Whiskeys Mum

With all the snakes that have been seen around in Brisbane, and on the news/facebook etc I am more worried than ever about my Whiskey getting bitten! My biggest concern is that he is over 50kg and there is no way I can carry him anywhere. So, if we are out walking in the forest (we only stay on track and I do keep him leashed during spring/summer to be extra sure) and he is bitten, I will not be able to get him back to the car without him walking himself. He loves his weekly forest walks so much though and we would both be really sad if we had to stop them completely for many months. So basically what I want opinions on is, if a large healthy young dog gets bitten, would he be ok to walk back to the car with me, or would that most likely not be possible or cause more damage? Also, I have been reading about carrying vitamin c injections to give if this happens, what do people think about this? Worth having on hand maybe? Are there any other treatment tips i should know? (aside from rushing straight to the vet of course) Is about the only time i kind of wish I didn't have such a huge pup!! Photo just for aww factor

Just looked up the aussie dog Bungy Ball, and that looks like something Whiskey would love, as he is crazy for playing tug! But at $120 I would want to know it was going to last a long time, as he is pretty good at destroying toys. Has anyone else used one of these with a big strong chewing dog?

Just had a quick look at The Wolfs Den coats and they look fantastic, ..... and they have two different skull patterned materials, which will make it a lot easier to convince my husband that whiskey needs some more pjs :)

well, that puts my mind at ease a lot knowing that those "in the know" of dogs do not think I being mean to my whiskey by having him in the run :) Have decided I'm going to take a half day off work next week, and give him another try in the yard, when he will only be alone for 5 hours, and if I don't come home to total destruction then I will try a full day. I do teach and practice tricks with him most days, and he is really smart at picking them up quickly, but I will certainly try and make an effort to do more of this to mentally exhaust him as well. I will research some ideas for tricks and stimulating games for him this weekend He does already have a king and a treat ball, both of which I fill for him every morning, but if he does have to go back in the run I will research some more puzzle toys that he wont destroy in 10 minutes. The Tupperware container is a great idea, I will try that out with him tonight! I have also signed up to a dog club obedience class that starts on Monday, so even though he already has all the class basics down pat, I am still hoping it will be some good brain training for him as well, plus a chance to socialise more Wowzers sounds like Karma has some serious digging skills! That's super impressive, but beyond stressful for you I bet! We have covered half our lawn (the half that whiskey destroyed)in plastic mesh stuck in place with u-nails, and this has worked a treat to stop him digging it up again, but as we need to lift it up and put it down every time we mow, its not really a super long term solution. I haven't tried high mowing over it but would be scared that one of the metal nails would come loose and end up in the lawn mower ... or my eye!

I use the kmart beds inside also, I sew 4 of them together so they are two thick and two wide and with a couple of blankets on top its super big and comfy (I have even fallen asleep on there with whiskey a few times) and at that price when they get too flat or slobbery I just throw them away and buy some more! I would love to have Whiskey in the bed with me, but aside from the fact my husband and cats wouldn't be happy about it at all, he is so big and pushy that we would need a California king bed if we were going to have any hope of all fitting on there! I love your dog hoodies .... co cute! :) I tried to find one for whiskey but none would fit his big chest so had to settle for a weatherbeeta blanket coat, which we call his dressing gown hehe

Have only just thought to give a quick update now  I have had Whiskey inside, in the rumpus room, since I last wrote, and it’s not going too bad at all. He has woken me up a few times whinging outside my bedroom door, I ignore him for a bit, and half the times he just goes back to bed, if he carried on I figure he must be busting so I get up and let him out to wee then he goes straight back to bed. Oh and my husband caught him stretched out on our couch one morning …. Cheeky boy ….. lucky he had a bath the day before! But aside from that he has been great at just staying on his bed all night. When we stayed the weekend at friends a couple of weeks ago, my mum was looking after Whiskey, and she put him outside in his coat to sleep, and he was fine with that too, no whining and didn’t want to get up in the morning. So all seems well, he doesn’t seem to mind if he is inside or out, and now I don’t feel guilty about him maybe being cold while its still winter.

So, now that the where to sleep at night problem is solved ……. I need more opinions on another dilemma (Whiskey is only my second dog, my last was a dream pup no bad habits and my partner at the time loved to baby him as much as me, now I have a real doggy dog and a husband that is not such a softy, so I need a bit of help lol ) We have had Whiskey for 6 months now, and due to him destroying our whole yard … multiple times …. In the first month, I fenced off the end of our carport and turned it into his daytime enclosure. The end that I fenced is metal bars, so he can still see plenty of the outside world, but has shelter from the house on one side, 6 foot fence on the other, and garage door at the end. He has a large bed in there, and lots of toys and bones I have felt a bit mean shutting him in there every day since, but could not face the damage I was coming home to every day and grief I was getting from my husband for it. People I have asked say he would be fine in there as its not tiny or enclosed. I have asked both of our neighbours that are home during the day, and they haven't heard him cry or barking at all. I listen outside when I get home, and have only heard him a couple of times when I got home late and it was dark, and he was having a little whimper  I was planning on keeping him in there until he grew up and calmed down a little, but considering he is only 1.5 years old, that seems so far away! Yesterday we had a big storm with hail, and even though he was completely dry in there I couldn’t help thinking he might have been scared by all the noise. Now I am thinking of possibly giving him another chance at being in the yard, but know that considering only 5 months have passed, he will probably behave the same and cause more carnage. Having him inside while we are at work is not an option, and I don’t want to crate him, that’s fine for other people but I still don’t like the thought of him being in a smaller space for 10 hours a day. I wish I could get him a friend but 2 dogs is not an option either. So …… is it mean to keep him in a garage sized run for that long 5 days a week? Should I give him another try with the run of the yard? Does anyone have tips that are not the normal things to try to stop him digging up the lawn and ripping all the plants out of the garden? And before it is suggested, yes he gets plenty of exercise, 2 walks or dog park visits a day, morning and night, and is by my side getting love or playing for the hour before work and 4 hours after that I am awake.

Thanks all for the advice. I am hesitant to try any more dog houses after spending a fortune on the last couple which he wouldn’t go near and I had to sell again for half the price! I have always been against electric blankets/pads for both humans and animals (ocd fear of electrical fires) but I had never heard of the microwavable pads …. I just looked them up and they look great, I am going to buy one or two of them this weekend for sure! So along with that I think I will just try bringing him inside on super freezing nights (like under 5 degrees or stormy), put his bed in rumpus room so he can see outside and still sleep on his own, and see how that goes. I’m hoping if I alternate between in and out he won’t get too used to one, but hopefully it doesn’t confuse him too much either. I will give it a go for a while and if he seems unhappy inside then I will rearrange the deck furniture or try and DIY a bed surround of sorts so he is as sheltered as possible, and figure he would rather be out there. At least then I won’t feel guilty every night when I am toasty warm in bed anymore!

Thank you for your advice. We have tried 3 different doghouses for him, all plenty big enough and made of different materials, and he wouldn't step one foot in them .... even for a treat! I tried to convince him for a good couple of months and he was still mortified at the sight of them ..... perhaps something from before we rescued him? We got him a hammock bed as I was told that it is better for their bones if their body is off the ground?? He does also have a large cushion bed as well, but he chooses the hammock bed over this one most of the time so that is where I have put the majority of his blankets and pillows. The "table cave" is a great idea, but unfortunately our outdoor table has a support/footrest beam underneath so he would only have a half table cave which I don't think would be big enough for him.He is tucked in the back corner of the deck, so is pretty sheltered from the wind there as there is a bit of furniture and covered BBQ between him and the only open space. My husband thinks he is perfectly fine out there otherwise he wouldn't be happy to go to bed at night, but I figure that if I am still cold all rugged up in clothes or in my bed right now then surely he must be too ..... not the best logic I know, considering we're different species, but he's still my baby :) I am thinking maybe I can do a compromise, and let him in on freezing nights like we are having now, but have his bed in the rumpus room, right by the glass doors on to the deck, then he is still close to his normal outside spot, and not in the bedroom with us, so perhaps that will make it easier to put him out again when it warms up.

Hello ...... just after a few extra opinions here We have a 1.5 year old ridgeback x kelpie, 40kgs with a short ridgeback coat He was a rescue dog so we have only had him for 6 months. He has been sleeping outside at night time since we got him, and seems happy enough with that, but now that it is winter I am not sure if I need to bring him in? If I do it will only be for the winter months, then he will be out to sleep again. He has a large deck only open on one side, and a huge hammock bed with lots of blankets, and a weatherbeeta quilted coat, so that is about all I can do for him when he is outside. When I get up in the morning, his body feels warm but his head and feet are cold. He doesn't whine or complain when I put him out to bed, but I hate to think of him laying out there freezing at night. If I do bring him in to sleep for a treat, he seems restless during the night, and wakes up a lot earlier than if he is out. Do you think Brisbane winters are too cold for him to be out at night? Or am I just being a sook p.s he gets plenty of time inside with us, whenever we are home and awake he is by my side, so he is not a live outside dog. Thank you for your advice.