Hetzer

Believe them when they say "I'm not not licking toads"

I think of lure coursing as an opportunity for a dog to express its natural prey drive in an intense way. Its fun for the dog and fun to watch. Some dogs are into it, some aren't. Seeing the chase from the dogs point of view would be great - anyone have "dog-cam" ? Dictionary definitions of the word "sport" are like "an athletic activity requiring skill or physical prowess and often of a competitive nature" - sport is not exclusively of a competitive nature with winners, losers and certificate and ribbons. And since a lot of dogs are born with the required physical skill and prowess, actual training beyond keeping the dog fit and participating in the activity is not needed to meet the requirements of the word "sport". Sport can be "An active pastime; recreation" so I think there is nothing odd about calling lure coursing a sport.

This is exactly what I used to do for my Pet Dobe. Almost worthy of incorporation is a Hostel movie. When my Vizsla gets a bit older I'll hopefully get her eating roo tails because I think they have to rank as amongst the healthiest meat available. Dogs with chomping power get through them fairly promptly. We used to get ours from the local pet barn.

The watermark across the image would have to be the best bet to protect your work - can't you make it more transparent to make it less distracting?

I started using Glucosime myself recently to see if it helps joint recovery from exercise - I had not thought about it as a supplement for the dog though. Its tough to be totally sure a supplement is working, and a trial may not be definitive. Was the trial over a long enough period? Were doses high enough? How was the effectiveness measured? Are there other studies that oppose these findings? From what I read there is a general consensus it does help. If only the dogs could speak to provide detailed feedback.

Hello there. The poor thing probably feels an intense itchiness on his bum. I'd try applying some sorbelene based cream to relieve the affected area. The mucous may be released as the result of the licking, which in turn encourages the dog to lick more - a vicious circle. I don't know anything about anal glands... I just saw a documentary once on foxtel where a smallish showdog required artificial evacuation of it and I am glad I don't have to do that with my dog.

Very True!

Occasionally I see pictures of Cesar Milan purposefully walking in front of his "pack" of dogs. He emphasises that in order to be acknowledged by the dogs as the boss (alpha, leader) you have to be in front, even when simply walking through a doorway. However, I'm not so sure about this. Here is why: 1. (On a personal note) my Vizsla instinctively walks in front of me, but turns glances at me regularly to see where I am going, and if I have altered my course, she alters hers accordingly. If I stop, she pauses, and if I'm standing for a couple of moments will run towards me and stand/sit next to me. To my mind, this indicates that I am leading her. If on a short leash, she'll trot along beside me. 2. If the instintive purpose of a Hunting Dog is flushing out game, it would be pretty rediculous to have it walk behind the human. 3. In a dog sled, the dogs are out in front. The top dog may be out the front and leading, but it still is under the command of the human in the sled. Do the front runner dogs think they rank higher than the human simply due to their proximity out in front? 4. When you see Military or Police Dogs with handlers, the dogs are out front for a variety of pretty obvious reasons. Who would suggest that the dog is in charge in these scenarios? I don't know if I am anthromorphizing , but it seems logical to have less ranking individuals out front, like in an army patrol. The dogs superior senses can locate dangers and this protects the leader. 5. On the issue of "don't let a dog go through a door before you"... isn't the dog just anticipating the human's movements, especially if its a routine? Seems to me the dog is acting like as escort rather than a boss. I'd like to hear other peoples' opinions on this issue. Thank you!