Sayly

All the best Pappy.

Gracie our 3 year old Border Terrier ruptured her cruciate ligament late last year. She was a couple of kgs overweight at the time (we have always had a battle with her weight) and has a slightly luxating patella on the leg she didn't hurt. Our local vet who is a great vet, said she would most probably need the op and gave us some meds and said keep her quiet for a few weeks and we will see how it goes. After talking to some great people on here, I got the name of a vet who does chiropractic work (thank you Ness!) and took Gracie to see him. He has been fantastic and Gracie didn't end up needing the surgery. She currently is at the best weight she has been since a pup and is happier and brighter than ever. She still isn't 100% in that leg but she is 100 times better than she was. Her vet is happy with how she is going and we couldn't be happier with the outcome. :D I was really upset when the vet told us what it was and then came home and looking it up but we are so pleased with the way everything has gone. The main thing is to have a vet you trust. :D ETA: With the weight, Gracie loves pumpkin! We halved her food and gave her some mashed pumpkin to fill her up and she is thinner and happier than ever. :D

If I take all three ( ) then they are all on my left, usually works quite fine, despite the size differences. Gracie closest and a little behind, Poppy and Ruby out in front a little with Poppy usually on the outer, despite being alpha out of the dogs.

Oh gosh. He was a beautiful looking dog, I wish I could have had the chance to meet him. He was one of my favourite DOL dogs too. RIP Gorgeous boy

All fingers crossed she has a good and quick recovery. We may be in the same situation soon, Gracie (3 year old Border Terrier) ruptured her cruciate ligament, at the moment we are working with a Chiro Vet who we have found to be really wonderful (and affordable) and she may not have to have the op.

Thank you Bonmedia. BellasPerson I started on the 'back' today when the dogs were excited to see me (was away over night) and it worked really well, really quickly. Hopefully it will work with strangers around.

Thanks Poodle Wrangler. Gotta grab a bunch of dog savy friends to help out now. Does anyone know a way I can make visitors not such a big deal? I hope with age the dogs may calm down but don't think that will happen.

Thank you BellasPerson, I'll get him to just ignore them and act like they aren't there instead of turning around. I don't feel Poppy has any respect for him and sees him as a big playmate because whenever he is there he will play with her.

Today's visitors were a mixed bag, my Mum's cousin has had Bull Terriers, Pitties, Goldens and some were quite difficult. She was great with the dogs being stupid, stayed calm and told them to sit or get down in a gruff voice, and if they ignored they got a swift push off. Her daughter who doesn't live with her was a typical 8 year old who doesn't see dogs much, squeeling and was a bit nervous. I didn't realise she had come outside until it was too late otherwise two of the dogs would have been put in the laundry. My BF tells the dogs to get down but pays them attention at the same time. From now on he will ignore them and turn away until they calm down and then he will tell them to sit/drop, when they do they will get attention. I think for a while at least the dogs should meet visitors in either pairs or on their own, not all three dogs at once. They are alot calmer when it isn't all three of them.

Our three dogs are predominantly outside dogs, and are always outside when visitors are here. It’s my parent’s rules, if it was my house they would be inside/outside dogs. They can see in the screen door straight into our main living area, and when we are home we are usually outside with them anyway. When we have visitors and the visitors are inside they show a bit of interest, watch them for a moment through the door then go back to sleeping or doing whatever they were doing. However it’s completely different when a visitor walks outside. All three dogs will jump up and get overexcited. Poppy’s obedience is pretty good but when a visitor is outside she will sit/drop for a moment when told but is almost straight back up again jumping until she has calmed down. Poppy is 2 years old and a Bull Terrier cross, we think with some sort of working dog. She’s easy to train and picks things up quickly, she’s a lot more people orientated than the others. Gracie knows the basics (she’s good for sit and come, her stays and downs are a bit sloppy, [Dad doesn’t think she needs anymore training and she’s not very intelligent GRRR]) but she gets downright silly when there is someone new around, especially a child. She jumps up and does not listen. Gracie is about 3 now, she’s a Border Terrier. Ruby is the youngest at about 10months and never used to jump but has picked it up from the other dogs. She isn’t as bad as the other two but it’s still not acceptable. She’s an Irish Terrier and her basic obedience isn’t the best. She’s Mum’s dog to train but with Mum’s cancer she hasn’t had the time she deserves. I don’t want to take over her training but she’s getting nowhere. I’ve mentioned to Mum several times she needs more time spent on her but it hasn’t happened, so looks like I’ll be doing that too, until Mum picks it up again. If each dog meets the visitor on their own generally they are calmer and Poppy especially is much more likely to stay in a sit or drop when told. I’m not sure if it’s competition for attention or if their excitement builds off each other. I have done some more reading today and will be introducing the NILIF, they already have to do something for any food they receive but they do not have to do anything for attention, so I think this is part if not the main part of the problem. My problem with the NILIF is that I’m not the only one in the household, and have tried several times to explain important things about training to my parents, especially with my own dog Poppy but my Dad is stubborn and thinks his way is best. Enforcing the NILIF with him and my brother will be more difficult than anything I think. Poppy is also absolutely in love with my boyfriend and is insanely excited when he comes over. She doesn’t take her eyes off him and is all over him when he goes outside. But she doesn’t listen to him. She adores him but doesn’t seem to have any respect for him at all. Once she calms down she will do as he asks most of the time, but not like she will for me. When she is excited there is no hope. So my plan of attack is NILIF for all dogs, basic obedience with Ruby and possibly Gracie as well as the normal amount I put in with Poppy, my boyfriend is to completely ignore the dogs when he goes outside until they calm down then he will tell Poppy to sit and if she does THEN she gets attention, so NILIF with him also. Does this sound right? What else can I do? How do I calm them down when visitors are around?

I've already told you how gorgeous I think she is. I'm the same, I love her drops! She looks so happy.

Isn't he a cutie pie! Best of luck with his coat.

Any chance for a pic or two?

I know this should be in offtopic but not sure if goldiesRgreat checks OT. I sent you a PM a little while ago and people have been mentioning not everyone is getting their PMs so I'm not sure if you got it. There is something else I want to contact you about as well as what was in the original message, please let me know if you got the PM about 2 weeks ago from me.

Our Ruby had the same thing after her final puppy injections. She seemed fine and I don't think it took very long to go down. Interesting post Cavandra, that's a worry!

She was kept very quiet today (laundry or crated) and when she was out on piddle walks she actually put weight on it! Yay! So we will see how she does. She was my little study buddy today, I had her crate in the study with me while I studied for my exams. She's such a sweetie pie.

We glued Ruby's (Irish Terrier, so similar to the schnauzers) and one of hers was quite nice, we glued it once to really make sure it set but after that only glued the silly one. It still occasionally sits a little funny but nothing too bad. If I hold it in the desired spot for several minutes it will be fine for the rest of the day. As for how long, I think once they have stopped teething there is little point, but I really don't know.

Our Border Terrier will eat a bit of grass each day and she seems quite happy and fine. Poppy will occasionally and Ruby does too. Poppy will eat it if you hand her a blade or two of grass. I could sit there and feed it to her all day if I wanted to, she would continue to eat it. :rolleyes: Cute puppy, gotta love the terriers.

Thank you both, you have both made me feel alot better about it. My worry is she has a luxating patella (not bad enough for us to notice but the vet picked it up) on the other leg and so I don't think limping would do that much good. Took the other two dogs for a walk today and Gracie adores her walks, I thought it mean to leave her home so I carried her the whole way! LOL After a couple of kms a 8.5kg Border Terrier is HEAVY! Was worth it to see her happy about being out. And yes we know she is overweight but she is on a diet, and has been losing weight. She's the kind of dog who simply has to look at food and she's gain the kilos. ETA: Thanks to ness too for the support through PMs and MSN, very much appreciated.

Our Border Terrier was at the vets today with a limp in one of her back legs. The diagnosis was probably a ruptured cruciate ligament. We are to keep her quiet and on pain meds and if she isn’t better in three weeks to take her back and they will operate. Does that sound right? To leave it that long before doing something about it? I’m a little bit shaken and really quite worried, I just hope the vet knows what he is doing.

Yeah it is up against the fence with a bend it up the fence. We think we have it all covered and she finds somewhere that she can lift/push and she's out. She is digging in any spot that she can find that doesn't have enough wire down to keep her in, so no specific areas unfortunately. She's part wombat I think. Only problem with containment systems is our other dogs pull at collars, especially on Gracie, I don't know how tough they are and if they would destroy it, but all the horror stories about dogs being killed because of getting caught in collars freaks me out. We are going to start looking at an electric wire across the bottom of the fence now, thanks Pandii. We have checked the fences again and once again we don't think there is anywhere for her to dig out but if there is I'm sure she will find it. ETA: Thank you to everyone who has responded the help is very much appreciated.

Our Border Terrier has learnt how to dig out of the yard, she doesn’t dig except to get out of the yard. She goes directly to our neighbours to terrorise their rabbit or her recent trick is to go into our other neighbours and try and start something with their 25kg cross breed male who is really sweet and wouldn’t start anything himself. However another dog in his yard having a go at him, how many dogs wouldn’t react. She can dig a hole big enough to worm her way out of the yard in no time, she’s a terrier so digging seems to come naturally. We have only ever had terriers but she is our first Border. We have two other dogs both younger who show no interest in digging out or following her through her holes. These two are always up for a play should she want to. They have plenty of toys, a big yard and Mum has been home more lately than ever before. We have a 20 month old Bull Terrier x BC (we think) who is more intelligent and people orientated and she is quite happy and hasn’t done anything destructive in many months, so I wouldn’t think Gracie was digging out due to boredom. I don’t think it is because of separation anxiety because she dug out today while mum was home and sleeping inside. Gracie knew she was home. It all started when we went away for a night and our neighbours looked after the dogs. Their kids talked to Gracie through the fence after that and she worked out she could dig under to get into their yard and chase their cat. Every time she has gotten out she has ended up chasing something (neighbours pet roo, cats, terrorising next doors rabbit and now going into the other neighbours to start something with their male who is 3 times her size). It feels to me like a learned behaviour which always rewards itself because she always finds something to chase? We have placed chicken wire and heavy duty wire down around all the fences but she always manages to find some tiny gap or hole. Today she managed to push under some of the chicken wire and dig herself out. She will go for weeks and months without doing it and when we finally think we have the yard dig-proof she finds some way to get out. Our dogs are outside 95% of the time and are always outside when we are home. I know some people don’t agree with this and if it were my house they would be inside a lot more, but it’s my parent’s home and so their rules. We could bring her into the laundry but it’s small and no where near big enough for all three dogs and she loves being with the others (but obviously not enough to stay in the yard with them…). She is three years old and is desexed. I have thought about behaviourist but money at the moment is really tight because of Mum’s medical bills. Is there anything we can do to stop her? As I said I think its a learned behaviour which always rewards itself because she always finds something to chase. Sorry it's all a bit jumbled, I'm just so frustrated. Everyone is. Everyone here is under so much pressure and stress at the moment and we are just finding it hard to deal with this at the moment too.

I've heard they a good too and can be given with shells on. Don't know how accurate that is but it was from several people who do it and say their dogs love it.

The Coat King does wonders keeping our pet Border Terrier's coat under control, definately worth the money spent for us.

Ruby ate a wasp about a week after coming home, as a ten week old pup. She became lethargic and vomited three times, we whisked her to the vets asap. She made a full recovery pretty much by herself. However a Stafford breeder I know has recently had a young bitch at the vets after what they think was the effects of eating a spider or wasp and after alot of money to get her right again, she is recovering. Poppy bit a bee and her face puffed up, but thankfully it was only her cheek. I hate it when the snap at the bees and wasps.