goldielover

That is awfully sad. I hope the breeder had legitimate reasons for going overseas when she had a litter!! I'd just take it nice and slow. If he's comfortable in the laundry, start there talking to him quietly and follow the advice given above (great advice!). He has missed a critical socialisation period so you will definitely need to concentrate on that once he's happy around his home environment. Also, has he seen a vet in the past few weeks? There may also be a medical reason for his withdrawal. Best of luck and please keep us posted.

1) How do you define mature for your dog? I guess i'd define maturity as understanding & following the household rules and not running around chaotically!! 2) What breed is it? Golden Retriever 3) At what age did your dog start adulthood? My first golden was very mature and non-destructive at 12 months, my 2nd really didn't mature until 3 years of age, and the 3rd (currently 14 months) is certainly a lot more mature than her mum at that age but she can't stay still for a second. I can leave her inside without any damage, but if i go out for more than a few hours i'll come home to at least several holes LOL 4) Any other info you can share. I believe than different dogs, even within the same breed mature at different times. Just gotta keep with the positive reinforcement and praise. Every day that i come home and my young goldens paws/legs aren't covered in mud i praise her. She probably wonders what the heck i'm talking about, but still.... LOL

Totally agree with Miranda. Most people seem to look at the purchase price but don't realise that they will be feeding a lot less as the foods are more concentrated and of better quality. For example, i have a bag of Eagle Pack at home and also a bag of Optimum that was given to me. For a 25kg dog i need to feed 4 cups of Optimum OR 2 1/4 cups per day of Eagle Pack. Optimum is around half the price, but there is very little real price difference considering i would be feeding almost double the amount to be feeding the required amount - i hope that makes sense LOL.

Hi Corine. The vet has recommended Chris Preston to my puppy people and if he's unavailable it will be Charles Kuntz. I'm waiting for an update.

Just wanted to say thanks for all the information contained in this thread, plus those who responded to my thread a month or 2 ago about one of the puppies i've bred damaging her cruciate ligament. She will be seeing a specialist early next week with regards to surgery.

Stud Park isn't all that far on the freeway (maybe 15 to 20 minutes)... i've heard they're good. I live in Narre also and go to Ray Ferguson at Monash Vet which is in Clayton (about 20 mins). I've been to several vets in Narre Warren/Hampton Park/Hallam, but haven't found one i'm completely happy with as yet (although i'm sure there are some wonderful vets around here!). Just in case your dogs only ever get sick after hours (like mine), there is an emergency centre in Hallam on the Princes Highway which is open all night and over the weekends, which is handy to know.

I use Interceptor Spectrum which does the intestinal worms plus heartworm. We've not had a problem with fleas in years, but i do keep some Advantage handy just in case. I also buy mine from www.pricelesspets.com.au - loads cheaper than anywhere i've seen.

LOL i've got a 4 year old 'puppy' who still enjoys gardening! I have absolutely no plants left, except 1 standard rose that is protected like Fort Knox.

I use the Breville Juicer... does a pretty good job.

Poor Hope... such a beautiful girl. Run free sweetie....

I love Aloveen and Squirt, but i generally use Fido's Puppy and Kitten wash,which i buy in a 2L container (lasts a year or 2!)... it's nice and mild and the dogs smell good!

I'll vote for a bee sting as well. Best to have some oral anti-histamines at home in case it happens again. My girl goes into anaphylactic shock with bee stings... very scary as she is unresponsive within 10 minutes of a sting, so i have intra-muscular injections of Dexamethasone and anti-histamine on hand. I discussed epi-pens with my vet, but he is against the use of them as if the adrenaline is given intravenously instead of IM it could be fatal.

I feed Eagle Pack Natural and my girls are doing very well on it. Would love to try the holistic versions, but a little over my budget at the moment. I'd also like to try Innova but will not purchase anything from Pets Paradise.

Also check with your real estate agent. I know i had a problem with spiders in one place i rented in Qld and the landlord had to organise and pay for the treatment.

aaww.. poor baby. I hope he's feeling much better now!

I usually brush every 2nd day when they're shedding heavily. I hadn't used an undercoate rake for months, and finally used one yesterday and got almost half a plastic bag off my girl!! A rake is a real necessity,even if you use a slicker. Also, the odd hydrobath and blowdry doesn't go astray.

oops.. hit the 'reply' button before i finished! I've been using Eagle Pack on my girls (just the natural formula) and it's not all that more expensive if you buy the large packs as you also feed less. I've noticed that Jazz's coat smells less, her poo's are much smaller than the mountains she used to pass on Supercoat, and no smelly farts. Chelsea farts, but fortunately they're not that smelly... really funny when she does it though... she looks around at her butt totally confused!

LOL sorry ReXy, but i reckon it's Supercoat!

Have a hunt around for the best prices. I bought an 18kg bag (18kg for the price of 15) of Natural for $76 on special at Pet Stock, but that was about 5 or 6 weeks ago.

You could play 'hide and seek', using treats. eg. hide a treat behind something, and say 'go find'... obviously make it really easy at first, then progress from there.

Certainly doesn't make it any easier when people aren't consistent. My (almost ex) partner would completely disregard anything i said or asked him to do with regards to the dogs and it's been like fighting an uphill battle the whole time. Thank goodness Jazz was a sensible girl, otherwise god knows how she would have turned out!

Chelsea loves Kongs (only if there's food stuffed in them), Pup Treads and Nylabones to chew on. At the moment she has a T-Bone Nylabone and she loves it! You can get them at most pet supply places. If you have Pet stock there, i know they sell them cheaply. Just work gradually with the stays, even if you have to hold her in position for a few seconds, then praise when she has done it. Personally i don't expect more than 10 seconds from Chelsea as i know i'm not gonna get it! LOL... she has zero attention span. I know how frustrating it can be when they just don't get it. At the moment i'm focusing on recall more than anything. Also bear in mind that if you're not going to be doing obedience trialling, do what works for you!!! When on a walk, Jazz would never stand stay eg when she was off lead and we were getting close to a road. Once i yelled out 'wait!' and she did... she knows 'stay' now, but for some reason on walks she will respond better to wait, so that's what i use! It's also harder for you... i have no kids to try and control as well! With the walks, could you possibly change your routine so Sasha could go along? eg do a 1km walk with her, drop her at home, then continue on? We had to do that as well. I'd take Jazz and Chelsea and return Chels when i'd walked about 15 to 20 mins. She's 10 months now, so i do walk her 20 to 30 mins now (i don't jog or run though).

Hiya Ruth, Sorry luv, but i think you'll just frustrate yourself even more expecting Sasha to stay in the one spot. I'm working on 'stays' with Chelsea now, and i'm lucky to get 5 seconds LOL. The crate is a good idea if you want to keep her near you. Naturally you will have to keep working at 'stay', but to be honest my other girl, Jazz, didn't conquer the stay (for anything over a minute or 2) until she was around 1.5 years old. Work on the stays at your leisure and don't try any training if you're feeling down or in a bad mood. Another thing you could consider is a puppy pen... gives her a bit more room than a crate (you could even buy 2 and connect them together) and provide her with toys.. Chelsea looovees Nylabones and Pup Treads! Do you have Clints Warehouse there? They sell puppy pens quite cheaply. They're not the sturdiest, but it will probably suit your purpose. It's so hard when time is limited, but the more time and effort you put into Sasha now, the better she will be as an adult. Is your hubby able to take her for a walk in the evenings? With training, even 5 minutes every day or 2 will help. It's better than nothing. Is she still going to obedience classes? Be great to keep that up as it forces you to get out with her, and it's great for her to keep up the socialisation with other dogs and people as well. It's a rough age for a Goldie... they have boundless energy and they're also larger and increasingly difficult to control. Another year and she'll be an angel!! LOL (sorry!). I haven't had to deal with barking a lot.Chelsea is more of a barker than Jazz, but isn't too bad. Some people have had success with associating barking with something negative eg using a bottle to squirt water at them whenever they bark, but i can't really help ya there. Also, don't forget to take a bit of time out for yourself!! I'm no expert at all, so others may have other ideas, my two 9 month olds staffords are pretty good, though goldies are known for not wanting to grow up lol LOL oh yeah!!

I've always received mine within 3 or 4 working days, which i think is more than reasonable from QLD to VIC (plus allowing a day for the direct deposit to go through).

I would use the daily tablets, but we do go away every now and then and i hate to think that my dogs may not be getting them! Been using Interceptor Spectrum for a year now with no problems.