chichihuahua

there's your clue. He is suffering. Suffering, really? He still runs around at the park and stops to sniff and smell stuff... I thought on hot days all dogs pant heavily. I admit I don't really see anyone else walking their dogs in this kind of weather but I was wondering if it's because it's too hot for the people or too hot for the dog. As I said, I would never walk my dog if it was sunny and hot, but if it was overcast and there was a breeze I just figure it would be safe.

I normally walk my dog during the afternoon. If I leave it too late my dog gets overly hyper during the day and also time-wise it is harder for me to walk him during the night then during the day, and I always like to make sure he gets a daily romp. At the moment it is summer so sometimes it gets VERY hot. Obviously when the temperature is high 30s and there is sun everywhere I do NOT walk him and would do it in the evening when it's slightly cooler. I'm just wondering about hot, humid days when it's overcast. If anyone is in Melbourne, I'm specifically talking about a day like today. I'm guessing the temp is in the 30s but it's overcast, there is no sun and there's a slight breeze going. I took my dog for a walk about half an hour ago for around 30 odd minutes. I make sure that we walk on the grass and try to avoid the pavement where possible and halfway through our walk I stopped at the park tap to completely drench him in water and also let him have a drink. He's about 4kg so don't worry, I'm not wasting too much water doing this! Upon immediately coming home I further wet him with water and let him have a long drink. Normally straight afterwards he's pretty zonked and will fall asleep immediately. But he is still pretty alert - if I start heading to the kitchen he will perk up and immediately get up to follow me in the hope that I might give him a dog biscuit. When we're out walking he's obviously panting and sluggish - I'm just wondering if I'm doing him more harm then good? I'd like to think I'm taking full precautions but I don't want him to get heatstroke. Do you think I ought to wait until the evening to walk him, or is it okay to walk him in these kind of conditions (overcast hot day with slight breeze). How hot does it have to get for a dog to get heatstroke? Oh I should add he's about 3 years old and very healthy. If he was old (7 years+) I wouldn't be walking him in this kind of heat.

My dog is pretty good when I leave because I crate-trained him from a puppy and also did a lot of brief walk out/walk in type exercises when he was small. Normally I just grab my bags and say: "Bye Cory!" when I leave. He does anticipate me going though, normally I get dresses, get bag and keys etc etc so he does know. On occasion I might stuff a kong up with some peanut butter to distract him but not always and I'm very pedantic about walking him beforehand so he'd be too tired out to care. I definitely make sure that he KNOWS or sees me leaving though, otherwise he'll spend the day looking for me and get anxious. If see sees that I'm leaving he's fine.

Dogs definitely need to be registered and it costs an insane amount to do so. I'm not sure about the other cities but I know that in Shanghai dogs are not allowed in any parks and the only dog park is probably an hour drive or so away from the city (so more suburbia). The thing is that the general population in China are very ill-informed of proper dog care and definitely would have no idea about puppy mills etc etc. Most people who own dogs do love them but would never do stuff like agility, puppy socialization classes etc etc, mainly because they don't know any better. And that applies also to things like registered breeders and puppy mills (I'm not even sure there would be any formal association for dog breeding over there). I'm also sure that a lot of dog owners use force to discipline behavioral problems, which I guess you could say is "cruelty", however you have to understand that the same applies to parents disciplining their children. "Grounding" is a foreign concept and if a child is bad then they would get a beating. It's not seen to be cruel - using force is seen as a "good thing", and a child getting hit by their parents is a very normal act. It's just culturally different there to here and that applies to things like dog being on the menu etc. It kind of gets me agitated when people write off a whole country or race JUST because of an issue that is socially ingrained and different to what they're used to. We eat beef and to some cultures that is seen to be the most vile act. And also we love our pork products and pigs are about 10 times smarter then dogs are and are often kept as pets themselves. It's a mentality thing - we as Australian "see" dogs as part of the family, so when we hear about dogs being a dish in other countries we get riled up and all "how dare they!". However the majority of australians do not see pigs as pets, only as livestock so we have no qualms about eating the product. It's the same in other countries - in places like India and certain parts of Asia dogs are not seen as pets but as pests and strays that spread disease.

Sorry, been out all day and am just reading up on the replies now. I'm in VIC, I think that it is up to the council that decides on whether cats have to be kept indoors or not. When I rang up the other day I actually spoke to a lady who informed me that there are no legislation in place to keep cats contained in my area, and THEN she added that her cats were left to roam too. So basically I called to put in a complaint to another like-minded cat loving individual which probably didn't help my case. I have talked to the neighbours in the past and also have done a letter drop but the damn thing still roams around so I guess they are just choosing to ignore me. And I definitely know it is their cat - I've followed it on one occasion to make sure. Yes, I am that obsessed! The thing is driving me crazy. Someone mentioned doing a Ceaser Millan type exercise with my dog and training him not to bark? Please share your tips!! The thing is my dog is an indoor dog and generally it's okay BUT the cat has these trumpet-like bells around its neck which is what my dog barks at. Every time the cat walks around its bells start ringing. I can hear it with my human ears very clearly so my dog can hear it even better which leads to his hackles getting raised and him making growling noises etc. I don't think I want to hurt it. I'm also pretty sure that the cat is microchipped, so I was thinking I would catnap it and take it to the pound so the owners get a huge scare which might knock some sense into them. Or else I was going to start ringing my own bells outside their bedroom windows which will set THEIR dog off and see how they like it. Anyway, thanks for all the replies, I did get some good ideas. Will threaten the neighbours and tell them I've covered my entire back lawn with rat traps so god help their poor kitty if it wanders through my property again. Am also going to ring the council up again and hopefully I'll speak to someone who is less biased. The hosing thing sounds good too, I've done a google and read that apparently sprinkles would also work but alas I don't have them and I refuse to spend heaps on money on this which really, should not be my problem to begin with. The thing with hosing the cat down is that it normally only comes into my yard late at night, around 11pm - 3am so I can't just sit around outside waiting for it. I'd look like some crazy person in a rocking chair. I'll try sneak up on it but that might be hard. Maybe if I bait it with some fish and trap it in a cage, then it might get the hint after a few nights to stay away from my property? I won't hurt it and will let it go in the morning but it wouldn't really like being trapped like that. The last resort is to catnap it but I will try some other options first. I was really hoping that there would be some kind of cat repellent spray out on the market but I guess not.

My stupid stupid STUPID moronic *insert adjective* new neighbours have a black cat that they let wander around day and night, doing whatever the hell it pleases. I live right next door and every second night without fail the cat will wander up along my house, past my windows, around the back and then up my porch with its bell ringing away loudly. It drives me nuts - I can hear the sound of its bell collar perfectly clear with my human ears so obviously the noise also riles my dog up. It's not pleasant having to placate a territorial barker at 3 am in the morning. At this hour, training is the LAST thing on my mind and more often then not I'm thinking murderous thoughts to said cat and said neighbours. Is there ANY WAY, lord help me, that I can keep this pest of an animal out of my property?? I am thinking in the lines of some sort of cat repellent spray or something, maybe motion sensor lights?? I am seriously contemplating kidnapping the creature and taking it to the pound. I mean, obviously the owners don't give a rats arse about their pet in the first place and frankly it might scare some sense into them to oh I don't know, KEEP IT INDOORS. And I have talked to them about this issue with no results. I was also thinking I might take up banging some pans outside their window in the middle of the night and see how THEY like it (they have a dog too, who is more of a barker then mine so that should be very interesting). What do I do??? I don't want to hurt the animal, I mean it's not the cat's fault that its owners are fricking imbeciles. I've called the council who has informed me that basically "cats roam/deal with it". It's absolutely a load of bullocks. I don't understand how cat owners feel so "entitled", just because they have a cat then they're somehow magically absolved of any responsibility and can do what they like. Is it morally wrong if I did kidnap the cat and drove it somewhere far, far away? Because really I can't see any other option for me to have a quiet night short of myself or them moving.

Hi all, My current circumstances may mean I may have to move into an apartment soon and I was concerned about my dog. I have no problems with exercising him on a daily basis but he does have a tendency to bark at loud noises (ie. kids playing loudly outside, random startle sounds, footsteps etc). I was reading up on electronic collars and was wondering if something like this would help curb this habit. At the moment he does mostly stop when I tell him to but I really need to get it to a point where he won't bark even when I'm not around. Obviously I know not to leave the collar on him when I'm not home but I was hoping that the negative stimulation might be a permanent deterrent after a few wears. Any advice would be appreciated!

oh who the hell cares? Some people aren't dog people, why does it matter? does everyone have to adore your dog? You've had ONE asian woman who crossed the steet, so you think it's the entire race? PLEASE. I find this entire thread very offensive. It's all whole lot of generalization and most of it sounds very ignorant.

Why is it that Americans fear muslims. Muslims must feel fustrated that they are expected to go out of their way to avoid them(Americans). lolz

ehhhh.... bit of a generalization. I'm sure plenty of Caucasian people are scared of big dogs too, and it's hardly surprising if mothers are going to steer young children away from an approaching big breed. Plenty of chinese people have dogs and are fine with dogs - there's always going to be people who are unsure of dogs or whatnot and it's not really fair to single a certain race out for it.

It's a bit of a vicious circle in fact then! Chicken or the egg? ... small dogs reacting to big dogs who are reacting to small dogs. From my experience I've seen an increased awareness in the average dog owner in behavioural expectations and socialisation. Have had my puppy Cocker Spaniel for a month now, and heavily researched how to best raise him, but have noticed already that while he is confident playing with my sister's staffy and neighbours staffy x cattle, he does get unintentionally hurt on occasion due to his size. Have limited their play area so I can step in quicker, yet can see how easy it would be for a larger dog to injure (even unintentionally) a smaller dog and create a fearful dog starting the circle over. Have also owned a staffy who was small DA. From my untrained parent eyes, I would swear he thought of them more as prey than fellow dogs Actually no - most big dog owners I know who have ended up with dogs who react to small dogs now avoid dog parks, off lead areas etc and have their dogs firmly under control. There is an owner of a chi x who walks in the same area we do - it runs up to the big dogs yapping and carrying on and nipping at hocks. The owner's diversion strategy - call dog's name and when it responds, treats it. Next time it happens I will be pointing out that she has taught her dog to agress as it gets rewarded for it. They ignore they fact that small dog under 5kg running around under the feet of a 60kg dog who is trying to see what the noise is about is a dangerous combination - all it takes is one misplaced paw. I think that's a bit unfair. That owner sounds like she is training the dog to recall... whether or not it actually is doing more harm then good is another issue, but to me it sounds like she is at least can control her dog to some degree, or is trying. I think you all don't seem to see this but not everyone is a behaviorist or have had numerous dogs or have a huge amount of knowledge in terms of dog training.

I'm a small dog owner. Of course, I believe that small dogs and big dogs should have the same kind of manners, I don't think that it's "cute" when my dog starts barking at strangers or at other big breeds and I get extremely embarrassed when this sort of thing happens. However I also think that small breeds suffer from the "small dog syndrom" due to fear. My dog suffers from anxiety and when a big dog comes over to give him a sniff, he gets really scared and generally reacts by letting out a bark or two once the dog leaves (I keep him on leash when big dogs are around - well, most of the time anyway). I think because of this fact, it's hard to deal with this sort of behaviour as it's a catch-22 sort of thing - if you don't take the dog out to meet big dogs then he'll continue with the behaviour, however taking him out to meet big dogs result in people eyeballing you and getting that embarrassment factor in play. In regards to treating big dogs as opposed to small dogs, when I got C, I was pretty adamant that I was NOT going to treat him like a small breed and I was going to treat him like a normal dog. However due to his size (or lack thereof) this can be hard too. I'm constantly worried that he'll get hurt, in social situations I worry that someone might step on him. If we were out walking and we came across a large dog on a leash, I cross the road because I don't know the dog and worry that if he lunges, that would be the end of C. Which in turn, probably adds to his lack of socialization around big dogs. Children as well. I know it's good to socialize dogs with kids but my dog is 4kgs and I've had the most unfortunate experience of watching my 5 year old niece pulling his tail and picking him up around the neck and it was just horrific. Because of this he is scared of children and I don't trust children around him either. I understand that you need to socialize your dogs with other dogs, but it can be really hard especially if you don't know where to start. Behaviorists are expensive. I'm looking at getting a professional help for C to try and curb his anxiety problems, but before that I was just trying to fix things by myself and it was very difficult trying to work out what to do. Most of the time I just avoid the situation and cross the road etc. If C lunges or barks I tell him a firm No but mainly I just remove him from the situation. I think many small dog owners who have these kinds of issues aren't necessarily ignoring the problem, but more uncertain as to how to fix it. And like I said, socialisation is a catch-22 sort of thing. I don't know anyone who has a large breed and I don't think anyone would appreciate it if I took C out and let him charge at their dog repeatedly. And C has been rushed at too by big dogs - mainly in a friendly manner if we're at the dog park and I have him on lead, other dogs bound over to give him a sniff and he is TERRIFIED. Also because he is on lead he probably feels unsafe and helpless, but then if I let him off the lead he'll go into bark mode. Trust me, most small breed owners are aware of their dog's issues and are just as sick of it as you are!

I have a question, I heard that if you desex your dog at a really young age then they stay puppish for life, always bouncy and playful and slightly mischievous. I don't know if this is true or not but my dog was desexed at 10 weeks. He is now 2.5 years old and while still young, he is still really playful and we jokingly refer to him as an ADHD dog. My friend's dog who is also half mini foxie like mine was desexed at 1 year old and he is much more relaxed, more calm and gentle. I don't know if dog personality has anything to do with this but IMO that theory kind of makes sense - if you desex your dog at a young age I would think that certain mental? or hormonal changes would never take place therefore resulting the dog to mentally be perpetually youthful. Anyone else can shed some light? I kind of regret desexing my boy so young, don't get me wrong I love his personality and all but sometimes I do wish that he was a bit more mature!

I'm with Pet Insurance Australia, I was torn between Pet Plan and PIA as they were very similar, however Pet Plan has a policy that they only cover 65% of your dog once it reaches 9 years or more which kind of sucked. So even if you insured your dog with them at 2 years of age, by the time they were 9 it should automatically jump from the $100 to having to pay upfront 35% of their medical bills. I ended up going with PIA as I expect that my dog's medical bills will be higher as he matures and I don't want to be out of pocket for a costly expense later on in his life.

Thanks for your advice guys, I will head down to the local butcher tomorrow and seek out chicken necks/liver/human grade mince (not sure what that is exactly). Pretty soon my dog will be eating better then I am!

Hi all, I have a 3kg small breed dog and I'm interested in starting him on a partial raw diet. At the moment he is feed Science Diet twice a day (morning and night) and I was hoping to introduce some raw food, maybe a bone for his morning meal or some mince mixed in with his kibble. I'm just a bit uncertain how to approach this. He's very small so I'm worried about him potentially choking on bones, also I'm not completely sure what to feed him exactly in terms of raw meat. Is it the same as the kind you buy at Safeway or Coles, that you use for making hamburgers and cooking? That kind of raw beef mince? Or it is some sort of special unprocessed kind? Do I need to heat it up or do I just give it to him straight from the freezer? Do I only give him bones/mince/liver etc or should I also incorporate steamed vegetables? I've also heard some people talk about how some dogs can't stomach raw food and I'm just wondering if that's an issue relating to the size of the dog. Basically, is it okay for me to feed my chihuahua X raw food, and is so, what kind and how do I exactly prep it (ie. do I just purchase a large bone with some meat on it and let him gnaw at it straight from the freezer?). Thanks for all your help!

Hi all, I have a bit of a problem with my dog. He's perfectly behaved at home - listens, sits on command, waits for food etc etc, however the minute he is outside and he spies another dog or some really obese person (I think they scare him? He seems to really get worked up if a large person walks towards us), he ignores me like I don't exist. I try to snap him out of it but he gets all glassy eyed and fixated on the dog/person/stroller etc. At home he's fine, even if he's one-on-one with dogs at dog parks he's fine too. It's really annoying because I don't know if I'm training him properly or not. We go over everything in the backyard or at home, or even with a friend's dog he's perfect, attentive - but that all flies out the window once he's outside with outside stimulation. How do I best tackle this situation? My dog is just so selective it's hard to know when he's trained or when he's not! For example, some days he'll take to random dogs he meets but then on other days he will bark at them. It's the same with the people we pass on our walks - some days he'll be fine and won't notice them but some days he'll fixate and bark. It drives me insane!

I'm glad you want to be a responsible dog owner. I guess we all have to start somewhere, and it's very commendable that you are taking the time to ask questions regarding your dog's health. I have to admit, I got my dog from a BYB too - not a purebreed, just a mutt from a litter... but still, a BYB all the same. Mind you, I waited till he was 10 weeks old before bringing him home and at the time I certainly didn't know what I know now about dogs. All I knew was that I didn't want to get one from a pet shop and never push their noses into their mess when toilet training. The rest I learned over time though what you're doing now, researching and asking lots of questions both here and other places. Anyway, I didn't mean to attack you for the 5 weeks thing. I was just a little bit shocked, but I understand you generally didn't know and I'm sure in future you'd be more wary about it if you ever get another dog. Good luck to your puppy! She's gorg

I'm sorry but I don't know ANYONE who would advise that a six week old puppy is fine to leave its mother. And I've also read through the tread and I didn't see anyone address the five week thing aside from a passing comment like: "oh, he's underweight", "oh BYB". I think under this circumstance it is important to address the issue directly and advise that taking home ANY puppy before 8 weeks is just plain irresponsible. Obviously the important thing is maintaining the health of this pup but I still feel that the OP should know the ramifications of her actions. 5 or 6 weeks is just way too young and if she in future is planning on getting more puppies it is important for her to realize this.

Perhaps it would let her know how irresponsible the "deed" was, and also educate her and other lurkers NOT to do it in future. Are you saying we should all just turn a blind eye to this fact? Perhaps in future she should think more before bringing home a puppy at 5 WEEKS OLD.

I'm not an expert on huskis but I think at such a young age it is probably better to walk her around 20 mins - 30 mins a day as her bones would still be growing and too much might put on strain on them.

There's an elephant in the room which no one has addressed yet.... you bought a puppy home at 5 WEEKS??? and you wonder why it's under nourished and sick??? That's beyond irresponsible. I'm just speechless.

Motivates the dog? I dont know.... he just runs up and barks at people so perhaps it's nerves? it's not really aggression, as bad as the barking sounds. he actually quite friendly so i think perhaps it's just him amusing himself more than anything. and i dont really help the situation either as i tend to chase him after i get frustrated/embarrassed so he thinks its probably a game. i took on everyone's advice about the long leash and ordered one over the weekend. it's an 11m loose lead so hopefully that will teach him that there is no other option but to come when i call. in regards to ecollars, not really my thing.

My dog is a little mini foxie cross and he's almost two soon. Normally he's quite well behaved, he knows to sit, down, shake paw, beg, come, stay and leave it. The problem is that when he's outside off the lead, he has "selective hearing" and often will ignore me! I don't really know what to do as when I have treats he does come but if I don't have them he completely ignores me. How do I get it to the point of him coming to me regardless of whether he gets rewarded or not? I've been practicing this for two years!! Another thing which really bugs me is whenever he goes off lead at the dog park and spies another person, he will run circles around them barking and is impossible to catch. It really doesn't help that I cannot for the life of me get him to come back. I even carry a squeaky toy with me to distract him, but after a while he lost interest. Treats don't work either once he gets in his barking "zone". I've tried just walking the opposite direction but he pays no attention to me. I'm not sure what to do! Is it best to use a clicker? And do you think if I could get him to come back on command then the barking thing would be more controllable? I'd love some tips!! P.S He's normally pretty good, I can take food/toys from him freely and he submits to me if i tell him to be quiet, but all this seems to have no affect whenever he's off lead! I also take him for a walk/run every day so it's definitely not like he's got all this pent up energy or anything.

Hi all, thanks for all the help! I ended up feeding him ice cubes and giving him some honey every two hours until the morning when i took him straight to the vet. he's fine! very chipper today and the vet said his temp is normal, stomach fine and he wasn't dehydrated so it was probably something he ate. he pooped just before and it was solid, very normal. am 10000% relieved! this has definitely hit home how much i need to get my arse in gear and get my license soon.