shells

The small breed version looks good - they didnt have it last time I bought a bag so I will keep an eye out for it when I go tomorrow. PetBarn has the 3kg bags on special.

I have 2, 18 month old Miniature Poodles. I am feeding them Nutro - which they like, is easy to get and is often on special but the Adult size biscuits are quite big for them and I was wondering if I could feed them the Puppy version as the biccies are smaller - What do you think?

There is a vet here in Canberra who as soon as you take a Lab puppy in will do the same (especially is it is BYB or petshop). The amount of people who just happily agree is amazing - I personally know of 3.

Check your local council laws (or give the ranger a call). Some shires/council permit you to trap and hand in stray cats on your property.

Why dont you ask Breeder B if she has a pup she will be willing to go on "breeders terms". This means you will be able to show her and a good contract draw up may see your dog/bitch produce pups in the future. Have you spoken to Breeder B about a pup to show? Are you concrete in your plans to show the dog? If you are waivering and not committed that may put Breeder B off. I am sure that many a good breeder has been scammed by people "just wanting a pet to love" who later on has gone on the be unethically used (not saying this is what you are doing)

I just used to put our puppies outside, go back to bed for an hour then let them in when I woke up. Though I have small children so am used to disturbed nights, early mornings and going back to sleep at short notice LOL Just think of it as future training. Now they sleep in our room and often stay in bed even though I am up and about - apparently the toddler exhausts them

Check around for Eco-sleepers (our local sand and gravel place have them). They are not treated and recommended for vege beds. They cost a little more about $24 each. There are also concrete sleepers which are held together with metal corner posts again they are about $24 each and the corner posts are about $10 but are easy to put together and pretty indestructible (google will explain it better than me LOL)

Well said PF. We use our off leash park daily and my 2 have "friends" they like to play but rude, boisterous dogs (especially who are humpers) are definitely not welcomed. Have you tried the area near Mt Majura? Off peak it is quite a lovely, quiet place to take the dogs. Now I am going to finish my coffee and take my 2 off to the dog park

TBH the guys language wasnt very good but maybe and unfortunately he had encountered quite a few rude people/dogs that day and had enough and it was you that "coped" it Because in dog language it is rude for another dog to run up like that. My female will tell rude dogs like this to eff off in no uncertain terms and she isnt DA and is well socialised but she would rather have a nice run around, chase the ball and play with her brother rather than have every bouncy dog in Canberra getting in her face. Apparently someone considered this "aggressive" at our local dog park the other day even though she is a mini poodle and told a boxer and german shepherd that she didnt want to play.

Did you follow the breeders eating plan? Just asking because any change along with the stress of moving to a new home and leaving his litter could cause stomach upset.

Staffygirl88 - I wouldnt recommend them either. I would get her to ask around. With so may pups constantly on the ground you can see how some may have missed their worming and as for being toilet trained and well socialised well again I dont know how they do it with so many pups to look after. My friend was very dissapointed too and nearly cancelled her "order". She thought she was doing the right thing buying from a registered breeder and soon learnt that there were registered breeders and Ethical registered breeders. FWIW her dog is now one and he seems ok but I guess time will tell.

I only started grooming my 2 mini poodles last year. The ladies (and guys ) in the Poodle sub-breed forum have been a fantastic help. I mainly use a #10 or #30 with a snap-on-comb over the top (which allows me to vary the length). I also bought the Wahl Km2 clippers from Clipperworld (I found them very helpful with advice on blades/equipment to buy also). I also got a copy of Poodle Clipping and Grooming: The International Reference by Shirley Kalstone The snap on combs made me feel a bit more secure as the blade isnt directly on the dog but the dog does need to be dry and combed out for them to work well. I love them lovely and long but it is a lot more brushing - especially as we do a lot of running around at the park chasing the ball everyday which means they end up with a lot of grass and crud in their coats so I have trimmed them down a bit shorter as it has warmed up now

Did she come from a largish kennel in SA that has a few other breeds including British Bulldogs? If that is the case then my friend had similar problems to you when she bought her dog from there too. I am glad it is sorted now.

I am just relieved the dogs are non-smokers as well as being child-friendly I guess a warranty is a good laymans term of providing a health guarantee but makes you think if they are going to so much trouble why not do it properly and become a registered breeder

Sorry I didnt mean to make it sound like they are worth that much - its just what I read on the website I wouldnt pay that much for one but there are obviously lots of people who do and pay more. Same with all the fancy named crossbreeds out there. There is a demand and people want it - I dont understand it but it is out there.

Mr Google tells me that Mini Aussie Bulldogs are Aussie bulldogs crossed with Pugs and Bouledogue Français. Apparently they decided against crossing them with SBT's and Boston Terriers due to their temperament. The website (apparently set up by the founders of the mini aussie bulldog breed) states that you should pay no more than $1300 per pup and that higher price does not indicate higher quality and to do your research. Which I thought was an interesting point to make.

My dogs are better behaved than my toddler LOL We got our 2 when my youngest was 6 months old but they are Miniature Poodles and werent big, bouncy Lab puppies. It was/is hard work but we put the effort in and now have 2 great dogs who are very good with both my kids (and hopefully number 3 who is on the way) I too would recommend and older dog (you can find them here on this website under mature dogs or look at Lab Rescue). I dont know if I would buy another puppy again in a hurry. Have you thought about a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel or Cocker Spaniel - they require some grooming but I have found them to be great family pets. Also I have heard of Golden Retrievers x Labradors referred to as "Golden Labradors" but I hoping the OP means Yellow Labs and not a fancy named crossbreed

Can I ask what "throwing bait" means?

Thats a great answer to a common theme I hear from people who have bought pet shop puppies. I am sure most do think that the dog does deserve a home and they are providing that I agree and like a PP I thought dogs from registered breeders were show dogs.

I would stop the antibiotics and call your vet. The drops will still help fight the infection I have 2 poodles. My male is fine without plucking (but I keep them lightly plucked). My female will get ear infections if her ears arent plucked so I guess it depends on your dog but if your dog didnt get an ear infection with ear plucking then got one when his ears werent plucked I would say that ear plucking works for your dog. I have found vets have vary in their recommendation on plucking some say yes and some say no. Do you clean the ears regularly with any solution? I use Malacetic (which was a recomendation I got from here as I was very unhappy with epiotic) every couple of weeks and after swimming and finds it helps keep their ears fresh and dry. We had a bad run with grass seeds causing infection and the only time one of my dogs was given antibiotics was when a grass seed perforated his ear drum the other times we just had drops. This also coincided with them having hairy ears as I had taken the no plucking advice. The both ended up under sedation having their ears plucked and flushed. It was a very expensive lesson to learn.

Do you want to make a bet I know plenty of people who dont even know registered breeders exist. They were raised like me - you bought a dog from the paper or one of the many oops litters that were born around the suburb. I have 2 friends who recently paid $1200 for Pet Shop Chocolate Labs - both have had hip surgery before they were 1 year old. They were really surprised when I explained hip scoring and registered breeders to them. Have a look in the paper/gumtree plenty of "purebreeds" around the $800 plus mark.

I have some Wahl KM2 clippers and with them an few different blades - various "generic, no-name" brands and a Wahl branded blade. I will admit that the Wahl blade is better than the generic blades - it fits nicer and seems to give that little bit better cut. What blades do you like to use? Do you stick with your clippers manufactures blades or have you found something out there that fits and works even better. I am in the market for some new blades and have thought I would ask here before buying some more

A few days ago I noticed I cant view the forums properly (was never a problem before). I can click on the main posted topic but to view the replies I have to click and open everyone seperately (they appear at the bottom of the main post). What weird thing have I done to make this happen and how can I fix it. I tried going back to internet explorer but it keeps crashing and firefox is much better

I think its great when I see registered breeders advertising in newspapers and online alongside BYBers - hopefully it gives someone who doesnt know the difference between BYBers and registered breeders the opportunity to find out why buying a registered dog is best.

Please be careful about which groomer you pick as I found out the hard way there are some real cowboys around in Canberra. I have used Shampooch in Kambah and was extremely happy but I do have poodles so their grooming needs are different. I would try calling Kylie as she is very knowledgeble.