Lambo

Thanks for all the responses everyone. I forgot to mention that we have also tried the capster tablets. We purchased a six pack and gave our dog one tablet each day for three days. I think we then gave him another tablet each day we saw another flea after that (as per the directions on the box). That didn't work either. As for the frontline, I forgot to mention that we usually apply it about 2 or 3 hours after his bath, sometimes the next morning, when his hair has fully dried out. Regarding washing his bedding in the eucalyptus oil, how much do I use? Thanks again.

Hi all, Somewhere, somehow, my Weim has managed to pick up a colony of fleas. He didn't have any until just before Christmas, when we took him to the dog park. Since then, I haven't had any luck getting rid of the little buggers. We bathe him regularly, much to his dismay, and he has a dose of frontline once a month and wears a flea collar which is supposed to last for up to five months. I've also tried cleaning him with a mixture made from of boiled lemons. Nothing has worked so far. He usually seems alright after his bath, but then starts scratching within several hours. I'm pretty certain the fleas are in the grass in the backyard. Also we have carpets, and I'm positive some of them are now nesting there. Is there anything I can spray around the yard (and the home) to kill them, without harming the dog? If I get a fumigator to do it, is it safe for the dog to be crated in the house at the time? (If I leave the dog outside, I'm sure he'll just bring the little blighters back in the house). Also, can anyone recommend a flea shampoo (and if so, do such products actually work)? The girl at the pet store seemed to be steering me away from them. TIA

In addition to any cause of action provided under statute (which will differ from State to State/Territory), your ability to sue in the circumstances you have identified generally rests on the law of negligence. The sentiment expressed by others that you can basically sue anyone for anything is an overgeneralisation but I suspect broadly accurate. Unfortunately (in my view), the law fails adequately to reinforce a sense of self-responsibility. This encourages most people to always point the finger at someone else rather than simply accept that sometimes sh*t happens or that whatever happened was their own fault. The deficiencies in the legal system itself then force most defendants (properly advised) to settle matters rather than litigate them purely because it is often cheaper to pay something than to run a trial. It is a truism that in litigation more often then not even if you win you still lose. By this, I mean quite simply that even if you win the case often times the cost of the trial cannot be fully recovered - meaning you will generally still be out of pocket. That said, to succeed in a negligence claim you need to establish the existence of a duty of care, the breach of that duty, and damage. You must also establish that the damage you say you sufferred was caused by the defendant's breach of duty, and that the damage was not "too remote" (in effect, that it was reasonably foreseeable). Generally speaking, I think it can be readily accepted that a person who has charge of a dog (this means anyone looking after it at the relevant time, whether or not the owner) will be held to owe a duty of care to others to protect them from reasonably foreseeable risks - eg the risk of an attack. The "foreseeability" aspect of this argument might be challenged (not necessarily successfully) in relation to a dog with no history of violence, but would be easily demonstrated in relation to an animal with a known violent past or tendency or breeeding. Breach of duty will not always be easily proved in relation to the situations you have posited. For instance, there is a world of difference between a dog that is properly secured on a leash by its carer who reacts to a deliberate provocation from a third party, and a dog over which the carer exercises or attempts to exercise no real degree of control which initiates an unprovoked attack on another animal or person. Proof of compensable damage is also not always a given. If you didn't suffer any loss or damage or injury recognised by the law, you will not succeed. This is significant for those who claim to suffer nebulous injuries like stress and anxiety - eg where the animal simply "bales up" a person but doesn't actually hurt them, or where one person merely witnesses an attack upon another person from afar. Generally speaking, these are not compensable unless they are accompanied by some physical injury or loss. The exception is where the psychological injury is recognised as a genuine (medically certified) psychiatric illness. The situation described by Willow in relation to the lady who was "startled" is not a case of purely pscychiatric injury because the circumstances involved actual physical injury to her person. The $30K apparently awarded to her would have been to compensate her not just for the pain and suffering that she experienced as a result of those injuries, but more likely than not also involved a degree of compensation for past and anticipated future medical bills, and past and anticipated future loss of income (due to necessary absences from work). Issues like causation and remoteness cause their own problems. One example that readily comes to mind is the situation where a person allegedy suffers some psychological disorder because a dog growled at him/her in a dog park. Depending upon the context, a court might find that it is not reasonably foreseeable that a person of normal mental fortitude would suffer such a reaction. In that event, the claim might fail on the ground that the psychiatric injury was not caused by any identified breach of duty on the part of the defendant. Even though Australia is no where as litigious as America, the Australian psyche is changing and more and more people are willing to sue. For my money, I would generally advise anyone who has neither the financial nor mental fortitude for a long and expensive legal battle to simply stay away from the legal system. Insurance is also recommended. I have taken out separate insurance which specifically affords $5M public liability insurance in the event that my dog attacks someone for this reason. Please note that the above merely expresses my personal views and is not intended to constitute or be relied upon as legal advice. If you have a specifical legal issue you should seek independent legal advice from a qualified legal practitioner with reference to your particular circumstances.

Sorry poodlefan, my post must've crossed with yours. I'm a little new to all this, so I apologise for my ignorance in advance - but what do you mean by controlled socialisation exactly? For instance, on the weekend I introduced my pup to a friend's 2yr old border collie. The older dog was a bit of a bully. He's an entire dog and very friendly both with his owners' own kids and mine. In fact, I'd say he is a very approachable and friendly dog where humans seem to be concerned, but apart from one short period of playfulness with my pup most of the time he had my Weim walking on egg shells. I monitored most of their interactions and intervened where I could - eg yelling at the older dog to "be nice" or telling him off in some other way if he growled at my pup (especially when the young fella was on his back already submitting). But how far do you go? I mean, the little guy's got to learn right? How do you build the puppy's confidence if he's being growled or snapped at all the time? The fact that the older dog is an entire one is what got me accepting that his aggression was more a testosterone thing rather than a socialisation thing - particularly since he is quite friendly with people. ETA: No, I wasn't really after a guard dog. I was thinking more along the lines of what type/style of training is required to get him more confident.

What sort of training is called for? I mean, do I look for a general course in "obedience training" or some specialist course designed to produce a guard dog? Any pointers to courses or course providers would be appreciated. I'm in Brisbane; Southside.

That's what I'm thinking, and I'm sure my pup would appreciate the concern more as a forethought and an afterthought. The more I think about it, the more I'm inclined to wait. I actually rang the vet this morning to cancel but eventually decided to sound out a few more opinions before making a final call on it. And as I say, he's a fairly timid pup - I don't really see him exhibiting any sort of attitude at the moment. Even little chihuahuas seem to scare him. Whilst I don't want an overly aggressive dog on my hands, I would prefer one that'll at least stand his ground. I'm not sure how I encourage the latter without risking the former.

I forgot to mention that I'd read about these too. It's mainly for these reasons that I was thinking of giving him the snip sooner rather than later. In fact, he's already booked in for surgery this Friday. I'm just having second thoughts as the time gets closer as to whether it really is the best thing to do for him. To everyone else who has suggested to wait until he is 9 to 12 months old, what have your experiences been vis-a-vis these testosterone related issues? Is the risk of the problems materialising magnified by all that much if I wait the few extra months? You'd think this would be an easy decision, but it's proving more difficult than I thought.

Thanks to everyone for the responses, particularly for the article referenced by poodlefan. To be perfectly honest I have no real desire to de-sex the little guy. In fact I feel downright bad for interfering with nature in electing to do so. I'm only de-sexing him because I've been told that (a) it makes for a calmer dog overall (which is important since I have young kids), and (b) it is my obligation as a responsible pet owner to do so, particularly as I have no desire or intention to use him for breeding purposes. For me then, its just a timing issue, and on that front (apart from what the vet has said) I've been told that it's best to get it over and done with as soon as possible around the 5 to 6 month mark so that the dog will not be aware of his loss as much.

Hi folks, I'm struggling with whether or not to de-sex my male Weimaraner now (at 6 and 1/2 months) or wait until he reaches 9 months. Our breeder recommended 9 months of age and a friend of mine with an entirely different breed (border collie) has said that her breeder recommended the same thing. Despite this, two vets have advised that a dog should really be desexed between 5 and 6 months to minimize the possibility of testicular cancer. My vet says that desexing at this age will not affect growth or muscular development etc, and any suggestion that a male dog desexed before nine months will look a little more "feminine" is hogwash. To clarify, my dog is just a family pet. He isn't a show dog, so getting just the right "look" is of no consequence for me. However, I have noticed that he is a little on the timid side with other dogs - especially older male dogs. I'm not sure if this is just a socialisation thing (he has had some interaction with other dogs but I wouldn't say a great deal), or whether I really should let him grow a bigger set of balls (to put it a little crassly) for a while longer so that the testosterone kicks in and hopefully makes him just a little more self-assertive. Does anyone have any views on this issue? Thanks in advance. **edited to fix typos**

Anne, it's just the flash from the camera. The area is question just looks like pink skin. It isn't red or inflamed at all. The bald spots are only on the inside of both front paws, nothing on the back two. The little fella is 15 weeks.

I can't say that I've seen a dew claw removal scar before so I can't rule that out, but I don't think that's it because I'm 99% certain he didn't have it when he first arrived home as a pup. Also, the bald spot on his right paw is much smaller. I'm not sure if its relevant, but the bald spot pictured did bleed slightly the weekend before last, like maybe he scratched it on something. Otherwise, it doesn't seem to irritate him although the skin does appear a little rought to the touch.

Hi folks, my Weim puppy seems to have a bald patch on the inside of this two front paws. Photos of his left paw are attached. Does anyone know what might be causing this, and what we can do to help the hair grow back? He's had the bald patches for some time and the vet wasn't much help when I queried it a few weeks ago. I haven't observed him nibbling at his paws so I don't think the bald patches have been caused by him biting his hair out. I thought it might've been caused by him trying to hold onto a pigs ear (?) bone we gave him when we first got him, but he hasn't been allowed to chew on that for nearly three weeks now and I haven't seen any improvement. On a slightly different note, I've noticed that our boy's eyeballs are usually red/pinkish as is the rim around his eyes. I've noticed this on most Weims I've seen but have always forgotten to clarify whether this is just a trait with the breed or something I should be worried about. Does anyone have any ideas on this too? TIA

At this stage we just need a well behaved dog, but I am looking at sports longer term. I understand that Weims need mental as well as physical exercise so I figure we may need to go down the sporting track to keep him well adjusted - but for now, I'd just like to get the basics down pat. He is presently responding (unreliably) to commands like sit, down, and quiet - but even less reliably to commands like come and leave it. I assume that this is perhaps because he is just too young. Either way, I'd like to get him responding to these solidly first and then evaluate his needs for further obedience training (sports-wise) down the track. By the way, to Minxy and Ams, thanks for the recommendations. I had been looking at Urban Dog Training but hadn't come across Wagtails. The latter looks pretty good but might be too far for me to travel, especially during weeknights as I don't usually finish work until 7pm at the earliest. I usually see people training their dogs at the Mt Gravatt Showgrounds whenever I pass on my way home from work in the evenings. If anyone knows who conducts these classes and can give a rundown on what they think of them, that would be appreciated also. Thanks everyone.

Hi folks, Apologies for cross-posting. I originally posted this query in the general discussions forum before realising there was a separate training and obedience forum. My weim pup turns 12 weeks old tomorrow and I want to enrol him in a basic obedience class as soon as he finishes puppy pre-school in about 3 weeks. Could someone please point me in the direction of "good" and reputable obedience trainer. I would prefer someone based near Garden City / Upper Mt Gravatt if at all possible. Thanks in advance.

Hi folks, My weim pup turns 12 weeks old tomorrow and I want to enrol him in a basic obedience class as soon as he finishes puppy pre-school in about 3 weeks. Could someone please point me in the direction of "good" and reputable obedience trainer, ie one that employs positive reinforcement training methods rather than anything harsh. I would prefer someone based near Garden City / Upper Mt Gravatt if at all possible. Thanks in advance.