Poodle wrangler

Sorry, I have a cordless Dremmel which only has nos. 1-10 on a dial. I use 4, but don't leave the sandpaper in contact with the dog's nail for a long time, so it doesn't get too hot. A Dremel's been a godsend with a puppy with sharp nails and front dewclaws. IMO: Try the slower speeds, then go up from there. You can always try a bit of Dremelling on the back of your heel if you have some rough/ hard skin there, even your toenail . Are you using the finer sandpaper? I find using a too coarse sandpaper gives a poor result- nail left with a "chewed up" appearance. Addit: My kids (eta: human ones) were fascinated by the Dremel- I found the 8 year old dremelling his own toenails!

I'm looking at desexing, too, but have no plans for dog sports. This shouldn't affect your decision, but you have to pay more for council registration if your dog is not desexed e.g. at our council it's about $40 (desexed) vs. $150. Far as I know, they have to be registered by 6 months. I've read that "humping" humans is never love, it's a dominant behaviour (I'm no dog behaviour expert, tho).

I'm looking forward to those sharp little puppy teeth falling out. Anyone know when that usually is? Our pup is standard poodle (large dog), 3 months old.

I find the raw bones/ chicken wings/necks really help keep my 6 year old dog's teeth clean. He's had more than usual since we got our pup and his teeth look even better. Both pup and dog love them! Our pup is a real chewer, so I give them at least daily. They sell chicken wings and necks at our local supermarket, so it's no hassle to buy. I freeze portions, also. Other good advice I had: Keep puppy lean and don't overexercise (i.e. play and very short walks enough) so not to put too much stress on growing bones. I'm guessing your dog(s) are a larger breed.

Our new pet pup was vaccinated at 6 weeks and 12 weeks with Protech C3 ("Canine distemper, Adenovirus, Parvovirus Live vaccine"). Our vet suggested another C3 or C5 (if kennels required) in 1 months' time, then next vacc. due a year later. I don't plan to use kennels in the next year. Obedience club said "whatever the vet suggests" when I asked about C3, C4 etc. Can anyone confirm whether or not this 3rd shot is necessary? I thought they only needed 2, then another in about a year . I've also read that the Protech DURAMUNE C3 is approved to last at least 3 years: http://www.apvma.gov.au/gazette/gazette0506p12.shtml (see variation 4.). Is the plain "Protech C3" a different formulation, then? Thanks for help: sooo confused, even after reading other threads!

No! Any punishment has to be IMMEDIATE i.e. when the dog's doing it. Your dog was punished for coming when called. Useful piece of advice I got: Never call your dog to punish them ...trains them to NOT come! Try redirecting your dog if he plays too rough e.g. throw a ball, put him back on leash, get him to sit etc. and reward him with a favourite food treat when he obeys. It's probably going to be difficult if he's excited, so make it an exciting treat. Add praise and redirect him to doing something else he finds fun. Good luck with your new dog!

Interesting thread. How much are the super premium dry foods e.g. Nutro, Royal Canin etc.? Is Royal Canin imported from Denmark? Is there a brand made in Australia, so you're not paying for the import? Had a quick look on net for Nutro and price for a smaller bag (~ 4kg, Puppy, large breed) worked out to be $9-/ kilo ;) (NOT inc. postage). Obviously would be cheaper in bulk, but I could feed fresh steak on special from the supermarket for about $9/kilo!

Thanks

Here's what I found on the net ETA: I'm off to the hardware shop tmw. Stairs are too long for a door, tho it's a great idea, as are the non-slip + crossbars as a ramp there will be reasonably steep. Thanks for all the ideas!

Do you inadvertently "punish" her when she comes to you i.e. do something she doesn't like? e.g. call her, then put her in the car (if she doesn't like it), put her in crate (if she doesn't like it), that sort of thing? I don't mean hurt the dog. It's so tempting to do this- I'm thinking of my first dog who liked to run away. Coming back to me was a "punishment" because he wanted to stay out and bark at people. Got around it by bending down, calling enthusiastically (like an idiot) and giving a favourite treat and cuddle when he came (eventually). Had to pretend he was the best dog in the world for coming to me, despite frustration. After some ups and downs, worked well. Good luck .

I've never had problems feeding my mini poodle Supercoat, though I'm looking at a better quality puppy food for our new, larger-size pup to use for as long as he's growing.

Our old neighbour's dog used to crush all the plastic bottles and have great fun. Neighbour said it helped save space in the recycling bin :D .

I got a Hills Science Diet puppy pack freebie when our pup went to the vet for vaccination today. Brochure said to avoid, "Raw and cooked bones". I kid you not! Read it twice to check I wasn't taking it out of context b4 chucking it into the recycling bin. No raw bones for a puppy :D I'm looking at food, too, as vet suggested a better quality dry food is worthwhile for larger breeds (standard poodle puppy). Vet commented that he'll be a big dog. At the moment am feeding semi-lean mince+veges, dry food (Supercoat puppy) and chicken wings/ necks/ raw meaty mixed bones. Our 6 year old mini poodle (<10kg) appears a picture of health on Supercoat Adult with raw meaty bones 2-3 times/ week and chicken neck and/or wings 2-3 times/ week, plus some veges/rice leftovers occasionally. Has good teeth for age, too. Could someone please post how much I'd expect to pay for one of the better dry foods for pups? Would it really be worth it if dry food= only about 1/2 his overall diet? ETA: I'm not sure BARF's for me as I have trouble enough ensuring reasonable meals for the humans in the family (kitchen phobic?)

I've met a few pups who've had nasty scares when other dogs have played aggressively, or even bitten them, at our local dog off-leash beach. I don't think it's a good experience for them at a younger age. I've taken our new pup there only once when there were no other dogs there. Kept him close by at all times. I took a friend's labX to the same beach at 7 months of age, his recall seemed good prior to this, but could I get him to give up chasing someone else's ball? Noooo! Also, any kids at high risk of being bowled over. Regretted taking him off leash.

I'm going thru this with our new pup, too. I say, "No" when he jumps, or even as he just starts to jump, get him to sit, then praise++. I sometimes kneel down and INVITE him to jump up for cuddles after he's sat, too. All cuddles on lounge etc. are by INVITATION only. Ditto our older dog. Helps remind a clever dog who's the boss . A friend at work had a beagle and she found he could be stubborn at times. He chewed thru over $3000 worth of new cabling on their brand new trailer :D

I've got a standard poodle pup and the breeder suggests no stairs as his bones grow. I guess it'll be for about 6-9 months+. At the moment I close the gate at the top and walk around the front yard, but this is no longer-term solution. Any ideas for barricading these stairs? Preferably something that won't cause too much damage when removed. Gate at bottom no good as dog gets between higher stairs, also costly as we're hopeless handypeople here :D . Other problem is that driving a long stake to secure anything is difficult- rock+++ around the stairs. I've caught puppy getting in between steps, also. Any suggestions most welcome, thanks!

A breeder told me that she doesn't vaccinate until 8 weeks pups still have some immunity from milk from their mother up to this time. She also thought with later weaning the dam taught pups good manners: They got a good telling off if they used their teeth inappropriately (ouch!).

My 3 year old has had great fun sitting in there, too :rolleyes: I took puppy and our mini poodle out for a picnic at Kiama today. He was so good: Was friendly and coped very well with screaming children (playground), Jazz band and fell asleep under the table at a cafe, afterwards.

Thanks for the answers, bit now I've already bought one an XL (42") crate which can be partitioned off to smaller sizes. I suspect Ted will be a biggish boy. A too-small crate is useless. I wasn't sure & we didn't have a crate with our mini poodle. As you say, curly, they're normally quick to learn. One of the reasons we love poodles is how they fit in so well as part of your family. They're just great to have around. It's hard to imagine a crated adult standard poodle in the loungeroom . It'll want it's own lounge, of course :D Our mini poodle was slow to toilet train and we had a few damaged things, but I put that down to me more than him . What can you expect from a puppy? He was very easy to train, otherwise. Hadn't had a puppy since I was 5! Crate cost $145. If I prevent 3 chewed pairs of shoes it's paid for itself! I'll sell or donate the crate later, if not needed. Thanks again!

They had an overexcited staffy causing problems in the car a few weeks ago on Better Homes and Gardens. Dr Harry's solution was to get a window grille like this: http://www.petnetwork.com.au/images/mik59.jpg to allow good airflow and a length of chain which was used to keep the dog snug down in the footwell behind the passenger seat. Window socks would do a similar job the window grille as long as dog was secure in the back. The staffy couldn't move far enough to try to get into the front seat. Reasoning given behind this was to reduce the stimulation the dog gets from being able to see all the exciting stuff out the windows. Also for safety, so he didn't distract the driver. Dog appeared more settled. Might be worth a try and costs next to nothing to do. Best of luck! Perhaps some old towels in the back in case he's sick? My dog grew out of car sickness about 8 months. Best of luck

I guess he'll grow up to about 24" at the shoulder (male). I've had a look on ebay, but I'd like to get a crate that allows you to "expand" the area as pup grows- the ads didn't mention being able to do this. ?? I'm planning to use it for toilet training and to avoid accidents/ chewing when I can't give pup 100% attention. Where's a good place to get a crate? I'm in regional NSW, so the choice in pet shops is very limited, also prices are often way above those in Sydney. I've got an airline carrier, which only has enough space for a turn around for pup- OK for car for now. I don't know if it's an OK short-term solution? Advice much appreciated ETA: Would large (36") size be big enough for a standard poodle?

Thankyou Sivaro! I know how much happiness our poodle brings to my son who's about Page's age. "He's my best mate", he says, even tho he's got plenty of human mates, too. If he's seen something scary or is afraid of the dark, Oscar keeps him company and makes him feel better. I'm sure Jet will be even more precious to Page. A very precious gift! A beautiful pup, too.

We have a local off-leash beach which my dog loves. Mostly, it's great, but I've seen a few fights between dogs who should obviously not be let off leash e.g. a staffy left bloody after she refused a larger dog that was trying to mount her . A bulldog had a go at my dog, but was quickly restrained by it's owner (thankyou!). Neither of us saw it coming. I've had to kick a dog in the head who had mine belly-up attacking him when I've been out elsewhere. Other dog was offleash with no-one in sight + mini poodle vs kelpie X wasn't a fair match. Other times I've distracted a larger dog that's come up with hackles raised by brightly saying "hello, pup" (even if it's a boofhead) and throwing a stick for them while calling my dog to my side. I don't want to be too negative, but just be careful and have treats with you in case your dog doesn't want to come.

I've noticed that raw bones at least 3 times a week really help keep my dog's teeth clean. His basic diet is nothing special- mostly dry food with occasional chicken necks and wings. Am glad you're having the work done. Must be painful for a dog to have bad teeth. Have seen my mother-in-laws dogs suffer while she tried the cheaper options e.g. antibiotics etc......

It's very tricky when you love your dog so much, however, that's an awful lot of money! Do they have 'generic' drugs in vet medicine? For humans, these are the same medication minus the brand name- usually the drug company patent has expired. Nothing wrong with generics. "Lasix" is the other medication mentioned earlier which helps remove fluid (fluid builds up when the heart doesn't pump well). Lasix has been used for a long time in humans with heart failure. I think it's more than reasonable to discuss the $$ issue with your vet and see how you can improve your cav's life without spending so much money on what might be the "ideal" treatment. Perhaps 2nd best can save alot of money while helping your cav significantly. Best wishes for your dear cav.