megan_

If you're still looking, I use Woofers World for dog walking, and I believe that they have a dog minding service too (your dog goes to someone else's house). I haven't use them for pet sitting, but I can vouch for the professionalism etc of the company - they are just great with my dog Fergus. I'm not sure how the cost compares - I think it is about $36/night. You can find out more details at woofersworld.com.au

thanks everyone for the replies. He seems 100% fine. No kisses from him tonight though

and remember to praise her when she goes outside - high pitched voice, like she is a genius. and I echo the "be patient" bit....it takes months to have a 100% reliable puppy wrt toilet training. Remember taht one she gets it, she may regress again. The key is patience and lots of positive reinforcement.

thanks...he is bouncing around happily...more worried by my tummy upsets as a result of it :-)

I feed my 9 month old puppy BARF. He often stores bones away, as all dogs do. Tonight, I found him eating an old chicken wing - it was craaling with maggots. Now I'm sure that it's okay, he's a dog after all, and he seemed to be enjoying it, while I gagged and ran inside....but, is this okay for a dog to eat? Often dog food websites say "no rancid food"

Poddlefan He's revised his views since GYDAB Megan. He now favours no grains whatsover. Sprouted grains would be a whole lot better than ordinary grain though. They are basically grasses. Thanks poodlefan

I'd suggest you go and buy a copy of The BARF Diet as a starting point. There are other good books on the subject but that's probably a good beginning. If you are going the whole way with raw feeding, I'd be removing the Vets All Natural from your dog's diet ASAP. Grains are a common source of skin allergies and VAN is full of them. For an adult dog I feed two meals of raw meaty bones and one meal of my homemade BARF mix. If you search for "Poodlefan BARF Recipe" here you'll find it but I would recommend you do some reading also. Hi Poddlefan, I have a cop of Billinghurst's "Give a Dog a Bone" and he says that sprouted grains, which Vets All Natural is, are good for dogs as they contain a wide range of vitamins, and he actually recommends sprouted grains if you can take the time to prepare them.

I guess that confirms my theory that Fergus is a genius :-)

Agreed Ernie. Interestingly though, I had to block off his doggy door today while I was at work as I had the gardener in. I was expecting a mess when I got home (total of 10 hours alone, with a visit from the dog walker during this period). He had held it all in! Even with a doggy door, I think they know the right place to go is outside. When he goes to the groomers he holds it in too.

I posted my response on the other thread, so there might be something useful there. Basically, I didn't crate train, but got a doggy door instead. It took Fergus a few weeks to take himself outside, and a few months to be 100% reliable. At 4.5 months old, I don't think you can expect total reliability from your pup. There are lots of websites claiming you can toilet train your dog in 7 days etc, and lots of people will tell you it only took them 2 weeks. Ignore them, because they only make you feel inadequate :-). Just accept there will be accidents, and on some days you'll feel like you do nothing but clean. If she still has a problem at 7 months, then start to look at other strategies. I never used newspaper, but I have floorboards throughout so it was very easy for me to clean up (with vinegar and water, most cleaners have ammonia which actually encourage your pup to wee there). Some people know have successfully put newspaper the door, and then gradually moved it outside. The theory being that she will bark/signal to go outside if the newspaper is in view. Whenever she gives you some sort of signal (whining etc), take her out and praise her like she is the best pup there is. When you get the dog door, you'll still have to let her out for a while, and then, one day it will just "click" and she'll take herself out. The key is persistence and patience. When you think she has it, and she is going outside for 2 weeks, she'll leave a surprise and you'll feel like it has gone backwards, but rest assured, she will get it.

If it was me I'd take her to the vet asap

I think a fence of some sort is the best option. I use expanding willow lattice from bunnings - for only $8

uhh...meant to write "I have ignored his behaviour".....not the advice!

Thanks everyone for the advice. I have ignored it and he seems 80% better already

Thanks everyone for the advice. RE: my location, I'm in Melbourne

thanks. He was indoors, but he has a doggy door so can use both. I closed access to his doggy door for a few minutes to show him he was okay - he scratched at it but calmed down eventually. I'm just going to (try) not to fuss over him and reward him for being very brave and not fleeing the house.

Hi All, I have a 9 month old mini schnauzer cross who is usually a care free, happy-go-luck pup. He is used to noise (I live near a train station, leave the dishwasher on etc) and being left alone (I work and he gets left alone while I go shopping on the w/end etc). He is very well socialised and is a confident pup who loves the house. I normal find him inside when I get home, as I have a very small garden. I went out for lunch on Sunday and when I got back he was a different pup. He refused to come inside, even when a treat was offered. He wasn't playing - just sitting there, not moving. When I went outside, he happily played with me - but he refused to come inside. After a few hours I took him to the 24 hr vet to see if he was ill. He got a clean bill of health. He has been slightly better today - he will come into the lounge if I am there - but will run outside the house the second I get up. He won't chase his toys or even come to me in the rest of the house. His tail is between his legs and he just looks scared. Before Sunday this never happened. I have no idea what happened - nothing appears to have fallen down and scared him. I know that this could be a fear stage issue, and I don't want to compound it. Should I ignore this (he is still sitting outside, nothing will get him to come through the door)? Thanks, Megan

It could also be her diet. I swapped my dog from Science Diet to raw food and it has gotten much better. PS - Fabric Softener has very harsh chemicals in it and should never be used on a dog!

I think you need to try a different range of things (one at a time, of course), and see what it responds to: i) Try yelping (like a puppy that has been hurt). If his motivation is rough play, this should stop it. ii) Stand up, arms folded, turn away from him (you'll need to help the little ones do this). Once he's stopped, and calmed down for a bit, praise him and give him a chew toy. If his motivation is attention, this should stop it. iii) As a previous post mentioned, if he is only nipping the kids and not you, then it could be dominance over the kids. Feed the kids first, let them feed the dog etc. And be rest assured, it is all normal. My mini schnauzer cross once bit my so hard it went through my shoe... and he doesn't have an aggressive bone in his body. I'm no labrador expert, but my understanding is that they have "extended puppyhood" so this behavior could be around for quite some time.

thanks for the replies

Hi All, I have an eight month old mini-schnauzer cross. I got him at 10 weeks and up until a few months ago I limited his walks to 20 mins at a time (as recommended by my vet, dog walker, Dr B etc). He went on 2 - 3 /day, but no more than 20 mins at a time. Over the last few months, however, my dog walker - who visits while I'm at work - takes Fergus on a 1/2 hour - 1.5 hour off leash play/run with a group of other dogs. He absolutely loves it and it has been great for his socialization. He has gone from an introverted 10 week old pup to a confident 8 month old. Some of this is due to my socialization, but a lot of it is due to his dog walks/plays when I'm at work. He isn't "forced" to run, and some of the dogs tire out and slow down - but not him! I also take him for a 15 - 20 min on lead/training walk every evening - and he is rearing to go. My question is: is this too much exercise for an 8 month old pup? I would hate to cutback on his dog walks because, while they are very expensive, he absolutely loves them and they are so good for my peace-of-mind and his doggy manners. However, if it's going to hurt him in the long term I'll cut it back... Thanks, Megan