Dog_Horse_Girl

Hi Chi_lover, I have three dogs of my own. I often have one foster too! There's a lot of us that rescue and foster...we can have multiple dogs at a time, or just one. If you're interested in fostering, most groups are always looking for new carers, just contact a group in your area and have a chat. ;)

That's probably one reason he's toileting so much...a dog that's got access to food in a constant manner won't have a toilet schedule that is easy to read. If a pup is toileting where they eat and sleep, they often have an instinct to 'clean up' too. I'd try feeding him at fixed meal times and see if that helps to get his toileting on schedule so he's less inclined to eat his mistakes. ;)

If you aren't comfortable with the vet advice rec'd to date, it's always a good idea to consult another vet for a second opinion. If this were my dog, I'd be doing everything possible to ensure my dog's comfort and health came before anything else. Four breaks in one tail does seem to indicate a lot of damage...my greyhound has a whippy tail but has thankfully never broken it despite its fragility.

There's nothing wrong with plain old dried liver IMO. The dogs usually love it and it's readily available in various brands and package sizes. I usually go for the "love em" brand b/c it's good quality.

I think the pineapple juice is supposed to make the poo taste like...sh!t. But I haven't had to use this method so I don't know why it's often suggested. BTW - was offering suggestions as to why a pup might eat its poo. It's not like I said the pup must have come from a mill or pet shop b/c it's eating poo. And often a breeder will know why a particular pup is exhibiting a particular behaviour...whereas a pet shop staffer may not have noticed it. ;) One of my fosters ate her poo all the time, and then started eating OUR dogs' waste too! I tried the green beans...which didn't work. Gave up after that! Agreed that some dogs just eat poo. Yuck to us, fine to them.

Hi Pete, crate training is a term to describe teaching a dog or pup to accept and like having time in a dog crate. The purposes include ease of toilet training, having a safe den for the indoor dog, being able to confine a dog if you need to by using a crate (this works indoors and outdoors), and being able to travel with your dog to places that may otherwise refuse you b/c your dog can be crated. I have a lot of crates. I use them frequently with foster dogs and sometimes for my own dogs. My current foster chooses to sleep inside a crate at night...door wide open. Sometimes, she curls up on its roof rather than inside it. You can find tips on crate training in this forum and many good dog training books. I love crates b/c my dogs love crates.

If your pup was bred at a puppy mill and then sold in a pet store, this is what they are used to doing...eating their waste b/c it's not usually cleaned up by the millers or the retailers. If OTOH, your pup is from a registered breeder, please contact them for advice. They know their breed, this pup's parents and undoubtedly this pup. For general suggestions, many people have tried various remedies, including pineapple juice in the dog's food, removing waste immediately, training dog to go outside and removing waste immediately, feeding the dog green beans, feeding the dog a natural, raw foods diet, feeding the dog a top quality (super premium) appropriate (breed, age) dry foods diet. HTH. Congrats on the puppy BTW - and we'd like pics!

I have no problems with using a squirt bottle and water...works very well in some situations but IMO not a good method to use if you are working on dog-dog introductions or greetings. It would seem to me that the dog being squirted would think the dog/s it is meeting are not pleasant things to associate with and may make the dog more likely to respond in a negative way to other dogs. If you're not comfortable with the training methods, it might be a good idea to look around for another class or instructor.

I'd say that's the culprit if it's the only thing you've added to the dog's diet.

That's great news! I hope this is the end of the story...and your dogs can live in peace! Glad to hear my suggestions may have helped ease the problems.

IMO all of the inexpensive kibbles are a waste of money and not good for your dogs to live on. The adage, "you get what you pay for" is certainly true of cheap dog foods...you get fillers, preservatives, colours, and some animal content that *may* be classified as "meat". If you want a good food, you pay a good price. If you want a GREAT food, it costs a little more again. My dogs eat raw, whole foods...my foster eats Nutrience which is a premium kibble at around $25 for a 3kg bag. All my fosters eat this brand (my choice)...and they all do well on it. I use some processed treats in training...but mostly dried liver. I would avoid supermarket foods, chain store foods, and the cheaper foods found in pet supplies shops. Aim for a food that's at least mid-range, but check the ingredients list to be sure you know what is primarily in the food.

Of course you can train an older animal to toilet outside (and on command!). But don't use negative reinforcement on this one...your dog will only hide it from you if the dog thinks toileting makes you angry.

Glad to hear it's nothing too serious...but to be expected with his condition. Give Ollie another pat and tummy rub from me, and lots of licks from all my girls.

Have you trapped the roaming cat again? Or has it been confined to its owners' property now?

I know that you're in a regional area, so Coprice is readily available and a very popular choice for the working dogs. BUT it's fairly poor quality...it's main ingredients are cereals and grains. Having said that, if the dogs are doing well on it, no need to change. Just be sure that they ARE doing well on it, perhaps by gradually switching to a higher quality food for a bit and see if there's any changes...

I think we've explained enough to Rusky...if they're too one-eyed at the situation, perhaps we just ignore future negative comments from them? The OP has enough to deal with without having to re-defend their actions...if said neighbour's cat wasn't roaming on other people's property and causing their dogs to bark in defence of their territory, there would be NO PROBLEM here. But some cat owners just think their animals can do whatever, whenever...while dog owners face even more (ridiculous and unwarranted) restrictions. It's time cat owners were faced with the same or tougher restrictions on their animals as dog owners are made to comply with...and time existing laws were properly enforced. If these neighbours are watching this thread, the message is simple: contain your cat!

I'm so pleased that you trapped the offending cat. I continue to wonder how dog owners are made to face more and more restrictions, yet cat owners feel their animals can do whatever they please? Keep trapping the bloody cat. It's too bad if they can't control their cat and that leads to your dogs barking - who is really to blame here? Certainly not the dog owner, who IMO has done much more than required to stop her dogs from barking at the cat. They're simply "defending" their territory. Rusky, I'm sorry you feel that the OP hasn't tried hard enough. Personally I think they've gone way above and beyond what could be reasonably expected here. It's not their dogs creating the problem but the wandering cat. Yet the people with the cat can't or won't see how they are contributing to the problem by not confining their cat and just blaming the dogs when they bark (which is a completely natural and normal response by the dogs when a cat enters their territory). I hope the neighbours learn to keep control of their cat, but I doubt it. As I said, keep trapping their bloody cat until they learn to keep it confined. You'll be doing the whole neighbourhood a favour. :D

"Positive reinforcement" is how most people train/teach their dogs these days. If your pup is doing something you don't want, redirect her to something that's OK for her to do. Example? If she's chewing/biting at your feet, pick her favourite toy up and give that to her instead. The word "No" doesn't help IMO. Tell the dog what you want, such as "Quiet" when she's barking. To reinforce the idea, you can do something pleasant AND something less pleasant. So, you could say "Quiet," then reinforce with a treat when she is quiet. If she's ignoring the "Quiet" command, squirt her as you ask her to be quiet. It's fairly simple: get a $2 spray bottle from any supermarket or discount shop, fill it with water, set it to "spray" rather than "stream", and say, "Quiet," while squirting her. Once she's quiet, give her a food treat and tell her she's a "Good dog!". If the "spray" setting doesn't work, then move the setting GRADUALLY to squirt. You don't want to drench her but you do want her attention and this will get that result. Always follow with a positive reinforcement, such as a food reward and praise for being good. You can always stop the food reward once your dog is reliably following your commands but in the meantime, invest in a "bait pouch" so you always have treats to hand. :D

And how closely have you studied the ingredients lists and how well do you understand them? "Premium brands" are not so solely due to price but to quality of ingredients. "Super premium brands" are better quality again, and again it's due to the quality of ingredients. "Budget brands" are budget priced but they also use cheap ingredients so they can remain "price competitive" in the supermarket and discount store arena. Some dogs do OK on cheap foods but in my experience, the better the food, the better the dog does. If a dog isn't responding well to a food, why continue with it when there are "better" choices out there? I've also studied marketing as part of a small business certificate course and again during a management certificate course, and let me just say that in the case of dog foods, marketing for the higher quality kibbles is very minimal compared to that of the supermarket, budget brands. I've never, for example, seen a TV advertisement for Nutro or Eagle Pack, but I see many for VIP dog rolls. Just one example of many in the marketing game. Dr Harry Cooper "sells" Supercoat so people automatically assume it is a good food - why? Because a TV vet recommends it! That doesn't mean it's a good food though, does it? Marketing of pet foods in this country is largely done by cheaper foods b/c they appeal to a wider audience than the better quality products do. However, in the USA for example, I understand the opposite is true. Higher quality foods are chosen by more people than lower quality ones, or that's what I've been led to believe. Please correct me if I'm wrong there. :p

How big is the cage? Can the dog stand up, turn around and lie down but not much else? Is the cage under permanent cover? How many times a day is the dog permitted out of the cage? How much exercise does the dog receive? How often does the dog have playtime with the family? If the cage is only large enough for the dog to stand up, turn around and lie down, then it's not big enough to 'house' the dog on a permanent basis but could be used temporarily or for short time periods only - say if there are people working in the yard and the cage is used to prevent them letting the dog out by mistake. If it's being used in a permanent capacity, this is considered cruelty. If the cage isn't under a solid roof, then that means the dog is exposed to the elements and has no escape from burning sun or freezing conditions - again this would be considered as cruelty and insufficient housing for the dog. If the dog is rarely or never permitted out of the cage, this is considered neglect and may also pass for cruelty. The same goes for periods of exercise b/c every dog is entitled to periods out of its confined space regardless of how or where it is housed. Even boarding kennels in most parts of Australia are required by law to exercise their guests for certain time periods and at certain intervals during the stay. If you think the dog is being neglected or cruelly treated, please report it. The dog deserves to be rescued if the people can't adequately care for it.

Is the dog ever permitted out of the cage? If not, I'd be inclined to report cruelty/neglect to the RSPCA or council ranger. IMO you can't keep a dog in a cage for much of the day/night.

Some hints on using cat traps that I picked up while working at the shelter: 1. BAIT - must be something really smelly such as cheap sardines (home brand works esp well apparently). 2. Site the trap - somewhere that's a bit hidden for the cat's privacy - no cat wants to walk into an "open" area. 3. Cover the trap - a cat is much more inclined to go for the bait if the trap is covered - use an old sheet or towel to disguise the trap and make the inside 'cosy'. 4. Set the trap - for a night-time catch. Cats are much more inclined to go for the bait after dark. Change the bait every day/night...put the trap somewhere a bit private, egs include between a building and fence, in a hollow or natural depression, among bushes/shrubs in your garden, near a woodpile (if you have one), inside an open shed (only works for domestic cats or wild cats that have kittens around/due). HTH.

I'm suggesting documenting when your dog/s bark for your own protection from these neighbours. If they're barking when you're not there, you need to record it somehow, either with a tape recorder or video recorder. If the dogs are outside, they will bark if/when they see/smell a cat - that's just what dogs do (as we know). Perhaps you could take your dogs to daycare or elsewhere when you go out, at least temporarily? It's not your fault but these people may decide to harm your dogs after all. Clearly they are the only ones with a problem here and those types of people are impossible or at least difficult to negotiate with - so eliminating the problem as they see it is the only plausible solution at least for now. I wish you the best of luck - get the cat trapped and hopefully your problem will resolve itself.

What is LSA? Do you cook the "slop"? If so, could you give info on how please? Washed unpeeled fruit & veg into pot, some water and simmer? TIA Nope, slop is raw just like everything else. I pulverise it by juicing the fruit/veg pieces, and mix the pulp with about 1/2 the juice. LSA = linseed and almond meal or includes sunflower meal in some cases. HTH.

Supercoat = Superpoo IMO. Why not try a better quality food? Supercoat and many other supermarket or budget foods are just not very good quality. They contain a higher ratio of fillers, cereals and colours to real foods (such as meat products) than the more expensive, but better quality foods. I could give you a few suggestions - these are all available in the better pet supply shops and/or online: Nutro, Eagle Pack & particularly the Holistic range, Dick van Patten's Natural Balance Organic Formula, even Nutrience is worth trying (my fosters are usually on Nutrience with one raw meal a week). Some people have great success with cheaper foods, but clearly at least one of your dogs isn't digesting the Supercoat at all, hence the liquid stool and gas problems. For her sake, you need to find something that suits her system.