General Dog Chat 5

[BiteyShark]

A thread for general chit chat about our wonderful but sometimes pain in the arse dogs.

New or old, feel free to join. Everyone's welcome.

Ah -Flo is gorgeous!

Feeling the need for a bit of self-TLC/a pamper after a hard-going few weeks, so want to go to a nearby town proper town/city for a haircut... which means us being out for 4 hours. Have a dogsitter (whom Ddog tolerates and doesn't get into a panic attack/destroy things in the presence of but does not particularly "like") but the the two of us deciding to go for an impromptu drink/dinner/film is now obviously out of the question. This was precisely the reason I put off having a dog - as we don't have children - for so long... must keep remembering when she's rolling about in the snow having the time of her life that she would either be in a cage or have been put down were she not here... she has started to leap to the door with a wagging tail when DH comes in and I think it won't be too long until she's attached to us equally, so he is happy and sure we've done the right thing (I - of course - am too really but it is a PITA at times)! She's just flopped her head onto my lap and is being super-cute... she knows I'm talking about her!

distant there are two things DH and I miss since we got BiteyDog. The first is sleep as he is a poor sleeper and the second is the evenings out. However, the latter has been better for our waists but not pockets as he costs us a fortune

Oh Bitey... I know we've done the right thing, but if she wasn't a good sleeper... don't know I'd be feeling quite so sure!!

I think we just have got used to the broken sleep. It all started when he had lots of periods of being ill throughout the night and we have never really got into a good routine.

Sometimes he is great and sleeps through but other times he gets up lots which wakes us up. Everytime we get him back into a sleep routine something happens like another illness or injury and it regresses.

When we have our non dog holidays it's the lie ins that we look forward to most

Oh, your Flo looks like my Flo - well, FIL's dog who was the bestest dog ever.

I'd normally said except for BastardPup, but the bugger slipped his collar at school pick up and did zoomies round the empty playground. Luckily the lollipop man shut the gate so he couldn't get out. DH was mortified.

Look at the bloody idiot...

He does look handsome and very pleased with himself.
Flo over did it today. I let her off the lead and she was trotting next to me. Then saw a bloody cat. She took off like a rocket with me chasing her. Thank god the cat got away and flo was barking at a fence when I finally got there. She's now limping again.
Impressive running on both our behalves , an overweight 40 something v's a 30mph whippet X

How's flo's paw? Any better?

BiteyDogs got a red eye which is all watery. Given him some piriton in the hope that sorts it out as I think I will cry if we have to go to the vets again.

The way she was charging about with a greyhound and no limping , I'm gathering she's good to go!
It was the first time I had let her properly run. Apart from the cat saga
Is Biteydog allergic to something then? Is that human piriton you give him? Hope it's nothing too serious.

Vet recommended piriton last year (same as human tablets) as he seems to be allergic to something but not sure what and it tends to flare up around autumn time and affects his eyes or nose.

He has a habit of bouncing about in heathers and bushes in the forest so I am hoping it's just something from that and a coupe of days of tablets will clear it up.

Glad flo is feeling better. Fingers crossed for no more limps

BiteyDogs eye isn't looking as red today so going to give him piriton over the weekend. I think it might have made him more sleepy last night but doesn't seem to be having that effect right now

Just been on a 3 mile walk with flo. Done nothing to take the edge off as she's been restricted for the past week. Met another dog walker with the same problems as me regarding destruction. They said to try olbas oil as they don't like the smell 🤷🏻‍♀️
Glad biteydogs eye is better.

I've also just brought a dna kit. I may well of been fleeced. I know she's whippet but I'm interested to see what she's crossed with as it may help understand her behaviour and training needs. This needs a whole new thread 😂

Ooo wonder what the test results will come back with. How long do you have to wait?

Ordered it today , should come tomorrow. It says it takes up to a month to process but people have had results within 2 weeks. You follow the process on line. My bets 90%whippet 10% spawn of Satan 😂

My bets 90%whippet 10% spawn of Satan

Are you sure you guessed the percentages right

50/50?? 😬🤔😂

Behaviourist came yesterday to help with visitor related issues. DDog still isn't happy about people coming to the door (but I have strategies I can use to work on that).

We did, however, discover that if PestDog meets someone down the street and they feed him a couple of treats and we all enter the house together, he will be perfectly happy.

Had visitors today he's never met before, followed the protocol and he was very happy - he even initiated a game of fetch with them

That sounds like good progress Avocados. Bet you feel relieved to have a strategy for visitors.

There’s a cat in the bushes across the road. It’s causing a great deal of angst.

You see I am soft because I would go and shoo cat away and chastise it for upsetting BiteyDog

Seriously not impressed but not sure who was in the wrong. Me and partner took flo out for a run in the forest, National trust place. Lots of dogs off lead. Flo never takes any notice as it's squirrel she's after. Any way a staffie comes running at me. On a long line managed to wrap itself around me , I nearly fall over. Partner catches me. Then to top it off the staffie runs at me again and head butts me. Owners do a mumbled sorry , pull dog away. I'm left covered in mud. Get home and I've got a big bruise coming up where it butted me and 2 other 'line'bruises where the long lead wrapped round my ankles. Surely the dog should of been on a shorter lead? I thought long lines were for training not for bloody walking your mad dog through the woods. Flo was up a hill and nowhere near us, so it wasn't as if it was after her!

Definitely not good to use a long line in woods. Open spaces, surely.

BastardPup is constantly fascinated by our cats. I think he forgets they exist and then they turn up again and he is over the moon.

I am sitting around waiting for Crufts to come on. Been out in the sunshine and knackered now.

I am sitting around waiting for Crufts to come on.

The main arena programme is being if you don't fancy waiting. It's better than the usual broadcast coverage.

Lot of people recommend long lines. One of the reasons (one of many reasons) I never used one was because where we walk it's a safety issue as it would get caught in forest undergrowth or trees.

I can see why people do use them and I know they are good in some circumstances but for me it was a total no. I too have had a dog on a long line run around me and BiteyDog causing havoc and can easily see how it could quickly injure you.

Personally I just try and avoid other dog owners unless I know them. Thankgod for miles of mostly deserted countryside.

Saying that, I met a lovely couple today who saw BiteyDog on a lead and immediately put theirs on one. I did explain when we were closer that it was only because I can't trust him to jump over the ditches again and injure himself again at that point in the walk. So nice when you meet like minded dog owners.