TangerineDream

can we start? huh? huh? can we start?????

I have the same problem with a 47 month old (yep, almost 4) Tango who gets very (ver, very) excited when mate comes over because he's always revved him up (till he got too big and mate wasn't comfortable roughhousing with a grown dog) and it's impossible to get mate to follow my instructions and do things slowly and take them one step at a time......it's hard to train a dog to accept visitors when you don't get many of them and he's great out in the street.....so this morning, I'm home sick for the day and I asked mate to bring me over some Codral and stuck Tango in the crate for a while - he sat there as peacefully as ever watching the world go past (the magpies anyway) then when mate turned up he started squeaking and carrying on amaking a racket because he was so excited..... no clues from me, but I'd like to invite any DOLer in the Trentham area who would like to meet Tango to come and have a cuppa with me ....

Tango drops weight when the maximum temperature is less that 5°C or if we are away for a few weeks and he's staying with friends who have boxers - this year I've discovered the 'cure' - I give him 2 weetbix with breakfast in the morning and 2 at night...solved the problem in less than a week! Now as the weather is warming up I'm only giving him 2 in the morning and will start cutting that down to one shortly......did the same with Cadence as he got older and it worked for him too...

One of my favourite styles of photography.......

I would call them enthusiastic...but it can be controlled with consistent training from day 1 so that the pup understands what behaviours are acceptable in what situations...I look at Tango lying in front of the heater atm and think that 'enthusiastic' is a good word, and wanting to be around people all the time but I wouldn't call them hyperactive .

QUESTIONS 1. What is my relationship with the breed? (ie breeder, first time owner etc) Tango is my second GSP - have owned them since 1996. 2. Where and why was the breed first developed? I am not well versed on the breed development, but I am sure someone else may cover this aspect. 3. How common is it in Australia? GSP's are not very common - I've found that travelling with a GSP will get you lots of attention - a few people will know that you have a GSP, the rest of the population sees a beatiful dog and wants to come and talk to it but doesn't know the breed. 4. What is the average lifespan? 11-14 years 5. What is the general temperament/personality? GSP's generally approach life 'with a smile on their face' - they are a cheerful dog, generally well balanced in temperament and very sociable, but will tend to choose 1 or 2 people to be their 'favourites'. They are very bright and trainable (but are also bright enough to be able to think their way into trouble). The word is 'enthusiasm'. 6. How much daily exercise is needed for the average adult? Depends on the dog and the season. Generally they seem to be more active in cool weather (except when lying in front of the heater) and are happy to lounge around in hot weather. Some will retrieve endlessly and all delight in daily walks. 7. Is it a breed that a first time dog owner could easily cope with? I would recommend learning about the breed well before committing to becoming an owner...and getting to know a number of members of the breed. They are very bright, do need training from Day1 so you do need to know what you are doing or they can outhink you. 8. Can solo dogs of this breed easily occupy themselves for long periods? If used to being a solo dog, yes, both of mine have been fine with me working and being away from home for long days. If they have toys and a clamshell full of water for summer (and for dropping things into so they can 'bob' for them) and a spot to have an occasional dig (a gravel pit works well), and a bed to watch the world go by from) they are fine. 9. How much grooming is required? Regular (but brief) grooming with a hound glove will strip out the dead hair from the coat. They have a coat that doesn't hold dirt and is 'self cleaning'. 10. Is it too boisterous for very small children or for infirm people (unless the dog is well trained)? They can be boisterous when young, but overall are fairly sensible when they understand the behavious required. 11. Are there any common hereditary problems a puppy buyer should be aware of? None that I have had any problems with 12. When buying a puppy, what are the things you should ask of the breeder? (eg what health tests have been done (if applicable) and what is an acceptable result to those tests so the buyer has an idea of what the result should be)

Very difficult to get a photo of Tango and me together as I'm usually the one taking the photos...but I've got 2 Tango getting close on a long stormchase....hard work for a copilot this stormchasing... and then there's this one

Preston Vet Clinic in Bell Street - Robin is great and Tango loves going to visit him - he's a very thoughtful vet who really loves his patients and makes you feel good about being a pet owner - but never makes you feel like a dill!

Manuka honey works well as does Benadryl (the red child's one)

Could you do the tooth scaling yourself? Tango and I climb up on the couch, I roll him over so he's on his back and I do his teeth while he's upside down with a human tooth scaler - used to do Cadence's too...Tango just goes to sleep while I've got my hands in his mouth........

I'll add to the question.... Tango's doesn't jump or rush and is fine with everyone except mate....mate is very exciting for him (plays with him and 'gets him wound up' without meaning to), so he bounces...and rather than mate turning his back on him, he shouts at him and therein lies the problem...mate shouts, raises his hands, Tango gets excited and bounces even higher..... he tells me that Tango's not under control and that he was taught to shout at dogs who come at him so they feel threatened and go away...I pointed out that if he didn't shout at Tango but turned his back on him until he stopped bouncing and didn't raise his hands, Tango would stop doing it...but he says I'm wrong...ok, I may be wrong but it's interesting that he's the only person who Tango does it to... so can someone please help me teach Tango not to bounce around mate because he now won't visit at all because he's worried that he'll get hurt by 32kg of leaping, bouncing, spinning enthusiasm.....also it's apparently not as bad when I'm not here..... aaarrrghhhhh...please help!!

Exposures more than 2 seconds..... Marseille harbour

..and some frozen shots hehehe - sorry - when I saw it I couldn't resisit including it back to the real topic at hand... and from the USA trip - my first decent handheld lightning capture..

A couple of panning shots...

I add Weetbix (2 morning and again at night) during winter to keep the weight on otherwise he drops condition incredibly fast....I also used them with Cadence when he wasn't eating very much at all as a filler to keep condition on him - works a treat! I add a teaspoon of milk just to flavour it...

Tango & I send hugs....so sad, so quick.....such a spcial one - and the most beautiful photos...our hearts are with you.....

My Dobermann bitch Tegan used to self medicate.....when she was pregnant and had a case of the runs we couldn't give her antibiotics. Found her one day digging down in a pile of grass clippings from the mowed lawn...got down to the horrible slimy bit, ate a couple of mouthfuls.....and was fine the next day - have never seen her do it again, but then she never needed to after that! Bacteria I reckon she was after........green Yakult

My previous GSP had pancreatitis and did fabulously on boiled chicken mince (cooled and then with ALL the fat scraped off), rice and oatmeal boiled together and then all added. His dry food was Supercoat at that stage because he could deal with dry food with less that 8% fat, current GSP is fed Pal Natural dry with the same rice, chicken mixture. If I needed to put weight on him I added a couple of WeetBix. Cadence lived very well on this diet for 9.5 years (1.5 years till 11years), never had another attack because I was super paranoid about anyone but me feeding him - so it works very well.

I like to be able to impress the vet when they want to get a dog down on the floor and you tell the dog to lie down, then grab 2 feet, manoevre it into the required position and sit there calmly while the vet does whatever they need to do while the dog lies there..... Many years ago I had a bitch have an ultrasound down at Werribee, the vet asked 2 nurses to come in and hold her in the position they wanted - I suggested they not and they let me get her into position and then I held 1 front foot up and told her to stay - they were astounded that they could actually ultrasound a Dobermann being held by 1 foot on a cold table

It's always been important to me to make sure than all my dogs could be handled by humans in any way that was necessary, not just because they are show dogs, but to assist in vets visits etc...all my dogs have always been 100% compliant - both the Dobes and the GSP's (also because they know what's expected of them in each setting) and my vet is astounded that Tango (for an entire male) is as complaint as he is - he comments that because I am alpha and I have taught him 'manners' it has a lot to do with it....all of my dogs would have their nails clipped and would lie on their backs to have their teeth scaled - it works well in establishing an alpha relationship also - I have always handled my pups extensively from day one of them coming home - handling them all over so they are used to it - it also ensures that a dog is less likely to react with surprise if 'grabbed' in an unusual place by a child, so good insurance there.. I'm very positive to Tango, but there are my rules and they must be followed....I'm positive till I need to become firm and get my way....

That's a great series Snap!! Down here you tend to get a 'flash' of intense colour and then it fades quickly to dull gray.......

sounds like they've worked their hierarchy out for the moment - he's No 1 and she's No 2 - atm.....things may change again later, but if all is peaceful I wouldn't worry about it.

not strictly weather, but caused by it......a little bit of playing around with a photo of the maples in the street in their autumn colours led to this

Tango's allergic to touching Euro wasps as well as bees - I carry Polaramine and will put one down his throat at the first possible sign of a reaction....having antihistamines doesn't hurt them and best not to wait just in case.....