Aannie

Carolyn is a good friend of mine I just thought Clarkson is north of the stump ;) Sure come down here .. excellent TAP time http://trainapuptime.com/ Someone in our class comes down further than Clarkson. I think there's now a new stump or the old one's been moved

I am north of the river but travel to see Carolyn at Train-a-pup time near Armadale. It is a long way but Carolyn came so highly recommended on here that I thought 5 trips is such a small inconvenience when taking the lifetime of the dog into consideration and the benefits that come from it will far outweigh the mileage on the car or the time to get there and back. It's straight down the freeway on a Sunday morning, even my L plate daughter manages it with ease! And Koda LOVES pre school, every time we go for a long drive in the car now, he thinks we are going to school and gets excited!

My breeder has a website with all her info on it. After I put a deposit on one of her puppy's, she started sending me weekly email photos and updates and I uploaded them to facebook and told her he caused a sensation among my family and friends and she sent me a friend request after that so now she gets regular updates and photos

I am in WA and my puppy only came home last week. All he did for the first couple of days was sleep, eat and toilet. He wasn't that interested in eating much or interacting with us or his toys. He liked his bed but I don't think it was his favourite place in the house but NOW, he LOVES his bed, he plays with us (fetch is his most favourite game of all) and does all the 'normal' puppy stuff. . And even though he does love his bed, on occasion, during the day or evening when he is asleep, he will sneak out and lie on the floor of his play pen to sleep in the cool, then once he has cooled down, he'll get back into his bed. At night, he is locked in his crate which I put on my bedside table next to my bed and I have noticed that if he gets too hot, he will lie across the front near the door to get the cool breeze of air con OR he 'digs up' the bedding and sleeps on the cool plastic floor of the crate until he cools down. The first couple of days home is a big adjustment for pups but once he learns he is now in his forever home, he will fit in nicely. My pup starts pre-school tomorrow, too

My pets go to vetwest at Carine Glades. They are very good there.

Brutus you little hero!! I hope you didn't get bitten, just frightened and was warning him off so your pack didn't get frightened, too. Just the thought of snakes makes me shudder.

Try Best n Less, too. I got some cheap polar fleece baby blankets for about $5, I think, also some towels -- for bathing mostly, also got some stuffed cuddly toys for supervised play. They sell pillow slips, I think and you can stuff them with old clothes, towels, even newspaper.

Introducing .... Koda. Ta da We are all very happy with him, it was a great relief to get him from the airport yesterday. He has settled in very well which is a testament to the great breeder he comes from. :D

Yip-e-dee-do-da, yip-e-dee-day we are off to get our puppy today!! Woohoo. After 3-odd months, our darling boy Koda will land at Perth airport in one and a half hours. We are off now to collect our daughter from school and then straight to the airport for us it is!! We are soooooooo excited to be welcoming our little tri-Cavalier, into our hearts and home. I promise photos within the next day or so. DH is just trying to coax the cat out of his crate so we can go.

Oh Joelle, so so so sorry to hear this. My thoughts are with you. RIP Jakey boy xxx

This thread is hilarious! We named our JRT Buddy and then I met a friend whose son was named Buddy -- very awkward, especially when she was around and my kids would turn up and say "We've got Buddy chained up outside" or "Buddy licked the milk up off the floor" or "can we give Buddy a bath?". The look of horror on my poor friends' face. eek Some of our pet names: Beautiful -- male rabbit Princess -- male rabbit Cadbury - chocolate male rabbit Cuddles -- female white cat Smokey - grey budgie Bluey - blue budgie Monty - guinea pig Charlie & Honey -- Weiros Jazzy -- cat (he knows his name and sits on command) Slinky -- male cat Trixie - GSD x Lizzy - SWF No idea what to call our next little boy pup -- every name the kids and I like, DH doesn't like. I've asked my 3 & 4 year old niece and nephew to think of names for him, too as kids seem to find great names -- Charlie was suggested and it is still a possibility altho we have Charlie the bird still. There are a lot of great names here on DOL. I love Quinn and Mason just to name two. James is a gorgeous looking dog and his name seems to suit him, too.

This subject frustrates the bejeesus out of me, too. I found DOL when doing a search for a new pup and actually changed breeders due to the wonderful sound advice given here and am still waiting for a puppy when the original one should have been picked up 3 weeks ago!! When people ask where's my puppy and I tell them that I'm still waiting because I've switched to an ethical interstate breeder, I get the third degree about how can I be so sure it's an ethical breeder when I haven't physically been to visit and get asked the ins and outs of how I know it's not a puppy farm and when I try to convince them it's because of a. the fact I have done my research b. the fact that I've seen signed health certs for both parents c. the fact that the pup WILL be registered AND microchipped and d. because I've asked several questions, got answers AND have been asked several questions of myself! None of these things and many more wrong doings were perpetuated by my original local breeder but I get canned for going interstate!! They don't get the fact that I changed breeders is enough proof that I'm trying to do the right thing when it comes to purchasing a pet. :rolleyes: You can't win, Silent Child. You just can't win. I feel your pain but like any subject, you just can't educate some people.

Our JRT used to snaffle any bush cockroaches that came into the house and take them outside for us. Was hilarious. Also, we had a fresh water swimming pool and the frogs used to love swimming in it and we would go frog hunting and he'd stick the end of his nose under the water at the end of the pool to get the frogs out for us!

It needs to have glycerine (sp) in it to make rooly rooly good bubbles. I used to make my own when my kids were little, google the recipe, one bottle of glycerine will make tonnes and tonnes of the stuff -- i think you get it from a health food store or chemist but supermarkets may stock it these days.

Just adding this bit in because I didn't know this myself until recently ..... A good quality kibble isn't usually found in a supermarket .... go to City Farmers, Better Pets n Gardens, Pet Stock, pet shop or vet. Ask for advice (I have been to about 6 different places and got advice for when I bring my pup home next week) You will pay more upfront but you will use less so it actually works out cheaper/the same in the long run and your pets will be better for it. I changed my cats kibble 4-odd months ago and the change in them has been remarkable and exactly what I wanted from their kibble (no hair balls, no crying hungry all the time, better coat quality to name a few). I stupidly thought I was feeding good stuff because a certain TV vet endorsed the product I was using. They're now fed a 1/4 cup each of kibble in the morning and 100gm of other food in the evening (mince meat, chicken wing or neck, scrambled eggs, tuna, etc). Also, when my pups were crying little babies, they slept in a box beside my bed for the first few weeks and when they woke, I'd take them out to toilet but if they whimpered or cried in the night in between toilet breaks, I would just give them a pat and reassure them that I was there and they quickly settled back down and were sleeping through the night in no time and were then able to be "allowed" out of the box and choose where they slept. They grew to be well adjusted happy dogs.

Citronella oil is a natural fly repellent -- some dogs don't like it either, though! When I was a girl, my dog's ear's were badly affected by flies one summer and I used antiseptic ointment on them to clear them up and once they were healed, I used to TRY to put Citronella oil on them -- I still remember the looks she used to give me She was a special Kelpie ahem, breed "the unclassified kind"

We get to bring our pup home in two weeks and was wondering if anybody here could recommend a good vet? I'm NOR with good access to Freeway and Reid Hwy so fairly close to Whitfords, Balcatta and Os Park. Our local Vetwest was very very good to us when we lost our Teeny girl but I've noticed there are a lot of them so not sure if this is a good thing or ? I am from a small country town with one vet clinic so any advice would be greatly appreciated. Feel free to PM me if you prefer not to dicsuss in public. Thanks, Anne

I'm no expert either but I would get to the vet asap. My sister-in-law's dog developed a limp and ended up having to have a knee replacement op. I think it's one of those "bitsa" dogs (bitsa this and bitsa that, not an actual breed) and just went from being alright one day to not bearing weight with the front right leg but otherwise appearing 'fine'.

Erk don't tell me that! I haven't been outside yet and air con is still on. We have to do a delivery of chairs, tables, webers and appliances to my brother's in Forrestfield as he's hosting and he only got home last night. Thank you to everyone who answered my embarrassingly stupid questions . Think I'll give it all a big miss and just be happy to enjoy Vegas Merry Christmas to those that drink, Happy Christmas to those that don't and Happy Birthday to those that need it! :D

Please ignore my ignorance but ... where is Crufts and what time of the year? OH and I are heading to the US next year to celebrate our 20th Wedding Anniversary -- haven't booked yet so anything's possible -- unless it's on the wrong side of the world ;) . Also, ;) can just any ol' spectator turn up or is it rooly difficult to get tix to? ;)

My breeder recommended a harness for my pup "as it's gentler on her little neck". She was a Cavalier. I used a kramar car harness and loved it because it meant she was restrained in the car and easily controlled/restrained upon exiting the car also. I must say she was EXTREMELY bird driven and would pull terribly when she saw a bird (the reason for her demise in the end ) I trained and trained and trained her not to pull but birds won every single time. As for the head collar, I was advised ( I think by my vet, but don't quote me on that) that they are better for having control. I tried one on my JRT because he was older when we got him and not socialised so would pull like a b!Tc4 to get to other dogs -- a flat collar would cause him to wheeze and cough but didn't stop him pulling. I switched to a harness in the end with him and life became a LOT easier on walks. There is a lot of advice out there from "professionals" for people to use harnesses and halti collars -- our obedience school used to give out lots of advice on what people should and shouldn't use on their dogs. My brother-in-law was in the same class as me and he had a boxer on a check chain and was told off for using it -- they're inhumane, apparently! Yet, he'd been advised by someone else that it was the best thing for her Different strokes for different folks, as long as their walking their dogs and the dogs are happy and loved, does it really matter?

Thanks Parrotpea!! Just the sort of help I was looking for. mwah

OK so I think I have everything I need ready for my pup's arrival in a few weeks' time but does anyone have any recommendations on good books or DVDs in regard to how to train your puppy? I know the basic things like sit, toilet training, walking on a lead but I'm talking more than that like socialisation and not pulling on lead to get to another dog across the park, not jumping up on people, not running out the front door when visitors come over, the more obedience type training before obedience school starts. My loverly husband is buying me an e-reader for Xmas and I want to start a list of books I should be reading prior to pup's arrival and some good DVDs to have on hand as well. In particular, any good Cav books or DVD out there? I'll pop over and ask in the Cav thread in the breed sub-forum, too. My pup will be 10 weeks old when I get him so I need to hit the ground running, so to speak with regards to socialisation, etc. Thanks in advance!

Rosie, City Farmers have a fantastic range of collars and leads, well, at least the Malaga one I go to has! Their prices were were quite reasonable, too. I went to BP&G and wasn't as impressed with their range, nor Pet Stock's range, either. Also, you can take your dog/s with you and try them on for size in store -- not sure about Pet Stock but BP&G and City Farmers you can. I forgot to go to City Farmers Malaga yesterday, they were having 10% off storewide and I had a shopping list ready, I was going to get a collar and lead, some chew toys and treats, for the puppies and a present for the birds. BUM Annie

Congratulations ravenau1, THURSDAY woot woo! I noticed you are in WA, too, would you mind doing me a huge favour and sending me a pm of the details of the puppy school you have found. Our little boy doesn't come home until mid-January but I want to get onto this as soon as 'cuz no doubt most places will close down over Christmas and New Years, then with all the back to school chaos, he'll be here quickly. The only ones I have heard of so far are at Vet clinics and Pet Stock. Thanks, Anne