aliwake

I thought comfortis was only for fleas? Has anyone had any success using it for tick prevention?

That's hilarious!! At least he's thinking about where he's going :)

Do you seriously only get 2 poos a day Lisa?!! that is awesome. I think we average 4-6/day... His tummy is a bit fragile though, unfortunately.

wow - that playpen is amazing! I would still put a toilet in there though - you don't want to encourage him to go just anywhere. Also - I'm with the others - I'd take training advice on here over a vets most days. Even though most vets are wonderful, training isn't always their strong point. Did you already say you'd asked your breeder? Everything I've read has said that toileting in the crate a) shouldn't happen, but b) if it does should be discouraged asap.

This was one of the early incarnations of our playpen set-up. The leash lying in the foreground was used to secure it on that edge when we left the house. If the edges weren't pulled out, he would drag the playpen in on himself. Luckily we had a camera set up so I could see if he got himself into trouble and dash home to fix it. The toilet was annoying to clean, but worked really really well. He just had a box to curl up in before we caved and bought him a crate :)

we had a playpen with crate inside set-up too, for the first couple of months we had our pup. We had a dog toilet with turf (just a cheap one from topbuy) in there so he could go when he needed to, and while there were occasional wee accidents (usually peeing on the side of the toilet), he always knew to poo on the turf from day dot, and he never went in the crate. It sounds like Casper is happy going on the grass, so maybe if you leave him with the turf option he will choose to use that rather than the crate? Also, I'm not sure what kind of playpen you've ordered, but we had a fair bit of trial and error finding ways to secure it, because he tried to tear it down at every opportunity. If you're going to put it in your garage you need ropes and straps holding it out in every direction. We had ours inside our laundry, and secured to cabinets on every side. I'd also suggest zip ties for holding the crate in place, and also the toilet if you get one. I drilled some holes in the plastic lip of the toilet so it could be zip tied to the playpen, and that worked really well. much better than velcro :) There was a lot of trial and error involved in making it safe and escape proof, so let me know if you want any more info. I'll try to find a pic too.

Are you still feeding what the breeder was giving her? maybe she likes the smell of what your older dog is eating better? maybe now she's tasted something better she won't go back... :) is there a puppy version of what your big dogs get?

Good to know, thanks oatmilk. Nixon broke several of his baby canines, so will keep a close eye on him with the antler. So far he seems to have scooped out some of the marrow, but generally seems less excited about chewing on it than he did when he first got it - unlike a normal marrow bone where the excitement continues for days! :) Unless he was so manic the other day cos his big back teeth were trying to come out. Possible...

Or maybe, like some normal siblings, they just didn't like each other anyway?! :)

Yeah Nixon has constantly had bones, but we're getting a bit sick of meaty bone breath, so if the antlers can improve that then they're a great option. I wasn't expecting him to like it so much given the lack of fresh meat, but he went completely batty for it :)

He lost another big back tooth after I posted the above comment last night too! Poor baby. teething sux. Also, I had a look on ebay and you can get antlers on there a fair bit cheaper than at petstock. Nixon's measly piece was $17?!!! Can get 3 for $30 on ebay.

Oh no! That would be hilarious/awful! Not too bad if it's firm I guess :) Nixon walks and wees occasionally - used to drive me nuts when he wasn't fully toilet trained - he'd walk up and down the lounge room weeing if we hadn't noticed he needed to go out... made puddles seem awesome, I can tell you.

My husband picked up an antler on his way home, and Nixon absolutely loves it! Even more than the bone I gave him this morning. Not sure it will last months though, it already has big grooves in it. In terms of teething it was very successful! He's just lost his first big back tooth!! It tumbled on to the lounge room floor in front of our very eyes about half an hour ago :) Gross!

Sounds good Lisa - a better option than those disturbing minty fake bones :)

For those of you that use antlers - does their breath smell better than after chewing on meaty bones?!

I walked past Nixon's kennel this morning about a minute after I gave him his kongs, and he was making the most ridiculous whining/whimpering noises! The uninitiated would have thought he was getting tortured in there rather than being given a fantastic treat! Extreme levels of excitement I think :)

He is super cute!!

Boxbright - you definitely decided to get the 2nd pup?! That's so exciting!! Pretty hilarious your hubby has turned into the softy though :) I swore we would never have our pup in our bedroom at all, but a month with negligible sleep took care of that. He does sleep in his crate or bed on our floor though. Smash - definitely try a new food - we persevered for ages with Nixon on Eukanuba, but I wished we'd tried something else sooner. He would eat it eventually - but he would much rather just play with it... As soon as we gave him Royal Canin he loved it, and finally looks excited when you feed him, and it's usually demolished in seconds. The only downside is he then roams around looking starving because he wants more, and licking up random bits of dust or leaves from the floor (which says much about the state of our loungeroom at the moment).

I would expect so... Nixon was definitely teething by then. He's 22 weeks now and just entering phase 2 of teething, but all his front ones came in a couple of weeks ago now. They tend to fall out and grow in so fast you might not even notice any are missing though. I only really noticed cos there was blood all over one of his fluffy chew toys one night, and when I had a look he had a few wiggly baby ones. gross! ** now I know what to look out for I can also recognise he's got the crazies, and wants to chew everything in sight - every waking moment. At least I know he will calm down again once the teeth come through though.

Thanks Persephone - he's really good on our usual walk - just up a long street and back, but if we venture anywhere else it doesn't go well... And if there's other people and dogs around it doesn't go well... Will just keep slugging away I guess. Hopefully he'll grow out of the excitement :)

WOW - he is beautiful! So happy for you Lhok

Thanks so much for the info - I'll have a proper look at the video when I get home tonight. I definitely appreciate any suggestions!

I'm pretty sure most on call vets would rather solve the problem over the phone than get out of bed, or leave home in the middle of dinner etc for a call out. I have a vet friend who is often on call nights and weekends and it must really suck!! She's always very patient though :)

Congratulations Lhok - Treble sounds absolutely gorgeous! Can't wait for a pic!!! Or many pics! :)

Do you have any suggestions for training loose leash walking without a halti? I have been strongly resisting trying one, because I figure I should be able to train my pup properly on a flat collar from day one, but I'm really struggling. If we take the same route every time, and don't see any other people or dogs, then we might have some success, but as soon as we go somewhere different, or we pass other dogs, I can barely hold on to him. He is completely overcome by excitement and wants to play NOW! I can barely hold on to my 5 month old pup in that situation, and I'm not looking forward to him getting stronger. At our obedience class on saturday I finally caved and tried a halti - I still don't like them, but they certainly work like magic. Instantly no pulling, and he was more attentive to me and responded better to commands. I'm still conflicted, but if it means we both get to enjoy our walks, then I will be buying a halti. I would definitely appreciate some tips on how to train him out of pulling otherwise.