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 »

I'm sorry to hear that, Erica. I hope all your family still manage to enjoy the wedding despite the sadness.

After worrying about J being off form, he took me all the way up to the heath for a 1.5-hour round walk this morning. He even had a great game of chase with a whippet we met at the pond, which is most unusual for him. They belted past us with inches to spare at high speed on several occasions, but the whippet owner obviously also knew that they'd only collide with us if we moved so we were quite relaxed - I'm used to people getting quite scared when they see incoming lurchers at high speed :lol:

I'm used to getting comments like 'You could put a saddle in it and ride it' when out walking J (who is not an it :evil: ) but I had a bizarre one this morning from a passing cyclist: 'With those legs you must have problems getting trousers to fit.' Was the implication that J, who doesn't wear trousers, has unusually long legs for a dog? Given that I'm all of 5 foot tall it would make more sense if she was referring to my legs, but surely no one would make such a personal comment to a complete stranger as they passed on their bike?
Jasper, lurcher, born December 2009
Shalista
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Re: What are you and your dogs up to today? Part 2

Post by Shalista »

first diaper trial was a total failure. i discovered that bax LOATHES getting his behind touched. he was deeply uncomfortable with the diaper on and a total hyperactive mess once it came off after a few minutes. despite being labeled as for girls OR boys it was about 2 inches to short to actually cover bax's *cough* parts

I wanted to use it because it used a disposable liner but i think im just going to have to bite the bullet and buy bax the washable belly band. the belly band should solve both the problem of bax hating getting his rear touched AND it not fully covering his parts. just not looking forward to all the laundry :?
Baxter (AKA Bax, Chuckles, Chuckster) Rat Terrier, born 01/16/13
Ari_RR
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Re: What are you and your dogs up to today? Part 2

Post by Ari_RR »

JudyN wrote: Fri Aug 25, 2017 4:45 am I'm used to getting comments like 'You could put a saddle in it and ride it' when out walking J (who is not an it :evil: ) but I had a bizarre one this morning from a passing cyclist: 'With those legs you must have problems getting trousers to fit.' Was the implication that J, who doesn't wear trousers, has unusually long legs for a dog? Given that I'm all of 5 foot tall it would make more sense if she was referring to my legs, but surely no one would make such a personal comment to a complete stranger as they passed on their bike?
😂 😂 Sorry, but I just can't see how this comment can possibly be directed to a dog.
Maybe not a complete stranger? Some high school mate of yours perhaps, still holding a grudge from the old days? 😂
Ari_RR
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Re: What are you and your dogs up to today? Part 2

Post by Ari_RR »

Probably an old joke, but the visual is so deliciously good...

Why do dog people love their dogs so much?

Imagine that by some accident you locked your wife and your dog in the boot of your car... and 10 min later remembered that they are locked in there, ran to the car, and opened the boot to let them out.

Which one do you think will be happy to see you?

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

Post by JudyN »

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

Post by Shalista »

diaper training is going spottily.

got bax a full diaper that they said could be used for boy dogs cause it had a disposable pad so you wouldnt have to wash the whole thing. bax HATED it. he apparently hates having his butt touched (something i had hitherto been oblivious to) and it was to short anyway so i gave it to ki.

now he has a proper boy belly band and i have learned of an unexpected phobia on his part. velcro. he doesn't getting it put on, tolerates wearing it with only a few stress signs. but HATES getting it taken off. last night i thought for sure he was going to bite me. he kept spinning and giving warning teeth flashes at my hands as i tried to pull it off. i thought it was just he doesn't like it getting taken off but no, he just hates velcro.

this morning i had some spare bacon i cooked up so i broke it into tiny pieces and i sat just putting the velcro together (not on him) and pulling it apart to get him used to the sound. he would cower and scoot backwards every time i pulled it apart. after about 1/2 a stick of bacon he now sits eagerly for the sound so i think ill do a couple mroe trial runs and then maybe tomarrow try doing it while its ON him.
Baxter (AKA Bax, Chuckles, Chuckster) Rat Terrier, born 01/16/13
MPbandmom
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Re: What are you and your dogs up to today? Part 2

Post by MPbandmom »

Best wishes Shalista. Sirius isn't a great fan of the Velcro on her thundershirts, but fortunately isn't as upset about it as Bax was being. It sounds like the counter conditioning is going well for you.

Sky has had a couple of husky adventures last night and this morning.

It had taken me longer than anticipated to get the dog meals packed up this month, so my plans to take both dogs for an evening walk at the battlefield didn't happen. Instead, I ended up taking Sky for a dusk walk around the neighborhood. I didn't take Sirius, because I had heard some fireworks going off while I was packaging the meat, and fireworks are more likely to be heard around dusk or later around here. Sirius got a nice walk this morning all by herself.

Last night, Sky headed for the park as usual. We make our loop around and as we came back to where the dog park is we stopped for a break. There was only one couple in the dog park with about 6 huskies and one other small dog. A lady came out and met Sky and invited us to come in put Sky in the small dog area and give the dogs a chance to get to know each other with the safety of the fence separating them.

As I headed in, I mentioned that Sky doesn't like to be barked at. Well, huskies being huskies, and tending towards the vocal side, they gave Sky a very vocal greeting, which she responded in kind with along with some growling thrown in. Once we had separated the dogs from shouting at each other through the fence a couple of times, they settled in to mostly ignoring each other. There was a very mellow, smaller, white husky that kind of hung by the fence and was the first of the group that Sky was comfortable being close to. Eventually all were able to come over to the fence and interact peacefully. Sky had a nice romp in the dog park smelling the smells and let me know when she was ready to leave and continue on our way.

We may do this again if we happen at the dog park under the right circumstances.

Today Sky had a solo walk around the neighborhood after Sirius had a walk. At one point, we encountered a young looking husky taking herself on a grand adventure husky style. :D She was initially on the other side of the road, but when she spotted Sky, she raced over to say hello. I managed to not panic and kept the leash loose as they greeted. I kept telling Sky what a good girl she was. Both dogs had the hair on the back a bit erect, the husky more so than Sky. Sky did snap at the husky at one point, and the husky snapped at Sky a while later. Overall, they both did a very good job checking each other out and determining that neither was a threat to the other :D . Then the husky decided other adventures were calling her and off she went.
Grammy to Sky and Sirius, who came to live with me, stole my heart, and changed my life forever as I took over their care and learned how to be a dog owner.
JudyN
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Re: What are you and your dogs up to today? Part 2

Post by JudyN »

Soooo, I have a dilemma. Jasper likes to sleep on our bed during the day, so we cover it with an old throw, but often as not before settling down he'll have a good scrabble and pile all the covers into a heap. Often this means that when we get into bed we discover it's a bit gritty, or even muddy but hey, when did a bit of dirt hurt anyone?

But in the last few weeks he's managed to scratch a hole in a sheet, and a quilt cover.

I could shut him out of the bedroom, of course, but he's so comfortable and relaxed there it would be a shame, to say nothing of the constant whining because he wants to go in. I could let him in when I'm there and try to instruct him that he has to settle down straight away rather than building a nest but I'm not sure how well that would work, and if he might then just have a good scrabble as soon as my back is turned. Or I can see if I can come up with some sort of throw that he won't be able to shift. Hmmm, maybe if I tuck the edges right under the mattress every morning? But there's so much strength in those long legs I'm not sure how successful that would be. Worth a try though.
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 »

Things I have discovered today... no one, but NO ONE, is checking Jasper's anal glands without him having a sedative :lol:

Thankfully I don't think he has a problem with them, as he's just had a slight cheesy whiff around the base of his tail on occasion over the last few weeks. Given the difficulties of sedating him - his breed mix limits what drugs can be used, he's so anxious he fights it (the sedating effect rather than the vet - OK, as well as the vet...) so either needs a bigger dose or a longer time, both of which carry risks, he cries for a full night after sedation and he can be not quite right in the head a full week later - we agreed that it wasn't going to happen unless there was a real need.
Jasper, lurcher, born December 2009
Erica
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Re: What are you and your dogs up to today? Part 2

Post by Erica »

Tomorrow I drive up to Virginia for the final KPA workshop and assessments this weekend. Feels absolutely unreal. I haven't even packed :lol:
Delta, standard poodle, born 6/30/14
Shalista
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Re: What are you and your dogs up to today? Part 2

Post by Shalista »

some days you feed your dog a balanced nutritional diet of organs, muscle and bone.... and some nights you accidentally dump an entire bag of potato chips on the floor with a food aggressive dog and no reliable 'leave it' cue....
Baxter (AKA Bax, Chuckles, Chuckster) Rat Terrier, born 01/16/13
MPbandmom
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Re: What are you and your dogs up to today? Part 2

Post by MPbandmom »

Shalista wrote: Fri Sep 08, 2017 8:48 pm some days you feed your dog a balanced nutritional diet of organs, muscle and bone.... and some nights you accidentally dump an entire bag of potato chips on the floor with a food aggressive dog and no reliable 'leave it' cue....
Sorry Shalista, I had a bit of a chuckle on this one. :lol:

Health Concerns for Sky,

I admit, I don't do the best job of getting Sky out for walks on a regular basis, and as the days are getting shorter, we are more likely to be out for our walk at dusk. If I don't have yard work or responsibilities at my parents, I do try to get them out on Saturday mornings for an extra walk. Which works out to maybe twice a month.

Several days ago on a morning walk, I observed a tinge of pink on Sky's fur on her backside. I wondered to myself if she had a bladder infection/was I seeing blood, but was unable to make a definitive determination on the blood question. Somehow, by the time I got back home, I had totally forgotten about my concern/question.

Not only did I not remember it then, I didn't think of it while we were at the vet last Saturday for annual check ups. In fact, I didn't think of it again until I took Sky for a walk yesterday morning and one again observed the tinge of pink. Only this time it was accompanied by her "marking" in blood which resulted in blood spatters on her legs.

So, back to the vet yesterday. She is being treated as if she has a urinary infection until further testing results can be obtained. X-Ray didn't show any presence of stones, or anything else obviously amiss. Blood work was confusing. The vet stated that her blood work on Friday was better than her blood work on Saturday, but her blood test results from Saturday had come back normal. They re-did her snap test which had come up positive for Erchlacia (sp) tick born disease. She was treated for this several years ago, so always shows up on the tests now. The urinalysis revealed red blood cells, white blood cells, platelets, but not much in the way of bacteria which would be expected if looking at a severe urinary tract infection.

Vet is sending her blood out for a second opinion as vet felt the machine was acting wonky. We were asked to bring in a better, first morning sample of urine which will also be sent out for additional testing. We should have results next week. It might be a re-occurrence of the erchlacia. It might be something else. If the current antibiotics seem to help and it isn't a recurrence of the erchlacia, we will be given another week of antiobiotics. If a recurrence of the erchlacia, we will be given different antibiotics. If none of the above, the next step would be to do an ultrasound.

Sky is being typical Sky and other than the blood, showing no signs of illness and really no indication of infectious processes. I think I would be less concerned if she were showing signs of being sick. I am avoiding jumping to conclusions as I don't believe in going straight to the worst case scenario until such time as that may be confirmed.
Grammy to Sky and Sirius, who came to live with me, stole my heart, and changed my life forever as I took over their care and learned how to be a dog owner.
Erica
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Re: What are you and your dogs up to today? Part 2

Post by Erica »

Keeping Sky in my thoughts.

Delta did fabulously today. We all practiced performing our chains, and Delta and I were the only team who went through all exercises in a way that would pass the test. I hope we do as well tomorrow! And that tomorrow everyone else feels less stressed and does better too.

Jaw still hurts from clenching. Tomorrow will be my first day on full dose of anti-anxiety meds, so that timing worked out really nicely, lol!

Sister had observed that Marble was very down without Jax around, and she and her long-time boyfriend were missing him badly. They adopted a cute adult dog who apparently is Marble-approved. I hope it goes well for them! Sister was talking to me about it for a while but I didn't expect them to get a dog today! :D He has a pretty fantastic set of thinking wrinkles and adorable wild ears.
Delta, standard poodle, born 6/30/14
JudyN
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Re: What are you and your dogs up to today? Part 2

Post by JudyN »

WTG Erica :D And fingers crossed for Sky, MPbandmom.

We visted a nature reserve, Arne, on Poole Harbour this morning. There's osprey there right now but all we saw were a squirrel, a seagull and a few swallows. Jasper assured us that if we'd just let him off lead he'd be able to find LOTS more wildlife... which is, of course, why dogs aren't allowed off lead there...

... apart, apparently, for the two entire males who came up and introduced themselves to Jasper, which didn't impress him much :roll: They were a breed I hadn't come across before - a Bavarian Mountain Hound. They're pretty rare in the UK - apparently 50 were registered in 2015, though I think that's new registrations rather than total number of registered dogs. I'd be interested to know total numbers but can't find anywhere that'll tell me.
Jasper, lurcher, born December 2009
MPbandmom
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Re: What are you and your dogs up to today? Part 2

Post by MPbandmom »

Way to go Erica! I home all goes well for you and Delta today and that the others have better days as well.
Grammy to Sky and Sirius, who came to live with me, stole my heart, and changed my life forever as I took over their care and learned how to be a dog owner.
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