Poodle wrangler

You should see what they do to dogs at professional grooming competitions :rolleyes: . Damn, I can't find the photo of a white standard poodle dyed with a Star Trek motif and matching owner/ groomer? I thoink vegetabel dyes are used, though. Not for me Earing, though is too much and I suspect human hair dye is bad for a dog's skin .

About 8 years ago, someone bought me some baby shoes (no hard sole) made of soft leather. I wonder if they're still made? You could have a look in stores. Something might be OK or easy to modify for you. Good luck :rolleyes:.

I put my 8 month old pup ~25kg on lead for this reason. His recall is about 90%. It's now rare for him to jump up, but still does rarely when very excited. At our local dog offleash beach, some people have had common sense surgically removed and bring toddlers who scream and run away from dogs, clearly terrified :rolleyes:. Parents seem mystified that this interests dogs

Thanks. I'm thinking of something like this for bark control. Seems like a good price, but when I googled the product one blurb suggested you use it to stop behaviours like "dog jumping up". WTF? How about teaching sit- hard to jump with your bum on the floor. Why spray something using a remote control? A worry that really inexperienced dog owners might use one for this sort of thing . ETA: I've already tried an ultrasonic collar- no good, and batteries expensive, so check out battery price b4 buying any of these type of collars.

Sounds like you need to go back to basic toilet training. Every accident you allow inside is a step backwards. Take her outside to the same area, use a word when she starts to wee and praise and treat her immediately when she goes. It aint over til it's over. Stay out there until she wees. A short walk around the backyard can help get things going. Indoor accidents to be ignored unless you catch her in the act, in which case you take her out immediately. She won't "ask" to go out until she's made some more headway with toilet training. If she's still regularly weeing inside, it shows she doesn't think it's wrong. When she learns it's wrong to wee inside, she will ask in some way (mine go and stand near the door repeatedly, they trained me ). How's your leadership with pup? Could this be about issues other than straight toileting? You can start "Triangle of Temptation" pinned in the Training/Obedience subforum. Also NILIF- nothing in life's for free. Both help you set up good leadership with pup. Unless she sees you as a leader, all training will be difficult and/or unsuccessful. No fun with such a large breed. What's she doing on the lounge without permission? I have a standard poodle and was told to keep him off lounges/ beds as the jumping on-off is hard on growing bones. Once you've made headway with training, have her on the lounge (safely) if that's what you want, but always with permission and she should get off as soon as you ask. Without leadership, having a dog on the lounge is telling them they're equal with you. Bad idea IMO.

If you do a search about the annual heartworm injection, you'll see some DOLers prefer to avoid it due to potential side effects. From memory, some breeds have a greater than average rate of side effects e.g. ??boxers (don't quote me on that). I prefer to give the monthly tablets. To me, it makes sense that smaller dosage monthly should have less side effects (though who knows?).

The fact that your pup appears "normal" is no guarantee this is a minor problem. Lethargy can be a very late sign of serious bleeding/ illness. Factor in the trip to vet after you make the call and it's not worth the risk of dead dog on arrival. No-one here can know what's going on. I'm hoping it's something minor, but it needs to be checked out ASAP. Best wished for pup

I'm working on using "Shhh" with my barkers. They're starting to get the idea, and I can assure you it hasn't inhibited them barking at other times .

He's decided he likes the raw stuff better than the processed . Don't blame him. Our standard poodle pup tried it on me, looking pathetic every time I opened the fridge. It's tempting to give in, but after a few days he got the idea (it's only 50:50 raw-dry) and ate the dry at the end of the day. I kept giving it back to him later in the day. My dogs eat both raw and dry food and dry food= food of last resort. Goldies normally have a good appetite, and if he's otherwise healthy, no way he'll starve himself. I wouldn't worry about him eating enough food.

Sounds like you'll be fine. We might all be doomsayers and you get there fine . I'm not sure I agree about the parcel cage bit. In an accident, there's still an awful lot of space for the dog to be smashed around in . Safe, from the point of view of passengers, though. Dog= missile in an accident. All the car harnesses I've seen say they're "not designed to prevent injury (to dog) in the case of an accident."

Nothing is 100% for ticks, so bear that in mind. Also the spot-ons like Advantix have to applied every 2 weeks (NOT monthly) to cover for paralysis tick. Expensive. I've not used a tick collar, but would do so if my dogs were mostly outdoors. Most economical. Don't like the idea of the collar getting on me or the kids skin. I currently use Advantix (but not fortnightly year round) and Interceptor Spectrum. I also check both dogs regularly for ticks- part of pat/ cuddle times. I just do it automatically now and keep their coats shorter in summer. I have 2 dogs, buy the dose for very large dogs and divide the dose between them with a needle and syringe and split the tablet by weight.

Does the mastiff have a place where he's safe from puppy harassment? If not, I'd find him one, but otherwise leave it for them to sort out amongst themselves. The mastiff will teach him manners, but should have a "retreat" so that pup can not push him too far.

I'm sure there are some genuine reasons for pups going early, but I must have heard so many excuses ;). More hard work for the new owner IMO. I vote for 3-4 meals a day. I did 4 intially as I was able to and pup had some early tummy upset despite being on breeder's diet.

Pup is likely to wee/poo/puke for the trip home, so I'd borrow a dog or cat carrier, line with newspaper, hose out later if needed. Pup on passenger lap would also be OK, but take some towels and something waterproof, too to protect you and car. Lots of excitement, possible fear, small bladder, possible car sickness not a good mix ;). I had an airline carrier which I used for our pup when he was smaller. Saved a lot of cleaning up! Now, I use a harness designed for use in the car, loop for seatbelt. You can buy them for about $5 at those cheapie shops, buy another when pup's older, though they're also adjustable.

My apricot standard poodle is a mud lark. Comes home from walks with black-brown paws, but I have no idea what happens to all the dirt. We come home, go goes out the back, has a snooze and the mud's gone later ;). The traditional shaved poodle feet DO have practical purpose

Oh, but the chickens are so alluring and my arms so weak . Joking? I had a leash for my son . He was born in the UK and in some spots it was only one step off the footpath onto the road. Leash, I mean "child harness"- was great! Never found a real need for it once we moved back here. Made me appreciate Australia .

Sort of, but bigger and better . 'Dremel''s just the brand name of a "rotary tool". Check out the doberdawn website above. 'Ozito' is another brand. I wouldn't bother with the very small cordless ones that are also for engraving. I use the same one on both a mini poodle (8kg) and standard poodle (25kg+). The other attachments are handy for sharpening tools etc. My kids lined up to have their toenails done and it works for that, too . Bunnings would have them, though the sanding drums are cheaper at Home Hardware. Sanding drums last for ages, by the way.

Doberdawn goes in to heaps of detail about how to grind dog's nails: http://homepages.udayton.edu/~merensjp/dob...mel/dremel.html. She describes exactly what the quick looks like so that you can grind right down to that point. In theory, if you do it regularly, the quick should recede. But you have to do it every 4 days! I use the dremel on a setting fast enough to get thu the nail, without getting too hot. She has rescue dobes and suggests if they're really bad the vet do nails under anaesthetic. Apparently with grinding, even if you do hit the quick, it doesn't bleed the same way as if cut with clippers. You can buy Styptic powder at pet shops which is meant to stop bleeding (haven't used it myself). Mind you, I have trouble just keeping up with growth by grinding nails fortnightly on our 8 month pup, let alone getting the quick to recede. When people suggest going to the vet's, they mean the vet doing the nails under sedation or anaesthetic, not the vet nurse or groomer at the vet.

The smell put me off, too, together with the fact that family members would also come into contact with the collar when patting dogs etc. Dogs also spend a fair bit of time indoors here. Much cheaper alternative, but maybe better for "outside" &/or working dogs?

I'm thinking of using one of these, together with a normal lead, dog walking on loose leash next to me (sort-of heel). http://www.windchill.com.au/walking_belt.htm http://www.blackdog.net.au/accessories.php Thought it'd be handy for times when you have your hands full picking up poo, grabbing children to cross the road etc. Any thoughts? I'm not likely to be pulled over. Standard poodle is 25kg, though still growing, and improving with his loose leash walking. It's for back-up only e.g. when he decided to lunge toward one of the local free range chickens . Mr PW has kindly pointed out that I will look like a d*head, but what's new? I was favouring the windchill one as it's much cheaper ($30 vs. $55). I don't plan to have the dog out the front of me, but on the side. THanks!

Atm, I use: Interceptor Spectrum: Heartworm and most intestinal worms Advantix: Fleas (monthly), ticks (fortnightly) & mozzies. pricelesspets.com.au the cheapest I've found. What do other people use? I was thinking about switching to Frontline Plus as they do one for very large dogs, so I could split between both dogs (when the 25kg is 30-35kg). Do you divide between 2 dogs? Mine are 8kg and 25kg (& growing).

Is there a reason your getting a Chi X Maltese, rather than a purebreed? What health testing has the breeder done? Both these breeds have hereditary problems which ethical breeders try to avoid by health testing the parents (NOT the offspring). "Vet checked" is no substitute as most health problems occur months later . More extensive surgery will make this pup more expensive proposition. Crossing with a Maltese could mean you need to take this pup to the groomers to be clipped regularly as well as a lot more grooming at home. Clips are about $40-$65 each time, depending where you live, and is needed about every 1-3 months, depending on the coat. Worth thinking about. ETA: Sorry, misread

Haven't used it. Sounds attractive and easy, but it doesn't make sense that it keeps teeth clean AND is safe to drink . What about chew toys like the Nylabone type? My dogs have these inside, raw bones outside. Brisket bones are still good for teeth but are gone in about 5-10 minutes, so maybe you'd feel better about these? Cotton rope toys are meant to be OK for teeth, too, with bits of cotton 'flossing'. Dunno, but they're cheap and dogs love them. I find bones do the best job for my dogs. The older one is 6 and has great teeth. I've never brushed his teeth, but no canned food (high in sugar) or dog biscuits etc.

Your dog doesn't have a thyroid problem? Less food + more exercise should = weight loss

Sounds like normal, untrained puppy behaviour to me. They don't know how to behave unless they're taught. Some people just don't put the time in to their dogs then blame the dog for behaving accordingly. Best to meet the dog. More JRT info. here...http://www.dogzonline.com.au/breeds/information/jack-russell-terrier.asp