Jed

Out of step with all the research - raw eggs + shells are fine. No need to boil them. Wouldn't mind seeing your reference about boiling them!!

Cavmad The woman in front of me at the checkout at the Warehouse was buying one - two bowls which sat in a steel frame to keep them off the ground. I particularly remember, as the price wasn't marked on the item, and when she asked, she was delighted at how cheap it was. Probably not particularly good quality, but maybe buy a couple and use the second one if the first gives up the ghost? How about putting his ears in a snood? that will keep them clean.

Nick off, you lot, I'm moving in!! BARF = bones and raw food. Meat and veges or fruit. Put the veges through a food processor or blender to chop them up, so the digestion system can digest them which is not so easy if the cellulose is not broken down. There is more information on the barf webside. Cooking some of his meals is fine, but a dog is better able to digest raw meat. Feeding him a few whole peas should not be a worry. Same with cooked potato. I feed cooked potatoes occasionally - just mix them in with everything else. But - they wouldn't get them more than once a fortnight, if that. As to the herbs - I don't think a few can hurt, but too many are toxic. I'm not up on feeding herbs. I feed my dogs LSA (linseed, sunflower and almond), which comes ground up from the health food shop, for their coats and skin. But again, they don't always get it. I probably wouldn't feed whole sunflowers or linseeds. Do feed sunflower oil from time to time. I throw the used birdseed on the garden - supposedly for the wild birds to eat - but the dogs lick it up, and I have noticed whole seeds coming through, so they obviously can't digest them.` The trick to feeding dogs, imho, is everything in moderation, and plenty of variety -- that way you ensure the diet is balanced, and they are not missing anything, nor are they getting too much of anything. If you do a search for BARF or Dr Ian Billinghurst, you will find a couple of sites about BARF - Dr. Billinghurst's is the best one, I think. That will give you plenty of ideas. Bub sounds very appreciative of the great care he gets - and why not?

Your dog behaved differently towards the dog because he is older and in a different development phase. When he was younger, he was aware he couldn't defend himself, and ran away. This is a puppy thing - make a loud noise and they all scamper for cover. As they get older, they will begin to defend themselves, or you. That is normal. As far as your husband fending off the other dog - agree with Nekhbet. At present, just keep walking your dog normally, once he sees that he will not be hurt, he will recover. That's a fairly normal reaction - you would do the same if a large man came up and tried to punch you out - you would be wary of large men with big fists for a while, but after you had passed a number who did not try to punch you, you would begin to think it was safe. If your boy was older, he could shrug it off, but because he is still only a big pup it will take longer. Being out with other dogs and people who wont hurt him will help.

I have used it, and thought it was very good. Dogs liked it, and seemed to do well on it.

Hmm, I'd be tape recording the neighbours, and complaining to the council about their excessive barking!!!

He is either peeing because he is excited, showing submission, or a bit scared. If they are getting on ok, let them sleep together. If they were going to have a brawl, it would have happened by now, and he knows where he is. Whether his mother acknowledges him is another matter. If you are relaxed about the whole thing, it will be ok. The difficult part would have been when he first arrived.

Although none of mine are debarked, and I haven't really considered it, I must say that none of the dogs I know who have been debarked seem at all bothered by it. They all seem to get about making funny noises, without any problems at all. I used to feel that it was not such a good idea, but having seen so many apparently unbothered dogs, my opinion has changed somewhat.

Good post, Sags. What suits the dog best IS the best. Zorro, California Natural and Innova are made in America, and available only from PP stores. I used both some years ago, and found them both excellent. Again, premium foods, so you don't need to feed huge quantities.

Toy poodle Bichon Frise Papillon Japanese Chin (although OH probably wont like the look) Pekinese (same comment as above) - you need to own a peke to appreciate one - huge personality Maltese Toy poodles, Maltese and Papillons can be yappers - depends on the lines, and the training they receive. And a Bichon doesn't need to have that silly show clip with the big hair on the head!! A breeder should give you heaps of information, and also a puppy pack. I wouldn't be buying off one who advocated cheap food. Where else were corners cut?

What Becks said. Lay the scissors flat across their bottoms and cut the hair short from the anus toward the front. It will grow back before you sell them, and in any case, the new owners should do it too, before the first clip.

Quite a few show owners and breeders have their dogs debarked (Q) and there are several vets who will perform the operation. It is not difficult, and any competent surgeon with some experience should get a 100% result. None of the dogs my friends own seem to suffer at all. They were done because of the noise level on 1000 - 3000 m2 blocks,so the neighbours would have no issues with a few dogs barking. None of mine have been done, but if the choice was pts, rehome or debark, I would debark every time. Sometimes the tissue grows back, and the operation needs to be performed again, but that is not common.

ralfthelab Unless someone is likely to pinch his food, there is no particular reason for crating him at meal times, though it wont hurt him. Otherwise, all sounds good to me. I am against pups/dogs spending more than a very short time in a crate. I do believe it has an extremely bad effect on them, and unfortunately, some of these problems are put down to "training" or "temperament" issues, because there seems no obvious cause. Pups have a definite cycle of development, both in utero and after, and restricting their ability to explore/experience/learn does, I believe, do some damage. It may not seem like much, or affect the dog, but some dogs are affected more than others. This is just my personal opinion, but I have had experience with dogs who were imho "over crated" and it wasn't good!! Training fashions change, depending on who writes what, and what seems to work - some fashions go and some stay, some are harmful, some are not.

Molasseslass

Always only too pleased to be of assistance, Molasseslass. My pleasure.

Molasseslass I have noticed you correcting grammatical and spelling errors others make, so, as this word changed the sense of the post, I paid you the same courtesy. Boring? Tough

:rolleyes:

Lillysmum I comprehended it perfectly well, as did several other posters, from their replies. The question is, did you? I will reiterate - a puppy should not spend excessive time in a crate. Not for any reason - except maybe under veterinary advice for a medical problem - and even then it should have plenty of things to occupy itself, and plenty of attention. Otherwise, problems develop.

molasseslass Huh? Cavnrot Only Bordo and Uncle Arfur.

Samoydman so long as you don't kiss him, no one will think badly of you! How about a vet nurse for a g/friend? She could do some of that stuff you don't care for?

Lilysmum I comprehended it perfectly well, thanks. When you give "advice" which is contrary to the best interests of the pup/dog, EXPECT someone to pull you up on it, and correct it, in the best interest of the dog referred to. I have no problem with the lead, I have a problem with excessive crating time, AND the pup being either in the crate or on leash for most of the time.

The puppy pads save accidents - at the moment, he is not able to last for 4 hours. I think they are a conjunction to house training - if he uses them, you can move them outside when he is old enough to go out there. 3x3 m is a good size - there is room for his bed, and the pad, but if you come home and take him out, that's even better. I think crates are ok - for the right purpose. They should not be used to "keep the pup out of the way", or for long periods. Not good for the pup. Unless you are there all the time, the pup is going to have accidents. I think to expect full house training under 4 -5 months is optimistic. 5 months is probably more realistic. If he is able to use the pads (or newspaper) he is not conditioned to wetting all over the house, and if the training has progressed satisfactorily, he will abandon the pads/paper once he can hold on. Once my pups are out of the whelping box, they progress to a 3x3m pen in the lounge. On one side is their bed, toys, and food bowls, and the floor is covered with newspaper. They use the newspaper, and as they age, the messes are confined to one corner far from the food and bed. I change the paper regularly, of course. I have 1 x 9 week old pup here now. She lives in her pen, but she goes outside with the other dogs, or is inside with me, for most of the time. She is in the pen to eat and sleep. She is there overnight, and when I am out, because she is safe there. She uses the newspaper. Over the past week, I have been taking her outside before I go to bed. I let her outside about 6am. This morning, for the first time, I noticed there was no mess in the pen. When she is inside, I take her out regularly, and if she does go, I praise her. I raise them all like this, and have noticed no problem with house training when they progress from the pen to "regular" living, which means being inside. Better they go on the paper than on the floor. I give this brief information to my puppy buyers, as part of their puppy pack - and it seems to work.

Lilysmum You ARE joking, aren't you? According to the above, the poor damn pup is spending most of his time in the crate. And if it is only large enough to be a bed, he should only be in it for a minimum amount of time. That advice, imho, equates to animal cruelty. Crates are NOT a way of life, or a substitute for decent puppy care, they are a worthwhile tool, but ONLY if used correctly. According to the above, he will only be out of the crate for a couple of hours day!! How is he supposed to develop, both mentally and physically, like that? ralphthelab - just stick with it. He doesn't have much control at the moment. Take him out, wait - and make much of him when he goes (a "buzz" word often helps). Inside, take him out 10 minutes after he eats, and wait. Take him out about every 45 mins, or when you see him nose down, or circling, or looking uncomfortable. He will pee in his bed if he can't get out, because he simply can't hang on that long. If you are crating him overnight, try to take him out late pm and early am. If you are worried about him having accidents inside, buy some of those puppy pads from the pet shop. The are like a disposable nappy, only flat. Lay one on the floor, and with any luck, he will use it. They are impregnanted with a smell which suggests "puppies go here" - and 90% do use them. That will save your floors if he is caught short - and he will use it. Personally, I would confine him to the laundry, bathroom - somewhere cool and with a hard, impervious floor, while you are at work. Much safer for him. Give him his bed, toys etc, and put one of the puppy pads down. (And hope he doesn't chew it up, has happened!!)

If you are going to put the bowl down then take it away, remember to praise the dog highly when you take the bowl away, and praise again when you put it down. Mine all love to jump up and down and make yum yum, dinner's comin' noises at dinner time. I am happy for them to do this - and I can take the bowls away before they finish. A lot depends on the breed, and the individual dog - some dogs need a little more training in this area than others, some are laid back. You need to fit the information you get to the dog ;)

If you are interested in a raw diet, I suggest you check out http://www.drianbillinghurst.com/ which is the site of Dr. Billinghurst's BARF diet a raw diet. If you wish to feed dry, the "better brands" (in no particular order) are Nutro Nutrience Eaglepack Eukanuba IAMS Advance followed by other dry food, which IMHO, is adequate and balanced, not perhaps the quality of the ones above Supercoat Bonnie Cobber Working Dog Pedigree All Natural Optimum Things to look for in a dry food - the first ingredients should be meat (or chicken, or lamb or fish) and with perhaps meat meal etc before grains on the list. No artificial preservative or colourings. The label should have "Balanced" on it somewhere - but most do anyhow. There are probably other brands, but the above are those I have fed, and been satisfied with. Dry food can be confusing, particularly when you are trying to work it out from the label, and I have found sticking to the above rules simplilfies it for me!! And - most important, you do seem to get what you pay for. The cheaper ones tend to have cheaper ingredients!! And - the dogs don't do as well on them. As far as raw goes - meat, bones, veges, fruit, as per Billinghurst's recommendations. I think anyone who is not familiar with a raw diet ought to read Give A Dog a Bone, by Dr. Billinghurst, and go from there. People get their knickers in a knot about raw diet, but it is as simple as can be. The diet needs to be balanced, and if the greater part of the diet is meat and bones, and about 20% is other, different things, you will, over a period, achieve that balance. Most feed their own variation on the BARF diet - for instance, rice, or cooked veges, and the dogs do well, so everyone here can give you their own version, but you would do better to read the original. I would not, unless I was desperate, feed any quantity of rice, because I have proved my dogs fail to gain or hold weight when rice is regularly included in the diet, but others feed and like it. I do not cook veges either, because I believe cooking destroys a lot of the goodness. However, as some veges contain a coating of cellulose, which makes efficient digestion for a dog difficult, it is important to break this down prior to feeding. I put all veges in the food processor to mince them. Cooking meat destroys the enzymes which help a dogs digestion. Raw food is cheaper, and if you are sensible, the dogs do get a variety of food, which I feel satisfies their requirements.