cossie

We have a 7 month old Cavalier King Charles who is currently fed Royal Canine as she was from birth with her breeder.  She is our first dog having previously only had cats.  My question is to those experienced dog owners and lovers out there! Are the likes of Royal Canine better for your pet or are they just an expensive brand name?  At the supermarket I see many people buying various dog foods, pedigree, friskies etc....I want to stick to dry food for her and if the best dry food for her is Royal Canine then I will continue, but I was just after any knowledge or advice others could pass on.  I've read a few bits on the internet about animals being like children and the better the stuff you put in them the better the stuff you get out of them!! I understand that with any change over of food it must be done gradually in order to allow the dog to adjust....she is fed twice aday and you can set your clock by her toilet times!  I'd hate to mess all that up! Finally, happy new year to all and thanks in advance of any help you can offer. Debs

Hi We've been following the discussions on the recent proposed changes and wondered if anybody knows the amount that one would have to earn here in France in order to qualify for membership of the health care system? Thanks Debs

Hi Many thanks for all the useful comments from my posting and for emails received.  I did what was suggested yesterday - had a later evening walk, didn't let her get too comfy on my lap, althought she kept looking at me as if to say' will you sit still'!  Then we had lots of evening playtime and she was shattered by the time bedtime came! So it was an 11pm bedtime, with an old t-shirt of mine in her crate, and didn't have a peak out of her until just before 8 this morning! So fingers crossed if I do this each day she should settle back down and sleep through again - here's hoping, but I'm not getting to carried away just yet!  Just grateful for one full nights sleep!! Thanks again Debs

Hi We have a 5 month old Cavalier King Charles Spaniel who is adorable!  On advice from breeder she has always had a crate which she loves and has no problem going in.  We have had her since August and she has always been crated at night in our room.  Right from the beginning she has slept right throught, she went out late at night and was fine through til 7 when we got up..........however for the last 4 nights she has woken up every night. Sometimes it's within a hour of us going to bed, others it's been 3am.......I've tried everything from ignoring in case she just wants attention, to checking if she needs the loo, which she never has...and I'm at a loss as to why she would suddenly start doing this. Has anybody else had experiences like this or any advice on what I should do during the night to stop it, ie ignore and let her bark etc? Routine hasn't changed in anyway...only difference is we now have central heating and I think the first night she may have been hot as the timer didn't turn it off...apart from that we have done nothing different since we got her in August.  I don't know if that night it was genuine and I let her out for a while to cool down, and now she is thinking she can do this every night and I'll get up and let her out....... Many thanks Debs

We have purchased some Villager wood burning stoves and are now in the process of installing them.  Just after a quick bit of advice really - one of them is fitting into an existing fireplace which has a chimey.  Can someone advice on what, if any, flue sysytem is needed please?  Advice is varying from just dropping down the current length of flexible flue to just fitting a 90 degree piece onto back of the burner and letting it all go straight up the chimney. Anyone offer any advice please? Thanks

Perfect!  Many thanks Debs

Hi I have a new puppy and am wondering what the rules are in relation to them going on beaches?  I've looked at previous posts but the links in them do not open up for me.  We live in Dept 17 and it's the beaches on the coast there that we are interested in visiting. Any help much appreciated.

Hi Thanks everybody - got one on order from Zooplus - should be here any day!  Great website and easy to nagivate!

Hi We have just got our first puppy, she is 3 months old, and I've been advised to get her a crate and use this method for training etc.  Does anybody know where I can get one in France?  Needs to be at least 22" I've been told. Many thanks Debs

Hi there, we are looking at getting a dog later in the summer and think the right dog for us is a King Charles Spaniel.  Does anybody know of any breeders or rescue homes that may be able to help us in our quest for a new little family member? We are in Dept 17 but don't mind travelling. Thanks