Miranda

I don't think there's anything wrong with the food, it's where you have to go to buy it that's the problem. Why not use Artemis or Orijen instead?

Hopefully he'll straighten up by 12 months, it's heartbreaking when you have an otherwise outstanding puppy and something like this happens. I really hope he comes good

A C8 vaccination covers the same as a C5 plus tetanus, leptospirosis and coronavirus. As I don't board my dogs I only ever give a C3, there is absolutely no way that I'd ever give any of my dogs a C8

I don't take puppies out during the night unless they cry, by 12 weeks of age they can usually last from 11pm until about 6 the next morning.

Cala I wouldn't rehome him just yet, dogs go through many developmental stages between puppyhood and maturity and 7 months isn't the best age to judge a puppy, especially if it's a medium or large breed. If weak pasterns are his only problem and you're pleased with him overall I'd run him on to at least 12 months. Did you breed this dog? If you didn't it might be a good idea to contact his breeder and ask what they think, breeders know their lines and should be able to advise you.

Why do you need to pick her up? She obviously doesn't like it which is probably why she runs away from you. It's not necessary to pick dogs up, if she were a bigger breed you wouldn't be able to pick her up because she'd be too heavy. Regarding the harness, she probably doesn't like it, it's very hard to get a harness that fits properly and a lot of them irritate and chafe the dogs. Try walking her on a flat collar or a martingale.

In my breed weak pasterns usually coincide with teething and they've generally straightened up again by the time the puppy reaches 10 or 12 months old. Some people give vitamin C and there are various other remedies, I'm sure you'll get lots of replies.

My puppies are kept mainly outside until I decide which ones I'm going to run on, the keepers then come inside for short periods during the day and are crated inside overnight and by the time they are 6 months old they have free run of the house and yard. All my dogs are crate trained, but they spend long periods of time outside during the day, I never crate them during the day unless it's absolutely necessary. They get a walk every morning and a period of free running at the park, but if I attempted to confine them for most of the day they'd go stir crazy. They like to lounge around inside, but they also like to go outside to run around and play, stalk a few birds, check out the neighbouring dogs and maybe lie in the sun for a while, I just don't think it's fair to keep an active breed like a setter cooped up in the house all day. Every dog I own is settled and quiet, I have 6 dogs here at the moment so it can't be any other way.

Hmmm I wouldn't wake a puppy up to take it to the toilet either. Looks like you and I had better agree to disagree Luke W.

Hmmm...you know - I'm not sure about that. Now I'm no expert...but my initial thinking is that YOU want to be the source of all good things in your dogs life. YOU should be the center of attention. YOU should grant your dog access to smells, games, toys and such. I guess it depends on what kind of personality you want your dog to develop. I'm hoping for a competitive obeience and agility dog so I want my dogs primary focus to be ME. Also, puppies need heaps of rest. I think my multiple play and training sessions during the day, followed by rest in his crate seems to keep him satisfied. I could be wrong though. PS - I am home during the day, in the same room as my pups crate, it might be different if I was at work 8 hours a day...still not sure though. I don't know what breed you have Luke W (I can't make out your avatar), but I have gundogs and if I kept my dogs crated during the daytime they would go insane. What you are doing may be adequate while your dog is a baby puppy, but if you have any sort of working dog I don't think it will be a satisfactory arrangement once it starts to mature.

He's only a teeny tiny iggie and I think still too small for outside. The yard isn't tiny puppy proof yet though we are in the process of fixing it up - it is safe for Patch but there are some small gaps where Oscar could escape. We are going to section off an area of the yard for each of them shortly. Oh ok :cool:

I never coat my dogs, they'd just get too hot. They have long coats, but it's a single coat and they love the cold, they're far happier and much more active and I reckon if they had their choice they'd like the temperature to remain less than 18 degrees all year. I'm in outer Melbourne and sometimes it gets down to zero in winter and it doesn't worry them at all. Maybe I'm being hard, but I really can't understand the current trend of putting coats on dogs, sure some breeds need them, Italian Greyhounds and Chinese Cresteds come to mind, but I've even seen them on GSD's and Sibes which I reckon is ridiculous. Nearly all the breeds here in Australia originated in the northern hemisphere where winters are far, far colder and when I see people from Brisbane asking about coats for their dogs I'm like :cool: But this is just my opinion and everyone's different :p

Is there any reason why the puppy can't be outside during the day? Puppies get bored very quickly in crates and are actually far better off outside if your yard is secure. Even an outside run would be preferable, at least they can see, smell and hear things and if the run is a fair size there's room to play as well. I only crate my dogs at night, they'd go nuts left in a crate for long periods during the day.

Some dogs can tolerate corn and some can't. I have two dogs here that can't have any food with corn in it, they develop loose poo and lose condition, but it doesn't seem to have any effect on my other dogs. I no longer buy any dry food that contains corn.

Send Sheridan a PM, she has SCWT and may be able to advise you.

Monash vets are also repro specialists and are used by many breeders.

My dogs eat grass occasionally, sometimes they vomit it up and sometimes it comes out the other end. This is perfectly normal behaviour and unless the dog appears unwell I wouldn't worry about it.

If you're a dog owner make sure you're an informed dog owner, do your research and don't just assume that everything your vet tells you is 100% correct. And don't assume that your vet is an expert in nutrition, dog behaviour and training or grooming, most of them have only basic knowledge in these areas and you are far better off asking your breeder or a qualified behaviourist/trainer if you have any specific questions. And of course there's always DOL

I don't worm pregnant bitches, I worm them prior to mating and then again three weeks post parturition. However that's my choice, a lot of people do worm during gestation and it doesn't appear to do any harm, however I prefer to keep chemicals to a minimum during this time.

Personally I think that Hills is crap and I can't see why she has to feed it to the dog just because it has elbow problems, I assume the vet sells it? If I were her I'd definitely change his diet. However I doubt this is the sole reason why the puppy is becoming aggressive towards the other dog, it's far more likely that he's approaching or has just entered adolescence and is testing his place in the pack. Feed the dogs completely separately, in crates if possible or one dog inside and one outside and pick up the bowls as soon as they've finished and put them away. Don't leave food lying around anywhere and that includes odd bits of kibble, biscuits, chews and bones, the dogs should also be separated when they have bones. And don't allow the child feed the dogs food between meals, only give food at mealtimes or as treats during training sessions. It would also be a good idea to start both dogs on the Triangle of Temptation.

They will be ok, puppies are wormed fortnightly when babies and sometimes if a dog has a heavy infestation it's recommended that you worm twice in quick succession, one treatment followed by another in two weeks time. Miss Helena if the monthly tablet you are giving treats all worms except tapeworm it's possible to buy Droncit which covers tapeworm only, it's not necessary to give an all wormer every three months.

Cartrophen injections, Joint Guard and fish oil capsules (1000mg per 10kg bodyweight) is an effective combination for some dogs.

If your dog is a main registered Stafford have a chat with your breeder and see if she thinks the bitch is good enough to be bred from, but be aware that probably only 5 or 10% of registered dogs are actually show and/or breeding quality. You will then have to join your state's CC and pass an examination before you can get a prefix. Staffords can be prone to various hereditary diseases so make sure that you read up on these and ensure that your dog is tested and cleared of any of these diseases prior to breeding her. The sire you choose must also be health tested and and cleared. If the bitch is on limited register or not registered at all desex her. Bitches do not need to experience motherhood and actually have no maternal instincts at all except when they have puppies themselves, dogs are not like humans. If you love your dog and wish to keep her safe and happy the very best thing you can do for her is desex her. And believe me I do know what I'm doing.

Yes definitely don't leave kibble or any other food lying around and I'd ditch the canned food too, it's probably the worst thing to feed to a dog. Start by cutting the quantity you give her in half and give some in the morning and some at night. Also increase her exercise, she should be getting a good long walk every day and also some free running if she has good recall, springers are a working breed and need plenty of exercise and mental stimulation.

LOL I've just gone back and edited my post to read 'usually quickly outgrow' :rolleyes: