Odin-Genie

Why not stand on the other side of the door with some really yummy treats and ask him to come? When I changed my dog door from a flexible flap to a fixed flap, my dogs were initially unsure. I used lots of treats and pushed the door a bit initially. When they came through, they got loads of praise and treats. I did this for about three hours off and on to reinforce the habit. Next day they were using the dog door without any problem.

Yes, I've heard this as a reason to NOT clean up when the pup can see you, but never believed it makes any difference. I wouldn't be too concerned, consistency works well, pysco-analysis will just drive you nuts. I always cleaned my puppies' mess in front of them, without reprimanding them. Didn't have any issues. I now have two perfectly toilet trained dogs.

I allow my dogs on the bed on weekends early in the morning, or during the day when I'm reading. But at night, they know they have to go and sleep on their own bed in the lower level of the house. The bedroom door stays closed. Works well for me.

I took my puppies out from the moment they got home. However, I carried them 80% of the times, unless we were at a friend's place. They were allowed to walk on the road only after 16 weeks.

I like that method. For me the key is that the dogs should realise I give them the food and I decide who gets what. They don't get to decide by fighting with each other. I give them lamb shanks, raw bones and they quietly eat it half a meter from each other on their own rugs. I never leave them alone when they have high value food, but they are quite comfortable being close to each other and eating.

I would like to know more about this too. My dogs are currently on: Advantix: for ticks and fleas Annual heartworm shot I would like to know what is the best product for regular worming. I currently have Excelpet.

As others have said, don't do that. Getting to that point takes time. I started training them to eat together when they were pups. But I've felt comfortable leaving them alone in a room to eat by themselves since about the last six months (they are 19 and 15 months old now). It didn't happen in a day.

I actually trained my dogs to eat at the same time with their bowls in the same room without touching each others' food. Now the one who finishes first walks away. My goldie used to be food aggressive but has no issues now. They sit quietly next to each other and wait for their turn when I give them treats. Worked better for me than trying to manage food aggression. I would recommend training them to not go for each others' food.

Umbrellas Rain Mops (I had a tough time stopping my elkhound from thinking this was a game )

I got my goldie spayed at that age. The vet dropped her off after work. She was a bit woozy and slept the whole night. I also made sure that she didn't run around for the next week or so. Kept her inside all the time with toilet breaks on lead. I have two dogs so it was tougher. Separated them for a week. She was her usual self within two days and wanted to play. So keeping her still was a challenge.

What are you using to clean the pee? I used Urine Off when toilet training my dogs. Worked really well.

So how does the dog then know it is doing the right thing ? I don't think you are doing the right thing at all. I don't give treats to my elky for corrections, only praise ('good boy'). I learnt the hard way. As a puppy he would consistently run away with socks, books etc. Every time he listened to 'leave', I gave him a treat. The smart fellow quickly figured out that he could get plenty of treats by listening. So he would get a sock, leave it on command, then get another I stopped the treats and used the 'good boy' phrase to reward him when he listens to a correction. Now he leaves things on single command.

How old is your puppy? Almost all puppies do that. I used to have scratch marks all over my arms when my dogs were pups However, if it's not corrected at an early age, it can turn into a bad mouthing habit. Every time your puppy tries to bite, make a high pitched 'ouch' sound and move away. Don't make eye contact with the puppy for some time. Soon it would learn that biting puts a stop to the play and is not fun. Also, give the pups lots of chew toys.

I had a dog door for my elky when he was about 10 weeks old. I fenced off parts of the yard that sloped into the bush area.

I guess I can see good points on both sides of the debate. Controlled socialisation is the key for me, which basically means that I don't put my dogs in a situation that is new without being cautious. At the same time, going to the local dog park is 'controlled' for me since I know most dogs, my dogs know most dogs and how to interact with them, and if a strange dog walks in with questionable attitude, I stay very close to my dogs to ensure that they interact safely. I also leave the dog park on those rare occasions when a known aggressive dog comes to the park. After the play, some of us take our dogs on walks together. I am glad of this because my dogs are extremely good with other dogs. Sometimes my sister's 10 year old lab comes to stay with us. He has had a number of surgeries recently, so I was initially a bit worried. But they never bothered him. Another time a friend's dog (who my dogs had never met) came to stay at our place (JRT). Initially the dog was scared. My elkhound sat down in front of the dog and started to play with him gently. Within 15 mins they were all having a great time. So yes, I do see a lot of value in letting my dogs play with other dogs. But I would never ever let them face any kind of aggression by themselves. That's a lesson I'd rather they never learn.

I would've loved to come but Rouse Hill/Blacktown area is too far from my place .

I wash my dogs every two weeks since they are inside dogs. Their coats are quite nice and shiny (I get loads of compliments about their coats). I use organic shampoos (can't remember the brand) with aloveen leave in conditioner. After drying, I spray a bit of Plush Puppy deodorant. The leave in conditioner is meant to be massaged in after rinsing and towel drying the dog.

I'm not sure I'm following you. A 'one size fits all' approach to what - socialisation generally? Partly. But also how people approach their dogs. Perhaps there is no benefit in letting dogs play with each other, but some people do love to see their dogs play. Some others prefer to have dogs who don't interact with other dogs. Each dog is different. Each owner is different. And their expectations from their dogs are also different. So long as no one is interfering with another person's rights (eg letting dogs offlead in onlead areas, not controlling their dogs), why does it have to be one or the other? Let those who choose to neutralise their dogs against other dogs have their preference without implying that they are depriving their dogs. Similarly, let those who choose to let their dogs play with other dogs have their preferred way of life without implying they are spoiling their dogs.

Food for thought: aren't all dogs different in terms of temperament, personalities and motivations? And isn't that part of their charm? Then why do we have to have a 'one size fits all' approach?

Just to give an update on my goldie's barking problem. I took her for a long walk yesterday in the morning (earlier we used to take them for walks/play in the evenings only since we leave for work early in the morning. It was enough in summer since they got about 2 hours of walk/play in the evenings). Checked with our neighbours in the evening if she barked. We were delighted to hear that she didn't bark at all. Now we have decided to take our dogs for a walk in the mornings as well (even though it means getting up at 5.00 am ). Hope this resolves her barking problem since it only started with the winter time changes.

I've heard you can use them in place of a bath. For emergency use only I'd say for times when the dog gets dirty & can't be bathed. I usually buy them from pet shops. The Petcare 2000 warehouse (I go to the one at Castle Hill) keeps them, or CJ's Petmart in Hornsby. They are not a good alternative to bath, but good for quick wipes if there is a bit of mud or their paws are dirty.

I never let my puppies in the living area unsupervised till they were completely toilet trained. In your case, I think the smell of the pee is on the carpet which is encouraging your pup to go there. Use Urine off spray as suggested by vjb and restrict access to that area. Worked wonders for me.

Do sardines soften the poo?

I want to train my goldie not to bark. She has recently started barking a lot. Are these legal in NSW?

The lower level of my house has concrete floors. My dogs also walk/run a lot. I haven't clipped their nails in over a year (except the dew claws). Everytime I see the vet I ask him if the nails need clipping, but he says that are getting naturally filed. They are really short, close to the paws.