Mooper

Just getting back to this topic ... After our weekend's herding, I don't want Jack playing chasies with the sheep any more. It was so hot on Saturday and the poor sheep were run ragged by my dog :D His time was cut short on Sunday, to give the sheep a break, and that's when I realised I have lots of work to do. I want to teach my dog the stop, walk up and out (sides will come later, I hope) before he goes on sheep again. So I am after any hints on training "dry", away from the fleecies. Is a long line in the park the way to go? Can I use my clicker? Jack consistently works well for a click and reward. At the moment, he thinks "stop" means sit at heel He's a challenge. And very speshal

He's mostly back to his old self :rolleyes: Drinking lots of water, but it's a warm morning and I presume the anaesthetic dried him out. His appetite is back, too. His eye is a bit goopy again this morning, so I cleaned it with saline first thing, then later put this morning's ointment on it. He gets more ointment as soon as we get home, and just before bed. Between that and the antibiotics, we should knock this on the head :rolleyes: There's no sign of it in his left eye, which is a mighty good thing. Thanks for the tip about anaesthetic, Jodie. If we need to do this again sometime, I'll ask for the more gentle option. It was very odd to have Jack leaning against me for support while he ate his measly dinner last night!

OK, so here's the plan ... we all find people like me who have a fairly talentless mongrel and get them addicted to herding. Or people with a stunningly beautiful show-line border collie (hypothetically speaking, of course ) THEN when they've had their fun and done all they can do with their mongrel they start planning ahead to their next dog ... researching the working lines, getting to know the ins and outs of each of the associated sports. And the future of trialling is in good hands. That seems like the ideal outcome for such clubs that are struggling to make money, but don't want to "sell out".

I won't hammer you, dasha, but I will say that I see a bit of a catch 22. Yard dog and three-sheep trials need a supply of young blood and new interest to remain viable as a sport for working dogs. To some extent, I think herding workshops like the ones I attend can do this. Certainly the newly formed Bungendore & District Sheepdog Association is run by a group of very dedicated (mostly) women who want to see more youngish women involved in this sport. With working dogs from solid working lines. On the other hand, I can see what you're saying. While we've only been doing this once a month for a few months, I know people who have been going to herding clinics for two days a month for over a year and they still have a dog that essentially just chases sheep. Or a dog that doesn't have a solid stop. They make progress in that perhaps a dog that used to grab doesn't do so any more, or a handler that used to rely on a PVC pipe or a rake uses only subtle hand movements or commands. But I can't get past how much those people must have spent on that many sessions I guess for some people it's a social thing, for them and their dogs. A nice day or two out in the bush and the fresh air. And for the serious folks, there are kennel clubs and trialling.

Thanks, folks. He's shown absolutely no interest in our usual food prep tonight -- didn't move while I cooked our dinner, didn't get up after we finished dinner etc. I'll try him on something small just so that his tummy isn't empty before bed time. It is so odd to see this big boofhead of a dog reduced to a floppy rag doll. It took him four attempts to cock his leg outside before. He kept losing his balance. I bet he'll be back to his usual self in the morning, though

I don't know how you coped each time Ollie dog went to the vet in his down times, Jodie. I kept thinking of Jack all day today and he was knocked out in dreamy land the whole time! Do you think I should feed him chicken and rice tonight? Just something plain? I've never seen him groggy like this. He barely accepted his antibiotics tablets even though they were in cubes of cheese. All he wants to do is sleep, poor bub.

We're home :p The poor boofer couldn't jump in the car when we left the vet's, he was still so groggy. The vet said "for a dog with such a calm exterior, he has a hell of a lot of spunk" ... they were going to lightly sedate him for the eye examination and ended up opting for full anaesthesia He wouldn't let them anywhere near his eye On the plus side, his eye looks heaps better. There is no sign of trauma -- no scratching, no evident nasties -- so the vet thinks it was just a severe, sudden case of conjunctivitis. He's on Amacin ointment three times a day and has antibiotics (2 tablets per day for 5 days). If his eye doesn't look normal within two or three days, we're under instructions to bring him back. But it looks so much better now that I think we'll be in the clear The vet also said he's not contagious. I'm not sure how he knows that, but it's good news because it means we can still go sheepherding on the weekend. Although I'm wondering whether all that dust might be a bad idea ... Jack might be herding in his Doggles! Jack sends snuggles to you all

Well, they had to sedate him pretty heavily to have a good look around but can't find any grass seeds or other foreign bits and bobs ;) They think it may have flushed out of its own accord from last night's saline or the tea treatment. So the groggy boy will spend the afternoon snoozing there with some ointment on the eye and I'll pick him up this evening I hope it all clears up OK! Oh, I forgot to ask about any scratches ... will check that with them tonight.

;) When are you coming to Canberra? Should we start looking about for venues or is the rest of your year booked up? It's on the way to/from Melbourne, really

I'm hoping it's nothing too serious, too! The brave lad struggled a little when the vet first went to look at the eye, but I put my arm around Jack's ribs and he settled. He just stood there for what felt like 5 mins while the vet opened Jack's eyelids ever wider. He's a good boy ;)

It was really windy last Thursday, Rozzie, and is pretty breezy today. But in the interim, no, it wasn't excessively windy. We do, however, need to cut the back lawn so there is a fair bit of grass seed about. The vet was shocked at the inflammation when we went in this morning, so Jack is in for the day. They've sedated him and will have a good look under his third eyelid as the vet strongly suspects a foreign object of some sort. Fingers crossed that his eye isn't scratched. It's the first time I've had to leave him at the vet! Poor lad wasn't happy but should be a much happier pooch this evening when we pick him up ;)

It came on so quickly, IDWT, that I fear you may be right. But we'll know in the morning. For now, it seems Jack's food drive is sufficient to make him forget about his irritated eye! He sat and watched me until I released him for his dinner, and didn't paw at his eye once. Duffer that he is ;) The tea should have cooled down now. I'll give that a go. Will add extra tea bags for my beauty sleep next time

Thanks, arby I've been washing my hands so much with antibacterial soap that I'm sure I'm going to end up with a skin condition now! So don't worry, we've been very careful to avoid any cross-contamination. A few DOLers recommend the tea solution. I'll give it a try before bed. ;)

Poor Jack is miserable tonight. He won't leave his right eye alone. It was a bit gunky this morning, and a greenish yellow colour. I made up a lukewarm saline solution, dabbed some on the eye with a different cotton wool square each time, then forgot about it. Until coming home tonight ;) The poor boy's eye is so swollen and red. There is no longer a goopy yellow discharge but his eye does seem to be weeping. I'm worried about the boy I'm lucky that he's never been off-colour before. With no new flowering plants in the yard, no change in diet etc I can't think of anything else this might be ... although there could be a grass seed in there, I suppose. The back lawn is overdue for a cut Fingers crossed that some antibiotics and ointment will be all we need to clear this up.

Interesting question. I'm a complete novice, and my dog was 6yo before he saw sheep, so we're both fairly clueless. We attend sheepdog school more to improve the dog/handler bond than anything else. I have been told (by several instructors now) that he has "instinct" ... in one case, I clearly remember Bernard Arends saying this when Jack used his voice to move five sheep out of the corner of the yard. He did it again when they were stubborn. He will go along the fenceline to get them out of there, too. It depends on the situation but he uses his voice to good effect. So much so that Bernard decided he must have Huntaway in there! :D I recall our very first sheepdog school, with Robert Cox at Binalong. Jack was visibly uncomfortable at being told to drop when one sheep was breaking away from the mob. It got to be too much and he brought that sheep back, then came back to me and Robert. Robert called that a sign of instinct. So instinct seems to mean different things in different situations. And the signs probably vary by breed. He shows a fair bit of eye, and I've seen him crouch a few times, but generally he's quite "pushy". Not to the detriment of the sheep. I think it's a different style of working due to whatever breeds he's made up of, and I don't know enough to describe it any other way than "pushy" He prefers to work the head. Anyway, we're learning and having fun :D He's next to useless in a paddock so far. But we have barely put sides on him yet. Every instructor (we've had 5 or 6) has said he would have been a great yard dog if we'd got him when young. And they say I read him well and that he balances well. That's good enough for a newbie like me.

Jack is a 6yo ACD x GSD x ?, weighs 29kg He gets 2/3c of Science Diet Senior Lite (or something like that) in his Buster Food Cube each morning. He was on 1/2c when on a diet but the vet suggested increasing that bit by bit. Each evening he has 300g of BARF. He has one marrowbone a week, and the occasional lamb shank. For a while I fed him a 500-600g chicken carcass in the evening instead of BARF and he piled on the weight BARF has brought it back down from 32kg to a very healthy 29kg. He's in the best condition he's ever been in :D

Way to go, Shek!! Jack the boofer and I are going herding again this weekend :D We're pretty hopeless, but we have fun. And no sheepies get hurt, just me when the sheep run through my legs It's a blast, isn't it? I'd love to get more involved in it, but time and expense don't permit it for now. I think I'll have to get a working pup for my next dog and start from scratch :D

Looks great! Happy dogs, too

Those thumbs speak volumes!

Ribbons?! No ribbons = no problems Actually, we have two from obedience. And they are on the bookshelf but if we take out the books weighing them down, we lose the ribbons for a while

I'm so sorry, openarms Rest in peace, sweet Daisy girl Look after all the doggies in heaven.

Oh, I'm sorry Casper. You knew it was coming soon, but it's never easy. Hugs to you and yours. I'm so glad you spent your last moments together :D Rest in peace, sweet Rosie.

What are you putting in your BARF mix? Jack's mix just smells like fruit and veg with free-range chicken carcasses ground up in it ... I actually think it smells quite good, compared to commercial dog food! I do find baggies a bit messy, so I buy takeaway-sized containers and keep any Chinese take-away ones. Then wash thoroughly and reuse

Woo hoo! Go doggies!

Jack has some, which we won in a lucky dip at ARF's Christmas party last year ;) I've discovered that they block his peripheral vision, so I can sneak up on him to put ears drops in his ears without him getting all narky at me The trick is to also put them on at "normal" times, with the clicker and treats for example, so he doesn't just associate them with something less pleasant.