Miranda

The usual dosage is 1g per 10kg. I would wait until your girl is a little older before giving her fish oil, but you could try it I suppose, just watch her in case it gives her the runs.

Not true, coconut oil consists almost entirely of saturated fats and most of the the coconut oil you buy is hydrogenated to increase its melting point so it also has the capacity to produce trans fats. As someone else said dogs are perfectly capable of dealing with high amounts of saturated fats, but even so I wouldn't choose coconut oil to feed to my dogs.

Actually gulping down food is normal for a dog, it's a survival mechanism, a wild dog in a pack swallows its food as quickly as possible or loses it to another dog. Dogs, unlike humans, don't have any digestive enzymes in their saliva, it simply acts as a lubricant and a dog will usually only chew food until it's of a suitable size to swallow. Dogs have stomach acids that are 10 times stronger than ours and are perfectly capable of breaking down large chunks of flesh and bone. As a general rule anything that can fit down a dog's throat will come out the other end, if it cannot be digested it will be vomited up, that's another survival mechanism. A normal dog won't come to any harm by gulping its food, but if you have a dog that is prone to bloat obviously it's wise to make the dog slow down. I suggest you read up about dogs and their digestive processes, dogs are carnivores and their GI tract is totally different to that of a human.

Most of them grow out of it, but until they do make sure they travel with an empty stomach.

Luke using a moisture magnet will help and Chris Christensen's After Bath applied after shampooing also cuts down on drying time.

It will come off eventually anyway, she'll keep catching it on things and in the end it will get ripped off. It's probably better to get it removed now and then you'll be spared the blood and mess

Can cause kidney problems.

That's exactly what we do too. I think it's the best way because ours can detect a tablet about 10 miles away ... Same here, it becomes easy after a while. I can get a tablet into a dog in about five seconds.

This is why it is better to remove dew claws soon after birth.

Are her tonsils up? Tonsillitis can cause bad breath and it's not uncommon in dogs.

When I'm actively campaigning a dog they're bathed weekly, sometimes twice weekly. If I'm not showing they normally have a maintenance bath every couple of weeks, three at the most. Providing you use top quality shampoo and conditioner it doesn't do any harm at all.

You can't expect a puppy not to destroy things so as PF says crate her when you can't supervise.

It's also a good idea to watch some of the judging prior to showing, this will give you an idea of procedure and what the judge will expect from you and your dog when you go in the ring. Take note of where the judge wants you to stack and what gaiting pattern he requires, it's less nerve racking if you're prepared

All dogs are different and what suits one won't suit another. I used to use Nutro which certainly didn't rate as one of the very best foods, but all my dogs did brilliantly on it. I have since tried three different foods all of which rate better than Nutro, but my dogs haven't done as well on them. I am currently using Orijen.

Stairs are one of the worst things for causing injuries to dogs. We used to have five steps up to our back door but have now replaced them with a ramp because the dogs were running and jumping up and down the steps and two of them injured their shoulders necessitating a visit to a chiropractor. My chiropractor tells me that a lot of the problems he sees in dogs are caused by steps or stairs, although some dogs are always careful a lot become overconfident and run up and down them at top speed and this is when injuries occur. Puppies, especially if they're a large breed should never be allowed on stairs, the constant pounding and stress on joints and ligaments is an absolute no-no for growing pups.

As above, no treats, be firm and just do it. ETA definitely groom on a table, if you have a long coated dog that will require regular prolonged grooming it's a good idea to invest in a grooming table, one with an arm if necessary.

Rachelle I didn't use a veterinary behaviourist I used a qualified trainer/behaviourist and was very pleased with the results.

Yes I have and I gained a lot of insight into my dog's behaviour. It was well worth the money and I learned a lot

Sitting on other dogs is dominant behaviour, I'd say that Rufus considers himself top dog. Just be careful because you have two young males here, Buddy is only a puppy but he'll mature and if he decides that he's had enough they may have a scrap. Anyway I wouldn't allow overly rough play or allow it to go on for too long because Buddy is a giant breed and you have to be extremely careful of their joints while they're growing. It's also probably not a good idea for the puppy to be consistently dominated by an older dog. I wouldn't leave them together unsupervised.

What pet shows were on in WA at the weekend? Crossbred pet shows don't normally talk about groups etc so my feeling is a show or a Pet Expo with breed stands. I have no idea, I am in Melbourne, quite possibly you are correct :rolleyes: If this is indeed the case and she's bought a purebred toy puppy from a registered breeder then that's great. However I cannot understand why she won't name the breed, surely she knows what DOL is like and that everyone will speculate? Oh and ellz I know it's her business and absolutely nothing to do with me, but I'm still curious I would imagine that many people would like to know, but they're wary of posting in case they appear nosey like me

Yes I remember her complete disdain for registered breeders and that is why I'd like to know what breed she's bought, I know it's none of my business, but I'm still interested. Did DOL succeed in educating her and encourage her to go to a dog show and speak to breeders or did she go to a pet show and buy a crossbreed? Dog shows normally don't have people on the gate asking what breeds you're interested in so I would presume the latter. Really if she didn't want anyone to know the breed then she shouldn't have posted as obviously there will be speculation considering her previous sentiments. If she's actually bought a toy breed from a registered breeder then I apologise in advance for doubting her :rolleyes: As the end of the world is imminent it's all academic anyway

Hey Sway if you get one can you bring it to a show so I can borrow it? No seriously I'd love an accurate measure of my dogs, the tape measure method just isn't accurate whichever way you do it. Edited because I put the wrong emoticom

I think it's called a wicket, but I don't know where you'd get one, maybe ring an obedience club?

There's not much point in asking for advice then. Maybe they'll take it seriously when they have to fork out for the vet bills or the fines if she happens to instigate a fight with another dog. If people won't listen there's not much you can do unfortunately. Of course ultimately it's the dogs that suffer

Possibly, but that's not what would be concerning me. The dog is exhibiting strong guarding behaviours and you need to learn how to manage this, he's a large dog and his reactions to humans are definitely a worry. I really think you need professional help. ETA that it sounds like guarding behaviour, but it could just as easily be fear aggression, no one can accurately diagnose aggression issues on the internet which is why it's best to get professional help. In this day and age when dogs can be declared dangerous just for rushing up to someone and barking it would be foolish to ignore this behaviour.