RiverStar-Aura

How did Lily go today? I hope she had a better day! to both you and her.

Well the dogs had their first taste of coconut oil today and boy was I the most BESTEST MOMMA EVA!! :laugh: I melted it in the microwave rather than put it in hot water and it seemed to work a treat. Now to watch for results!

What about something like this one: Self-warming mat I'm looking at trying these out for my two since they sleep outside. And on the plus side, no cord, which I'd worry about my dogs chewing and electrocuting themselves.

I just googled and found a store/site called http://www.dogbedsgalore.com.au/ Maybe you could browse through and find something suitable? Sorry I'm not more help. My puppy currently sleeps in a handmade wooden box with a wool mat and fleece blanket and Zeus sleeps in a Rogz pod bed both in the garage.

You could also try asking your puppy's breeder too and see if any of their dogs have had cases of the itches and ask what they'd suggest.

It's funny how we miss them so much more than they'd miss us!! I feel bad when I leave for work each morning as my two sit at the side gate and watch me drive off. I do so love the welcome home though!!

SBTs are a fantastic breed and it's refreshing to see a puppy buying doing a LOT of research first!! My advice is only coming as an owner but I'd definitely be weary of such an extreme price difference. I understand that the cost of a puppy varies from breed to breed and from breeder to breeder, however, when I was looking at Aussie Terrier puppies, all puppies in the one litter were sold for the same price. Of course breeders of other breeds may do things differently, but with such an EXTREME variance? I'd be curious to know why.

I found this thread by using the search: http://www.dolforums.com.au/topic/230044-preparing-for-puppy/page__fromsearch__1 Can't do a link I'm on my phone. Sorry

Well I've got a spare set of measuring spoons so I'm going to start Kirah off with 1/4 of a teaspoon twice daily as she has breakfast and dinner. And of course that means my darling boy Zeus will get some too!! :D

My dogs live outside and are only allowed inside on very rare occasions. If you're worried about your pup being cold, just put lots of fluffy blankets in his bed and you'll find he's quite adept at making himself a warm nest to curl up in. I spoil my two with wool and mink blankets and if they get too hot, they kick the blankets out. Mostly though they both make perfect circular trenches in the blankets and curl up. Dogs are smart this way. As long as he's sheltered from breezes and rain, your boy will be fine outside. Personally I'm not sure why there's so much worry these days about a dog sleeping outside.

Thanks for the info Sheena! I keep a close eye on my dogs' weight too -- that's why I'm trying so hard to get Kirah's right now. I've read that coconut oil solidifies at a low temp, do you feed your guys the oil as a solid or liquid? I'll be getting some coconut oil to try out on Tuesday. Hope if works!!

Kirah did that with a frog from our pond and as I had her gently by the throat I felt it go down. Gulp!!

I read in a thread about making a white dog's coat shiny that coconut oil could be beneficial. Before I give this a go with Kirah, I'd like to ask if it can cause a dog to gain weight. Since Kirah has stopped growing I'm struggling to find the right balance of her adult food and this morning I've cut her down to 1 table spoon of her Royal Canin diet twice daily. Hopefully that'll help get her weight down!! She's particularly hard to monitor as I'm not home from work until 7:30ish most nights so she's been fed by the family and goodness knows what they give her (even after I spell it out). I also don't know how many treats she's being given throughout the day. I'm asking about the coconut oil because I was of the belief that coconuts are quite fatty. Or is the oil different? Also, for a 6-7 kilo terrier what would be a sufficient amount for her? Thanks!!

PMSL!! Wheatmeal biscuit!

It's a real shame that ETs are for pure bred dogs as I'd love to compete in one. Zeus is a perfect candidate and is only approaching 3 years, however, he's not a pure bred. Kirah Little would be good to compete with too, however, she's much too young (will be 1 year old on May 1st). It's just sad because I know Zeus would enjoy it much more than Kirah ever would!

I think when cats are in the picture, dogs will always cop the blame. Imagine if the situation was reversed and a cat killed a dog that wandered onto its property. I seriously doubt the cat would be "declared dangerous". I just find the double standards outrageous. If someone reported a dog for killing wildlife all h3ll would break loose, but people don't seem to care if their cat kills a magpie or possum etc. I own terriers but they wouldn't deliberately kill a cat. They'd play with it as a toy that moves and a thing to chase. That's just what they do!

People ask if Kirah is a Silky Terrier. I say she's an Aussie Terrier, which are far more awesome than the Silky!! :laugh: When I was bringing her home from her breeder, a person asked if she was a Chihuahua. Zeus always gets: "is he a Beagle?" Me: "Nope. Apparently there's JRT in him too but I just see loveable goofball!!!" Edited to say: People also ask if the Aussie Terrier is actually an Aussie breed and seem quite surprised when I tell them yes they were developed in Australia and Kirah is Australian owned and made. That one usually gets a laugh!!

Occasionally in the wee hours of morning I'll stir and swear I hear my lovely Poochie barking. I've also mistaken Kirah hopping through the grass for Poochie and her spirit lives on in Zeus; she taught him the lazy slouch sit up against the wall, which he has passed on to Kirah. I've got a gorgeous vial pendant with her ashes I wear when I'm feeling crappy and her photos are hanging up everywhere. It'll be 2 years on the 24th and I can't believe so much time has passed. to all those missing their loved ones. May they watch over us all until we meet them again.

No one ever said it was a complete list??? Sorry that was my bad. I totally mis-read your post.

I can't believe that people blame other dogs. Once when I'd taken my guys to the off leash park, Kirah took off to go annoy an on lead dog sitting at its owners feet who was watching his son at footy practise. Kirah was bouncing all around this poor dog who was trying very hard to behave and not play. I had to pick Kirah up and apologised profusely to the poor man and as dog; I was so embarrassed! Luckily he was nice about it and I'm well aware this was my problem as Kirah shouldn't've taken off like that. It actually really surprised me because that's the first time she's ever done it. Now if it was Zeus on the other hand…

It's definitely not a complete list of prefixes as Kirah's breeders' prefix isn't listed under the Australian Terrier breeders page and isn't even on the site after I did a breeder search.

I remember striking up a conversation with a lady who insists she owns a pure bred 4th generation "labradoodle" but then also proceeded to tell me that he's got spaniel in him. I tried explaining that "labradoodles" aren't purebred and even if, for the sake of the argument they were, the fact her dog has spaniel in him too, that makes him a cross-breed. She didn't want to hear it and just went on to explain how she paid over $2000 for him so what would I know. Then she tells me she has to watch his diet as he was born with only one kidney. I walked away laughing: she paid over $2000 for a "labraSPOODLE" and a defective one at that. Oh well, at least he's well loved! I on the other hand welcome discussions about Zeus. I bought him as a beagle x JRT, however, I don't really see much JRT in him as he's very tall and leggy. I love hearing what people think is in him and he sure keeps me guessing too. A lot of people ask what Kirah is crossed with and are surprised when I say she's a purebred Aussie Terrier. Most people then say "a silky terrier" or "a yorkie terrier" and don't believe that the Aussie is a "real" breed. As I own one, you'd think they'd believe me.

It's so horrible that people can have such disrespect. Just because they're animals doesn't mean they aren't loved. Would these developers suggest to turn a human cemetery into a housing estate? I know I wouldn't buy a property built over a pet cemetery. There is just no way. When I was in England, I couldn't even walk over the graves of people buried under the churches' floors as I found that disrespectful. It did make walking through the churches very difficult but I just couldn't bring myself to "step" on someone. Maybe I'm just overly sensitive I don't know, but that's just how I am!

My two boofheads like to let the neighbourhood know they're clean and shiny!! They run around ballistic, torment each other, do the mad zoomies and strut letting the wind blow through their hair!! It's crazy, but I love it. Makes me feel like I've done something good for them. I just hate that in about an hour, Zeus manages to get grass stains on his legs again :laugh:

I know I'd prefer to wait for a puppy. There's no point demanding one immediately because logically, the odds of one being available are slim, and I'd prefer to do my research first. I waited for over a year for Kirah to be born and as it happened, my breeder of choice wasn't who I went with because she had rotten luck with both litters (the first bitch's singleton pup died in-utero and the second bitch only whelped one bitch puppy which went to a show home). She referred me to her good friend and breeder and as luck would have it, Kirah was born and I couldn't be happier!! It's unrealistic to expect a dog on demand (DoD) I mean would he expect his wife to produce a kid purely because he wants one "today"? If he was happy to wait that'd bd a different story but obviously he's gone off to find someone else to supply his DoD.