dee lee

This thread is giving me chills. I was in a similar situation to you a few years ago and I wish I had swallowed my sentimentality and fear or judgement and returned the dog. Instead I persevered for 2 years attempting to fix her dog aggression issues before I found the situation untenable & made the decision to have her euthanized. I was not the right owner for her and my biggest regret was that I did not return her in the beginning. She may have subsequently been rehomed to a suitable home with a stronger, more experienced owner & lived a long and happy life. I since have adopted a beautiful GR that has enriched my life in ways I did not realize were possible. She is the right dog for me and my young family. Our last dog was not. Please think carefully about whether you are the best owner for this lovely boy. There is no shame in returning him if you find him too much of a handful.

I think the main thing is not to baby the dog. Act as if everything is absolutely normal. Familiar things and you being there should mean settling won't take long. If you are worried about the change in space impacting on your dog, I wouldn't. We have a small house and yard and our dog came from a house with a larger yard, as long as she gets time with us and is exercised she seems to cope just fine. Doesn't stop me feeling guilty about it, but there's nothing I can do about it and she is happy.

Ooooh yes, I have one that loves to chase seagulls as well, in fact anything in the sky .... including the rescue helicopter that flies by low and frequently! Bloody crazy dogs- Honey would do that too! Have I mentioned her obsession with skywriting? :D

I second the whistling! I took my GR on our annual beach holiday recently and she found it hard to hear me over the surf. I worry more about seagulls. Honey LOVES to chase them... When she didnt hear me, she ran for about a kilometre before remembering to come back! Luckily the beach was deserted and about 5kms. With the surf, I just leave her to it. She starts off all brave and excited (ooh there are seagulls out there too!!!) then invariably gets dumped and becomes a bit more respectful. She doesnt ever try to swim out too far, but I dont swim with her as she has to be right next to me and I worry she wont be able to get out. I take her early in the morning to avoid the sun and other people- its my favourite part of the day when we are away. Its a magic thing to do- enjoy. :D

Simply, I would imagine that it would be similar if I had a massage in the morning- I'd feel nice and relaxed for the rest of the day. I do when I go for a run too. Its fascinating reading all the other posts, amazing therapy!

Hugs to you Gayle. I'm sure it was hard but truly, what a lovely way to go after such a wonderful, long life. Do you have any pictures of her you can post? I'd love to see them. Dee x

OMG, where do I start?! DOL has changed my life. It was here for me when I was going through tough times with my previous dog. Because of her issues I was on here all day and night getting great advice. (ha! So what has changed? ) I have learnt SO much. One not so good side effect is that I may have become a bit of a know-it-all about dogs IRL. I realised this this morning when I bumped into an acquaintance and her gorgeous puppy. I had to bite my tongue after she told me she had owned dogs all her life and it was pretty obvious she did actually know what she was doing. Actually that too is something DOL has taught me- DIPLOMACY when posting. Well, sometimes- too often my "mouth" works faster than my brain.

I use spray betadine too. Fantastic stuff. Paw paw ointment I'm not a fan of. I'd rather let the wound dry out and heal after cleaning and applying antiseptic. I feel Pawpaw ointment keeps the bacteria warm and moist & ultimately there is no chance my dog wouldn't be licking it off. Bought Saline is easily replaced with a quantity of salt mixed in warm water

Betadine Antihistamines (I have animal ones but you can use human) I have both these on hand because of my dog's allergy issues and hotspots. I dont bother with topical creams because they just lick it off, but Erny's special Calendula Tea works well to reduce inflamation.

Occasionally Honey does. She wasnt well socialised when I got her and had difficulty relating to other dogs (my theory from observing her). She has been exposed to a lot of dogs in the last year and is much better now (though not very social- which is fine with me) but I believe she is still learning about body language and every now and then mirrors other dogs if they run up to her. Its cute- its quite clear that as a fairly submissive dog she has worked out a non confrontational way to relate to other dogs.

I love Tollers & would have seriously considered one except I was advised they were too full on for my circumstances (pet home, working, small yard...) However, recently I met a young woman who lives nearby who has one. I grilled her about her gorgeous dog & she was adamant her dog would be no more work than my GR. In fact she said they were quite similar in nature to goldies. She seemed a very very sweet little dog. I would have thought at the most extreme a Toller's requirements would be no more than a border collie anyway?

Oh, they'll adore you, but that doesn't mean they'll do what you want them to or care if you're not happy with them. Lol, sounds like most dogs I've owned! :D My keeshond was definitely like that. You obviously haven't owned a Border Collie. They live just to please their owners, do exactly as they are told and are devestated if they think they have let you down. Nope, never had a BC. I do love them, but I know my limitations and dont want a dog that may be smarter than me! My (definitely not smarter than me ) GR is very willing to please me but certainly doesn't live for it. She is also a big of a tart & would go to anyone for pats. But I love the peaceful co-existence we have. She is ultra low maintainence which suits me combined with an extremely loving nature. If only she didn't have so much freaking fur she'd be perfect!

Oh, they'll adore you, but that doesn't mean they'll do what you want them to or care if you're not happy with them. Lol, sounds like most dogs I've owned! My keeshond was definitely like that.

I love a wide range of large dogs, not small dogs as a rule, but have come to realize I am not suited to all breeds. I think I am most compatible with large gundogs. I love their generally easy going natures and handsome athleticism. I adore the calm, sweet, loving nature of my GR. She is always so happy just to be with us. I think, if I am honest, that my personality is fairly similar. I cannot be bothered with working breeds. Too intense and I don't want my dog to work but be a companion. I owned a spitz- a Keeshond- when I was younger & found her a lovely easy companion, but I wonder if she was a spitz exception? I'm not keen on the general spitz temperament descriptions, I admit I like being adored! I not keen to have a terrier- too sharp for me. And no more bullbreeds, I think they are beautiful but I can't hold my own against them. I'm too soft.

Thanks for replying- I feel better now! ;) I thought she may have learnt her lesson the first day, but noooo... We however have now learnt to lock her outside while we go back for a swim- OH just spent the last hour cleaning the carpet- not sure which end that mess came from!

We are on our annual beach holiday & have been taking Honey to the beach for a run and play every morning. It's an offlead beach & she absolutely loves it! Problem is that she likes to catch the waterspray & today she must have ingested way too much because she has chucked a fair amount of liquid up and has had some liquid poos. This happened to a lesser degree a couple of days ago & she was right as rain the next day. She seems fine, just a touch flat & tired (she runs like a maniac at the beach so I'm sure she mostly tired) and is drinking water but is there something else I should be doing for her to help her tummy feel better? (bearing in mind we are at a fairly remote beach)

My GR is a brilliant watchdog- she is reliably very protective of us no matter if we are at home or at (from recent experience) at a holiday house. She has a fantastic deep growl & bark that I feel is a great deterrant. I don't expect anything else, and know she is useless when we are out of the house.

My GR comes running with me or gets a long session at the offlead park playing fetch everyday. I like to keep her (and me) fit and healthy. I do take her walking onlead with me in the morning to school drop off and to a cafe, but that's just because I think its nice for her to be out and about. She certainly seems to enjoy it, but I wouldn't rely on that as her only source of exercise. Walking just isn't enough for her. My previous staffy x was walked every single morning on lead for over an hour because she was DA. Then she was back in the yard. We didnt have much choice, but it was far from what I would have liked to do. I look at what I can do with my current dog and think how much better quality her life is. I dont think its cruel not to walk a dog everyday if you are on acreage. Though I'd hope that the dog would get some form of interaction with its owner/s.

Last summer Honey had a rough time with the humidity. I battled some bad hotspots and she developed some strange fungal spots on her tummy. I had to become extremely vigilant in drying her trouble areas after walking her in dew covered grass. After that she had a lot less trouble. This summer, she has been itchy, and early on had a bad contact allergy and a couple of hotspots. Now, I'm trying to prevent the hotspots by watching for itching and applying antiseptic (betadine) at the first sign of the skin being broken. So far so good. :p I'm really looking forward to taking her to the beach on our holiday next week- the daily salt water really helps her skin . I wish I could take her every day when we are home. ETA: I dont know if it helps but, I find that the hotspots happen in areas where there is less fur- ie on her tummy- presumably because it is unprotected by her coat and exposed more to irritants. It is easy to dry these areas after every walk. Its a good song though!

Thats scary. :p I keep seeing pups at the park, offlead wearing check chains or running around with leashes still attached. It worries me...

A check chain is a correction tool TC001, it's not designed for the dog to lean into it for it to tighten up. The check chain is designed for a sharp on off application so before the dog reaches the end of the leash whilst the leash is still loose, you correct with a sharp tug on the leash and let it off. The jolting action is what alerts the dog to alter it's path, not pulling forwards on the choker until the dog coughs and splutters. The same as direction change, you change direction before the leash is tight which applies a sudden jolt and done correctly, the dog will follow. awesome advice Abed! many thanks. We went for a little walk this morning, the sharp tug & release works well. How did they teach you to use it at the obedience class?

Some dogs are absolute shits to walk. My staffy x was one. We used everything, including a prong, and she still pulled. Eventually after much training I got her somewhat under control, but that involved a martingale and having her at heel for the duration of hour walk. If I relaxed for even a moment she was off again. She was a skinny 17kgs and could pull me over- it's the muscle power and inclination, not just the size and weight. Honey is a dream to walk in comparison and despite being 10kgs heavier I never feel she could pull me over. She is walked on a flat collar no problem.

Quickasyoucan, I understand your point but, as I said in my post, I am wary of any dog that could hurt/kill mine. Even labs and goldies I wait and watch body language. Both breeds could be more than capable of inflicting damage. If you or the OP had had a bad experience with either I would not blame you for being nervous around them. I had an offlead lab have a go at my onlead staffyx. Yes, my goldie has rushed (non aggressively, but those she was rushing could not have known that) - I know those breeds are not always totally benign either. I agree, the OP should wait and see, but I don't blame her for being worried. She has had a bad experience.

Opps sorry- not no, but LOW shedding. After a GR it would probably seem like no shedding though!! I will have to wait anyway- my OH has a one dog policy, and considering our small house/yard I have to concede to it. So RubyStar- whats your other breed?

In the absence of our experts... DOL breed pages reveal: Temperament: This is a devoted and gentle dog, very willing to please. It is affectionate and gets along well with other dogs and pets and children. It is also courageous. The spinone is calmer and easier going than most pointing breeds. Care / Grooming: This breed requires just a small amount of stripping - pulling dead hair as opposed to cutting, to neaten the coat. Other than that, just a weekly brushing will suffice. Bathe as necessary. Some say this breed grooms himself like a cat. Large, calm and easy going, non shedding- They sound perfect! I understand there is a long wait to get one, might start looking now!!