Carolk9s

Boy is this topic timely, between my two girls they were in 3 fights last night. I do not know what got into them, they were both witchy. At the agility session, setting up the course, many of us let the dogs run about off leash. Always been just fine. Last night, after running about for several minutes, my girls got into a brief fight with each other. I walked over, yelled 'knock it off NOW' and made them lie down side by side for a bit. Released them to play a bit more. When we were all gathered in a bunch for the judges briefing, Brittany got into a fight with a springer spaniel. I did not see it start and am not sure Britt was the instigater as the spaniel had jumped Candy last week. Again verbally broke it up and made Britt sit right by me. On the way out of the ring, Candy got into a snarly scuffle with a collie! She was right on his heels so perhaps she crowded him, he turned on her and she WILL NOT BACK DOWN from a dog. It was a short scuffle, she trotted off with a wad of his chest hair in her mouth. Next week I will bring them out individually, perhaps they are egging each other on. Don't want to get kicked out of agility cause of their witchiness! Most fights I've broken up using my BIG STERN VOICE, on occaision I've had to wade in with knees flinging dogs aside. As an adult have not been bit doing this but know full well it could happen. If the other person can grab their dog I can grab mine, either by hindlegs or a two handed grab, a hunk of skin over the shoulders and over the rump.

Ickle and all, feel free to cross post and share this. 8)

Looking into my crystal ball...I see myself in the employee canteen, posting this on the bulletin board...for all to see

Preaching to the choir here, wonder if this would touch the hearts of those who do NOT love dogs (and other critters) the way we do. A RESCUE DOG'S CHRISTMAS POEM 'Tis the night before Christmas and all through the town, every shelter is full.. we're lost, but not found. Our numbers are hung on our kennels so bare, we hope every minute that someone will care. They'll come to adopt us and give us the call, "come here, Max, or Sparky, come fetch your new ball!" But we sit here and think of the days.. we were treated so fondly.. we had cute baby ways. Once we were little, then we grew and we grew.. now we're no longer young and we're no longer new. So out the back door we were thrown like the trash, they reacted so quickly.. why were they so rash? We "jump on the children," "don't come when they call," We "bark when they leave us," "climb over the wall." We should have been neutered, we should have been spayed, now we suffer the consequences of the errors THEY made. If only they'd trained us, if only we knew.. we'd of done what they asked us and worshipped them too. We were left in the backyard, or worse, left to roam.. now we're tired and lonely and out of a home. They dropped us off here and they kissed us goodbye.. "maybe someone else will give you a try." So here we are, all confused and alone.. in a shelter for others who long for a home. The kind workers come through with a meal and a pat, with so many to care for, they can't stay or chat, They move to the next kennel, giving each of us cheer.. we know that they wonder how long we'll be here. We lay down to sleep and sweet dreams fill our heads.. of a home filled with love and our own cozy beds. Then we wake to see sad eyes, brimming with tears.. our friends filled with emptiness, worry and fear. If you can't adopt us and there's no room at the Inn.. Could you help with the bills and fill our food bin? We count on your kindness each day of the year.. Can you give more than hope to everyone here? Please make a donation to pay for the heat... and help get us something special to eat. The shelter that cares for us wants us to live, and more of us will, if more people give. --author unknown

[quote name='mouseatthebusstop']Thank-you every-one. she only had a small incision 1 inch or 5cms keyhole surgery. she is very well and active my bigest problem is to stop her running around with Paddy, she is just like her normal self [/quote] Oh this reminds me of when Jesse was neutered. He had a retained testicle, it was in his abdomen so the vet had to go in and get it. He had wire stitches in his belly. The first day home, he was like a small throw rug on the floor, I felt so bad for him. The next day, jeez! He was zooming around the yard at light speed, wanting to play, jumping up on the picnic day-a BIG NO NO with stitches. I had to put him on leash to go out in the fenced back yard so he would not be too crazy.

Have you had your dog to the vet? Have you talked to the breeder of your dog or perhaps others who breed bulldogs to see if there is a genetic base? I'm sorry I don't have any info about these tremors, it certainly sounds like a neurological issue tho. How old is your dog? Has your dog been exposed to any chemical or biological agents prior to the onset of the tremors? Things like but not limited to: flea preventative, heartworm preventative, other bug spray, any poison bait in the area, weed killer, fertilizers, ANYTHING that was put into his environment? Anything he might have gotten into? Household cleaners, rug sprays, molds, etc? The list could be quite long. Any trauma to your dog recently? Is your dog on any medications? Right off hand this is all I can think of.

Glad to hear Gladis is home and doing well. Try to keep her from licking TOO much at her incision, she will just irriate the skin. I think that was why Candy was so uncomfortable, she actually licked her skin raw. I know too well the feeling you had when leaving her at the vet, I had to leave Jesse at the vet one day recently and the look of shock he gave me brought tears to my eyes. Of course I knew he'd be fine but it still gets us to leave where they don't really want to be! Give Gladis a pat for me.

almost ANY healthy, sound dog can do agility in one form or another. Your dog should have sound structure, no joint problems, be of healthy weight, and enjoy bonding to start! If you have a puppy, special care must be taken so you dont stress tender growing bodies. If you want to start your pom on the road to agility fun, try to find a beginners or intro class that you can join. It will be very helpful if your dog has some idea of basic obedience first, you don't want your dog running amuck in class. When they are racing about out of control, they are not learning good stuff. They should have all the equipment needed, trust me it can get expensive making your own. Just a note here, you CAN make various obstacles very cheaply but as you sink further and further into the quagmire of agility quicksand, you will want bigger and better and yes more expensive STUFF. 8) It can be very addictive folks. If there is not one nearby or not one starting for a while, you can do some basic training at home. You can lay poles or bars on the ground and teach your pup to walk/jump over them. NEVER ask a growing pup to jump over anything higher than their elbows. Go to the hardware store, buy a piece of black, round, drainage pipe, it should be no bigger than 4 inches in diameter, 6 feet should be plenty, I bought a 10 foot length and it was too much. Buy an end connector also, form the pipe into a circle, connect together, tape well to reinforce it as a circle. There's your tire obstacle. Just need to fix it to a stable frame. Again if you have a pup, this might be too much of a jump as yet. Some dept stores sell childrens play tunnels for about $30 (US). You can play with your dog indoors or out with these tunnels. One book I really liked a lot for agility was written by Jane Simmons-Moake titled Agility Training: The Fun Sport For All Dogs Lots of good training advice, lots of plans for making your own stuff. Oops, gotta run, they are letting me off work early today!

I will add, from the photos pup does not look underfed. Wonder if he snuck away from someone who cares for him.

Looks like a lab mix to me too. Those ears are so cute, they sorta remind me of Candys.

Once in a while my dogs do get rawhide pieces. It is ONLY given while I am present. I have also heard of intestinal blockage being possible but I 'think' it is fairly rare. Brittany is a dedicated chewer, she methodically chews away her rawhide strip from one end to the other. Jesse loses interest after just a short time. Candy will slink around trying to find the 'right' spot for a good chew while keeping an eye on the other dogs. One time Brittany did give me a scare, she had finished her rawhide-or so I thought. Every minute or so I would hear her give a little cough, nothing huge, nothing scary. After the 4-5th cough, I said come here you! Opened her mouth, there was a piece of rawhide stuck in her throat. She could not spit it out and could not swallow it. Kinda SCARY! I got the tweezers, opened her mouth again, VERY CAREFULLY reached in with said tweezers and pulled the rawhide upwards. It did not make it all the way out, she chomped down on it and happily started chewing again. Well, she also got it stuck again. The 2nd time I removed it from her throat it went in the trash. I also give them the crunchy rawhide sticks, these disappear within seconds. I believe the pressed rawhide is much more sturdy and less of a danger AS A RULE. To anyone who plans on giving their dog rawhide, I would just say watch them carefully, if the gnaw on it at a slow pace, they will probably be just fine. If they chew off chunks and swallow them, not good. So it sorta depends on the dog.

OK, I'm curious, can you describe the dog? color-one color or mixed colors i.e. black and white? size? ear set--prick ear, drop ear, hanging like a hound ear? size? coat type/length? muzzle type, rounded, pointy etc

Ya knew where I was going with that question didn't you? 8) I had heard there was a very brief time span after neutering that the male could still have viable sperm but was not at all sure of how long it was. Glad your panic was short-lived!

Hey Gigi, how long ago was this the Kenzo 'had his way' with Kika?

Does sound like she is coming into season. Be VERY careful when taking her outside, I would keep her on a leash and not let her out of your site. Male dogs can be very persistant, creative and DETERMINED when a female in season is around. She's FAR too young to even consider making her have puppies. If you do plan on breeding her in the future, learn as much as you can about it first. If you dont want to put her through having puppies, talk to your vet about having her spayed as soon as she is through with her season. There are many health benefits to having her spayed, your vet can discuss these in detail with you. Plus YOU will be part of the solution to the pet overpopulation problem but not making your little girl have puppies.

Dang, now I gotta change my signature line Jesse, the Belgian Pit Sheepdog--who is BTW a RARE shaggy coat type with natural prick ears kind of pit Brittany, the Aussie/German Shorthaired Pit--the red/liver merle pit Candy, the Lab/Pit Jack Terrier--the blonde pogo-stick-legged pit

This was the first time I had viewed photos of the Chart Polski breed.

Adding my well wishes and moral support Hobbit, I'm sure Guy will come through this fine. you's a good person hobbit!

There was a recent question on the Belgian list about exercise and the arthritic dog. Found that there is a company that makes dog leg covers for warmth, protection and support. Kinda interesting, here is the link [url]http://www.dogleggs.com/index.cfm[/url] I am not affiliated with them in any way, just wanted to pass this along. In fact, I would probably try to make my own if I decided they were needed. I have a sister who is good with a sewing machine 8)

Just like ANY training or restraining device, if used properly a chain in itself is not a bad thing. Certainly dogs that spend their ENTIRE lives on a chain are (in my opinion) being abused. If a dog is a dedicated escape artist, the responsible owner does what needs to be done to ensure the safety of this dog. One morning I was getting ready to back out of the driveway, suddenly there was Candy beside the van. Dang! Didn't have time to figure out the problem that morning so I put her in the crate in the house. I came home for lunch that day to let her out. When I got home that evening, I put her out in the back then went to the front to try and see how she was getting out. I called her to me, little dog dug and clawed at the gravel under the wooden gate and was sliding through on her side. Fixed that, got a piece of 4x4 pvc lattice and slid it under the gate. The lattice extended on either side but about 2 feet. I put bricks on the edges of the lattice to help keep it in place. She's never gotten out that way again! Of course she's also a good bit bigger than those days 8)

I raise my coffee mug and toast you and Gladis! Um, Doc? Would you please take them troublesome female parts outta me? I ain't planning on using them! I would ask about a mild pain reliever for Gladis, probably just for the first day or two-but wait til she's fully out of the anesthesia. Candy was pretty uncomfortable for a day or two after her spay. Then again, Candy was still shockingly underweight, had NO fat or muscle as any cushion.

A word on clicker training, not ALL dogs think its so hot, while both of my girls love it and do well, my Belgian boy HATES it. He is sound sensitive and the clicker noise drives him crazy. If anyone is considering joining a clicker class, it would not hurt to buy a clicker first and try it out on their dog. Jesse is probably in the tiniest of minorities of dogs who do not like it. A clicker should cost no more that a couple of bucks, get one, have a treat in one hand and the clicker in another. Click-treat. It's certainly ok for your dog to blink or look a bit surprised at the sound, Jesse gets nervous and shies away. The girls shimmy up closer because they know something good follows the click! If you do feel clicker training will work for you and your dog, I'd then put it away until the class so you don't inadvertently create any bad habits on yours or the dogs part. :D

Hi Marcin, lovely dogs at your website!

Some people think dogs cannot problem solve. HA! With the proper motivation they can. Dogs come up with me in the recliner for cuddles now and then. I'd have Brittany in my lap, Jesse would decide her time was up and it was his turn. First he'd just stare at her trying to make her move. I was on to him and would encourage her to relax and stay. So he'd ratchet up the pressure, he'd grab a toy and start prancing about with it. He'd figured out this was an invitation she just could not resist. As soon as she would jump down to play, he'd leap up in my lap. I swear he grinned. Jesse is very much the fetcher also. This is almost a party trick, if we are somewhere and he thinks we should be going, he will go get my purse. He did this at the chiro vets office the other day. We were talking about his treatment, he grabbed my purse off the floor and went to the door. He was done.

Eric, The harsh reality and very sad truth is that some unscrupulous breeders will import bloodlines for a specific breeding program. The Euro lines frequently have a 'harder' temperament or just a more stable temperament. Some want to bring this blood to the USA to infuse the dogs they have with these temperaments. There are 'academys' who boast about their breeding programs turning out guard dogs, patrol dogs, sniffer dogs, etc. There are puppies, who though bred from hard working lines, that just don't have what these people consider to be necessary for their programs. This happens in GSD's, Belgian Malinios, Dobermans, Rotties, and other breeds. The pups that 'don't make the cut' are either sold as pets or simply dumped. Belgian rescue has had to rescue entire litters of pups from idiots who don't have a clue about breeding, think they are breeding hard working dogs, then think if the pup won't bite hard, it's no good. Some products of this type of breeding have a too hard temperament, these dogs MUST work, MUST have a very strong handler-hopefully one who combines kindness with discipline. Belgian rescue has evaluated some of these dogs, unfortunately a dog trained in bitework or for protection work CANNOT be taken into the rescue network, indiviuals can help the dog but due to liability concerns, the club cannot take the dog in and then rehome it.