Christina

It is terribly difficult. Wait until you have your breeders prefix & are registered before you try to buy. Another way is to offer to take the pup on co ownership with a contract however you must ensure that the conditions seem fair to you & are acceptable as contracts are very variable both in expectations & financially. Good luck.

Its a pain. I have a yapper here but no one bothers, all the areas dogs bark & its rural so sometimes not really noticed. Its the high pitch that sends me nuts. You could try putting him on a lead to take him out & checking him the second he starts to bark. Verbally or use a water squirter & use a word like shhh or quiet. Then praise & let off lead when quiet. May do the trick. Squirter is no use with mine she thinks its a great game but some don't like it.

Pleased its all going well now. She is very cute & pretty :)

I would think it would be the wormer with vaccine that has caused the problem. Best do it about a week apart in future. If she is not ill I guess its just the combination that was too much for her system. I doubt its food poisoning/gastro. Bland diet & she should be ok in a day or so. If not back to vets.

I know that I have not caused it by over feeding. The desexing has caused it. They were not fat prior to desexing. My vet said some desexed dogs need their food cut by as much as 40 % There a limit as to how much you can cut down a toy breeds food as normal feeding of very to start with little cuts down to starve it. The dogs are around 4 kilos or just over now & have about 4 tablespoons of mixed meat stew with vegetables & a little rice to thicken it, with added fish 2 or 3 times a week & a third of a dog measure cup of dry. Some roo bone or chicken neck/wing for teeth a couple of times a week instead of one of the meals. Appetite has decreased with age. They would be very hungry if I cut that down. Huge space to run around in as I am rural & all the dogs tear around like crazy playing, little poodles are a high energy breed, so its not like I was in a suburban house with tiny yard & they couldn't exercise sufficiently. I was concerned about the risks of older desexed dogs being overweight & associated problems weighed up against the chances of pyometra but no one except mini girl has commented on that question. What are the statistics of pyometra in undesexed dogs compared with desexed dogs ?

I can't even understand why some people have children let alone pets What is so hard about keeping an animal in a clean, suitable & pleasurable environment, feeding it properly & giving it the love & care it needs ? Even with my tiny breed it only takes a 2 minute brush a day to keep nice ( apart from clips) & so many can't even be bothered to do that Its not rocket science or a lot of hard work. An all too common vent & always has been. So sad.

While I cannot ever understand her feelings I can only say that she sounds like someone who is completely overwhelmed & unable to cope with her dog, her children & much else. More common than most people realise. While I & the rest of the dog loving people here may never feel that way some people just do. It is very sad.

2 of my ex breeding girls have been desexed at 8 years of age & I am concerned about the weight issues. I know there is an increased risk of pyometra if they are not desexed but the weight gain is what worries me. Desexed young I find they only gain about half a kilo but when done older it seems they do go rather dumpy despite not being over fed. One was not so slim but not very fat but the other was a lean & very agile girl & Still is. I never thought she would fatten up with her activity level but she has. I know to feed a little less but there is only so much you can cut a toy breed dog down given that they don't eat huge amounts to start with. So I guess my question is what is the greater risk in a toy breed that may live to 15 years or so. Pyometra or weigh related problems in old age ? Obviously it is more convenient knowing that the boys won't be fretting to get to them every heat & there is zero chance of any accidental pregnancies but I am wondering about this for future girls as I know overweight carries a big risk too. I don't re home older dogs so it doesn't have to be done for that reason.

Tough on you but Abby is happy where she is. I had similar years ago when my daughter moved out of home. Her dog was 13 & one of mine was 10 & they had been close friends, her dog preferring this particular dog & not being sociable with any of the other 4. Thought it was cruel on the old boy to seperate them so I let her take my girl to keep him company. She was much better, cleaner in the house, more obedient for my daughter & lost a little weight as needed. They both lived another 3 years & died within weeks of each other. It was hard to part with her after 10 years even to my daughter but the dogs had to be put first & its not like Abby is going with a stranger. You will see her often & know she is happy & well loved.

Stick to the breeders diet. Not good to change too quickly. If you want to make changes wait until you have had her for a few months then add the new food to her usual in small amounts initially increasing gradually. It may be that you are giving too much & don't realise the small amount these tiny ones eat. Excitement & change with leaving home also affects them & its only almost a week. I find that about 2 tablespoons is a meal at about 9 weeks old according to weight, under a kilo they may not eat that much yet. I leave dry kibble down all the time but in your case I would mix it with the wet food. No need to soften it her teeth will be quite sharp & she is well able & needs to crunch some food. Can you weigh puppy , record & check daily so you know she is not going backwards ? Don't hand feed. A healthy puppy won't starve itself to death. Remove food as you are doing if uneaten. Not sure about treats as I don't use them. Very responsive to voice praise this breed. She sounds fine, healthy & normal & like she is trying to train you. They are so smart. Resist. Photos ?

A week is no time at all. All that is needed is patience.

No idea about bob tail genetics in dogs but do know about Manx cats. I also thought that bob tail would be a genetic defect of the natural spine of a dog so why would anyone want to breed genetically defected dogs Manx cats have so many problems due to their lack of tails.

You should have asked for a receipt & about the pedigree at the time you handed your money over but I realise that is not helpful to you now. Do as Steve suggested & either email or phone. I would try the phone first. Pedigrees can take a while to get to the breeder. If you can't get the pedigree then you have to contact Dogs NSW & ask their advice. If you were not happy with anything else there its up to you as the buyer to walk away without a puppy. Hopefully your new bundle of joy will bring you much pleasure.

Not sure about dogs but lots of experience in people, including myself & all 4 children. Generally if the allergy is to a common allergen & the reaction is severe it will show up but it can't be done for everything & sometimes it may not show in the test but there is still an allergy or more often an intolerance. Allergy shows as anaphylaxia, rashes, welts, hives, wheezing, swollen/weeping eyes, sneezing, face swelling & raised IGE blood levels. Intolerance is more likely to be less obvious & can be mistaken for other causes as in headache, stomach upsets, itching but no rash, mood changes & is less easy to pinpoint. It can be very complex or may be something glaringly common & obvious so all you can do is ask what exactly they test for, how reliable & accurate is the test & then decide.

A little off topic but about groomers. I also wonder why some always do a dogs anal glands as a matter of routine. I always thought that a healthy dog with no problems would not need this doing as the glands function as they should without interference.

In my 35 years of growing up in England I only ever knew of one single dog attack. Nasty little terrier next door was being walked by teenage daughter & lunged & got my 8 year olds leg as he ran past. No big fuss, a band aid, tetanus shot & mother told her off for not shortening lead near children. My son isn't scared of dogs or scarred for life he knew all dogs were like grumpy old little whatshisname. Many & most families had dogs. Not all were responsible owners & dogs often went out on the street to play with children as that is what many did when I was young. More common practise in the less affluent areas though. Councils were not so nazi in attitude then & only intervened if complaints were made. These dogs were generally even tempered, treated as family & taken to places. Not everyone there lives in small apartments many family homes have a garden & there are farms where they have dogs that don't rip visitors to shreds. I really believe that is what made the difference. Not suggesting for a moment that dogs be allowed to roam loose. The people were more tolerant too. Not many put in official complaints for barking or anything else much. If a person is in the pub or a hotel etc & the dogs is being a nuisance the person generally gets asked to remove it. I can't believe the number of children I have met that are nervous & scared of dogs here. They get so much bad publicity.

Its the stupid government & council rules that cause this to become more commonplace. If dogs were allowed in more public places, on lead of course, they would be far more social & less likely to attack. English & European countries don't get the problems we have here to this extent because dogs are welcome on transport, in taxis, in cafes, in hotels & pubs, in some shops & markets & they are not cooped up in the yard & house not mixing & meeting people like they are here. Australia is so dog intolerant & unfriendly it shocks me Poor dogs aren't allowed anywhere except unsafe off leash dog parks & a few beaches.

As long as the puppy is consistently gaining weight I would leave it alone & try not to worry. Weigh daily, preferably around the same time if possible & chart the weight gain. If you supplement now the puppy may not push forward to get a teat. Only supplement if there is no weight gain, as in ratio to its smaller size compared to the others of course. Sometimes there may be an odd day of no gain but as long as its only an odd day & it weighs more the next day all should be well. Some are merely smaller dogs & others catch up at weaning time which is fine at about day 20 or close if pup will take it.

They may not have been judging you at all & it is good that they think desexing is a good thing, worse if they thought everything should be able to breed. Re above the thing is most people here seem responsible owners but many people are not & some don't even realise how & when their dog can become pregnant or why their male escapes when local bitches are in season. The judgements may be a standard general response & you are taking it personally. No need to have a go at anyone or respond, ignore it, if you can. Not important.

You can only ask the client what they want done with their own dog. If the hair is particularly thick & dense & completely blocks the ear I would think pluck it, if fine & not blocking providing it doesn't cause any problems then leaving it should be ok. Matter of trial & error & common sense for individual dog I would have thought. I pluck all my dogs although not vigorously poking down the canal.

Any food can cause issues but worms is the main concern with raw food so worm regularly. I find with my tiny dogs that too many bones causes constipation not diarrhea. Over about 20 years of trying many ways of feeding I didn't find raw was any better or notice any difference really with both my dogs & cats.

In response to above post I can only think that it may be much wiser then if kennels in a country setting where bushfire may be considered a risk should not be allowed to board so many animals if they can't evacuate them. To have 100 dogs & 40 cats & no way of moving them out is not responsible. No I have no idea what is involved in moving them but I can see that its not responsible not to in certain emergency situations like fire or flood, whenever possible. A limit of a small amount, example 20, with a compulsary evacuation/fire plan, may be wiser. Usually against useless government regulations that are either not for the animals benefit really or put in place by idiots in this scenario I think something may be needed.

It is not a huge cost & no need to upgrade existing kennel for every dog or cat boarded to have an empty crate in case of evacuation, some even come in with their own crate. A vehicle & trailer & reliable & pre organised help from neighbours/friends is a good plan. I am not saying it is easy to move a lot of animals but large numbers of people are moved in emergencies like schools & other institutions & they usually have a practised fire drill. It is because bushfire is unpredictable that forethought is needed. There is almost always prior news & knowledge & warnings given when fire is in your area or heading that way so better safe than sorry. I always had a fire plan for my family even when living in a house in the city & explained it to my children. Nothing is 100% but having some kind of action plan & using it is a wise decision not a financial one.

She is also in the pen when we are at work for the same reason and obviously to keep her (and our house) safe. Maybe she hates being in the pen if she is in there all night & when you are all working how long is the puppy actually in the pen ? An alternative is to make one room in the house puppy proof so she has more room to run & play. Space where she can actually exercise & have a mad 10 minutes or so cavorting around if she feels like it. Kitchen, hallway, laundry that opens onto a passageway & use puppy pen panels, big piece of wood or similar to block off if no door, you can put heavy chairs or stuff on the other side to hold whatever in place. Much time in a pen & then alone all night is a lot for a young puppy to cope with & a bit mean IMO although I know many are trained this way.

As above & the opposite to advice about isolating/crating more. I also wondered if she would cuddle up to your other dog as you don't want her on your bed which is a instant remedy. She may wake feeling very lonely & trapped if the other dog is walking about. I also think the breeder advice is very callous & unkind & am glad you ignored that.