persephone

;) looks terrific!

x2 I rarely pat or go gooey at someone else's dog/pup. If it is something uncommon in our area , I will sometimes ask the person about it, or comment on it - but that's all. I probably sidestep pups/dogs heading for me as well .... come to think of it.

Oh- so they stop him doing it, without finding/addressing WHY? ..did they do a skin scraping after you told them that you haven't seen him chewing? Hopefully it improves for him/you - puppies can be frustrating sometimes

The most important thing to have a good working dog, is that the OWNERS understand both sheep and dog body language, and the habits of sheep!! It is fairly useless to have a dog, chock- full of good instincts, and an owner who has NO idea what the sheep(both individually and as a mob) are thinking! To have the dog do what you desire - instead of following its first instinct (usually to circle the sheep and bring them back to you) You need to really know your sheep!The dog is only half of it each sheep mob is different - age groups, fitness, presence of newborn lambs, or rams, or old ,knowing ewes. Sheep soon suss out an inexperienced dog/owner! Remember, sheep are prey animals, dog/human is predator- so stuff like critical distance come into play too to successfully hunt your prey- you must forst understand how it behaves :p It is an interesting, frustrating and rewarding relationship! here are a couple of links you may like to pass on? Just to give you/them some ideas? Apologies if they already know all this http://sheepdogs.com.au/main/page_sheep__s...our_working.php http://www.wool.com/Harvest_Shearing-Shed-...ep-Behavior.htm

I took the question to mean the humping of toys/people /in-house dogs/cushions on a regular basis. The odd quick hump ,accompanied by posturing and maybe a bit of noise when our dogs are let off chains/out of pens in the re-establishing of relationships is normal, I think -and it only lasts a second. Anything else, luckily very absent , is unnecessary and can lead to an obsession, IMO.

Ours have never done it - but I would not permit it if they wanted to . And we have multiple dogs ..all ages .

Gloves sound good- tho you will see it pretty easily That net which some roasts are wrapped in provides for interesting poo packaging! :D

The vet cannot really 'do anything' - because the blanket probably won't show up on an xray .. and they can't feel it very well by external exam. Symptoms can take a while, because stomach contents move thru the gut- and depending where/if something gets stuck , and what discomfort it causes, like stopping movement of food through- is when you see symptoms :D Often if a dog eats a chunk of bone which the actual stomach can't digest, and which will not pass along into the intestine, they will vomit it up soon, or maybe 24 hrs later (in my experience) it rattles around until the stomach is irritated enough to expel it . By all means talk to a vet and let them explain it to you, so it puts your mind at ease She will hopefully be fine ! Maybe bed her on newspaper if she is a chewer

If it blocks- you probably won't see symptoms for a day or two It may be too large to fit thru the stomach opening into the intestine..... in which case, she may vomit it up later on. I am afraid if she were mine I would have made her throw up , just in case ! *fingers crossed all will be well* :D

Couls well be an irritation of the vulva/urethra as well ;) Might be worth checking for inflammation, ingrown hairs, UTI.

Hi - firstly ,I would suggest you feed/give bones to all dogs seperately, out of sight of each other , and physically prevented from leaving that room/area. No one else's food in sight=less resource guarding/fighting ;) Pick up bowls/uneaten bones immediately . Your bitch is now becoming mature- and is in season. She may well be now showing her true nature- or it may be a hormonal thing...Your management style might have to be changed to cope with her - and ensure there are no fights . May I suggest you consult a behaviourist too - they can actually SEE what is happening in your pack, and help put in place strategies.

Ok? so perhaps he is NOT chewing at all? perhaps there is a mite/fungus causing it ? The acral lick granulomas I have seen .. in kennelled dogs- have been on the 'forearm' towards the wrist- and they are a defined sore..raised, thickened , often weeping skin which the dog is constantly licking. They are not easy to cure. before washing him or anything- get him checked by a vet- perhaps get skin scrapings done to check for parasites ...then work on the results

Hi- how is he this morning?he may be just a bit warm- he may have pain, it or it may be anxiety -hard to tell from this side of the screen Perhaps if it is a tad warmer over the last couple of days- he is just reacting to it? For most of his life it's been getting cooler ..... now it's getting warmer! What has the temperature outside been as opposed to the past week or so? Being black- he will absorb more heat too Beds are much warmer than floors, normally..... Our dogs pant most of the time here !They are active They don't drink all the time- unless they are very hot, panting alone is enough to cool them down . As I said- it's hard to tell Obviously if you're worried- ask a vet .

A yongster chewing at his elbows to that extent.....it may well be pain in the joints - or it could be other things. Please have it checked out - in particular the elbow joints.

If/when I have to move elsewhere not suitable /get ill/die all my animals are to be PTS.

PossumCorner- looking forward to seeing the results:)! Shell&shyla- do you have photoshop? using layers takes a bit of getting comfortable with- but it's fun practising. Layers are like sheets of cellophane/plastic - covered in another image/colour/texture/writing. You basically have different things on different layers, then place them in order on an image..and 'blend' them - so it becomes a sungle image THIS may help?

Of COURSE they make mistakes - they are animals, they misjudge, they get excited, they zig when they should zag!

Perhaps it is starch causing problems? The amount of protein in these veges is very low - so I thought maybe starch/sugar?

hope your lamb is now healthy and happy ---- gosh I so love the smell of milky lamb breath, :D We have raised many, many lambs- all on straight cow's milk - either powdered way back when- or UHT in recent years . No problems . They usually have charcoal added for the first little while - charcoal tablets ,crushed , until milk is pretty black. Years ago - a hot coal was always drpped into the bottle ...not sure what it did, but all the lambs survived! We use a normal human bottle/teat at first , then graduate to a black lamb teat. The black teats are often too hard for tiny lambs - so the human baby one works well having browse available all the time is important - nice fresh grass hay or lucerne hay is ideal- hang it up about head ( the lamb's) height ..and just let them pick. Don't forget to have a sturdy water container available as well. being cold may also lead to various ailments - has he a little coat?

Wow- she's recovered very well!

JJ sent the relevant authorities to the 'breeder's' place- told him he was an unscrupulous puppy farmer ......

Oh- had a thought- if you have some very thick denim/canvas stuff and can make a cover for the HW bottle, so little teeth can't chew thru - then it would be nice to leave it there perhaps try one of the things I use? get a 2 or 3 litre empty juice container (berri/homebrand ones -the strong clear ones with yellow caps), the plastic ones. Fill it to withing about 3/4 cm of the top with water as hot out of the tap as you can get.screw lid on- then turn bottle upside down. Hold it there for a minute. ANY seepage at all- don't use it if all seems ok- then get a large sized 'explorer' type terry sock, and slide t over the bottle , so teh bottle neck is at the toe end, and the sock has the terry side IN.(just as you would wear it. now put the other sock on if you want- the other way :D This is very warm, hold its heat , and I have not had a pup chew one yet ..... *crosses fingers* The other thing I use a lot is hot bricks! We have a slow combustion heater. Bricks sit on it for 24 hrs .. then are wrapped in a terry sock and used for oldies/pups etc. very safe..and very very warm .

I haven't read all the pages - just wanted to say a couple of things :D Remove the H/W bottle! it will be a very nasty exercise when puppy chews/punctures/eats bits of it Can you put the kennel on the deck with a window view? A nice warm bed in a nice draft-free kennel is a perfect spot for your pup to sleep Plenty of things in which to snuggle - and away from ANY draft . Whilst pups who sleep outdoors may well learn bad habits like barking at things that go bump in the night - and yes, they may prefer being with their people - if that's what you do- then fine. toilet training to the yard/grass will be hard - he is only a baby ..... and in his mind- peeing away from his basket/bed is all that is required of him at this stage! Start walking him round the yard- and when you see him squat, use a happy voice (but not a 'baby' coochie coo one) and say "wee" or "quick-quick" or something- accompanied by praise IMMEDIATELY something happens.After a short time- he will 'click' and you are on your way to being able to toilet your dog anywhere, anytime by telling him It is a wonderfully freeing thing! We have outside sleeping and inside sleeping dogs- all are healthy and happy .

Bonnie22 - make sure the little dog is registered in your name - if she is microchipped, the details will need changing, too. AS you are on fixed income- I would suggest looking at pet insurance - that way if she does suddenly get ill/injured, you won't have to part with huge sums of money all at once! best of luck with your little girl

poor little mite -It could be anything - Hopefully something simple best of luck at the vets .