Christina

Brain drain. Re read. Didn't realise that you have only just got him. If he hasn't had any training & you have got him doing all those things already he is not stubborn. Probably hasn't just got full understanding of everything yet. Patience.

I would think he is just being stubborn & the reward of coming out is not so great. I have a 2 year old poodle like this. He will not sit on command even for food. He looks at me like I have asked him to jump through fire while watching all the girls sit like lightening. Check his bum although I doubt there is a problem there & either persist as you are or maybe offer a treat.

How can anyone not love them & look after them. :) she is looking gorgeous. Well done.

Depending where you live you could try phoning Gawler River Cattle Company & enquiring. I have seen them in there but don't visit on a regular basis. They are at Angle Vale, Morphett Vale, Salisbury & somewhere on South Rd near Richmond. I also think Pets Tucker on the Gawler Road has them in. Phone 8522 2471 to enquire.

If you can brush & comb him every alternate day he will not get knots & then maybe you could scissor & trim him to suit yourself every few weeks. he doesn't have to be done with clippers. It wont matter if you get it wrong a few times as dogs don't care about their hairstyle. Practise makes perfect :laugh: Your groomer sounds hopeless & lacking any creative flair for the job.

Cut out the calcium, she doesn't need it at all. She may be digging if she feels the bed is too cold or too hot or even trying to hide the puppy. Some dogs just do it this & its hard to find out exactly why if you have checked the obvious things like temperature & how safe she feels where she is. Try & make sure she has the kind of bedding that she can't bury the baby in so it gets stuck, flat blanket cut to size & not folded in 2 etc. Pup can be started on some food now & will soon be up & moving & then its not so worrying.

Little meatballs made from sardines ( only the ones in spring water ) & roll a pill in them & warm in the microwave. They usually just swallow the small meatball in one gulp. Stinks. I hate fish but it works.

Yes my Tara can get any squeaker out in minutes. I also buy big bags of stuffed toys from the op shops but have to cut the chewable eyes out of some & sew up the holes. I feel so cruel doing that to them Its ok & normal to kill stuffed toys but its a problem when they kill beds & sofas. I recall my sister one time phoning me in tears. She had an row with her husband & took herself & german shepherd off to our parents house with them being overseas & her having a key. Went to bed leaving dog downstairs & came down to find he had completely shredded a whole velvet chesterfield sofa that was really expensive Think I was sick, laughed like crazy person

Pretty much so some people say They can't sleep on my bed as I have an allergy/rash at present. Remy my 12 year old is on the lounge that is covered with a mink blanket because leather is cold. Just put a coat on him & thrown on my hello kitty birthday present blanket because its softer than the huge pile of other blankets & quilts I have for them. When they get clipped which I do myself they have dog chocolate treats & always run to the fridge for them as soon as have finished & put them down from the table. Food is never served too cold. They get brushed most days. While I am home they can go wherever they want including on the kitchen table, so hygienic :laugh: Not mad about discipline but they do obey me when I dish out the orders, having a few I have to keep order. I prefer to think of it all as kind rather than spoilt. People have varying views on what is normal & what is spoilt.

What awful luck. Poor dog. Guess the question is What would you like the breeder to do ? Small claims court is generally the place to start re financial matters . As a breeder if I was in this situation I would offer full refund regardless of fault/responsibility but I am not the breeder.

Every time there is a story about a puppy farmer and the pictures show matted dogs living in their own faeces I want to throttle the RSPCA. They already have national laws to protect all creatures great and small. If puppy farms and back yard breeders are going to continue to exist then instead of making new laws (that can cost millions to implement and millions more to police) why not use the ones we already have to protect the animals making money for these people? I'm sure the RSPCA knows where many of them are already and if they were out there protecting those animals who are potentially in the most vulnerable of positions - being used to make someone money rather than living in a companion capacity, then perhaps new laws that miss the point would not even be considered necessary. That is exactly what I am always saying too. It feels like stating the bleeding obvious. Why can't people see this instead of calling for all this useless & ridiculous, time & money wasting, bumbling inefficient waffling. More rules & regulations that won't make life good for dogs with callous owners anyway.

If you can't fence any of your yard I wouldn't get a dog at all. Your situation is fine, especially working from home, but every time the dog needs to go to the toilet you will have to put it on a lead & take it outside & wait. Alternative is to get a toy breed like maltese, yorkie or chihuahua & train it to go on a small fake grass dog loo. Wouldn't try that with a bigger dog though.

It is not the dog numbers that are an issue It is the people breeding them.. The people breeding them should be required to undergo a test, have their premises inspected and be audited at least once every 6 months (randomly) I would even go as far as having people income tested or making people insure their pets if they are going to breed from them We need tougher auditing laws for people that even breed from any number of dogs. Not just persons with over 10 fertile females. Re the above it may be the dog numbers in some cases. There is a big difference between having 3 or 4 bitches that live as family & having 50 dogs shoved in inadequate housing at the back of some paddock. People don't need a test to breed themselves & have children so why for a dog ? They don't get audited before having children either. Even cafes & restaurants that serve food to the public are not inspected & audited that often & they could potentially kill people if unhygienic. They also make more money than hobby breeders. Pet insurance only covers illness & accidents they will not cover any kind of involvement or issue in breeding & whelping. We are not a communist/dictatorship country so breeding a dog or a few should not be treated like a criminal offense. Ill treating, neglecting or abusing a dog is an offense that can be prosecuted & there are laws to enable this. There seems to be more fuss, input & wild theories & extreme ideas about dog breeding than there is about child abuse. Hopefully this ridiculous trend will die down & people can focus on the many more important issues, ban pet shop sales & leave it all alone. Have to keep telling myself there are people somewhere with brains that can get priorities & practicalities right.

Because it is too difficult legally. The pet industry association has its own lawyers, lots of money & a lot of members & would challenge this in court. Its to do with free trade as kittens & puppies are classed as goods or property in law & sales but not totally classed that way as in welfare, which is contradictory in itself.

We have recent proposals submitted, but not passed, in SA recently too. I do wish that both the politicians & people who support their proposals would look at the reality & feasibility in practical & realistic terms of how this will improve welfare for animals instead of coming up with things that are completely useless. The one issue they will not budge on that would make so much impact is banning pet shop sales. Although animal welfare or lack of it is a problem & puppy farming is also a problem we do already have laws that could be implemented more efficiently. Meanwhile here in SA it seems to be becoming more of a crime & getting more attention to do something out of line, even in a small way,with dogs than it does to leave a child with a drug addicted & cruel mother with a paedophile boyfriend until the child is killed. When they knew all about it for many years. The Hon Michelle Lensink should be looking at the way the government protects, or fails to protect is more like it, children before she starts trying to gain popularity through animals & emotions. Even when taken into government care children are often still at risk of abuse. While obviously animal welfare is important we have many laws so why is time & money being wasted on this issue constantly ?

Equinade kennel disinfectant. Comes in fruity smell which I love, its like bubblegum or lavender. About $20+ for 5 litres which you dilute. Used on my cat stud runs so it works. Available from fodder stores.

Its only a month & they haven't learned to live together yet & sort out who is boss, because one of them has to be whether you recognise who is another matter. It needs more time & there is nothing abnormal about this. Both you & Joey have invaded Frys home & territory & Joey now has to share everything including you. I would put down or remove either dog that snaps & say a sharp no or ah ah, whatever words the dog understands. Have you tried having one either side of you on the lounge & paying attention to both at the same time ? I would also stop playing tug until they have sorted things out. I would also ignore the humping. This is what dogs do to establish top dog & it will probably stop or one will object & stop it when they are settled. Ignore them both more for now. Normal behaviour for some dogs in this situation so patience & common sense in not favouring one or the other is usually best. Some dogs will never get on but they are not fighting so that's a good sign.

I would probably end up with the puppy & several other unwanteds. Couldn't do that job at all.

Gorgeous & such clear detail. Obviously not taken with el cheapo camera, like mine I assume no animals were harmed in this shoot :)

It is correct that south australian breeders may not sell to pet shops neither can registered cat breeders but that is not the rule in all states. Victoria in particular for all its laws & ridiculous enforcements seems to make it easier for large scale puppy farms & pet shops dealing in live animals.

Yes but always seperate them when you go out. I had several small dogs & my doberman. She was beautiful with the tiny ones but one day when she was very old she went for a biscuit on the floor at the same time as the tiny chihuahua, snapped just once & broke the little dogs jaw I don't think she meant to & she hadn't been well, which I shortly after discovered was cancer, so out of character but glad I was right there when it happened. They had lived together for 7 years without incident. Little girl recovered after surgery & many weeks but I was always so careful after that.

Why on earth would you go to as pet shop for a puppy ? Don't you have any understanding of what goes on behind the scenes to supply pet shops with puppies ? While I am not a fan of extremists this link will give you a clue http://www.alv.org.au/storyarchive/0504prisoners/index.php Of course they will all say they come from a breeder. Dogs have to come from a breeder, they don't find them on the side of the road , but there are various types of breeders & the shops purpose is to shift pups as quick as possible & make maximum profit. That is all. No pet shop would ever say to a customer I don't know what the place is like or it is a puppy farm. Would they ? Find a reputable registered breeder. That is registered with their states canine association not just council registered to breed any kind of dogs. Do some research into what health issues, checks & certificates are needed for this breed & then if you know anyone in the state where a puppy you would like lives ask them to visit & check out the conditions the pup is raised in. Otherwise put your name down for a pup in your state & wait. Then you can visit personally too. Pet shops are not the place anyone with any social conscience goes to buy a cat or dog.

One of the most relevant factors in credibility of studies & statistics is how many are used in the study & by how many different companies or individuals. A study of 500 may well give very different results to a study of 10,000. Always worth noting & finding out before giving complete credibility.

I don't consider I really cross boundaries with my dogs after what I had to do for a chicken I once had nothing could ever be that bad or gross. Consider that I am absolutely a city person in my bones despite country living for 10 years so when one of my 4 chickens got fly blown I had no idea what it was until a neighbour told me & what I had to do. So armed with scissors, fly strike powder, a clean bucket of water & a soapy bucket of water on the wheel barrow & dressed in an old dressing gown to throw away after & rubber gloves & wellies I thought to have a drink of Kahlua to bear it then decided that if I was tipsy I may mess up so bravely IMO I got the chicken & gagging at the maggots carefully chopped her feathers off as close as possible, washed her bum in soapy water, rinsed her in clean water, dried her off, powdered her. Then dumping clothes & gloves in the bin went inside & had about 3 huge drinks to settle me down & fell asleep sat up on the sofa for hours. Bloody traumatised so goodness knows how the poor chicken felt & I am scared of worms let alone maggots To add insult to injury I regularly powdered & checked her for ages but she dropped dead. I cried like mad Thats as gross as anything I can think of.