Little Gifts

We started my sister's going on 13 year old husky/shep cross on the tumeric paste a week or so ago. Her mobility really deteriorated quickly the last couple of weeks (just no strength in her back legs - pain doesn't seem to be an issue) and we continue to struggle to get her weight back down since she had the emergency desex just over a year ago so I know the added weight is not helping. How long does it take to see changes/improvements? Did anyone notice it doing anything adverse before it did something good? We've just had to take her in for a Synovan shot today because everything was so up and down with her so we are not sure if the tumeric is assisting or if things are just further deteriorating. Also I jinxed us by joking she was going to be one of the few who started smelling like pee and she has! I've come into the thread to find out what we need to add to get rid of her new scent!

A bit like when GSD's became Alsations in the UK? I read on Wiki that it was 5 decades after WWI before the British kennel club changed the name back to GSD. Amazing all the history behind some breeds.

How did they 'work the river'? What was their job?

A perfect tribute to an outstanding gentleman! Must go, something in my eye....

It could be SG - back then I just heard that Keeshond meant barge dog, which isn't correct. I had no idea what country they came from but thought maybe Germany rather than Holland.

The dogs were both aggressive so the lady who found and stayed with them couldn't safely get them out. Not sure how long they had been in there before she found them (his court attendance info would identify that and they are saying 2.5 hours) but I think they were removed within half an hour of being found and were given water while in the car awaiting safe removal. One of the dogs had to be pts after being removed from the vehicle because I guess it was too far gone for treatment. Just a horrible way to suffer for no reason.

I'm a goober. My parents ended up with a keeshond dumped on them (rescue helped us rehome him) and back then I thought the word stood for 'barge dog' in whatever language/country they originated from. Apparently Kees was the nickname of some Dutch rebel leader that the breed was the mascot for and hond is the Dutch word for dog. Named back in the 18th century. You learn something new everyday!

I see some booby action!

What will it take for people to understand this very basic issue? It is illegal and it is a hideous way to die yet idiots still do it ever single summer. I have no sympathy for the owner. He had to go to court so knew he would be longer than 5 minutes on a hot day. Why take the dogs with him? What the hell did he think his dogs would do inside a car in the full sun for 2.5 hours? Even half an hour would be too long in those conditions. http://www.cairnspost.com.au/news/cairns/dog-euthanised-after-being-left-in-hot-car-while-cairns-owner-was-in-court/story-fnpqrsxl-1227699886707

I will play Devil's Advocate here. My behaviouralist visit cost $380 (travel costs were also involved as she doesn't live close). I spent another $100 on two metal crates and some training toys and made everything else (treat dispensing aids and some specialised tug toys). Everything else I had, including my time to implement the things suggested to me. The vet fees for the fight that prompted this behaviouralist visit cost me $5000 so you do the math on which outlay I preferred. Even if you build your own dog enclosure or install your own electric fence the materials could cost you what a good behaviouralist will. We have had instant results to implementing the recommendations and we haven't even done them all. The changes are easy to live with and really don't take much extra time out of the day. I am not yet at the point where I am not stressing about something else happening but I am vigilant without angst. I feel more in control and the dogs are benefitting from that. People on here can make suggestions (NILIF is a useful one and maybe your boy would also benefit from more mental stimulation like my girl) but these suggestions wont be targetted to your actual dog and you are risking losing your dog if it attacks more sheep at your new rental and your dog right now doesn't know attacking the sheep is wrong. And where will he go? Surrendered to a rescue where he goes in knowing he is animal aggressive? His future might not be great for rehoming and a lot of pei really suffer the loss of the owners they have bonded to. You are choosing to live in an environment that triggers your dog's known behaviour so you need to take some responsibility for that. Sorry if I sound harsh but like Canetoad the amount of pei I've seen come into rescue with unaddressed behavioural issues is heartbreakingly horrible. CT and I both have rescue pei with certain problems (who we adore) that regardless of their ages we have to continue to address. It's not our dog's fault. I think you are worried about an immediate problem and it might be better focussing on a longer term solution. If you moved to the suburbs you might find the problem just shifts to cats or something else. Why not at least ring or email some behaviourists and find out about prices and payment options before you go the DIY route? They can see things us owners can't.

I have not kenneled for a long time and a friend has asked me if I know of somewhere in the Logan or Brisbane Southside area for a GSD belonging to her son. It is the first time they have left him anywhere. (the dog, not the son!) Anyone have any suggestions based on experience or word of mouth for them to check out? The onus will be on them to assess and choose the right kennel for their dog of course. Thank you!

Pei are a guarding breed so he might see the sheep as some kind of threat to his household? Because of the summer heat my three dogs (including a pei) are often kept inside (air cond on) while we are at work. They seem to just sleep the time away and don't find it stressful at all! Maybe once you are at your new property and can get an idea of where the sheep are in relation to where your boy's yard and you can get a better idea on whether it is a guarding behaviour or a prey drive issue. I also second getting K9 Pro in (rather than spending the money on building an enclosure just yet). I've seen the positive changes in Canetoad's pei. I've also been seeing a behaviourist who works with Steve Courtney and we've had instant results with our pei girl's behavioural problems. Fences might keep the two species seperated but it wont resolve the behaviours and it could be the same all over again if you ever move to your parents property or another place without adequate dog fencing so why not see if you can address the issue rather than band aid it?

So heartwarming! Poor Jack looks a little shellshocked from the ordeal but it obviously wasn't his time.

Farmer Dave might love animals and he might've made efforts to address past concerns regarding his current business but let's face it Farmer Dave, perhaps all the bad luck you have had is the universe trying to tell you that you are not good at looking after other people's pets and you need to find yourself another career! How much 'bad luck' can one business owner have?

I love mud monsters! (don't have any of my own)

I'd be thinking where did he used to live? Did he have neighbours he was fond of back then and whose animals he liked to visit? I can imagine keeping up a relationship with people like this after moving (or maybe even after they moved if he has lived in the same place forever). I know this doesn't help at all!

My sister did the dry sledding a couple of times with her husky/shep mix. Oh I wish I was a photographer because the pics in the forest as the sun rises on a cold winter morning and the breath of the excited dogs misting the air was just magic. That and the sounds of the dogs impatiently waiting for a turn is what I remember most. You've got to be pretty fit for it (rules me out) as you do have to help the dogs out at times, and of course you need to steer in forest terrain or risk smacking your bike into a tree!

I used to live on small acreage and had a city friend stay for a weekend. She found it impossible to sleep saying everything was so noisy out 'in the bush'. She obviously didn't have a lot of native bird life where she lived!

I like purposeful barking or dog sounds. But dogs that bark out of boredom or from anxiety and their owners don't seem to know or care stress me out. I can imagine how I'd feel if I was so riled up I felt the need to yell incessantly for hours so figure dogs must be feeling just as worked up. I've also had fosters who never barked and all of a sudden when they did it was woah, where did that come from? Tempeh (pei) has a very deep bark for how she looks. Took me a while to get used to it. She's always been a noisy thing and has a myriad of different sounds she makes to let us know what's going on. If she was ever quiet I'd probably panic. Because Wolf is a husky cross she is a big woo-wooer but poor Stussy (SBT) has no talking skills and is it very funny to see her try given how vocal the other two can be. The best she can manage when really excited is a trillish high pitched yawn or some heavy breathing. A bit embarrassing really.

How embarrassment!

What. The. F? Absolute craziness and it seems it is enabling members of the public to behave far worse than any animal would, abusing dogs that have not shown themselves to even be aggressive. There's another country I wont be moving to. Might even strike it off my visit list and spend my tourist dollars elsewhere.

Could very well be Karen - something has changed in her world whether you or I can see it and she is responding in one of the few ways she knows how. As I said, hopefully someone with behavioural skills will come on and give you some useful advice. I'm just commenting on what I see from your story from an outsiders perspective.

Of course something has changed. You went away. She probably sensed a change of some sort was coming based on your activities before leaving. Dogs have very limited ways in which they can tell us if they are upset, unhappy or worried. Toileting inappropriately just happens to be one of those ways. Hopefully someone with behavioural skills can come in and give you advice on how to address this.

I was reading this story thinking you were a friend of mine that this just happened to! New owners, crazy dogs, upset neighbours on three sides. It all went pear shaped for her though when her dog rushed the fence and impaled himself on a ginger plant and needed emergency surgery. She was lucky and spoke to council and the new owners who had no idea their dogs were doing this and worked to rectify the situation. One thing I mentioned to my friend was about the fence. I know my fence has shrunk in the heat and you can see movement through the cracks. It is not a pretty solution (she has a Balinese garden) but I suggested she go to Bunnings and buy some of that waterproof stuff they use for real estate signs and tack that on the bad section of fence. It will stop dog injuries, anyone chewing through the fence, buffer some sound and block any visual prompts. As for the behavioural issues, in particular with your anxious dog, I wonder if it is worth getting a behaviouralist in to settle their responses and de-escalate their triggers? We've just used Jane Harper (I'm down at Beenleigh but she is north coast). Well worth the money for us and she remains available for advice on ongoing changes. It might also be worth talking to council for advice (and perhaps support if things escalate further). I'd also go round and talk to the actual dog owners and see if they are aware of the chaos that is happening and willing to rectify it with their dogs.

Do you sew or do you know anyone who sews? You'd could easily sew some loops (use lightweight tape) to the corners of the cover (or bed) you already have and also in the middle down the long sides. With the tape tabs in place you could attach it to the crate with carabiners or cable ties. If you lived closer I could do this for you in a jiffy. It really is only a 15 minute job for someone with a sewing machine. A metre of tape would be more than enough and cost maybe $2.