Miranda

As PF says it sounds as though your dog has reached maturity, it is not uncommon for previously friendly, easygoing puppies to start trying it on at this age. However I don't like the sound of the growling, I would be worried if he were mine. You could start him on NILIF (Nothing in Life is Free) and TOT (Triangle of Temptation), both these programs are highly effective and TOT is a pinned topic in the Training Forum. However I'd also be engaging the services of a qualified behaviourist to help with this dog as the problems are likely to escalate as he gets older.

Congratulations, what breed is he?

If they're actually drawing blood I'd be worried, you need to stop this behaviour now. If I were you I'd get professional help.

Are you going to show the dog? If you are you will need to find someone who knows what they're doing, there is a tremendous lot of grooming involved with this breed.

Yes all bitches are different and while some may bleed all the way through others may not. From what you say it sounds as if Saki has finished her season.

No they're not bad, but seeds do increase the fibre content and too many kiwi fruit, strawberries or other seed containing fruits will come out the other end somewhat quicker and looser than normal, so feed in small quantities. Cheese is fine for dogs if fed in moderate amounts.

I bought my hydrobath from them, picked them because they were the closest suppliers to where I live. This was a while ago now, but I didn't have any problems.

Personally I wouldn't desex a large breed at such a young age, you'll just have to wait and see if she develops incontinence, some do and some don't. I have never heard of vets routinely scanning for HD at 18 weeks and I've never heard of non-invasive surgery to fix it, normally dogs are x-rayed over 12 months of age or prior to being bred. Does your dog do Pennhip because that's the only way to x-ray a puppy at 4 months of age and even then you only get a preliminary score. I'd be finding another vet if I were you.

Do you want the dog to go inside or outside? I think you would have much more success if you removed the training pads altogether, you can't expect the dog to understand that she's only supposed to go outside when you still allow her to soil on training pads. Personally I think that training a puppy on training pads or newspaper is more of a hindrance than a help and simply confuse the dog. If you want the dog to toilet outside then start taking her outside from the very beginning.

No contest, Orijen is far superior. I would never feed Science Diet, I consider it one of the worst dry foods available and wouldn't even class it as a premium food.

When getting a second dog it's a good idea to get one of the opposite sex and of similar size. I agree with the others, definitely separate when you're not there to supervise and engage the services of a qualified behaviourist. Your staffordx may be only playing, but it would be easy for him to play too hard and kill the other dog, even though it was unintentional. Staffords are solid, powerful dogs and a lot like to play rough so be very careful.

I've never found that brushes make much difference to drying time, they're all much the same. At the moment I'm using a Plush Puppy Silver Bullet brush, but it may be too large for a cavalier. If you use a product like Chris Christensen's After Bath as a conditioner it will help to reduce your drying time. You could also buy a moisture magnet towel to soak up the water before you start drying. If you brush and blow until she's nearly dry and then put a light coat on her you'll find that when you take it off her coat will be flat, smooth and shiny.

I have little or no faith in the pseudosciences and would never consider replacing good tick poisoning prevention strategies with a few drops of homeopathic nosode. I wouldn't use homeopathy as a substitute for vaccination either.

Mine are the same, I think some dogs assimilate bone better than others. I must say that I prefer white poos to sloppy chocolate coloured ones.

Pet grade chicken mince contains mainly bone, probably 80% or more. This will account for the powdery poo and the straining, your dog is actually eating too much bone. If I were you I'd mix some beef mince in with the chicken or up the meat content of his diet in some other way, this should fix the problem.

Dominant strong willed dogs can be very hard to handle, if I ever have a really dominant puppy in a litter I'm always very careful that the purchasers are experienced dog owners and have a thorough knowledge of dog behaviour and training because a dominant puppy in the wrong home can be a nightmare for the owners. He certainly won't grow out of these behaviours, in fact they're likely to escalate as he gets older and approaches sexual maturity, I would be especially concerned about his aggressiveness towards other dogs. TOT and NILIF are a good place to start, but I think you'd benefit from some one on one training with a qualified behaviourist who can evaluate the dog and give you some strategies to work with, I'd also get help sooner rather than later.

It has the little white flowers on the ends of the stems like chickweed, but it's hard to tell what size the leaves are, if they're small I'd say that's what it is. Some time ago someone posted some excellent photos of wandering jew, but I've done a search and can't find them. I actually hope that it is wandering jew because if it isn't the OP is back to square one.

As a general rule the best combination for your average pet owner is one of each sex. If you get another female they may get on really well and live happily ever after, but if they don't you may have to rehome one of them or keep them permanently separated. It is certainly possible to keep two or more bitches together with no problems, but if you do get a problem watch out because bitches hold grudges and if they fight chances are they will inflict major damage on each other. Fights between bitches are usually deadly serious and they can be virtually impossible to separate especially if you're on your own. Get a male.

How big are the leaves? I'm not sure if it is wandering jew, it could be chickweed.

The first thing to do is remove the wandering jew from your yard, it's a common allergen in dogs. If the itching and scratching is really bad a short course of macrolone may be necessary, but you must get rid of the plants if they're the cause of the allergic reaction. I wouldn't worry about the protein content of the Advance, as long as your dogs are a sensible weight, ie. you can feel their ribs without pressing and they have a waist, they should be fine.

I tried it, but wasn't that impressed, I'm using Chris Christensen at the moment, their products are excellent.

Don't buy them, buy fresh bones from a butcher, beef brisket bones aren't too hard and dogs love them.

Never leave food out, give him 20 minutes to finish it then take it away and give him nothing until the next mealtime.

Assuming your dog is otherwise healthy try changing the dry food, a lot of dogs dislike Hills and personally I wouldn't feed it, try Royal Canin, Eagle Pack Holistic or Orijen. Raw carrot is ok as an occasional treat if he likes it, but dogs have difficulty breaking down cellulose so it's of little nutritional value. I would also feed some meat and bones, raw chicken or beef mince, raw chicken wings and frames and brisket bones. Some cooked liver twice a week, the occasional raw egg and a can of sardines or mackerel would also be beneficial. Most canned foods are a waste of money, dogs like the taste of it, but generally the ingredients aren't the best and you are also paying for a lot of water. I wouldn't take much notice of your vet's recommendations, many vets have only a basic knowledge of nutrition and tend to recommend what they sell.

If he's hard to control or you think he'll try to jump off the table then leave his collar on just in case, I wouldn't leave his lead on. Don't worry they soon get used to it, all mine will jump on the table and just stand there while I clip and groom them, if you start grooming them as babies they soon accept it as a normal part of life.