General Dog Chat 4

[geekone]

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

BiteyDog is wiped out. He hasn't slept much over the weekend as DH has injured himself so can't sleep which means BiteyDog is also restless all night. This week we have extra daycare, agility and 1-1 training on top of his usual daycare. I think I had better factor in some rest days at the weekend.

Friend is looking after a dachshund for a family member. 16 weeks old. Pooing at least four times a day - friend describes it as like Mr Whippy ice cream - including in the house. I suggested he was being over fed but she is certain he isn't. He's also having four walks a day, 40 minutes each time but is still full of energy. Would less walking calm him down?

I would think so, yes. Sounds like he is being over stimulated and over exercised , probably quite anxious with change of care at such a young age which might be contributing to the mr whippy poo scenario. Short walks, few mins training here and there and plenty of cuddles and plenty of time sleeping in his own safe little den. Your friend is obviously expected to house train too which seems a lot to ask imo.

I just stopped to chat to one of our local homeless men, who has a very sweet but enormous mastiff type dog. Knowing I had a bit of mid-range dog food at home which isn't going to get eaten (came as a freebie), I asked if he had enough dog food.

The next thing I know I discover his dog is raw fed, and I'm being told about the nutritional perils of kibble Turns out he gets all the offcuts from a local halal butcher and finds it very cost effective. No wonder his dog is in such good condition!

Sounds like the man's dog does very well Avocados

SquirrelDog's new Scentwork level includes distraction scents. There is a list of approved distraction scents that includes tea and coffee. SquirrelDog really likes tea and coffee. He's probably going to eat the stupid distraction scents.

Maybe squirrelDog will surprise you and ignore the tea and coffee or just munch through all of it and then spend the next day with a bad stomach

Poor BiteyDog hasn't moved since he got home. He's shattered and we still haven't got through much of this week yet. Me on the other hand has yet another bloody cold but at least he's too tired to care about all the sneezing

Oh good walk this morning. Took a new route. Steppedog has been so well behaved on our usual routes, but I realised that he knwo all the key moments when I call him. So went off on a new route. Practising lead training, and then recall training, all in new places, full of new smells.

He wasn't bad at all. Not as good as on our usual walk, but he was OK. Just feel bad for the houses, the path we went on goes behind a load of houses, and was walking along doing lots of training, so doing lots of calling. Hope no-one was having a lie-in

Steppedog came home and immediately got dh to play tug of war with him. Meanwhile I am knackered.

Sounds like a lovely walk steppe.

BiteyDog is at daycare and they said he was tired yesterday. He slept again for about 10 hours solid overnight so hoping he's a bit brighter today especially as we have 1-1 training later.

I am working at home today and BiteyDog is going to rest given his hard week. That will involve him proceeding to lie on me which makes it very hard to work

Ok, scent work sounds interesting! Is it a course you're doing?

MiscellaneousDog is doing a quick basic refresher which he needs to be before he can get into the advanced one and start on some agility. He's a German Wirehaired Pointer rescue - failed gundog because he gets so overexcited and noisy. He's the loudest, squeakiest, most annoying dog on the course and most of the rest are puppies.

Still, he does have an amazing recall, though I say do myself.

What he is good at is that leaping over straw bales thing, but I've not been able to find anywhere to do it in Kent apart from dog shows.

MissElaineNeus my 'gundog' is a rubbish gundog. Scared of guns , won't bring dummy back and if he does he drops it two feet in front of you . Oh and he was always the one to break the 'sit and wait' and then collect the other dogs with him .

However, he likes agility so at least we found one thing he is good at. It's me that is rubbish at that.

We do classes - there’s a website called ScentWork UK or something similar, and a Facebook group. We started because my defective gun dog couldn’t do agility because he had absolutely zero recall or interest in interacting with me when we were outside. He’s marginally better now. It’s a work in process.

Squirrel when I look at BiteyDog I wonder when he will stop being a work in progress

Will look that up, thanks! My "gundog" is also rubbish at sitting while the lure is thrown, and his idea of a retrieve is to scarper off to the horizon with it. I'm hoping agility will be fun though, if he can conquer his impatience.

I do love gun dogs though - so super affectionate, and very intelligent, just not very eager to please when out and about

I’m hoping that one day we will tip the balance away from ‘work’ and towards ‘progress’.

Dropped SquirrelDog off for a weekend sleepover so I can paint the bathroom floor and clean the carpets (what a treat! I can’t wait! ) I kind of miss him...

Awww Squirrel you know absence makes the heart grow fonder . By the end of the week you will be pining for that 'work in progress'

We had training recently and the trainer was trying to get him to fetch and drop toys and BiteyDog was like 'no way, get them yourself'. Bless him, he has a very strong personality which I have just come to accept and there is no way to get him to do something if he doesn't want to no matter what reward you offer him

Presumably the toy was not a ball😁
Cocodog will play tug and fetch toys for a while but always ends the game herself. Not so, a ball. We are on day three of teaching a command to end the game nicely...it is involving cheese and me beating a hasty retreat with ball safely in my pocket!

BiteyDog won't even give me the ball for chicken if he thinks it's about to go away for good . I have resorted to getting him in from the garden by putting the slip lead on him before he can pick the ball up and run away. Once he is in the house though he leaves the ball as it's no fun then. Honestly I can't ever remember my parents dogs being this 'difficult'

When it is just him and me, steppedog has mastered the idea of bringing the ball back (finally, it had only taken a year)
I am even beginning to get him to go and find the ball in the house.
Very pleased with all that.
But if there is another dog around, he fetches the ball and then runs off to a corner and sits with the ball between his paws, and will not let me near hm, or bring the ball back to anyone!

I was hoping to go to scentwork classes, but he isn't going to be much good if there are other dogs around!

steppe they are so 'funny' aren't they .

BiteyDog is also doing this strange sulking thing at the moment. If I grab him to get him inside for his dinner and take his ball off him he goes on his bed and sulks. I can even show him his dinner bowl with some fresh chicken in it but he turns his head away in a strop. I then wait about 10 minutes and watch him come creaping into the kitchen to see where I am. If I make eye contact he runs back to his bed in a strop and turns his head away if I go in and talk to him. If I don't make eye contact and watch him out of the corner of my eye he huffs and then walks to his dinner bowl to eat it. It's our daily 5pm stand off behaviour at the moment

Bloody disaster

Took dd to a birthday party and dh stayed home with ds and the dogs. BIL came round with niece. Got home home to find madam anxious as all hell, panting like mad and back end soaked her she’s wet herself in nervousness.

She had actually bit my niece. Just above her lip. Hard enough to make bleed but not hard enough to leave a scar.

I’m devastated. I knew madam was having some anxiety issues which is why I keep telling the kids to leave her alone and only give her attention when she wants it. Mine are 3 (nearly 4) and 5 (nearly 6) so old enough to understand and follow instructions but niece is only 2 and whilst she’s very capable she also has usual toddler impulse controls.

I’m currently sat upstairs with both of them who have immediately settled down and gone to sleep. I’ll stay up here with them until BIL and niece leave but I’m so stuck on what to do.

Her anxiety is rocketing. She growls every time someone enters the room (apart from me) she’s become increasingly protective of me too. Doesn’t like anyone else near me. I am pushing her away when she starts getting protective because I don’t want her biting anybody. But the fact I wasn’t home and she still bit worries me

I have an adaptil plug in, which doesn’t really seem to be doing sweet fuck all.

I haven’t got the funds for vets just yet but they will be next on the list.
I’m hoping they might be able to give her some anti-anxiety or something. I’m so stuck

Soubriquet with a 2 year old did your DH and BIL know to seperate the dogs from the toddler? Moving forward they both need to do this all the time.

I don't really do Facebook but are there any groups you can join that can give you free guidance on how to manage her behaviour. Correct me if I am wrong but I thought you didn't have insurance? If I am wrong and you do does it cover behavioural issues?

Dh is aware and kept getting niece to leave madam alone but there is only so much he could push it without BIL getting narky, though he was thinking about madam. BIL is a bit useless when it comes to parenting. He would rather let someone else do it all. He didn’t see madam bite he daughter so
I’m not entirely sure what happened. Will get the whole story later I expect.

No, no insurance at the moment. It is something I keep meaning to do, but I just can’t afford it at the moment