missmoo

where abouts in the Northern suburbs are you? You can try The K9 Company (Eltham, Hurstbridge), or Wiltja Dog Club (Bundoora) There will be plenty around you just need to decide which one best suits your requirements. cheers, MM

Hi Cosmolo, Have you tried acupuncture?....my girl had displaysia in both her hips and both elbows and arthritis in every other joint, and the acupuncture worked well for approx. 12 mths....your dog can have regular treatments or can also have a procedure where little acupuncture "balls" are injected/implanted into the joints...its a little too technical for me to explain here but it does work for a little while and isnt that expensive (or it wasnt when molly had hers done)....there are a few vets in Melbourne that do this I also elected not to have surgery on Molly's hips and elbows, 1 because of the cost and 2 because no matter how gifted a surgeon is they cannot replace every joint in a dog's body....you can take the pain away from the joints that are replaced but not the rest.....unfortunately Molly went into chronic real failure at 4 & 1/2 yrs old from being on NSAID every day since she was 9mths of age and from then on nothing worked and the hardest decision I have ever had to make was needed.... do what you can for as long you can....you will know when you need to make "that" decision good luck MM

You could also try StopsItch or Topi Topi as it is also known - it is a tea tree based product, also Vet's All Natural Dermal Oitment will help with any hot spots and help to heal the "patches". I have used Comfortis for fleas on my Lab and it does work well but should be given to the dog on a full stomach. Some dogs can get an upset tummy otherwise. The main thing is to find what the allergy is and treat accordignly otherwise it will continue to reoccur. good luck MM

I would take your dog to the vet.....trying to vomit or vomiting can be a sign of early stage kidney failure, the dog feels sick so throwing up or trying to is a dogs way of trying alleviate the feeling...i am no expert and i am certainly not saying your dog has this but you should probably get another opinion from a different vet cheers, MM edited for bad spelling and even more shocking grammar

one thing to remember about some brands of dry food or kibble that is manufactured overseas; when it arrives on our shores it can be up to 18mths old. the only way for the food to stay "fresh" is with preservatives and additives. do your research and choose the food that the dogs thrive on the best....just because it is expensive or can only be purchased from a Vet does not mean your dog will find the food palatable or tolerable. MM

Hi Kirty, You can also try The K9 Company, they are out Eltham way and run classes on Sunday morning and Tuesday nights. cheersm MM

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Hi Rocco, That must have been scary for you. It is every dog owners nightmare come true. I would suggest either feeding him bones that are small and he can swallow without chewing that wont cause a choking concern, ideally we want our dogs to chew all their food but some dogs a gulpers. I have a labrador and he is a Hoover so i know how you feel. The other suggesion would be to feed large bones like big cow leg marrrow bones. These bones ar too big to swallow and must be chewed on. If you are concerned about the fat content then have your local butcher scrape the marrow out. The important thing is for you to keep an eye on your boy when feeding bones and then removing any left over - if there is any! cheers, MM :D

Hi Tiddles the best thing to do would be get a trainer in to help you. dogs need to learn how to walk with manners on a lead and a trainer will show you the best methods for your dogs. good luck :D MM

there could be several reasons puppies go off their food.....some worm tablets can upset their tummy for a little while but that should fade by the next day.....if a dogs tummy is upset drinking milk but not eating can be a sign as the milk helps take away the feeling sick part.....I would not worry too much unless it happens for a few days in a row.... she may not find her diet palatable anymore...try mixing her food up with fresh meat, vegies and little puppy dry food......IMO Pal is no the best you could be feeding your pup there are other brands out there that dont have preservatives, additives etc....just a note tho....any changes to a pups diet should be done slowly as this can also cause a tummy upset...... dont get to stressed if she does not eat, after 10 mins if she hasnt eaten or finished take her bowl away.....try again at her next feed.....she will not let herself starve ..if she is hungry she will eat generally puppies dont teeth till they are 5 mths old, you will notice when her teeth are bothering her as she will chew everything and I mean everything, scurting boards, all her toys, shoes, curtains, anything to make the discomfort of teething more bearable, when this happens give her lots of puppy chew toys, put them in the freezer or give her frozen chicken necks or wings etc to help relieve the pain edited for really bad spelling

is your pup rolling onto her back? Weeing when ppl approach and rolling onto their back can be a submission gesture rather than excitement. If pup starts to wee when being pat, stop patting and walk away. The behaviour will stop over time

I think you need to teach your dog to avoid the toads in the same way ppl teach their dogs to stay away from snakes. This type of training needs to done correctly from the start so i would recommend contacting a trainer in your area for help. MM

Shaun, You have to be patient with Henry's toilet training. He is just a baby afterall. Teach Henry to wee on command, this will come in handy for putting him to bed or when you want him to go to the toilet for any other reason. Take him out 20 mins after he has eaten and stay with him until he goes, praise and allow him back inside. Get him to follow you outside regualrly not just for toileting use the same route each time if you can, this will alleviate any confusion on Henry's part on which route to taek outside. Toilet training can take a couple of months. Finn wasnt toilet trained till he was approx. 16 - 18 weeks and we worked hard and were diligent from the day he came home at 8 weeks. As a measure, you can consider Henry housetrained when he has not had an "accident" inside for about 4-6 weeks. If you are still having trouble talk to us on Saturday. cheers MM

I have no issue with a pup sleeping in a 10 year old's room. I would say tho make sure your son and yourself train the pup to sleep on the floor in one place or use a crate, and that someone may need to take pup to the toilet duing the night. Puppies are hard work sometimes even at night.

My lab baby was on Supercoat as well as some raw food when he was still with the breeder. When he came home he got a mixture of dry food along with raw meats and vets all natural. Now his diet is mostly fresh food. Just because a dog food is "made" for dogs doesnt mean the dog will like it or even be able to accept it. Like humans, there are some foods, they just dont like or for some reason their system cant tolerate. I would suggest switching foods and gradually adding in fresh food as well. There is heaps of choice out there, and the suggestions posted on here are all good choices but if you are unsure contact a small animal nutritionist who will be able to help you out.

My black Labrador used to chew rocks and pretty much anything else he could get his mouth around particularly when he was teething. You mentioned your pup is 5mths of age. Your baby is teething most likely. The rocks are probably cool in his mouth; the throwing in the air is a game to him probably. Labradors are prone to chewing almost anything; be vigilant and fence the area off if you can for now and give him plenty of toys he is allowed to chew and reward him (pats, "good boy")when he is chewing something you do allow him to. For teething; give him cold or frozen bones like chicken necks; chicken wings etc (providing you give him bones already)....you ca also buy puppy teething chews you can freeze or refridgerate. Edited for bad spelling

having a deaf pup presents a unique set of challenges. I'm no expert in silent dog whistles but i would guess these wont be suitable for a deaf working dog. U could try vibration or e collars ( e collar on a very low setting with lots of training in close first) that can work from a distance but not sure of their max working distance. My advice would be if you want a working dog get a one that can hear and let someone else take the deaf pup as a pet that can work in a closer environment. Deaf dogs are lots of hard work and IMO would not be suitable as a working dog. There are plenty of loving homes that would be willing to take on a deaf dog as a pet good luck. Someone else may be able to give you the advice you are looking for Cheers MM

Hi, We run puppy classes at Fountain Gate as well. cheers MM

do you want to train on Sundays still? Or is any other day ok?

Muddybear, There are a couple out there. The National Dog Trainers Federation (NDTF) offer a Certificate III in Dog Behaviour and Training. IMO this is the more rounded course of those out there. It gives you a lot of information and teaches you different techniques on offer to train a dog. As with any course such as this; you need to keep an open mind if you are going to get the benefits from it. It is well woth doing. They offer a local and Distance Learning package. I found the local much more rewarding. I started out doing the Distance and swapped to the local. have fun MM

It is fine to take your pup out of the house now. You just need to be careful where you take your pup...for example DO NOT take your pup to the beach, off leash dog parks etc...these areas are uncontrolled (by that I mean you do not know who has or hasnt had their dogs vaccinated, if the dogs are sick etc). If you think an area looks dodgy then carry pup around otherwise let him walk around. Your pup needs to get out and about to experience life to help him be a well socialised adult dog... cheers, MM

hi there is also Shaw Pet Services in Eltham. cheers MM

Sorry to read you lost Bella.... ;) :p ;) Dogs grieve over a lost "companion" just as humans do...you need to give Boss time to deal with his grief the only way he knows how, but you still need to keep the boundaries you have always had.. Dont be surprised if he isnt interested in playing with you or anyone else or even other dogs, he is missing his mate very much.... If Boss is used to having a companion around and now not having her is a big adjustment for him.... I strongly suggest you get a behaviourist in to help you with exercises to help reduce Boss's frustration, loneliness and anxiety/stress he is probably suffering...It is not uncommon for dogs to develop seperation related behaviours when one of the dogs in the house dies or moves to a new home... Good Luck

there is a game called "find the heel", but it works better off lead, it may work with a long line but I have never tried.

Sharon, How old is Digi? Before rehoming him talk to a qualified behaviourist and the breeder first......Digi may be showing aggression because he sees you as "his" or he doesn't recognise your son as part of the pack...which is very real problem....whatever the problem, you need to get on top of the aggression as quickly as possible...in the meantime do not let your son near Digi...everytime Digi has a "go" at your son he is "winning" which will only cause the behaviour to continue without intervention MM edited for spelling!