Nekhbet

This dogs needs a little boot camp treatment. NO: being on your lap being on furniture allowed any unsupervised interaction with children one little growl at all at anyone no undeserved treats (as in the dog is just being fed treats for existing) start obedience now and the dog has to do something for any treat it receives. As soon as the dog growls sin bin it, be it outside, laundry etc and not let back into the pack until it settles down. The dog sounds like its just posessive, especially of you, and sees itself higher in the pack then the 2 year old. Be VERY careful because your 2 year olds face is low and if the dog feels challenged it can snap at its face. I wouldnt be letting the dog up on the furniture EVER until the dogs issues are sorted, even then ONLY when invited and then has to get off when asked. Put a little mat in the room with you and he can sit on that, if he doesnt like it outside. You need to be VERY consistant and persistant with this dog until he realises his place is at the bottom of the rung. Sounds like he's just been allowed to get away with having his way and is slightly spoiled. Also look up NILIF (nothing in life is free) and check out http://www.leerburg.com/pdf/packstructure.pdf

dogs aren't people. They dont run around with these human thoughts like "oh i'm less of a man because I've been desexed. How will I ever be able to drive a ute down to the pub and watch the footy now I lost my testes". If you dont intend to show this dog, and it is not on main register then dont keep it entire. Entire males mark, they seek females (for bouncy boxers means more chance of the dog continuously trying to escape and roam) I wouldnt desex til about 6-8 months, wait till both testes have descended. It doesnt make a huge difference to development and body shape, some of the larger breeds can benefit from it but I wouldnt worry. Plus no chance of testicular cancer.

FFS ... americans and their 'cheap' ways around everything.

Frank, you're not a dog. There is no need to pin down the dog and bare your teeth one day you're going to have your face bitten. NEVER EVER put yourself into a physically challenging position like that. You've been lucky so far. Dont ever teach your daughter to do it either, EVER. Keep the dog on a leash, if he starts jumping at your daughter she walks away and he doesnt get attention. You should always be present around them and the point is to punish at the beginning of the act, not after he has already gone too far. If he even goes for a nip, sin bin time. No attention. If you CANT have full control over the situation then keep them separate, dont give the dog and child an opportunity to get into strife. One of them will end up injured. Also keep dogs away from moving bikes, the wheels and chains can snag him or she can tumble on top of him, very dangerous. I agree get her to be involved in his obedience, he has to respect her as much as he respect you. Teach her NEVER to sit or lay on the ground when the pup gets excited and to stand up, cross her arms and stare at the sky if he does. No squealing, screaming, waving arms etc. And primary rule - no playing with the dog when dads not in the same space.

dont chase the dog, the pup thinks its a game or its in trouble. You are better to start jumping about and running away from the pup making squeaky happy noises. Crouch down, hop about and squeak like a playing pup, even run around like a loony. A lot of pups cant resist and when the pup DOES come back HEAPS AND HEAPS of praise and fun time. The pup doesnt realise its done wrong and you panicking just makes it think you are upset with it so it runs away.

they get over it ... if the dog cant eat then maybe its a bit long and needs trimming. It should be long enough the dog cant reach the stitches but can access food and water. I would leave it on its better then herniation from tearing around like a lunatic or ripping stitches out.

The point of pinch collars and check chains is to provide a correction. Chopper should not have the opportunity to GET to a tight lead. Walk him alone, stick the other dog in a crate inside with a bone (skip meals for the day) and cover it with a blanket. The dog will feel safe but distracted. When Chopper goes to walk out in front of you, you are meant to provide a correction. Not let him strain, the prong collar works by tightening and pinching the skin around the neck, hence a short sharp correction is required. When he walks out, before the leash is tight POP and about turn, encourage him to follow you. Every time he goes to walk out in front *POP* and about turn, encouraging him in a nice friendly voice to catch up with you. Skip his meals, give him food rewards for when he catches up. You are simply not using the equipment properly - the fact your dog has MARKS from a prong collar means you dont know how to use it. I'm not being rude, but go to K9 force or someone with experience before you create a dog so desensitised to any corrections around its neck. You need to realise that the more the dog gets away with pulling under pressure from equipment the less a correction will mean to him when he finally gets one.

he's just being an adolescent. Dont go panicing about alpha this dominance that. If he tries it again grab him by the scruff and put him outside, ignore him for a while. You THINK he see's you as the alpha? Or does he see you as just a source of food and attention when he wants it? Have a good think about this. Does he paw you, whine, scratch or do things without you commanding him - and do you give him attention/food for it? As for him not liking you playing with other dogs - who asked him. I Would completely remove him from the situation if he gets antsy or aggressive. Seems like you lack some leadership to the dog and he's taking over. Get his nuts out, and then work on making HIM work for everything. Remember everything on YOUR terms. You give a request and he gets a reward when he completes it properly, not just as he wants it.

CRIPES!!! That dogs food is so full of fillers no wonder its not eating it. Its a dog. Ditch the weet bix, supercoat and canned gloop. I have 3 large dogs (25kg, 37kg and 55kd) and a 15kg bag lasts me a month (thats around $90) because I give them bits and pieces from the local chicken factory and some cooked food (costs me about $3 to make up a large pot of veges and rice) so if you work it out your little pup will be really cheap on a premium, breed specific dog food. I find supermarket brands are not really closely suited to most breeds either, they cast the net too wide for who they get fed too. It pays to invest in a better dog food at this stage. You can supplement it with chicken necks, wings and lamb flaps so it will last you longer and you dont feed large amounts. Royal Canin, Nutro, Eagle Pack are up there and you can start with a smaller bag - I think all 3 brands come with a money back guarentee so if your dog WONT eat it you return the uneaten portion and get a refund. You wont find them at the supermarket but then again I completely avoid the dog food isle unless I'm grabbing some dried liver treats or cat litter

go the Eagle Pack giant breed puppy if you can get a hold of it magic stuff! That or Royal Canin, they are premium foods. Beneful is good due to less additives but its not specifically made for giant breeds, especially if yours is having problems with its skeletal system. dont go putting calcium on dry puppy food and adding too much. a complete food shouldnt need more calcium then is already in it or your pups bones harden and grow too fast. It also affects hair, skin and nerves as well. Dogues need to grow slowly, my boy at nearly 2 is still growing so keep an eye on the pups weight too. Let the pup be a bit ribby especially with leg problems, they do so much better in the hot weather being a little underweight as well!

wouldnt it be downright stupid to refer someone to the internet? where would the OP even know where to bloody start : maybe thats where the vets degree came from ... antonio the diet is definately worth looking deeper into. My dogue had bad front feet when I got him at 7 1/2 months as well as a few other problems. Eagle Pack giant breed was excellent, as well as fresh protein/calcium sources like chicken maryland, necks and frames. Just a thought ... you aren't supplementing the dogues diet with extra calcium or supplements are you?

you need to contact the breeder NOW call them up to get advice and also reccomendations on a suitable vet. Sounds like a nerve problem, has the pup fallen off anything lately or stumbled down some stairs? Could be spinal or the dog could have weak wrists. What diet is the dog on at the moment?

what causes his reactions? Is it previous bad experiences, pain, weak nerves etc? Or does he react that way to all strangers. If he is that stressed then the treatments wouldnt work anyway. They rely on relaxation and manipulation of a loose body. He could end up injuring himself further. Would it be better if the therapist came to visit you at home? Stick to medications, supplements and maybe filling a bath with warm water and floating him in there yourself (if he's small enough) or if he's a large dog putting him in a warm bath and massaging him.

is she crated or belted in? What kind of car is it?

dogs still need fibre. If i feed mine too many bones they get hard poos that are difficult to pass so I cut down the bones and up the kibble/veges. It can if you fed it as a majority of the dogs diet but as long as the proportions of fibre is in there then there is no worries. You can add some bran to the food if you see the bones clogging them up too much.

wow gotta stop that quick smart before he chases someone elses stock or ends up learning to bite and kill. Electronic collars are great for training the dog, but you need a qualified trainer to help you. Try PMing K9 Force.

dont go making a puzzle out of it. The poor bloody dog will be more confused then a rational, logical, language speaking human will be. Limited to one food? Make the dog hungry to increase the value of the food. Frankly I rarely use food rewards in training unless the dog is food obsessed, even then I wean them off. My dogs get prey rewards, or learn that something is NOT worth doing because all hell will reing upon them if they dare try it. Its how I have two dominant strange males who have just met in the room with me here without blood on the walls - they both know that its easier to just get along and not be arses because Alpha Mummy controls all

If you are stuck with only one type of food to feed to the dog ... make the dog hungry. Skip a meal or two, dont feed the dog all day then whip out the food rewards. the dog will be behaving so fast you will see skid marks.

until the dog gets it. How long is a piece of string really. it depends on so many things - but mostly on the effectiveness of the handler. Look at some pet dogs. They have been told to 'sit' 50,000 times and the poor bugger STILL doesnt get it. Poor training on the owners behalf. That and is the dog motivated enough to cement it in? I taught my Mal behaviours after 5-10 repetitions. My Mastiff took 20-30 times for the same thing. Its all subjective, not something you can quantify. But if you spent weeks trying to get the dog to 'get it' and it still looked at you like you were speaking japanese then you need to re-evaluate your training methods.

look at the reason she is avoiding you ... is it fear? Uncertainty? or have you spent a lot of time teaching the dog to not come to you

what the heck does a head collar have to do with chewing the lead Kylie?!? Jeezus the pup is just showing some excitement and enthusiasm. Grab some chilli sauce or bitter spray and rub it on the bottom half of the lead. Ignore the biting behaviour, you are doing the right thing. Just hold your ground, or stop completely and stare at the sky until the pup settles down.

yes and when he destroys something rather expensive it will be very endearing ... dogs have a great sense of smell so even a washed sock contains great smells. My dog is the same, always went for socks even when stuffed in shoes! I got her out of it quickly by putting away socks and when I caught her sniffing around for them she was reprimanded. I would restrict access to rooms where clothing is kept to get him out of the habit

its not a spiked collar, its called a prong. It causes no pain to the dog if used correctly, same with the E-collar. We are not out to cause pain to dogs. And if you automatically throw equiptment out on pre-conceived notions about pain then how can you call yourself a trainer for all dogs. Of course you get 100% success rate - if you pick and choose ones that you CAN fix. I dont like the fact you associate training equiptment with people being lazy or wanting a quick fix. You yourself can show people a difference within a session cant you? As for putting a leg over, I'm sure you would understand that the dog doesnt actually rationalise about your physical abilities. The dog can feel constricted by this method and so lash out. You should ask more questions before man-handling a strange dog too. If that is a problem for you why not show the owners how to do it with their own dogs - the respect lies between them, not you and the dog. And letting yourself be chewed on - dont think so. I would never let a dog chew on me. I have trained and owned large, high drive working dogs and a bite was a rare occurance. My mastiff did the first day he arrived at my place ... he never did it again, he wouldnt dare. Oh and by the way I dont have to be physical with my dogs to establish heirachy. So far your clients never told us how you actually helped them with establishing a better relationship with the dog. You were physical - yes. But what about in general establishing heirachy? Keeping the dog mentally stimulated, and not making gross generalisations about the dogs behaviour based on the breed. Maybe you should consider doing something like the NDTF course so you can stop turning away customers that dont fit with your training methods.

how severe is the pancreatitis? If they are not showing adverse reactions to the wings I would continue. Chicken necks are better as there is little skin/fat, turkey is good also. Are their teeth brown, gunky, have red bits of gum (or any green) and does their breath smell bad? If it does maybe get one dog done at a time. Try the Lort Smith animal hospital in Nth Melbourne. I know you can arrange payment plans if you absolutely have to (speak to staff first) and they are VERY reasonably priced. I saw John Hillman there, good vet, realistic and doesnt do unneccesary procedures. Make an appointment, but be patient as they are still an animal emergency centre.

just soak the food for a while in warm water and give it to him when its cold. Also chicken necks stuck in the freezer until they are half frozen will help cool and sooth his itchy gums.