Gretel

<"Oh Love, you can feed 'em anything you like! I find the foods from the vet quite dear, and when you have a heap of dogs like me that gets expensive. So just give 'em scraps off your dinner plate or those cheap tinned foods from Bi Low'' im only new to the dog world by myself, but should I be aware of breeders like this or do most of them do it? When i asked if they came with their vaccs her reply was "Of course they do, any other questions?'' > Oh dear yes I would definitely be looking elsewhere!! A good breeder bends over backwards to make sure their dogs have the best.

<I cannot get the puppy from the pet store. I cannot get the puppy from the pet store> Yes please PLEASE keep telling yourself that! If you buy it they will just get more :rolleyes: Whatever breed you decide on find a reputable breeder who can talk to you about all the health issues and what testing they are doing. Plus you get to meet the mum (and maybe dad) and see how the pup has been raised. Plus a good breeder is always happy to be there if you have any queries.

Oh my goodness - a Cavalier - ugly?!!!!! He'd better not cross my path :rolleyes:

Hi Georg, A Cavalier would fit in well I think. They love to be with their people, will curl up wherever you are but love a walk when it's on offer. They don't tend to be yappers. And if brought up with a cat will be nice to it I may be a little biased though :rolleyes:

:D Oh yes I'm too frightened to put up the tree just yet! Bree is such a terror. She may be small but I reckon she'll probably climb the tree once she destroys all the decorations....

<I'd always be going for what the breeder reccomends, they know their breed the best.> Hi Sas, I posted the link for a website of a breeder of Cavaliers who has been feeding BARF for years. She swears by it. I've fed my adults BARF but been too lazy to go the whole way with litters of pups and generally puppy buyers are going to want to feed a commercial diet so found it easier to feed the pups a good dry food and send them to their new homes with a bag of it. I use Advance - though my new pup came to me on Royal Canin and she is doing very well on that. I agree it is important to feed the pup what it is used to when you first bring it home or you will be in for tummy upsets! You can change it over gradually.

Yep as Lilysmum put it a 'well-researched BARF diet'. You really do need to go into it properly to ensure your growing pup has all they need. It's not just a bit of this and that. Ian Billinghurst's books are excellent. And here is a webpage that outlines BARF well and this lady breeds Cavaliers http://www.nidracavaliers.com/barf.htm

Oh that is great!!! I'm sure once he is settled back in he will progress in leaps and bounds Nothing like being home.

Oh that is excellent news

<My pup was chewing the corners off my wooden coffee table, so sprayed it with the $15 bottle of 'no-chew' that the pet store sold me. He loved it! Licked it off before getting back to the chewing.> Yes I had a pup who licked the stuff off as it ran down the door frame ugh! Aerogard works well for many - I'm yet to find a dog that will chew something I've sprayed with that.

Yep just checking in to see if there is any news on how Diesel is going? Hoping for good news.....

Thinking of you and Diesel tonight and hoping he is improving.

<I know how hard it can all get. We had to pts my boy after a speeding car had hit him and not even bothered to stop. The boy managed to still try to walk with broken ribs, internal bleeding and the like. He lasted another 4 or so hours before my dad decided to have him pts.> How sad Arby Aren't some people disgusting?!!! I've been trying to work out what your pic is - it is so dark on my computer I can't make it out. At least Diesel has come through surgery okay so fingers crossed he will make a full and speedy recovery.

Oh dear you poor thing that is not good news. I have everything crossed for him and sending positive vibes your way. I'm just off to work but will check in as soon as I can. Try to think positive..... Sorry I forgot to say that my Dobe went through that surgery years ago and she was okay.

<A friend of mines dog swallowed her g-string and he pooed it out while they had friends over! > Oh dear!

<Vet thought it looks like something soft such as a sock. Not sure that I am missing any, but if it is i would love to know how he managed to eat a sock without choking?? Don't reckon I could gag one down!> It is amazing what a puppy can get down!! And they are so quick... If I see Bree head out the back in a hurry I usually follow to see what she has managed to nick this time A dog I bred came back to stay with me for a weekend when he was about a year old and to my horror he swallowed a sports sock right in front of me. Luckily it all came out okay in the end.... Apparently he still does this often and he is 2 now. They just can't seem to keep stuff out of his reach! I hope Diesel recovers well. Yes puppies can be a real worry but don't you love 'em?! Let us know how he gets on. I am sending good wishes your way.

Water sprays are wonderful Karen Most dogs and pups don't appreciate a squirt in the face and it stops them in their tracks! You will sometimes get a dog who goes crazy with water spray though and thinks it's a great game - doesn't work for them. You have a pup who is going to grow very quickly and very big so good you are getting onto the training early.

<I prefer wire crates because they can't wreck them and they are cooler.> Yes me too Pax and if it is cool you can always make them snug with a blanket over the top. I've just worked out I have 6 crates and only 3 dogs LOL! I tend to collect them and use them for different purposes. I'll use the plastic airline crates in the car during the cooler months but not in summer.

<Is he meant to be in it all day? It seems awfully cruel. And he gets hot in it, he pants alot.> Hi Saintlysusan. No I wouldn't be leaving him in it all day. My pup is crated at night and has the run of the kitchen if I am out. I wouldn't leave her crated for long periods. How many hours are you leaving him in there?

Karen I think what you are describing that the puppy class instructor did was a dominant down? Turned the pup on her back and held there till she stopped struggling? Is that how it was? This was used in training several years ago but I didn't think anyone was still doing it. How old and what breed is your pup? There are much better ways to deal with puppy behaviours. As far as pulling the babies socks off she really is just being a puppy and doing what puppies do :D Obviously you are never leaving the baby and puppy alone so you are there to stop the behaviour immediately. I'd use a water spray and give the pup a quick squirt in the face as she starts to do it.

<I have a sock and some electrical tape, I might try to tape a sock to her foot, she will probably chew it off though.> Good luck with that LOL! You could spray it with something nasty. If you don't have bitters or something try some Aerogard. Mine don't like the taste of that at all.

Hi Karen, How do you mean she is trying to dominate them?

Oh dear poor bub! I hope he improves quickly and you can get to the bottom of it. Please do contact your breeder. I understand that you are worried they will think you've done something wrong but a decent breeder really does want to know how the pups go after they leave. I sold a pup many years ago and spotted him advertised as lost in the classifieds the week after. I rang the new owners who told me he had been stolen from their yard the day after they took him home. I was terribly upset for the pup - but finding out that way was awful. He never was found

When I had big dogs I used a hose attached to the laundry tub so I could use warm water. I bought an attachment, like the ones that come on the water in weed killer etc that you put on a hose, and I put shampoo in that. It got the shampoo through the coat really well and then I'd just use the hose to rinse off. It worked very well on my Newfoundland. I must say bathing little dogs is much easier on the back though :D

About 5 years ago I was working at a vets and kennel cough was rampant there. I had vaccinated my 8 dogs for kennel cough and 5 of them ended up coughing anyway. My understanding is that it is like us getting the flu vacc - only works for some strains. I don't vaccinate for it routinely anymore. I have vaccinated my current pup with C5 though cause she had pneumonia as a tiny pup and I wanted to do all I can to lessen the risk of her picking it up. I hope your pup improves quickly BTW love the pic!