Aphra

CAO= Central Asian Shepherd (Ovcharka). One of the breeds of dogs generically known as LGDs or Livestock Guardian dogs. ASD is Anatolian Shepherd Dog, another of the LGDs. http://takas-volkodav.com/ for pictures and info.

It can work, but it does depend on the dogs. My male Neo and my male Mastiff X live happily together. My male Anatolian and my two cross-breed working dogs (both desexed males) also co-exist happily. They are all old enough that if there were going to be issues, they'd have shown up by now. If there is a fight, it is always started by my female Neo. If they like each other now, and are both generally dog friendly then you don't have to anticipate problems. But because they are both big dogs, (and I think one of them is part Neo?) you don't want to make it easy for them to argue, so I'd suggest you supervise feeding time; eating bones and things that are likely to trigger resource guarding. I think the ability of dogs to co-exist happily isn't about gender but about compatibility and temperament. Two reactive dogs of similar rank will be more likely to fight than two laid-back dogs, or a very dominant dog with a very submissive dog, regardless of gender.

If your new foster is really a Mastiff X you won't want to be giving him any extra calcium. A lot depends on just how thin your new foster is. If he's just a bit skinny then you can just proceed to feed him normally. If he's really in poor condition because of starvation you'll need to proceed with more caution and veterinary advice. Good quality kibble with additions such as eggs/yoghurt/sardines/Natures Gift (tinned food) with the addition of some flaxseed oil, raw food such as chicken frames or lamb flaps and necks, meaty bones to give him something to do and good for teeth. This is basically what I feed my Neos and the other dogs on a day to day basis. I am a convert to the use of flaxseed oil for their coats. You don't want to force feed him. If he's very starved his body may not cope and you could cause something called refeeding syndrome. Give him the normal amount of food for a dog of his size broken up into a few smaller meals during the day. A good grooming every day will help his coat, at this time of the year many dogs are shedding out, and you might find that he just needs all the dead hair brushed out of his coat to make him look better. Don't worry too much if he doesn't put on weight quickly. A dog can be thin because they have gone hungry for a little while and lost the external fat from their bodies. Or they might be thin because they have gone hungry a long time and lost not only the external fat but internal fat as well. In the latter case they put on the internal fat first and their external appearance won't change much for a while. Here's a good article on feeding a really emaciated dog: http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_hb48...ag=artBody;col1

Is he dropping his coat? When my male Neo dropped his coat this year all the old hair just fell out and he had big bald spots. It took a little while but his coat has come back, and it's gorgeous, the best its been in a while (I put it down to changing supplements from fish oil to flaxseed oil, but its just a guess). Otherwise does he rub his throat on something when he's itchy?

Some of the best advice I was ever given about horses was that you had to work with the horse you had in front of you; not what you thought the past of the horse might have been like, or what you thought the horse should be like. Sometimes people bring too much imagination to the animal they're working with and end up trying to live with, or train, some imaginary beast ("oh my dog would never"; "my is pretending to be lame"; "my dog knows I want him to"; insert whatever other story you like), rather than the creature right there with whatever qualities it has. We're human, so we're by nature prone to developing narratives about things, including animals. And as humans, it's difficult for us to grasp that dogs are not humans, they are not just like us. I think the best trainers, and the people you meet who seem to have a natural affinity with animals are those who seem able to look at the animal and see its true nature without the layers of assumption and mythology and wishful thinking which afflict the rest of us. It's about being able to pay attention and draw conclusions based on the nature of dog or horse in the context of that animal, not in the context of some story about the animal we've built up ("my horse doesn't like to" as opposed to "my horse is in pain and physically can't"). As an example, so many people talk about their horses being naughty, or deliberately doing this that or the other to annoy the rider, when the reality is that horses have the brain power of a slightly educated raisin, they understand balance and fear and speed and food and pain, and that's about it. Of course, with horses and with dogs, it's easier to blame the animal than to recognise that the human is more likely at fault. I suppose the other part of this is that if an animal has been abused then the thing they need more than anything is clear, consistent leadership. If the rules are always the rules and the person making the rules provides kind, fair but obvious boundaries, then an animal made anxious by past harm has a place to relax and relearn trust in a framework of safety. In one of her books Vicki Hearne talks about retraining a horse which came to her as a last resort. The horse's owners believed the horse was mad and quite untrainable, but Hearne, upon working with the horse, discovered a very sensitive horse who desperately craved consistency in leadership. More than most horses, this one was unable to tolerate ambiguity, and in the abscence of clarity became unmanageable. Once the horse was in a place where there was clear and consistent leadership, her anxiety decreased and she became able to learn. If an animal is afraid that a human might hurt it, then the way back is showing it that a human can be trusted, and for animals I firmly believe that trust and affection can only come after you have respect. This doesn't mean that some animals haven't been abused and might need special skills or professional help to reclaim their confidence; more that I think for those animals good leadership is even more important than for your average dog who is happy to tolerate a bit of fuzziness.

The trail of association might be some distance back and not connected to the kitchen in any real way at all. As an example. One of my dogs goes right off and barks like a loon when I turn on the food processor. In fact he will start making a fuss if he hears me put the lid on the food processor, or even if he thinks I'm getting the parts of the food processor out of the cupboard. The natural conclusion might be that he was afraid of the food processor or didn't like the noise, but that's not at all what's going on. Years ago when my old dog was losing his hearing he seemed to find the sound of the food processor particularly annoying, and being the old grouch that he was, he'd take it out on Rupert. So Rupert learned to associate the sound of the food processor with getting a hard time from my old boy. Eventually the old guy lost most of his hearing and didn't care about the noise at all, and he's been dead for nearly two years now, but Rupert still reacts to the sound. So possibly your dog associates whatever the action or sound you're making in the kitchen with some negative experience. It might have nothing to do with the kitchen, but oven sounds like something which upset him.

I'm pretty sure it was someone on DOL who recommended a method used by (police? quarantine? military?) dog handlers. I used to it good effect on one of my fosters, and suggested it to a friend who was having trouble with his Bernese Mountain Dog jumping on him ... worked first time with the Berner! The recommended method was that as the dog jumps on you, hold their front paws and squeeze them tighter (obviously to the point of discomfort, not actually pain) and at the same time give them lots of affection, "oh you lovely dog" squeeze, squeeze, "you are SUCH a lovely dog" squeeze squeeze, in a happy, loving voice, holding the dog as it tries to get away (disclaimer, don't try this with a dog you don't know and etc etc etc) and praising it joyfully. The dog isn't being punished, but it's confusing and a bit alarming, so they seem to decide that another activity is more rewarding. For a little while you can see them think, "oh jump, jump, er, maybe not". I do think, as others have suggested, that a reliable sit is probably a good idea, it's a very useful command. Get your puppy to sit for everything. Sit for treats, sit for meals, sit for pats, sit to go in and out the door, sit to have leash on, sit to have leash off, sit before puppy can go and play. Once you've got a really reliable and automatic sit happening you can use it to deflect all sorts of mad puppy behaviour. One of the things I like about teaching sit this way is that the dog gets to see it as a communication tool, so they'll offer a sit when they want something ... I think it gives them a bit more sense of control, so they don't need to demand attention in other, more annoying ways, since they already have a reliable tool.

One of my fosters wasn't keen on kibble, so I used to open a tin of Nature's Gift and mix a little of that and some warm water into his food, and he then ate it quite happily. Doesn't have to be much of the tinned food, you can put the rest in the fridge for the next few days. Maybe kibble on its own just doesn't smell interesting? You could also try mixing something like a bit of tinned fish (sardines/tuna) in with it.

Thank you for your comments everyone. I know that without seeing the behaviour it's hard to judge, but I'm reassured that my judgement might not have been so flawed. Harry is a great little dog, he's lots of fun to have around and I really appreciate his kind and laid-back approach to other dogs.

I need some advice about my current foster dog. I particularly need people to point out the flaws in my understanding, difficult I know without knowing the dog or being present. Harry is, at best guess, a Staffy X maybe Kelpie, maybe some Whippet, a bit of a generic mutt. He's about 2 years old, and only recently desexed, about the size of a Kelpie, but quite lean and leggy. I had Harry for a month before he went on trial to his new home, and in that time he was really a trouble-free little dog. He was a bit inclined to mouth and jump up, being naturally pretty bouncy, but by the end of the month he had pretty much stopped both behaviours. He played happily with my dogs, and seemed one of those laid back sort of types who aren't much interested in rank. Even my little Whippet X can tell Harry off, and they don't come much more submissive than Rupert. Harry has great recall, has a good sit, will wait for his dinner, walks well on a lead, was OK left on his own, was good in the car and all round seemed to me to be a nice little dog with good manners. He likes to run and he's energetic, but left alone isn't destructive or noisy. He went on trial to friends of mine who have a 13 year old dog. Harry and the old dog get on extremely well, the old dog being quite able and willing to take a dominant role, and Harry was happy to accept his place without arguement. Harry's pretty high energy so it took him a little while to get the hang of being quiet in the house, but seemed to be getting there. I had suggested that clicker training might be a good way of engaging him in an activity which would keep his mind engaged and wear him out a bit. He was getting two, on lead, walks a day and lots of play time in the garden with his new friend. Then last Friday my friend told me that she'd had an "incident" with Harry which spooked her. Harry had been in the house with her, her son and her husband watching TV. Harry had jumped up, ran up to her and mouthed her hand (she felt teeth but there were no marks on her hand). She didn't do anything, and a minute later he did the same to her foot, again, no marks. In neither instance did my friend actually respond to Harry, even to tell him off, she was, I think afraid he'd bite her. Her husband has had no such experience with Harry and in fact Harry seems to much prefer her husband (I'm female, so I don't think it's that Harry just prefers men). I went around that evening and picked Harry up and brought him home. Over the weekend I've put him under a bit of pressure trying to elicit something that looks like this behaviour, but he seems to me the same nice dog he always was. I've walked up behind him and grabbed him by the tail, I've held his feet, lifted him up, taken food out of his mouth, stared him down, held him when he wanted to move. I can't do much more without hurting him, and so far he's shown no interest in nipping or challenging me. I don't know what to make of the incident described, it might have been a bored dog trying to elicit a game; or he might have been trying to force her out of his pack. What I found interesting was that when I went to pick Harry up on Friday he was over-joyed to see me, but that he almost completely ignored my friend. I told him to sit and his bum hit the ground, she told him to sit and he didn't want to know. Her body language was very concilatory and submissive and Harry was responding exactly as you'd expect to that kind of behaviour. I assumed, wrongly I think, that because this family already had a dog who is pretty well behaved, that they had the skills to cope with a new dog. I'd never have placed Harry with them if I thought he was likely to be difficult. My take on this is that Harry has no respect for my friend, so that Harry's behaviour, while not aggressive as such, was the kind of over-assertive approach that you'd choose for a dog of lesser rank. I suspect that if he'd been told off then and there that would have been the end of the matter, but that he wasn't receiving adequate leadership and direction. If they decide they want to try again, I'd suggest the triangle of temptation, NLIF, lots of exercise and clicker training to get his mind engaged. I've also offered to bring in a behaviourist to work with them to develop their leadership skills, but I don't really think that Harry is the right dog for them if they're going to be scared of him. On the other hand, if they are interested in another dog, the same issue might well arise, if it's down to their management and not the dog. But am I missing something here? Is there another explanation of his behaviour? Is there something else I might try to assess him before I start looking for another home for him. I'm a bit shaken because I'm usually a reasonably good judge of dog character and now I'm wondering what I might have missed.

How old is the dog? Many dogs go through a kind of "fear period" in late puppyhood (six - 12 months), where a normally happy, well socialised dog will become shy and fearful. The advice I've heard is that its a phase that the dog will go through, and that the best course of action is to not over-face the dog at this stage or try and work through it, but try to avoid fearful situations until the dog itself is showing signs of being happier. "Second Fear Imprint Period/Pre-puberty Sensitization Period ( 6 - 14 months ) This stage precedes puberty---and is marked by the appearance of fear in dogs that were previously not fearful (including well raised ones.) This stage is believed to be related a development of a cognitive (i.e. intellectual versus emotional) understanding of fear. Again dogs must be socialized and taught that there is nothing to fear with firm and understanding training. It is important not to "baby" the fearful dog as this simply reinforces that their fear is a reasonable response to the situation. It is imperative that the dog's environment be controlled at this stage to protect them from psychological trauma which could have a lifelong affect." http://www.briardsbriards.com/oa_pup_behav.htm Ooops. Teach me to read the OP more carefully. If illness/injury are ruled out then I'd wonder about trauma of some kind. If it's not a puppy then I'd suspect someone has done something unpleasant to the dog at some stage, either hurt it or badly frightened it.

It sounds to me as if your pony has an advanced case of the Spring stupids. Lots of protein in the grass, nice sunshine, too much energy and his brain has gone phhhwwt. You'll probably find that when the Spring grass is over he'll get sensible again. My suggestion, for what it's worth, is pretend he's a young horse all over again and teach him to lead as if he was a young 'un. Get his attention back on you, maybe start with lunging him in the paddock a bit so that he can get some ya yas out, and then work on his ground manners. Even the nicest horses can do with a refresher course every so often. I work with Red a bit like he was a dog I was teaching to lead; change direction, stop, back up, so that I've got his attention. Once he's paying attention and not carrying on, you can do more amusing things on the ground. I play with Red, we creeeep forward really slowly and he creeeps with me. Then I walk really fast so that he walks really fast with me ... sort of a game of follow the leader. But do wear gloves and your helmet while you're working with him, better to be safe than sorry. Here's some advice from one of my favourite horse people, Jessica Jahiel. http://www.horse-sense.org/archives/horsrear.phtml

Name: Katrina Age (optional): Hmmm Location: Central Victoria Rescue Group: None, although I've taken dogs through ARF and Anatolian Rescue. Time in Rescue: A couple of years on DOL, spent a lot of years rescuing cats (and a few dogs) before I was aware that there even was such a thing as organised rescue. I'm not really a rescuer though, I only take a very occasional dog. I've given forever homes to a few rescues though. Who can vouch for: Um. Perhaps lilli from Anatolian Rescue, I had one of her dogs on long-term foster and she's been to my home a couple of times. Preferred Breed: I like the big guys, especially the mastiffs, but I have a soft spot for working dogs as well. Experience (if any): Nothing special, just a lot of years caring for my own and rescued animals. Microchip: Yes Vaccination: Yes Desexing: Yes Heartworm test: not generally, I'm not in a high risk area. worming: Yes, if I think it's needed, I try not to use too many "chemicals" in my animals. flea treatment: Yes, but as above. Advantage/Capstar/flea shampoo vet work if required: Of course basic training/teach manners. Yes house train dogs: Yes Dogs inside the home or outside. Both. Generally outside in a secure run during the day, and then inside or crated (but separated from my own dogs, which requires some juggling) at night. Are you prepared to give extra care for a submissive nervous dog. Yes, if necessary, but I don't take on many dogs.

I've just bought a bag of food called Advanced Nutrition Formula, which is Australian made, but for an American company, www.anf.com. I've got the lamb and rice one to try. I was feeding the Supercoat Working Dog because I've been having trouble getting enough raw food, and my dogs were doing well for a while, but lately I seem to be feeding a lot more to keep weight on and I've had an outbreak of itchy skin and ears. I prefer to buy Australian if I can, not only to support Australian manufacturers, but because the products are likely to be fresher and the food supply chain a bit cleaner.

Ask your normal butcher. I used to buy 6kg boxes from the supermarket, then the supermarket went from a BiLo to Coles and the frames went up by 80c a kilo and then disappeared. So I went to the local butcher and they order them in for me ... I get a 12kg box for almost half what I used to pay for the 6kg box.

I notice this is a zombie thread! I thought I remembered rockstar stressing about worming yonks ago, and I was about to suggest that if they are still worrying about worms and haven't got around to doing something about it, maybe they need more help than combantrin! Then I noticed the date. I deleted the rest of my advice since it's not needed.

I take stitches out myself for routine things like speys and neuters, or gashes and bites or whatever, but I'll take them back to the vet for something major so that the vet can check the healing process. Most vividly I recall removing the stitches from a foster dog (well, he was, now he's a foster failure). Imagine this, it's dark, I'm in the run with a 60kg Neapolitan Mastiff I've had for a week. I have to take his neuter stitches out myself because the vet he was desexed at is two hours drive away. He's as wriggly as a worm, I've got a scalpel in one hand and a torch in the other, I've rolled him over and I'm feeding him treats at one end to keep him quiet and upside down, and I'm wielding the scalpel at the other end. It was about then it dawned on me that he was actually a very nice-tempered dog, but that I was completely, barking mad.

http://www.ecopet.com.au/ I like the Ecopet rolls. I usually try and keep one in the freezer for occasions when I can't get my dogs' usual food. The loaves are very dense, so you don't have to feed a lot, even for big dogs, and my dogs certainly enjoy them.

My dogs get mainly raw, but I always have kibble on hand for when I can't get into the markets to buy them raw. My preference has been the Bonnie Working Dog, which isn't terribly expensive and seemed to agree with all of my dogs.

I don't think you need to worry about her size at this point. My understanding with giant breeds is that you do want them to grow slowly ... and the big dogs will still be growing at three or more. She's got plenty of time to make the height and if she gets there slowly you've got a better chance of getting her there healthy. My Neo pup is almost 9 months old, and she's not as big as some other Neos I've seen around her age, but I feed her raw and I try to keep her on the lean side so that she doesn't get too big too fast. I got my male Neo at 2 years of age, and just before he turned 3 he put on a real growth spurt and filled out considerably, so your girl has lots of time.

Fifi! Me too, but only my OEM X Wolfhound, and my sister's Wolfie X when he was here. Belar has gone bald under his leg (?) pits, and around his eyes and he's scratch, scratch, scratch. I'm leaning heavily toward grass as the culprit ... he comes in from a run with little spectacles of grass seeds. It got much better over last winter, but has flared up again as the weather has got hot and the grass long. I washed him down in Hoss Gloss, which helped a bit. The other dogs aren't affected at all.

On the minus side, I was feeding it to my dogs a few months ago when I didn't have as much raw on hand, so they were getting a few more feeds of kibble a week than normal. My Neo puppy started developing big sores at the base of her tail and the hair all fell out. Went back to mostly raw and feeding Bonnie Working Dog for a couple of meals a week and no more problems. It might have been a coincidence, but given that Eagle Pack is expensive, I won't try it again. I feed mainly raw, but I like to have some kibble on hand for when I'm lazy or haven't been to the market. All dogs are different though ... all the other dogs were fine.

I never found it did zip for my dogs, and there's not enough brandy in the bottle to do me any good either. I know some people who have had terrific results with homeopathy, but I'm pretty sceptical ... perhaps the efficacy is in the mind of the beholder. I can certainly imagine that if you believe something is working, then a reduction in your anxiety level will have a flow-on effect to a dog.

Are you sure the bill wasn't just for the pain killers? I pay $95 for 100ml of Metacam for my old dog, and I know Rimadyl is around the same price. If you've got several weeks worth it might just have been the cost of the pain killer.

What a beautiful girl. I'm so sorry Fifi.