Oscar (AmBull)

Recently moved to Plympton and need to find a new groomer, our previous one was fantastic in Mt Barker but too far to drive. Oscar is a large dog, used to being at a groomers etc but can get a little excited by the experience. We wash him ourselves, however like to get him done professionally approx once a month to clean ears, trim nails and check anal glands. We need a GOOD groomer that is happy to handle large breed dogs that can get excited. I really would like recommendations for places people have used personally, I really do not want to do a trial and error type thing as I dont feel comfortable leaving him with someone I dont know or have been recommended by like minded dog people. So please give me some recommendations, even those mobile dog washes?

Wow thanks for the responses. Special thanks to Mrs Rusty Bucket: I am gonna have to google most of those roads as I am a bit clueless but all sounds good. My Nanna has a shop at the brick works so we are there often, might check out that butcher. Handy to have it all their for me, will work on getting to all those places. Anyone know a Groomer? Thanks

Hi DOLers, We have recently moved to South Plympton (SA). I am wanting a few recommendations for the area, I am fairly familiar with the area as my mum lives in Morphettville, however need some DOL help to find the right places. Looking for a place that sells dog meat/bones- specifically lamb, turkey and roo. Also need a groomer- he gets groomed only once every couple of months however does get quite excited and is a large dog so we need someone experienced with large breeds. I know the Oaklands dog park is close by- unsure on what peoples experiences of this place are? We generally avoid dog parks from bad experiences but keen to hear opinions. We will continue to use our vet in Mt Barker (Dr Ashley) however vet recommendations nearby would be good. ALSO where do people do their human food shopping? We personally like woolworths but finding one seems to be difficult all we seem to find are coles and foodland :laugh:

Thanks for all of the help. We have the prong collar cover but rarely use it because we really have no need and it is something extra to get ready, we are not bothered by other people's opinions because as far as we are concerned it has been a god send for us and we use it properly. So even if you are going to a SACA event, not a show, trial etc like today they had an American Bulldog and Staffy Day (which we did not attend but I would have liked to) we would not have been able to attend and use the prong? Is that correct?

Hi DOLers, Haven't posted in a while but need some help. I went to Bark in the Park (SA) yesterday and when we were getting washed the groomer proceeded to tell me that the prong collar was banned and I better watch out the RSPCA don't see me. BACKGROUND: I bought the collar from Steve (K9 Pro) and had a session with him showing me how to use it correctly etc, therefore I am trained in how to use one properly. I told the groomer that as far as I knew they were only banned in Vic and that I had been trained to use it properly by a professional trainer etc. She was adamant, saying she had nothing against them but clearly she did, that they were banned AUS wide and that she travels overseas and their importation is illegal etc. I have tried to google this but with no luck. So can anyone tell me, is the prong collar now banned Australia wide? This is the first time anyone has approached me about the collar in the almost 2 years I have had it.

I have one atm, but eventually aiming for three. Just out of curiosity are people leaning more towards even numbers? ie people have said they have three or five but would prefer four, is this so that you can take two out and leave two home? Is an even number more manageable?

What was the reason why you stopped training your dog? I simply do not have enough time and the times that training is run are not suitable, when daylight savings picks up again I will most likely rejoin as another more suitable session is available. Do you feel your dog is well trained enough? I do feel there is a lot more my dog can learn, especially with impulse control, so I would not consider him 'trained' entirely, but he is good enough to live with. Did you not get results from previous training attempts? I have done various training with a number of instructors over a three year period, each contributing in their own way, the class I have most recently joined has been very successful. Is training too far away/ too often/ too expensive? Are you simply too busy? Did you find training boring? I am limited for training in my area, a small country town, and many of the other highly recommended instructors are far too far away. Lie gets in the way far too often, which is the main reason i no longer train. Training has never been boring in my experience. What would prompt you to start training again or would you not start training again regardless? If more suitable times were available, like week nights or lunch/afternoon on a Saturday and indoors sessions. Hope that helps :)

I have done several courses with Alexis previously and whilst I found her fantastic, super friendly and could see real improvements in some dogs, I felt that dealing with our specific issue in a group setting did not happen due to site/time/content constraints. If you are recommending her use, I would probably suggest a private consultation, where one on one time can be dedicated to the specific issues at hand of the dog in a private setting. I would recommend Alexis to anyone wanting to do some training, her methods are great, I myself would use her for a different dog, it just didn't suit Oscar. Unsure where the person is located, but we have also joined a socialisation/obedience class run by Tracey, http://www.ohdobehave.com.au/, which is a great class and has some two danes in it already. Just another option, which I have found really successful.

Ours was very trial and error in the beginning, asked for some recommendations on here, found one vet in particular that was highly recommended by trusted people so gave him a go. He is fantastic! I have three vets closer to me, but travel to our regular vet who is 25 minutes away depending on traffic. We really only go prob a max of 2 times a year so I would travel further if I had to. The clinic does have multiple vets, one of which I am not a fan of, so I do insist on seeing our vet. Really if you go to the doctors, most people have a regular GP and ask for an appointment with them, no difference to a vet in my opinion. Using the same vet means that they can built a relationship with your dog, know the dog and their quirks etc. Hope you find a good vet, they seem to be like searching for a needle in a haystack :laugh:

He is fine today, back to his normal self, but it was the scariest thing. So how many people do restrict water? And when do you restrict water? My closest 24 hour emergency vet is an hour away, so I might speak to our regular vet tomorrow night (he is getting his shots and a check up) about other options. I am so sorry for your loss Sway and 20 months is far too young! Oscar is 3, 4 in March, the time really does fly and you don't even notice them getting older, I guess until they are. Thanks so much for all the responses.

So I am guessing you force it down there throats? Will look into getting some. How long do you have when bloat starts? I am keepojg a very close eye on him, at the moment all fine and sleeping.

Thanks for this, when it was happening I googled it and that link came up, I was looking at the symptoms on it, great site. I just have a huge fear now, it really shook me up.

Thanks for the response, he is now snoring next to me. He is calm and there is no tension in his stomach. To feel his stomach, should I be feeling between the ribs and back legs? He is my first dog and this behaviour was so ridiculously out of character, he has vomited before but this was crazy, it was the fact that he couldn't vomit that scared me. As I said he is snoring fast asleep now so seems to be ok.

Ok so I have a deep chested dog and have always known about bloat but basically never really considered it to happen, you know the old tale it won't happen to me. I don't have a dog that eats super fast. Earlier tonight Oscar had his dinner, he did eat rather quickly, and soon after began almost vomiting, he then went outside ran around the yard trying to vomit and eating grass, he had never acted like this before so I was immediately concerned, I rang our closest emergency vet which is an hour away, she was great and while on the phone to her he came inside, which he wouldn't do before and she told me to keep a very close eye on him and bring him straight in if anything changed, he seems ok now and is sleeping. SO: It was so ridiculously scary. I want to know what I can do to prevent bloat? How do others prevent bloat? He eats bones and actually had a lamb flap today, are bones ok? How long do you have until it can turn fatal? Basically just looking for some proactive ways to make myself feel better at this point and any info from others who have either been through it or have breeds prone to it? I know I could do an internet search but really need someone to talk to me about it.

We use comfortis. Best flea product on the market as far as I am concerned. We tried frontline, as the vet recommended, several times but it NEVER worked. Used comfortis once and all gone, I don't treat every month, only as I see them appear, but we haven't had any fleas for a good 8-12 months now. Recommended it to my Dad for his two dogs, he had a huge infestation, and worked a treat. He now swears black and blue by it and recommends it to others. We also use interceptor spectrum for worming and have had no problems is using them together.