mackiemad

My sister has now two Havanese (got her second a few months ago as she is so enamoured with the first) and they are the most easygoing dogs. She works super long hours and then lives a very out and about life when not working and the dogs go everywhere with them, wineries, cafes etc. They live in an apartment in the city and have a house down at the beach and the dogs are happy to be at either. Smart, easy to train, funny, solid little dogs that aren't yappy - though separation anxiety can be an issue that is something mostly that seems to be how you raise them. They seem to be a fairly healthy breed but you would need to be up for the grooming.

I think I'd just cut the obedience classes and get a force free trainer out to look at the behaviour, teach you doggy body language and teach you have to train around it - as in put in boundaries. Because if he's doing this now at 8mths and you take him to obedience every week then they aren't teaching you the subtle doggy language signals you have probably been missing for a while.

Max was deaf the past 18 months before we said goodbye and I kept talking to him. Even if it was soothing chatting when we were in the car heading to the vet I still think it helped. He couldn't hear me but that kind of chatter often changes your own heart rate or blood pressure etc and I'm sure they know that. I found that because he knew the hand signals for come (not that he wandered far), sit, drop/chill, wait, look etc he was ok. He did have dementia (the vivitonin didn't seem to help him much) and what I found was that because he couldn't hear me if I was walking past or behind him he would startle. So I started tapping the floor with my toes when I was close to him. He also would get stuck and waving my foot within a metre of his face helped him remember that someone was there and help the confusion a bit. No pressure to walk on or get out of being 'stuck' just that there was someone present and that he wasn't alone in that moment - though I suspect the seeing of the foot waving triggered his nose to go who is that? Which helped him to get unstuck and shake off the CCD moment. Treats didn't but foot nearby did. I also changed the way I petted him, and always came to touch him via the chest so it was gentle and he could see me. I found him likely to startle if we were cuddled and I started stroking his ears or shoulder from behind. It can be such an honour to help them find ways to feel safe and supported when navigating a world which has changed for them so much.

Don't know much about it, but I think it's owned and made in the same factory as balanced life which has always generally been well received. Same company owns vets all natural I think?

It's also just market forces. There is a lot of demand for puppies and kittens, especially since the pandemic hit, so why not charge appropriately? If you want a cut price piece of clothing go to the salvos. Want a cut price pet? Go to a shelter. Want an well fitting new item if clothing? Go to a store and buy new off the rack. Want a 'clean slate' puppy in a breed or type you desire? Go to a breeder/backyard breeder. Want a designer item of clothing for an event? Go to a small independent or large scale designer to get the right cut, material and creative vision. Want a sporting dog, show dog or a designer crossbreed that everybody has? Go to a sporting dog breeder, show dog breeder or a 'legitimate' puppy farm churning out the desirable crosses. If you want a car you have to pay for it. If you want a handbag you have to pay for it. If you want a dog you have to pay for it. Why shouldn't the ppl putting in the effort and selling a product price the product in the way they see fit? After all, you don't have to buy the pup you can't afford. Dogs are considered property by law, so why don't we apply the same value structures to them? Why do we have to defend the price? Why shouldn't the breeders be able to make some money off the effort of breeding and raising a litter? Is it that the breeder doesn't deserve to be paid for the time, effort and expertise, or is it that we can't see the product as a saleable item given we want it to become part of the family? If so, do people also whinge that IVF clinics etc are greedy? All genuine questions because this topic comes up a lot and I genuinely don't understand why people can't see that animals cost money and that a person who put time into breeding should be able to make a profit off their effort. People should hold value too and part of the purchase price is a value payment of the person who has done the first 8-12 weeks of work with a pup (not to mention the work beforehand with mum and/or dad). Especially since nobody has to buy from a breeder, they have the option of going to a shelter to pay less money and still have a dog that will be part of the family.

I'm going to suggest Diplomat as in creme diplomat (yum!) I'd probably end up calling him dippy for short, which suits a lot of pups He's absolutely beautiful

I wonder if you could do a bank cheque if the puppy is super expensive? Basically the same as cash but not carrying around thousands of dollars. Printed word doc receipt with date, age of pup, microchip on it should be enough, hand written would do just as well. I paid cash on pickup of my dog when I got him as a pup, but that was over a decade ago and pups weren't as expensive then.

I'm not sure if it is a good or bad thing tbh. I can see a lot of negative but maybe for many vets, not being a business owner but just being an employee frees them up mentally somewhat, and also means they don't work so far over reasonable hours? Though I admit I don't use a greencross vet...

They own the AEC emergency vets in Melbourne too.

I've heard bad things about their nerve, but every lagotto I've met has been a pretty happy go lucky dog. Most of them have been bred by a breeder in Bendigo (heaven sent I think?) but I've met a couple of dogs from other breeders that seemed like really normal family dogs but owned by experienced people. So I think a lot of it is genetic but a lot of it is socialising the pup properly and not just dumping them in a park and thinking that's socialisation.

It's massively promoted on social media and I don't feel comfortable with the lack of disclosure as to who formulated it and their background, testing etc. Their website is super vague, all it says is made and owned in Sydney. But I am always sceptical about brands that promote on Instagram etc and you never see them anywhere else

Also if it is an allergy there is no reason not to suspect it isn't a plant or something in his surrounds that wasn't in his surrounds at the breeders. And as others have said, the stress of the flight could have triggered an autoimmune response, triggering the allergies. Get onto a specialist and look at testing to find out what he's allergic to and go from there. Because it could be a simple fix of keeping him off Kikuyu grass or excluding chicken from his diet. The only recourse you have is to go through small claims/ civil tribunal court and get the purchase price back as the product you purchased was faulty, but to get a refund you have to generally give the product (pup) back to the place of purchase (breeder). So if you're emotionally invested then I wouldn't bother.

My mini schnauzer is a few years older than yours and when a few bumps started appearing we got them all tested and nothing but lipomas. He has since grown a few more and the ones he had have become decently large but as they all feel the same (in the fatty moveable way) and aren't impending his movement etc I've just ignored them. I'm more worried about checking for freckles or moles etc on his belly as he's always enjoyed lying in the sun, even on 40 degree days!

What a beautiful soul she was, I'm so sorry for the huge hole she's left behind but how lucky she was to have had such a wonderful family and life with you

Hoping it is quickly diagnosed and easy to treat It could be a bit of muscle pain along the back or hips if he had to contort to get to the rhoeo

I've not had a poodle but I have a mini schnauzer and though he's absolutely perfect for me and I adore him, he's never been what I'd describe as a tolerant dog. Funny, routine oriented, smart, motivated, adaptable, busy, opinionated and suprisingly gentle for a terrier type (though still much sharper, impatient and more independent than previous herding breeds I owned, and not at all interested in people other than his people) but tolerant is not a word I'd use to describe him. He's had the moniker the fun police since he was a youngster - he has to sanction play and there is a time and place for play and it's when he says it is! That goes for people but dogs too. He takes himself off to bed early and will come out and stare you down if you're being too loud after his bed time. Not tolerant at all So I guess going in knowing the hard to live with parts of a dog is most important. I'd probably go with a cavalier if I had young kids, never met one that wasn't tolerant.

I guess my starting point would be something like divetelact - a specific milk replacement powder. I think it would depend on how old the pups are as to how and when I would wean them onto wet, meat and dry foods. But not being a breeder, this is just my assumption of what I would do.

I wouldn't be worried with 4:1 , I'd just make sure the nurture part of the nature and nurture was all up to snuff (diet, exercise, jumping, desexing age etc) And I think $4k is fine for a well reared pup with both parents having had hip and elbow scores, health tests etc. I mean, it's not cheap but it isn't as expensive as the frenchies seem to be or anywhere near as much as some of the cross breeds are

Don't feel the need to rush into anything. You'll know when you're ready, don't push yourself to be ready sooner When you do add a new little life into your home, you won't be replacing Kane nor will it change your feelings towards him, so do what feels right for you at the time

It is worth looking up what a shy toileter is as it sounds like she's developing into one with pooping. Make sure you never reprimand her, none of that old school bollocks about rubbing her nose in it and no shouting and grabbing her as she starts to toilet. Go back to putting her on lead when you go out to toilet (so she can't go off and have a party) and walk back and forth for an least 10 minutes - walking encourages toileting so it is giving you a better chance to catch the need to toilet. When she poops in front of you don't interrupt and give her a really big reward at the end, a few small easy to swallow/no need to chew treats (ziwipeak is excellent for this as you can make the treats tiny and the scent and meatiness means they tend to love it) and a low volume but excited vocal reward too. She needs the reward to be pretty amazing to make her want to toilet outside and in front of you. If you want to add a cue, I followed the advice of (I think it was dogmad?) someone on here and used the word/cue when they were doing the action the first few times and then saying it a before and during. Chihuahuas are sensitive, make sure you don't punish or yell at her, no accidentally surprising her either is that can be scary for a little pup.

Most puppy schools allow unvaccinated puppies (or puppies not finished their schedule) as they clean the area with f10 or similar beforehand anyway - so ask around and see if puppy schools have places available for you and your puppy anyway Just make sure you use a puppy school that is not just a free for all play session it's not great doggy manners to constantly run up to other dogs and get in their faces. PK has given some great tips, so definitely give those a go

My sister has a havanese and he goes everywhere with them. They're young professionals who work and party a lot and he is so easy and fun he goes to wineries etc with them all the time but copes with them working not from home. Probably wouldn't be hard to train as he's smart but they haven't done much training with him, fwiw. The shih tzus I've met have all been great dogs but definitely more stubborn than the havanese ime.

I think the croc is from vets only nowadays

If you get grossed out by whole fish, maybe give the prime100 salmon and tapioca rolls a go along with the mfm dry? Accessible at most pet supply stores.

My Max (13y old mini schnauzer, who has always been a jumper onto and off walls, beds, the backs of cars etc) is on the antinol as well - he has pretty severe arthritis in his wrists (from an injury when he was 18mths) and while he's not a spring chicken now he is noticeably better. He was on the joint guard and an msm product (the paw osteocare) but the antinol definitely helps him a lot more than those.