Pete.the.dog

Hi, I was just playing with Pete and I found on the side of his neck this bump, I separated his fur and found this area it probably wouldn't by 1cm square, but it was raw and bloody with this big brown bump in the middle. I don't know if it's a scab coming off or a tick, how do you tell? Sorry that's such a novice question but I've never had to deal with ticks, I was going to pick it off but I know you aren't supposed to remove ticks. I tried to get a photo but the guy wouldn't stay still. The other thing is yesterday I found a smaller scab on his neck in a different spot - and I am fairly certain that was just a scab, I picked it off and it crumbled away into pieces. He had his fur thinned out at a groomer last Friday, so do you think they may just be nicks? Thanks!

Completely agree!!! People are way too soft on their dogs. When I have switched foods, all my dogs turn their noses up at it for the first few days. Tough cookies I say! It gets put on the ground for 10 mins - if they dont eat it they go hungry until their next meal. It doesnt take long for them to realise if they dont eat what they are given they go hungry. Dogs need to have a leader - and making them eat what they are given is part of establishing yourself as the pack leader. If you pander their their every whim, they are establishing themself as leader and you will end up with a huge number of behavioural problems! I guarantee if you follow the above method - strictly - your dog will eventually eat the food and get out of the habit of being so damn fussy! He's never been fussy before. And I played it tough for 3 or 4 days before I started to really worry about him starving! He was running out of energy when we went jogging and that concerned me.

Hi guys, I bought my dog a 22kg bag of Great Barko - only to find he wouldn't touch the stuff. If your dog does, and you live in Adelaide (I live on the fringe of the city, eastern suburbs - around norwood/gilberton area) feel free to come and take mine - I'll give it to you for $15, $10 if I'm struggling to find someone to give it to. I don't want it to go to waste! Just send me a PM Ash

Thanks for all your e-mails. Just thought I would follow up. Pete wouldn't touch it. He would eat a tiny little bit, I tried for a few days and he wouldn't go near it - so anyone in Adelaide who wants to pick up nearly 22kg of Great Barko PM me, you are welcome to it! I went back to the supplier, and they gave me a trial bag of Coprice, and Pete won't touch it either. At my boyfriends he gobbled up the Pedigree, and in the past he is happy to eat that, home brand and Super coat. I'm really devastated, I was really looking forward to feeding him an SA manufactured food.

Pete gets a couple most weekdays in a kong with some kibble as I sneak out the door to work He gets them individually frozen, don't know if that makes a difference

Hi guys, My housemates are getting almost as sick of the bundles of individually packaged dog mince in the freezer as I am at the thought of individually packing them! So I have been looking into alternatives. After reading a lot of forums I'm very excited that I found Great Barko for $28 for 22 kilos today at my local grain feed store! Man was really nice, he threw in a pigs ear and some garlic biscuits. However one thing he did say I wanted clarification on, he asked why I chose GB and I said I had done some research and heard great things, he found that surprising and said that honestly, he has heard from people it's too oily. Can anyone elaborate? I know the texture is a bit oily but surely noone would begrude dog food for the way it looks!?

Oh my god that is scary on so many levels. Firstly, I don't have 4 grand. Secondly, it's rental and the thought of destroyed pipes is terrifying!! Thirdly, Sewerage!!!

Thank you, yes its easy to forget he's only been with me for four months, especially because he has improved in leaps and bounds (so to speak) on so many things since I got him - the bones might be a good point as well, didn't think of that!

Your're right - he's most likely digging because it is FUN! When you go out he gets bored and lonely, and digging is both good fun and stress relief for him. You need to find something else for him to do (which may be easier said than done ) Instead of just giving him toys to play with, you could try a game of hide and seek - put toys or food in various places around the yard, and try and put some where he has to put a bit of effort into retrieving them. You might have to start simple and show him the toys/food at first while he learns, and make things more difficult as you go along. It is also possible that he is frustrated and upset when you go out and he is left alone. Try to make sure there is not a huge contrast in his life between when you are home and when you are not - for example if when you are home he is inside and there is a lot of interaction between you and he gets a huge amount of attention, it would be a huge shock to be left outside alone and he may be digging to deal with the stress. Make sure that when you come and go there are no big hello/goodbye scenes, and that you keep everything as low-key as possible. Also try to make sure you do some training each day, even if it is just a few minutes here and there of sit or something - this will actually help increase his confidence. If he really enjoys digging, it might be best to try to provide him somewhere he allowed to dig, and encouraging him to dig there. If he digs at all when you are home you can take him to that spot every time he starts to dig and he should learn quickly that it is the right spot for digging. If he only digs when you are away, you will need to try making it the most attractive spot to dig. You should try burying treats in that spot so he is rewarded when he digs them up. Try to block off the other areas he likes to dig in, perhaps putting bricks on the ground or covering with wire. Just don't try to block off ALL the digging spots, or getting past the barriers to dig will just become his new sport - you just want to make your selected digging spot the most attractive spot for him to dig in. This is a good way to teach him to never dig in the same spot twice!! These sorts of methods only work to move a dog away from a particular area, not to stop digging altogether. The more you do this, the more widespread the destruction will be. No, he's just not bored or frustrated when you are around! If you have got upset when seeing him digging in the past he may also have learnt that you don't like watching him dig, which means to him he should do it when you are not watching. This doesn't mean he knows it is "wrong". If he did, he wouldn't do it, regardless of whether you are there or not. Also, in regard to "wearing him out" - even though he has an injured leg you can give him lots of stimulation when you are home - mental exercise is just as important as physical. Try practicing commands etc. or playing games like hide and seek to give him some mental stimulation. If none of these things help, you should probably consult a professional trainer - often more specific details (like where and when the digging FIRST occurred etc.) can be necessary to determine the exact cause of the behavior & deal with it. Thanks for your advice, I think in my business I have been a bit slack on his training lately and perhaps that is why he has reverted back to the holes! I do try to put him outside for time when I'm home so he gets used to it a bit more but lately with the rain I've been soft on him Thank you and hopefully if I get my act together as an owner it will sort itself out :p

Hi - also welcome to sketch my Pete

NOoooo !! He doesn't dig while you're around, because he is happy...he is with his pack...he has company and entertainment, and is allowed indoors.... why should he dig? What does he have to use up his mental energy while you are away? Does he have interactive toys/treatballs/bones/kongs/rope toys to toss/a soccerball to chase/some juice bottles with a few bits of kibble in- to rattle ,chew and shake...??? If he has toys like this- maybe you need to rotate them.. so he doesn't become bored? what about getting him a clamshell or something as a sand pit... then burying treats /toys and teaching him to dig there? It may stop a few holes elsewhere...and he gets rewarded for it! a couple of hintshere- but as he has an injury... not practical at the moment He's got ropes, kongs with kibble and or peanut butter, toilet rolls with kibble, his favourite toy on a rope that sometimes entertains him for hours. I thought about the clamshell but considering he only digs when I am around how am I don't know how I'd teach him clamshell = good digging and I'm worried it may encourage all digging, i.e he might think treats are buried in the whole back yard!

Hi Guys, I've got a 11-12 month mutt from the pound, Pete, I've had him for about 4 months and I am having MAJOR trouble with this hole digging thing - especially since I'm in a rental property! My problem is that when I go out (and Pete is outside when I'm not home because I share house) Pete digs holes - and he is very good at it too - they are nice and deep and it's not just soft dirt he digs up he digs in the middle of the grass through the roots and everything! I know it's not to find a cool spot - because it's winter - and it's not to find somewhere like a den - because he sleeps happily in his kennel all night. I fill his holes with poo and he digs new ones - I put chilly powder on the holes and he digs new ones - I have even stood there looking like an absolute fool yelling at the holes and hitting them with newspaper.. He hasn't done it in a while, because I've been home practically all day lately studying so he's been spending more time with me. I left him for 4 hours to go to an exam and got back to two holes. I'm pretty sure he knows its wrong and he never digs when I'm around. Also, I can't 'wear him out' because he has hurt his thigh muscle and is ordered to rest for the next two weeks. It's not like every time he's outside and thinks I've got he digs holes either, it's just sometimes he does, sometimes he doesn't. I used to take him to my boyfriends to play with there dog but he digs even bigger holes at their place so I feel too bad taking him there anymore!

Thank you - always receptive to hearing this

Sorry didn't realise there were new posts - thank you for your kind words!! I have absolutely no idea about his breeding - get a lot of different opinions from poodle to retreiver to bearded collie haha I just looked up Alfred and I think they look very similar!

Mines about 11 months, and I've had him for nearly 4 of those. We just recently went through a big surge of dominance, and it was the same thing - not aggressive, just a big "F you" to anything I wanted to do. Firm but calm consistency seemed to work with me, letting him know that 'you can act like that and I'm not going to get stirred up about it, but its also not going to get you the things you want'. Things like preparing their meal and then sitting down to eat yours before you give them theres. Before you let them in the house make them sit and stay (with the door wide open) until you say 'in you come' - that one is a pretty big achievement for Pete. He still bounces off the walls now and then but he's certainly calming down and looking at me for instruction more than before

Ahhh yes I am familiar with Petes hatred of being brushed on his legs - that makes sense now! Thankyou

I'll look into some poodle grooming stuff - the pet shop around the corner from us is animal friendly so if I bring Pete with me they should be able to point me in the right direction for slicker brushes and combs that suit him ;)

No you're right he doesn't need too much bathing - he had a big flea problem when I got him from the shelter, so that required a few extra washes but I would not probably wash once every month or two months. I've clipped all the fur off his paws but even at the bottom of his legs the fur matts easily and I was worried cutting it all off around there would leave his scrawny little legs cold. In Adelaide but the same, we get freezing mornings but then warms up His coat at the moment isn't a big issue to leave how it is, I'm happy enough to do the grooming etc, but if it was to make no difference to Pete I might as well clip

Just a normal dog brush, but trimming would be much easier solution if it would be OK for him?

http://www.dolforums.com.au/index.php?act=...t&id=180613 http://www.dolforums.com.au/index.php?act=...t&id=180612 http://www.dolforums.com.au/index.php?act=...t&id=179099 http://www.dolforums.com.au/index.php?act=...t&id=179098 They should work better - Sorry!! He's a pound mystery ;)

Hi All, Links of photos of my beautiful Pete: http://www.dolforums.com.au/index.php?act=...t&id=180613 http://www.dolforums.com.au/index.php?act=...t&id=180612 http://www.dolforums.com.au/index.php?act=...t&id=179099 http://www.dolforums.com.au/index.php?act=...t&id=179098 http://www.dolforums.com.au/index.php?act=...t&id=179097 Gorgeous though his coat is, it's horrible to maintain! His leg fur mats it feels like hourly and his coat has thickened up over winter which makes washing him even harder! Currently the fur on his back is about 12cm and the fur on his legs 6-12cm depending where on the leg - I really want to trim it to around 6cm or so over his whole body - I'm not concerned about doing this myself as I love the scruffy homeless dog look ;) But what I am concerned about is whether the reduction in length will make him too cold in this weather? He currently sleeps outside in his kennel (please no attacks/advice on bringing him inside to sleep, if it's wet or thundery he is inside) and he is fine with the cold currently, always has a nice warm belly! As I said his coat has thickened up noticeably since I got him from the pound 3 months ago, I'm assuming that's because it's cold but may also be because he's getting older. Any advice on whether I should trim would be great, thanks

Maybe yesterdays stopping when he pulled taught him something, or maybe it was the fact when he pulled I gave him a firm leash correction but no verbal response except praise when he was in the right spot but today he was like a whole new dog! I think about 85% of the time he was walking (essentially) next to me on loose lead! Very happy and proud owner thanks guys

Thank you. On that bone issue, are chicken necks good? If I gave him one a day it probably wouldn't make a lot of difference in the diet would it because they are so small?

Thanks, well going on that I guess if I gave him half of what I normally feed in dry food, then 1% of his weight in mince plus a couple of bones every now and again that should probably work out

I know it was carcasses as they were mincing while I was there, I just didn't think to ask what they were