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

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

Post by gwd »

That is a very good effort Erica! ........and I applaud you for learning to groom. I am totally with you on the avoiding commercial groomers. They have a deadline, you do not. I've often done my dogs over a several day period when they are young, (or elderly). Heck sometimes even now I do that as I may have an hour to work on them but not the full 6 that it takes for me to do a show groom.

You'll eventually find that a grooming table is really convenient.......... as well as a good high velocity drier.
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delladooo
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Re: What are you and your dogs up to today? Part 2

Post by delladooo »

Erica wrote:I'm trying it myself!
On the topic of grooming yourself, how are you going about learning Erica? I couldn't leave Laufey at a groomer's and don't think I'd trust them either but could maybe do with trimming around his eyes but I'm nervous I'm going to cut him.
gwd
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Re: What are you and your dogs up to today? Part 2

Post by gwd »

Erica wrote:...so I'm trying it myself!
Also remember, it's only hair. If you make a mistake it will grow back and you try and do better next time. .......it's not the end of the world!
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Erica
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Re: What are you and your dogs up to today? Part 2

Post by Erica »

Thanks gwd :D I'm less concerned about looks (for now) than his comfort. I'm really enjoying it, though I always love grooming dogs...one of the reasons poodles were on my list :)

Judy, I am sometimes amazed at how good Delta is...I find myself wondering if he's actually real or if I'm just imagining him...and then he'll poop on Opal's bed (under my parents' supposed watch, they're not allowed to let him out without me any more) or jump up and nip at a shirt, tearing a hole in it...overall he's brilliant, but he is still definitely a puppy :D

Delladoo, honestly I'm just kind of going for it :lol: As I mentioned, I'm not using electric clippers at the moment. Here's the set I'm using, called the "Scaredy Cut". You'll notice I haven't groomed Delta's face yet; like you, I'm wary of cutting near his eyes. At the moment I'm getting him used to my holding his face still, then I'll add scissors once he's reliably staying still and not struggling. I'm also using short scissors with a rounded end, so there's a slightly lesser chance of him impaling himself on them than with sharp-ended scissors. I'm sure there are websites and books about grooming poodles/poodle mixes, but since he's a puppy I'm just trimming it to the same length all over and doing the poodle paws and face, because I love the look it gives them.

For "holding face still" I'm starting when he's already calm/tired, scratching his chest and ears until he's content. Then I'll gently hold his muzzle still for half a second, mark with a calm but happy "Yes!" and release/treat. We're working on increasing the time, obviously, but we started small! :)
Delta, standard poodle, born 6/30/14
MPbandmom
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Re: What are you and your dogs up to today? Part 2

Post by MPbandmom »

Good going Erica!

Grooming is probably my biggest hang up with potentially having a samoyed in my future.

I was going to be running Sky 6.1 miles on the canal tomorrow, but her intermittent limping this week along with OH discovering a small lump in her skin around harness area, has caused me to decide to pass this weekend. The vet will be coming round to check her out next week I was able to locate a sensitive toe pad, but unable to figure out what was causing it to be painful.

We are aiming for a walk at the battlefield hopefully tomorrow morning if OH gets up in time. The Samoyed club speciality is tomorrow afternoon and there will be 50+ samoyeds to be judged. I need to go to infodog and check out what other breeds will be there.

I'm really rather bummed about not running tomorrow, Sky has seemed better the past couple of days, but our walks have been rather short. I don't want to take a chance on getting 3 miles out and having Sky come up lame and then have to get her 3 miles back. Better to wait until I am certain she is sound before running again.

Sirius has been doing very well recently. She definitely has OH wrapped around her paws. The focus she gives him hoping to sucker him into giving her a treat is so cute. :lol: (and often successful :lol: )

Our neighbor has a variety of dogs. He is a traveling worker in that his wife lives in their main house in another state and he lives here generally just when he is working and then goes to the other state when he is off work. Sometimes he brings a dog or two with him. One of the dogs that he sometimes brings is very reactive. He can be heard barking just about all day long. He can be seen staring out of the window doing his best imitation of a junk yard guard dog who thinks my yard belongs to him. :roll: I feel very sorry for the dog, moving from house to house, spending long days locked in a strange house, with strange dogs next door, and strange noises all around. I don't see much chance of improvement for the fellow. I just don't think the owner has the kind of time available that the dog would likely need to be helped. :(
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.
gwd
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Re: What are you and your dogs up to today? Part 2

Post by gwd »

Erica wrote: I'm not using electric clippers at the moment.
Don't wait too long ...........I say this because I'm sure the breeder groomed him several times with electric clippers......... not letting too much time pass keeps him remembering that it's not something to worry about. .......get your groomed friend to bring her set over even if you don't do anything other than face.
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delladooo
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Re: What are you and your dogs up to today? Part 2

Post by delladooo »

Erica wrote:I'm sure there are websites and books about grooming poodles/poodle mixes, but since he's a puppy I'm just trimming it to the same length all over and doing the poodle paws and face, because I love the look it gives them.
I'll definitely see what I can find literature wise. I would love a standard poodle in my future but I'd love to groom myself instead of a stranger but I don't want to do a course because I don't want a business but I still don't want to do something wrong and scare a dog. Laufey's not exactly a helpful practise partner either as he doesn't do still :roll: but these are all long term things and nothing to worry about in the near future :) I will definitely slowly try what I can with Laufey's face though
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minkee
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Re: What are you and your dogs up to today? Part 2

Post by minkee »

I was so pleased with Breeze yesterday!

We were meeting up with family for Sunday dinner, so we thought we'd go out to a dog-friendly pub in the middle of the woods, and they could bring their dogs and we could have a walk together first. Knowing that Breeze isn't particularly fond of other dogs at the moment, plus the fact that theirs are only puppies (4 and 8 months) we decided to go out early, give B & S a good run, then we could put Breeze in the car while we tootled around with the puppies.

Well, first an extra chunk of family showed up with an extra dog.... then they ALL crowded round the gate because the field we usually walk in was full of cows! So Breeze couldn't get to the car without meeting them first. However, we know that he really loves the people that have those dogs, so he got to see F, J and A, all his absolute favourites. And I think because these puppies smelled of his favourite people he was, after a little bit of halfhearted shouting which the puppies ignored and ran straight up to him, he was totally fine with them. They were fearless and just flooped about sniffing him, and he was not bothered by them in the slightest. He had a good watch of the older dog, a collie, but he knows her from when he was little and stayed with them for a weekend, plus other visits. He had a good stare and a bit of a shout but after he got a sniff he was fine. He was DELIGHTED to see his people, and completely happy to ignore the dogs, and even tried a little bit of playbowing with the collie (who ignored him in favour of a stick, so he ignored her in turn).

I had thought that worst case scenario, he would be unhappy and we could put him away in the car, best case scenario he would tolerate the people and I could walk him nearby. I absolutely was not expecting him to be HAPPY about it, and he really was! He was mostly sniffling about, and the baby puppy in particular was following him about like he was the best thing ever. Breeze was interested but didn't really interact, and was all soft and happy and wiggly. It was a real pleasure to see and made me feel like we're on the right track after all!

We're going to make sure we have an easy week this week to catch up after the excitement, and perhaps we'll do it again in a few weeks time. Even though it's not how I would have planned it, everyone crowding around the gate to our usual field hopefully will turn out to have been a good thing. People rarely go through it, but when they do arrive he will watch it worriedly, incase they have a dreaded dog-creature. This might put it into his brain that sometimes people and dogs turning up is a good thing!

I'm really impressed with him :D
Swanny1790
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Re: What are you and your dogs up to today? Part 2

Post by Swanny1790 »

Finally we are starting our training season. Two teams today and I'm pleased. The experienced leaders on both teams responded to their cues flawlessly and all of the dogs worked well.
As usual, we are starting with small teams and short distances, focusing on the dogs' behavior. There will be plenty of time for conditioning as the season progresses.

First team was Cassie and Grace in lead, Maggie in single swing, Animosh in single team, Midnight and Aumaruq in wheel.

Second team was Capella and Just in lead, Friday in single swing, 13 or 14 year old Beau in single team and Selene and Denali in wheel.

First team Image

Second team Image

PS - I don't have a clue why the first picture shows so much smaller than the second - they are both cropped to the same size.
"Once infected with the mushing virus, there is no cure. There is only trail." - Sven Engholm
gwd
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Re: What are you and your dogs up to today? Part 2

Post by gwd »

Swanny1790 wrote:First team was Cassie and Grace in lead, Maggie in single swing, Animosh in single team, Midnight and Aumaruq in wheel.

Second team was Capella and Just in lead, Friday in single swing, 13 or 14 year old Beau in single team and Selene and Denali in wheel.
Was Chetan upset at being left behind?
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Erica
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Re: What are you and your dogs up to today? Part 2

Post by Erica »

Thanks for the tips, GWD - I was scared of the prices for grooming tables, but they seem to be quite reasonable! Any recommended brands for the dryers? I'm going to try to find a poodle forum that I like soon, so I can take grooming questions there :lol: Grooming friend says he doesn't remember what kind they used where he worked.

There's a DIY dog grooming place near my house (they have a groomer there too, but you can also groom your own dog); they have a high-velocity dryer. I might go check it out. Our vet recommended it to someone who needed an emergency groomer once while I was there, lol.

Speaking of vets, Delta went in for his last parvo/distemper shot this week. At the end I was gearing up for a discussion on neutering but they just said "see you next year for boosters!" :D I also saw two intact males in the lobby (which is nice in that there's plenty of stuff to break up line of sight between dogs) so they seem to be alright with delayed neuter. Yay! Next time I might even mention Delta's food and see what discussion occurs. I write it on all the survey sheets but I don't know how much they read them.

Congrats to Breeze dealing with all the people well :D

Great pictures, Swanny. It's funny to me how y'all already have snow and here I can't wear long sleeves at noon because it's too warm! Hope the weather is great for your training season :)

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Happy Halloween! Delta thinks pumpkins are very yummy, and now that he knows jack o' lanterns aren't going to eat him, he loves them. :)

Edit: Oh, and Delta's teething :O His first tooth loss that I noticed was one of his bottom canines. Baby boy's growing up!
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 »

Jasper's car phobia is back, so we're back to getting him in the car, feeding him treats while reversing out the drive and going back in again, then getting him out and walking on foot (which is the usual way of walking, but you know what I mean :wink: ). I think it started when he went out with OH when the windows were misted up. OH cleared them, of course, before setting off, but J was spooked about just getting into the car when he couldn't see through the windows. His fleas also returned, and he was showing signs of discomfort, so I reluctantly resorted to Comfortis, an oral treatment, and he seems a lot more comfortable now. I hadn't wanted to treat him with DE - it irritated my throat, and though I could wear a face mask, I couldn't see how I could prevent him from inhaling it.

Someone on another forum commented the other day that all dogs could swim, and I pointed out that that was not only false, but a dangerous myth to spread. I did a bit of googling just to make sure that I was right and Jasper isn't the only dog in the world who swims like a brick. I came across just one dog 'expert' who seemed to think that all dogs can swim, and guess who it was? Yup, the shiny-teethed one. Who'd have thunk it? :lol:
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 »

I think the correct thing to say would be "All dogs have the instinct to move their legs in water as if they would swim" and also "Some dogs are not favorably shaped for unassisted swimming." :lol: Poor Jasper.
Delta, standard poodle, born 6/30/14
bendog
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Re: What are you and your dogs up to today? Part 2

Post by bendog »

Poppy the little S*** bogged off hunting the other evening and we lost her completely for about 10-15 minutes.
Felt like a lifetime.

It was a timely reminder that now the days are getting shorter here, and the late afternoon/evening walk is getting darker I'll have to be more careful to keep her on lead.

It was only about 5.30pm but already pretty dark, and dusk seems to trigger her little inner feral creature brain into "hunting time" - it may partly be a training issue, but it is very clear that her behaviour is VERY different during daytime walks than it is at dusk, even when we are walking in the same fields. During the day she'll stick pretty close, be checking in regularly, mooch along and hope for opportunities to get treats. She'd chase something if it popped up under her nose but not very far, and she doesn't really go looking.

As soon as the light falls, she goes shooting off into the shadows, quartering entire fields with her nose to the ground, zig zagging everywhere much further away than she would normally go and recall goes almost out of the window, she'll mostly come if I run away and call her, but I have to make it super exciting and super high value rewards, and she usually checks where we are every few minutes.

So, the other night, she goes shooting off, and OH and I were talking and just kept walking, assuming she would check in and catch us up pretty quickly. After another couple of minutes we still hadn't seen her, and it was getting quite dark, so we decided to retrace our steps and split up to try and find her. 8 minutes later and she comes charging over, STINKING to high heaven, covered in mud and goodness knows what else, and with a huge grin on her face.


Lots of fireworks going off here tonight.
Pops hates them, but took herself off upstairs to our bed at the first ones, and so I've come up with her and she's pretty relaxed and just dozing and barely even registering them now.
The rest aren't really bothered by them at all. But just shows it's important to let the dog decide where she feels safest. I'd assumed it would be under the sofa which is her little den where she likes to sleep in the evening, and is dark and enclosed, but she's chosen to go upstairs instead.
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Nettle
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Re: What are you and your dogs up to today? Part 2

Post by Nettle »

yep, another late night for me :shock: with the fireworks and a phobic dog. I hate having to drug her but at least it takes the edges off her terror.

Dusk is when it all happens, bendog. When the air is colder than the ground, scent is trapped at low level, so as dusk approaches scent is stronger. You learn this especially hunting with packs of hounds, when you get an absolute screamer of a hunt as the air begins to chill late afternoon. Moisture makes scent extra good too. But most of all, it's the time wild animals start to move about.
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