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'll try that, thanks :D This was my first go with the dehydrator and I didn't put any fruit in with this lot as I want to do some for human consumption and didn't want them taking up the smell of the liver. Of course, if he won't take the liver when it's fully dried I won't need to worry about the smell in future - heart & chicken should be fine odour-wise.

Must go and check how it's all doing....
Jasper, lurcher, born December 2009
delladooo
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Re: What are you and your dogs up to today? Part 2

Post by delladooo »

ahaha good luck! They're a nightmare aren't they; I currently make "offalcicles" on a regular basis as neither of them will eat chunks of offal :roll:

Last night Laufey spent his first night upstairs in my room with me, it was always the plan that he'd be able to sleep up there eventually but he's always been a bit on-the-go and wouldn't settle but I've put a babygate across the door and last night be went straight up, onto the bed and then didn't move all night. I was very surprised and think we'll try for a regular thing if it keeps going this well.

This afternoon, mum and I took the dogs to the lake for a walk (new place for MiMi) and had a difference of option on MiMI meeting new dogs, at one point I was quite behind them with Laufey and a jack russel went straight up to MiMi and wouldn't leave her alone as she tried to hide behind mum and then jump up at her trying to get away. When I caught up and mentioned it mum said that she has to meet other dogs and get used to it so that she doesn't end up snapping at other dogs but I tried to say that's not the way it works, not sure she believed me. I found a quick article on it when we got home but I'm still not sure how much she believes me. Although, it did get me thinking that MiMi likes to stick close to me on walks - to the point I've nearly stood on her a couple of times :roll: - and I think, possibly, some of it is because I'm more inclined to be defensive and let her hide. I think I take the two of them out on my own more often than mum does too so I'm pretty sure she's out with me more and knows I will keep them away if she wants me to (which I think she obviously does). I 100% believe she's the way she is because she missed early socialisation; she hadn't been out yet at 15 weeks so I'm trying to show her things quickly but not overwhelm her. I'm not sure I'm succeeding but she's doing well
bendog
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Re: What are you and your dogs up to today? Part 2

Post by bendog »

Tied a tug toy to cupboard door handle this morning to teach dogs to open the door. NO food kept in any of the cupboards the dogs can reach (except a few tins of beans etc which they don't bother with) so not too worried they will start to help themselves! We only did a minute or two but Pop and Ben both immediately picked up the tuggy in their mouth, so now just need to get them to actually pull for a bit longer/harder to get door open.
Another 5 minutes this afternoon and Miss Smarty pants has cracked it! Excuse state of kitchen - we are midway through ripping the flooring up so it's a bit of a building site!

http://youtu.be/rMB5WDgeA4E

Bendog still needs more practice, I am spoilt with Pop because she picks things up so quickly it makes me look like an awesome trainer when actually I'm not.
If I was then Ben and Charlie and Sash would be better trained and know all the same tricks too :lol: :lol:

JudyN wrote:Dehydrating liver stinks :x And annoyingly, Jasper turned up his nose at the semi-dried bit I offered him, though he did like the chicken & heart. I'm hoping he'll like the liver when it's dry as dust, as he's eaten liver slow-cooked in the oven, and loves liver cake.

Amy, you could teach 'fetch nappy', or 'fetch muslin', they'd be useful! Actually, 'fetch anything' would be good for all those hours spent with a baby stuck to your breast. I swear DS1 drip-fed for 20 hours a day (and cried for the other 4 hours).
Excellent plan Judy, I will have to work on something like that! In a way I'm actually sort of looking forwards to having an excuse to sit on the sofa most of the day and do some 101 things to do with a box/book/washing basket etc at with the dogs at the same time.
JudyN
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Re: What are you and your dogs up to today? Part 2

Post by JudyN »

bendog wrote:In a way I'm actually sort of looking forwards to having an excuse to sit on the sofa most of the day and do some 101 things to do with a box/book/washing basket etc at with the dogs at the same time.
It would be worth practising that too - tell yourself you can't get up off the sofa for an hour or so, make sure you've got everything you're likely to need close by, then park yourself down and see what works best to occupy the dogs.
Jasper, lurcher, born December 2009
rowe
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Re: What are you and your dogs up to today? Part 2

Post by rowe »

traversing all the interesting sights and smells of having a new rescue pup! Beemo has already learnt how to sit and we are toilet training him. I'm really looking forward to when he is old enough to go for walks and be trained on a leash :D
Erica
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Re: What are you and your dogs up to today? Part 2

Post by Erica »

Looks like a fun trick for Poppy!

Today started out okay...Luckily, I was just about finished with taking Delta and Ozzie for a walk (to beat the rain that was bearing down on us) before I started feeling ill. Delta was great and just chilled all day while I lay down and waited for it to pass. Mom took him for a walk this evening to make up for the play and stuff that he normally gets. I was able to stick some kibble in a couple food toys, and throw a tennis ball for him to fetch a bit.

I'm still not feeling good but Delta's taking his "quiet day" really well. Hopefully tomorrow is better!
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 »

I hope you feel better soon, Erica.

Jasper had a lovely chase after a deer this morning. At least I think it was a deer... I saw a greyish flash and thought it must be a rabbit, but after a bit of boinging around in the long grass Jasper disappeared from view. We'd been going off piste a bit so I didn't worry about where he was until I had climbed through a few holly bushes and found the exit off the heath, then I called and whistled - just once, as it would be a waste of time if he was still in pursuit, but I needed to let him know where I was.

He came back fairly quickly, but I suspect from a long way off, and he was absolutely exhausted!

Image

After a while he thought he might be able to raise his head from the ground - you can still see the keenness in his eyes:

Image

But no, he had to rest a bit more:

Image

it took maybe 10 minutes before he decided he was able to have a slow amble home again :lol: There's some blood round one of his nail beds where I suspect he's wrenched it, but otherwise he's fine.

I'm sure he would be happy beyond belief if he actually caught a deer (though I certainly wouldn't :wink: ), but I don't get the impression that he feels unfulfilled when he doesn't catch one - quite the opposite, when he comes back to me (and I chat to him about what a wonderful time he had and how he very nearly got it) he seems very happy and satisfied. I don't know if this is because he has only caught prey a very few times so in one sense doesn't know how it is meant to end? Is there a qualitative/quantitative difference in the emotions/biochemistry experienced during the chase, and actually catching the prey? And how much does this vary with breed, give that some dogs are only supposed to flush out or indicate the prey rather than catch it?
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 »

Any breed of dog will kill given the right opportunities (even the "pettiest" dogs will worry sheep, for instance) and a successful kill takes them to a far country where we barely exist. Once they know the way there, they will go again and again. There is nothing we can do for them that replicates this level of fulfilment or anything approaching it.

A breed with a built-in "stop" is much easier to train to leave quarry than those breeds whose whole raison d'etre is to hunt and catch. That isn't to say it is easy - just easy-er. You will note that whenever trainers put up footage of how they train dogs not to chase, they do not use hunting breeds :mrgreen:

Dogs are also programmed to abort the mission if it looks like failing. Otherwise they would run themselves to death (sighthounds often do). Having abandoned a hunt, they do not waste time with what-ifs but wait until a better opportunity presents. Constant failure will cause some to stop trying in the end, but others never do.

So far as biochemistry goes, we are looking at adrenaline and cortisol for the chase, but the rush from an actual kill looks to me like oxytocin. Would be useful to have a scientific experiment on bloods to explore this more. Certainly, once you have seen it, there is no mistaking it, and it is a league onward from the dog that has simply had a jolly good run and nearly got that one, you should have seen it!

Interestingly, dogs used to making successful catches get less and less 'buzz' from it, and it becomes a job of work. They still enjoy it more than anything else, so this observation is all relative, but links with what we know of addiction. A run out of the ordinary will still fire them up like beacons.

Given that, I deduce that this is Jas's highest 'high' so far but it doesn't mean that there isn't scope to go higher. All theory as I know you won't allow that.
A dog is never bad or naughty - it is simply being a dog

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

Post by delladooo »

Hope you feel better soon Erica.

I gave it the weekend with the kids with a homemade mix of ACV, honey and yoghurt to help with the itching on both dogs and nothing has worked so we have an appointment at the vets tomorrow. Unfortunately it couldn't be today as we've requested to see a specific vet and she was busy all day. Hopefully we'll be closer to a solution tomorrow because this is driving us all crazy. My boy still has all his fur but his itching is significantly worse than it was a few weeks ago :?
JudyN
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Re: What are you and your dogs up to today? Part 2

Post by JudyN »

Thanks Nettle, that's very interesting, particularly re the biochemistry :D Twice, possibly three times (as we're not sure if one rabbit was dead or not when he found it), he has made a kill (one time a baby deer which was the last time he went muzzle-free in deer areas :( ). What he was like after the kill was, I think, influenced by his nature - he almost had a sort of glazed, feral look, as if his eyes were no longer seeing the real world... does that make any sense? In his case, the high of making the kill would also contain a lot of fear that someone may now want to take it from him (the first time he had a bone as a pup not only did he growl at me, he shook terribly with stress). But I can imagine that the moment of the kill gives something that I can only compare to... ummm, that 'special' YES YES YES feeling people who love each other very much experience from time to time, when I suspect various chemicals are going off like fireworks :wink:

He definitely aborts his runs, sooner now than he used to, which is just as well given his lack of stamina. He has even decided not to bother chasing a rabbit that was sitting next to some dense gorse bushes because he knew it would dive straight into them, and they hurt! :lol:

As long as he enjoys the chase and is fulfilled by it and doesn't feel despondent by the lack of a kill, I'm happy, because I love to see him so engrossed, doing what he was bred for. it's a shame he must have been AWOL on the day they were handing out the 'and now bring it back to Mum' gene though!
Jasper, lurcher, born December 2009
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Re: What are you and your dogs up to today? Part 2

Post by delladooo »

send help. crushed under two dogs and a cat.Okay it's hard to be crushed when there's maybe 15kg between them but this is as close as MiMi and the cat have been. :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen:

Update: I'm still alive. MiMi slipped off my knee :lol: and got in bed. Then I sneezed and the cat ran away but he's back now. He's over 2, you'd think he'd be used to me sneezing by now :roll:
Erica
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Re: What are you and your dogs up to today? Part 2

Post by Erica »

It is going to get cold tonight (11F/-12C) and I am glad to have a dog who likes being on the bed. :) This room does get very good heating, though, to the point that I leave the door open during the day to keep the air circulating while Delta's in his crate.

I uploaded a video of Delta being fairly calm and polite during the feeding routine. Here is a link. A warning that he does bark a couple times, so if your dog doesn't like that you might want to turn the sound off.
Delta, standard poodle, born 6/30/14
delladooo
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Re: What are you and your dogs up to today? Part 2

Post by delladooo »

Glad I don't have to deal with that cold Erica! I've started taking Laufey to bed with me but as yet he's not been able to decide where he likes to sleep so there's a bit of a fidget to begin with there I basically end up with no cover :roll:
The video is excellent, if I think about it I'll try and get a video of his lunch but my camera skills are almost non existent so it could take a while to get anything that actually captures him :lol:

After yesterday's "fun" at the vets I'm hoping he has a quiet day but not holding out much hope. Last night I had to carry him most of the way to the park to pee because he wasn't for walking. This was after I had to carry him to the car from the vets and then from car to house... So glad he's a little dog. I definitely spoil him and he knows if he refuses to walk long enough I will carry him part of the way but I just felt so sorry for him. He came home with a cone on his head which has come straight off as it makes him miserable and even with it, most of the damage to his stitches is by scratching anyway so it makes no difference. It will probably go on when I have to nip out later. I have to say though the vets did annoy me a bit as they've prescribed antibiotics for, I assume, infection prevention which seems a bit silly when there's weekly news articles saying we need to cut back antibiotic use in both humans and animals. Also, they fed him without telling me so obviously it was a kibble, instead of mentioning it so I could provide some raw. I don't know for certain what they gave but I suspect Hills Science Plan as that's what they try and get you to use in their puppy pack. Actually eating the kibble isn't really my issue (as he eats any awful things he finds that I don't catch in time anyway) but more the principle of the fact as I told the vet who booked the tests he was raw fed and the vet who took the samples also knew. Add to that the fact that he smells a bit funny from being at the vets and that I didn't see him poop yesterday and he's not pooped yet today and it doesn't make for a happy human. We'll see how he gets on anyway and at this point I can forgive them if they tell me what's making them itch!

Edit:
Video of lunch can be found here http://forallthatyoucantleavebehind.tum ... 7600268802

Also, I've been noticing that Laufey is getting increasingly bothered by bangs close to, and particularly behind, him. It started just when it was dark but then I noticed it this morning in daylight too. I'm not sure where it's come from but I get the feeling I might just have to keep it in mind and do some on-the-fly training whenever it occurs :?
Last edited by delladooo on Fri Jan 09, 2015 10:26 am, edited 1 time in total.
JudyN
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Re: What are you and your dogs up to today? Part 2

Post by JudyN »

Oh dear... I did wonder if I was pushing my luck walking Jasper in a place with both deer and barbed wire (though almost everywhere round here has some of each), and today our luck ran out :? He went chasing a couple of deer, and reappeared later from a completely different direction with a cut on his back. I was really hoping it wouldn't need stitches but knew it had to be seen - and am going back tomorrow so he can be sedated and stitched :? I really didn't think it was worth the vet trying to inject local and then stitch it knowing what he's like - though I must say he let her examine him without any fuss today. OK, he might have been shut down with fear but I'll take that over him trying to rip her throat out :lol:

She's going to let me be with him throughout as I didn't want her taking him away from me if he was still awake enough for his legs to function. The traumatic bit will be getting through to when we set off tomorrow (the branch of the surgery near our house doesn't do surgical procedures) as he can't have any breakfast :shock:
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 »

Would it be that triangular rip across the top of the back? I know those well :?
A dog is never bad or naughty - it is simply being a dog

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