crazydiamond

One of the reasons my Mr Trevor was a Fallen Angel from Hearing Dogs for Deaf People is because he would rather kill you than have his nails cut. When I first got him it was not easy to even to look at his feet at all but he now begrudgingly accepts a feel without too much bother if he can see the treat he is going to get for allowing me to do that. I managed this with clicker training. Also with the clicker training I did get to a point with him where I could cut a small amount of just two nails before things would get anti social but it didnt last long Its not just a case of muzzling him ~ he has to be held, wrapped up in a towel with the leg you need sticking out by one person, another has to hold the leg steady and I get the foot to cut the nail. Its a real struggle as he thrashes about like a wild thing jerking his leg all over the place. So Mr Trevor has quite long nails which I never let get to the length his toes are spreading or the nails cause him discomfort because as they get to too long I book him into the vets, they have to knock him out and cut the nails as short as they can. Mr Trevor keeps his own dew claws in check by biting them. anyone elses dog bite its nails?

Because I have Danes I get all the usual " its a pony/donkey/cow" The one that gets on my nerves is when I am out with Boris "does he have Dalmation in him?" to which I generally reply "Only if he ate one while I wasnt looking" it takes most people who ask it a while to work out my answer which is not surprising considering they asked the stoooooopid question in the first place.

Well done Keep on keeping on

I have been in the place you are now. Its scary and really hard. I suggest you keep coming to the board even if its just to look and not respond, it will keep you feeling part of the community here. It is good you are seeking professioanl help. It mustve taken you some time to put this post together and the people who have been missing you will appreciate that. I do not know many people on here as I post so infrequently but I can understand what you are going through now and wish you to know that you are not abnormal or a failure in any way. It will get better and it will take as long as it takes but do not lose faith in the fact that there is a light at the end of the tunnel.

Here is my Byron in the puppy bed I call the pic 'does my bum look big in this?'

Next Saturday I am judging at the Fun Dog Show at the Middlesex County Show ( it is also on the Sunday) http://www.hdfairs.co.uk/middlesex/about_the_show.asp on July 12th I am the co-ordinator for the Top Dog Events at the Cold Wet Nose Show ( my title being Top Dog Top Bod ) http://www.thecoldwetnoseshow.co.uk/ on July 20th I am doing something at the Chilterns Show with the Fun Dog Show ( it is also onth 19th) http://www.hdfairs.co.uk/middlesex/about_the_show.asp any of you going to any of these events?

I only went into full time work in January. My partner changed jobs and has taken a severe pay cut whilst training for his new role as a train driver. We needed to know we had a definate income from me during this time and my dog work is far too erratic to rely on to keep a roof over our heads. I have a family friend who has known my dogs from day one who can come over and sit with them,play with them and walk them. Mostly though my eldest daughter stays here during the week In a few months my partner will be back on shift work too so he will also be around during the daytime often. Its hardest on me as I really miss the time I used to have with them. The main thing to have suffered is their training.

I have a week or two off starting next week and would be happy to make calls/send e-mails to discover rescues and contacts in Bucks and the surrounding area. Whatever is useful to you really.

Boris is a 3yr old neutered Dane who has been with me about 7 months and Byron is a neutered Dane nearly 8 who has been with me nearly two years. The day before yesterday when I got up I noticed that Boris was kissing Byron alot around his face and ears. Boris is very prancy on his feet whilst he was doing this with high tail carriage. This very soon moved on to Boris licking the end of Byrons willy Boris has persisted with this over the last few days - the licking of both of these areas on poor Byron and following him around with his prancy footwork, tail held high sometimes slowly moving side to side a little bit at the end. Now I have seen dogs behave like this around Byron in the past but it has always been puppies never a grown dog. When pups have done this they have been persisitent in trying to lick all inside Byrons jowls, his eyes and ears as well as 'other areas'. Boris has not witnessed any other dog do this to Byron. Byron is not being reactive to this situation other than to have the look on his face that says " please Mum stop this dog pestering me". I have had to put Boris out of the way a few times and am frequently having to tell him to leave Byron alone. The attention is not constant but frequent. Any ideas folks?

Do all the things you can bear to do. I have suffered with sciatica and other nerve pains on and off for over 16 years now due to a crumbling vertebrae. So I get back pain as well as the nerve pains. Sometimes it is all contained in my back but mostly I also get the nerve pains in my buttock/s and thigh/s at times it also travels to in my lower leg/s too and in extreme bad times I have shooting pain in all those areas and out the end of my toes with every step. I find the most comfy thing is to keep moving. When it is bad I cannot stand still. Suitable exercises can help with the pain and strengthen your tummy muscles up to help support the back but check withthe GP before you take any on if you dont have some already. Also I find using an ice pack several times a day offers relief too. Accupuncture is really good for this. Hope you mend soon.

I had this kind of thing when I first took Byron on - lasted about 6 months on and off like you describe. It really was a case of "suck it and see" with his diet. When he came to me he had this bag of food with him like nothing I have seen before or since and he needed about half a bucket twice a day. I thought I would change him to something better so I went with Burns too, a gradual change over 8 days from one to the other, all was well for about three weeks then he got uncontrollably runny. Three days of rice and coley got him right again so I start to introduce James Wellbeloved ~ again all was well for a few weeks. I too tried cooking for him, barf and Chappie ( he was best the longest on that) then I went to a non cereal based complete that being WAFCOL Salmon and potato for Large breeds. It suited him to a tee so long as I soak it in boiled water for an hour first as it has alot of swell in it. Have to say though there was alot out of the other end, it would take me three poo bags each time he went. Byron is doing very well on the RC SC24 but it is awful expensive. A few days ago I started to introduce a small handful of his Wafcol and so far so good I will give it week with one handful per meal (he is down to three meals a day now and that is how I will leave it) and if no ill effect then I will increase it to two and so on. However I hasten to add that the reason I did not take Byron to the vet about this is because he didnt get thin, He maintained his ideal weight or very close all the way through and there was never any blood.

Thanks for your replies the 6kg bag we got from the vet has cost £30 and will last eight days as he has to have 800g a day nsplit over four meals. I understand that there is a 15kg bag also so that will be more cost effective. I am looking into a way I may be able to get it even cheaper but I cannot say if I do manage it howcome I did ( its not illegal though) What is the main ingredient in the Burgess and the fat content please? This RC food is high in protein, 24%, which normally I would avoid. I think 18% is enough really.

My Byron boy bloated and torsioned 2 weeks ago. I was very lucky ~ they operated and he is still here with us. I was just wondering if any of you have experience of dogs after bloat and gastroplasty (sp?) (thats where they have stitched his tummy to his inside to prevent a torsion again) and digestion. We were back at the vets with him yesterday as he is not really keeping much in him. He was being sick yesterday and a bit the day before and has the most terrible wind plus loose motions. The vet has given him some meds to make his tummy better and a Sensitivity Control diet ( Royal Canin ) made of tapioca (YUK) and blue whiting. In the time I have had Byron I know how sensitive his tummy is, there are lots of things he cannot have.

Although I now work for Hearing Dogs, I have been a speaker for the charity about four years. Kids of this age group are the best to talk to. The advice given is what I wouldve said. Short and sweet, make your point, pictures to pass round or a short DVD/Powerpoint presentation are good ideas. Telling them how they can be involved with awareness as well as fundraising. I usually thank them for listening and their questions at the end and ask them to go on a mission for me. Their mission is to tell at least one grown up a day for three days one thing they have learnt from my talk about Hearing Dogs and ask them to tell one other grown up. Sometimes I do a set of ten questions at the begining which require yes or no answers. I make sure to cover the answers during my talk and then I ask the same questions at the end to see if they have been listening or not It also helps me guide my talk if from this I realise they do know a bit about the topic, or nothing at all.

Me thinks you have taken it too quickly perhaps If the dog is now not listening to the whistle then you are right, you have messed up somewhere. I would suggest going back to stage one but change either the pitch of your whistle or how you blow it and have a fresh start. I would also suggest that when you get to the stage of using the whislt outdoors you do so using a long/trailing line. This is my usual advice to help teach a reliable recall, it may help you. I always suggest that a long or trailing line is used to teach recall and it is my opinion that you shouldnt really be letting your dog off lead in the first place if the recall is not there. Whistle training is a good way to go and knowing what your dog finds rewarding ( or what makes him tick as Steve said) is a useful tool also. Be prepared to make high pitched sounds, run away, wave you arms in the air, jump up and down on one leg ~ whatever it takes to get your dogs interest. Work on the Nothing In Life Is Free aspect in genaral aout the home and your dog will appreciate more the time you do want him. Recall is so much more than it appears to be. You have to always be the most rewarding experience, otherwise why should the dog return? Firstly you need to get used to moving with your dog on a trailing line. Practise letting the line in and out using two hands in a looping motion - I tend to start people on a 3 or 5 metre line. It is called a trailing line as that is what it should do; trail. You need to remember that the time on the line is actually your dogs free time so move with your dog in manner which means there is always slack in the line and it is trailing, it should not be in the air. If the line is slack it means that should the dogs legs get a little tangled it will be able to free itself. So for the first few days dont even bother with recall just get used to handling the line. You wont need to call the dog for anything as you will just be able to work your way to the dog up the line looping it in as you go. Teach your dog a release command like' Off you go'. When walking your dog on its regular lead always keep the dog on one side and do not allow the dog to stop and sniff or toilet, keep walking you are in control of where you go, how fast and when you stop. Expect your dog to stop at kerbs. When you reach the first day of actually trying recall this is how it goes; short lead walk to the free time place. Dog in a sit whilst you attatch the line and then remove the regular lead. Give the dog it release command and move round with your dog allowing him to sniff and toilet and explore for about ten mins. During this time be watching your dog and note the times he is not too busy with other things and if he ever just looks back at you. After the ten mins wait for the first opportunity your dog is just staring into space or looking back at you, call his name in an excited manner - be confident that your dog will return. Wave the toy or treat about. As your dog comes towards you keep up the encouragement but dont say 'good dog/fido' just keep on motivating the dog to come to you. As the dog gets close extend your arm with the toy or treat in to lure the dog the last few feet still being vocal and excited, backing up if necessary - still no 'good dog'. With the lure bring the dog into a sit in front of you. As you allow the dog to take the toy or treat gently hook the dogs collar so you prevent him running off again as soon as the treat is gone. Praise lavishly with a fuss and happy body language and then give the dog the release command. The idea is to get four or five good recalls in about a half hour of free time where you always release your dog again. At the end of the walk do not call the dog to you but work your way to the dog, fuss him and ask for a sit. Place his regular lead on the collar then remove the long line and walk your dog home in a controlled manner as described earlier. When you have had three days on the trot of perfect recall from these kind of situations you will up the anti a little. If you get two good days and on the third the dog misses even once start the three day count again. For example the next level would be after the initial 10 mins of free time to call your dog when he has just lifted his head from a sniff ~ again three days of perfect before moving on. The next level could be from in the middle of a good sniff etc. I usually suggest to people that once they are confident with the 3 or 5 metre line and the dog is returning reliably from the middle of a sniff that you extend the length of your line by another 3-5 metres and get the 100% recall on that length of line from mid sniff before moving on. When you reach the stage that your dog can be over 15-20 metres away from you and recall 100% for three days on the trot you go to the final line level. This take differing amounts of time for every dog and handler team. The final level involves you tying a good knot in your line every 18 inches to two feet. You take your dog to his free time place and release him as usual moving with him on the line then you drop the line but still move about as if you were at the end. Recall your dog from a level one ( no distractions) and praise and release. Still move as if you are with your dogs line. Recall your dog from a level two, praise and release but do not then move about as if still on the line but stay quite close to the line so if needed you can put your foot on it. This is where the knots come into play. If your dog takes off and ignores you then you go after the line and get your foot on it asap. The knots prevent the line just running away under your shoe. When you have had three days of 100% recall from any situation then you chance it without the line. Any time your dog goes backwards then get the line out, move back two stages and work your way back to no line. If you use clicker with your dog then this can be used to reaffirm the great recalls where the dog comes back spit spot but dont use it just for any recall. Vary your rewards in value level and always have a selection. always be interesting to your dog. Dont stress Have confidence Enjoy. If your dog has got very used to ignoring its name and the come or here command then right from the first day of teaching the recall use a different expression and not the dogs name. I usually suggest saying 'dog, dog,dog queeeeeckleeeeeeeee' in a high pitched voice and using the whistle ( once the dog has been whistle trained and is already on its way back). If your dog is one who requires a treat/fuss/game every time he returns to keep him at it then do just that. If you learnt a new skill at work and got paid well for learning it but then the pay became random once you had mastered it I am sure you would not be so compliant either.

I have used a No-Bite collar before which was quite effective but they were expensive. Some vets have such products for hire.

I cant do 1pm to meet at PAT stand any day

I think that once captured this girl has a Dane rescue to go to . . . .unless that has changed in the last couple of months. Sully knows

I will be there on Thurs, Fri and Sat ~ not with the spotty cow dog though. I will be on the Hearing Dogs for Deaf People stand all three days so do pop by and say Hello. On Saturday I have booked off three hours so I can go spend some time with Dane people and shop a little This will be my fourth year at Crufts with Hearing Dogs, the last three have been as a volunteer though with my puppy in the demos. Last year we were in the main ring, its really spooky have over 12,000 eyes looking at you initially but you soon forget. Anyone else here in any of the demos/on Discover Dogs stands rather than competing?

Thanks folks. I just love the body language in these pics.

What has Boris spied? Ooh, a lovely English Pointer boy Lets play! Mr Trevor interferes

Thanks for looking

Rio is about 11 and cant come on the sort of walks I do of a weekend, usually a couple of hours long over verying terrain. She thinks she could but her back legs say differently. So the OH came along today for the first fifteen mins of the walk and then took Rio back while I went on with Boris and Mr Trevor. Heres some pics of my beautiful soulmate Here she is having a roll. Rolling and paddling are her two favorite outdoor activities. Thanks for looking.