mowgliandme

My previous dog has rescued my grandmother twice, with no training at all! My grandma used to live with us and was sometimes unsteady on her feet, she would go for short walks around the block and once she fell over at the end of the street and couldnt get back up. My dog kept on whining out the front window (something she had never done before) until i took her outside and she took me to my grandma. I have no idea how she knew, grandma was very softly spoken and I dont know how she would have heard her from more than 10 houses away! Years later we had a similar incident happened with grandma falling over in the backyard and she kept running between grandma and me until we we could rescue her~ Current dog has only been useful at teaching me to pick up after myself as otherwise she will steal my socks for attention :P

i personally wouldnt have an aversive on (prong collar) if there was any chance that I could get frustrated enough to use it! I train mostly with shaping... I used to get frustrated until I tried to have people shape me to do simple behaviours (and tried on other people) - it is incredibly difficult even getting someone to lift their left hand or walk in a circle with marking and rewarding behaviour - i'm surprised that our dogs manage to learn anything at all when people can barely do it! Trying it on myself made me realise how hard it would be for them - so if my dog is not getting something, I: reward her effort and attempts, make it even simpler/take it back a level of difficulty go back to doing something she is great at praise her for working so hard for me when i don't even speak her language am just grateful she's wants to play my silly games and learn tricks with me, give her a cuddle we play tug/fetch and i think about how to break it down to even smaller components, or get the right level of arousal (thinking is harder if youre too excited) before attempting again Oh and letting go of the "rush" to train something, progress not perfection! Theres a quote that says "if a flower doesn't grow, you correct the environment, not the flower"

We were told water is fine at night time but to take it away first thing when you wake up in the morning

Theoretically you could bring eco-friendly bags or a washable box to the butcher when buying the meat? Depends on the quantities and where you buy it~

There is the pillow one? https://www.petstock.com.au/product/dog/kong-cushion-protective-collar-medium/53668 I think it would be less comfortable than the plastic one on hot days and your dog might be able to still reach the spot depending on location (if it was on the front toes or something)?

Haha @Scrappi&Monty she is always just a little bit cheeky! Monty must have been in the Christmas spirit a bit early Me too @JulesP I think the one i go to right now definitely would, but they would actually end up being more expensive/time consuming than the patties right now!~

A little bit of an update: she has transitioned to mostly big dog barf patties and is loving it! She still gets raw meaty bones each week and some additional tasty bits and bobs occasionally (sardines, cottage cheese, eggs) and a tiny bit of dry food I have to actually pick up her food bowl when she's done as otherwise she keeps jumping on it and then looking at me expectantly to fill it up again - she never really used to be into dry food unless it was in a treat toy or if she was doing tricks for it~ One happy dog!

I wash my dog in the shower with the removable shower head For her face i reduce the water pressure slightly, gently hold her (long floppy) ear down and spray on her muzzle gently then shampoo and rinse in the same way. For the top of her head i try to direct the water down her neck and move her ears forward out of the way slightly. She loves having a shower and hasn't had any ear issues with this method - but if she didn't like water on her face id probably try the face-washer and diluted baby shampoo method?

Sorry @PossumCorner that wasn't meant to be a slight against ALL pet carers - I am also a professional pet carer btw~ I, personally, do find it hard to trust someone with my dog after hearing such stories - the above lady from Signal Station Dog walking has 4.6 stars on Facebook (only 5 reviews though). IF i was looking for someone i would want good reviews, insurance, pictures and trust - but even in regards to pictures: I was at my local park a few weeks ago with my dog and a lady came in with a van of 6 dogs (none of which were hers), she let them run around in the park for no longer than 6 minutes, did less than 1/2 a lap of the oval, all while taking photos and angrily yelling at dogs to hurry up then bundled them back up in the van... I'm pretty sure the owners would have received 'happy snaps' of their dogs at the park and probably paid for a lot longer than 6 minutes of park time! (yes those are assumptions) I definitely don't think all pet carers are like that! I just think choosing one you trust with your dog is not easy

Wow...how does this even happen!? Makes it so hard to trust a dog walker or sitter - almost everyone has great reviews on their websites and pages!

What is the difference between pet meat and human meat suppliers? Ive only seen one so far and its a bit far to go every week~ Is it just regular meat that has been frozen past the human consumption date? or is it a different quality of meat (more hearts and less muscles)? Does it have preservatives or additives not allowed for people? I occasionally buy Mowgli meat or mince but i cook it within hours and only keep it for a few days in the fridge

oh wow that is quite cheap... the one near me has cheap(ish) bones? about $2 for a bag but theyre not very meaty ones or $4 for two meaty bones (two lamb necks or marrow bones or spine) i'm not sure about the price of offcuts as they arent displayed - the $10 a kilo stuff is referring to thighs drumsticks and mince type meats

good point!

Thank you everyone - at the moment i think i'll go with the Big Dog patties and my usual additions of bones/veggies/yogurt etc good ideas @Scrappi&Monty If i was doing it myself from the supermarket id blend and freeze it or would go to a regular butcher that cuts/minces it for me~ May i know how much you pay on average for raw meat per kilo? The big dog patties ($7.56/kg) are actually cheaper than the butcher near me! where even chicken starts at about $10/kg...

So i think Big Dog Barf it may be for now - if i toughen up then maybe i'll do raw on my own down the track! One question about these: they have ground up bone in them already, so can you still give raw meaty bones (for dental health) as well as patties or would it mess up the ratio of calcium/phosphorus etc?