Poodle wrangler

I think being your dog's leader is a natural progression with training from puppyhood. Having lived with dogs who are trained and not, I can tell you which ones were nicer to live with- those that were trained . No leadership, not much training possible because the dog won't pay you much attention. It gives you a way to communicate with your dog. From the dog's point of view, there's no yelling for no reason. An untrained dog doesn't understand they've done something wrong- like steal your dinner or pull on the leash or bark/nip/whine for attention. Some people confuse leadership with being domineering, bossy or demanding. Or think it will somehow "crush" ther dog's personality. I think it's the opposite. My dogs are much happier because they know what's expected and I reward them all the time for doing the right thing. Because they behave, they can come inside, go in the car, go on outings. It's fun to take them out because they come when called and don't pull me down the road. They gets rewards for being good dogs to live with. Both dogs like to hear a "good dog" and love the positive attention. The better your dogs are, through you being a good leader, the more time you want to spend with them, so it's all good. It's the dogs who jump up, whine and pull on leads that are stuck in the backyard because taking them for a walk is such hard work. Boredom then causes more behaviour "problems" and the cycle goes on ;). I've only alpha rolled my smaller dog when he nipped Mr PW once (never again!). I was right there to act immediately- not hurting him, but grabbing him by the scruff of neck and telling him off, then outside and ignored. I'd only do this if I was confident of not being bitten! I didn't think about it and I'm not a trainer, so don't know if this was the right thing to do. I think putting the dog back in his place was a more important step. He thought he was no.2 (out of 5) in the house as I'd spoiled him while Mr PW was away. I went back to basics- no bed, no lounge, no eating before family and more training/ feeding from other family members. Later relaxed the 'rules'. He's a dog with a dominant temperament.

I'd leave off the paraffin oil and only use it if the other things don't work. You don't want the opposite problem .

The vet didn't suggest anything? What's his normal diet? Basics are plenty of fresh water available and exercise. Others have said they buy the cheapest, canned food which seems to work well as a laxative as long as your dog doesn't get it every day. You could give some once a week? Add some cod liver oil to his food (only small amount)? My vet suggested Metamucil when my smaller dog had problems with his anal glands. I did it for a while, but it was messy and he didn't like it much. Resolved, anyway. Marrow bones can cause constipation e.g. if given most days.

Crate in car? Didn't a DOLer's dog recently chew every seat belt: $1000- damage in < 20 minutes? There are a lot of dogs at obedience who have this problem at our club. Some are so impossible their 'sibling' is left at home. Is he used to being alone at other times? If not, you could gradually get him used to it when you're at home. Or, is it just that he wants to join in? Don't worry, our instructors agility dogs do a fair bit of barking if she has them tethered outside. She just yells at them to be quiet or asks someone to shut them up for her .

You could also consider one of those kiddie clam shell paddling pools if your bulldog likes water. As long as you have a grassed, shady area she should be fine outside. Pavers get very hot, so I'd not leave her outside if she has only a paved courtyard with little shade.

You wouldn't think a teaspoon would make such a difference, especially in a larger puppy . People used to give it to kids regularly. Can you switch to morning dose, just in case it is the cod liver oil? Far as I know, it's for the omega 3 which is also in oily fish e.g. sardines, flaxseed oil etc. Perhaps you could try these instead if you think it is the oil that disagrees with the dogs?

You can use a slicker brush. They look like this.... I use them on both a large standard poodle and a cav-sized mini poodle. I'd use a small-medium size for your cav. SOFT type is a must- either try it on your arm first (should be comfortable when you use it) or buy a recommended brand (e.g. Doggyman, Lawrence Tendercare Super Soft etc.). Buy a cheapie one or a firm one and your puppy will hate you.

I agree he's handsome, too. It's sad that the boxer's owner wasn't as sensible as you and kept their dog on leash and/or walked the other way . Sorry to bang on about it (must have typed this several times by now), but have you tried doing the 'Triangle of Temptation' with Hef? It's pinned at the top of the Training/ Obedience/ Dog sports sub forum. I've started doing this with my younger dog and his sit stays have improved dramatically in only a week, as well as his attention. A sit-stay is a very handy command to have. I've been able to use it when other dogs have been going beserk on lead around mine. Seems to help my dog to settle and not respond in kind when he sits and stays beside me.

Everyone has different ideas about diet . Someone's bound to say they've fed their dog Chum canned food all its life and it lived to 103! It's as bad as all the advice people give you about babies, LOL. Best advice I had was to look at your pup: Clear eyes, shiny coat, energetic, poo normal (not huge, loose or excessive amounts), healthy weight. If she's all that, pat yourself on the back and keep up the good work . What was suggested as a better diet? THe raw veges aren't digestible. I wouldn't feed weetbix and puppy milk, but that's just my opinion and if it's causing no problem, go ahead. One of my dogs likes to clean up the kid's weetbix and he's still alive, with good teeth. Mince and chicken necks sound excellent. Dry food- OMG Can of worms, there. Feed what you can afford, if its more convenient and practical. I don't like dog biscuits that stick to dog's teeth. Not much nutrition there, either. If you did decide to change her diet, do so slowly over several days, mixing old with new until it's all the new diet.

Training, training. My pup (now 8 months) is hopeless when walking with more than one. I keep him on my left and companions to the right which helps. Walking at heel is an advanced exercise, so start the basic training ..e.g. sit.. ASAP. The dog has no idea that "heel" is the right position, so you have to teach him by using food as a lure in your left hand, praise and stop dead if he tries to pull/ surge ahead. Never too early to start, but train just a little at a time for puppies and keep it fun. You need to use food to teach and do it when they're hungry for best results. I actually avoided walking my pup on-leash as we couldn't start obedience at a local club until he was 16 weeks old (next intake). He got plenty of exercise in the backyard and once he'd come when called, we went to the quiet off-leash dog beach. Large breeds need only short walks, anyway- longer walks not good for their growing bones- so say the breeders.

Is he otherwise toilet trained? I used an airline crate in the car, though this was more for vomiting (winding roads around here) until the dogs no longer got car sick. Can hose it out. I made sure pup had a stop for pees about every half hour when driving anywhere. Even then, he managed to wee/poo in the crate occasionally, but all good now he's toilet trained. Will whinge to go now.

ProPlan's probably a bit expensive for me, but I tried the PurinaOne Lamb and Rice (their supermarket line) and both dogs liked the food and looked quite good on it. The standard poodle gets horrid poo with some dry foods, and isn't enthused about any dry food, but was good with that one. We should get sponsored by Purina . I'd like a nice, large food container and umbrella (ETA: I feed dry food+ raw food, too.)

Have to say, "it's not the NSAID" was the first thing I thought of, too. Many things can cause gastro. Then I read on the internet that diarrhoea could be a side effect of Rimadyl- couple of sites . NSAIDS are commonly used by many humans because the pain relief is worth the risk of side effects. NSAIDs are effective drugs and all drugs have side effects. Agree that you should find another vet if you're not happy with them. They should have told you about potential side effects. Observe your dog. If they cope well without the Rimadyl, that'd be great, but don't discount medication to improve her quality of life. There are some others you could try. There's always the basics like keeping dog lean, glucosamine-chondritin supps, fish oil supps and even gentle exercise in water (if that's available). Best wishes for leah

My vet still does the 3 vaccination schedule: 6-8 weeks, 12 weeks, 16 weeks. I only had C5 done only for the last one- it's often a requirement for kennels. C3 was OK for our obedience club, but best to check this out in advance. It's great to do obedience with your pup/dog- makes them so much better to live with . Never know when you might need to use a kennel unexpectedly, that's the only reason I chose C5 for the last vaccination.

If she's drinking well and is energetic, I'd be inclined to ride it out. If it worsens or is ongoing, off to the vet.

Go to Training/ Obedience and Dog sports subforum. At the top is a pinned post "Triangle of Temptation". I found it helpful in getting my dog to wait outside without barking or whingeing. As well as leadership, getting dog's attention and sit/stay. Myszka has a video of dobes doing it too, if you go on to the thread afterwards .

Ask your breeder what they recommend for brushing. Brushing will help get that extra hair off. Also, when pup's older, a high force dryer after a bath can also help blast some fur out of their coat. Grooming salon. I'm not sure if all mobile groomers have dryers. They're used on mini and toy poodles, so are OK for smaller dogs. HAven't used a furminator, am blessed with zero fur at my place (poodles ).

Ditto what Kavik said. You could always sell either the soft or metal crate later on. Most people seem to use the metal type for day-to-day use. You can buy special fitted covers if you don't like the look- or blankets are a more economical option. Probably nice to cover the crate when pup's sleeping, anyway. Even at 8 months, I wouldn't leave my dog unsupervised in a soft crate- he still likes to chew. From what people say, labs are puppy like for a long time .

Ditto the comments about some puppy schools being rubbish with unqualified trainers. Our local obedience instructor has had a few dogs whose problems stemmed from puppy school- owners had incorrect information and used methods on their dogs which resulted in, or worsened, behavioural problems. Be cautious. What qualifications does the person running it have? Or, are they a vet nurse at the surgery where it's held? Nothing against vet nurses, but many don't have the right experience to run a puppy class.

Other things you can do to help are : Keep your dog lean & feed a "large breed" dry food (if you feed dry food, of course).

My dogs chew up the squeaky dogs really quickly. They both like the cotton "rope" toys from Woolies/ Big W for <$5. I also have those "nylabone" type bones for indoor chewing; real raw bones for outside.

Large breed formula, if you go this route.

Go to Training/ Obedience/ Dog sports subforum. Pinned to top of page is "Triangle of Temptation". Do this with your dog. He has to eat and it only takes an extra 5 minutes to also do this too. Practice NILIF- Nothing In Life Is Free- philosophy with your dog, too. All good things come from you and are dependent on his cooperation. Might sound a little harsh, but your dog needs you to be a leader and it will make it so much better for you both :cool: .

Good dog for toilet training :cool: . Bad dog for nipping. Raw bones are great for teething time. I also have a 'Nylabone' type chew bone for indoors (less messy). More training and perhaps she's tesing the boundaries? Be firm and consistent now, so she grows into a nice dog to live with. You can start her in obedience at this age. Don't need to compete. Our local obedience club is geared more to well-mannered pets, though some are right into it.

Don't know about kelp water, but I add dried kelp to dog's food. A breeder suggested it to me to help with pigment (nose was a little blotchy) and to help retain colour on a dog (lessen fading of colour). Has iodine in it. Not sure what other nutrients. Can use kelp as a garden fertiliser, too :cool: