cassie

Rosi - STOP feeding your dog cooked bones IMMEDIATELY! They can splinter too easily and a piece of bone could get lodged in your dog's throat and he/she could choke and die. Harsh reality, yes, but it's something you should know BEFORE you have to find out the hard way

Definitely enrol in an obedience school. Where are you located? There may be someone on here who can direct you to one in your area. For what you get out of them, they are certainly NOT expensive. Also, "roll over" is a trick, I wouldn't be trying to teach your pup any tricks until she masters the basics (sit, come, drop, stay). "Come" is the most important thing she should learn, if she is food motivated then you are lucky! She might come to you for a treat. ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS keep her on a leash when you're outside your own house or yard, especially as she doesn't know "come" yet. Even when she does, it's safest for her to stay on the lead, then she physically CAN'T run across the road and almost get hit...

Have PMed you K9

K9 Force, those "number 1" ones, do you sell them? Could you give me a quote for a large one? (Or extra large, however they come. My boy is a Bernese Mountain Dog.) Thanks, I have emailed you as well about this.

The problem is without actually being able to SEE them properly and understand the difference between them all, I really don't know what type I like!

Hey KitKat, I'm currently searching for a prong collar for my boy too. Can you order them off the Sprenger website? Or where are you getting yours from? Thanks, Cassie

Don't have much advice just want to send lots of hugs and kisses to Kaeleigh I know of a Bernese who had HD (though not sure how severe exactly) but he went onto the Sasha's Blend supplements and I believe it helped a fair bit. Check out their website http://www.sashasblend.com/?id=australia for more info. Also I know here in Adelaide there is a doggie swimming pool where you can take dogs of any age, breed, size, etc for a swim. They supply life jackets for novices. It's not very expensive either, about $10 for your first visit and then it gets cheaper if you go more regularly I think. I did a Google search for one in Sydney but couldn't find anything sorry, but perhaps your Yellow Pages could produce something helpful? Or you could ask your vet or doggie friends if they know of anything similar? Best of luck and hope shes feeling better soon

Ahh, Bailey is a little cutie! More pics when you get the chance! First of all...GOOD MOVE getting him off his 'Chum' diet, that stuff is nasty! The vast majority of people here wouldn't feed it even if it were given to them for free! I have not tried Eukanuba on any dog I've owned so can't specifically comment on it. But since his stools are improving then that is a good sign. I'm sure other people will give you some better answers. Keep us updated

The "cunning and conniving" Bates family seems to have pulled a swifty on the folks at Innova. In the USA, Innova doesn't allow non-ethical stores to stock its product...any store that sells live animals (particularly the so-called "designer dogs" and those products from BYBs and puppy mills) is basically considered unethical by Innova there. Yet here, it's the Bate's chain that has an exclusive deal with Innova...no other stockists are permitted. It's a genuine shame. I tried to alert Innova to the truth, but it seems to have ignored my correspondence. And a shame, b/c Innova and California Natural are both *great* foods. I just won't buy them unless the exclusive deal is undone. And I don't see that happening any time soon. I think the Bate's chain is a law unto itself. I don't recall ever seeing a shop of theirs carrying a logo that says it's been granted admission to any of the ethical pet retailer organisations. And that would be b/c it's anything but ethical IMO. ;) Innova - if you're watching this site, why don't you reconsider your 'deal with the Devil' and allow ethical retailers to carry your products? Hmmm? So can ANYTHING be done? Like a petition or something? Or has this already been tried in the past? Something along the lines of "We (those on the petition) would be very willing to try/use Innova if it weren't sold exclusively at a store we refuse to support, because of it's bad ways..." obviously this could be elaborated on properly! But surely then they could see that they are missing out on such a huge market? Or is this just wishful thinking - perhaps we are not such a huge market that refuse to shop at PP.

:rolleyes: Sorry, don't like to hi-jack, but was just wondering...why is it that Pets Paradise is the only place that stocks Innova? Are Pet Stock and other similar type stores unable to get it in? To be honest, I have never asked!

Yes count me in! I would definitely be interested. Venue is not really a problem for me as I would be willing to travel. Not sure what would be better regarding the "info night" VS the "take-your-dog-along" type setup, what do others think? Pros/Cons of both? But definitely count me in!!! :rolleyes:

I have seen a variety of Innova for large breed puppies. From memory I think it comes in a purple bag? It has a pic of a saint bernard puppy on it anyway. (And yes, unfortunately it was in a PP store) :rolleyes: I've also read that it is the best food around, and if it were sold ANYWHERE other than PP (or another pet store of course) I would love to try it. Pity really.

Hi Steve, I have just found and read this article, seems great so am going to start it tonight! I just have a question as to how this TOT could relate to other training? I have already taught my 18 month old male Bernese Mountain Dog this basic procedure (without the tie-back, which I will introduce tonight), and he is very solid in waiting for me to give him the "OK" before he can eat. But can this same method somehow be used to make him give me more attention (or ANY attention) when out on walks and around other dogs? Because at the moment I am getting little to none. He is VERY distracted by other dogs. (By the way he is not desexed.) Thanks for any info, Cassie

What breed is he? Some breeders remove their pups' dew claws at birth I believe? Or soon after anyway, while they are young. As far as I know, they serve no purpose, and it certainly doesn't hurt to have them removed (by someone who knows what they are doing of course!) so as to prevent, like you said, them becoming torn or split etc. Someone may come along and say something different...but this is my understanding of the issue

I think Glorybea makes a good suggestion, but as he/she said, you may have already tried that. I received a couple of free samples of Woofbix when they first came out at my local Big W. Sprinkled a bit onto Zephyr's usual dinner and he seemed to like it. Don't know how well he would do on it on a long term basis though. Good luck!

When my boy was at this stage, if he bit me I would yelp like a hurt puppy. Might seem strange but it definitely worked for me! You have to do it loud and high pitched enough for him to stop and take notice. Also, make sure he has enough chew toys, and direct his chewing to one of them. Squeaky ones are usually a hit!

I was going to ask the same thing...has anyone tried it? I was going to, but it is SO expensive! $4.95 for a little 400g (I think that's the size) can! I also use the Nature's Gift variety, which Zephyr loves. He gets about 3 tablespoons mixed in with his dry food for his evening meal, and none in the morning. Have also tried My Dog and he didn't seem to have a problem with it.

DogsLover, what knid of dog/s do you have? Big or small? Puppy or adult? Working or not very active? All these factors can have an impact on what you should feed. As kelpiecuddles said, if you do a search you will find many previous threads on this topic. Personally I am a HUGE fan of Eagle Pack holistic food

Thanks for the advice Debs I love newfies!!! You must feel blessed to share your life with such gorgeous dogs.

BUMP

My BMD Zephyr is approaching 13 months old and I still have him on puppy food, (Eagle Pack Holistic Large/Giant Breed Puppy). Just wondering when you all switch/ed to adult food? Because he's a large/giant breed, I've heard he can stay on puppy food up to two years old! But i've also heard 18 months, so just wondering what you all think. Thanks

Wow what a little trooper hey! We'd love to see a pic when you can But back to the issue at hand. Has he been socialised with many older dogs? You said this rotty was only 9 months old, and a female, so I'm thinking if maybe he met some older male dogs (by older i mean over 18 months, so they are well and truly 'adults') they may just put him in his place. Obviously you don't want him to have any bad experiences at such a tender age, as this can leave an impression on him for life. But if you happen to know of any older male dogs that you deem trustworthy (perhaps a friend or neighbour has one?) I think this could be a good start.

So sorry to hear about the poor dear. I agree with the others, definitely contact her breeder. If she wasn't bought from a breeder, then perhaps seek one out that you may know of through friends or an advertisement and ask their advice. If you got her from say a pet store or similar, these types of places are rarely any help. Maybe also take her back to the vet and just explain that nothing is really working. If this particular vet can't offer much more advice you may need a second opinion. When I first brought my boy home he had loose stools and wasn't eating properly for a while, but I think it was just a matter of him getting settled into his new home. This COULD be a factor in your case, but it does sound a little more serious. All the best, we're rooting for you and the little one!

Hi all. I have recently started my (just turned) one year old male Bernese Mountain Dog on Eagle Pack, the large and giant breed puppy holistic variety. I must say, in only a few weeks, I can already see improvement in his coat (much more glossy and silky) and even his eyes seem brighter! As well as this, he really loves the food. In the past he has been a bit picky; he's been on both ProPlan and Science Diet and has never been really enthused about eating. (Strange for a dog I thought???) But now he loves meal times. I am so happy to have found such a great quality food, and I cant recommend it highly enough. :rolleyes: Does anyone else feed Eagle Pack, especially this variety, and find it good? I would love to hear others' views. Cassie