Aso

if fences are not secure ...it is not a dog's responsibility to 'behave' They do not know . It is our responsibility to make sure our pups/dogs have safe room to move, according to their size/development ...just as it is our responsibiilty to ensure that we make a yard/house/enclosure as safe and as attractive as we can from a PUP's point of view :) Hi Persephone, I realise what you're saying, I will not be locking him in the crate for any period of time that I don't think he can hold. I have taken time off work to gauge this time. I will however check on him more frequently just in case. He will have all sorts of toys to occupy him for this period if he's not sleeping. I will also leave either the tv or radio on so that it's not too quiet for him. As for playing & exploring, he will have a lot of time for that. He will have at least 3 hours with me before work and from the time I get home until bed time. He will get constructive play time and socialising between these times during the week and all weekends. Unfortunately we cannot secure the fences any more since it's a tiered yard and our neighbours dogs have easy access over the fence where it's tiered and I suspect vice versa. I'm not comfortable leaving him out in the yard, even with an enclosed run, because of this. The portable enclosed runs I've seen won't contain a giant pup who really wants to get out. Yes, he will be crated at night too for bedtime. I expect that he will go into his crate volountarily anyway once he gets used to it. Should I not crate him at night time too? Bedtime should be around 10-5am with a break until he can hold it all night. Crating him while unsupervised is the best way I can think of to protect him. I have nightmares of him jumping off one of the tiers in the backyard My boyfriend and I have started to look for a more suitable abode since hearing that we are getting this little man. Oh pups, he's not even here yet and he's dictating my life already! Wouldn't have it any other way though :D .

Hi Haredown Whippets, I am taking a week off to get him used to this arrangement and supervise his crate traning closely. I am only 15 mins up the road so will work with the amount of time slowly. I will have a camera on him as well to help with this assessment and will work out more frequent toilet breaks to start off with. We have a tiered backyard and crating him when he's not supervised will be better for him than anything else. I don't want him jumping around anything. He has a full size XXXL crate that will be partitioned for crate training and he will definitely have enough room to sit, stand, lie down and stretch in any way he likes :) . He will not be confined inside at all times, he just won't be left outside to his own devices. I can't wait for the little man to get here!

Hello Dolers, We'll be picking up our puppy in 3 and a bit weeks and at the moment I'm in a good size granny flat with a good size backyard. The yard is not secured enough for a 9 week old puppy and until he's bigger and can be trusted to behave in the yard, I would like to keep him inside his crate when unsupervised. My work is about 15 mins from home at the most, door to door, and I will be checking in on him at lunch time to break up his day during the week. Is this too long for a puppy to be kept in his crate? This means that when I'm at work he will be in the crate from 8:30 to 12:15, 30 mins break, 1pm to 5:30pm. I am taking time off to slowly train him up to this longevity in the crate and I'm hoping that he will sleep most of the time. Eventually, with enough house training, he will have free reign of my flat. Any comments and ideas will be greatly appreciated. Thank you in advance :) .

Our puppy is 3 weeks old now and our breeder has confirmed that we have a choice out of the 2 black mask puppies . This has been a very emotional litter for our breeder and we are ever so thankful that we are being entrusted with one of her precious babies. We can't wait! Seeing and reading about everyone's puppies and experiences are making the wait bearable ... kind of :) . Thank you very much for the stories and please keep them coming

Ohhhhhhhh !.! Iris is beautiful :-)

Congratulations Smurf1. Bonnie's just gorgeous :-)

That all sounds very good indeed. We can't wait to get our puppa home & these are just all good news :-) showdog what do you mean by exceptionally people crazy? He's going to be a BIG dog :-)

Hi All. We are waiting on a puppy and our breeder is having a lot of trouble with the litter at the moment because the mom has an infection and have no milk. She had a litter of 9 and is now hand feeding all the puppies, unfortunately a couple have been lost. Our breeder is quite stressed and has not had more than a few hours sleep since the puppies came along. I hope that everything goes well from here on, for the sake of our breeder mainly because she would do anything for her puppas. Well I'm sure everything will turn out fine because we have an awesome breeder with awesome puppas but is there anything additional that we need to do when we finally get our bubba home? It's still 7+ a bit weeks away but I want to make sure we're prepared for everything. I'm sure our breeder will keep us very well informed of everything we need but I'm still a tad nervous about it and would like to be prepared. Can you please share your experiences with your very own hand-raised puppies? Thank you so very much in advance.

Reading this makes me so furious! I don't care what background you're from but you do NOT have the right to harass anyone like this. There is not excuse. This poor lady and her beloved canine family is being harassed and stressed daily because some idiots do not have manners? This is the most polite I can put it. I am so sorry this is happening to your Auntie and I hope common sense prevails and this is resolved in her favour urgently. I can't imagine what I would do if this happens to someone close to me ... all hell will break lose at the very least.

Hi KK Team. I'm sure they would sell the meaty bones if they have them. I usually give them a call on a Friday for a bit of a heads up. They're very good and will always give you details. While you're there you might as well have a good look at their human specials. I love this place and can't recomend them enough Website is: http://www.vicsmeatmarketday.com.au/ 10 Merchant Street, Mascot NSW 2020 ● Tel: +61 2 9317 6900 ● Fax: +61 2 9667 3048

Congratulations , that sounds like a huge litter for such little dogs! Have you got a name picked out yet? Thank you! We're waiting on a Dogue de Bordeaux and mom was HUUUGE carrying all the pups. I'm thinking of either Thor or Zeus but that will probably change a thousand times until we pick our pup in 6 weeks and then again when we pick our pup

Thank Aso. I do by in bulk and have a dedicated freezer. I am paying over ten times more then that out Penrith way. Boxer05, stop paying those insane prices and get yourself shopping at Baiada! If the M4 is not a carpark you'll be there in no time at all. The sizes of their marylands are fairly big too so really good for large to giant size dogs and the frames still have a very good amount of meat left on them. Really good for what the humans need too. :D

Hi everyone! We received news from our breeder that 9 healthy puppies were born on Saturday just gone, 5 boys and 4 girls. So it looks like we will be able to get a boy for sure :-) I can't wait for the first lot of photos to start coming. I have already booked puppy training when we pick him up in 8 weeks! Gosh I'm keen

NotMidol, Do you mind telling me where you get you chicken parts for that price? I am paying much more then that. Boxer05, Baiada at Girraween (15 mins from Parramatta) has chicken at that price and sometimes cheaper depending on what specials they have: Sydney 13-15 Amax Ave Girraween NSW 2145 Mon-Fri 5:30am-4pm Sat 5am-1pm ph: 02 9842 1137 [email protected] It's well worth the drive even if you're not that close as long as you buy in bulk :-)

If you're in Sydney Metro the following 2 are my favourites; * Baiada in Girraween for chicken frames @ 1.10kg; maryland @ 2.90kg; giblets/liver/hearts @ 5.50/2kg bag; * Ivans Smallgoods at Fairfield or Chester Hill where I get pig's hocks for 1.50kg and pigs heads for $2ea; I shop for our meat at Vic's Meats at Mascot and I usually ask for meaty bones (uncut as I have a giant breed or they will cut to your preferred size) which they gladly give away or charge very minimally. Also, I buy salmon heads from our local fishmonger for $1.99kg uncleaned. I buy everything human grade as I usually find myself dipping in the doggy freezer for the chidken frames and soup bones :-) Feeding raw is so much cheaper than I ever thought it would be :-)

I would follow what the breeder tells you so long as it is working for their dogs. This is especially important with a large breed. If you want to go all raw, make it yourself but first buy the books "Give Your Dog a Bone" and Grow You Pups with Bones". So called BARF patties do not follow the original idea of a raw diet at all. If you need to add a grain, use a small amount of cooked barley to the vege mix. Most dogs digest it very well and it balances the "coldness" of a raw diet according the principals of Chinese Medicine. If you're after a "filler", I used to use grated vegetables, mainly finely grated carrots. I use it when I feed the "misc" rations of egg, occassional sardines (when I can't find raw large raw fish head) small offal, yoghurt, etc. This is usually about 3-5 meals in a week when they're a puppy, the rest are raw meaty bones, as varied as I can get them. Mine is a giant breed, Dogue de Bordeaux, and he flourished as a puppy being fed raw. He loved it. I am getting another puppy in 2 months and will be feeding the exact same way :-)

A 42" crate is great for an adult but too big for a baby, so just block some off with cardboard or something. Also check carefully if it will fit in the car as not too many fit crates that big. A Sibe baby is very unlikely to fit into a cat crate at 8 weeks. I hope the breeder is going to be available as a mentor for you as you raise this puppy. A Siberian Husky is a big challenge to take on as a first puppy and you will need someone to ask questions of constantly. You will also need very good fencing as they can climb and jump and if they get out they do not come back like some breeds do. Definitely crate train your puppy, it will make your life soooooo much easier :-) When my bordeaux was a puppy I bought a crate that's the full size for him but had an adjustable barier so you can partition it to the correct size which will only allow him to be able to turn around and stretch out but not much more. You don't want too much space that will allow him to toilet on one end & sleep on the other. Prepare yourself for some other worldly noise too when you first crate train :-) My pup howled and cried like a banshee! Not for too long thank goodness. Another thing that made it easier was a snuggle puppy. I bought one for my pup to sleep with and it came with heat pads and a beating heart inside to simulate a real pup sleeping. He loved it :-) All the best and beware, puppies grow up way too quickly so enjoy every minute!

Hi everyone :-) I'm not sure if it's too early to be posting here but my breeder's confirmed that her bitch is with pups and will be due in about 4 weeks! I can't wait for my new addition, a Dogue de Bordeaux bossy boots :-) I hope time flies because this waiting is going to kill me!

Hi everyone. I just received news that my breeder's bitch is confirmed to be with pups, 5 weeks now, so I am expecting a new bossy boots Dogue de Bordeaux in about 12 weeks! I can't wait to have the Bossy Boots home. I hope these 12 weeks gooes quickly :-)

Hi All, Thank you so very much for all your assistance and kind words of encouragement. Unfortunately my ex decided not to send Tonka after all, so after much ado and a lot of time, effort and cash spent, I have wiped the slate clean and will now move on. I am currently looking for my new forever puppup (either a puppy or doggie as long as we fit) and hopefully it will be sooner rather than later. Thank you all again for all the help, I would have been so much more lost without this forum. - Cath xxx

Hi All, Just a quick update, my ex is hanging on to Tonka until I get back from holidays. He said he has made arrangements for him and we'll organise his move when I get back. I'm a bit concerned with this "arrangement" but I guess I'll have to trust that he's safe for my own sanity's sake. I think I'm all set for when Tonka arrives. I have contacted his previous vets and have made a tentative booking with Gladesville Vets for his approximate arrival. Lucky boy, first stop, Doctor! I have most of his things ordered and ready for delivery: * crate & bedding; * extra leash & collar; * food and natural treats; * tick & flea and worming meds; * water buckets (he's got a big head) and food mat & bowls; * furminator brush; * grooming place around the corner for his baths (too big for my facilities in winter); * outdoor kennel for when he's finally allowed outdoors; * appointment with K9Pro for training; When he first arrives, I plan on crating him in the house, unless it's walk time, for most of the time for about 3-4 days until we're re-established again. Then slowly give him a bit of freedom with the house & yard, etc. I work about 10 mins from home so will come home during work days to walk him at least once or twice. If he's not in his crate, he will be attached to me on a leash until he learns again who's boss. Then we start obedience training again, once pack structure is established. Any comments please? Especially with how I plan on establishing our pack structure again? Tonka was a pushy little puppy and I had to be firm and consistent with him. He's a big boy now and I'm sure he will try to push his boundaries again. Thank you so very much for all your advise and encouraging comments. I can't wait for my boy to arrive so I can give him the home he deserves. - Cath

Hi Juice, I thought it might be best if he's near his breeder in case there are any emergencies while I'm overseas. I have completely forgotten about the need for lots of towels and bedding materials. Opp shops & markets are awesome suggestions. I have to calm down and take a moment. I'm forgetting the basics and that's not helpful. Thank you so much.

Puppy Sniffer you make me tear up, and I'm NOT a cryer!! What a gracious offer. There's no emoticon for happy tears ... The transport options from Toowoomba have been pretty good, I just need a definite a date to book him in, and, I'm still waiting on that. I just want to get him here asap, if he's not wanted there then he should be near people that love him.

Max Zuber at Gladesville Vet is brilliant. He is also experienced with the breed, dysplasia etc etc http://www.gladesvillevet.com.au/pages/about-us/our-staff/staff-member.php?idArticle=9589 For boarding you could try DOL member Pax, just send her a PM. There are several good kennels in that area, but I know Pax's place is very popular. Good luck! Thank you! Gladesville Vet, brilliantly close Making an appointment now for when I get back and arranging for his vet records to be transferred from his previous ones. One off the list! :D

Transport: Call Dogtainers - http://www.dogtainers.com.au/ Boarding: others may have a better idea, but Bligh Park Vet at Windsor does boarding which may be useful if he is recovering from surgery?: http://www.blighparkvet.com.au/ourServices.php#boarding Vets: here is a thread on ortho vets that mentions some in your area: http://www.dolforums.com.au/topic/150983-good-ortho-vets-in-sydney/ Big crate can be purchased for a reasonable price from http://www.vebopet.com.au/ (get the XXL) He will need some shelter outside - that is probably your priority if that is where he will be spending most of his time - particularly if he is to sleep outside. An emergency temporary 'quick fix' might be tall star pickets and a tarp strung (at a slight angle) between them - it will at least provide some shade and rain shelter until you can arrange something more permanent. Thank you Espinay2. Definitely getting another crate, he was crate trained and loved his crate when I had him. Made life so much easier.