Melisski

Not sure if this has been mentioned yet (haven't read all the posts, so bear with me), but I think there is a difference between escaping eg. jumping the fence, and wandering out eg. if someone accidently left a gate open. My dogs could clear my fences, no worries (BCs). But they don't. However, if someone left the gate open they're go for a wander in an instant. They have food, water, shelter, and all the good things in life. Not left alone by themselves for long periods, highly obedience trained, extremely responsive and know their place in the pack. But as I said in the other thread, I'm not naive enough to think they'll hang around all day waiting for me.

I give my two Nylabones (the original ones, not the Gumabones which are softer). They're great for inside, Indy chews something other than my socks and they're not messy. One wolf size seems to last about three weeks, unless she has a mad chewing frenzy. They're also good because they keep her occupied for AGES and they're quiet, as opposed to her squeaky toys

Sounds like it's working then

Try this website, they have information on the books too http://www.drianbillinghurst.com/ I think you can also buy pre-made BARF patties etc., if you're worried about making them up yourself. There are a couple of members who do this, it might be worth sending them a message? Also check out these threads (that are on DOL anyway): BARF vs. Kibble thread http://www.dolforums.com.au/index.php?showtopic=62530&hl= Premium Dog Foods http://www.dolforums.com.au/index.php?showtopic=62342&hl= BARF Diet http://www.dolforums.com.au/index.php?showtopic=59731&hl= BARF patties http://www.dolforums.com.au/index.php?showtopic=58935&hl= There's heaps more, just do a search for 'BARF' on the forums (click the button in the right hand corner of the screen.) As for amounts, you might want to email some of the Great Dane breeders/owners listed on DOL, I'm sure some would be happy to help you out

Problem is though, if you go away or are ill and someone else has to feed them then they're unlikely to eat from a bowl. I feed my two seperately - one inside, one outside, and they can't see eachother. Neither is overly possessive about food, but Diesel is a slow eater whereas Indy scoffs hers. Bowls are taken away immediately after they're finished as the one and only time I forgot, Indy went to Diesel's bowl (which was empty) and he nailed her from about three metres away. She wasn't hurt, but nonetheless, I don't want any problems starting either. I'd really recommend feeding them in completely seperate areas, Isaviz. I can only imagine how hard it would be to seperate three grown GSDs fighting over their food bowls.

Personally, with a Great Dane I'd be inclined to try either a BARF diet or a better quality dry food, such as ProPlan, Euk, RC or Advance. I don't have a large breed but I'm pretty sure you want to make sure they grow slowly as well which means you have to be very careful with their diet. There's a couple of BARF books you should borrow/buy - I'm not a BARF feeder though so I'll leave that up to the experts. Maybe you could do a google search on BARF and/or feeding large breeds in general? Sorry I can't be of more help but I wouldn't want to advise you of the wrong thing!

And what experience do you have with KK, LM? I fail to see why you feel the need to give 'warnings' about other members likes or dislikes in regards to feeding. O-Ren asked for comments about the new PAL dry food, not your personal opinion of other member's employment oportunities. Perhaps you truly do mean well, but your posts come across otherwise. Emotions are not adequately conveyed throughout a forum/post and your original comment came across (to myself, and obviously to others) as condescending and catty. As for the original topic - It seems very colourful for a food with no artificial colours in it - like Goodos (sp?), certainly doesn't seem natural to me. Wasn't O-ren more hyperactive than when she was on BARF? I'd say (but I'm no expert) she's probably reacting to some preservative or something in the food (natural or not).

Same here. My two do very well on ProPlan (Border Collies). I would suggest you try one of the premium/super premium brands, and then find out what works best for your dog. Every dog is different, some do just fine on supermarket kibble whereas others (like mine) are a pain and like their expensive dinners :rolleyes:

With the down stay, I really wouldn't attempt it yet if you can't supervise her fully - if you can spend 5/10mins a day training her do it then (when your focus is on her!). Don't try to do it when you're occupied with the kids - it just means if she gets up and moves around after a minute you're basically letting her think she's allowed to do so. Maybe when she barks in the crate try squirting her with a bit of water/vinegar mix, if she's really annoying. Like SM said, do try to ignore her at first... but if not, squirt her. I've got a barker here too (Indy) and I've found the best way to stop it is to either ignore her, or when she really gets into it, make a really loud noise (eg. bang two pans together or something). It takes her by suprise and then she will stop. If she's occupied in the crate (eg. nylabones, a kong, anything) then she'll be too busy chewing to bark I had a GR/Lab cross who would chew for hours.

Eeek... I need to be able to pick more than one thing! What (meat) do you prefer feed your dogs?? Diesel and Indy get heaps of different sorts, breakfast is either raw chicken mince (with bones etc. included) or sardines in oil. Which dry food do you prefer? They're both on Purina ProPlan - Indy has just switched over from the Puppy formula onto Performance, but I'll have to watch her because she's a guts (Diesel, on the other hand, is impossible to keep weight on). So far we've tried them on Supercoat, Optimum, Purina One and now the ProPlan which seems the best by far. Which do you prefer to 'Add' To your dogs dinner Everything! Raw bones, chicken necks, chicken wings, lamb flaps/rosettes, kangaroo tails, natural yoghourt, flaxseed/fish oil, beef/chicken broth...

A 15 min down stay for a 9mth old dog might be a bit much... Try incorporating the crate during the day. Bring her inside, and put her in there with maybe a biscuit or chew toy to amuse her. Start off with only small period (eg. 5 - 10 minutes) and build it up. You might want to bring the crate into the family room during the day so she can still watch what it going on but not be in the way as such. You may find after a while she will start to go in there herself during the day for a snooze or whatever (which is good). Basically it means you can contain her inside (and stop the barking) without having to watch her 24/7. As long as you're not crating her all day she should be fine, just make sure she's got something to amuse herself with. Basically, the crate becomes 'her place' ALL the time, not just at bedtime. Like having her own room I agree with the walking also. Even if you can only walk her for 10 - 15 minutes some days, it's better than nothing. If you do it in the morning it'll wear her out a bit (hopefully) for the rest of the day.

That's so nice of you to say! Why is it that you think I do not have the right to defend myself and my opinions? ;) I'm entitled to express my views and I'm not actually attacking an individual here but addressing my comments in a general, non-threatening manner. If only everyone else could find the same courtesy in their responses, this forum would be a much nicer and more welcoming place to spend time. Is it wrong that I love animals so much? Is it wrong that I'm compassionate? It's not that your expressing your opinion, LM. It's that you seem to feel the need to express it when it's irrelevant to the thread and won't benefit the OP, or the GSP, or anyone else for that matter. I'm not one for hunting myself but don't see the need to bring it up at every opportunity ;) How is your pup going, Angelo?? Has she settled in a bit more now? I know it is hard, especially when she's been with other dogs the rest of her life. My BC pup was with her breeder until she was 4 months old, and has never been by herself (I have another dog here too). The first few times I left her to take my boy to obedience she carried on like a banshee

I like mine to look well cared for, although not necessarily pristine. They slobber all over each other constantly so it's a bit of a no-win situation in most cases. As long as they're shiny and tangle free, they're pretty much left to their own devices. Mind you, Diesel's just getting back coat and Indy's just starting to get her proper coat through so they both look a bit manky at the moment. But, the black is black and the white is well... mostly white... with a bit of green and brown :D

I had originally had Diesel on a limited slip style collar, but it had absolutely no effect whatsoever. I think, for a lot of people (like me) I essentially needed to be able to control him before I could work on the problem. Mind you, I never intended to continue to use the head collar so maybe that makes a difference as well? Essentially I did only use it as a management tool rather than a quick fix. Problem is, the majority of dog owners have no idea and that's when they use a head collar as a quick fix, and don't actually put any further effort or training into the dog. Now, if you wanna come to my house and train my pup to walk nicely on a lead, I'd be very grateful she's a terror. Have you got any more articles on actual leash training etc?? Or should I just drop her off at your house and come back later?? Having said that, are you planning on doing any seminars around the ACT region any time? Plllllllleeeassssseee? ETA: Sorry for hijacking your thread, miss whippy

I can see you've had differing opinions on this one, but in my experience, yes, it works. I began teaching Diesel on a flat collar and in a low distraction area, he was fine (no pulling, although he does wander around - mind you I am only talking about going for walks). However, when we began formal obedience training when he was 6mths old (high distraction) he started pulling all the time and honestly it became really hard to not get frustrated with him. I got him a BlackDog head collar (my obedience club has all the BlackDog products) and it worked a treat. He didn't sulk like I thought he would and started to respond to subtle changes in direction etc. Now, six months later, I no longer use the head collar - for either walks or formal training. He walks to heel during obedience, and I allow him to wander when on walks within the length of my 'walking' lead (about 2.5metres). I found that it probably helped that I only used it for formal training, as well. I don't want a dog that constantly walks at heel and it seemed to make him realise that training and walks were two different things. I'm not saying the head collar fixed it - rather it allowed me to manage his pulling until I was able to train him to heel properly without it. I think if I hadn't got the head collar I would've got so shitty at him for pulling I probably wouldn't have continued with the obedience. All up, he probably only wore it for 2 months, then 2 months of head collar on but lead attached to flat collar (slowly increasing the level of distractions) and then a further two months of 'proofing' him to heel in the correct position etc. etc.