cassie

Ahhh yes good point, my $200 x-ray fee was not including the anaesthetic he was already under for desexing. Hmm didn't factor that in, sorry.

Not sure if they would be the same type of x-rays or not, but when Zephyr had his hips x-rayed (to get scored) it only cost about $200 I think. $500 does sound a little excessive, perhaps you could get a second opinion? Just a suggestion. Could he have maybe pulled a muscle or something? Is it tender to touch anywhere?

I love it, some very important points to remember there

OMG a Leo...PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE post photos! (Sorry off topic I know!)

Good point Bruno. LOL I'd love to see a wild dog out there with his Dr. Billinghurst book! ;) Or even better, one sitting at a bowl seperating his egg yolks from whites! ETA: My boy is the only one in our family (me, OH and dog) who eats eggs so he gets several a week! His coat is lovely from them.

Just a question regarding this, not sure if it's exactly the same thing or not... I've read many books/websites/etc that say when you are choosing a puppy from a litter, that you should roll the pup over on it's back (gently of course) and if it just lays there calmly, then it will be an easy-going (I suppose maybe submissive?) pet, but if it struggles and wiggles about all over the place and tries to get free or bite you, then it will be dominant later in life. Is there any truth in this?

Nutro for my boy! He loves it, and his coat is AMAZING

Just another thought, I don't think this has been brought up yet... Bullygirl, what do you feed him? Some friends of mine at training had a WAAAY out of control GSD (sounds like he may have been related to yours! ;) ) who was just so agitated and jumpy and hyper all the time. Our trainer asked what they were feeding him, and I can't remember EXACTLY what brand it was, but it was a cheap supermarket brand, bursting with additives and preservatives and other nasties. He suggested they change his diet to a super premium kibble, and without a word of a lie, he was at least 50% better in a few weeks time. I understand you live in a rural area, but you could possibly look at getting some super premium food delivered if there is none anywhere near you. Just a suggestion, I wish you luck with him!

Thankyou for the replies Can anyone offer any opinions on the suggestions I had in my first post? Is it a good idea to start going back to the dog park to get him used to puppies again? (Or is it something they wouldn't forget?) He is pretty much a big puppy himself anyway! And is taking a towel to rub over the puppy and get it's scent for Zephyr a good idea? Also at what age can I leave the two of them alone together? Thanks, Cassie

Hi all, You may have seen my other post in General, where I stated that I will be getting a Saint Bernard puppy in early April. I was just wondering if anyone had any tips on getting my current dog, a desexed male two-year-old Bernese Mountain Dog, ready/prepared for when this pup arrives. I used to take him to our local dog park and let him run around with the other dogs of all ages and sizes, but we have stopped going as there were a few dog fights that occurred (never involving Zephyr) so it just didn't seem like a nice environment any longer. Should I perhaps return back, to allow him to get used to playing with puppies again? (Under supervision of course.) Or do you think he will be fine? He was always very gentle back when I used to take him quite often, will he remember to be gentle? I hope I am making sense here. He is a very loving dog and adores all other dogs that he meets in the street etc, although we have never brought another dog home before. I just want to take any precautions that I possibly can. Also, of course I will supervise their play in the beginning, but at what age/time/whatever could the two be left alone together? When the puppy reaches four weeks of age, the breeder is going to allow us to visit him once a week every week until we bring him home. Should I maybe take a towel or something that I can rub over the puppy to get his scent, which I can then give to Zephyr to sniff and get used to? Just an idea. Would love to hear other people's experiences/opinions.

I'm a newly converted Nutro user and lover! ;) I made the switch only a week ago, but my boy loves it WAAAAY more than anything else I've ever tried him on (eats with so much more enthusiasm) and his already beautiful coat is starting to show signs of even more improvement!

Where did you order it from? Overseas? Interstate? I have heard it is illegal to import them into the country.

Woah there! Enough said! Got any photos of this cutie??? Sorry

LOL how amusing! (sorry!) Yeah I probably wouldn't say the word at all until you are outside with him. Then he should be able to understand "She only says it when I'm out here, not in there, so I better do it here!" Also, make sure when he does it inside (ie. has an accident) you aren't praising him AT ALL. Obviously, don't punish him, but make sure you're not picking him up (LOL - if you still can! ) or cuddling him or anything. If he starts to have an accident inside, I'd rush him straight outside and THEN say "Go weez!" Gotta love the little bugger hey!

Honestly...? NO IDEA!!! Abbey B did mine for me. A little while back in a thread in off topic she was offering to do sigs for people who didn't know how, and I jumped at the chance! PM her, I'm sure she wouldn't mind doing one for you too!

He is just the cutest puppy! You have every right to be totally besotted with him Agree with Chicko though - more photos necessary!

Hi poodlefan, Serious question here - is this possible to teach? Say from a young age, can you teach your pup to just NEVER pull on the lead, and therefore it will never need a correction? I'm not saying you're wrong or anything, I'm genuinely interested in your answer for when I get my new pup. Thanks, Cassie

I will defend the prong collar for the rest of my days! :D I only recently acquired one and the impact it has had on my dog is truly amazing. MANY other people on here could tell a similar story. And there are some people on here that were 110% AGAINST using them, simply because they didn't understand them, but now they have them and love them and would never look back. (I'm not saying this will be you by the way! ) In my experience, the main use of the prong collar is for dogs that are difficult to control on lead, usually because they pull. The prong collar allows you to give your dog a quick and effective correction that DOES NOT cause any pain/harm to the dog when issued correctly. I strongly recommend you read the following very imformative article on these training tools: http://www.k9force.net/index.html?row2col2=prong.html (LOL - how many times has this link been posted now!)

Before I got a metal prong collar, I tried one similar to that on Zephyr (didn't buy it, just borrowed it for a trial) and it basically did nothing. The plastic prongs couldn't quite get through his thick mane to have any effect on him, and his fur tended to get a bit tangled in them. But having said this, you have a Dane right? So you probably wouldn't have the same problem with the short coat. Then again, perhaps they are more for "light" pullers, not such large or heavy dogs? Just a thought.

He's so gorgeous! Can't wait for more pics as he grows!

Thanks for the advice Corine, will do! I plan to order the Nutro when my current bag has about a third left in it, so we can make the change gradually, and also allow for however long it will take for the Nutro to get here from interstate!

Thanks everyone for the replies! I can't wait til I'm finished this current bag of food so I can order some Nutro! Thanks Piximatosis for those food quantities too

Thankyou for the replies guys! Ok I won't mix the two types of food. I will finish this (almost full! ) bag of ProPlan off first, then order in some Nutro. Norskgra I saw the pics of your dogs on the Australian Natural Choice website! :D Very cute!

Hi to all you Nutro lovers! ;) I just got sent some samples of this great food today, (thanks Saggitarian!), and I must say I am very impressed by it. Zephyr LOVED the smell of it, he practically ripped the samples out of my hand before I had a chance to read the info on them properly! And he gobbled down his dinner rather quickly, which is nice to see as usually he's not a hugely keen eater. It's so annoying that nowhere here in SA stocks Nutro, but I am so pleased by it that I'm thinking of ordering it from interstate, as the freight charges aren't all that expensive. Just wondering HOW MUCH of this food I would need to feed Zephyr on? He is currently on ProPlan, and eats roughly about 400-450g a day. Have people found in the past that you tend to feed your dogs less Nutro than you would other foods? Or is it about the same? Just trying to work out how long the bags will last me, and so how affordable it is. Also, it will probably work out cheaper if I feed him a combination of Nutro and ProPlan, is this a good idea or not? For anyone who doesn't know, Zephyr is a male Bernese Mountain Dog, turning two in December. I like the sound of the Adult Large Breed Lamb and Rice one the best, anyone have any other preferences for their large breed dogs? Thanks a bunch! Looking forward to the replies! :p

I have given Zephyr raw eggs before, and he loves them, but have never given the shell To those of you who do feed the shell - how do you give it to your dog? Do you give them the whole egg (unbroken) and let them munch it up? Or do u crack it open into a dish but leave the shell with it? Curious to know! Might try it myself!