sheena

So sorry to hear about your lovely Smudge. What was the vaccine for...not heartworm by any chance :D Some collies have adverse reactions to the heartworm injection.

Put your partner outside... Your pup is still just a baby & I sure your partner wouldn't want his baby to sleep outside. Sounds like maybe you should have discussed this with him before you got a pup

This is not a harness, just the thingo that attaches your dog to the bike http://www.callicoma.com.au/WalkyDog.htm

My old BC girl RIP gat dementia. First she got the arthritis, lost control of her bladder, went deaf & blind & then got dementia to the stage where she didn't recognise me & if I approached her she would run off as if fearing I was going to attack her & I had never raised a finger to her in her life. It was so sad....I loved her so much. The day I had the vet booked in to come & put her to sleep, she ran off & a neighbour found her two weeks later. We live out in the bush, & on a farm, so we were quite distraught. With her, it all happened very quickly, within about 6 months & started after we had her brother PTS for cancer. She was a good age though, 13, which is pretty good for a BC

One would think that the RSPCA would have enough power to shut down puppy farms....if they did their job right And maybe educating the public about where they buy their pup from ...but I don't think Mr. Public gives a damn IMO as to where the pup comes from...they don't even stop to think about health issues etc. How many people do you know who have bought their pup from a petshop or a BYB If you carried out a survey then I am sure the answer would be " most people"...except for those who aquire said puppy from a rescue centre, where the said puppy most probably originated from a BYB or a PF. More often than not, I am made to feel like some kind of freak, because I support the concept of ethical breeding & choose to buy my dogs from such breeders

I am assuming you have done all the training necessary & feel you are ready to trial. I would recommend going along to a trial & doing volunteer work as a leads steward for the weekend. That way you get to really see what goes on & what to expect. Before you can trial you have to register with your state body of ANKA.

I'd be trying to get him into a routine, feeding him at the same time every night..which would be the later time to suit all occasions. Maybe don't allow him to go outside for a couple of hours before bed, then when you do take him out he is more likely to do it in front of you & you can mark, praise & reward.

As far as the poo time goes...I would be looking at what time you give him his evening meal. If he is wanting to poo at 5am then feed him an hour later in the evening. I would have thought at that age if he has wee'd just before YOUR bedtime then he should be able to hold onto it till a reasonable hour. My BC girl can hold onto hers for about 14 hours & still has access to what ever water she wants through the night. It has become a night time ritual...just before bedtime we go outside, she wees (sometimes on command, sometimes not) then when we come back inside she puts herself to bed. She gets fed around 8 to 8.30 at night & doesn't need to poo till about 7.30 am. Also with the poos it might depend on what you are feeding him...with some foods the dog does more poos then it would on another food. What do you feed him at night????

I was in a pet shop a month ago buying some weed for my fish pond. There was an ACD X Lab big puppy in a glass cabinet & it didn't stop chasing it's tail the whole time I was in there. It was very distressing & I had to leave & I wont be going back to that shop. It was horrible...the dog just kept spinning trying to grab it's tail.

I use Permoxin on my Border Collie, every now & then, when we get an outbreak of tiny ticks. It is the same ingredient as Advantix, but not waterproof. She also get Proban. Never a problem here, except she runs a mile when she thinks she is going to get it put on.

Coolies??

I don't think we are talking about breeding dogs for a hobby...we are talking about puppy farms. I don't think genuine & ethical breeders, who are passionate about their breed, would have anything to worry about, maybe might cost just a few more $'s to stay in the breeding game, but this is added on to the price people pay for a good pup. If I were a breeder that bred for the good of the breed & not for profit, I would welcome puppy farms being put out of business. I cant see your problem with legislation which will crack down on puppy farms & reduce the number of dogs that go through hell in these places & many, many pups that have to be rehomed or PTS Maybe if legislation had been in place then people like Staffylover, who paid $2500 for a blue staffy that should never had been bred, might have been saved the heartbreak that she is going through

My BC was about 18 months old when I decided to crate train her. It was the best thing I ever did, cause not only does she have her own space at home (I have a cover for the crate), but she sleeps in it when we go visiting, camping or to dog trials. I used Susan Garret's Crate Games DVD & followed that. Also I reward her every time she goes in & again when I shut the door.

My active (tho not so active in this weather) BC gets her main meal at night & in the mornings she gets her raw meaty bone for breakfast AFTER she has been for a good run & has done some training. She also gets training treats during the day. I am sure if I let her free feed, even though she is not a guts, I am sure she would get fat & would have little interest in training if she wasn't just a little bit hungry. I am sure if I were to graze all day, then I would get fat (fatter) & lazy so the same would apply to my dog

I thought that might be the case...thanks for your replies everyone. It would be far more convenient just to have one 20 kilo bag opened at a time which can feed both my adult dog andmy puppy. Maybe the manufacturers could guide me as to amounts to feed a puppy. She would also be getting some raw meat with it plus raw meaty bones.

In this article it appears that the Queensland government is making positive moves towards closing down these horrific breeders. http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-natio...1223-196a5.html Obviously more needs to be done especially that other states follow suit...but it is a beginning

No...not me...I don't think I would ever change breeds..if I did want a change I would probably go for a nice kelpie from a breeder that I know well. I am so excited about the fact that my new girl has hopefully been concieved & waiting on ultrasound in a couple of weeks to confirm...it's a bit like going through a pregnancy with your daughter. But I am wanting to plan ahead & have all the right info on hand including the best food for her. Don't worry ...as soon as I get her, the whole world will know. I have been looking at all my puppy training videos & practicing on Bindi....very interesting

She hasn't been born yet but hopefully concieved, but I am looking ahead & thinking I would like to put her on it when I get her (a BC) as my older girl is doing so well on it & I will probably have to order a new bag of adult for her about the same time as I take delivery of new pup, so would get a 20 kilo bag of puppy at the same time.

I wonder if you can give puppy the adult one but just adjust the amount, but probably wheat would not normally be a problem with a pup with no known allergies in it's line.

I am surprised that no-one on this Forum has tried Black Hawk Puppy

I apply it with a sponge. Be very careful about getting it on the dogs face. I touched my eye with my finger, which had just been holding the bottle & believe me it felt like I had acid in my eye. Got me wondering about what happens when the dog wipes its face/eyes with a paw which has Permoxin on it

Six weeks is very young for a breeder to let a puppy go to it's new home. Curious as to why you got it so young When it cries are you taking it out to toilet, as I imagine at that age it would want to toilet quite often during the night.

Treat him before he moves, then extend it to a 1 second stay then treat, then after he gets the idea of staying in a sit & getting rewarded for it, then gradually add some distance, stepping back & treating him, before he moves off the spot. Don't increase the distance until you have him at least 80% proofed on the step before. He's a BC, right, so it wont take long for him to catch on to what the game is all about...good luck. Make sure you don't treat him for moving off the spot & always go back to him to treat & release.

That is a lot of food. My older shelties only gets 1/4 cup of dry with the young ones getting about 1/2 cup and they are meant to be in the 8-10kg range quote I suppose it would depend on whether the OP is feeding her dogs a high quality food or a lesser quality kibble. If its lesser quality than that is probably OK to feed that amount which is probably equivilent to 1/2 the amount of a higher value food. I would certainly cut out the ice cream & toast....no goodness in that, & definately no free feeding. Maybe your friends dogs that free feed & are not overwight are on a very poor quality food ;) What kibble do you feed your little ones??

I currently have my BC adult girl on Black Hawk. She has been on it now for about a month...one night she gets BH with meat the next she gets VAN with meat, & both days she gets her raw meaty bone, either a turkey wing or piece of lamb flap. Even though she has only been on it for a month I can see a big difference in her coat, which was always pretty good, but now she just glows & her coat is very soft. :D When I use up the VAN she will be on 100% BH plus meat & RMB. I was just wondering if anybody has any feedback on the Black Hawk Puppy kibble.