Nekhbet

If you dont like the vet get a new one. Sometimes its worth travelling to find a good, knowledgable vet that will get the job done instead of just churning through the patients. Remember its your animal - you have the right to question a vets opinion and always get an opinion from another as well.

I would take him to the vet to get it checked out. It could be a bite, an ingrown hair, grass seed, or allergy (just to name a few) without seeing it its hard to reccomend something over a forum He may need some antihistamines or medication. Also an elizabethan collar over his head will make him leve the leg alone.

ah you see she did respond ... she barked at you. Maybe she doesnt understand the signals, or maybe she perceives them as initiating play/play fighting.

why do you want your dog to roll into submissive position for you? If she was taken away early from the litter she may not understand them so is expressing her frustration. That or what you think is a calming signal the dog is taking as something else - remember your face is very different from a dogs.

dont expect such a young pup to hang on that long - 8 hrs is an enormous amount of time and the pup is doing really well hanging on all night. make sure she goes toilet before bed too and not too much water beforehand

aaaaaaah ... i thought you meant downstairs like inside the house upstairs downstairs ... derr

I would introduce new people to the pup whilst he is on lead. Your pup should not be wandering the house unattended anyway, but a leash means you get to his behaviour BEFORE he actually follows through. Ignoring goes so far for some dogs. If you dont give them an alternative behaviour though the dog doesnt fully understand - OK if I jump around you go inside. I'll try something else to get you to stay (nipping, woofing, scratching at the door etc) You do the right thing, get the dog to sit and focus. Make sure he gets HEAPS of praise, even a treat to reinforce the fact that THAT is the behaviour he should show if he wishes to meet people. If he jumps up, straight away grab him and outside. No talk, nothing just grab him and outside - dog realises that jumping means being ignored. Try again in 15 minutes, if he repeats the jump straight outside again. My shepherd I put my knee up (didnt actually knee her in the chest) and she couldnt get to me. SHe fell over, tried again, fell over, tried again. Eventually looked at me, huffed and sat down and then got heaps of praise. Didnt bother because she learned the harder she tried to jump the LESS she actually got - no looking at her, talking to her. As soon as she sat down she got praise and a treat. Different people different methods.

you've hit it right on the head milosmum. Dogs get away with what you let them. Puppies are notorious for bad behaviour because people think 'awwww how cute' then it grows up and instead of a little 10kg pup doing it you have a 30kg dog with a full set of adult dentition pushing you around. A dogs brain works by trying to get the most for the DOG. The dog will listen and respect you because you show it that X behaviours get it rewards and no punishment, Y behaviours gets punishment and no reward. Think like a dog, not like a person.

dont just shove something else into the pups mouth - it can get the idea that biting you gets a reward. When the little bugger goes for you, grab it by the scruff and growl at it loudly. Give him a right growl at then walk off. He will realise that biting only means he gets punished and ignored. Dont be afraid to be loud, he wont freak out and hate you. Pups expect to be taught boundries and if you dont he will continue. Never expect a dog to grow out of anything - expect it to only escalate.

whatever you do introduce it SLOWLY or itll be poop and vomit everywhere. Give chicken necks, wings, lamb flaps as a snack or lunchtime meal. Its great for their teeth and keeps them busy (and away from other things to munch on hehehehe) There is the Baiada chicken factory in Laverton North, you can buy things in bulk for cheap and freeze it. A good dry food is Eagle Pack and Nutro is great, both of mine are on it, but once again, start the process gradually. Mix a little of the new dry food in with the old and make the change over a couple of weeks. ETA ... dammit Skyline where are the photos!

cheaper and healthier option - chicken carcasses, necks, maryland, lamb flaps and necks. I havnt fed dog cans in years, never will because pound for pound you are paying an aweful lot of money for something that is about 65%-80% water. Plus the dogs jaws get exercise and teeth are cleaned plus canned food - farts and LOTS of sloppy poo

I wouldnt correct a 17 week old pup. Your problems stem from too much too fast. Yes the pup picks it up but you have a baby thats attention span is very short and you dont give things time to be cemented before moving on. Its like putting a kid on a bike and 10 minutes later whipping off the training wheels. You set your dog up to fail and then get frustrated. Have fun with the dog before it becomes work shy. If you continuously show you are no fun your dog will not be easy to train or control.

how small is the pup? If its the Cav in the signiture its too young and small to be up on the bed. She either cant get down to piddle or she's just being disrespectful. If you catch her in the act clap your hands loudly and growl. That is still wrong behaviour and then take her to the piddle spot. Leave her in the crate during the night. Dont give the pup too much water up until she goes to bed (unless its a very hot day) and she goes for a toilet break before official sleeping time.

yes IDEXX labs should and Dorovitch pathology also handle animal bloods so they should too. its not complicated, I used it as proof that my Malinois was adequately vaccinated after having a C5 instead of a puppy booster. Sometimes its worth doing, especially for dogs that have vaccine allergies

17 weeks?! Jeez the whole process really needs to slow down ... where is the competition that such a young pup needs to be progressing so far so fast? You will be missing critical steps and reinforcement time. Your time needs to be 10% teaching and 90% REPEAT REPEAT REPEAT the ONE thing until the dog does it in its sleep. and trust me it will take a lot longer then a couple of weeks.

the rewards should not leave your hands. If she is sniffing you are letting her rewards be from other sources, so she thinks 'hey i'm not getn it here lets see if its somewhere else' some with the drive reward. YOU have the drive reward. It is attached to you at all times and DOES NOT LEAVE YOUR HANDS. She gets to play with it then you take it back. Same with the food. She shows the good behaviour, have a marker (like clicker or "good dog" to let her know she's on the right track) then reward. Also she should have a release word for her actions. I dont know if you use corrections at all so I wont go into that unless you do. Start her on short stays, let her win every time. If she starts sniffing around or loses focus you can either correct her, or do something like 'UH UH" and withhold the reward, break the exercise and try again. Dont travel too fast and remember that the rewards can only come from your hands. Dont dangle them in her face either, make them seem like they appear from no where. 5 second stays are great. DO you use a stay command? Do you already have a free command? ALso I would skip a meal (if using food) or keep her confined for the previous day (as in no walkies, major play times etc) so she is keener on her reward.

how long her day will the dog be in the run? its not fair to lock her away for a long time because you cant move a few things out of her reach. GSDs are very intelligent and need mental stimulation as well. Maybe a nice long walk, an obedience session and play time every day will keep her mind off chewing a bit as well.

ah dont stress. Its the joys of living with dogs ... One day I looked out of my window and saw my belgian running around with pieces of brand new shredded foam matress bedding ... then my mastiff grabbed and entire timber pallet and dragged that around leaving gouge marks in the lawn or how about the time my friend, ignoring my warnings, left her new leather shoes in the dining room and half an hour later my mastiff had punctured holes through both of them. And was fast asleep If you leave it around, it will get chewed. Dont just expect the dog to understand, especially if you are not around the whole time to discourage her to do it. The dog should not have free reign around the house if this is how she behaves. She has designated areas she remains on (and gets treats when she sits on them) like a mat in the living room, mat in the computer room and a crate for night time. Inside means stay there unless you tell her otherwise. Outside - put things away until she gets a bit older. Is there somewhere else you can hang the washing - a side yard or closable patio where you can put up one of those extendable ones. My dogs live in the back and I have tied some nylon rope under my side verandah for my washing. Everyone is happy. What you can also do, is put up the washing and hide inside. Every time she approaches the washing line, let off one of those hand held air horns, or bang two big saucepan lids together to scare her off it. Dont let her see you though, the point is to make her think its not OK but not only when you are around. Remember to provide her with tough toys and rotate them. Dont give her everything at once, every day chuck out 3 new toys. The kong idea with no breakfast is great, Aussie Dog Toys are hardy and last a long time. Plus big marrow bones will keep her busy.

if they are just as a snack then 2 or 3. My dogs eat them in a whole meal, the 25kg dog gets about 300g and the 55kg dog gets half a kilo of them mixed in with rice and veges.

unfortunately when you keep leaving temptation out there to such a curious and intelligent breed they will investigate ... crating is a great idea, you know what the dog is up to at all times. Also provide things like massive meaty marrow bones, lamb flaps, chicken frames etc for her to chew in the mean time. Kong is great as well, skip her meal and stuff it into the kong - happy dog for a couple of hours (plus that crazy bounce it has which shepherd can resist ) hot chilli sauce or bitter spray applied liberally to things can 'self teach' her that chewing is not always a great idea

pet supply stores will sell things like Advance, Eukanuba, Eagle Pack, Nutro, Royal Canin and Nutrience. Go to a better one that should have a wide variety and choose a food that suits your puppies adult weight. I would get rid of the cans completely. Get a good quality kibble and the fresh component can be things like chicken necks, frames, wings, lamb flaps and necks. Great for keeping teeth clean and keeps the pup happy for a while. Fresh is best! Tinned food is majority water and flavoured cereal, hence the sloppy poo. If you start feeding more bones as well you will notice less smell at toilet time!

you got one with DINGO in it?! shit I got ripped of, mines half kelpie

what one of those half starved ADHD thingies eh Jeff?

K8star how devestating for you and your family poor puppy I have found a couple of links that may help you understand what is happening http://alohamedicinals.com/lymph.htm?gclid...CFSGtYAodSHr2dw http://www.petplace.com/dogs/lymphosarcoma...dogs/page1.aspx all my love and well wishes

if the swelling is spreading or getting bigger go to your vet or find another NOW. Dont wait for her to get any worst.