SkySoaringMagpie

It is something that has puzzled me too, but it is how it is I guess. I think a fit well muscled sighthound is much more attractive than a fat one, but I suppose what people consider "good condition" and "fat" varies. The kicker of course is that in breeds without coat fat can be used to obscure some conformational problems.

I agree with this. The idea that you have something so special that the ordinary rules of courtesy don't apply is pretty pervasive but I also think it's wrong. If there is no invite, there is no invite. I get really sick of this notion that some people have that the entire world is supposed to be like a birthday party thrown especially for them by their mother.

LOL - now I'm picturing working tests for companion breeds. NQ for that CKCS who just wandered away from their owner sitting in a plush armchair in front of the fire!

I think the debates exist in most breeds except perhaps the toy breeds. GSD people do have a reputation tho' for being particularly feral. If it helps, I think rescue politics and cat people give GSD politics a run for their money In my breed there is greater division in western countries overseas, where there are established national coursing competitions in many countries and often major differences between people who breed for coursing and people who breed for show. Having said that, there are kennels overseas that do well in both. Windrush in the USA does well in the conformation and lure coursing arenas, likewise Hadi el Basher in Europe. And doubtless there are more I'm not personally aware of. Here in Australia you can only compete in lure coursing in QLD tho' many of us take our dogs to private or fun events to see how they go. As I think I've mentioned here before I have an import girl in my yard who was bred by a traditional country of origin breeder for original purpose - hunting hare and gazelle. All her siblings who have been retained in hunting homes back in the middle east have proven themselves on hare and gazelle. I don't advertise this, and I doubt it would do me any good even if I did. My breed is a competitive one when it comes to "show" attributes, and I am small fry My girl is a few points off her Championship title and when she gets it, she, like my other dogs, will go on to other pursuits. I don't think collecting brick dust on my forehead in the show ring is a worthwhile pursuit tho' I do think achieving a Ch title on dogs you may consider breeding is worthwhile. And yes, in their spare time all our dogs help keep our paddocks clear of hare and rabbit. If I had one that couldn't, I would not consider breeding from them. Edited for clarity

I think it might be a sighthound thing. Our Afghans particularly will scream like princesses if mildly hurt but if seriously hurt will be silent. The Salukis are even more stoic - my boy once sat nicely in a vet surgery while a vet fished around under the skin in his paw to tweezer out an embedded grass seed. At the time the vet commented that he couldn't believe the dog was putting up with it so well. It's a bit of a bugger tho' because if they are injured or sick you often have to find out by observing carefully. With modest rips and gashes I don't even superglue. I rinse well with salty clean water twice a day and smell it often and observe to make sure it's not hot or inflamed. If all goes well it heals up fine, including our show dogs on the show side. Looks gross for a week but drains freely and is fine. I've yet to have had to take a dog to a vet using this approach. A large rip means a vet trip tho' and I should also mention our dogs are inside when they have an open wound - if there were going to be flies all over it I would handle it differently.

I think this wins the thread. Maggots and vomit

No, absolutely not. Most people with dogs have their own rules and management arrangements on their own turf and introducing a new dog to that area isn't something you do without consulting with the owners first.

Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay! Glad to hear he is being a nuisance - keep getting better Grover, you naughty hound

Also, apart from the welfare issues that others have pointed out, if it's really badly matted with a country combo of dam swims and god knows what else then even when brushed out and dematted it will probably look pretty ordinary. Clip it off and start again.

Thanks Fifi. Thinking of you, Grover and the family Trish.

Birds might eat them if you have a few around where you live - do your neighbours have chooks? There is something about maggots that hits right at the lizard brain. I knew I shouldn't have opened this thread while eating a sandwich

You mentioned "clinging to NILIF" so I thought it might have been presenting a problem for you. Great to hear that it isn't.

I think the expression usually refers to a dog who will spot weaknesses in their handler's control of different situations and push those weaknesses in an attempt to get "good stuff for dogs". Does he get reasonable opportunity to get what he wants on your terms? Does it bother you that he is smart and giving you a push or two? Edited to add: sometimes it's not a weakness in handler control either, it's natural for dogs to push boundaries to see if they are still there.

I'd rather include a dog who could hunt in a breeding program than I would a resource guarder. I'm not really sure what you're getting at here. When a puppy picks up a soft toy and shakes it hard, is that a problem?

An instructive video, cornering the prey is at 3 minutes and 5 seconds: http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/episodes/do...dy-saluki/1326/ Diva, Jas is gorgeous and a natural. If you find the answer to this puzzle, I'd love to do some training sessions with the gang.

Everyone needs a break, and everyone needs to train their own dogs. It's hard not to feel guilty if you're a dedicated volunteer, but if you need a break it's better for you and the students to take one. There's nothing worse than having to take a break because you've burned out - better to stop before you get to that stage.

I am not a vet, but very dark urine can be a result of dead red blood cells from haemolytic anaemia, which in turn can be triggered by a toxic shock of some kind like an insect bite or eating a baited animal. Has the vet mentioned this? No need to reply btw, I'm just chucking ideas out there in case it triggers something useful.

I'm so glad he's improved! Look forward to hearing how he gets on.

Oh Trish, poor Grover and poor you. That sounds terrible. You're in our thoughts.

On a volunteer basis - the roster manager calls for volunteers at the end of each term via email. There are 5 terms a year to volunteer for. So when you volunteer, you usually commit to do one lesson a week 8 weeks straight. If you can't commit to doing a full term, you can offer to fill in for instructors who are ill or otherwise can't make it. Some people can teach all 5 terms a year, but I can't. Partly because I work full time and partly because I live a long way away and partly because I also show in conformation. I think last year I did one term, the year before I did two terms. Most clubs have a required minimum for you to qualify for instructor membership rates. There are also other ways to help - you can help with curriculum design, staff the shop, maintain the website, help with fundraising, do grounds maintenance and I'm sure PF can think of at least a zillion other jobs that most clubs need help with. Edited to note that one thing I did do a couple of times last year was the intake lecture for new people as I couldn't do a full term. So that's another way to help.

Crates provoke strong reactions in some people but like any tool they can be used productively or misused. A well used crate is a nice little den for the dog, and sounds like a good solution to your situation providing you train the puppy to see the crate as a good place. I dunno, pet shops who lecture get on my nerves. I went to a pet shop once to buy food for my puppy that the breeder had recommended. As I have a large breed sighthound the breeder had said NOT to buy puppy formula but to buy adult formula food because there was less risk to my puppy's bone development that way. Well. Did I get an earful about what a terrible breeder she was and how she should be reported and about how all puppies should be fed puppy formula. Complete idiot, didn't stop to ask what she thought Salukis have been raised on in the desert for the last 3,000 years. I just left. EFS

She might have learned through previous training that sitting is forbidden when working with a human. Given time she'll get it. Can she catch a treat? Some of mine can which makes it easier to reward them in position providing your aim is good. Another option is to work with a clicker. I would also work with her by yourself to start, some dogs are less inclined to sit or drop in the presence of other dogs.

Can she sit by herself? There may be a structural/health issue that explains why she is not sitting. I would observe her for a few days and if you never see her sitting you might want to get her checked out by a vet. If you do see her sitting, catch her doing it and mark and reward it. Is she an ex-show dog?

A lot of it is in how you carry yourself. Stand up straight, keep your head up, move confidently, speak clearly - don't chatter. You don't need to sound gruff or butch it up, you just need to sound confident. I'm probably paraphrasing poorly, but Ian Dunbar said while he was out here that in his head, he knows things are going to go his way and the dogs pick up on that. The rest of it is paying attention. Who is initiating any encounter I'm having with my dog/s? On whose terms are things happening? Am I staff to this dog? You have to read the dog's personality too. Diva can probably explain this better than I can, but with sighthounds, a sort of mildly disgusted and surprised "we don't do things that way around here" often gets through to them pretty quickly. As does making fun of them when they do something to challenge you. Just recently I stared and yelled at one of our more challenging dogs and then remembered I was being an idiot and made fun of her instead. Making fun of her worked much, much better. She dropped her head and shut up immediately.