Poodle wrangler

I have to agree with Ari about it being much easier to bath and groom smaller dogs. I have a miniature poodle (8kg) and large standard poodle (25kg, only 8 months). Many groomers also won't do standard poodles. A lot of hair, but possibly easier to clip as some areas less fiddly.

A wild boxer at obedience has a sporn harness, but they switch to a normal collar for class, leaving harness on. He's still a puller, despite harness, but I've heard other DOLers say good things about the Sporn. Perhaps worth a try? They go under the armpits and are a different fit to the average harness. Perhaps they should run it by the vet b4 buying? I've read that ordinary harnesses can encourage a puller. http://www.gonetothedogs.com.au/shop/produ...p;ProcessType=4

I found these: http://www.windchill.com.au/walking_belt.htm approx. $30, depending on size +post. Advantage is that it can be used with an ordinary leash. Blackdog had one, but was > $50. http://www.snooza.com.au/products/active-walker.shtml Snooza one is lightweight, wear on your waist and has velcro quick release- not suitable for a dog that doesn't already walk/ run nicely on leash. I don't know if any are suitable for you? ?too heavy-duty?

Most clippers come with a #10 blade included- just check when you're buying blades.

I'm not sure exactly how much to add, but would start of with minimum, then add more as needed. I fed strictly "by the packet" and actually underfed my dog for a couple of weeks. You have to feed according to how your dog looks. Yes, I know Huskies have a lot of coat so you may also need to feel the ribs- should be easy to feel with a light press of the flat of your hand. Too skinny and you can feel the back bones easily. Check him out thoroughly when he has a bath. Many dogs stop when they've had enough- especially with the dry food, so I never measure it, but give the meat first, then dry and take away any leftovers to give at the next meal. Overfeeding is bad for growing large breed puppy bones, so if your pup's a piggy and is no longer lean, cut back the food for him. Adult formulas are very similar to large breed puppy formulas- compare the packets. It's much easier to add a few supplements (if you're keen) to puppy's food than buy separate foods. This is what people did b4 there was such a thing as large breed puppy food.

I'd also be concerned about her injuring herself jumping on/off furniture with growing bones. I think if you're having problems with a dog, they need to stay off the furniture. Later on, be more relaxed about it. If a dog ever growls when you ask them to get off the lounge, you shouldn't have let that dog on in the first place- they see themselves as the leader, not you, and you need to take over that role ASAP. My older dog has a dominant temperament and getting him off lounges and beds was a really helpful part of re-establishing leadership in our house. He'd promoted himself to no. 2 (after me) and nipped the husband. We also have kids. Both dog and husband are much happier with dog back down the ladder. He now has a standard poodle to boss around .

Nah. I'm in another state . Last night another dog left class for exactly the same reason. They couldn't be on the same oval. Instructor actually suggested they needed to come to training in separate cars, avoiding each other, so one dog didn't realise the other was there (the oval's pretty big). I don't take my older dog to training anymore, so I haven't seen whether or not mine would be the same. But younger dog barked for 30 minutes, leaving a chicken carcass untouched, when I took older dog for an appointment last week . He wasn't used to being alone AT ALL. My fault . Used to siblings as pup, then another dog. I'm working on leaving him with a chewy raw bone for 1/2 hour-1 hour alone, so he gets used to it gradually when I'm home. Hope others can learn from our mistakes: Get your dogs used to being on their own - away from both humans and other K9s.

That's why all dogs at our obedience are on-leash unless they advance through the classes and pass a test for recall and sit-stay. Safety issue. It's great that you're taking him . Many people go to obedience because they have 'difficult' dogs, so you won't be alone . Practicing thru the week, even if it's only 5-10 minutes each day at dog mealtime will help enormously. It'll just take time and practice.

I haven't bought one yet. I'm looking at only the antibark type. I liked the Innotek BC200 one that has the rechargeable battery (about $200-220) but Steve from K9 Force has said some dogs learn to work around the program on this collar, making it useless. Some websites: http://www.k9force.net/index.html?row2col2=antibark.html http://www.hushpuppy.com.au/ http://www.barkcontrol.com.au/category1_1.htm That's probably why they're banned in some states . If you want a laugh, there are lots of videos of stupid humans wearing and activating them on YouTube. Have to remember dogs have hair on their throats, unlike us! A few websites have collar manuals on there to read. Most say the dog should only wear the collar for 8 hours at a time, due to the pressure of the prongs on the neck. (Same principle as the bedridden getting bedsores- pressure on one area causes eventual skin breakdown).

It can have a "laxative effect" if you chew too much of the gum. Save your $ and buy more bones, cut out any biscuits and limit canned and semi-dry commercial foods.

That was my thought, too, if they'd ended up tangled trying to get the Husher off. I know Oscar (mini) would hate it. If I'm there, I can "shh" them myself or pre-emptively distract or bring them inside. I found a problem with the ultrasonic one was that it also used a microphone that detected normal running or play as a bark, so he'd also be 'zapped' at the wrong times. Should have seen the face . It wasn't a cheap one, either, but was borrowed, about 4 years ago. Did you see a similar problem with the Jetcare one? Was also wondering about the zap factor on a shaved throat if I did use an ecollar? Guess use level 1?

Go to the Training/ Obedience/ Dog sports section and there's a pinned post at the top: Triangle of Temptation. This is something you can do right now every time you feed your dog. Helps with the leadership aspect. Kids can also do it later once you've got it down pat. Also NILIF: Nothing In life Is Free. While working on leadership, the dog shouldn't be allowed on beds, lounge, and other places that belong to humans. You can relax it later when you no longer have any problems. You can still give your dog lots of affection, but doing these other things will help your dog to relax, knowing that you're the leader. A dog that knows you're the leader can rely on you to make all the decisions, instead of thinking that it's all up to them. With the crate- kids like to poke fingers in, so it's best to have something to cover it with (blanket, or you can buy special fitted covers) because them doing this defeats the purpose. It's meant to be a safe 'den' for your dog. They're <$100 for smaller sizes, so well worth it.

http://www.husher.com.au/default.aspx?depa...nt=About+Husher I think I've worked out the worst times for my 2 barking- late afternoon when golfers are out, talking loudly etc. and other dogs across the golf course also barking. Both dogs seem to like the back deck (elevated) to "guard" their yard. I can keep them in the yard, but will need to tarp the fence to block their view. I suspect the noise is enough to set them off, so this could be a waste of time? Yesterday, I caught the mini barking at a magpie, thru the fence . I'm now taking both dogs with me 90% of the time when I go out in the afternoon, though I can't on weekends when I work. Both are well-exercised, but quite used to company. I often give a chicken carcass/ bones/ pigs ears when I go out. I cannot leave the larger dog inside as he's chewed a doorframe. There are holiday houses surrounding me, except for next door- neighbours are great, but when I asked they said the dogs seem to be barking more. The youngest one more so when b4 he didn't (now 8 months). Am I kidding myself and should I go straight to an ecollar? I've tried an ultrasonic type with the smaller dog with no success. Neighbours are unlikely to make a council complaint, but I don't want them to suffer for being nice. Any ideas most welcome. Thanks

Probably OK, not sure . High in salt. I feed sardines, too, the el-cheapo brand. Dogs love them, good for their coats, but they have smelly breath afterwards .

If you want to feed dry food, then yes- put him on a large breed formula because it is much better for their growing bones. Keeping him lean will also help his bones grow healthy. No small ask for a lab who loves his food. Overweight and overexercising are thought to increase risk of hip dysplasia. My breeder advised no jumping on/off lounges, beds etc. for large breed pups with growing bones. Ditto no running down flights of stairs, no overexercising on lead (off leash they get to rest when they want, so is OK). Training (very short for a young pup) is an excellent way to exercise both mind and body and 2-3 very short walks are better than one once he's had his 2nd vaccs.\ ETA: My pup loves chicken necks and brisket bones to chew on.

That's a big claim for something that you put in the dog's water. I don't know how it works without poisoning the dog . I'd keep up the bones. My 6 year old mini poodle has great teeth and I've noticed bones make the most difference. He has bones, dry food and raw foods like chicken necks etc. I don't know what you feed, but most semidry and canned foods have a lot of sugar in them and are more likely to stick to teeth. Ditto most dog biscuits.

I've bought clippers and blades from here: http://www.freewebs.com/clipperbladesharpening/index.htm Excellent service. Colin will tell you if they're not suitable for what you want and the blades are the best prices I've found. He's an ex-groomer of many years. I have an Oster blade and the Universal brand and they both do the job well, except the Oster is about double the price. I'd spend more on the clippers themselves. The Saxon brand clippers are good for me, but I only use them on 2 pets: standard and miniature poodles. I'm not sure how they'd stand up to a grooming salon? For poodles, you need a #15 for face, feet, paws, base of tail, 5F for body and scissor legs, #10 for belly- that's for pet style clips. I know some salons use a skiptooth blade before bathing to get the coat off, before using an F (finishing) blade on clean, dry fur. The F gives a nicer finish on poodles, at least. Good luck. You can come and experiment on a pair of poodles if you like . The fur grows back quick enough.

Have you been to watch each of the clubs train? Check them both out and see which seems a better "fit" for you. Some clubs don't allow check chains. If they're allowed, there's no reason you can't use both a check chain and food rewards. Changing methods from from day-to-day will just slow your dog's learning and confuse him.

Yes, start him back at obedience. Let them know his recent behaviour changes, too, so any incidents in class can be avoided. How are the basics: Is he getting daily walks? Training- even if it's only 5-10 minutes a few times a week? Does he have something to do while you're at work? Toys, raw bone etc? Does he seem healthy? If he's an older dog, has he seen the vet recently? Any other behaviour changes? Dogs like routine and sounds like his has changed a lot for the worse (from his point of view). Are you inclined to "spoil" him because you spend less time with him?

But then "beginners" banks up because people aren't moving through. Then the class size gets too large and the class attendees complain. Apart from which, class instruction is exactly that - where the instructor can show and explain; where you can have a practice so that the instructor can see you have the gist of what you need to do; where the instructor can tell and show you where or what you are doing wrong; and so that you can take that tuition home and practice it through the week with your new (or refreshed) knowledge in your head. As an instructor and on behalf of the dogs, I find it disheartening if people only practice training exercises when they are at class. Because this means that what goes on in between times is an inconsistency and that's not fair on the dog .... certainly confusing....... Fair enough. At our club those that didn't practice gave up altogether. Too cold and damp for the half-hearted ...only about 1/4 of the original class left at the end. I'm sure I've heard our instructor mutter, "We're only here to train well-mannered pets", to soothe herself, I think . She does agility, primarily, so "Heel" is followed by a happy "WhooHoo" (as in come on have fun heeling, dogs) . I'm glad there IS a local club, I heard it nearly died out due to lack of willing instructors .

We had a couple who brought both their dogs, but they ended up leaving the older, better behaved one at home. The younger BC was so attached to the other dog, that even if the dog was out of view, she would cry and be inconsolable. Not saying your dogs are at that stage, but perhaps try being on opposite ends of the class (if you haven't already) and ask the instructor for advice before class, as you say. I learned the hard way that I'd forgotten to get our younger dog used to being by himself and he barked 30 minutes, non-stop, when we had to do so. I'm now getting him used to time alone thru the day...

Also, how's you leadership? Early days, I know. In Training/obedience/dog sports subforum, there's a pinned post at the top. You could also start doing Triangle of Temptation with him? Also NILIF (nothing in life is free)?

A spray water bottle isn't cruel IMO. As long as the kelpie doesn't LIKE water, should be effective . One of my dogs would think it was a great game. No jumping is important as older people don't bounce back as well, they break bones . Balance can be a huge problem.

I bought a crate for our standard poodle pup, but found I didn't use it, so sold it. It was XL and took up a huge chuck of our smallish lounge room. We don't have precious furniture and living areas are tiled, so that was also a factor. He was quick to toilet train and not as destructive as a pup might be. A staffy size crate is <$100. You can always sell it if you find you don't use it. If you save 1 pair of good shoes, it's paid for itself. Staffies are notorious chewers. I had a plastic airline crate from a trip with our older dog and that's really handy for the car- pups will vomit until they're used to the car and it's much easier to throw out newspaper and hose out a crate .

Fleas are about the size of a pinhead, black-brown and move quick. Their poo (flea dirt) is black and looks like tiny black flecks. I use Advantix (spot-on) and it starts killing fleas in 20 minutes. I'm not exactly sure, but I think you need to wait 2-3 days after a bath to use one of the spot-on products (check the instructions, I'm not sure). You will also need to wash all her bedding and vacuum carpets, if it's fleas. pricelesspets.com.au is the cheapest I've found for the antiflea, antitick stuff. Frontline is similar, but I found it didn't work for me when I got a freebie sample (?resistance in my area). Is the collar irritating? Dirty? Too tight? Should be able to slip 2 fingers underneath without too much trouble. Too loose and she could hang herself.