Sheridan

My previous kerry had them and they kept getting infected (his immune system was crap). He was forever having ops to fix up the horrible ones. Grumpy has loads but I've only had a couple removed. A big one on his leg, which I was afraid he'd keep knocking, and one on his head, which I think was affecting his temper.

I'm increasingly thinking this is Grumpy's issue when he trips.

I had to switch off the wheaten video; god, what they do to those coats. Wheatens are not meant to look all primped and preened.

I think that's a great idea. My sister's irish terrier breeder has birthday parties for her pups.

Cheers, thanks. Mate of mine is showing his staffy.

Numbers of staffies, please?

Only 1 Wheaten That's so disappointing.

Does anyone have wheaten numbers? It would be very disappointing to have a wheaten breeder as the terrier judge and few or no entries.

Jed, I agree with you but I'm afraid that for some people it's always been about winning in the ring.

I got some from Pet Stock before Christmas. I haven't been back so I don't know if the supply is constant.

Grumpy's panting a lot at night, too, recently. I've wondered if it's because it's been so humid.

Grumpy's not as slippy over the last day now the hair underneath his pads has been trimmed back.

Grumpy moves very well for his age, though I am increasingly worried about the strength of his legs. He's always tripped since I've had him, like he's not lifting up his front feet properly, but more recently, it's become more obvious and I'm concerned he'll do some damage. Just when I arrived home, he belted outside as if he was a young fella and his legs sort of fell from under him. He got up immediately and continued belting around but I just held my breath. There's nothing obviously wrong. He doesn't have arthritis and can still jump up on the bed and couch (and on me) but the vet found a sore spot that made Grumpy wince in his spine near his hips, which I think might be the cause of the problem. I've also noticed that in the backyard he increasingly doesn't lift his leg to do his wees. He's on Sasha's Blend but I don't think it's doing much for him.

The breeder I got my previous and current wheaten from, I have a great relationship with him and the breeder who introduced us. I also have a great relationship with Merijigs from whom I got Mini, although she didn't breed her. I don't know many of the kerry breeders but I do know what happened when I contacted them about one in the pound. I'll always remember the ones who didn't respond at all.

I wouldn't put any chickens or ducks in with dogs unless they were specific guardian breeds, trained to mind them.

I say the breed names for my two then I say 'They're Irish farm dogs' because people understand what a farm dog is.

Having a grumpy dog is a challenge because they're unpredictable. It can be tiring. I think what you need to do is ask yourself whether you want to be super vigilant and hyperaware at all times of his behaviour, the other animals' behaviour, and if you're going to be able to manage it. Can you predict his reactions, for instance?

I got Grumpy when he was 10 and a half and Mini when she was five. Grumpy is very set in his ways, mainly in that he decides when he wants to do something and no amount of persuasion or bribery on my part will get him to change his mind. Everything has to be his idea. The first night, I just didn't think, and went to give Grumpy a cuddle (wheatens are very cuddly dogs) and he just didn't like that and tried to take my face off. Lesson learned: Grumpy doesn't like people in his face. It took me about a month to become ''his' and the night that happened, I was sitting on the floor throwing around a toy and he was chasing it. He dumped the toy, jumped on me and slurped all over my face. Mini was instantly my bestest friend evah! As she is with nearly everyone because she's just a BFF gatherer. Grumpy took a little more time to warm up to her. She wasn't allowed on the bed or the couch and even now, if Grumpy gets up on the couch, she'll get down. Most of that is because he sits on her. One morning I went into the bedroom and found them curled up together, so she takes and he gives in (with everything other than toys and food - Grumpy's in charge of those). She really is the perfect dog for him. When I was talking to his breeder about getting a kerry, he said that Grumpy needed a dog that would give him cheek but defer to him in areas that mattered and she does that exactly.

That's fairly easy to do with some breeds, though. "Mini airdales" are often actually welsh terriers.

This falls into the environment category. He's somewhat conditioned not to be food driven & to avoid getting into his crate. The more stubborn the dog, the more potential of intelligence it has - it's the smart ones that push boundaries He's conditioned himself then. Nothing to do with me or his previous owner (his breeder). He's a cunning little bugger.

Should have seen Grumpy last night. There was no way, despite the hunger (for he didn't eat his dinner) that he was going to get into his crate to eat the treats I placed there. Call it stubbornness, but it's a level of self-control and will power that a lot of food driven dogs wouldn't display.

Who called them homicidal and evil? And you reminded me, our council called Ruby an Irish Setter to our neighbours when they were asking them if they minded if we got another dog. And yes, a red Schnauzer at Royal Shows all the time, how could I forget. My sister gets 'nice looking red schnauzer' for her irish terrier. Homicidal? Dare devil!

How do you stop a dog that is determined to escape, despite the shock? How do you stop other dogs from coming in?

Then Mini would win hands down. Not only does she watch telly avidly, she'll attack it if she see a dog. Last week she flung herself off the couch at a GSD on the telly and, as a further measure of her intelligence, when she landed directly on Grumpy, she flattened herself in a 'Oh shit!' way.

People walking past as I was out with Grumpy. 'Is that a sheep?' Ahem, okay, he needed a haircut but a sheep?