Pawprints

Thanks will try!!

Well this bone was a leg bone I would say and it was quite thick and had two big knuckle bits at either end. Now he has chewed them off, he did get to the sucking out the marrow on the weekend. I have given him lamb necks before which are a bit meatier but I think they tend to soften him. I don't want to stop giving him bones as he adores them and spends hours chewing on them, taking them up to the fence to 'share' them with the doggies the other side etc and his teeth are so brilliantly white after this one!! Maybe I should stick to lamb necks? But they don't last as long

Twice a day he is fed a large scoop of Royal Canin Maxi Junior in addition to minced chicken and ox cheek, mashed pumpkin and peas and pasta.

A bit of advice please - when we give Tealc a bone (which he absolutely adores) a few days afterwards he then has trouble pooing. He yelps when he is trying to do a poo and often ends up just shooting one bit out, yelping and running off. There is no bone fragments or anything in there, so it's not that. The poos are already extremely dry and chalky and almost rock like (you know when poos have been left in the sun for a week or somethings and they go white and chalky). So my guess is it isn't exactly tickling on the way out and being the wuss bag that he is, it's hurting a bit. Should we maybe slip a bit of oil of some description in his food when he has a bone to help soften the poos up a bit??

I wouldn't touch ADT with a barge pole!! Very bad experience there and getting your money back off them - well thats a whole other saga!!! If they spent as much time on their personality skills as they do their selling tactics, they might get somewhere! Save your money and go to a local training facility. Look around and make sure you chose one that suits you. Good luck!! I can also vouch for Croydon Obedience and a friend who goes to Knox says it's excellent there also!!

Make a knot rope out of old teatowels, wet it and put it in the freezer!! Works a treat!

For the OP. When I went to training to teach mt dog to walk on a loose leash, not necessarily heeling yet I was taught the following. Have about a meter long lead. This lets the dog be able to reach trees on naturestips etc for a sniff and is sufficient length. The trick is to remind him that YOU are directing the walk and that he is not, and by pulling, he doesn't get to go where he wants. Let him have almost the full length of lead and once it starts to tighten ever so slightly, a quick pop on the lead followed by an immediate change in direction for a minute just keeps him on the ball. I have found this has worked wonders with my 4 month old.

Great! They do enjoy them. Just have to make sure, especially with staffies that they don't gulp them and choke which is why they should always be supervised.

We have given our dog chicken wings from the day we bought him home (8 weeks). The Breeder had given him wings from about 6 weeks old. ALWAYS supervise them with bones at this age. Always raw bones, never cooked.

Vicks Vapour Rub on the lead also works!!

I second that dream!!! Was acouring the real estate papers on the weekend for a nice place but *sigh* the money factor always ruins it. Tree - He is gorgeous!!! What a cutie.

I have a 4 month old Rottie pup and I have taken him for small walks since 3 1/2 months. By small I mean up the milkbar and back which is about 200 metres. I don't walk fast, let him go at his own pace, and don't drag him etc. Its good to keep it a small walk too because with the big breed pups, like yours and mine, the further you go from the house, the further you have to carry them back if they tire ;) and soon it's impossible to carry them. Plus it's not good to walk them to the point of exhaustion either. To me, running around in the backyard is more intensive than a very slow stroll up the road and back. Plus he gets the added benefits of the 'outside world' and socialisation.

Congratulations on your puppy, I'm very envious!! I love beagles. The key here is to be patient and consistant. Puppys, IMO are quite easy at this age. But everyone has different patience levels. Its just a matter of learning and establishing a routine for them. Most puppies have the hyperactive stage but at that age is it usually followed pretty quickly with a sleeping stage. While he is in the play mode, you need to play with him, show him his toys, throw them for him etc. It usually only last about half an hour to 1 hour at this age, then they crash. Pups get excited and do nip. I have found that a "No!" and then distract them with one of their toys works well. At the moment, somethimes they listen, sometimes they don't but if you have patience, they will come to realise that it is not acceptable and they don't get any fun or attention if they are behaving like that. My pup learnt the no nipping rule quite quickly, I either told him no and distracted him, or I got up and walked off. The same with barking or yelping at you, ignore them, which takes patience again, but it does work. As soon as he is quiet, treat him and resume play. Be diligent with the toileting. Have treats in your pocket. Take him outside to where you want him to go to the toilet every two hours, upon waking, after eating/drinking and after playing. When he goes to the toilet, praise him/treat him/ play with him to show that your happy with what he has done. You must be aware the whole time where he is in your house to avoid mistakes. If he does go in the house, this is your fault, not his. If you scream at him etc, he will just learn to do it when your not around. Good luck and be patient, you will be rewarded. Don't stress out and try to correct everything at once.

Gosh you guys have had fun haven't you?? I have never had that happen but I don't lock my puppy inside, can you not put them outside when you go out?? Tealc has dug up plants for me but thats about it so far *fingers crossed*

I've been told that it's OK to bath dogs once a week if they really need it as long as you use shampoo especially for dogs as using human shampoo on a rugular basis like that will cause skin irritation.

Awe thanks shoemonster That was my first video upload lol. Yes she makes quite a racket really. I never knew such noises could come out of a dog until they got Jessie.

Check out my mums staffy Jessie!! My little man comes over to check out what all the noise is about!! (hope this works as I have no idea how to put my link up) <object width="425" height="350"><param name="movie" value=" src=" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="600" height="350"></embed></object>

Why do you want to move her when she is sleeping?? If you need to move her if she is sleeping in the wrong spot etc, call her name to awaken her and get her to come to you. You should never touch dogs when they are sleeping. The growling behaviour and humping is a dominance thing so you need to as you say establish a bit of alpha status. Eat before she does and let he see you eating, walk through doors first before she does, make her sit or drop for things etc.

What sh$##y neighbours! God some people are so intolerant! As the others said, I wouldn't recommend another dog right now. Glad some of the ideas have worked a bit. We have gotten Tealc loads of toys, they don't have to be dear ones either because he has so many, who cares if he chews them and wrecks them. I get them from a pet warehouse near us and they range from $2-$5. He has his absolute favourites that go out with him, but the others are rotated between outdoors and indoors. I have those cheap black plastic plant pots and I hide a pigs ear in one of those, I stand at the back door when he isn't looking before he goes out and throw a handful of kibble all over the lawn. He has 4 stuffed kongs hidden in various parts of the yard. He also has half a clam shell pool and the other half with sand to dig in. He has destroyed some plants which is normal, but my neighbour tells me that he doesn't bark hardly at all, only when someone walks past the gate, which I think is his duty

When you say she has heaps of toys, what sort of toys? Some dogs need toys that keep them interested and they have to work them out like stuffed kongs, treat balls etc. Also its good to have a large selection of toys and rotate them so they don't get used to the same old boring toys out with them every day. Hide things in the garden for them to find, hide pigs ears, other food etc that they have to sniff around and find. It all adds to keeping them occupied. Does she bark outside if you are home and she is outside for a while?

Where are you in Melbourne? Most clubs these days offer +'ve reinforcement. The dogs do not feel pain from the collars if they are used correctly. The chains have to be positioned properly on the neck to ensure maximum result with minimum stress to the neck and dog. They are used to deliver a quick "tightening" effect but without choking the dog. If they are put on the right way so that the chain slides and releases, it will not hurt the dog. It merely produces a quick tightening around the neck which they respond favourably to in order to reduce the tightness.

Thats what I thought, I haven't found an obedience school for ages that advocate the use of check chains the entire time. Yes beagles can be trained by food but for walking we have always used check chains with ours. But like the others said it is important that they are used correctly otherwise it woud be cruel and harmful to the dog.

I have always found check chains to be a great aid in training but I have rottweilers. They are not cruel if used correctly. I think though that you have to wait before your pup is a certain age before you start using them. Others may be able to guide you with that. Edited to note that I have previously owned beagles and I feel that they would benefit from a check chain as they can be stubborn and difficult to train.

So if I pop to the shops and park in the underground carpark, on a rainy day which is about 18 degrees, and leave my sun roof open, then I am a disgusting person for leaving my dog in the car? WHen I return I find him curled up fast asleep on the drivers seat?

Until she stops the nipping and biting, don't pick her up. Drill it into your kids not to run. This is important. My 3 year old niece has learnt not to run as my rottie pup will chase her. SHe has been bowled over a couple of times but now she understands. With regard to the biting and nipping, I found it worked for us by ignoring them. If you had your hands nearby and they bite/nip we growled at them and got up and walked off. If they actually bite around your hand, i pusjed my hand hard into his mouth and he soon discovers thats not very nice. By ignoring our pup and using the hand in the mouth technique, our pup stopped nipping in a week or so. Now if he gets a bit excited he might 'pretend' nip but a quite loud 'aarrgghhh' growl stops it straight away.