DogsAndTheMob

Individual dogs vary in their food requirements. One of my border collies eats more than my German shepherd and stays lean, while the other border collie eats as little as I fed my miniature poodle and still weighs too much. I have also found that youngsters' appetites fluctuate, so I don't fuss too much if they maintain a healthy weight, which I judge by running my hands over them, not by the scales. However, I watch for other changes that might signal problems - bladder and bowel changes, elevated temperature (I can usually feel this by touching their ears), pale gums, lameness, lack of energy, general discomfort/restlessness etc. Occasionally, a sudden change in appetite does indicate something not quite right. Will he let you look in his mouth to check for broken teeth, abscesses or anything else that might make eating uncomfortable? Could he have swallowed a foreign object (e.g. a toy)? It may be worthwhile to buy and open a fresh bag of food. Recently all four of my dogs turned up their noses at their usual dog food (not Royal Canin) but regained their appetites when I opened a fresh bag. It seemed as if there was something "off" about that particular batch of food.

I hope you're in better health today, Persephone.

You might try the Steggles factory shop at Beresfield. https://www.facebook.com/StegglesShopBeresfield I haven't shopped there, but after looking at their price list, I might make a visit.

I'm sceptical about breed identification on microchip records. Puppy farmers and pet shops seem to attach the label that will sell best.

I'm surprised that nobody has questioned the "bullmastiff" label given to this dog. I've never seen a bullmastiff that looked like it. I agree that large dogs can more easily cause injury than small dogs can, but I also agree that you can't judge a dog by the breed. I've met some lovely staffy and bully type dogs, and I've owned some wonderful German shepherds. Conversely, I've had some frightening encounters with harmless-looking dogs. Many years ago, as a dog training instructor, I was asked to help a woman with her 6-month-old border collie x Labrador. The woman handed me the lead and the dog immediately went for my throat. I barely had strength to hold it off me until I could wrap the lead around a post. I believe I would have been seriously injured if the dog had been fully grown. A few weeks later, the dog attacked its owner, ripping her skin badly through two layers of clothes. The vet reproached the owner for requesting the euthanasia of the dog.I wondered afterwards whether the dog had a neurological disorder - ceroid lipofuscinosis perhaps. (Unlikely, but not impossible if it had border collie on both sides of its parentage.) I was caught off-guard because I didn't anticipate problems from that sort of puppy. When my son was born, I took him to visit a friend who was chief instructor at a local dog club. We sat down and I put my baby's basinnet at my feet. My friend's very quiet Setter sat at her side, then suddenly pounced. I snatched up the basinnet and my friend grabbed her dog. We were both experienced dog trainers, but neither of us saw any warning signs for what could have become a calamity.

It's interesting that blue poodles are born black and lighten later. I gather, from talking to owners of blue (not blue Merle) border collies, that their dogs were born blue, but darkened later.

My mother bought two large portrait pictures, one of a lion and the other of a tiger, and propped them against the wall to await hanging. I walked into the room a while later and thought "Ew, what's that smell?" My mother's cat had taken exception to the portraits, and sprayed them both, right between the eyes. It must have taken some gymnastics to direct both streams of liquid so precisely.

Oops. I quoted instead of editing. (Some days, it feels as if the dog isn't the only geriatric one around here!)

No, but I did see a mixed mob of five goats and one confused-looking, geriatric German Shepherd when I arrived home this evening. My husband had been collecting firewood in the goat paddock. The German Shepherd must have slipped in behind him and got shut in.

I didn't. I could see that it looked like a cocker spaniel, but I wasn't sure. I'm not sure why it didn't twig, because I have seen films of working cocker spaniels before. Actually, I have no excuse. Back in the 1940s, my uncle bought my then-teenage mother a cocker spaniel puppy from a top Victorian show kennels. Judging by photos, that dog, and the cocker spaniels she had afterwards, were much more like the working cocker spaniel in the article than today's show dogs.

I hope I get the chance to meet your dogs and JRG's one day - and their breeders/owners/trainers, if course!

Yes. I thought of your wonderful working springer spaniels when I saw the photos, TSD. Are your "crazy dogs" (as you term them in a different thread) also springer spaniels, JRG?

Meet the very very good dogs who helped search the Grenfell Tower As shockwaves from the horror of the Grenfell Tower fire in London continue to be felt around the world, a few unlikely heroes have emerged to capture our hearts. These are the working dogs who assisted the London Fire Brigade during their search and rescue operation. They wear tiny heat-proof booties, and their keen noses and low body weight mean they are much better at searching dangerous scenes than their human mates. Edited to add (before you click the story): I've just looked at the story again, and the expressions in those dogs' eyes tear at my heart.

As your backyard opens into an off-lead reserve, it may be a good idea to avoid noisy breeds and/or get an older, quiet dog. You probably don't want a dog that barks every time people and dogs walk past.

Agreed

Regrettably, there are people who see nothing wrong in giving bows, arrows and knives to children. Of course, they think (or at least say) that their children will only use them to hunt feral animals, thus protecting the environment and native species. It is possible that the children went in there to retrieve a stray arrow. That's still stupid and very wrong, of course - not to mention the extreme carelessness that it would imply!

I think the only thing we can be certain of is that dogs and children can behave unpredictably. i detest the concept of allowing children to carry "hunting equipment" (AKA weapons) and those children should not have been unsupervised. But it happens, and we can't know how our dogs will react when things go wrong. This thread has made me think about how I manage my animals to keep them safe from people, and foolish or even malevolent people safe from them.

One of my dogs started climbing onto the couch while we were asleep. We disrupted the pattern of behaviour by putting plastic blanket boxes on there when we couldn't supervise him.

Friends who live beside the Hunter River near the northern outskirts of Maitland told me they see dingos travelling through their paddocks down to the river. The dingo I saw yesterday was near the intersection of Seaham Rd and Brandy Hill Drive.

I'm sorry, Persephone; I didn't mean to distress you. it is really a horrible lose-lose situation. I wish somebody would find a humane solution.

That must have been devastating, Rozzie. I don't think I'd get over a loss like that. Scrappie&Monty, it might be worth checking with long-term-residents of the area. I know there are dingos as far down the valley as Maitland, and I think they would be in the Watagans as well. Lake Macquarie landholders are being encouraged to join the program Aerial baiting is being undertaken in the Merriwa, upper Hunter, Singleton and Dungog areas. I also feel sad for the dingos, although I sympathise with farmers who lose livestock in such a cruel way. The wild dog I saw was a magnificent animal.

Jennywren does this - or tries to. She's a 13 year-old German Shepherd, so she usually falls over in the attempt.

I'm so sorry for your loss , Persephone! Thank you for the information. The local baiting program is partially aerial. Participating land-holders are supposed to post notices and most do, but I strongly suspect one neighbour has put out rabbit baits without notice; on one occasion we found dead king-fishers and crows, the local magpie family disappeared and his rabbit problem went away, all within a few weeks. what brand of muzzle do you use?

I saw a very dingo-like wild dog yesterday morning. The local (Hunter NSW) wild-dog baiting program started last week, so I wonder whether this dog came from a pack which was dispersed when the older pack-members were poisoned. Years ago, my parents lost a pup after she ate a bait or carrion from a baited animal. They were on their own property, several hundred metres from a boundary, and they hadn't put out any baits. They saw her eating something, but were too late to intervene. I'm now worried to walk my dogs in my own paddocks, in case they pick up a bait dropped by a crow or other bird. What do other people do in similar circumstances? Walk their dogs on-lead only? Muzzle their dogs? Don't walk them at all? And for how long after the baiting program ends will the risks persist?

Sometimes, what we think we're saying - with voice and body language - is not what the dog "hears". Is it possible that your poodle is reading subtle, unintentional cues from simple things you do? Videoing your successful and unsuccessful interactions may help you to identify things you do that make him switch off. No matter how experienced we are, it's difficult to spot our own mis-steps, so reviewing the videos with a dog-savvy friend might also be useful. I wonder if your poodle interpreted your lack of response to his greetings as a correction; I'm sure my border collie would. I think of dog training as a conversation, and experiment with posture/position, eye-contact and touch to see what makes each dog respond happily. Getting as close as possible to the dog's eye-level helps; sitting on the floor or ground is usually less intimidating than standing or sitting on a chair (although I have seen a dog spooked by this). Eye contact can be threatening, but denying eye contact can be seen as a rebuke. Context is important,too: my German Shepherd enjoys gentle stroking from stop to ears - but didn't when I was teaching her to retrieve. To train a happy retrieve, I had to reward her with a scratch on the chest.