imported_Cassie

Oh KathiNellie, thats right your Golden is due soon...how is she feeling? has she gotten over the diarrhea?? My girl was getting really uncomfortable in her last few weeks...restless and irratable...and very clingy to my other female Newfoundland...with the last few days we had one false alarm...I started taking her temperature daily, one day it dropped so I really thought she was going to have her pups that day...wrong. I hope every thing goes well for you Kathi. Hillside, we had a whelping party to celebrate. :drinking: and yes, drinks were involved. Wine is always the way to bring in a new birth...and with 7 pups that makes 7 glasses of wine to cheer them in with :lol: Thanks every one for your well wishes...and yes, I will post the pictures...or shall I say I will e-mail them to ellieangel and see if she will post them for me...still can't get the hang of posting pic's :oops: by the way ellieangel...thanks in advance... :angel:

I some times will use shark cartilage in place of Glucosamine/Chondroitin...you might want to research shark cartilage?? For my dogs I give: Athena..Rottweiler with HD (5 years) & Dilon - Newf with elbow dysplasia: Glucosamine/Chondroitin, MSM with Boswellia (not daily), Yucca root (every other day) Yucca is an anti inflammatory which has worked well on my Rottie. Cassie-Newfoundland 8 years: Glucosamine/Chondroitin, Dandelion root. For all of my dogs I give them the occasional home made meal with spinach or sweet potatoe etc. and other fresh organic veggies with organic meats. I also give my dogs canned sardines packed in water twice daily ( I have heard some bad things about fish oil supplements), I also give them canned wild salmon twice weekly (I never feed them farmed salmon), I also add ground flax seeds a few times a week to their meals...this is much cheaper than buying the oil...at least I find it cheaper :wink: I bought myself a coffee bean grinder to use to grind my own flax seeds...I only buy organic flax seeds...and some times I give them ground pumpkin seeds which also have omega 6 fatty acids and vitamin E...some people even say that pumpkin seeds can combat and prevent intestinal parasites, especially tapeworms...for this I have no proof :-? but, at least I can say that my dogs fecal exams also come out parasite free. I get alot of my information from the whole dog journal. Here is the site in case you would like to order the subscription. [url]http://www.whole-dog-journal.com/[/url] Here is a really good forum regarding holistic dog care which I have got alot of info. [url]http://forums.drweil.com/drwHolisticPet/[/url] I hope this helps you :wink:

I have had success with Yucca root...I am very pleased with the results. My Rottie has HD...for awhile she was having a hard time getting out of bed in the morning...after walks she would be uncomfortable etc. My Vet had advised me to give her metacam...I bought the bottle (just in case) and sought alternative herbs to help her...when I first started her on Yucca it took a week before it actually started to help her. I gave the bottle of metacam back to my vet and have seen my Rottie become much more comfortable, no more whining in the morning...its actually amazing the difference in her :o I also have her on glucosamine/condroitin/msm supplements as well as the yucca root...and with the Yucca root I give it to her every other day...when I first started I did give it to her daily. I also give her the MSM with Boswellia as well...when I give the Boswellia I don't give the Yucca ( I really hate to over do the amount of supplements)...I also give the Yucca root to my Newf with elbow dysplasia. You can buy Yucca root at a health food store or buy it from solid gold dog foods...I was getting the Yucca root from solid gold...the only problem I had was the fact that it has peppermint in it...which is great, but, the smell of the peppermint was making my dogs turn up their noses at their dinners :-? its not in capsole form...so what I had to do was to save the opened capsoles from the Glucosamine and put the powered yucca root into the capsoles and hide it in peices of cheese or hamburg....turned out to be a real pain in the behind....now, I stick with the human grade yucca as it does not have pepermint in it. :wink:

As of last Wednesday my little girl had her pups...she had 7 healthy little pups...5 females and 2 males. She had no problems during delivery...they all were born within 3 hours. The last week has been exhausting :roll: I was looking after the boarding facility while the owner was away for march break, plus looking after my other bosses dogs and my own dogs...and my bitch with her new litter. I think I need an April break! the boarding kennel was packed. Other than being exhausted I am very pleased every thing went so well during whelping the litter. This is my bitches first litter, its surprising at how well she is handling motherhood...she rarely wants to leave the pups except to go to the bathroom...she is producing lots of milk, I have not had to supplement the pups with any formula....she is keeping them clean...its just great at how well this has turned out. There are a few of us keeping a 24 hour watch on her and the pups just in case she steps on one, or lays on top of a pup...Tori seems pretty aware of exactly where all of her pups are...but, we keep an eye on her because you just never know. I will post pictures as soon as I get them back! the breeder who legally owns my bitch has the pictures right now :lol:

Your welcome :wink: Those neighborhood dogs can be some sneaky :lol: I have seen some pretty wild things that males will do to get at a bitch in heat :o

The heat cycle or estrus cycle is divided into four different stages...first you have proestrus which is a preparatory period. Proestrus typically lasts five to nine days. On the first day of proestrus, the vagina becomes swollen and a bloody discharge is soon observed. During this stage, males show an interest in the female, but she will be unreceptive to them. Internally, the eggs leave the surface of the ovaries and travel into the oviducts. The next stage is referred to as estrus. This is the active breeding phase, and will usually last from five to nine days. Bleeding from the vagina is very slight or completely absent at this point. During estrus, males will definitely be attracted to and attempt to mate with the female. The female will allow them to mount her, resulting in intercourse. In the dog, a 'tie' usually occurs in which the male and female are held together physically, with the vagina tightly enclosed around the glans penis. Ejaculation will occur and sperm cells will enter the uterus and make their way to the oviduct, where their union with the egg will result in fertilization. A tie, however, is not necessary for conception to take place. The union of the egg and sperm results in the formation of a fertilized egg, which is referred to as a zygote. This matures further, developing into an embryo and then a fetus. So its hard to verify weather or not your bitch is pregnant...Just because a bitch was bred, does not necessarily mean she has become pregnant. We go through this quite often when breeding the Newfoundland dogss...we even take blood tests to determine when she is ready....alot of times they do not take, and some times they will reabsorb the litter...when they are reabsorbing it is nothing like a false pregnancy...they will vomit and become lethargic...but, other than that they do not go on to a false pregnancy. [b]Determining if the bitch is pregnant [/b] For the first three weeks or so of pregnancy, you may not notice any changes in the bitch. Some females will become more demanding for attention, their nipples may enlarge slightly, and some may become hungrier. These are not a guarantee of a pregnancy, but are good signs. Bitches can show the same signs during 'false pregnancy,' a hormonal abnormality which occurs after a bitch has been in heat. I would also recommend that since your dog has gone through false pregnancies before you should get her spayed. Several methods are available to determine pregnancy. A clear mucoid vaginal discharge may be seen. It is a reasonably reliable sign of pregnancy and is noticed about 4-5 weeks into pregnancy and continues until parturition. Ultrasound is able to pick up fetal heartbeats at about 28 days into gestation. This will not be able to determine the number of puppies, but can confirm a pregnancy. At about the same time, a veterinarian may be able to palpate the uterus and feel the fetuses. This may not be possible on a large dog or one that has the puppies under the rib cage. X-rays can be taken around the 60th day of pregnancy to confirm a pregnancy, count the number of fetuses, and determine size-wise if the puppies will fit through the birth canal. I hope this information is a help...good luck. :wink: I am expecting puppies this week from one of my Newfoundland dogs.

I don't know if food would cause the tear stains with your poodle...In normal animals, tears are constantly produced and drain out through small ducts in the eyelids. The ducts empty into the nose. (That is why your nose runs when you cry.) In animals with blocked ducts, the tears overflow the lids and run down the face. There are many reasons for dogs to have an overflow of tears..some due to having more prominent eyes, some dogs are born with an abnormal drainage system and in some cases, tear overflow may be due to excessive tear fomation caused by irritation of the eye by a particle of some thing in the eye, an allergy (which could be the pollen you spoke of) or an abnormal eyelid or eyelash which turns inward and rubs against the surface of the eye...the hair can act like a wick, drawing the tears out of the eye. This can be corrected by removing the offending hair. Inflammation or ulcers of the surface of the eye (cornea), or inflammation of the duct system is also a cause. These conditions, which are often painful, need to be seen immediately by your veterinarian....and if its allergies perhaps your Vet can give you some thing to ease the tearing and discomfort. Since the tear accumulation on the facial hair can also lead to matting of the hair, skin irritation and possible infection, you must keep this area clean. Trimming the hair below the eye will help. Clean the area and remove any accumulated material or crusts. If a skin lesion is seen, clip the hair closer, and after cleaning the area it may help to apply an antibiotic ointment; it is best to use an ophthalmic (eye) antibiotic ointment on skin this close to the eye. If the lesion is large, deep, or ulcerated, or if you have any question about the severity of the lesion, you should see your veterinarian. More severe cases may require oral antibiotics and other treatment measures. There are products available which are used to remove the brown stain from the hair. These products can be irritating to the eye. They should NOT be used directly in the eye. If necessary, to protect the eye, apply an ophthalmic ointment to the eye prior to using these products. To help maintain healthy eyes in your pet, check the eyes on a regular basis, keep the area around them clean, and when in the car, roll the window high enough to prevent your pet from getting his head out of the window. Because your pet's eyes are so important, consult your veterinarian if you suspect any type of eye infection or problem. Good luck HF

I used to have people tell me when I owned my Doberman Pinscher that the brain will out grow the narrow head and they will turn on the owner by the age of 2 years :o many friends of mine with Collies have had people tell them the same thing...the head is too narrow to allow the brain to grow... :roll: With my Rottweiler I had one gentleman tell me Rottweilers always turn on their owner at the age of 2 years...actually I don't mind this question as it gives me a chance to explain to people that perhaps some of the more dominant breeds have "turned" on their owner...but the cause is not due to the dog just getting up one day and just turning aggressive, it is some thing that is brought on slowly from people with little knowledge...or those who get these breeds and thinking they have to "dominant" the dog every chance they get, scruffing, rolling them...our dogs really don't understand what their owner is doing...some times when our dogs have been attacked by their owners too often they will suddenly attack them when they feel the owner is going to put them through some harsh punishment for doing some thing they may not consider to be wrong....dogs have alot of patience with us humans...but, some times even they reach the end of the rope. :wink: I have had people ask me if I had to take out a second mortgage to feed my Newfoudland dogs....my Newf's do not eat as much as my newest member Beau my dobie mix...Beau is full of energy and can consume much more food than my Newf's...when I tell people this they roll their eyes as if I am lying. I don't really care if people don't know what breeds of dogs I have...heck, I barely know the different models of cars on the road...cars are not foremost on my mind, as with some people; dogs are not foremost on their mind...I have ticked alot of mechanics off by referring to my sport utility vehicle as a Jeep...they have looked at me in shock and explained that Jeep is a patented name...I shouldn't go around calling my ford explorer a Jeep :lol: but, alot of people in my area consider any vehicle with a short wheel base to be a jeep...so, I cannot get upset when some one mistakes my Rottie for a Lab, or my Newf's for black St. Bernards etc. If I can't get the models of vehicles right...I don't expect non doggy people to get my dog breeds right. :wink:

What a shame....your doing the right thing writing a letter of complaint... IMO, I think any one who has to work with dogs be it a grooming facility, boarding, petco etc. the employees should have some animal care courses under their belts and should have a knowledge of dogs...heck, if I thought every fearful dog which came into the boarding facility was being abused I'd have a long list! I don't think some people realize that not only can a dog become fearful due to not being socialized during the critial period of socialization....but, some pups are actually genetically programmed to be fearful...I have seen whole litters of Shepherd pups very timid and fearful from the day they open their eyes onward...and no amount of socialization can bring them around....for instance just yesterday a friend of mine has a litter of Shpherds which are now 4 weeks old....most pups are out going and playful and curious at this age...these pups hide when a stranger comes in and they stare at you and growl. We also have many owners of Golden Retrievers which get very frustrated and sad as they have been accused from various people of abusing their dogs as well....these dogs had been socialized from the time the owner got them and went to puppy classes...but, the dog has a genetic disposition of being fearful...and I have had a Newfoundland dogs which is very fearful as well...it took me a few years to get her to be good in public places. The funny thing is, I work at a vet clinic where we are the depo for the SPCA...we get the worst of the neglect & abuse cases for dogs and cats...I have rarely seen a severey abused dog turn fearful....they seem to be the ones wanting the attention and love...of course there are the fearful timid ones as well....but, most times the dogs and pups which get abused are the out going hard to control pups and dogs. We had a dog come in which had been beaten with a blunt object, her body was full of open wounds plus she had broken ribs from being beat....this abuse had been going on for quite some time...when we got her at the vet clinic she was very out going and loving. Just goes to show that most fearful dogs have never been abused...and some times the abused dogs are the ones which are more outgoing and loving :-? Submit your lettter of complaint and advise the owners of PETCO that ANY dog would have been startled having some one come up from behind and yelling :roll: some dogs may have reacted in a defensive mode and may have lunged at the offender...this is no way for an employee who works with animals to act.

I think HF will be able to answer this better than I can :wink: I just work as a bath blow dryer...but, as for cutting your dog to a shorter length, just one question; is Zebra a double coated dog? if so, what I would do is have a groomer get all the undercoat out leaving the out guard hairs...the guard hairs protect the dog from the sun ect. I have actually gotten most of the undercoat out of my Newfoundland dogs in the summer. I just find some times with a double coated dog...not always, but, some times the under coat can grow out before the outer coat and can makes for a different look. What the groomer does with breeds like Collies, Shelties, Golden's etc. is she has us brush them in the bath tub when lathered; this gets alot of dead undercoat out, then we zap them with a high velocity dryer to get the rest of the undercoat out...once the dog is 100% dry the coat really starts blowing with the high velocity...then the groomer takes the dog and brushes it, then combs, rakes it once brushed out...then she will scissor the feet, rough, pants, & tail to give the dog a tidy appearance. She also has a few of these breeds which she will take short all over (as per the owner) The best thing when looking for a good groomer is to ask for referrals from you Vet..or if you see a well groomed dog at a dog park ask who groomed it.

It can be a little bit of dominace issue when a pup starts to wiggle and growl and some will bite when held down...this was a way people used to test a dogs dominance & submissance way back. :wink: it was said that a pup which gives up will be a submissive adult while the one which does not give up will be dominant and thus a handful. I have been around many many litters and I have found alot of times that some pups are just too busy and don't want to be held down. I have one adult Newfoundland at the kennel which when she was a pup would wiggle and bark and try to bite at your hand if you tried to keep her back from her play time...this pup had a keen mind and has turned out to be a lovely adult...she is doing wonderful at obedience. She turned out to be an independant thinker and very out going.

[quote]Turns out the pup is 4 weeks, a little better than 2, but not by much[/quote] In most kennels, puppies get the first taste of food other than Mom

I used to have a husky as a child which didn't like being in the house for the simple fact that it was too warm for him. We set up fans in my room and he found that to be to his liking :roll: Other than that dog all my other dogs have been lovely house dogs...my current group which consists of 4 Newf's a Dobe and a Rottie love being in the house....but, if I left my door open they would run out side because they could (which I do on nice days -I leave the door open in the mud room) I do know some people whose dogs have grown up in kennels and when brought into the house have paced and not been very happy about it. I suppose its all in what they get used to and what they are comfortable with. I have also seen alot of kennel dogs (brought up in a kennel) take to living indoors like a fish takes to water :lol: it just depends on what the dog is comfortable with... I swear some dogs become claustrophobic indoors.....we have one client with a Lhasa Apso which will not go in the home (Which I find weird for a small breed such as the Lhasa)....the owner had to have a nice kennel built for it....at the grooming shop we cannot put this dog in a crate which has solid sides we can only put him in one of our open wire cages...other wise the dog freaks out :o not just barking freak out, but, he starts hyperventalating and then starts shaking and screeching...the first time we groomed him we thought he was taking a seizure! we let him loose in the shop and he was fine and put him in the wire cage and he was fine as well....no other groomer in town would take this dog a second time...little did they realize the dog suffers from claustrophobia (we think :wink: ).....the owners were so releived as the other groomers told her they would NOT groom the dog and were unable to groom him, they advised her the dog has serious behavior problems and was aggressive :o

What I do is to control shedding is throw the dog in the tub, brush the coat in the tub when lathered up...you wouldn't beleive all the dead undercoat you can get out. We have alot of husky's and Malamutes which come in for grooming at this time of the year to get the undercoat out...I can usually get most out in the bath tub. :wink: working at a grooming shop I also have access to a high velocity dryer...these are great for zapping the rest of the undercoat out. :wink: With my Newf's, I do the same with them....I brush them in the bath tub when they are lathered up...then take the high velocity to them...if I didn't I would have tundrils of coat floating through my home.

All of my dogs stare at me when I eat in front of them. I make them all sit (and let them drool :lol: ) after I am finished I usually manage a few healthy scraps to put in each of their bowls (I eat very healthy so my dogs are not getting any left over junk food). It's our little ritual...I am alone :( so my dogs are my company at dinner time...in my opinon I'd rather have a bunch of dogs drooling over me than a husband drooling at models on the TV :lol: I trained my Rottweiler to look at me using bait...she has such a high prey drive and wanted to teach her to look at me and not pay attention to other distractions...in order to teach her the command "look at me" I used to keep treats in my mouth to motivate her to look at my face :wink: With my Newf's where they are used for show....I cannot put my hand in one of my pockets without them going into instant stack :lol: that is one more thing I have a hard time doing with my dogs...if I put my hand near one of my pockets they all stop what they are doing...run over and either sit (dobe & rottie) or stack (Newf's) :lol: the breeder has the Newf's used to being baited.

A video would be cool... :wink: If I have a chance and there are no difficulties I might just take my camcorder and get a few shots....I don't have a digital camcorder, just the old style one. She will probably have the pups on Monday or Tuesday...she is not bagging up with milk yet and she doesnt seem to be digging or looking for the right spot yet...I have the perfect whelping area..the breeder is letting me stay at her house to whelp the litter while she is away...then when she comes back she will look after the pups and mom :D she has every thing for delivering a litter....thank goodness. I will get pictures of the pups...

[[quote]quote]No dogs are not wolves - never said they were. However some breeds have more of a pack mentality than others, malamutes being one of these breeds. I can tell you that anyone who owns a malamute and totally disregards the alpha rules is seriously asking for trouble. There is no way in the world you want a dog that strong thinking they out rank you.ote] [/quote] Here is a little notation from the book "dogs" written by biologist who have been studing wolves and dogs for years...and the Coppinger's race dog sled teams and raise herding dogs. [quote]I think it is wrong to treat our best friend like a wolf. I have trained hundreds of sled dogs and hundreds more sheepdogs. I don't think a dog knows what people are talking about when they exhibit this "alpha wolf" behavior. Dogs do not understand such behaviors because the village dogs didn't have a pack structure; they were semisolitary animals. Such behavior by humans confuses them. Running together as a team is a social event, a system of togetherness. How well that social system works depends somewhat on the collection of individual talents, but even more on how each individuals running shape and size mesh with that of other members. The description of a social system is very different from the way dog teams are often described. The pervasive cliche is that they are like a pack of wolves, with a leader which dominates the pack. The analogy then designates the driver as the supreme pack leader, the so-called alpha dog, exercising his will over the pack and forcing them to run with threats of physical violence. The driver, it is believed, forces these subordinate animals to be submissive, wielding a whip, which he cracks in the air to make the dogs speed up. The mythology becomes complete with references to northern people staking out their female dogs so local wolves can breed to them. The rational is that breeding to woves gives the sled dogs stamina. [b]Nothing could be futher from the truth.[/b] Maybe some people did breed their dogs to wolves and then had to beat them with whips just to keep them from killing one another when they harnessed them. It is not intuitively obvious that breeding to hundred pound wolves would introduce a host of counter productive elements into the team. But stamina would be reduced. Dominance hierarchy behavior would occur, and disrupt a coordinated effort. Synchrony of running would vanish, because wolves are independently minded animals that think more about their personal space than dogs do. Wolves typically react to commands by assuming submissive postures, or quit on a whim and then sulk. I can't think of a single trait possessed by wolves that I'd want on on a dog team. The idea that I would go out and pay five thousand dollars for a lead dog, bring it home, and let it fight the rest of the dogs to see if they accept it as the alpha male and leader has to be hilarious. The last thing any dog dirver wants is a dog fight. Not only can valuable animals be hurt, but animosities between individuals would constantly stress the team effort. I don't want any dog to feel bad about its rank on the team, or continually test its position. I don't want the dogs submissive to me. On a twelve- or sixteen dog team, the leaders are usually paired. The leaders can be paired as males or females. What does that do to the theory of the alpha dog? Two female alpha dogs? A dog team with good depth has many leaders. It has alternates that the driver can substitute up front to replace animals too tired to keep a winning pace. Dogs are not wolves. Dogs are not running as a pack. A pack is about chasing some thing. Sled dogs are running because other dogs are running. They are motiveated by something the animal behaviorists call social facilitation. [/quote]

[quote]Cassie - you say you don't believe in the alpha rules but then you say you live by the most fundamental one - the nothing in life is free approach. By using this method you are in fact enforcing your role as alpha because the alpha is the one who is in charge of the resources, sets the rules and is always in control[/quote] Malamum, with the nothing is free in life policy I could use this to train just about any animal...they use this method when training dolphins, killer whales etc. in marine shows...so, are these people being the Alpha wolf to a killer whale???? :roll: basically I am rewarding good behavior with my dogs...I don't want them to be jumping all over me when I am about to feed them...so I make them sit down first..its a simple training technique...which by the way probably would not work on a wolf...and how many alpha wolves would make all the other pack members sit before eating :lol: Its just not my style to refer to my dogs behavior issues as any thing other than "Canine" issues...I do not compare my dogs to a pack of wolves...basically because I have never lived with wolves and I don't know many people who have...so, when you don't have alot of information on an animal why even bother to compare it to your own dog (although I have done reading on wolves and read studies concerning wolves, I still think I know my own dogs better than wolves), yes, they have done alot of studies on wild wolves and wolves in captive; but, even these people will tell you that wolves and dogs do not have alot of the same behaviors. I own dogs and I am proud of it. In the book Dogs by the Coppinger's they are biologists who have been studing wolves, dogs, coyotes, jackels etc. for many years...if you want to learn more; then pick up the book. here is a notation they have in their book... "To be descended from a wolf is not to be a wolf".

I'm glad every thing is OK...I know its quite a panic when you pregnant dog experiences signs of illness...and its a good thing you did go to the vet just to be on the safe side :wink: Your Golden has a good mom...so when our dogs have pups...does that make us grandmothers :o :lol: I'm too young to be a grandmother!

Graceface...the book you mentioned.... Dogs, A startling New understanding of Canine Origin, Behavior & Evolution written by biologists Raymond Coppinger and Lorna Coppinger... I read that book...isnt it great...it really opened my eyes to alot of issues surrounding our dogs. :wink: I completely agree with you about "alpha" rules not meaning diddly squat to a dog...I own 6 dogs, including 2 intact males and 1 intact female...I am consistant with my training and I use the nothing is free in life policy...basically I control the resources...I treat my dogs like the scavengers they are :wink: the thing people forget is that any animal which has to live in a group needs to follow rules...its pretty easy to establish rules by being consistant...and by controlling the resources you can use the reward system. This could also work on a human...for instance...."if you clean your room, I will let you go to that concert you wanted to go to" or "If you fix my car, I will let you go out and drink with your buddies tonight" :wink: :lol: basically the same rules :wink:

I don't quite understand that myself....does that statment mean they are not going to be accepting any new border collie registrations after the date given???? I did hear that a few years ago, people who work their sheep with border collies waged a campaign against the registration of their breed by the AKC...due to the "showing eye" genetic trait...because showing eye is a genetic trait, it can be selected against, and if border collies are going to be bred for shows and as pets, breeders are going to have to get rid of the eye....a dog which shows eye can be a problem pet....breeding border collies for pets tends to winnow out those with intense working behavior...one can't have it both ways...this is the reason working-dog people prefer to keep their top-flight working dogs out of the pet and show markets.

Hi KathiNellie, I have a Newfoundland which is pregnant...she is 59 days into her pregnancy...about 2 weeks ago she went through a bout of diarrhea...I just fed her boiled lean hamburg and white rice (steamed) or you can substitute the hamburg for chicken and boil or steam it. This cleared my girl up and now shes back to her normal pregnant self. I think she just picked up a little stomack flue...all 6 of my dogs went through the diarrhea :-? Good luck with your litter, and post some pictures for us :wink: I will be posting pictures of my Newf's litter.....we just did x-rays and we counted 7 pups :angel: I am getting so excited...starting tomarrow I will start taking her blood to make sure I know when her progesterone levels drop....that way I'm prepared for the pups! :wink:

[quote] I was guna ask the same thing... as for Purina, I'm PRETTY sure their pretty safe... as far as I know, but I would like to know for sure because I feed Beneful, which (lo and behold) I just found out the other day is actually part of Purina [/quote] Hazelnutmeg, I wouldn't consider Beneful a very good dog food...it has two types of sweeteners and it contains artificial colors...the dried peas and carrots it contains are way down on the list of ingredients (20 & 21st). I'd probably look into a healthier food...but, this is just my opinion & the opinion of the whole dog journal... :wink:

First, does your Shih Tzu have access to the crate during the day? its always a good idea to leave the crate door open during the day and encourage your pup to go in and out....perhaps give your pup some treats in the crate with the door open during the day...then perhaps take some safe chew toys and encourage her to go to her crate to chew...it takes time especially for a 9 week old puppy...she was used to having litter mates and mom to sleep with, now, shes on her own....it can be lonely and a little frightening. There is also a plug in called the "comfort zone" which diffuses a substance purported to contain a pheromone similar to that released by nursing female dogs...this is supposed to relieve a dogs stress...and this may help your pup settle in her crate at night. One last peice of advice....and I know this is hard to do...but, some times you have to ignore the pup until she settles...if you keep on going out to her and taking her out and comforting her...you are rewarding the behavior...or encouraging it. The pup soon learns that if it keeps up the barking and whining she will get your attention. Try to set up situations while your pup is in the crate and she is quite, then go over to the crate and take her out and cuddle her...you are rewarding her good behavior and it shows her she does not need to bark to get your attention. Reward the good behavior and try to ignore the bad :wink: we have alot of clients at the grooming shop who inadvertely ruin their dogs by doing things that come natural :-? pup goes in for its first groom...its frightened and the owner cuddles it and talks softly to the pup :-? the pup is then reassured that yes it does have a reason to be frightened. Good luck with your little pup...I'm sure she will get used to sleeping in her crate in a few weeks...young pups take time. :angel:

I would take the yorkie and have it looked over by a vet...it's difficult to guess as to what it might be without seeing it :wink: