Jean26

Wow. I've never heard of this before. Its cute

I feed my lab x GSD: Chicken frame (or wings) in the morning. Royal Canin Lite (1 - 2 cups) with either: sardines, eggs, tuna, tuckertime, optimum canned food. Occasional bit of cheese if she's being a good girl. Bones with a bit of meat left on them. She is a picky eater and doesnt like kibble very much, usually she'll pick out the cubed tuckertime, sardines and tuna and leave the kibble. I'll soak it in water to make it mushy and that seems to help. I've been trying her on Optimum kibble as well and see no difference. Her coat is sooooooo shiny, like a black-blue. The last time we weighed her she was 30.5kg. She's a cross so i think this is an ok weight. She's built more like a lab and the healthy weight range was 25 - 31kg or something like that.

Just for a bit of variety i guess. I mix in Sardines, Tuna, Raw Egg, good quality mince with kibble. (Royal Canin) I also give him chicken wings as well. Kaiser loves them. Mya gets the same, but with adult food. She's a fussy one despite being half lab!! She wont scoff down food. I have to soak her kibble and mix it with either mince or dog roll like Tuckertime. She likes sardines and eggs tho. Oh, and a chicken frame for brekkie.

My vets told me on both ocasions (12wk & 16wk vaccs) that some pups have a reaction to the injections. If that happens they had to give him something extra.... Cant remember what tho, something like antihistamine probably. Kaiser was a bit quiet after the injections but i dont think he was uncomfortable in any way. Glad to hear your pup is feeling better!

I reckon its a great idea. If your dog's going to benefit from it as well, why not? Plus if your dog no longer needs it you could hire it out to people who do. Maybe local vets could help you find people who have dogs that might benefit from the pool for a small fee??

*tucks away for future reference*

Only when they get smelly. Kaiser sometimes steps in his own muck... yucky. Mya has rolled in smelly stuff at the park *sigh* Otherwise i try not to bath them too much. A good brushing daily.

Hi. I ws told that it coule be a diet problem and/or a behavioural problem. The pup may not be getting enough nutrients from his food and eating his poo (or the poo of other animals like cats) and from this if can develop into a yucky habit. Maybe re-asses the pup's diet and clean up poo as soon as you see it. That's all i can come up with, hope it helps!

I use mine as training treats and Kaiser loves 'em. All dogs are different.

Hi. Could it be anything to do with the fabric softner/soap that you use to wash your clothes in? I was once told that i should keep an eye out for any reactions involving washing detergent as some dogs develop a sensitivity to those. (We went through allergies etc in puppy class last week)

..... If she likes meaty food, maybe try mixing in mince? Or try and soften the kibble with a bit of water. The advice i was given was to moisten up the kibble with warm water and let it cool if giving more than 2 cups of dry food. Something to do with avoiding bloat. It also makes it softer for puppy teeth. My Kaiser (3 month old GSD) eats everything! I only do this with his food if i give 2 cups and just because someone said that he may develop bloat which can be fatal! I dont know if he would, but i got scared enough to do it! I have a fussy 2.5 year old Lab X GSD girl. She loves raw chicken. I mix in a bit of Royal Canin Lite with some Tuckertime chunks or mince. If she refuses that i give her extra chicken. Tuckertime is like those doggie sausages but of better quality than the supermarket brands. I get mine from City Farmers. I take her food away after 20 mins to start teaching her that food will be taken away. I only recently adopted her so her eating habits were not shaped by me! Hope this helps.

I've been feeding Kaiser Natural Balance (High Energy) made in Australia. Its quite convenient. I paid $75.00 for a 15Kg bag that was delivered to my front door the day i ordered it. Friendly staff. The only thing is that it was giving Kaiser the runs. Constant, watery, 'cow pat - like' stuff..... Not fun. He loves eating it. I just didnt want him to get gastro! I put him on a bland chicken, rice and veg diet and it all cleared up. The minute i add in a bit of Natural Balance the sloppy poo starts again So I'm giving him a mix of 1/4 Natural Balance + 3/4 Royal Canin. (Only coz i have a 15kg bag on Natural Balance to get rid of *sigh*) Huge improvement! Nicely formed little stools so far. Not too hard, but not too soft. - i realise I'm talking a lot about my dog's excreta, but when you've been worried sick about the health of your pup for over 2 weeks, what comes out of your pet's bottom is important!!!!

Okay, My Kaiser is 11 weeks old. (GSD puppy) He eats very well, no problems there. The only thing is that the breeder's diet (Natural Balance + occasional chicken wings) was giving him the runs. (I've already posted about his diarrhoea) Anyway, I've been giving him the following: cooked rice, vegies, chicken and Natural Balance soaked in water. This has had a DRAMATIC IMPROVEMENT on his bowel function. Its a bit 'wet' at times, but much better than the puddle of diarrhoea he used to leave. I was actually wanting to take him off Natural Balance eventually and put him on another type of dry food. Preferably premium stuff. I'm a bit worried that the mixture I'm giving him wont have enough of the nutrients his growing body needs. He puts on an average of 1kg a week. I just wanna make sure he's getting enough vitamine and minerals he needs. Can i supplement with natural stuff like vegies, tuna etc? I'm not too keen on giving him dry food only. I'd like to mix in some other stuff too. Also, I'm adopting a 2.5 year old Labrador cross female. She's been rescued by the lovely people from SAFE (Saving Animals From Euthanasia) Perth and was wondering what i should be feeding her. She's healthy, but looks a bit chubby. I know this is a HUGE topic, but a bit of clarification would be great! Thanks Everyone!

My house is 50% tiled! Yay!! The living room is carpeted but we taught him not to go there. He just drags his little blanket to the doorway and sleeps there :rolleyes:

Okay, here i go. This is what we did to mum's Rima (beagle): put him on a slightly raised surface - like a sturdy out door table etc. - reason: If i put him on the ground, he thinks we're playing. On a raised surface he knows its different. Also, groomers tend to use tables this way he gets used to a table. Have 2 people there. One with treats holding the dog. One with a brush. - distract the dog with the treats and ask him to sit/stand. When he's concentrating on the hand with the food, slowly start brushing him with lots of praise. Then lots of praise and treats after. Repeat until you can reduce to one person. Its a slow process....but once the dog gets used to the brushing, knows there will be treats and/or lots of praise you should be fine. It worked for Rima. Although it took a little while....

Not too often, but often enough. I was too young to help with any type of training when he was a puppy. My sister (who is 10 years my senior - i have several, this one is irresponsible!) washed her hands of him when he out grew the puppy stage and decided to travel to europe. I about 10 when Rima was a pup (Im 23 this year). We've had to - ever so slowly - train him to come when outside. He's the perfect dog in the backyard. ALWAYS COMES, but not when outside. :rolleyes: One thing that works without fail is FOOD. I've made a habit of taking food with me everytime we go for a walk - just incase. The most he'll do these days is run off the the garage or front of the drive way (Its a triplex and mum's is the back unit), sniff around, pee here and there then come back after a 10 -15 mins. If we want him in asap food always does the trick. I dont know whether it's the best way, but it works for us. I'm afraid i wasnt there to train him in the early stages so i've done the best i can.

Hi. I'm taking my pup to South Street Vet's puppy school. Its run by the vet nurses, so there isnt a LOT to do with basic training. I get training tips from my sister who as EXTREMLY well trained and obedient Rotties. I go there to socialise the pup, get some puppy advice and the staff are really friendly (which is very important to me). I've been doing some research for obedience training around my area (Spearwood) and the best one i could find was with the RSPCA. They're currently running 4 week "Level 1" obedience courses at $79.00 but will be changing that in June to a 6 week course for $99.00. They hold it in different areas but i cant remember... They have it listed on their website. Other than that there is the Southern River Dog Club of WA. They do Obedience and Agility training & trials. I'm pretty sure they do puppy obedience as well. I'm not too sure on price and structure. Their number is (08) 9457 8296. Thtas all i know at the moment.... Hope it helps. :rolleyes:

Hi. This happens to mum's beagle ALL the time. She lives in a very quiet suburb so its a little better.... But everytime he gets out we do panic. He doesnt try to escape, just jets off when the gate gets opened and sniffs around like crazy! He normally comes really well, just not when we're outside. I was told that is was a 'beagle thing' coz they love to sniff around. They wont always come to you even if you call them. Mum and i usually lure him back to safety with either a bone, his favourite bickies or his beloved tug toy. These days we're not too worried as he comes back after a long sniff around the area / tempted with food. When he was younger (he's pushing 13) i used to take him for regular walks all over the neighbourhood so he got used to all the smells and let him take his time sniffing about. That way, i figured that if he ever got out the smell wouldnt be 'NEW' and he'd kinda know where he was...... I dont know whether it was the 'right' thing to do, but it has worked for us. I hope that helps a little. :rolleyes:

I actually dont have any answers or suggestions, but the other day i say a niffty little chart that shows you what kind of household products you can use to eliminate odours and stains. It was in the 'book' section. Its a round chart like those ones commonly found for cocktail receipes. Hope that might help.........

Well, yeah. Thats what i thought.... When i researched the breed i never, ever came across ANY breeder saying that GSD's are prone to diarrhoea. I didnt think it was right either. If a human child had diarrhoea for almost 2 weeks you'd take them to the hospital!! So youthink its the food?? *sigh* I bought a 15kg bag coz i ran out last week. Thanks for your advice.

I was also told by the breeders that GSD pups eat a lot of food while growing up and their bodies cant always absorb ALL the nutrients from the food. They said that their pups also poo like that and i'm over-worrying.... I'm just worried that he may have this 'intusseption' thing that can stop blood flow and become badly infected, needing a costly and most importantly high risk operation..... :p

I'm feeding him 'Natural Balance' for large breed pups. Its the one the breeder recommended and gave me a 3kg bag with him. I had been giving him chicken wings on occasion but i kinda stopped hoping his stomach will settle down. His temperature is normal.

Hi All. I have a 10 week old German Shepherd puppy. It's his 3rd week at home and he is the happiest, most playful pup in the world. He eats well, sleeps well, can already sit, stay, come and wait for an 'okay' before he eats his food. :p The only thing that worries me at the moment is his constant diarrhea. I told the breeder and they gave me a tablet to give him for 5 days. No improvement.... I took him to the vet last weekend and he said my pup could either have worms or 'intusseption' which got me quite worried........ I got given antibiotics, worming medication and a probiotic liquid thingo. After the vet visit i rang the breeder to discuss. They said that diarrhea is normal in GSD pups as long as it is reasonably thick like pancake mix. If its really runny like water, then its a problem. She said some of her older dogs still get 'pancake mix' like poo. I just wanted a second (or multiple) opinions. He weighs 6.5kg. Eats well. Is happy and playful. Any advice??