BC Crazy

Same here smooch. You kind of nibble away with the human nail clippers & I find they work very well. However if the dogs nails are long you'd have to use good quality nail scissors first to take off the excess length.

Isn't it :)

Discodobe, well done. That sound very impressive. Great going :)

I had no idea there was so much to tracking megan. Thanks for taking time to explain the basic's. Now I will just re read your thread to make sure I have got it right. I know Sonny will love it once he gets the hang of it. But I have to get the hang of it first :laugh: Don't be surprised if I am back with a million questions.... I'm really time poor as Stella being well reactive seems to take a lot of my attention & time, so I wanted to give Sonny something special for him & I to go & do. Stella shows no interest in nose work unlike Sonny who is as keen as :) Any other exercises come to mind, please folks.

Hi folk's, sorry for just dropping in here but was after some ideas. I would love to do some simple exercises with my 4 year old BC 'Sonny' who seems to have a very keen nose & loves to use it. We are absolute beginners with the whole tracking thing but I have a feeling Sonny might just have a lot of natural talent that I would like to nurture if possible. We play this game every morning that can take up to 1/2 hour, all very basic but my boy thrives on it. I get a twig or a stick, rub my hands on it, break it up into tiny pieces, approx. 2mm each ask him to wait while I scatter them in the yard. Then ask him to find them. His nose is to the ground until he finds every single one of them. He picks each one up , chews it a bit, them on to the next. I did say it was basic :laugh: He finds them all & just loves it. He is so switched on the entire time. Not frantic but very engaged. So if anybody has some simple tracking exercises that they know about & wouldn't mind sharing. Some thing's I could do down at the local park maybe? I would greatly appreciate it. Feel a bit silly asking but everyone has to start somewhere. I did notice there was a novice tracking day advertised at Erskine park, would of loved to have gone but as it is 7 hour round car trip for us. Just too far

Stitch, Stella was 17kg when I started her on Kalma & she has 2mg a day but is also on Endep on a daily basis. I am no Vet but just going by he has said to me as I understand it, I would think 1mg maybe to start. Just going by weight 8kg is just over half of 17 kg. You can always give her another 1/4 to 1/2 if she still hasn't chilled out at all after 1/2 hour or so. I was surprised actually as my Vet said to me to use the dosage as a guideline as all dogs react differently.Like humans I guess. Some can take some thing's & it knocks them out & others it may hardly effect. Depends how strong minded they are. He also said it is trail & error to get the dose right & not to panic if she goes a little bit unbalanced or wobbly in the legs. But that hasn't happened to us at all. Good luck with her in the storm Stitch. Hope it passes quickly for you both :) Stella has Valium today as a subsitute cause my Vet is having trouble getting Kalma atm. Just out of curiosity, why do you have Valium for the toads?

Another vote for human nail clippers. I find them easier to manage as I have small hands & have very little strength in my hands due to work injuries. Cut both my BC's nails every 2 weeks with no dramas. Less likely to cut the them too short IMHO :)

So sorry for yet another terrible loss K9 Angel. RIP Blackie.

Times like your saying Rebanne the flexi lead is a great piece of equipment imho :)

Yes stans mum, unless in an experienced persons hands, they are down right dangerous for the dog on the end of it & anyone anywhere near by.

Smacked yourself in the head :laugh: + 1. Yep..... Me too I have taken many a tumble & wacked myself around. I'm very unco at the best of times. I know I look like a complete luni as well but how much fun is it !!!! I am sure my neighbours think I am absolutely crazy as well. They here me talking to my guys like I do. "hello honey", god your beautiful, blah, blah ,blah. :laugh: Does it sound like I care. Not :laugh:

Both Sonny & Stella love their Flirt Poles Although I am not the best with it either I just leave it on the ground then as soon as they go to get it, it moves. I find it really makes them both mentally & physically very tired, quite quickly. I normally just use them on the back lawn. You really don't need a lot of space to have a game with them. I play one on one & both together without any trouble. A must have toy IMHO

+ 1, thanks Corvus & it's also a great description of the 'old' Stella, ( extremely wishful thinking) :laugh: & will be buying it as soon as I can. Well done Jake

Totally agree

From what my Vet gas said Kalma can be used either way. Suitable for long or short term use.

Biannca, my Vet allowed me to use 2mg per day for Stella. 1mg works for up to 6 hours according to him. Whether that depends on the size/weight of the dog, I'm thinking it might. So usually mornings & late afternoons are my girls most difficult times over the whole day. If there is a thunder storm I am able to give her another 1/4 to 1/2 tab if need be. I am using it in conjunction with other meds. So far I have seen great results. As you know it is such an uphill battle to try & win :)

Hi Biannca.a, yes Xanax is Kalma & is working very well for Stella atm. She has 1mg, morning & night. It is often used by my Vet in under weight animals to help them gain weight as it stimulates ones appetite. So you just have to keep an eye on your dogs weight. I haven't read the article yet rosetta but will when I get a moment.

I may try a front loader next time. I have never owned one. Always found Samsung a good, reliable brand though.

On my 2nd F & P top loader & love both of them. First one died after a lot of years. Brought another on. 8 kg Aquasmart which is great as well. Cleans really well & seems to remove most of the dog hair.

Same here .

That may be a valid point you have raised Stitch regarding the ear phone thing. My girl isn't too bad before a storm. Does get a bit upset but not to the extent of my previous dog that was a drooling mess 3 hours before the storm hit. I think it is the case with some dogs & the atmosphereic pressure etc. They can feel it /sense it. My girl is extremely sensitive to noise. Any noise.

Yes Rosetta, we did try pretty much all the natural remedies to no avail as well. Totally agree with you in that they would probably only work on the less severe cases. And it most certainly is trail & error with the pharmaceuticals. We tried a few different types/doses before getting the desired results. Every dog is different & react differently to medication. Smooch, those headphones look really good. I will be giving my girl a go with a pair of those for sure. I did try cotton wool in her ears to try & muffel the noise a bit but that lasted all of 2 seconds. She just shook her head & it came out Hopefully I can get her to leave the head phones on.

Kalma is a Valium based medication. Pet calm is a herbal type medication from memory. We tried it & it didn't work for us. We have tried lots if things. Rescue Remedy didn't work either unfortunately. My dogs are crate trained but Stella just seems to be most comfortable next to me. She is a toy sucker so she sucks away franticly. I don't engage her & nor does she want me to. My dogs are crate trained but Stella in bad weather just doesn't settle & her anxiety levels rise to the point where she thrashes around & bangs her head

I have tried everything with Stella who has been storm phobic since puppy hood & is a very reactive & nervous dog. I have her on meds daily now. One if them is Kalma & while I feel they help her a lot coping with life & her reactivity, if there a storm coming poor Stella goes to pieces I find that her Thundershirt & meds seem to help but she is still an anxious mess. I have put her in her crate but her stress levels increased to the point I thought she was going to injure herself. She just sits the storm through with OH & myself. Sorry am of no help but totally sympathise with you. It is horrible to watch them in such a distressed state. Good luck with her.

I thought the same Danny's Darling. TLC's comment was a crack up as well & very quick.