deerhound owner

Several video examples of the test were given at the seminar so I suggest you watch the fotage when it becomes available. In essence I believe it was a standardised room in which a stranger was sitting in a chair at one end and the owners walked in with their dog in lead and stood infront of another chair at the other end of the room making sure not to interact with their dogs. The dogs reaction to the stranger approaching, calling it's name and if not hostile, attempting to interact with the dog were all recorded from several angles. the second part involved the stranger back on his chair and the owner leaving the dog in the room. Again reaction to the stranger when the dog was called was recorded and the reaction of the dog to interaction with the stranger if it entered a set distance around the strangers chair. Interaction involved running the hand under the chin, along the back and down one hind leg.

Instead of looking at the development of an amicability test in a breeding setting, maybe think about how it could be used in pounds or rescue environments. If we take the two video examples given: If person X came into the shelter and was looking for a pet that was going to be a good "guard dog" (I use that term very losely), he may be after a dog that doesn't think every person is it's best friend and is wary of strangers and will vocalise when they come near, then the pound can say with some confidence, dog Y (the GSD in the video) would likely be the most sitable dog for you. on the other hand if person Z comes in and is after a 50kg lap dog that thinks every person it meets is it's new best friend for ever and in need of a face wash, then the pound can say Dog A (the deerhound) would probably suit you well. In this senario it doesn't matter what factors have contributed to the test score, just that the test now accurately reflects that particular dogs behaviour in that particular setting. The degree to which past socialisation as apposed to gentics has influenced it's score means nothing. It's also not to say that either dogs behaviour could not be altered by training etc but it gives a baseline for the person looking for the dog. It also does not say that one or the other is worse or better. Hope that makes sense.

I saw a beddlington puppy for sale in a pet shop yesterday so sad, I would have thought they would be too rare to end up in that situation.

A study recently published in Molecular Psychiatry ( A canine chromosome 7 locus confers compulsive disorder susceptibility) looked at obsesive compulsive disorders in Doberman Pincher's including blanket and flank sucking. The found a particular allele increased the risk of them having OCD and were looking at it as a possible model for human OCD spectrum disorders. It also said that a stressful event may have started it but stressors are usually not required to initiate the behaviour once it has become habit. That may be where the early weaning idea comes from.

It is a bit although at least he won't have problems with obesity dancinbsc - thanks for that, I wouldn't of even thought of the addditional dried liver which we do give as training treats. I think i'll have to alternate with something else on the days he gets treats. Grated cheese seems to work ok and he does like scrambled eggs but turned his nose up at sardines (which he used to love) the other day. It would certianly be easier if he didn't keep changing the rules. Good thing we love him to bits! Thanks everyone for your advice :D

He's not too bad with meat as long as it's been cooked, although he will eat chicken (always a bit worried he'll choke as he swallows them whole) or turkey necks raw but not chicken frames. He'll have a chew on a marrow bone but there's not usually much meat on them. We tried going to a raw food diet for a while but it didn't work. Meanwhile our bitch is on a major diet as she has no such reservations and usually polishes off anything he doesn't eat.

thanks for the info. Unfortunately he's not a huge fan of wetting his food either as then it sticks to the bowl and is way too much effort to eat. I really think he would be happy never to have to bother with food, he looks like you're torturing him when you call him back to finish his meal. Prehaps i'll experiment with how little we can give him with him still eating the biccy.

We have a picky eater here but if you add a little bit of cooked liver (he won't eat it raw - would rather stave to death) to his dry food it all gets eaten. He only gets about 100g (he's a 45kg deerhound) but it seems to be enough to entice him to eat the dry food as well. I think I remember reading somewhere that feeding liver every day is bad for them? Is that right or is my memory playing up again? He only gets it for dinner, for breakfast a bit of yoghurt or cheese usually makes him eat at least some of his biscuit. Thanks

We paid $500 for our limit register bitch 5 years ago, she was from hunting lines though not show lines so that might have made a difference. 3 years ago we brought a show boy on main register for $1000. They are the nicest natured dogs and we couldn't be without one now.

I agree unfortunately, changes in the sleep wake cycle and excessive vocalisation are both symptoms of CCD. There is a site which is recruiting older dogs in Sydney for dementia research if you are interested in finding out more you can go to www.doggydementia.com

Hi, We have recently moved from Sydney to near Coffs Harbour, we used to go to a great dog chiropractor in londendarry but a 6 hour drive is a bit far Does anyone know of someone near coffs that is any good. Our boy is quite sore at the moment and we are entered in the Royal so I'd like to get him fixed up before then. Cheers in advance

Sorry guys, not sure what is happening there, here is the link again: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=G3aD...Ijllx7yzA_3d_3d

Hi Everyone, I am doing a PhD on canine cognitive dysfunction with Sydney University Veterinary Faculty and the UNSW School of Psychiatry. For the first part of my research I am doing a survey of dog owners who have dogs of any breed over 8 years of age. Hopefully this will allow us to get an idea of the behaviour of a wide variety of older dogs and identify any possible breed differences in the aging process. You do not have to suspect your dog has dementia to participate, your dog just has to be 8 years old or older. If you are interested in helping out with this important research and can spare 20 minutes to fill out a questionnaire on your dog/s please go to the link below. https://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=G3aD...Ijllx7yzA_3d_3d Note: The surveys are all encrypted to protect the privacy of your answers and personal information. This research has important implications, not only for our canine friends, but also for the study of Alzheimer's disease in humans and your time is greatly appreciated. Regards Hannah Salvin