Tassie

Thanks for this info, sandgrubber .. looks interesting :)

Another Shirley Chong fan here too. Works for the UD articles as well, especially the metal that quite a lot of people have trouble with.

So sorry for you and your girl. Haven't had an epi dog, but the seizures my previous BC boy had after he ate something poisonous, were just awful. Yes, I would contact her breeder and gently let him/her know what is happening. Good breeders know that epilepsy can crop up occasionally and randomly, but it is certainly important information for a breeder to have. (Good breeders will be pretty upset to think that not so nice things are happening to those precious little pups that they spent so much time raising, and will be upset for the owners too.) There are several DOLers who have dealt/are dealing with epi dogs, and hopefully they'll be along soon to advise and support. You could try a search on the forums too. There used to be a really good Yahoo group .. Canine Epilepsy should find it. May have transferred over to a Facebook group now. Best wishes for you and Ebony. ETA .. just did a search on epilepsy in this forum .. 138 threads. The search box is on the top right hand side of the page.

Nice update. Seems like it's all starting to come together :)

How much fun were they having :laugh: .

From the few I know, not sure I'd say softer than a Britt or Viszla... the ones I know just seem to be a bit less gung ho and OTT. Hopefully some people who really know and have lots more experience of the breeds will come by. :)

We have some nice Welshies competing in tracking (they're brilliant) and another in agility. So small sample. From what I've seen of them, I'd say they are generally calmer that Viszlas and Brittanies, but possibly a little harder to train for things like agility and obedience. They just seem to an outside observer a little more self-centred and determined on their own course. The agility Welshie lad was so funny .. he would be apparently going to crash into a jump cos his nose was on the ground, and then he would just clear it almost from a standstill, and go on his way. Hopefully you'll get some more knowledgeable people coming in soon.

OMG ... huge kudos to those guys. They went way above and beyond just getting that poor dog out of the water, let alone the care they gave it afterwards. Just hope the dog's family survived too. There are some very, very good people out there.

Norwegian Forest kittens :love: :heart: My two are 16 months old and just lovely. Such chilled kitties, except when they're doing zoomies or practising tree climbing on their cat gym, or any other piece of climbing equipment they find inside. Mine were raised with dogs in the house as babies, but the breed characteristics say they get on well with other animals. Looks like that's proving true for yours too. 'Kitty crunchies' are yummy, my old BC girl says. But yes, not as a steady diet. I'd agree with the baby gate on the kittens' "powder room".

2015 ENDURANCE TEST SUNDAY 28 June 2015 ACT German Shepherd Dog Association Grounds Exhibition Park (EPIC), Flemington Road, Mitchell ACT Details are apparently on the DOL Events Diary page - entries close June 6.

Oh that's lovely news, dezzyno.1 ... especially the track of the day .. that's a buzz. Good luck for Inverleigh.

Sounds like good progress. Second the "watch like a hawk" advice. I actually used a light long line tied round my waist with one pup when she was loose in the house .. to prevent escapes as well :D . For me, one of the keys is to take the puppy out, and wait with them, so that you can see that they have performed, and party accordingly. So not just letting the puppy out. They usually need to go after sleeping, after eating, after playing .. and at random times. Very little ones .. every couple of hours if they are awake. Crate and pen are your friends too.

Be aware that if you have front passenger air bags, the same rules of thumb apply as for people .. i.e. there is a minimum safe weight limit for the 'passenger' .. so you need to check with your car's manual.

:cheer: for you and Bindi. That's very exciting!

IMHO as others have said, it's a balancing risk act. We have puppies start our club puppy classes after their second shot .. explaining that they are taking s small chance .. but this is in an area where parvo is less rife than in some other places. Personally, provided that there is no major parvo outbreak in a locality, I get mine as pups out and about as much as possible .. seeing and hearing sights, meeting people etc. - not so much meeting dogs .. that's confined to known vaccinated dogs, and usually in safe areas. Getting them used to the world they're going to be living in while they are at their most receptive is in the dog and owner's long term best interests. A really key thing, I think, is that as a puppy owner, I would take any serious diarrhoea episode really seriously, and get pup to vet sooner rather than later, regardless of pup's vac status or where it has been. Theoretically people could bring disease into your own yard or house on shoes etc. if they've been in an infected area.

Looks as though you both enjoyed yourselves :D .

To be honest, I would just go back to shutting the crate door when he goes to bed. At 1 he is still a baby but old enough not to need to go out to pee etc at night unless he is unwell. I believe I shut Rory's crate door at night (crate next to my bed) for maybe 2 years or a bit longer ... and if we're away from home in dog-friendly accommodation, it is ahut even now - both dogs are crated then .. and not necessarily in the bedroom - depends on size and house rules. So my inclination would be to say - listen to what the experiment results told you, and just go back to the situation that was working ... for another year or so, I'd suggest. Your sleep is important :) . As far as your nap time during the day goes - I personally would just do what you've been doing - it's good for him to know that he can do his own (safe) thing outside without your immediate presence.

Totally agree with your plan to get your older dog used to a crate - but also agree that IMO it's not necessary to change her sleeping arrangements. As TSD says - they cope quite well with different rules for different dogs in that regard. My old girl loves her crate in the car, and when she's at a trial or show - and she sleeps in a crate when we're away staying in dog friendly accommodation - it's her indicator as to the fact that the place is 'home' for the time being. My 6 year old boy started his crate sleeping at his breeder's, and then coped brilliantly as a 10 week old with an overnight flight with a stopover, across the country. He still chooses to sleep most of the night in an airline crate next to my bed - although he can (and occasionally does) sleep on my bed if he wants to. It's quite funny, as I took the door off his night time crate about 2 years ago ... it's still his special den :D . (Unless the old girl decides that she wants his crate - in which case she gets the crate and he fits himself into her cuddler bed on the other side of my bed. :laugh: .) As far as getting your older girl used to the crate - I'd start doing that now - it's good practice, and just do the same sort of thing you would for a puppy. Things like special treats in the crate, short time at first - gradually lengthen, door open at first. I actually add the practice of using a release word (OK in my case) to give permission to come out of the crate. It's the same thing I do for them to go to their food bowls, and exit the car etc. You're going to have so much fun. And don't forget pictures are required ... both dogs.

Very true, teekay.

Done for both dogs. :)

Such a hard time - . Treasure the memories you've built up with your lovely boy, be thankful you can do what needs to be done for him, and take good care of yourself as well As Olivia.

nickyp - so very sorry the day has come - but it does sound as though you're making absolutely the right decision. And I love your idea of a beautiful rose for Emmylou. You're ahead of me - I have a little collection of ashes up in a cupboard - but it's still comforting to know they're there. LOve the picture of baby Em - how sweet is that. Wishing you strength and comfort, especially this afternoon.

Sorry Scottsmum - was it very wrong of me to chuckle at that. :laugh: Your description was so graphic .... poor lad.

I love Shirley Chong's method for teaching a retrieve Shirley Chong Retrieve. Lovely to see a youngster starting on this journey :D

It's a very hard time. Reading what you've written, you're doing everything you can for Emmylou - and sounds like OH is helping you to take care of yourself too. Reading what you said about the children - particularly your daughter - I was wondering if it would be a good time to start her on a memories book for dear Emmylou - collecting treasured photos from puppyhood on, maybe writing little stories of when they were both younger , and maybe thinking about scrapbooking it. Thoughts are with you.