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VikingKitten posted:Two questions: Keeping two adult dogs in a very enclosed space, unsupervised, for lengthy periods of time is asking for disaster. No matter how well your dogs usually get on, fights can and do kick off between dogs who have always been best buddies, and can turn very nasty very quickly. One of the positive aspects of crates is that they give the dog its OWN personal space, where it can fully relax. Two adult dogs in the same crate would each be totally on edge as they were in each others' personal space, making fights even more likely to kick off. Adult dogs are very tolerant of puppies, because they pose no threat to them. Getting the puppy used to her own space (ie crate) now would be beneficial, as if she becomes too attached to Jaime now she could suffer from seperation anxiety in the future.
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Dec 27, 2007 16:19
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Could you ask to restrain Wrigley yourself, in future? My dog gets pretty agitated at the vets and basically clings onto me for reassurance while she gets her jabs, temperature taken etc. Obviously there have been times when she's needed anaesthetic and so on where I haven't been present, but for the most part I'm able to give her cuddles and calm her down for minor procedures. Same goes for the beagles and cats. If he's usually calm when you restrain him, then it would be appropriate for you to do so at the vets, surely? 
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Jan 12, 2008 21:48
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Ah, interesting. What about in agricultural situations? Over here farmers/staff are frequently roped in (sometimes literally!) to assist the vet with procedures, especially difficult calvings and foalings and so on. Do the farm hands qualify as experienced enough to lend a hand, or do the vets still work with professional assistants?
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Jan 12, 2008 22:26
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I have a few questions for sighthound folks, particularly those with experience of keeping a sighthound in the UK. I have pretty much decided that, when I am stable in terms of finance, transport and accommodation, I would ideally like to give a home to a Saluki - a breed I have quietly admired since childhood. This might be in 1, 2 or 10 years time, career dependent, but it doesn't hurt to plan ahead .My main worry is off-lead exercise. The UK doesn't seem to have the 'dog park' culture of the US, and securely fenced areas where you can safely exercise your dogs are a bit of a rarity. Is it possible to give a sighthound all of the exercise it needs on-lead? For example, taking him/her to a park with an extendable lead, or long line? Would it be necessary to jog/sprint/cycle with the dog? The literature I've been looking at seems to veer between 'salukis should not be let off lead if you want to see them again' and 'salukis absolutely need to run freely to be happy'. If I end up living near the beagles, which is a possibility, we have a few acres of land (good), however we also live within spitting distance of an airport which is overrun with hares and our neighbours are farmers with dairy herds (bad). We are also very close to a busy main road. Is it likely that I would be able to trust a saluki firmly enough on a recall to allow him/her to run and course rabbits on the property freely (under supervision, obviously)? Or would it be more likely that I'd have to keep him/her on lead in that environment? All the house dogs we've had in the past have been great with the beagles, however, I am aware that salukis differ quite drastically in temperament from our previous breeds (terrier, spinone, four glens, lab). How do you imagine a sighthound would deal with interacting with a large group of boisterous beagles on a daily basis? I realise this may be a tricky one to anticipate! Also; I'm intending to loiter around the saluki ring at Crufts this year. Would it be appropriate to actively approach people at this time, expressing my interest in the breed? Or should I just watch and make notes on breeders whose stock I like the look of, and contact them at a less stressful time? Any and all advice appreciated!
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Jan 15, 2008 01:25
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RazorBunny posted:The greyhound rescue people I was in contact with for a long time seemed to think that no sighthound could be so well-trained that he/she would return to you rather than chase something. Thanks for the advice! The property is fenced to contain cattle, so we have hedges and some wire fencing, but it's not totally escape proof. That's very interesting that sighthounds were kept with pack hounds historically - I do know of lurchers and an Irish Wolfhound who are kept as house dogs along with foxhound packs and are quite happy, but they seem to be a little more robust in temperament than what I understand of Salukis. I think an overly sensitive dog could be quite traumatised by the 'swarm' of beagles - though I guess it would depend a fair amount on the individual Saluki and how we orchestrated the introductions .
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Jan 17, 2008 20:05
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LonerAvocado posted:My girlfriend and I want to get the type of puppy shown in this video: Puppies only actually look like that for a few weeks. Then they turn into dogs that live for upwards of 15 years. It is generally not a good idea to make life altering decisions based on impulse. Rather than going for a breed of dog that looks cute as a puppy (tip; most breeds look cute as puppies!), you should research breeds that actually fit the lifestyle you intend to lead over the next decade and a half, in terms of activity levels, personality, grooming requirements and so on. What the breed actually looks like should be low on your list of priorities. What the breed looks like as a puppy shouldn't even come into it. If you want a cute fluffy thing that stays small forever, may I suggest a teddy bear. I refer you to this thread
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Jan 28, 2008 09:22
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Just as a follow up to my Saluki querying - I've done a little research and found a breeder I really like the look of  . Her lines began with a Saluki imported from Saudi Arabia thirty years ago, and she's recently imported another desert-bred bitch. Her stock have done well in the show ring but excelled in the field, consistently winning coursing titles up until the ban (  ). I sent her a ridiculously long email, explaining that I wasn't looking for a puppy just yet but was really interested in her lines and what she's achieved within the breed etc, and could she recommend books/somebody with Salukis I could go visit (I've never actually interacted with one up close or even spoken directly with someone who lives with one). Turns out she lives half an hour away and has invited me to come visit any time I like!  .Yay for good breeders. I did realise that I forgot to ask her about health testing, though. I've found this information so far; Congenital and Genetic Conditions found with greater than average frequency in the Saluki (point to name for description): Anesthetic Idiosyncrasy Autoimmune Hemolytic Anemia Behavioral Abnormalities Cataract Corneal dystrophy Detached Retina Entropion Neuronal Ceroid Lipofuscinosis Persistent Pupillary Membrane Progressive Retinal Atrophy Retinal Dysplasia Thrombocytopenia von Willebrands Disease Which of these should be a priority for saluki breeders to screen for? Canine health testing is a whole new world for me, I'm afraid.
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Jan 30, 2008 16:16
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Meow Cadet posted:I don't know much about dog shows. As far as I know, for the AKC Champion title you need 15 'points' and 2 'majors'. You win points by winning your class, but the number of points you win is based on the number of dogs of the same sex that you're competing against. So any win might provide you between 1 and 5 points depending on the entry numbers. A 'major' is a 3, 4 or 5 point win, so even if you took 50 1 point wins, you would never get the 'Champion' title. So the dog in your scenario wouldn't be able to take Champion, no .Also, judges are under no obligation to place a dog that doesn't meet standard, so far as I'm aware. So if there were only one lovely dog in the class they wouldn't have to grant it a win at all. A question though; how does the point system work with rare breeds? Is it more difficult to get a CH. title with an otterhound than a lab simply because there aren't enough otterhounds around for you to win over?
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Feb 3, 2008 09:09
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"Spin" is a pretty easy one. Start by leading the dog around in a small circle while it's sniffing a treat, giving the command 'spin!' then reward. The dog will learn it before you know it, and you can gradually transition into just making a 'spin' movement with your hand as a signal. 'Speak' is also a command that my terrier learned pretty easily, mostly because she likes the sound of her own voice . Hold a toy up and get her all excited til she begins to bark at you, associate that with the command 'speak!' and reward her with the toy. The nice thing about this command is that you can include a 'be quiet!' command, which can be very useful in tackling nuisance barking.Speaking of nuisance barking, as a teenager I had some success teaching Meg to come get me if one of her toys was out of her reach, rather than standing there barking at it. It's a pretty complicated command as it requires a series of behaviours - 1, leave the toy alone. 2, come find me. 3, sit. 4, bark. 5, take me to the toy. It's also a behaviour she had to do of her own initiative (much like the bell ringing you describe), rather than waiting for a prompt from me. The way I went about it was pretty simply to put one of her toys up on a high surface, wait for her to get all and start barking at it, then tell her; 'No Meg, come here'. First I rewarded her for simply dashing over to me, then dashing back to the toy, then gradually started to ask her to 'sit' and 'speak' when she reached me. I never pursued it to the extent that she would come and get me in another room, but with a bit more practice I'm sure she would have got there.The 'bow' command is pretty cute. I actually taught it just putting my arm underneath her as she went from a 'stand' to a 'down', giving the 'down' hand signal but giving her the 'bow' command (my down command is 'lie down', so they didn't sound too similar). She also knows 'slam!', where she goes from a begging position into a down - this is safe because she is tiny, I wouldn't try it with heavier/long backed dogs! Teaching the dog the name of specific toys is another impressive one, although I never got there with Meg. It's really useful to practice calling the dog towards you then putting your hand up and telling them 'sit!' or 'down!' - this could be life saving in an emergency situation. Meg also knows two types of giving a paw - one where she actually puts it into my hand, the other where she 'waves' and lifts her paw above her head . Another which I haven't tried with Meg but looks good is teaching them to fetch e.g. your hat, coat etc when you ask for it. Man, I love teaching dog tricks. Which sucks, because my next two dogs are likely to be a saluki and an elderly beagle  . Meg will just have to live forever, so I can keep training her new things .
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Feb 15, 2008 23:29
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vikingstrike posted:Question: Are laser pointers a safe toy for cats as long as the laser in not pointed in her eyes? I've heard that a good technique to avoid the cats getting too frustrated is to shine the dot onto a treat on the floor before switching it off, so the cat can finally 'catch' something
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Feb 16, 2008 01:07
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Belligerent Monk posted:Well I definitely don't know much about it yet, which is the reason I'm asking here - but there are some things I do know. This would be an enormous life-changing responsibility and that it would be all on me to ensure the cat is happy and has a great living environment and diet. I am aware of the pieces of poo poo that adopt an animal like this unprepared and end up getting it put down or sent to a sanctuary. I'm very much against declawing and I know this would really limit my ability to play with it safely and would result in furniture and other things getting torn up. All in all the cat would end up owning me and I'm okay with that, when I'm ready for it. Why not channel your enthusiasm for the species into volunteering/working for an exotic cat rescue?
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Feb 24, 2008 12:44
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MushroomSquid posted:I'm looking into getting an intelligent, medium-sized dog like an Australian Shepard, but, in general, I don't know much about the different breeds. Any suggestions? The most important thing to understand about herding breeds such as the Australian Shepherd is that they were bred to work with livestock all day long, which means that they are very high energy dogs. As in, they can run and run all day and not tire out. This means that they often do not do well in family households, unless a commitment is made to devoting multiple hours each day to exercise them, until they are well into their senior years. If you can't live up to that commitment, behavioural issues may manifest - such as destructiveness in the house, 'herding' behaviours directed towards the family (nipping at heels and so on), nuisance barking and general hyperactivity. You mention their intelligence - it's true that herding breeds are very intelligent, but the caveat to that is that they again require a large amount of cognitive engagement on your part. Australian Shepherds, and others like them, need to have a job that they can put their mind to or they will quickly become bored and, again, destructive. The good news is that there are plenty of ways you can channel this physical and intellectual energy - agility, flyball, obedience, herding - but you need the drive and enthusiasm to seek these activities out and stick with them throughout the dog's lifetime. Is the thought of a high-energy, potentially-destructive-if-underworked breed something that would put you off? If so, then an Australian Shepherd is probably not for you - but there are other, lower energy, medium sized breeds you could think about
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Mar 7, 2008 12:01
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rds posted:At what age should are you able to handle a newborn pup? My friend's dog just had a litter and I cannot wait to nuzzle the little mobile landmines of cuteness. For the sake of the mother, please handle the pups as little as possible while they are still 'swimming' (for the at least the first three weeks. Once they start pottering about they will start to take interest in their environment (and you), but until then it isn't really doing anything but annoying the bitch and increasing the risk of disease transfer. When you do start handling, for safety only hold them when you are sitting or kneeling at floor level. Is your friend clued in about weaning and stuff? I have bags of advice if you want/need it.
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Mar 27, 2008 06:50
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Jive One posted:Would two half-hour or so walks/runs per day be enough exercise for a puppy? An adult? For a puppy; probably. For an adult; probably not. Personally, I think when you're considering sporty breeds such as setters/pointers, the weekly exercise routine is as important as the daily routine. If you can devote a full day a week to taking the dog out into the country and letting him/her work off steam over steep/rough terrain, then an hour's good exercise on the other days might be enough to tide him/her over. If not, you could quickly find yourself with a hyper/noisy/destructive (but beautiful!) animal living in your apartment. I know a couple of people with happy setters, and they basically fall into the following category of person. Day off work? Great, let's take the dog into the hills for a hike! Holiday coming up? Great, let's head off to the Highlands/Lake District with the dog! Lovely sunny summer's evening? Awesome, let's take a trip out to the lake for some water retrieving! My cousin works his Irish Red and White setters as gundogs, and even after a weekend's grouse shooting they are still pretty fired up and energetic. They are the sort of dogs which run laps around you on walks, and are still full of beans by the end. Setters are sporty, woodsy dogs and I would argue that they require sporty, woodsy people as owners. An exception to this is elderly setters - they seem to hit a certain age and suddenly chill out a little (although they still enjoy pottering around in woods/fields, just at a slightly less manic pace). You could think of rehoming an elder rescue dog if you didn't feel you could provide a young setter with the weekly exercise it requires. I have a question for you, if you don't mind - what exactly is it about setters which appeals to you?
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Jun 14, 2008 22:40
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I think my top tip for an apartment-appropriate, medium energy gundog would have to be the Clumber Spaniel. They are a very heavy set, feathered spaniel who kind of resemble a miniature, white and brown/lemon golden retriever. You can see pictures of some excellent specimens of the breed here: http://www.clussexx.com/ They are a pretty chilled breed, especially when compared to setters and retrievers. I know retrievers have been bred as family pets for many generations now, and I'm sure many live happily in apartments/with the exercise regime you describe, but I think they can be hit and miss. A lot of breeders would prefer to place their puppies in more high energy environments (see this page: http://www.kendaamber.co.uk/Kendaamber%20Considerations.htm ). Clumber spaniels, on the other hand, toe a nice line between gundog which is always up for a rootle through woods and fields, and chilled out house dog who is not always thinking 'OH BOY CAN WE GO FOR A WALK CAN WE PLEASE CAN WE' . One thing to bear in mind with Clumbers is that they can suffer from a number of hereditory complaints including eye, skin and hip disorders. The good news is that if you find a great breeder, they will screen their breeding animals so that they only breed from dogs who are clear or very low risk for these disorders . Clumber spaniels are a rare breed when compared to Golden retrievers, for example, so you probably would not be able to source a puppy immediately. However, from what you describe of your lifestyle, they sound like they would make a good match.
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Jun 14, 2008 23:35
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SelmaDVangel posted:A Silken Windhound, which you mentioned, is a pretty good choice. While still a controversial newer breed, they are holding their own with lots of responsible breeders keeping up with a standard and shows. Was there a massive demand for these dogs during the founding of the breed? The foundation kennel appears to have popped out THIRTY-NINE litters between 2000 and 2005. Yikes. do what now: I wouldn't be too concerned about the grass eating, since it is a normal doggy behaviour, but I would keep a close eye on her to make sure there are no other behavioural changes/she doesn't vomit a bunch/all her motions are regular and normal. If you are still worried, it might be worth contacting a vet to put your mind at ease. If anything else about her behaviour/toilet habits seems abnormal, or she looks uncomfortable at all, then obviously you should get a professional's advice asap . I have read that grass eating doesn't always correlate with vomiting, and so it's exact functions aren't fully understood. It might be better to just let her go ahead and eat the grass in future, if that's what her body is telling her to do.
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Jun 15, 2008 23:30
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Superconductor posted:^^^ I would also like to hear an answers on this, since Punchy is the exact same way. I'd like him to be able to go outside and run around and sun himself, and he does like being outside, but I have to stay with him the entire time. The only thing I've found that will keep him from just sitting at the door and staring through the window to come in is if I give him something really tasty to chew like a raw bone, but the second he's done, he just wants in. It would be great if I could just let him out to do his business on cold gross days instead of having to bundle up and stand there while he pees. I don't want him staying outside most of the day (and I wouldn't feel comfortable leaving him alone in the yard that long anyway) but I do wish he could enjoy spending SOME amount of time outside on his own. Do you think he would respond to you scattering some kibble over the grass so he could 'forage' for it? Meg seems to enjoy entertaining herself in the garden this way.
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Jan 14, 2009 18:51
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Vanessie posted:UKKC I think you simply mean the 'KC'  . We did it first, everyone else is a copy...dog.  .And yeah you can show dogs in other countries.
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Feb 16, 2009 18:45
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Bearded collie Caveat since people have gone out and bought a puppy right after asking 'what breed is this' before now: don't! They're a high energy herding breed and the coat takes a fuckload of maintenance.
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Apr 18, 2009 01:14
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MC Fruit Stripe posted:I took the advice of forcing my puppy outside, watching her at all times, taking her out when I think she's sniffing for a spot to go, and taking her out after meals. I've spent probably 6 hours a day over the last 3 days just standing there in the back yard politely saying go pee. All it has resulted in is a puppy who will hold it in while she's outside, to the point where she'll cry until we can go back in, and her feeling the need to sneak off in shame to go poo poo in other parts of the house. I was better off using peepads. No you ruined your dog's toilet instincts using peepads. Also, having puppies is hard work and means a lot of time spent outside hanging around waiting for them to poo poo. Hope this helps! larasndar fucked around with this message at 02:04 on Apr 20, 2009 |
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Apr 20, 2009 02:01
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