Teal

Thanks for all the replies. I am not really sure what is happening and realistically it is not going to happen for months at least. I don't want to do anything as my whole life is basically built with OH, my home etc which I love and don't want to leave but if I am honest the time has come. I haven't really spoken to my OH about the dogs as I haven't spoken to him about much, other than establishing both of us are not happy anymore and that it's not a good time to sell a house! I am pretty positive he would say he wants dougall, but as mentioned before I am not keen on this arrangement. I guess we will just have to wait and see when the time comes as I suppose where he is going to live will have a big effect on it.

Hi there, Well I am currently looking at the probable break up of my almost nine year relationship. This would all be well and good if we didn't own a house and dogs together. God knows what is going to happen regarding the house (i think we will probably continue to live together untill it is in a sellable condition) but assuming at some point we will live separately, I don't know what will happen with our dogs. We have two boxers, one male 20 months, one female 10 months. Logically you would think that we would have one each (and there wouldn't be any question of which one we each had) but the dogs are absolutely devoted to each other. The older one was by himself for almost a year and while he was ok, he is much much happier now he has his little buddy, particularly as both my OH and I work full time so the dogs are home alone the majority of the day. The younger has obviously never lived alone. I really think these dogs would suffer if separated, the times one of them has had to go to the vet and the other is left home alone, the one left behind will search the house repeatedly for the missing dog and just be so sad that they can't find them. After getting my second dog I said I wouldn't have a dog by itself again. I don't want to do that to my babies! BUT I don't know what other option we have. If I were to move out I would be moving to a townhouse with a small backyard (but would use thedouble garage as doggy play area too) which I think would be a stretch to put two active dogs in there, and they are very active with chasing each other around. I have no idea where my OH would live, And my OH really loves the dogs, but in particular the older male. I think he would be devastated to lose him, and i don't want to do that to him - I'm not out to hurt him for no reason. Legally the dogs are mine, I paid for them, they are registered in my name and microchip in my name - but that was just the way it happened at the time (as I was the one to organise EVERYTHING or nothing would ever get done) I also am concerned that while I can't question that my OH loves the dogs and most definitely wants them in his life, he also doesn't have much to do with their actual care. I buy and organise their food - he will feed them if I ask him to though - keep track of their healthcare, vaccinations, flea/worming treatments, as well as walk them. He will come with me if we take them to the beach on the weekend but aside from that, I would say he has probably walked them less than 10 times. I also buy all their toys etc., and on the occaision the younger dog was sick, he was reluctant for me to take her to the vet because of the cost. I ended up taking her and paying for it myself as I knew there was something wrong with her (which there was) I also paid for all their vaccinations and when each of them was sterilized. Their food is bought out of our joint account which we have for groceries etc, so that is shared. He does a lot more 'play' time with them, throwing the ball etc than I do. I know that I am the one who really takes care of them, because I like to, I haven't really given my OH a chance to - because I think that he won't do it as well as I do. I don't know what to do - any advice?

Hi, I am sure this topic has been done to deathe however I can't find anything that really answers my question specifically. I have two boxers, one 18 month old male and one 8 month old girl. I currently use revolution spot-on treatment once a month and canex oral wormer once every three months, I don't really have any complaints (ie. never had flea or worm problems so they seem to be working) however it is quite expensive, and I'm not sure if it is the best thing to be using. One thing I have read is that the spot on treatments become less effective if your dog swims often, and I take my dogs to the beach at least once a week, where my boy LOVES to swim and my little girl while she doesn't swim as much will still end up drenched...so that is something to take into account. I don't have any trouble getting them to swallow tablets or anything either. I want to obviously cover as much as possible - heartworm, fleas, intestinal worms etc I have done a bit of research and have come up with the following options: *Continue with what I am using (Revolution + canex) this seems to cover everything BUT is very expensive to get both these products for two dogs, also there is the swimming issue with the spot on * use Sentinel spectrum chews - these are much cheaper as I am only buying one product it works out to be almost half the price. With these I also don't have the swimming issue. From my understanding these cover heartworm, all intestinal worms and will sterilise fleas. I understand this is not as an effective flea treatment as a spot on as it doesn't kill fleas only sterilises....I thought in this instance i could use a flea only treatment in addition should I ever get a flea problem? *use advocate plus an extra tapeworm only treatment (as advocate covers heartworm, fleas, intestinal worms but not tapeworm)...this is similar in price to the revolution + canex, still has the swimming issue but I have read it is a better quality product than revolution. I am leaning towards the sentinal spectrum as it is so much cheaper....is this a good product, and is it ok to give an extra tratment fo fleas to kill rather than just sterilise (as is included in the sentinel product) only if they should occur? Any advice would be great - there are so many products out there, all of which cover different things it is quite overwhelming! I know different things work better for different dogs however figuring that out would be a massive case of trial an error, and the dogs may or may not ever be exposed to certain things so I am not sure how exactly I am supposed to figure out what works the best for them!! Thansk in advance

I have had dogs happily share toys before... Dougall is a bit strange about his toys, as he will bring them to you, put them on your lap etc to ask to play and stare between you and the toy untill you pick it up (he does exactly the same to Polly as well!) and as soon as you touch the toy he goes mental trying to get it...which made me think it isn't really resource guarding (at least not with me, may be different with Polly) but more that he thinks it is a fun game? I have taught him to give his toys to me on command which he does, but obviously little Polly just tries to grab them from him which results in chasing or if I tell dougall off he will sit two inches from her while she has the toy looking very sad. I am a bit worried about what they do in this situation when I am not home, although dougall is extremely tolerant and had never even so much as growled to tell Polly off. In fact I think Polly is more dominant than dougall...I still would like to stop or reduce this behaviour if possible.

My dogs are having trouble sharing toys! I have two boxers, one male 13 months old and one female four months old. The older dog is OBSESSED with toys, always has been. If you touch any toy he goes mental trying to get it (in a playful sense, definitely not aggressive). He also thinks everything belongs to him (which is fair enough as untill we got the puppy, everything did belong to him!). Polly (puppy) is not as interested in toys, she prefers to play with dougall (older dog) most of the time. If she does pick up anything to play with (dosen't have to be a toy, they have done this over a blade of grass before!) dougall won't let her have it, he steals it from her, chases her or if he can't get it for some reason, stares at her looking devastated. I have tried buying a few toys specifically for Polly and keeping dougall away at first but he always gets them and hides them away! I have tried giving them one each but as Polly wants to play with dougall she loses interest in playing by herself and goes to dougall and it starts again! The dogs are left alone together outside when I am at work, and obviously I want to leave them lots of toys to play with but I don't want them to fight, or stress about the toys. I should add that there has never been any aggression over toys, just chasing and trying to grab it back. Any ideas to help Them share a bit better? Poor Polly never gets to play with anything, and dougall is freaking out over the toys!

I have two dogs - a one year old and a 4 month old. I work fulltime, leave in the morning at the earliest 7.30 and get home latest 6.30. I walk my older dog (not the puppy yet, she is too little still) when I can ( always have intentions to walk before work! ) but since I have gotten my puppy (only let them out together unsupervised all day as of this week) all they seem to do when I am home is sleep! Dougall used to whinge for walks and playtime constantly, now he just lays on the couch! I do feel really guilty leaving them though, they do very very sad faces. I also have a horse in work so I ride 2 or 3 evenings after work so either go home for 10 minutes after work then out again or go straight to stables and get home at 8 ish. I'm not sure which is better? Other evenings I stay home or the dogs come out with me. On weekends I spend lots more time with them. Having two dogs now I know it is much nicer for them when I am not there, but I still feel bad...i don't think anything will change that. Oh, and my partner sometimes works away so I am by myself, sometimes works similar hours to me, sometimes takes time off in the week ( he is a contractor so is a bit all over the place)

My boxer puppy Polly had her 12 week vaccinations 10 days ago (although she was actually 13 weeks old as I ended up having to reschedule her appointment) including the nasal drops/spray for kennel cough. I am pretty sure she has now developed kennel cough! Over the past week she has been coughing a lot like she is choking/gagging (particularly when she first wakes up) and has a snotty nose. I also don't think she has really been eating very much (although I can't really be sure as she and my other dog eat out of each others bowls) and has been quite tired. I have made an appointment for her to go to the vet tonight but want some opinions and further knowledge in the meantime. I don't see how she could possibly have picked up kennel cough, as the only places she has been in her entire life ( well, since being with me from 8 weeks old anyway) is my home with my other dog, who is fully vaccinated and healthy, my parents home with their fully vaccinated and healthy dog, and the vet last week for her jabs. The only possibilty I can think of is if my older dog picked up germs on a walk and it didn't affect him because of his vaccination....is this possible? Or that she caught it at the vet, either from another dog's germs, or a reaction to the vaccination. The vet nurse or receptionist I spoke to said it wasn't possible for the vaccination/nasal spray to cause kennel cough, but I have read a few differing opinions online and just wanted some more idea on what it is likely to be?! Thanks in advance

Thanks guys, I think I'm going to get a crate for naughty Polly just now, and maybe get one for dougall as a bed in the future ( I'm thinking a soft canvas crate )

My boy is desexed, and the girl will be getting done when she is six months so no issues there. If I get them both a crate, I don't really want to shut my boy in as I think that he will be sad (as he is used to sleeping with me most of the time), I would like it if he chose to sleep in there however as he takes up so much room! And imagining how much worse this is going to be when my girl is fully grow...there will be no room for us! The problems I think are that I don't want to upset my boys routine and cause any stress to him I don't want to favour one or the other, by allowing my boy to sleep on my bed and poor puppy shut in her crate

Hi there, I have two boxers, one male who is just turning a year old, and a female puppy who is 10 1/2 weeks old (we got her at 8 weeks) I didn't crate train my boy as I didn't really know much about it when I first got him, and after I had done some reading and learnt more, he was pretty much house trained and I didn't really think it was needed as he is very well behaved (except when he gets over excited) he goes outside in the day (has a kennel out there but I have never seen him use it) and sleeps in my room at night (supposed to sleep on his cushioned bed but alwasy seems to be on my bed in the morning! I let this go as I like cuddling with him, bad I know) he doesn't go to the toilet at night, settles down easily and is generally a very good boy Since getting the new puppy though things have changed a little bit! I didn't want to crate train her as my boy doesn't have a crate, I didn't want either one to be jealous of the other. I think I would like them both to have the same set up. The new puppy is obviously going to the toilet at night (she won't do it on the carpet luckily) if I don't take her out often enough, which is fine, I know crate training will help with this. She is also really annoying at night, I can't get her to settle down. She sleeps all evening then goes mental when it is bed time, she runs around and stirs up my other dog to play with her, chew stuff up, steals my clothes, barks at and bites my older dog an is a general pain! My older dog thinks he has to supervise everything she does so follows her around and they are both being terrors. I tell them off and as the puppy is still learning 'no' etc she doesn't really care, and my older dog is getting stressed because he thinks he is getting told off. He comes and settles down when I tell him to, but within a few minutes gets up to go and see what the puppy is doing, and it goes on for hours! I am pretty sure that crate training will help these problems, and help her learn to chill out when I want her to (in her crate)...won't it? But my dilemma is, should I just crate her as my older dog is well behaved anyway? Should I train my older dog along with her, although he doesn't need it? Should I get both dogs a crate, but leave the door to the older one's crate open, so he can go in and out as he chooses...? Should I persevere without the crate and train her in the same way I trained my older boy (although I'm not sure this will work as the dnamic is different - he was the only dog so stayed with me ALL the time) What do people do once the dog is properly crate trained - just leave the doors open at all times so the dogs can go in and out as they please? And also where would I put the crate - I'm thinking in my bedroom? So many questions, and thank you in advance to anyone who can help, and any tips or advice would be welcomed!

I have tried several of the higher quality kibbles - eukanuba, royal canin, advance, and several cheaper ones - purina one, supercoat and beneful, and have recently started on the coprice. He just isn't interested in food that much! I have also tried raw for a while, but I'm thinking of doing that again?

My 11 month old male boxer has always been a bit skinny, at first i assumed it was because he is a growing puppy but we recently saw his brother from the same litter who has filled out a lot more. I want to get some weight on my boy as he is quite ribby! He has never really been that interested in food to be honest, tried heaps of different things but he will always have a little bit then leave it, and eat some more later on when he feels like it. I can't just feed him more as he won't eat it. He currently gets 1kg tuckertime and 4-6 small handfuls of coprice puppy food, spread over two meals. He will eventually eat most of this, leaving some of the coprice uneaten. Is there something I can add to encourage him to eat, or perhaps some sort of supplement that will put weight on. I also have horses who have canola oil in their feeds to help put on weight, is there something similar for dogs?

Hi, well I have a gorgeous 10 month old male boxer. We have always said we would get another one day, and now have a lovely female boxer puppy available to us in a couple of weeks. I really want to do what is best for my boy as he is very much a part of my family, very loved and and a bit spoilt! And also do the right thing by this potential new girl, however I am just not sure what that is... My boy is very very social, playful and just loves playing with other dogs, so I have no doubt that a playmate for him would make him happy. However I am worried that adding another dog will cause them to bond more strongly with one another than with me. Also I am concerned that I won't be able to give two dogs enough attention, as the time I have will be cut in half... My situation is this: I work fulltime, sometimes from home so I am around however I am strictly working in this time and really can't play with the dog, much to his disappointment! I also have a horse which occupies a fair bit of my time. Previously my partner started work early and finished early, so between us we had plenty of time for the dog. Some days my dog stays home alone, other days he goes to my sister in laws house to play with her dogs as she is a stay at home mum. My partner has recently started working FIFO, and he is not sure how long he will be doing this for, it could just be a couple of months it could be longer. He does two on one off, so in the times he is away my dog seems to be alone a little bit more. My partner has always wanted another dog, and he thinks it would be great for our boy as he is so playful and socail, plus he would not be bored and alone when I have to go out, which is definitely true...I am not sure if I can offer twice the attention and time I currently give my boy, and I am not sure if this is a good idea or not!! Please advise...I would love another puppy, love my current dog to be as happy as possible but I don't want to make the wrong decision...

My puppy has what looks like a small cut in the middle of his ear, only about 1 cm long, though I can't see it very well and have no idea how it could have gotten there. I'm not sure when he did it as I have never seen any blood on his ear (and he is white), but I noticed it last might. It has turned into a hard, flat circular lump around the cut, about the size of a 5 cent piece. It hurts him a little bit when I touch it, but dosen't seem too bad. What is this? How should I treat it and what should I do?

Thanks so much for all the feedback. I did consider mixing his royal canon with natures gift, just enough to coat the biscuits so he likes it more, however I've heard such bad things about canned food, i don't wantto be feeding him any crap and risk health problems, particularly as he is a boxer prone to heart disease. Is it bad to feed just a little bit of tinned, say 1/2 can per meal (he is eating twice a day) along with royal canin, and that's it? Should I add rice and vegies too? Any other supplements? I don't think my sister in law is feeding him anything, I guess maybe some treats but I have told her he won't need a meal. Regarding leaving the room when he is eating, I have found if he can't see me he comes after me, he is just not that interested in eating and would rather do something else more fun! So I generally stay in the same room but turn my back to him and not watch him eat.