mita

Same with friends' cat, Mr Fitz. Vet prescribed a course of 'little blue pills' & stressed he'd be in serious trouble healthwise if not taken. So friends were determined to get them into him. He only struggled a little bit, but there was a gulp as the pill went down. Felt pleased with themselves & Mr Fitz's condition was fine and vet was pleased. But in the following weeks, they kept finding little blue pills behind chairs, under beds & other such places. Seemed he hadn't swallowed any.

My 'never-fail' way of giving the dogs medication, is in a little blob of vanilla ice-cream. Tastes good so they're into it...and, because it's cold, they swallow it down fast. Long time back a DOLer posted how she'd tried offering pills in globs of peanut paste... but her two big dogs were on to that ruse & wouldn't accept them. Then one day she was returning the failed peanut paste to the fridge & accidentally spilled some down the fridge door. The two dogs rushed to be the first to lick it off! Light bulb moment. She then took to smearing the globs (with pill inside) on the fridge door &, with some careful organising, the globs with pills went down doggie throats in a flash.

You can also do the same with a muffin tin and tennis balls - if your dog isnt tennis ball obsessed... Good idea.... & it'd add variety which is a challenge in itself.

I got this idea from an American Tibbie owner who bought one of these from a pet store... called 'Dog Memory Test.' But I found one of those children's inset puzzles from Vinnies. With nice big picture pieces the children have to match with holes. I hide a bit of Smacko (because it's flat) in one hole & put all the pieces in. I put it on the floor & tell a Tibbie ,'Find the Smacko!' Annie's never missed finding the right one first go.

I find this video good for getting an idea of the Tibetan Spaniel physical appearance.... head, face, ears, body, legs, paws and tail. Because the dog is moving, all this is shown at different angles. So you can see proportions & even gait. One dimensional still photos can flatten out features: And here's a 'definite' Tibbie with black/white markings to compare with the foster lad , Sprocket .(click enlarge):

Agree about the bellybands. Dogs mark for ownership of place & use the scent to go back to the spot again. So more you can remove the past scents & prevent future ones the better. Anxious, disoriented dogs, like Sprocket is at the moment, can mark as if in a frenzy to deal with the scary new situation. I'd also do the 'puppy' toilet training routines with him. So he learns the 'right' place. I'd also put in place the separation anxiety strategies. The vet behaviourist told me it's better called Demand Anxiety which goes into overdrive when the person they want has disappeared. The dog is demanding you be there, right now! I'll PM the strategies that she gave me for our tibbie girl, Angel, when she came at age 3 yrs. With time & persistence, they worked. Sometimes temporary low dose Valium is recommended to hose down the anxiety at first, to allow for learning. Valium is a muscle relaxant, doesn't fog the brain. It says a lot for Sprocket that you've already seen him 'getting the message' about the crate at night. He's capable of good learning! BTW I'd put something in his crate that strongly has your scent on it (like unwashed T-shirt). Owner's scent comforts a dog. I'd do the same when you go out in the day. And keep up the exercise.... exercise helps drain anxious tension & it'll help Sprocket follow Billy as a mentor. There's a Tibbie Pet Owners Facebook page (Australian) and we've just been going over those strategies because a member adopted a tibbie girl that was rehomed because of Separation Anxiety. The strategies have worked well & the Tibbie is greatly improved. I'll PM both to you.

The officers at Stafford Police Station, Brisbane, love dogs. Along with baking & running a cupcake sale next Monday, August 15 (RSPCA Qld Cupcake Day), they're helping to publicise Nancy's need for a new home. The Station is in Webster Rd Stafford, across the road from Stafford Primary School All details about Nancy (& the cupcakes) here: Please share. http://mypolice.qld.gov.au/brisbanenorth/2016/07/25/pawsome-bake-coming-stafford/

The Stafford, Brisbane, police officers love dogs. They'll be again baking & fundraising on Monday August 15 for RSPCA Qld Cupcake Day. They'll have cupcakes for people & pets at the front of the Stafford Police Station (Webster Rd, just across from Stafford State School). And you can take your own dogs along. If you want to bake some cakes to donate, phone them on 3364 1800. All info & lovely pics here (if you think one officer seems to be wearing dog ears, you're not wrong!). Please share. http://mypolice.qld.gov.au/brisbanenorth/2016/07/25/pawsome-bake-coming-stafford/

If that's madness, there should be a lot more of it!

Could that've been just an individual Amstaff, as all breeds differ when it comes to the individual?. Family friend has a p/b Amstaff which she took in as a young dog from nephew going to naval college. I'm a one-eyed tibbie tragic, but Aisha, now 14 years, is one of the soundest dogs I've met. The friend had undiagnosed epilepsy & a couple of times she blanked completely out when going to the local shop with Aisha. First time, she woke from the seizure to find that Aisha had led her safely to the nearby dog park. Second time, she fell unconscious & woke up to find Aisha patiently sitting at her head. After diagnosis, she had to spend a lot of time home alone because the seizures couldn't be controlled enough for her to venture far on her own. But she (& her family) knew that Aisha would give security because she'd bark a warning if any stranger came on the porch. But, thro' all that time, Aisha never gave any sign of being aggressive. She had (& still has at 14 yrs) the loveliest, soundest temperament. Our friend would often have small breed dogs (belonging to friends & family) coming to stay for periods. Aisha was patient with them & the little dogs returned the favour by treating her with respect. Same when our friend took in permanently her doctor son's little tibbie, Ruby. In recent years small grandchildren have been born. From the time they're babies, Aisha has been a reliable nanny dog & the small ones love her. Playing ball with Aisha is the preschoolers' joy. :)

That's a good idea. Helps to keep a clear focus in the group's activities.

Good on you. I see dogs tied up outside our local shopping complex all the time. Just so full of dangers to the dogs' welfare & safety. All shapes & sizes... this week I've seen a Shih Tzu cross & on another day, a lovely chocolate Labrador. I'm going shopping this afternoon & sure bet I'll see one. I don't think it's an excuse to say, 'no other choice'. Separate taking a dog for a walk under your control all the time... & going to do the shopping.

You are good owners in how well you know your dog & want to do the best for him. I second the posters who've said that a vet dog behaviourist is the way to go.... being able to combine well -selected medication with well -considered behavioural recommendations. He's still a young dog, as others have pointed out, with some plasticity in brain development. Lovely to hear that he's such a fine family pet. I agree with others who've suggested to let him go, as far as possible, with his 'talents'.

Got the information needed. Many thanks!

If you know the names of any rescues that save unclaimed dogs from City of Playford SA Council Pound, would you please send me a PM? There's a Tibetan Spaniel boy impounded there for 3 days now & not claimed yet according to the Council Lost & Found Dogs website. Or maybe he has been but it's not yet noted on the Council's website. Thanks.

Just wonderful! I love how creative the rescuers were in getting her out, so determined not to leave her. And how they knew she was grateful she put her head on someone's knee. She looks so happy reunited with her owner!

It doesn't surprise me there's long experience & other good calls (IMO) that go with your belief in the benefits of that extra time with mum etc. There's such rapid & rich neural development in those early weeks. And you're tapping into that. I love all that you've described! Spot on. I totally agree about the value of word of mouth. Guess who'll be squirrelling away your details! :)

I'd come knocking on your door. :) Your call is closer to what I'd want (speaking only for myself) ...a couple or few extra weeks beyond the 8 mark for mum to do some post-grad work in socialising for manners as well as that valuable experience of further contact with the human family (& life).

Couldn't agree more! Few years back, when an adult Tibbie came up to me in Brisbane from NSW, I had no idea that there was a separate NSW chip registry. I thought all microchipping was on a national data base. Filled in form I got from the vet & sent it to the national registry, which I thought was the only one... to change ownership details. Figured all was well. 12 months on I asked a vet nurse at the Brisbane vet clinic to double check data for both our Tibbies' chips. The girl from NSW didn't lead to any data at all. Vet nurse went into detective mode. Hunted around until she found there was a separate NSW registry (she hadn't known about it either) so the ex-NSW girl's chip couldn't be read. So, then the vet nurse steered the way to transfer our Tibbie from the NSW registry to a national one (CAR). Just as well our Tibbie didn't go missing during those 12 months! Why on earth does NSW have a separate microchip registry when there's considerable movement of dogs across state boundaries?

Clare, the terms like 'guardian' haven't yet got into the legal system... either in the US or here. But animal rights groups (not animal welfare groups), some with a lot of clout, are advocating for it. And in this age of globalisation, those groups have a presence/influence in Australia, too. I know you're busy with your PhD but take time to just dip into that article on the AVMA website. It will help you tune into the reasons that pet owners are concerned. And, even tho' your study is at the micro-level of care ....& you have strict limitations on what you mean by 'caretakership', there's an understandable concern that the field of study is innocently normalising the term for picking up & use by animal rights groups. Which is why I like the idea of a disclaimer... that it's being used with no connection to pets being property or not.

Or simply state what does not apply .... as in a disclaimer. Especially at the level of what's said when recruiting subjects for a study. Actually, testing if & how the notion of 'owning' a pet as property influences care given, might be a topic for other studies. :) But, again, best wishes with your current study, Clare.

Clare, thank you for posting to clarify your position. You are right that the first thing for any academic paper, is to define the terms which will be used. And it is customary to link those terms/definitions with what is commonly used in that particular field of study. You appear to be using 'caretakership' to cover whatever someone who has an animal in their care (for whatever reason) does, to care for that animal's health & welfare. However, in another field, the legal system, the terms used for 'pets' have huge significance in what determines who has the power to intervene in their care. Read the link to the article by the counsel for the US Animal Health Institute which is endorsed by the American Veterinary Medicine Association. Any terms that appear to leap over 'ownership' raise alarm bells for both pet owners & veterinarians. Which has happened in this thread. (BTW I have no problem with the term 'companion dog' to describe the role that dog plays in people's lives. It's on a par with 'working dog' IMO. It's benign in suggesting anything about 'ownership' or 'guardianship' or 'caretakership'.) I'd say (just my opinion) that an academic survey which is looking at the relationship of people with their pet dogs, cannot overlook the fact that a significant part of that relationship is how the person sees they 'own' that dog. With a huge sense of personal responsibility coming from that. So how the terms are defined in the legal process are of great significance to pet dog owners. While 'caretakership' in one academic discipline, might just be concerned with actual caring actions.... in the legal system, it can say something else of great importance about the relationship between pets & people. Best wishes with your study.

Just back to the Peke thing. Here's a Peke, with the glorious name of Wonton Soup, not being prevented from having a bouncing good time by any feature of his breed. (I wonder what they call him for short?) Fits one of the breed standards laid down by Dowager Empress T'zu Hsi of China. "Let it be lively that it may afford entertainment by its gambols'. Wonton sure can gambol!

There's a run-down of the legal implications in the push to move from 'pet owner' with property rights ... to 'guardian' that the author points out means just a 'caretaker'. It's written by a lawyer for the Animal Health Institute in the US & is published on the American Veterinary Medicine Association's website. A list of consequences that could then follow for both pet owners & veterinarians is set out. https://www.avma.org/Advocacy/StateAndLocal/Pages/owner-guardian-ahi.aspx

I looked up the background of Ross Barnett the new Integrity Commissioner for racing in Qld. Certainly made his mark in policing & its administration. Even the not-easy-to please advocate for child abuse matters, Hetty Johnson, describes him as 'one of the good guys'. She has high standards of practical accountability. I wish him well in designing & policing greyhound racing processes for the best welfare of the dogs. https://au.news.yahoo.com/qld/a/31485517/from-hold-up-victim-to-one-of-queenslands-top-detectives/#page1 Another reference I found, was that he was involved in the calendar showing Qld Police Service dogs that was sold for charity at last year's 'Ekka. Deputy Commissioner Ross Barnett said all money raised from calendar sales would go to the Animal Welfare League of Queensland, Police Legacy and the National Breast Cancer Foundation. http://mypolice.qld.gov.au/dogsquad/2015/08/07/queensland-can-enjoy-paw-enforcement-pictures-all-year-long/