KitKat

Both my GSD's have proven that they will stand their ground if someone comes at me, have leapt forward barking and carrying out the 'hounds of hell' impression - neither have been trained for it and neither are 'working lines' as such. So much comes down to the individual dog itself - i had a Lab that was incredibly protective, but was the sookiest, friendliest dog around. My old LabxRott Harm (rip) was accidently tested for protection work (short version, other dog was aggresive so we wanted to see if we could train him to use it or more to the point stop) and Harm proved to have a strong but calm instinct for it (other dog hid behind me...lol). Perhaps consider a Bullmastiff? Great dogs for a veriety of reasons not to mention the look of them will deter and they generally have a calm and protective nature...but then again...you could get one that will hide behind you... ETA - i don't expect my dogs to protect me...in fact beware of me anyone threatening my dogs! But if the dogs start getting antsy they'll settle with a command or two without issues.

I'm certainly interested - going to see if they will be stocking it at work - if they do i'll let everyone know what i think of it

Roughly whereabouts are you Oakway?? I get mine from Rochedale Produce in Springwood near Ikea ETA - Longwhitecloud...why didn't you just feed less? My guys were putting on too much weight on it to start with because i was feeding them what i expected to feed as it was a cheaper product, so i cut them back to what i'd expect to feed them on a premium product then i cut them back a little further and now i know just how much to feed each of them - and no overweight issues anymore

I used to feed my GSD's Royal Canin, ProPlan etc etc - for the price i have found my boys do as well on Uncle Albers as they did on any of the others - and i feed less of it to keep my boys in condition. They have great coats - and after steering away from it for a while i am using it to get one of my dogs BACK INTO a good condition after he lost a lot of weight. I have access to a lot of other foods on a weekly basis at work....but i still go out of my way, to another store, to buy Uncle Albers and at $29 for 22kgs it's great value, Aussie made and my dogs do wonderfully on it - i just wish they did a cat food to try my kitties on as they love to try and steal the kibble.

Purina do one big chunk of the market and Pedigree does another big chunk of the market...lol

I only saw them tonight too!!! They look great don't they?

I was going to recommend the Fido's one too

I use Advantix to keep the flies off of my GDS's ear tips - works very effectively....and keeps fleas/midgies/mozzies etc off as well

I have two fluff coat GSD's and it sucks if i have to clip coat...looks terrible!!! But with the curash i've not had to worry abuut clipping the coat again

Curash or zinc powder...you don't even need to clip away the fur just fluff it on the spot and into the coat around the spot a couple for days in a row and it will be gone

Also because they are chewing rather then bolting they tend to suck down less air while they eat as well...

Perhaps bump the pups up to the adult Royal Canin - or the Royal Canin GSD adult formula. Are the pups still on puppy foor or the junior range of RC? and just the Maxi formula or...?

the RC Lab food is also Low GI

For one thing...meat being hte first ingredient isn't always a good indicator. Some products list the meat content while fresh...so including the water/moisture content - so meat and water is the first ingredient. Other products list their meat content once the water has been removed and the meat is dehydrated - so gives a better indication of the meat content which may still be at the front of the list or not. However all products before the fat/oil addition is what mostly makes up the food - if the meat is after that on the list it might as well be a vege version...lol. There are other products out there as good as Innova - and i wouldn't use them purely because i don't like PP. But Advance is a perfectly good food - decide how your dogs are going and go from there.

Could depend on if you got the normal guy or the locum vet - the guy i normally see is great tho has been there forever...or at least for the last 10 or so yrs that i've been taking critters there. But i do prefer to see the actual vet, if there is a locum and it's not an emergency i wait. For example - i took one of my dogs there because of a lump?rash? thing (can't really remember now) and he gave me the run down of what it was and said not to wory about it and that it would clear up within about 2-3weeks on it's own without worry. But that vets would often prescibe anything from creams to antibiotics to 'fix it' - it would work of course because it would heal up on it's own anyway. Sure enough a friend of mine a year or so later had the same thing occur on one of their dogs - their vet prescribed cream and antibiotics - my $45 visit compared to their $170 visit for the same thing.

The vet i go to is the Salisbury Vet Surgery on Lillian Ave - i've always been happy with the vets and the vet nurses as well I've been going there when in need of a vet for years

Just watch with the beef ribs that they aren't split - even my adult dogs inevitably get them caught on their teeth along the jaw line - then i have to reach in and pry it off their teeth I stopped getting them i must admit because of that - i'd probably recommend lamb or pork ribs more so then beef ribs

Canine Country is great - and they are on the southside Watch out tho...it is too easy to go nuts and buy heaps!

I guess the difference between natures way of feeding and the domestic way of feeding is we might give 6 wings rather then a whole bird - eg crunch and swallow rather then stop chew bits off, swallow, chew more bits etc. I could easily tell bad stories re dogs eating bones, and there are a number of vets out there that will tell you not to feed bones due to possible issues. But i feel it's a trial and error thing - eg I discovered i can't feed sliced beef rib bones to my GSD's because one of them always manages to get the bone caught down along his teeth following the jawbone - and then i have to go in and pry it off...lol - not pleasant for either of us! The other dog never has this issue with he has them - but now i just don't buy them for the boys, no biggie.

Also remember that your anxiousness will feed to the pups - So try to get yourself into a relaxed state when you are feeding them something different. Easier said then done - but the more worried you are the more that will feed to the pups. Try turkey necks - they are a great size but it's all meat and soft bone that will be fully digested by the pups tummies. Also look at lamb flaps they have a thin rib bone through lots of meat - again soft bone that will be fully digested. A whole chicken frame is also very good - and with the others, soft bone, fully digestable. But these will give the pups jaws a good work out which is also great for their ear set ETA - also try beef tongue, my guys love it as a treat and it's just a big lump of meat...they have to chew it but there is no bone...beef heart can be fed the same...perhaps wean yourself up to feeding them bone?

Woolies often have them, and some of the bigger butchers do them as well

As Persephone said, the shank will be a bit hard for him at this point - he'll still go through the bone but it will be a bit rough/hard on him and his system. The necks, flaps, wings, etc type stuff will be a bit gentler on his teeth and tummy

Chances are the pup has just chewed to hard and long on the bone - and it may have splintered slightly causing a few light scratches etc - keep an eye on him but i wouldn't be too worried. What kind of bone was it? When my guys were that age i was mostly sticking to bones they could more or less eat the entirety of rather then say cow femurs etc.

3/4ths of the area is double fenced but one, perhaps, 3mtr stretch isn't - between shed and other fence. But yeah - i head back to work Monday, will be spending the day down the coast on Tuesday (kits getting desexed) but will have Wednesday and Thursday at home - So far after the last rouse at Bronx the boys haven't raised a peep - Sabre is wary of water (unless it's rain, from the pond, from the pool, beach etc) And he's been the good lad for a change...lol. I'll see how they go tomorrow as well - we might still end up fencing it off - or if we are lucky all the dogs concerned will get over it quickly and ignore each other...lol

Well...as it turns out it seems my boys are fence fighters - found that out because the people who have moved into the house behind us have fence fighters - not sure what type of dog/s but they are medium sized dogs. I've had the dogs locked up for half the afternoon, and since they have rushed out with a bucket of water if they won't be called off. Most of the time they'd call off but the times they didn't i've thrown water on them - not my preferred option but i have other options coming but not yet available. Any other tips to help? The owners of the other dogs seem fairly good in trying to call their dogs off but their dogs won't call off until after i've got my dogs away. ETA - the water thing does seem to be working - the softer but more naughty one is calling off quicker if he is actually at the fence having a go, the better behaved but harder one is still having more of a go but will, after a bit, call off. I just don't see this as a lasting solution!