JRG

Even if they get out, mine just hang around by the car waiting to be taken out! A friend once told me never to walk my dogs off the immediate area to the yard (I live on acreage) then they would not know the area, so would not take themselves for a walk.. I have found this to be true.

Get her to the vet asap

How big is her crate? Puppies brought up outside on concrete tend to tiddle when they feel like it, so, if the crate is too big, she will view it like a pen and not get the idea that it is her bed and bed means sleep. Ofcourse she might be doing it to get your attention, in which case, I would not be getting up 5 times a night to let her out and clean her bed. Tough love might be the answer. Note, I did not say to take the water away completely, just empty the bowl and leave only a small amount in there so as to restrict the amount she can drink after say 7pm but only if you are not feeding her later in the day. Some dogs will just drink until the bowl is empty - for the hell of it

When do you feed her? Maybe just feed in the morning and then restrict her access to water later in the day, and a brisk walk before bed making sure she is stimulated to toilet by the exercise. I agree with Perse about sensory simulation, so make sure she gets a good run on grass and other surfaces (eg cold concrete) before bed time. Make life easier for yourself by removing all bedding and let her shred some newspaper seeing that she likes to do that - it will also soak up any urine for you. re her coat - give her a good rub with a moist towel soaked in a mixture of hot water and oil of eucalyptus and squeezed dry.

She should not need to go to the toilet as often as that. Has she been neutered? Maybe she has a problem and should be seen by a vet.

These things happen in the best regulated households - human as well as animal. Why are some people so self righteous? "-- there, but for the grace of god, go I"

Agree with Teebs - hold firmly and securely, be gentle, talk softly and calmly then a BIG play with the towel

"Determined dogs are determined!" Don't I know it~! One of my boys chewed though the weldmesh and ripped a big hole in it. He was only 7 months old and the bitch was 2 pens away!

Are you sure the chickens are free ranging and not confined to a coop or small yard? I have a thing called a "chicken tractor" that you can move about the garden so that the chickens get fresh grass, but is fox/dog proofed for security. I don't have it in the same yard as the dogs, but could quite safely do so if I wanted.

Tinned pineapple does work but, you will have to give it to all your dogs and hope that they do't get skilled at separating the eaten pineapple from the rest of the poop - like mine did!!! They seem to like it in their food, but not recycled.

A spoonful of crushed pineapple (the tinned variety) is supposed to help control unless ofcourse they are good at picking out the pineapple and eating the rest!

My adults get their main meal first thing in the morning, a medium biscuit if I put them in their pens to go out for any reason and a big hard biscuit at bedtime. When I only had a couple of dogs I used to feed the Juliette de Bairacli Levy model ( like BBB) and the dogs did very well on it.

Sheridan, I feel your pain and frustration. Have you thought of treating them as individual babies, ie just have them out and with you one at a time while the other is playing outside? That way you would be able to interact and bond with the one with you and give him/her your whole attention. They would also have to look to you rather than look for their playmate for attention. Yes, the one outside might shout a bit but would get used to being on his/her own which would also be a good thing. Then they would look forward to playtime when you could let them both out together for a play outside where it does not matter if they pee or poop.

Get an old bookcase or chest of drawers from the Op Shop and use that as the basis. 4 pieces of rod (or broom handles) for the rails, drill holes in the sides at the height you want and slot the rail through. Done! Some people use children's paddling pools.

Over the years I have had a few dogs that "wanted to be alone". Nothing wrong with them and they were good workers, just liked their own company in their free time. Just the same as some dogs like to play and be part of the pack whereas others do not play at all even with their own offspring.

What symptoms does he exhibit that lead you to think he is brain damaged? Puppies, even from the same litter, vary tremendously in their rate of development and the time at which they exhibit certain competencies. He is just a baby, a lot of mine have not been "clean" until they were much older than 14 weeks. Just keep plodding along and one day, it will "click" into place. Just don't get cross with him, just keep putting him out regularly and praising him if/when he does the right thing - smile and clean up the mess if he makes a mistake!

Jack - no need to import, you can get heated whelping boxes in Australia - maybe not the same, but just as effective. I use an old Kenol one (must be an antique! I was given it by a friend and it must be at lest 50 years old) http://www.kenolenterprises.com/

I put the box in an enclosure as well and use an oil filled radiator that I can put close to the box without any risk and blankets etc draped round the pen to keep out the draft. You can make the laundry more cosy by putting towels along the bottom of the outside doors to stop the cold air coming in. Use as small a box as you can to keep the family together. Remember that tiny puppies will be noisy if they are cold -they do not shout when they are hungry until much older - so listen out for them telling you that the temperature is not right. Good Luck

I think Val Bonney has written a book about dogs and babies http://www.bonnies.com.au/ Could have some good information/help for you in there

Get puppy. It will do it no harm to live with other people for a while - in fact, it may even do it good!

I find this discussion very interesting because for almost 40 years I have been breeding a breed in which show and field specimens look entirely different. It would be about 120 years since the "split" began and since that time the twain hardly ever meet because they have moved so far apart. If you were to look at pictures of the dogs of 100 years ago, they look very much like the working dogs of today, but the fashion of long hair, exaggerated features etc have produced a different animal. In temperament and working ability, they are poles apart. This is understandable because what the show breeder wants is not what I want and visa versa so the aims of breeders of the two types are different. BUT they are all registered as the same breed all over the world and the standard is the same and is so broad that it fits all! My dogs would be laughed out of the show ring and the show dog has no place in the working scene. We can rant and rave all we like, but nothing is about to change.

Springers are the BEST people trainers - be resolute and, as Perse says do not let her out until she is quiet

I have a bitch that had this when she was 18 months old - she is 14 now I wrote a couple of articles about her at the time <http://www.spanieljournal.com/2rgreaves.html> and <http://www.spanieljournal.com/3rgreaves.html>

just look what arrived here last night

presumably the answer is "recessive" - if it is talking about non specific things