divinemissmillie

Deer antlers - keeps all three occupied for absolutely ages. :) :)

Sounds like your problem is not actually your dog - it's the creek that he swims in. Still or stagnant water is notorious for making dogs stink. Only real solution is to ban the swim in the creek.

I think your question could probably apply to a lot of dogs - there are different personalities within a particular breed - some laid back and some prey driven. I've had 3 Cavalier King Charles Spaniels in the past and all were keen on catching mice and chasing birds - but having said that I got them all as adults. I'm sure if you get a puppy it could be trained to get along fine with smaller animals - just use common sense and don't leave them together unsupervised (same as you wouldn't leave a child and dog alone together). As far as temperament goes, it's hard to go past a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel. They're fabulous.

We have 3 cavs - coats clipped off super short every 10 weeks. As we don't show them it doesn't matter - and they still look gorgeous by the way - all sleek and shiny. We are on acreage and we used to be constantly looking for grass seeds etc in ears, feet and coats, brushing out the bits they'd picked up and washing off the mud. They go in an out 24/7 via the doggy door so are never made to stay outside in the cold or heat and usually pile into the one dog bed together anyway (or the sofa, despite there being a bed for each. People may ask why get a dog with a long coat and then clip it off - well because you can't beat them for temperament and those soft brown eyes !!

I am sure I have seen them in Mega Pet Warehouse in High Street, Epping (opposite Epping Plaza near Bunnings). You could phone and see if they have XL - number is 8405 3033. Good luck with your search !

You'll surely be putting those two Bull Terriers to sleep or rehoming them now that your son has been born !!!!! WTF ??????

My old terrier would bark in the night, too - usually wanted to go out (despite there being a dog flap). I plugged a night light (from Safeway) into the power point in the laundry and then she was happy to go in and out of the dog flap to relieve herself during the night. It could be an easy solution and worth a try ?

I used the same thing for my old, incontinent Lab who I didn't have the heart to ban from the sofa after spending his life getting on and off it as he pleased. Readily available at all department stores (e.g. Target, Big W, K-Mart, etc.), inexpensive enough to have a few (i.e. on on the bed, one in the wash and one on the line). Worked a treat and machine washable.

Hi dandybrush - my older dogs don't even look at it (having said that, though I don't tempt them by having presents underneath. This year we have an addition to our family (a two-year-old - canine, not human) and just to be sure I bought a kids playpen. The tree is in the corner and fenced off at the three sides she can get to (although she has shown zero interest in it so far). :)

Three of my dogs get fed half dry (Black Hawk) and half raw (Canine Country BARF patties). One day a week they get a boiled egg each added, and one another day they get half a tin of sardines added for each. Plus whatever safe food scraps are left over (although that's not all that often). Why ? Because they all do extremely well on it. The fourth dog (14 year old) gets half Black Hawk and half tinned (My Dog), plus the extras the others get. Why ? Because she won't touch raw food and she loves that tinned junk food. As she is so old and a little underweight I figure she can eat anything she likes ! :D

Have an old border terrier that had the same problem (including a runny eye). No medications made any difference. A few months later she had an infected tooth removed and lo and behold the eye and nose stopped running and she stopped sneezing almost immediately. Maybe you could get her teeth checked out at the vet ?

Hello - we had an old black lab years ago with the same bad coat condition. As soon as the vet saw his coat he suspected either hyperthroidism or hypothyroidism (I can't remember now which one it was now). Anyhow he was put on medication to control his condition and his coat went back to its soft shiny shelf. It may not be that at all, but could it be worth investigating ? Cheers, sophiethecav

As far as Hume City Council rules go: We have four dogs and no permit required (as long as you are on land 1 acre or larger, which we are). If the land is smaller than that anything over 2 dogs requires a permit (and any objections or lack of objections have to be sought by you, the owner, from all your immediate neighbours). Cheers, Tina

I live 10 minutes up the road from there. Haven't used it myself, used to look dreadful but has had a change of ownership and what looks from the outside like a big cleanup. Having said that though, a work colleague and her husband went to check it out last month with a view to putting their dogs in there while they went away. She said she had to drag her husband away before he went off his trolley and told the owners he wouldn't house a cockroach there !!! So I guess I would personally go check it out before I booked them in. Is there any chance your friend can get someone to "house sit" her house and the dogs while she's gone ? We've done that before in the past, and it's worked out well. Cheers,

I'm with you there !!! Most of our dogs have been ex breeding bitches or dogs not up to par for the show ring - given up to us without a backward glance (in fact most didn't even want a follow up email letting them know how their dog was going with us).