halfthewords

I used to work for a woman who ran a rescue, and she referred to the dogs as "kids." It bothers me so much! I don't refer to mine as much other than "puppies" and various other pet names, but"fur kids" is definitely not on that list. I am guilty of putting clothes on them though... as in their Weatherbeeta coats :laugh:

Occasionally they have Wellness Core dry food (ocean fish), but their diet mostly consists of RMBs, K9 Natural (lamb tripe), Dr Bruce's BARF mix (lamb, chicken, roo) and some chicken wings or necks. :)

Not sure what that means Anyway, was the dog there to see the vet? Could have been a health issue that was causing the dog to act like that. That they buy into the rubbish claims oodle breeders go on about? The majority of them are neurotic and hyperactive, such unpleasant dogs. I've yet to meet one that I like other than one cav/poodle I housesat a couple years back. And it was in for a general checkup, but it was obviously not a dog with good nerve. That's as much a generalisation as the one used by the oodle brigade that all purebred dogs are inbred and going to die of heritable diseases. I work in pet retail; I see these dogs come in and out the door ALL DAY and that's what my experience has been. I've met a handful that were sociable. I'm not a fan of DDs and I'm not going to apologise for it.

Not sure what that means Anyway, was the dog there to see the vet? Could have been a health issue that was causing the dog to act like that. That they buy into the rubbish claims oodle breeders go on about? The majority of them are neurotic and hyperactive, such unpleasant dogs. I've yet to meet one that I like other than one cav/poodle I housesat a couple years back. And it was in for a general checkup, but it was obviously not a dog with good nerve.

None of those presenters are funny.. And I met a lady at my work once who had a $7000 lab/poodle that was supposed to be her therapy/guide dog. The poor thing was a nervous wreck cowering in the corner at the vet's office and snapped at anyone who walked by! Think someone got ripped off, but that's your average oodle owner :laugh:

I have two pillows...but one belongs to Carl. My bed is a king single but he has a 'side'... If it's hot he pisses off to the end of the bed or sleeps under it, but generally he's tucked in right beside me. :laugh:

Ours mainly ate chicken drumstricks and wings before I banned them due to Carl getting too porky, and Jag wolfing them in a matter of minutes... These days it's bigger bones straight from the butcher, small femur bones with muscle and meat still attached. I've had a hard time getting my hands on much else; beef soup bones always look like they have too much barrow, brisket bones are too sharp, and ribs have too much fat. I'm picky, what can I say :laugh:

Huh?? All the Bichons I have met have been delightful, fun loving little dogs. My Bichon and the one before him fit this category. They're nonstop fun!

Gorgeous pictures... RIP Rocky.

Nup, they're supposed to be snug when fitted correctly, and I'm paranoid :laugh:

My 4 age in range between 11 at the oldest and 4.5 at the youngest, even though the 11yo is still going like she's 3. :laugh: She has no trouble doing long walks or runs. But it is a bit of a pain to take them all out; usually it has to be split, which can be such a pain. Carl and Mischa are 'my' dogs so they just do their thing with me but I always feel guilty when Cleo and Jag get left out I do think about adding a fifth dog so that Jag (4) has a playmate, since Carl is at least 8 (rescue, not sure on age) and wants to sleep most of the day after his walk.

I beef the BARF patty mix, usually the roo, and my dog who's prone to weight gain does well on it, if it a bit gassy as a result. :laugh: Mischa is nearing 11 and she can only have turkey, lamb or chicken, as anything else just upsets her. Not a fan of pork or beef (except beef bones).

Good!! Yesterday at my work (pet shop) we had a lady come in and seat herself on the floor while looking at different shampoos. When I went to ask her if she needed help and we got to talking, she said "Oh my dog is right outside if you want to see!" (his mange) I told her to get the dog immediately, our carpark has no shade and it was 30deg+. :mad That's not the only instance of people coming into our shop and leaving their dogs in the cars when dogs are QUITE WELCOME inside as long as they're on leash!!

I squish them with something sharp, usually a pin or the end of a pen. :laugh:

I use Andis clippers on my Bichon and terrier cross. They're far better than the Wahl 2KM I used to use, but they do still run hot at times.

I taught Mischa a mix of German and English commands and she has no problems at all. I generally stick to German with her though. Carl understands a few French ones but he much prefers English :laugh:

For me its simple - seats are for humans, kids move off them for adults ALWAYS and dogs are only allowed on them when invited by the owner of the establishment in which the chairs are placed. To me it is simple courtesy. I've been shocked by how many people think its okay to let their dog do it :laugh: as I would NEVER allow mine to do it any more than I would allow my child to sit in a seat whilst an adult stood. Yes! That's exactly how I feel about it This

I'll try to do 52 weeks of my life, which will mostly consist of animals. I need to use my camera more.

Or for the faint of heart! And yes, the NSW Min Pin club is active with rescues; I've seen some on their facebook page. :)

My dog isn't anxious, he's mildly uncomfortable at best when he goes to the vet.

Anxiety is not "bad behaviour" - its very real to the dog. Many vet behaviourists do not agree with the notion that comforting a distressed dog is reinforcing the anxiety - there seems to be differing opinions on that. Completely agree Rosetta. Of course anxiety is real to the dog, but sitting there coddling an animal who is too terrified to take notice of a person crooning and stroking it isn't going to make a difference at all. Carl is not comfortable being at the vet so I'm more than happy to give him a couple of quick pats, but I don't 'reassure' him as such. Generally I find that taking treats and asking him to do some routine tricks or whatever is way more effective in taking his mind what's going on. :)

That inconsistency would definitely be annoying!! Maybe mention it to the nurse next time. :laugh: See her explain why some dogs can and some can't. Personally, I don't let my dogs up on seats at the vet. It's unnecessary. They're fine on the floor. Having a dog in your lap because it's anxious about the vet would be reinforcing the bad behaviour, so I wouldn't do it either way. Rather wait outside where it's not "inside" the clinic. :) Cats in crates are another thing altogether, obviously, since most idiots let their dogs go right up to cats in carriers and scare the sh%t out of them.

What a load of crap! In my job I see a *lot* of dogs come through each day, and badly behaved/aggressive ones are distributed pretty evenly in terms of small and big. Pfft!

Clip her! My terrier x has a thick double coat when it's grown all the way out, and during summer/warmer weather he is just miserable until I clip it. Lags on walks, sleeps on tiles instead of the bed, etc. When he's clipped, he is far more comfortable and active. :) Same with the Bichon, though that's a far cry from a Cav coat.

3 of my 4 are scared of storms, but only Carl and Jag make a big fuss about it and actively look for someone to velcro themselves to. Mischa just pants and shakes a bit if it's a particularly bad storm. Carl was never phobic when I adopted him, but a big storm happened one weekend while I was away and since then, he's just inconsolable during one. His Thundershirt works to a degree. And Jag wasn't scared at all until he learned the behaviour from Carl, which took about six months to get to the same point as him. Dorks!