TYLER23

Red

Our 3yo SBT sheds a ridiculous amount of hair year round. It's non-stop and ends up everywhere. He puts our British Shorthair Cat to shame. He gets a mix of Artemis Dry and raw meaty bones. He's in good health, no visible skin problems, and has a nice soft, shiny, even coat with no bald spots. He scratches every now and again, but no more than any other dog to cause concern. I brush him daily with a slicker brush and by hand, but despite this he continues to shed. Is this completely normal, or is there something else going on? Is it worth changing the Artemis to something else, say Canidae?

We did attend obedience school in the beginning, but found that we weren't getting much out of them. the groups were large, and the volunteer trainers were doing their best, but it was quite repetitive and there wasn't an opportunity to focus on problem areas one on one. Can anyone recommend a good trainer on Sydney's Northern Beaches?

As the title suggests, we have a problem where he pulls like a freight train when he sees other dogs on our walk. Generally speaking, he walks nicely beside me during our walks with the occasional pull when he picks up a scent etc. I always carry a pocketful of treats and reward loose lead walking, but when he spots another dog approaching i could wave a t-bone steak in front of his nose and it won't make a difference. He gets up on his back legs and totally pulls towards the other dog. He is not aggressive, has never been in any scuffles whatsoever, just super keen to meet and play with other dogs. I can imagine from the other owners perspective that this behavior comes across as aggressive and i would like to put a stop to it. What have i tried? i always spot the approaching dog before he does, and i remain calm with a loose lead. the second he spots the other dog i give him a sharp tug, but he continues to pull. i've tried the ceaser milan finger jab, calling his name, turning the opposite direction... no good. the only solution is to physically restrain him until the dog passes. We also practice the TOT during meal times at home. when we practice basic obedience at home, i can keep his focus on me, but outside the home not so well. any suggestions?

I feel your pain Druce... we had a particularly bitey SBT pup as well and thought it would never stop. With some great advice from fellow DOL'ers coupled with regular exercise and training we worked through it and eventually broke the habit. Can't remember how long it took, but it did happen. The advice others have given you are right on track so i won't repeat them. At 18 months old, we are now experiencing another trait of the breed where he is starting to push the boundaries and see how much he can get away with and generally being a downright stubborn mule! Having said all this, i can't see myself ever choosing any other breed... they are very intelligent and loving... it's just a matter of when they decide they are in the mood to exercise this intelligence

Just an update: I stopped using Clarantyne after three days of little improvement and switched to Calendula Tea twice a day for two days. There has been a marked improvement and the redness has abated to a pale pink. It's a bit difficult to say for certain that the tea did the trick, but it certainly seems like it. I'll know for sure the next time as the tea will be the only treatment i'll use . Thanks Erny!!

I used the following to work out the dosage, http://ingleburnvet.com.au/antihistamines.htm He weighs 20kg, so he gets one 10mg Clarantyne tablet daily.

Thanks Erny, i will keep the Calendula Tea in mind. I'm guessing you let the tea soak into the skin and dry naturally, rather than rinsing it off. Is a rinse once a day sufficient? How many days? I'd prefer to get a result from the antihistamine one way or another before i try something new.

I didn't want to start up yet another thread on antihistamines, so i thought i'd tag onto this recent thread... my question is, how long should it typically take after administering an antihistamine before you start to see an improvement? His belly and inside of the legs have flared up again. Last year the vet prescribed Apex lotion which i believe is an antibiotic cream similar to Neocort. I still have half a tube left, but cannot make out the expiry date I've given my boy Clarantyne for two days now and have only seen a slight improvement. How long should i persevere before trying a different brand, say Zyrtec?

ok, so i understand he needs a C3 now and then not required for 3 years, but i think i'm more confused on whether to go for the KC or not. At such a small cost, approx $20, it seems silly not to do it... however if there is any adverse health reasons not to do it, then i won't. Even if there is no benefit in administering it, is there any harm in doing it?

he plays with other dogs at a local park approx twice a week... is this frequent enough to warrant a KC vaccination?

Our vet has adopted the new 3 year vaccination program, but i'm told that since the last vaccine our dog received (1 year ago) was a C5, that he is now due for a C3, then won't require another for 3 years. He is 15 months old, so the last C5 was part of his puppy shots. Does this sound correct? He also wants to administer a yearly kennel cough vaccine, although we never board our dog... is it really required?

Food, except when he is in this high level of excitment Exactly the same at our parks, most of them are focused on their owners or balls... except ours (albeit he is probably the youngest sbt there). He loves retrieving at home. I've started taking training treats with me and finding a quiet(ish) spot in the dog park to practice basic obedience. I guess i'm trying to condition him to ignore the other dogs and sounds and focus on me. The problem is the minute we pull up in the car park and open the boot of the car it's like someone has lit a firework up his bum. He will drag me into the park as he is busting out of his skin to play!

IMO it isn't genuine dog aggression which makes Staffords and the like more willing to take up a challenge. As a whole I would consider them extremely UNaggressive but supremely confident and ultimately willing to take up a challenge because they have very little regard for the social niceties such as submission and dominance displayed by more pack orientated breeds (thinking Beagles and genuine pack hounds here) when confronted by a dog which is (or thinks it is) dominant. Boisterous doesn't mean dominant and it's possible he is submissive to boiterous dogs because he doesn't quite know how else to react to rudeness. when he grows up a little more, he will find other solutions to "boisterous" rude dogs. You've hit the nail on the head when you say "at the moment" - your dog has only just started to mentally mature, at 18 months he's little more than an overgrown puppy. Expect many surprising changes in his nature in the 12 months to come Thanks Sandra, i always enjoy reading your posts, always very informative Fingers and toes crossed that the changes in his nature are positive

Daily walks of about 4kms. We do have a smaller park nearby with only a few dogs where we go a few times a week, but the bigger park (sundays) is fully fenced which i prefer for safety reasons and like i said, generally he is pretty good there. Funnily enough, we seem to have more problems at the smaller park as there are fewer dogs to chose from.

I am working on the recall at the moment using the Really Reliable Recall DVD, and making slow progress in the right direction. I can get him to recall at a not so busy park (3 or 4 dogs) about 70% of the time. I don't fancy my chances on a sunday morning with 40 dogs!

Thanks for the quick replies. You are all correct, the one thing that worries me is that sooner or later one of the other dogs may lash out, hence the reason for wanting to stop the behavior. At the moment i simply put him on leash and move him to another area of the park where he can play with other dogs. The circling is party due to me trying to get him on leash and him trying to avoid me. At the dog park (we can get 40+ dogs on weekends) he gets along and plays nicely with 99% of dogs. It's only when there are fewer dogs in the park and we may come across a dog (no particular breed) that is 100% focused on his owner and retrieving a ball for example, that the behavior comes out. On the rare occasion if the said dog decides to leave the ball and have a run/play with my dog then the behavior virtually stops. While he may have a hidden aggressive genetic makeup that may or may not get triggered , at the moment he is quite the opposite and shows submissive behavior when confronted by a more boisterous dog. Also, is it fairly normal for a stafford of his age to only want to chase, play fight and rumble during play times?

Our 15 month old stafford is on occasions exhibiting strange behavior with certain dogs which i'd like to put a stop to, but don't know how. Let me say from the outset that he is in no way dog aggressive. The problem is if he comes across a dog at the dog park who is ignoring him, he starts barking and circling the said dog in what seems like a frustrated way of saying "why aren't you playing with me?". This behavior will continue until the other dog shows interest or the dogs are removed from each other. He gets so aroused that i cannot call him away and i have to physically remove him. Like i said he is very dog friendly and just wants to play but doesn't realise that some dogs would rather chase a ball than play with him. Any ideas?

I just rang the vet, she said it's ok to bath him after he finishes his antibitotics (tomorrow). I use Aloveen shampoo with oatmeal which she said would be good for the damaged skin.

the antiseptic wipes were only on day one before the hot spots spread and before a visit to the vets. Since then he's only had two rinses with malaseb. So when can i bath him?

His antibiotics finished today and the wounds are looking good apart from the flaky scabs and hair loss. He hasn't worn a collar since the hot spots appeared and yes, i'm using a harness to walk him for the time being. He is due for a bath.. is it ok to bath him, or should i hold off on that too? Not 100% sure what caused the initial injury, but judging by the way they were play fighting, i suspect it was a misplaced bite which quickly got infected and spread. Not sure what cellulitis actually is, but his whole neck was swollen which required an anti-inflammatory injection.

The hot spots are now healing and the scabs are starting to dry and flake off along with most of the hair around it. is this hair loss normal? Also, should i be applying some sort of moisturiser to help heal the skin and promote new hair growth?

After two days of antibiotics (RILEXINE) some of the hot spots are still weeping and the dog is quite lethargic. Is the lack of energy a symptom of the hot spots or could it be the antibiotics causing it? He's been prescribed a two week dose.

i feel bad for making fun of the sooky la la now... i woke up this morning to find more blood and a swollen neck. straight to the vets and it turns out the wound is infected and he has developed some nasty hot spots in that area which are weeping quite badly. the vet washed it all out, an anti-inflammatory injection and two weeks worth of antibiotics! poor baby... plenty of cuddles for the next few days

thanks for the prompt replies... i've washed it with salty water and applied some paw paw ointment. Now i just have to deal with a sooky stafford... he is walking around all sad and droopy eyed... geez i'd hate to see how he reacts when he really gets injured!