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You can also "plug" the bleeding nail with normal household soap.

I know in all of the years I had my old Beacon, it only required one service and one cosmetic repair job when the head came away from the bit that swivelled. Both of those repairs put together cost less than $100. A LOT less. Both were done by a licensed small appliance electrician locally. It really does pay to shop around.

I only have the basic Ultraforce but it is great for blowing the water out of the Cocker coats before fluff drying....and especially good for getting up between the toes which makes it easier to trim feet and not get daggy bits appearing all the time! I was tossing up between a Melbourne Dog Centre twin motor stand dryer and the Beacon. Have used both but have such fond memories of the Beacon that I think that's what I will still go with. Oh and if anybody is interested....Groomers in Victoria seem to have the best price for the Beacon. Around $25 cheaper than their competition. Not a great deal in the scheme of things, but it all adds up when you have to add freight on top. The Melbourne Dog Centre Hydrobaths are around $1k cheaper than the Liberty hydrobaths too.....my heart is still saying Liberty, however my head is saying I should have a serious think about the MDC bath as well. The only thing that worries me is the rinse capacity. And the fact that Liberty were VERY helpful whilst MDC tended to dismiss questions and just answered with pretty much one word replies when I asked questions about their products. ETA: When you're going to possibly spend some pretty serious $$$ with a company in the form of a bath AND a dryer, you'd hope to get the best and most informative assistance available.

When was he last wormed? I've seen this kind of vomiting occurring in dogs with a worm burden.

My first stand dryer was one of the original old Beacons. It was about 20 years old when I purchased it, and I used it for 17 years with only one breakdown and only one problem with the actual movement bit of the head. It travelled from Hobart, to Sydney and back to Hobart and didn't let me down. I only sold it when I bought a Liberty stand dryer, which I decided I didn't like anyway! Probably the only product of theirs that I don't like.....but I do have their ultraforce which is great for the smooth coats, blasting the water out of the long coats before drying with the heated dryer and for blowing the cobwebs and dust bunnies out of the grooming room! Looking forward to getting another Beacon, I think it'll feel like putting on a comfy old pair of shoes! I have sent off an enquiry to the Melbourne Dog Centre about their hydrobaths and dryers too, just so I can make a good rounded decision but I think I know where I will spend my money. ;)

Just spoke to Chris at Liberty. What a helpful, helpful guy! Knew exactly what I was on about, explained things really clearly in "woman speak" and not in words that sound good but mean nothing. Thanks for the heads-up and the referral to Liberty, I think I've found my hydrobath! Not cheap, but not that much more expensive than other companies and manufactured by people who know show dogs.

We did look into it but at the moment we aren't going to do anything because there is a possibility of some form of town water going on here. Just not sure when. And if that did happen, it would make the hydrobath even more efficient. I'm just tired of spending so many hours on my knees over a bathtub twice per week. When I add the time it takes over the tub to the time it takes to dry and then trim, my knees and back ache at just the thought of it!

Thanks for the input Ari, it is really appreciated! I think that given the fact that it would take forever to rinse anyway, even just waiting for the tanks to fill to get the pressure from the hydrobath would be worthwhile. As well as being more aware of exactly how much water I'm using. I'm also having a grey water converter installed so I can get the hydrobath plumbed in to empty into that which will give me stock and garden water anyway so I won't feel as wasteful! :D Now I have to decide which new dryer to get.....decisions decisions.....methinks I'm leaning towards a new Beacon Jetstream to complement my Liberty Ultraforce (ie one blows the water out, the other uses the heat and air to straighten whilst brushing).

I still think I'll go for it and get one. Probably a twin tank. I've done some googling and there are a couple that will refill whilst you empty one tank so that could do the trick. There is just NO way I could use our water pressure for rinsing a long-coated dog. I have even given up washing my own hair under our shower, the pressure is that bad. I have to wash it in the bath and use buckets to rinse. We only have gravity feed so the pressuer doesn't amount to much more than a trickle in the bathroom. The laundry is on a different tank (higher up the hill) and the pressure is quite good there but the trough isn't big enough to bath a dog in, especially not one of the larger dogs.

No, I've got the greyhounds too. They might THINK they're little tackers, but they don't look in the mirror very often!

I don't mind rinsing, rinsing, rinsing but I just don't have the water pressure here that I could get from a hydrobath (we're only on gravity feed). And I'm getting too old to spend all of that time on my knees.

I'm just about to have a major splurge and intend to buy myself a hydrobath. Have never owned one before and want some info/advice before I take the plunge (pardon the pun). Until now, I've always had a good shower nozzle plumbed into my human bath and spent a lot of time on my knees hanging over the bath rinsing (and rinsing, and rinsing, and rinsing.....). As I'm now on tank water to the house, I need a hydrobath that will not use too much water and preferably one that I can use moreso for rinsing than for shampoo distribution. So....what brand is most cost effective and efficient. I'm guessing a twin tank would be more suitable so that I always have fresh water to rinse with. Anything else?

It really is a trial and error process when you are deciding what works best. And yes, there can be a buildup of product over a period of time so it doesn't hurt to use a clarifying shampoo once in a while. Personally, I like LL products. Many swear by Plush Puppy and whilst I do like a couple of their products, I do keep coming back to LL for most of my dogs. That said, I have about 20 bottles of product in my bathroom and each dog has a different regime so it can get confusing (and sometimes expensive) if you have more than one.

I'm so sorry Shekky. Ring me if you need to talk. Or if you want, I'll come and get you and bring you back here to the farm for some peace and quiet. B1 and B2 will be at their dad's house tonight and tomorrow night so you won't be disturbed.

Had a puppy show the same symptoms a couple of years ago. Turned out he had a protozoan bug from drinking some stagnant water.

Carry a toy or a bone with you. Whenever she goes to take your hand or arm, give her something to replace it. Perhaps you could also teach her to sit and stay (if you haven't already) so that she is diverted fully and hasn't got time to think of the mouthing/biting behaviour. Replace the negative behaviour with a positive one.

So very sorry Maddy. RIP Sharkie.

It really is very normal. Just be sure that they are kept on a regular worming schedule and that you pick up as much as possible and that is really about the best that you can do.

Welcome to the joys of puppyhood. This link might be of use to you http://www.dolforums.com.au/index.php?show...=105505&hl=

If we were talking about a human baby this would apply, but we're not. Unlike humans, dogs don't live to eat, they eat to live. A dog will only become picky if you allow it to do so. It is you who dictates what the dog will eat in your pack and you must harden your heart and make sure he does. Definitely show some tough love. Put the food down, leave it for 15 - 20 minutes and then remove it. Don't offer ANY food until the next meal time. Keep this up and whilst the puppy might get hungry, it WILL eventually learn that it must eat. AND that it must eat what you tell it to. Also be sure that no other family members have access to give it food when you don't know about it. That has ruined many good eating habits.

One thing to be careful of if you are purchasing ACV from the supermarket....look for the brands which use ONLY apples in their ingredients. There are a couple of them....Mountain Maid and Cascade for starters (both Tassie brands). Most of the others also contain caramel flavours and various added colours. These can create more problems than they'd hope to solve and are next to useless in a natural diet or in a treatment regime. I personally purchase mine in bulk from my local feed supplier because I use it on my horses as well. You can also get a variety with garlic added.

Not in the truest sense of the word. Kibble was ORIGINALLY a specific type of dry food. In older times it was largely bread soaked in milk and baked and fed as a filler. It has progressed somewhat since then. There are a range of Box One foods which include a kibble. This resembles no dry food I've ever fed but is commonly purchased in bulk by greyhound racing people I'm told. We used to feed that and Meat Bits at a major sighthound kennel at which I worked some years ago.

Totally agree Bommy. And the other thing is too, whilst it might work out to be a similar cost to feed a premium food OVERALL....you still have to have the initial $$$$$ to outlay in the beginning. There is no way on earth I can find $70 or more for one small bag of food at ANY time in my budget period, no matter how long it lasts for. I personally feed either Optimum or Pedigree puppy to my babies and then when they are older, they are put onto what my other dogs eat and that is Great Barko.

If you only have access to Supermarket food then you should probably look at Optimum. Supercoat is the last food I would give ANY of my dogs for any reason. I'd rather feed the homebrand dry food than Supercoat.

Aren't they precious! Ginger does the poo bit, Dolly prefers the indoor kitty litter. Both are fat and shiny. Must be getting SOMETHING from their illicit munchies. Mind you, both are rather partial to a feed of horse food too, particularly boiled barley. They certainly get some strange ideas!