What are you and your dogs up to today? Part 2

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JudyN
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Re: What are you and your dogs up to today? Part 2

Post by JudyN »

Yesterday, we went to an open day at DS2's chosen wedding venue, where the rooms were laid out as if for a wedding. Jasper, of course, came too. He was a little stressed, though not necessarily as me as I steered him out elegantly iced cup cakes and canapes, wondering if he was anxious enough to want to make his own personal mark on some of the displays.... :shock:

His main problem was, I think, that he knew very well we were in the New Forest, and the New Forest to him means group lurcher walks and even more importantly, DEER... which is why we don't take him there any more - his brain goes into hunt mode, and he's ready and up for it as soon as he gets out the car. He was just wondering where all the other lurchers were and when he was going to get a chance to do his job.

Still, he did settle down nicely when we had lunch outside a nearby cafe. Which is more than can be said of DS2's girlfriend's parents' cockerpoo. He can also be a stresshead but whereas Jasper can stress while laid flat out on his blanket because he doesn't see the need in expending extra energy, the cockerpoo's form of stress, in typical spaniel fashion, involved weaving and circling as much as possible given the constraints of his lead :lol:
Jasper, lurcher, born December 2009
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Nettle
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Re: What are you and your dogs up to today? Part 2

Post by Nettle »

:lol: how to lean about breed differences.............

It would make a great game - which breed shows stress this way? Drooling, heel-nipping, hand grabbing, counter surfing, toy shredding, deer chasing, galloping about in all directions, galloping in a straight line over the horizon etc. ad inf.
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Re: What are you and your dogs up to today? Part 2

Post by JudyN »

Image

Sadly, we had to say goodbye to our beautiful cat, Monty, on Tuesday. He was very weak and frail, and was on antibiotics to try to keep on top of an infection that was probably a dental abcess (he'd never have survived surgery), but Monday night he was very constipated - in and out of his litter tray with no success - and Tuesday morning he was the same, and wouldn't eat the pate laced with his medication, which he usually loved... It was time. Still, he would have been 22 in February if he'd kept going, and I must say it is quite a relief not having to deal with his increasingly dodgy bladder and bowels.

Jasper doesn't seem affected. He has been in the walk-in (if you're 5' or under) airing cupboard where Monty spent most of his time, where he hadn't been allowed previously, and had a good sniff everywhere as if he was looking for something. I thought he was probably just after discarded bits of kibble, but when he came out and into the bathroom, he looked under the sink, where the litter tray went, in the bath, and down the toilet... So maybe he was wondering where his little friend had gone.

It's not been a great time recently - my MIL died less than two weeks ago - but now we're looking to the future. My gammy knee is almost back to normal and I'm finally back (as of today) to doing all the weekday dog walking. I'm just worn out because I'm also meant to do half an hour on my exercise bike and of course I'm totally unfit :lol: Also, we can go away overnight now if we want - we couldn't do that with Monty because of the fear of coming back to find poomageddon in the bathroom and a cat in dire need of a bath....
Jasper, lurcher, born December 2009
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Nettle
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Re: What are you and your dogs up to today? Part 2

Post by Nettle »

I'm so sorry you have lost your cat. What a beautiful picture of him. It doesn't matter how long we have had them or how much we know we have made the right decision, it is damned hard. Hugs.
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Re: What are you and your dogs up to today? Part 2

Post by JudyN »

Thank you Nettle. Leaving him at the surgery was bloody hard - I just wanted to stay and hold him. I keep leaving the airing cupboard on latch so he can get in and out, old habits die hard!
Jasper, lurcher, born December 2009
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Re: What are you and your dogs up to today? Part 2

Post by Nettle »

"The cobbler's children go unshod". That's what I have been demonstrating with my dog.

As with all of mine, I work very hard in training for the first two years, then put my metaphorical feet up for the next ten because the dog is how I like dogs to be. Meanwhile, until my retirement this summer, I helped almost every client to introduce mental stimulation to their dogs' days.

Two days ago I entertained my dog with a game of Egg Box followed by Envelopes.

Yesterday afternoon she came into he kitchen with ears akimbo. "Can we play Egg Box and Envelopes again?"

So we did. I have made a rod for my own back - and I have NEGLECTED my own dog!!! :(
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Re: What are you and your dogs up to today? Part 2

Post by JudyN »

How lovely that she was able to ask, Nettle, and you knew what she was asking - I think getting that communication going is more important than many other aspects of training.

You realise that you're going to have to tell us how to play Egg Boxes and Envelopes now :wink:

Jasper took a fancy to a male miniature schnauzer in the park today. He ignores pretty much all other dogs apart from sighthounds (who he likes to say hello politely to) and young upstart males (who he would like to put in their place), but he was getting quite frisky with this one... as in paw on the back and a twinkle in the eye. Given the slightest encouragement and he'd have started trying to hump him. Give him his due, although the schnauzer was being friendly, and they were interacting for a while, Jasper didn't actually go for it... He looked as if he was asking, and waiting for an encouraging response rather than just going for it.

I'd love to know what it is in certain dogs that trigger this. He's still great friends with the male cockerpoo he used to try to unleash his passions on (till Nettle told me I should curtail it), but the initial lust seems to have worn off and it's now just chase and playbows.
Jasper, lurcher, born December 2009
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Nettle
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Re: What are you and your dogs up to today? Part 2

Post by Nettle »

IME it's very often an indication that the humpee smells 'different' so the humper tries a series of behaviours in order to clarify what is okay and what isn't. Most common causes are a neutered dog that smells not quite Arthur or Martha, or anal gland issues, though some medication can cause ambivalent scents too.

Egg Box: put a couple of tiny smelly treats in a cardboard egg box, fasten it and give to dog to extract treats.

Envelopes: Save all your big envelopes. Put treats in screws of newspaper and stack inside envelope.

It's okay to help a dog puzzle these out, and important for bonding that you stay with the dog while it works for the treats.
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Re: What are you and your dogs up to today? Part 2

Post by JudyN »

Nettle wrote: Sat Nov 30, 2019 4:46 am though some medication can cause ambivalent scents too.
That makes sense - he was once besotted with a male lab who was on a few medications, I had to stick him on lead because he wasn't bothering with the foreplay :shock: He met the schnauzer again today, when he was with OH, but was just friendly. Fickle, or what? :lol:

I should try those games. In general I don't think J enjoys working for his food - he'd rather I just handed it straight over - but he does like shredding bags on occasion.
Jasper, lurcher, born December 2009
JudyN
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Re: What are you and your dogs up to today? Part 2

Post by JudyN »

Jasper met an 18-month-old unneutered lab in the park today :shock: We walked round together for quite a while. Jasper was intensely interested in the lab, who wanted to get him to play, but didn't quite overstep the mark. Nettle, I'm pretty sure you're going to say I should have removed him sooner than later... but the owners and I were having such a nice chat :oops:

Couple of vids:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CeBMSvhC3CE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I1wuY8XwutI

They weren't that close to us all the time, and had been running (which is why J was puffing) but it seems that whenever I get my phone out, the action gets close... and I also think that J was more uncomfortable when the lab got close to me. What I'm not sure of is how to read Jasper's playbows when I have a feeling he'd rather have had a bit of peace & quiet. Appeasment? "Oh well if I must"?

There were a few paw-on-back moments, but he only looked like he was thinking of climbing onboard right at the end, when the owners were putting the lab on lead, and J didn't complain at all about being thwarted.
Jasper, lurcher, born December 2009
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Nettle
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Re: What are you and your dogs up to today? Part 2

Post by Nettle »

I wouldn't tell you what to do with your own dog that you manage so well! :) You see more on the spot in real life than someone else can see on a vid. It all went okay.

Don't forget I've spent umpteen years working with highly reactive dogs so I tend to be over-cautious.
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Re: What are you and your dogs up to today? Part 2

Post by JudyN »

Thank you Nettle! Yes, I think with less experience with Jasper - and with what he was like a few years back - I'd say that some of his body language would be reason to get out of Dodge pronto. But I'm so glad that he can still be highly interested, and not necessarily in a good way, by an unneutered dog but not tip over into full-on bullying. It's worth mentioning for anyone else reading, that there's a lot going on in the vid that is definitely not simple play :wink:
Jasper, lurcher, born December 2009
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Re: What are you and your dogs up to today? Part 2

Post by JudyN »

Happy birthday Jasper, 10 years old today. And still moves like a piece of well-oiled steampunk :D

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Jasper, lurcher, born December 2009
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Re: What are you and your dogs up to today? Part 2

Post by Ari_RR »

Great picture, he still has a puppy look! Happy b-day J!
Ari, Rhodesian Ridgeback, Sept 2010 - Dec 2018.
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Suzette
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Re: What are you and your dogs up to today? Part 2

Post by Suzette »

Happy birthday to Jasper! Such a handsome lad!!
My avatar is Piper, my sweet Pembroke Corgi. b. 5/11/11
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