Scarlet

Use a crate for sleeping and a safe haven but I bought a plastic baby playpen that links together so you can use it to barricade off some rooms - like those with carpet.

You'll be like a mother of skinkids soon. You wish they would learn to walk/talk etc and when they do wish that they would stay still and stop talking! Soon he'll be chasing and chewing everything in sight-just like every other puppy. Congratulations and keep up the great work.

Sorry was just looking at all those pots lined up in the first photo and wondering if they would last with one pup let alone two!

Looks like you certainly got the right pup. She is gorgeous!!!!

No I wouldn't stress him untill he is comfortable with you. Puppy school can wait a little. I would even suggest laying on the floor and let him come up to you also.

My skinkids are so lazy - one of them taught our furkid to take off his socks and drop them in the laundry. She just wants to take everyones socks off now-even visitors.

I use advantix every 2 weeks AND a tick collar. I check my bc for ticks most of the year but find to do it properly takes about 20 mins. I do the same for fosters and find I just don't have the time every day so rely on chemicals. I live in a fairly bad tick area. I don't know if ticks are as bad in Canada.

Did you want dog books or general - try these. I think they all have on-line orders. www.collinsbooks.com.au www.burnett.com.au - originally QBE www.vicnet.net.au/business/bookstores/bookaus www.federationpress.com.au www.boffinsbookshop.com.au www.hc-web.com/aosd/shopbook.html www.angusrobertson.com.au www.bookshop.curtin.edu.au www.panmacmillan.com.au

If she's not microchipped get them to do it while she is under.

Rebanne suggests trying wound guard

She is simply gorgeous!!!! Hopefully with a puppys short concentration span she will easily be distracted.

I would really try to stop this while it is a relatively new habit. It can become compulsive and destroy the dogs life. Would an Elizabethian collar help. You could make one out of a bucket or pot plant. Put her on a lead and "run the legs off her" anything to keep her away from her tail. I would even see the vet and resort to a sedative or rescue remedy or similar.

They may never be friends but the cat has to feel safe around the dog. It must always be able to get away from the dog. I bought a few high cat scratching posts and put one in different rooms. My adult cat could get away from the pup and by the time the pup was older they were used to each other. Don't allow the dog to jump up on the scratching post-ever. Good idea about putting the pup on lead to get used to the cat when it is in the room.

When my BC was about 5mths old I had her in the front yard with me while I was gardening. I don't have front fences so I put her on a long lead (it didn't go past the boundary). Without me noticing the dog next door came over (he is never out the front!) and started attacking Maddy. It was probably all of 3-4 seconds as he stopped when I reacted but Maddy was petrified.The owner saw and came over and said something like "getting to know each other are they". I was not impressed. The catch is that a few months later she said I should bring Maddy to her dog classes! She actually teaches dog obedience!

I'll be there Sat with my nearly 2yr old BC, Maddy.

You may need to keep her in the house after dark to protect her from the toads

Just check out your plants to find which are poisonous, especially to dogs. It's quite suprising. Just google it or the library should have a few books. You have to be careful with the type of fertiliser used. No blood and bone! When I had a curly I came hom from work to find 1 acre of underground reticulation pipe pulled up and chewed into 4-5cm bits. Looked like black confetti over the yard. We had to take her for x-rays because I thought she may have swallowed some pipe or sprinkler heads. Luckily she didn't but the garden to ages to recover.

Could I suggest the most important thing is (whatever dog you get) is to learn to treat it like a dog and not an adorable puppy (which it originally will be). Being your first pup it is soooo easy to let them get away with murder then when you have children you could have trouble. Don't treat it like a human baby. Go to puppy school / obedience training so that the dog learns its place in your family (pack) which is at the bottom. The dog will be happier for knowing it's place. If you have family or friends with children try to get it used to children.

Oh no. Such a beautiful baby

Know of an owner who followed her pup around religiously for 3-4 weeks and put a shovel under him when he went. He now poops on the shovel every time. Wish I had the patience or time. Don't know what happens if there isn't a shovel!

Must live sort of close Hugapug. I go to the Eatons Hill vet, the one with the dinosaur in the front yard. Don't like the owner but the resident female vet is good, although I haven't had anything major either.

good luck Let us know how you go.

Start by trying K9's triangle of temptation posted near the top of this training/ obedience/ dog sports page. I live in Brisbane and maybe we need K9 to come up here and run a workshop.

Don't know about other states but Brisbane uni run 24hr clinics. I think 1 south-1 at the uni and definately on at Carseldine on the north. It is near the railway station. Took a dog there one night and they were fantastic-just the best treatment. My vet has after hours but he took nearly 2 hours once to treat what I thought was an emergency. If you live in a city might be a good idea to check the uni's out.