espinay2

I think the main problem is that a vet is in a position of trust. You are trusting their skill and knowledge just as you do the family doctor. Up selling may be fine in the general retail market, but when it comes to vets there is a huge emotional card they are playing which can also cross the line into a breach of trust. The average pet owner trusts that a vet, like their doctor, will recommend the right health care for their pet. Yes everyone should make themselves informed but the average pet owner does have a right to trust that the care being given or recommended is reasonable and correct without spending hours reading up and without feeing guilty that they are not providing their pet with adequate health care if they decline.

The difference between the annual and the triennial is the labeling meaning the manufacturer has 'approved' the vaccine for annual use. Main difference is going to be the vaccination certificate. You can use annual every three years instead but the vet is unlikely to issue a certificate for more than 12 months (even though AVA does permit it to be used for longer with 'informed consent' from the owner) as it is essrntially 'off label' use. With the triennial the vaccination certificate has a 'next vaccination due' date on it of three years out from date of vaccination. This will only really be relevant if you need to board the dogs and need to show a certificate. I must say it annoys me no end that some vets are persisting with annual vaccination when all of the research and recommendations of relevant bodies (govt, AVA and WSAVA ) are for triennial.

I know you have said that it has been a week, but one thing to consider is that sometimes people do need more time than that. Working all week, home in the evening to dogs/ family then shows on weekends can mean that they simply haven't had time to take more than a cursory look at your email. I try to respond as timely as possible but sometimes life gets in the way even though I intend to reply. Certainly try contacting them by phone if you are unsure, but don't give up on them all just yet.

Sunny Cyrus Ravi Tec (Aztec) Zehab Zohar Bahir Jarah

I always used to say that my now departed girl Milou had a sense of humor. And always bring out this anecdote to illustrate it: one day I was in the bathroom trimming my toenails when Milou came in to the room to see what I was doing. She watched me for a while then left the room again. A few seconds later she was back in the room with the big dog nail clippers in her mouth and handing them to me!! Then sat there with that deadpan look she used to give me as I laughed my head off. Thing to note about this is that Milou is a Pyrenean, she had NEVER fetched anything or carried it in her mouth either before or after this event, and the nail clippers had been sitting undisturbed on the coffee table in the lounge for weeks.

fluff1234 it can sometimes be a case of 'know your line'. Even within some breeds pups from different lines can grow differently (for example I have one youngster here that has grown very differently to my others and has required a very different approach to feeding even though she is the same breed - she grows in similar fashion to dogs in her sires line). That is why it is always asked what does the breeder recommend. They know what works for their line and are best placed to give guidance in the first instance s they will have a better idea of what works and what doesnt. It is lso important to know that all puppy foods are not created equal particularly when it comes to large and giant breeds (even some of the ones marketed for larger breeds). Many are too high in calories and calcium for example for many larger breeds. While some of the current large and giant breed puppy formulas are ok to feed for longer to these breeds in most circumstances (those are mostly the ones mentioned in this thread), it is common practice to switch larger breeds to an adult food a lot sooner rather than keeping them on higher calorie/calcium puppy foods.

http://www.wsava.org/guidelines/vaccination-guidelines

Pro plan performance is an all life stages food and suitable for growing large breed puppies. I don't know about the adult foods but the eagle pack and holistic select large and giant breed puppy are also ones I would highlight for those wanting to feed a dry food to large breed pups do the adult may be worth a look. What does your puppies breeder recommend?

Where did you read that six weeks was a good time? 6 to 8 weeks is generally considered to be a period when pups need interaction with their litter to learn better dog to dog communication. 8 weeks is also the minimum age a registered breeder is allowed to sell a pup and in some states this is law as well (eg NSW). Socialization however is an ongoing thing though that starts at the breeders and continues when you take the pup home. Have a read of the thread 'fear period' (just below) and have a look at the article I posted there that may give you some help. When it comes to socialization when you live in a rural area, this can mean you need to make more effort to get your dog out and about. If you have a town nearby, even a small one, taking your dog and just walking down the street and going to the park and walking around on Lead can be good. Try and find a training class nearby (ask your local vet). See if the locals have any social activities such as walking groups (ask at the vet). Take your pup for drives when you take the rubbish to the tip or to pick up stuff at the rural supply place. Basically anywhere different and out and about seeing and doing things is good.

Yes I understand they also do biosensor. But that is not the only thing they do as Mita mentions.

I have done it. Cant really say if it works or not. General consensus is it can't hurt and as a rule pups that have had it done are fairly stable. Breeders who do it though generally do a wide range of things aimed at good development. Note the program was originally designed for situations where the pups may not necessarily be getting the day to day handling of many pups raised in the family home where lots of handling is provided generally (military working dogs raised in a kennel environment). It does have some interesting principles however regarding the role of stress in developing neurological pathways and the ability to cope and ' bounce back' in stressful situations.

Just remember they can take their direction from you so stay calm and don't freak out if you can. The BAT Stuff is good. Remember to move him calmly away and refocus. Passing dogs are not a big deal do show him that ;)

Yes sometimes their fear may be directed at odd things. I had one that at 10 months developed a fear of storm water drains in the road kerb! In that case I ignored the drains to show it didn't concern me, ignored her behaviour and just kept walking past them as normal (though gave her lead space to take a wide berth if she wished). I did not 'force' her to look at it or approach it or 'try to show her it is ok' (as that could have just proved to her it was something to be afrsid of). She was back to normal in about 2 weeks.

Note that a fear period doesnt happen like clockwork. the timings are averages and approximates and can happen at different times. If he is not experiencing an actual fear period at the moment (i.e. if you haven't seen fear type behaviours) then certainly keep taking him out. The main thing is to manage his experiences to make them as good as possible. that means that as his leader you need to be aware of where you are and what you are doing with him and what types of situations you are putting him in, and be outspoken and proactive about who and what interacts with him. Never feel afraid to say that is enough or no when it comes to his interactions with other dogs and people.

This is a good article that may help: http://www.positived...oesnt_mean.html A pup can go through multiple fear periods. But every pup is different and some may breeze through without ever having an issue while some may display mild reactions and some more severe. Things to watch out for are if your pup suddenly reacts differently to normal to certian objects, people or situations. Things to watch for include your pup acting in a way that is somewhat out of character (if your pup is normally fairly confident) by being anxious, shy, timid, wary, not want to go near something or someone, barking or growling at something while backing away etc. This is a good simple chart for recognising basic fearful type behaviour: http://info.drsophia...nguage-in-dogs/

Ah I see Pyrs mentioned so better comment :). A well socialised Pyr will be calm and friendly when off territory (mine love going to footy matches and other events and one of my pups is currently in training to be a therapy dog). On territory they will be friendly and accepting of people that you accept onto your territory. Mine love friends and friendly visitors (they are more likely to mug you for pats than anything else once you have been 'approved'). If it is someone coming to your property uninvited or with 'intentions' that can be a different issue. But a well socialised Pyr will understand the difference between a person that is at your place on friendly terms and one that isn't. Before we moved where we are now, we lived for years in the suburbs with the Pyrs. No issue with living with these dogs in a suburban setting, though barking does need to be controlled so it is preferable that they are inside at night (some bark more than others, but it is something to be considered and managed). Certainly they are more independent than breeds such as Newfs and Leo's. You don't expect them to hang off your every command and taking them offlead outside of a fully fenced area can mean your dog is a 'disapyr'. But a well trained and socialised pyr, in a home which understands the quirks of the breed and is willing to manage them, can be an excellent family companion.Oh yes - poultry etc. Very good with them as long as they get appropriate supervision through the naughty teenage period - more because they can sometimes think it a fun game to chase when young and it is best to be on hand for quick correction.

Les pooches brush. Love it. I use the purple handled pro version but they do have a cheaper blue handled version now that you could try. http://www.lespoochs.com/brushes.asp For pin brushes I use Chris Christiansen brand 'fusion' (with the coloured handles). But most of my grooming I do with the dryer rather than brushes which are mostly for 'finishing'. I don't use anything with a blade. Blades and even poor quality brushes break and damage the hair shaft creating 'burrs'. These then catch on the other hairs and create Matt's and tangles. I have found by changing to good quality brushes with polished tips and being 'gentle' with the coat I have significantly reduced the amount of work needed and the amount of matting in the coats. I have also found using a rinse of a bucket of water with a few squirts of plush puppy Seabreeze oil in it at the end of the bath (sponged through the coat) helps to protect it.

A hair dryer won't be as effective as the force dryer as the benefit of the force dryer is the strength of the airflow. It basically blows the hair straight and blows the loose hair out. Reasonable forced air dryers can be bought for under $200 these days (check out the Pupkus dryers or some of the ones on the Petnetwork website for instance). A dryer can be worth its weight in gold if you have double coated dogs. A 'cheaper' alternative though is to find a DIY dog wash as they will usually have dryers available. I have a page on grooming that may have a few tips on it that you can use: http://www.espinay.com/grooming

A good article on hair length and temperature tolerance: http://www.lgd.org/library/hairlength.htm I have seen many people shave off a double coated dog as it is easier to look after. Problem is that as the hair grows, it actually becomes more difficult to look after. this is because shaving cuts both the guard hairs and the undercoat to the same length. In a 'normal' double coat the thicker, longer guard hairs keep the undercoat separated. When a coat 'blows', the undercoat is relatively easy to pluck or brush out. When cut the same length, as the coat grows the guard hairs can get woven in with the softer undercoat. It creats a tighter wadded mess that is a lot harder to brush out. So shaved coats can require a LOT more brushing as they grow out to keep them from becoming matted. Don't brush regularly enough, and it becomes a vicious circle of matted coat and shaving.

Ditto great rugs for the dog beds. We have the bissell carpet washer and it is great. I use a karcher steam mop for tiles. Works well and very robust but annoys me as is a pull along model. As the mop part is like towel though it is very easy to make up spares for frequent changes and washing. Floor dries really quickly and is simple to use despite my pet hate of 'pull alongs'. We have a f&p ecowash top loader. Currently broken .... Suspected it is blocked with dog hair and gravel but they will need to tske it apart as i cant. The model has no filter you can clean easily. A real bugger. Look for a heavy duty commercial model if you can or at least one that you can get to the filter and clear blockages easily. At the moment I am missing my old Simpson which was much easier to repair, unblock and maintain.

Someone to set up and pack up for me :-p (now if you are looking for something I would really like to try, though not really just for shows, is this..... http://pishpad.com/ They won't ship to Australia )

I found it very interesting and very relevant as what we percieve and what 'is' can sometimes be very different things. I think the collated results of this study would be very interesting to see an overall impression of how people can percieve based on a photograph alone - whether that is influenced by breed or the 'pose' of the dog etc. This study just looks at the pictures alone, but also how those pictures are manipulated can change perception too. I think a lot of people could find a photo of their dog somewhere, that if paired with the right music and subtitling could manipulate perception to make the dog appear 'abused' or 'agressive' when it may simply be giving a sad sulky look in that second or going madly after a toy in play. Pair it with different editing and a whole different perception may be given. FWIW

Jed,what I saw were dogs that were circling, and I interpreted to dogs being confined in 'small' spaces for extended lengths of time. I saw in some cases, faeces on what looked like newspaper and it seemed to be not just an overnight use but again perhaps several days worth. I saw sadness in the faces on some of those dogs. My way of thinking is if you can't look after your charges, then cut down on the amount of dogs kept. You have to give them the best of everything, including of yourself. I may be wrong, but it really upset me looking at those faces. To me it looked like they were looking for some kind affection. How would your dog look if someone strange broke into their sleeping area at night and started filming them? I think most dogs would be pretty stressed and would not act normally in that situation. Re the water bowls. For years one of the recommendations when house training puppies has been to restrict water access for a certain period overnight to make the process easier. Was the done thing and no one thought much about it. I will admit to having dogs baby gated into the bedroom sleeping with us at night. The water bowl is in the kitchen on the other side of the gate. In summer I may move the bowl but in our cold winters it is never an issue. They don't even look at it in the morning for an hour or two after they have access. Totally agree with aphra's comment.

Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority Statement (noting as a Govt body they are generally quite conservative): http://www.apvma.gov.au/use_safely/vaccination.php The Australian Veterinary Association Policy: http://www.ava.com.au/about-us/policy-and-positions/topics/veterinary-medicines The World Small Animal Veterinary Association Guidelines (on which most of the Aust guidelines are based and which has some reasonably comprehensive reading on the issues): http://www.wsava.org/guidelines/vaccination-guidelines Dr Dodd's protocol (considered a leading world authority on vaccinosis): http://drjeandoddspethealthresource.tumblr.com/post/34024828409/dodds-canine-vaccination-protocol-2012 In a nutshell: After puppy vaccines and booster 12 months later it is generally recommended that dogs be vaccinated every THREE years with core vaccines (the C3) vaccine, with other vaccines one a case by case basis. As an alternative to triennial vaccination, owners may, depending on their situation, choose to TITRE test their dogs when they would normally vaccinate to determine if re-vaccination is indeed necessary or not (in quite a few cases it is not as the dog already has sufficient immunity). Of course the guidance that a sick dog should not be vaccinated (as a dog with an already immune compromised system may react badly and may potentially suffer further permanent health issues as a result) also applies.

No one??? :-(