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skycat

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Everything posted by skycat

  1. skycat
    Ken, she has a really lovely, intelligent kind eye. You've got a good one there, I reckon, in my very humble and non expert opinion
  2. skycat
    That pup is remarkably steady.
  3. skycat
    Or start eating each other! Seen that in catch alive traps. theyd want to be in it a long time for that to develope surely? Overnight I've had three mice in a catch alive trap, and when I went to check it in the morning there were two still alive and one dead and all chewed up. When you think how fast a mouse's metabolism works, and especially if you've baited with bits of dry dog food, for example, the survivors must be very dehydrated, and that is why I think that they attack the weakest, to get moisture. Just a personal theory, that's all.
  4. skycat
    Or start eating each other! Seen that in catch alive traps.
  5. skycat
    The only problem with Panacur is that a lot of people don't realise you have to give more than one dose. If you follow the protocol correctly, yes, it's good, but it isn't so good on the flea tapeworm which is transmitted to dogs, even with repeated doses. That's what I've found anyway, and if the dog is continually being reinfested via fleas then a multi-pronged approach may well be necessary.
  6. skycat
    Advocate spot on. Does internal and external parasites
  7. skycat
    An article in CMW saying that when farmers could leave dead lambs on the farm, they had no problem with ravens attacking live lambs ... once again, the laws have not played in the favour of those natural scavengers ... or small livestock farmers. Interestingly: I was watching three families of greylags making their way from the river to a lake, over grass. They were accompanied by several crows, on foot, who were obviously waiting for an opportunity to grab one of the very small goslings. Seen crows attacking tiny rabbits too, literally diving on them from the air and hammering into the back
  8. skycat
    One of my old bitches had 14 and she was huge like that. A lot of hard work for the bitch giving birth to such a big litter. May the fates smile upon her.
  9. skycat
    I really, really like the look of Bruce.
  10. skycat
    I think you mean an Airedale type dog. Airedales are super intelligent and can be quite vocal. They are also, in my very limited experience, one of the most versatile (within their physical capabilities) and trainable dogs there are. There are one or two very good American Airedale forums where you could find out more. There are working Airedales in the USA that do work in the way you describe. Traditional Working Airedales is the name of the best forum/board. They are very helpful on there.
  11. skycat
    The whole point of feeding things like chicken carcases is to give dogs stuff they can chew on, as well as providing them with a quality diet. Chewing on carcases keeps their teeth clean as well as being psychologically satisfying. They don't get those benefits from eating minced sludge.
  12. skycat
    Yes, internal pain can make a dog lick the same place over and over again. But it could also be due to stress: is the dog stressed in any way? Is he a nervy sort or not? Or, is there some irritation caused by bedding/detergent/fabric softener or any number of external chemical factors?
  13. skycat
    Having a bond with a dog is just the same as with another human. We are all unique, and dogs are the same. You get an incredible bond with one dog just because the two of you happen to be somehow able to 'click' together. This doesn't mean that a dog is any less of a good worker, obedient and happy if you don't have a special bond. It just means that there isn't that intense relationship which makes you and the dog feel as though you are sharing something special. I've had exceptional bonds with only a few dogs that I've owned, but I've had good relationships with many others who worked very w
  14. skycat
    Collie lurcher: about 1/4 Collie and the rest is all sorts. Interesting that straight Collies don't have the same problem. I must admit that I don't see why clipping should change a coat, and of course it is possible that her coat might have gone woolly anyway. I guess it's dangerous to make a blanket assumption based on one dog: I should know better than to do that!
  15. skycat
    Don't do it! Collie double coats are ruined if clipped: you'll end up with woolly, fluffy coat that never sheds properly. I made this mistake 10 years ago and what had been a very thick, but shiny coat, has been woolly and dull ever since and can't be stripped either.
  16. skycat
    I think, as we get older that we are more aware of life and death and we tend to ponder these things more. The closer to death we come, the more we value life.
  17. skycat
    That makes sense, though we only had a frost last night: this morning I found a dead chick. The others were found over the last few days when the nights hadn't been anywhere near freezing. Or maybe they got chilled as we have had some rain recently. Thanks for the answers. Edited to add: just found this: parent bird removing dead chick from nest: bit long: forward to near the end of film: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W6a7aNjE4fU
  18. skycat
    Too early for cuckoos yet, apart from which it is the baby cuckoo which pushes the other birds out, and so the dead ones would be found under the nest. I was wondering if it was possible for an inexperienced parent bird that had been sitting on the nest to somehow 'pick up' a fledgling, get it tangled up with its feet, and then drop it away from the nest? Fanciful?
  19. skycat
    No sure where to put this question, so here it is: this year, over the last few days, I've found several newly hatched tiny featherless baby birds dead in my garden. They are not under anywhere that could hold a nest, just right out in the open. They are only a couple of centimetres in length. How did they get there? Anyone know? Is it possible that first time parents would carry them out of the nest and reject them? We have no squirrels, no magpies or jays. We do have a couple of crows, but I can't see why they would take them from the nest and then just drop and leave them.
  20. skycat
    Could be ligament damage which wouldn't show up on an x ray. Worth seeing a bone man about it. Or, even a muscle problem higher up the leg: I had one bitch who was limping. Took her to a renowned greyhound vet who cut her claw off what they thought was the problem toe. No change. Took her to my local back man and he found a tiny torn muscle in her chest. You would never have thought that this could have made her appear lame in her foot, but it did.
  21. skycat
    Did the vet give you a time scale for lead walks only? Tendons and tendon sheaths are very slow to heal as they have a poor blood supply. You are looking at 3 months at least.
  22. skycat
    With no membrane you eventually get stuff growing through it: I should know. We just banged a strip of astro turf down on earth a few years ago: it is on the path that leads down the garden between two 'human' bits of our garden. It now has grass growing through it and even an elder tree!
  23. skycat
    Casso: some very good points in your last post. However, I think that the main reason there are so many dogs in shelters these days is not because pet owners do too much training etc with their pups, but more that those people haven't a real clue about what dogs really are. Most 'pet' training is aimed at switching off a dog's natural instincts: chase, grab, shake, kill etc. It is all about killing the dog's drive, BUT, if the owner doesn't allow the dog to at least engage in some activities which allow it the freedom to behave naturally, then the lid of the pot called dog drive will eventual
  24. skycat
    I'd be more concerned about the gravel in the run: what a nightmare to pick up the cr*p from. And, eventually, because you can't help picking up a bit of gravel each time you pick up the cr*p, it will disappear completely. I take it your dogs don't eat stones when they're bored.
  25. skycat
    Very good article indeed. It is entirely possible, and commendable, to love your dog, be nice to it, and still treat it as a dog, rather than a furry child or baby. I don't think that anyone who is at all adept at training a dog is denying that there are times when it is necessary to correct a dog physically, BUT it is how the dog reacts to that correction that tells us whether or not that correction is the correct way to treat that particular dog. Example: I've had dog that would ONLY listen and behave properly if corrected in a hands-on manner. Their reaction would be: "OK, I get it, I won'
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