trishalouise

Sardines and Mackerel in this house - just the tinned homebrand stuff in oil and they love it. I have sometimes thought about going to a fish market and getting fresh stuff but don't know what is good to get! I hate fish - couldn't stand to eat it myself but surprisingly I am getting used to the sardine smell. I always used to get my husband to feed them on fish night!! Trish

You're lucky then Annie, I haven't. sorry to hear that poodlefan - maybe it's a greyhound thing Nup - our Grey is on a raw diet and our lawn is a shocker - the 2 spots that he goes to the most are dead!! Trish

Oh poor baby My thoughts are with you today - please let us know how he goes. Trish

Time for a tether! Yep - she has lost her right to roam around the house. Tethering her will help with your leadership immensely. Trish :D

why wont the pup be registered ;) This happened to me too, saw the parents, saw the parents pedigrees, put the deposit down on a 'pet' pup (as opposed to a show or breeding pup) knowing it wouldn't be mains registered but thinking it would be on limited registration... But no, breeder didn't register the pet pups at all. Couldn't really do much about it, was already in love with the pup... You don't get the deposit back, such is the nature of a deposit. This happened to us too - apparently an "oops" litter and the bitches 3rd in 18 months. ;) We had been through all the motions and it was only when I asked about the papers that they admitted they weren't registering the litter as they didn't want a reprimand. They have had one more litter since then (different bitch), don't know if they were registered but they are no longer breeding. It still bothers me that our pup isn't registered - but - the parents are health tested and they were raised in a way I liked - so unless I wanted to kick up a fuss and return the puppy (not going to happen!!) I just have to suck it up and remember it for next time. Go with your gut - you will know the right puppy! Trish

Thanks for that Lea - will give that a go. ETA The vet did actually use haemostat to gently get it all out while she was anaethetised so this stuff sounds like it might be perfect.

Yeah - I do know that!! When they have been plucked the hair has been breaking off. She goes to the groomers every 4 weeks and they do her ears there. I also do them a couple of times a week when I brush her.

My Mini Poodle has bad ears - surprised??!! They are really hairy and when she was desexed last week they had a proper look in them - ear canals full of matted hair Anyway, we were given some drops to put in twice a day for a week. Turns out she is a devil dog when it comes to having ear drops!! I did them for the first day and then gave up as it was causing her too much distress. While brushing her today I thought I would try some desensitisation stuff. Started off just lifting her ear flap, click and reward. Moved on slowly step by step and aftr about 10 minutes actually got a drop in each ear without her struggling!!! I figure that we will have a lifetime of ear issues with her so better to put the time into training her to accept it now rather than fighting with her for the next 12 years!!! I am quite proud of this little puppy and had to have a brag!!!! Trish :p

Hehehe - glad you approve of my little Poodle The reason I chose a Poodle was because of their intelligence and I am not being disappointed! I have just finished free shaping a roll over and it was AMAZING!! Took less than 15 minutes from start to a complete roll over without me saying a word I did lip licking last night so she threw a couple of those in when she was thinking!!! I also used her dinner for training tonight rather than feeding her and then training after - worked much better. Thanks for your ideas - love the going out to a target and sitting in an area ideas! How do I start scent discrimination? Trish

Cool - thanks Leema!! Just did the lip licking one. She did quite well seeing as though this is the first free shaping I have done with her. But, I think she is not real hungry as she took herself off to bed!! Mind you she was still doing the lip licking on her bed!!! Training before dinner tomorrow!!! Trish

OK I am sitting here with a bored Mini Poodle who was desexed on Thursday - no walks and no running around playing fetch or chasy with the Greyhound!!! I feel like doing some free shaping with the clicker but am stuck for ideas where to start. What kind of props do people use and where do you start? My imagination leaves a bit to be desired tonight!! Trish

In my opinion it is more an excitement thing at that age. They just don't seem to know what to do with themselves when they get excited. Our pup did (and still does occasionally) it if she got overtired. It was a sure sign for us that it was time for puppy to have a little time out in her crate! We didn't growl at her, just redirected her or popped her away for a little rest. Worked really well for her. Good luck.

I certainly agree with you about the handling aspect - I am not a groomer but I am a reward-based trainer. I checked out Dog FX before I took my puppy in there - a Mini Poodle who had been groomed by her breeder 3 times before she came to us at 8 weeks. They certainly talked the talk - hence I booked her in. Unfortunately they did not walk the walk in our case. I nearly cried when I saw her. They had shorn her like a sheep. The clipper job was horrendous - and no she wasn't matted. This was a 10 week old puppy who was going in more for a nice positive experience of going to a groomer than a true haircut - face, feet and bum really. They didn't even touch her feet. When I rang to ask them about her feet the response was "Oh yeah she wasn't very cooperative in that area". My response to this was that I understood that she was a squirmy puppy but it should have been mentioned when I picked her up. I did not expect them to hold her down to do it but something like "She was stressed when we tried to do her feet so we didn't get them done this time. Bring her back next week and we will try again when she is less stressed" would have been a better response. They were less than receptive to my comments so I would be happy for you to pass them on. Coincidentally (or not??) she developed a UTI 6 hours after I picked her up.

Go with Goldies - she is a great groomer as well as a lovely person! I had a REALLY bad experience with Dog FX so they certainly do not get my vote. Trish

Newspaper is fun to rip up!!

We did it and it worked great. Fake grass in puppy pen for when we weren't home and access to outside when we were home. She ALWAYS used the fake grass when she was locked in her puppy pen and ALWAYS went outside when we were home. I made my own though - Indoor Doggy Loo. Good luck. Trish:)

I have just started my Greyhound on Sascha's Blend - a friend gave me a container of it. Haven't noticed any difference yet (only been giving it a week) but OMG it STINKS!!!!!! I can't give it to him in the mornings cos it makes me want to :D Think I will be looking for something different!!! Trish

I make my own Cassie. There was a discussion on here once and people were saying that their naturopaths say that the best yoghurt is the one that is made and sold in the same container. As most are decanted into the containers they are sold in, a lot of the bacteria die off. I use Easi-Yo, the bio-life natural one. Costs me about $3.70 for 1kg and last 2 weeks with 2 dogs. Trish

Hi Leema, I get all my organs (LOL not MY organs, but ones for the dogs! ) from the supermarkets, either Coles/Woolies/Foodland. I happen to work right near two supermarkets, so I go in every day to see if they have specials on, and more often than not the organs are marked down for quick sale :D I guess not that many people use them around this area maybe? There is always a huge supply. I'm in the Tea Tree Gully area. Definitely still looking for a butcher relatively close for a good supply of bones though... Hi Cassie! I have just discovered Austral Meats at Gepps Cross on Main North Rd. They are a wholesale butcher and have a little shop there. I get chicken wings for $1.95/kg. If you ring in the mornings and ask for the butcher you can find out what they have that day. If you give them enough time they will get most things for you. I got some brisket ones the other day for $1/kg. I have also got lambs fry and hearts from there too. Trish

Hi Cassie! I LOVE my Dremel! Both mine have black nails so I am too much of a wuss to clip them!! The Greyhound just lays there and hardly even opens his eyes! The Poodle puts up a token struggle but soon settles. I do them once a week and they are really easy. I am not sure that Hudson would love it but if you introduce it slowly and positively he should accept it. Remember that he is currently a teenager and everything is spooky at the moment!! Because of this I would be taking my time getting him to happily accept it rather than holding him down and making it a bad experience. Better to take it slowly now rather than having to struggle with him over it forever. My tip is to get a proper Dremel if you decide to go that way. I bought a Bunnings cheapy first and it was useless. Have recently bought a Dremel and it is so much better. The cheapest I found was here. Good Luck! Trish

Thanks everyone! I am in SA so don't think the VCA library is an option?! Looks like it is Dogwise for me! Trish

Yeah it does help!! How long did it take to get to you?

Does anyone have this DVD and where did you get it from? I really really really want it but cannot find any in Australia. I can get it from the US but it will either cost a FORTUNE to get here or take weeks Any leads will be gratefully received!!! Trish :cool:

Where did you get them from in Adelaide? Best Pet in Royston Park. I also know one of the sub-distributors and she sells them for $17 too. Trish

Hi there! I am looking for some advice about how much of these oils to give to my dogs. We are doing the BARF thing and am trying to learn as much as possible. I have "Give your dog a bone" and "The BARF diet" books but am just wanting a simple dose / kg (if there is such a thing!). I have a 33kg Greyhound and a 7kg 7 month old Mini Poodle pup. Thanks in advance. Trish