hopenfox

Fox is a registered therapy dog with Paws For Friendship Inc...We visit a nursing home, spending most of our time in the dementia ward... Fox was born for this job, he's so sweet and calm and kind and gentle and knows just how to react to the different people he meets. He's more animated, with body wiggles and kisses (if the resident wants one!) with the more active people and with those who can't move much, he gently lays his head on their lap or edge of their bed, and will manoeuvre his head under their hand and be content to rest there. From the moment we arrive to the moment we leave, his tail never stops wagging. The joy and smiles he brings to residents and staff often makes me teary.

How often do you feed him? You could try feeding small amounts more frequently, like every 2 or 3 hours. How does he handle raw lamb hearts? I've found they're great for increasing weight and are usually well tolerated. I've 'fattened' severely underweight dogs on chicken (for bone to keep the stools firm) and lamb hearts. You just need to adjust the amount of chicken up or down to keep the stools looking good. I would feed a chicken quarter (Kelpie size dog), then 3 hours later a heart (or half a heart at first), then another heart (or half) 3 hours later, then another, then a chicken quarter again, then another lamb heart, etc. This has always worked really well and quite quickly for me with very little digestive upset.

Hope (17 kgs) gets four F.O. caps every day for her arthritis, which keeps her symptoms completely at bay. Fox (20 kgs) has one a day to keep his skin soft and dandruff free (before F.O., he had heaps of dandruff). Link (18 kgs) has two a day to help with his dry skin and coarse hair, but will drop down to one per day when I'm happy with his coat. All my dog's LOVE their caps and eat them like lollies! cazxxz; grass-fed raw meat provides ample amounts of Omega 3, 6 and 9. You only really need to supplement with Omega 3 (FO) if you feed a lot of chicken or grain-fed animals or want to provide extra for a health condition. I've heard you can't really overdose on Fish Oil - the body just ships out what it doesn't use, so the dog'll get oily droppings if you feed to much.

I haven't used anything on any of my dogs for over 5 years. All faecal tests come back negative for worms/parasites. I use a flea comb as part of grooming to help remove dead hair, so there's no chance of missing any sign of fleas (I last found and combed out a couple around 7 years ago). I don't live in a heartworm area, so don't treat for that either... If my dog's ever got them, I would treat intestinal worms with Diatomaceous Earth.

Name: Hope Nickname: Hopey Breed: Koolie/Border Collie Gender: Female Age: 9 years (had for 8.5 years) Picture: (see sig) Where did you get them from? Bendigo RSPCA shelter How often do you exercise your dog? Several runs around the 20 acre property every day (walks down the long driveway to the gate/letterbox or dam), 3 - 5 fetching games and 1 - 3 informal training sessions. Do they know any commands? Too many to list here... Compete in any dog sports? Agility, Herding, used to attend Obedience and once Flyball Favourite treat: people food Favourite toy: Squeaky ball Funny habits or quirks: Hunts bees most of the day, every day What's their personality like? Very sweet, smoochy & loving with me...reserved with others. Very serious and wants to work all day (fetching games are considered work, not play), very high ranking girl who would love to usurp me as leader Do they get along well with other dogs? Well with my other dogs, tolerates strange dogs unless they get too close to her toy, bee or people food Are they scared of anything? Noise! (toaster popping, thunder, rain, smoke alarm, hiccups, gun shots, fly sprays, fly swats, hand slaps, coughs, etc.) What training methods do you use? Positive reinforcement? Corrections? Positive reinforcement/clicker/dog listener stuff Name: Fox Nickname: Foxy Breed: Kelpie Gender: Male Age: 8 years (had for 7 years) Picture: (see sig) Where did you get them from? Bendigo RSPCA shelter How often do you exercise your dog? Several runs around the 20 acre property every day (walks down the long driveway to the gate/letterbox or dam), 3 - 5 fetching games and 1 - 3 informal training sessions. Do they know any commands? Too many to list here... Compete in any dog sports? Agility, Herding, Obedience & is a registered Therapy Dog Favourite treat: Goat meat! Favourite toy: Any new toy Funny habits or quirks: Likes to have his paw held and massaged at any opportunity What's their personality like? Very affectionate, calm, super friendly, loves people, loves learning and showing off Do they get along well with other dogs? With dogs he knows. Are they scared of anything? Thunder, gun shots, smoke alarm, rain (3 of those picked up from Hope) What training methods do you use? Positive reinforcement? Corrections? Positive reinforcement/clicker/dog listener stuff Name: Link Nickname: hasn't got one yet (Linky?) Breed: Kelpie Gender: Male Age: 1 year (had for 2 months) Picture: (see sig) Where did you get them from? Bendigo RSPCA shelter How often do you exercise your dog? Several runs around the 20 acre property every day (walks down the long driveway to the gate/letterbox or dam), 3 - 5 fetching games and 1 - 3 informal training sessions. Do they know any commands? Sit, Come, 'in your crate', 'in the car', and wait Compete in any dog sports? Not yet Favourite treat: Haven't discovered it yet - loves everything Favourite toy: As above Funny habits or quirks: Fly herding What's their personality like? Playful, happy, friendly, but not very confident Do they get along well with other dogs? Yes Are they scared of anything? A raised hand, aggressive movements, strange places & people What training methods do you use? Positive reinforcement? Corrections? Positive reinforcement/clicker/dog listener stuff

Could you elaborate? Well it's a scientific fact that dog's are carnivores! Dogs have teeth and digestive systems almost incapable of digesting or absorbing nutrients from vegetation or grain. (omnivores?) And their DNA is 99.8% identical to wolves, which are carnivores. And contrary to popular belief, internationally recognised wolf expert, David Mech, has proven that wolves don't eat the stomach contents of their prey - they shake it out and eat the lining.

That dogs are omnivores...

I feed whole (furry) rabbits, sheep's heads, ox tongues & hearts, lamb necks, hearts, shanks and ribs, chicken (whole or parts), turkey (parts), pork ribs, hocks & roasts (some shoulder roasts can get quite cheap!),kangaroo (meaty chunks & tails), and goat & venison when I can find it and organs from any of these animal including liver, lungs, brains, kidney, etc. The goal is to base the diet on whole prey, making up a whole animal over time. The larger the pieces the better so the dog can work on it, exercising his jaws and cleaning his teeth. Mince is used only if the price is impossible to pass up or the dog has no teeth. Or to use to stuff in Kongs. To keep to a good percentage of 'mostly meat, some bone, some organs', I usually feed two meals of meat, then one with bone, then two of meat again. A large meal of a whole rabbit is usually two or three days worth of food, so I either feed nothing for those days or a small token meal like a couple of chicken hearts. I get most of my meat from supermarkets & butchers and keep an eye out for marked down or 'on special' meats. Many of the items you have to ask specifically for, since they aren't always on display. The rabbits come from a ferreter who advertised in the local paper ($8 a pair, skinned or not) and I do get some unwanted meat from some friends who slaughter their own animals.

I'd be willing if you could fill me in on what's involved.

Two behind the cargo barrier in the back and one secured on the back seat.

I started Hope off with a light-weight home-made adapted nylon muzzle (shade cloth at the end so she could still drink and pant), then once she was comfortable with that and was able to eat slightly lumpier food, I changed her to a stronger, but still light plastic basket muzzle.

Very happy to hear Noopy is doing so well! I read with interest & concern your earlier postings about her, since my girl Hope went through something similar, though it wasn't drawn out for as long. She's three years past surgery and though she does have a slight stricture, and will always need to be fed carefully and supervised, it's become a way of life and I don't even think about it any more. She loves her meals and is as healthy as could be. I wish you and Noopy all the best for her continued recovery!

In no particular order: Swedish Vallhund Working Border Collie Collie (Smooth) Koolie Belgian Malinois Border Terrier Brittany Curly Coated Retriever Dobermann Hungarian Vizsla German Pinscher German Shorthaired Pointer Manchester Terrier Dalmation Sorry, couldn't shrink it back to 10 :D

Ali Andrew Andy Angus x 2 Angus Rip Anzac Apollo(different spelling!) Appollo Archie +1 Archer Arkhan Armand Arq Ash Ashke Attila Atlas Axl Bailey x 6 Balki Baloo Balou Bandit x 2 Banjo Bardigrub Barney Bart X 2 Barton Basil Baxter Bean Bear x2 Beau x 2 Bender Ben x 2 Benji x 2 Benny Benson BERT! Billy Bing Bluey Bob Bomber Boo Boof Bosch Bosco Boxer Brady Brian Custard O'Doggle Brock Brockie Brody Bronson x2 Brownie Bruce Bud Buddy Buffy... he came with it Bumble Bundyx3 Buster byron Caleb Cannon Caramel Carl Cash Casper Champ Changwe Charlie x 5 Chester Chevy Chief Chip x 2 Chok Chubba Chops Clancy Clifford Coco Columbus Cooper x3 Cory Cowan x 2 Cowboy Crikey Cruise Cuba Daniel x 2 Dancer Danny Darcy x 2 Dashx2 Deakin Dean Declan Delgado Denim Dennys Dog Diablo Diesel x2 Digby Digger x2 Dillon Dinky Douglas Dominic Dude Dumas Duncan Dylan Ebon Echo Eddie Edward Elijah Elliott Elmo Elvis Edge Ernie Esky Fang Fergus x 2 Finn Fox x 2 FlashBazil Fleming Fletcher Fly Flynn Focus Forester Foo Frank Fudge Galahad Gandor Geo Georgex2 Gordon Gossy Greedy Grover Guiness mcGuinness Hail Hamish Harley x 2 Harper Harri Harrison Harry Hector Henry Henschke Hey Dog Hogan Hudson Hugo Ian Ivan Jack x 3 Jake x 2 Jasper x 2 James x 2 Jay JayDee Jed Jethro Jet Jett Jonsey Joop Jordan Joshua Joxer Judd Juggie Kahn Kai Kaiser x 2 Kane Kasper Kaos Khan Kiba Kei Kingston Kippy Kisho Koshi Kuga Kynan Kyzer Leo x2 Lincoln Link Lenny Lexcen Leroy x 2 Lestat x2 Logan Louie Luca Lucius Ludwig Lughie Lukas Lukon Luther x 2 Mac X 2 MacKenzie Mandrake Mark (the cat) Mars Mason x2 Maverick Max x 7 Maxie Maxwell THE DOG Maze Mel Merlot Merlin x2 Merry Milky Milosh Milton Minook Mistral Mojo Mokha Moo Morris Mr Darcy Mufti Nammu Napoleon Nelsson (yes two s's) Nicky Nigel Noah Nova Nudge Nugget Occy Oliver Omar RIP Onslow Oscar x 4 Oz Pal x 2 Payton Pete Phoenix Phantom Piikki Peewee Porsha Puck Punch Quick Quincy Raffy Ralph Rambo Ramses Randy Raymond Reeve Reagan Reginald Rex Ricky Riku Riley Rimes Ripley River Robbie x 2 Rocks Rodney RIP Roger Rolly Rory Rove Rover Roy Jones Jnr Rudnick Ruff Rumour Rupert Rusty Sam x3 Sampson Sarge Satchmo Scooby Scout Scrap Scratch Shadow Seth Silas Snitch Sonny Soul Spartan Speed Spencer Spike Sport Spud x 2 Sterling Stig (The) Storm Stryker Sumo Swanky Tag Tally Tana Tanga Tazz x 2 Teddy Terry Tey Dog Thomas Thunder Tiger Tirra Toby x2 Toffee Tolkien Tommy Tournie Tub Tusca Tutty Tye x2 Tyson Udo Ulf Valdez Wags Walker Wally Watson Weave Whisky Willow Willy Wilson Woody X2 Wookie Wycomb Yoshi Zac x 2 Zedley Zeppelin Zephyr x 2 Zeus x 2

He slept through! And the next night too, so I guess he's fine to hold on. Thanks!

I would recommend McIvor Rd or Eaglehawk Rd Veterinary Clinic. Also have you let the RSPCA shelter know you have the cat? Many owners would leave their details with them if they lost a pet.

Thanks! I think I might see how relaxed or restless he is and decide what to do when we go to bed. His crate is near my bed, so I should become aware if he gets restless. I'm sure I'll be awake most of the night anyway!

It's been so long since I house trained my last dog, who I also brought home at the age of 10 months, I forget what I did! Tomorrow I'm bringing home a 10 month old Kelpie after being desexed at the vet (from the RSPCA) and he'll be crated at night (at least at first). I was intending to take him out to the toilet last thing at night (10:30 - 11 pm) and first thing in the morning (7/7:30). Do you think at this age I need to also set my alarm and take him out at around 3 am? Thanks, hopenfox

angelsun, I just wanted to thank you for this amazing weekend at Shepparton! I really enjoyed myself (and I think my dogs did too). I learnt heaps and can't wait to start introducing/integrating Rally into my club's training classes. I look forward seeing Rally O trials held in Victoria soon!

About 1 table-spoon per day, but we worked up to that over about a week...

I found my Cavalier, Nicky's tear and saliva stains completely cleared up after adding apple cider vinegar to his food. I also changed his diet to totally raw, so that probably helped too.

I haven't attended training classes but have regularly been there for trials and apparently they train positively. Hopefully someone else will be able to answer your other questions... Their website: http://www.sunburydogobedience.com/

Abrham Ali Andrew Andy Angus Apollo(different spelling!) Appollo Archie Arkhan Armand Arq Ashke Atlas Bailey x 4 Balou Bandit Banjo Bardigrub Bart Barton Baxter Bear x2 Bender Ben Benji Benny Benson Billy Bing Bluey Bomber Bosch Bosco Boxer Brady Brian Custard O'Doggle Brock Brockie Brody Bronson x2 Bruce Bud Bundyx2 Buster Cannon Caramel Carl Casper Champ Charlie x 5 Chevy Chief Chip x 2 Chok Clifford Coco Cooper x3 Cory Cowan x 2 Cowboy Cuba Danny Darcy x 2 Dashx2 Deakin Dean Declan Delgado Dennys Dog Diablo Diesel x2 Digby Digger Dinky Douglas Dumas Dylan Ebon Echo Eddie Elijah Elliott Edge Esky Fergus x 2 Fox x 2 FlashBazil Fleming Fletcher Flynn Frank Fudge Gandor Geo George Greedy Guiness mcGuinness Hail Harley Harrison Harry Henry Hogan Hudson Hugo Ivan Jack x 3 Jake x 2 Jasper x 2 James JayDee Jethro Jet Jett Jordan Joshua Judd Juggie Kahn Kaiser x 2 Kasper Kaos Kiba Kei Kippy Kisho Kynan Kyzer Leo Lincoln Lenny Leroy Lestat Logan Luca Ludwig Lughie Lukas Lukon Mac MacKenzie Mark (the cat) Mason Max x 5 Maxie Maxwell THE DOG Mel Merlot Merry Milky Milosh Milton Minook Mistral Mojo Mokha Morris Mr Darcy Nammu Napoleon Nelsson (yes two s's) Nicky Nigel Noah Nova Nudge Nugget Onslow Oscar Oz Payton Pete Phoenix Phantom Piikki Porsha Punch Quick Raffy Ralph Randy Reeve Reagan Rex Ricky Riku Riley Ripley River Rocks Rolly Rory Rove Rover Roy Jones Jnr Rupert Rusty Sam Satchmo Scout Scrap Scratch Shadow Seth Silas Snitch Sonny Soul Spartan Speed Spencer Spike Sport Spud Sterling Stig (The) Storm Stryker Sumo Swanky Tazz x 2 Teddy Tey Dog Thunder Tiger Tirra Toby x2 Tolkien Tommy Tub Tusca Tye x2 Tyson Udo Ulf Valdez Wags Walker Watson Weave Whisky Willow Willy Wilson Woody Wycomb Yoshi Zac Zedley Zeppelin Zephyr x 2 Zeus Zuma

Abbigail Abby AJ Alika Alchemy Amber Amelia Amy x 2 Anais Annie Anastacia (Annie) Angel X 4 Anishinaabe Annabelle Annabella April Arizona Asante sana Ashka Askari Astro Audrey Aura Ayla Baba Baci Bailey Becky Bella x3 Bit Blossom Bonny x 2 (Bonnie) Bonita Brandy Bree Bridie Buffy Cally Cassie Casper CC Cedar Chelsea Chevy x 2 Chloe x 2 Charlotte Cinta CJ x 2 Claire Claudia Clover Cleoparta Coco x2 Cossette Daisy Dallas Delilah Delta Demi Dexta Diazz Dinky Durham Dyzney Ebony Echo Elizabeth Ella Ellie Ellie x2 Emily Emma Erin Evie Faith Fanta Finta Fleur Froggy Gabby Gemma Genie (not exactly a girly name but I thought it suited my goldy) George Ginny Gita Glitter Grace Griffin Gypsy x2 Harlow Hayley x2 Heddy Heidi x2 Holly x 5 Honey Honour Hope Imme Imogen - Imy Jade Jane Jay Jay Jenna Jess Jessie x 2 Jezebel Jindi Jodie Juliet Kara Kari Karma Karmen Kaos Katie Katy Kayla Keilani Kelli Kelsey Kenzie Kiesha Kirra (agility name Kiz) Kizzey Krissy Kuean - (Queen) Lacey Layla Lea (lele) Lexi Libby Lily x 2 Lobo Logan Lola Lottie Lucy x4 Luuka Mable Maddison Maggie x2 Mallee Marie Claudette Marlo Meg Meisha Merrique Mia Milla Millie x3 Minnie x 2 (Mynni) Minouche Mischka Mitzi Molly x5 Molly Coddle Moochie Mya Nala Narla Natasha Nena Ness Olivia Paxy Pearl Peggie Pebbles Phoebe Pip Polly Popcorn Porridge Prada Quince Rani Reba Rebel Reno Rhoda Rizzi Rogue Rommi Rosey Rosie Roxy Ruby x3 Sabrina Sadie Saffron Safire Sally x2 Sarah Sarah Jane Sascha x 2 Satu Savannah Scandal Shae Shandy Shannon Sharnie Sheba Shine Sinta Sienna Skye SkySnow Sophie x2 Sophia Springy Spook Stella x2 Stimpy X2 Storm Sue Suzie Sybill Tara Tasha Tayla Teegan Tess x 2 Tessa Texas Tia x 2 Tilli Tilly x3 Tinny (tin tin) Tori Tully Tyra Vada Voodoo Winter Wilhelmina Xanthe Zillah Ziva Zoe x 3

Some great ideas, thanks! I'll be trying them out shortly...