BarbedWire

Thankyou for the replies. Leah the hair on his legs is about the same length as the dog in that photo which I think is too long because of the burrs etc. which he sometimes gets even around his mouth which must be painful for him. The hair on his back is almost a different texture from the rest of his body, not fuzzy poodle but more like a spaniel. I will ring around today and see what I can find but I have tried it in the past and had no luck. I really don't want to leave him anywhere all day. I have heard some horror stories.

Thanks for your reply. The coat is not matted at all on his back and it's not very long. It doesn't seem to be growing very fast there but the hair on his legs and face is quite thick. He does get matts between his back legs and behind his elbows(?) which I often just cut off. I suspect it may be your second option, but how do I find a good groomer? I don't want to leave him anywhere. I like to know he is safe. Is it usual to expect a groomer to only trim part of a dog? The groomers I have asked about it seem to think it is a weird request.

Hi I would like some advice re Thumper, my elderly dog (12yo). He is a mixed breed, probably a spoodle, with a single coat which seems to be thinning over his back but he has a lot of hair on his legs and around his face which seems to collect burrs and prickles. I usually have him clipped about four times a year but I am wondering if it would be best if he just had his legs and face trimmed. The groomer who has been clipping him works from a mobile which I prefer because I don't like leaving him anywhere. I did ask her once about not clipping him so short and she said there's only the one way to do it. Any advice welcome!

Hugs to both of you. You make my little problems seem miniscule. :hug: eta by both I mean DDD and westiemum. Hugs to all dogs too of course. One day I will get the hang of this internet communication.

DDD Just wondering how you're coping with those meds and hoping your life has calmed down a bit.

I understand what you are saying here. I have a dog that is so terrified at the vets that it makes me cry. I dread taking her and I will wait a few days to be sure that she needs to go. I often wonder what I would decide if ever I was in your situation. Not stressing my dog would be very high on my agenda. Personally I find it very difficult coping with her stress, but perhaps that is my issue and is not the way to go. I really don't have any advice to give. I just wanted to say I appreciate your dilemma. You have to decide what is right for you and that may not be what others would do in your situation.

Thankyou Steve. Congrats to Bazilybazbaz

What exactly does it mean to be nominated for an MDBA award?

Oh DDD, You are such a wonderful dog mother. I hope today is a better day for all of you. I hope you don't mind being hugged by a stranger.

peanut butter works a treat here

Oh yes Kirislin, they were the days. Such treasured memories.

Meeting a horse is a wonderful opportunity for some dog training. I remember once competing in an obedience trial at a country show and doing the off lead heeling exercise when a horse came in the gate outside the trial ring. My dog had never seen a horse before and she stopped dead in her tracks and looked in amazement at the alien outside the ring leaving me to complete the heeling pattern all by myself. :laugh: We failed of course. If only I had been able to get her used to horses before. Dogs competing at agricultural shows need to be horse proof. As for suggesting that horse riders pick up their horse's pooh. It would be so totally impractical it's funny.

I have just taken my two for a walk and I met a guy who regularly walks his dog off leash but without his dog today. He said to me, 'Don't you ever let your dogs off the lead? It's cruel not to let them have a run.' I was speechless for once.

See bolded part and the driver who swerves to miss the loose dog and then has a head on with a car coming the other way or wraps his car around a tree.

They aren't going to ban the sale of rescue dogs from approved rescue facilities in the lovely shop window, but only dogs bred for profit? You either ban one or all I say… What the hell? Do you know anything about rescue? Very few rescue groups make a profit (maybe only the RSPCA?). Very few have dogs sitting in a shop window either (I personally don't know of any groups who have shop fronts - most dogs live with foster carers or maybe at the shelter till rehomed). Most are lucky to cover the cost of the dogs that come through their door because the majority need medical and behavioural help. And rescue wouldn't exist if existing legislation was actively reducing the number of unwanted dogs - dogs bred by backyard breeders, puppy farmers, oops litters and yes, registered breeders.* I agree with others that this proposal still fails to address the real issue of puppy farmers but don't go flinging your anger at other innocent parties. *Edited to add - I am a supporter of good registered breeders but we all know the reality is some pure bred dogs still end up in rescue that were bred by 'registered' breeders because registration and meeting council requirements don't necessarily equate to ethical breeding standards. Agree LG. The Glenfield Road Animal Shelter thread in the Urgent Rescues forum is an example of what rescue goes through to help all the unwanted working dogs that find themselves on death row in a pound. to those rescuers who try so hard to clean up other people's messes.

Clearly she doesn't love her dog very much which I would probably be pointing out to her. Irresponsible dog owners. They are everywhere.

In response to the quote from the OP, I hope you also realise that reputable breeders take back any dogs they have bred if the dogs find themselves in need, such as in a pound. If your fifteen bitches had one litter each year of five dogs that would make 75 pups a year. It's a lot of pups to be responsible for. Not saying that you are not a responsible breeder, just wondering that's all.

Some thoughts on this topic: Dogs attacking small animals. Many people expect their pet dogs to live in harmony with the whole household even if that is a menagerie. (Often unrealistic I know). They are horrified if one of the household members is killed by another. The guinea pig may have been a child's cherished pet and the child might have witnessed its death. Maybe this dog should not have been put to sleep but steps should have been taken to make sure it doesn't happen again. I recently had a thread here on DOL about a magpie attacking my dog and I was surprised when some dolers almost boasted about their dogs killing swooping magpies. I also have a friend who likes to feed the magpies and one day her small dog killed one of their babies. She was horrified but when I pointed out that she probably feeds her dog chicken she saw it differently. Vets and euthanasia Vets need to respect an owner's decision re the fate of a pet but they need to point out that PTS cannot be reversed and make sure the owner understands any alternatives that might be available. For some owners that appointment may not have been an easy one to make and the PTS will haunt them for the rest of their lives. I think it is inappropriate for a vet nurse to voice an opinion and I know personally it would make me angry. It's between the owner and the vet. Rescues picking up the pieces. Seeing rescue or the pound as an alternative to PTS is just passing the buck. A dog is an owner's responsibility and personally any dog I own is MY responsibility for the rest of its life. If it developed behavioural problems (not saying that killing a guinea pig is a behavioural problem) and how I choose to deal with that is my decision and my responsibility. I have heard horror stories about dogs being handed in to pounds or rescues and then being rehomed and killing the new owner's or the neighbour's pets. Of course there are always owners and vets who shouldn't be allowed near animals. Putting down an animal because it wasn't winning in the show ring leaves me speechless. And the vet who kept the dogs for their blood should have been deregistered.

I agree with Huski. All dogs need to be taught a 100% reliable recall and also distance control such as the drop at a distance. You make it 100% by proofing it, i.e. practising in situations where distractions are present. Train your dogs to come even when a cat is around or a duck or a horse or a kid on a skateboard. Also practise with your back to the dog or when you are sitting down or crouching, when he is running with other dogs, when there is food around or a ball or whatever has high value for him. I do trust one of my dogs to be offlead because I know she has an amazing recall. We have a wonderful bond.

Perhaps rephrase it to how many hours a week for grooming or even estimated annual grooming costs.

Thankyou for all the suggestions. I don't really want to carry a stick because I have problems with those people who carry sticks to ward off any dogs they think look aggressive. Don't they know it can make some dogs aggressive to be threatened with a stick wielding human? I will try wearing a hat myself but it is not me the magpies are after. It is my dear little dog. I wonder if they think she looks like a cat, a big cat. This morning after the attack I did pick up a branch and waved it vigorously over my head and got out of the area as fast as I could. I find that the problems with magpies is that you don't know they are there until after they have swooped.

In the past I have owned dogs who much to my horror have taken care of the magpies themselves. Missy is not very big and she actually ignored it. She has been attacked before so maybe there is something about her that the magpies do not like. I am afraid she might get hurt. Unfortunately magpies seem to come from nowhere and don't warn first. They go past me and straight for her. I will be walking a different way for a while but magpies are everywhere at the moment. Bjelkier, thanks for the suggestion but I have two dogs so I don't think I could manage an umbrella as well plus it might spook my dogs. They do walk about a metre in front of me unless specifically being told to heel. I was thinking a hat with eyes on it. It would have to be small and I am not sure how you would keep it on a dog.

I have just taken my two dogs for a walk and Missy got swooped. She has been swooped before. The magpie actually connected with the side of her head but I can't see any damage. How do you protect your dogs from the magpies? Are there special hats that you can buy?

I think the other owner has a problem. If I had an injured dog I wouldn't be taking it to a dog park and expecting others to accommodate its needs. My dog's safety would be most important to me. His threat that if anything happened "you would be hearing about it" tells me that he didn't care too much about his dog because he was prepared for it to be hurt first and then he would complain. You sound like a responsible owner with an active dog.

That is the one I use for both myself and the dogs. I find it quite effective. We share although I do wash it before I use it for my tablets. I chop mine up weekly. However I think their tablets would be safe for me. One of mine is on antibiotics at the moment and I don't think they would harm me.