Poodle wrangler

Having an 8 week old pup is a bit like having another baby around. I'd go for an older dog- if only a few months older. If breed isn't an issue, perhaps look thru the sites for a rescue dog? The usual advice is to get a dog of the opposite sex, with both desexed, to help reduce the likelihood of them fighting.

I'm guessing your brush with the metal bristles is a slicker brush- some are way too harsh. Have to get one labelled SOFT or EXTRA SOFT. I reckon a slicker plus a metal comb (e.g. a "greyhound comb") would be ideal. I use a slicker on the poodles (as well as my sister's short-haired RidgieX) and my sister's dog loves it. Must feel like I'm gently scratching his back or something. One of my poodles doesn't like grooming at all - Bad luck- he stands there until I'm done or else! Is for his own good and I'm not hurting him.

Sorry, I'm not experienced enough to advise... But I was shocked to hear that my standard poodle was food aggressive when he stayed with his breeder her for a few days :p He's submissive to a 7kg mini poodle and is a very tolerant dog. Zero sign of aggressive of any kind at home. Even when on a "diet" and hungry, he'd give up anything to the 7kg mini poodle including bones. Everything given up to us. Breeder was straight on to his bad behaviour at her place as all her dogs eat together from pups to avoid this sort of thing developing, but ??? Perhaps not something to view in isolation?

Totally agree with others expressing concern about breeding this dog: * If she has arthritis, it will be worsened by the weight of pregnancy * You don't want to breed a dog with early arthritis as there's a genetic component . Metacam can be a very effective drug when used as prescribed. Must be prescribed by a vet and is best to have some idea what you're treating b4 giving it!

Koolie's are working dogs, aren't they? They need lots of mental stimulation and a reasonable amount of exercise. Good leadership, too. Start training! One thing you can start with is Triangle of Temptation (TOT): http://www.dolforums.com.au/index.php?showtopic=64101 Even if you don't understand the principles, just do the program exactly as described ..helps teach your dog to pay attention to you and sets up the basis for you establishing good leadership.

Sorry to hear the bad news. Time for a talk with the vet and work out where to go to from here. A $5000 op is huge and hip surgery is major surgery with crate rest and rehabilitation afterwards. Not every owner or dog is suitable for this. There will be no guarantees. Best wishes whatever you decide.

I've been thru some of this with my standard poodle. Very unusual for the big poodles. My vet XRayed to see what was going on. He does a lot of work with the local greyhounds and has an interest in/does orthopaedic surgery. Not all vets can do this surgery, I think. If the luxating patella is severe, they often skip the XRay and go on to surgery (this saves you about $200 and possibly an extra general anaesthetic). They adapt the procedure depending what they find during the op. Approx. cost is around $1000, but can vary a lot between vets and depending on your dog's exact problem. Can be caused by injury or the structure of the joint itself. Sometimes the area where the ligament sits is too shallow (dog is born with this) making it too easy for the knee to dislocate. In a purebreed dog, poor conformation can make this sort of thing more likely. The more often your dog dislocates, the more arthritis will develop as the dog will be scraping bone on bone. Best wishes for your dog.

Suggest you mix the new food with the old, for a gradual changeover. The poo patrol is usually better this way

I can't feed my standard poodle certain dry foods and canned foods- he gets runny poo, too. My smaller dog isn't affected. I found adding brisket bones and other bones, chicken carcass etc. with meat helps (very little fibre). The big poodle does well on Purina One (supermarket food, about $28 for 7 kg bag). Perhaps try upping the raw stuff to about 50%? I'm not sure what Hills ID is, but does it have a lot of grains in the ingredients? Corn? Dogs with more sensitive stomachs seem to do well with kangaroo meat. But make sure they're regularly wormed, too.

I have no idea how much my dogs drink. They like to drink from puddles when we go for a walk and the other day I caught the standard poodle drinking from the toilet despite fresh water both inside and outside . If Blossom seems well, I wouldn't worry at all.

I use the ear powder too- makes it 100% easier to grab the fur. I just buy one labelled "Ear Powder" from the pet shop. I use fingers- little at a time. I only use tweezers occasionally if ears are particularly yucky. I wouldn't bother with a groomer for this. My standard poodle carried on at first, but responded well to a head lock with his body between my legs . Little bit at a time- don't try to get big chunks out at a time- that would hurt. Also, don't dump a large amount of powder into the ear- just a little, then add more if you need to.

I use a "slicker brush" on my sister's short haired RidgebackX- takes off alot of fur, but you must get a GENTLE one. He likes the gentle scratching. Some feel like torture devices. Don't get "firm" for an ACDX. I saw some decent-looking ones in BiLO the other day

I work with humans who have hip replacements and I'm not sure it's an op I'd put my dog through. Due to the recovery, crating, time (mine) and risk of complications as well as very high cost. I've given some thought to where I stand on this sort of thing as I suspect there's something not 100% right with my large breed dog's hips/ knees. He's had a luxating patella on and off and corrective surgery would be around $1000 which I'd do, but it's a much less involved procedure than hip surgery. Vet is waiting to review again once he's finished growing. Hip surgery crosses the line for me. I would be inclined to try all the non-invasive treatments like supplements, exercise (e.g. swimming), dog chiro/ physio before going for surgery. The muscles around the hip joint can be strengthened to give a dysplastic hip better support. Another thing with surgeons .... Asking them whether or not you should have an operation is a bit like asking a barber if you need a haircut Just because surgery CAN be done, doesn't mean it should be. Best wishes for whatever you decide.

My dog has vomited like this before after eating a half-decayed dead animal- cast iron stomach- he was fine.

Try to time your lead practice with meal time- hungry pups will be more enthusiastic for treats. Don't forget to deduct treats off the meal (cav pups don't need to eat much, so several treats probably make a meal). Fat pups are a big no-no! Bad for their health and joints.

Back to basics when they turn feral. Trinagle of Temptation to focus those scatter-brains http://www.dolforums.com.au/index.php?showtopic=64101. Hard to train a dog that's not paying attention to you to start with ...

If you're happy with your vet, follow their advice. You have the complication of the teeth to consider. No way would I subject her to 2 anaesthetics. $260 is a about $80 more than in my area (regional NSW), though pain relief is extra. I chose to just give a tablet the day after for pain relief (vet OK'ed). No more was necessary- though my dog's a "he". City vets tend to charge more. Go with gut instinct- I'd not worry about an extra $50 if I was happy with the vet/ vet nurses.

Don't get too hung up on the "why". Here we use the lesser known command, "NO SHAG!" (firm, deep, loud voice). Oscar knows exactly what I mean and will stop straight away. Oscar (mini) does this occasionally, but only to those lower in the pack order (and the occasional quilt ). He's never, ever done it to me or the husband. Double check that the husband is up there in pack order- sometimes the dog sees things differently. Intelligent poodles like to be in charge. Does he feed her or do any training with her? (is still early days) Triangle of Temptation is great for him to do with her http://www.dolforums.com.au/index.php?showtopic=64101. Print it out and do it exactly as it's written. Great for teaching sit, wait and "no whinge" (our standard used to cry when tied out) too :rolleyes:

Dunno about dogs, but there's nothing to do for a human broken toe, other than stay off it! Crates aren't terribly expensive- about $100 in beagle size. You can always sell it later. Sometimes a breeder will lend you one. The airline type are pricier, but brilliant for pups/ dogs who like to be sick in the car- just wash it out. You could try confining your dog in the laundry, but I'm thinking they could do much more than $100 worth of damage in there when bored. Better a bored dog, than an unnecessarily injured dog! Get some chew toys (Kongs are tough and you can stuff treats in there) and big meaty bones to entertain your dog. Don't forget to deduct treats off meals, though- last thing you want is a fat, injured dog!

Because heartworm is often fatal, I wouldn't use unproven natural remedies to try to prevent it. JMO though. Not saying natural therapies aren't any good, but this isn't something I'd use them for. Standard tablets or chews (e.g. monthly) are well tolerated, relatively cheap and proven to work.

I was going to suggest a can of the cheapest dog food you can find as a laxative. Read it on another post here.

I'd clean the outer ear- no poking in to the canal and see how it goes. Cavs are floppy-eared and so more prone to ear infection (poodles can be, too). I clean with very dilute Malaseb (antibacterial- antifungal shampoo) 1:50 with water. My dogs occasionally have brownish wax. If it persisted, they'd be off to the vet. Once you know what infected ears smell like, you'll not mistake it again. Have the vet check when next vaccs are due if it improves.

Keep up the good work. Whenever toilet training seems to be going backwards, take a step back yourselves e.g. watch pup more closely, let out more often etc. Less accidents allowed to occur, the better .

Best wishes for Arkie. You're quite right that the NSAID family of drugs can have serious side effects. But they are also very effective. I've worked with humans who have been on these drugs and many reckon they'd rather accept the risks and have good pain relief (these were people at higher than average risk of side effects because of other medical problems).

No offence intended, but do you have a diagnosis? For arthritis or an injury, I would only use homeopathic medicine as an adjunct to conventional vet medicine. It would be sad to have your dog in ongoing pain when medication can easily solve the problem (once you find out what the problem is!). Again- keep your dog very lean (not just "not overweight")- it helps with prevention and management of any joint problems.