Sam the man

I would like to know some interactive toys /games that would be good to have / play with our JRT. I am mainly wanting things for when he is outside in his pen. Are tug toys suitable? Why I'm asking about the tug toys is because sometimes Sam will tug at my skirt (something I want to stop him doing) . I wonder would a tug toy make this behaviour worse or better? What else can I have in his pen to make it more interesting? He has a pool and a sandpit.

http://www.themorningbulletin.com.au/story...ix-puppies-die/ I wonder how a 5 year ban can be policed when there are animals being sold in the papers, pet shops and not always through registered breeders? Getting the dog desexed would have been a better financial proposition compared to the fine and also saved some poor defenceless puppies from a cruel death.

Today I was stopped at the lights at one of the major intersections(south side of intersection) in Rocky when this little brown dog came trotting across the street on the western side). There was an older lady using a wheelie walker had come across before him (I don't know if it was her dog or not so don't want to be harsh in my judgment). The dog had no lead. Anyway I thought good the dog got across the road safely and is going to keep walking down the footpath BUT NO it then decided to come across the street where myself and other cars were stopped waiting for the lights to change. It then proceeded to trot down the street between the cars and then across to the footpath. I don't know what happened after that. Luckily while all this was going on the lights didn't change. Now IF the dog DID BELONG to the lady she wasn't taking one scrap of notice where it was. I hope wherever the dog lived he got home safely.

Any suggestions for a meat free meal? I've been trying Sam with sardines & mackeral for one meal a week but he just doesn't seem to want to eat them. He has bones, meat, chicken necks, chicken frames. All either on their own or with egg, yoghurt, cottage & ricotta cheese,vegetables or fruit. He has a good quality dried food 3 nights a week.

If I'm on Dol at night (usual time) Sam is 'sleeping' in the cupboard behind me. His other favourite spot is in the corner of the room. Bedding supplied in both places.

I presume another article was talking about the same event but said the dog was a Rhodesian Ridgeback. Very confusing.

I tried Sam this morning with just the sardines on their own. He eventually ate them all except for 2. I might try some of the other fish like mackerel or tuna.

I used to buy diced lamb for Sam even though it was quite expensive then changed to lamb forequarter chops/lamb shanks as not so pricey ( and cutting the meat off them). For the last few times I've just been buying the lamb offcuts from Coles or Woolies but wonder if it is really worth it. I know it is only say $2.99 a kg but by the time you cut out the edible pieces of meat and throw out all the fat and bits of bones (which I don't consider safe for Sam to eat) 3/4 of it is put in the bin. Actually for ourselves lately to make a casserole/stew I've been buying a roast leg of lamb and cutting it up. Maybe I should be using some of this for Sam. Any suggestions how to buy lamb or any other meat for that matter that won't break the bank?

I've always tried to give Sam some sardines for one breakfast each week. I've tried a couple ways to do this. I used to mash up the sardines and put them with some cooked rolled oats, a slightly cooked egg and a little bit of grated cheese. I then changed to not mashing up the sardines. Sometimes he will eat them and other times leaves the sardines in the bottom of his dish. I've only been giving him half a tin at a time. Any suggestions how I can give him the sardines or any other fish alternative? I don't know if it makes any difference what the sardines are in i.e. tomato sauce, spring water or vegetable oil. I always buy him the Homebrand or equivalent.

I was also going to post about this earlier after reading it in TMB. Then yesterday a story started on front page "pet dog slain, dumped in car". My immediate thought after reading both stories is like so many have already posted "What is wrong with people??" It makes me feel & ;) ;) because this cruelty to animals seems to be coming more prevalent. IMO needs to be stronger sentencing and heavier fines for such cruel acts.

This is a photo of Sam in the cupboard in the office. I didn't notice until the photo was taken how dirty the hem of my dressing gown was. I have since washed it and put it up the other end. The wall was given a clean too.

We had a similar experience with Sam a couple years ago. He got bitten by something and ended up looking like a Shar Pei. It was on a Sunday afternoon so quite a costly exercise.

I have started drinking green tea and white tea. Thanks for the above tip. I usually take the teabag out fairly soon so it doesn't get too strong.

On Saturday afternoon Sam jumped up and must have caught his toenail on the fence around his pen and ripped it out. This is because of the dogs around us that are allowed to come into our yard. and of course Sam being a JRT reacts to them being there. We bathed the wound and put antiseptic ointment on it straightaway and continued to put the ointment on it a few times each day. Anyway this morning when I tried to put some more on and go between his toes he reacted to me touching it and I could see that it looked swollen so knew a trip to the vet would be the next step. He had an injection and now has some antibiotics to take. He is to take the capsules for 2 days and then see how things are after that. The vet has given me a week's supply. She said just to bathe it in some water. We'll probably just take him for short walks for the next few days.

I take Sam for a walk in the morning and OH usually does it after he comes home from work. Lately when I start walking Sam he just keeps sitting or turning around and looking back behind us. He 'knows' that is the direction his human friends ( and sometimes dogs) come from but most of the time there is no one coming along. Any tips how I can get him out of this habit apart from the usual "let's go Sam" and "good boy Sam" when he does start walking again. In another thread I read about 'popping the lead'. What does that mean? When Sam was younger I would take treats with me but he would deliberately jump up for them so stopped that. When we are walking Sam is very interested in everything that is going on around him as well as trying to read the doggy mail left along the footpath. If he sees someone out in their yard he likes to look and see what they are doing and watches any vehicles or people that come along. He turns his walk into an adventure and I 'talk' to him about what is happening around us. However sometimes I get a bit envious of these people whose dogs just trot along beside them. :D

Sam had blood with his poo this morning so took him to the vet. Said was gastro-enteritis and had a couple injections and given tablets etc. to take. He is still bright and chirpy. He was very excited about going for a car ride (little realizing that he was going to the vet!!!)

Early this morning Sam started grizzling etc. I thought he may have wanted to go to the toilet seeing it was earlier than normal. When I went out to him he had done a monstrous poo but reasonably firm for me to clean up. I took him outside for a short walk and did a bit more on the loose side. Later when I took him for his big walk he did a bit more still on the loose side. This evening when I cleaned up his pen I found one of his poos was a bit on the loose side still. I did give him some mashed pumpkin (with Jalna fat free yoghurt) with his breakfast. Now tonight he usually has chicken necks. Should I cut back the quantity (usually has 2 or 3 depending on the size) and give him some more mashed pumpkin. Thanks Glenda

I have been giving Sam beef brisket bones but I find that quite often they have very little meat on them and sometimes quite fatty. I trim most of the fat off them before putting away in the freezer. These are bought from Woolworths as we do our shopping at either there or IGA. What do other DOLer's buy for good, raw meaty bones. He is a JRT and also gets chicken necks (however I don't consider them a bone as such). I try and avoid buying bags of mixed bones because don't really know what they are. How often do you give your dog a RMB? On other days what do you give your dog to chew on instead? Thanks Glenda

What food or treats do you hide in the sandpit? I put the plastic clamshell (with sand) in Sam's yard this morning and want to hide things in it. Today I hid his bone. I'm wondering about smaller pieces of food or treats being covered in sand and him eating it. I haven't been buying rawhide bones but the other day did buy a few dentabones. How much satisfaction does a dog get finding toys as compared to food? :rolleyes:

When I take Sam for a walk (early morning) as soon as he notices another dog coming behind us he will put on his alert JRT stance then when they get closer start barking etc and want to go over to the dog. The dog is being walked on the wrong side of the road so we are not on the same side. I have done lots of research on the net and it seems that I need to stay calm but this isn't easy to do "in the heat of the moment" and you feel embarrassed when your dog is carrying on and the other dog is walking like an angel. I have found an article about self control for dogs so this is something I need to work on. I am also doing as suggested in another article by asking Sam to sit every now and then. I know I've probably been a bit lax but now when we walk if Sam pulls ahead too much (or goes off onto the side) I stop and wait for him to turn back or if he is walking ahead I'll say "steady" and walk slowly and if he lags behind or spends too much time sniffing around I say "let's go" and bring him up near to me and praise him when he is walking along nicely beside me.We only see one or two dogs or sometimes none as we are on 1 & 2 acre blocks here and a lot of dogs don't get walked regularly if at all. I didn't have this problem when we used to walk later and we'd regularly meet up with another dog and his owner/s who would stop and have a chat.

Our JRT likes to say hello to other dogs when we are out walking. I don't let this happen unless the other person indicates this is what they want too. Of course it is harder when the dog is out on its own. We don't see many dogs but the last few mornings a new dog (staffy) seems to be getting walked the same time as I start to walk Sam. When they come close (actually they are walking on the wrong side of the road so not on same side as us) Sam will start barking and want to go over to the dog pulling hard on the lead etc. This get a bit embarassing especially when other dogs around start barking as well. I usually stop and let the other walker and dog get ahead. Any other suggestions as what I can do As Sam is a dog that likes to stop and sniff and smell usually doesn't take long for the other dog to get in front. Sam has a friend Seth (a big black dog) who we usually meet every few days. When Sam sees him coming in the distance he will sit and wait quietly for Seth to get closer. This morning when we got to the end of our walking route Sam noticed this lady walking on her property (5 acres) with 3 dogs. He immediately sat and waited for them but they weren't coming our way anyway. I had to "persuade "him to start walking back home.

We need to do something like this. Our dog is in a similar situation(has a kennel which has a shade frame over it but not much other shelter when it is raining). I'm home most of the time and when we had a few cold rainy days recently I had Sam inside with me all day. Of course we had to do regular toilet walks. If I ever did get a job (part-time only) we would definitely need to provide better shelter for Sam.

I give Sam about a tablespoon of Jalna BioDynamic Yoghurt or if none in shop Jalna Fat Free Yoghurt twice a week. He has some mashed up fruit with it usually pear. This is just part of his meal.

I had no problems getting my sample. It came in less than 2 weeks after I requested it. I did make an online enquiry about the product but don't know if that made the difference.