question though, as Cory (considering he's still a midget) is very active and energetic when he's playing with the other puppies. There are a few that meet his level of energy, and I tend to steer him towards them to play (on lead at this stage) as the other puppies who are more sedate, tend to back away from him. Both puppy pre-school and puppy obedience trainers have told me that his growling when playing is just a normal thing and not to worry about it as he is too young to be displaying dominant behaviours. However in both classes he has been the ONLY growler, and it can get quite loud and constant! A couple of times he has bitten the nose of a puppy and almost latched on in a way (a short while). Next week is off-lead play in a tennis court, and I'm a little nervous to be honest, as he does seem to scare the more timid pups. Should I be correcting his growling and rough play, and if so, how do I do this? Verbal command or distracting with treats or removing him for a timeout? Thanks for your input. EDITED: Forgot to add, he's been itching a bit since we've had him (about 6 weeks now). Have bathed him in flea shampoo, wash his bedding frequently and been giving him Frontline for the last month (every 2 weeks). Haven't seen a flea on him and his skin looks nice underneath, is hard to look at the big picture of his skin, as he has so much hair. When I went to the clinic today to get worming tablets, the nurse said its possible his anal sacs? are full. Anyone else know anything about this?

Ditto! My 15wk Cocker Spaniel sleeps a lot during the day, so in the evenings (and just before bed) gets most nippy/growly. Trying to cure him of the nipping disease ... lol, so distract him with his toys, play with him, then give him a few 'fetches' before crating him for the night. If I take the time to play and tire him out a little, he's much more likely to settle down quicker. Have only just seen an improvement in the last few nights around the nipping and growling, so am thinking its probably a combination of age and being consistently told 'no'. But mostly age ... but if she wants to play why the growling and the barking? It feels aggressive and all Im thinking about is when she is older and how worse it can get!! . If we don't fix it of course!! I thought the same thing, but was told by my puppy school instructor that the growling/barking is just part of his play! Still, I don't encourage him particularly with the growling, and just either ignore him or clip him under the chin. I can now however tell the difference between his play growling, and when he's annoyed growling (such as when my son picks him up if he's been sleeping). Each week seems to be better than the last however, and like you, am looking forward to starting further training (obedience) this Saturday, as I'm still a puppy novice myself.

Ditto! My 15wk Cocker Spaniel sleeps a lot during the day, so in the evenings (and just before bed) gets most nippy/growly. Trying to cure him of the nipping disease ... lol, so distract him with his toys, play with him, then give him a few 'fetches' before crating him for the night. If I take the time to play and tire him out a little, he's much more likely to settle down quicker. Have only just seen an improvement in the last few nights around the nipping and growling, so am thinking its probably a combination of age and being consistently told 'no'. But mostly age

It's a bit of a vicious circle in fact then! Chicken or the egg? ... small dogs reacting to big dogs who are reacting to small dogs. From my experience I've seen an increased awareness in the average dog owner in behavioural expectations and socialisation. Have had my puppy Cocker Spaniel for a month now, and heavily researched how to best raise him, but have noticed already that while he is confident playing with my sister's staffy and neighbours staffy x cattle, he does get unintentionally hurt on occasion due to his size. Have limited their play area so I can step in quicker, yet can see how easy it would be for a larger dog to injure (even unintentionally) a smaller dog and create a fearful dog starting the circle over. Have also owned a staffy who was small DA. From my untrained parent eyes, I would swear he thought of them more as prey than fellow dogs

My 14wk old sleeps at the bottom of my bed on top of the covers. Started him in his crate, and he did well until he got KC, then it seemed he would cough a lot more in his crate, still not sure if I imagined that or not. Anyway put him in a dog bed on the floor but he'd get up and wee/poo during the night, so ended up with him on the bed, as he'd never go to the toilet there (so far anyway). Now that his kennel cough has gone, I want to put him back in the crate, as he seems to need a good 20 mins of annoying me before he'll settle down ... lol. Might start that tonight ... thanks for the reminder

Don't suppose Chook is a red staffy? I had to rehome my 'Chook' a few months ago as he wasn't so good with my sons friends and cousins, but never believed there could be another dog called 'Chook'!!! Still miss him like crazy! I know its a long-shot that it could be yours, but have my fingers crossed I may get to see him again on the 20th Nov! Sorry to break it to you MsBex, but BC4ME's Chook is a border collie Oh well ... it was a long shot! Not that I won't be still happy to meet border collie Chook :D Thanks Huski

Don't suppose Chook is a red staffy? I had to rehome my 'Chook' a few months ago as he wasn't so good with my sons friends and cousins, but never believed there could be another dog called 'Chook'!!! Still miss him like crazy! I know its a long-shot that it could be yours, but have my fingers crossed I may get to see him again on the 20th Nov!

That's totally the reason I want to continue the learning!! He earned time-out (3 mins each time) about 5 times tonight!! I don't think my son even made that many time-outs!! Thanks for the tips, will definately go and check them both out. Am thinking of agility down the track, but really want to get the obedience aspect sorted first!

Hi, Just wondering if anyone has experience/can recommend a good puppy obedience class in the Gold Coast. Finish the puppy pre-school (4 week course run by the vet) in a week, and wanted to take the next step. I have a 14wk old Cocker Spaniel, so not sure what time you start the next stage, but better to be prepared I think Thanks in advance.

Aww ... just saw this now and am pretty sure it will be sold out. Have sent an email off just in case

Certainly feel for you Have had our puppy almost 4 weeks now, but by the end of the first week I was thinking "OMG .. What have I done!!" He's still quite nippy when playing, but in comparison to the first week has gotten a helluva lot better, particularly with my 6yr old who copped a fair share of nips. More knowledgable people than I have given great advice in here, so just wanted to add that even in the few weeks we've had our puppy have noticed huge positive changes in his behaviour, so there is some light at the end of the tunnel Congrats on your red SBT! I love the breed!

x2 Get a new vet for sure. Unwell dogs should never be vaccinated! Sounds like kennel cough to me. Nope, not generally an issue except with very young puppies but as puggy puggy said, secondary infections can be fatal, especially with puppies. Good luck. Thanks guys ... I'm sure he'll be fine ... touch wood. Will pamper him a lot more and get him to a new vet tomorrow! Is really annoying, cause as the first time owner of a puppy, I rely on my vet, who I assume is knowledgeable and should know these things about puppies that I don't. It's why you pay them big bucks after all?!?! Am really glad that I also have DoL as a guiding stick so to speak

Thanks for that, will definately do that. He hasn't been eating as much as I would've expected. Will practically leave his morning meal of dry food all day and wait for the chicken mince and wet food. Thought he was being fussy, and so didn't want to pamper to him, but might spoil him for awhile with what he wants. Thanks for those tips. Was wondering about the breeders responsibility. I still owe her $300, and have been thinking I've had to pay an awful lot lately (almost $500) for cough medicines, ear creams, anti-biotics, consultation fees, on top of the $700 i've already paid her for our new puppy. All these things (not to mention fleas) I believe he had when I got him, although can't prove it of course. It's the price you pay for a healthy puppy, and have no problem with that, yet have been fighting back feelings of anger to the breeder (not to mention the vet) Appreciate your tips and will get some Polyvite tomorrow.