kelpiecuddles

That's a bit worrying greylady! i hope you let them know, I've always used the Blackhawk chicken and never had that issue.

I don't think anyone was suggesting they were :) We were going off the list of preferences that the OP supplied further down the page that's all.

My basset is no where near as old as my kelpie(nearly 5 years age difference), she was alone for a long time before we got Josie and is often left alone for the day still when we take the basset out without her. :

Yes as Raineth said, my kelpie fits everything you said to a tee BUT she was carefully chosen as a quieter more focused pup and I spent A LOT of time training her, particularly in the first 8 months or so, after that things were a lot more relaxed. If you can't commit to working extra hard during that formative period in order to ensure the dog grows up the way you want it I wouldn't get a working breed pup. Other option might be to look for an older dog being rehomed who is already used to being home alone a fair bit, depends whether you really want a pup though.

Yes I know wht you mean! Our solve has been that we have only ever played fetch with tennis balls, if I don't want to play the ball is put away.

It's probably a blessing tikira. Sascha knows that I'll ignore her if she doesn't bring the ball right to me. Only problem is she hasn't worked out how to differentiate between me ignoring her because she isn't bringing it close enough and me ignoring her because I don't want to play. So trying to ignore her and sit quietly to have a cuppa while she shoves the ball at your leg, and then at your knee, and then on your lap and then in to your face doesn't work :laugh:

Maybe he has bitch/es who are already pregnant or with pups on the ground

If she'll hold he ball for a moment I would put her on a long lead, throw the ball a short distance(only a meter or two) and tell her to fetch and as son as she grabs it reel her in and praise her for bringing the ball and then throw it again straight away, gradually over time increase the distance till she gets the idea and then once you are working off lead again never acknowledge the ball until she puts t where you want it..

I agree with a vet check first, some of the options to treat incontinence are very cheap and can make the world of difference. Is it a constant dribble or does she actually squat and piddle? If the latter then you could go some undies with a tail hole cut and a sanitary pad put in them to catch the worst but I'd only have them on her under supervision so that they can be removed quickly if wet and crated at other times as suggested.

Well I have to say Baylee's expression in that second photo is pretty pathetic LOL

That's the recipe I linked to before but the title on the page is really hard to read LOL

It's basically used as a binder I think to soak up the moisture in the wetter ingredients like the eggs, you could make them without the cereal i imagine but they'd just be more sloppy :)

It's an american breakfast cereal, basically a wheat flake, you could sub with crushed weet bix

http://www.njboxers.com/satin-balls-recipe.html#.U4WusCifjDQ

There really is no excuse Even if you end up short of dollars for some reason it's not that hard to grab a pair of scissors and give a dog a trim, might not be as pretty a job as a groomer will do but the dog won't care if it's clean and comfortable!

So do I usually! I had an epiphany about putting a hose on to the bath tap and it was actually nice to not get out of the shower smelling like wet dog :laugh: (Plus I'm recovering from stitches on my back and not supposed to have long showers yet)

Thought we needed an 'aawwww' thread tonight. :) So today I bathed my dogs, Josie enjyed it so much she started to 'collapse' at one point and looked like she may have been high as a kite on something :laugh:, Sascha on the other hands grizzled the whole time and when the bathing was over they got to be jedi in their towels, which is the part Sascha does actually like(I didn't tell them that the next stop was a trip to the vet for a mani pedi...). So share your bath time photos so we can see :D

When we lived where there was a dam Sascha never got bathed, she would take herself off for a morning swim most days LOL. I bathed them both today in the nice warm bath and Sascha whined and whimpered the whole time. Will swim in a dam mid-winter and love it but gets so distressed over a bath inside with warm water LOL

Due to a combo of lifestyle and the fact that she comes with us places to be with my son Josie gets washed fairly often, usually about once a week. Just wondering what others have found to be the most gentle products for dogs that are frequently bathed (even better if they also whiten and brighten!). Also what do people like for getting the inside ear leather of droopy eared dogs lovely and clean? Currently I wipe them out with a baby wipe at bath time and they come up pretty good but there is some staining on the ear leather which is from wax and that doesn't seem to come off unless I scrub really hard(which i don't like to do)

I'll also add that in our house the kids are trained as much as the dogs! Any child that visits who's dog savviness I'm not familiar with already gets a quick lesson on how we want them to behave around the dogs. The main thing is not grabbing at them or yelling, etc at them and to be calm around the dog, explain to the child that the dog is still a baby and he's still learning how to be a good boy and that they can help by not giving him a pat until you say he's ready(when he's sitting)

I have raised a number of dogs in a household with young children. My advice is to use the lead and do calming training activities around the kids and have a place that the dog can be asked to go if he gets silly. My dogs are taught that they onlyget to say hello to a child if they are sitting, having their bottom planted on the ground helps a lot. :)

If anyone has any reccomendations for boxer breeders I would greatly appreciate it. My boss lost her(second) much loved boxer over the weekend to a heart condition. She's very lonely without her spoilt dog in her life and realising that it may be a while to wait for a good breeder has asked me to 'put out the feelers' to see who would be good options for her to talk to. She is after a red female like her last two boxers have been. I'm not positive but I don't think her other two came from registered breeders and she lost both of them too young to a heart condition, she knows I am waiting a while for a top quality puppy from an upcoming litter so in the interests of reducing the chances of the heart ache of losing another this way she is going to wait for a health tested puppy. :) PM is fine and would also appreciate info if there is anyone that is best steered clear of. Her previous dog came to work with her every day and always had the best of everything.

I have a four year old and she's perfectly capable of following an instruction to play on our own driveway without going on to other peoples driveways and getting under their cars. The mother was there pretty quickly so she was obviously supervising her child when it happened.

That's a good idea MUP, they'd be great for that

Where are you located Gillbear? Might just ask a couple of my friends who travel up that way in case they are going up in the next couple of weeks.