skycat
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Everything posted by skycat
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Love the look of that dog Warren: looks to have very strong legs and feet too: should be difficult to break (as in toes and bone problems.)
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I once did some terrier tunnel racing at a show: the old grain store heavy duty mesh tunnels with astro turf over them to cut out the light. The tunnel was about 30 feet long in total and the terriers raced in pairs after a fox brush lure that was dragged through the tunnel: great fun: and to see how many terriers wouldn't enter the tunnels was quite amazing!
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Don't worry about it: if the nail is only small then there's less to get broken! If its not causing the dog a problem and isn't sore then leave it be. Make sure she's got a good diet of animal fat and protein with a decent vitamin and mineral supplement.
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If the dog has the choice of sun or shade and she's not panting or distressed then leave her to it: I have a black dog which lies out in the hottest of sun, and she doesn't drink much either and she's fine. BUT if your dog is peeing very dark orange colour, is panting or seems distressed then put her in a shady place she can't get out of and put some electrolytes (replaces losts minerals etc and good for dehydration) in her water. If she's thirsty she'll drink. SIGNS OF DEHYDRATION Very dark coloured pee: orange to brown in colour and strong smelling Pinch a small amount of skin on
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And we think that we in the UK have too many restrictions! Count your blessings folks! Thanks for putting tha on Fokko: its a timely reminder for us to stop moaning. And you can't even chase animals with dogs at all in Germany, can you?
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I drove for 8 hours to get a pup: admittedly took the scenic route LOL. IMO people who bleat on about 'wish you were closer' are simply spouting off: even a kid can get on a train to see a pup and if they can't afford the transport then they're unlikely to do the dog properly even if they do buy it.
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If the nail is still no better even after antibiotics then the infection is obviously deep seated: has your vet prescribed Antirobe( this is an antibiotic which treats anaerobic infections where the bacteria causing the infection don't need oxygen to survive, unlike most surface infections where the bacteria need oxygen). If you have already been given Antirobe and ift hasn't worked, then I'd get the nail taken right off: some things just don't heal properly and it might always cause your dog lameness and pain. Your choice: another £150 or more weeks and months of problems. Having the
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I use SA37 about 3 times a week: with the best will in the world most diets aren't going to have the perfect balance of vitamins and minerals: that goes for humans as well! Unless the food (for dogs and humans) is totally organically produced on soil which has not been stripped of its goodness then modern veg and meat (particularly chickens and other animals whose growth has been unnaturally forced for human convenience) tends to be lacking in some nutrients.
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A friend in pest control gave me some fly traps last year: They're like a plastic funnel shaped bag with some preparation in the bottom which smells a bit tasty: you fill the bag with water and put on the lid that somes with it which is a disc with little holes round the sides (difficult to describe) but the flies/blue bottles/wasps etc crawl in through the holes and eventually drown in the liquid as they can't find their way back out. It worked brilliantly and within a couple of weeks I had caught over a kilo in weight of buzzy things: then you throw the whole lot in the bin and start aga
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I prefer not to: whole carcase rabbits and pigeons etc is the best and most natural way to feed: observe the ferrets' shit when they are fed dry food, whether dampened or not and its a lot sloppier and smellier. Yes, its is a good standby if you run out of 'real' food but I wouldn't feed it all the time through choice. Make sure your hutch/court is well shaded during the day: hang white towels or sheets a few inches away from the mesh to deter flies and cut the heat of the sun and feed meat little and often over a 24 hour period so that left overs don't attract the flies.
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Yes, really like the look of that little bitch, Mars: mind you, I always find that true excellence seems to come in smaller packages, generally speaking of course. LOL Two of my best ever fox dogs were (are) 22" bitches of light build: but so full of fire, speed and want that they put most other dogs to shame.
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And I'd agree with you largely there. I was given an extremely well bred coursing dog, mainly Saluki with the usual suspects thrown in and from many many generations of very good fen dogs. Now because of where I live and my situation and the ban, it is unlikely this lad will ever get to run his intended quarry as often as he would have been physically capable of...............BUT because he has been brought up bushing round cover with terriers he has adapted in only the way that a well bred dog with a keen hunting brain can, and whilst he works round brambles with the other dogs he'd sooner
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Been reading this thread with interest and in my experience yes, whilst nurture is always VERY important, as iimportant as correct physical shape for the job, breeding is a lot more than just inheriting a particular size, shape or conformation. I've been breeding my own 'line' or 'family' of lurchers for 20 years now and it is obvious that there is a huge amount of inherited traits both behaviourally and mentally (which are the same thing I suppose!) Seeing the great grand pups of a certain dog display traits you saw in that ancestor is fascinating. To see a 6 month old pup creep thro
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Well done: your'e a free man again
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Forget about this or that cross: just make sure to get a decent pup from good working parents and grand parents etfc. Go for steady temperament, brains and sound physique, and probably something without too much Saluki in it as they prefer to be self employed. Biddability is ultra important: you don't want something over exitable tearing about like a headless chicken. Personally I stick with lurcher to lurcher from the same lines, and also: don't fall for an owner's hyped up boasts of 'it can do this or this'. Far too many people boost their own dogs up without really knowing or havin
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Said it before and saying it again: IMO Beta is not a very good food: and yes I know loads of dogs live on it, but any cereal based commercial food is bound to be defficient in some way or another for a dog. Soil eating often indicates a mineral defficiency: I've brought in pups from outside and found it quiet common for them to eat soil until they have been on a decent raw diet for a few weeks, though little pups often do eat soil: bit like toddlers eating earth: just a new daft thing to put in their mouths LOL IMo adult dogs eating soil means the dog is lacking something. -
Good point there: only the handler can tell whether the bitch is being possessive or nervous by reading her body language. The internet is great, but no substitute for being there and seeing the dog in the flesh.
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I reckon that's a good read: made me chuckle a time or two........and I bet the CMW would print it no editing or anything: just do part 2 of the actual day now: please!
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Forget the canvas dummy for the time being as it is obviously upsetting her. Forget about formal retreives too. The following is what Jim Greenwood taught me and it works every time even with dogs that aren't natural retrievers and especially with shyer dogs. Get the dog out in the garden or yard on its own. Sit on the ground with a toy, plastic Cola bottle or old rolled up socks: anything small enough and light enough to carry easily. Now play with the object yourself! Throw it in the air and catch it again. Drag it around you fast and do lots of silly laughing as though your
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good valid points there
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Well, seeing as my anonymity on here is a thing of the past I'd just like to say thanks to those who stuck up for me, and to those who think I don't work my dogs: you obviously don't read my articles. LOL Yes, its bloody difficult to think of something to write about each week: do you really want to read: I went ferreting, lamping or something like that every week? There's only so many articles you can write about a subject before you start going round in circles. Or maybe some people do just want to read how many holes you dug to extract one rabbit from a stop end: every week? maybe th
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Bones and meat, or tripe and biscuits alone are probably lacking quite a lot of nutrients, and yes, some dogs do just have bad coats, but until you get the diet absolutely right then you won't know for sure. Not enough fat in the diet can make a coat dry, or interestingly enough, very greasy (don't ask me why!), or fluffy or constantly moulting. Lack of certain vitamins or minerals can also affect the coat. Ditto stress or being unsettled. Ditto a slight allergy to something in the evironment or bedding or the food: the list goes on! Like has already been said: add Keeper's Mix, one
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What health benefits???? Could you be thinking of: urinary incontinence, or maybe coat change or loss, or even being more placid?? Sorry, but I don't agree with spaying or castrating unless for urgent medical reasons. Some of the possible problems you can get (sometimes, certainly not that common nowadays with correct feeding and exercise) are pyometra and mammary tumours: a bitch can't get a pyo if she's been spayed as there's no uterus to become infected, and yes, mammary tumous are less likely as there are no hormone changes as she no longer has any ovaries. I've kept entir
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8month lab pup is SOMTIMES holding onto dummy
skycat replied to noisey's topic in Gundogs & Retrievers
That's an excellent link: thanks for putting that up: the info can be applied to all dogs, not just gundogs. I wonder how many lurchers show one or all of the listed behaviours when not wanting to give up their prize LOL Have to admit I see some of these things in my own dogs especially when out with other dogs and not on their own.
