PAX

to all the ACV users..........Do the dogs mind the taste and what ratio do you have it in the water?

If you have a local chicken shop you should go and talk to them. That is what i do, i just ring and order it and they put my name on the boxes and have it all ready to pick up. The other thing i have noticed, when i buy chicken like breast fillets or something for the family from woolies, if you dont use it straight away it stinks the next day. My dog chicken i can have in the fridge for a cople of days and it never gets that awful smell. I think that woolies chicken must be really old by the time its in the deli section........who knows. We also grow quite a lot of fruit and vegies in our vegie garden, my son loves it because he is the gardener and i love it because i just go and get it. I buy free range eggs always, i will not support battery hens.........poor chookies

I switched to BARF because my dog had a skin complaint that wasn't clearing up. In the Billinghurst book he stressed the importance of good quality foods and preferably organic if possible. I am lucky enough to be able to get organic chicken for them and all other meat is bought from the butchers. Dont get me wrong i dont feed them fillet steak but pet mince is full of preservatives and this is what i wanted to get away from, oh and cereals. If my dog didnt have disgusting skin i probably would not of been as careful as i am. I probably would still be feeding commercial dog food. I also don't think pet food companies would have the health checks imposed on them like human food handling does.

I personaly do not feed any thing that is only pet quality. I think that any leg bones are a lot harder than other bones, maybe stay away from shanks until the pups are older. On the catfood topic earlier, i feed homebrand sardines (for humans) to the dogs. They cost 47cents a tin and the dogs looooove them. I also feed frozen pilchards (the ones for fishing bait) they cost $3 for a 2 kilo bag and the dogs go crazy for them, its like feeding the seals. They only get them now and again, when i remember.

They cannot break carrots down that is why it is recommended to juice them or put them through a blender. It will not harm your dog to give them whole, you will just get orange bits in the poo,

I knew you would say that Cant wait to come to your seminar

I need to teach hand signals for UD work so i do need them. I also like my dog looking at me and cant see how he could miss a signal if he is looking at me

I got given some for the dogs to try. They seemed to like them although i thought they ate them to quickly and think a bone would be more benefit to dental health. They didnt have green or sloppy poo.

They are talking about teaching your dog to focus on your face, makes for good heel work

Poodlefan, thats very funny. I would feed the cat as well that is why i own a 10 kilo siamese

I switched to the BARF diet because my dog had very bad skin problems and the book i read (one of the billinghurst books) said to stay away from carbohydrate type vegies like potatoes pumkin and i think legumes like peas and beans. I do feed them but not a lot in the mix I mix fruit with my vegies. A juicer pulps the fruit and vegies much finer and i found the blender did take ages. You have to keep stopping and pulling it apart to empty it where as the juicer you can just keep feeding it in. Also with the blender some things just go around and around on top of the blades, you have to cut things up quite small but the juicer takes whole vegies like whole apples and carrots. I have bought the patties when my dogs had to go into boarding once and i did not want them to be fed kibble so i supplied the food and it was much easier for the boarding kennel but they work out a lot more expensive. Lisa When i first switched to BARF i weighed the dogs every week just to ease my mind that they werent losing weight. It doesnt take long to get the hang of it

I dont blend any meat or offal, it is tooooo disgusting. My dogs mouths are big enough to chew..........lol. I am lucky that they are greedy and eat everything. I sometimes do lots of vegies and pack and freeze but lately i have been slack and just do it every other day. Some for today and some for tomorrow then i might miss a day or i might do more.

I have killed two blenders since BARF and now have a juicer. It is so much faster and does a much better job. I have a 30kilo Dobe that is three years old and i feed her approx two chicken backs and one cup of mixed fruit and vegies per day. Just as a guide for you, your dog is still growing so would probably need more. I split the meals into Breakfast and dinner. I dont get to worried about what they get on what day, just try to balance it over a week. I have found if i fed all the offal on the one day it upsets their tummys a bit and they have sloppy poo so i add a bit a few times a week. Same as with the fish. With the vegies i stay away from potatoes and pumpkin and go more with green leafy vegies. Capsicum, celery, bok choy, carrots, parsley, beeetroot, sometimes a bit of garlic, apples pineapple bananas just whatever is cheap and in abundance. At first you might have to mix your vegie mix with mince until they get used to it. I also add fish oil capsules and a few other additives but i dont stress about it just like with what we feed ourselves. Just aim for a balance. Lisa

I fed my dogs a BARF diet so most days they get a cup of pureed fresh fruit and vegies. I do not stress about what is bad and good for them because like with us if we didn't eat things the so called experts told us not to we would miss out on heaps, i think its all about moderation. The only thing they never ever get is onions. I have lots of fruit trees in my yard and their favouite self serve is Loquats and Guavas (sorry about the spelling) they get every bit of fruit within doggie reach. They even take the occasional lemon, mostly its out of jealosy because they look a bit like tennis balls. Lisa BTW, I live in Coffs Harbour so everybody loves Bananas, dogs, horses and humans.

Vaccination protocol will change this year. There is a big forum coming up soon........July i think and one of the vaccs is now proven to be affective for 36 months. I would just keep an eye on DOL i'm sure it will be posted when more information is available.

Myszka Is that dog porn your showing????

Myszka, Sorry honey but i think your wrong. When a working dog bites the arm they are still in prey drive, in fact they probably get more drive..........remember the videos you showed me...........lol. I think a good tug gets them really revved up. I'm bad i even slap my dog around while he is tugging he loves it he goes nuts.....I say to him "dont shake the baby" he growls and goes stupid. This is bad I am admitting how weird i am

thanks for letting us know. It sounds like a typical trial.............. The video is great you see lots of things that you werent aware of and often you will find you looked much better than you thought. Lisa

BUMP.. We are dying to know how you went. Was it as bad as you thought?

If you make a mistake dont worry that is a handler error not the dogs fault. If you make a wrong turn or pace just keep going, the judge will give the command again. Remember the judge is there just to watch and help you so go in thinking it is just training because really it is. We were told that sucking peppermints helps you to stop getting that dry mouth and some how disguises you nervous feremones so your dog doesnt notice. Not sure if it works but it seems to help us. Rescue Remedy did nothing for me. Good Luck.......I love trialling, nerves and all

You can buy turkey necks in Woolworths. They in a vac sealed white Ingams bag and usually about four in a bag in the pet meat/offal section.

I'm with KitKat, my dogs eat whole lamb necks in under 15 minutes but they are big dogs. I would also think that turkey necks might be better. They are heaps bigger than chicken necks but not as big and hard as lamb.

One of the best things about BARF is less poo with hardly any smell. Just add the vegies with lots of leafy greens. A couple of times a week you can give them a good slurp of olive oil. You can also add cod liver oil, flax seed oil, fish oil, you need to read the book. Once you get used to it, it is so easy. You should try it for at least a month...............be brave

tollersowned, I dont know, my dog loves this game. It is hard to hide from him because he is like glue. Maybe yours are smarter than mine ;)

Make sure the game is, he chases you - you never chase him.