Mel774

Yay! Puppy runs!!!!!!! I hope I can muster up the energy. Late nights and early mornings are too common for me now. Today is my day off and I'm exhausted, but no sleep in for me coz I had to take OH for work. I said to him "at least I can get some sleep on Sunday" and he said "you think? Isn't that Lure Coursing day??" D'OH!!!!!!!! But I did postpone Kaden's desex op (not thinking again! He wouldnt have been able to run if he had it this week!) so he's booked in for April 19 now. Just gotta hope I dont get fired before then so I can still get a discount!! Ah I'm rambling about nothing relevant. See u guys on Sunday lol. I still have no idea how to get to the grounds.......

I'll be there! Going to give Kaden his first puppy run

Where to do buy Eagle Pack from, I dont think I've ever seen it in stores or vets

No luck yet unfortunately. They seem to be hiding whenever we go into the yard (because when we see Kaden waiting at the fence, we go outside). I'm pretty sure I know what house it is but if my presence alone is already stopping it then I cant just go over to their house and have a go. Plus I dont know who in the house is doing it. I'm just keeping a very close watch of the situation at present. Right now I am watching Kaden burn off some fat with the good ol' fashion puppy zoomies!!!

What have you done for the community lately racknrune? I suggest you be a little more polite and considerate for a start before you begin throwing stones at people, particularly those who are hard working and doing a damn good job.

Didn't you say that science diet contained soy products??? (Soy should not be fed because dogs can't digest it, a lot of the crappy brands are wheat and soy based)

blacklab, Kaden's brother wont put on weight either which is why I was careful to keep his diet balanced. He was fed on Eukenuba and started to look almost anorexic and the breeder said get him off it asap and when I got Kaden she asked me not to feed him Eukenuba. He isn't really overweight (although I did get told off at dog training this weekend for him getting overweight) but I cant really feel his ribs that well now and he's definately heading that way. He is a solid boy so I've always taken it as puppy fat. He still has a fair bit of filling out to do, getting close to full size but still with a puppy body so he's got a good 6 months left of growing time I think. KJ, glad your dogs have been going well on the Lab food. It does seem like a good product and Kaden loved it. If I get Royal Canin for him I'd be feeding with with some raw too. Could you please tell me what is the full diet you feed your labs (on an average week) and how much would you say it costs? (you can PM me if you want) I am planning on getting a friend for Kaden one day (not soon though) and it will most likely be a lab so it would be great to get a good retriever diet going to keep them both fit and healthy. Mags - thanks for the tip!!! I like the sound of discounts!!

Just so you know, I have never ever given him snacks other his training treats which he rarely gets - neighbours have been feeding him human biscuits behind our back and we havent figured out which one, just found him hanging around the fence scoffing biscuits and they only do it at night so it's been very hard to catch. His biggest weight gain started when he was off his food - someone is offering something better and I'm furious about it!!! I havent seen the vet range of Royal Canin, I'll keep an eye out. I found a web site that sells it for $20 per 3kg rather than $33 (but dont know how much delivery is)

holy sh** you can get beef mince that cheap?!??!?!?! I have absolutely no idea where I could get red meat that cheap. Cheapest I've ever seen is $6 a kilo and most butchers sell the most disgust chicken mince I've ever seen (no beef mince) Ok I need to find one of these greyhound supply stores!!!!! Maybe I should ask Greytmate, she's a coastie greyhound lover!!!

So this product is contained in all dog dry food or should I seek out one that doesnt contain SODIUM METABISULPHITE?? This is scary. Argh just when you think you've got it right! lol!! I am VERY VERY paranoid about keeping my dog in good health. He is my first ever dog, only previous dog I've had was my dad's dog who was fed an extremely bad diet and as a result, died from severe pancreatitus. Now that I am in charge of feeding my own dog, I will not let him suffer from ill health and I try to read everything I can before deciding what to feed him. Thanks for the info, I appreciate it a lot.

Wow thanks for that Kez, I was replying as you posted so I didnt read that before. He used to get a lot of beef mince as a little puppy (when he ate less basically) because we could afford it. Money is a huge issue for us at the moment. I have money saved away for him in another account but I cant really draw much from that at the moment because I keep it for his medical bills and he's getting desexed soon. He has a lot more money than I do lol I'd be happy to feed him beef, kangaroo or rabbit mince but I dont know how much this would cost or where I would get it from. I have to draw the line at horse meat I think.... although my OH assured me that it's in the cats food so that's just great :rolleyes: I only started him on chicken coz it was what the breeder fed and its cheap and easily obtainable. I'm a little scared by those fat content figures...I have 5kilos of it sitting in the freezer!!!!

He gets occasional beef mince (not often though as we cant afford it), some lamb bones when the butcher has good ones and sardines as regular extras in his meals. That's why we also kept him on some of the dry food that the breeder was feeding him because we wanted something that was nutritionally balanced without giving him a completely dry food diet (the breeder had him on chicken mince and supercoat). I want to get a really good quality dry food that will help him get some of his vitamins and things he needs. I have always been hesitant to ask vets because they tend to repeat the rep's sales pitch. Now I work at a vets clinic so I know I'll get recommended a bag of Eukenuba or Hill's Science Diet. I'm not sure if I'm eligable for a staff discount (Not sure if they have them and I've only been there a week). What are your opinions (open to anyone) on these dry food brands and value for money also.

As some of you may have read - I have a problem with inconsiderate people feeding my dog junk food. He is starting to become overweight despite me cutting down his food portions (I had no idea he was being fed extra until last night). His diet consists of chicken mince, vegetables, chicken necks and sometimes frames and the occasional lamb bone (though he hasnt had any recently). His breeder suggested we also keep a small bowl of Supercoat puppy out for him, so this is sort of his lunch. He doesnt eat a great deal of it and I've taken it away from him now coz I think he's too big for puppy food. I am wondering how I can reduce his fat, while still keeping him on an inexpensive and natural diet (Money is extremely tight at the moment, only spent $37 on food for us this week and $8 on him, but I do have a job now so things are going to be ok again in a few weeks) I was looking at Royal Canin food today. They have "maxi" size foods for large puppies and they also have a good light brand. I dont need to drastically drop his weight, just curb any weight gain and try to lose some of his extra kilos from his naughty snacks. The guy at the supply store gave me a sample of food specially made for labs and goldens (Royal Canin Labrador Retriever 30). I couldnt afford to just buy the 3kg bag (which he insisted was a weeks worth of food but since I dont like feeding kibble as a primary meal ours would last much longer). I gave Kaden the sample tonight and he LOVED it!!!! He kept looking for more. I fed him a couple of chicken necks too and he was still very hungry (the sample was fairly small) so I also gave him a very very small portion of his mince. He's happily rolling around in the garden now. His diet has worked so well for him in the past. He's got great gums, fantastic teeth, stools are good, coat is soft and shiney and he's very happy. The pet supply guy made a stupid comment about being forced to starve him if I ever wanted to get his weight off on BARF but I know he was also trying to make the sale. I told him he was never getting a primary kibble meal and I wasnt able to buy the product today anyway (so I got away with the sample instead lol). Ok... so in summary: -How to reduce fat intake on BARF? -Is Royal Canin any good? Particularly the retriever food -Does anyone know of any web sites that sell it so I could save on some costs? -Any other suggestions?

yeeah! Go dexter!! Congrats

Lucky ducks!!! There are some big changes coming to our dog school re:agility as a result of Susan Garrett. One of the Scallywags owners went along to the one in Brisbane last week and she said it was brillient and really got her thinking

It's pretty much already been said but.. She doesn't know what she's done wrong, she knows she's getting in trouble, which is why she cowers when you tell her off. She wouldn't connect it to the washing, she could have done 100 things since then that were just as fun (play with her toys etc). You should never tell her off for coming to you (including greeting you - you have to be the exciting person she wants to play with) or for anything she's done if you havent caught her in the act. The other day I caught my dog digging and by the time I saw him, he had raced over to me for a pat - I couldnt tell him off even though it was just a few seconds ago that he was wrecking the yard!!! Can you barrier off the area where the washing is?? Since it's a fair way from where her bed is, maybe you could just get some fencing and stop her from getting there if you didnt want to use a containment system. Otherwise buy plenty of clothes hangers for inside!! My pup (golden) has always been involved in the whole washing deal. He sits with us as we load up the machine and then enjoys the shade that the clothes provide as we hang them up. We always hang everything in half so nothing is dangling down near his face. He's never been phased by it. Worst thing he's ever done is nicked a peg from the basket and walked off with it!

I like playing with hoops! I had a great dane go through a hoop in my class last week - hilarious! He was all legs poor boy! The little cross in my class was great, jumped straight through...cept her mum stood on her lead so she was pulled back prety quick! Ah yes the fun of beginners!

Can I ask when we can look forward to the next trick of the month?? I love reading these I am in the middle of teaching my dog to roll over and bow. Bow being quite trying!!! Only had the chance to click him twice and it sparked his interest, but not enough to do it again!! I was wondering also if you know of any good tricks to teach cats? I have taught my kitten to stand on her hind legs and come when she's called, but due to lack of imagination - I cant think of what else to teach her (other than getting on and off chairs)

Oops! Hiccuped!!

Me me!!!!! I'm going!!!!!! I'm in the same boat as you too - my pup will only be 8 months old at the time of the course and I asked them to let me bring him but they said no and granted me an exemtion from bringing a dog. I am soo excited about it! Can't wait!!!!! Are you working at a dog training school or have time to fit in work with a school? It's part of the course requirement to work with a school that has delta grads or uses only positive training methods. Thats the only thing I'd worry about fitting in with full time work. I love the readings and study, the books on the list are great. It's taking me ages to read them though coz I am overloading on notes. Writing stuff down is how I remember. See you in March!

wow...I didn't know that one. I'm at about 6 years for my tetnus shot. The shelter asked me about it before I started working there, they wont let you if it's over 10 years. Maybe I should get a booster soon since I'm around other peoples (or nobodys) dogs all the time.

I've heard that some chews can't be spilt because the active ingrediant is throughout. Sentinal doesn't do fleas does it? (Or if it does, not as well). I think that is the choice really - you either use Sentinal and use extra flea treatment or advocate with drontal every 3 months for tapeworm. I was going to use Sentinal but ended up with three different ones this time (mainly because we have a big flea problem at our new place and flea rinses just aren;t working for us).

I have this book and didn't think much of it at all. There was a lot I wasn't happy with and after feeling good about myself for dissagreeing (it's the only way to know if you have an opinion!) I have put it away and not bothered with it. Just because people seem like an authority doesn't necessarily mean they have the best methods for you and your dog. There are a lot of trainers out there that will get you results without using any method you'd be comfortable with. I have a 5 month old pup. I know the whole dominance issue can be a stress, but try to relax a bit more. You CAN be mates with your dog and still have a good dog. I have a great relationship with my dog. He has tried to put me in my place and the game ends there and he has to be alone. Eventually he realised that if he wanted cuddles and playtime, he had to show me respect and let me make the rules of the game. I love my pup to bits and he is always excited to see me. I am a dog trainer myself, but I always try to put my relationship with my dog above how he behaves. He will make mistakes, I will make mistakes. As long as we understand that we'll be just fine. I'm off to give him a belly rub right now!

Never train if you're frustrated/angry with your dog. You'll only create bigger problems that you'll need to deal with later (same as always end in positive I guess).

I agree, Leonburgers are beautiful!!! My pup was given supercoat puppy by the breeder so he was straight into it. He gets two raw meals a day, a chicken neck or two and a small bowl of supercoat hanging around during the day to snack on when he's hungry. He likes supercoat enough for me to be able to use it as treats for him (but only if he's hungry). So if you want to use supercoat for your dogs in the future, make sure you start them on it early.