ktig

I like Vanity fur the best so far - awesome ideas here though

Well if your visitors are that interested you could perhaps tell them: - the pup has a developed a habit of piddling on visitors shoes; - has been running far too much today and now needs to rest; - has to have his bone in there otherwise they will have to vacate the sofa so he can bury it in the cushions; - is likely to vomit somewhere and you would rather it happen in the crate as it is easier to clean up; - has developed phobias and is undergoing psychotherapy and needs to be kept calm. ;) Souff

Love it!

My family are fine with it, although it did take a bit of explaining to my sister. To be honest, I don't shut the door to it all that much at home, it's more like a dog house in that regards now. I usually shut him in if we're visiting at someone's place for when the people are eating or to give him a break from their kids or at obedience etc. I have had a couple of people question it, but usually just seeing Paddy race in with his tail wagging and curl up happily to have a snooze when I shut the door is explanation enough! It's much nicer for him in a strange place to have a little safe den where he's happy than to have to leave him in an unfamilar backyard by himself - I've done that with previous dogs and this little guy is much more relaxed! Plus when he needs to go to the vet for desexing he shouldn't be too stressed out about being confined there for the morning. You Just have to get past the fact that it LOOKS ilke a cage, but is in fact their safe zone. Best decision I could have made was to crate train..

This is what I'd heard, and I do find I have to keep on top of his to keep them a reasonable length cause they just get so sharp! I'm just not sure it's worth putting him through all the recovery postop when there might actually be a benefit for him in agility.

The rug has already been rehomed! I'm pretty careful with grooming, it was just I'd had a few people tell me maybe they should be removed in a mini that got me thinking and asking questions on here. Glad I did though, lots of helpful advice!

I'd pronounce it that way if it had either the h on the end or the double n. I think the h looks better though

I second the crate or puppy pen. There's times that you can do without your little shadow following you and getting under your feet- while you're in the kitchen making dinner for example! The crate helped me stay sane in that first week or two, and is the only reason my pup didn't wear the contents of a saucepan! He loved his crate from day 1 and it was really helpful for him to have a 'safe' place he could get into when he wanted some nap time.

I do cut his nails - it's nerve-wracking though cause they're black and the quick is tricky to see. I should have been more specific, it's not the regular carpet he's got caught on, but a rug we have that has long thready bits on it - difficult to describe without me knowing the technical terminology used in carpets

Poor Atlas! I didn't realise the recovery was quite so long!

Thankyou people! I knew DOL would help me out. I would like them removed, but not at the expense of maybe reducing the stability of his wrists when I plan to do the agility thing with him. I wonder if it would bring on arthritis earlier? I'll probably still have a chat with my lovely vet to get her opinion too, but I think I'll probably leave well enough alone and if I am unlucky enough for him to really do some damage to them down the track, well, we'll cross that bridge when we come to it.

I'd definately report it. To both the rangers and the police, if only so that there is a record so that if he behaves like this again to you or anyone else, he will crop up as a repeat offender and something might be more likely to be done. Glad you and your pup are okay. What a scary incident for you!

I've got my pup on the puppy variety, he's 5 months now, but I think I'll be switching him over to the adult once we get through this latest delivery. He was tricky to get condition onto to start with and I think needed the extra calories, but he's looking pretty good now, so I think I'll be safe to switch him over and maybe just increase the amount for a little while.

My Puppy is now 5 and a bit months old and as per the contract I have with his breeder will be being desexed at 6 months of age. I've had a couple of people suggest having his front dew claws removed at the same time, but I'm not 100% sure what is the best thing to do for him. He is a miniature schnauzer and they do sometimes get caught up while his legs are being groomed and in the carpet from time to time. But I am planning on competing with him in agility and have heard that removing dew claws at any time apart from the first week or so can affect the wrists? Any advice on the pros and cons here would be great!

beautiful.

wire crate here too. I've got a blanket thrown over it covering 3 of the sides, with just the front open, and he's pretty happy. Settles in there no problems, has from day 1 really. I think once we start competing in obedience and agility I'll look at getting a soft one for that, but for home, can't beat the wire one I've got.

I'm pretty lucky too - My housemate is awesome with my pup. Feeds him when I'm not home and will take him for a walk or a run if he's racing round the house like a loon. He's not allowed upstairs, which is where her bedroom and bathroom are, but she has no problem with him having free run in all the living areas downstairs. To the point that I often arrive home to find the pair of them sharing the couch and a blanket watching tv.

LOVE this shot! Beautiful dogs!

Poor dog!

Poor little guy. This is exactly what happened with my last dog. He is a knee high terrier cross, white in colour and was always a bit of a magnet for aggressive dogs. He was a timid dog to start with as he was a rescue and we had a dog in another class who got loose and came straight for him. Thankfully my instructor was very quick on her feet and we separated the two before any physical damage occurred. The pschological damage is another matter. He is okay with dogs he knows or has had a chance to suss out, but strange dogs, particularly those running loose make him VERY nervous and snappy. I have to be so vigilant with him all the time. It's such a shame. The owner of the dog in question was fantastic and very apologetic, and a lot of education ensued. I now have a puppy and we've just started obedience and I'm so aware of what other dogs are doing, after having this happen to one of my dogs I never want to have to have a pup put in this position again. Hope your little guy heals and regains his confidence quickly.

wow! Very cool.

The photos on this thread are amazing! I'm a bit inspired, think I'll join one of these challenges next year.

I don't think it's ever too early to be bragging about future puppies in this thread! lol. As long as you follow up with puppy pic eventually of course....

ours is between 5.30 and 7pm. Absolutely nutty. Tried walking him then, didn't really help, he still enjoys doing zoomies around the house and the backyard then regardless - plus it's pretty cute. We've stopped the mouthing that seemed to go with it a few weeks back, so now he just tears around letting us know just how awesome life is!

i found this too with my pup. He was on eukanuba initially and now I've swapped him to black hawk and I add things like an egg or some mince or vegies to it but with both foods I found he's only needing about 2 thirds of the recommended amount and is looking fantastic - although some days he'll look a little lean so I'll give him a bit more that day ( growth spurts! ) Chatted to the vet, and she said the same as the others here. the recommended amount is just a guide and to let what the dog looks like dictate how much he gets!