meurlyn

I use fidos range only. If they are sensitive the oatmeal one mentioned is good. I have tried evry dog & horse shampoo on the market & now stick to the fidos range. The best thing I have found is that you tend to use much less to get the job done. If the dogs are not dirty I just use the itch free rinse in the hydrobath, I love the smell & haven't had fleas on my guys for over 2 years. It protects them against infestation for 3 days, this is long enough for most dog shows.

I use Milbemax. Used three monthly it controls :- roundworm whipworm hookworm & tapeworm If you give it monthly it also is a heartworm preventative. You may have trouble finding Vet's who stock it, I buy it by the box (50) tabs from my Vet. They don't stock it but order it for me & I pay wholesale. It works out to be $6.50 tablet this way. The best thing about this treatment is that you give 1 tablet for 5-25kgs. I use advantage when I need to, which luckily for me is not very often. I wash my dogs every week & use Fido's free itch rinse, I haven't had to use any other flea treatment for the past 3 years. Hope this helps.

I have Staffords so they will eat anything!! But I do find if they are lacking in motivation or a bit lazy cabanossi works well. I just cut it into tiny bits. The strong smell gets their attention every time. I always have dried liver with me, but found with young puppies the key is to keep changing the treat. If they don't know what to expect they will always be keen find out what you have for them. I still change the treats regularly, some days I use left over BBQ chook, left over baked meat, sausages or whatever I have cooked too much of. The secret is not sticking to one thing or you will find yourself panicking if you forget to take it, & have a dog who turns it's nose up at whatever else you offer. Having said all that - my dogs stick their heads in the fridge the minute I open it (actually so does the cat & the rabbit)

I also doubt the reaction is caused by the shampoo. I have Staffords & have used Fido's shampoo with no dramas, my young girl is allergic to fleas so I just discovered!! She had 1 flea & came up in the most horrible lumps, I washed her in a horse shampoo I use & finished her off with the Fido's Itch Free Rinse as I do with them all. No fleas, nice smell & lumps almost gone. I would probably suggest the same as Cavnrot - just use the rinse once a week. As for gloves etc I never have used them & haven't had a problem - even when I was pregnant both times. You may find they have found something in the garden to roll in after the bath & have had a reaction to it. Check the belly & armpits, if it is red I would go & get some neocort from the vet. I keep a tube on hand all the time, it is great for minor skin irritations. ;) Goodluck ;) Corrine

I have not had much experience, however, i have sucessfully trained all of mine from 8 weeks. That is the ones that live with me & the litter I had were trained before leaving at 8 weeks. The odd accident has happened when I haven't been vigilant. The dogs that live with me I simply took to bed from 8 weeks, as soon as they stirred I very quickly carried them outside onto the grass & told them to go "tooty". I realise this may not work for everyone, but I found it worked very well. I knew if I didn't get up straight away I would end up sleeping in puppy piddle. I think because it was at night I was consistant, whereas during the day you get distracted by all the usual day to day chores etc. It doesn't take long - maybe a few weeks. I didn't feel like doing it with the babies I kept from my 1st litter,I was exhausted from running around after my three year old daughter all day. I did it anyway & it worked great. The other thing you could try would be a puppy pen with a very thick layer of newspaper. When puppy has done business take the paper outside, & then everytime you take it out for toilet break take to the newspaper. I think leaving puppies running loose in the house at that age is a bit of a risk for toilet accidents. Goodluck & heres to less puddles.