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Thats a good point Aidan. I think I will continue with the tug of war. My young bitch enjoys it immensely after training as a reward, and the pup loves it too. It seems to be a good way to have a real fun one on one with them, where their focus is only on you and they are having a good time. When I let my end go, the prey is dead anyway, and they are no longer too interested. I would still be interested in any other ways to get the drive going as well.

It's another chemical assault on their immune system. If your dog doesn't have fleas, I'd not be treating for them. In 12 years of dog ownership my dogs have had fleas ONCE. What do you use to control them? I would rather not use chemicals, but I live in a bad flea area and one of my dogs has a flea allergy. I have to treat her fortnightly ugghhh

Yes they can Frenchies were sold for a min of $2000-$3000 each Bulldogs the same They advertise on petlink alot. So if you add up the Frenchies and Bulldogs that 26 puppies x $2000 = $52,000 My goodness! I certainly hope someone has reported them to Centrelink. It sure will affect their payments. Sheesh, wish I earned that much a year plus a pension

I recently got a similar email from a buyer. The pups are now 16 weeks old. Some photos accompanied the email. It really does give you the warm and fuzzies. You did well in breeding for temperament. I open my bedroom sliding door each morning and night for Thor and he walks in like a lion cub on prowl and then turns and places himself across by legs belly up for a scratch and cuddle as he does with the my husband and the boys as well. He has ultimate trust in our whole family and already shows barking aggression to strangers. You need to be congratulated on his temperament and for future litters we would be happy to recommend your kennel t anyone. He is going to be a really big boy as you can see by his ears. He is just so perfect for us and I cannot thank you enough for bringing him into our world – he is so loved he is a sook to us.

I fed my pups on a sloppy Barf mixture from 4 weeks old. They had already been on puppy milk in addition to their mother for a week, so were familiar with the milk and were lapping readily. I simply added a bit of Barf to it. I also fed them Supercoat Puppy soaked in the same milk. They did well, and their new owners have mostly carried it on. One can't get Barf, so now feeds Chicken Mince. I use Canine Country Barf, not Dr B's.

Moggil Pet Motel. I havent had my dogs there, but I have been shown around by the owner. I was introduced to him by a mutual friend. I needed some advice on a kennel I had in NSW. The kennels were impressive and he was a lovely man. I wouldnt have any hesitation in putting my dogs with him.

Umm, whats an IPO club? Can you recommend any in Brisbane?

I have a skin issue girl. She is good on Nutrience. It did have her on Nutro for a while without any problems, but not the Large Breed one as that has wheat in it, which is heating to the skin and sets her off.

Yep, quite right there Gila. I should have incorporated that in my post, but I wasn't thinking that far ahead at the time lol. I think you are right about ending the game on your terms and still being in control. I usually use a toy that is 'mine'. It only comes out when I want to play. The dogs don't get it any other time.

Your username doesnt show what state you are from. Try and find a Pet Food shop, and tell them you want chicken mince with no preservatives. Their chicken mince will be the carcass, which is great for them. You could also try Lenards Chicken if you have one near you. They sell chicken mince for dogs. Is your dog on dry food? If so, check that it too has no preservatives, and also the fat content. The higher the fat content, the more weight your dog will put on. Usually the working dog brands have a higher fat and protein content in them. Good luck

I have heard two schools of thought on this subject. I should start by saying I have 3 German Shepherds, one is 10 weeks old. One school is that if you are doing obedience and want to increase your dogs drive, then play tug of war games with it, and let it win most of the time. The other school is Cesar Milan who says, quote "If you have a bulldog or a powerful-breed dog, I strongly urge you not to get into this habit, no matter how cute you puppy looks as she tries to tear favourite sock from your grasp. Dogs love these games, but they can often bring out a predatory drive in them, and this can create obsessive behaviour that you may find hard to tone down in the future. Sure, you can easily win a tug-of-war with a small puppy, but by the time that dog is six months old, each time he prevails, he will grow to realise that he is able to control you. This nurtures dominant and obsessive behaviour in the puppy, which is exactly the opposite of the calm-submissive dog you want to create. I will be doing obedience and show work with this new pup. I want him to have drive. What else can I do to promote this? I have trained dogs for a number of years, and want to take this pup to the top in both show and obedience.

I have German Shepherds, and they both love the water. It all started when they were young and it was hot. I bought one of those clam shells and filled it with water. They went from drinking to putting a paw in, and then the rest of themselves. One of the Shepherds had a litter late last year. When the pups were big enough, they were the same, and I have since had emails back from buyers of the puppies telling me how much they love the water. I have found that my dogs prefer a sloping entrance - they are a bit hesitant with steps in a swimming pool, but they did get used to it. Steps aren't much of an issue with my younger bitch however (the one that had the pups). She sees water, leaves the ground and splashes with a belly flop! I guess if your dog is hesitant, take it slow. If it is a swimming pool, get in and hold the pup so that it is not getting wet. Once it has relaxed, dangle a back leg in the water, and slowly take it from there, with lots of praise each time it relaxes. When it is finally in the water completely, hold it under the belly til it finds its sea legs lol.

Composite White has Minced Chicken meat & bone, Turkey, Duck and Fish Composite Red has Minced Chicken meat & bone, Beef, Lamb & Fish Composite Red is not classed as low allergy as it has beef in it, and a lot of dogs are allergic to beef. Other low allergy flavours are Duck, Lamb or Turkey. Duck and Lamb are both high fat and Turkey is low fat. Lotsa Pet Food in Woodridge has the full range of this Barf along with brochures.

I think they can. I have a German Shepherd and I used to have a Border Collie that she used to play with. When I take her to trials, she visibly recognises other German Shepherds first, then puppies (she loves puppies), then Border Collies. I have also noticed that she takes interest in other breeds that she has had good contact with, such as Min Schnauzers, cos a young one took a fancy to her once at a trial and they had a great play. Maybe its just that they see them, and wonder if its a dog they have known.

We have been waiting 4 weeks for our German Shepherd puppy and the day has finally come. We pick him up today from the airport! Have only seen one pic of him when he was 5 weeks old, so cant wait to meet him in person. We had our own litter end of last year and was sorry to see them all go, but couldn't keep a boy out of the litter cos we couldn't put it back to my girl. And if for some reason we can't mate from him, he will still be the best in the obedience classes!

Absolutely correct Corvus. As we have to catch our dogs doing something wrong, we have to catch it being good and reward the behaviour so it knows it is doing it right. By reward, I dont necessarily mean food. I mean an encouraging word, like Good Dog, or a marking word, such as yes. People are often focussed on seeing what the dog is doing wrong, and not noting when it is doing good - makes for a pretty confused pooch! Even to the point that when you say 'Heel' and walk off, telling the dog it is good for following.

And dont forget the nerves! Good luck kathq.

I agree Tilly. Punishment does not necessarily mean physical. It is teaching a dog there are consequences to actions, and that may simply be taking something off him he wanted, or not treating him or praising him. Then you have negative reinforcement, which to the dog, is punishment. As has been said, consistency is the tool. Without that, the dog will just keep trying, or should I correct that, will not understand what is required, so simply doesn't know that it is doing wrong. There seems to be some confusion over positive and negative reinforcement and punishment. Positive punishment is rarely used these days, and while I try and use positive reinforcement wherever possible, there are times when corrections are necessary. Corrections are showing the dog what is required, and corrections are punishments where the dog is shown it is wrong, but not by physically smacking it. I can see where a lot of people are coming from. They see punishment as physical, but there are other ways to punish. There are people out there who would read it as physical, and for those people reading the original thread they would then feel vilified in using force. The posts that have followed have simply shown that the people who read these threads are good people, who only want the best for their dogs, but you are seeing it from the other side of the fence ie those who do not understand what it takes to get a dog working happily with trust in their handler, and without fear.

To my knowledge, Pine Rivers is a good club. I have trialled a lot, and while not attending their club for training, they have many good triallers, and a nice bunch of people. As Kath says, depends where you live. There are a few on the northside. One is Metro in Chermside if you are closer to that. Cute pup by the way

Have just been reading a post on page 3 of Health/Nutrition/Grooming. It is titled Mylanta for external use. Looks interesting and may help give your dog some relief

I have a girl with an allergy to beef and preservatives. I feed her a fresh food diet (usually Chicken Mince) and I have recently found Nutrience not to affect her. I have to be careful not to buy anything with grains in it, as grains are heating to the skin and inflame the situation. Her ears and inside her pads also flare up when she is bad. Of all the ear stuff, I have found Canaural Composite to be the best with a fast action. I have tried Dermotic and it had very little effect. Canaural can also be applied to the itchy/swollen areas on her skin and feet, although due to the cost of it, I use that as a last resort. Otherwise I use Aloveen Conditioner. It gives pretty quick relief and keeps the area moist so it doesn't go all dry and horrible. It is terribly frustrating trying to find a fix and with you not knowing for sure what is the cause, it must make it harder. There are anti histamines you can get for dogs, and I was using these for a while with good results. I got them from a Chiropractor/Vet in Qld. It seems its a matter of lifetime maintenance. Good luck and I hope you find some relief for your dog soon. You feel so helpless watching them scratch and not know how to help.

Neem Oil is good as a repellent. Put it in warm rinse water. Smells a little bit, but with a girl with a flea allergy, I am prepared to put up with that. It also helps to stop the skin drying out. On top of this, I use Advocate one fortnight and Advantage the other, so she is done fortnightly for fleas. Really bad in Brisbane for fleas this year, and I also use Capstar for a couple of days when she is bad to try and get some control.

I have heard this one as well, with cats as well as dogs.

Shadow Walker - Love the pic at the end of your posts! Magic

Neither have mine. These chemicals can be extremely toxic & are absorbed into the bloodstream. Toy breeds do seem to have reactions more than larger dogs. One time when my new kitten arrived by plane from interstate we got her home & out of the carrier & gave her a cuddle. I immediately broke out in huge welts & my son had an asthma attack. I rang the breeder & found she had been sprayed with Frontline the morning of the flight. Guess that was the problem. A bath in a diluted solution of Martha Gardeners woolwash, a dry & a thorough inspection then a comb through with a nit comb, then an ear clean out in case they have crawled in their during the bath, is all I have ever done for rescues & it works fine. I do hope your poor dog recovers ok. You were doing what you thought was the right thing. More controls/testing needed over these things. If you arent using any sort of flea treatment, I would be very interested to know what you are using. We have a terrible flea outbreak and one of my dogs has a flea allergy. I have found Neem Oil very good, but keen to hear of anything else without chemicals