Mavis

That sounds amazing... my cats are smart in their own way (can sit on command etc.) but I would be keen to give that a try...

Thanks for the Connie critter link Persephone! Looks promising. Locking the cats in a run or a room would somewhat defeat the purpose of them socializing during the day however I would love a cat run one day! When we live in a home we own again :-).

I have this issue... And I have to say I do not ever have a collar on my dog. We use a harness for walking.

I have a few questions that I would value your opinions on. I have scoured the internet for months, but can't seem to work out a way to keep our cats away from the dog food. Most people seem to have the opposite problem! The cats are fed on a schedule, however our dog has dry food available all day because of his very very small size (I worry about hypoglycemia and he is not a pig, he eats slowly during the day). At the moment I keep him in his own bathroom with a baby gate separating him and the food from the cats. The cats are too daft to realise they can easily jump the gate. However I would like to give him run of the house as the animals are all good friends. Any ideas on how I could allow the dog access to the food without the cats gobbling it up? Similarly, I am looking for a good indoor loo solution. Doggy can't hold it while I am at work for 6hours and I may be taking a full time job for a few months this year. I would like something like the spotty dog loo, but it seems way too big for my tiny little dog. I would prefer something more durable and less visually gross than puppy pads. I have considered litter training although as I know from having two cats, it is a messy solution. Access to the yard is not an option for various reasons. Thank you in advance for your wisdom!

What an adorable squishy birthday face!

Wow I had no idea plucking had gone out of favour! My parents were advised by their vet to pluck their mini poodles' ears and as far as I know they still do. I wonder how often vets have the opportunity to update their grooming knowledge.

Surprising to whom? Not to a statistician or anyone who knows a thing or two about dogs!! Mind you, Jo or Joanne public can't tell you the breed of most dogs anyway. +1!

My dog only likes to go for a walk if it is somewhere interesting aka new and/or lots of smells. If I take him down the street we live on he is not keen. Maybe your dog needs to rediscover his love of walks? You could try driving him somewhere and then walking?

Maybe I am off track here but it sounds like Remy is doing very well. She has not had any accidents? She is a large breed puppy... Perhaps as you said she simply did not need to go? Keep in mind that dogs naturally avoid going to the toilet in their den or home. Perhaps you could feed her inside if you are worried about her not making the connection between inside and her den?

Of all the smiles this is my favourite!!!!

Out of stock in my area too! My town is tiny so I will have to order online or drive or wait!

Yes... All my pets are insured but often I consider cancelling all the policies. Particularly right after I read the policy booklet!!

Thank you Aleksandra that is great to know!!

Thanks for your advice everyone :-). Some excellent food for thought.

I think his extremely small size (even for a Pom - he is under breed standard) does make me extra cautious.

Edit to delete double post. Oops!

Wow rascalmyshadow... That sounds awful and is exactly what I am trying to avoid. Helen yes I have considered both the German and Japanese Spitz breeds for our next dog :-). I love the Spitz personality. That might be a year or so away however so socialisation remains a priority. Mystiqview I am pleased to say that our dog although timid by nature has been very well socialised with strange kids adults and dogs. Luckily the hard work we did in the early months seems to have paid off and he reacts quite well to bigger dogs... I have had to keep it to sniffs only as I am yet to meet a big gentle dog although this may be because big dogs in my area rarely meet littlies. My question was more concerned with how I can make a judgement about "how big is too big" as I am aware of experiences such as the one rascalmyshadow had. However the consensus seems to be that it is hard to make this call.

Oh forgot to mention that he is always on leash while playing so it is mostly excited sniffing and a little bit of running around. I only let him off leash in our own yard because our town is absolutely full of roaming dogs which is very sad.

Pebbles I am a massive worry wart too! Our boy loves to play with a 9kg (that's right NINE kg) Pom at the park.The owner insists that her dog is a "standard" and mine is a "miniature" (ahhhh) but they do seem to have very similar play styles so I think this is a big factor in happy playtime. I would get another Pom in a heartbeat! My partner loves our dog but would also like a slightly larger one (maybe a 9kg Pom haha). I might be pushing it with our landlord though.

Alas! None of my friends have dogs... I certainly will be careful. Elsie sounds very sweet! Unfortunately there are a number of dogs in my area who consider small dogs a tasty snack.

That sounds adorable!!

Rascalmyshadow assume you mean you will NOT allow them to play with dogs over 5kg? Sounds fair. Our boy is inquisitive and friendly with larger dogs but is not interested in active play which helps. I think I will keep doing what I do now which is no play unless it is another small (toy sized) well socialized dog.

Thanks Suzi... 18 vs 34kg is a bit less than twice the size so I suppose would be like our dog playing with a 3kg dog. At this stage I probably wouldn't be happy with him playing freely with a non toy breed. I am yet to meet a larger dog that didn't become overexcited at the sight of him! However it would be nice to be able to consider a bigger dog for our family one day.

Hello! I have been reading for a long time and decided to finally register and post as I have a question which I have not seen discussed. We have a tiny 1.15kg 8month old Pomeranian who has been socialised with dogs of different sizes. However I have never allowed him to interact freely with a large dog as the potential for injury is too high even if the other dog is friendly. What do others think a reasonable size differential is for free interaction with another friendly dog? Even a 6kg dog is 5 times the size of our little guy so it is a hard one. Most people in my small town have very large dogs (e.g. malamutes and GSDs), staffies and working breeds so he does not often meet a small dog and has never met a dog as small as him since coming home at 10 weeks. I am also interested in figuring this out so that we can make the right decision when we eventually add a second dog to our household. We have 2 cats, the largest is 5kg and they all (dog and cats) enjoy playing chase together.