Her Majesty Dogmad

It can give them the runs but one of mine is OK on two raw eggs a week, noone likes the shells though ...

Are they desexed? They will probably adjust over time to play without hurting each other. The ears and neck are the main areas they seem to play with, at least from what I've experienced with young dogs.

Spaniels are part of the gundog (bird dog) (someone correct if I'm wrong) family. I'm not sure about Poodles (I have a silky terrier probably crossed with a poodle) and she'd certainly kill a bird or a cat if she got hold of it. It's a natural instinct with many. My friends owned a Pointer (also from the gundog family of dogs) and he killed birds, they stupidly brought a cockatiel into the house, forgot to shut the door when they went out and the Pointer killed it, bent the bars of the cage to get at it. Nothing to do with human aggression and that is extremely unlikely ever to occur. Doesn't mean the dog is bad, it is just driven by instinct. Make your chickens more secure.

I looked at this procedure for my boy who needs his doing every few weeks. I decided against it as it was risky with regards to faecal incontinence and he's a house dog. We just keep going to the vet on a regular basis and I've since added sweet potato and other moist things to his diet (he's got IBS and probs with anal glands are very common).

Is Buffy your dog?

Flea treatment needs to go on once a month and baths in the meantime may affect it's efficacy. I've had many dogs like this. It will get better but my current foster ended up having to go to the vet in spite of my best efforts and cortisone cream twice a day was prescribed. After 2 months which included a Malaseb bathing regime, her hair had grown back and she is now on normal monthly flea treatments - I use Advocate. When their skin is red raw, best not to put flea treatments on it I find as it is very delicate and sore. I give them Proban tablets for fleas, Proban is available from the vet. Feed the dog with a little fish oil on the dinner at night, I also give them sardines for breakfast each morning when they are like this.

Either the meds or the dosage needs revising possibly? I have an old foster girl who had exactly the same problem, it happened wherever she slept and in the car. She was on Stilboestrel for a few months but then it happened again, increased the intake and it's OK now. There is another medication you can try which I think is Propalin??? Someone correct me if that's wrong. More expensive but in some cases, more effective. I wouldn't be shutting her in anywhere, my old chook drinks and pees a lot more than she used to. However, I also have a 16 year old girl who pees on anything on the floor. Had to take up all my carpets and if I drop anything like clothes or one of the dog's coats comes off while I'm out - it's a target for her. She doesn't have incontinence but she does have dementia! She drinks a lot more than she should simply because she forgets that she's just had a drink ... She has also peed in the car on occasion so I have to keep trips very short now.

My dogs hate all the brands you've mentioned, I've tried most of them. The one that almost all of them have liked have been the following - Royal Canin, a healthy brand (lost the packet) which is the only one you can buy off www.pricelesspets.com.au and a new one by VIP I think. It's in foil packets in a large box and in Turkey or Lamb flavours - all little biscuits. Available in the supermarket.

Is he desexed yet? I've never had trouble training a foxy or jack type - super smart and boys always willing to oblige which makes this method much easier! I've been successful with over 40 dogs in 4 years with this method. If this doesn't work I'd worry that there is a medical problem. Try this: HOUSETRAINING TIPS Ok - first thing to do is decide on the command (I call it “do wees”) you will repeat over and over. You have to really focus on the dog for about 2-3 days to be successful. You have a pocketful of special treats on hand all the time for the first 2-3 days. Walk the dog several times a day and every time the dog wees, you get very excited and keep saying “Good boy/girl, do wees, do wees” – give the dog treats every time. First thing in the morning, last thing at night and every time you see the dog eat or drink (both precursors to weeing) whisk the dog into the garden and repeat the command “do wees”. Get very excited and present treats every time dog goes. The dog’s aim in life is to please you. If the dog should have an accident inside the house – say NOTHING at all. The dog soon gets the idea that when he/she goes outside you are really, really pleased and he/she gets rewarded. NB: Please note that the smell of urine must be properly removed for any housetraining to be successful. There are products on the market such as “Urine Off” but they are very expensive. A mix of white vinegar and water is a much cheaper alternative and should work for tiles and other surfaces although you should always take care with wood etc. For carpet/rugs, I use either a mixture of Napisan/water or bicarb of soda and water. I completely soak the stain using a dab on technique with a cloth. When it is very wet, I use an old towel to soak up the excess moisture. Again, be careful on any expensive carpet/rug, I have never had any problems but I cannot guarantee any method here.

I went through something similar with one of my dogs and he ended up being diagnosed (a long time and a lot of $$$ later) with inflammatory bowel disease.

So sorry for your loss, a very hard time to go through no matter what the circumstances. Look after yourself.

Dominance behaviour, something you need to address. Be careful this behaviour doesn't escalate and cause something like the following to occur. A lady with a BC cross in our local park who always urinated on her if she stood still, sat down etc., picked up one of my little dogs for a cuddle. Before I could do anything, her BC x leapt up and attacked my foxie, knocked me over, I fell backwards and my little dog got away from him only to be chased by a kelpie x and a Bernese, all 3 chased him until the kelpie x got him in HIS MOUTH. The other owners did nothing whilst I ran screaming my lungs out prepared to fight for my dog. It shocked the kelpie x and the others and he dropped my dog who was bright enough to run for his life. Did the woman learn? No, the first time I went back a few months later (this incident shook me up and left my dog traumatised for a long time), she went to pick up one of my other dogs .... luckily I stopped her in time but I haven't gone back to this park again.

So many things wrong with the scene you are describing. The others have said it all. The dog is still a puppy, it's the best time to train a dog. However, most breeds are excitable at this age and some breeds remain excitable once they pass the puppy years anyway - think Jack Russells and foxies. Smacking a dog and saying "No" is not the right way to train. Do dogs speak English??? No. Do they smack each other??? No. None of this is the dog's fault. I have posted on some many threads about these sorts of problems. Responsible ownership starts with having a well trained dog - this is achievable NO MATTER the age of the dog. It just takes time and commitment. Are you walking the dog? Dogs at this age should be walked for at least an hour a day.

What a handsome dog. So sad for your loss.

I have a rescue dog with perforated eardrums through years of neglect. You have to be careful about drops in there that's for sure. Some perf eardrums don't close over - my dog's haven't.

The little boy in my avatar - Echo - was desexed when I adopted him from the pound in May. He turned out to be a chronic humper too, nothing would put him off - it was both me and the other dogs!!! If I sat on the sofa for a second, he was on my arm and going for broke. Having not had that problem, I sought advice and got the squirt him in the face with water technique - it took about a week but he was cured!!!

Doggie Rescue has quite a few dogs that would be great at agility - all crossbreeds!

Kittyhawklee - could just be a one off, my guys have had this happen from time to time!

I consider myself very lucky if all I need is the vaccination/annual check. I'm at the vets at least once a month with mine ....

persephone is right. I have tiles throughout and only clean them with gentle hypo allergenic floor wash, never use chemicals just in case. Working in kennels, I have seen quite a few dogs get a skin problem with the chemicals they use there.

Many vets have a picture of it, try googling it as well. It has shiny green leaves that aren't that big but not small either, it has shiny green stalks. I had no idea what it was until someone pointed it out - you just can't believe what 1 sprig can do. Dogs are attracted to it as well.

I have a few thougths on this as I have itchy dogs too! Have you got any Wandering Jew in your garden? Even 1 sprig of it can cause heaps of itching and it grows prolifically if left unattended. What you are describnig sounds like a contact cause. One of mine has been itching for a couple of days - found 4 sprigs across a large area in a raised border, have to go up there at least once a week to try and keep it in check but one brush against it is all it takes!!! My dear departed foxy was actually allergic to grass and frequently had sore legs/stomach from contact with certain kinds of grass. Some dogs only need one flea bite and they can't stop scratching. Don't wash the dog within 48 hours either side of flea treatment. Malaseb is harsh, I have one dog that is always chewing her feet. Washed her in Malaseb and she was far worse so have gone back to Aloveen. I don't put flea treatment on her because I feel it can worsen things. I put her on Proban (flea treatment in tablet form) and that seems better for her at least.

Another youngster, so sorry to hear this tragic news, life sucks sometimes

So very young, it's tragic whenever we lose our babies but far worse when we are cheated of the expected years ....

My first thoughts would have been he was trying to gain her attention for some reason, eg a game - my dear little foxy used to do this with me when he'd lost his ball in a place he couldn't reach himself!!!