Staffyluv Posted July 9, 2014 Author Share Posted July 9, 2014 We have a fit disc for balance work to help with core strength. He will get on it but he doesn't seem to like it much. I will have a look at the Pawsitive Performance, thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WreckitWhippet Posted July 9, 2014 Share Posted July 9, 2014 Forget the vet and go straight to the chiro Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Staffyluv Posted July 9, 2014 Author Share Posted July 9, 2014 That is what Steve at k9 pro said as well.. I haven't been to a chiro on Canberra - any recommendations? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J... Posted July 9, 2014 Share Posted July 9, 2014 We have a fit disc for balance work to help with core strength. He will get on it but he doesn't seem to like it much. You need to make it fun, and if you're having fun then he will as well. Add his absolute favourite food into the mix and I'm sure he'll enjoy it so much more. Body awareness is so much more than a balance disc. :) You're getting bogged down in the "playing ball is his favourite thing, he doesn't enjoy anything else" train of thought and feeling sorry for him. If you find other more body friendly activities and make sure they enjoy them by having fun yourself, they never miss out. My 8 yo was retrieving mad as a youngster but I put a stop to it years ago when I realised just how bad such a jolting and repetitive behaviour was on her body. At the time I was racking my brain thinking how I was going to keep her fit and exercised. At 8 yo she is happy, healthy, fit and strong, still running agility and the only time I ever throw a ball is in water. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dogsfevr Posted July 9, 2014 Share Posted July 9, 2014 You can do tracking . What is his hip score ?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Staffyluv Posted July 9, 2014 Author Share Posted July 9, 2014 No I am not getting bogged down in the playing ball is his fave thing - it is his favourite thing :) He isn't interested in food - when I gave up trying to get him to take treats and started training with a tennis ball, everything changed. It became fun, not a constant pain to try and keep his attention or get him to stop focusing on everything else apart from me at training. If he knows he is going to get that ball at some time during training, I can have his attention. We have tried everything from BBQ chicken to liver and cabanossi, cheese, boiled egg for food treats and he might take one or two and then he just spits it out. I used to not feed him dinner or breakfast the morning of training, so he would be hungry and he still wasn't interested in the food.. I used to get so frustrated at training because everyone else could get their dogs attention with a bit of cheese and Zig would still ignore me even if I dumped the whole packet of treats in front of him.. We do make working/training fun, we play games (not just ball games) all the time. Zig can't do agility, I would love to take him through it, although he won't do the tunnel for anything. We have fun at our obedience club with the occasional very low jump (he jumps with the tiny dogs, little poodle and JRTs in our group) or the weave poles set up but it isn't something he could do all the time. I wish it was, he would love it. He is a very active dog and he likes to be active. He loves going for walks and I am happy to walk him every single day. But he prefers to run (sadly for him, I am not a runner).. A half hour run each day and a few 5-10 minute training/game sessions is what he loves.. We have just signed up to do the Susan Garrett Recallers 5 program and we are having fun with it.. Hoepfully we can get some more ideas out of this as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Staffyluv Posted July 9, 2014 Author Share Posted July 9, 2014 You can do tracking . What is his hip score ?? I think we have a scent work group locally - I might look into that as well. We didn't send the x-rays away to be scored. Our vet showed me on the right hip he has wear and tear on femoral head and some wear and tear on the left but it is no where near as bad. He said he could send them away and have them scored if I wanted to do it. Or we can x-ray again in 12 months to see if there are any major changes. I opted to not pay to have them scored. I probably should have but he is a just a pet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tassie Posted July 9, 2014 Share Posted July 9, 2014 I'd second the idea of tracking. Or if that didn't appeal, what about Rally? Only 1 jump in Advanced and 2 in Excellent .. and they're lower than in agility. PM HW or Tailwag or DeltaCharlie for a chiro type person in Canberra area. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
*kirty* Posted July 9, 2014 Share Posted July 9, 2014 Its a hard call, but I would always choose a great time over a long time. I have two old dogs on long-term NSAIDs which will eventually cause issues with their kidneys. But I would rather see them happy, pain-free and playing and take that risk. No point wrapping them in cotton wool because they would be miserable. Dogs live for the here-and-now. If his HD is only mild, I would get him on every joint supplement I could and then let him live life to the fullest. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VizslaMomma Posted July 9, 2014 Share Posted July 9, 2014 That is what Steve at k9 pro said as well.. I haven't been to a chiro on Canberra - any recommendations? When you get this settled, could you take him swimming? ( as in a hydrotheraphy pool). That's beneficial. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Staffyluv Posted July 9, 2014 Author Share Posted July 9, 2014 That is pretty much how I feel Kirty but I also feel guilty if he hurts himself (the reason for this thread originally).. I don't think his HD is that bad right now and he is on supplements. I have let him gain a bit of weight over winter but need to get that off him, as he is better about a kilo or two lighter than he is at the moment. He is 26kg now but looks good at 25kg and quite lean at 24kg. Our Queanbeyan obedience club only has a Rally-O thing in summer (daylight savings).. They do it for fun and not competition (apart from each other).. I might look at the Canberra one because I am sure they do it all year over the border. Thanks :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Spotted Devil Posted July 9, 2014 Share Posted July 9, 2014 Rally-O, obedience and tracking are all great ideas. You can definitely transfer value between rewards. My Zig wouldn't tug or even take treats. He only wanted to lift his leg everywhere. Now he tugs when I've got cheese in my hand. The first time I tried to reward Em for retrieving game she literally spat the cheese out because she wanted the retrieve so desperately. Now she works equally well for dry food. In terms of retrieving, 95% of the retrieves Em does are on stationary items - she has to be steady before she is sent. Great for the head and much, much easier on the body. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
*kirty* Posted July 9, 2014 Share Posted July 9, 2014 I would keep him at his lean weight if possible. It will be much better for his hips. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Staffyluv Posted July 10, 2014 Author Share Posted July 10, 2014 That is what Steve at k9 pro said as well.. I haven't been to a chiro on Canberra - any recommendations? When you get this settled, could you take him swimming? ( as in a hydrotheraphy pool). That's beneficial. There is no hydro down here in Canberra for dogs.. He does like swimming but we usually only do it in the summer months - the thought of taking a dip in 4 degree temps, is a bit chilling.. :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Staffyluv Posted July 10, 2014 Author Share Posted July 10, 2014 Rally-O, obedience and tracking are all great ideas. You can definitely transfer value between rewards. My Zig wouldn't tug or even take treats. He only wanted to lift his leg everywhere. Now he tugs when I've got cheese in my hand. The first time I tried to reward Em for retrieving game she literally spat the cheese out because she wanted the retrieve so desperately. Now she works equally well for dry food. In terms of retrieving, 95% of the retrieves Em does are on stationary items - she has to be steady before she is sent. Great for the head and much, much easier on the body. I like to keep him busy - it makes for a happier dog, so doing something like Rally-O or tracking as well as obedience is a good idea. A lot of his ball chasing is once the ball has about stopped moving - I throw, he waits and gets released once the ball has almost stopped. We started doing this when we started using the dumbell in obedience because he would take off after it and not wait to be released - it has been a challenge getting him to wait but he does now. But I do let him chase sometimes (because he loves it, probably not the best thing for him).. If there is a group of dogs chasing a ball, he is just happy to run with the group - no so much interested in getting the ball. Zig loves tug but it was another thing that was suggested might be hard on his hips, so I tend not to do it as much as offering a catch of the tennis ball (that is the reward he loves most of all, sit, wait and get to catch the tennis ball from me, tossing it from about a metre or so away from him).. He gives it back, so I will toss it again, so he can catch it. Thanks all, this has been very interesting and given me some food for thought on what I should and shouldn't be doing with him. Today he is fine again and bouncing off the walls, so a decent walk this afternoon is in order. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WreckitWhippet Posted July 10, 2014 Share Posted July 10, 2014 Shoot Haredown a message as I didn't use her Chiro. Putting my hands on him I'd say he could go a good three kg's or even a bit more. Get the weight right off, have the ribs showing and pin bones just covered Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Staffyluv Posted July 10, 2014 Author Share Posted July 10, 2014 I will thanks Jack. I went and bought the Earthborn Holistic kibble today and I am shunting the Black Hawk out the door.. He has only bulked up, since he has been on that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WreckitWhippet Posted July 10, 2014 Share Posted July 10, 2014 I found on BH that the dogs turned to mush. It won't hurt him to be super lean. You exercise him daily and he should be a lot fitter and ripped looking for what he does. If you don't have any luck on that food, Royal Canin keeps them hard and lean. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Staffyluv Posted July 10, 2014 Author Share Posted July 10, 2014 I ducked out today and picked up the EH - he was always nice and firm on that.. I won a bag of black hawk a while back and he liked it, so I stuck with it but he has gone to 'mush' on it.. RC was one the vet suggested for some reason - can't remember now but he thought it would be good for him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Staffyluv Posted July 11, 2014 Author Share Posted July 11, 2014 I am sure it is his back that is sore. We went for a walk and met up with a guy who has two staffords and they were all saying hello. Then Zig and the other boy were play bowing and then just sort of playing on lead when he stopped again and laid down. Now at home and I notice he is really cautious about how he gets up on the lounge. We have an appointment with the chiro in Canberra for next Thursday (that is as early as we could get in).. I will just keep him resting as much as possible until we go next week. Poor lad looks a bit miserable this afternoon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now