lucylotto

agree re monitor and cardiologist. 24 hr monitor would show heart rate response to exercise or perhaps a doggie stress test to assess same. Dogs can have pacemakers implanted if required.

I agree, tolerance is a wonderful attribute. Well put. (I do enjoy reading many of the debates tho and have learned sum stuff I didn't know and use what suits and toss what doesn't)

would make life simple if was that easy to get..at coles. thanks

thankyou moosepup! It has now been a day or so since the berries started dropping and I have noticed after playing with them initially, they seem to have lost interest...must not taste too good either. They are very hard little balls. thanks for looking this up

Am hoping someone on DOL may be able to tell me if the berries our palm tree is dropping are poisonous to dogs. The palm is an Archontophoenix alexandrae (Northern Bangalow Palm) and has red (when ripened) berries size of a marble. I have read that deer eat them but I can't find anything re dogs and I know that dogs can't have some things eg chocolate and macadamia nuts, things that say humans safely eat. Anyone know bushtucker stuff out there?

I have just been thru this with x2 pups. I growled 'no' plus minus yelp (cry) at mine as tho I was their dog mother or another pup they were hurting (tried to speak their language). If they were chasing my legs as I was walking I would growl, stamp my foot and stop in my tracks until they stopped. This worked well for me. Good luck with it.

I've been using advocate as it treats so many things but now am wondering if I am harming my pets. Have x2 cats and x2 dogs. Live in the flea and tick capital of the world. So much so that the advocate is pretty useless with flea control anyway and I have to supplement with capstar and rinses. I'll have to look up the warning. If I change to interceptor plus advantage, how does water affect performance of the treatment? My dogs swim just about every day.

ooh. thanks for letting me know

All-in-One UrineFree The only urine remover you will ever need. www.urinefree.com.au Have just bought this to try......just a thought

Heh heh...I've always been considered a littlewierd as I too love the smell of my dogs feet and the puppy smell is to die for. so don't feel lonely...I'm with you

Thanks for the great advice!!! When you had him in the laundry did you take him out to the toilet when he cried or did you set an alarm to get him up. WE cant decide what to do! At the moment when he cries we go to him and take him straight outside to wee and wait till he has done his business then bring him straight back in and to bed. Its only when we put him down again that he doesnt wnat to sleep and cries for quite a while afterwards. Last night one session went for 30 mins. Pretty much tearing our hair out by that stage!!! Hopefully soon we will stop feeling like zombies and maybe get a bit more sleep. Fingers crossed. All good traing for when we have children i guess!! Hi, we have just been thru all this too with two pups. I kept pup in bed/crate beside me and found I did hear when pup stated moving in the nite like he was awake and used that as a cue to take him out to loo. I made sure I didn't speak or interact except to take him out and put on grass, he wee d and I brought back to his bed all without a word except to say 'wee' and 'good boy' when he did it. I then became worried I wouldn't hear him so set alarm in case I didn't wake with him....I set it later and later as the days went on to train his growing bladder to bigger capacity as he grew and now he can go thru the night. Second pup we got from rescue later and had to retrain her so I went back to basics with the crate beside me and now she too is OK overnite. Good luck with it all

Hi Whitka, this is not to advise you re the silica but to empathise......we have had many watchful days and nites. My 2 pups are so into eating and swallowing everything at the moment in spite of us all trying so hard to 'put everything out of reach'. We are well over the thousand dollar mark in shoes, thongs, glasses, furniture etc. Sometimes I eventually discover who the culprit was from their poos! There are so many people living in and coming and going in this house its impossible to chew proof it. Just cannot wait till they are grown out of it. Good luck with your chewy pup!

yes I agree, same applies to any profession. I see it all the time in the 'human' medical world and all trades. I have seen people with more certificates than others so more qualified on paper that I wouldn't let near me for them to practise on. Word of mouth is best.

The crate is a good idea if only for toilet training. I personally don't use it other than to sleep at night when trying to get the pup thru the nite without having to go to toilet. As pup grows so will bladder and eventually will get thru the nite. If the pup is in another room how will you know when it wants to go? You need to identify when it needs to go or toilet time it every 30mins or so to be able to 'teach' it want you want it to do and this can be as simple as a couple of weeks or a couple of months. But if it goes on paper most of time will be paper traned and also you won't be trained either to pick up on pups signs which is important for when it is inside with you and then you both train each other so eventually pup lets you know when it wants outside. Re the bathrrom...The pup may not soil its bedding but will soil 1 metre from it... The cat will be sorted very quickly and cat will be able to get away from pup easily and will probably end up good friends with pup if socialised well with it and not isolated from it. I have x2 puppies and x2 cats and it has't been a problem this time around or ever and have always had both cats and dogs. The cat being there first is an advantage as pup will grow up thinking cat being around as normal. I had never heard of 'crate training' until this forum and I used the principle for both my recent puppy additions and it worked so well. I had pup next to me when really young so I could hear it stirring and know to get up in the nite and take out to toilet. I loved not gettng up every morning to laundry/bathroom covered in soiled newspaper that the pup had invariable played allover and spread all over for me to clean up before I went to work! (like I had done all my life with new pups prior) Good luck with your new addition and which ever way you go with all this it has to fit in with your household...... it is such an exciting and lovely time ! :D

Damn it, I'm not going to start redecorating because of Barkly!! The baby gates were compromise enough. I won't do it. I won't do it. I won't do it ;)

Our pup WAS doing the trouser thing. I also found stopping walking and simultaneously uttering the gutteral low growl 'no' most effective as it is mimicking the mother's growl of disapproval we recently acquired a second pup and worked with her too. good luck

Hi Erny, the initial reason for this thread was about the evolution of the dog and, based on Ray's theories, how our domestic dogs today are most likely not the pack dwellers we like to think they are. Then it went off on a tangent with people saying that they see dogs hunting and pack hierarchy stuff.....etc...etc....etc. Since the theory is that our domestic dogs derived from the village dogs in early BC times, they too are most likely to scavenge to survive if left to their own devices rather than form a pack and hunt. Since attending Ray's seminar....and I only wish I had taken a voice recorder with me to record what he said throughout the 3 days, it has got me thinking about whether everything I always knew about dogs and the "pack instincts" and "hierarchy" was actually correct. Many people have given their views which has provided some very good argument, but I still cannot help but think that somehow we might be somewhat incorrect in our thinking of what our domestic dog actually is and what it may become if push came to shove. Anyway, I think I will wait until he comes to Oz next year and ask him all the questions I didn't think to ask then. tmc, I totally agree. Nothing nicer than watching the dogs working in harmony. Jen, yes I concur. It's always been the case of "because it is written, then it must be". For so long we've had books from Scott and Fuller, Skinner, Lorenz and all those other scientists telling us the way it is. Then along comes another scientist who reckons that some of it may be wrong. Lorenz was the first to admit that he was wrong, this must surely say something. No LL, he did not. But he did recommend going to Yellowstone National Park to see the wild wolf packs there. Apparently they are absolutely amazing to watch. Why are you getting bored with this one??? Perhaps someone else can start it and add their views first up.....I'd have to go and buy a new flame suit!!! Never heard of this case, what are the details. A few years ago on Fraser Island a 9 yr old boy was mauled to death whilst his brother watched on helplessly. He and families were camping and kids were separated from rest of family...no one got to him in time to save him. I remember it because I have x3 boys of my own and was overwhelmed with the horror, particularly as I had been there only months before with my boys and the dingoes were all around the island. I had to stop my boys from seeking their friendship (they have grown up with dogs but were still young ie ~9yrs old and needed instruction re danger etc.) My memory says dogs were not provoked but pack no. was greater than children no. Powers that be made a decision to cull dingoes after that as there were too many on island and not enough food for them due to isolation from mainland. I'm interested in thoughts on this cheers mel

that all sounds very logical and sensible........... :D

Hi ken f, we got our 6 month rescue pup bout 6 weeks ago and after about 2 weeks, in hindsight, I realised how stressed she probably was with the move and all. After 2 weeks we saw daily changes and grew to see her wonderful personality and she became more outgoing and trusting etc. As the stress of the new environment subsides she might be more responsive. good luck :D

Hi Anthony, I agree they are scavengers on Fraser. What type of behaviour was the killing of the 9 yr old boy a couple of years ago? mel.

I would agree. I had kids similar ages when we had our lab pup. Even tho they are just pups, they are so boisterous and nippy due to them being babies themselves, it can be pretty scary for young humans. (pain is antisocial phenomenom!) So.. we called in a trainer to teach the kids (and us) how to handle the dog ..they listened to him with a respect I wouldn't have commanded. good luck!

same for me Same again Cheapest I've ever found by far. Shipping is always fast and reliable too I buy on line -priceless or aussiepet. I do a search each time and make sure i don't pay more than $5 for postage. had no problems so far and much cheaper than petshops or vets .

I have bolded these two comments he 'knows" .. what proof do you have that he knows? ALL food is fair game for dogs... puppies moreso. The 'intention" bit .. were you smiling, and encouraging a swap? what was your body language? I am of the opinion that while puppies should , from day dot, be taught to show what they have in their mouths, and 'swap' at ONE request... dogs eating their meal or a bone should be left alone. Your pup is now viewing you as a threat to his food.. food is his ultimate prize..and YOU are a competitor, IMO. BREATHE.... be calm. he is a baby still. he needs guidance and education. BOTH of you need some more practice in interspecies communication ;) You may want to start doing THIS with your pup. It is a positive but non negotiable way to show him exactly who is in charge of the food ;) The only other thing I would say... based on MY experience.. is to keep the pup away from food areas! make the food IMPOSSIBLE for him to get! if it means keeping him on leash or in a crate for some time indoors.. so be it. If it means keeping dogs out while food is exposed in the kitchen..so be it. he can't get the food if it's locked away, basically ... :rolleyes: he is still a baby... and needs to have good habits taught to him... which will bring the rewards that his current BAD habits are doing now ;) Thanks persephone, thats reassuring.

My 7 mnth old is becoming food obsessed. sigh.. Stealing: Giorg will steal anything he can get if down low enough but now is jumping up to search bench tops and tables for goodies. He (and crime companion Bella) stole my sons choc filled advent calendar from bedroom and managed to get all the chocolate out of each months window. Both guilty with strong 'choc breath' on each of them. (milk choc and not enough to cause harm ie. not 250gm per 10kg of dog) Each time he is caught in the act we tell him very firmly in best growly voice "NO!" He understands "No" by the way. Aggression: episode 1. Most of the time I can take things from him easily eg toys, put my hand in his food bowl, exchange edible treats with him and his doggie mate can take toys and old bones from him but NEVER fresh bones or she will be attacked. I feel this is reasonable. episode2. However x2 now when he has stolen food he knows he is not to have, when I have rousd on him and gone to take said food from him, with intention of exchanging for a treat, he has wanted to take my hand off. I put my hand firmly around back of his neck but he would not give up. I managed to get part of the food from him the 2nd time but still felt he had 'won' the round and was unsure how to handle the situaion at that precise moment. After a minute or so I gave him a small treat and took it from him x3 each time returning it to him so he knew to trust me. It seems he is only aggressive when it is an exceptionally great (in his eyes) 'find' and he shouldn't have it. Has anyone had experience with this behaviour and what should I have done and do in future x1. re stealing - it needs to stop and 2. aggression in situation like above Would appreciate any advice. kind regards