espinay2

Some good ideas so far and here are a few more that may perhaps help: Perhaps giving her something to do while she is in the yard alone will help keep her mind off trying to be with you. Some examples are a stuffed Kong toy or similar, a 'buster cube' or treat ball, a bone, a box or paper bag with some treats/toy in it that she gets to rip up/open to get to the reward or a few treats hidden around the yard for her to find. In warmer weather an icecream container size block of ice with a few treats frozen inside is also good. Or get a baby gate and put it across the door from the laundry to the rest of the house. You can open the laundry door to the outside (if it has one!) and allow her access. That way she is 'in the house' but not. Baby gates are excellent for dividing up a house to restrict dogs to certain areas. Try a radio outside so she can lie on her bed and hear talking/music. This also helps to limit distractions from outside the yard (great for dogs that bark at every little sound in the neighbourhood). We have a radio in the garage and the dogs often disappear to lie in the beds and crates in there even when we are out and about in the yard!

I can perhaps look at this issue from both (all?) sides of the fence as one who instructs classes, has had a dog who was the subject of an attack by another dog, and who has owned a dog that was a definite problem around other dogs. From my own point of view the main thing that sticks out for me in your original post is that the person in question did not obey the direction of the class instructor when asked to put the dog back on lead. Personally if someone in a class I was taking disobeyed an instruction such as that that was made by me as the instructor, they would be asked to leave the class (committee member or not). As an instructor I HAVE to be in control and have the welfare of all handlers and dogs paramount in my mind. Certainly other instructors are welcome in my class if they are using it for socialisation, but they still need to abide by my requirements as the person in control of the class. In my class, the buck stops with me. The other issue that springs to mind was what the dog was doing while the owner was in the clubhouse. Was the dog tethered? And if so, why were other dogs coming so close? Is there any instruction to members in the club about basic safety such as staying away from tethered dogs? Or what about the position of palces to tether a dog? Are they safely out of the way to allow 'traffic' to pass easily? If the dog was not tethered, then why not? Why was it allowed to run free unsupervised? Again, more club management issues. Certainly I would take the issue to the committee or at least to your instructor. Perhaps present your concerns about the dog being offlead in your class and your feelings on how it affects your ability to relax and work effectively with your dog, how disruptive it is, safety concerns etc etc. Be polite and non accusing and perhaps ask what management practices are in place in the club for dealing with issues such as this. Incidents like this will happen, but a well run club should have rules and policies in place for managing dogs (and owners) which present a problem for other club members and will be proactive in educating members on basic ettiquette and safety management. Safety management is a paramount issue when you have a gathering of dogs together such as in a club situation and needs to be monitored constantly. After all, many of the dogs may be there because they DO have problems which their owners are trying to address. Instructors and officials need to be proactive and keep an active eye out for potential problems as well as addressing problems when they occur. JMHO

As a groomer I would have to agree that grooming a poodle for show is a specialised art and not one that anyone except someone who is proficient in exhibiting poodles themsleves is likely to want to take on. Personally I can do any manner of 'pet' clips on a poodle from a dutch to a sweetheart to a town and country, but a poodle for show? Given the amount of care and precision required, I probably wouldn't take it on either. Now give me a Pyrenean or a Portuguese Water Dog and I'm your girl <vbg>. Are there any poodle folk around that perhaps would take on the grooming to help you set the pattern and perhaps help teach you how to do it? That would probably be the place I would look rather than a groomer who does not have specialised poodle knowledge. You may be able to pay them to help you out and teach you at least the basics to get you started. Perhaps get yourself a few good books to use as visual guides. Shirlee Kalstone's books on poodle clipping and grooming are excellent.

I feed whole raw eggs a couple of time a week usually. Sometimes with shell, and sometimes without. I will sometimes use eggs as an 'egg hunt' in their runs - placing a couple for them to find during the day as a bit of an amusement (I dont have to worry about them 'stealing' as I dont have chooks). The only time egg whites have been shown to be a problem is when they have been fed, without yolks, as part of an experimental biotin deficient diet. The yolk actually contains much more biotin than is depleted by the avidin in the egg white, so as long as it is fed as the 'whole package' there is no problem - particularly as the diet will (should) also have other sources of biotin as well.

Mel774 you are feeding a diet very similar to the one I fed before I went all raw. Personally, I would ditch the dry food <g>. You wouldnt have to add much more to the diet you are feeding now - throw in some organ meats such as liver/kidney/heart (a small portion a few times a week) and you probably have it reasonably well covered. Otherwise - go to www.b-naturals.com . Lew has a program for a 'mixed' diet on her website that may give you some ideas.

Forgot I also feed turkey necks.... :-) Given the No items you have listed, I would personally see no problem putting together a raw diet with a fair amount of variety. No single food is a must have. It all depends on the animal and what you have available. I just happen to have a lot available so tend to feed a wide variety, even though some items may only show up on the menu once every couple of months. Remember..... balance over time.

I have been feeding raw for about 11 years and have found it to be very successful. What I feed: pretty much anything and everything. I feed a wide variety over time of whatever is available and a good price. More expensive things get fed less often, while cheaper things are more frequent. Chicken frames, lamb necks and beef brisket/offcuts are cheap and easy for me to get. I also buy pork (trotters/tails/bones), rabbit (when reasonable price), boiler ducks and roo tails when I can for a bit of a change as well as the odd bit of 'pet mince' for when I want to mix in other things. They get whole raw sardines or canned fish about once a week and a few eggs about once a week although I am not pedantic about this. I also buy heart, liver, tounge etc from varying animals and any other offal such as brains when I happen to see it. This usually gets fed as an addition to the meal (ie a chunk of liver or a lamb heart etc) several times a week. I rarely, if ever, prepare veggies but they get leftover veggies occasionally. They also get a dollop of yoghurt occasionally. About the only supplement I give is fish oil capsules and that is not necessarily every day. This type of diet is very flexible and I have no doubt you will be able to adjust what you feed to suit your dog. My dogs do not have a problem with food allergies so I have not had to eliminate anything in particular. My old recently departed dog did have problems with allergies early on in life (she came to me 'pre-raw' - although I always fed at least some raw foods) and once switched to raw had a marked reduction in her problems. Seasonal environmental allergies even became less over the years although it did take years (5 or more) for this to be really noticable. A question for you - the foods your dog is allergic to - were these tested and identified as allergens in their raw or cooked state. Interestingly, someone/dog can constimes display alleric symptoms to something when it is cooked, but not when it is raw. Tracy A breeder feeding raw? Join with the hundreds of others doing the same!: www.yahoogroups.com/groups/rawbreeder Feeding your new pup raw? Talk to others who are too: www.yahoogroups.com/groups/RawPup