Sarah8

i agree, good pps classes can be an amazing tool- bad ones can be a recipie for disaster. it would be better if they were controlled more.

you can try a few other exercises which can help, most of all just try to be consistent. if he is being pushy, just say 'ah' and walk away, withdraw your attention- he seems like the kind of dog who loves your attention, you must be the centre of his world so taking that away might get his attention quicker than scolding him. that dog trainer was right in saying that its about dominance. what she probably meant is that dogs assert dominance by 'claiming their space'. dominant dogs have a bubble of space around them and the way they walk and act asserts this dominance. submisssive dogs won't jump on them , they might approach in a submissive way and lick their face and cower, wagging slowly, but wont tread on the dog! whether he means to or not, he is just doing what is natural, he may see you as a litter mate or buddy and not as his leader. by doing a few things to strengthen your leadership he will view you more as a leader and not invade your space. even if he doesn't mean to, if he looks to you as a leader, he will be careufl not to step on you or invade your space. being a leader does NOT mean showing him who's boss. it just means making him look up to you and appreciate you, that you are the provider of food, resources and fun time. reward good behaviour, ignore his bad behavour by withdrawing your attention. you could try these guidelines for a week and see if it makes any difference. dont let him sit on you if he does say 'ah' and gently push him away, if he still doesnt listen just walk away and ignore him (withdraw your attention, give him the silent treatment, dont say anything). this might work more effectively because he doesn't seem to take well to confrontation. when feeding him, let him watch you getting his food ready, ask him to sit and wait, stand in front of the food bowl if you can, like you are claiming the food bowl. then let him eat it. you can even pretend to eat the biscuits before you give it to him. Behavioursit Jane Fennell studied these techniques. these are all things that a dominant dog would be able to do. if he has a favorite toy or object, place it on the floor, stand over it and 'claim it'. make him move away from it. then when he 'gives in' give it back to him and reward him. dont let him sleep on your bed or up on the couch for a week, all these subtle changes can result in a big change in his behaviour. Good luck!!

have you thought about proheart injection? its the same brand but just an injection that is given once a year, im pretty sure it works out cheaper for such big dogs then you can just give them an allwormer (tummy wormer) tablet every 3 months, you could start them all at the same time, how old is Maggie now?

hi everyone, just a reminder that some flea products (advantix) can potentially kill cats so don't accidently split a packet and put some on your cats as well, ive seen this happen at the vet with an exelpet flea spot-on product.

id use the spot on treatment every two weeks, and capstar when you notice fleas. sometimes the flea shampoos can do more harm than good. most shampoos only work while in direct contact with your dog, once you wash them off they stop working (dont have a lingering effect). they can also be washing off the (expensive) advantage so its not working as well as it should. id just use the advantage and capstar, apply it when your dogs are nice and dirty (it absorbs into the oil glands of the skin) and it will work better. good luck, its an uphill battle but stick with it!! p.s. remember that capstar only kills adult fleas and only lasts 24 hours so make sure you continue the spot on treatment.

im pretty sure they are really rich cause they have lots of omega 3s and fish oils and things- might not be a good idea. my beagle JJ had a course of zydax injections for her arthritis, they really helped. maybe that would be better? because its an injection, she wouldn't have to digest it? JJ responded really well.. maybe ask her vet?

royal canin is awesome, my friend has two gsd's and they look amazing on it. apparently its made with human-quality ingredients, so fussy dogs love it. theres a money back guarantee with the vet range, we used to have it in the clinic where i used to work, it was really popular

Hi everyone, i was using joint gard on my beagles cause my older one JJ is very stiff. i used it for a few months and it was ok, saw some improvement. but then my vet said to switch to glyde powder because it was better? apparently it has green lipped mussel in it as well , JJ is like a different dog on it- heaps better!! its more expensive but i think its worth it. the vet also gave her this new version of cartrofen (on JJ) and it was great, i think it was called zydax, not sure, but we get it done every 6 months- also saves lots of money. glad to see it helped lady too

Hi Jacqui, glad that Charlie likes the chicken necks, i have two beagles myself im a vet nurse and ive seen lots of dogs have problems with chicken bones from frames- they can splinter really easily. i'd suggest a big raw marrow bone to help clean his teeth, or even a rawhide bone instead (much safer). I used greenies on my beagles, they liked them a lot, but are a bit expensive.

Hi, Im a vet nurse and did puppy school for a few years, and this is a common question!! unforutnately whenever they are not fully vaccinated there is some degree of risk. I would never take an unvaccinated puppy outside, parvo virus and kennel cough (canine cough) can live in the environment (grass, soil) for a very long time and is easy to catch. the safest thing is to take your puppy to a puppy school class in a vet clinic (where the floors have been disinfected) so that your puppy can socialise from 8 weeks in a controlled environment. that way she gets to socialise and meet dogs and people without the risk. if you are going to take your puppy walking outside your garden or to the park, make sure that you don't take her to areas where lots of unvaccinated dogs frequent (dog parks, beaches etc...). it is safer to take her to a friends place if they have dogs who have been vaccinated. if she has had her first vaccination, she should have some protection , but is not completely safe until 7-10 days after her second vaccination. think about puppy school, i'd say its the best option.