Silak

Thank you very much for the reply Erny. I think I am going to have to get very strict and consistent with this before it gets any worse. Do you think that ignoring him is enough, or do you think that separating him from the group when he attention-barks is a good idea? I am pretty sure that a lot of my problems are as a result of very unclear pack order in the house, and you are probably right about the fostering further confusing him. Do you think I could effectively re-establish myself at the top of the pack whilst still bringing in fosters? I would prefer not to stop fostering, as the rescue group I am involved in are fill to the brim.. And once I have shown him that I am pack leader, what can I do to minimise the fosters from confusing the pack order in the future?

I guess you could consider walking over every inch of the property (so the dog can smell that you have been there) before you unload the dog so it is clear to the dog that it is your territory. One of the most difficult things for some dogs is size of territory. coming from the country - other dogs had a large territory as did your dog. Depending on the temperament - some country dogs can really get upset walking down a street passing a dog inside a fence because they think they are within another dogs territory. Your dog may be used to its territory being larger than the average house block and in the country may expect that strange dogs have that degree of territory. When your dog goes into a backyard and the neighbours have dogs - it may see itself as encroaching on the other dogs territory and therefore feel at risk. Because its perception of territory size is larger than the size of your house block - there is no where it can go to feel safe from the neighbouring dog.

Hi Jodie Sorry I haven't replied before this. Thanks so much for replying. I appreciate your saying what veggies your dog can have. Meanwhile someone has advised me to buy a detangling comb where the tines are L shaped - really they are blades - and this makes it less difficult to groom him. Unfortunately he definitely had crystals in the urine. I am about to take him on one of his return visits to the vet. I have priced a dog ramp and they are between $180.00 and $250.00. But i need one i can also use to load the dog in the car. It is OK where there is plenty of space. Where i have to take the dog to the vet and other places like a dogwash where it is like a crowded parking lot the dog has to turn as he gets out. At one place I take him they have a small very light (plastic I think) canvas dog bed which fits between the cars and is like a small step and soft when he steps on it. He really likes it and is quite eager to use it. But i cannot find where to buy one. Certainly not on ebay. I wish you all the best for Ollie dog Silak

I would like to know the best way to get a dog with kidney stones onto a grooming table. I cannot lift him and he is too old to jump up. He is a rescue dog and I am worried that if i start grooming him it will awaken old memories and he may attribute any pain he experiences to the comb and not the stone and it may be traumatic for him. I had a grooming service that came out from Yagoona NSW but the person is only doing small dogs for a while and my dog does not stay still for grooming. The groomer took his rescue background into account. Bending long enough for grooming is difficult for me and i was thinking of getting a doggie ramp and a folding table ( not one with four folding legs but one that folded with one movement) that could be left outdoors. He is a 15 yo medium hair desexed collie cross. I am deferring washing the dog until the groomer resumes full duties. Diagnosed this week with crystals in urine. He showed no pain - except he yelped when he was about to get down from his beloved greyhound exercise machine. ( He does a maximum of 3 minutes on the machine but loves it and doesn't want to get off). Later in the day he urinated copiously, without any expression of pain and as if he had suddenly lost control. His urine ph is 6 and everything in the urine test is normal except the crystal formation in the urine. The vet says he is bright and active. He is currently on Beneful and Schmacko strips for treats but the vet is going to talk to me about his diet. Unlike with nearly all other dogfoods he does not get diarrhoea with these products. They do not have poultry products in them to the best of my knowledge - anything with poulty products seems to have adverse behavioural effects. Just anecdotally - he was a rescue dog adopted at about 18 mths old and he is of very gentle temperament. It took me a long time to get him used to any object that resembled a stick (even a comb) and any time my arm moved away from the side of my body - possibly he was concerned about it being preparatory to being hit. He would hover round me out of arms reach. The vet thought he might have been trained in German. The dog had had unusual training - if I tried to catch him he could do a brilliant somersault and get away. He reacted to praising, gentle words as if he was really in trouble. Once I made an unintentional movement which he interpreted as a signal and he went down into the "dead dog" position. I am sure it was trained. I didnt know the release command. He was perfectly all right - but i couldn't get him to move for 8 hours. He howled if i sneezed - it seemed trained because he just did not stop and i used to go through every gesture and combination of gestures i could think of trying to quieten him. Unfortunately the neighbourhood children worked out he would howl if they sneezed and told me with great delight!!!!There were other times too when he reacted as if i had commanded him. I could never work out the system of commands that he had been trained to. But that is all in the past now. Dog handlers who will not take into account his background - or do not have the experience to deal with it - distress him greatly. So I want to wait until the groomer is back to full duties and groom him myself in the interim. If anyone knows of a detangler that you dont have to wash out I would be grateful. I have not had to groom a dog with stones before and i wondered if there are any tips for doing so. The sorts of concerns I have are 1. Possibly grooming sessions of only 5 mins? 2. Are there any positions that are more comfortable - less comfortable - e.g. sitting, lying on side? 3. Would walking up a ramp (provided i could persuade him to do it) be painful - (He has no arthritis or muscle or joint problems). I think maybe the backward slope of the ramp would cause him to carry his weight further back and possibly put pressure on his urinary system? 4. Are there any areas I should simply avoid grooming because it would be too painful. ( Obviously I could work this out by trial and error - but if i have some idea in advance it is better for my dog)? 5. I wouldnt be lifting him - but would being lifted be painful? Thanks for your consideration of my email.