DogPaddle

Also good to know, thanks. I'm sure there are loads of other alternative medicine options too.

[quote]I'd like to add I've been bitten by a monkey, a cat, a horse or two, a ferret and a guinea pig. Won't even go into the insect world! [/quote] :o It looks like a whole zoo has been munching on you. I have been bitten by my cat - right in the meat of my hand - she latched on and once she knew she had me she just kept tightening - I was rinsing yuck of her paws - I still have the mark. I've also been bitten by a few pet rodents - mine and others.

Thanks all for the suggestions and support. Kaleb - So this Mars thing actually cuts just the under coat out? That would be cool. Carol - I have been brushing dry but I will definately switch to wet - I get enough hair in my face when Zaphod decides to sleep on the bed and spread the fuzz. Daisymom - We have been planning to switch my dogs and my mom's dog to a raw food diet when this bag of kibble is gone but now Abbey has to be on her special diet for crystals in her urine for another week or so, so we are in a holding pattern. Cassie - :o That sounds like a full time job. :lol:

Hmmm . . . usually I'm working on ways to get the dog to "dropit" :lol: You could try starting with a tug toy and as you play say "holdit", then let him have it and reiterate "holdit" if he doesn't drop it praise. I know Kavik is very reluctant to drop a tug toy even when we are done playing.

I think Zaphod may be crossed with a husky or gsd or something . . . I expected bad shedding wiht a Lab cross but he's blowing his undercoat and it is unbelievable. I have been brushing him everyday for 5 days and each day I get 2/3 of a kitchen trash bag, also a bathed him 3 days ago and had to rinse a cat sized pile of hair away afterwards . . . and still I have to vacume every day! If this keeps up much longer I'm inventing a hair retaining suite for him! Anyone have any better suggestions than brushing, bathing, brushing, vacuming, brushing, sweeping, brushing, using a roll tape to remove fur from my clothes, brushing, using a roll tape to remove fur from furniture, brushing and BRUSHING?

[size=6][color=red][b]3! [/b][/color][/size]:o Oh no, that would be tricky! I maybe understand the want to be an only dog thing, Kavik adores being brushed (he is unabashedly vain) but Zaphod who I'm beginning to think is Lab/GSD really needs more brushing, Kavik still has difficulty waiting his turn with this. Usually I have to brush Kavik, then 1/2 of Zaphod, brush Kavik again and tell him how pretty he is, brush the rest of Zaphod, and brush Kavik again. :roll:

That's good, so smart, there must be some job she can do in your area that will take advantage of that excellent doggie brain.

Whenever I won't do what Kavik wants or he is very excited he makes this noise . . . it's sort of a erwahwooerwoo, the more dramatic he is trying to be the longer he draws it out. I am a huge sucker for thiw noise and he knows it. Zaphod does zoomies when I carry his dish to his eating spot, all the way, zoomie after zoomie after zoomie, all in front of me as I walk.

:angel: - Just add PB [b][size=7][color=red]Congrats![/color][/size][/b] I have never clipped Zaphod's, I always take him to be done because their black and I'm afraid I'll get the quick :oops: Gotta try a dremal (sp?)

Thanks, I know it's not earth shattering but I was happy and it makes mylife easier if I can specify which dog I want to do something - It gets a trifle crowded when both dogs "heelup" at the same time - maybe I should have taught zaphod to "heelup" on my right.

Perhaps my perception of there being few Standerd Poodles in shelters a regional issue. I live in Ontario Canada and there are 1 1/2 rescues groups, rarely ever one in the shelters. Of course there are few breeders in this area as well so maybe that's it. [quote]Standards are way more than just a pretty face. [/quote] True and its such a lovable face too.

Yahoo! I am finally making headway in being able to call ONLY 1 dog at a time. Usually when I say "Kavik" or "Zaphod" "Come" both dogs come. I have been working with putting both dogs in a sitstay and then calling just one, I reward the one that I called if he comes AND reward the one that stayed if he stayed. Today they both just . . . understood! "Oh is that all you wanted . . . no problem."

No problem, hope Nostalgia is more comfortable soon.

Yep, plain old oatmeal (unflavoured - unless you'd like an apple scented dog I guess) put in any old sock or nylon, get it good and wet and soak in tub with it in bath water or sop up some water and rub over body squeezing gently to express oatmealy watery stuff. BTW it feels great on people skin too. As for the flea collar, I would remove it for a while and see if the skin calms down a bit, I know I got a rash from handling flea collars and a headach from the smell. I doubt its the heartworm med - that was probably too long ago.

When Tyr had itchy spots we got advice from someone here (sorry forgot who) and put some oatmeal in a sock/nylon and put it in the bath with him, we also rubbed it over him - in the sock and very wet. Worked wonders. You could also have to begin investigating food allergies etc if there are no pests involved. Just wondering, in the first photo the collar appears to be a flea collar - is it?

We had a lab cross who would slink off and the mere hint of a bath and tremble while being bathed BUT let her near any stinking slime pond and she was in up to her snout in no time. Zaphod - another lab cross, while tolerate his bath but splashes merrily around in the lake (after his initial hesitance) he has only swam breifly so far but then we have only got to the lake once with Zaphod this year - :x

Thank you both Goo and K. You have unmuddied the waters. BTW K - I think Tiny is gorgeous, Max and Asia are cute too and Max's markings are unique - looks sortof Rottie/Dobie colouring but more blended, but Tiny is soooo cute and looks so ready for adventure, paticularly in that scenery.

Very beutiful! Would Asia be an American Staffordshire Terrier then or an American Pit Bull Terrier or are they the same breed? And the Staffordshire (Bull) Terrier is the slighly smaller but very similar bully breed right?

Yay for me! :lol: I would like to say that this stunning deduction was due solely to my extensive knowledge of dog breeds but I had a little help - when I was looking for a dog just over two years ago I was very close to adopting a pair of brothers, 2 yrs old, BC/SS mix, very cute, very affectionate, very playful, had to be adopted together. Unfortunately, they had always been outdoor only dogs and it had been over 17 years since I'd had a pup/nonhousetrained dog in my house so I was concerned that two, both trying to mess in the house, would be more than my skills could handle :( (They were adopted, together, by the way, just a week and a half later.)

Looks like a BC or BC/Springer Spaniel Cross. Very cute and so tolerant too . . . :lol:

I really like the idea of chipping. Both my cats were but they have problems with them as they are so thin and have very little body fat. I am worried the same will be true for Kavik so I have held off to see if he'll put on enough weight after he's 2. Zaphod should be no problem of cousre :lol:

Oh poor Max. Definately sending best wishes your way.

You could investigate a raw food diet. You could have him tested for food allergies are do it yourself at home - the first thing I would check is all sources of carbs - rice and oatmeal are often ok but my dogs are a little put off by any other carb source. You could switch from Nutro - which also gave all of my dogs loose stools or the runs, try Wellness, Solid Gold Mmillenia, Canidae, Go! or many other dog foods that I am sure others will recommend in this calibre of dog food. I also wouldn't give up on the yogurt, a small amount of yogurt 2-4x/week may help. Do you always feed yogurt or do you feed it only when the problem crops up?

I like these kibbles; Wellness Solid Gold Mmillenia Canidea GO! - not sure may only be available in Canada?

There are a lot of good tools to help you on the internet - type into a browser - dog breed selector OR chooser. You may want to talk to breeders or rescue groups of the breeds your interested in too. GSDs are excellent dogs, smart, athletic, loyal, they are however a dominant personality type so you have to be prepared for that, Akitas are the same I think. Nothing some good handling and obedience classes couldn't handle in most cases. It sounds like you are looking for an intelligent family dog, no concerns about little kids in the house and you would like a dog that might alarm any intruders? Some breeds you may not have realized suit those requirements: Collie - Rough and Smooth, Rough Collies and/or Collie crosses often can be found in shelters as like Labs they are a little slow to mature, they also can bark a bit more than other breeds (watchdog trait) and have a lot of energy and work drive. Standerd Schnauzer - not quite as smart as Collie or GSD Airdale Terrier - not quite as smart as Collie or GSD and this will probably surprise you . . . Standerd Poodle - everyone knows their extemely bright and trainable, some people know they are good hunting/retrieving/water dogs, but they are also superior watch dogs and very good gaurd dogs. Usually difficult to find in shelters though There are probably lots more too. And don't discount those mixed breeds in the shelters while your there. Let us know what you decide.