BittyMooPeeb

Which stores have you already tried?

Ditto. Love them!

Hi Guapa, Something I wanted to add (on top of other info posted) is to make going outside for loo breaks a more fun, relaxing time. It sounds like you are getting stressed and also putting pressure on the pup to do something (by saying 'toilet' repeatedly). Some suggestions: - set up a puppy pen outside that you can put him in to go to the loo so that you can see when he goes and praise him, treat him, play with him, etc. (stay with him though). - do you take him for walks yet? Walking usually makes them want to poo and as he is on lead you will know when he goes. - if he is paper trained, put down *two* separate sets of paper. I found that my pup didnt like to poo and wee in the same area, and if I only had one set of paper out he would poo on it and wee on the rug (or vice versa). - Praise and treat him when he wees, LOTS and LOTS of happy praise and dont skimp on the treats. Keep containers of liver treats, cheese etc around the house so as soon as he goes you can reward him. Being happy weeing in front of you should help him feel more comfortable in doing a poo too. - dont ask anything of him at toilet time. Just take him outside (and you relax too!), and if he doesnt go, dont show any negative reaction, just try again later. - do you have a friend with a friendly, relaxed dog. Getting together with another dog may help him to relax and learn what the right things to are. Take them both for a walk and praise the other dog when it poos! - DONT scold your pup when he goes inside, even if you catch him at it. Just distract him and lead him outside (even if he has already finished). If he even does one more drop of wee, reward him! (I distract with a high pitched, happy voice saying "oops, outside, outside" in the same tone of voice I would use to invite a game. I run outside with him and if he goes again/more, he gets a treat. If he doesnt, no probs, we just go back in or do something fun liek a few 'sits' with treats) - Lastly, make sure everyone in the house follows the same rules, and dont let anyone scold him for toileting. Re taking him to work, I think it is a *great* idea, as long as he isnt with you all the time. It sounds like he is upstairs and you visit him every hour, so he is learning to be alone, while not being left on his own for ages . ETA: also, take a step backwards and bring his paper into the living areas of the house. Only when he is happy using the paper again, start to move it towards the back door.

Beau is looking so much better . You must be so relieved with the progress he has made so far. I have found that flaxseed oil has helped fosters with poor coats. Get the refrigerated one from health food shops, and add some to his daily meals (and continue to keep it in the fridge so it doesnt go off). Some info on flaxseed oil here

The K9 coats and mats in PINK are on special at the moment, due to a problem with the pink dye. I've just bought some but they havent arrived yet. I've tried teh gel filled ones in the past and the dogs would not go near them - squishy and wet! For an arthritic dog, these look good http://www.dealsdirect.com.au/p/pet-cooler-bed-1/ as they have foam in them too. They can be used water side up for cooling, or foam side up for general use.

Aaah Ok - thanks everyone. I will try to get the back of mine today

OK, just checked and there are two stickers on the dryer. The one on the back is on a plastic basket thing, and I cant work out how to get it off! The other sticker is on a nozzle type thing (circled in attached pic) except my nozzley thing isnt attached to the dryer - it is just loose. And there isnt anything in it This is the actual dryer (just grabbed the pic from the eBay add). You can see the nozzley bit on the bottom left: The other label is on the back of the dryer:

The web site etc mentions two filters and that they have to be kept clean, but I dont know how to do this, or where the second filter is. A sticker on the dryer says "Warning. Manual filtration system. 1. Removable stainless steel screen behind filter cap. 2. fixed plastic grill on rear of motor. Both filters must be kept free of hair." So I guess I need to know what the "stainless steel screen behind filter cap" is (I dont know what the filter cap is either)

Does anyone have a manual for a Liberty stand dryer (plus hose kit) that you could copy/scan and send me? I purchased one second-hand from eBay (thanks to Sway's hot ebay tips!) but it didnt come with a manual. Thanks Gail

Have a look at this thread: http://www.dolforums.com.au/index.php?showtopic=155873 which gives lots of good advice on puppy biting.

Thank you !! The only real question I have is the timing between scolding for biting me, and praising for taking permitted objected; is this not going to confuse him with a quick change of 'attitude' ? Hiya, My suggestion would be to use the "uh uh" or "off", then redirect to an appropriate toy which will be reward in itself. So you probably dont need to praise when he takes the toy - just make it fun by interacting (throwing it, playing tug etc). My way of teaching "off" wouldnt work with your pup (I have small dogs) but someone else should know how to do this with large dogs. LOL no. As with many things, it's easier to give advice from the outside looking in Also, did you notice the other suggestions on the first page? A few people posted (incl me) but you didnt mention those posts so I wondered if you didnt realise there was extra stuff on page 1?

Probably the method that's acheived the best (relatively speaking) result so far is distracting him to another toy - this works for periods of 30 secs up to a few minutes. I tried this again last night but wasn't 100% sure about the timing between scolding saying 'no', when he bites us, and praising when I shove the acceptable toy in his mouth or throw it for him. I thought perhaps the short time between scolding and praising might confuse him. And when he's really excited he'll take the toy but immediately drop it and latch onto us again. I'm afraid he did this in a really bad way last nite and bit OH badly, OH got very angry at him. We put him in his crate and OH stared him down while he yelped in crate - I thought it was more appropriate to walk away and ignore him. When OH and I both walked away (while OH put dettol on his bleeding hhand), he settled down and fell asleep about 7 mins later. Ahhh .. raising children ! The other thing I didn't mention through other threads is he left his litter at 6 weeks - as first time puppy owners we know NOW that this was probably a little early, despite his independence. Hi Bozthepup, have you been able to try any of the alternate suggestions today? Getting angry and prolonging 'punishment' due to anger isnt likely to acheive what you want, and (with such a young pup) you run the risk of making him fearful or adverse to certain circumstances - particularly if a fear period sets in. Can you and hubby go over the suggestions posted, and write down what you are going to do when he mouthes (or mouths too hard) and agree to stick to that for a few weeks. If anger is getting the better of your OH it might be time to consider a behaviourist. If your hubby stared at Boz as a show of dominance, or thought that Boz would know why he was being glared at, he (hubby) probably doesnt understand why Boz behaves like he does, so it would be good to focus on getting this information and learning how to effectively deal with Boz's unwanted behaviour. Another suggestion (to add to the list!) you mentioned Boz being worse when he is "really excited". If this happens after a period of play or interaction, you could interrupt the play before you know he will reach that stage, and give him a few mins of down time in his crate with a chew toy. Being able to "calm down" is an important lesson for pups (I wonder how many acheive it!) and sounds like it will help you. I've started doing this to my own pup, as I noticed that after prolonged play he was getting a bit silly and carrying on and biting the other dogs, so now I let him play for five mins, then he gets cuddles and calming signals (tummy rubs etc) untl he calms down. I also put him away to have naps as he will get overtired and be silly too. ETA some suggested reading: The Culture Clash: A Revolutionary New Way to Understanding the Relationship Between Humans and Domestic Dogs. Jean Donaldson OR The Other End of the Leash: Why We Do What We Do Around Dogs ,by Patricia B. McConnell (Author) Also: On Talking Terms With Dogs: Calming Signals (Paperback) by Turid Rugaas

I had a feeling you were going to say this . Well if it all falls in a heap with Magic, you know who I will be calling to tell me "I told you so" In Nessie's case she hadn't learned bite inhibition and was already an adult, so I used my hand in play to try and teach her. I dont know in her case how else I could have acheived this. BUT that said, I havent gotten to the 'no hands at all' stage with her yet so may be in for a hard time

Hi Pixie's Mum, The OP's dog is only a baby pup, so I would NOT suggest doing this. It may be appropriate for an older dog, but IMO should never be done to a baby. I also dont think you should get vinegar in their eyes/nose even as adults. I use a spray bottle on my adults, but never squirt them in the face, and I only use plain water.

I'm reading Ian Dunbar's book "Before and After Getting Your Puppy" and he says: respond to 'too hard biting' with a 'yelp' and withdraw for 30secs to 1 min. (maybe turn your back, leave the room etc) *do* let your pup mouthe while it is young to help teach it bite inhibition. However this should always be invited play, not a nip of your feet as you walk past LOL. once a pup is older (4.5 months say) start to not let him mouthe at all, until by around 6 months (say), no mouthing is tolerated. I am a believer in letting a pup mouthe (on invitation) UNTIL she has learned to bite softly. If you stop mouthing before this time (IMO) if the dog ever does bite, you run the chance of it being a hard, damaging bite. It sounds too like Boz is getting pleasure out of the current interaction when he bites you, so really make sure that a bite instigates withdrawl of attention. Even a telling off can be pleasant attention for a pup! Try *you* leaving rather than Boz being put somewhere, as this is what would happen if he bit a playmate too hard, and this is the most immediate withdrawl of attention. If you put him away somewhere, he is getting attention for a further minute or so *after* the bite. Keep the time you leave short, just enough so that he has time to reflect on the fact that what he did had a consequence. (1 min or so, maybe shorter initially). I used this method to teach my adult Westie (who came to me at 18 months) bite inhibition, and it worked better than I expected on an adult dog. It took a long time with her though as she was already grown up. ALSO: as you have a breed that naturally wants to use his mouth, make sure he has plenty of *appropriate* outlets. This includes toys (played with on his own and with you) and more importantly now, things like Kongs, stuffed with his dinner, to give him hours of chewing pleasure. Initually I would give him many of his meals from them, so he gets to love chewing them. Look up the Kong website to find out how to use them. Or buy Ian Dunbar's book :wink:. Rawhide chews etc and raw meaty bones will also give his mouth something to do. Good luck! (and remember these are just my ideas. Nothing beats professional help )

Good idea. This will shame me into training more PIOBAIREACHD JD, JDX, AD, and a return to pre-trialling speed BLOSSOM JD, AD NESSIE: a pass for level 1 agility classes, and no more fear of tunnels MAGIC: Completed club level obedience classes (puppy, beginners, intermediate, advanced, transition - hmm may have to skip one to fit them all in LOL) A pass in level 1 agility classes

Scratching could be allergies, or dry skin if he's been bathed. You could try oatmeal conditioner, but a trip to the vet first is probably warrented to find out what is causing the scratching.

Hi CrazieWestie and kahell, I suggest starting a thread in the training forum explaining what happened and asking for a reccomendation for a behaviourist. You'll get a lot more responses in that section Best of luck. (I do agree that professional advice is needed here, and as soon as is possible would be best for both dogs)

Name: Cubet Abracadabra (Magic) Sex: Male Date of birth: October 2008 Age: nearly three months Colour: black and tan Breed: Havanese Hobbies: Trying to get the cats and dogs to play with him, playing with me, exploring the garden, being so darn cute and funny. Loves: Just about everything. LOVES meeting new people, he enjoys a game of tug and goes mad over chasing a bouncy ball. Likes to nibble on my ear, have tummy tickles and sleep under my chair. Hates: Not getting his own way , being away from me for too long, when the other dogs wont play with him 7 weeks old: Last week:

Hi 3M's I prefer my dogs to have their front dew claws removed because: - if left on they can be accidentally cut when grooming (I have long haired dogs) - they can stick wildly out to the side increasing the risk of them being caught on something - if they curl around it can be very hard to maintain them. My oldest dog had dew claws when I got him, ad they grow out of his pad and curl back into them straight away. If I had an adult dog with neat, tidy dew claws I would leave them. If they are attached by bone is not pleasant surgery for the dogs. Blossom had hers removed on advice at 6mnths old during desexing, and was in some pain for the next 3-4 days (I had to go back and ask for painkillers for her). If they are barely attached the surgery has much less impact on the dog. Start by asking your vet why they think the dew claws should be removed - there may be a good reason, or they may just have been asking because a lot of people get it done.

This is so sad Kirty :-(. You did your best for her though. We often have to think with our head when our heart tells us otherwise, but that is because we want the best for our furry friends. You could not have predicted what would happen, and you gave her a great gift of a second chance at life, and then taking away her pain at a time that she needed you. Gail

That is wonderful new Tameka! I am so glad things seem to be working out. It sounds like you have wonderful, supportive breeder who will no doubt help if any problems do arise (I dont think they will though!)

sorry for your loss ILDD. Gav looks like he was a lovely friend.

RIP Xander

Lucky the boxer enjoyed it too