BoxerB

Exactly! You're not going for a walk on a nice bush track or down the beach. We're all fine popping in to the supermarket without our dogs, i'm sure we'll all be fine (and i'm pretty sure most of our dogs will be too) going to Bunnings without them.

Another vote for world for pets. One of the few places that has Turkey necks!

Completely agree re price. Some brands have some pretty awesome marketing teams and spend a lot of effort justifying prices regardless of ingredients. As i mentioned in my earlier post though, be cautious of imported dog food. Have a read on irradiation and dog food in Australia. Irradiated cat food has been banned in Australia but not dog food, (however i think it needs to be labelled, can't remember). Not in anyway suggesting this is applicable to the brands mentioned here, just asking that people do their research. At the end of the day, alot of what is being discussed here is what led me to raw. I control the ingredients :)

Agree with what others are saying around feeding whatever is best for your dog, however one thing i will say is that there are some foods with higher quality ingredients than others. Do some research on what ingredients tend to make up the typical dry dog food, and in turn which ones are seen as higher quality. Personally i fed Wellness when i was feeding dry food, and stayed away from grain heavy foods, but am now on raw food only. Also, some imported foods have fantastic natural ingredients, however did some reading which suggested that the importing process can destroy some nutrients.

Just a general recommendation for those in Sydney. I'm not affiliated with these guys at all, just a happy customer. Its a 1hr round trip for me, but raw selection is great so I make the effort. Especially bones. Plus one of the few places I have found that have Turkey necks!! Went in on Saturday, and they surprised me further now stocking naturally fallen Antlers to use as chews. http://www.world4pets.com.au/

Pretty much the same here. Having a breed at risk of bloat, i do twice a day as well. 7:30-8:30am and then 5:30-6:30pm

Thanks guys, appreciate all the info. I knew Canley was also owned, to date anyway, by the Gills, however as mentioned its the distance. Too many very heavy traffic roads between me and it. Its fine when i have nothing to do, but would prefer something much closer. I'll take a look into some of those mentioned and will see what other reviews i can find around the web. Cheers Bobby

Jumped on their website this morning, and there's a message saying they have closed down, referring everyone to a vet in Canley Heights Hate when this happens, now i have to find a vet close by and start again!! Any recommendations for Liverpool area? Canley Heights is not a days drive away, but in traffic, can be 30mins + from where i am and with kids, and sports, i need somewhere 10mins away

Great question! Not sure i can really add any value, and don't think its one you'll get a definite answer on, but for what its worth, I'm doing my best to stick to an all natural diet with unprocessed foods, and adding supplements when needed. Have read in a lot of forums the same advice you got on the Pug forums. Keep dogs lean, keep food natural, keep them fit and happy. When it comes to medication/vaccines, I'm also starting to ask the vet is it really necessary to get him on medications straight away after visiting for a whatever issue, and you might be surprised how many times they may say using medication will accelerate healing, but there's no issue with letting it sort itself out - NOT ADVICE FROM ME, speak to your vet :) I learned with my kids, that sometimes you don't need to rush straight for antibiotics, and knock on wood, since i have taken that approach, they seem to have developed stronger immune systems.

Any suggestions guys for an "all round" all day type coat? something they can sleep in, but also be outside in during winter? My dog loves being outside, and is not fussed with the rain, but as it gets colder want to ensure he's got a bit of protection from the elements.

Providing an exact quantity is very hard as each dog could differ with what they'll eat. Disco's guide above is a great starting point. The one thing with raw though, is to ensure you slowly introduce each protein one at a time. Going from kibble, straight into a full on raw diet over night can play havoc with the dog. Most people start off with just chicken for the first 14days, then start an alternate of chicken and a new protein for the next week, and so on and so forth. Things like liver and organs are very very rich, so i personally stayed away from them for a while. Don't freak out when your dogs gets the runs once you start adding these for the first time. In my case, i also don't feed the exact 80/10/10 split every meal, but try do that split over the course of a week.

Poor thing, my Boxer looked similar when he got into one of the succulents in the back yard. Luckily it wasn't one of the poisonous ones, but it definitely made his eye droopy and he actually had a few bumps pop up on his body.

This is probably a silly question, but any advice on where i can take my dog (1 1/2 yr old male Boxer) to "play" with other dogs? The key is somewhere where i know the owners are responsible? Anywhere between Penrith and say Sutherland in Sydney. I'm not a fan of dog parks, partly because the area i live in has a lot of big dogs with owners with not so big brains. And i simply don't trust other owners. Its not a breed issue, its the owner issue that worries me. So i want to avoid dog parks, but want him to socialise with other dogs. Does anyone know of any groups or meetups where people get together for dogs to play in a "private" setting? I'm actually thinking of hiring a private dog park once a week to get a group together. Its not expensive and well worth the safer environment. There's a kennel in Luddenham that hires out their dog park if booked. any thoughts?

I actually agree with that, and don't get me started on cyclists :) What i was trying to say was that, an oncoming person would have no idea that my dog loves to play and sometimes that can mean in an over-exited state he will jump up to say hello. Therefore its up to me and me only to ensure i never put a member of the public and my dog in that situation. Once he's trained out of it, he can say hello. Until then he's by my side.

Couldn't agree more! My Boxer being a boxer is a jumper. Never anything but playful, however when ever being walked, anytime we approach or are near others, he is put on the other side and leash is reigned in so he is right by my side. Its my job to protect him and others. Not someone who happens to be on the same footpaths job to ensure they're taking precautions.

Have you looked into Kangaroo? Very lean, and a red meat replacement for beef. I personally haven't seen any allergy issues and feed a mix of beef/roo as part of every day meals. Do chicken every second day or so. Have never really fed beef on its own.

And if this came to a law suit, i would hope the judges ruling, would heavily involve the terms - "You are wasting my time, go away"

Chalk it up to an accident and get on with life. No one's at fault, no one set out for that to happen, no one had any intention for the dogs to run into the lady's legs. It was in an off leash area. A very famous philosopher once said "Sh!t Happens"

Can't stand that term.

Balloons!!! No fear of any motorised vehicles, thunder, lightening, loud bangs. Nothing moves him. Except Balloons!!

this scares me a fair bit, as generally the Boxer falls in the "next" on the list category. I know for example Boxer's have been banned/restricted in some European countries. Given their powerful build i wouldn't be surprised. I would though be devastated!

I actually kinda agree with this. The carpack/train bit is fdef silly, but the rest, it just sounds like an energetic dog letting lose. If thats not acceptable, then whats the solution? Only dogs that walk around slowly right next to their owners are allowed in off leash areas? Kinda defeats the purpose though doesn't it? I don't frequent them often, but when i do, its so he's got a bit of freedom to wander/explore. If i wanted him next to me not doing anything, i would have him on the leash. just my 2c

Here's some info from a book/study that was done. Not sure i agree with the rankings though. It has the Boxer down at 48. This is completely wrong. Eg when my boy has gas, he'll get up from where he's lying down, walk over next to us, let one rip, then go back to where he was. If thats not intelligence, I'm not sure what is! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Intelligence_of_Dogs

I find that serving up some things frozen also helps the chewing process in some cases. Eg turkey necks. I used to give our Boxer chicken necks as a small pup, and then moved to turkey necks. One week the place i usually get the necks from ran out, so went back to fresh chicken necks. Being a big boy, put a dozen or so in his bowl, by the time i filled his water bowl they were gone. An hour or so later, he was bringing them all up one by one, and then decided he had to chew them :) Was quite funny, and he didn't seem phased. If anything he got to eat them twice so looked quite happy. But on a serious note, i won't feed him chicken necks anymore, they're just too small and are perfect for him to inhale in one go. Anything else he's fine with, its just the size and shape of chicken necks :)

Personally i think thats a trickier question that the first one. Some will tell you mixing it up plays havoc on their stomachs, others will say they do it without an issue. Personally, I've avoided mixing, and since switching to raw as a pup, have fed soley raw and nothing else. And good on you for staying with the bones. Your dog will love you for it :)