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I hope I'm interpreting it correctly, my older girl used to from time to time make a sound almost like a reverse sneeze but it would kinda sound like she was choking at the same time, back then it happened once in a blue moon and would only last for about 5 seconds. Lately it's been happening more and goes for longer, she's perfectly fine after and doesn't seem to have any ill effects. I remember hearing something about this kinda of condition but couldn't recall what people attributed it to, anyone familiar with it? When she did it last year a few times I took her to the Vets as I had heard that it was one of the symptoms of DCM but they checked her over and gave her the thumbs up.

Seeing a Vet might be a good option?

I think the Vet is going to be your best person to ask about which anti-biotics are best for your girl, however if what she needs aren't going to be good for the pups then you have to make a well informed decision.

I use Plush Puppy Aphrension drops for aniexty around other dogs with success. I haven't tried the one you have but Robert did sent me a Stud Dog Mix that was meant to settle down entire male dogs but I haven't used it yet.

I had a Black Dane with lot's of wounds and scars. The area on his neck which I put Vit E Bio Oil grew back fine, however the area on his muzzle I didn't put anything on grew back Grey.

Vit E - Skin Zinc - Skin & Immune

With the collar, you could try densentising with food perhaps? Have the collar on the ground and throw food near it, if the puppy does a runner and won't approach you can see if this is all fear based. Don't get too discouraged if you don't feel you're making progress with training on the lead, it can be hard work, I'm sure the pro handlers out there can get a puppy to stand straight away and perhaps even accept a lead and collar but for the rest of us it can take a bit of time. The crate should be big enough for the dog to stand and turn around and of course lay down if it's smaller than this you'd probably want to look at upgrading pretty soon but I don't think it's the reason why he's not accepting the crate.

A Puppys' fear period typically is between 12-16 weeks, your puppy is 12 weeks old and could have very well hit it early and is having a hard time with it. It does sound a little bit more extreme that you'd typically see i.e. your puppy running away when you call it. Have you ever called your puppy to you and then repremanded it? This can be one of the causes of this type of behaviour. You don't want your puppy winning in situations like you've mentioned i.e. barking until the children have gone away as all she is learning is that type of behaviour works and if it doesn't she may take it up a notch. Rather than seeing your trainer weekly at obedience or puppy school, I would probably more suggest that you seek the assistance of a qualified and accredited Behaviourist to assist you. It could just be a fear period or it could be a learned behaviour that you want to rectify asap.

Maybe Tape worm which I think you have to medicate for seperately with Revolution? I'm all for holistic treatments but when it comes to something so serious as heart worm, I just wouldn't risk it.

Yeah, I find the Black Shampoo works fine. I personaly prefer the Glo White shampoo for my Harlequin which brings up his black spots really well and whitens the white areas.

Well you can go for an artifical shine or the true healthy shine hehehe Here's some things we use here or have used in the past (My black girl just gets a wash but my Harlequin is where we need to get shiny Black patches). Fish Oils Vit E Caps Sardines Raw Diet Yoghurt / Inner health tablets Biotin Caps So healthy body, healthy coat. Daily Grooming helps. Boar Bristle Polishing brush for shine Sunscream to protect the coat Artifical: Shampoo for Black Coats, a whitening shampoo can also get rid of reds and brown tinges in Black coats. Silk Conditioner Shine Spray (lot's to choose from) Laser Lites Liquid Diamonds spray for show dogs What you want to achieve is a shiny coat without feeling it when you touch the dog Some links to some of the products we use: Finishing Polishing Brush http://www.chrissystems.com/polishin.htm Liquid Diamonds http://www.laserlites.com.au/c51a.shtml Plush Puppy Black Opal Shampoo http://esvc000594.wic001ss.server-shop.com...op?idProduct=71 Plush Puppy Shine & Comb Spray http://esvc000594.wic001ss.server-shop.com...op?idProduct=26 Glo White Shampoo http://www.animalcare.net.au/p/98263/glo-w...hampoo-1lt.html

Could you perhaps be giving too much of a reaction when puppy disapprves of different things? He's pretty young, focus would be pretty much 2 seconds LOL We used to have tantrums galore when putting coats on Dante but he was fine when he got them on, he grew out of that with some nice little corrections for his bratty behaviour. Is he being fearful or is he being a brat? He should be well and truely crate trained by now, but sounds like you've been giving in to the whining and tantrums? I think you have 2 options....you go back to square one with crate training and don't give in no matter what although it will take longer as puppy knows you give in or simply don't crate train, maybe use a puppy pen at shows?

Well you make sure you spank those holes good!

Looks like he's just a fatty, perhaps just take himfor consultation to put your mind at ease.

You just have to be serious about scolding the object, don't laugh! LOL Dog knows if you're not serious and will probably just think you're a nut job for talking to an object. With the shoe, I picked it up very firmy and gave it a right telling off then put it on the floor and gave it a few good whacks......oh my that sounds crazy LOL

Dante was 7 months when he started lifting his leg, he's 16 months now and almost a pro at it LOL

I've used it, my dog is short coated so shaving isn't really an issue. I can see how it could be an issue with long coated dogs though as you're not meant to use much of the spray and you want it to get in the right area not just stay in the coat. With the shot your dog has had, was that a Cortisone shot 'cause I don't think you're meant to use 2 types of Cortisone products together.

Eagle Pack do a fairly good canned food.

Yeah I can second that, when Dante was a pup he would always overheat when the tempertures weren't terrible, changed the food and wahla all better.

You could try and rectify her not wanting to toileting infront of her by taking her outside to toilet when you know she'll really have to and lavish her with praise when she does. You're not stupid, don't be hard on yourself, DOL is a great place to learn. Try and get involved with your puppy again with the positive training, I'm sure you'll get there in time.

You can choose to simply ignore it, don't say anything and pretend the dog is not there, sometimes they can esculate their behaviour to get the attention though or you could stand up and walk away and ignore the dog for 5 minutes.

We use brown rice mixed in the veggies (mash it all together with an electronic masher), we haven't had a problem with the dog trying to toilet, everything seems to be digesting well, brown rice is a good source of fibre. Brown rice should be soaked for 25 to 30 minutes in the water before cooking. The soaking process of brown rice helps to soften the bran layer on the rice seed and makes the rice easily edible. The normal proportion of water to rice when cooking brown rice is 1:2, this means that one cup of brown rice should have two cups of water to cook. Brown rice once cooked. My dog does have skin issues (prior to consuming rice) however since adding brown rice there hasn't been anything worse occur or anything I can attribute to the brown rice, his skin has actually been better but I'm not going to make the assumption that it has anything to do with the brown rice. Here's some information on Brown Rice vs White Rice: The difference between brown rice and white rice is not just color! A whole grain of rice has several layers. Only the outermost layer, the hull, is removed to produce what we call brown rice. This process is the least damaging to the nutritional value of the rice and avoids the unnecessary loss of nutrients that occurs with further processing. If brown rice is further milled to remove the bran and most of the germ layer, the result is a whiter rice, but also a rice that has lost many more nutrients. At this point, however, the rice is still unpolished, and it takes polishing to produce the white rice we are used to seeing. Polishing removes the aleurone layer of the grain-a layer filled with health-supportive, essential fats. Because these fats, once exposed to air by the refining process, are highly susceptible to oxidation, this layer is removed to extend the shelf life of the product. The resulting white rice is simply a refined starch that is largely bereft of its original nutrients. Brown rice as an excellent source of manganese, and a good source of the minerals selenium and magnesium. The complete milling and polishing that converts brown rice into white rice destroys 67% of the vitamin B3, 80% of the vitamin B1, 90% of the vitamin B6, half of the manganese, half of the phosphorus, 60% of the iron, and all of the dietary fiber and essential fatty acids. By law in the United States, fully milled and polished white rice must be "enriched" with vitamins B1, B3, and iron. But the form of these nutrients when added back into the processed rice is not the same as in the original unprocessed version, and at least 11 lost nutrients are not replaced in any form even with rice "enrichment." If you're interested in reading more from the above scientifically backed article, head to: http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=f...ce&dbid=128 Health Benefits of Brown Rice: 1. Provides all necessary carbohydrates requirements (Humans). 2. Rich in fibers. 3.Helps control blood sugar. 4. Helps control cholesterol. 5. It is a body building food. 6. Beneficial for stomach and intestinal ulcers and for diarrhea. It is easily digested starch food. 7. Because of the mineral content, it supplies important nutrient for the hair, teeth, nails, muscles and bones. Brown rice contains natural oils in the bran layer of the rice, these oils could become stale if the rice is stored for more than 4 to 5 months. Stale brown rice has a rancid flavour and is not suitable for eating. It is therefore important that you check the packing date and expiry date on the packet before you purchase brown rice.

Could just be that the anal glands need emptying however for it to be that red and score the dog would have been at itself and the loss of hair in the area would indicate to me that the dog as been at itself for a while. Could also be an allergy. My dog was at himself the other week, we took him to the vets and his glands were full, fast forward a week and he's at himself again, I don't think his glands could be full again in a week but we're off to the Vets to see.

We haven't had issues with cutting the dogs supply off to cortisone, Vets haven't had any issues with taking dogs off Cortisone. Cortisone in tablet form is a drug that you can administer as you wish, up the dose when neccessary and lower the dose or cut it off where you can. I'm not sure what you're referring to when saying it can cause more harm than good, I think you're confusing Cortisone with Crack or something? lol, no, not confusing it with crack. I do not know anything about crack. Steroids should never just be stopped suddenly. The dose should be tapered at the end so that the body's own system can kick back into action naturally. If cortisone is suddenly stopped the effect can be similar to Cushings. When cortisone is taken, the body slows down producing its own form of it and the synthetic takes over doing the job. The body makes its own natural cortisone which is needed for the body to function correctly. By tapering the dose, the body slowly gets back into producing the correct level to function. This will be explained to you by a vet if you ask them. It was explained to me by my vet and by a doctor. Last paragraph of this link http://www.provet.co.uk/health/diseases/cd...icosteroids.htm Last paragraph under dosage, towards the bottom of the page. http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?cl...;articleid=1422 If you do not want to go through the heavy reading of this article, go to the bottom of page 6, start of page 7 http://www.utskinvet.org/pdf/Corticosteroids.pdf Hope that helps. :D If we can take a step back to where I was discussing that many dogs are on such a low dose hense stopping cortisone wouldn't be an issue. It is highly unlikely that one such as myself would need to give 3 cortisone tablets to my dog one day and then nothing the next, you work down as neccessary when you are getting better results and then break away from it.

I think there needs to be a bit more education here on the use of Cortisone and the fact the Cortisone is usually issued in very low doses where it does not act as an immune supressant.