becks

best to just quickly pull out a few hairs at a time. Using ear powder/thornit powder will hellp you do this. Some dogs tolerate it better then others but it doesn't take long and it much better then getting an ear infection. Cutting the hair doesn't help the air to circulate into the ear.

We don't have heartwrom over here, so can't help with that one. My minis are wormed at 8 weeks, 12 weeks, 4 months, 5 months, 6 months and then go onto 3 monthly. Personally I don't like to treat for fleas unless the dog has fleas, I don't think it is good for a pup to have so many harsh chemicals used on them so often

I find oiling the blade can cause this problem, the more I neglect my blades the better they cut!

I use an H frame - just make sure that you use it in a sturdy table with a heavy base or a wrigley dog can rock the table (unless it is up against a wall) there is a chain hanging from the 4 hooks along the cross bar so the neck noose and belly strap can be positioned where needed and it is really easy to move dogs around. I have my table in the centre of the room, so I feel it is safer for the dogs to be tied up.

If a dog objects to a slicker brush, it is generally because the owner is being to rough with it. Pull up the hair and go through it layer by layer. Try the brush on your arm just as strong as you would on him, does it hurt? scratch? Cheap brushes tend to have a poor finish on them and will scratch up the skin, some have no give in them, a 'gentle slicker' should be fine for your dog.

I would suspect another cause after this length of time.

Just how one of my bitches was when her urethra was blocked by a bladder stone - lead to an emergency operation to remove it. Hope this dog has now been to the vet. Ruptured bladders are not a good thing!!!

It's best if you can try before you buy (I don't mean on a dog, but to feel how they are in your hand) I use the double sided (don't have the patience to use the single sided ones and they have the advantage that they don't seem to need sharpening and mine are over 20 years old!!) Mine are 6.5 inch. So long as you move between each cut, you get a very nice, natural finish with them

Isupply enough food to last for a few weeks, so if the new owner does want to change, then they can.

I always dust with ear powder first, it gives you a much better grip of the hair and dries out the wax. I use my fingers and just quickly pull (rather then a sharp tug) just a few hairs at a time. As you have an older dog from someone who would have been plucking the ears, just get on with the job, some dogs will try it on with a new person!

What interesting xrays, thanks for sharing them

With a puppy just be firm but fair about it and never let them go while they are fighting you.

She could just be getting to the teenage 'why should I' stage and having had a week of living with different rules, it has shown her that she doesn't have to behave in the way you want or expect. Most dogs go through a phase when they start to test you as they grow up. Why would you even have used a clicker if she was NOT doing what you wanted? The clicker marks the point at which the dog is doing what you want.

i would suggest you give it a go with your current dog. My old giant (8 years at the time) learned a new trick in just a few minutes by using the clicker. like spotted devil and her bucket, but I used a foot stool and the giant put her head onto the stool (after being clicked for showing and interest and then getting closer to it, she was the one who decided to offer her chin resting on the stool) this later at her dinner time when I asked for a down before she got her dinner, instead of just doing a down she also dropped her head onto her paws. This has remained one of the behaviours that she offers if i have something she wants. i find clicker great for teaching sendaway very quickly. I also have a dog who just doesn't get the clicker at all, if she isn't shown (lured) what I want her to do, then she just can't be bothered to try to work it out, makes her brain hurt!! A good way I was told to practise your timing with a clicker, bounce a ball and click when it is at it's highest point of the bounce (or you can do it as it hits the floor)

They are 2 very different formulas, it is the same as just swopping brands, take a week to change over and the dogs should be fine!!

The only thing to watch for, make sure the tail isn't docked to a length that would have the end sticking in the floor when the dog sits, a friend has a weimy with a tail like this and the dog is never comfortable in a sit. As Tony said, your dog will have no problem communicating with other dogs, all but one here are docked and get on fine with other dogs. Let us know how he goes after this course of antibios

Teething is certainly a time when puppies get smelly breath, and of course the extras in her diet aren't going to help either.

Better make sure you leave some extra time for all the turns

We have liquid soap in this house, so not a problem until it's bath time then the little darlings line up to steal all my bubbles!

Has she been spayed? Could be from a season or could be from a bladder infection or maybe even a stone forming in her bladder. Try to get a urine sample and while fresh take it to the vet to be tested.

As setterlovr says, there is medication that the vet should have told you about that can help to sharpen up your dogs brain again. I can't for the life of me remember what it is called. There have been good results with it.

you can just see the blood through the skin easier, was it while he was getting warmer that the colour darkened?

some dogs do loose some pigment as they age, doesn't look like anything to be concerned about.

That's why I like to attend the occasional grooming seminar, it gives you a refresher in various breeds AND brings you up to date in how the business is working - eg dogs now go straight in the bath and get groomed out as it's blow dried (unless matted to warrent a rough clip off before hand)

They should all be assesed on an individual basis. Take my breed for instance, you can work on the coat as much as you like as a puppy, but if you then clip off the adult you will go back to just having a soft coat again (there are a few excdptions to this but those dogs tend to lack undercoat anyway)