Kody's_Mum

Wow Becandcharch, Bandit is stunning! I bet you are super excited to be bringing her home today! Enjoy your new furbaby.

Oh No! More sites to get distracted with....doesn't take much for me!!! :D Thanks for sharing these sites, they are loads of fun. Also love the pictures you have shared!

Too cute!

Thanks for sharing this site Kirislin. I spent hours on it last night. Loads and loads of fun!

I love Wylie's face in the second pic! What a cutie!

Wow what a great thread! I am loving looking at everyone's babies! This is my boy Kody after his first bath at approximately 12 weeks of age: Man that was exhausting! Finally almost dry And here is Kody now at 20 months of age: Helping put the groceries away (No I'm not helping myself to the dog biscuits!) After having had a nice play in the sandpit Wow boy do they grow up fast!

My boy Kody would destroy any bed he was given either by chewing it or digging through it! :D I went through hundreds of dollars on supposedly chew resistant beds, as they were not chew proof only chew resistant! I finally stumbled upon Kennel Solutions who supply Kuranda Dog Beds. I purchased the Polyresin bed (you can also get Aluminium) with a Ballistic nylon fabric. I have had the bed for about six months now and it is still in tip top condition. Kody has tried to dig through it without success and any signs of stress or sagging on the fabric. You can purchase vinyl fabric which is even stronger than the Ballistic nylon. I can not recommend Kennel Solutions or the Kuranda Dog Beds highly enough. The service I received from the company was exceptional. I was hesitant at spending so much on a dog bed seeing I had already wasted a lot of money on beds which would last less than a week. I contacted the company with all my questions and concerns before purchasing the bed, and they responded to me very quickly. They even called me to ensure that I would be home to take delivery of the bed before they posted it, with the option to change the delivery address to an alternative if required. As they didn’t have the Ballistic nylon in stock they even ordered the mat specifically for me from the USA supplier. I couldn't be happier with my purchase. Definitely money well spent. I think there is a 1 year chew proof guarantee also on the bed. I did ask if they supplied the mats separately in case Kody chewed through it. I was told that they could, however have not had to replace a mat as yet. The only thing that I would change is that I would probably order the xx large as Kody is a big boy and likes to stretch out a bit. Having said that though the xlarge is a probably a good size for a female shepherd or a slightly smaller male shepherd like my parents have. My parents are expecting the arrival of a new female shepherd this week and I will be ordering the xxlarge Kuranda Dog bed for my boy and giving them Kody's current bed. Check them out http://www.kennelsolutions.com.au/about/ku...a_dog_beds.html

Both Fresh Mix Adult & Fresh Mix Maximal are equal in quality, the only time 1 is better than the other depends on the needs of a particular dog.If you have chosen to feed a BARF diet and adhear to the principles of that then you should choose the Maxiimal. If you are happy to include some quality grains in your dogs diets then you could choose the Fresh Mix Adult. You could even alternate between the 2 diets. I also wanted to mention that the single, most common cause of softer stools that a few dogs have experienced when eating Artemis is caused by over feeding. Simply cutting back 1/4 to 1/2 a cup per day alleviates the problem. The fact that Beet Pulp is not included in the Artemis range should not be a factor, Beet Pulp is a moderately fermentable fibre that is added to give bulk to the stools, Artemis chooses to use chicory root instead of beet pulp which is also a moderately fermentable fibre and prebiotic to promote digestive health but will still promote smaller firmer stools. I hope this info helps. I wish I had thought to cut back the food a bit to see if that firmed up my boys stools, as I was very happy with the ingredients of the Artemis Fresh Mix. Kody's coat did seem to be far duller on Artemis however. Having said that though, his skin wasnt itchy like it has been on other brands such as Royal Canin. I would definately give Artemis a go. Hopefully your dogs will do well on it.

How funny!! What a cool photo :D

Wow Ravyk! That really is awesome. What a fantastic talent you have!

Thank you both for your advice. I will definitely be trying Kody on another brand.

I have recently changed Kody's dry food from Artemis to Royal Canin, as his coat became very dull/dry and his poos were rather sloppy. I have made sure that I have introduced the RC gradually to his diet, and have now noticed that he seems to be fairly itchy. Kody did not seem to scratch like he has for the past 4 or 5 days, when he was on Artemis, so I think that the change to the RC might be the cause. I was wondering if this might settle down with time, or should I just take the RC back and go for a different brand of dry, such as Eagle Pack? My breeders have recommended Mera dog in the past (which seemed to make him itchy and cause ear infections) and when I switched from that to Artemis, the itchiness and ear infections disappeared. Any advice would be appreciated.

That photo is hilarious!! I love the look on the face!

I know how you feel, and it certaintly turns a relaxing walk into something very stressful. My boy, who I undertake obedience training each week and absolutely loves other dogs at both obedience classes and dog park etc, started to do the same thing when we were out walking the street. If we ran into another dog whilst out on a walk he would go beserk, hackles up, strained to the end of the lead and barking etc. However if the other dog continued to approach us, Kody would have a sniff and what not and all would be ok, the dogs would be fine. However if we then ran into the same dog the next day, we would go through the same aggression issues once again. I started to try and calm him if I saw a dog approaching in time, by talking to him and tell him to 'leave it'. Kody is now much better, if I tell him to leave it he does and there is no carry on. I have also started to take him to events where I know there will also be dogs he doesnt know on lead, ie markets etc and he is much better in greeting or ignoring the dogs now days. It is still a work in progress and it has taken time and persistence, and is now starting to work when he sees cats too. This is just something that has happened to work for me. Good luck with it, and don't give up. Perhaps getting some advice from a trainer or a behaviorist will help, nothing nicer than being able to have a relaxing walk with your dogs.