Yonjuro

I personally think you will get more lasting effects from tackling from within by feeding oils. As I mentioned I applied externally when Ronin had puppy dander but I believe now that it was more from the RC food that I had him on at the very beginning as recommended by our breeder (who is wonderful by the way :) ) I also did quite quite a few Calendula teas rinses and ended up doing the external coconut oil on one occasion. I changed food added AA super boost and never looked back. It's hard to say which of these things was the primary reason for all flakes going away or if it was a combination. Either way a nice massage with coconut oil will help for sure at least in the short term.

Thanks Davo-o It is a difficult one and with hindsight I probably wouldn't have argued or been upset. I remember the first time he asked a couple of people there that we were playing with for all of us to put our dogs on lead. It didn't really make sense to me as there are three large parks right next to the fenced in area. And his dog is an elderly slow walking old lab that could easily have used these other areas which are probably a lot cleaner and nicer. It kind of got my back up as he was very much like 'it was his right' and everyone else has to modify to accommodate him. My dog isn't aggressive or violent but he is a boisterous puppy, albeit a big one. He will try and initiate play but if it doesn't happen he will stop. Yes he will gently put his paw on a dog to see if he can initiate play and I suppose that could be considered rude? I dunno, I don't consider it rude when other dogs do it to Ronin but I guess that it is different as I know he is young and fit and not a problem in my mind. I think for my own blood-pressure and sanity I will just be more aware in future. I received a text from a greyhound lady who I gave my number to last week, wanting to meet up with Ronin for a play so he will have good opportunities to play run full pelt. Incidentally this lady's sweet greyhound (pictured above) was mauled by two beagles a couple of weeks ago at this park and required stitches to the stomach muscles my dog can't be too bad if she wants to have more playtime with him :)

Thanks grumpette :) Baylee is a real beauty.

:laugh: - yeah, well sometimes he gives it a bit of a shake to show it who's the boss, but then it is back to gentle snuggle time :D

:laugh: Yeah, it is funny as Ronin is quite big and strong and struts around and wrestles with his best bud Bonni the Rotti but inside he can be a real softy.

Thanks guys :) :)

That is lovely :)

Thanks! :) Oh I dread the day when this thing disintegrates - funny thing is he only chews the head :D

I am not quite sure if he is sucking it or gently chewing it - but I think he is just chewing it ever so softly. :D

Ronin is 11 months now so I am also amazed the toy is still alive too :D He has destroyed a couple of Tuffy toys but he is generally very gentle with it. My wife has done some emergency sutures on it though. It really is the best thing, as when it gets to the witching hour, I can often circumvent it by saying "get you puppy" and he jumps up to his spot on the sofa with his mat and has snuggle time :laugh:

Beautiful, lovely to watch, I am really loving Greyhounds these days

... oh, what a baby :laugh: After such a trying day playing fetch, having a nice snooze, a long walk and a lovely meal, it was time to Ronin to relax with his very first toy :D What a hard life this beastie has :D When Ronin was born, I sent this Snuggle Puppy to our lovely breeder who rubbed it all over his Mum and Sister before he came over to me at just over 8 weeks.

Good idea to get the vet check, I love the pawpaw ointment but probably wouldn't use it is there is any pus, weeping or an infection unless I dabbed a bit of betadine or similar first. Interestingly both my old and new vet also recommend this ointment :) As I said before I applied it at night before sleep so there was better chance of it staying on for longer. But there is no reason you couldn't dab a bit three times a day, unless of course your dog got the runs from ingesting too much. Best wishes for the vet visit and I am pretty sure you won't have any visible scarring :)

My Husky badly rubbed and scratched his nose on some chicken wire and I was worried that the pigment might not return. I just put a dab of Lucas pawpaw ointment on each night just before sleep and it healed perfectly with no sign of scarring in around a week. :)

Ha, yes I used to hear it all the time (our family dog is a husky). Your boy sounds like a lovely dog Obviously it is personal choice, and if you aren't comfortable with letting your dog off leash even if you do think their recall is very reliable, there is nothing wrong with that. It is the sentiment that you are wrong to 'trust' your dog or that pet owners who let their dogs off leash are irresponsible or naive or whatever, that annoys me. We teach pet owners every week how to train their dogs to recall reliably, and they can do it, it is just a matter of knowing how and putting the work in (which is often much less and easier than expected). Having owned a Husky and a Beagle before it is a personal pet hate of mine to be told they can't be trained or can't be reliable! I face "Husky stigma" all the time and it is frustrating for sure, people often think because they look like a wolf they are wild beasts, other think it is cruel to keep a dog with their double coat and many certainly believe they are untrainable and this as you know is complete BS. My boy is only 11 months but we engaged a personal trainer straight after puppy school where he was a star pupil. We used to have weekly sessions, then fortnightly and now every 3 weeks. I would like to do more but funds are limited. I have great suspicions that Ronin would make a great tracker, sometimes I think he is a blood hound when his nose is to the ground feverishly smelling and following some trail, but again time is limited so we will probably spend a lot of time on dry land mushing next year. We do play a game in my parents big backyard and another fenced in park where my daughter hides somewhere while we distract Ronin and then we say "Find Caitlin" and he is off, sniffing and finds her in a flash :D I would love to attend one of your seminars if you come to Perth though.

I don't think all dogs are the same either, but I don't think that means that certain breeds can't be trained reliably. I have a beagle and I have lost count the number of times people told me they were untrainable, couldn't be "trusted" off leash, she would never have a reliable recall etc. I took that as a personal challenge because I didn't accept that my dog was untrainable and could never be reliable, I also enjoy letting my dogs run off leash at the park or beach etc or when I take them bush walking, and I hated having that constant fear of what would happen if the leash came off. It is a personal choice if you want to train your dog to be reliable off leash, I would never tell an owner that their dog wasn't trainable for something as basic (and necessary IMO) as a reliable recall, I haven't yet met a dog that couldn't be trained to do it. This conversation reminds me a lot of the other thing husky owners tell each other which is that their dogs a bred to pull and therefore can never be trained to walk on a loose leash - LLW and recall are basic skills all dogs can learn, IMO. Wow, I have never heard that one :laugh: I taught my boy to LLW from the beginning, he is great on collar and on harness and will respond to left and right every time. But I have also heard some Husky people say that they cannot be left in a house not in a crate and that they have very sensitive stomachs and won't play fetch- I call BS on those as well. I agree with you that no dog is untrainable, huskies are very very intelligent and can do most things pretty easily but in my limited experience they can have selected hearing :D and for this I don't agree in absolutes like 100% recall every time. I also think it is fair to say that you are very far removed from the average owner or even a well above average owner. You are a professional :)

The owners of these breeds that want to train them to have a reliable recall don't love their dogs less because they want them to be able to enjoy freedom off leash at the beach, park etc. As I said above I don't understand why any owner would choose not to train a the most reliable recall they possible can, even if they never intend to let their dogs off leash. Recall is essential in my mind, if my dog wasn't coming back to me every time I called I would see that as a serious problem. I have a great amount of respect for you and K9 Pro, but I cannot and will not accept the claim of 100% recall with a living breathing animal, especially a headstrong spitz like a husky. 100% is a big claim of which there is no way to qualify. I do train recall with my husky and our trainer, but it is a work in progress and I do believe it is very important as it gives a better chance of survival in a dangerous situation. But I train for safety and not so I can trust him off-lead. The article is simply a heartfelt message to remind us that there will always be a certain amount of unpredictability with a thinking animal. The author say that "trust is a disease" and by this I believe she means that trust can grow or spread much like a disease and can have dire consequences. I also don't believe that all dog breeds are the same a Malinois and a Husky are vastly different. If I wanted a dog that I could more comfortably train to be safer off-lead, I would not have desired a Husky. All dogs are different and I am sure you wouldn't recommend a Husky as a protection dog? Again I will say I have a lot of respect for you huski but I guess we will have to differ in points of view with this subject :)

I don't think the article implies that at all. The author's dog had excellent recall for 7 years until the one time he didn't.

This is more directed at Husky owners but I think the overall message is universal. With a living, breathing, thinking being you can never ever be 100% , and complacency can lead to tragic consequences. There is a reason that 1000s of Husky breeders around the globe say in the most definite of terms - Never off leash in an unfenced area

I never considered a walking pole to be aggressive but I understand the sentiments. With any luck it will only be a couple more weeks before swooping season is over??

http://www.siberescue.com/Common/Leash/leashTRUST.html "Trust is a disease: There is a deadly disease stalking your dog, a hideous, stealthy thing just waiting its chance to steal your beloved friend. It is not a new disease, or one for which there are inoculations. The disease is called trust. You knew before you ever took your puppy home that it could not be trusted. The breeder, who provided you with this precious animal warned you, drummed it into your head. Puppies steal off counters, destroy anything expensive, chase cats, take forever to house train, and must never be allowed off lead! When the big day finally arrived, heeding the sage advice of the breeder you escorted your puppy to his new home, properly collared and tagged, the lead held tightly in your hand. At home the house was "puppy-proofed". Everything of value was stored in the spare bedroom, garbage stowed on top of the refrigerator, cats separated, and a gate placed across the door to the living room to keep at least part of the house puddle free. All windows and doors had been properly secured, and signs placed in all strategic points reminding all to "CLOSE THE DOOR!" Soon it becomes second nature to make sure the door closes .9 of a second after it was opened and that it really latched. "DON'T LET THE DOG OUT" is your second most verbalized expression. (The first is "NO!") You worry and fuss constantly, terrified that your darling will get out and a disaster will surely follow. Your fiends comment about whom you love most, your family or the dog. You know that to relax your vigil for a moment might lose him to you forever. And so the weeks and months pass, with your puppy becoming more civilized every day, and the seeds of trust are planted. It seems that each new day brings less destruction, less breakage. Almost before you know it your gangly, slurpy puppy has turned into an elegant, dignified friend. Now that he is a more reliable, sedate companion, you take him more places. No longer does he chew the steering wheel when left in the car. And darned if that cake wasn't still on the counter this morning. And, oh yes, wasn't that the cat he was sleeping with so cozily on your pillow last night? At this point you are beginning to become infected, the disease is spreading its roots deep into your mind. And then one of your friends suggests obedience. You shake your head and remind her that your dog might run away if allowed off lead, but you are reassured when she promises the events are held in a fenced area. And, wonder of wonders, he did not run away, but come every time you called him! All winter long you go to weekly obedience classes. And, after a time you even let him run loose from the car to the house when you get home. Why not, he always runs straight to the door, dancing a frenzy of joy and waits to be let in. And remember he comes every time he is called. You know he is the exception that proves the rule. (And sometimes late at night, you even let him slip out the front door' to go potty and then right back in.) At this point the disease has taken hold, waiting only for the right time and place to rear its ugly head. Years pass - it is hard to remember why you ever worried so much when he was a puppy. He would never think of running out the door left open while you bring in the packages from the car. It would be beneath his dignity to jump out the window of the car while you run into the convenience store. And when you take him for those wonderful long walks at dawn, it only takes one whistle to send him racing back to you in a burst of speed when the walk comes too close to the highway. (He still gets into the garbage, but nobody is perfect!) This is the time the disease has waited for so patiently. Sometimes it only has to wait a year or two, but often it takes much longer. He spies the neighbour dog across the street, and suddenly forgets everything he ever knew about not slipping outdoors, jumping out windows or coming when called due to traffic. Perhaps it was only a paper fluttering in the breeze, or even just the sheer joy of running. Stopped in an instant. Stilled forever - Your heart is as broken as his still beautiful body. The disease is trust. The final outcome; hit by a car. Every morning my dog Shah bounced around off lead exploring. Every morning for seven years he came back when he was called. He was perfectly obedient, perfectly trustworthy. He died fourteen hours after being hit by a car. Please do not risk your friend and heart. Save the trust for things that do not matter [/size]

...and they say dogs don't have a sense of humour :laugh: Sorry aliwake, I would have been dry retching for sure

Or one of those folding walking sticks you can buy from the chemist. They're very light and fold up small when not needed :) Yep, that might work or something like http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/ANTISHOCK-WALKING-TREKKING-POLES-HIKING-STICKS-SILVER-i-/140892079227?pt=AU_Sport_Camping_Hiking_Hiking_Equipment&hash=item20cdd2847b

I wonder it you could carry a thin tree branch that you could wave when they come - it should work if your dogs are only a meter in front. One of those hiking poles you can get would be excellent. The eyes would be what I would be most worried about, so I suppose you could try those doggy sunglass goggles if you could persuade you dogs to wear them??

It would certainly have to be a kamikaze bird to swoop Ronin, at 12 weeks he snapped a wattle bird out of the air in the backyard much to my horror