Papillon Kisses

Oh babe - that is def. 100% just you. LOL We feed the fish and ...something.... one ... it fair pongs... We have samples of the lamb flavour. I swear it has a rich chocolatey smell, LOL. :laugh: I hope things there are more moments of lightness for you soon. I love the photo of Scottie in your secret garden. :)

How are things going? And is it just me, or does Ziwipeak smell like chocolate?

Mr PK and I thought of an adorable name the other day: Lamington! :laugh: Of course the dog would have to be black & white or brown & white. :D

Our experience with recently transporting my parents' puppy from the Gold Coast to Sydney We didn't toilet the pup after the flight, however the transport company had a sanitized area where they usually take the animals to have water and relieve themselves. Something to consider: depending on age the pup probably wouldn't have had all her shots so it may be best not to toilet where other dogs of unknown health and vaccination status may have been. Ask the breeder/transport company. In our case the crate was the property of the transport company so they kept it, but sometimes the crate is purchased as part of the package. We took a carrier to pick up the pup but didn't end up using it as he was unsettled (had been through a bit of an ordeal) and preferred to be held. As a standard the crate usually contains vet bed and a water bowl. Our breeder also put in a towel and a small soft toy which were familiar to the pup and smelled of (his initial) home. These were a great comfort to our puppy (when I gave the toy back to him in the car he instantly settled), though he did spill his water on the towel and got it wet. In saying that my parents' puppy doesn't destroy toys and if your puppy is inclined to do that you may not want to put in a toy due to the choking hazard as mentioned above. Speak to your breeder about what they do/recommend, but I think having something whether a towel or blanket or a little toy that are familiar and smell of her previous home can be comforting provided it's safe to do so. My dad needed photo ID to collect the puppy and he signed a form to say he had picked him up. No other documentation was needed in our case, but ask the breeder to confirm. Bring water and a small amount of food. I didn't get out the food, but perhaps should have as the puppy was very low on energy which I didn't realise until I gave him food when he arrived home about 40mins later. In his case though he was in the crate much longer than anticipated: 6 hours due to flight and plane problems and had missed a meal. So you may not need the food given you are very close and hopefully won't have any problems. It's not really necessary, but I also brought with me an Adaptil collar. I needed to air it first as it initially has a strong chemical smell and I think the puppy may also have been a little confused (looking for mum). Adaptil products release a pheromone which dogs find calming and it can help puppies transition to their new home.

For Thistle. :) (Also check out the video in the Nosework thread to see it/him in action. ) Just got to decide on patches now. One is going to say Malcolm, but I'm not sure about the other! Ideas welcome.

How's everyone going? We have an appointment with our VB next week to discuss an alternative to Trazadone. The relaxation protocol is going well: we're currently on Task 8. Otherwise Mal's been a bit up and down. And Taliecat, just wanted to say that if he knew who inspired the crate fairy visits Malcolm would be sure to thank you. Sometimes I wonder if he's listening when I yammer away about dog stuff, but Mr PK has taken it upon himself to be the crate fairy (a task he loves, lol) and last night he was watching a TTouch video and practicing ear slides on Malcolm. It is adorable. He also has a great aim so whenever Mal is relaxing in his crate, small morsels of food are spontaneously lobbed in out of nowhere. :D

He was actually searching for a couple of small cubes of cooked chicken that were placed on a metal tin beside the box. We started off searching for food placed in boxes, so they are now a signal that the game is on. Metal is confusing as scent doesn't stay on it but travels off.

I fed a half or quarter meal for the first lesson. Early on a LOT of food is used to build drive and value, and to help the dog be successful. I have a very food driven dog and am more concerned about weight gain than anything else. :) Our info sheet said to give a smaller meal but not to fast the dog completely as they may have problems concentrating. It did say not to feed within two hours of the class. If Tempeh is very food driven dog you probably won't have an issue with her lacking interest in the search, provided that the food is high value.

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Bump for PossumCorner

Try a calendula tea rinse... must be Calendula Officionalis. I'll bump the thread.

You spray it on their teeth or onto a toothbrush, and then brush their teeth with it. I find it easier to apply it to the toothbrush. It may still work without brushing, I don't know, but Maxi/Guard may be a better non-brushing option as it's specifically designed for that purpose. Interestingly my dog is less cooperative with Maxi/Guard even though you just dot it on their incisors. Somewhat related: I once mistook a bottle of metal cleaning fluid (Sparkle for Stainless Steel) with Mavlab Dental Spray Gel and brushed my dog's teeth with it. I would advise those with the Mavlab gel to keep it well away from any other cleaning fluids, or you too may enjoy flushing an uncooperative dog's mouth with water every 30 mins throughout the night, being very careful to avoid any excess water traveling down their throat! And no, his 'grill' was no more sparkly than usual... Many thanks to ARH for helping an inconsolable PK late at night by looking up the MSDS, providing first aid advice and being completely non-judgemental. "Other people have brushed their dog's teeth with cleaning fluid?" "You'd be surprised!"

She is in WA this weekend Do it Terrip!

Yeah I guess I could do that. I pretty much brush daily. He's genetically challenged in the tooth department.

Couple of weeks since first trying the new method. Some of the quicks receded very nicely, others not really at all. I'm finding it hard to get a good purchase on some of the nails. Some of them seem to crumble instead of cutting cleanly, so I think some new clippers are in order. Any favourite brands? I use a guillotine but am also wondering if the scissor type would be better with this cut method. Kind of hard to get the right angle.

I was wondering if anyone has seen better results with brushing with one particular toothpaste or gel over another? I'm running out of Dentipet toothpaste and am wondering whether to get that again or switch to Mavlab Dental Spray Gel which I've used in the past. Dentipet: dog finds it very tasty so greater acceptance, and it has a grainy abrasive finish which I assume helps with removing the bad stuff. Mavlab Dental Spray Gel: a gel so no physical abrasive, and while he'll still let me brush it's not as tasty. However being a gel it really swishes around so I'm wondering if that feature may help clean where I am unable to brush? Thankfully the places that I am able to brush are those that are worse! His physical/dental comformation makes the outsides of his teeth bad. The insides which I have trouble reaching mostly keep themselves clean. I also have Maxi/Guard oral cleansing gel which I use in addition. But yeah, benefit of added physical abrasive vs. non physical abrasive but improved swishiness? My vet is just impressed that I'm brushing at all, lol.

I love the photo of Billy and Sproket with their toys. My pappy loved soft toys like those. :)

There's an app called Sound Proof Puppy Training (don't let the name put you off, it's for all ages) which you can use to get your dog accustomed to a bunch of different sounds, one of which is plane travel (internal aircraft noise). There's also planes in general for when your dog is being loaded. It's not complicated but you do need to read and follow the instructions. I would also be inclined to crate train your dog prior to the flight to develop positive feelings about being crated. Follow instructions for that too, lol. As with anything if you introduce it the wrong way or too quickly there's a risk that you may sensitise a dog rather than desensitise. But done properly it will put both of you at ease. :)

I've been thinking of you too, DDD. Sending love and strength. Little Red Man, you will always be a very, very good boy. You go with so much love.

Food puzzle ideas from the days when Mal burnt through an extraordinary amount of food being anxious. More for the beginner dog than the Nina Ottosson puzzle solver extraordinaire. Also my apologies if these files are huge I am technologically challenged. The above can be made more or less difficult by making extra flaps in the lid and closing them. Back onto Noseworks... Have you thought of doing a Fenzi course, LG? You can order Nosework supplies from Alert Pets.

Have you actually had a consult with a veterinary behaviourist? 1000% recommend getting a consult as veterinary behaviourists have specialist knowledge that GP vets do not have. For example fluoxetine may be a great choice but may need to be paired with other medications for the best results. Additionally any medication must be paired with behavioural modification (training). What is the soft muzzle like? Can she pant? Something like a Baskerville may be a better choice for walking and training.

Aww, Justice looks so happy! We had our first outdoors class last week too. In the hall next to us some kids were running around playing loudly, and a boy actually ran into the search area at one point. Malcolm did not care about the ruckus at all, he just wanted to continue his search. So some nice counter conditioning happening with both Justice and Malcolm this past week.

Yep, we have the same thing with Malcolm, who has GAD & OCD (vs potentially just being a scared foster). He was usually unable to do it before medication, but now when he's startled we're kind of like "Oh! fancy that", and it completely diffuses his response provided he's not overthreshold. It's like oh, my humans are ok, so I should be too.