Andy Pandy

Petbarn sell K9 Natural's Frozen Green Tripe. They have stores in Mirrabooka, Innaloo and Myaree. My dogs love it, and it's really convenient being in pelletized form. Stinks though!

I've recently gone down the vasectomy/implant path with my young BC. Originally I was going to (reluctantly) have him castrated at 14+ months. He's going to be doing agility so wanted to delay as long as possible. He's on the Limit Register, and also didn't want any risk at all of him breeding accidentally which is very important to me. After reviewing the literature, and discussing with my vet, I opted for vasectomy rather than castration at 12 months. Very happy with this decision and glad I had this option. He's high drive, and was proving fairly challenging. Went back to my vet to discuss the options. Most owners opt for castration, assuming it'll calm the dog down. My vet and I agreed that an implant was the best option. This would hopefully modify his behavior, until the effects of maturity and lots of training kicked in. The rationale was that castration had no guarantee of modifying his behavior, just as an implant had no guarantee. As it happens, in his case I don't think the implant had any significant impact, so castration would have been pointless and irreversible. Consider whether from a medical viewpoint castration or vasectomy is the best option for the dog. Look at behavior separately - be mindful that castration/implant may have zero impact. I'm happy I have a vet who offers options other than "routine" castration. At 16 months things are gradually settling down. Will review down the track whether or not to have another implant. My recommendation, for what it's worth, is go down the vasectomy/implant path. I've PM'd you re a trainer to help you with a challenging/powerful dog.

This is a huge change for your dog and chances are he just needs a few days to get used to his new "normal". The Council's certainly not cutting you any slack, considering your dog wasn't even at the house for two days. I got Andy when she was two - she came from a lovely breeder and like yours she obviously wasn't used to being alone. When I went back to work she howled for about 3 days but the neighbours were understanding and all looked over the fence and told her she'd be OK. After 3 days she settled and got used to being on her own. When I got Dayre at 9 months, he had the company of Andy but again a big change to his life. This time I kept them inside during the day as there was a new house being built next door. My neighbours told me he barked (that high pitched bark) intermittently for about 5 days, then settled. At least being inside this time, the noise was a bit muffled. Are you able to do a week of half days - hopefully things would settle down over that period. Perhaps you could have a chat with your neighbour with a view to agreeing that you'll only work afternoons for a week. That way, at least she's guaranteed peace and quiet in the mornings.

Re taking tablets. Try putting the tablet in the middle of a piece of camembert or brie cheese. No spitting that out - my two absolutely gulp it down and look for more. It works every time.

CrazyCresties - like you I'd not set foot there if they sold puppies/kittens. But they do partner with Cat Haven, so I make the assumption that this is acceptable. Didn't see any cats at the Myaree store - just as well as the dogs would have gone doubly bananas! Can't believe we're all getting so excited about tripe!!! I didn't even know what it was until I googled it, and now I kind of wish I didn't know.

A new Petbarn opened close to us in Perth last weekend. Came across K9 Natural's Lamb Green Tripe in the frozen section and decided to give it a go. The dogs have gone BANANAS over it. I also got the Lamb Feast and Beef Feast which they love. The dogs are on a raw diet, so K9 Natural's products are a good addition for us. The tripe stinks, but K9 Natural's product is a bit more acceptable given it's frozen in pelletized form, in nice packaging with a zip top so no preparation required other than thawing which doesn't take long.

I've had great success with a supplement called Omega Magic. It takes around 3 months to get the full effect. My Andy (female BC) had dull coat on her rear end but is now glossy and luxuriant. I used to use fish oil and flaxseed oil, but the combination of ingredients in this supplement really does the trick. Just contact the manufacturer (in WA) to find a local supplier. They're very helpful. My link

Thanks to recommendations in this forum we also have a Mason Pearson Bristle/Nylon which is the best investment ever. Combined with the Omega Magic, the dogs coats look and feel great.

I've found it's best to work from the inside out. My Andy (BC female) had pretty dull coat on her rear end until we discovered a supplement called Omega Magic. Now she sports a very luxuriant coat which gets lots of comments. It took around 3 months to get the full effect. I don't give the full recommended dose - both dogs get around 4 drops a day on their food and that does the trick. I used to use fish oil and flaxseed oil, but this product gives far superior results. My link

The easiest way to connect your Booster Bath to a water source is to use this attachment which you screw onto your kitchen/laundry mixer tap. It costs around $15 and all you need apart from this is a hose with standard fittings at either end. I set up my Booster Bath on the back lawn, so it drains onto the grass, and attach the hose to my kitchen tap. Very easy to set up, the dogs get a lovely warm bath and I can adjust the water temperature and pressure easily. My link