Nackers

Sorry for the long awaited update. I finally got in contact with my vet and got my girl seen. She is fine, absolutly happy as larry. Not really sure what exactly caused it but main thing is she's fine. Thanks all for the advice and help

Should of said I have called the vet. Well the on call/ after hours number at least. Am waiting for a reply which is why I came here in the meantime.. DameAussie- no there isn't a lot. I noticed a bit on her feathering when brushing her and on closer inspection realised it was coming from her vagina Thank you for the replies so far- it's an anxious wait to hear back from the vet

Yes she's entire and yes she's had a season. She finished her first one about 2 months ago

I've just noticed my golden retriever has this thick black discharge coming from her vagina. Has anyone experienced anything like this before? I'm guessing it's not that good. She is bright and happy, doesn't seem bothered at all. But she is a 12 month old golden retriever- nothing bothers her! I live remotely vet is 2 hours away- I spose I'm just after any advice as to whether it's a case of 'yep get in the car and get driving' or 'you can wait until morning'

Probably should of mentioned I live in a small country town. There isn't much traffic, and the oval is quite a way from any roads. Floss is still in the 'I want to be near you' phase. I'm taking the opportunity to train her recall. My other dog has a very reliable recall. I'm very confident he wouldn't go anywhere. When I have everyone (daughter, dog and puppy) dogs are on leads and daughter is in her pram, until we get to the oval or playground. The park/playground is fully fenced which is why I go there only when no one else is there. My daughter is nearly 2 and there has only ever been someone else there once! Thank you for the concern though. Like Luca, I want Floss to be a well adjusted, calm, happy, sociable dog. We are social people, I want floss to be a pleasure to be around, not a pain in the... There are no training classes- I would of loved to take her to puppy school. I had a friend come over today with her dog. Floss was pretty nervous to start with but with 10-15 minutes she was fine, running around with friends dog playing. Hopefully if I can keep up the play dates she will be fine. Thank you all for the toy suggestions so far- loving it! There is going to be one lucky puppy this Christmas! She pretty much just carries them around and will chew them a bit but hasn't wrecked anything yet. She will carry ANYTHING around ???? I just want to give her toys she can play with and chew if she wants to.

Hi all, my golden retriever puppy is 12 weeks old and just an absolute gem. She is (of course) very active and into absolutely everything!! She always has something in her mouth, not always something she's meant to either. So far (touch wood) she hasn't actually wrecked anything. Just wondering what people have found to be the best chew or play toys for energetic puppies? I've got a buster cube she gets her lunch in, plus various soft toys. I'm thinking of something a bit firmer she can have a good chew on. What's the best? Rubber? Rope? Kong? Something else? Another query- is it ok to take Floss for small walks? I have a big oval at the end of our street (maybe 200m) that I like to walk to and then let the dogs (golden puppy and older terrier x) off lead. I then just wander around a bit and let them cruise around and do their own thing. Floss doesnt go too far away from me and I take the opportunity to practice recalls etc. it's either the oval or a close playground/park where I take my daughter for a play and the dogs cruise around there (provided there isn't anyone else around. I'm just worried it's too much for her. I don't walk fast (especially when I have my 2 year old walking) and most of the outing is her setting the pace. What do you think? The other reason in keen on walking her is because I have noticed she is slightly fearful of other dogs. so I want to get Floss out and about before it becomes a real problem. I have also organised with friends to have doggie play dates, so hopefully we will nip the problem in the bud. Any other tips on how to deal with this? Thanks again for your time, I really appreciate it

So I have been looking into different dry foods and I agree that supercoat probably isn't the best option. It's pribably not the worst though either. I live in a small country town where pretty much everyone feeds either pedigree or bonnie. Here supercoat is the expensive food! Has anyone ever used online pet food shops? And can recommend one that isn't going to cost me an arms and a leg postage? I think I will stick with the dry and her main food, but supplement with meaty bones etc. thanks for all your help and reassurance!

Thank you for the replies. At the moment I'm pretty happy with the dry food as the majority of her diet. With some goodies thrown in to keep things interesting. My biggest concern is that she picks out the nice bits and doesn't really eat her dry food. I'm a bit worried she won't be getting all the correct nutrition a growing puppy needs. Would it be best to just give her dry food and dry only for a while until she starts eating it? Or give her the benefit of the doubt that she is an 8 week old puppy that has just moved to a completely new place and she's still adjusting and I'm just being a stress head! Haha I'm so worried in going to 'stuff her up' and she won't grow properly or she will be unhealthy

Mini gushing- I picked up my golden retriever puppy on Sunday and she is just the cutest thing out! Her name is Floss and she is so smart, and beautiful and happy.... But what I'm really after is a bit of info on feeding her. The breeder had the litter on supercoat puppy which I am happy to continue feeding, and a cooked mixture of chicken mince/veggies/pasta/rice, which I am not that happy to continue. The breeder was leaving dry food down all day for all puppies and feeding the meat mixture 3x a day. Now I can't leave food out all day for Floss as I have another dog that would just eat it, plus a 2 year old that would probably have a go at it too! I started mixing the dry and meat mixture (from the breeder) together but I've found Floss just picks the meat out and isn't eating much dry food. So after that essay! My question is can I just feed her dry food, with a bit of tough love- will she eventually start eating properly? Or should she be getting a mixture like those rolls/tin etc something a bit softer? How long can she go without eating much? Another question- can she have soft bones eg chicken necks yet? It's been a while since I've had a puppy and Ive never had a fussy one yet! Not that I really think she's fussy- just learning maybe? Thanks!

Thank you Lindsay, I will try my best to get there.

Thank you very much Birgit. Your information is very helpful. So you bought your girl over from Europe? Wow that's awesome! How did she cope with the long flight etc? Did it take long for her to adjust? The more I read and talk about Bernese the more excited I get! They sound like beautiful dogs and I think will fit into out family really we'll :) thanks for your help

Hello all! I am on the path of getting a Bernese mountain dog to join our family. Still very much in the research phase. Just a few quick questions- what are the best grooming tools you use for your dogs and how often do you brush them? Are they adaptable/sociable? As in if you do something different everyday, are they happy to trail along as long as their are with their family? Or do they like a routine and their own environment? That's it for now but I'm sure I will have many more questions!!

Thank you all very much for the replies and help. After more research/reading I have narrowed the list down- with the Bernese mountain dog at the top. Followed by golden retriever, flat coat retriever, Aussie shepherd, then Labrador. Cassie: (or anyone else with Bernese experience) how do they cope with hot weather? I live in country SA and it does get hot during summer. I am not a lover of the heat so most of the time I'm inside under the air con anyway! Would they be ok with being inside in air conditioning and then walks late at night or whenever it cools down? Would they get restless being cooped up inside? Also how much brushing do they need roughly? Daily? Few times a week? Weekly? And is shedding controlled with regular brushing or do they just shed a lot? Compared to a Labrador for example? Thank you all again. I will be starting to contact some breeders soon and pestering them :) for any breeders out there- are you happy to be contacted and questioned by potential puppy buyers? I mean just general questions about the breed, suitability, the breeders dogs, health tests etc? I have never bought a puppy from a 'proper' breeder before and I'm not really sure on the right way of going about it- I don't want to offend anyone with my questioning. It's more for my own curiosity, I wouldn't be questioning them personally or anything. the puppy search continues...

Thank you all so far for the help. There are so many breeds I love the 'look' of but just not sure if they would suit me. I do have a bit of a list in my mind, these breeds I've had a bit to do with (either friends/family have owned or through my old work) but really only individuals of the breed: Labrador Golden retriever Aussie shep German shep Vizsla Boxer Standard poodle (no way my partner wants one!!) And these breeds I really like the look of and have admired from afar I suppose. Maybe have met a few briefly but other then that only reading about in books: German short haired pointer Rottweiler Great Dane Bernese mountain dog Doberman Rhodesian ridgeback Flat coat retriever So my list is pretty varied at the moment. I often think, maybe we should get a Labrador or golden because they are great family dogs. But then I think it would like something a bit different. Coat I'm willing to compromise on for temperament. I vacuum/sweep nearly everyday anyway due to my very active 1 year old! I think a lot of traits I'm looking for come down to training and individuals. Like being good with kids, not chasing the horses etc. I just need a good foundation to get me started and a willingness to work with me. So I think the most important traits I'm looking for are easy to train, loyalty, patient and even tempered and something that is not going to tear my house to pieces if they don't run for hours every day. The 'perfect' dog, haha. I'm willing to put the effort in training, grooming and exercise wise. Dotdashdot- the Dalmatian I had was when I was quite young, and he was really 'naughty'. He used to wander a lot and ended up killing some sheep (my pet lamb included). Totally not blaming him, was due to lack of training and insecure fencing. But it has put me off Dalmatians a bit. Silly I know because that is a completely different situation to what I am living now. Scootaloo- your situation does sound very similar. Sounds like an Aussie might suit us too :) I love their different coat colours, gorgeous

Hi all! I'm a long time lurker, first time posting! I've been wanting a dog for a while now, but still very much in the research phase. I need some help from the experts as to what might be suitable for my situation. I am not new to dogs, I have been exposed to a lot of different breeds as I worked as a groomer for about 4 years. I think that's why I'm having so much trouble narrowing my search. I've seen so many gorgeous breeds and individuals- I want them all!! So a bit abOut myself- I grew up in the country on a farm. We always had working dogs, either border collies or kelpies. We also had a few pets- a Dalmatian, a Labrador and a toy poodle for a little bit (old dog we inherited when her elderly owner died). My partner had a Labrador growing up. I then lived in the city for a few years and didn't have a dog due to lifestyle and housing situation. Nowi live back in the country with my partner and 1 year old daughter. I am working 2 days on my parents farm and home the rest of the week. I also still do a bit of grooming for anyone who needs it. My partner works full time. We own our house it is average sized with a reasonable yard. We also have a block of land with stables for my horse and pony. I live a pretty active and outdoors lifestyle. I walk everyday at least an hour, plus time spent with the horses. The dog would rarely be left alone. That's pretty much us in a nutshell. Feel free to ask more, I've probably forgotten some thing! As for the dog characteristics: we would like a medium to larger dog. I am willing to put I the work to train, but I would like something fairly easy to train too. Coat wise im fairly flexible on, but ideally something that only needs brushing 2-3 times a week, not everyday. Energy levels, I would like a dog that has a bit of go, but also not one that is going to be bouncing off the walls if they don't get hours of running everyday. Must be tolerant and patient with kids. Dog will be allowed inside, but will also spend a bit of time outside too. Ok so now I've written an essay- if anyone is still reading, thank you!! I would love some suggestions on breeds that you may think fit our situation. Like I said I'm still very much researching, but I desperately want a dog to add to make our little family complete :)