Christina

I put 2 sachets of kitten food on a small plate & went to feed them. The phone rang so I put the plate on the table & went into the computer room to answer the phone. Finished the call, went into kitchen, picked up plate, got to the spare room door & realised plate was empty. Angie my bouncy toy poodle had got on the table & wolfed it down :laugh: She is the only one that can jump from floor to table. Little dogs are not as naughty as big dogs because they often can't reach it or get their mouth around it.

The dog may be sick. It is common for older pets to lose weight when they have thyroid or kidney issues & its usually the first sign of it. Cancer can be another common cause. Older dogs can go lean as they lose muscle tone but there is lean & there is skinny that like looks like starving ? RSPCA are not always useless. Only sometimes. If they visit & he reports that the dog has been getting treatment from a vet he will not be in any trouble. If the dog is not getting treatment they will make him take it to one to find out why the dog is losing weight & check back again to follow up results. Anyone who cares about their pet would not resent this although they may be a bit upset initially. Anyone who doesn't care deserves it. If you talk to the neighbour first you cannot phone RSPCA without him knowing it is you who reported. Decide which you would prefer to do. Forget council. They are more likely to ask is dog registered than are you feeding it.

New puppy owner of one of my toy poodle babies would like to take her to dog training class. Recommendations of any Salisbury & surrounding close areas appreciated. Thank you.

Ebay have lots of them & belly bands for about $2 a pair. Bought in packs OF 5 from memory. Cute patterns on them too.

I am still waiting for Mimi(toy poodle)to have hers. Its her 2nd birthday this month I have no advice

I wondered this too. I had a few people tell me they didn't think it was a good idea to get my Anatolian x and he's perfect for us. I also wondered too. Big conclusion to jump to in less than ideal circumstances too. A few minutes conversation at what sounds like the wrong time is not always an accurate reflection of how it is. Was the puppy school class run in a small room ? If so 7 dogs & some bigger & boisterous pups was not the ideal situation. Many people get breeds they know little about, many get mongrels & unknown mixed breeds. Many make wonderful owners & learn how to care, train & groom their dogs. People usually cared for dogs quite well before we had internet forums, all this advice & pedigree dog breeders advised the buyers on temperament for their families. Mongrels were free give aways & working dogs weren't seen so much in the city areas. Much of the breed advice on the internet & by TV personalities is very inaccurate too & given by people who have never even owned the breed. They get labelled which is so wrong.

We all keep saying this - ban pups in pet shops. It's an obvious solution to a lot, not all, of these people. I keep reading articles like this and seeing that these foul nutjobs sold to pet shops. So why oh why if WE can see the solution to a LOT of the problem - why can't the respective state governments? Ban pet shops sales. It won't solve the entire problem - but it would go a helluva long way. Its all about the right of businesses to free trade. Dogs & cats are seen as goods for trade purposes. Seems the pet shop association are prepared to get their own lawyers & take this to court & the government aren't prepared to go that far & battle with them over it. It would cost money. The other laws, rules & regulations raise money don't they ? Cynical view but seems about right.

If the pup can have surgery or expect to live a quality life, able to eat & drink without the need for tubes etc & will not suffer any malnutrition, dietry deficiencies leading to other problems etc then maybe it will be ok. If not euthanised is the kind thing to do. Your vet will advise you. Write a list of questions you need to ask so you don't forget when you go. The breeder should offer you a refund or another puppy. Contact the Office Of fair Trading for advice of your rights & then you can quote them to the breeder if they are not obliging or understanding about this. It gets complex if you want to keep the puppy. The breeder may refund or give you another puppy & want that one back however given the circumstances & obvious genetic fault I cannot see why they would want puppy back. Was the pup from a registered breeder ? that is registered with Dogs NSW, not council permit. If so maybe phone them for advice too if not happy with breeder response. The main thing is what is best for the puppy long term. Hard to part with them when they are so cute but it may have to be. Best of luck with it all. Very sad for you.

If he started in 1996 I wonder why it has taken so long for anything to be done. So many dogs have suffered in this time. Sick people If they would ban pet shop sales & all puppy buyers visited the breeders home & saw the parents, or at least their mother & litter mates & other family dogs,it would go a long way to stopping this kind of neglect. It may not stop it completely but it certainly would help.

I had a Chihuahua with epilepsy years ago. First seizure at age 3. Recovered by the time I reached the vets I thought it was a spider bite as we were in the garden. Another 6 months or so later. The vet advised that unless he had them regularly there was no point on putting him on medication & to keep him from hurting himself when having a fit. He had a seizure about once or twice a year some years, no more often, some years none at all & died at age 16. We managed with him fine so I guess they don't all need medication. Your dog may only ever have one fit a year or maybe not at all again. A dog on permanent medication after having 2 seizures seems a bit premature. Discuss more thoroughly with your vet about the need for medication if it is not going to be a frequent occurrence.

I don't think you are doing a thing wrong. I would want to know these things too. I have only re homed a couple of older dogs, the eldest being about 18 months. I would like someone who asked these questions & gave info about their home situation & family. Any responsible breeder would desex the dog before letting it go to a new home but it is not mandatory. Registered breeders with the canine associations don't have to have a licence for a small number of dogs they just join the association for their state & agree to abide by the code of ethics. Keep trying & you will get replies from a breeder who suits you.Good luck.

a friend of mine has an IG that was well over 2 before she had her first season. My own whippet Feather (not a toy, I know) was over 2 years old before she had her first season while her litter sister was only 13 months when she first came in. Hopefully your little one is healthy, just a late developer. Did they have seasons regularly after the 1st one & did you breed from them ?

I let the bitch mate if she is willing, usually about day 12 to 14. 2 matings if she is happy about it, only one if she is not. It always been successful. I did have one girl who would only allow the mating at day 19 but that is rare. If she is still bleeding she is not ready. You will have to prog test if unsure.

Your dog will always eat the cat poo, you can't train them not to. Its irresistable. An alternative is to put the cat litter high up. Even young kittens can jump quite well. Maybe put up a card table or similar & put the litter on top of it if you have a space anywhere.

Takes a while for most pups to get toilet trained usually no matter which way you go about it. The most important part is that your dog understands what you want it to do, it can't obey if it doesn't understand. Big fuss on the toilet word command & it will sink in eventually. I use one word for everything. Piddles. Choose one word & stick to it. There is no reason to keep your dog in a pen or crate unless the room is not puppy proof or you are busy & can't watch it however pen, safe room or some precaution to keep your pup safe is advisable while you are out. If you haven't got a safe room to leave puppy in then you will have to pop in the playpen & it probably won't cry if you are not there. Otherwise you have to ignore the carrying on & it is difficult. I have 2 tiny poodle babies in a 10 foot long pen full of toys & the fire on at present in the lounge & they were not happy initially. I find if they can't see me they play or sleep. I don't leave them in there all day though.

Your 36 inch/92 cm crate is a nice size for leaving puppy alone for short times or overnight. Enough room to stretch & walk. All my dogs were trained on newspaper or puppy loos as babies & as adults go outside to toilet fine. Sometimes they just can't hold on when small & so young. It is easier with bigger breeds. Some people believe in crating & training with only enough room to stand & turn. I couldn't do that, I don't care if it works. It is your dog & you must keep it & confine it in a way you are comfortable with. As you are asking is that crate big enough I am guessing you don't like confining ? Your crate is fine & you can extend it using puppy pen or Bunnings Compost Panels & some plastic garden cable ties. I think the more room you can give a puppy to run & stretch the better its bones & muscles develop.

One has to wonder then what is considered animal cruelty ? If the photos are genuine isn't it cruel to keep an animal in such terrible conditions ? If they had to seize dogs & destroy dogs because they were in such bad physical condition isn't that cruelty to let them get to that state ? Isn't breeding from dogs with hip displaysia, sick dogs, old dogs & dogs in bad physical condition cruel ? Naturally people will yell, judge & get mad seeing those photos although I do agree that demanding more laws & regulations is useless. Maybe there needs to be more clarity in defining what cruelty actually is. The law in this case is an ass & all the new laws & regulations clearly do not work in the animals favour.

So I wonder why the council did not report him to the RSPCA in. They can. Slack all round really & very callous & inhumane.

Spoke to them yesterday over something else & asked. Yes you can put the microchip in the new owners name, except in Victoria, so it seems its my vets choice.

Sickening. There is something sadly lacking in both the scum who did this & the magistrate. It appears they are only concerned with them not being a registered business. Shame they couldn't order him to live in one of his own sheds. A kick in the the guts for all those who care & decent animal loving people. Poor dogs

Does this mean he is in the crate during the day too ? I have no idea except to say that when you go to bed if you take him with you & let him sleep on your bed you will both be nice & warm & both get a peaceful & unbroken nights sleep. My 10 year old Tara gets me up at around 5am no matter how late I let her out & kicks off all the other dogs too but if she gets a turn sleeping with me I have to drag her out of bed in the mornings. Banned from the bedroom at present as Carla & her 4 puppies are right next to the bed in their nest & Carla wouldn't like her near her babies yet.

I also do the 2 vaccine protocol. I take my pups out from 6 weeks old ( as long as they are not walking on the ground at all or anywhere with lots of other dogs its fine ) Either individually carrying them to visit people or meet with a friend & go to a cafe with outdoor tables to socialise or all together in a doggy pram. You can buy them on ebay quite cheaply now or make your own. Here is mine.

As above. Slicker brushes are fantastic & will remove heaps of loose hair. Lawrence is the best brand & is made in England, they last forever. The cheap ones are so scratchy & harsh on the dogs skin. Try the brush on your own head first & if it hurts don't use it. I use a slicker brush for my own considerable amount of hair after washing. Gets the knots out without breaking it.

I can't get there but would be interested to know what occurs at the meeting. Having read the new proposals on the council website they don't seem too bad & are quite reasonable. The only thing that concerned me was the minimum size for cat & dog enclosure/kennels. They were ever so small if an animal had to live in them. Would appreciate any feedback from anyone who manages to attend.

W The last thing you want is some cowboy breeding and selling a 'rare' colour in contravention of the breed standard. We already have the above situation. Unregistered breeders already do this, can do this & its not illegal. With no recommended health tests, pedigree or knowledge of health problems & lineage. The public want this. To a certain degree with some breeds where the colour occurs naturally & genetically in the breed with no associated health risks I think it may be better to allow some colours. My knowledge is generally limited to the poodle colours so I only know that I have had many requests for parti colours & phantoms. I don't even like the phantoms but do like the parti colour. Of course they go to back yard breeders. Its interesting that opinion is so divided on this subject.