Red Fox

Yep, human toothpaste is not good! (though I wouldn't be stressing about him having it just that once). You can buy dog toothpaste instead or I have even seen fresh breath drop for dogs around the place lol. Sardine breath doesn't bother me too much, however sardine vomit on my carpet last week.... now that took some serious work to get out eta: here you go- doggie breath mints recipe http://www.wikihow.com/Make-Dog-Breath-Mints

Yep, 6 weeks is fine. It says on the packet that you can leave up to 45 days between treatments

I'm not sure if this will be of any value or not as I dont know what is wrong with Simba. I have a dog who had recently had on and of tummy upsets for well over a month. The first the vet diagnosed as a tummy bug but after that there was no real reason. Anyhow, I took hi to the chiro a few weeks back who adjusted his back and aked me if there had been any recent tummy upsets. Apparantly the area that was 'out' related back to digestion problems/tummy upsets/IBS etc. Since seeing the chiro he has certainly been much better. Maybe that is something that you could look into? A chiro might be able to help with the limp too. Apart from that does Simba have an intollerance to certain foods that could be causing the issue? (certain types of meat or grain?) Does I/D have rice in it? I've never used it so I dont know, but when I was told to put my boy on a bland diet of boiled chicken and rice the rice did not agree with him at all. We switched it for mashed pumpkin instead which was much better for him and then to raw pureed carrot which also worked nicely. Have you tried an elimination diet? I hope you can get it sorted.

I dont think that your toilet training is undone just yet You need to get rid of the scent of the urine before it becomes a habit though and maybe try blocking off the loungeroom for a few days or restricting the pups access while he is in there by either crating him or keeping him on leash. I have read here that biozet washing powder is quite good for accidents (breaks down the enzymes), there are a few commercial products on the market too which should do the trick (Natures Miracle, Urine Off etc.) And if there is a lot of pee you could always try steam cleaning your carpet as well (and sending your sister the bill!) If you able to get rid of the scent and keep up the praise when your puppy goes outside it shouldn't be too much of a setback In future I'd be refusing to let your sister have her loose dogs inside your house until they are toilet trained. If she refuses to come then too bad.

There's only pressure on the dogs muzzle if they pull against the leash! Otherwise the noose is loose and they are free to pant, bark, etc. If my dog were to keep pulling in a halti I would NOT keep using one and it would be an indicator that it's the wrong tool for that particular dog. Yes but that's my point Shelle. If the dog doesn't pull in it at all then why do they even need it? And if the dog doesn't pull in the head collar but then then pulls when you remove it and use a flat collar, then obviously the head collar is contantly aversive to the dog when he/she is wearing it and that is what's causing the change in behaviour. Anyhow, this is not to say that I think that you or anyone else is 'wrong' or a 'bad owner' for choosing to use a head collar on your dog (as in your case you are quite obviously a responsible owner with a happy, healthy dog ). But I do think that there are better options out there. JMO

Well she obviously wants a new one then.

You are as bad as me Ness! Thanks Clyde. I've seen some pics of Ruthless' collars here before, they are lovely ;) I'm actually leaning towards getting a non leather collar at the moment though as it would be much better for around the river. I'll check out the link :p

anyone

Well I dont know what the dogs would see in each other but I can certainly imagine what the owners saw ($$$hint, hint$$$) I can't imagine that they would very quickly sell for $700 though Even if they came desexed, vaccinated and wormed with a puppy pack (which I doubt) that would be pushing it!

I'm after a reasonably strong flat collar to use as a back up to my training collar but also occasionally use on it's own. I currently have a nice 2" thick leather collar which I trust 100% but sometimes it's a bit much. I also have a 3/4" Blackdog collar which is nice and soft, good for rego tags too, but with the plastic clip I just dont trust it to use on it's own. So I'm looking for a happy medium between the two. I was planning on just getting a 1" leather buckle collar (from Leerburg or Mendota) but just came across these: Collars Doublebraided made by Mendota USA http://www.trenigens.com.au/doublebraidedcollar-p-35.html They look good and would be much more suitable than leather for going down to the river. But does anyone know how strong they are? I also found them with an extra ring at the back http://www.prok9supplies.com/pages/product....php?prodID=627 not sure if that would make a difference though? Does anyone use these collars? and what do you think of them? Thanks

No, this was completely different. I have seen puppies who are uncomfortable or annoyed at wearing a collar or a leash, I have even seen them sit there and refuse to move. But I have never seen one completey shut down on that level. There is a world of difference between the two. And my dog is happy to see his prong collar come out :D It means 'We're going for a walk'. I'm not saying that all dogs will react badly but there are a good percentage that do... If a dog associates a head collar with walking then no doubt they will be excited to see it and wont have a problem with the owner putting it on them. But here's a question- If a dog is so happy to wear a head collar and is completely un-affected by it at all then why bother even using it? What are you achieving when the dog could just as easily learn to walk on a flat collar? As far as the pain is concerned, I can't see how having pressure put on the sensitive nerve endings around the face or having the neck pulled sideways continuously would NOT be painful in the long run Yeah it's great that they are walking their dogs. And I'd rather see a dog that is walked on a head collar than a dog that is not walked at all. To be honest I had nothing to say to the OP re the thongs on the haltis. no, it's probably not great for the dogs but hey if it wasn't bothering them then it's not the end of the world is it? They were out being walked on the beach with their owners rather than sitting at home in their backyard like many dogs are left to do. I do however have an issue with those that think a head collar is the be all and end all, or the only way that a dog can be taught not to pull. IMO they are a quick fix and not a long term solution. There are plenty of better options out there anyway Agreed GG I'll be intereted to hear how you go with the trainer too

I agree with Huski. I had an obedience instructor put a head collar on my dog at 4 or 5 months old and watched him shut down completely. And when I say 'shut down' I mean he went from being a happy pulling puppy to a dog that would not move nor even look at me. Ears down, tail between his legs, it was awful to see I do believe that it can be painful for a dog to have that kind of pressure on it's face. I'd rather use a prong or martingale that (as Longcoat said) is only a short sharp correction than a constant aversive.

Well not always. I had to have surgery 2 years ago> I wont go into what or why as it is not relevent but it was urgent and I didn't have a choice in the matter. It cost me almost $10,000 and I had to raise that money myself. Pets are a responsibility and if you dont have the money you shouldn't have one. But it is understandable if they made that choice out of consideration for the puppies long term health rather than the money side of it. You should move to Victoria then, I have had 2 emergency operations and havent paid a cent other than our hefty taxes. When Squid was violently ill, I rushed him to the vets. His mouth was blue so they suspected internal bleading. I told them to open him and fix it. That was over $1000. They then told me he had cancers covering his spleen, I told them to pull it out. $1600. They did, then they told me after all this he had no more than 3 weeks to live. I told them to PTS. $100. I found the money then took my dead dog home and buried him. I should have PTS without removing his Spleen. When he was a puppy I brought him home with Parvo. Had him for only one afternoon then, $2500 later I took my beautiful boy home and loved his guts out for 8 years, but I was a working young person with no responsibilities. Now I have a family of 3 kids and one income. I wouldnt spend that money, but I wouldnt take a pup without knowing its history either. You live and learn. If a dog is in terrible pain, it needs to be treated. At least they did that, even if it was in a way that disgusts you. In my case it wouldn't have been covered unless I had private health insurance which I didn't. It doesn't disgust me to have the dog PTS at all. But it does do my head in when people buy a dog but aren't prepared to pay the vet bill if something goes wrong. If the people truely couldn't afford it, there would have been ongoing medical issues and/or the pup was in pain and needed immediate treatment then I have no argument over PTS. They would be devastated. If they just thought that $1000 is too much to spend on a dog well I'm sorry but that's not good enough for me. With Squid's situation PTS was the kindest option. In hindsight you can say that you should have done it before the surgery but at the time you couldn't possibly have known that

Well not always. I had to have surgery 2 years ago> I wont go into what or why as it is not relevent but it was urgent and I didn't have a choice in the matter. It cost me almost $10,000 and I had to raise that money myself. Pets are a responsibility and if you dont have the money you shouldn't have one. But it is understandable if they made that choice out of consideration for the puppies long term health rather than the money side of it.

Like this?

As long as I dont have to bake Ness Sooo, what's for desert?

It's really bad and he doesn't get them very often but .....Macca's chips God help anyone who tries to sneak a happy meal into this house and not end up covered in drool Of what he is allowed to have his favourites are sardines and goats milk

Mine won't touch food with them crumbled in. I have to slice them and hide completely inside cubes of raw meat. Even then he is wary and manages to spit a few bits out. It takes a lot of food to get a dose into him. How frustrating! What do you normally feed your dogs? Kei is on a raw diet so I just crumbled it in on sardine night. I guess the smell/taste of the fish hid it well as he didn't seem to notice I can't imagine he would eat it mixed in with dried food though, it would be way too obvious in that case.

Pawpaw cream? Kei used to always have a dry nose but it has cleared up since I put him on Inner Health Plus

Kei would be a dole bludger ..or a hippie Work?... nah man ...like what for man?... when I can just like lay here on the couch and just watch these pictures like move around on this magic box. Cool...

Well I found out something very interesting tonight. I was planning on chopping Kei's Interceptor chew up into tiny pieces and mixing it in with his dinner rather than trying to get him to eat it from my hand (not going to happen lol) or jamming it down his throat. So I got the chopping board out, took the chew out of the pack (or rather hacked it out with a steak knife as it is damn near impossible to open them any other way ), gave it a little squeeze and realised - hey, these are pretty soft. Then I worked out that if you rub the chew between your fingers the bloody things CRUMBLE. And pretty easily too! Oh JOY! Crumbled chew mixed in with dinner. Dog now wormed and problem solved

I will do that Dyzney I didn't know it would be that easy for them to order it in. I have to admit though, I was getting desperate - I only have about 5 days worth of food left as I didn't realise it would be such a drama to find in Adelaide But wow, I have lots of options now though so it should be a breeze to find from now on

Thanks Sags, I should have thought of you! At least I'll know where to look when my new 6kg bag runs out

Thanks Dyzney. Yes the Supreme is fantastic, my cats condition has improved beyond belief since he has been on it I've ordered some from Pets Pantry so it's all sorted now. Unfortunately the cat formula (particularly the Supreme) seems to be harder and harder to come by. I was quite upset today, after finding an Adelaide shop who had plenty in stock the lady asked me to email her with my details for postage prices but when I clicked onto their site I found that they have a constant supply of puppies and kittens which is something I would prefer not to support. I will have to get in touch with Pet Pacific and see if they can help for next time though Ness, Thanks for the link. Pookinuk only sell kitten and diet so no good for my skinny cat lol.

Thanks for that I didn't know they delivered to SA but it seems they do! I'll order from there instead.