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If your dogs do ok on items like Bonnie/Uncle Albers/Optimum then there's no reason you can't feed them that.

People use different methods, as long as the dog isn't being emotionaly or physical abused then it's not really something up for debate....if you like the hands off approach or the hands on appraoch then do that with your own dog....you're not going to change the minds of people who do the opposite.

Perhaps he doesn't value those cuddles and that's why not getting them really doesn't matter to them.......not many dogs actually like the way their owners fawn all over them.

If your husband is behaving like that then I say re-home the dog to someone who will a) Have the dog inside at night and whilst they're home B) Toilet train the dog properly without intimidation. If your Husband is cracking it about this, he's likely to crack it later on when the dog does something else he dislikes, so maybe have that discussion with him, does he actually really want a dog because they toilet in the wrong areas sometimes, throw up on your favourite rug, wreck stuff from time to time, cost you a fortunte when something goes wrong etc etc. If a dog is toileting overnight and is an adult you'll want to feed the dog as soon as you get home and ensure it toilets before bedtime, lift the water at least 1.5 hours before bed unless it's hot etc. If your dog is only being fed in the morning it's beyond me why its' toileting overnight unless there is some sort of digestion issue and may need a different brand of food or the dog simply does not want to toielt around you because you used intimidation when toilet training. I'm not sure what Wei's are like in general, the ones I have met are nervy so if your dog is nervy and you gave it a good telling off for a mistake it made then...sorry to be so blunt....but what do you expect....it's like someone running up to you and yelling in your face or giving you a whack when you have no idea why.

I don't neccessarily think it's a 'leadership' thing. From what you have said I think you may be trying to treat both your dogs the same and expect the same when their motivation is different...maybe not but that's how I interpreted it. It doesn't sound like Max has absolutely any value in doing what you ask, I wouldn't say he's doing this because he's saying you're a crap leader but trying to tell you that there's just simply not enough value in it and you have to find what he values the most in this world.....it may be something untraditional.

You could also say that slows the dog down and that's why it works.

it would be too close for me to be interested in the mating but that is just my own comfort level, I personaly don't like close breedings but understand the importance of Line Breeding when done by someone who knows what they're doing.

I reccomend you call your Breeder and have them explain it to you. If it were a planned Breeding then they did it for a reason. Some go along with the line of through that inbreeding with either give you your lines best traits or your worst and some breeders do test inbreeding to see what their lines holds. Line Breeding is still Inbreeding, many will argue as to what Line Breeding is vs Inbreeding.

Clean the Carpets. The pretend the dog is a puppy and toilet train in the same manner. Take the dog down to the yard every 1-2 hours (when you're awake and home) give a toileting cue and when the dog starts to go calmly give praise using the command i.e. "Goooood Toilet". When the dog has finished lay on the praise and have a play. If the dog does not toilet within 5 minutes go back inside and watch the dog and do not allow the dog access to parts of the house where you can't see.

A line of thought I agree with 'Conformational Disease': In addition to breed predilection, there appears to be a genetic link to this disease. The incidence is closely correlated to the depth and width of the dog's chest. Several different genes from the parents determine these traits. If both parents have particularly deep and narrow chests, then it is highly likely that their offspring will have deep and narrow chests and the resulting problems that may go with it. This is why in particular breeds we see a higher incidence in certain lines, most likely because of that line's particular chest conformation. Some Bloat Associations many people tend to agree on or have been seen in clinical studies: Male dogs are twice as likely to develop gastric dilatation and volvulus as females. Neutering does not appear to have an effect on the risk of bloat. Dogs fed once a day are twice as likely to develop GDV as those fed twice a day. It appears that dogs who eat rapidly or exercise soon after a meal may also be at increased risk. Dogs that tend to be more nervous, anxious, or fearful appear to be at an increased risk of developing bloat. Dogs over 7 years of age are more than twice as likely to develop gastric dilatation and volvulus as those who are 2-4 years of age. There are pattern studies such as http://www.netpets.org/dogs/healthspa/gendis.html that show that their data support the hypothesis that dogs with a deeper chest relative to width are at greater risk of developing bloat than dogs of the same breed with smaller chest depth/width ratios.

They will be high in sugar and is usually the first ingrediant. They're really not that healthy and depending on how you feel about t he use of Palm Oil... http://www.d4dogz.com.au/catalog/drops-strawberry-yogurt-100g-p-512.html say to only to feed 1 drop per 4kgs.

I'd express caution. I had a foster puppy that was perfect with us, the family came to meet him and he let out an uncertain type of growl but nothing else. We put it down to the puppy lacking some socialisation and needing to grow in confidence. Had talked through a plan of how to manage the puppy i.e. plenty of soclisation in controlled situations and go to training and pre-paid behavioural sessions. They did none of what we spoke about and that puppy went onto bite 5 people and my last advice to them was to put him to sleep as he could not be rehomed and they were not capable of correcting the dogs problem with a Behaviourist. Going forward I would only ever rehome an unconfident dog to someone who could prove their skills as well as me holding onto that dog much longer and exposing it to many more situations to see it at its worse so to speak and not just take for granted that the dog is fine with me it'll be fine elsewhere and also not presume your typical family pocess the skills or drive to follow through on the directions you give i.e. they let 5 bites happen, after the 1st one they should never have let the dog be in a situation to do it again.

Careful, that's not a balanced diet. You can feed BARF with correct ratios if you're not meant to be feeding dry.

My highly allergic dog gets cranky and not very tolerant when his symptoms are really bad.

Usually is the case, dogs are never simple

I had a dog stolen from my yard by people who claimed she was theirs. The police didnt want to know about it. If it was a boat or car they wouldnt have done something. In their words, they had no facility to hold a dog until rightful ownership was established. I had papers and everything to prove she was mine but possession in this case was 9/10's of the law. I never saw my dog again. i was devastated to the point I moved house because everytime i entered the building I expected her to be there I still have her rego tags, bowls, toys etc.. Even the council didnt want to know about it, everyone kept passing the buck. As much as it is wrong and irresponsible, I would have taken the law into my hands in this example. I would have retrieved her using force. Ditto!

How about the fact that it was a lovely sweet natured dog who'd make a lovely pet....

Agree! Timing and delivery is the most important aspect imo.

For the puppy, I have a vest that I can just put over whatever I'm wearing and the treats come out of the right hand side pocket. For my boy who does drive training I have a vest similar to those bike riders wear with the pocket on the lower back, this way he doesn't associate training/drive with a bumbag/treat bag that couldn't be used in the ring but I could wear the Vest.

They're human tablets for people who get gas. For Danes showing signs of bloat we'd give them 10 down the throat and get to the Vet.

I reccomend Crate Games to have your dog love its crate quickly: http://www.agilitycl...com/prod157.htm If you believe your pup will need a toilet break overnight don't wait for the crying and whining, set your alarm for the time you believe the dog will need to go i.e. 1am. If the pup whines overnight, you can just get uyp without saying anything, take the dog toilet, praise the toileting, put the dog back in the crate and go to bed, you don't need to have a whole conversation with the dog, the less you interact with the dog in that situation the better it is long term.

Did you cover the wire crate with a sheet or something so it was like a Den?

Dogs need to be crate trained before they'll happily accept the crate. I reccomend Crate Game: http://www.agilitycl...com/prod157.htm I did Crate Games with the pup I have now and can confidentaly say I believe most people who are actually committed to getting a result will have a pup that readily accepts that crate within a week of Crate Games and then if they continue the process and do Crate Game everyday they'll have a dog who LOVES their crate shortly.

I don't agree with that, puppies need food for energy and focus. People don't tend to think about that, if someone expected me to concentrate and train with being starving I wouldn't be at my best and I'd probably be obsessed about the food which isn't actually allowing me to learn properly. If the person doesn't want to provide the whole meal, they can give half or a quarter etc 3-4 hours before the puppy school that way pup has had a sleep and can toilet, but to give no food isn't a smart move for energy/focus requirements. For some reason people feel they have to starve their dogs to get results.

I'm waiting until the end of the year when they add 14 more items to the test. There's nothing about witholding in her emails to me.