Staff'n'Toller

Is it a general Vet doing it? My boss is an excellent Orthopaedic Surgeon (isn't a specialist but has done many courses and has a keen interest) and we don't do hips- we refer them on. It would be well worth their while getting referred to an Ortho Specialist and discussing techniques and outcomes if they haven't already. A Specialist can give them a more realistic idea of prognosis and quality of life purely because they have done many more of those surgeries on many more animals of varying ages. Mel.

How old is the dog? Send the pic to Rappie.

If it were my pup I would wait now for 4 weeks before challenging his immune system again. IDEXX will handle blood for titre's in Vic- they sent out information to all Vet Clinics a couple of years ago so when they say they haven't heard of it/don't know anything about it I would wonder seriously whether they read their mail or keep up with new developments. Mel.

Just read this and wanted to share it with the wider community. Kelly's Open Paw Four program for shelters is fantastic, I sat in on one of her talks last year. Article Mel. EFS

I have used Georgia from Optimal as well. She is great. No way I would ever let anyone unqualified put their hands on my dogs. Mel.

Give them a bath! Mel.

I wouldn't be taking walks around the block or to dog parks/cafes just at the moment. BUT I would still be going for play dates to other peoples houses with their vaccinated well-mannered dogs. If you want to get him used to crowds and meeting other people I would just carry him. He is about 95% covered 10 days after the second vaccination so we would expect a good level of immunity now. We had one case of parvo in the inner east quite a few weeks ago and nothing since. Be careful because Vets all have differing ideas of when puppy socialisation should start and there are still a lot more old school types around- I even know of a few younger Vets who advise do not take them out until 18wks etc. :rolleyes: Mel.

I fed Geords chicken necks a few days after he got here and all it did was make him puke giblets. I would agree, stick to the optimum & weetbix and leave it for a while....plenty of time to introduce the other stuff. Optimum is not the best out there, but it's not terrible. Mel.

If you're willing to travel, we tend to recommend Mop n Top Dogs in Heidelberg, I have seen some gorgeous Poodle clips from her. We have one in particular that comes in and looks immaculate 3-4 weeks after a clip, even. I think she does- or did run courses. Mel.

The webpage is being updated right now. Edited the time because I'm not sure that it's correct. Yeah it's 12.30. You need your dog, treats, poo bags, current Vacc certificate and money. Mel.

You might find an infin8 from Blackdog Wear suitable for your needs and there is less danger of neck injuries. Mel.

As westiemum says- book it in for a Friday, or have the day off following the surgery because that's when you'll be worried to leave him, and taking off the day of surgery has no purpose because he'll be at the clinic for most of the day. As others have said, I can highly concur with the hormones may equal aggression as they mature. I now have first hand experience, and the problem is that once they get into a few scuffles, it becomes a learned behaviour very very quickly and difficult to undo even with desexing. You are much better off to desex before the thought of challenging other males ever enters his little chocolate head. :rolleyes: Mel.

The blackdog one isn't silent, but it isn't particularly loud either. This is probably the type he is after. The only place in Oz I can find on with a quick google search is here. But I would try www.callicoma.com.au, email them, they may have some. Cheers, Mel. Edit: Janba's is the cheapest!

ET, CCD and a CD would be great. Would love to get into the Retrieving but what I'd like and what I actually get to do are two totally different things... A Ch. title would be very nice but we have a fair amount of work to do before that happens so we'll see. Mel.

Guess what- you bought a Staffy- they are people dogs! They have to be with their humans! I have nothing to add other than it's not great for her to scream all night, I know it's how a lot of people 'break puppies in' but I don't believe it's necessary and you may be setting her up for separation anxiety later on down the track by being well-meaning now. It won't be difficult to move her out of your room later on, but mine sleeps on the bed and under the doona in winter so I can't understand why you would want to move her out. Mel.

I use Advantix by bayer, flea/tick/sandflies/mossies and it repells the general blowfly as well. Use it on two of my dogs and my boss's dogs who's noses would bleed from being bitten. You can see the flies land then quickly move away. Mel.

Sorry might have missed your post about training clubs? You might like to look here or here. Cheers, Mel.

I bought a couple of those pro trainer dumbells at Mega Pet Warehouse in Vic a few weeks ago. Mandy's are cheaper though! Mel.

I have to say the 'he must have been abused' line gives me the total sh!ts too. I'm the same tonymc- I'd be rich if I had a dollar every time I heard it. Quite often I reply now with "well not necessarily abused, just not socialised during the critical periods". Mel.

Eagle Pack Natural is supposed to be good for GSD's with stomach complaints and is a bit cheaper. Not sure if it is as effective as Royal Canin Digestive Low Fat and the Hills/Euk varieties though.

If it were me, I'd be trying to find a litter she can live with for a while, perhaps once the mother of that litter is having less to do with her brood. Not sure that it's 'the done thing' as I'm not a breeder, but gosh they learn an immeasurable amount for social skills between 5 and 8 weeks. Being with another bunch of pups would be extremely valuable for her. Mel.

Well done for doing the hard yards as well! Alot of people just can't bring themselves to do the leadership work because they humanise their dogs too much, but can't see the damage they are doing at the same time. Also thanks for writing it all out, might help some others who come to read it. Mel.

Berwick is South East and I think you would find it suits your needs. Obedience, Agility, Flyball, Obedience Rings for later on in your training. They are crossing over to a much more positive style of training, and nearly every time I go there, I see new exercises that they are adopting for use in their classes. Mel.

Think about investing some good $$ in your scissors, the more expensive they are, the better they come up after sharpening. I was taught the expensive scissors should come up like new after sharpening, where as the cheaper brands sometimes don't do as well. It really depends on the size of your hands too! I have a pair of 7.5" and they are too long, I would prefer shorter, particularly because they have pointed edges and are so sharp- sometimes I forget where the ends are when I'm concentrating on trimming hair between feet. (It's ok I only groom my dogs at home. ) Also think about getting a pair of the ball ended ones you do the eyes with, they are really helpful. I'm not sure I would bother about thinners at the moment unless you are in an affluent area and will be asked for special cuts. You will find most will be clipper cuts with SWF's with scissoring to finish off and neaten up. Mel.

Huh?! I don't think this is a personal dispute gillbear....