GrumpySmurf

I have washed Kahlua myself in the laundry tub (which he's growing out of), outdoor tap (we have a vegie mixer on a hot & cold sink in the alfresco), and at those self-serve $10 for 10 minutes dog wash. All of it does get me a bit wet and weary. Today, I tried a mobile (won't name them) dog wash, which I thought advertised washing him, his ears, clipped nails and dry. The charge was $25. They turned up pretty much on time, and unloaded the tub and a couple buckets. After plugging in, and filling with water, Kahlua got a wash. I went inside and about 10 minutes later, I was surprised that he is all finished. Having got his biscuit, he is still wet and ears / toes were not checked. Seems a bit steep for $25. Is my expectation too high? Or can anyone recommend a much better dog wash? Ideally one that I don't have to book too far in advance.

I'm surprised that so many recommend a crate (which is great), but does not say that the crate needs to be secured! In a crash, a dog in a crate will hurtle through the back of your head or the windscreen at up to 110km/h. Chance of dog survival will be zero. Chance of your critical injury will be high. So, if you use a crate, the crate must be securedly tied down (not always easy to do)

Last night, no pee in the crate, and in the morning, he's back to usual. Today he's locked up inside at home so will have to wait and see how many accidents As for marking, he is de-sexed and squats to pee. Not sure if that has anything to do with it.

Kahlua's toilet habits are now 90% established. He is able to hold from 9pm till 6am in the crate, and during the day, if he is not disturbed, he would usually be sleeping and pee once every 3-4 hours. Today, apart from a cold front weather coming through, in the afternoon, he pees 6 times within 2 hours. All of it was outside during a usual walk (which he normally may pee once at most, and often doesn't pee on walks). He is not drinking any more than usual and no changes to his diet. His poo is as normal in consistency and quantity. Can anyone give me a clue what is wrong?

OH went home and found 2 small patches. Not ideal, but at least he looked more content in the foyer than being stuck in the crate

As we all work and school, Kahlua has had to be left alone a few days a week for 6 hours. We've always put him into his crate and he hates it. He would whine and bark and destroy the newspaper in the crate. This is despite feeding him in his crate, and him liking the crate overnight (almost goes in by command). So for today, we decided to let him roam around the house foyer. We have put in lots of toys including a Kong with treats, his crate is in the foyer now, and the stairway is blocked off. I'm sitting in the office, nervously watching the surveilence camera. He is laying quietly on a particular spot on the tiles. . Just hope there are no accidents when I get home.

I appreciate you love your Purebred dogs, I like them as well. But do you really need to put down the cross breds?

OK, I'm still trying to get over my confusion. Kahlua was born on th 12th May 2011, so he is 17.7 weeks (4.1 months) old. He is currently 10.6kg and is a Lab X Poodle. Vaccination: Done by vet on 03/08/2011, next one is due 03/08/2012 - easy enough Worming: On ParaGard. Last one was 03/08/2011, so now should be every 3 months right? Should this be given perpetually for life every 3 months? Fleas: On Comfortis. Last was 25/08/2011. So next one should be 20/09/2011. Should this be given perpetually for life every month? Heart Worming: On NuHeart. Last one was 20/07/2011. I had forgotten about this and had not given him. Is this a problem?! Should I just give him a tablet now? How could I somehow try and move the heartworm and fleas dates to fall on the 3rd of every month? Is that even a good idea as sometimes I will then have to give hime worming, heartworm and fleas tablet all on 1 day?!

That's great - now we can enjoy it without worrying he is *un-training*

Sorry, I didn't make it clear. I am just confused as to what I need to do when. Am I correct in saying there are 4 things I need to worry about (Vaccination, heartworm, worm, fleas)? Then it gets confusing which one needs doing weekly / monthly / 3 monthly / yearly! And do they all have to be done throughout the year? I am easily confused!

Is there an online program that can be used to remind me and tell me what medication I need to give my dog?

Kahlua is progressing well with his training including 5 minutes stay with "TOT". But being a puppy once or twice a day (usually early morning or late afternoon, he will go on a crazy rampage, running like mad and jumping. What would you do about this? - Totally ignore it? - Reprimand him? - Play / encourage it as it is harmless and damn cute??

As a new puppy dad, I feel I have some unrealistic expectations on many training timeframe. A lot of this, I think comes from watching youtubes and Caesar Milan showing us how a dog can be trained in 1/3rd of an episode. We've had Kahlua now for 6 weeks and he is only about 80% toilet trained (all our fault in leaving him too long and not spending the time to wait for him to finish). So, for a 8-14 weeks old puppy, that you just got, how long did it take you to toilet train?

Do you guys give the whole neck? Or do you cut a neck into a few pieces?

Just saved me a trip and costs of the vet! I was varnishing some cupboard doors and Kahlua came nearby. He didn't even sniff the doors when he had this attack.