OSoSwift

Thanks Laffi, I will start that. I have never had a dog that would play tug before, probably because I never worked on it, but I think it will help her keep motivation.

No But I will thank you

I have a young Whippet who is food motivated and quite willing. She does however tend to lose interest after a short time. I sometimes let her go for a short flat out hoon as a reward and that usually fires her up as well. She loves her toys and I would like to introduce a tug toy or something similar to use as a reward. She does play tug and enjoys it. Do I buy a toy specifically for the purpose? Do I only let her 'play' with it when training? Do I let her only play tug and not have 'control' of the toy, or do I play tug then let her have it to run around? My previous dog would work for treats for hours then still eat a full tea if possible so I have not used a toy as a motivator/reward before. Any help to get on the right track is very appreciated. ETA - She is a clicker trained puppy as of 8 weeks of age.

I am from a farming life and there are many dogs born and bred on farms that just don't have the correct temprement to work. Some will chase and pull down, some will run relentless circles around livestock but with no constuctive purpose. Some just sit there and say if you want them get em yourself. I cringe when I hear oh I have a BC and he is a hassle in town he needs to live on a farm or acreage so he can run around. These people are totally missing the point of why their dog has problems. Yes they will probably get more physical exersize, but no more mental exersize unless the new owner makes a big effort. These dogs will possible chase stock by them selves with or without biting/physical damage, do the same naughty things they did in town, or potentially nick off and create their own entertainment. Many other brain stimulating activies that stimulate the brain would be better for a working type of breed with no animal/sheep sense. Otherwise sheep get hurt and traumatised by weekend sheepdogs.

It is nasty stuff. You shouldn't use it if you have asthma, or pregnant. It says to use overalls, gloves and goggles from memory then shower afterwards. Do not let it touch the skin or breathe it in as well from memory I have had to use it a few times at work and hated every minute of it. In the end I refused to use it.

Had bloat/tortion 3 times in my Dobe bitch. I did everything "right" so to speak and still had problems not helped at all by her idea that anything she could fit down her throat was food! Mine were crated inside or in the run(they didn't run around in there) For an hour before eating and two hours after. Yes it is hard to feed and exersize a dog that is prone to this condition and fit in work life etc,but she ended up living until almost 12 years of age. I have been told even some small breeds can be prone to it Poodles and Dacshunds (spelling?) Were a couple I can remember.

A friend of mine had a dog with a cd pass under her belt, who at her next trial left the ring to clear the whole oval of seagulls and would not be caught until they were all airborne! They either will do it or won't, no inbetween. Treat it as a expeirience and most of all -try- to enjoy it.

They do get a slightly yellow tinge if they are in a bottle that has been opened for a little while or say left sitting on a bench. You may have a couple from a recently finished bottle and the rest from a new one. I have a pill box that holds a weeks worth of tablets, they are going a bit yellow by the end of the week

I would consider shutting the door again, have you changed her food at all? Does she wear a coat? she maybe cold and not wanting to venture out into the garden. Oh and read up on Bloat/gastric dilatation-tortion. A Dobe should be crated for at least an hour after feeding to help to try an avoid it. Good Luck

I hope your Whippet is feeling better, salivery gland infections can end up wuite painful, I think from the deep dark recesses of my memry that I have seen a small breed dog that had a swollen lump like that and in the beginning he didn't have a huge temperature. It swelled more and the results of a FNA came back as infection and he was on ab's had it drained a few times etc, but in the beginning I think it was a bit the same.

I would be thinking maybe some sort of foreign body, they can be the size of a splinter and cause problems, hopefully it is all okay for you both.

I Just love Higgins, the guy off Magnum PI , but would need to be a solid build I think Higgins Jerome Memphis Vegas Hunter Mason Cougar I always write down any names I hear girl or boy just incase one day I will need them - you never know!!!!!

I haven't use them as yet, My Staffy gets really foul smelling very runny poos and foul smelling farts when he has eaten something he shouldn't (Multiply that by a thousand when he stole and ate a very old Ostrich egg!!!!) His skin also have a major break out he goes very red in a short period of time and can scratch most of his coat out to bleeding overnight if he gets into something really bad for him!! I haven't seen blood in his poos as yet but we have 5acres around the house and he goes as far away as possible to do his poos so it may have happened, just not that I have seen. I cannot feed my Staffy Supercoat. He is allergic to things other than food and has been known to go out for a roll in the grass and come back 5 minutes later completely covered in hives! I would be very careful about most of the foods if your dog has a sensitive tummy. Hope all tests come back okay for you both.

Daily bones will give the white poop of yester year:) I haven't used the roll, but have seen the adverts. I use the chunkers for training which don't seem to cause a problem, but seeing once opened they go off in about 3 days no matter how cold the fridge is I don't think is too many additives. Maybe I will buy a roll and see, but don't tend to feed them as a rule, sometimes just for a very old dog we baby sit that loves it and as an occasional treat. My Staffy has food allergies - in particlau to colours and preservatives so I am a bit careful with any roll type products, I hate plastic polony (Devon or Fritz depending where in Australia you are from!)and dogs rolls are a bit the same!

I would say to the but I just want to have fun people - Yes so do we, we also want your dog to be safe. To be safe your dog must be able to perform some basic foundation exercises before we hoon them around a course. I got some 20mm water pipe and made my weavers, some larger pipe and made 6 jump wings and 3 bars, lots of exercises you can do with just 3 bar jumps. You can use 90cm tomato stakes as weavers. It is not how high your dog jumps in the beginning that is important it is how it jumps, they need to learn correct form over a jump before we can ever expect them to do it safely at height and speed and not injure themselves, and as many others have mentioned, teach them to jump no matter where you are, over means go between two wings - the pole can be on the ground, the height doesn't matter. Over also means you run and go over the jump even if I am standing still. You can start teaching them how to go through a tunnel with a decent sized - size appropriate cardboard box. Good luck

I have been wondering the very same thing, so thanks for the info, might have to get into pairs, who wants to partner a slightly blonde whippet with a tendancy to get distracted and when she thinks she's done very well, has to do a flat out zoomie bog lap to celebrate?

My Dobe bitch chew her front straps off often, I ended up getting a polar fleece coat, all sewn up with an extended neck, when she couldn't get her bottom jaw through a strap she gave up trying.

Hi Sagittarian - Thanks for that I was unaware. I know when it first came out it was Roo only, goes to show you need to read package regularly. He is allergic to 38 things other than foods, but I know if somoene has given him a piece of beef or something. That may help explain why for tha last 18 months I have been having to fight very hard to try and keep his skin problams to a minimum. I think I mught just go Roo meat and a home made diet. A bit of fiddling but worth it if he won't look like a semi cooked lobster most of the time, esp coming into spring/summer which is really hard on him. Thank heaps for the info. ETA I cannot get any of the food you mentioned down here that I know of, but will do some more research.

I haven't even heard of a couple of those foods, but anyway, Bonnie working dog for the Staffy as he has loads of allergies and it is the only one he can handle because it is roo and no beef, chicken or lamb. Whippy is on Advance with a little meat and rice, added as well as chicken frames from time to time and piggy ears, and looks fantastic.

Having worked at 2 different Vet hosp, One vet I worked with wanted to muzzle all Pitties regardless of temrement, he was highly strung about other things as well, HIs partner loved them and couldn't care less. The second hospital I was in had member that started a Friends of the RSPCA and still didn't care, the health of the animal was first and foremost, we had the odd discussion as to wether or not we agreed they should be restricted, but nothing too animated. The vets liked to treat them as one came in with a smashed leg(O had no idea how it had happened, came home to a very floppy back leg)It walked in on 3 legs back leg swinging with it's tail going flat out and trying to give kisses! She was not fazed, never fliched and was a dream. I have handle more viciouc JR's. We only ever had one PItty that needed to be handled with care, his owner asked for a muzzle, let us know what his personality was like and for us to be careful. He was fine while muzzled and never moved. Our vets didn't care what they were. They were a dog just like the next one.

My staffy hasn't been vaccinated since his diagnosis with a heart problem - my choice. I have always vaccinated my dogs as per recommendations as I wanted to do what I believed was best for my dog and as I am not a scientist myself I have to rely on the information given to me. That is why I asked the questions, I want to do the best thing by my dog. Someone telling me I am killing my dog by vaccinating it without any back up proof is only words. However with the new research coming out I now can make a more informed decision. I like most owners who love our dogs, vaccinate them yearly as this is what were are told is the best way to keep them safe from very nasty and deadly diseases. I am very torn as I would hate to think I am putting their health and welfare at risk by vaccinating them as this is the last thing I would want to do. My aim is to give my dogs the best I can.

Yes it is, I recently lost my one in a million dobie girl to a different disease, but had 4 weeks- with lots of medication- which was good as I needed that time to get my head around it all(I was 6 weeks off having my second baby so was emotional anyway) It wasn't a long time but we made the most of the little time we had and we were all ready when the time came.

This is something that interests me greatly , and I would love to ask a few questions so I apologise if the are a little off topic. Has anyone had thier dogs titre tested and if so how often and were their levels high enough? Do you know of anyone that has not had their older dog vaccinated and then they have come down with parvo (or any of the viruses)? I have never heard of the 3 year vaccination who makes it? What are your opinions on 3 years vacc's or going without? I don't want to put my dogs at risk, but don't want to flood their bodies either I recently had Canine cough in my 2 dogs, a young puppy not vaccinated for it but done with a C3, and a 10 yo Staffy with a heart complaint who was only 2 months 'overdue' for his. The staffy got much sicker than the puppy - his heart maybe? The Staffy no longer gets injectable Canine cough as he has a huge reaction and can hardly move his neck, he also reacted like this to injectable HWorm and hasn't had this for a few years. He has not had this years vaccination and will not be getting it due to my concern at the vaccine reaction that has been steadily getting worse for the last couple of years. My vet does not agree with the C&'s or 8's or whatever they are. We have had dogs from certain farming areas come down with tetanus, but only those dogs (working sheep dogs usually) at high risk are done. Sorry about the long post. Eagerly awaiting any feedback.

I had an aged bitch with a tumour kind of the size of a golf ball but slightly elongated. We sent off a sample to the lab and it was diagnosed as an haemangiosarcoma, but could not get a malignancy on it. As she was quite aged and had other problems as well as the fact that in her life she had had 8 abdominal surgeries including 3 for GDV I decided not to do surgery. She died nearly 2 years later with tumour still intact from dilated cardiomyopathy at the age of almost 12 years. I understand that this is very unusual and I was very lucky, big hugs to all that have lost dogs to this awful disease, I have been in tears reading your experiences and realise just how lucky I was. Goodluck