Today I took Rayden to the vet as he is still limping on his right front leg. About 2 months (little more) he cut his pad on a piece of ice. It took a while to heal on the outside as he wouldnt rest like a good doggie.. At his last vet visit, about 1 1/2 weeks ago, I asked the vet, because he was still limping occassionally and didnt like having that foot touched. Dr Brian said that it wasnt completely healed on the inside - AKA its a little tender. Just leave it alone and it will take care of itself. Fast forward to Sunday night. Rayden starts limping BADLY, but by Monday morning is fine. Every few steps a slight limp, but no signs of pain when you move the foot or anything on the leg. So set up an appt for today, Tuesday, the first opening. Dr Sherry says that he appears to have a lot of tenderness in his elbow. 2 options are pain meds and see if it goes away or take an x-ray because it could be elbow dysplasia. (cant spell) I vote for the x-ray as this has been going on for so long. Long story short, he has pano. Just a tiny bit of fuzziness on the bone near the lower leg joint (no where near the elbow). She says it is because he isnt eating LB puppy - He was just switched to Eagle Pack Holistic. Then she said that he is eating too much - 3 1/2 to 4 cups a day. Should I switch him back to LB puppy? His breeder says that she always switches them over between 6 months and 1 year, depending on how they are growing. He is eating well within "normal" guidelines and both vets agree that he is a good body weight, not too fat. The gave him Rymidal (spelling?) for the pain and Im supposed to keep him quiet for a week. Then see how the limping is doing.. HELP!! I dont want to hurt him, but DANG IT I dont want to switch foods back again. Ive talked to several other GSD people who NEVER feed puppy food, even LB. That is partly why I decided to go ahead and switch him from puppy, to keep him from growing too fast. any help greatly appreciated, dainerra

How long does it take to housebreak a puppy, and/or how old should the puppy be before he figures out not to potty on the floor.

We took home a 1 1/2 year old male Shiba from the pound. We have another dog, female, and the 2 seemed to get along o.k. for a couple of weeks. Now the Shiba tries to assert itself but our older dog (9+ years, German shepherd, etc. mix) is an alpha and much bigger so it's pretty much a stand-off at about 4 weeks of togetherness. Our Shiba is very tough in the house but when we walk him on the New York City streets he is very nervous, constantly looking back or to the side to see if anything is there. He shies away from other dogs. As it gets colder he seems to like going out less and less. In the house he gets into territorial fights with our other dog but they also play together quite a bit. It's like something sets him off and he goes ballistic for a while and then he calms down. He is especially barky-crazy at dinner time and even after dinner he keeps demanding more to eat, bark bark. And then he doesn't like the humans who visit our house, even ones who appear again and again. He doesn't seem to want to bite, just he bares his teeth and barks like crazy: something sets him off and he goes ballistic for a while. My kids are fed up with him but my wife especially and me too would probably not part with him. So is this behavior relatively normal for a Shiba? And my wife is thinking of obedience training. Might this work with Shibas? He's a good dog about 90% of the time.

My dog now a little older is used to running around on thirty-three acres with wild geese, squirrels and ducks to entertain him all day. Whenever he chooses to come into the house, which is very often, he gets more affection than most dogs in the world. We need to board the dog at some kennel for 45 days while we travel overseas this summer to Bulgaria. We looked at nearly two dozen different boarding kennels but there is no way our dog could stay there. Most of them were not acceptable for various reasons. Please suggest the very best kennel you are aware of anywhere in the US/Canada where we could board our dog. Many thanks.

We are buying a basenji pup (male) from a breeder. She has decided he is show quality and has offered to train and show him. We are concerned that if he is not fixed, early, that he will be a little too aggressive towards our other animals. We have a female pug (fixed) and cats. Could anybody give me some advice on how not fixing a basenji can effect their temperment? We have owned basenjis in the past, all fixed. Thank you.

My male dachshund needs a girlfriend!!! He is an eight year old black and tan smoothy in wonderful health and proven genetics. He has been studded out before with the puppies arriving healthy and beautifully marked. Unfortunatlly, our little stud muffin doesn't have papers but we have shown him is small dog shows and he has won awards. He is single at the moment and he really needs a girlfriend, even for a one night stand. Our fee for stud is $150, or a choice of the litter. Please contact us if you would like to view a picture of Axle. We are located on Vancouver Island in BC, so if you are close by or planning on visiting here soon please contact us. Our little stud is desperate. Thanks, S. Burns (Email Removed)

Looking for Papillions (Butterfly Dogs)? We have 2 Papillions for sale because we have to move. They are pretty and adorable. Color: Red and White, Age: 14 months, Price: $700 (The price at pet store is about $2000) Color: Black and White, Age: 10 months, $700 Email me: (Email Removed) or call: 765-496-4171, ask for Mr. Ho

I am in the process of buying a stafford which will be ready round about march 18th time. However, I have recently discovered that my girlfriend is 3 months pregnant. I have other children 9 - 10 and I am aware of the good reputation staffies have with children but I would like your opinion as to whether you think it wise to still carry on with the Dog or wait until the child is born B4 considering a pup? Forward thanks Wayne

I know it's a different breed - a white west highland terrier and he's 16 weeks. Got him when he was 6 weeks for my 7 year old daughter. Advised don't let out until had jags, took literally and didn't let him out! He's now frightened of people walking towards him and cars. He constantly tugs on the lead when out and he's more interested in eating things outside than doing his toilet. Infact he prefers doing his toilet round the back or in the house.The later to a slowly lesser degree, but I'm spending more hours walking the streets than I am at work. Wife is at the despairing stage, daughter can't play with him because we're still trying to get him to stop the biting. Is there somebody out there that can help me and us correct the numerous mistakes mainly that I have made over the past 10 weeks?

We currently own a female golden retriever that is the best dog in the world but wouldn't bark at or bite anyone if her life depended on it. Someone could be breaking into our home and she would be wagging her tail at them. So we are thinking about getting a new puppy to raise with her that will at the very least bark at an intruder. I am not looking for a vicious attack dog. I will not raise the dog to be vicious. This dog has to be a family pet. It has to get along well with my golden retriever and my cat. But I want a potential burglar to think twice before breaking into our home. I also want the dog to be fairly trainable. Although I do have some patience and willing to work with the dog, I don't like the really stubborn types. And I don't think I could take on the responsibility of total training required of a German shepard, doberman, or rotty. Here are our thoughts on potential breeds of dogs: 1. Kuvasz. This sounds like a great dog breed that will defend our home.Will he get along with our golden if he is raised with her? 2. Laborador Retriever. I love these dogs and how eager they are to please,much like our golden. I have known some black labs that will bark at a new visitor until he was told by the owner to stop. But I have also known labs that were as friendly as my golden and would be no guard dog. What do you think? 3. Newfoundland. I love these dogs. I know that a Newfy is not going to be aguard dog, but just his size might be imposing enough to make people afraid to try to break into our house. So you can see, we are looking for a nice family dog that is easy to train, but will scare off intruders. Any thoughts? Thanks in advance...

Puppy Size (Author Unknown) (Edited) "She keeps repeating it over and over again. We've been back to this shelter at least five times. It has been weeks now since we started all of this," the woman told the volunteer. "What is it she keeps asking for?" the volunteer asked "Puppy size!" "Well, we have plenty of puppies, if that's what she's looking for." "I know ... we have seen most of them," the mom said in frustration. Just then the young child came walking into the office. "Well, did you find one?" "No, not this time," she said with sadness in her voice. "Can we come back on the weekend?" The two women looked at each other, shook their heads and laughed. "You never know when we will get more dogs. Unfortunately, there's always a supply," the volunteer said. The young child took her mother by the hand and headed to the door. "Don't worry, I bet we'll find one this weekend," the child said. Over the next few days both Mom and Dad had long conversations with her. They both felt she was being too particular. "It's this weekend or we're not looking any more," Dad finally said in frustration. "We don't want to hear anything more about puppy size either," Mom added. Sure enough, they were the first ones in the shelter on Saturday morning. By now the young child knew her way around, so she ran right for the section that housed the smaller dogs. Tired of the routine, Mom sat in the small waiting room at the end of the first row of cages. There was an observation window so you could see the animals during times when visitors weren't permitted. The young girl walked slowly from cage to cage, kneeling periodically to take a closer look. One by one the dogs were brought out and she held each one. One by one, she said, "Sorry, you're not the one." She was at the last cage on this last day in search of the perfect pup. The volunteer opened the cage door and the child carefully picked up the dog and held it closely. This time she took a little longer. "Mom, that's it! I found the right puppy! He's the one! I know it!" she screamed with joy. It's the puppy size!" "But it's the same size as all the other puppies you held the last few weeks," Mom said. "No not size sighs. When I held him in my arms, he sighed," she said. "Don't you remember? When I asked you one day what love is, you told me love depends on the sighs of your heart. The more you love the bigger the sighs!" The two women looked at each other for a moment. Mom didn't know whether to laugh or cry. As she stooped down to hug the child, she did a little of both. "Mom, every time you hold me, I sigh. When you and Daddy come home from work and hug each other, you both sigh. I knew I would find the right puppy if it sighed when I held it in my arms," she said. Then holding the puppy up close to her face she said, "Mom, he loves me. I heard the sighs of his heart!" Close your eyes for a moment and think about the love that makes you sigh. I not only find it in the arms of my loved ones, but in the caress of a sunset, the kiss of the moonlight and the gentle brush of cool air on a hot day. They are the sighs of God. Take the time to stop and listen; you will be surprised at what you hear. I know God won't give me anything I can't handle.I just wish he didn't trust me so much = The sun in one hand - the moon in the other phyllis ^,,^<

My husband and I are considering getting an Akita puppy from a very reputable breeder. It would have space to run, exercise, and a fenced yard. Many people are telling us that this is a bad idea just because the breed has a tendency to be protective, bite, or attack people unexpectedly. We say that it depends on the owners. We have no kids but plan on it sometime. Anybody got an Akita that is well-mannered to prove them wrong? Thanks, Lisa

8 Rottweiler pups are available. They are 7weeks old. Will be ready to ship next week. Excellent German bloodlines. Health guarantee. Photo of parents and litter: [link] -(Email Removed)

Hello! My family is interested in adding a Dog to our household in the Spring/Summer, after we get our yard completely fenced-in. I'm requesting suggestions on what the best dog for us might be. I'm not interested in going to a breeder, preferring to work w/rescue groups. Of course we aren't ruling out a mutt, but my local pound gets a LOT of purebreds, so I'm researching that line of thought as well. Briefly, we will attend to excersize/grooming needs in accordance to the animals' nneds, but we aren't a HUGELY energetic bunch, ourselves. Two adults, one 2 & 1/2 yr old, and 6 (formerly rescue) cats, all indoor, and all 8 pounds or bigger. Thanks in advance for your advice! Sincerely, Cori

What are the 3 biggest obstacles you encounter? Thanks for your thoughts.