tdierikx

My girls are 6.5 years apart in age... and both are very fit and healthy girls. My older girl is not being picked on by the younger one due to infirmity or pack structure. Their serious fights have usually been over the stupidest of things - the other night it was a scrap of food that they both saw at the same time in the yard... my problem is not that they have a scrap, it's that neither bloody dog will back down if one starts. If/when Zeddy goes to the Bridge, my next companion for Trouble will be a male... T.

I'd be putting the beds a bit of distance away from the couch until your girls have the idea that they need to behave and lie on their own beds. Indy is growling because she is near you on the couch - so don't give her the opportunity to growl because her bed is near you either... Try starting with the beds some distance from the couch, and slowly over a period of time you can move them a little closer to the couch if that's where you want them to be - if the girls are getting the idea that the beds are for them and the couch (and you) are not something to be guarded. Aidan has some very good advice about the "long down" - I'd be working on that as well, so that if/when you move the beds closer to the couch, they will stay on them. T.

My girls' stitches came out today, and the vets were very happy with how fast they have healed... they were asking me if I've got the girls together yet, and I told them I was going to get some help with that. The vet advised again that the girls were fine with each other while they were at the clinic after their fight. I'm still going to take this one VERY slow, and I think that the girls might be allowed to be together only under very strict supervision (like resting on the couch to watch TV of an evening) from now on. I really don't want to have another fight... ever... So far, when one is going out for playtime or potty break, she will seek out the other for a quick smooch, and then off outside to play/toilet. No animus displayed by either so far - but I'm not going to tempt fate... T.

I have a friend that works for Aus Post - I'm trying to get her to grab me some of the cards and promo stuff... Would you believe that I actually named Tigger when he was a little puppy? He also had 3 brothers - Dink, Boomba, and I can't remember what we named the other one (his nickname was "The Mop"), and one sister (Blossom) who was the tiniest of the litter, and had a deformed front leg/foot - not that it stopped her rough-housing with all of the other puppies... all of them found wonderful forever homes... They were all absolutely lovely natured babies... and Tiggs is still a little spunk, and climbs onto my lap for a kiss when his mummy brings him to the rescue for visits. That is the bestest feeling ever!!! T.

I'm a Rotti fanatic... can't stop myself when I see one - I just have to talk to the owner and try to get me a Rotti cuddle... T.

Actually with most Fair Trading or CTTT disputes - it is the closest mediation point/court to the claimant that is selected... conference call proceedings can be arranged if travel for either party is prohibitive. I'd say that the OP has a very good case for small claims - the autopsy report is rather damning evidence and will stand well in court - especially against a vet check declaring "health" at time of sale, which apparently hasn't been supplied with said pup anyway... T.

You definitely have the right of it there Greytmate - even one serious fight can be one too many if one dog gets the upper hand. My girls have only ever fought when I've been there, so I've been able to at least pull one or the other back if one goes down for any reason. It's the most helpless feeling when you can't physically separate them in a fight situation... and I'm not about to put myself in physical danger either. Grabbing the back end of the dog that is "winning" and pulling it back out of the fight will reduce the amount of damage done though. In my girls' case, the stupid other dog will get up and come back for more... grr! Here are my girls nearly 2 weeks after their fight... Trouble - as you can see most of the wounds are pretty superficial and are healing nicely - scars should not result. Zeddy - one leg (with the stitches) is definitely worse for wear - not that you'd know it to watch her running about - she will have scars... The stitches come out today... T.

Awww... how cool is that? Way to go Alaska!! T.

I can see where it's possible to be allergic to one dog and not another... I am allergic to most cats, but there has been the occasional one that I have had no reaction to. It happens... My advice would be to check out the Rescue forums here, and contact a few rescues near to you - maybe they can help, as they do rehomings all the time of their own rescues... Roughly where in NSW are you situated? We may be able to direct you to the rescues near you... T.

My girls never fought when I had my boy still with us... it's only been since he went to the Bridge that they have had the really nasty fights on the odd occasion. Trouble was only just 2 years old when he passed, so maybe that has had nothing to do with it, and Trouble is just becoming more mature and less tolerant of being challenged - even if it is a rare occurrence. Up until this latest fight, my girls have been absolutely fine together during the day when I'm at work - all they do is snuggle together and sleep. Nothing of value is left with them to scrap over though... Since the fight, they have been crated separately to let their wounds heal. When I let them out one at a time, they will go to the other's crate and have a lick/kiss session with no animus before the "free" dog goes out for a run and potty break. I have not tried to bring them together as yet because I also have a foster pup here that wants to play with them, and I don't want any distractions (and need a second person to help) when I see if they will behave when both are out of their crates together (on lead and under complete control). The foster pup goes to his new home on Sunday, so I really can't do anything with the girls until at least then. When they were at the vets after the fight, they were fine to be handled together in the same room, and to take out for potty breaks by the staff - so I'm hoping that I can at least run them together under supervision - neither has been separated from the other since Trouble joined our family as a pup. Both of my girls are perfectly social with other dogs and very well behaved in public, and normally are two peas in a pod at home. I'm at a loss as to why these occasional spats become so nasty... I suppose there will be a whole bucketload of questions for a behaviourist... *grin* T.

How gorgeous is Marnie?? She looks to be such a gentle soul too... testament to Little Tails' excellent care. T.

I have some Chuckit (brand) rubber tennis sized balls that have stood up to years of abuse from my Labrador - and this is a dog that destroys the black Kongs! They are around $20 for a pair of them, but it still ends up much cheaper in the long run than buying balls that the dogs can destroy. The Chuckit balls are orange with a blue tennis ball looking stripe on them. They should be perfect for both of your furkids... T.

Try using a high quality meat-based kibble, and to temp him, you could possibly make a meaty broth/gravy from frypan leavings - boil some water in the pan after you've done steaks or whatever, and then pour into a container and refrigerate - microwave a bit of the "sauce' when needed, and drizzle some of that on the kibble to make it even more appealing... Don't worry - your baby isn't broken, he's testing you to see if you'll start feeding him what HE likes, instead of what YOU choose... he'll be a Labrahoover sooner than you think... *grin* T.

OK - to put all speculation to rest here about my 2 girls that had the fight... Zeddy (the black dog) is nearly 11 years old - I've had her since she was 6 weeks old (FTGH from the Trading Post). She can't fight to save her life, and being older doesn't help either. Trouble (the Labrador) is 4.5 years old - I've had her since she was 10 weeks old (came from Moree - not papered). Younger and fitter than Zeddy, so will always have the upper hand. Both have Alpha tendencies when I am about - something that I am VERY aware of, and certainly correct them if they start vying for attention. I'm not about to euthanaise either of them, and do have the facility to keep them separate if I have to. Neither have ever shown any animus towards other dogs or each other in public, and normally they are bestest buddies and enjoy cuddling up to each other on the couch or bed. Zeddy has always had at least one doggy companion, and Trouble has always had Zeddy. I know exactly what has triggered each of the serious fights they have had, and no two fights have had the same trigger - because once known, we just don't allow that trigger to occur again - vigilance is definitely the key here... hence this fight being a very long time since the last one. The injuries in this particular fight were not lessened by the Police intervention (heard me yelling at the dogs to stop and came over because they thought it was a domestic) - capsicum spray and bashing with boots and night sticks certainly didn't help the situation there... I had to back off and not intervene because of the amount of capsicum spray used... My vets had no trouble handling both dogs in the same room to administer to them after the event, and have declared that though the damage looks to be nasty, most of it is actually quite superficial. In total, between both dogs, there were about 10 stitches. Most of the wounds will not even have scars once the hair grows back. Do not doubt that I know I have some very serious thinking to do about my girls and whether or not I allow them to run together - or that I'm being at all frivolous about what course of action I will have to take from this point on. I certainly don't like having my girls try to kill each other - however irregular that has been. T.

It sounds like Indy is laying claim to you and/or the top position on the couch... Cayenne is reacting because she is now an adult and probably doesn't like being dictated to by Indy like she would have tolerated as a puppy. Possible solution is to make both of them beds on the floor to snuggle on in the evening instead of allowing them on the lounge - that way they are both lowered to the same level and Indy won't be "protecting" her prime position on the couch. Cayenne doesn't seem to have quite the protective urge about the couch, which is why she allows Indy on after her with no issues. Future issues could be resolved by not having them on the couches at all if they are going to behave badly about it... Another possibility is to have their own couch that only they are allowed on - and they aren't allowed on yours. I have a couch for my dogs, and they aren't allowed on mine - there are no issues because it is "their" couch, not a special place to be defended. T.

Four shelters/rescues/charities were selected from around Australia for these stamps - and I'm very proud to say that Tigger was a NSW Animal Rescue baby... ain't he a spunk! (he's even prettier in the flesh!) T.

My 2 desexed girls get on fine most of the time... but when they get into a spat it is downright nasty... Here's what they did to each other last Monday over a piece of food one of them found in the yard... Zeddy - 11 year old Rotti cross - had 2 ripped up front legs, punctures on a back foot, bruising to her chest, and she lost a canine tooth in order to repair the ripped gum. Trouble - 4 year old Labrador - had lots of punctures to face, ears, and neck, and a rip between her toes. I'd strongly suggest that if you have 2 females together, that you look seriously at pet insurance - my girls set me back $1360 for the above wounds to be treated by our vets - and they give me discounts... That said - I've had quite a few females run together with no problems at all over the years - but if you end up with 2 alpha bitches, it can be problematic (and expensive) at times... T.

Do you guys know anyone looking for a lovely, if exuberant and untrained, 12 month old Foxhound boy... he's been good with all other dogs he's been introduced to so far... He came into rescue via a rural pound, but we've had him looked at by a breeder and they have declared him pure - but we don't have any papers for him. T.

I have a couple of teddies and a couple of bandanas in my car left over from the Sydney Yellow Dog event - would you like me to bring them over to you? T.

Very cute... love how your Pug is asking for it on all sides... lol! T.

Cold power and Napisan... same as for my own gear... works a treat on my machine's "normal" setting. T.

I wormed my foster pup the other day... and he was a WMD for about 24 hours... ewww! I was calling hum Mr Farty Bum... T.

I agree with Greytmate... fear and stress can bring out the worst in a dog, and you may never be able to guarantee that the dog in question will truly settle into a lovely little lap dog - if something triggers that sort of reaction sometime down the track, then it can come back to bite you, so to speak... T.

The incontinence could be from a congenital disorder of the bladder... may need an ultrasound to verify it. If it is a congenital bladder issue, then it's not going to be something that will be fixed cheaply, or permanently. That could also be why she had the UTI... T.

Definitely lucky - I'll agree 100% with that Greytmate... and the girls are lucky that they have such tough hides - most of the wounds are fairly superficial considering how nasty the fight was. Zeddy has some more leg scars to add to her collection, and Trouble will add a few more to her facial scar collection. Once the hair has grown back, we shouldn't really see much evidence though... The drain in Trouble's neck is a result of a wound that wasn't found during triage that night - once the vet had Trouble knocked out and they did a through search all over her, that's when they found that one... so 2 trained vets and myself missed it first time around. Easy enough to do when the dog is all hyped up after a fight... all Trouble wanted to do was jump all over everyone and get cuddles... T.