Papillon Kisses

You could ask for a referral to see a Veterinary ophthalmologist if you are concerned about his vision.

That’s if the breeder is feeding an appropriate diet, and if you want to feed something else you then gradually switch it over. However, this isn’t a balanced diet, so I don’t think a slow switch would be safe. Best to discuss it with your vet.

That is not even remotely a balanced diet. Speak to your vet about a complete and balanced diet for your puppy.

I’ve replied on your other post.

Hi! I have an anxious and reactive dog myself, though he’s much much better since we got help from a Behaviour Vet (aka Veterinary Behaviourist) and a positive reinforcement trainer. Getting his underlying anxiety disorder diagnosed and treated was key. The first thing to do is get a thorough vet exam. I always recommend getting a blood panel too. Something to check for is pain, as it could help explain everything from the harness woes, to the walking, to the dog issues. For this you may want to see a rehab vet or physio as sometimes their keen eye picks up on things that GP vets miss. This is a factor with my dog. It sounds like your 8 year old does better without the pup, and you also don’t want pup learning that dogs are to be feared. So don’t walk them together, but more than this, I would actually STOP walking your 8 year old for now. Yes, that’s right: stop walking. This may seem radical, but if your dog feels like he’s walking in a war zone (which he does), that’s not good for his mental or physical health. Chronic stress does a number on the body, and every time he gets that burst of cortisol and reacts, his behaviour becomes more entrenched. Instead, increase his mental enrichment at home while you wait for help, and work on some foundation behaviours so they’re ready to roll out when you walk again. This podcast gives a number of ideas for enrichment: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1185767/4649111-emily-strong-cdbc-cpbt-ka-sba-and-allie-bender-cdbc-cpdt-ka-sba So what are some of these foundation behaviours/cues? - hand targets, for redirecting your dog and checking in with how they’re going mentally. - “let’s go” aka u-turns, for increasing distance from other dogs, and teaching them that moving away from the dog is an option instead of doing barky-lungy (or other) behaviour to try to make the other dog go away. This is a personal favourite of mine. - go behind me, for body blocking other dogs from your dog when needed - go sniff, another alternate behaviour to reacting, that has the bonus of calming your dog down and potentially the other dog as well (calming signal). Super simple, just toss food and cue them to sniff it (I point). Another favourite of mine. - Look At That is another we do but that fell into place when we did controlled setups with other dogs. Once you’ve got the all clear from your vet, or any problems treated, then we can start working on his behaviour. For that, check the Pet Professional Guild website for a positive reinforcement trainer: https://www.ppgaustralia.net.au/find-a-professional. I see you’re in Melbourne. A number of force free trainers are offering video consults, and then you can work in person when things open up. You might also need to consult Behaviour Vet. There are a few options in Melbourne: https://www.k9events.com/behaviour-vets.html#vic If you’re on Facebook look up these two groups: Canine Enrichment, and Anxious Dogs of Australia Support Group. Hope this helps, and remember the golden rule: keep your dog feeling safe!

As you’ll see in the group, there is treatment for CCD (not cures, but treating symptoms, delaying progression, & improving QOL) such as medications, supplements, special diets, behaviour management & modification, and enrichment. http://www.crosspaws.com.au/resources/Canine-Cognitive-Dysfunction-Kersti-Seksel.pdf https://dogdementia.com/

My favourite commercial treats are (were with an IBD dog?!) K9 Naturals Freeze Dried Lamb Tripe. It is puppy crack. I would break them in two for the tiny dog. With a puppy I’d have half the mind to get one of the prime 100 rolls that are suitable for growth and dice it into little cubes!

Malcolm yodels at the vet when kept for the day, if his emotional needs are not taken care of. The specialist hospital decided that he must be part basenji. As @tdierikx would say... errr! Also I am disappointed that no one gets or appreciates my bazinga reference.

Our vet had us try psyllium husk (unflavoured Metamucil). I don’t remember the dose. You could ask them about Glandex.

Ask your vet.

Do you think there may be an element of canine cognitive dysfunction?

It’s important that in trying to help our dogs we do no harm. I learnt that lesson the hard way. A dog trainer friend in Brisbane recommended you contact Jodie Westfield at InSync Pet Services – she has a keen interest in dogs and kids, or Bec Hamilton at Mind Body & Bowl. In the meantime I suggest learning more about dog body language. You could download the Dog Decoder app and do the quizzes with your kids, or print off Lili Chin’s Boogie Doggie Language poster to look at and refer back to. Also check out Family Paws Parent Education (also here & here), The Family Dog (watch the Stop the 77 video and age appropriate ones for kids), and Reisner Veterinary Behaviour Service. When the subtle signs of fear, stress and anxiety are go unnoticed or ignored, that’s when dogs feel they have no other choice but to growl to say “hey! stop that!” And if that growl isn’t heeded, or worse punished (don’t do that, it’s removing the battery from the smoke alarm), that’s when they’ll progress to snarling, snapping or biting. So when you see those subtle signs, stop what you’re doing, give your puppy space, and take note of what triggered it for when you see your trainer. I want you to know that while it’s not good that your dog feels the need to growl, it is fantastic that she has that in her repertoire. If my dog growls (rarely happens these days as we’ve changed our behaviour and how he feels about and responds to triggers) our response is thank you for growling, we were silly and weren’t listening to you earlier. Oh and she’ll need a vet check in case there’s a medical reason contributing such as pain, but don’t necessarily take behaviour advice from a vet as they may not have studied it. Sorry for the essay, just want to help you step off on the right paw! http://www.drjensdogblog.com/why-its-hard-being-tiny-and-cute/

Malcolm had an ironclad stomach as a youngin but developed IBD & Lymphangiectasia a couple of years ago. I can understand your vet not wanting to do diagnostics if they can be avoided, but you could treat it as a GI illness and see how she responds. So probiotics (get a special animal one not yoghurt - you want the right cultures for dogs), diet (Malcolm is on RC GI low fat, could also do a novel protein or hydrolysed protein diet trial), stress reduction if that’s a factor, and you could ask your vet about seeing if she responds to a course of metronidazole or tylan. Muscular skeletal problems also have an impact on Mal (mainly with urinating though), so you could consider a rehab vet or physio?

Puppy Culture

Bazinga!

Could you cordon off the sand pit and only have it available when you’re there to supervise? When the other dogs look like they want to pee, use a positive interrupter then direct to something else.

Perhaps contact some breeders you like the look of and express an interest in a future puppy? I imagine many have waiting lists.

My dog’s veterinary dentist would give a resounding no. Too many fractured teeth.

The hypoallergenic dog thing is actually a myth! There can be no difference between breeds either (it’s been studied). Confirm that it is a dog allergy if you haven’t – it might be something like the dog bringing in grass pollen or their bedding not being washed enough and increasing dust mites. I’ve found that some doctors like to blame dogs when they may not make a difference. Then spend some time with the breeder’s dogs to see if you react to them or you could send a rag or T-shirt for them to rub over their dogs and post back to you.

No advice about breeds, but for lots of good content re kids & dogs, check out Family Paws Parent Education, Stop the 77 (your son may like their I Speak Doggie song), and Reisner Veterinary Behaviour.

Heir of the Dog

Do you have a call name in mind?

Cutie! There’s a native Australian willow with the common name Wilga - Wilga Willow? The Latin name is Geijera, but that doesn’t exactly roll off the tongue.

My dog has a history of severe perio so I’ve tried everything, been advised by a veterinary dentist and so on. The gold standard of at-home care is at toothbrushing using dog toothpaste. It’s not as hard as you’d think, you’ve just got to work at your dog’s pace. A rewards-based dog trainer with an interest in cooperative care can help you if needed or check out the Facebook group Positive Dog Husbandry. It’s really worth persevering with it as it’ll save you a lot of money (and preserve your dog’s health) in the long run. An alternative can be getting a pair of cheap stockings or gauze, wrapping that around your finger with the dog toothpaste on it, and “brushing” your dog’s teeth that way. Again building up in a similar way to the video. VOHC has a list of products that have been shown to be beneficial too, and your vet can give you advice on what’s appropriate for your dog. http://www.vohc.org/accepted_products_dogs.html Absolutely nothing beats toothbrushing though and having regular dentals under anaesthesia at whatever schedule your vet recommends for your dog (all dogs are different - some may only need two in their lives, others every six months or yearly). When I added in daily tooth brushing I was able to majorly extend the time between surgeries. Even so, as perio is a sneaky bugger he’ll have sparkling teeth that when xrayed are found to be rotten underneath and needing removal.

I’m so sorry this happened to you and your pup.