dancinbcs

I've never needed a cone for any dog after surgery. I always ask for minimal shaving as they mainly lick at the shaved area/clipper rash, not the stitches. Something soothing on clipper rash can work wonders. I keep an eye on them and watch to see exactly where they are licking and so long as it isn't right on the stitches I leave them alone. If they start on the stitches I distract them and keep them near me always for the first couple of days. After that they never bother about the stitches at all. I cannot imagine any dog needing a cone on for 10 days with the possible exception of eye surgery.

Hereditary combination of fatal genes would have to be considered if no other obvious cause if found.

They can be lucky or not with these types of accidents. I know plenty of BCs that have run head first into things while playing, without seeming to notice but I also know of one with permanent neck damage and sadly last year one I heard of one who died from hitting a door head first. My JS very nearly knocked himself out hitting the clothes line pole. He is normally good at dodging stuff while doing zoomies but was playing with another dog, spun round and whacked the side of his head hard enough to make him stagger with unfocused eyes. He recovered ok but very nearly did some serious damage. Breed does make a difference and the heavier the head and neck the more resilient they are to accidents that could kill other breeds but neck damage can still be an issue that is missed by the owner.

For heartworm protection they must be treated every 4-6 weeks. 3 monthly treatment is for intestinal worms only, not heartworm. I just looked up Guardian as I had never heard of it and it states it must be given monthly on the pack. Get a heartworm test done then choose a monthly treatment. If tablets are easier than chews for your dog, try Milbemax which is the exact same drug as Interceptor Chews. It treats intestinal worms and if given monthly does heartworm as well.

You need to complete a TAFE course to become an accredited microchipper. There are quite a few around who will come to your house to do a litter.

I have never had a puppy that didn't dig the water out of the water bowls. The good news is that they did all grow out of it. In the mean time, lots of water bowls around and a clamshell if they are to be left for longer than a few hours so they don't run out of water.

Please report the breeder to their council for selling underage puppies. By law in NSW no puppy may be sold or given away until they are 8 weeks old.

What is the dog's height like? That is a better indicator of how big he is likely to be. Measure the front leg from elbow to ground in a vertical line. When that measurement is between 33 and 39 cm he will end up within normal height range for an Akita as the body will continue to grow, once the legs stop until the elbow is at approx half the height of the dog. To get a vague idea of how much growing he has left measure the leg and then measure the same height up from the elbow. His withers should reach at least that height when he is full grown. If his legs grow more, then double that measurement again later. Dogs do not grow at a constant rate, rather in spurts that can last a few days or a few weeks. Often the puppy will be hungrier at those times and this is why appetite can vary a lot in some puppies. Some grow all in proportion height length and weight wise. Others grow up, then in length alternately until they reach adult height and in my breed that can be anywhere from 6 months to 18 months even among related dogs. There seems to a lull in development around the time they reach adult leg height were they go several months looking like a lanky teenager, all legs, no body and unable to gain any weight. Then as they mature the body finishes growing and lengthening any time from 6 months to 2 years before finally filling out into adult proportions and weight at up to 4 years. Rotties are the same height range as Akita and their recommended average weight is 42kg. There is no recommended weight for Akita but 50kgs sounds a lot to me for a breed that should not top 71cm in height.

Foxes carry sarcoptic mange so rural dogs are more likely to pick it up from the environment that foxes are in. In some cases it is easily treated but before drugs like Revolution came on the market, some dogs developed chronic cases that could leave them bald and sometimes it was fatal as the various treatments didn't work. I remember a neighbour's dog being put down with it when I was a kid as there was no really effective treatment for it in dogs then. A common bush treatment was sump oil rubbed all over the dog to suffocate the mites. It is highly contagious from dog to dog and to other species including humans.

Anne is brilliant with cancer dogs. I know a number of dogs she has saved, including one of mine.

If they didn't give you copies of the DNA certificates, they should at least have had them there to show you. Now 7 years on from when DNA testing started, some dogs are clear by parentage going back several generations so it can be a lot of certificates to prove a litter is clear from grand or great grandparents being tested but the breeder should have copies of all of them for their own information. Maybe ask them to email them just for your own piece of mind. Same for the hip and elbow scoring certificates for both parents who should have been x-rayed and scored before breeding. If you aren't going to breed you don't need copies of the test results but you are certainly entitled to see them to prove that your puppy is from health tested parents. Lovely to hear that he travelled well and is settling in nicely. They are a pretty adaptable breed. A puppy pen like this one would be the best if you can get hold of one from somewhere. Check out all the deals online for them. Puppy Pen

Also be warned that they usually don't show any signs of trying to escape first, so can lull you into thinking they won't do it. Then suddenly they can be out in a matter of a minute or two. Tying anything with occy straps or bungy cords is also useless. I use the steel trojan snap hooks like are on the end of a dog lead to connect panels as they are about the only thing that is chew proof. The Bunnings ones are really expensive but sometimes you can get multi packs from discount stores and they are fine to use. Basically if it isn't made of steel a BC puppy will work out how to chew through it. Enjoy your new baby and make sure the breeder has given you proof that the parents are either tested or clear by parentage for CL, TNS and CEA as well as having shown and preferably given you copies of the parents hip and elbow scores.

If anyone in the breed has an open database like World Pedigrees or has uploaded the data to their own program like Breedmate, then yes, it is easy to look up the progeny and further descendants of any dog on that database.

He will probably eat his way out of the soft crate so be very careful he doesn't escape. Soft crates are also very hot in the summer so I would be getting him a proper wire crate that is chew proof and cool as he is going to be spending a fair bit of time in there and the pen. Also most BC puppies can climb straight over the Bunnings compost panels by 8 weeks. A 1.2m high proper puppy pen with much wider spaced horizontal bars that cannot be climbed is a much safer option. I have seen one climb over a 1m high wire fence at 5 weeks old and by 6 weeks the Bunnings panels are not even a challenge to them, straight over the top. Borders can climb like cats and if you tie panels with cable ties, they just chew through them. They are always a challenge to contain as babies. Good luck with your puppy but don't underestimate a BC puppy's ability to escape any type of confinement.

The dogs concerned should be pts. I don't care how they got out, there is no place in this world for any dog that will attack another unprovoked. The owner should also be fined and made to pay all vet costs for not having the dogs safely contained so they couldn't be let out. I am sick to death of irresponsible morons with dog aggressive dogs who do not see it as a problem. They have taken away much of the pleasure of dog ownership when you can no longer take your dog for a walk without fearing another dog will attack and possibly kill it.

Ideally the vet should see mum and pups asap after the litter is born to check for fluid in the puppy's lungs, cleft palates, etc and to make sure the bitch is finished and no part of any placentas have been retained. Then dew claws are done at 3 days, no later under any circumstances. Back dew claws are removed on nearly all breeds, front ones on some breeds and Boxers are one of those breeds. It sounds like these vets have no idea about breeding dogs so you might have to travel to find one who does know what they are doing. No point visiting a vet who hasn't got a clue what they are supposed to do.

Good news so far but I would be taking her straight to the aircon. Getting overheated is bad both after a snakebite and for a bitch in advanced pregnancy.

My dogs often get noticed in the crates in the back of my car in shopping centre carparks when my Mum and I take turns staying with the dogs while the other ducks into the shops. Most common comment is that the BC is a boy and Jap Spitz a girl. No, they are both boys. Understandable as the little guy is rather cute for a boy. I often get asked what breed he is but they all seem to know what the BC is. EXCEPT the idiot that walked past the other day and confidently told his friend "that is a German Shepherd" and was stunned when my Mum replied, no it's not.

I can smell dog in even the cleanest homes of people who have gundogs in the the house but I have never noticed any doggy odour at the homes of BC or Jap Spitz owners, even if there is dog hair everywhere. It is definitely a breed thing. A friend with German Pinschers did tell me that feeding Missing Link stops the odour with those coats so it might be worth a try with a Lab. Missing Link

No suggestions that haven't been made but if the dog needs to be given a GA to trim the dew claws, I would have them removed completely as it is going to be an ongoing problem. The other issue as he gets older and is less active, may be that the other nails will need trimming as well. I currently have a 10 year old who like several of my oldies before him, has suddenly decided he will not allow me to trim his nails any more and becomes so distressed that he hyperventilates. I managed to trim them well a few weeks ago while the vet had him knocked out for something else but we are back to how to maintain them now. He used to let me dremel them, but suddenly became frightened of that, so we went back to nail clippers and he has been fine for a couple of years but not now so I feel you pain with this issue.

I grew up with a Lab and have known many more since and they all have a very doggy odour due to the waterproof oils in their coat. Getting them wet makes it worse, so rain, swimming, etc will increase the odour and washing them only makes a little difference for a short while, as the oil is produced constantly. They were developed to retrieve in freezing water the oily coat was essential to keep the skin warm and dry. So many Gundog breeds that were developed to work in water and any dog with that short dense double coat also has a doggy odour. I love Labs but between the constant shedding and the dog odour, I will never own another one. I prefer my long coated breeds that shed seasonally and have no doggy odour at all.

In the 15 years I have lived in Sydney I have seen two ticks - and that includes 5 years vet nursing. North Syd does certainly have them so get a good vet sorted ASAP. Learn what to look for and how to deal with them. SASH are great and not too far from where you'll be. in terms of my own personal opinion - just get a heart worm injection it's so much easier and you don't have to think about it every month or quarter. The other good thing in that North Sydney Council is progressive with it's pet laws (set by local councils in NSW) so where Marrickville has about 10 official off leash zones North Sydney has 198. Basically any park or reserve other than sports fields IN USE and areas within 10 meters of children's play equipment are off leash. NB: Chatswood is actually in Willoughby and I can't speak to their exact requirements but ... http://www.willoughby.nsw.gov.au/your-neighbourhood/pets/Dog-Ownership/ The risk of adverse reactions to heartworm injections is very high. I will never use it after having a dog react badly to it and develop allergies that it has taken me years and thousands of dollars in alternative medicine to get him back to normal. Chatswood is definitely high tick risk so year round treatment every two weeks will be needed. No idea on vets in the area and you won't need SASH or ARH unless you need a specialist for something the normal vet cannot fix. They are MUCH more expensive than normal vets for everything. Hopefully some locals will be able to advise on vets in the area.

Is it only the dew claws that he reacts badly with? What happens when you clip the rest of his nails?

I have always told my male puppy buyer to wait until after 12 months at least unless they are having arrogance issues with the dog. Several of the male BCs I have sold have been entire all their lives with no problems. It all depends on the individual dog and the circumstances you have to keep him in. If the breeder advised 12-18 months then I would wait until closer to the 18 months if you can. Of course he should not be used for breeding unless registered on the main register.

I think our vet is currently about $280 for hips and elbows including reading by Rawlinson, plus anaesthetic if needed. Many dogs can be done awake but if not it is about $100 extra to knock them out with a medium size dog.