piperspal

My toy poodle is a sinker, she doesnt like the splash in her face while in the water (but will happily spend hours in her clam shell of water splashing around) so she lifts her head, which drives the back end under, her front paws come out of the water and lo and behold, she splashes. Repeat. I think I will get her a life jacket, as she loves the water but just cant manage the action.

So sorry to hear of your loss, RIP Penny.

Try Baking Soda, it works on compost heaps to reduce any odour, it may work on the smell in your yard?

I have an 11 yr old, 9 yr old, 8 yr old and 2 yr old. They have all just come along whenever, no planning was involved. Basically the old dog was fisrt, I bred him so he is special, the next one was my sons dog, she got left behind when he moved out. The 8 yr old is my baby, she is a mad ball chasing toy poodle, and the 2 yr old was arranged to give her a playmate. They all get on well, no major health issues, except for the old dog who has arthritis and I recently took him to the vets for some painkillers to make his life easier. They all still love to go for thier walk, we just slow donw when the old guy starts to knock up. I have tried leaving him at home, but he wont have any of that!!!! I have considered another large dog to learn from the old guy while he is still able to get around. The old dog has such a stable calm temp he would be (and still is) a great role model. I would rather a young dog learn from him than any of hte others, but I dont want 5 dogs either. mine are all microchipped, heartworm protected etc, but another one might break the bank, esp if I start to find health issues with the others as well.

Mine do zoomies after thier baths, but apparently me having a shower is enough for them to start? They go in and out of the bathroom, 'ra ra ra ' the whole way playing bitey face with each other. And FYI- a toy poodle bark is very loud in a fully tiled bathroom. Just saying.......

Currently have 4 - 1 large (pittyxrotti)1x mid (dingoxwhippet) and 2 small (mini poodle and small munchkin) so we have a few lol. I would love to get another large breed dog as the big dog has such a calm placid temp that I want another like him. He is 11 this year, and I want another large dog to use him as the mentor while growing up. We also have fish, chooks and ducks and budgies. I want to add a couple of sheep and a horse to that, lucky we have 5 acres.

My current animals have the following- Biggest dog - Magnum, after the calibre as I was shooting at the time competitively Next smallest - Addy- as we couldnt think of a name and someone said 'attack dog' AD - addy Poodle - Piper, cause I liked it Smallest - Milo, he was already named friends had pipers brother, and called him Noodle. thier 5 year old named him (Noodle the poodle with the big donky doodle)Thier last name was Murphy, I always thought Noodles Murphy sounded like a gangster........ The ducks are Ducky Dora and Tighty Whitey The chooks are Blackie tail up, henny penny and Gavin the rooster, not sure why Gavin but thats what he is called. A lady at work has 2 oodles called Gherkin and Junket.

Although we cant carry pepper spray here, I have been known to carry any small aerosol, including bug repellants. If the dog is close enough to you, spray it in the area of thier face, they breathe it in and start coughing. I learnt that oen from some pig hunters who had a dog that wouldnt let go when told, worked like a charm. Obviously you would then at least try and leave the area while the dog was distracted. I usually walk 4 dogs, and have at times taken the lead off the biggest one, shortened up all the other leads so they are all in really close, held his coller and used the lead in my other hand as a deterrant. I make sure all my leads have big brass clips, start swinging that around and crack something on the head with it!!! Known to stop rottis in thier tracks... I get stressed when I see people walking thier dogs with earplug from thier ipod etc in. How are you meant to hear a dog coming up behind you with those on?

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/more-news/vcat-must-decide-just-what-makes-a-pit-bull/story-fn7x8me2-1226271098445 Sheesh!!!!

See if you can get some photos or video footage of the kids taunting the dog, it may assist in explaining the barking etc should they bring it up. Other than that, not much help from me but good luck

My guys (4) are left in the yard. They wait for us to come home, no digging etc as at the moment its too hot here (42 the other day) I am trying to work out how to let them into the back enclosed verandah, not sure how the doggie door will go as the big dog is 45kgs and the littlest is 5kgs. Might have to do 2 doors methinks.

AFAIK, the local vet who runs the puppy school will not accept pups that have not at least started on thier course of vaccinations, and prefer them to be completed. They want to see your vaccination book at the time of booking if you are not thier client.

Thanks everyone, shall see if I can source some of the products mentioned in Alice, otherwise is there someowhere on line I can get them? The commercials ones, I am pretty sure I can get metho here lol

Thanks guys, shall try some of the above and let you know how they go!! I will still keep checking thier feet, they are in the habit now of lining up to have it done lol

Just a quick question - we have recently moved to a new property (5 acres, its dog Nirvana) but there are prickles in certain areas on the block. I have noticed the dogs seem to picking them up fairly regularly, so I check thier paws every night, but is there something I can do to toughen up thier feet so they dont feel it as bad? I thought about boots But I have 4 dogs, getting leads on is enough of an exercise let alone 16 boots.... They sit and wait, but that will get to be a pain in the butt. Cheers

With 4 dogs, we have lots of rituals.... Magnum has a 'thing ' where he can sense that I am getting sick of throwing the ball for the poodle, so he will intercept it and take it away. He just goes and lies down with it somewhere, and wont let her get it until he is ready. Bless him. He also has a thing with the car, he will jump in the back and straight into the back seta, until I get in the front and tell him 'in the back' and he will happily jump back to where he is meant to be. He just waits to be told..... Addy is a guarder and a thief. She will guard any unopened bag of anything, and lays in front of it for days if I dont go and move it away. I left a bag of dynamic lifter one time to see how long she would guard, she lasted 5 days until I moved it. She will also steal items and hide them in her kennel, doesnt chew anything, just wants them. She also has a thing for getting patted, she must walk back and forth on you rubbing herself like a cat, then she is happy and will leave you alone. Piper is a mad ball chaser, to the point we put them away to stop her over exerting herself. She will then get a rock, stick, leaf, anything to get you to throw it. She will also not lie on the OH's lap until he puts a cushion on it. She will stand on the arm of the chair and look at him, if he ignores her she will start to pat him with her paw. Milos routine is to annoy Piper. I have never seen a dog that gets more joy out of annoying something than he does. He also has a thing where when I am getting dressed he crawls across the carpet on his belly then lays on his side and nibbles at the foot I have my weight on at the time, so I can move away. If I manage to get dressed without him knowing he sulks all day lol They all follow me in the chook pen of a morning and have a quick snack of poop, then try and give the OH a morning kiss. He is learning not to accept it tho lol. They also wait at the garage door for us in the afternoon, the neighbours sure know when we are close to home......

We laugh at Milo, when he and Piper get going, they go round and round one particular plant. They have actually worn it down to the point the roots are starting to show through, but we are moving so its not going to be an issue. However, as funny as that is, its when he peels off from the round-and-round that he is a dork, everytime he runs into the pole of the verandah!!!! Its gotten to the point we sit there going 'wait for it......"bang" ....there it is". At least teh new place is 5 acres so he should be able to miss the posts!!!!

Mine are just crazy I think!!! Magnum (rottiXpit, oldest at 10) is just a big boofa, he will walk into you, push you where he wants to go. However if you tell him to get out of the way he will move, its so he gets to touch you. He also has to 'hold' you with a paw when you are patting him. While its cute, he has the biggest paws and claws and I end up with bruises. He is also a groaner, rub his ears and he will groan like an old man. He also 'hoovers', he just sucks food into his mouth without chewing half the time, you can hear him whistle as he does it. Addy (pound rescue, 8 year old) is a hoarder. She will take thongs, clothes etc to wherever she is lying at that time and just lay with them, she doesnt chew them at all, just 'loves' them. She will also resource guard to the extreme, eg, a bag of dynamic lifter is hers and no dog is allowed within about 5 mts. She also has to be up high, and used to have a habit of getting on top of the car when it was parked in the yard. (OH learnt not to yell at her to get off, once she knew she had been spotted she would make he own way off. If you yelled at her she would scratch the paint trying to get off in a hurry)She also doesnt lick, but will push her way slowly into you so that you have to pay attention. If you have your legs crossed she will rub herself back and forth on your foot like a cat. Piper (toy poodle, 7 year od) is a toy freak. She has to have a toy anywhere. She is also a walker (she will walk around on her back legs for about 15 mins at a time) she will follow us from room to room if we let her. I usually tell her to get down so she does hurt herself. She also is a paw dog, and will bat things she is playing with. She also taps you with her paw to get your attention. She also loves to pop balloons. Ball chaser, bring rocks for us to throw, talks to us, generally is just a bossy little boots. Milo (1year) is a wuss!! He doesnt like loud noises, even clappping your hands will freak him out. Thunder and fireworks really stress him. He also has a habit of sitting up on our lap and then falling back so we catch him, he is going to get hurt one day as we wont be ready for him. He also doesnt bend!!!! When you pick him up he stays straight, whereas the others will all curl up. When he talks to us he sounds like a balloon sqeaking at us. He also wont get in under things, whereas the others will get in under a blanket he wont, he also doesnt like having a jacket etc on. All of them are toilet accompaniers...........

Nope everyone knows they're mine. My OH says - You can tell who the boss is, one word from me(him) and they do what they want! Now if I say something.........

Not harsh, I used to use the clip in the lead to hit other dogs if i thought they were serious. I would let my dog off, hold him by the collar and swing the clip in a circle, amazing how much that hurts if it gets you..... Another reason I used to let the dog off the lead was that I didnt want him getting tangled if it can to a fight, I gave him the best chance he was going to get. I'm talking being attacked by camp dogs that have no respect for people, tho, if I thought I would be able to scare the other dog off I always tried first. The standley knife tho, in the NT that would be considered carry control use prohibited weapon. So no knives. Plus it would be very hard to kill another dog with a knife in one move, could end up very messay.

Thanks for that, shall try them today!!!!

Hi guys, This might seem like a silly question, but I am getting deperate!! I have put my big dog onto the Hills b/d diet for dogs with dementia, and it has worked wonders. I bought the first bag through the vet here, as that is the only place I can get it in Alice Springs. I was in there yesterday with him as he has an abcess, and while there I asked if the next bag of food had come in, as when I collected the first bag they asked me if I wanted them to order another, they only do an order once a month. I asked if it was in, they all went 'oh, thats who it was for' and said they had 2 bags come in that they didn't know who they ordered it for. So, I waited, and one of the girls came out and said 'we don't have you on the order form' so I explained that they were the ones that asked me if I wanted a bag ordered and I said yes. So she went out back again and then came back and said, 'sorry, we cant sell it to you'. I asked very specifically if 'you have 2 bags out he back you dont know who they are for but you wont sell me one bag?'. She stated that was true. She then asked if I wanted them to order a bag in October, to which I stated that that would be useless as it would be setting the dog back in his diet and not to bother, I would source it from somewhere else. Honestly, I was over the vets, I dont like the way they treat the animals or the owners. Is there anywhere I can source the large bags of the b/d dry food online, I have looked at a few places and they either a) dont sell to the NT, or b) dont have the big bags. So I am getting desperate now, please help! Erin and Magnum

We have 4 dogs, and I would spend about $100 a month usually, however have just put the older dogs onto the Hills B/D diet so that will up the food bill a lot. Other than that, they love the iced coffee cartons with a little bit left in the bottom, we rip the sides so they can get into it better. They also have toys that they dont destroy, I just dont repkace anything that breaks too easy. We also spend lots of time out and about with them so they get plenty of amusement. We get them bones weekly, and they also get the left over scraps. the only medication at this stage is glucosamine for the old dog, and wormers when required.

My youngest (and littlest) does the full stop-in-the-middle-of-the-room-and-reverse-to-my-feet thing, however he doesnt look at us when he does it. He started when we had the firecracker night up here, and we were not giving into his demands for attantion. (The other 3 dogs dont give a toss about the firecrackers, but see it as a chance to get into the house and have some one on one time). He was a bit unsettled, but not panicking, just uncomfortable. So the idea was to show him that nothing was wrong, it was just noises etc. He has kept this behaviour going, especially if we are eating. He doesnt try to look at the food or take it from the plate, rather he will sit on your foot and wait until you go to get up. I reckon he knows he can watch a couple of people at the same time, he knows what the foot person is doing as well as keeping an eye on the others. My biggest dog does it, and he will then lean into you, 45kgs of love breaking your kneecaps...... We always say he does it so you cant walk away, he has your foot pinned to the ground.

I get asked the same, 'are you a dog walker?' I quickly say no and the look of dissapointment on their faces. I usually have 4 dogs with me, more if I am babysitting any. It has got me thinking tho, maybe I should, I can always do 2 walks a day, one with mine and one with others............ might be profitable? Nope, too much like hard work!!!!