Nekhbet

Hehehehe silly little sod. Sounds like excitement/anxiety or even dominance. If he starts this then what you are doing is right, just push him off and then maybe stick him in a sin bin, or ignore him until he settles down. Its not a sexual things, he is too young for that so dont get grossed out

aah croydon ... 4 paws is a pet store Sagittarius here on DOL owns it. What a beauuuuuuuuuuutiful face!!!! love that grin! There is a difference between 'thin' as in condition (fat and muscle coating on the dog) and 'fine' as in build. She is still a baby and will not even begin to 'bulk out' until well after 12 months old. Many of these breeds start out like this as the soft baby bones could not support a big stocky frame yet. You will see as the dog matures, her body shape will become more 'set' as the puppy stage ends, the bone structure will become more solid and the muscles will develop when they have a more solid skeleton to support them. Always look at the overall condition (ie fat layer, muscles, coat and skin quality) to judge how your dog is going. Dont look at the shape or the various puppy stages will drive you mad! And like I said, bitches are usually smaller in frame size and more 'feminine' (thinner bones, smaller heads etc) due to the female hormones. If she is not desexed and you have no entire male dogs in the house (plus are willing to crate her completely during season and you have to be VERY VERY responsible) it may pay to desex her at 18 months instead of now. Those extra hormones can help the dogs body shape up better. Many brands of food are available in Large Breed Puppy formulas. Its usually written on the packet and has a lower protein level then regular food to keep the pup growing slowly. I will put a couple of photos up to show you how bulky dogs have their 'stages' This is at 7 1/2 Months old And this is at just over 12 months This is around 18 months I keep him lean, but you can see more muscle definition builds up, the puppy fat starts going away and the skeleton bulks out. He still has a lot of filling out to do, he is nearly 60kg now but that is with little fat on him. Give it time and just worry whether your dog is getting the right nutrition rather then shape at the moment. If your dog is 2 years old and looking like a boxer I would be having words to the breeder, but like I said there is boxer in this breed so they can swing to any type.

Needs quality not quantity. Could do with a tiny bit more condition for my liking definately swap over to something better and get her onto some fresh food too. She looks to be a fine dog anyway and being a bitch she will not neccesarily be solid as a dog would. Like I said Aussie's have many breeds in there she could be a throwback depending what went into the lines. Dont look at the tummy size because they stretch like balloons! Her body just looks like it needs that little bit more, go straight for a large breed formula as the base of her diet. She will not be mature till about 18 - 24 months at least so keep the puppy formula going till about 9-12 and then reassess her dietary needs then.

I thought maltese were teeny weeny white dogs? Some BC are VERY small never know.

Sounds like a growing phase. My DDB boy was the same, vaccuumed the food and was still ribby. But as long as its just ribs and the rest is fine dont worry. Dont listen to people going 'oooh poor puppy needs fattening up', these people wont pay your vet bills when the pup gets joint problems from being too fat. Like KitKat said you need to give a more 'complete' then just meat. A bit of skin, edible bones (thats why necks/lamb flaps/chicken wings are good) is a better package. Plus it encourages chewing, keeping the teeth clean and exercising the jaws. Basically - There is a set Potassium/Calcium ratio that exists in our bodies. You and the dog. Meat - very high potassium, low calcium. Eating high meat floods the bloodstream with potassium. The body has to equalise that imbalance in the ration of potassium to calcium so leeches calcium from the bones. Also high protein encourages high muscle growth - but on weak, decalcified bones the pup develops structural problems. Also, too much calcium in the diet (like putting powdered calcium on complete dry foods etc) throws this ration out. Body stores it in its custom made storage facility - our bones. A lot of calcium hardens and thickens the bones which again causes a whole different set of problems. Not wanting to panic you, hard to get it THAT wrong but explains the importance of balance between protein and calcium in the diet. Plus they need other vitamins found in plant sources, plus a bit of fibre for their digestive system. In other words ... got a good dry food Try 4 Paws and More pet store on Keilor Park Drive, they will help you.

What about the rest of her body? Is it just the ribs or is the shoulder/pelvis or spine showing a lot as well? If its just the ribs dont worry pups of these bulky breeds go through lanky stages and because of their width can look ribby. Its probably better beign underweight slightly then fat all its life, makes for less stress on the joints. I dont think Aussie Bulldogs are actually a recognised breed so when they are 'registered' it wouldnt be through the ANKC (They are British bulldog x pig dog x boxer) Have the parents or lines shown any thyroid/metabolism problems? Get a vet check if you are worried but frankly the diet looks poor. Canned food is rubbish IMO. Save your money, your pup needs a diet made for large breeds to grow it slowly and more fresh ingredients like chicken necks, lamb flaps, meat offcuts etc. If you are feeding over a kilogram of food a day and your pup is thin then its not the correct quality. 4 cups is a LITRE of kibble then nearly a kilogram of canned food then the pup scrounges. Not even my 60kg Dogue eats that much dry in a day. Brands like Eukanuba, Eagle Pack, Royal Canin, Nutrience etc are the things to aim for, and get to know your local butcher/meat wholesaler for bargains.

When you get to the park, start a little attention exercise. Is he food motivated, loves a certain toy? Crouch down and when he starts bounding about call him to you. Reward him whne he comes back and get him to sit. Give him a free command and when he bounds off quickly call him back and reward him for coming back to you again. When he gets the idea walk a few steps and then stop then call him back, especially if you see him starting to bolt away. He will soon get the idea in a positive manner. Walking him on a harness will not really help, except to let him pull more without any discomfort.

Maybe you need to calm down, relax, take a step back. Clear yourself first then deal with the dog. Yes its frustrating but you will destroy your relationship with the dog if every time you look at her you upset yourself. Your pup whines while you are angry at it - its nervous! Getting upset, tying it up etc will not stop this. Have you gotten the dog vet checked for chronic pain? What are the lines like - working lines/show lines, do any other relatives show anxiety problems, high drive etc? A dobey is a high drive breed and will whine when anxious. I own a Belgian Malinois and this thing whines like the proverbial, but its just her (trust me, I want to open the car door and push her out when we go for long drives). I learned to live with it and give her an outlet for all that penned up energy through play. You are trying to suppress her drive and anxiety so she whines. A bit of leash work and a couple of treats is not enough to shut up an animal like this. Grab an old rag and start running round the backyard like a loony. Make her chase you, get her attention by flapping it about and making happy noises - great exercise for both of you! Even ball on a bungee cord, less effort for you but keep it moving. Also, get a word to the noise. If she whines try and make her bark, jump about and excite her when she barks go "GEBLAUT - GOOD GIRL!!!!!" heaps of praise! Make everything fun, then when she's barking say 'ENOUGH" not too roughly and get her to sit. Chuck her a toy. Teach her this word means settle and shut up! Give this a go. Most of all have patience, some dogs are just like this but there are ways and means. Most of all you have to calm down yourself because an anxious dog will become more nervous around an owner that gives out negativity.

Thanks Purple Julie Its ok ... my nutbags keep everyone away anyway heheheh

Is Diamond Creek fenced?

Bored puppies are destructive. They need toys, a sand pit area to get those digging urges out on and bones to keep them happy. They are very active and intelligent dogs that require a lot of stimulation.

Shoelace, a little OT ... is your boy on fish and power a DDB? I want to try my DDB on the fish formula for his skin but want others opinions first. He seems to have a full blown case of folliculitis at the mo. Dont tell me Eagle Pack is dissapearing!

I dont see how not knowing anything about the animal you own is funny. Get to dog obedience/puppy school or a behaviourist to show you how to keep your dog.

A bit of tough love is all you can do. You pander to her whining and its getting her inside. Leave her there all night whining, scratching and only get attention when she's quiet. Sorry there is no other way. The neighbours will have to be patient, get them some ear plugs and a couple of slabs Probably a good idea to keep her in the laundry/crate her while you are away I would never leave an 11 week old outside alone, plus it would muffle the sounds. She needs to be safe and secure, not outside alone.

can I ask why you have a 6 week old puppy?

I cant see a 10 week old hanging on for at least 6 hrs. Just too much for them. NEVER punish a puppy for weeing. Thats why the pup runs away now, grab it in the middle of the act and run outside or ignore the pup while you clean up.

This dog needs something - physical corrections with a check frankly I cant see that working. The dog has built up his threshold with the yanking, tugging, jumping etc so thats why i said a prong AND TRAINER. I would never advise someone to just start correcting its head off because if done at too low a level it builds the dog - That is when you start seeing dogs become iffy about others because their anxiousness towards other dogs + antagonism through correction creates a negative experience. The dog would be corrected for chucking a complete spaz and ignoring verbal commands. I train with staffies, Amstaffs etc and these dogs are taught (like TG) to leave it, but if they break the drop or bolt foreward after being told to drop/sit they are corrected for disobeying the original command. When they settle and focus they are allowed to contact the other dog, but the owner praises the dog for being calm and friendly. Building focus through drive satisfaction is the way to go. Keeping the dog at a safe distance and dissasociating sitting/calming down with being let off to play too. If he settles at obedience and then BANG straight off with the others there is an expectation when he's out on the street too. A few sessions of deprivation of play to show that SIT around other dogs does not mean PLAY as well. I'm not advocating punishment but letting a dog carry on and not being able to at least put a dent in the drive is just as bad.

Jeezus. You got given a dog did you actually read up on how to look after them? Give her a good quality small dog kibble like Royal Canin, Eagle Pack etc. Some chicken necks are good for their teeth. Put the food down, leave it for 15 minutes and then take it away. The dog should get breakfast and dinner, it has 2 chances to eat or it goes hungry. It will not starve itself, even if its 3 or 4 days it will be fine, make sure there is alway a bowl of water around. NEVER feed human food, off your own plate or feed her first. The dog has its own food spot and eats after everyone else has finished. Get a good vet check, make sure her teeth are ok, there are no irritations or infections. If the dog is healthy you just need some tough love.

I dont see why you would wait and see before getting him desexed. Do it now. Aversives are things like corrections. You seem to be relying on the tender balance you have between you and the dog to keep him under control. You dont seem to be showing him 'no' per say but 'try this instead'. The dog is still seeing other dogs as something fantastic. Food is not enough, because the emotional reward he receives when playing with other dogs far outweighs food. If you rely on food then starve him for a meal or two. You need to start lead training again because frankly a dog that flips himself and strains on a lead is pathetic. You dont want to use a check chain but letting your dog bang himself hard enough on a lead - thats worst. Of course he frightens people - he's out of control, and other dogs can lash out when ran at. If I can make a 58kg male DDB and a SWF aggressive malinois walk past other dogs calmly you can handle one Amstaff. You need to teach focus completely. He's old enough to learn real focus. When you let him off at obedience he should not be let to play until he is completely settled and looking at you. If he's been having so much fun, that has been cementing him into the 'OMG OMG ITS PLAY TIME" mindset. Do not approach other dogs. When you see one in the distance make him sit, practice focus be it with a toy, food, whatever. Frankly this dog needs a correction for carrying on like a pork chop because he needs to be taught this behaviour is completely unacceptable. If you dont like check chains get a prong and a good trainer. You need to break through that excitement with something. This dog will have a distance where the excitement starts being released. The trick is to have him focusing, then gradually approach, over time, closer and closer, decreasing that critical spaz distance. You should be able to have a dog that walks past other dogs without even turning their head.

Nothing. Make sure she has everything she needs (food, water and bed) then ignore her until she's quiet. Dont keep cuddling or consoling her when she cries or she's going to keep sooking and it will be worst. When you ignore her it no talking, patting, looking at her etc. Completely ignore her until she behaves.

DodgyDoggy and CavvnRott have given some great advice. Its hard to make clear judgments on a forum so dont take everything to heart Michelle! We have not seen teh exact circumstances so people make assessments on what little information they get. You are doing well, definately on the right track! How do you manage all those kids PLUS a puppy, I have enough problems with a grown man and two boofheads Some great games for the kids to play is throwing toys out and the dog brings them back for a treat. I wouldnt encourage tug-o-war games at all, as the pup gets bigger and stronger it will naturally start winning, or if it decides to be cheeky and take something the kids are running around with (toy, sleeve) and the child tugs to take it away the dog can start playing again. I am the only one allowed to play tug with my dogs, its too much for others to try. Also, never play games where YOU or the kids chase the dog. Tempting and funny, but the dog learns that running away is a game. Its bad for recall or emergency situations where you need the dog to come back and he bolts off thinking its a game. Smacking really doesnt work. Dogs minds think VERY simply. Black and white. He growls because he feels threatened his food will be taken away and gets smacked for it. All this teaches him is to not warn you when he feels threatened, and one day he may go straight for a lunge only because he knows vocalising is a no no. Warnings can be a good thing, your dog starts with a passive way of letting you know his displeasure. Physical punishments would simply repress these and the dog would be forced to step up. The dog wants his food, let him eat in peace and then praise him when he finishes. If he's eating or chewing a bone etc make sure the kids understand this is his quiet time and to leave him alone (having a crate he can be in while he chews can make him feel safe and keep the kids away so no accidents happen while he's learning) I'm a little hesitant to let the kids squeal loudly if the dog nips or mouths them. Puppies do that to each other (same level) but higher pack dogs chastise. I have seen dogs set off by the noise children make but since I have no kids and one of my dogs is not kid safe I cant comment further on this. You'll be fine. Maybe get a trainer to come in just to go over everything and assess how your current situation is progressing (and get the dog desexed as soon as its possible) and fill in any gaps you may have.

Those Dentabones really are like glue. I emailed the company and was told that the recipe has been changed so the dogs 'chew' more, but my original complaint was that the Dentabones made for 25+ KG dogs required little chewing! THey're like hard play dough now really. I still think raw bones are the best (chicken necks, a lamb off cut) but things like Nylabones, dried real meat strips (no additives) are good if you only feed on the carpet or the dog leaves them lying around.

Steve Ausin? hope its not Stone Cold ... He'll have your dog toilet trained and doing a suplex - neck breaker combo on the cat Gimme a Hell Yeah! [extremely OT WWF wrestling joke ... couldnt help it ... ]

cavnrott where do you get the Eagle pack bags from?

The thing with puppies, it has to be everything or nothing. You allow a little nibble, then a bit more, then push away. Dog thinks 'ah haaaa we gonna play now are we!" and gets more and more excited. Black and white. Dogs cant think in 'degrees', as in a little nibble is OK but a bite isnt. Dog just sees teeth or no teeth allowed. Same with giving the dog human items to play with, it cannot see the difference between what you give it and other 'no no' items it comes across (like the remote, shoes, clothes etc) they all smell similar! Most of all be CONSISTANT and PERSISTANT. You'll be fine, he looks like an absolute DARLING!!!