Natashja

poodlefan! We love is fluffy face (even if we do have to wipe it down after every meal) By "trimmed his ears" what do you mean? He goes to the groomer every 6 weeks for a tidy up and they trim/scissor/cut (I don't know the correct term) the hair on the outer side of the ear leathers and do a tidy underneath so there is airflow to the canal. He's got the hairiest ear canal ever, so we pluck a little and trim inside.

Okay, I promised more recent pics, and here they are! These were in fact taken this morning (Chomsky had the chop a fortnight ago and had IV fluids which is why he's missing hair from his front, right leg)

Gross, gross, gross! I had to wash out dead possum once....

Okay, these ones are of him at 3 months old and younger, and he's MAJORLY boofy-haired (he's now 6 months and not quite as boofed-up). Will take some more tonight and upload for you. Chomsky at 10 weeks Chomsky at 3.5 months Chomsky at 3 months Chomsky at 3 months

While we're in an urban area, there's still plenty of opportunity for our pup to get filthy. And he does! I guess we just take it in our stride and deal with it as necessary. I just did a google search on the cowboy clip and came up with this hilarious page. Check out these clips!

I have a 6.5 month old brown mini and we have opted for a less traditional, shaggy look (we got him for his intelligence and personality, not for the pom-poms and puff). That said, our boy is brushed daily and visits the groomer every 6 weeks for a tidy up. He has a full face (also known as a "teddy bear" face) but his feet and right under the tail around the anus is shaved (it means no poo gets stuck in the coat and less dirt in our house!) When we first got him, OH and I knew we wanted to keep him shaggy and I asked about clipping advice here. After many "we'll see how long you'll last" comments from some of the more experienced poodle owners and breeders on DOL we decided to thank them for their input but press ahead with how we wanted our pup to look. We're happy with our choice but are fully aware that come summer and his first birthday (coat changeover time!), there's high probability that our boy is going to get shaved down, head to toe. As you can probably imagine, I, like most new poodle owners, spent a lot of time trawling the web looking for examples of different poodle trims. The very BEST site I could find was this one: http://qtpawzpoodles.tripod.com/poodlehaircuts.html I printed out the pages and when it came time for his first haircut, I took them along to the groomer so I could clearly explain what I wanted. Turns out they'd never seen anything like this page either and were most grateful. The result was that we got the look we wanted, our pup is happy and we get comments all the time from people about how lovely it is to see a poodle minus all the froufrou. Amen to that I say! Wish your friend the best of luck

I can't stand the thought of ants, roaches or other creepy crawlies! My boy has stainless steel food and water bowls. Within 5 minutes of him finishing a meal the food bowl is taken up and rinsed under boiling water, covered in detergent, scrubbed under hot water, rinsed again in boiling water then upturned on the drying rack. And because the steel is hot from the water, it dries in a matter of minutes. Chomsky's water bowl goes through the same treatment once a day.

Go to the Health/Nutrition/Grooming forum and do a search under BARF, you'll come up with heaps of links. Here's one to get you started: http://www.dolforums.com.au/index.php?show...c=62695&hl= Also, check out: http://www.drianbillinghurst.com/what_is_barf.html http://www.ozpets.com.au/health/articles/HC10013.shtml http://www.bonsah.com/shop/

We rarely wash him at home as he's a mini poodle and is taken to the groomer every six weeks. However, if it's been raining (ie. he's played/rolled/covered in mud) or he's managed to get grotty (ie. rolled on a dead possum - so gross I can't even begin to tell you), we use Aloveen shampoo and conditioner to sort him out.

I have a miniature poodle pup who is now 6 months old and he has been brought up on a diet that’s been split 45% kibble and 55% BARF diet (please take the time to look into BARF at it is fantastic for their health). We fed ADVANCE Puppy Rehydratable until 5 months of age. For the last month he’s been on ADVANCE Puppy Growth. He also gets one teaspoon of flaxseed oil a day (he just licks it off a spoon). We started with a tiny drop of flaxseed oil the day we got him and just built it up over time. Our pup was 8 weeks old when we got him and for the first few weeks we watched him like a hawk whenever he was eating. We still check up on him whenever he gets raw meaty bones, but he’s never even looked close to choking – chicken wings, chicken necks and brisket bones included. That said, he is a dainty eater and doesn't guzzle. If I were you, I would NEVER, EVER, EVER feed my dog cooked bones as they can splinter, not only causing the dog to choke but also getting wedged in the palate. Edited to fix links

Raylee, save your time, money and energy and get in contact with K9 Force. I can't recommend him highly enough.

I know what you're getting at re: the person behind the dog problem. I reckon Chomsky gets enough stimulation from us - I spend around an hour and a half with him in the mornings (we do about 30 mins obedience/play then go to the park for a run around with the neighbourhood dogs) and OH takes him to the park and throws the ball for an hour later in the day. We change his toys every day, play hide and seek in the evenings when I get home from work, and now that it's winter we're both guilty of cuddling with him on the floor in front of the heater. We show him plenty of affection and lavish him with praise when he does the right thing - we just don't humanise him. Of course, despite all that I know we're doing right, we're obviously making some kind of key mistake if the little fella is still not toilet trained at nearly 6 months of age yet can heel, sit, stay, lie down, shake hands, roll over, retrieve, and "speak". Here's hoping that the behaviourist can help us sort it out. Thanks so much for your post lab and poodle, and Mitzy, I'm so sorry for the hijack. Tash.

Apologies Mitzy, I just want to reply to Jag's post. Chomsky (named for the linguist/psychologist/activist), while adorable to look at is treated like a dog. He doesn't get picked up and carried around, he's not allowed to sit on us at any point (in our house, chairs and sofas are for people, not dogs) if he puts his paws up on our lap uninvited he gets ignored, he eats after us and never, ever gets food from the table. Despite my aesthetic leanings, we did bend and buy a crate for him, tried to crate train him and had little success. So he spends most of his indoors time confined to our kitchen (about 5m x 6m space). We tried crating him at night first in the kitchen and then in our room and neither the OH or I were willing to put up with the non-stop barking or scratching at the crate at 11pm. He has recently taken to falling asleep at the end of our bed and moves onto the floor during the night. When he wakes around 6am, he puts his paws on the edge of the bed and prods me gently so I can get up and let him out to wee in the front yard. This is the only bit of toilet training that has been successful. The issue for us of course is that while we have a good sized front and back yard, neither are fenced. So when he's out there (he never goes out there alone), he's on a 30ft lunge lead. OH and I have learnt to recognise the poo-leg twitch thing but at times the signals simply aren't there. And trust me, I'm looking for them. I am sure that as the OH and I don't live by strict routines - while OH works from home our careers have different demands at different times - it has affected the dog. I'm willing to adopt a routine to get him toilet trained but that's where I draw the line. He has joined our pack and not the other way around...

We've had Chomsky (our 20wk old mini poodle) since mid March and the newness is certainly nowhere near wearing off. Of course, that's not to say he can be a willful little bugger at times! Yes, we have begun using the "No" command. Sadly, OH and I are feeling a little like failures at the moment as we simply can't get him toilet trained. We're seeing a behaviourist in a fortnight to try and figure out what we're doing wrong. Besides the toilet issues, he's a gorgeous little soul and we love him more and more each day. Enjoy your little one

I'm not the most experienced dog owner in the world, but it sounds like you need to assert yourself as leader of the pack. Don't let your pup get anything he wants until he does something for you ie. make him sit to get his meals, before he comes inside, before he goes for walks etc. Don't let him eat before you, or go through doorways before you. Don't give him affection when he asks for it, instead, call him to you when you want to give him a cuddle... if he doesn't come to you, he doesn't get hugs. He has to learn that everything that happens in his life is on your terms as the pack leader. Now all of this is easier said than done! It takes a huge commitment from you and I know this from personal experience. I have a 16 week old Mini Poodle with a very strong alpha personality and my OH and I have to be relentless about letting him know he's at the bottom of the pack heirarchy. Try reading K9 Force's post on Triange of Temptation. I'm yet to try it at home but it's been a great training tool for many people here.

Cross posted in Training/Obedience /Dog Sports I have a 3 month old mini Poodle pup who seems to have developed a serious case of separation anxiety. When at home and permitted to, he follows me around like a shadow (to the point that if I go to the loo, he'll want to be in the bathroom and sitting at my feet, so he can stare at me!). If I try and lock him in the kitchen (the only place where we tend to confine him if he can't be supervised) he scratches continually at the door and barks. We have tried ignoring him but after 2 hours of consistent barking and scratching OH and I lose our nerve, not to mention test our neighbour's patience. Other strategies have seen us spend time with the pup in the kitchen, get him interested in toys/food/whatever before we slip out "unnoticed" but nothing seems to work. Moments after we leave, he's at it. Even when he has a hungry tummy and a bowl/kong full of food right in front of him, he ignores it in preference of barking and scratching at the kitchen door. We also have a courtyard area at home, and he behaves exactly the same way if he's placed out there without human company. He sleeps at night in a crate in our bedroom and he's started doing the same barking and scratching thing when placed in there. The only thing that seems to placate him is when he is permitted to be with us all the time, but as he is not toilet trained (that's a whole other story), we can't allow that (not to mention, it's unhealthy for him not to be able to stand being alone). This is new behaviour and it has emerged over the past 2 weeks. OH and I are at our wits end and have no idea how to solve the problem and help our puppy be happier on his own. Any advice would be greatly welcomed.

I don't know what kind of home you keep Nike, but there are certainly never any smelly, dirty or messy places in or around my house.

Chomsky, my 15 week old mini poodle, is having some toilet training issues. While he's pretty good with going on newspaper, he prefers to go on the carpet, most specifically, the rugs on the floor in our bathroom! For the time being, he's confined to our kitchen and only allowed in other areas of the house after eliminating. That said, when taken outside, he eliminates on command ("Pishy time" - the genius of our 4 year old human neighbour) and can hold his bladder and bowels throughout the night when crated. OH tries to take him outside as often as possible during the day, but training is still taking a while to sort out. Ahhh, that's the joy of puppies for you!

I have a 14 week old mini Poodle - if my OH didn't work from home, we never would have got him. A friend of mine who works long hours bought 2 Beagle pups on the rationale that they would keep each other company. Surprise, surprise, they've grown into completely destructive and uncontrolable dogs.

The Dobe did what I'd hope he'd do - put Chomsky in his place. After the pack heirarchy was sorted out (with a lot of restraint from the Dobe) they played very nicely and very gently together. At one stage the Dobe even lay down and allowed Chomsky to climb all over him. It was such a relief to see my boy being sensible and submissive after being told off. Am curious to see if he's the same when he meets the adult neighbourhood dogs at the off leash area tomorrow morning.

He's such a ballsy little bugger Abergavenny, I can't even begin to tell you. I have never met a pup quite like him (and I swear that there's no owner's bias in that statement). I'll be more proactive about the dominance issue from now on. Until recently I had no idea that our boy was an alpha personality - he's always very submissive with OH and I, and does exactly what he's told when he's told to do it. I guess that's why we were so surprised to see him bail up the adult dogs in our street and even more surprised when we saw them comply. Chomsky is not allowed off lead yet as I'm not confident of his recall outside the confines of our yard (and the local dog run is not completely fenced). Despite his seemingly accellerated learning, I reckon the distraction of other dogs would just be way too much for him. 3 second rule, here we come.

Thanks for the advice Osteosam. I've been able to find a dog training club that's affiliated with the Royal NSW Canine Council - they're called the Northern Suburbs Dog Training Club and are endorsed by my municipal council. The earliest we can get Chomsky in for classes is 20th May (2 weeks after his final vaccination). Will let you know how it goes with the Dobe tomorrow!

The need for socialisation was one of the reasons why OH and I have decided to start walking him so soon. OH and I were just so surprised to see much larger dogs in our street allow Chomsky to make light work of them. Just goes to show that size isn't everything. A friend has a 9 year old entire male Doberman that is very dominant and we've arranged a play date for tomorrow with the hope that the Dobe will give our boy a run for his money. I'll be surprised if this Dobe allows Chomsky to muck about too much. You both mentioned obedience training. What should I be looking for? Chomsky won't finish puppy preschool for another couple of weeks... is there a class you could recommend that we take him to after that? edited for spelling

I have recently started taking my 13.5 week old mini Poodle pup on walks around our local area (and before you say anything, there have been 0 cases of Parvo where I live). While he’s 100% well behaved on the leash (stops and sits when told and heels without request rather than pull ahead), he tends to try and dominate any dog we meet on our walk! There’s an 8 year old entire male Rough Collie down the road, and my boy had managed to get the Collie on his back before sitting on his neck There’s also a 1 year old Standard Poodle x Lab (read: woolly, furry monster) bitch in the street and my boy has done the same thing to her. Both these dogs are at least 4 times the size of my pup. He has also "boxed" (pawed in the face) the two Mini Schnauzers across the road, growled at a long haired German Shepherd while on the opposite side of the street and tried to go after an adult Kelpie. Is this normal??!!!! My boy appears to play nicely at puppy preschool… My neighbour reckons I have an alpha personality dog. Do you think she's correct? I expect that the sooner I start training to manage this, the better. What do you recommend?

I haven't been a dog owner for all that long so was curious where you guys bought your flea and tick treatments. Our puppy is on Advance and the cheapest I could find (including postage and handling) was here Has anyone ever dealt with this company before? Can you recommend anywhere cheaper?