persephone

P C. interesting photos! It certainly does have fascinating reflections :)

Thinking of you all :)

Welcome :) What does your puppy do when he goes to puppy school? is he OK with pups there? Where else have you taken him to meet dogs? Have you asked, or do you know what he was like at the breeders with all teh other pups?

I think a roofed run is needed here... crows will be attracted by the sight/smell of food, crumbs/bird seed /bones etc in the yard , and I wouldn't put it past them to fly down to be with the pups ...where a peck in the wrong place could be nasty we have crows everywhere here- they steal a lot of our fruit & nuts .( I watched one pick a walnut off the tree yesterday:P ) and of course will feed on ill or weak sheep...but have never attacked puppies, or us or our poultry . they are generally very smart , and placid.

he needs a reason to go to his crate :) His crate should be where the disgustingly yummy food happens!! it needs to be the only spot where he gets his absolute fave thing ..whether that is a teaspoon of peanut butter, or a chicken wing to chomp, or a treatball with a few cat bikkies inside (my dogs would kill for a few whiskettes )

Do regular pickups, and wash with a specific disinfectant type cleaner (not normal household disinfectant) ? Put another bit of turf in a covered area? make sure her bit of turf is very clean . put up a divider/fence? Sorry .....no real idea.

yes. I second this .

My simple bit of advice for now is to have them in separate rooms or whatever when they are fed . pick up bowls , and then let them both into the backyard . NO treats/bones etc to be left lying around, either, and no dogs underfoot when kids are eating . This is just to physically avoid something nasty. How did Dusty go at puppy school and/or obedience classes?Do you practice training at home ,or when she has her daily walk? have you read up on Nothing In Life Is Free? CLICK HERE to learn more :) It is great, because your dog gets to have lots of praise/cuddles , but not just because it looks cute ..therefore, your dog will learn to watch its manners :)

I hope others can provide help for you ... Please ensure that your little dog is not subjected to the attentions of your baby . Make sure he has somewhere safe , where he is happy that he can be when she is out & about. Try to not force them to be in each other's company. He may be only small, but a bite can cause a lot of damage . NEVER leave them together unsupervised.NEVER. May I suggest reading THIS e book . perhaps phone a professional, explain about your lack of funds, and maybe get some 'first aid' ?

have the pups been vet checked? 5 weeks is very early IMO to be spending nights away from their mum, IMO. Why so early?Are they with her during the day? I wean any pups here straight onto LARGE bones with lots of meat on at 4-5 weeks .and have never had a refusal . After a couple of days sucking/chewing meat off bone , they then get plain dry puppy kibble (supercoat), ad lib. plus their big meaty bones, and whole chicken wings..- and mum's food gets reduced accordingly- ..they are still with mum (but she is prevented from accessing their food) ..and they gradually eat more, and suckle less .I never actually remove them from the mother overnight until not long before they are 8 weeks , when her milk is almost dried up, and they are chewing everything in sight :) PS..( I don't ever feed mushy stuff to anything healthy and with teeth)

The other day, for his B Day, I took dad to lunch , and this was my sticky date pudding dessert :)

B is just gorgeous ......and the other one is just SO glossy !! Thanks for more pics , W&H :)

yes :) it also helps the photographer learn what is interesting/memorable to those viewing their photos :)

why is the 'new' way of displaying photos so unkind to me? Pics I load from my computer (I certainly don't post to flickr etc all the time ) are usually made larger than the normal 7 or 800 I resize to , and lose sharpness . on here`

*nods* :) thanks.

The dogs don't decide when they go in or out here .... and the only time they toilet indoors is overnight if they have an upset tummy or something. The other thing is that my house dogs are used to toileting on command , which means that they usually do toilet when told , and that means I know exactly when they have :) They are outside quite a bit . I can well understand why the comment is written - imagine, owning a dog in a large city , in an apartment or something, and dog has learned that scratching at the door means he gets to go OUTSIDE , Yayyyy :) His poor owners must then take him out all the time , when mostly he doesn't need to toilet, but just wants to explore....

I feed them frozen :)

maybe give the specialist a coronary, and phone THESE FOLKS, and see if they can help you .

:) That was certainly a hit!

:) Ok .. you were very concerned when a huge ...brindle dog rushed you. Brindle does tend to do that !! Just a hint .... You start reading /watching now , so that when it does happen, you are confident and have some ideas to put into practice. if you do a search on here there are lots of useful threads ....and if you can, before you actually put your name on a dog , I suggest you volunteer at a nearby shelter - so you do get to handle large and small dogs/witness altercations, and learn HEAPS about body language - everything from submission to fearful aggression, to calm, to aggression. It will help you a lot, I think. Experience is a very valuable tool on which to draw.

I used to live in a big bad city ..but was never afraid when walking my dog at 5 am , or 10 pm ... I could doze away a Sunday afternoon in city parks, or in my car on long trips - and felt protected . Maybe I was dreaming, but I FELT fine :) My dog would alert me to anyone approaching - he would growl , and he would also bail folks up at home if they got as far as through the big gates ,and into the backyard... (he never bit anyone)..but would keep them flat against a fence . What was my protector? An 18 kg Cocker spaniel X bordercollie , who I obtained as a young adult . A dog does not have to be huge and potentially uncontrollable to be effective. ..and unfortunately, unless you have a recognised condition, you can not have your dog (especially a 50 kg one) with you at all times. So, you are fresh out of school? Young people often move house/go on holidays/ need to rent / get partners ... what provision have you made for the care of a VERY large, possibly protective/aggressive dog in some of these situations? It's all fantastic if you are physically and psychologically able to train/handle a large breed/guardian- but consider housemates/family/friends . Will they be able , or even want, to have that responsibility?

My advice? Secure quiet carrier/crate ,and less people = less excitement /stress for puppy . That first few hours/days should be calm ,and immediately set the house rules etc in place . The vomiting and peeing/pooing is a very common thing, and , as well as being unpleasant, does also distract the driver .Something to consider.