Miranda

I'm so glad I was an only child :D

For routine bathing, if you own the dogs and they are not too dirty I think it's fine to bath both dogs in the same water. As long as they're rinsed in clean water I can't see a problem. However if you're bathing for a show I think fresh water for each dog is a must.

Obviously you have small dogs lillysmum. I pay $110 for 15kg and I thought that was bad enough :rolleyes: One bag lasts me 4 weeks as they only get a little, I do try to raw feed as much as possible.

Eagle Pack Holistic.

Must say that I agree with lillysmum, I personally wouldn't feed either Bonnie, Supercoat or Coprice, way too high in cereal content for me, but unfortunately most of the cheaper kibbles always are as grain offcuts are ideal as a cheap filler.

Unlike Miranda, I don't think sending a dog to boarding and training is a "ridiculous" idea. Perhaps you don't realise, Miranda, that there are kennels who do provide the information and lesson to demonstrate and coach the owners to at least start them off in the right direction with their new trained dogs. The owners are also always told to call if there are any questions along the way. I think it is a ridiculous idea because the majority of the public have no way to tell if they're taking their dog to a reputable establishment or to some d******d who's just finished a six week training course and who's only ever owned one dog in his life. The gullible public usually have no idea of training methods whatsoever and they believe whatever these people tell them. You of all people must be aware of just how many 'expert' trainers and behaviourists are setting up in business all over Australia and how on earth are the general public going to know who is legitimate and knowledgeable and who is just trying to make money out of them. You only have to look at the success of 'The Dog Whisperer' and 'Barkbusters' to see how people are sucked in. Personally I would NEVER, EVER send my dog away for training. I just don't agree with it full stop. I guess you and I will have to agree to disagree on this point ETA that greyhound training is a completely different ballgame IMO and is not really relevant to this topic.

I would never send a dog away to be boarded and trained, it's something that I feel very strongly about. IMO it's a ridiculous idea as the owner needs to be trained in addition to the dog. Do you have any idea of the methods that these people used or what was done to the dog whilst it was undergoing training? (He has been pulling on the lead harder than before. Training should have eradicated this kind of behaviour.) Unfortunately training a dog just isn't this easy, training is an ongoing thing and expecting a perfectly behaved dog after one month seems pretty unrealistic to me. I'm not a trainer so I can't help you other than to say that it appears that your dog may well have been traumatised and very stressed whilst he was away from you. I'll be interested to hear the opinions of the dog trainers on this forum. I am very glad that you will not consider sending your dog away a second time.

I would recommend Eagle Pack large breed puppy. Personally I wouldn't use Supercoat, but that's JMO.

I agree, if this was my puppy I'd be extremely worried.

I'm so pleased that you've decided to go to Steve, that Dog Whisperer/Dogtech lot sound horrific. Steve is great :rolleyes:

I'm no dog trainer but this sounds dreadful Supposed to be tethered for two weeks???? OMG! I wouldn't let these people anywhere near my dogs. Please try K9, I've been to one of his workshops and he's brilliant.

If you must give medication you will probably find that ACP will be more appropriate under these circumstances. However I wouldn't recommend using either valium or ACP for grooming problems, don't you have a noose to attach to your grooming table? If the dog is really bad you could also use a sling.

Are you sure that your dog isn't picking up grass seeds? If any of my dogs develop a red lump between the toes it is always a grass seed which has embedded itself in the skin. After a while the seed will usually work its way out and in the process the lump will burst and bleed. In the grass seed season I check my dogs' feet for seeds on a daily basis.

Thanks Hedds

Hedds can you give me the name of your supplier please

If what you're feeding is working for you and your dogs then stick with it ;)

Continue to supervise them but give it some more time. Once he realises she's a girl dog you won't (shouldn't) have anymore problems

I would block off the fence so that he can't see the people and they can't see him. There is no way that I would leave my dogs in an area abutting a public reserve with only a cyclone fence in between them and any weirdo that might walk past. Anything might happen when you're not home, I wouldn't be allowing the dogs anywhere near that fence.

Working Setters when I lived in the country my dogs used to catch and eat entire rabbits, it all got digested except for the fur which came out in their poo and they were never healthier

I feed a meat on bone meal in the morning (chicken frame, necks, wings, brisket, lamb flap etc.), but I still feed a little kibble with their meal at night. Their evening meal consists of about 1 cup of Eagle Pack Holistic with meat + maybe cooked liver and veg or maybe sardines/mackerel or a raw egg. They also get yoghurt whenever we have it. They are all fit and healthy with nice healthy coats.

LOL wagsalot why on earth would anyone think you are a bad owner just because your dog's nails are a little long :rolleyes:

wagsalot your dog's nails look far too long IMO. Try just taking off a tiny bit at a time and do this every week until they're at an acceptable length. If you know someone who has a grooming table with an arm ask if you can use it, with the dog's head immobilised you should be able to cut his nails easily. If he still struggles ask someone to hold his rear end as well. If you do accidently cut the quick (which is unlikely if you only take a bit at a time) don't panic as it's no big deal, put the nail into a soft cake of soap and it'll stop bleeding almost immediately. However cutting the quick may make your dog even more anxious when you try to do it the next time. It is always best to start grooming your dog when they're babies, brushing, cleaning ears, blow drying, clipping and cutting nails should all be part of their routine from a very young age, even if they don't need it at the time. If you start grooming your dog from say, eight weeks on, the dog will accept these procedures as just a part of life and you'll have no trouble whatsoever.

One of my dogs absolutely loves to be vacuumed, she comes running up as soon as I get it out and practically begs for it. I don't know that it does much, maybe takes out the dust and a bit of loose hair, but obviously she loves the feel of it. My other dogs disappear as soon as I open the cupboard where 'it' lives

Sorry, but this is a fallacy, there is more than enough biotin in egg yolk to counteract the avidin found in the white, you would have to feed your dogs a lot of raw eggs before you'd see any ill effects. An egg is a complete package and is best fed raw, a couple of raw eggs a week won't do your dog any harm whatsoever.

Thanks very much Lablover and Steve for a most informative and enjoyable day. It was great to meet everyone and their dogs. Unfortunately I too had to leave early , but I certainly learned a lot while I was there