Recent content by JoanneF

I'm sorry you are facing this. Have you explored things like low rate credit cards, paying your vet by installments, selling things?

You might want to steer clear of crossbreeds like the cavachon you mentioned then. They are very seldom bred responsibly. If a breeder is going to spend the time, the effort and the expense of testing their dogs for being suitable for breeding, it's normally for the love of the breed so they see...

You are right, it's a massive minefield. Scammers in any field are utter scum, but when it comes to puppies, they tug on all the emotional heartstrings too. And people who think they are 'saving' a puppy are often just leaving an opening for a poor dam to be bred again and again. But I'm glad...

There's always crates, which are great for keeping kids safe from dogs. You could start training your grand-daughter now. Edited to add - for new members who may be horrified, Judy and I share a similar sense of humour ...

@excuseme is right - you only need a license if you are producing several litters a year. That isn't actually a good thing, a licensed breeder is one I personally would avoid. Please read this thread, and do come back with questions. Puppy Farming If you find a breeder you like, and would...

Hello and welcome to the forum, a new puppy is always exciting! I'm not sure what sort of advice you are looking for, but since cavaliers have quite a lot of health issues, I'd strongly recommend you look for a breeder that can show a history of no heart or CM/SM (spinal problems) for several...

I have my last dog's ashes too, @Flobo I feel the same as you. I want them close and I want them in a 'place', being scattered and being anywhere and nowhere is something I find disturbing.

I'm also extremely wary of some of these foods (not least because vets are often highly incentivised to sell them). That said, some dogs seem to do well on hydrolysed protein diets. The proteins are broken down so far that the digestive system sort of doesn't recognise them and react to them...

With pleasure - Romanian and other street dogs Of course, photos will be appreciated when your new pup has settled.

Sorry to be pedantic but when you are breeding, I think it's really important to be clear so that the buyers of your puppies know what they might be getting. So do please make sure to distinguish between checks and tests. There's a big difference.

Blue dogs often suffer from skin problems, and these are often exacerbated by additives in the diet so a raw diet would likely give him the best chance of being free from these.

Have you seen the training technique where you train loose lead walking without a lead? A dog on a lead can't pull. So you train the position you want, without one. I'd use a clicker, and train to walk by my knee, indoors at first, then in the garden. Then lead on on the house, then in the...

I like the Perf CT Fit, but they are quite expensive. Do you have a PDSA charity shop near you? They will sometimes have harnesses handed in. If you can pick up a cheap front ring harness of a different brand just to see how he gets on with it, you could always get the Perfect Fit later if the...

I just had another thought. The Dogs Trust classes get a really good reputation and are reasonably priced. It might be worth seeing whether there are any near you.

If it makes you feel better, when I first went to puppy classes I didn't realise how bad they actually were (I've learned rather a lot since then). Ours started off with the puppies all running about (aw, how cute ... - erm NO!) They were already too hyped up before we started. There were far...