ChristineX

I've Irish Terriers, and my male (about a year after I got him) suddenly became aggressive to my female, particularly around food, human attention and at times personal space. We eventually traced it back to displaced vertebrae - the chiro put them back in place and the aggression (and intolerance of other canines) disappeared. Until the next bout of displaced vertebrae...... which for Duke is pretty much a revolving door. A good vet check first - and then a behaviouralist (recommendations from here would be best) if the vet check is clear. Duke has spent four years with a dog shrink (related to his dyscopia when faced with other dogs and being outside the house), and his painful back very clearly made things worse. ChristineX

One of my problems, as my two have gotten older, is that they don't say Ouch, or show pain until they are at the point of already having collapsed - so I make that decision, which is, less activity but a few more games inside. It's one of the challenges in owning Irish Terriers.

I dont usually have a lot of people around here, drunk or otherwise. Normally Duke and Kate are all over people (yes, maybe a little out of control), but the night our drunk (beligerant) neighbour came around (okay, yes, Duke did kill his cat, but it was in our backyard, bit a sleeping Kate and shredded my hand!), I had a dog in a perfect sit on either side of me, in full leg contact - and they sat there while I dealt with the neighbour. Completely their choice to do so too. I was ever so pleased when that neighbour moved out...... Duke has also been known to be unappreciative of aggressive, high on drugs loud people - apparently they flip on his protective "shred the threat" switch. And Mum's often drunk neighbour had Duke in perpetual protective fence-running mode (only along the shared fenceline). Which promptly stopped when the guy moved out. So yes, behaviour certainly does change (Duke more so than Kate) around chemically impaired persons. These days, I take note and appropriate action, depending on circumstances.

Duke and I ran into one while waiting for a class - 9 month old male, totally ignoring his owner, came over. Lessons learnt: 1. Even at 9 months, they are ultra dominate to other dogs (judging by this one) 2. Tenacious - 15 minutes after the dumb owner had finally caught his dog - it was off leash again. Duke and I now waiting in the car - corso had to be peeled off my car by dumb owner as it was attempting to get in and get to Duke. I think they are really nice dogs, but you do need to be able to maintain control at all times. The dog above went for every single dog that came into that park. Owner was completely clueless. Training from the moment you get your dog is therefore highly recommended.

Do I care? Not really - I like that Duke has a good time - even if it's a bit messy to clean up after!

My Irish Terrier Quin (RIP) used to purr - mind you, the room had to be quiet for it to be heard. Apparently in Irish Terriers it can be a family trait.

Well, the pathology is back. Kate has had 3 separate melanomas removed, the good news being that all margins are clear. (which means, no identifable tumour left behind.) The vet staff tell me that with clear margins, the outlook is good (well, yeah, it is for most cancers). It's a worry that two of these have sprung up in the space of 5 days, but it's now a matter of keeping an eye out for any more of these. I think that we've given Kate the best chance she has to hopefully die of an advanced, disgracefully cheeky old age and she's been told No More Lumps!!

Well, Kate has had her operation - which went very well. Charmed the pants of the vet staff (typical Irish Terrier). The bad news is that they found three lumps, all of which were removed. We are now waiting to see what the path report says, and I am trying not to panic, given that in humans, finding three lumps close together when melanoma is suspected is what is called a bad prognostic indicator. Otherwise - given that these three lumps were just above the hock on the inside of the leg - Kate shows no signs of remembering that she has stiches in. Which is good, as it means I don't have to put the elizabethan collar on her (I don't think it would go well with doggy doors, or with Duke!) Mind you, getting the antibiotic tablets down here is a whole different type of fun! I am determined, she is having the full course!!

Lots of people are looking, so here is what I have learnt: - melanoma in canine mouth and toes is very very bad news. - melanoma on the skin otherwise is 80% melanocytoma, which is a non-malignant form, with the other 20% being malignant. - in dogs, as in humans, melanoma is resistant to chemotherapy, and radiotherapy is a control mechanism. - best bet for cure is surgery to an early stage melanoma. Fortunately for Kate, it currently looks as though we've caught it early (which means I am hopeful for a good outcome).

Young Kate - who is 13/14 years old - earned herself a trip to the vet on Saturday with a change in skin spot -over 4 weeks its gone from a watermark stain to pitch black with a little nodule in the centre. The vet just rang back - melanoma. Its in an easy to reach position, on the inside of the hind leg and I think it should be easy to remove. And assuming melanoma in dogs is the same in humans - I am starting to seriously freak out (should I mention that I work in cancer research?) Given Kate's age, I'm thinking things (ie research) overnight, but probably we'll take her in on thursday for a good pre-op examination, and if that clears her to go for an anaesthetic, then she'll go for surgery on friday. Thank god I have overaccumlated leave! Vet said "good catch", it's still that small. Doesn't every one check their elderly dogs? Does anyone have any experience with melanomas in dogs? Hopefully good ones? Please?

Duke did this to himself once - overhumping a cushion..... Cool water got the swelling down, but I think he had been wandering around a while like that so we had a quick late night trip to the emergency vets (totally useless, that lot - they were too scared to touch him!) and a visit to our normal vet the following morning for pain relief and anti-inflammatories (he was still walking funny). New couch has no removable cushions for a reason.

Snickers, what sort of situation do you have? A lot of the local dog clubs will help you work thru issues with your dog, and a lot of them do have contacts with local dog trainers that they know and trust. Bark Busters - last I heard, it's a franchise, you buy into it and get a couple of weeks training and a handbook. I've not heard of too many good results, and I've heard of some real disasters, too. If you have an issue that is more behavioural, let us know and we can direct you to those people here in perth. Dogswest have a list of clubs and contact details, if that helps. Christine.

I'd say that's really possible - before I got Duke, both Quin and Kate were ruled by the weero - and I mean totally ruled! Duke however, I have always thought that he'd started killing other creatures long before I ever got him as a wayward adolescent. His first owners were not particuarly forthcoming with information on him when they surrendered him to the queensland breeder. It's quite possible that if he'd been brought up with chooks, that he would consider them part of his territory. After all, they were originally irish farm dogs, so they must have been relatively safe with chooks and things.

I've got Irish Terriers - and the last year in the old house, Duke killed about 20 mice - not counting birds, lizards and anything else that dared venture onto his territory! He often woke me up at 3 in the morning going thru furniture to get to the mice. Kate, my other IT will help with the tracking, but its Duke that does the killing. One headswipe and toss the body. Here at mum's its been more magpies and the odd rat (he's very pleased with himself over those, too). So far the cats around here have been a bit too quick to get back over the fence. I think that any of the terriers you try, you need to look for one with high prey drive. My first male IT - you'd hear him yelp as a mouse ran over the top of him! Mind, I wouldn't want to put Duke anywhere near chooks - that would be the very definition of self-serve for that boy! But a dog like Duke would be happy to be a day pet as long as you had a nice doggy door for him to go do his hunting at night. I currently kennel him at night otherwise he's out hunting cats.

Steve Courtney's weekend seminar in Drive that he did in Perth last year! I learnt so much!

Try a dap (Adaptil) collar - sometimes these help for short term management while you implement longer term strategies. also - radio on, crate/confine to small room, exercise/training before going - you probably know most of the tricks to try already! Good luck.

The Irish Water spaniel is on my list of interest too. From the one I kinda met (royal show last year, in crate), very smart, apparently very athletic - you need good fencing. Also sensitive to various drugs - a bit like Aussie Shepherds. The one I met wasn't happy with all the fuss, and kept her head down. On my fourth round of the venue (hey, lots of different breeds to see)she apparently felt I was safe enough to make eye contact with. Her brother loves people, but could not stand other male dogs so he no longer went to shows.

What Cosmolo said! Worked a treat on my adolescent Irish Terrier (all those years ago). Just be consistent - terriers are the master at the 'what gets me the best deal' game!

Bossyboo, what is it that attracts your mum to the irish terrier? (I have two at home.) For low shedding, I think that if your dog is getting stripped a couple of times a year,maybe. Otherwise, I don't think I'd call them exactly non or low shedding - certainly nothing like german shepherds or pugs, but that hair gets everywhere. For me, I like the fact that they are great watchdogs (triggered by sounds, including 1/3 of the aircraft going overhead, for some reason), and they keep me on my toes. Keep in mind, a lot of people don't cope with that sort of dog, there is a very good reason why the IT is a rare breed. While there is not a malicious bone in their body, they will push. Nonstop, sometimes. And they are smart enough to find a lot of different ways to push your buttons, just because they like to see a reaction. Not good dogs to have around if you have cats, birds or other small animals (yes, there are always exceptions, but don't ever rely on that!)or you can't stand a dog that will counter surf, that will steal that tin of fish and eat the fish thru the tin on your bed, (not to mention, stealing the vegimite jar - they all figure out how to get the lid off. Do you know how scary it is 2 am in the morning and your bare toes hit that cold glass?? Trust me, its the world's fastest wake up call!)There's an Irish Terrier forum on the internet, just search Irish Terrier and Forum, you'll get there. It's got a lot of good information and stories on about ITs. Keep in mind, not enough stimulation (and I don't think a short daily walk will cut it) and they'll find other ways - like fence running, runs in the ground (currently here at 25 cm deep, but they have been as deep as a metre), catching the local wildlife (like magpies), the neighbours cat (usually really not appreciated), redesigning your hemlines on your washing (actually, they left my stuff alone and targeted the rest of the family's clothing), adding new holes to your reticulation network, doing 'interesting' things to your gates and fencing.... you get the idea. My life is not boring with these guys around!

Hi Drumbeat, I've got the Irish Terrier! See you tomorrow!

I totally understand - fortunately with time Duke has stopped stealing crockery and cutlery - but apparently the doona is still fair game. I think it is the challenge of getting it thru the doggy door. Bottles - apparently it is just the cap he is after, tins have been found in a very holey chewed up state carefully tucked under my doona (ugh!)and I have never found that bright red mobile phone back again! At least he's never eaten one of the car immobilisers as one of my previous dogs did. The vets still laugh about that one. Your Rosie sounds delightful, by the way (okay, I like challenging dogs, they make life so interesting)

Hi Steph, the only thing you can do is institute management - ie, don't leave anything out there for them to take! Your Rosie is pretty polite, waiting until you are out of the house to countersurf - my guys wait until they think I can't see them!

When I moved in to Mum's (some time ago), Kate,my IT had to stay outside. She howled nonstop for a couple of weeks. Adaptil was very useful (collar type) in helping her aclimatise to her new living situations. Cheaper sourced from the internet than the vet, by the way. Although the vet was extremely helpful, too. Would up using the vapouriser as well as the collar.

Hi Boxagirl, I've bought tickets for me and Duke, so I will see you there! :)

This is probably a good time to ask my (probably stupid) question of the year - I don't post in here a lot (okay, very little) because Duke and I have been in 'therapy' for 5/6 years now,where most of you are still at the start. Sorry if that disheartens anyone - its just that Duke needs to keep going to maintain his ability to cope with other dogs. Anyhow, two weeks ago, guy down at park (we were waiting for the start of the reactive rover class)has his 20month male Cane Corso off leash - absolutely no voice control - and it decides it needs to dominate Duke. (He's an Irish terrier, another pretty dominant breed, and Duke,while he is now over having to dominate every dog he meets, will not allow another dog to lord it over him.) Duke was fantastic in that while I kept my wits about me, he let me deal with the dog while giving off the body language of 'not interested'. Problem - when I saw the cane corso ramping up in excitement, I panicked. (Trust me, this dog was not interested in backing off at all) Once I started panicking, that's when Duke decided that he needed to deal with the dog.... fortunately that's when clueless the owner managed to grab his dog's collar. So the question of the year is, how do I stop panicking in these sorts of situations? It sets off my asthma, and not being able to breathe does not help the situation of Duke jumping in with everything he's got if he thinks I'm in trouble. Do I think I was justified in worrying about this dog? Yup, 20minutes after this, this dog tried to get to Duke while we were both sitting in the car.... I've never had that before!