OSoSwift

Out of interest have you ever been bitten? That little fiesty snake seems to get a little close a couple of times, well from the angle I was watching anyway - shudder

I have them as well and they are brilliant - although I have been accused of being a horrendous owner by someone at dog training for having a coat on my dog in the heat and they were going to report me!!!! I had one dog with one on, and one without (only had him a week-one was on it's way ) and showed that she wasn't panting, he was, and showed them how much cooler it is when you placed your hand between the coat and the dog. They were finally convinced but still thought I was wierd. I have also used them as a wind breaker when I was at a trial in Albany and it was blowing an absolute gale. They are lightweight yet kept the dogs warm and didn't impeded movement. Cool champions coats are briliant.

+1 I have to agree with this myself. I have had dogs that don't really like it, but sit/lay still with the minimum of wiggling as they know it is just going to be done. My bitch started within days of her arriving, she command rolls into my lap (I sit crosslegged on the floor) and offers up her toesies happily, lays there then gets gently rolled off and bounces around. My male I got older and int eh beginning he pulled his feet away, wiggled and whinged. I just quietly kept doing what I was doing, only uttering an uhuh if he really tried to rip his foot away or tried to get up(he was happy laying on his back for belly rubs etc) NOw he lays still and does not wiggle, can't say he enjoys it quite as much as my girl, but he tolerates it quietly. I did use the Dremel until the OH broke it and will again when I get around to buying another one. Till then I use nail trimmers and a run around outside takes the sharp edges off. I would muzzle him and go in with confidence and make sure if he is quiet and calm to praise him, but ignore saying anything while he is wiggling or carrying on.

I have 4 inch foam matresses in the crates, which are in the dog house bit of the runs. They have about 5 polar fleece blankets on top of that and also wear double polar fleece coats and have a snuggle safe disk if it is very cold. Their other bed is the leather lounge.............. I found a pile of polar fleece blankets workes well as if they were chewed there was no stuffing/foam everywhere, and they wash and dry easily and can be put in the dryer

Is he entire or desexed?

oh wow, I would NEVER put my hand somewhere like with no known snake in it, never mind when I KNEW one was in it!! That lil snake was a bit fired up it seems

Excellent news, great to see all happy and healthy. Gorgeous babies

It's hard as he blames himself for not doing it and I felt it was my fault as I didn't let him know and I'm the one that usually fed Silas Honestly it may have had nothing to do with it. I know the what if's get you.

Three times!!! - you have my sympathy . I find it difficult enough worrying about my other two (GSD & GR) and whether it might happen to them, without having had one dog going through it again and again. It must be a real worry for you OSoSwift Yep it makes you very on edge. I found it very stressful and also worrying about her grandaughter - who never got it. There are a few reasons I didn't get another Dobe but the stress around potential bloat was a significant one. Incidentally she died at nearly 12 from an issue unrelated to bloat or GDV.

Is there anywhere I could get diagrams to fully explain what the person and the dog have to do to complete the Rally exercises, just to make sure we are doing them correctly Thank you

okay length ways it is, I really don't think they could eat a whole neck each. hmmm okay on the shanks I may let a friend of mine have them then to do whatever it is she does with them to eat them

thank you. The roos tails could be whatever size I wanted and have all their meat on. Lambs necks, well they are all a bit small at the moment, but when I get the butchered would I ask for a whole neck, or say get it cut into two? And I will get the shanks for the dogs and the lamb flaps as long as they are not too fatty

And of course they come in enough colours so they can match the lounge as well ;) I've been a whippet fan for a long time, looks like they may finally suit! Whippets tend to be popular with the horse folk. If you go around the horse trucks at the aggie shows, there are generally a few Whippets around. The important question is probably how the horses are with dogs. Any dog is at risk from a dog hating horse - and a lot of mares in particular won't tolerate dogs around. It pays to be cautious. My Clydesdale struck out and killed our Ostrich (which came with her when we bought her and they had lived together for ages, she had also struck at a dog before. I also had a young colt - now gelding, that would try and chase and jump on anything that got in his paddock. I wouldn't risk any of my animals in with my horses. My old retiree however would let them wander around her legs and lick them, but the dogs were always sent away just in case.

Woohoo getting closer - goodluck from us again :D

I have Whippets though so I am not sure if they would do that. A friend of mine lost a Dobe from eating verterbrae bones so I find it very hard to bring myself to do it.

Ok, I didn't know that. It makes me feel a little better (if true) as the only thing I could think of that we did wrong that night was that my OH fed him (usually I do) and I forgot to tell him to elevate his bowl - something I ALWAYS did. We have both been feeling very guilty about this as it was a "one-off" and we lost him Great news Kirislin, I'm glad he's ok (assuming no news is good news) My dog was fed from an elevated bowl and an non-elevated bowl and got it three times. Once was from eating dry lupins though so that one doesn't count! Sometime you do everything "right" and it still happens please tell your husband not to feel guilty, it sometimes just happens because it does.

out of interest, is there any issues with the individual verterbrae when dogs are eating roo tails and lamb necks?? I am alsways concerned they verterbrae would seperate and thus be able to be swallowed and cause an issue. I have never given them but have access so would feed if they stayed intact and the dogs just ate the meat tendons etc but the bones stayed together if you get what I mean

I have done that in the past. Neither of my dogs have been taught them, but a couple of times have not been concentrating into a LAT, they have ended up doing a round the back one, thought WT???? and then paid a little more attention just incase there owner has done something strange again!

oh yes, with a litter the colours you get can be quite the colour lottery

fantastic news. Having been there 3 times I can tell you it is extremely stressful so I am very very glad he is feeling better today

thanks! 12 hours to go! breathe in.....breathe out....... you will do great :D

I have heard from owners that whippets and greyhounds are fragile and break their bones if they jump off something as simple as a bed? Is this a individual thing or a breed thing? Not true. Mine have collided at top speed, sommersaulted got up and kept going. Not many other breeds would do that. I have had sprained and a dislocted toe in one of my Whippets, but as for breaking bones nope, mine jump all the time as we do agility.

Goodluck for your trial

this vid helped me understand it a bit better! That kind of helped, but the dog is only ever on her left, I am assuming becasue she says outside circle and inside cirle both ways she means to have them on the left and the right side. If not, doing it only on the left makes no sense to me what so ever. i think in another vid she says she doesnt show the other side as they are still trying to get it right! but yeah, inside and outside circles on both the left and right. you can start to add figure 8s and front crosses etc as well as accel and decel work. okay well that makes much more sense might have to go play I think

I have Whippets and live on acerage. I have cats, guinea pigs - that have escaped and been right under a curious Whippets nose before - cattle, sheep and I do have a horse but he is at bootcamp at the moment. We have chooks but not near the house they are down at the orchard. Mine are not allowed to chase them and that is it. They are allowed to chase bunnies but only when released to do so. I can also call them off a bunny. They are never allowed to chase roos. I know of people that take them out with horses adn theya re fine and once mature and worked up to it can go quite a way. I would not ahev any dog around a horse that kicks so whilst a Whippet may not stand up to a kick, well I have seen cattle dogs and kelpies etc die from kicks so I do not think the breed matters, I wouldn't take my dog out if there was any danger of it being kicked by my horse. My dogs are not allowed into the paddocks unless by invitation which is very rare and I usually have to tell them twice as they stop and check to make sure, which I like. One will try and chase wild birds from time to time, but that is stopped and he is called off as soon as I see it happening. My dogs have a very good recall but I train them for it from day dot. I have five acres around the house. I find as a breed Whippets do tend to self exercise a lot, so if you wander around the five acres they do at least 5 times that distance zooming around. Mine will also chase balls, and grab toys and run around chasing each other. I was pleasently suprised by how little exercise they happily and healthily survive on. They don't smell, lose very little hair and look very nice draped over your lounge :D