Little Gifts

I'm so sorry Boronia. It's not fair that we have the good ones for so little time. Your house must be feeling very empty. Big hugs to you. XXX

I never look in the breeders section because I can't post there and it frustrates me if I see something gorgeous or exciting and I can't express my appreciation!

Those dogs have the best life! I love how Jonah always secures the most comfy spot he can! And I'm loving all your pics. I travelled around Australia visiting a lot of the same places as you have over time (but living in a tent) many moons ago so the pics bring back fond memories. I had to leave my OES at home back then as you could hardly take your dog anywhere. You take amazing photos!

Thanks PK. All useful stuff for me to check out.

Thanks everyone. Seems like a few things might trigger the fear. I didnt see her do any ear swivelling but didnt think to look for her smelling the storm. Having had a boy so scared of storms I so don't want this to be a thing for her now.

What is it that upsets them though? Is it the noise or atmospheric pressure or something else? She settled quickly both times after the storm stopped. Was sooky la la all day and wouldn't eat much dinner. Quiet and sleeping for most of tonight. My sister was the one home this afternoon (I called as soon as I heard the thunder) and by the time I got home a few hours later she was all over me like a rash wanting serious cuddles. Very unlike her but good to know she trusts me enough to seek comfort. Good idea about the rescue remedy. I always have that on hand.

Afternoon storm is rolling in and she is doing the same thing. I'm so sad for her!

I really wasn't sure where to put this. We've had our pei Tempeh since she was about 4 - 5 months old (a foster fail). She's 4.5 now. This morning when we woke it was very overcast. I was at the computer and she started getting under the table and wanting me to squeeze her against the side. I could hear a bad storm coming. Then she had some shaking. Then she followed me everywhere and wanted me touching her. She is not a big fan of being confined or tightly cuddled or sometimes even being touched so none of this is normal for her. She even tried to come into the bathroom with me while I had a shower (even though she usually considers falling water akin to acid). I previously had an epileptic dog who got very scared during storms but he was like that all his life. His distress would rise with each thunder crack. Tempeh didn't shake or flinch with each thunder crack though so I was wondering - for some dogs is it about the atmospheric change rather than the noise? And this is one incident as an adult - does that have to mean she will be like this now every time there is a storm? This morning I chose to comfort and distract her and talked to her a lot (she likes to be talked to even though I'm not a huge fan of it). I don't want to reinforce the fears but since this was her first time like this I also didn't want her to feel abandoned when she was clearly seeking and needing comfort. Have other dog owners just had random instances like this or is this a sign that storms might now be an issue for her? My previous storm hater used to destroy things in a major way if there was a storm and no-one around. I often had to pick him up and take him back to work with me to keep him safe or my parents would come over and sit with him. I wouldn't wish that level of fear on another dog.

Dogs can definately have experiences that cause them to develop and carry fears. And if those fears can't be managed then I guess the level of anxiety when triggered will increase. I'm not sure I like the use of the term for animals but Isn't that relevant to PTSD in humans too? There are negative experiences and triggers that take them back to how they feel about those negative experiences? I still remember a lady on a doco talking about a Michael Vicks bait dog she'd adopted. She said her pit bull didn't need to be rehabilitated, it just needed time to recover from its ordeal. I think that is very true of some dogs who have experienced loss and pain. It's like they need to put distance between them and the incident and they need stability, support and guidance to rely on when their own instincts fail them. All that makes them quite vulnerable in their world. And given the bond dogs have with humans I can imagine some are really affected when their trust in a human is broken in a savage way. Imagine you are a dog thinking you are doing your job by protecting your property and you are rewarded for that by being threatened and injured and isolated from the family you care about most, all by us humans. It must be very confusing for some dogs. But is it PTSD as we know it in humans or does it just mimick it?

Look at that beautiful face with all that grey hair! Farewell beautiful girl. XXX

Your set up looks very comfy! Do strangers ever come up and ask you what breed Jonah is?

I know Tapua trains medical alert dogs. Hopefully she might come in here and give an indication of whether this figure sounds reasonable. I know a lot of skill and hard work goes into the training right from when the puppies are born and there is probably ongoing training and support necessary to make a new partnership as effective as it needs to be. Plus it is a specialist thing with a limited pool of dogs and trainers.

And another perspective for you is the breed (or mix of breeds). Staffies can be very social dogs who love, love, love people! Having human company can be the highlight of their day. They can also be talkers (the whining to let you know they want/need attention). Shar pei are known to bond very closely with their humans so being restricted in access to their humans is difficult for them to understand. They can also take their guard dog duties seriously so will map out their new environment and assess it. That can be a little scary I guess when you change environments. I have a pei who hates leaving the property so we do things together at home to tire her mentally and physically otherwise she misbehaves and seeks attention very negatively. Long walks would mean nothing to her. Being confined or moved to a new property would cause her a lot of anxiety. She doesn't like to be touched a lot and likes to sleep alone. My other dog is a stafford and fairly bullet proof. She still looks to me for guidance in new situations though and going for a walk is her idea of heaven but that doesn't mean she doesn't also want to play and hang out with her pack (human and dog) whenever she can. She wants to cuddle and smooch and she has to sleep touching me. So both my dogs have different needs but both my dogs (the other is a stafford) are also very routine orientated. They find comfort in getting their meals at the same time and having the same instructions for the same things. We do what works for us and you need to do what works for you, your dog and family. I don't think the lifestyle you are explaining is terrible but is it right for your particular dog? All I can suggest is thinking about your particular dog's likes and needs - are you meeting them? Could you make some changes to meet them better? Is she able to interact with other dogs (perhaps a local obedience club, agility or noseworks class)on a regular basis? Can you take her walking to different places to stimulate her senses? Can you leave her enrichment toys with treats when you go to school? Can you try sleeping with her on the verandah one night to make sure she really is as warm and cosy as you think? Same in summer - try staying out there with her and assessing how comfortable it really is. Get down on her level and see what she is seeing and see what you think about it from a fear and stimulation perspective. Most of us could change or improve our dog's lives with a bit more insight but make any change ones that meet their needs more, not your own, where possible. And you don't need to spend a lot of money on treats, toys, enrichment aides, bedding, protection, etc. The internet is full of ways to create all these things on a budget.

What confuses me is if you don't already own a pet (or haven't had one for a while) you might not even have a vet who knows you. Going to see a random vet you have no relationship with is a tad useless. He's hardly going to not upsell on a few things. But if you had pets and a vet relationship that was good it would be useful to talk to your vet about your interest in a new breed. A good vet might also know good breeders or give you advice on how to find a good breeder and develop a positive relationship with them. I know both my vets would be a useful sounding board but only because I have been using them for almost 30 years and they know me and my pet owning abilities. If a vet told you how much it could cost to own that puppy in the pet shop window they'd probably lose a customer! On the flip side, getting yourself a good vet once you do own a pet is very important and I agree with others who have mentioned getting your vet to check your new dog soon after you have brought it home.

That coat didn't move all night! (Neither did the dog!)

Finally had a bit of me time today so first on the list was a new double layer coat for The Doodle Bug! I made up the pattern based on something I saw online. There is lots of shaping to the sides and the belly strap is also curved to give more coverage on her underside. The collar looks more like Elvis would wear it so next time I will have it go around three quarters of the neckline. The aim is for it to keep her neck warm while she is lying down. The best news is she has had it on for 4 hours and it hasn't moved once! No cape around the neck! No twist around to the side! No moaning from Tempeh every half hour to fix her coat up! So yep, I think I'd use this design on her again.

That's so worrying for you! I have no useful advice - you have enough experience knowing when it is time to race to the vet. Hopefully she hasn't eaten something odd which is causing a blockage or causing discomfort as it moves through her system. Keep us updated on Miss P!

Quite a few pei peeps have switched to Zymox Optic with 1% Hydrocortisone. I get mine off Ebay from America. I would never normally dismiss my own vet's instructions but it has worked far better than anything my vet has prescribed for Tempeh and is much simpler to use and quicker to treat symptoms. She gets a squirt every couple of weeks and it keeps things under control. I'm pretty sure Coogie and maybe Cane Toad use it. It's not that expensive either and could be worth a try. Tempeh had great ears until she had to wear a cone of shame for a week, now we just have to keep on top of whatever keeps wanting to propagate in there.

How is Stevie now? Tempeh still lives with the fear that I will take her out in the car and never come home with her again because her first night in an adoption trial went badly. I can literally see it in her face every time I have to take her somewhere. When I picked her up the next day she was limp and lifeless. It took weeks before she would interact with us humans and she hid behind our others dogs all the time. Her happy go lucky attitude was lost that night. She was in her second fear period as a pup and had already bonded with us (a pei thing) so I think that is why this fear of being abandoned by us became so entrenched. She is very confident in her home environment but despite all our work with her and behaviourists she still doesn't like strangers coming to the house and she doesn't like leaving the house even for walks. Vomits in the car. Everything that comes into the house must be fully inspected. She just wants things always the same. It is what it is and we work around it. Hopefully Stevie will be able to shake the experience off easier because of his age.

My name on here used to be Puppy Sniffer - I think that tells you I had the same issue! I never even wanted to foster puppies for that reason! My thing is they are just babies. So vulnerable and everything is new for them and I want all their experiences to be positive ones. They are just so precious with their little lives ahead of them. I have twice added a failed foster puppy to a household with older dogs and it has gone really well. First time the puppy helped an older dog with grieving and brought her back to life. She lived another 4 years. She mothered the puppy too and kept her in line as she matured. Second time I had two adult dogs and they both took on different roles raising two foster puppies. They taught them things I could never teach them about how to be a dog. We were always a three dog house as three felt normal but last year's loss was a big one and we are just not ready. One thing about adding a puppy is it keeps your older dogs younger and gives them more play activity. I loved the change in our older dogs when they shared their life with a puppy. Almost like a multi-generational family! Here is a pic of Stussy supervising some bitey face between Dimples (pink collar) and Dweeb. DImples went on to become foster fail Tempeh. Stussy was also a foster fail. Both only came for a weekend while other carers were found!

Hey K9angel! Still remember when you lost your beautiful girl. Hope things are going well for you, the kids and your doggies. Gosh your kids would be so grown up now!

Only 6 months? If he is capable of that he is capable of harm to humans. At his young age there are plenty more years for his bloodlust to need feeding. A normal person would not be able to hear an animal screaming in fear and pain and get excited over it. Sadly, it wont be the last we hear of him.

I think it could be a vicious circle. You have a breeder who wants to be known for their work so they show their dogs to get a name for their kennel. To do that the potential show dogs from their litters need to exhibit certain characteristics set by the judging world (as opposed to the breeding world and monitoring bodies). I think the puppy a breeder thinks is the pick of their litter could at times be different to the puppy or dog judges in the show ring would award. This could also apply more to certain breeds where showing expectations are more extreme. And what is a breeder to say if they don't want to be ostracised from the showing world? People would claim they were just bitter their dog lost. I'm also assuming there are plenty of breeders who don't show (for various reasons). I'm not sure why judges are supporting a look in a dog that most of us can see could be detrimental to the animal's wellbeing. That's a whole other question. Humans are willing to make sacrifices in the name of beauty for themselves and perhaps some just don't know where to draw the line and it all snowballs?

What's wrong with a dog with a nose? It seems like we are trying to get rid of pesky snouts in the name of perfection and beauty! Seriously though, how can people not see the harm this is doing to brachy breeds? Oxygen is the one thing none of us can stay alive without so why would you make it so hard to access it? I fostered a pei which had enough skin for about 3 dogs. When he lay down he just oozed everywhere. When he walked quickly everything would swing. If he needed to look at something he had to flick his head back so all the loose skin was out of the way. His rescuer remembers seeing him as a pup and he was actually walking on loose skin until his legs grew long enough. He had a groove on his back near his tail that was as deep as my knuckles. Of course he knew no different and was a lovely boy who went to an amazing home. I feel grateful my pei girl is more your traditional style as she has no real physical problems.

Makes me so angry. Puppy farmers not only cost dogs their lives but they are costing taxpayers, donators and rescue groups a lot of money cleaning up their messes. The only people getting anything out of this is the puppy farmers themselves. How many other 'businesses' get away with this kind of thing?