persephone

It is NOT the actual bacteria which affects dogs .. the paralysis is triggered by the bacterial infection A rare condition , thankfully ...similar to the Human Guillean-Barre syndrome .. a paralysis triggered by a bacterial/viral infection ... OK .. so, no chicken . That's fine there are plenty of lamb ribs/necks , oxtails, beef brisket .... LOTS of different and edible bones you can find at the butchers

Oh ... we used old Bruce the sheep for some training this morning ;)

A pleasant surprise this evening The Boss let 2 ratbags inside .. & they came barrelling in & jumped onto his (empty) chair in the lounge . ....then discovered I was there ..so came & said hello . they played for a few minutes ..grabbed a toy sheep ..bounced on the couch ..then I had both of them with me ..one on each arm of my chair, for about 1/2 hr of TV watching

And ? outraged folks like you are already sharing /giving them attention , and bringing this to the attention of folks who may be totally ignorant They really are weird , in a very dangerous way .

Edible bones are terrific teeth cleaners Depending on the size of your dog ... use frozen chicken wings , turkey necks , or as a meal , a whole frozen chicken carcass/frame /lamb flaps, or frozen beef brisket bones. GNAWING/chewing should take a while . Crunching does not clean teeth . have a look here 7 Mar 2017 by Robert Belobrajdic 3 Tips To Keep Your Dog’s Teeth Clean You may think that “doggie breath” is just part of a dog being a dog. But that bad breath is probably a sign that your dog’s teeth need some attention. Letting bad breath go is a good way to end up with a very expensive veterinary bill. Did you know your best friend can actually die from untreated dental issues? Periodontal Disease (which affects eighty percent of dogs over the age of three-years-old) can lead to infections. Infections in the teeth can then spread through the blood stream to the kidneys, liver, heart and other organs. In the heart, it causes Bacterial Endocarditis – a blood infection in the heart valves – that can be fatal. As you can see, good dental health is very important. The following are a few tips to help keep your dog’s teeth pearly white and infection free. 1. Let Them Chew Yup, you read that right. We want your dog to chew on things. Chewing is a dog’s natural way of cleaning those teeth. What your dog is chewing on does matter, however. Choose toys that floss (rope bones), massage the gums (rubber toys with nubs or rounded edges), or break up tarter (harder plastic than rubber, but not so hard there is a risk of teeth breaking). Edible dental chews can be good, but read the ingredient list first – a lot of them are full of fillers and junk that your dog should not be getting. For edible chews, the we recommend meaty bones. All-natural (unlike those processed chews), they clean the dog’s teeth while providing a healthy supplement to their meal. Meaty, fatty, frozen bones are best. I recommend chicken necks for small dogs and frozen beef brisket for large dogs. With anything your dog is chewing, be sure to supervise as things can get stuck, but dogs must chew. It’s how nature intended your dog to clean their teeth. 2. Feed Good Food How do we get cavities? By eating sugary junk food. Well, your dog is the same way. Feeding junk kibble that is full of sugars and starches will cause the same damage in your own dog’s mouth. Feeding a natural, high quality food will help keep those teeth healthier. Adding in fresh vegetables like carrots give you two benefits – they give your dog essential vitamins and are a wonderful hard, healthy chew for their teeth. You can freeze the carrots for bigger dogs or those with powerful jaws, or as a cool treat when it’s hot outside. 3. Give Him Herbs There are a few herbs that help with different dental problems, including bad breath. These are not a substitute for going to the veterinarian, but a compliment that can help prevent or treat issues along with your vet prescribed treatment. For fresh breath, try peppermint, parsley, fennel and dill. These are easy to feed, just sprinkle a teaspoon on your dog’s food once a day every day. What should you do if your dog’s breath really does stink? If you notice, even with the good food and the routine chewing, that your dog’s breath is really bad, you may already be dealing with an infection. If your dog lets you, check their teeth and see if you can see any obvious problems – tartar build-up, bleeding, swollen gums, cracked teeth – the same things you would look for in your own mouth. If you see anything or suspect there may be something going on that you can’t see, a vet visit is the best course of action.

Ohhh, T ...

@tdierikx Things go slowly . here ;) if pups enjoy fetching (clive does ) they play that .. but commands are ones used with sheep - "Go Back" /"Fetch 'em in " jumping up into/onto things learning to STOP when leaning forward to grab something ..when being pushy , etc ... slowly learning .."Drink" "quick-quick" , "bed time" learning to get used to being grabbed by any body bit & hauled away from perceived danger and of course ..the normal having ears/mouths/toes/tails etc all handled/poked .... The Boss has the lads inside individually as well ... Clive had a WONDERFUL time this morning , he was able to demolish a dried lambs ear undisturbed by his boofy brother , he found an almond ...showed it to us , & ate that .. Dags came in ...had cuddles ..half heartedly played with part of a fleece ..wanted to get to whatever was on the kitchen bench ... did some very nice 'sits' , and ate a bone biscuit . I know, I am totally biased Clive may not be the most stable kid on the block ... but he can be such a sweetie . he found the lambs ear ..and after showing us ..took it away to chomp. I took it out of his mouth 3 times ...admired it, praised him to the heavens and returned it ... the last 2 times there was only about a 50c sized piece ... no probs ...he was just so willing ... he kept coming & showing me , wagging his tail ... even The Boss said this morning how much like Molly Clive is *goes to mop eyes* damn dogs .

Go, Trubs !! It's treat day , you gorgeous girl T xx

VERRRYYYYYYY cute ....and with a lovely big sister . Love that the two names mean the same thing :D

Oh ..and A TIRED PUP IS A GOOD PUP. several short training sessions ... some good games of tug ,fetch ,or find the toy ... feed him his meals in the KONG , so he is verty actively using his body & brain . if you have a car ..take him for rides ...

Pups make all sorts of growly noises when they play ...so that's probably what Tuffy;s doing They growl and bark at toys/humans and shadows .... he 'bites' you . well yes, he does , because he doesn' have fingers to grab you with ;) have a look at the info on THIS SITE (click here ) it may give you some ideas It is still bad manners though ..but NORMALLY just means playing , or frustration .

Practicing for the centrefold ;) Clive & Dags ... ratbags ! We are at 'that' stage . Heaps of new skills all at once ..and being way too smart about it all !! Had to giggle last night ... The Boss wheeling them about singly in the wheelbarrow as he was doing stuff ...

It can be tricky to interpret dog language ... It seems he is being like a human toddler .. I want to play ! NOW ! I SAY ...NOW!!! If he has been to toilet etc ... IGNORE. TOTALLY . no eye contact at all . look at the ceiling . no hand stretched out or moved. absolutely do not use his name ...or speak . . gather up the blanket ..and just breathe slowly ..turn your head ..and look away . he WILL give up eventually . It may take several minutes . NO praise or speech when he stops . Just carry on as normal ..s l o..w..l..y and with purpose ..and ONLY praise him when you then ask him to sit , or come to you , and he does Then he gets all the love there is :D ( CALMLY ) Do this EVERY.SINGLE.TIME. it will usually work . |NOT the first time or two ..but it will We currently have 2 pups amongst our lot .. and these learned it quite fast .....they know that they will ONLY get our attention if their backsides (or at least 4 feet) are on the ground , and they are not being noisy and/or silly being boys, and brothers ...well... they need a lot of practice

this was started in 2010 !!! ;)

Hope he is feeling even happier today ...

Welcome, Molly

aggression ? or play ?

JUST from these few words... it could have been instinct ..he got a fright , maybe ? I have seen this before ..older dogs with hearing/sight not 100% anymore ... I may be wrong . Please get EVERYTHING checked ..NOT just his heart and teeth and ears and nails ... make sure there is nothing wrong in his mouth at all ..or throat , or under his tongue . Check his joints ..the spine ..including his tail ... check around his anus for gland problems ... EYES ....HEARING ... if he gets the all-clear ..THEN you can focus more on behaviour . Take a half -step back .I know you are very attached .

I am so sorry it is such a stressful time . Your poor old dog ... As others have said . A full discussion/vet check first . Please keep us in the loop if you decide against euthanasia, and we can perhaps help you regarding changing the management of visitors around your old boy-that sort of thing . It must be very hard when you know it's coming near the time you and he need to part ..then this happens

awww...

I LOVE this update . What do the others think of this new princess ?

I like the understated way some folks write

..and if it is a hurried weaning, or normal weaning ....

Go, little one !!