aussielover

Your puppy is a labrador correct? I fed Mindy dry biscuits from 8 weeks old and she did fine with them. I'm sure she would manage fine, after all she is a labrador! I sometimes mix an egg with the kibble because i've heard eggs are good for them.

haha me too. I was specifically told by guide dogs NOT to give chicken necks and wings as the risk of choking or an obstruction is just not worth it. I suppose it is fine to take the risk if it is your own dog and you are closely supervising. They said beef bones were ok though, so might try that

Flye- you could get him titre tested to determine if he needs vaccination. It is quite expensive though. How old is he?

I was actually told that between 4-6 poops is normal for a young puppy is normal. I kind of panicked when i noticed mine was only doing one or two lol!

It is to keep them entertained while you are out and/or to stimulate their brains. It also makes them "work" for their meal

Can you buy a chicken frame from a butcher or supermarket? I am very cautious in giving my lab puppy bones. She has had one and threw up a chunk of it a few hours later. Thankfully she vomited it up and it did not obstruct anything, but since then, no bones for her I really don't know if labs should be trusted with bones as they are such greedy guts and dont tend to chew, but swallow things whole. I would like to try a chicken frame as this seems are bit more substanial. I may give her a big bone (femur or something) when she gets older.

Simply put, there is no good reason for a weimaraner puppy (or adult) to have chronically weepy eyes. Sure, after a romp in the dirt maybe, but not always. It is important to know that this is a breed prone to distichiasis (an extra row of lashes growing from the inner rim of the eyelids). Excessive tearing or even just a constant ball of gunk in the corner of the eye is often the only sign of distichiasis in a young puppy, because at that age the extra lashes are often very fine and hard to see. So, yes, while not problematic in some breeds, weepy eyes in a weim puppy would be a cause for concern for me. Entropion (where the lids actually roll inward) is less common but still found in the breed. It's also a bit more obvious and more likely to have been noticed by the breeder and the vet. Even if it is not distichiasis or entropion, I would still be concerned. Those weepy eyes mean something. A normal, healthy weim (of any age) would not have them unless there was a problem. It's just not a normal thing for this breed to have weepy eyes and tear stains. Likewise a normal, healthy weim puppy should be full on. If he seems fragile and not quite right when you have a much more robust littermate to compare him to, then you are right to be concerned about that too, given the rocky health history of the entire litter. (Again, not breeder bashing here.. sometimes s**t happens, despite doing all the right things and it is not unreasonable to wonder if this puppy might have some hidden health issues). You should also know that weims can have issues with an autoimmune reaction following vaccination. The significance with this particular puppy, given his history, is how well he will handle his puppy shots. With weims it's a big no-no to tax a baby immune system already struggling with some other issue.. and to be honest, it is possible that there might be some sort of other issue here. Again, to repeat. I am not saying walk away from this puppy. He could be perfectly fine, and to be sure, those pictures show a couple of weim babies who do appear healthy and well cared for. Just do your homework, ask questions about the above points and make sure you are comfortable with the answers you get from the breeder, their vet and your vet. Edited to add to "If you do decide to take him" to second paragraph. Great post and very imformative I'm not breeder bashing, the pups seem like they are well looked after, but given the above info, I really think the breeder should not yet be selling this pup. while the pup *may* be fine, I think it would be sensilble and the right thing to do for the breeder hold on to the pup until the problems resolve or a cause can be determined for them. I also think it is quite unusual fo a weim puppy to be subdued, the ones I;ve met have always been full of energy and very bouncy. Can you confirm that the breeder wants you to take the "sick" one? Why don't you ask if you can take the bigger, healthier one, esp as you mentioned you've already bonded with him?

I hope things have improved for you I know how hard it can be to travel if pup doesn't like the car! when we first picked up Mindy, I thought there was no hope, she was just that bad. She would cry/bark/howl/vomit/poop and nothing we tried seemed to work. This went on for 2 weeks, which was terrible as I had planned taking her to work and uni with me and also up to the shops etc. Also, the guide dogs centre is over an hour away from us and having a screaming/defaecating puppy in the car for over an hour was not a good thought! Then one day we tried having her in the footwell of the passenger seat at the front. I gave her a tasty treat and drove once around the block. she was fine from that day on she now LOVES the car and will jump into that position herself. She curls up and sleeps most times now because she knjows we are going somewhere exciting. I have taken her on 2 hr trips and she has been fine. You may have to try a few different position ete but hopefully all will be good!

My pup is also on advance (dry) and used to have those sort of sloppy poos. We are given the food though, so I can't really change brands. I've started adding chicken and eggs into her diet though and some tuckertime for treats which has really helped.

She is 16 weeks. She was gaining too much weight and looking a bit round (to put it nicely) on the recommended amount. She is a lab puppy and gets 1.5 cups of dry a day (plus a few treats here and there ) Her trainer said I should feed less to her as she was chubby and was doing lots of poos during the day. Thanks I will try some of your suggestions. Otherwise she is doing very well, when I feed her at work people always comment about how good she is and how much self control she has for a puppy

Double POst

I don't feel I have to walk through doors first in order to be "leader" with my dog. If my dog is super excited, then I will make her sit before opening a door but sometimes I encourage her to go through a door first. And I don't believe that letting dogs up on furniture/beds means dogs won't respect you. With some dogs, maybe, yes, but certainly not all. However, if a dog is showing signs of dominace/aggression it makes sense to revoke these privileges until they come to respect you more. And I am aware that some more "dominant" dogs do require a firm hand and quite strict rules, I haven't owned any dogs that would fit this description and admire people who do, and make it work I'm in two minds about the dog whisperer. I think he does make some really important points especially regarding regular exercise and appropriate discipline. But some of the things he does are quite dangerous and the only reason he can pull them off is because he is supremely confident and achieves a level of calmess (in scary situations) that the average person would never be able to attain. I find some of his methods extreme and likely only to have short term effects. He addresses many behavioural probalems that really can't be fixed in one day, or even one year. Which encourages unrealistic expectations of some viewers. But I am glad that you feel you are "pack leader" and have benefitted from watching the shows At least it encourages people to interact with their dogs and exercise them more which is a good thing

she has nice teeth

I am having trouble now with the "ok"/release command. My puppy sits automatically but when I say ok she just keeps staring at me, I have to physically point to the food and get her to take it. Sometimes I have said OK four of five times before she will take it??? When she does eat, she gobbles it all down, so she is hungry/ wanting the food. I ahve tried moving the food closer, This happens even if the food is only 1cm from her body. So I'm thinking there is a drive problem? ie. she is not in drive? ETA: She gets hyper/excited when she see me bringing the food out, but as soon as I put it down, she just sits and stares at me. I am already feeding her below the recommended guidelines for pups of her age by about 1/4 of a cup less than recommended. She gets one of her meals (dry food) as training rewards throughout the day, so perhaps this is why the food drive is not as high?

Thanks I am aware the proper name is check chain, however, many people seem to call them choke chains or chokers and are unaware of the proper name (probably the same people who put the on backwards and choke their dogs!) I think they are more commonly known as choke chains by the general public, hence why I included it in the poll.

Yeah but this breeder sounds like they are just trying to get rid of a sick pup. Is it actually legal to demand a non refunable deposit and then not provide the goods?

This person sounds a bit dodgy imo. The pups don't sound well at all, and the smaller fragile one probably should not go to a home until it as a bit stronger and the eye problems clear up (if they ever do). Some breeders do like to pick pups for future owners, but they will have asked lots of questions and really gotten to know the people well whihc it sounds like this breeder hasn't done. I would be happy to take a breeders recommendation if they had gotten to know me quite well, but for them to say "you have to have this one" without consulting me sort of rings alarm bells. I

OMG how exciting!!!! Please post lots of pics when you get puppy!

Apparently Cavvies should be walked on harnesses only? Could someone confirm?

Regarding retractable leads: A friend's dog was killed by a car while on one. The owner did not notice the dog had wandered onto the road Another person required a lot stitches when one got tangled around her legs at the park. I don't think they should be allowed at off leash parks.Dogs should be on a long line or a normal short lead. Or if you do choose to use a retractable leash at an off leash park, don't let your dog play with other dogs. One got wrapped around my puppys leg which could have been disasterous if the other dog has taken off suddenly.

haha, will try that, may look ridiculous though. Oh well, at least will it will give others a laugh. Yes, she is very good puppy She usually bounds up to you with her dumbo ears, she is extremely motivated by attention and food!

I am interested to know what others use. Mindy is walked in a flat lead and collar as per instructions from guide dogs. If she was my own I would be tempted to use a harness of some sort though. I am worried about her accidently slipping out of the collar if she takes fright, or accidently pulling on her neck.

How easy are lappies to train?

Poor bella! I thought they were meant to be on leash for obedience sessions (unless you are very advanced, therefore dog would not be runniing away uncontrollably). I would have thought it was up to one of the instructors to tell them off. Sounds like a potentially dangerous situation.

For the first time my 4 month old puppy did not come when called. She literally just stared at me and then went back to sniffing I know it was only the one time, but she clearly heard me, thought about it and then ignored She has been very good previously, I have been able to call her away from other dogs, even when she is playing. When this happened I walked up to her and put the leash on her for a few minutes as a punishment. She then did this a few more times before leaving. It was only with sniffing that she would not come back, she still recalled well when I called her away from other dogs. Anyone have any tips as to why this is happening and how we could work on it?