General Dog Chat 4

[geekone]

Apologies I just noticed the thread was running out so I am going to repost.

I don't mind cold weather but cold and wet is just miserable. No agility as I suspected so we just went for a training walk.

I HATE cold and wet. I have a small obsession with finding the best waterproof dogwalking outfit.

I don't know if it's my age but recently the cold weather is making my face really blotchy for about 24 hours after a walk. Can't think of anything to stop it other than wearing some kind of balaclava but then I would look like I was about to rob a bank with a friendly spaniel

Bitey - I actually do have a balaclava for when it gets to -15. It has one large hole for my eyes rather than the two little ones I associate a bit more with bank robbers but obviously when the weather is like that you don't look particularly weird for wearing it round here! When walking the dog in just cold/sleety/snowy/windy weather though, I often wear a buff over my nose, cheeks and mouth - I have a couple from Icebreaker, not cheap but they are breathable merino wool so can cope with condensation from your breath and are nicer than other fabrics against your skin and you look a lot less like a bank robber!

Ddog seems to absolutely love the wet/snow/mud - up until a few weeks ago she had only known very warm and dry weather so we wondered how she would cope... much better than us it seems! That said, because we live in a region that has full-on snowy winters and can have big thunderstorms in the summer, we do have a lot of proper outdoor clothing - lots of different layers for all occasions - and it really makes a difference. It's not cheap and not something I ever really bothered to invest in when in the UK and so of course I was always much colder and wetter there even though the winters were milder and less snowy. It's less humid here, though, so you don't get that damp cold seeping into your bones.

Aren’t balaclavas having a fashion moment! Just don’t get one from Millets/Blacks.

Maybe if I get a brightly coloured balaclava it wouldn't look as scary .

However, BiteyDog is really quite a 'sensitive' dog and I can imagine he would take one look at me and run away to hide

Could I please ask for some (more!!) advice on looking after a dog in the UK without blowing the budget?

Ddog is a total papmered princess on posh food and with all the latest gear, plus pet insurance/vets bills are very expensive round these parts so she costs us a fortune but we don't have kids or particularly high monthly outgoings so we're happy to do it.

I've got some friends who in a bit of different position however and are desperate to get a family dog (they have fallen head over heels for a rescue border collie) but need to be very careful about the budget (3 kids, expensive monthly outgoings due to living in London etc.) They wouldn't ever need kennels or daycare as they have a very willing family dogsitter nearby but I was wondering if anyone had any recommendations for good value dog food, pet insurance and essentials like beds and leads and harnesses and stuff in the UK?

For dog food I would use allaboutdogfood.co.uk as you can view cost and quality as it doesn't always mean good quality is dearer.

For cheap beds I find eBay is good.

For harnesses etc sometimes I have found bargains by looking on amazon for the amazon 'returns' which are actually new but have been returned and the packaging is not pristine etc.

For pet insurance I would simply not try and save money over cover but that is because we have claimed over £4500 in the first two years. I also know someone with over £10,000 bill for one year and you really want a 'good' insurance company that won't quibble when you need them.

Forgot to mention, when my dog was a puppy and destroyed toys in 2 minutes I found 'The Range' sold reasonable priced toys if you have one near you.

Also maybe a shout out locally as I bought lots of things I never used and have recently donated them to a new dog owner as I was just going to throw them out and lots hadn't even been taken out their packaging

I was wondering if anyone had any recommendations for good value dog food, pet insurance and essentials like beds and leads and harnesses and stuff in the UK?
I bounce between Amazon and P&H on things like collars, leads and harness depending who's got the best deal. You really need two of each to allow for one being washed.

allaboutdogfood.co.uk is a good resource for guidance but be aware that it uses RRP (so ignores any discounted prices that may be available) and attaches (in my view) too much importance to the fine details over the basics of a dog's diet - it attaches more points to named meat (a brown cow called Daisy) than it does to the nutritional balance (some top-rated foods show as unbalanced nutritionally when you look at the indicator dials). It also has no facility for mixing more than one food into the calculation - so if you mix wet food with dry food it can't average out that one is higher and the other lower in certain nutritional parameters.

Very helpful thanks. We are going to let our pet insurance lapse at the end of the year as we worked out we would have been better off had we not paid it given how much of DDog's vet bills have turned out not to be covered But we are not in the UK and think pet insurance is not such "a thing" here. So wasn't sure whether to tell our friends to save (which we are intending to do) rather than dish out for insurance in the UK...

How much difference do you think dog food makes? DH insists on getting special dried food for Ddog bit pointless when she'd literally eat shit all day if she could but Ddog arrived before her food did so we just gave her dried Pedigree Chum for the first few days, which I still sometimes put in her snuffle mat/puzzle ball for her as they are conveniently small pieces. Frankly she seems more than happy with that....

Bitey - yes, actually when I think about it we have 2 harnesses that Ddog wore once then we realised weren't right for her but obviously couldn't send back and really lovely quality tug toys she has literally sniffed once then completely ignored for months - would happily see them go to a loving home for free now we know she is only interested in the kong rope toys that have a cuddly animal covering for her to tear apart. No interest in balls but will happily "play ball" with all the now rotting apples that we find on the ground round here

I think dog food is important when they are a puppy and growing as they need all the nutrients they can get. I also stick to complete foods so I know he is getting everything.

However, others are happy to do their own thing but as I had a dog that was severely underweight due to an illness for most part of his life (he has only been at a correct weight for about 6 months) I have tried to get as good as I could.

We also do wet because BiteyDog doesn't digest kibble very well but others thrive on kibble and of course there is raw but that isn't practical for us.

My take is get the best you can but it has to be a balance with what the dog will eat and how healthy they are with it (you can usually tell with their poos ).

Ha so true Bitey - as I said we don't have kids so I was laughing to DH about now having to become a "poo monitor" but despite her penchant for all things disgusting when we're out walking she's so far very regular and predictable and nothing to worry about... and maybe that IS because of DH's insistence on pricey food (or really I think that she unfortunately has lots of "ishoos" but a weak constitution isn't one of them thankfully). In fact my friend has just told me that the dog that are desperate to get does have gastro issues and they've been told needs to stay on a strictly dry diet. My friend has looked after Ddog for a while for us and I know how hard it will be for them not to give their new dog tit bits from the Sunday Lunch etc.... but I guess you have to be "cruel" - as it can seem when they are staring at you with those big eyes and wagging tail - to be kind.

It's embarrassing but DH and I always ask each other how's BiteyDogs poo are each day .

Interesting that the potential dog has to be on a dry diet. Before BiteyDogs diagnosis we were always offered wet gastro-friendly food from the vets which apparently is in a format that the dogs digestion doesn't have to work very hard at to break it down.

I think it's because it's all the dog is used to since actually he's been fed (was literally starved and before he was rescued ) and then when he's finally sampled other foods it has made him very unwell because his digestive system just wasn't used to it

we are budget dog owners
harness was about £5 on-line. Collar and lead from B&M bargains, they do a good range of dog leads.
food we order on-line, decent quality at reasonable price, they deliver a huge sack every 3 months
beds, again B& M bargains, or The Range, under £20.

Toys - Asda. cheapest place I've found.

The only thing which costs is the insurance. We found one we were happy with which wasn't the most expensive. I would not stint on insurance for a dog.
Our cat and rabbit were never insured, but a dog is very expensive.

I don't have two of anything, except blankets, as we stick it on the radiator and it is dry soon enough (constantly washing harness due to rolling in fox poo)
Actually, once past the set up costs, leads, beds etc don't need to cost much at all

Budget wise, there can be an element of 'buy cheap buy twice' but it takes some experience to know which items that actually applies to. For instance, tennis balls can be bought quite cheaply, but if your dog tends to chew them up and destroy them, then investing in a ChuckIt Ultra ball will save money over time as they're virtually indestructible (unless DDog loses them in the park...)

Food wise, I have a limited sense of brand loyalty as DDog always eats new foods with more enthusiasm than the old ones - I think he gets bored. AllAboutDogFood.co.uk is a fantastic resource (and I won't go below about a 3.5 rating for nutrition), but in terms of foods I've had lately

• Markus Muhle cold pressed is my backstop
• Butternut Box do free trials (and if you have friends and family who are willing to take in a delivery you can exploit this)
• I won some James Wellbeloved Grain Free dry and Nature Diet wet over the summer by entering and winning a local dog show (£2 entry fee turned into about £40 of food...)
• Got some free Wolf of Wilderness dry using Zooplus loyalty points
• Bought some Akela tins from Facebook because someone's dog didn't like them (should have been >£2 each, I paid

wrt toys.
any stuffed toy will be destroyed by steppedog, as he likes to pull the stuffing out.
Dogs ones do last longer, but we now pick up a couple at toy stall at fairs for 50p, let him destroy them, and then he has to wait for another sale/fair to get another one.

Do you know what no one tells you about dog ownership? It's the disgusting things you now accept as normal.

BiteyDog has been eating grass again except he does not chew his food. Hence getting very upset at the poo encased grass strands having out his bottom. I had to use several poo bags to try and pull the remains out whilst he was freaking out about the poo, freaking out about the poo bag and freaking out about being restrained. All whilst on the street with people watching

Oh Bitey!
sorry, but that image did make me laugh!

steppe he just won't learn. After walking back home to clean his bottom and tail up we set off again for a walk and all the way round he keeps grabbing at long strands of grass and gulping them down so I look forward to a repeat tomorrow

I am avoiding getting dressed. I am snuggled up with BiteyDog and just enjoying the cuddles.

I am having a coffee and pretending to SquirrelDog that it’s not time for his walk yet.

Nice one Squirrel

I don't even have to pretend. I was toying with a long off lead walk versus just doing training and road walk later instead. Making breakfast and BiteyDog disappeared. Found him all curled up on his bed in our bedroom so it's clear he just wants to rest right now

Had to leave the house early this morning for what I thought was going to be a quick errand. PestDog refused to leave my bed for a wee saying it was far too early for a Saturday. I didn't force him thinking I'd be back in an hour. The errand is now unavoidably more like 3 hours. That bladder of steel had better be fully functioning this morning 😬