kayla1

That is some good news! Glad to hear it. :)

Hi, With Maxie it could pay to double the intake for a while and see what happens. I believe this is what PlaqueOff suggests. Thanks, I'll try that.

I've found it works pretty well with Annie's teeth, but it doesn't work so well with Maxie. But Maxie does build up tartar on his teeth much more quickly than the other dogs do. They all seem to have better breath when on it though.

I've never used it but there have been a few threads on the topic where others said it didn't work for them. I don't live in a tick area, but if I did I wouldn't be relying on that alone to prevent ticks.

As I posted earlier, dogs can smell when a storm is coming, I can't remember what the smell is, maybe someone else knows. But Kenny knew well in advance of the thunder & lightning hitting. I remember reading it was something to do with sensing changes in the atmosphere, air pressure and so on.

Two of my dogs have a fear of storms. Kayla paces, pants etc and previously wouldn't accept food. She reacts to the atmospheric changes, not just the noise, so she sometimes gets anxious when there is no storm in sight. I have tried many things with her - CDs, DAP, rescue remedy etc - and nothing much seemed to work. The best thing is to let her find her own safe place (eg in the shower)and leave her be. She hasn't been as bad the past couple of years since Coco arrived, so perhaps his presence has helped (he is not bothered too much by storms). The other thing is that her hearing is not as good as it was, so she sometimes doesn't notice things that she would have previously. With Annie, it seems to be just the noise itself that frightens her. She reacts differently too, and just wants to be as close as possible to me. So with the storms last night, she alternated between trying to lay on my head and trying to get as far down under the doona as she could. I just stroke her calmly and let her go where she wants to go. I will also stay home with them if I know a storm is coming.

No need to apologise Jules, it's useful info for all of us! Thanks for the tips. :) Kayla hasn't had a UTI before, well not since I've had her anyway, but she's on cortisone treatment which can make them more susceptible. Her urine was acidic though, not alkaline, so I wonder if cranberry would still be useful?

Early this morning I noticed a slight change in the toileting patterns of my older girl Kayla, and also found some blood in her urine. So I took her straight to the vet and she was diagnosed with a UTI, and has started a course of antibiotics. I did a search on here and read that supplements such as cranberry and inner health plus or yoghurt might be beneficial. Does anyone know if these supplements are given just until the infection clears, or are they for long-term use to prevent recurrences? Thanks.

Yes I remember your other thread. I don't have any experience with what your dog is going through, but I do understand when they get older and are taking meds it's really hard to know whether it is the meds causing the change or not. It's always worrying.

Poor baby . It could be the medication as well upsetting her tummy. I know from past experience (and bitter regret), that it is best to go to the vet than to not, when a behaviour is of concern. As a vet once said to me: the owner knows the dog better than anyone and if they think there is someone not right, then that is probably the case. It might be anything from "nothing to worry about" to life threatening. Best to go to the vet. Yes I tend to err on the side of caution and will take mine to the vet if I suspect anything is wrong, or different. Sometimes it turns out to be nothing to worry about, but I'm always glad I went. Only you know your dog though. :)

Yeah...I don't know where all the years have gone. I'm sure she was young not that long ago. :laugh:

Thanks Tassie! :) Sorry, I say younger dogs out of habit because they are younger than my other dogs. Annie is actually about 5 1/2 yrs. Thanks for those suggestions. I looked at some DVDs and books online and there are just so many of them, it's quite overwhelming! What is the disadvantage of the tunnel suck, is the problem that you lose the dog's focus?

Hmm, they refer to them on their tunnel page but they don't seem to have them listed to buy. This is the reference for them on clean run is http://www.cleanrun.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=product.display&Product_ID=516&ParentCat=628 Ah ok, I'll definitely keep them in mind. Thanks!

Luckily the bunny isn't going anywhere. :laugh:

The only thing that is a silly question - is NOT asking! Asking questions is the only way we learn :) I totally agree with Zug Zug and Megan on this one - building confidence is really important and most dogs end up in LOVE with tunnels. If you use a collapsible tunnel (chute) you basically use the same process Zug Zug described, except hold the chute fabric up for the first few runs, then slowly let it touch the dog's back on the way out, then finally allow the dog to push through it. I did this recently with my young agility dog and within 10 minutes was really comfortable with it. Was worth doing it slowly for 10 minutes to create confidence instead of risking a dog being scared and then re-training. In regard to securing your tunnel - there are two options. 1) Tunnel bags (as descirbed you can make them or buy them) or 2) tunnel snugglers (I got mine from airdogs.com.au) which you secure with tent pegs. I love the tunnel bags but the snugglers take up less room so choose what suits you best. Good luck! Thanks Tumbleweed. Yes definitely re confidence building, Annie has a fairly long recovery time when startled so the last thing I want is for her to be frightened of the tunnel. I really want to get it right from the outset. I couldn't see the snugglers on air dogs, but that's ok because I'll try the bags first anyway. Thanks for the tips! :)

Oh great idea, thanks!!

Thanks for the reply megan, that's really helpful. :) This is the tunnel I got here. I looked around online and some looked pretty flimsy, and I don't think they would have withstood Maxie, but this one seems like good quality and was cheaper than the one on the ADAA website. Although I totally forgot until I read Zug Zug's reply about something to secure it down with! I'll have to jump back on the website to see what there is. Re speed through the tunnel, that's one of the things I was wondering about with how to start them off, but if the tunnel is secure then I guess their speed will improve as they become more confident, and then hopefully be able to enter the tunnel whilst running.

Thanks Zug Zug, I appreciate the reply. :) Re no responses, did I ask a silly question? Sorry if it was a silly question, I don't know much at all about agility. Despite all the work I have done with Annie's recall training, I'm still not confident it is good enough to start agility classes. But I don't want her to miss out, which is why I'm setting up something that we can do outside of classes in a safe environment. That info is really helpful, thank you. Do you use a verbal cue, like 'tunnel' or something else?

Agree with this. People can have very different understandings of what 'secure' fencing means. Some people assume their fencing is secure simply because their existing dog never attempts to get out. Some tend to exaggerate fence height on the application form or when asked on the phone, and it's not until you actually see the fence that you find out it's nowhere near that height, or is in disrepair etc. Or, as with a couple of potential adopters that I screened a while ago, the fencing itself was secure but they didn't keep the gate shut.

Strenuous workout...he's probably saving up his energy for dinner. :laugh: ETA Some great photos in this thread!

I'm setting up a mini agility course for my younger dogs, just for fun at this stage, and we are starting with a tunnel. I've searched on here already, but could someone tell me please, is there a 'correct' way to teach the dogs how to use the tunnel? I don't want to teach them something 'incorrectly' only to have it affect them later on if I take them further. Thanks.

If you say a behaviour is odd, it can be assumed you don't think it is usual or normal. Or does odd mean something else to you? Somebody else recently stated a thread about their dog's behaviour that they found odd, and a few suggestions were made about possible reasons. I think these discussions can be helpful, even if that's not why you started the thread. Yes these discussions are useful, and if this thread turns into a more serious discussion than intended then so be it. If the consensus is that the thread title and initial post are misleading, because of my use of the term odd in an unintended way, then I would be happy to go back and edit.

That's gorgeous! :laugh:

I understand what you are saying and why dogs may choose certain sleeping spots over others, and it goes without saying my dogs are provided with a wide range of sleeping options. I am also aware of resource guarding. Whilst it may be the case with other dogs, it is not the case with Kayla. Yes I do sometimes allow her to sleep in doorways. She is an older girl that has spinal issues, and quite frankly on days when she is feeling stiff or tired she can sleep wherever she wants and I will make sure the other dogs have access to where they need to go. FWIW, this thread was meant as a light-hearted discussion about the various spots that dogs may choose to sleep in, or even photos of such. Perhaps next time I shall avoid the use of adjectives such as 'odd' and qualify my statements in terms of the above, which to be honest I hadn't thought necessary at the time given the intention of the thread. There is no harm in phrasing something you think is odd as a question. I just don't think it's odd, and is no less a serious topic for discussion of dog behaviour than most other we have going on here. Dogs do lots of dog things, and the combined knowledge here on DOL can explain the meanings behind or reasons for some of it. Our dogs are better off if we can gain a little understanding of them and their needs rather than just laughing at them for not behaving like a little furry person. You think your targeted dog is confused, I would suggest the possibly the dog has a good idea of what is going on, and is displaying subtly anxious behaviour. Up to you if you want to look into it more or if you are happy to think your dogs are odd or confused and leave it at that. The fact that I started a light-hearted thread about sleeping spots does not mean I do not try to understand the behaviour of dogs, nor would I make any assumptions about anyone else starting (or replying to) a thread of this nature. I have worked with a number of behaviourists over time to help me better understand the behaviour of my own dogs (hence my knowledge of Coco being confused), and will continue to do so if I have any doubts or if the need arises.

I understand what you are saying and why dogs may choose certain sleeping spots over others, and it goes without saying my dogs are provided with a wide range of sleeping options. I am also aware of resource guarding. Whilst it may be the case with other dogs, it is not the case with Kayla. Yes I do sometimes allow her to sleep in doorways. She is an older girl that has spinal issues, and quite frankly on days when she is feeling stiff or tired she can sleep wherever she wants and I will make sure the other dogs have access to where they need to go. FWIW, this thread was meant as a light-hearted discussion about the various spots that dogs may choose to sleep in, or even photos of such. Perhaps next time I shall avoid the use of adjectives such as 'odd' and qualify my statements in terms of the above, which to be honest I hadn't thought necessary at the time given the intention of the thread.