Nicole...

What a talent you have Luke!!!! Oh, and of course what a gorgeous subject to photographing! Any plans to travel up to Qld???? We could do with some proper photos of Lomani...

We used to have the same problem here with green ants when we got Lomani. We found stingose worked well to calm her down fast. I had a pest control guy here to treat termites in our retaining wall and asked him what we could do about the green ants. He said it would cost me a fortune to get him or any other professional in to treat them as it takes numerous visits but told me how to do it ourselves. You buy Pyrethrum (?sp) at Bunnings etc, mix it up in a watering can and go around your yard to find all the green ant nests. Soak about a litre on each nest. The nest dies and that area of soil can't be used by the ants again so they go somewhere else. A few weeks later you hit the new nests, repeat this over a couple of months and the ones that are still alive end up giving up and moving next door! We're on top of our green ant problem now, and have been for months! The pyrethrum is only dangerous to dogs when it is first applied, so we were told to keep Lomani away from it for an hour or 2 until it dries, but is otherwise safe.

I waited about 5 months for my cocker and thought it would never end but I'm happy to say that time flew and now it seems like a distant memory. No suggestions, just keep talking about your pup constantly so you feel like you're living it already (LOL your friends will love it ). One thing to consider... We bought Lomani a stuffed toy that was the same colouring as her and I think she thought it was one of her siblings. It is the only soft toy that is still in pristine condition (with any other having it's limbs, eyes and all stuffing removed within 24 hours of being in her custody) and she is very attached to it. She still gets it when she is super excited like she wants to take it places with her, and hides it whenever someone/thing she doesn't like is around. I swear she thinks it's a litter mate and she seems to really appreciate snuggling with it still. I think that gave her a lot of comfort when she first arrived so perhaps you can add that to your list of things to look for.

Try keeping your eyes peeled on ebay - I picked up a heavy duty one like they use in childcare centres for $20! Try searching for childrens tunnel, etc instead of just dog/agility tunnels. Worked for me!

I wouldn't worry about those first 2 weeks being home alone. Our cocker has been home alone through the days since we got her and to be honest she seems to love the routine of us going to work during the week. She sleeps most of the day while we are gone and gets plenty of mental stimulation during the evening/weekends to make up for it. A lot of people (nobody on here of course) tend to think that if you work you aren't entitled to having a dog, but I know for a fact that the quality of the time that we have with Lomani far exceeds what the vast majority of dogs out there get so it isn't an issue. We left her in the laundry with newspaper down one end while we were at work initially. I came home to have lunch with her for the first month or so. Once she was big enough to not escape our yard, we had a doggy door put in and now she has access to the laundry and backyard during the days while we are at work. When it comes to training, phone around the obedience schools in your area to get a feel for the training approaches they use. Trust your gut with the ones that feel good or bad and go along to check them out before committing. Every trainer and dog seems to appreciate different methods so it really is a matter of what you feel comfortable with and what is most effective for your pup. Just remember with cockers that you need to train them early to show them that you are the boss... after only a week or 2 of them knowing how adorable you think they are they have you wrapped around their little paw... trust me!

Poo in the holes works really well (provided that doesn't mess up your vegie patch ). When Lomani went through a digging stage I would put a bit of poo in each hole she dug and she wouldn't go back to the same spot. Eventually we had enough poo filled holes around the yard that there was nowhere safe for her to dig and she gave up. Can't remember the last time I needed to do it - which is a pain cos it was easier when I didn't have to dig a hole to put the poop in myself LOL.

Lovely photos!!! Lomani used to get the hiccups heaps as a puppy, and still does occasionally. We found it really interesting that just like in humans, dog hiccups stop when you get a fright. She had them one night and a board fell over making a nice bang - she jumped and the hiccups were instantly gone. I'm not suggested you go startling your pup at all, just thought it was interesting that their response to a fright is the same as ours.

Ahhhhh I'd be guessing it's either the preservatives or the flours you described puggy_puggy. Thanks for that. Lomani does get lots of raw meaty bones but she gets through them much faster than a rawhide so we generally give them to her to keep her amused while we are at work. Probably won't though after that bit of information!!!! :D

Just wondering if anyone knows what materials/processes/chemicals/etc are involved in making rawhides and pigs ears. Lomani has always been prone to itching but over time we have worked out a lot of the causes (predominantly cereals) and have her largely under control. We worked out a while ago that pigs ears were a problem and haven't given them to her for some time. She is fine with the plain white coloured rawhides, but this week we gave her one that is a pinky browny colour and she is itching like crazy again. There have been no other changes to her diet, so I am pretty sure it must be that one, so was just wondering if anyone has any idea how they make these things and what component she might be reacting to. Thanks in advance!

Lomani is a chucker but we have worked out ways around it. This started from being a pup, but didn't seem to get any better on it's own. It was funny too as she could drive an hour and be fine one day, but go 10 minutes up the road and spew on another. This made us think it was more that she was getting herself wound up, more than a true car sickness. We were told to associate the car with fun things more so did things like playing games in the car when it was sitting in the carport. Even fed her dinner in it a few times and within just a week or 2 she improved out of sight. We've had only a couple of spews since then and they have been times when we were doing long drives on windy roads. Generally, if we see she is getting drooly then we put the window down and that helps. Also making sure you are driving very sedately if doing windy stuff. Not feeding beforehand seems to help, but it is amazing how she can find something to spew up if she wants to even it has been 5 hours + since she was fed. A ginger tablet half an hour before we leave seemed to help too. Hope this helps!!!!!!!!!

I have this link bookmarked http://www.diamondpaws.com/health/barfveg.htm It works well as a quick reference when I'm not sure on things... however on second look it doesn't mention mushrooms so it's probably no help to you anyway! LOL

Unreal, thanks for that!!!!! I had tried searching but didn't find it

Can anyone tell me what words are commonly used in agility? Or are there any good websites out there with them already listed. We are trying to make sure we don't train any words for things that need to be used later on. We have just started foundation agility and are using "touch" with a mat and "jump" for jumps. Not sure what word, if any, we should cue when training to enter the weave though. We are taught how do train the activity in class and I always forget what to ask what word to put to it once she has it right so by the next week I've given it a word and don't want it to be wrong.

We were advised to feed Lomani smashed chicken necks from 8 weeks onwards. Just whack them with a meat tenderiser to get the bones a bit broken and it's much easier with those little puppy teeth.

Our cocker pup officially reached adolescence with a bang about 3 weeks ago now... We've cranked up her training and tightened the reigns a little in terms of where she has access to without our company until she can be trusted again. Here's one of the reasons why... http://s95.photobucket.com/albums/l121/mar...nt=MVI_2940.flv

I know that Advocate doesn't cover one type of worm and Lomani is due to be wormed for that one again. I'm trying to see if I can get the wormer on the net cheaper as the vets prices on everything are always so much more... but I can't remember what the name of the wormer she needs is. It's not Drontal is it, cos that's an allwormer??? I'll write it down so I dont' forget again!!!!!!!!

I ended up finding a few websites that said that it is fine so long as your dog doesn't have arthritis as it tends to exacerbate it. Thanks!

I picked up some eggplant cheap when I did Lomani's BARF shopping today but wanted to check if it's safe to give her or not... I've searched for eggplant on DOL but am still no closer to knowing if the fruit of eggplant is ok? Can anybody help? Thanks in advance!!!

My pup was keen to bite on lots of things when teething too, and we found the most constructive thing was to give her lots of rawhides and pieces of apple to chew on. This may sound indulgent, but when we found we were getting eaten continuously, we could sit on the floor for cuddles and hold a piece of apple for her to chew on. She seemed to like it better when we held it (not just because she is spoilt and likes having us wrapped around her little paw) because she could then direct her chewing to the bit in her mouth that needed it as she wasn't that great at using her paws to hold things back then.

When I picked my pup up, she sat on my lap for the drive home. (She was pretty stressed out by her flight beforehand so there's no way I would have done anything else). It was not only reassuring for her, but proved to be a good bonding experience for us too as as soon as we got home she spent most of her time sitting between my legs for safety. We have used a harness and seat belt attachment since then though.

This sounds gross, but when we are trying to really get a new command down pat, we keep chicken liver treats in our pockets at all times. That way as soon as you get what you want you can treat it, and the pup knows that they are there and will get a great treat if they do the right thing. Like the others have said - go along to puppy preschool and obedience classes - it is amazing what they teach you!!! ;) (And great fun!)

We have been having exactly the same problems with our cocker pup - now almost 6 months old. She has vomited in the car a couple of times now but there is no way to predict - eg have driven 1 hour numerous times no dramas, but a 10 minute drive up the road can do it occasionally. When she was younger, we would have her on the back seat with her harness and seat belt attachment but she would move around constantly and that would lead to vomiting. She we tied a knot in the seat belt attachment to shorten it up further so she can move a little but not much more than to just change positions. This helped considerably! The 2 other things that we have found to be most effective are directing the air conditioning straight on to her with the fan on high. This stops her from even getting drooly so seems to be the best (just take a jumper for yourself!). The other thing is that she is much happier when she is up higher in the car. We discovered that she is happier in my husband's car which is a 4WD so she sits up higher in relation to the windows than she does in my car. And have even put her folded up crate underneath her in the car to raise her up higher which she seems happier with too. She has gotten slowly better over time, but we still have a bit to go.

I am definitely an advocate for the yelping approach. We have had our cocker spaniel pup for 2 weeks now and it is very effective with her. It is easier for me than my husband as I can just say ouch and my voice is high pitched enough to sound like a yelp. Saying ouch didn't work for him so he yelps like a puppy would when she bites hard. If she is really worked up, we might have to say ouch/yelp 2 or 3 times for her to get the idea but most times after we do it once, she immediately bites very gently. I know that all pups aren't the same, but this approach is definitely worth a go.

Zoya is absolutely beautiful!!!!!! We just got our gorgeous little cocker spaniel girl 11 days ago and we went through exactly the same thing. She spent the first 24 hours as quiet as a mouse, just slept and lazed around and sat between my fet when she was awake. Then it was like somebody flicked a switch as she settled in and she became a demon child!!! She still has her lovely affectionate times, but she is into everything when she's in play mode!

I don't know much about the doggy glucosamine products, but I deal with the human versions a lot. For the people that weren't getting great results, check that the dosage is enough. In humans, the recommended daily dosage that is proven to be effective is 1500 mg/day. A lot of the human products have well short of that and often people are taking maybe half of what they need, don't get the results and stop taking it. I'd probably check with your vet as to what dosages are proven for dogs of varying sizes, but I know that's where a lot of people go wrong. There is also a difference between glucosamine sulfate and glucosamine hydrochloride in terms of how much pure glucosamine that derives down to (with glucosamine sulfate providing more).