i have a lab mix that will be three in july, and she is my baby! she is the shortest lab mix ive even seen, only about two feet tall from toes to head and weights 40 lbs. shes not overweight at all, just bulky. i love her to death, and she is very well trained, when she wants to be. she will get into the trash if she has to go to the bathroom when no one is home, and tears it up! how do i stop her? also, she has dandruff, so how do i help with her dandruff while also killing fleas. any help is greatly needed. thanks so much!

They do carry dandruff/moisturing shampoos for dogs, that might help. Think of attacking the trash as biting your nails when you have to go really bad. Make sure you 'let her out' as close to possible before you leave, I'm sure you have 'call words' set up by now. I'd scold her for destroying the trash, just a light 'bad girl-you know that's a no no' type thing, but do some serious reinforcement on being good for not peeing anywhere else. It's tricky...think of trying to teach a 2yr. old to do something. With my shepard and beagle I have alot of different 'call words' during the day, but for a LONG stretch we say 'last call'. They've learned not to goof off outside and it'll be awhile before they go out again. And we only use that one if it's over 8 hours.

thank you. she is a good dog and does not go to the bathroom inside the house at all! its just the trash problem. i do have call words, but they all mean the same. she doesnt know there is a time limit call. i didnt know that. it all was the same to me. also, the dandruff shampoo doesnt fight fleas and stuff like that. is there some way to mix the two, or what. someone else told me to use dawn dish soap. i dont know if that will work, or aggravate holly farther. thank you for your help, and any more advise would be nice. thanks so much!

Up until my shepard with a skin condition...oozing dandruff/ possible fungus. Another story. lol In my house, growing up we always used original Palmolive dish soap. Dawn might have a too harsh degreaser in it...try Palmolive or Ivory ( both have moisturerizers in them). I had a long hair collie/shepard mix for 19 years..washed him in Palmolive then off to the garden for a dirt bath. Let him dry outside and brush the dust out of him. lol My dogs only get baths twice a year or unless they get into something smelly.

I've been dog-less for a few years but will add my ideas for what they're worth (not much).

I suggest, at least for now, putting the trash in a room where she can't get to it or closing her into a more limited area away from the trash. Give her some appropriate toys to play with while you're gone. Once she gets used to not have the trash available, you may be able to put it back. My dog used to pull out toilet paper from the trash but usually just a piece or two so it was always, "How did that get there?"

For the dandruff, you might try some oatmeal shampoo to help if her skin is dry. If it's oily, then there are dry powder baths you can try. Be sure to have a blood panel done to rule out medical problems. For example, thyroid problems result in a lot of dandruff. Brush her regularly to brush out the dandruff. Is she black? If so, then dandruff becomes more obvious. I have a black cat with bad dandruff. Adding things like flaxseed oil to the diet may help but I know when I myself took it (for reasons other than dandruff), it upset my intestines.

We haven't had fleas since the early 80's but I used Frontline on my dog and outdoor cat to combat ticks. It also gets fleas. It's still a chemical but better than wearing a flea collar. I don't know of any flea shampoos that also contain anti-dandruff agents. Flea shampoos can be nasty chemical-wise too.

I've never heard of using Dawn on dogs and wouldn't do it myself but, if you guys have done it without problems, it can't be too bad.

I have a retired greyhound named Spiff (hence my username: SpiffsPond!)... we just have to keep our trash in our kitchen closet to keep him from getting into it!

Perhaps a nice Kong with some peanut butter and treats in it would keep your Holly occupied while you're away. You can freeze it so that it takes longer for her to get the peanut butter out of it!

As for dandruff, have you tried fish oil caplets or some olive oil added to her food? This is suggested on the greyhound bulletin board that I read for dandruff problems and will help the coat be shiny and softer too!

When we lived in the US, we used a heartworm preventative that also prevents flea eggs from maturing: Sentinel. It was worth the extra cost over regular heartworm preventatives. But during especially bad flea seasons we also treat Spiff topically with Frontline or something similar, especially to help keep ticks off too.