Nekhbet

why is your dog on heart failure medication? Vetmedin Frudix is a fluid regulator for the body. What exactly is wrong with your dog??

I use flea treatments as required, in almost 5 years I think I've used 1 packet of frontline to mop up a stray few fleas someone brought to my place. as for vaccinating... well opinions are divided. Our vaccines are not americans, they are different (especially rabies) its coming down to personal choice but educate yourself and if you wish to discontinue a normal vaccine protocol at least be responsible and let everyone else you socialise your dog with know you have discontinued boosters. $2000 parvo bill. You do what you want but I've paid dearly for other people not vaccinating their dogs thanks. Like I said personal choice but have the decency to let people know or at least titre test to make sure your dog is not running around spreading disease.

just one thing I forgot to add ... when you have 1 major problem with a dog in all probability you have about 20 other things that annoy you or are not considered 'acceptable long term' behavior. Small things culminate into larger behaviors and unfortunately we, as owners, can wait until the dog is at the point of "we want it gone' when it can be nipped in the bud early. It is within canine nature to try things out and see how far it gets them. If its good, it snowballs, if its bad it goes away. As for your husband, I see his point but this dog is a baby. Just like your son. Your own child will go through periods where he is difficult, destructive, noisy and a complete pain but you realise it is all part of the maturing process and you work on it. Exactly the same with the dog - we expect so much from a creature that will never speak english, that has no concept of the human world and doesnt even really rely on verbal communication. So we dont train it NOT to do what comes through instinct and then we punish it. sit down with you husband and ask each other what things annoy you about the dog. Whining, scratching, stealing, nudging you, not coming when called, whatever. Write them all down and address all of them with a NILIF philosophy for starters. A trainer is a definate need but you can do some groundwork at least.

aggression is not common, too many people immediately snap to that. If he was truely aggressive you wouldnt be posting on a forum, and true aggression in a 7 month old is rarer then rocking horse poo. anxiety, boistrousness, out of control behaviour etc stems from training and raising. You can take the one dog and either train it to be an out of control loon or a calm, easy going animal. Dogs also change quickly so don't be afraid of stepping up the control if he needs it. He's going to be testing you at the moment anyway being a pre-teen! Good luck hope he settles for you

actually the process of fermentation is quite specific. It requires the correct temperature and enzymes in order to be effective, as well as time. 24hrs max is NOT enough for decent fermentation and most products of fermentation - well alcohol, acids, CO2 etc. The whole grains are soaked to encourage germination. Germination converts 'storage' sugars into usable sugars in the grain. The rest of it is to rehydrate the dry mix in order to increase the digestibility. Digestibility is partially determined by the water content, if the GI tract has to pump water into a food to try and digest it a lot will be undigested and use a lot of energy from the animal. I dont use it because it's expensive for what it is (canine muesli) and makes 2 out of 3 of my dogs ill.

thanks WEIA I might try that. I think there are flavoured products but I avoid 'flavourings' Jules I thought maybe too (Diesel isnt really a barometer for things being off he eats old garbage and mouldy food) Princess Mina thinks its OK and I had a taste too occasionally to make sure. tastes OK I think he's being a turd hey I found a great product at the food and wine show has anyone heard of Flax Fibre? It's 100% organic flax meal from new zealand and BOY it makes you drink a lot of water! I got some for Mina to try as apparently its good for cholesterol, blood sugar and oestrogen levels in the body. She had a fatty deposit growing on her eyeball so I freaked out that my baby was going blind its finally gone ;) so I'm using it myself, its quite, well, cleansing

at 7 months old still biting ... so when you scold obviously its not working. keep the dog on a leash and teach him how to behave around the children. If he even looks at the child crooked you correct and remove him from the vicinity of the child. You have to show him how to be gentle as well so remember have the treats handy and PRAISE PRAISE PRAISE every time he does something right, especially if he does it of his own volition. owners are quick to berate, yell, correct etc but do not praise or reward the dog for correct behavior. When you work, how does your attitude change under a boss who never pats you on the back but constantly picks on your faults? You give them the proverbial two finger salute and do what you want. Get a trainer in for at least a couple of sessions. Practice the Nothing In Life Is Free principle. Basically everything you want to do, you do and the dog comes last. He wants to eat - tough he waits and then he has to work for it. Sit, wait, look, eat. By 7 months he should be off leash control to this level when feeding time comes round. No free snacks he has to perform first. No pats unless he does something first, do NOT let him nudge or goo goo eyes you. Tempting but when you realise it means he treats your children like doormats ... well you get my drift. No rough housing or rough play. Dogs minds are black and white, they do not have the rational of a human. We know when things are appropriate and when we can bend the rules. Dogs think - crazy OK or crazy never OK. If you have children the crazy should NEVER be ok. Snapping - when you reach out to him never pull back your hand, he sees it as a challenging game he is winning. Let him grab your hand then you either slip your thumb under his tongue and press gently until he submits, or push your fingers down his throat and wiggle them. Gross but effective. He will learn that his actions have consequences and he will actually think before pulling stunts - is it worth it? Is it worth snapping - oooh its unpleasant so I'll stop.

awesome boarding AND training ... I'll make a fortune if you ever take a holiday to Vic give me a bell and I'll teach you a few secrets of the trade

invoice is in the mail Deelee

luke I think I bastardised the command a little. It is my 'aus' command for her but it also works to shut down her drive. I see when she really gets into a scent, see's a cat running, hears a squeaky toy her drive starts up. If I say 'pusti' you see her drive diminish because she knows there is no chance of fulfillment. She has been taught from a young age. Sometimes the cat taunts her, bites her tail and she is about to chase - if I say 'pusti' then she wont launch but walks over and see's what he's up to. When she was learning some correction was involved but that can really stuff the rest of the drive - you can end up with a mouthy dog or one who wont grip an object properly because you have a hard correction. Redirecting to give a leave it command is quite useful - when she was a puppy we used 2 rags, I let her catch one and then waved the other saying 'pusti' which meant you let go and behave, and the game starts again. So the term is not a complete shut down, more a tone down if you get what I mean. When I teach clients dogs leave it type commands it depends on the dog. Some dogs do need a correction especially chasers, lungers etc and you find they self correct BUT something needs to be provided instead. So a tug, ball on string even food and massive praise when the dog leaves something of its own accord or you see it prefers to comply with your command instead of its previous distraction. she's taught in yugoslav so she has a command to pick up an object, she can also bring it over 'daj me' (give it to me) and she puts it into my hand. If she munches the object or is too excited and doesnt want to let go, start a game of tug of war etc I tell her 'pusti' and she settles her grip on it.

Tony I think you're right ... although one day we had an absolutely giant cardboard box from a click clack couch and OH was behind it against the wall ... all 3 dogs systematically shredded then box until he was standing in a pile of confetti and then turned to look at him like "oooh giant Kinder Surprise we found the toy!" so maybe I wont mention its a prey drive thing :rofl:

Luke W I give my Maliniois a 'leave it' command which turns off her drive to search. That way she wont obsessively sniff things, the odd sniff is OK but if she picks up a scent she wants to follow it hard :p so if I see she gets into it I say 'pusti' and she leaves it. She only gets a physical correction if she ignores the command.

Completely agree with you there. Same reason people purchase GSDs, Rotties, Dobes etc and expect them to be natural guard dogs or excell at schutzhund etc. Reality most of them pee themselves when put through a courage test or training. But ... what is wrong with suggesting trying out an activity more suited to the breed? Some dogs become bored of things like obedience and agility because they can be repetitive - yes they involve prey drive but as you stated they do not utilise it in the same way or have the same requirements as something like herding. I encourage people of working breeds that exhibit a will to work to at least try different activities available as they can be more exciting for the owner too. A malinois spinning in the backyard should go do obedience at a minimum - but a Mali would be bored if all you did was obedience. Try herding. Try Schutzhund they are very capable dogs. Joining a herding club and trying the dog out cannot hurt - I loathe advocating "send the dog to a farm' because, as you stated, what we perceive as a good working dog may not be right at all. One of my clients has a farm bred kelpie and a show bred kelpie. Both have started herding practice and the show bred kelpie is actually doing much better! I was surprised as the farm bred exhibits more herding behaviors out and about (he stalks and rounds whereas the show bounces round and goofs) I saw the fact the dog amused himself as probably a learned behavior - the first 18 months alone and unstimulated can do weird things to the adolescent brain. Who knows maybe he does have herding ability or maybe he is just a lonely flycatcher. But you dont know until you try. He is also without human company for 10hrs a day and receives 10 minutes of brainwork a day - still a recipe for crazy behavior.

I agree with persephone. I walk 3 large dogs at once and letting them dictate me is a disaster waiting to happen! They walk next to me, never in front and I dictate pace They go toilet on command - if I let them go the DDB would stop at every pole, tree and bush to cock his leg we'd never leave the driveway! If I need to stop for a reason I say 'stop' and all dogs stop in their tracks, they dont have to sit unless I tell them at a street corner etc As for sniffing, I have a sniff obsessed Malinois who would walk with her nose to the ground, a DDB who couldnt care less and the rotty is a fruit loop so he would be a complete nufty tangling us all up ;) individuals are a bit different, I have a release command that lets them have more leash and break a formal heel but I still dictate pace

Vickie, when I do consults and see stir crazy dogs I recommend people at least do SOMETHING that stimulates the animals mind and fulfills the dog. Give the dog a job. It doesnt necessarily have to be herding, herding clubs and trainers are hard to get here in Geelong, but even doing something like agility, obedience, flyball, tracking etc can be very beneficial to the dogs overall state of mind. And encouraging things that can be done at home means owner compliance goes up. For very busy people I teach them how to use a clicker and get them to have fun with the dog. Teach them new tricks, hell I'll even show them how to get the dog to retrieve a beer from the fridge if it means the dog and owner have some time together - the owner learns dog language, the dog has its mind stimulated.

Can I have a crack erny when you have a dog bred to work it exhibits behaviors to try and fulfill that drive. It will do anything, even things that really are not completely satisfying it like digging, chewing, barking etc to cope. If the dogs drive says 'herd' fulfill it and it wont go looking around for menial little things to satisfy it.

maybe your puppy is teething? And at 20 weeks he doesnt need puppy milk at all he can eat kibble unless his teeth are hurting that much he cannot chew. as for poisoning the tree find out what they are using.

My rottweiler eats them. Anything you practically hand to him he will swallow if he can. Even those cup cake patty pans, hand him one he'll chew, swallow and come back for another one. It must be a texture thing too for them, and the 'stick to the tongue' sensation :rolleyes:

remember this dog has spent a lot of time alone (grrrrrrrr kick to the old owners) and now he is under stress. He is probably lacking a few social skills as well if he barely spent time with people and dogs so he copes by releasing his anxiety through destruction and barking. Separation anxiety no. Like Erny said that is a complex thing that is often misdiagnosed by the owners. He does sound still hideously under stimulated mentally. He may have toys and another dog but he's not used to utilising them to satisfy his drive/boredom. My rescue GSD was given 2 other dogs, a huge yard, toys, massive water buckets etc and he spent a couple of months sitting in a dog run (door was open) alone with an empty plastic bucket not drinking - that was the old habit, that was comfort, that's how he coped. He does need to do something more with his brain, if he's catching imaginary flies the little tyke sounds stir crazy. Instead of that 30 minute walk in the morning I would work on cementing leadership and training the dog. He can run around with the other dog, at the moment the priority is getting his brain right. 5-10 minutes of training is not enough for a border, a clicker would be a great way to train tricks. The list of capturable behaviors is endless for them and could help with his fetching as well. Plus the dog will get half on hour of brain exercise a day instead of the dry, repetitive sit/drop. For a border that is a couple of days worth of activity not day in day out. If he really has to much energy to burn look at the diet and investing in a treadmill for the dog.

feel him all over, if the ribs and hips are poking out as well and he has minimal muscle tone then he needs to gain some weight plus have gentle exercise so it doesnt go straight into fat. you can get away with the adult for now as it is not as calorie restricted as the senior

depending on what else is going on with the dog he could be wanting to do a blood test and needs fasting levels to see glucose. Does the dog have other problems like bad fur quality, changes to drinking, age, swelling etc or is already on things like Cortisone tablets?

I'm so happy for you! I hope it does work out good on you for sticking by your dog

christ even a junior vet out of uni should have immunology fresh in his brain an immunocomprimised dog then given another dose of 3-5 diseases FFS you dont need to have a degree to work out that is a death sentence. How very charitable to wave the cost of the vaccination I hope his liability insurance is paid up - its not money they have broken trust and have not done the job they were entrusted to do :p idiots

Xavier in order to cause that much sloughing they would have had to put a decent amount of thio OUT of the vein then not flush it. If you are seeing a lot of Thio burns then BAD BAD VET. We used thio and the vet always made sure there was no leak as a rule and instilled it into me as well. If you properly shave an area you avoid this - and I dont go into veins without shaving first its unhygenic and sloppy (unless its an absolute dire emergency and seconds count)

poor poor little Jimmy sorry little tyke that you left us so soon I would report this vets behavior to the Veterinary Practitioners Board and AVA if he is a member immediately. Kick up a stink this idiot does not deserve to be near animals.