littlesev

Have you tried using a booster car seat? It helps mine with car sickness. The only way he rides without an incident is if he gets to look out the window.

I think that this is merely a misunderstanding that can easily be straightened out with proper communication. The OP may have thought that the price includes the second vaccination and didn't know that the breeder is including the second vacc at no cost. I know pets are not things, but talking about pricing in general, if one assumes that X price includes A & B, it's reasonable to expect a price reduction when one feature isn't included. Naturally, buyer doesn't think of the extra cost the breeder would have incurred in the 2 weeks, because they are buyers. I don't think either side means anything bad so I hope they work it out in the best interest of the puppy. I know it's not a very popular opinion here to ask breeders for price or have price as a major factor in getting a puppy. I was very cost focused when I looked for puppies, but once I have my dog, I spare no expense on him. It's like: $1000 for a silky pup? Expensive! $1000+ for puppy expense in the first two months? That's to be expected.

I don't spend much on food. Mine gets fed a mix of raw and homecooked because he prefers variety in his meals. He has TOTW kibbles that would last 3-5 months since he's not big on kibbles but likes them occasionally. He is fed any meat (chicken/beef/pork/fish) we have on the fridge and I get chicken frames for free from my butcher. He gets a chicken stick treat when he's home alone. Also cottage cheese, eggs, fruits sometimes yoghurt. I spent a lot initially as I didn't have any dog previously and bought many tools, kong toys, soft toys, treats, etc. He was also sick a few times and didn't have insurance at that time, so I had vets and medicine costs. Now, he's on Petplan insurance ($45/mo). I haven't calculated for March & April yet but in the first 8 months, it costs me about $2.7K. Right now, thank dog, my expense has stabilised significantly. I spend on food, treats and insurance (and recently stocked up on winter clothing) with occasional big expenses, like grooming and doggy door.

Hi Rysup. I got a bit impatient so I headed to the groomer and the result wasn't too bad. Could you give me the details for the grooming place in Castle Hill? I'll keep it in mind for the next grooming time :)

I've done 3 puppy vaccs (C5) and he had extreme reactions to them. I plan to titre test at one year before deciding on whether I should do the booster and annually titre test after. I will insist on it (though vets are known to be very persistent) even if it ends up costing me more than a C5 combo. I don't go to dog clubs and will very rarely kennel him anyway. I do think we live in an overmedicated world. The difference is dogs have no say in it so it's up to us to do our research and weigh the pros and cons. In my case, I administer tick medication during tick season and worm when I see actual worms. He has premium kibble as a side food during emergency but that's it.

That's a really nice idea if executed properly. Of course, it won't help much when you meet owners who insist on "saying hello". One time I had purposefully crossed the street to avoid other dogs and told the person that my dog gets anxious easily. He crossed the street anyway and let his two dogs (who were on retractable leads) met him Thankfully, there was no incident other than tangled leads.

I'm trying to find an excellent groomer in northwest Sydney area after my groomer got too clipper friendly last time. Ideally, I'm looking for someone experienced with silky coat and hand scissoring, is gentle and can handle fidgety dog. I'd appreciate a recommendation, even in CBD/surrounding area, and your thoughts if you have gone to either of these places :) Marlene's Place Palette Studio Sakura La Dog

I like long names only for the fact that getting the vet receptionist to call it out in the waiting room is kind of hilarious Also, having to talk to the council about animal registration is fun. I've been a bit lazy lately though and only gave them my cat's first name this time around :laugh: There's always next time... I can only imagine all the names a vet receptionist has to call out every day :D I'm pretty sure I read about someone naming their dog God.

It's always a scam. You can spot it easily because they are all similar and varied a bit. They'd ask so many questions about your lifestyle etc (overcompensating to convince you that they are genuine), the dog is free, is vet-checked / AKC (LOL) registered/vacc-ed / chipped / everything you could hope for. You just have to pay for transport and there is NO way you could come pick it up. Even if you live one block away from their supposed location, they'll say they have moved some 3000 miles away recently. I really hope more people would know this so they can revert back to the usual 'Nigerian prince' or 'heiress needing help to access million dollar funds' :D

This might be unpopular opinion but I'm not a big fan of Cookie/Cupcake/Noodle/Sprinkles, basically food-based names :laugh: Also, super long ones like say, Princess Lily Garnet til Alexandros and then the dog's called Pri. I don't 'hate' them, just not for me personally since it seems wasteful lol.

I have nothing to add other than Oliver's adorable. Definitely many mixes but he totally has a silky face, especially from the sides. My silky pup has longish body - I often say he's part sausage dog :)

Yes. Maybe the movie's sparked a trend for real-life gangsters to own Shih-tzus. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1931533/ My mind immediately went to Seven Psycopaths too. Hilarious movie, and cute Shih tzu!

A trainer told me once that the regular Kong toys are the best. I use Kong puppy for my puppy and so far have no problems. He's only interested in it if there were food in it though, so he doesn't chew on it, only licking, manipulating it and throwing it around until the food comes out. I got all my Kongs from Amazon for cheap when they had a big discount.

I wouldn't and couldn't do it because mine gets distressed just being outside on a hot day :D We bring the dog along for grocery shopping though. I'll walk him while others run into the shops or vice versa. He loves riding on a car if it's a short trip and enjoys walking in an exciting, crowded place. Of course there are situations whereby it's understandable to do so, and at the end of the day, what matters is if the dogs are fine and happy. Once I saw a little maltese in a sedan with maybe 2 inches of window pulled down. It's jumped to the very back of the car so I thought it was tissue box at first but then it started moving... That image stuck with me for a bit.

I personally wouldn't use a prong collar because mine is a small breed prone to trachea collapse and can only wear a harness. So when choosing harnesses, my priority is comfort. Now I let him run for a good 15 minutes, then he gets tired and I have a dog who's reasonably nice on lead. I realise most people here have larger breeds, but is there an alternative to teach dog to not pull without prong collar?