ellz

As I said, I use the PP pin brushes on myself and I'm a real wuss when it comes to having my hair pulled! I've heard good reports about the Laser Lites pin brushes but haven't used them myself. I'm a big believer in sticking with what works and PP works for me. Over the years I've also used PSI pin brushes which would be my next preference behind PP. #1 All Systems pin brushes are nice but don't live for long. Same with Chris Christenson pin brushes. Prestige are, I believe, PSI brushes with a "cheap" label so are probably quite ok too.

A slicker brush works well too.

You're welcome. I forgot to add that they also do a formula for Small Breeds as well. So pretty much the whole range is covered. And I confess that once my puppies started to get up and hoover, I was feeding half Optimum and half Coles and they have done just fine!!

Slickers - really depends upon the dog. I like my OLD Doggyman (15 years old and still going strong) but haven't yet found a newer Doggyman to come close to replacing it. Pin Brush - swear by the Plush Puppy pin brushes. At $12 or so, you can have a few laying around. I like them so much I use them on my own long, thick, straight hair. Bristle Brush - Plush Puppy Metro Anti Static and my best "find". 100% pure boar bristle Cameo brand brush from the supermarket. As good as my old Mason Pearson but a mere fraction of the cost (ie $19 instead of $100 plus). I like the boar bristle brushes as against the nylon brushes because they don't generate static which can cause knotting and hair breakage in a show coat.

The Coles food comes in Puppy, Adult and Senior varieties.

I've fed the Select brand from Woolworths as well as the Woofbix biscuits from Big W. I'm told that they are both manufactured by Coprice. My "budget" food from preference is Great Barko or Uncle Albers. I feed these in preference to so-called "premium" dry foods and have absolutely NO complaints whatsoever with either the weight on my pocket, the weight of my dogs OR their output.

GARDEN COMPOST BIN INCEINERATOR (note their bad spelling - cut and pasted from website) and the stock number is F/L 3160000.

I've got two of the heavier enclosures (bottom row of that page I think) and they are good, but very heavy and awkward for one person to deal with. I purchased two of the wire compost bins from Bunnings for a mere fraction of the price (albeit not quite as cheaply as the mainland sells them - probably due to freight costs I guess) and they're a lot easier for me to manoeuvre around my yard. I use cable ties too with dog lead clips to reinforce the corners.

Never mind the cute puppy......I'll just have the green stuff that the whole shebang is on top of thanks!

In that case, I'd still go with Best Friends. The "largest" groomer in Hobart itself is connected to a petshop which sells farmed mutts so I would not endorse them on principle.

Specifically Hobart? Or one of the suburbs? There are a few groomers around now so any recommendation I can give would be based upon location. If nowhere in particular, then Best Friends Boarding and Grooming is probably the oldest established groomer (formerly House of The Dog in central Hobart). I think they still do pickup and delivery.

My Stafford bitch Dolly's feet smell like Dorritos. My American Cocker bitch Ali's feet smell like popcorn. My Greyhound Fang's feet smell like peanut butter. Nothing wrong with me whatsoever!!

The other possibility is that being a Stafford and despite outward appearances, they can be VERY sensitive. She may have started nibbling on her tail as a stress reaction, OCD type of thing. A reaction from being "in jail". Give the Vit E a whirl. Keep an eye out for mites or fleas as well. But I do think it's probably good old "tuck n wag". Good luck with her. Staffords are fabulous dogs in the right environment!

Seriously, if she has been in kennels then she is probably suffering from the Stafford "tuck n wag" syndrome. Most just don't like to sit on concrete and use their tail as a cushion. It looks very much like what my old boy used to get all the time. Unattractive but not sinister.

Thought you'd enjoy these photos. This is my old Stafford bitch who HATES cats!! :D And my greyhound who wasn't cat-proofed before he came to me....

Yep, they "tuck n wag"!! :D

Staffords are notorious for scrubbing out their tails persephone. My old boy used to sit on his on the concrete so he was always wearing out a bald patch on it. I guess he used to prefer to sit on his tail than get his "bits" cold! :D

You could try slathering it in Vitamin E. I've had good results with that. But with piercing capsules of Vit E and squeezing it on, not using a cream.

I've got a "multi-cultural" family too. I have been really slack because I've never followed the "usual" advice for introducing cats and dogs. Basically it's just one big free-for-all here. The cats who don't like dogs quickly learn to keep their distance and choose their moments for human interaction, usually when the dogs are eating or asleep or outside doing "dog stuff". The rest just wander around and take their chances. It isn't unusual to see one of the puppies wander by with a cat in its mouth, literally dragging it along. The cats just flop and let it happen. It's really very funny but as long as nobody is getting hurt, I don't tend to step in because I believe this will interfere with setting a natural pecking order. The only way I can keep the dogs out of the kitty litter is to make the kitty litter inaccessible by way of a baby gate on the bathroom door. That way the cats can get in but the dogs can't. Of course, it doesn't stop the dogs from digging outside when they know the cats have left a "kitty treat" out there, but we cope by warning the rest of the house not to let "such-and-such" kiss you because they've been eating cat poo! :D In my old house, I wasn't able to section off the litter so I had a special cupboard modified from an old kitchen cupboard, that had an opening in the side up fairly high so the cats could get in but the dogs couldn't and I could access the trays to clean by the front doors. That was pretty effective too. This doesn't of course address your issues, but I hope it helps you to understand that you're not alone! :rolleyes:

If you're ABSOLUTELY positive that no dogs could have gotten to her, then it is possible she may be having a phantom pregnancy.

Preparation H - anti-haemorrhoidal cream. Antiseptic to help heal and anaesthetic to help with the itchiness.

IMO there are WAAAAY too many food Nazis around. I daresay what I feed my dogs would be HIGHLY frowned upon by the zealots. However it is what they do well on and it is what I can afford to feed them without having to chop and change according to my budget for the week. Like the skinkids, they don't go without. Yes, maybe they WOULD do better on something different/more expensive/less chemicals/less grains/more meat.....whatever. But then again, they might not too and I'm not going to go upsetting the balance to prove or disprove the theory. Feed what your dog eats/does well on/suits your pocket book/suits your "environment"/and you are happy to clean up after and let the food Nazis argue each other to death and not actually achieve anything much by doing it except piss people off and get warnings!!

Like any food, it has its place. I personally use it in preference to most canned foods and usually only when I can't feed my usual meat for some reason, not defrosted, not available or even when I'm travelling because it is a lot easier to cart about and prepare if you aren't at home. It's kind of like a "snack food" alternative to real meat. The Maccas of the dog world perhaps? OK from time to time as part of a balanced diet but I wouldn't feed it as a staple.

The thing to look at with thinning scissors is the number of teeth. The more teeth, the more hair will be removed. Generally, the thinners sold in places like Priceline and other retail stores are not all that suitable for trimming dogs. You really need to either purchase them from a specialised dog supply place such as Clipperworld or Pet Network (to name a couple) or from a hairdressing warehouse if you have access to one.

General rule of thumb is the darker the chocolate, the more dangerous it is. Unfortunately, the guidelines are just that. Much depends upon the individual metabolism of the dog. What may kill one dog might not even affect another dog of the same breed, size and age. That's why it is best to just put a blanket ban on chocolate of any kind.