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Have no advice for you Sheena, but only adding that I'm going to desex my girl soon too. You know where I work, and its hard getting weekends off to show her, so im going to "end" her short career as a show dog and enjoy her with no pesky seasons! I'll butt out now =]

It is a very emotive topic, one that tears at my heart and one at my head. I have a dalmatian, have showed her and contemplating breeding one day, therefore did my research. To be a member of the NSW Dalmatian Club, if you breed a deaf puppy, you have to euthanise it or break their COE. As much as my head can understand this, it would break my heart. That is one reason I haven't joined the club yet (if ever), would I be able to find perfect homes for a deaf pup? (these are few and far between) Im not so sure. Finding a home for a healthy, normal pup is hard enough. While I don't agree that non-deaf white boxers should just be put down at birth, I think that finding a suitable home would be VERY difficult, not everyone can cope with deaf dogs that need special attention given to sun exposure + the wonderful nature of boxer as well. I wasn't aware that they weren't registerable though...thats new info for me =]

Cleo too can be pretty fast re. snaffling food...but I find her daytime adventures inside quite hilarious. On windy days, the back door of the main house (not "our" house) swings open a bit, and Cleo likes to let herself in (the other dog hasn't figured this out). If someone is inside, she is sent out quick smart, our dogs aren't allowed to "sneak" inside. If no-one is inside though.... One day she snuck in, helped herself to half a pack of Vita Wheat bikkies (there goes my "allergy to wheat" theory), nearly a whole little tub of macadamia nuts and then promptly arranged the leftovers of her feast, and my bra, on our old bed. She's repeated this since, again stealing food from the same bench (I would say don't leave food there but my advice goes unheard) and sleeping on our old bed. It's funny to imagine what she must be thinking. Especially the sleeping with my bra....

I'm another DOLer that works in a pet store that welcomes dogs. A dog that simply picked up a toy in my store wouldn't have an issue - if it was starting to destroy the toy, that's a different issue (and I had a customer happily pay for a toy her dog "picked", started destroying - and wouldn't let go!) I have many more gripes with customers ignoring their dogs peeing in store, letting their children pull all the toys off the shelves (creating more work when I could be mopping up pee or helping another customer) and tap on the fish tanks. I think the staff member in question here would have potentially made many more sales by simply laughing off the dog picking up the toy, and making conversation (as I would) rather than doing what they did.

If I was leaving my dog in the care of family/friends (which I will be) I would detail my feeding routine. I don't just put the bowl on the ground and say eat; she goes to her crate, I place the food on the ground, call her to me, go through basic training and only when I say "it's yours" can she begin. By basic training I mean sit, stay, lie down, shake/hi five. Takes like ten seconds. She runs to her crate at dinnertime now =]

When we had a bad lot of sandflies around here after the wet weather, and my pup was getting eaten by them, I not only used my fortnightly Advantix but also Permoxin (similar ingredients to advantix but you dilute and spray on when needed, I found it useful to spray only on areas where she needed it - her back and top of her head). We also invested in a bug zapper, since that's been installed, problem has just about disappeared!! Aloveen conditioner to dab on the itchy spots is good too =]

Any reason why you don't then? Honestly didn't know about it until this thread. My girl is still too young to get her endurance test title, but definately something I can aim for and hopefully do. I think she'd be fine, I'm the one who would struggle with 20kms!

Of the dogs I remember Nala - rotti x lab pound dog, lived to 9yrs. Died in a freak accident, ate a fish that had a stingray barb in it. Stingray barb pierced the blood vessel in her tongue and she was unable to be saved. Our vet even tried at nearly midnight to bring her back - for free. I was only about 9 as well, it was a very sad time, the only time our family had no dog at all for a short while after her death. Coco - kelpie x husky rescue, lived to 6 months. Another freak accident, after rehoming her with a family friend, she was bitten by a snake and found dead in a flower bed. She was a tiny little pup when she was found dumped on the side of teh road. OH's family wouldn't keep her, so my family and I took her in for 6 weeks until we found her a new home with a family friend. It's been nearly 2 years exactly since Coco died, I miss her every day and cry if I think about her too much. 6 weeks with her was not long enough. I'm lucky i've only said goodbye to two. Any more would be truly heartbreaking.

I would love my dally to do an endurance test, I am always enthralled watching her run on the beach (which we usually have all to ourselves). The only time she walks is when she's on lead, she gets so much joy out of running from the waves to the dunes, to the waves and back again. She just has SO much stamina, she is a true testament to the breed, and a very loving companion at home.

I feed chicken frames several times a week, I can buy 4 for about $3-4 which is a week's worth when feeding patties as well. One thing I've learnt after a brain fart moment - separate them into their own baggies BEFORE freezing. I now have a chicken frame lump wasting space in the freezer coz I forgot once to separate. It would be too inconvenient for me too to store any more than that at once.

It has nothing to do with price I just dont think Black Hawk is what many people think it is. its just the same as any other dry dog food with lots of crap.. P.S. is the 80% water you talking about apply to dogs? Like I said my dog farts all the time, Drinks water as if it has not seen water, and lost its muscle tone have you any answers to them questions. the only thing my dog has is a good coat to look at and that is not evreything.. Just got to remember that no one brand will suit every dog. My girl is on Black Hawk, and total opposite of your case, has beautiful muscle tone and doesn't fart much at all, and drinks the same as when on other food brands. I tried other brands before settling on what im now happy with.

I carefully scrutinised all the dog foods available to me in my area (helps that I work in a pet store, I have access to more than most but Artemis isn't sold in my area). I have read the purine lists over and over, got it nearly committed to memory, and educated myself before I got a dalmatian, I knew what I was getting into. According to the Dalmatian Club of America, all meats possible to feed to my dog are "moderately" high in purines, from beef to lamb to chicken. There isn't one meat on the "low" list, and i've read that either lamb or chicken be the main protein source. Cleo's breeder and my mentor both feed supercoat, far worse than black hawk in my opinion. These are the other foods available to me (and why I won't feed them or don't choose to right now) Science Diet - hate the amount of fillers, waste of money. Advance - if I change from BH, I may try this based on ingredients Pro Plan - Cleo didn't love it, plus has wheat EP Holistic - the fish flavour is out of the question, having anchovies and sardines and salmon. But Cleo didn't like the other flavours either. Iams and Eukanuba - too much filler Royal Canin - has wheat And then Supercoat, DogPro, Coprice, etc...cheap and full of fillers. Look, this may have come across defensive, but I've educated myself and tried really hard. To be told to "educate myself" hurts. I could be doing far, far worse for my dog. At least I've read all the info and made a decision based on that.

Can I ask why you don't like the black hawk? And which kibble you use?

That sounds like a good homemade patty to me... this is the ingredient list of the chicken flavour patty that Cleo is currently eating: "Chicken, finely ground chicken bone, beef liver, whole egg, cultured kefir, seasonal vegetables selected from broccoli, celery, spinach, carrot, ground flax seed, bok choy, dried alfalfa leaf powder, beef kidney, beef heart, unbleached beef tripe, seasonal fruit selected from apple, pear, grapefruit, orange, dried kelp powder, garlic, capsicum." My ingredient list on the actual box looks slightly different, naming the actual veggies not "seasonal selection" You patty would be better in the respect that it doesn't have any liver...,maybe i'll copy you! $17 for 12 days worth...how much did your patty supplies cost? I thought beef and liver was a no no's?? or is it just in concentrated amounts? Yes, I avoid them like the plague normally, don't give beef bones, liver treats, any thing with beef or organ meat. My reasoning in my head is that it must be in very small amounts (still would rather it further down the list if it must be there). Another reason to start making my own patties and freezing them, might wait until we buy our new fridge in a few months though so it's not taking up space in the "communal" one. *sigh* sometimes, it would be nice not to worry about avoiding certain foods.

I've had this exact same dilemma. I've got 2 big books with hundreds of breeds, just to drool over what I probably can't have. Dalmatians are my heart breed I think, but that said they are "my" first breed as an adult (having had a foxy x, a rottie x, a staffy x, a lab and a mini schnauzer in my life up until getting my dally) and therefore, maybe I haven't come across my real true love yet (but I think I have, dallies are awesome) I would definately LOVE to have, and plan to have: -curly coated retriever -flat coated retriever -aussie shepherd -weimeraner -rescued greyhound or show-line greyhound -maybe a border collie (OH insisted I include this breed here) There are plenty more that I love but may not get the pleasure of owning: -kooikerhondje (fell in love when I saw a Dogs101 clip on youtube) -Saluki and other sighthounds - don't know if I could handle a sighthound, but would LOVE to, this applies to greyhound above too. -Siberian husky -Toller I'm sure that I've forgotten some. I could grab my breed book to refresh the memory but then this post could be VERY long.

That sounds like a good homemade patty to me... this is the ingredient list of the chicken flavour patty that Cleo is currently eating: "Chicken, finely ground chicken bone, beef liver, whole egg, cultured kefir, seasonal vegetables selected from broccoli, celery, spinach, carrot, ground flax seed, bok choy, dried alfalfa leaf powder, beef kidney, beef heart, unbleached beef tripe, seasonal fruit selected from apple, pear, grapefruit, orange, dried kelp powder, garlic, capsicum." My ingredient list on the actual box looks slightly different, naming the actual veggies not "seasonal selection" You patty would be better in the respect that it doesn't have any liver...,maybe i'll copy you! $17 for 12 days worth...how much did your patty supplies cost?

Cheers - Yea when i bought Gus i got a feeding guide... but his stomach is producing some bad bad smells so obviously the kibble is not agreeing with him too much. Thanks for the advise... I will digg around a bit I know a few dals from the same lines so I will ask them what they feed their dogs. I definately second the finding out of what others are feeding. As you know TCM, my living situation is similar to your own, and one night OH's mum offered beef mince when my BARF patties ran out...i was like "no thanks" but she gave me a funny look, then I explained that dallies shouldn't have beef coz of the stone forming issue. The look I got was like I was a dog food nazi (which I am about Cleo, but still lol). I know that at one stage she was also being given extra kibble of the other dog's food... families....they mean well but it can have bad consequences if they dont know what they're doing! I feed half a cup of kibble in morning, one cup in evening plus one BARF patty (certain varieties only). I'm a bit lazy r.e raw. That's why I like the BARF, it's so easy for me! Getting home at 6 or 7 leaves me little enough time to shower and eat dinner, let alone make a full on raw diet for the dog, I love the convenience =]

That's like Cleo yesterday, we went for a walk, and JUST as we reach home, she starts limping, no yelp, not indication of a problem, just a limp. We thought it was pretty serious, holding her whole leg up, but after manipulation of the whole leg, checking her whole body over, and in between her paw pads I was satisfied that nothing too bad was up, and if it was still there in the morning, we would visit the vet. Gave her a rawhide on our bed and by the time she was done, she was "magically" recovered, not even a HINT of injury. She's completely back to normal but yes, a great actress.

If you feed wet and dry, I believe you decrease the amounts of each. From memory (correct me if I'm wrong) the serving suggestions on dry will be dry only, some brands indicate how much should be reduced if feeding wet as well. There is no way I would feed that much dry and that much wet together, especially those Advance cans, they are huge! When my pup was getting cans and kibble as a pup (now 22kg adult) she was getting 1/3 of a small can and about a cup and a half of dry spread over 2 meals. The guides are guides only though, i've had to chop and change to figure out how much i need to keep my girl's weight stable, I don't even bother looking at the serving suggestins any more.

:laugh: I've had to *cough* intervene a few times....Cleo was spinning around trying to get it and going crazy. It was awkward to say the least to pull it out. She loves her grass though, but yes, only the taller, young growth that you find around fences and the like, not just lawn grass

My current girl is Cleo, OH wanted Shyla and I just felt that a little girl dalmatian wasn't "Shyla" so out of the blue I suggested Cleo (having known a leopard seal once also called Cleo - long story) and it stuck. She's not a Cleopatra though, although she acts like a little queen sometimes. I've also had a Nala (rotti x lab), I was about 5 and the Lion King was and still is my favourite movie. I hope to use this name again =] Also had Coco (kelpie x husky) who was a red (brown) and tan beauty, didn't want to call her Milo, so Coco it was. Got 6 cockatiels too... Ruby - has ruby red eyes Pheonix - just love that name and its unisex Squeak - squeaks instead of biting when trying to bite Cassia - means "cinnamon", his colouring Whitney - she has a white face aaannndd Littlefoot - has huge feet.

Another dally owner here, I can't get Cleo to smile on command but I know that if I hold certain things up to her, she will smile. She has 2 different smiles though, one is "i'm happy to see you!" when we get home from work, it's the full works - wiggly bum, huge grin etc. Its a smile that you could never be scared of because you'd be at her bum! Then there is her, "oh no" smile when I try put her sunscreen on (has bitters to stop her licking it off so she doesn't like the taste), or the Epi-Otic in her ears....or when she's in trouble and she knows it! Just caught her trying to steal my shoe that I accidentally left outside....I say "oi!" and she drops it, when I come to pick up the shoe she comes back smiling with her head down like "I didn't mean it mum!" ...it's very funny to see. I say the word "smile" when she does it, but no active capturing. She does it so much anyway that I don't worry about it...I can always just pick up the epi-otic!

Just want to pop in to comment that I now, after staying with some fellow doggie lovers, beleive that my dog really is thriving on the BH. When we were preparing our dogs' dinners, they were surprised at how little my dog gets in comparison, and yet she is having no problems in the weight department (she's a perfect weight). I've always stood by my premium foods, and I hope to study it properly one day, but this really opened my eyes. I was always told that premium fed dogs need less, well this was proof! It is also the only kibble that she will eat without fail, she didn't really like Holistic Select or Proplan, even after many months of persistance. Also, with the kibble size that someone mentioned a few pages back, I think the smaller kibble is more versatile for all breeds. I work in a pet store, and many small breed owners will not buy a good food if the kibble is too large. Holistic Select have fairly small kibble (even smaller in their small and mini breed variety) and this is a HUGE bonus for many sm breed owners. My dally has no issue with the smaller kibbles, she even crunches them up. That said, I do give her chicken briskets 2/3 times a week. Just my opinions and experiences =] I also want to say that Sheena is a lovely person and rep, but I specifically go to the sunday markets to get my BH when I run out because her son-in-law (I think) has lovely customer service and always asks my fiancee how the surf was :laugh:

I have an EzyDog one for my girl, price wise seems to be similar to the one mentioned above (I paid about $50 for medium one, thats including my work discount though) It also has a "grab" strap and bouyancy floats around the neck area. I haven't actually had a chance to use it in the river yet seeing as the Bellinger is flooding at the moment (again...sigh) and who know's what is in there at the moment! I have popped it on her for a few walks on the beach though, and she moves normally, including zoomies. It has a little pocket near the back too =] http://store.ezydog.com/categories/FLOTATION-VESTS/

My thinking runs more along the lines of adults not "behaving" more than kids. My thinking is, you don't know the dog, you're taking a risk and that's no ones fault but your own if you get bitten! It's like swimming at an unknown beach, mostly foreigners get into trouble in my local area, they don't know the beach or the conditions, they are taking a risk and they do get into trouble and sadly for some this is fatal. The signs are there, if its unpatrolled (sometimes in many languages!) but they still do it! I guess then you have to decide whether patting an unknown dog is a risk or not, I see it as one, because who knows what that dog is like? I treat every dog I meet on the beach as a risk, until I know the dog, works for me! I don't mind people patting my dog, love it when I'm asked, coz that's socialisation for her. I would hate to be rushed by a kid though, it's not fair to the dog! I know I freak out when I'm suddenly confronted with someone out of the blue.