Dog_Horse_Girl

Em, you might need to get a DAP diffuser...Dog Appeasing Pheromones. Some dogs respond very well to it, mine certainly do. There are also natural remedies you can try...I'll find a link to a website (when I get home) and PM it for you...it's based in the UK but they have great products, great service, and reasonable prices when you factor the dreadful exchange rate in...

He's probably got food poisoning. It happens if the raw food hasn't been stored or handled properly, or if it's from a contaminated source somewhere in the supply chain.

It's all b/c of Lilly! Really, she had a lot of trouble with processed foods, and the only one that didn't go straight through was Royal Canin...which was unafforable with the dog numbers we have. So, I researched the alternatives and decided that a raw, whole foods approach might be the solution. I started off reading the BARF diet by Billinghurst, joining a raw feeders mailing list, and swapping stories with other GH owners (pets not racers). It was easy once I got started and I realised that the benefits were many. All our dogs including Piper (my foster) are raw fed. I've been doing this since late 2002 and I'd never go back to processed dog foods. :D

I wish I could afford rabbit. I (with hope in my heart...silly me! :rolleyes: ) priced it again last week. About $18.00 for a whole, dressed bunny. That would do Lilly for one meal. :rolleyes: :p Sorry, but it's just too expensive...not like the prices I was seeing in Melbourne...cheap as!

I don't know about Pharaoh's but for other sighthounds, a martingale is often recommended for walking b/c they find it more difficult to 'back out of'. I wouldn't leave a martingale on a dog that's not being walked. :rolleyes:

Run free Lokes, have a look for my Aussie-boy at the Bridge...you and he have a lot in common. Em, that is a beautiful tribute...spoken from the heart.

I don't see the point of having a dog if you intend for it to live outside, unless you also intend to live and sleep outside. I take it the latter isn't what you mean? Please consider having your pup indoors with you. It's much kinder for the dog in the long run...and not to mention your neighbours! I'm sure any younger dog would be awfully noisy if they were left outside ALL NIGHT. You can invest in a crate...they make wonderful dog beds, make house training easier, give the dog a safe place to be no matter what's happening around them (some dogs are frightened of storms or fireworks or both, and if left outside, will escape or die trying to escape).

Too much dog hair? Are you serious? It's a DOG, and a long-haired breed at that...of course it's going to shed! As for your partner "who has never had animals inside", why not? And why wouldn't you want to start now? It's as good a time as any...would he rather have the dog inside, or lose the remainder of his greenhouse contents?

Ditto. Greyhounds aren't like other breeds and are IMO poles apart from GSDs for a host of reasons, most of which have to do with what each breed is designed to do. GSDs are great at obedience, while the average GH is, well...great at lounging! And before anyone gets their knickers in a twist - Lilly is one of the greatest lounge lizards in history and I love her b/c she's *special*...and she's a GH. Some GHs are born whiners and others aren't, but IMO it's not something to stress out about. I'd *like* it if Lilly was a whiner...I think it's kinda cute in the GH...ask Paula about Phoebe in that respect. :p Perhaps you need to have someone that's very familiar with the GH breed to help you work out what's worth doing and what's not...I don't really do any training with Lilly but that's b/c she's another GH that's cognitively challenged too!

In our case, we've only had adult dogs...so while trying to train pups to respect the hierarchy and not fight over food may work for some, it won't always be practical...and I'd rather separate feeding than breaking up fights - and I've done both!

Yes, the video was made by PETA activists (apparently) but as far as I'm aware, PETA is NOT Animal Liberation. If you believe they are one and the same, please provide a source...I can't find any.

I thought PETA was a completely separate organisation to Animal Liberation?

Well said! I have three dogs and a foster ATM. They are all fed separately. They each have their own toys, no sharing. Bowls are picked up as soon as each dog has finished eating. No dog is allowed near another dog's bowl. When we get home from work, toys are picked up before dogs mingle together. It just saves fights and tussles that way. Dogs will be dogs after all, we just need to learn how to manage their interactions.

I agree, wandering jew is a pain in the rear to get rid of. I had it at one house I lived in...we spent weekend after weekend with the hoe, rake, spade, and black plastic trying to dig it out and smother it. It's not an easy thing to kill and therefore is a VERY successful weed. What worked was being persistent in digging it up; covering any remnants with black plastic weedmat and securing the mat to the ground; spraying with FULL STRENGTH weedkiller such as Roundup ; not disturbing the soil too much around it (so the new roots and shoots can't easily get into the soil to grow). HTH and best of luck to get rid of it.

My foster dog Piper (JRT x Foxie) is a ball of energy as well. BUT she's manageable. She often tries to engage one of my dogs in play when clearly she's not interested...it has escalated a few times into a near-fight (both the dogs in question are tending towards being the dominant animal)...we generally separate the two dogs for a period so they can settle down. I put the foster into another room or outside when this happens. I'd suggest re-directing your beagle boy when this happens. Also, give him plenty of activities and puzzles to complete on his own, as well as obedience work and fun play. Stimulation is good for a dog that needs to work his brain. :D Congrats BTW - beagles are FUN!

Yet another shining example of inexperienced people breeding their dogs?

Thanks for your help Candice and ShoeMonster - I'll certainly get Turkey necks next time! As for the other chicken necks I've got here, well they might just go into the bin!! Thanks again, Sam. Why would you throw out perfectly good dog food? :D What type of feeding regime are you following? A raw diet? If so, chicken wings and necks are excellent even for baby pups like your lab. There's no need to panic just b/c your pup swallows a neck whole...many dogs and pups do this b/c the necks are the perfect single-swallow sized snack. If you're wanting your pup to have jaw exercise and so on, then bigger bones are in order. Why not try lamb neck pieces or ribs instead?

Sand is preferable b/c dirt will confuse the dog - he needs to see a clear difference between the two areas. You need really high value things in the sandpit. That's why I suggested cabanossi or raw liver. And he needs to be hungry! A pup will only work for food if he's really hungry IMO. Once he's hooked on his kong, and that probably won't take long, you can work at burying it in the sandpit...he'll dig it up in no time! I think you probably need to look at addressing his access to the fence too. See how it goes for now...but you may need to build a secondary fence at some point.

We have separate issues here. Firstly, you have a working breed, and a very intelligent breed at that. So, you need to take that into account when managing his behaviours. Secondly, you have a pup that has a very good reward for something that you would rather stop: digging is the dog's reward here. It's satisfying for many dogs to feel the dirt under their paws and to dig a nice hole for whatever purpose...but this dog is digging adjacent to where other dogs are kept, so that's a clue...he perhaps wants their company. So, how to manage? Some suggestions in no particular order, for the working element of this dog's background: 1. Brain work - that is, obedience training, tricks, completing complex puzzles, working for his food. Obedience sessions of 10 minutes each, three to four times per day, will tire his brain somewhat, leading to a calmer dog overall. Tricks are fun for both of you. Complex puzzles including Buster Cubes and Kongs...you need to ensure the dog is not getting a separate breakfast before you give him a food puzzle to solve. Complex puzzles can also include tunnels to get through, sandpits to find objects within, see-saw to climb over, and food trails to find and finish (tracking). Working for his food includes use of food treat toys where he has to complete a game to receive food, and also making this more difficult by suspending the food toy above his head - - - just slightly out of reach, so he has to WORK long and hard for the food. It also means that you train him using part of his meal...and you can freeze chicken parts into a Kong so that he has to work hard for it. ***When using food as part of his training and stimulation, it's important to reduce his daily rations of whatever you are feeding him. Also ensure he's got an empty (willing) stomach before deploying any of the food inducements/activities. 2. Manage the environment. This dog is obviously getting a pay-off for digging. He's also digging adjacent to other dogs. So, you need to remove him from the other dogs' area. Fence off that section of your yard. Use a close-mesh wire mesh with a heavy gauge so that he can't chew through it. When fencing off, ensure the wire mesh extends from the bottom of the fence inwards to a depth of at least 2-3 feet, and anchor the mesh into the ground - this means he can't dig up to or under the secondary fence. Make his digging spot more interesting and inviting. Change what you bury there from day to day...include some very stinky (high value) items such as cabanossi or raw liver...this will get his attention and reward him for digging in the preferred place. IF you catch him digging elsewhere, a verbal reprimand is obviously not enough. Get yourself one of those big water guns that kids love and give him a good squirt if you can catch him digging where he shouldn't be digging. Do this along with a verbal reprimand such as "No dig!"...this should work, and combining that with redirecting him to his digging spoit immediately and saying, "Dig here!" will reinforce his acceptable places to dig. 3. Find appropriate doggie playmates and have regular play dates. If the neighbour's dogs are sociable and you are all agreeable, arrange for your pup and their dogs to have play sessions on neutral ground. At the very least, introduce your pup to the dogs so that he's acquainted with them. It could be he's simply curious to meet them and once this has been done, his interest may wane. I hope these ideas are of help. Congrats on choosing a great breed, and please keep us posted. And pics would be nice!

So, how much of the vet bill is this "breeder" going to reimburse you? After all, the "breeder" gave too much dewormer, which caused the problem...therefore the "breeder" needs to take responsibility for the ensuing vet bill IMO. This whole experience typifies why people should NOT go to backyarders for their pups, and most especially not at this time of year, when the only priority seems to be to offload the pups as quickly as possible so the "breeder" can enjoy their holiday break. Please Shareen, contact this "breeder" again, and ask for reimbursement of the vet bill. Produce evidence if necessary, that their actions caused the problem, and politely request that they do the right thing by you and your pup. There is no way an ethical and responsible breeder would "accidentally" rehome a pup under eight weeks of age, it just doesn't happen. OTOH, there are many backyarders and puppy millers that do exactly that...I've heard of pups being removed from their mothers as young as four weeks of age. Disgraceful.

Dear Aussie, Despite the passage of time, I still miss you enormously. Every day, I think of you and hope that you're enjoying your time at the Bridge. Daddy and I may have added some more doggies to our pack, but that doesn't mean we don't love you any more. If anything, it means you left a great big hole that couldn't be filled by just one doggie. Your urn will stay perched in its prime position in our living room until we find that special place and 'settle down', whenever that may be. Please know that Daddy and I are thinking of you today, tomorrow, and always. Forever in our hearts. I love you Aussie-boy! Love and kisses from Mummy.

Any news? ;)

How is Lily doing today?

Who is talking about unvaccinated dogs? I have never heard of a kennel that doesn't require some form of vaccination schedule. Titre testing is done to find out whether the last vaccination has still provided immunity or not - no point doing it with an unvaccinated dog. BTW, this testing is only about $25 more than your average C5 shot, not what I would call a "LOT more". When you factor in how many dogs end up back at the vet with a reaction to it, the titre testing could easily work out cheaper! When you add up the vet expenses incurred by owners whose dogs have ended up with some nasty condition such as epilepsy or Cushings through over-vaccination, titre testing is worth is weight in gold! Morgan, $25 may not seem like much if you have only one dog, but in our case, titre testing instead of vaccination would cost $75 more than the vaccinations cost (using your costing of $25...I haven't actually found a vet that is prepared to consider this instead of vaccinations)... Did you read any of the other posts on page one of this thread? I believe that another member posted that kennels do accept titre testing rather than a C5 vaccine...or perhaps it was more than one member? I think someone else mentioned both titre testing and the use of homeopathic remedies as 'evidence' in support of allowing a dog in that is not vaccinated. I continue to believe in vaccination. I'm one of these people that prefers (for the moment) to trust my vet's advice, opinion and recommendations - in conjunction with doing my own research on overseas and local information and studies. BTW - I have had a dog have a reaction to vaccinations and it's not a big deal to me. It's certainly better than taking the risk that she catches a deadly (preventible) disease. JMO.

Boredom is one of the reasons a dog starts to bark and one of the reasons it keeps on barking. It gets a reward every time it barks and so why would it want to stop? What I'd suggest is firstly, removing the dog's view of the passing world, and secondly, working on training with this dog (general obedience to keep its mind working), and thirdly giving it adequate physical exercise, and fourthly, keeping it busy with interactive toys and other things to do in the yard. You might also consider bringing the dog inside the house with you for some of the time. If you do all of these things for a few months, but the behaviour doesn't improve at all, then perhaps renting a citronella collar will help...but if the habit is already well-established the collar may not work much or at all.