Jed

Sounds as if someone stole her. I hope they get her back.

I don't have all the answers. He is under stimulated, and under exercised. A walk is not enough for some dogs. YOu may need to have him inside more, play with him more, and challenge his mind more, as well as exercising him more. Desexing will not reduce or prevent this behaviour. Dexexing does reliably prevent dogs having pups 100%, but it does not reliably prevent or stop anything else.

Why are you in Hervey Bay and asking for dog coats for Broken Hill? Just curious?

I think you should take her to your repro vet. If the waters have broken, and nothing else has happened, it isn't all good. It does seem rather early, but on the other hand, some bitches do whelp early.

The truth is in realising that each dog is an individual, and methods which work on one dog will not work on another, and being knowledgable and humble enough to know which is which, imho.

I think a really important thing with pugs is to ensure that you go to a reputable, knowledgable breeder, who is well respected. Do the research to find out which breeders tick the boxes, and approach them. There seems to be a fine line between healthy and not healthy, and a lot of the problems seem to be due to some conformation fault. Pugs seem to be either fine, or horrible, and it seems to depend on how they were bred, and how good the parents were. Here is a link to the US Pug Club and some information on health http://www.pugs.org/indexhealth.htm

Great food. One of the few dry foods I would even consider. I fed it for - a year maybe? - dogs did really well on it. I am not a fan of dry food. I believe the manufacturers do it properly.

Disgusting. What a nasty way to die - and it would have taken a lot of rocks to fatally injure a calf. *shakes head*

Sunnyflower, the incidence of SM in Cavaliers in Australia is believed to be 2%. Not much consolation when you have lost a dog to SM, but the odds are against you having another with SM. You can go for another breed, and find the pup you choose has a problem too. It is just bad luck. If you want a Cavalier, simply go to someone who is "safe", who knows the risks, and who breeds carefully. I have never seen SM. I have 4 generations of my own breeding at home. I needed to buy a dog, and chose a kennel which is owned by the health nazi, so I hope I will never see SM. And I am not the only one. But --- there are no guarantees. Buy carefully. Hardly any breeders in Aust are testing parents for SM - but even an A rating does not guarantee that the pups will be clear, although it does seem more likely that they will be clear. Cockers are too big for lap dogs. If you must have another breed - think about Shih Tzus - personality oozing out of them. Tibetian Terriers too, but they may be too large for your requirements. As ever, buy from someone reputable, who knows the liklihood of problems, and who has taken steps to guard against them. Good luck!!

scam

1frame per day for a cocker. If the cocker is getting fat after 2 weeks, reduce to 1/2. There is no need for any other food on that day. If the dog cant't/wont eat a full frame cut in half, and feed 1/2 frame. Heaps better than dog roll!!

Yes, ari.g, minced frames. The Lenard ones are sometimes a bit "off", but other butchers do them too. Is the boxer eating as much as she wants? About 1/2kg a day is about right, but some eat more, some less. If the dog is not fat, I would let her eat as much as she wants. Chicken has a reasonable amount of fat on it. More than some of the beef varieties. boxmeupboxer, I had one girl who, if left inside, got up on the dressing table, pushed everything onto the floor, and then stripped the bed to the mattress, balled up the bedding in the middle of the floor and lay on top of it. Needless to say, she was only left inside a couple of times. I could write a book on the evil things they have done. Conversely, I have had a couple who didn't ever do anything wrong as pups and teenagers. The one I have now was very good, but has found the dark side recently.

Thanks boxmeupboxer, I wish everyone getting a boxer was told that, or given it in written form before they go home with the pup. The issue with the other dog is jealousy, perhaps. I don't believe in dog-beating (although I sometimes feel like it!!), but I do verbally correct, and I would try to watch when husband's dog came close, and put her into sit and stay - or hold her - every single time. I think once they realise they are in the tin, they will stop, even if it is something they really like to do. Just need to make her understand. Not only do boxers love gardening, moving the irrigation, doing drainage projects, and a little wood-turning, but they love helping with the housework too, which I why I came home last night to find all the washing had been taken off the line!! I actually think some of this is punishment for us for leaving them. Some are more into punishment than others. No positive training for them!! Boxers generally mature about 2, and once they have physically finished growing, they put on weight and musce. Some mature earlier. You can probably fatten her with stuff like mutton flaps, bone in chicken mince, a sheep heart a week, a bit of liver once a fortnight. Dry food often doesn't work with a lot of boxers, they do better on raw food with lots of meat. You could also give her the fat (from when you cook steak or a roast). You need 40% fat in the food to be any good.

Fantastic!!!

Pups can pass worms without being wormed. However, as you have wormed you pup, the most likely cause is the wormer happening. If you are seeing worms in the droppings, there are probably a lot of worm eggs, and you should worm him every 2 weeks until he is 12 weeks old. I always use Drontal on pups, with good results, but everyone has their preferences, so you will get a lot of different opinions. :)

Puppies are wormed every 14 days because that is in synch with the worm cycle. You worm them, but the eggs are still in the dog, and hatch, so the next worming takes care of them. Sometimes you do get them all. Vomiting could be a response to the wormer. If the pup is well, eating and not vomiting, I would think he is ok now, and probably all worms are dead.

Umm, and makes you want to lick your fingers when it is cabanossi or - guacamole :laugh: (sorry!!)

Michael Bell states that hernias are hereditary, but he has not cited any studies proving this. I have yet to see a study which states they are hereditary, yet vets say they are. There must be some information somewhere, surely.

Every single time!! YOu need a word ' settle " - "gently " - something, so they know to stop. If you dont stir them until they are obedient, you have no trouble with them. They love to do what you want, you just need to explain.

It doesn't matter whether your dog was the alpha or the pusher in the litter, what matters is that you begin training on the 2nd day after he arrives at your house. And you never never razz the boxer, or stir him up, until you have given him an "off" button, and he will reliably obey you. When he is obedient, you can razz him up all you like, and then you can say "stop" and he will. And socialise him. This is a serious guard dog - he has a nice nature, but he is a guard, he has been a very good war dog (for the wrong side, LOL) and he is well able to see off any perceived threats, so make sure he goes out and meets other dogs when he is a little bloke. Make sure he understands he is to be friendly. Some big grown up boys can be seriously scary with other dogs, make sure yours isn't one of them. Train, train, train, socialise, socialise, socialise. And don't razz him. I wrote this years ago - it is in the breed sub forum - and boxers havent changed ... Boxers are not hyper. They are happy, enthusiastic, exuberant, affectionate, devoted to their owners, happy to please, love to be trained, do not always do 100% what you ask, because sometimes they know a better way, but they understand, and they like you to spend time with them. They can be as silly or as serious as you wish. This is a dog which spends his whole life trying to please you, and care for you and yours in the best way he can. They do not need heaps of exercise - a run or a walk or a bit of ball or frisbee chasing is enough for your average boxer. However, if you are a jogging or biking maniac, the dog will keep up with you. To make your boxer hyper, start when you first get him. Flap your hands in front of his face a lot, jump up and down, make funny noises, encourage him to jump up on you and then whack him when he jumps on your Sunday-go-to-Meeting dress, let the kids tease him, and encourage him to chase them around and jump on them. Rough house him a bit, wrestle with him, he'll growl and carry on and behave like a two bob watch, but he sure is having a good time. Don't bother socialising him with other dogs either, boxers like other dogs, and there's really no need to train him much, he's pretty bright, he likes you, he'll get it. Leave him in the yard a lot too, and don't point out the error of his ways to him, so he is not sure how to behave. That will make him even more hyper, because you always laugh when he does that, so when he is not sure what he ought to do, he'll be hyper trying to please you. Remember too, that he is soon going to weight around 30 kg, most of it solid muscle, encapsulated in a very agile and athletic body, but until he is about 2, he will have the mind of a baby, and will behave like one, so when he jumps through the window, knocks the village preacher to the ground, slobbers all over him and eats his hymn book, he's only doing what he believes is right. What pleases you. Start walking him when he is 9 months old, and he'll be so enthusiastic about all those new sights sounds and smells, he'll pull like a train. You wont be able to hold him. so, you'll have a 30kg hyper boxer that is a complete pain in the neck, the kids wont play with him, he'll have to be tied up when visitors come, and he'll jump all over you and just about scratch you to death. Because he thinks that is how he should do it. and - he'll spend the rest of his life in the backyard, alone, sad, mournful, scratching his head, wondering why you don't like him any more, or he'll end up at the pound, or attacking other dogs, or untrainable, or pts. Or, he'll be so bored, he'll simply jump your fence every day until he gets run over. Recipe for a nice boxer and happy ownership Make sure you are smarter than the dog Treat him gently. Discourage him from jumping up Teach him to sit from the second day you have him Make sure you are smarter than the dog Give him lots of love and attention - gentle, quiet affection - don't slap him on the ribs or the head, stroke him, look into his eyes, tell him what a good dog he is. Teach him that he follows you through doors, that he doesn't knock you or the kids over. Make sure you are smarter than the dog to wait to be invited into the car Let him meet other dogs when he is a baby Let him meet cats, chooks and birds when he is a baby Discourage him from chasing other animals or people Call him off when his behaviour is over the top, sit him, and praise him. Don't play rough games with him. Lead train him at home, without distractions. Praise him lavishly. Chastise him gently when he has done wrong. Be consistent. Don't treat him like a fool, or he will be one. Remember he is a gentle, loving soul, who thrives on praise and attention, and is only happy in the company of his family. Then - when he hits two, you can rough-house him all you like, coz you will have an "off" button - Boxers love contact games. We have a couple here - one is the one where you lie on the floor with a towel over the head, and the boxer tries to get it off - with realistic growling and snarling noises. this game is made better if you rip aside the towel from time to time and says "boo", which makes any boxer totally frenzied. Hiding is the second game. YOU hide and the boxer finds. When the boxer has found, jumping up and behaving like a two bob watch is encouraged. Chasing is a good one - you can chase the boxer, or the boxer will chase you! Over the bed, into the bath, into the yard - anywhere you like!! When your face is red, you are lying in a pool of sweat with your eyeballs hanging down your cheeks from exhaustion, and the boxer is jumping up and down, tongue hanging around his knees, waiting for you to move so he can jump on you again, you can say "Enough" and he will settle. This breed is a companion guard dog - that is what he was bred for, and that is what he does best - he is not a herder, a retriever, a pointer or a sled dog. His only interest in life is you. He is bold, he is brave, he looks you in the eye with sincerity and friendship. He does take some understanding. He probably wont start any quarrels, but he's happy to finish them!! Character and temperament are as important in the Boxer standard as conformation. If you want to own a boxer, keep that in the forefront of your mind. You are the sun in his universe, you hold his behaviour in your hand, he will behave exactly as you want him to - no matter what that is. He's not obedient like a border collie, he was made to make his own decisions, and he will sometimes think you are a bit of an idiot, and do it his way. Mostly there is method in his madness, if you will only see it. If you want a 100% obedient dog, don't get a boxer. He will be obedient in all the important ways. Boxers don't do well in obedience, because once they have done it, they can't see much point in it, and are just as likely to trot beside the cones, off lead, as through them - "see, quicker this way mum, you come too." He is not a dog for everyone. He is called the "clown of the dog world" and he is a clown in his friendly, happy, funny outlook, as he tries to please you, but once the chips are down, you couldn't wish for a better guardian of you, your family, or your home. He rarely bites without good cause, and he does not bark much, he is a quiet achiever. Buy him from a proper and reputable registered breeder, and see the parents.

Ashley Reid gives show training lessons, and is used to boxers. I think it would be worth asking him if he could help - or if he knows anyone who can. Someone needs to assess what he is actually doing - whether he is being friendly or not - and show you how to handle it from there. No big deal. This is not what Ashley usually does, so he may refer you on. Shall find his phone no. for you :) Do take him to training. It will make such a difference, to him, as well as to you.

You need a Specialist. Yes, have been there, and no, it didn't heal properly

Hi booge, and welcome to the forum. Unfortunately, your breeder was very remiss in not telling you how to socialise and handle your dog when you bought him. This is the way a confident boxer with good nerve approaches other dogs. Unfortunately, not all dogs a boxer meets have good nerve, so they feel threatened. And he might be threatening them - it's impossible to tell without seeing him. Because this boy is 6, and you are asking, it is too late for you to do anything about it without help. You need help. You need help from a good, experienced trainer, used to boxers, or a boxer breeder. It can be fixed, just not via the internet. He can become a pleasure to take where there are other dogs - providing he is not seriously threatening. What state are you in? He should have met and interacted with lots of other dogs when he was young.

I've used it on a well dog. Dog was fantastic. Friend is an agent for it, and has lots of good stories about it. I would certainly try it on a dog with issues. I have thought I might take it myself, but never get around to ordering it.

Of course they want mandatory desexing. No dogs in 10 years then. And Mrs. Redman sounds like your usual card-carrying PETA member. Of course she doesn't like breeding, she doesn't want people to have pets. The 33% of dogs euthed in pounds would be old, sick and unsuitable dogs -- as per the RSPCA and other stats. *sigh* It is a harmless little hobby, keeping dogs. Dogs were made to be pets. Yet the loonies can't just leave them alone, they have to be trying to stop something harmless. I don't like the notion of calling "pets" "companion animals" as Ingrid wanted. It is much easier to ban "companion animals" than "pets". The word "pet" has entirely different connotations than "companion animal". A pet is a comfortable, friendly, family sort of a thing, a friend, a face licker for little kids, someone to talk to for the elderly and alone .... whole lots of things. Companion Animals are nothing much, and yes, easily dumped, and easily disposed of forever by wanting to neuter everything and anything.