Sheridan

I'm a firm believer that your dog will tell you when it's time. There will be something and it will be as clear as anything once you get what your dog is telling you.

Only $24,000? Hmmm, BankWest didn't ask me!

Grumpy is now scared of thunderstorms, though it's really heavy rain he freaks out at. He associates the noise with the rain. I make sure he's crated at night if there's a thunderstorm; he tends to sleep through and if he doesn't, he won't come to any harm. Otherwise he tries to sit on my head.

I was thinking the other day that Jed and I hadn't had a fight crossed swords for a little while. I am deeply sorry to hear this news and hope she makes a speedy recovery. I'm very glad to hear Julie's on the case with MDBA Pacers. RIP to her pets who didn't make it.

For Irish coat read 'correct' coat. Softer, silkier, shiny. I wish I had a photo of the Grumpy Man as a puppy. He's quite thoroughly matted at the moment (bad mum!). Grump has become more intolerant of other dogs as he's grown older but still, he gives me the long suffering 'Aren't I utterly patient?' look when Mini (aka Princess Pogo) does her greeting at the door and she lands on his back.

Actually, it gives me the irrits a bit when I see people who own wheatens ask how to stop them jumping on people. They're wheatens.

Well, I have in the past been accused of killing pound dogs because I prefer having a wheaten and a kerry ...

Anouk buries her bones with her nose. She does a crap job because she doesn't dig, just shovels dirt on top of it. She ADORES mud and would squelch through it for hours if I let her. Ziggy is a bit of a princess. Doesn't like getting his feet wet That's the point where I say to Grumpy and Mini (Princess), 'You're Irish farm dogs, you're not supposed to be scared of getting your feet wet!'

Oh, and the thing I said most to Grump yesterday was 'You've got dirt on your nose.' He does love a good chomp of dirt.

It depends on their mood. We had a mattress in the living room for a few days and Ziggy enjoyed taking leaps off it and they both jump OVER things, but they don't tend to act like pogo sticks except when doing the wheaten greetin'. And they can climb anything ...

WAKE UP, MUM! Yes, Grumpy does that one. *whack!* They're hilarious!

Luffly! I don't have a photo, unfortunately, of Grump's bum-in-Mum's-face sit.

Hey Mollie10 and wire, do your two trampoline? My first boy did (boing! boing! boing! all over the beds and couches) but Grumps doesn't. He does do the wheaten greetin' and the whirl.

Admittedly, they're not the only dogs that face wipe over everything (kerries do as well) but they're ever so good at it. To whit: the week and a bit I had to take off work because the Grumpy One decided to do the face wipe on a bluestone wall that tore his big black nose. They're challenging ... but how can you go past a dog that can do this?

They're very terrier, despite what some people might tell you. They're clownish and on the go all the time. My Grumpy and my previous wheaten I call the 'Laughing Boys'. They're very clever, cunning as all hell, and enormous amounts of fun. I don't know what I'd do without one. They are difficult to groom. Having a single coat, they matt like anything. They are hard to dry when wet! The correct coat is slightly easier to groom than an incorrect coat. They should be slickered to the skin and combed out. There are also health test considerations and a breeder ought to be able to say if they have had any issues in their lines no matter how far back they are. There are several breeders in Victoria. I know someone who got a wheaten due to allergies and there are certainly less problems but still grooming is an issue for him.

Not an ounce of pain in Grumpy. He's just grumpy. We tried some anti-dementia medication for him and it didn't make a jot of difference. He's just grumpy. And at the moment, he's a get into everything dog.

When I got the Grumpy Man at age 10.5 years, one of my friends said to me, "You realise you won't have him for long." I was like, so effing what? He needs a home and I have one. Whether that's for five minutes or ten years, it doesn't matter. As it is, we're coming up on our fourth anniversary on 1 June and I wouldn't have missed any of it.

There's no way I'd be doing that with Grumpy!

That's good but I suggest they don't do so. She probably won't see them until it's too late.

Suggestions from someone who's been there. Always get her attention before doing anything or going too close. Never, ever, never ever, put your hands or feet down in front of her even if you have her attention. It's likely her peripheral vision isn't too good so she won't be able to tell where or what is coming at her so she'll snap. This includes picking things up off the floor. Instead, get between her and whatever it is you want to pick up. Shift it out of the way with your foot. Don't startle her. If she snaps, do not scream or get angry because she'll get angry too. Even if she's bitten you, don't do it. Talk calmly and in an even voice; a girly high pitched happy voice is also good. With visitors, give them the lecture on how to behave around her. I don't know if she gets up on the couch, but if so and you have visitors, they should get off the couch and get you to get her off the couch. Bribery, if she likes being bribed, works wonders.

I have a grumpy old dog, too. He gets muzzled to be groomed. We only do a bit at a time in general but I find after a while he relaxes; he's fallen asleep on the table sometimes and this is a dog who hides under the bed to avoid being groomed. I use a lot of grooming sprays to help, like The STUFF and Cowboy Magic to ease out the matts.

Congratulations on your litter!

:rainbowbridge: There speaks someone who's never met a wheaten litter. You had better pick yourself up and dust yourself off, it is awfully dusty rolling on the ground. At the end of the day, of course not all litter mates are going to look identical but it would still be bluntly obvious that they belong to a particular breed. What are you trying to say Sheridan? that a wheaten litter looks as though it consists of a concoction of breeds? I say not. Abigail, you spoke of coat texture. That's what I was referring to. Yes, they all look like wheatens but depending on the parents, the coats can vary within a litter. My first wheaten had one coat, his littermate another. Wheaten pups with Irish coats look completely different to wheatens with American coats. They really do almost look like different breeds. This is Miss Pink and Miss Purple from the same litter. This is the American coat This is the Irish coat [ Thanks, Mollie10. I didn't have photos to hand.

There speaks someone who's never met a wheaten litter. You had better pick yourself up and dust yourself off, it is awfully dusty rolling on the ground. At the end of the day, of course not all litter mates are going to look identical but it would still be bluntly obvious that they belong to a particular breed. What are you trying to say Sheridan? that a wheaten litter looks as though it consists of a concoction of breeds? I say not. Abigail, you spoke of coat texture. That's what I was referring to. Yes, they all look like wheatens but depending on the parents, the coats can vary within a litter. My first wheaten had one coat, his littermate another.

:thumbsup: There speaks someone who's never met a wheaten litter.