**Super_Dogs**

Has anyone had elbow scoring done on a dog that has had surgery? I have a puppy, which I kept from my recent litter that I may use to breed. At 12 weeks she fractured her elbow in several places and had to have surgery which included a screw and pin. The pin has been removed, but the screw will be staying. I vet practice that did the surgery also does the x-rays for the hip and elbow scoring, so I asked what would happen but they have never come across this situation before. Has anyone had hip or elbow scoring after having had surgery? Thanks.

Great to hear she is better today I recommend you keeping an eye on this as if there is any more blood get to the vet asap. As aussielover mentioned it can indicate an intestinal problem. I have seen a puppy a few weeks younger than yours get very very sick very quickly with such a problem.

About 6 months ago my girl, who is about 25 KG, ate amlost 2 family blocks of milk chocolate. I called the vet, and based on the amount she ate they advised us to bring her in. They made her vomit and gave her some charcole (I think) and kept over over. The problem you have is you would not know how much eat ate. I would definetly keep a close eye on Alfie.

I have just recieved an terrible call. An owner of one of my labrador puppies called to let me know the puppy has Inflammatory Bowel Disease. She is only 15 weeks old and is not doing well The vet had told her that it could be genetic. I understand there are different types - the owner is going to ask the vet what type it is. Does anyone know much about this? Can it be genetic?

There seems to be so many puppy preschools. I think anyone thinks that can start one up!! I always take my puppies to a puppy school that is part of an obedience club. I think there are 2 benefits - you are going to get experienced dog trainers and also you can continue on with obedience at the same place where you puppy is familar.

Sentinal does not kill adult fleas, it stops the breeding cycle. I always have capstar on hand in case we have an travellers I very rarely have to use it though - maybe once every 6 months. I have noticed a few people use Comfortis and Heartguard. I am sure last time I looked this worked out more expensive and Sential Spectrum. Is this still the case?

There are breeders out there that will help you. Some are more understanding to the fact that everyone has to start somewhere. Have your tried looking for breeders in a different state? I recently had my first litter and when I was looking for my bitch I had alot of trouble finding a puppy on Main Register. I found some states where more incline to sell there puppies on Limited. if you do breed you will need to have breeder to contact for advice, so you want to find a breeder that knows your intentions and is OK with it.

I also agree with the previous posts that milk is not necessary. My recent litter was weaned at 5 weeks. I say keep it simple - I just feed my dogs dry.

I have found Sentinel Spectrum to be the best value. It is heart worming, intestinal worming and flea treatment. I switched to this years ago as I found frontline and advantage flea treatment did not work. Since using Sentinel Spectrum we never have fleas. I find it is cheaper (and alot easier) than buying all the products separately. You can also save money but switching to Interceptor (no flea treatment) in winter if fleas are not a problem.

I sell my puppies on Main register. I do this as I would not buy a puppy with any restrictions. I personally am confused about Limited Register. From what I read it is because the breeder does not want the new owner to breed with the dog. I think we need to be realistic - if the owner wants to breed with the dog they are going to do so whether the dog is on main or limited register. I am sure you have all seen the puppies for sale on other websites as “pure breed”. My theory is if the dog is on main register the owner at least has the option to do it properly and they will therefore conduct all the required health tests. If they are on limited register and they cannot sell the puppies registered why would they bother doing the health tests!!

Yes, that would be backyard breeding. Not necessarily. I bred Labs in WA for a decade or so. There is huge demand for Lab pups, and many people end out going to other breeds cause they can't find a Lab when they want a pup. Most of the WA breeders are pretty friendly and helpful. If you work with a respected breeder, do the necessary health checks, and spend some time learning the breed standard . . . and after that you feel your pup is worth breeding from . . . I wouldn't consider you a BYB. I would consider you a BYB if you skip health checks, breed from a Limited Register dog and/or bitch, and/or don't consult with the breeder you bought from about whether your lovely pup is worth breeding from. Oh yes, you also have to take a breeder's exam and register with the CAWA. There are some people who consider almost everyone BYB's . . . but those folks can be ignored. Great response. I totally agree. I recently bred for the first time and said good bye to my Lab puppies about 6 weeks ago. Based on some of the recent posts some people may consider me a BYB. I had thought about breeding before I got my bitch (she was my third dog). I found a helpful breeder who I got my girl from. I then researched breeding for 12 plus months, conducted all the health checks, completed the breeders exams. I was then lucky to find a helpful breeder with a Stud Dog that provided me with guidance and advice. I do not show my dogs, I train them and compete in agility. My puppies where raised in the home and where very well socialised with children, adults and other dogs. I think the important thing to remember is we all have to start somewhere.

Thanks so much for these ideas. I have tried the sock ball and peanut butter in the botton of a plastic cup today. :D :D :D

Thanks so much for you ideas Tonight we have been practicing sit, down and nose touches. I love the idea of choosing a toy. This worked a treat to control the running and jumping. I think I am going to have to also try some of the puzzles and dog treat toys as tonight it has taken her 3 hours to settle. She is finally asleep

My 12 week old Labrador puppy has just come home after having surgery for a fractured elbow. Vets orders are no running, jumping or playing for 4-6 weeks. This is going to be tough! During the day she is confined and sleeps, but it is morning and afternoon/night where she get excitable and wants to play. I need some toy ideas where she can lay down and burn off some energy - definitely nothing that bounces around that will encourage her to leap. I have read about Busy Buddy - any suggestions which of these would be best? Any other products you can recommend? Thanks so much for your ideas!! :D :D :D

My puppies are 5 weeks old and are eating solids and have been now for the last week. I has been letting mum in with the pups and they would still get a feed from her and been gradually reduding this so her milk dries. However this plan has now changed as yesterday mum had a severe allergic reaction to something - the poor things face puffed up like a balloon - and she has had to take steroid tablets. This means the pups can no longer feed from her. Does anyone have any suggestions of what I can use to cover up her teats so she can still spend time with the pups? I had thought of a t-shirt. Also do you have any suggestions to help her milk dry up? I am going to have to express her a few times a day as she still had a lot of milk! Thanks so much for you suggestions

I have a litter of 8 labradors that are 3 weeks old. This is my first litter. I have found heaps of information about what to feed them and when, but I cannot find any information about how much. How do you determine how much to feed your puppies? I know there are feeding guides on the dog food bags, but the age is usually from 6 weeks old.

We have invisible fencing and I love it. I agree it is best to have it with 'normal' fencing. We have one open area where the gate is and one of of my dogs would take a run up and jump as he went through. I know there are mixed opinions about it as the dog get a zap. However if the training is done and it is with exisiting fencing, after the training the dogs should never recieve a zap again. I think a small zap when being trained is a far better outcome than being hit by a car.

The Roomba sounds great Just checked it out on Google - costs about $370. Mixed reviews though. Some say they love it, others say no good.

I have the Miele Dog and Cat model. I have been very happy with this. I have 3 large inside dogs. I can vacume a large tiled area (lounge, rumpus, dining, kitchen and hall) in no time with minimal effort.

Can I provide another suggestion. I use sentinal spectrum. This is the same as Interceptor but is also for fleas. Like you I have found the spot on flea treatments useless. Since I switched to Sentinal many years ago we have never had fleas. The reason I am providing this option is for me with large dogs it works out cheaper than buying different products. Like you one of my dogs will not eat the chew - I feed him the chew like a tablet.

I also use cheerios, cheese and kabana. Anything sausage like is great as you can cut it into small pieces. Left over saugaes from a BBQ are great! I cut them up into pieces and freeze them. My dogs like ham and chicken but I find when I am working they are alittle small and i may loose a finger (I have a lab who sometimes fogets about being gentle in the excitement of it all). I uses these high value treats for training class and when at home learning new things.

I didn't even think of this! It could be this as I have seen a few of them sucking other puppies. Well I know if it is gone when I check this afternoon that this was it. Thanks.

She is a lab. Unfortunetly I can't take a photo now as I am not at home. Good idea though. I don't think it has anything to do with her belly button as it is alittle lower. I am trying to find some photos of ringworm on the net. What I can find does not look like her mark. If it was on child I would say it is a birthmark - but I have never seen a birthmark on a dog before.

I noticed this morning one of my 14 day old puppies has a red mark on her tummy. It is a light red colour and is about 1cm by 0.5cm. Any suggestions what this may be? Do dogs get birth marks? She is feeding fine, putting on weight consistency and is not crying. So she does not seem unwell. Thanks for your help.

I trained my dog in obedience until she was 11 months then we switched to agility. We entered our first competition when she was 26 months old. You can start competing at 18 months, but I decided to wait until we were working really well. Obedience was a good foundation for me as it is important to have a reliable stay. If you compete it is very handy to have a good start line stay. Also obedience is important as you need your dog to be under control off lead with lot of distractions (other dogs). A strong recall is handy too - if the temptation to run off is too much! I would definitely get the DVD's recommended. You will learn foundation games, important for motivation, which can start with you puppy at a young age. I also recommend the crate training DVD - although this is not agility it teaches good foundation skills. Not to mention it being very handy to be able to crate your dog. You will find all the foundation games and exercises are not any agility - but this stuff is important and you will set you up for when you actually start on the equipment. I did not start these games at a young age because I did not make up my mind to start agility until she was about 9 months - but I wish I had!!! Also check the agility clubs, some also run obedience classes also. Good luck!