Jigsaw

Would she chase you if you run with the tug? Will she chase after food if you throw it away from you? If you are in a kennel environment she may be a bit overwhelmed to engage in prey drive. Sometimes you need to shape the interest such as if she even looks at the tug, mark and reward with food, so you transfer the value of the food to the tug over time.

My dog is has EP Holistic Anchovy & Sardine. I noticed a couple of weeks ago she was dandruffy and flaky, could be a coincidence with seasonal shed perhaps, but I haven't noticed her like this before. I don't feed the EP every night rather two or three times a week, on the other nights it's usually a BARF patty. However a little while ago I ran out of BARF and used EP for several nights running this is when I noticed a few weeks later an increase in the itchiness and the dandruff. I don't know whether it is the EP but might change to something else next time round.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/...00902093454.htm ScienceDaily (Sep. 2, 2010) — A study comparing a University of Pennsylvania method for evaluating a dog's susceptibility to hip dysplasia to the traditional American method has shown that 80 percent of dogs judged to be normal by the traditional method are actually at risk for developing osteoarthritis and hip dysplasia, according to the Penn method. The results indicate that traditional scoring of radiographs that certify dogs for breeding underestimate their osteoarthritis susceptibility. The results are of clinical importance to several populations, most notably veterinarians, breeders and pet owners. The two hip screening methods -- the standard Orthopedic Foundation for Animals, or OFA model, and Penn Vet's PennHIP model -- were applied to a sample of 439 dogs older than 2 years. The four most common breeds included in the study were German shepherds, Labrador retrievers, golden retrievers and Rottweilers, all breeds commonly susceptible to hip dysplasia. According to Penn researchers, even if breeders were to selectively breed only those dogs having OFA-rated "excellent" hips -- the highest ranking but in some breeds, a very small gene pool, the study suggests that 52-100 percent of the progeny, depending on breed, would be susceptible to hip dysplasia based on the Penn Vet scoring method. "We believe the lower rates of hip laxity detection using the OFA methods are not the fault of the expert radiologist reading the radiograph but rather a deficiency of the radiographic view," said veterinary surgeon Gail Smith, professor of orthopaedic surgery, lead author and director of the PennHIP Program. "We believe many veterinarians are not using the best test to control a disease. In many ways this is an animal-welfare issue." The findings point to a weakness in current breeding practices. If breeders continue to select breeding candidates based upon traditional scores, then, according to the Penn study, breeders will continue to pair susceptible dogs and fail to improve hip quality in future generations. Despite well intentioned hip-screening programs to reduce the frequency of the disease, canine hip dysplasia continues to have a high prevalence worldwide with no studies showing a significant reduction in disease frequency using mass selection. Canine hip dysplasia, or CHD, is defined by the radiographic presence of hip joint laxity or osteoarthritis with hip subluxation (laxity) early in life. A developmental disease of complex inheritance, it is one of the most common orthopaedic diseases in large and giant-breed dogs and causes pain and loss of mobility. The traditional OFA screening method relies heavily on conventional hip-extended, or HE, radiographs, which the study contends do not provide critical information needed to accurately assess passive hip joint laxity and therefore osteoarthritis susceptibility. "We suspect that all hip-screening systems worldwide based on the HE radiograph have similar diagnostic deficiencies," Smith said. "Hopefully, our results will motivate veterinarians and breeders to consider this newer approach." To achieve genetic control of CHD, researchers said, an accurate test must minimize false-negative diagnoses which mistakenly permit the breeding of dogs that carry genes coding for CHD. Particularly for a late-onset disease such as CHD, dogs remaining in the gene pool must not only be free of obvious signs of CHD at the time of evaluation (2 years of age for OFA) but ideally should not be susceptible to the osteoarthritis of CHD that occurs later in life. The PennHIP method quantifies hip laxity using the distraction index, or DI, metric which ranges from a low of .08 to greater than 1.5. Smaller numbers mean better hips. The PennHIP DI has been shown in several studies at multiple institutions to be closely associated with the risk of osteoarthritis and canine hip dysplasia. It can be measured as early as 16 weeks of age without harm to the puppy. Specifically, the PennHIP method considers a DI of less than .3 to be the threshold below which there is a near zero risk to develop hip osteoarthritis later in life. In contrast, dogs having hip laxity with DI higher than .3 show increasing risk to develop hip osteoarthritis, earlier and more severely, as the DI increases. Comparing the overall results of the study, 52 percent of OFA-rated "excellent," 82 percent of OFA-rated "good" and 94 percent of OFA-rated "fair" hips all fell above the PennHIP threshold of .3, making them all susceptible to the osteoarthritis of CHD though scored as "normal" by the OFA. Of the dogs the OFA scored as "dysplastic," all had hip laxity above the PennHIP threshold of .3, meaning there was agreement between the two methods on dogs showing CHD or the susceptibility to CHD. The key feature of the PennHIP radiographic method is its ability to determine which dogs may be susceptible to osteoarthritis later in life. Because dogs are recognized as excellent models for hip osteoarthritis in humans, the authors are interested in the prospect of applying this technology to humans. Knowing a dog's risk for osteoarthritis early would allow veterinarians to prescribe proven preventive strategies, like weight loss, to lower the risk of this genetic disorder. Also, dog breeders now have a more informative measure to determine breeding quality to lower the risk of hip osteoarthritis in future generations of dogs. "In humans, with appropriate studies of course, it is conceivable that mothers of susceptible children -- and there are many -- may adjust a child's lifestyle, including diet, to delay the onset or lessen the severity of this genetic condition," Smith said. PennHIP is currently in common use by service-dog organizations such as the U.S. Air Force, the U.S. Army and numerous dog-guide schools. There are approximately 2,000 trained and certified members currently performing PennHIP procedure worldwide. The study was conducted by Smith, Michelle Y. Powers, Georga T. Karbe, Thomas P. Gregor, Pamela McKelvie, William T. N. Culp and Hilary H. Fordyce of the Department of Clinical Studies at Penn Vet. Culp is currently with the School of Veterinary Medicine at the University of California, Davis. The study was funded by the University of Pennsylvania, the National Institutes of Health, The Seeing Eye Inc., the Morris Animal Foundation and Nestle Purina Co. The article was published in the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association. Smith, who is the inventor, and the University of Pennsylvania, which holds the patent, have a financial interest in the PennHIP method.

Hope the healing is progressing Jed. Your description of putting your pressure suit on reminded me of when I tried on one of those super dooper suck your tummy in elastic pants once. That once was hard enough but in light of your daily dressing ordeal I think my elastic pants effort pales in comparison.

Happy Birthday Diesel. Long may you wreak havoc and cause mischief!!

Depends what area you are in. The Lake Vets have a good name for puppy classes. Their instructors are Delta accredited and classes are kept small and controlled.

I'm so pleased for Charlie and for you. Exxxcellent!!!

Is it the angle of the photo or is her left elbow rotated out slightly? It may be from watching too hard and trying to find something but at around 0.46 in your vid it looks like she throws that elbow out again slightly. Which shoulder did she have the op on?

:D I saw the pic on the link I posted and went ;) The eyes are weird enough but with those ears???!!! I think it's a Bat Cat! :D

Love the photo!! Reason dog's and other animals eye's glow is: THIS web page has some good photos of blue eyed dogs and cats with different coloured eyes.

There is a fearful pointer study that was done in the 70's this and reference to the study here and further study in the 90's here To the OP, check with your breeder, get a behaviourist in to look at your situation.

I like it!!!! :thumbsup:

I recall from some reading that there a number of assistance dog programs in the States that do a program along these lines and also initiate some training as well. Found one site here Like others I would love to find a breeder that does this.

I'm incredibly saddened by what is described in this article and the video. http://news.ninemsn.com.au/world/7942862/b...ike-on-highwire

This sounds very similar to what happened to my old dog with his dementia. He was quite confused and I think was no longer able to distinguish properly between day and night and was up and down during the night and wandered all over the place in the dark with me following to make sure he was OK as he was blind and deaf and becoming incontinent. My nights became increasingly disturbed and I ended up coralling him in a small area in our bedroom for his safety as he bumped into things and he seemed to be driven to just move at times. He continually needed to be reassured where I was and became quite distressed if he could not find me. Unfortunately as it happens he became increasingly frail, losing weight and I had to make the decision to put him to sleep just before he was 16. With the wanting to be rubbed is it possible that she has some pain? Perhaps it's a personality change brought on by the dementia. It is terribly hard watching them fail and it tears your heart apart.

Can someone come in and reward the dog (if it's trained that way) while the owner is out of sight when the dog is not whining or fidgeting. You might need to rebuild the duration and distance.

This is my girls face when she was stung by a bee last year. There is a large swelling under her left eye, a little hard to see at this angle but she was the most cooperative model. This was after she's been to the vet. The first time she was stung I found her unconscious in the backyard, that was a bit of a heartstopper with a rush to the vets. Sorry had to edit photo.

From page 152 of the NSW RTA handbook for drivers: Animals and vehicles there are things you should know about travelling with animals in vehicles and what to do following an incident with an animal. ANImAL WeLFAre Every year many crashes involving animals occur on country roads. If you see an animal on the road (alive or dead), do not swerve violently to avoid the animal as this can cause you to lose control of your vehicle or to hit oncoming traffic. You should stop if you can do so safely or slow down and steer around the animal in a controlled manner. If you can’t avoid the animal safely you may have to hit it to avoid injury or death to yourself and others. If the animal has been killed, remove it from the road if it is safe to do so. Be careful with native animals as they may have babies in their pouches. If a native animal has been hurt you should contact the Wildlife and Information Rescue Service (WIRES). If the animal is a domestic pet, you must contact the owner, Police or the RSPCA. If the animal is injured you should take it immediately to the nearest animal shelter or vet. rULeS ArOUND ANImALS A driver, motorcycle rider, bicycle rider or passenger must not lead an animal, including by tethering, while the vehicle is moving. Animals should be seated or housed in appropriate areas. A driver must not drive with an animal in the driver’s lap. My bolding. My dog is usually in her crate in the boot area of my AWD. From other googling it seems there is testing happening regarding restraints such as harnesses and whether their design is suitable in impact situations.

I was looking for something else and found these stoneware bowls at Bowhouse, Bondi http://www.bowhouse.com.au/p/673493/stonew...for-longer.html

Sorry if this has been posted before but just saw this add if anyone is interested. http://www.seek.com.au/job/casual-petcare-.../17654276/40/1/

My dog in the backyard follows a pattern, evolved I think from chasing flies, but it is usually following the same pattern. She also developed an interest in one drain and scratches at the cover. Then she developed an interest in our outdoor lounges and started scratching the arms of the lounges. I have put a cone over the drain cover she is obsessed with and tipped the lounges on their side. This has pretty much stopped this behaviour (fingers crossed) also with the colder weather there aren't any flies to chase so the behaviour is much less now. Summer may bring a different story. Also when she has a cuddle in my lap I can guarantee she will normally do a genital check and clean. If she does that now she loses lap privileges which has eased the behaviour.

I think there's a koolie in WA that pulls a sled with a sibe.

I'm sorry for your loss. Poor Otis may be feeling a bit lost and confused. Maybe some Rescue Remedy for a short time may help him. Other suggestions I would try firstly would be taking him for a walk before you go to work. It's something to take a bit of energy out of him and give him some time to sniff around and occupy his mind. What about some games inside (especially if wet) such as hiding treats or yourself? Maybe do some training, simple tricks, that kind of thing. Can you try doggy day care or meet up with some doggy friends to let him have a play? Have you removed or washed items that are strongly marked with his partner's scent? If there is residual scent it may be confusing him too. You may want to consider changing the place where you leave him during the day, perhaps somewhere inside if possible where he may feel more reassured if your scent is around. It may just take time but if you have tried various things and you meet with no success he may need drug therapy, hopefully for the short term to assist with the readjustment. Given his age there could be some factor of dementia starting as well.

I had a handler spot at his seminar in Oz and a private lesson! There's possibly a few people here who saw the mad and bad Paxy and me in action and yes I was nervous! I thought he was a fantastic speaker, very personable and funny, and recognised any handler problem very quickly. He holds Susan Garretts methods of training in high regard I understand. I thought his games were a great method to incorporate into training making it more fun for the dog and you. Most of his training is directed at obedience work but also adaptable to agility and DWD. I was very impressed and I'm hoping he'll come back to Oz again in the not too distant future! When I asked him about my girl sniffing he advised to take her by the collar and give her a 5 sec time out (holding collar and turning body away, no eye contact). I thoroughly enjoyed the seminar. It was particulary motivating to be surrounded by people interested in learning more about motivational training methods. I've already heard from people who were very impressed with him and are wanting to incorporate his training methods into their obedience work. If PAX is around she can fill you in a lot more on Kamal.

Good to see you back Jed. Hope with each day the pain and loss is a little easier to bear.