all that glitters

My shepherd barks when I leave for work if she has access to outdoors, I stayed home to watch her once and she will sit in the middle of the yard and bark bark bark for about 5 minutes straight, then get fed up and chase leaves or lay in the sun. Or the neighbors throw her a ball over the fence or talk to her I have her inside in a big room at the moment cos she has a sore leg, and to be honest I have a LOT less stress now knowing she isn't potentially annoying the neighbors

Week 7 - Hunting bugs with my tongue sticking out

RIP clover I hope the pain eases and the memories make you smile

The fact that your mum has been letting her in while she is being vocal is going to make things a LOT harder now. Dogs work on what works for them, and if crying for however long means the ladys mum is going to let me inside, I will cry again next time -- even longer if I have to! Do you leave her with things to do out there -- yummy treats, a kong, a chew stick, a bone.. these will help distract her and get her comfortable out there. You may also have to desensitize her to being out there.. that is getting her used to you going out there with her, then getting used to you approaching the back door.. do it so many times that in the end she isn't phased by you going to the door. Then you progress to opening the door and doing that a lot, then over time you enter the door and close it, then open it immediately and come out.. this sort of gets them used to what's happening. With my girl she cries and whines when we leave for work but luckily she is only vocal for 5 minutes.. I am doing desensitization with her and doing multiple 'test run' lockups through the day when I am home and I have noticed a vast improvement already. But unlike you (cos your dog barks for a LOT longer than 5 minutes) I am able to wait til mine becomes silent for a few minutes, then I can safely re-enter the room without 'praising' the vocal behavior. I have gotten her down from howling and frantic barking to just slight whining now. Not to say she doesn't have bad days -- she still carries on loud some days, but I am hoping doing test lock ups a lot helps. See if you can get yours used to you walking in and out the door? The key with yours is to go back outside/let them in BEFORE they start to cry (cos once yours becomes vocal you should under no circumstance let them in cos it praises the behavior.. but an hour is too long to wait!) so getting in before the barking starts will help with the test runs Have you spent time out in the yard with the dog? Sitting with them, reading out there, letting them know that being out there is fine and safe. I try to spend more time outside than I usually would so my girl knows outside is a nice place to be too

Ohhhhh no Im so sorry!!!! I was so hoping he would get better, ;) ;)

Oh no soooo sad! ;) RIP amazing Daddy

Yep even at a year old Shyla knows I mean business if I grab the scruff of her neck fur (not painful at all). I think that coupled with the fact I am tense and she can tell I am genuinely angry has taught her over time that means mum is REAL mad. She will stop what she is doing and look at me and then look down and will then watch as I walk off and then go and sulk lol

Yikes that is scary!! But I'm sure the vets will set him right tomorrow

Great news - and I think it's very wise to stay cautious to ensure a total and GOOD heal. However, I'm extremely jealous you are adopting a greyhound... I want one too... (but it's not the right time for Sash yet) i know i am a bit very very excited!!!! I reckon I'll let her heal/rest for another month or even more before bringing him home?

Very responsible Hubby wants to know how you maintain 40 acres? We're thinking of moving more rural in the future (not with THAT Much land) but the thought of so many acres makes his mind boggle!

Hm I don't often call snakes beautiful but that one was!

absolute dickheads!!!!

awwwwwwwwwwwww wow!!

FEB 19 Well the little missy is not limping at all now! Gone is the stiffness when getting up and she stands on all 4 feet, I am so happy. Rang my vet and he said thats great news, he said it means the leg is stable. He said it doesn't totally rule out a partial tear but if it is one it may be tiny and to just keep resting her for another month or so before getting the greyhound I am adopting. So we're gonna do another month of no frisbee and long walks etc and see how we go! I think when we get the greyhound we'll cut off half the yard so they can't go doing mad zoomies up and down the whole length of yard, I might just restrict the yard size for several more months and try and keep them indoors more than outdoors for a while

Ohh I do hope she finds a lovey home ASAP. That poor old lady, the thought of being separated from your beloved dog, especially at that age and in that fragile state.. it's so sad :rolleyes:

Thats terrible :rolleyes:

Slippers With Fur

I am yet to own a grey (almost!) but from what I know they don't fare very well in cold temperatures. They wear coats when it's cold but I think not even a coat would help in extended amounts of exposure to a cold environment.. depends how cold your mild winters are though I guess! It seems the short coats and thin skin would be much more suited to a predominantly indoor life, though

Thanks Wilderblu!! :laugh: That's looking hopeful, fingers crossed!

I'd also like to know how the dog is, I hope he's ok!

What a bummer I missed out on this challenge!! Ah well next month :rolleyes:

I'm a bit of a Termi fan! :rolleyes:

What happened to him ??

LOL I love the killing photos!! Hmm I might think of something else to get her for her birthday then!

Ok so I guess they are strong but not strong enough if a dog wants to destroy it I am looking at starting up an online pet supply store, I so want to stock the tuffie creature range cos they are hilarious