Poodle wrangler

Our standard poodles must be about the same age and mine has just started this bad habit after I've reduced his food intake (breeder suggested he lose about 1kg). I see his great, woolly head appear over the breakfast bar..... The other night he actually go the lid off a saucepan and ate the OH's dinner (I was other side of the house). Soon as I see him enter the kitchen, I watch more closely- as soon as paws come up it's, "Ugghh Ughh" in a low, growly voice and he gets down immediately. He "knows" I disapprove. A poodle picks this up quickly. You could also ban the dog from the kitchen entirely. Both my dogs are sent outside when the family are eating as they tend to sit in front and beg. Ditto if they're begging while I prepare dinner. Best thing is prevention- leave nothing out on benchtops that they will want to eat or lick.

I'm not sure how you'll go with getting the dogs to obey a 3 year old ? Perhaps people more experienced than me can advise, but I've found it an uphill battle. My dogs will only obey Miss 3 when food is used as a reward and clearly visible to the dogs. I think the small size, high pitched voice etc. at this age doesn't help in being seen as higher in the pack order. I rely on supervision at this age as my dogs probably see her at around their level in the pack order.

PLastic bag, then big bin. I babysat an Old English Sheepdog once and they had a special chemical "toilet" in the backyard for dog poo. Once installed, you add chemicals every now and then and just put the poo in there. Sorry, don't have any more details as I was only there a few weeks. Owners were happy with it.

Purina One- dogs really like it, reasonable price, reasonable food. Also about 20-50% raw foods here, too (depending on my shopping habits). My older dog used to do well on Supercoat, but our larger breed didn't at all. Prefer to feed them the same dry food.

You've been unlucky with your new dog, but you have to treat each dog as individuals. I can't feed my standard poodle the same diet as the mini poodle, for example, or he gets loose stools. Adding raw to his diet seems to work well for him. Given the high cost of vet care, I'd follow the vet's suggestion if you want to feed exclusively dry food. It's false economy to feed cheaply, then have expensive vet bills . The cheapest dry dog foods will have the most fibre and fillers, I suspect. I don't find it any extra work to feed about 50:50 dry and raw- raw meaty bones/ carcasses come straight out of the freezer in summer and thrown on the lawn. I'm kinder in winter and defrost in an icecream container in the laundry sink the night before. Chicken and turkey necks are in supermarkets now (sorry, I don't know if these are low-fibre/ low-residue or not). I guess you need a little extra space in the freezer, however.

Thankyou! Does anyone here use Proban? How does it compare, cost-wise, with other treatments like fortnightly Advantix or FrontlinePlus? Thanks.

Doesn't sound gross, sounds like a good, efficient way to train your dog . Lots of people get hung up on "I don't want to give food all the time". It's not all the time, it's until your dog does what you're asking reliably. Then you reward only sometimes, then only very occasionally (like a little refresher course ). Once your dog gets the hang of training, it makes them so much better and fun to live with. It's a positive cycle- the better behaved they are, the more you want/ can do with your dogs...

He sounds like a lovely dog who has a bad habit. He just needs to be trained out of the biting (mouthing) habit. Nipping heels of cattle is what they were bred to do. Can you give him a toy to chew/ bite before he starts to bite? Sounds like you can anticipate the behaviour. If he bites you, you should turn your back, and ignore him for a couple of minutes. Do this consistently and he will get the idea. Better still, give him something good to do and teach him to sit, instead. Reward with a chewable toy or treat, plus your happiness and attention. Can you go to a local obedience club with him? Or even get a few private lessons with a trainer? It'd be a shame to let this bad habit get in the way of you really enjoying what sounds like a lovely dog.

from http://www.rxpetfood.com/index.asp?PageAct...stom&ID=134 Call me crazy, but how are corn grits low fibre, highly digestible? Corn is not well digested by dogs at all. It's a cheap ingredient as corn crops are highly subsidised in the USA. Go back to Miranda's post- I'd be trialling her suggestions. Even if you use both these suggestions and the dry food e.g. 50:50, you'd save $$. The raw foods are better for your dog IMO, too. If you do decide on the dry food, shop around- most likely it's extra expensive at the vet's. Best wishes Sorry to hear you've had so much early trouble with your dog.

I suspect there's something wrong with my standard poodle's hips and/or knees- he has grade1 bilateral luxating patellas diagnosed by vet. Vet didn't want to XRay hips at 9 months. Either he's going through another growth spurt or missing his regular walking each day (15-20 minutes) has made a real difference. I've noticed an improvement over 2 weeks- walk each day, usually on sand or grass. No weight change- actually slightly leaner (has never been fat) on breeder's recommendation. I know with humans with osteoarthritis (bone rubbing on bone) gentle exercise e.g. swimming, walking is much better than inactivity- less pain and better function. After a week at his breeder's, I noticed he dislocated his knee a couple of times and really slowed at the end of a 15 minute walk with me a few days after he came home. No diet change, only no walks for a week (play in backyard only). Interesting.

I'd never heard of it in dogs, before.

Beagles are active dogs and she's probably keen to go for a walk and cause mayhem at 6AM . Ignoring her will work eventually, but if you want peace and quiet go out before she starts carrying on and throw a ball, short walk etc. Pups can also be ready for breakfast at this time. You can try the softer "puppy" kongs for teething time. Brisket bones, too. THe biting may, or may not, be teething- most puppies try this out regardless- you must train her NOT to do it! Suggestions: Stern, "no" turn back on pup and ignore for a minute or 2, reward with attention when NOT biting/ being naughty- you can reward just standing still . Others yelp like a puppy. Others give a toy to chew B4 pup gets to you. Keeping her busy? Short walks- even 10 minutes around the block is good- sights, smells etc. tire the dog, not so much the exercise itself. Training- only 5-10 minutes with pup and make it fun Put food (e.g. small brisket bones/ chicken necks) around the backyard for pup to find- beagles like to use their noses.

I don't think they look bad at all. Shaved faces are hard to do if neither you or dog are used to it, ditto feet. Just trim away as much as possible from the feet, especially the undersides and between the "toes". Don't go up the ankles- bad look. Keep it short under their tails, too. Brush, then comb down to the skin (otherwise you get knots). I've had some shocking clips when trying different groomers, so best to get a recommendation if you decide to go that way. Sorry, I'm too far away to help. With rehoming- if you clip the faces short, people may think their fur grows that way I'm amazed how many people think poodles have naturally short fur on face and feet!

I used a borrowed cat crate for our mini poodle. Expect wee, vomit and possibly poo- old towels and plenty of them. My standard poodle was only a 30 minute drive away and managed all 3 . Bless the crate- line with newspaper and some spare.

What are you brushing him with? A soft or extra soft slicker brush + greyhound comb should be what you use on a shorter coat. "Legs off limits" You need to train a dog like that to accept, if not like, grooming because they need grooming to stay comfortable. If you cannot brush his legs, how do you think he'll react to you clipping him? Most poodle breeders recommend you send pups to an experienced groomer for the first 6 months if you are a novice yourself- a good groomer will teach good grooming manners. Dogs need dog/ horse clippers which start at about $170+ blades, so you'll need a few clips to break even. I use the expensive ones on dogs, $20 cheapies on the (human) boy. Cheap pet clippers will not cut through the fur properly and/ or break down very quickly. Many posts on these if you do a search. Clipping price you're quoted IS very cheap. I don't think they'll be spending ages combing out those knotted legs- they'll be clipped off and short!

Get a good grip with your fingernails and pull it out asap. Short and sharp

You're doing the right taking him to the vet asap. No-one's perfect. Don't feel bad, my MIL chose not to do her dog's painful, inflamed teeth/ gums . Good luck ;).

I don't worry about the Drontal, but use Interceptor Spectrum and Advantix. If you're using Drontal, then you might as well use a cheaper heartworm preventative. Otherwise you're doubling up preventing most of the intestinal worms.

I would clip him, but I'm a bit clipper-happy and have poodles that must be clipped . I like the face, feet and base of tail clipped very short as it's so much cleaner. No food and water on face, less dirt tracked indoors and no poo stuck on bum fur. Personal preference. Make sure you brush him with a slicker brush and comb using a coarse greyhound comb, whatever you decide. A rake (instead of comb) might be better if you choose not to clip. Agree with Poodle Mum- you probably won't recognise the dog underneath if you do clip him ;).

How are the ears? Skin? Raw bones and natural diet sounds good. Most common cause with my dogs is either them licking their own bums (smells like stuff from anal glands) or eating duck/ roo poo.

Is it to treat a specific illness? Why did the vet suggest it? eta: Low residue= low fibre

Pups have the attention span of a gnat, so keep any training short and fun with great treats to reward with (e.g little pieces of chicken). Train just before a meal is due so pup is hungry. Pup just needs to be taught to listen to you. As you establish yourself as leader, he will start to listen. Don't expect too much of a young pup. You can teach "watch" by holding the tasty chicken piece near your eyes, say "yes" when pup looks into your eyes and give treat. Keep the look short as some dog won't like looking at you too long (it's a dominance thing). Also have a look at Triangle of Temptation- excellent for leadership and teaching sit and stay! http://www.dolforums.com.au/index.php?showtopic=64101 Do it exactly per program. General principle is ignore what you don't like, reward good behaviour. e.g. when pup jumps on your lap, get up, turn your back on him, ignore for several seconds. Then ask for a "sit" and praise + pat.

It's a case of "buyer beware" when it comes to ANY advice on the internet. Most threads give suggestions, but also frequently suggest a behaviourist for all the reasons mentioned above. I'm not a trainer, but experience with our pet dogs has taught me training IS different, depending on the breed or even just the dog themselves. Maybe the principles are the same, but how you interact with each dog is different, surely My attitude has been firmer with previous "stubborn" pound crossbreeds- the type of dog you give an inch, they take a mile. I wasn't so strict with other dogs e.g. an ex-showdog boxer who was trained already with lovely manners. Had I treated both dogs exactly the same way, the results would have been different.

lol nope its one size fits all when it comes to poms They're confusing the poms with poodles Love the "Teapot" comment

Registered with VCA? Many people new to purebred dogs think the vaccination record, council and/or microchip details are "registration" or "papers". Is it right to say the pup's papers normally come in the mail later? This has been the case for me. Makes it complicated for newbies as papers from dodgy breeders will never arrive! "Cheque's in the mail .." Yeah, right! Pets should be on "limited register" with the canine organisation in your state. General rule is that every pup is a "pet" unless you say you want a showdog or breeding dog. No guarantees here, either- Reputable breeders sell show "potential"- you can't always tell at < 8 weeks.