Dog_Horse_Girl

For the Council to contact just your neighbour would perhaps seem to them as victimising them...far better to either send information to everyone or to no-one. If your neighbours are so convinced it's not their cat wandering that's causing your dog/s to bark, then trapping the cat won't cause them any harm, will it? You really do need to document EVERYTHING including when your own dog/s bark. This is so important b/c if it goes to mediation or Court, you will need every shred of evidence on your side. Try to keep your dogs indoors when you leave the property. That will reduce the chances of nuisance barking and your neighbours hearing it, and it will keep your dogs safe/r. Get that cat trap ASAP so you can remove the "stray" from the neighbourhood.

Some dogs just don't like dry dog food and who can blame them? It doesn't look, smell or taste like "food". Tough love may work but what happens when it doesn't? If your greyhound pup likes raw food, then feed him raw food. It's not difficult IMO to prepare a "Complete and Balanced" raw foods diet at home. It's quite simple once you get the hang of it. RMBs make up the bulk of the diet, then offal, then veg/fruit slop, then canned fish, then eggs, then yoghurt. So you feed mostly RMBs, and add other components on a regular basis. You can also feed minced meats if you prefer but I don't bother. Some raw feeders supplement and others don't. I use garlic in the slop, ground LSA in every second or third batch of slop, and give Lilly a Cod Liver Oil capsule from time to time. OTOH, if you want to give a processed foods diet, ditch the Coprice (IMO it's a really bad food) and aim for something much better such as Eagle Pack, Nutro, Nutrience, or Dick van Patten's Natural Balance Organic Formula. Can I suggest you to some reading around raw foods diets? Just to help you decide what is better for your pup?

My ACD x Staffy boy started losing his puppy teeth at about 5 mths, from memory. Puppy teeth are razor-sharp! I was so grateful when Aussie's adult teeth came through.

I would approach your neighbour in writing as others have suggested, and copy this letter to all near neighbours for their information. Also copy it to the Ranger/Council. Keep a barking diary yourself...keep a "cat wandering" diary alongside the barking diary. Inform all near neighbours that there is a roaming cat in the area, and that if this cat continues to disturb you and your family, you will rent a trap and take any trapped cat/s to the council or RSPCA. As far as I can tell, the only problem you have is your neighbour's attitude...which stinks!

Could you please tell this lady about all the poor little pups who are being killed at the pounds because there are no homes available for them. People have plenty of opportunity of rescuing a pup from the pound and having a dog to love without people who know nothing about breeding allowing their dogs to breed. Dogs are not in short supply. There are too many dogs and too much BYB going on. I don't think I have ever seen pounds and shelters so full as they are right now. It's good to see that these pups have found good homes but please ask the owner to desex her dog so this doesn't happen again. Well said, Anne. This woman, no matter how well-intentioned, needs to get her bitch speyed ASAP. And if she perhaps feels that it's the wrong thing to do to her lovely dog, then she needs to visit local pounds so she can see for herself just how many "loving dogs" end up being killed b/c nobody wants them. We who volunteer to save dogs lives do so b/c we love dogs...we want them to have another chance...we get them desexed so the dogs we rescue aren't contributing further to the unwanted dog problem...we home them to responsible people...we aim to educate others about the benefits of desexing and responsible ownership...we aim to raise awareness about unwanted dogs in the wider community...and all the while there are people out there who think (wrongly) that a bitch has to have a litter to make it a better animal.

Oh, please get your bitch/es to a vet so you can determine if either/both are in season. Someone needs to explain this to you, and teach you what to do so your females aren't at risk of becoming pregnant. And I'd be hoping for a spey sooner rather than later...it's technically *possible* during a heat cycle, but far too risky for most vets to contemplate.

Cooked bones splinter. Raw bones may do so but it's less likely and I've never seen a problem with my own dogs, even my tiny Molly gets through a drumstick without incident! Mind you, she shouldn't eat a drumstick b/c it's too much food, but the OH has made this mistake once! :p I started her off with chicken neck b/c she was accustomed to eating kibble and the first couple of meals were interesting, to say the least - the look on her face when I put a chicken neck in front of her was priceless! But once she got the hang of it, she was so happy! Now she tucks in like there's no tomorrow. :D

Lilly is a touch under 25 kgs - she raced at that! So, she has less muscle mass than when racing but weighs virtually the same. Therefore, she's a great weight...not too lean, nor too thickset. Her final three ribs are visible, she has a very distinct waist, and her hip pin bones are only just evident...PERFECT! Imy - I know how much you love Ginks and Radar - please get them walking some more! Up and down hills is great exercise for them. And no matter how much their eyes plead with you, stop giving them treats and reduce their meal sizes. Go on - you can do it! Be strong for them. :D

I put Lilly (25 kgs of greyhound) in our bathtub...no worries! :D I'd never bath a dog using the hose after trying the temperature of the water on myself once. Unless you live in a tropical climate, it's not an ideal solution IMO...I like the idea of using a hose connected to the laundry taps though.

Many people feed their young pups on raw meaty bones, most begin with chicken parts such as necks or wings. Lamb neck chops are another favourite! Any raw meaty bone designed to be eaten as a meal is fine - just don't give a young pup a marrow bone or other recreational bone b/c it's just too hard for their baby teeth and the marrow may upset their digestive tract.

I've also met these dogs and they're overweight...not just plump but overweight. You can't see ribs or waist and both should be evident. It's hard to see what we mean in the pics but that's what I saw when I met the doggies. They just need less food and more exercise (as I do! ).

Yep, greyhounds are supposed to be lean. As are people.

Great news Jodie! :cool: BTW - my dogs always go behind the desk to say hello... They're nosey and want extra treats!

Imy, sad to say your dogs do need to lose some weight. I had Lilly and Ruby at the vet yesterday for their annuals. He reckons Lilly should gain some weight but I think she's OK. She has dropped a little condition in the past couple of weeks due to the unusually hot weather. Ruby, OTOH, is FAT and needs to lose weight but my husband feeds the dogs and doesn't always follow the rules for portion sizes. :cool: She is developing knee problems and has sore joints b/c she's overweight...hopefully now the OH will follow the rules when it comes to her dinner! With greyhounds, you should be able to see the last three ribs. If you can't - they're carrying too much weight. I know other people say that's too skinny but that's how they're built and they're like that for a reason.

I feed my dogs on a raw, whole foods diet. I avoid pork (stomach upsets), and I avoid minced meats b/c I see no value in feeding them. I choose raw bones that have plenty of meat ranging from chicken, roo, beef, lamb and rabbit. I choose bones that can't be swallowed whole by the dog eating them, so no chicken necks for my large breed (greyhound). I choose raw offal, usually liver, heart, and kidney from beef, chicken, and lamb. I feed raw, pulverised vegetables and fruits from as wide a range as possible but I avoid corn b/c it causes upsets in some dogs. My foster dogs are fed on the premium kibble Nutrience, the variety depends on the age and size of dog. My current foster Piper is on the small breed adult formula - about once a week she gets a raw meal instead. Each dog is different - what works for one may not work for another. It's basically trial-and-error, and if something's not working, speak to your vet...also important to note that sometimes it takes a while for a dog to adjust to a new food so allow at least two weeks before changing again. HTH.

My greyhound can't digest ANY of the less expensive and even middle-range packaged foods, and only did well on RC which I couldn't afford longer-term. So I switched to a raw diet. Now that Nutro and EP are available in Australia, I could get samples and see how Lilly goes, but the raw works! I'm sure that many dogs don't do well on some foods but do well on others. Sometimes, you either have to spend a lot more money, spend time preparing a home-made diet, or compromise on your dog's digestive health. I chose to spend time in preparing a home-made (raw) diet.

Even though we live in Canberra, a low incidence area, I still use h/w preventives year-round for all my dogs. We do travel, we also move interstate every year or two, and it's just not worth taking the chance IMO. I'd rather use the preventive than find one of my dogs with h/w disease, BUT if you live in a h/w free area and you or your dog/s never travel, then reduce or remove the use of h/w preventives in consultation with your vet. :rolleyes:

Good to hear he's on the mend...another cuddle wouldn't go astray either! :rolleyes:

Mel give the boofer extra cuddles from me. Hope he feels all better soon. ;)

Has the pup been checked for paralysis tick?

PetBarn has concrete water bowls, I doubt any dog could tip them over! :D

No Pandii I wouldn't "have a go" at you for chaining your dog - that's your choice and undoubtedly you have a very good reason for doing so. I've asked the particular question more than once b/c the OP has seemingly ignored it. I think it's a fair question that deserves an honest answer. I mean, if it works, then that's great, isn't it? But if it doesn't work, then isn't it good for us to know that so we can offer alternatives? Isn't that part of why this forum exists, for us to help each other through difficulties? Or are we just here to take pot-shots at each other if we disagree with something someone says? I've tried to offer alternatives such as the spray bottle technique, voice correction and physical means (I'm thinking along the lines of lead-bonding, use of crates or x-pens etc) but without knowing the details, it's not easy to make good suggestions. What sort of situations lead to the pups being smacked? How often does the smacking happen? What does the pup do after the smack? Before the smack? How does the correction affect the pup's behaviours? Don't you think it's relevant that I ask this question? If not, why not? The OP is wondering why his dogs don't love him, and perhaps the smacking is completely irrelevant to the equation, but I doubt it. Daniel, where are you? I'd like to try to help. edited for typo

I hope the introduction to the inside of your home goes/went well. But how does smacking help with the training? How is it working? I reckon it's a fair question that is deserving of an answer. If you don't mind, I'm still waiting for your answer daniel. Please explain?

But (and I'll ask again until you answer) how does the smacking help with the training? Is it working?

Yep, that's what I was thinking VC. I don't get why anyone would smack a baby and then wonder why it doesn't like you? With Piper, even me picking up the spray bottle is usually enough to stop her in her tracks. Sometimes, I need a strong "No!" to go along with that, but not often. She's a very quick learner. And she works for Schmackos above all else, so when there's a treat involved, she will do literally ANYTHING!