oonga

i will make an effort to go down next week when i run out of stuff in the freezer, i don't have any room anyway to put anything in there really LOL we sooo need a bigger freezer!! i think you said the guy is really good with advice as well didn't you? will have to talk to him about which would be best for her i have been giving her mince from Robbo's pet barn, but would be sooo much easier to just give it all ready made!! i think that is between $2-$4 per kilo depending on which meat you get for a kilo as well, so would work out about the same, just less hassle :rolleyes:

Shoemonster, thanks for that :rolleyes: how much does the mix cost? is it per kilo or can you buy in bulk? i really have to get down to this place!!!! you wouldn't really need to feed anything else would you?

Shoemonster and Issis, how much of that mince do you give a day? do you only feed that mix? or do you also give other Meaty bones for a second meal? lamb necks etc....? how much would a 38kg dog need of that mix? if also eating lamb, chicken meat bones etcc

Allerzeit, that is such a touching tribute, i can't help but feel your joy at sharing your life with the beautiful Innes and your sorrow at letting her go. big hugs to all species in the Allerzeit household RIP Innes.

may Page now rest in peace. may her family find the strength to carry on. this is so sad, i never really believed she would go, call me naive but i actually believed in the miracle that would cure her.

my prayers and thoughts to Page, her family, Jet and everyone involved

kitkat thanks for you response

KitKat, how are your guys going on the Nutro? i am fairly sure i read that you were going to try them on it? if i have you mixed up with someone else sorry

there is a fantastic pet supplies store which i think is on your side of town? it is run by Sagitarrian who also comes here, those guys have an excellent range of foods and other stuff, and are very knowledgable in regards to food, you can spend time in there chatting to them about the whole food thing, and take SkylineGTR puppy with you, they would love to meet the little many :p BRB with the details for the store ok it is 4paws and more pet supplies Unit 2, 60 Keilor Park Drive, Keilor Park 3042 Tel: 9331 7869 Fax: 9331 7823 good luck with it all, there are so many things involved with have a dog aren't there ?!?!? lol and of course you want only the best for them

Erny, thanks for the reminder, but i am working sunday 7 - 3 so wouldn't be able to make it to boronia anyway i am hoping that Bully girl is going to just come here in a month or so and give us this wonderful update of all the positive changes and obstacles she has overcome with her GSD i love happy endings and i truely feel there is a definite happy one for bully girl

ummm what is going on between Erny and tonymc?? Haven, Erny, tonymc, i am happy for you to share the gossip via PM otherwise tomorrow at Berwick i am going to hound you with my bouncing rotty Erny!!! LOL by the way ON TOPIC i really hope that Bully girl can find professional dog training help, s/he have bared their soul and worn their heart on their sleeve, to me that shows determination i hate to sound cliched but where there's a will and all that ...

Beaglenewb, we just started at ADT 2 saturdays ago at Berwick, then went to scoresby on the sunday both those centres are closed due to Australia Day BUT we can still go to any of their other centres :p don't want to miss out on training LOL it is great having the option of going to as many training sessions as you want, knowing all the trainers are qualified instructors, also great to have access to a behavourist if you need it. we have been having a great time at training and the socialisation sections of the training too it is a professional, learning and fun experience at ADT :D good luck with your search by the way i am loving reading your posts they so remind me of myself LOL with trying to find the best food for my dog, the best trainers, the best of everything really and then getting overwhelmed with the conflicting information out there, but refusing to give up the search for the best good on you :D and it does all settle down ....sort of !! LOL cheers oonga

EXCELLENT news!!! what a relief

i really hope he improves dramatically overnight and is his normal self, must be horrifying for you

Golden Girl, i have been told by several rotty breeders and dog people in general that Brisket bones are one of the best bones to give your dog, apparently they are hard/strong enough to provide a good challenge for the dog, but soft enough for the dog to be able to chew and eat properly as well. also they are a great teeth cleaner!!! i can vouch for this as my rotty pups teeth were getting a bit of build up even though she eats chicken frames and necks (yes she actually chews) they just weren't keeping her teeth clean like the brisket bones personally i have only had trouble with shanks, nothing major, just a bit of coughing like she had something stuck in her throat and was trying to clear the airway when eating a shank, so now i won't feed them either, just not worth the risk for me personally she still get lamb necks though and loves them!! infact if she could survive on meaty bones alone, i would probably have not problems with her eating!!

Thanks Rom that is a fantastic post!! i agree this should definately be pinned

kelpie-i sounds like a great start for a positive outcome to our plan

well i sent an email to a lawyer that is not at all related to this field, but is a workcover lawyer, just asking for advice or if he knew of a lawyer who would be related to this field, unfortunately i have not yet heard back i like Erny's idea of getting those submissions if she can. i do think we probably need to get together and have a serious talk about our options, and what strategies to use.

spike puppy, i agree we do need to educate the general public!! i have said before i was quite surprised at the narrow minded opinion of my friends and people at work, who have not even seen one, just mentioned what they are, and how wrong it is that they are banned in victoria, when so many people and dogs could benefit from them! perhaps you are onto something in regards to having them look a bit different? but i also think we need to get out there en masse and educate people about the reality of them. funny about head halters / gentle leaders i think they look terrible on dogs, and i would hate to have to use one, however if my mentor suggested that it would be a good idea, i would put my visual view of them aside and give it a go ;) Erny, you are certainly on the right track with the amendment idea!! like i said in another post i believe they should be used in consultation with a trainer, a point was bought up that once known how to use they are easy to use. a very valid point, however apart from them being sold everywhere if there is no boundaries with them, i can see how it would be easier to do it this way to make it an amendment rather than a reversal of a law! count me in for this battle that we are going to win!!

i *think* Nutro like the other premium and super premiun foods, come with a money back guarantee, so if they don't like it you can return the leftover contents and get your money back. otherwise you could always try to get a sample and see how they go with it? There is an advertiser for Nutro on this webpage, one of the flashing banners up the top.

Erny, what is a penalty unit?? what does it actually mean? is it a monetary fine or do you have an X amount of penalty units then they confiscate the animal?? sorry to sound naive.

Myszka, ok i guess i misunderstood that about not all dogs needing a prong collar, i guess i can see your point about how a dog may not need a prong, but it would not hurt it to have one. i was under the impression of why use a prong if a dog doesn't need it, but i also had this idea (and i am not sure where it came from) that some dogs just are not suitable for one, but your comment makes sense, and it wouldn't hurt the dog. i also completely agree that it is the humans that need the training and should have clarified that point more!! your comment about the prong hanging next to the potato peeler, is exactly what i would be afraid of, except the supermarkets would be putting it in the pet section along with check chains!!

Myszka, your experience from what i have read on these forums, with dogs is quite vast, mine is not my main concern is that there would be people out there who would just go to the shops and buy a prong collar without knowing how to fit, or use it, which is why i made my comment. also from my research, including HR and a seminar of Steve's not all dogs need a prong collar, some do fine on a flat collar, some martingale etc... this is another reason why i believe a dogs suitability for a prong needs to be assessed, you obviously have the experience to make that assessment many others don't.

Nekhbet, i am with you!! i also believe you should only be able to get prong collars from qualified trainers, who have assessed a particular dogs suitability for it. i have started by educating my friends and work mates about prong collars, and i was surprised at some of the narrow mindedness amongst them at first. judging prong collars because of the way they look , is no different to racism, or homophobia, judging a book by it's cover etc... i guess we just have to get out there and educate the general public to start with.

i would definately be into campaigning for lifting the ban on prong collars!!! if anyone is seriously going to start something please let me know. i think we could do something along the lines of the movie "The Castle" we just need to find a QC to donate their time to help us with the legal side of things seriously i think this is an issue that we as dog lovers need to deal with, and i have thought about it a lot!! i also feel that with the right research, dedicated team we really can achieve this!