Skruffy n Flea

horse 2008, if you're not taking heed of the advice given in this thread then you only have yourself to blame for your dog's condition --- and your dog is already suffering... has the vet talked to you about your dog's thyroid? canine hyperthyroidism pm erny for details on having the bloods sent to dr jean dodds in the states. good luck in your endeavours

classic conditioning sit your dog in front of you with a treat that your dog considers high value [eg, low fat cheese, cabanossi (a food you do not feed the dog except during training)] and repeat over and over: name [and treat], name [and treat], name [and treat] etc etc --- expect no other response from your dog and soon enuf, your dog will learn its name associated with happiness [that is the treat]. you can slowly [or not] wean your dog off the food reward by replacing that food reward with physical affection... that technique can be used in a multitude of ways same as below too --- [say 'look' and hold the treat up to your eyes --- teaches the dog to look at your eyes], when the dog looks at you [your eyes], treat and continue consistently in the same manner [the dog will learn to look at your eyes [despite the treat being in your hand at your side] and to hold the look; then you treat]. plse don't forget that your dog has a high distraction rate [as does all dogs] until you reign it in with training so don't be put off by failing to get your dog's attention --- it happens to the best of us and it will continue to happen despite how well controlled your dog is JMHO

over the past several years i've fed my dogs a percentage of food based on their ideal body weight --- i do that twice a day and in an effort to maintain that routine, i've under fed them at breakfast, leaving room for treat training [or just a treat and or an rmb] and then rounded out their quota in the evening meal coupled with a late night snack box [all up basically equalling 200 gms of food each per day]... lately, i've wanted to know more about a dog's digestive system and of course, how a dog digested food and i came across information supplied by mogens eliasen [k9joy.com]: an excerpt from his book 'raw food for dogs; the ultimate guide for dog owners' the dog's digestive system; and his site's education page why your dog needs to fill its stomach on an irregular basis i found this information somewhat intriguing and wonder whether any dolers follow this feeding philosophy --- i wonder also that with breeding and evolution, does it still apply? do you follow this or a similar feeding philosophy? what's your particular routine? what are your thoughts otherwise? thanks

Please be careful when walking your swf's that they are not sniffing too close to fences that contain other dogs. My friend in Melbourne was walking her swf a few years ago and was chatting with her friend as they walked along. The lead went tight and when she looked back, her dog had been dragged under the fence by either a pitbull/X or a GSD/X (two dogs were in the yard) and before she could do anything, her little one had been ripped to shreds by both dogs. It has taken her a long time to get over it and is perhaps food for thought for those with little dogs that think they don't have to be as vigilant as those with big dogs. noted and thanks for the reminder --- i have in the past allowed my dogs to approach fences along the footpath, but now they'll be confined to the nature strip only... my heart goes out to your friend

corvus, you make me think and thank you! your reply opens up other possible conditions in my dogs' behaviour that are vaguely dawning on me as i read your post i can't fully appreciate it all yet but after the week i've had, 1stly walking them separately and 2ndly discovering the level of separation anxiety each suffers, it will likely take me several weeks before i can put it all into perspective --- for the moment, i have enuf intel to make headway and with persistence and consistency, ima gunna give it my very best shot... i'm considering implementing clicker training too because i'm concerned about my repetitive use of key words adding to their level of arousal... professional help? yup! [for the dogs too *giggles*] but that only happens when i feel defeated --- that's when i hit the interwebz and research 'til pennies drop, ideas take shape, and techniques manifest... i'll revisit this thread over the coming weeks to report my success [or lack thereof] and or to read again the replies and or to seek further advice when and if changes in behaviour occur oh, and i've joined the cu_dogs yahoo group ;)

thanks for your input corvus --- it's a lot to take in! ftr, i am now walking them separately --- bella only reacts to people; she is in love with people [an affection whore :tongue:] and she is the very same at the dog park. byron was surprisingly easy to walk; he didn't even notice rogue's house or that rogue was laying on the front lawn [with the gate open *holy crap*] --- it may have been that byron felt a tad out of sorts given this was his first venture out without bella! he did react to an approaching teenage boy and also to a dog being walked on the other side of the street --- it's difficult 'being ahead of his game' in that by the time i'm aware of a distraction, he is too and already on alert... yesterday [sunday], rogue's owner was enjoying a few beers with his neighbours in their front yard; rogue was with him, off-leash and approached bella, not too badly, but also not in a manner i was comfortable with [we were 2 houses away] or with rogue's persistent keen effort to get to bella [she didn't seem too comfortable with rogue's attention either] so i put myself between them as john [rogue's owner] approached to manage and retrieve his dog. during byron's walk, rogue and another off-leash mid-sized dog [from the 'party' yard] near rushed byron, which set him off with me holding him behind me while i stepped forward towards the approaching dogs [damn! i told john i was bringing byron out in about 15 minutes and could he leash rogue; he said he lost track of time!] --- john and the owner of the other dog both took control of their respective dogs. in retrospect, i should have taken a different route, because i set my dog up to fail. this is gunna take some stamina on my part... i am conscious also of the separation anxiety the one left at home experiences --- neither dog has been without the other for 18 months; they can deal together with me and/or OH being out, but that's an issue we've dealt with before [when we first got bella and we left her home alone] but we managed that out of her; my OH said [when i was walking byron] that for the whole time we were out, she moaned and whined, even when resting on her cushion. he did some treat training with her but as soon as that was over, she resumed her whining and moaning. byron on the other hand [when i had bella out] muffed [his little bark] a few times but nothing extreme yes and with both dogs. i use the 3 keys ['what's this?', 'look!', and 'this way'] inside the house [and out back] about 3 times a day for up to 10 minutes each session, treating each positive outcome [one [or another so sometimes 4 times per day] of those sessions plays out on my driveway, onto the footpath and the nature strip but for likely up to 20 minutes]. i also direct them to the 2 spots on the fenceline where they can see the respective neighbours' dogs, using the same keys --- i also practice 'conditioning' in that i'll say the 'key' and treat [word, treat; word, treat] a number of times so they associate that word with reward... i do miss the mark; what should or can i do when that happens? understood and i am very aware of this possibility --- i direct him onto the nature strip to engage his nose in the grass and i reward that behaviour [with physical touch], then i use the keys as we move around and along the nature strip then if he hits his threshold, i take a deep breath, physically but calmly turn him away from the trigger, put him in a sit and then wait for his ears to hear me [key], for his eyes to see me [look] and his nose to re-engage with the treat [when he's worked up, anxious, he won't take a treat, he refuses it, or when near settled he will take it but drop it]; i persist, using my keys until it passes [once he's heard me, seen me and re-engaged] and he finally takes and eats the treat.am i on the right track? i've not read that book, but i've read quite a bit about it, learning and taking tips from those using that technique. that sounds cheap i know, but i'm taking small steps to see if i can get it controlled first. as i've said above, i'm conditioning both dogs to learn that responding to my keys means reward --- word then treat, and then in the house without any distractions, and also on the driveway and in the front of my house where there are some distractions and although i'm not experiencing a resounding success, i do see some changes in both. having only just started walking them separately, my next step will be to separately condition them on the driveway and out front.byron is a tough nut to crack; we don't know his background and my OH thinks he's a tad left of centre --- i think he lacks confidence and if he doesn't, he's just stubborn. for the moment, i'm hopeful for a positive future with the information i've obtained from the advice in this thread. no, i'm not and yes, i do fear that i'm misreading her behaviour. BUT, when at the park and a dog is approaching byron, she will run just in front of byron and 'turn him' in another direction --- that's in a calm setting tho. at the fence, she barks at him close to his ears, she appears to nip at his cheek/neck [never engages], front paws his back, and runs from one side of his body to the other [she bahaves this way also when trying to engage byron in play --- byron will respond positively, or negatively with a sharp yap at her, and sometimes i'll step in just to stop her barking]. they both play very well together, always have, and sometimes it can seem a bit ramped up but never to a point where we think it's escalating. this latest behaviour tho, as i've only noticed this about her [when bryon's arguing at the fence] does have me concerned in that i can't decide if she is trying to redirect his behaviour... yes, i understand, and it is playing on my mind --- when i first noticed her reaction to byron i just stood there and stared [this was at rogue's fence] barely an effort to control but in my defence and with what i've learned over the past several years about dog training and behaviours, i was taking mental notes as i watched her and how bryon reacted to her.as i've said, i'm not certain whether she is attempting to correct his behaviour but this behaviour is only apparent when byron ramps it up at the fence [rogue's or our neighbours' fences] or when she's attempting to engage byron in play when he's not interested in playing [per earlier, he will sharply yap at her and that sends her on her way --- curiously, if he grumbles, she will persist and 'better than telly' ensues: zoomies like outa this world!]. i've observed on a number of ocassions that if bella is alerted to something [when byron isn't], she barely makes a sound --- she will bolt to investigate [the backyard] and might snort once or twice [and perhaps squeak if she hears the cat that lives over the back fence] but all in all, she will return to her cushion without fuss. IF BYRON tho is firstly alerted, she will follow in kind; barking, squeaking and rowrowrow-ing responding to bryon's raucous behaviour [sometimes to a much lesser degree if she's not certain as to what byron is reacting to]. so, yes, perhaps over-aroused and all that goes with it per your post and i am mindful that if not kept in check, could be a disaster waiting to happen. is there anything, other than what i'm already doing, that could help me control both their behaviours? is walking them separately likely to have a flow-on effect in this regard? thanks again

this link may be helpful to you, and others, considering that rosemary is a common household herb... good luck to you and your dog

thank you for the replies i considered this a prospect earlier tonight and now having read your reply, it cements the idea in my mind --- the bolded part has settled what's been rattling around in my head; notions that hadn't yet gelled... excellent advice! i do not envy you and wish you all the luck in the world... well done! your technique has obviously worked and it seems you've also reminded me of another very important fact, that which i have bolded and i believe that byron's lack of trust and low confidence goes to his issue too... thank you staranais and pretty miss emma for your much needed advice mish13, as pretty miss emma suggested, work/walk with each dog individually for a shorter period of time --- your four dogs may each need an hour's exercise but with this new information and me already feeling less overwhelmed by my own situation, it's becoming clearer in my mind that this type of training mixes physical exercise with mental exercise and both combined will tire a dog in a shorter time than it takes to simply walk it. does that make sense? i am a novice but i do a huge amount of reading and research and i knew all this stuff but it just got lost in me being overwhelmed and perplexed and embarrassed that it was doing my head in, so what staranais and pretty miss emma suggest is exactly the right thing to do thanks to both of you

how precious!!! it's a dead giveaway both mine have no smarts about that at all!!! GET OUT !!! there's not a lot worse than bedding down and becoming aware of the smell of raw meat wafting over head --- it's a bugger when you're dog tired and then finding a yummy partly chewed near rotting raw meaty bone squirelled away between the pillows near the wall... removing the offending article has to sometimes be enuf cuz it's just too late to care about the sheets

bookmarked!!! i lub the interwebz as your name suggests --- stay calm, breathe... get 'em some carob! when we have chocolate, my two get a lil funky cuz they're not allowed to have it but i treat 'em with some carob and that keeps both us and the fluffies happy great result :D

thanks for the tip i've picked up some 70cm x 70cm polar fleece blankies with paw prints for $3 each from the el cheapo pacific store type discount shops --- pretty good for what it's worth! small i know but i have 2 swfs and a cat and they're pretty well perfect for them! they only come in a royal blue and i s'pose you'd call it apple green tho...

hello i have 2 swfs; bella who's 3 in july, and byron who's probably 3 already [maybe 4] --- we adopted him in october 2009. both get along really well, play together beautifully, no food aggression and both perform perfectly well at the 'small dog' off-leash park. they also cohabit nicely with our 17 mo cat, bobbie byron is the issue: on-leash and at the sight of another animal or human, he will lunge, snort, growl and bark --- this makes walkies a challenge but not one i shy from. i know from experience that he has no intention to cause any harm whatsoever to humans and i've proven time and again during our walks that this is so; i've asked ppl to stop and let him greet them, but not anyone with a dog he hasn't met before [on 2 occasions with dogs, he and the other dog/s greeted nicely and normally]. a neighbour [on my side of the street but several houses down] has a GS bitch; her [rogue] and bella became friends [not playmates] before we adopted byron and it all seemed fine but things in that household have changed dramatically over the past 12 to 18 months and rogue now defends her fenceline emphatically, to such an extent that during that time [and i'm told] rogue jumped her fence and attacked a small [foxie type] dog from across the road [the vet bill was high, it survived and was relocated from the neighbourhood to a member of the owner's family]. byron anticipates as we approach so in training him to be less reactive, i mix it up; some days i cross the street avoiding rogue while other times, i'll make an effort to desensitise him, spending time on the nature strip on either side of rogue's house and in front, redirecting his behaviour, treating each time i get a positive result. i also short leash him, giving him the 'uh uh' and march right past --- but this is the only controllable situation on our walks. rogue also responds to me but only to the extent that she'll back off from her fenceline and return to her verandah leaving byron space to explore with his nose. one last thing i'll say with regard to byron's reaction to rogue is that only this past week i've noticed bella reacting to byron's behaviour in that she makes efforts [i think] to correct his [unacceptable] behaviour --- he's going OFF at rogue with bella growling and barking at him while nipping at his cheek and leg. i've implemented some training techniques but adapted it to suit my behaviour too: LAT for [my] 'what's this?', get his attention [look] and treat, and 'this way' changing direction of the walk, which is working for the most part [bella is very responsive] but i just wonder if there's something else i could be doing to help change and settle byron's behaviour. i've tried the leash on the collar, we got the sporn management harness, but i feel far better using their usual [rogz] harness --- it's not ideal for control i know, but it's what i prefer to use. during walks i'm conscious of my surroundings and when someone [dog/s or not] is coming towards us, i will cross the road [if no dogs, i'll redirect to the nature strip and implement the 'what's this?' training for treats] --- the rogz harness provides a nice little handle strap so i can turn him away from whatever is approaching. bella too has her issue, which compounds my effort to control byron; she is very ppl friendly, whines and squeaks and squeals while she lunges forward ... i am getting better at it but i must say i probably look a sight to anyone who happens to look out their front window and, of course, to those approaching. as for fence barking, we have two dogs to the left [a boxer and an english bulldog] and one to the right [a pug x] and byron goes a little [a LOT] nuts when either of them are near the fence but only where he can peek thru and see them. these dogs do not bark in reply --- bella, and again i've only noticed this past week, appears to try and correct his behaviour [growling and barking at him while nipping at his cheek and leg]. they both respond to my presence and commands [mostly]. i've thwarted their access to the 'peek thru' part for the boxer and bulldog but that won't 'teach' him to stop his behaviour --- as for the pugx, it would take a new fence and again, that's not going to teach him. one last thing to note on the fence barking; whatever the trigger, bella rarely responds on her own and if she does, it's quietly [a whine perhaps], but if the trigger alerts byron, he reacts, growling, huffing and barking and bella follows suit in similar fashion... i would gratefully appreciate any advice. thanks

i soooo do all the wrong things when i accidently 'land' on one of my dogs OR my poor cat --- it's a fine line between 'nurturing behaviour' and reassuring! my dogs tho are good at moving when i say 'bibbib'; it's just when i don't see 'em and the worst of it is, is when i find strands of their hair, particularly byron's, on the floor *just there* where i stood on his tail !!!

i have to say that THIS is a good argument for your friend looking to take on a rescue THIS!!!

me too!

i'm really glad you came back sherel *stix up hand* artemis is a good product and both my dogs enjoyed it and did well on it BUT i hated the crumbing in the bottom of the bag and for the cost, i kinda felt cheated in some small way because of that --- stroke one for black hawk: NO CRUMBING and it doesn't hit nearly as hard in the hip pocket... You have to show us pics as we need proof Especially for you Clyde ;) O M G i would die!!! what a great photo of gorgeous dogs

i've heard zinc is quite beneficial also in helping our itchy canines --- i'm still researching tho and i won't add it 'til i'm sure it's the right thing to do... you could give melrose omega pet a go too; i get it from my health food shop for under $10

You can buy Melrose Omega Pet oil from most health food shops (or online) which has a balanced ratio of Omega 3 & 6 http://www.melrosehealth.com.au/health_products/Healthy_Pet_Care.aspx If the only problem you are having with the cheaper food is dry coats I'd stick to that, add some omega oils, whole eggs and sardines here and there and bulk it all up with cheap RMBs for the dogs that can handle them. THIS! melrose omega pet oil at 250ml for less than $10 at my local gnc [health food] store and thanks to secretkei for putting me onto it --- it of course depends on the size of your dog as to how much you provide [1 tspn per 10kg per day for mine]... as for <click> black hawk, it costs $4.25 p/kg for [what i consider to be] top quality product [$4.50 p/kg for 10kg and $5 p/kg for the 3kg option] --- clinky here for puppy and here for kitty [ima fan :D] if you can collect it from your distributor, great but if that's not an option it will cost i think $10 postage [which will blow the budget] --- as an aside, my distributor informed me at easter that black hawk will be hitting the shelves in the next few months BUT the distributorship [hers at least] will continue. frenzied1, for all the great advice you've received about raw feeding and if also feeding dry, i reckon black hawk in combination is a better option... jmho

damn!!!i haven't heard back from petbarn but i didn't ask for an ingredient list [perhaps i should]... IAE, i crush the drops [both carob and yoghurt] and only provide a few small pieces [no where near equivalent to a full drop] to each of my dogs in their snack box... still, i'm unhappy about the use of palm oil --- i might source my own recipe, make it myself... thanks for the link

i'm thinking you buy from petbarn!?!? atm i use small quantities of their yoghurt drops in my two dogs' 'before bed' snack box... i've sent petbarn an email asking them to apply an ingredient list and nutritional label to their products --- i'm waiting on a reply some months ago i enquired of my local barn's staff the 'sourced' meat and i was assured that it was strictly australian and new zealand product so i'm happy knowing that BUT i want nutritional labels where they've indicated that it's 100% [beef for eg]... efs

OsSoSwift [and anyone else interested], click on this link!, then select cat food

really good, informative thread! LMFAO

sherel, i'm sorry you're leaving this thread --- it was here that i first learned of BH and it was the majority of posters, including yourself, that helped me make my decision to feed both my dogs and my cat BH and i haven't looked back and all three are doing well on it and looking damned good too... whatever went on behind the scenes is very unfortunate, i know nothing of it, but i hope you can see your way clear to look past that and stay --- i'm excited about the possibility of your adding different varieties, and for me, this thread is the very best place for continued contact; a place where those that feed your product to their pets are kept best informed. please reconsider

Me too. I am quite OCD about fleas. It took all my might to let him into the house. To me fleas are in the same category as lice on children. They make me scratch insanely myself (I know it is all psychosomatic but I can't help it). Another question - Should I be flea bombing my house? Given I acted straight away when he came in, and that I have pretty much restricted his access to the lounge (which is carpeted) and tiled areas, is bombing necessary or is treating both dogs sufficient? (My house was definitely flea free before he entered.) we've had fleas in the past but at such low levels that we managed just by ensuring our pets were dosed and THAT treated the environment... you might like to quickly run the vac over the carpeted area [get yourself a dog/cat flea collar, cut it up and put several pieces in the vac bag; that [apparently] takes care of those lil buggers that get sucked up]! as much as i hate fleas, i loathe chemicals also...

supervise, supervise, supervise... also, it's always a good idea for dogs [or cats] to have a 'handle', so i don't know whether cutting the wings into smaller pieces is the right thing to do --- JMHO the other thing that i heard about and i've never had labs so i don't know whether it will help but if you present a wing or neck to the dog and as the dog puts it in its mouth, continue holding it [off to the side of the jaw] while the dog chews on it and perhaps use a cue word like 'chew' --- my girl bella [a JR/maltese] wolfs her food and that was how i got her to learn to chew [i still start her off but she quickly understands]... i hope it goes well