CollieKat

Usually the last set of vaccines are given at the age of at least 12 weeks if not 16 weeks. We prefer 16 weeks at our hospital, so I would say that you would probably be better waiting. Anywhere that there is water, there will be rats so make sure she has had her Lepto vx and has been boostered.

Kessie would just think that its someone to play with . Shes way too friendly!

You have already been given great advice so I will just add to that saying that crate training is certainly the way to go. If your pup has been having worms, are you using Strongid or Albon every 2 weeks and having regular fecal re-checks at the vet? GI upsets will certainly contribute to her not being able to hold her eliminations, but more importantly parasite loads can really harm puppies and regular vet checks are extremely important to get this problem under control. When crate training buy a crate that is a little on the smaller side as if she has a large area then she will be more likely to soil it, as she won't have to lay near it. Dogs generally do not like lying in their own fecal matter and therefore a smaller crate will mean that your pup will be more likely to hold her eliminations. Take her outside very regularly. With Kes, I used to set a timer for every 30 minutes to take her outside to potty when I was at home and then I gradually built that time up in 10-15 minute increments. Have a regular schedule and take your pup to potty before she eats and immediately after she eats. Take her out on a leash so that she doesn't have the chance to get distracted and go off chasing butterflies . Use a command word every time for her, so that she associates that word with going potty. My dog will go on concrete if I tell her to. She views it just like any other command like a "sit" or a "lie". When your dog goes , give her lots of praise and tell her she was great. Give her another few minutes outside to ensure that she has definitely emptied herself. Puppies will often go and a small amount of urine will be left in their bladders as they don't have complete control of emptying it all. Thats why a lot of people get surprized when they bring their pup inside after pottying and she immediately goes inside the house again. Give her time and she gradually will learn to empty herself completely of all that she needs to do at that point in time. The golden rule with pups is that they need to be taken outside immediately after playing/sleeping/eating/drinking. It really is not hard to potty train a puppy. It just takes perseverance and dedication from the owner. One thing which is pointless is to shout or run the dogs nose in it or show the mess as the dog will not have a baldy notion what you are talking about. This is because dogs have a short memory span to connect events and disciplinary actions together. Enjoy your puppy! Kat

I had the same problem with Kes having a jippy tummy when she was about 6 months of age and I used purina one for a short time which helped, then when I moved state-side we switched to Canidae. I can't say enough good things about Canidae. It helped her put on weight and her coat was glossier and I also notice that she doesn't accumulate tartar on her teeth.

If he is licking a lot then I would suggest using an E-collar so that he doesn't pull out his sutures and have to go back in again.

I always advise to work solely on a long line or a lunge line that is used for horses. Keep your terms and commands simple and be inviting with your body language. Crouch down with your arms wide spread to make you appear more welcoming to your pup and use a recall word with the dogs name preceding it, i.e: "Bindi Come". Use treats or toys (whatever your pup is into), and do recalls at every available opportunity that you can. When she is 100% solid on the lunge line including being in the presence of distractions, then its time to go back to square one without th leash and build your way upwards working in the yard and progressing to parks where she can be let off leash. If she disobeys at any time and you finally catch her, swallow your frustration and reward her for coming. Repeat and reinforce and you will get a reliable recall. Also if you have help at home you can do ricochet recalls with 1 person at one end of the room/yard and you at the other and call the dog back and forward. Its a great game for them and really helps to improve recall performance.

Hi there, Agilityevents.net is a great site to get agility premiums from. I also subscribe to cleanrun.com, agilitynet.com and NADAC yahoo group in addition to our dog school's yahoo group which is PAWS Agility in North Texas

I would definitely advise that you go for a novice/starters Jumpers class. The courses are usually fairly easy to remember and you dont have to worry about contacts. Have fun

Kessie always has pricked ears, but I have been working on a trick with her doing "ears up and ears down" on command which is rather hilarious

Positive thoughts for your baby . We have been very successful in treating pneumonia this winter in kittens and pups with Azithromycin (commonly known as Z-pac). May be worth mentioning to your vet?

oops I guess I did a no-no posting these in the BC Gallery (thanks for the tip off) so here are the re-posted videos from our agility trial at the weekend in Rendon, Texas from Kes' second trial Videos: Novice Jumpers (2nd place with Q) Pre-Novice Agility Round 1 (1st place) Pre-novice agility Round 2 (1st place) Novice Gamblers (4th place)

Great pics and videos you make a super great team

Barb, I don't think that a year has gone past when Mary has not qualified for at least one of the obedience championships at Crufts I grew up basing my dog training on her methods and over the years through seminars and shows, she has taught me a lot.

Looks like you guys had lots of fun. Mary Ray is wonderful. With my previous dog, we did a demo together with Mary and one of dogs Kizzy at Crufts

It went great and once someone at work can figure how to get a Tivo'd copy onto a disc then I shall certainly upload it