Prydenjoy

Silverbeet is great, the best veggies are "green leafy" so silverbeet definitely qualifies! I'd be going for 10% of their diet veggies, and 5% "extras", including yoghurt, eggs, sardines and supplements etc. It's hard to say an exact amount as every dog is different, some dogs do better with more veggies, some with less. My dogs have always done well with some veggies in their diet, and even better with a very small amount of grains.

They are two very different breeds!! Shelties require a lot of mental stimulation, I was looking into getting one when I fell back on another trusty Pap That is only a guideline, I usually offer a little more than that, see how much the puppy eats, and go from there. Little Mango (4 month old Pap pup) eats a chicken wing a day (which takes about 3 sittings to get through), and about 50g of a pattie meal at night. When she was younger she ate less, when she is older though I don't think she's going to eat much more - Pups generally hit peaks where they eat loads when they are going through growth spurts. An adult dog wont eat as much as a growing puppy (Berri doesn't eat as much as Mango and he is quite a large pap). Use the guidelines as a guideline only, and work with your dog from there. They will "tell" you what they need

Thanks Aiden, will do a search!

Nope, that is way out of my budget!! Ah well hopefully they'll release some DVD's of the weekend that are slightly more affordable and attainable for folk like myself.... And I do love to read, lighter and heavier reading alike

Not by choice!! I have a young toddler and a tight budget, I'd certainly go if it was at all possible! How much does it cost? I couldn't find a figure anywhere. Might have to settle for the books, they sound great!

Is he allowed inside at all? When starting out shaping a new behavior I always do it in the loungeroom, kitty locked away, other dog outside, so that there are no distractions. Otherwise it might help to try a time of day when there are less flies buzzing around, it is mighty hard to focus on learning something new when there are a lot of distractions! Pity about the broken clicker, my clicker is like gold to me as nowhere in town sells them, if something happened to it we'd have to go clicker free until I could order in a new one!

Can I have details of the seminar?? I probably wont be able to make it, but at least I can dream...

I couldn't help but laugh when I read this, you have a very clever dog and have effectively shaped your first trick - Congratulations!! It's so funny, because you don't quite understand it yet, but your dog does!! That's what I love about clicker training, it's hard to really get it "wrong". Just look for a behavior (or part of a behavior) you want, click and treat (consistently) until the dog is offering the behavior freely, then put in on cue and a variable schedule of reinforcement. Both websites are very good, read up and good luck! Just remember to keep having fun, sounds like your dog will become clicker savvy very quickly

That one's been circulating for years, an oldie but a goodie!

And to think mum was only saying to me last night (in regards to my dogs reverse sneezing) "That's why I don't like pure breds, they have so many health problems" (that being their only "problem")... Well I guess now I can tell her that not only pure breds do it!

Yes it is possible, I'm not sure how much would be an overdose, I'm trying to work out now how much I should be giving to my Paps. Too much can actually give them a dry coat if the balance of omega 3 to 6 is wrong. Sorry I can't be more help.

LOL tired is a good excuse, I use that one a lot too ;)

Reverse sneezing, never heard of it referred to as that before! Every Pap I've ever known has had an elongated soft palette, I wonder if there are any Paps out there that don't suffer this "reverse sneezing". It's harmless, more of an annoyance than anything else. Can it be fixed through surgery? I've heard that if the dog is ever under for something else you can just ask the vet to shorten the soft pallette while they're there, is that correct?

There wouldn't be enough in one patty a week as they are meant to be fed every day, if they had a big enough dose of offal to last a week it would be toxic if fed to them every day. It doesn't make sense to me though that you can't feed offal, but you can feed raw offal in a commercial patty...

Would 50g 3 x per fortnight be enough for a pap 3-4kg? Mango is still a pup but I'm guessing she'll be about 3kg. Berri is nearly 4kg.

Doesn't Dr B's website have the reps listed?

For Berri it was a matter of finding the RIGHT toy, something long and with plenty of grip. I've got a cat toy I've been using at home with him and Mango, just a stuffed floppy long tailed hairy mouse like thing on a rope, they go crazy about it. Looking forwards to trying it at obedience. I think the trick would be to do a lot of training at home alternating the toy and treats as a reward. Then maybe open the gate and go on the front lawn, then perhaps another familiar place. The idea is increasing the distraction while still being able to use it as a reward, ultimately going to training and it should be innate to chase that toy anywhere by then! I also keep my training toys for training only, the extra special ones, that way they don't become bored with them. Just a few ideas, I'm sure there are plenty more!

Yes Laffi, I'd be aiming at the offal being raw, was just wondering about the Tassie laws Can people there eat offal? What about commercial dried liver treats? Are there any pre mix BARF's available there? Just over run with curiosity now

Good point ellz Could you feed cooked offal? Surely cooked offal is better than no offal?

Ah thanks Haven, I was very confused but not so much now I guess one could do the NDTF course and if they are still interested in further study do the CASI course, with some advanced standing for some units? I think I'll end up doing the NDTF course knowing that, thanks heaps

Thanks, can you elaborate? I asked the organiser if they were nationally recognised and he said they were, is there something I'm missing?

I do have a blender and a juicer, but that's where it gets gross and messy and with a toddler running around demanding my attention at the drop of a hat gross and messy is something I just don't have the time for anymore. I bought a lambs fry today, will offer it to them at dinner tomorrow and see how they go, even if I do have to lightly cook it. Otherwise I'll just stick to the BARF patties. Thanks for the suggestions! That's a silly law Ellz, they should just have laws on what sort of offal you can't feed, not all offal carries parasites.

I was just wondering if anyone has studied the CASI Diploma of Canine Behavior Science and Technology? I'm confused, it seems more in depth than the NDTF Dog Trainer Certification course, but it is almost half the price. Is one course better than the other? I've read the previous posts on dog trainer courses, but can't find the specific answers I'm looking for. I've emailed both of the organisations, but can't exactly ask them if they are better than the other I like the idea of the residentials with NDTF, but think missing them and going to workshops etc instead would be a good substitute (if I did the other course). The CASI course seems to cover more and be more technical. Am I right? Thanks!

When I've done that in the past the dogs didn't like the offal... I'll try it though, fingers crossed!

I'm considering making up my dogs BARF from scratch like I used to (I'm currently using Canine Country patties). However, my biggest thing was always the offal, it's sloppy, smelly, slimey, and just plain gross. Can I get away with making BARF with just mince and veg, with cod liver oil added instead of offal, and feeding dried liver treats as training treats? Even with the vets all natural there is no offal called for! I add CLO to be sure they are getting their Vitamins A and D.