hopenfox

Hi Jeanne, I use a hand signal and say "back, back, back" as the cue. I start with the dog standing in front, then give him/her the cue/s, then they walk backwards in a pretty straight line for about 1.5 metres then stop (I'm still giving the cue) and look at me. If I then give them the cue again, they tilt their heads and look at me in confusion, then start offering other behaviours, like sit, wave, bow, drop, speak, etc. The only way they will move back at all after that is if I start taking steps in their direction (walking 'in' to them was how I originally taught the 'walk backwards'). I feel like it's starting to become a habit and vicious cycle now (cue, dog walks back, cue, dog stops, cue, dog offers alternative behaviour, I step forwards and give cue, dog walks back then stops again, etc.), so maybe I should start training this all over again from the beginning? What do you think? I got a pretty straight line by using barriers to create a corridor from the very beginning. Now they drift only slightly off course. ~ShelleAndShyla~ I'll have to try that! Imagine a recall from a distance, coming backwards all the way!

Can anyone suggest how I can wean my dog's off me walking towards them to get them to walk back? They'll now walk backwards to about 1.5mtrs from me, then stop and seem to have no idea what I want next! They'll only continue to walk back if I then step forward towards them again. How can increase the distance?

I would recommend 'Work Wonders - feed your dog raw meaty bones' by Tom Lonsdale. Billinghurst plans his diet information around his idea that dogs are omnivores. Lonsdale bases his stuff on the fact that dogs are carnivores.

Hope's teeth were worn almost in half by just one episode of gnawing on a marrow bone before I learnt better... I have also noticed that some dogs seem to have softer teeth/nails than others and they wear down quicker.

How often is she fed? As well as changing her diet, you could offer her more frequent small meals throughout the day, like 4 or 5 times...

You could try upping the fish oil. Hope who has arthritis in a hind leg is almost completely pain and stiffness free with 3-5 caps a day. I also found a tablespoon of Apple Cider Vinegar in his food helped my Cavalier's terrible neck/spine arthritus tremendously.

I second WAG'N'TAILS Companion Dog Club! Today is the first day of the last quarter and classes start at 9:30am now... The first Introductory lesson is free so you can see if you and your dog like it first before you join.

Have you looked at the ones at Deals Direct? I'm very happy with the one I got from there and the prices are great!

Nicky had this! He was dripping blood when urinating and the vet said it was a PH thing. She suggested we give him a vitamin C tablet every day to correct it. It worked! In a few days, the blood cleared up and the problem never returned.

Fox had bad dandruff till I started giving him a whole egg every 2 or 3 days and within a few weeks he was virtually dandruff free. I did consider Fish Oil, but since the eggs are free (from my own chooks) I decided to try them first and they worked.

I feed whole furry rabbits, gutted, checked for good health and shot pellets, and frozen for 3 or 4 weeks. The dogs and ferrets love them! The bones are cushioned by the flesh and fur, so aren't a problem at all.

Hope is allergic to grass/pollen and processed food. I stick to short mown grass during Spring & Summer whenever possible, and if she goes into the longer problem areas, I then encourage her to have a swim in the dam asap to wash any allergens out. I also now only feed Prey Model Raw... Several years ago I discovered through an elimination diet that Fox was allergic to raw chicken. With that removed from his diet, he is back to normal.

Do they drool at all? How would they go as Therapy Dogs?

Fox (Kelpie) is 7 years old and has never choked on anything, though he has needed me to remove lamb rib bones wedged between his upper teeth a couple of times. Nicky (Cavalier) lived to be over 14 and choked once when he was around 12. After years of thoroughly crunching up chicken necks he decided to swallow one whole, which then got stuck at the beginning of his throat like a plug. He collapsed unconscious. Thankfully someone was able to pull it out in time. We have never fed a dog a chicken neck again. Hope (Koolie) is over 8 now and several years ago I stupidly fed her a cut-in-half-lengthways lamb neck. She gulped it down as she does, and got a large section wedged in her oesophagus just in front of her stomach and pressed against her heart. Huge, expensive surgery later to remove the bone and a section of oesophagus, weeks of recovery eating through a stomach tube, then liquid off a spoon, and she's no longer allowed whole bones. I still feed Hope and Fox a raw prey model diet, as that is what I believe to be the best for them. I never feed chicken necks (even my ferrets sometimes have problems with these), flat-cut bones or bare bones. I think the risk of choking can be greatly reduced by feeding only edible bones completely wrapped in a thick layer of meat and of a size relevant to the dog's size and eating habits. Oh, and always supervise...

You could try more 'complicated' meals where the different teeth are all being used. Sheep heads are great teeth cleaners, with a range of difficult areas needing the use of all the dogs teeth. Also tough meaty meals (like tongues) also help with teeth cleaning. Lamb shanks and pork hocks involve a lot of front teeth use. Ox Tongues are great for back teeth. Large meaty (untrimed) lamb necks are good too. If Sarge were mine, I would probably get his teeth cleaned first, then continue with lots of really complicated meaty meals to keep them looking good. I wouldn't hesitate because of his age.

I feed prey model to my current dogs, and did to my Cav, Nicky, too in the last half of his life. Unfortunately I hadn't discovered it in his younger days and he had so many problems then with his anal glands, they eventually had to be removed. I would loved to have seen if the problem improved after changing his diet... My vet told me Cavaliers are very prone to anal gland issues. An average weekly Prey Model diet for Nicky was; 1/2 a chicken frame 1 lamb heart 1/4 ox tongue 1/2 a salmon head, chunk of liver 1/4 ox heart small rack of meaty lamb ribs, 1 whole raw egg 1 lamb heart

I started with monthly heartworm chews, then changed to injections until my vet told me Heartworm isn't a problem in our area and that she wouldn't worry about it. I now use no heartworm prevention... I used to vaccinate every year, then 3 when my vet recommended it, and now after thorough research of my own, I wont be vaccinating my current dogs (7 & 8yrs) again. In the future, any puppy I get will probably have their first vaccinations, possibly a first year one, then never again.

Hi Bret, I'm sure you'll get plenty of helpful replies soon, but in the meantime have a read through this topic if you haven't already. Many of your questions will be answered there. A guide is to feed your dog 2% of it's ideal adult body weight...every dog is different though, so you may need to adjust the amount once she's reached her ideal weight. My dogs are between 17 & 20kgs and get fed around 450 -500gs per day. Lean meats include rabbit, kangaroo and chicken with the skin/fat removed, but remember fat is a vital part of a dog's diet, so leave some on. hopenfox (feeding 2 dogs, & 3 ferrets on Raw Prey Model)

I just discovered Country Fresh Meats in the Kangaroo Flat Market Centre (Bendigo, Victoria) has recently started selling sheep heads! $5 each or 3 for $10. Skinned, but includes eyes, brain, tongue, etc. They also sell whole rabbits, turkeys, quail and also chicken hearts & livers and Lamb brains, liver and hearts.

You could also try something for the dog to wear like these. There are heaps of different kinds...

I clip Fox's claws every 3 weeks. I look at the underside of the nail and only clip up to the 'cushion' part where the quick is, clipping the pointy flat part at the tip. You can sort of see where I mean in the closest claw in this photo... This site is fairly good too; Clipping nails

I have one...

Name: Fox Breed: Working Kelpie Age: 7yrs Last Vaccinated: April 2005 Titre Tests (@ February 2009): Parvo >1:80, Distemper >1:80

Hi tashnchief, I used to get much of my dry food free as winnings at Agility trials, so I didn't actually pay much for that. I think BARF was similar in price to dry/processed though. But lets not forget all that intensive hard labour! Prey Model seems the cheapest to me. It works out at about $1 per day per (17kg & 20kg) dog on average - sometimes it's only 50 cents a day or less, sometimes free, sometimes $3 when I buy something special. As time goes buy you discover which places in your neighbourhood have the best deals. I also have access to whole wild rabbits for free from a hunter. hopenfox

I had my dogs on home-made BARF for several years after discovering Hope was allergic to every processed food I tried. I found it more time consuming than I liked and the dogs looked okay, but really no different to how they looked on dry (except Hope did stop scratching). Then I gained access to the internet and discovered dogs were carnivores and did not in fact need veggies! I changed to Whole Prey Model and WOW, what a change! Fox's coat went from shiny and coarse (I had always thought that was what his coat was supposed to be like) to super shiny and super soft...I couldn't get over it! Both dogs look the best they ever have now. hopenfox