sandgrubber

Frozen is not a problem. Absolutely guarenteed that it will be thawed before it reaches the gut.

My vet always comments on how clean and white my dogs teeth are when they go in for annual check ups. I let them brush their own teeth by giving them bones (mostly raw chicken bones) on a regular basis. I can't see the point of brushing dogs teeth with any product. If you feed them the right stuff their teeth take care of themselves.

If you chase down the references you find that around 150 "suspect" cases of grape/sultana/raisin poisoning were reported in the USA in one year and there were a handful of fatalities (not clear what happened to the others -- could merely be that they puked a few times). I would guess that there are at least 10 million dogs in the USA. So I wouldn't be surprised that careful research will show that the handful of fatalities were a fluke. I'm not about to give raisins/sultanas to my dogs by the kilo, but I remain pretty comfortable with giving them a few grams from time to time. Personally, I'm not giving up peanuts just because some people go into antifalatic shock from eating them. I suspect the dogs/grapes thing is of similar nature.

I would also be inclined to report a threat of that sort to the police. Anonymous threats of violence are not something people should have to live with . . . although in neighborhoods I've lived in the "poison sausage" people strike without warning. What council are you in? If you'd like to try a bark collar, I've got a couple and would be glad to lend one SOR. They're not the kind Erny prefers, that is, they automatically escalate levels. But in my experience, they're pretty effective. Not recommended for more than 8 hrs at a stretch (not sure why, but that was in the instructions). I would not expect interaction with epilepsy. I've read a bit on epilepsy and have never seen anything convincing about external events triggering seizures . . . but better to consult your vet first.

Goldies? Labs? Or at least medium-large dogs with good jaws. If you don't mind a real mess, give them pine cones and banksia nuts. They make a mess but not long splintery pieces. But don't let them chew them up on your bed

Regardless, most people know Grapes are a definite hazard to dogs, so one would assume sultanas are as well, which possibly calls in to question other aspects of Billinghurst's products and suggestions. Actually, until a few years ago no one had ever told me grapes were poisonous to dogs. Aesop's fable of the fox and grapes gives a general sense from early childhood that dog-like animals like grapes (though not sour ones). And I saw dogs snacking on vines in my childhood with no apparent ill effect and no attempt by the owners to keep the dog from eating grapes. I agree, though, Billinghurst presents a lot of ideas with anecdotal evidence only . . . I don't regard him as a reliable veterinary reference.

Another approach to digging is to direct it . . . "good hole" . .. "bad hole". Designate a digging place that won't look too awful, eg under a bush (mine have a great hole under the bouganvillia), praise for digging there, redirection or mild correction when digging elsewhere. Digging is natural for dogs, but there's no need to dig everywhere. Note, many dogs dig to find a cool place to lie. Make sure to locate the "good hole" in a place that satisfies this . . . preferably a shady location that gets a little moisture.

Everybody talks about loose lead. Is that a figure of speech, indicating no pull, or is it really best for leads to be loose -- that is, to sag in the middle or drag on the ground? I walk my four together on 1.8 m leads. My preference, which they mostly observe, is for the leash to be taught without pulling. I guess I got into this with tracking, where a taught lead allows better communication with the dog. If the leads really go slack, I have a lot more trouble with feet getting tangled and I feel that I have less control. One, in particular, occasionally pulls for a meter or two when there's a smelly treat by the side of the road (eg kitty cruncher), but I correct her with the lead when this happens . . . she doesn't like correction and mostly resists the urge. Is there something wrong with taught leads?

When I first read Billinghurst, I took a lot of things as true and did feed my dogs both raisins and sultanas, not in huge quantities, but more than a few. No sign of poison. A friend of mine did the same. Must be that some dogs are strongly affected and others not.

Antibiotics can help with secondary bacterial infections, but are not helpful for kennel cough itself. Some strains of KC are very persistent, some pass quickly . . . rather like flu. It is worth asking the boarding kennel owner if KC was around when the dogs were in . .. if it was I'd say KC is likely . . . the kennel owner may be able to tell you something about the strain. If not, I'd be more inclined to look for other disease. Btw. try not to put the kennel person on the defensive . . . they get paranoid that someone will try and collect from them if dogs get KC. Make it clear that you're not on a witch hunt and you're likely to get honest information. As others have mentioned, it's important to rule out heartworm and other conditions (heart disease) that lead to coughing. You might say where you are in and ask for recommendations for veterinarian.

In my book the brief repeated introductory shot hardly counts . . . it's just a quick atmosphere shot with nothing to show that it's actually a walk or part of the daily routine of a well adjusted dog. For all I can tell, it's something his PR crew set up and has nothing to do with daily life.his dogs' daily existences. edited to correct punctuation

I'm willing to admit that there may have been a dog somewhere who had trouble with retaining chicken bone. But I'll bet there have been a lot more dogs who have ended out with stinking mouths and rotten teeth and a bundle of other problems because they are never fed anything that works their teeth. Chicken frames are popular with people who own and have owned lots of dogs because they are a great food, widely available for a small price, and most dogs thrive on them.

Sandgrubber, do you know somone like that in Perth. Maybe I should take my Sheltie to a dog whisperer or whatever we call them over here. Sorry, not really. I'm not a devoted fan of Cesar Milan, but am impressed by his ability to quell aggressive dogs. I do know a NOR amateur dog trainer (working as a chef) -- German / Latin American background -- who is good with leash handling and, while no where near as good at communication with humans as CM, has gone all the way to teaching Shutz to higher levels in Germany, and is good at communicating to dogs, if not people. He tends to favor play rewards and is not harsh, but knows how to apply correction. PM me if you want contacts.

I haven't seen this in any of the 26 programs I've watched so far. Can you tell me where to see frames of Cesar walking relaxed dogs without discipline? I can get self conscious. After seeing some 50 examples (roughly two dogs per show x 26 shows) where "good" was tight lead and "bad" was long loose lead, like I use, it's easy to get the message . . . in this case, the wrong message.

equally off thread . . . I lived in Germany with a dog for a couple years . . . will never forget an old lady in the park where I walked my dog who described the activity as "reading the doggy newspaper".

Where do you find such footage? I've watched episodes 1-26 of the Dog Whisperer and there's a whole of about five seconds of CM on skateboard with dogs pulling him (on the episode about the very aggressive APBT with a heart shaped patch who spent 6 weeks at his place).

I don't mean this as a DIY dog training suggestion . . . getting help is worthwhile. But if you want to see how strong lead handling can curb aggressiveness, you might want to check out a few Dog Whisperer DVDs from your local DVD shop . . . it's amazing how quickly and effectively someone who knows how to read and handle a dog can get leash aggressive dogs to snap into line.

I breed Labradors. 1. Food aggression is unusual (unknown?) in my lines. I would seek advice from someone who can observe and give recommendations . . . I don't feel comfortable making a recommendation without observing . . . could potentially escalate to something you wouldn't want to live with. Good to get a handle on this one. 2. Jumping up is a problem in most all Labbie pups. Teaching them to sit when greeting people is a good solution. The problem tends to fade as the pup ages unless it is encouraged by people who "reward" the pup for jumping up. 3. Toilet: I wouldn't worry about occasional messes at 16 weeks. That's like expecting a kid to be toilet trained at 2 years. Take the pup out to the lawn at regular periods . . . before or after feeding . .. give it some time . .. . lots of praise when it does its business. Ignore the mistakes. In my experience, Lab pups want to be clean from as soon as they are old enough to walk to the other side of the whelping box. But sometimes they can't hold it or forget.

In consultation with my vet, I vaccinate pups who are ready to be placed as close to 8 wks as practical. I recommend a second vaccination at 12 weeks. 8 wks is better than 6 wks because there's a chance that the immunity conferred by the mother's milk will attack and disable the vaccine. This wears off over time. Newer vaccines are said to be more resistant to maternal antibodies, but what the hell, manufacturers say a lot of things that are only partially true, so better safe than sorry. In theory the 8 wk vaccination should be adequate, but because parvo is such a horrid disease, it's better to go for a second round of jabs some week later. As I understand it 12 weeks is a little safer than 10 weeks for the same reason that 8 weeks is better than 6 weeks. I recommend keeping an ear to the ground . .. if parvo is going around, or if you have a breed that is especially succeptable (I've heard that Dobes and Rottis are), I'd say better safe than sorry and go in for the 16th week jab, knowing full well that it's probably a waste of money.

I've been working my way through Cesar Milan DVDs and am confused about walking. He consistently uses a very short lead and holds the dog close. Also implies that proper "mental exercise" requires that the human be dominant and in the lead. He says walking is important for letting the dog be a dog. I have relatively well behaved, relaxed gun dogs with no issues regarding aggression, destructive behaviour or the other problems that are featured in Dog Whisperer episodes. Most of them were raised by their natural mother . . . as well as by me. I have always walked them as a pack, either off lead or on 1.8 m leads. They go ahead of me, though one usually lags behind. I let them smell things . . . as I view sniffing as an important mental exercise for a scent-oriented dog . . . and part of letting a dog be a dog. They get corrected if they pull, which they don't do much, but otherwise the walk is pretty much free form. . . .apart from sometimes having to untangle leads. Is the disciplined walk always better . . . or is it just an excellent tool for dogs who are showing a need for guidance. That is, should I feel guilty about the fact that mine walk more like the "before" training dogs than the "after" training dogs insofar as walking style goes.

I'll be interested to see what others say. I think 'multi-dog' situations are as varied as families . . . not sure you can generalise. Here's a sketch of my multi-dog scene I stick to Labs. Four girls, mixed ages - three entire, one fixed - plus occasional visitors. Apart from occasional humping and other rucus they get along well, groom one another, play a variety of games that don't make sense to me, don't squabble over food. When a 'newbie' comes into the yard, they all gang up on him or her for five minutes or so. Then if it's a pup or playful, the youngest and the newbie go for a romp or a splash, and soon they're all happily chewing up dog toys, or sleeping in the doorways, or the other things dogs do to pass time.

Isn't Montana one of those states preferred by armed paramilitary groups . . . the setting for Brokeback Mountain. I lived in Colorado for a few years, and understand the concern many people have about the dog in the yard next-door (and the people who own it). Breeding dogs to fight is an AWFUL thing to do. And unfortunately, there are people who think dogfights and viciousness in general are 'cool'. Keeping DA+HA dogs in the suburbs is inviting trouble. But pinning it on a so-called 'breed' doesn't make sense. There are plenty of vicious mutts out there too. I wish they'd just come down like a load of bricks on people breeding dogs to fight . . . unfortunately a lot of APBT's have been bred that way, and some remember what they've been bred for . .. but not all. Apart from hitting dog fight breeders hard, I think they should base the rest on evidence of aggressive behaviour and forget the rest. For what it's worth. Hot air ain't worth much, I'm afraid

I have crap broadband so can't indulge in vids . . . Just to say genetics works both ways. I had a Labrador bitch who didn't like water and had no interest in retrieving. Her sire was the same . . . his owner says that when she walked the dogs out to the dam he'd piss on bushes while the others were out swimming and chasing whatever they could find to chase. Surprise surprise. Her pups don't like water and don't retrieve. Lovely head, bone, coat, etc. though.

I have a girl who has a warty-looking patch on her temple. It's been there for at least three months and has not changed. I've had two vets look at it: both said let it be unless it changes or starts interfering with anything -- eg, growing into the eyes. One vet had some Latinate names for it . . . one meant growth of the outer skin layer, the other growth of the middle skin layer. It would be possible to get tests done to tell which it is, but what's the point.

Thanks for the answers. Exactly what I wanted to hear. I've been balking at the price for the 1902 as a tool for training two dogs . . . from K9 Force. Sounds like it's worth the investment.