Miranda

I agree with poodlefan 100%. I am a vegetarian myself, but I feed my dogs meat and bones and would never consider feeding them a vegetarian diet. I see that you have recently purchased a large breed puppy, I am assuming that you have been ethical and advised the breeder of your intentions and to be quite honest I'm surprised that they were prepared to sell you a dog. This topic was discussed a few months ago and I remember asking whether anyone had successfully bred and raised a litter of puppies using only foods derived from vegetarian sources and I received no responses. When someone can prove to me that they bred a vegetarian fed large or medium breed bitch and successfully reared the puppies to one year of age using no animal based products whatsoever I may change my opinions, but until then.................need I say more?

I've had quite a few dogs sleep on the bed on and off, never did me any harm at all. If you want your dogs sleeping on the bed then go for it, it's your bed after all, it's up to you who you have sleeping on it

Paspalum grass can cause allergies in dogs and is common in Melbourne, also Wandering Jew can cause allergic reactions and is also common in a lot of gardens.

A dog may appear to have normal movement, but can still have hip dysplasia. Just because it can move around, jump, get up and down etc. doesn't mean that its hips are normal. A dog with HD may show no signs at all until it starts to age and arthritis sets in causing pain and discomfort. Alaskan Malamutes are a large breed and are routinely x-rayed for hip and elbow dysplasia, a reputable breeder wouldn't dream of breeding from a dog that hadn't been scored. If the sire and dam of the litter haven't been scored I certainly wouldn't be buying a puppy. The fact that you don't want a show dog is irrelevant, show dog or pet every dog deserves a long and healthy life free from pain and if you are buying a puppy from unscored parents you have no way of knowing if your puppy is likely to develop HD or ED. HD can occur in a litter where both parents have normal hips, but it is much less likely. Registered breeders often have hip and elbow scores for dogs way back in the puppy's pedigree as well as for the sire and dam so they can also guarantee the hips of previous generations. I have no doubt that the people you are thinking of buying from love their dogs and want their puppies to go to good homes etc., but if they are not x-raying their breeding stock they aren't doing the right thing. They may be ignorant or they may just be unwilling to spend the money, but they certainly don't have the long term welfare of their puppies as a priority. It doesn't matter how well you screen your buyers, how much dietary advice you give, how much you want to be informed of the puppy's progress, if you are not x-raying you are NOT a responsible breeder. $650 is a lot of money to pay for an unregistered puppy from unscored parents, if I were you I would forget about this litter and buy from a registered breeder

A friend of mine went to him, apparently he's quite expensive and has very old, outdated ideas about training dogs, tends to train negatively not positively. She didn't finish her course, didn't like him at all. Her dog was a bit aggressive with other males and apparently the guy made him worse. She was really p****d off 'cos I think she had to pay up front. If someone's been to him and thought he was great, that's ok, no flames please, everything I've heard about him is hearsay, I've never been to him myself :D

Thanks for that Sky I'll look forward to any further posts on the subject Regarding your puppy, feeding some lamb or chicken will be fine, I wouldn't bother with the rice though, there is already enough cereal in the dry food.

No-one actually knows what causes it and although most veterinarians suspect a genetic predisposition, nutrition and growth rates can also play a part. Nutrition is of primary importance in the rearing of giant breeds and keeping puppies lean and slowing growth by feeding foods with a lower protein content are thought to help in reducing the incidence of the disease.

Can anyone tell me which vets stock Innova in Melbourne? Also how much is it and what sized bags are available? I have been interested in it for a long time, but haven't bought any because of the PP connection.

Hi erin_01, Your boy could have Wobblers Syndrome, I suggest you do a Google search and read up about it. Great Danes are particularly prone to this condition.

I feed mainly green leafy vegetables and orange vegetables such as carrots or pumpkin. I have heard that kelp can intensify colour although I'm not sure if it actually darkens it. I have never used it personally so this is just hearsay

I have four dogs weighing between 30/37 kgs. I feed Eagle Pack, meat, liver, eggs, canned fish, yoghurt, vegies, chicken wings/frames/necks, brisket bones, marrow bones and pigs ears. All the meat and bones are human grade. I probably spend about $70 a week on food, but I don't keep to a budget so I'm not 100% sure.

I used to remove dew claws at 2/3 days, but I won't be doing it with this next litter. None of my dogs have ever injured their dew claws and although they look better without them this is just a cosmetic reason so I've decided to leave them on.

Bump

Bump so that Roxiekda will see it.

OMG I have no answer to that You could recommend that they groom the puppy on a table, just make sure that it's non-slip ie. put a towel on it or something like that. They will find it much easier than trying to groom it on the ground. Hopefully some pom breeders will respond with '101 reasons'

harminee31, why do they want to clip the dog, is it because they don't know how to groom it or because they don't want to groom it?

I know I'm a show person and obviously look at things differently to the average dog owner, but I will never, ever, understand why people choose to own a coated breed and then clip all the hair off. It never ceases to amaze me. I can understand people trimming their dogs to keep them neat and tidy, but those who buy a profusely coated breed and then shave it right off to the skin If they don't have the time and/or inclination to look after its grooming needs why buy a coated breed at all? A short coated breed would be much more suitable. I suppose it's a case of 'fluffy puppy looks cuter syndrome' in most cases.

I was like that for a long time Meriment then one day I took the plunge and bought them and gave them to the dogs. No problems and the dogs love them

Wow that's a good price curlyking, I'll have to check them out next time we're over Dandenong way. Thanks for that

Hi Chez, My dogs get either wings and necks or chicken frames every morning and they never get constipated. Sometimes they will eat the whole knuckle off a marrow bone and then they poo pure white calcium, but they don't get them very often. I have sometimes found that older dogs (10+) can get constipated when fed a lot of bone, but I've never had a problem with younger dogs. BTW the cheapest place for frames is the butcher just outside the mall in Mooroolbark, he also has wings for $1.99kg

I give whole frames too sus My dogs would also be classed as large. It takes the dogs about two minutes to eat them.

What day will you be there Alainnah? I'll be there on the 15th, 17th, 20th and 24th.

t-time no I don't use a slicker brush at all nor do I use a pin brush, at the moment I'm using a Plush Puppy anti-stat brush that I purchased at Sydney Royal (30% off ) and I'm finding it very good. I also have three combs, coarse medium and fine. However everyone uses different equipment so if you're happy with the gear you're using and getting the results you want stay with it Alainnah as I just posted I don't use a slicker brush at all, I actually can't stand the things and just use a bristle brush. I use a very fine comb and a stone to remove dead hair and for the topline. But grooming is an individual thing so if it suits you go for it. I buy clippers, blades and scissors from Mega Pet in Ringwood and I usually get brushes, combs etc. from Pet Network in Mitcham. Pet Network also have an online ordering service. Working Setters I'm currently using Roseline straight edge and thinning scissors, from memory they were around $150 each, but you can get cheaper brands that are still quite good. I don't know what's available in Brisbane, but you can get everything on the net if you can't find anything that suits. Just don't buy a 'no name' pair for $40 'cos I can guarantee that they won't last and they won't be nice to use. You can end up with callouses on your thumb using cheap scissors

Alainnah brush him on a table instead of on the ground, you can buy proper grooming tables, but any table will do, just make sure that you put something on it so that he doesn't slip. If you still have trouble purchase a grooming arm, these attach to the table with a clamp and have a noose (collar) which you put the dog's head into and it will stop him moving around while you groom him.

Wow t-time you'd die of hypothermia in Melbourne, quite often our summer day temperatures aren't much more than 20 degrees. You're spoiled