sas

2 Blocks? Do you work in the City?

I have a set, you can borrow them if ya wanna.

If you're a little concerned you can have Obi Vet checked but you'll probably find he's just one of those dogs who loves nothing more than a Grass Buffet.

I found a flea on Dante tonight, I've never seen a flea on my dogs prior. He was given revolution not that long ago to treat for potential mites and obviously that treatment hasn't lasted too long so I have given him Advantage tonight which I usually find really good.

I know Epping Vets can now do denistry work similar to humans, such as fillings and caps.

My parents Labrador loves walks, he thinks it's Grass Buffet time. Some dogs do it when there's nothing wrong perse' and some do just to settle their tummies etc.

Ditto. I wouldn't be giving one of them up quite yet. If you're prepared to work with a behaviourist and trainer throughout their lives and really work hard on your leadership you may just be fine. Many Breeders run same sexes together.

I don't think Dog Training & Photography should be put on the same level. You don't make your camera unahppy and unbalanced and stressed by not knowing how to communicate with it.

For me, a martingale is what you use on a dog that has a smaller head than neck, and you use it to have greater assurance that it will not back out of its collar when it sees a cat off to its right. So, it's the first option for most sighthounds. That said, at least one of our guys has backed out of a martingale - they're not foolproof (heh) but they are better than a flat collar for the smaller headed beasties. I would not recommend them as an anti-pull device. Pulling is one of those things that is very simple, but terribly complex at the same time. If I were selling something in a shop to stop pulling, it would probably be a book that explains that you should reward the behaviour you want to see, and not reward the behaviour you don't want to see. That is, pulling = no walking, no exciting sniffing, no fun. Loose lead = lots of nice sniffs, free walking and fun. A martingale with the chain link and positioned high on the neck like a show collar is a great tool for training.

Dante would actually cry to let me know he needed out......he was such a good boy in that respect.

Ah ok, I wasn't aware of the Collie sensitivity. Revolution is the only one I'm familiar with for treating for a possible Mange condition.

I think Advantage is probably the best flea preventative on the market. Mozzies are shocking at the moment, do you think it could be that? Although I think a Mozzie getting to skin level on your dogs may be difficult? Capstar is a great option. Good Luck!

S. Mange isn't always detected on skin scrapings. They can still treat for it if they wish with Revolution. Would also probably want to give 1000 of Vit C and 1 x Zinc per day to boost the immune system. Allergy testing (intra dermal) is not straight forward, it costs a fortune and typically comes back saying your dog is allergic to 101 different things, the desenitizing injections work in around 20% of cases and by working I mean about a 25-30% reduction of the problem. Anti-histimines are fine for dogs and many Vets reccomend human ones. The only unfortunate thing is they don't seem to work in that many dogs. I know of Greyhounds with Thyroid issues that are treated with Milk Thistle - 2 months on/2 months off. Eukanuba has a kibble for Sensitive Skin, we are currently using this on Dante for his Allergy issues, it is Salmon based. Some premium brand kibbles not targeted for sensitive skins can over heat some dogs as well. Here are some products that we have tried that you may be interested in: http://www.animalitch.com.au/Small.htm - Stinks to high heaven, but did good. We've used products from this Australian company which we also thought were good: http://www.holisticanimalmedicines.com/ Colloidal Silver works well on some conditions: http://www.colloidalsilvergel.com/order_%2...silver_gel.html Good Luck.

Your Aunty may want to give cortisone Tablets rather than the injections. If the singlet is helping that would probably suggest it's a contact allergy. Holistic Vets can be hard to find and you would most likely need to travel. Here's one in Russel Lea: http://www.naturalvet.com.au/index.html Cromer: http://www.drrossperry.com.au/dogs/index.php Sydney: http://www.acaciaanimalcare.com/practice_profile.htm There is a great Australian website that you can buy holistic type medicines for allergies, I know there is another one but for the moment I can't think of the address: http://www.holisticanimalmedicines.com/index.php?gPath=43_45 There is this one too, it stinks to high heaven though: http://www.animalitch.com.au/Small.htm Colloidal Silver is also meant to be great: http://www.colloidalsilvergel.com/order_%2...silver_gel.html Cooling coats can help take out the heat: http://www.silvereagleoutfitters.com.au/k9_cooling_vest.htm as well as cooling beds: http://www.mypet.net.au/CanineCooler.htm

I don't think a muzzle is meant to be left on unattended. Perhaps it would be more suitable to crate the dog in an area where you can make sure it's ok?

I play tug of war with 2 Great Danes that are heavier than me and they don't win unless I want them to. I make the toy dead in many cases, they'll drop the toy when they realise I have no interest in it. I don't really see a prob with Tug of War, there are so many different theories on it, I think you really have to look at each dog as an individual and see what works and what doesn't.

WOW you are keen! It's generally not reccomend to have 2 puppies at the same time as they tend to bond with each other than with you which can make training & leadership difficult. 2 bitches as well.....I guess you'll have to wait and see, I probably would have gotten a boy and a girl to be on the safe side. Staffies are known for the noises they make, you'll get used to that in time. The rough playing is just them sorting out where they stand and generally isn't advisable that you step in unless you think it's a full on fight and injuries are going to occur. To people who don't know my dogs they would think they were fighting but they just play fight very rough.

Your puppy sounds exactly like Dante was when he was a youngster except for the growling/snarls/barks, however we had a terrible problem with puppy biting. I really suggest you get help from a professional trainer now because this puppy could be naturally dominant and you want to get control before it realises its' strength that it's going to have when it matures. My Older girl who is normally dominant with other dogs let Dante walk all over her, that makes it very hard if your older dog is not repremanding because it shows the puppy that when they annoy another dog/human enough that they give in. With Dante, he was never left unsupervised with Leila, he had a dog run, it stayed like this until he qas 5.5 months old when he showed he could be trusted. At all other times he was on a lead so he did not harass my other dog and that he was close enough to me to repremand him. Good Luck, it sounds like this wee puppy is going to challenge you.

I really don't think you should be submitting a dog you only got 2 months ago, you haven't bonded enough with this dog and it may bite you or win against you with its' strength and that is not going to help you. You can just ask the dog to drop stay for attention from kids. I still think you need to set boundaries for this dog, from your post - I'm not sure if you have noticed but you make excuses for the behaviour.

Some dogs don't toilet on walks, some do. Puppy is only a puppy so it does take a while for it to all sink in and for puppy to take some steps backwards. You can use the one command for toileting, you can use both, however I'm not sure if that's a bit much for a puppy?

Some dogs don't play in their crate, they seem to realise it's a place to calm down and rest, the toys for them are mearly a comfort factor. Yep, sleeping in the crate is completely normal - that's what you're aiming for If he doesn't pee after coming out of his crate, I'd probably just have a play with him and then try again before going back in the crate. Sounds like you're doing everything fine If he falls asleep outside of the crate just pop him in there As a puppy, crating is really just for sleeping and when you can't supervise them, it's not for them to be in all day, I'm not sure how long you're having puppy in there

Yeah, it sounds like your dog is back chatting you. Are you familiar with a book called Dog Listener by Jan Fennell? May be beneficial to you. I assume you have been sumbitting your dog she she was a puppy? If you had you would only need to make the growly voice for the dog to submit by itself. At 9 months if you don't have this response I really wouldn't be chasing after the dog to submit it - you can understand why the dog is running away from you. I think just like a teenager pooch needs to be put in its' place, I think you'll find Jan Fennell's methods easy to follow.

Some puppies are just screamers....you don't expect though eh! With Dante, I kinda went overboard when we brought him home, we got him one of those Snuggle Puppies that has a heat pack and heart thumping machine in it, he slept with it every night until he was 5 months old we he told me he didn't need it anymore by tearing it up! I him crated, I think it makes them feel more secure than a puppy pen? I would put in a chewy treat, it would take him about 20 minutes to chew through it and then he would have a wee wimper and go to sleep then wake in the night twice to tell me he needed to toilet. I had the crate in the bedroom next to my bed and would dangle my arm down so he knew I was there but I wouldn't touch him or give him any attention when he was complaining. We also used to play with him an hour before bed to really tire him out.

Start at the base of the tail and run your hand up the coat pushing it in the opposite direction so you can see the skin. Fleas do like the bum & groan area. I didn't flea treat my puppy for some but checked him daily as that was simply because I didn't want him over done with everything at the same time as vaccinations and so forth and we didn't have any issues, however we didn't have the scratching you're having.

Could be a few different things. Could be Fleas - Advantage is a good product. Although, biting and scratching at legs sounds more like insect bites or a contact allergy. Can you see any red bites on the skin at all? At this time of year an insect repellant for your dog is a really good idea. I'm not sure if you can use human ones, I personaly buy an animal one. Have a chat to your Breeder or your Vet if you don't have a Breeder to speak with in regards to using flea treatment for the first time