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skycat

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Everything posted by skycat

  1. skycat
    Lovely looking pup, but if its a Deerhound/Greyhound I'll eat my hat!
  2. skycat
    Domestic dogs, bitches, are very different to wild canines: they don't go through a menopause, so even if their bodies are too old to successfully hold/have a litter they still come into season: domestic dogs are a man made creature after all. Problems you could have breeding from a bitch of her age for the first time are: uterine inertia (failure of the uterus to contract properly during birth) which then means a caesarian. Are you experienced enough to know when the bitch is in trouble? She may not go into labour at all which then means the pups would start dying inside her before you
  3. skycat
    Whilst I have used the shock collar (triggered by the vibration of the barking dog's throat) with great success on the Airedale, terriers and certain lurchers, BEWARE of using it on over sensitive, highly strung animals: got one lurcher here who went absolutely mental and didn't stop screaming until I took it off! Not an easy or happy thing to go through. So the sort of neurotic or highly strung animal that yelps at every imaginary sting or shock would be a basket case within minutes if subjected to that sort of treatment.
  4. skycat
    Just as important as the type or breed is the temperament. Make sure its a 'middle of the road' pup: neither too dominant nor the scaredy one at the back of the litter, and try and match the temperament of the pup to the boy: if he's a tough nut with a loud voice then by all means go for the tough pup, but if he's a quiet lad who needs confidence building then a pup that won't challenge him too much would be better.
  5. skycat
    My lurchers live in the house, though can be kennelled when in season or for whatever reason. The young stock are kenneled when I'm not about so they don't destroy the house LOL But we don't have central heating and have a dog flap which is just a hole in the back door with a piece of carpet tacked over it so central heating would be a bit of a waste of money! Terriers live out, though the bitches do come in when I'm at home to keep an eye on them: don't mix terriers and lurchers in general except when they're working: terriers tend to get a bit above themselves if they are given pri
  6. skycat

    Who is the oldest

    skycat replied to a topic in General Talk

    Wel thank God for that! I'm not the oldest by far, though I'll soon have caught you up Al: I have this cunning plan to get in a small but strong pony for when my legs give out: just the thing for a bit of quiet mooching: mind you it'll have to be small enough to crawl through styles though
  7. skycat
    At least the hares never seemed in danger even though they were kick ups: what a total idiot.
  8. skycat
    I'm rubbish at maths so you could say that is why I don't worry about this or that percentage, but seriously though: does it really matter? Genes don't 'do' maths either do they! I remember talking to a bloke at a show once: he had a stupendously superb (not enough eadjectives in the dictionary to describe the look of this dog!) lurcher. Basically it was Bull/Whippet/Greyhound, but line bred over years and years: he himself had lost count of what percentage of this or that there was, but he did say that it was the first one in over 16 years breeding that had perfect conformation and had
  9. skycat
    Wild bird shoots have to be even more willing to let you get the job done once the warmer weather's here. Having said that: there's precious little to ground at any time of year where I am: they only go to ground to have/rear cubs. Too much cover to lie up in round my way for a fox to need to go to ground.
  10. skycat
    What are you feeding your pup? There's tons of advice on here for putting weight on dogs: meat is the best thing! When he craps: is he loose at all? If your'e feeding a cereal based food with loads of additives/colourings etc then try the poor little bugger on some real meat for a change and watch him pile on the weight! Also: if he's picking up anything and everything and eating it when out then maybe its just possible he's trying to get the nutrients lacking in the food you give him: dogs fed on cheap dry food usually go mad for carrion/cow/sheep shit etc. Listen to the dog: he's pro
  11. skycat
    The reason I suggested starting with wings is that the owner is obviously worried about what to feed: wings offer an owner friendly, not too scary starting point in feeding raw: plus: if swallowed whole then nothing to worry about. I agree about wings not containing a great deal of meat though.
  12. skycat
    START with chicken wings: smash them up with a hammer if it makes you feel better, but I've had 8 week old pups swallow them whole with no ill effect. IMO Beta puppy is rubbish: mostly cereal with lots of colouring and additives: if you are going to feed a complete food then make sure it is a meat based one rather than a cereal based food. The first ingredient listed on the bag is the one that there is the most of in content.
  13. skycat
    Now those pups look well reared!
  14. skycat
    The hock is a delicate set of little bones and ligaments: probably quite a bit of internal damage there: put up a close up pic if you can. Localised swelling is normal : I once had a wound on a hock take about 2 months to heal completely: lots of swelling etc. Allow the wounds to drain naturally and keep very clean: wash with salt water every day and check that there is not a build up of heat or nasty smelling stuff under the skin. Try and get some Animalintex poultice: use after pouring boiled but still hot water over it: sqeeze out excess water and wrap right round the hock: fix in
  15. skycat
    I've found that most lurchers with Saluki in their breeding can be very slow to mature: at 14 weeks everything should be a game: anything that smacks of serious training can turn the pup right off you so gently does it. What I do is always praise the dog when it is carrying something, even if it doesn't then bring it to me. If the pup is carrying something it shouldn't have in its mouth, like a shoe or a piece of sheep shit, don't tell it off: ever! You want it to associate carrying with praise: whatever it is. If you throw an article, get down on the ground first: squat or kneel. T
  16. skycat
    Thats the one thing I can never understand about this board. If you got a dog takin hares then I am glad for ya, if ya got one taken fox then good deal. Cant understand why folks cant be happy that their neighbors got a good dog. If my neighbor had a dog better then my bitch then I would be breeding my bitch to his dog or gettin a pup from him. Its quite simple really. There is something quite not right in the British psyche: if someone succeeds then a lot of people will try and dig the dirt on them. If someone has a good dog then others will try and put it down (not literally, thou
  17. skycat
    Your'e not supposed to mix raw and complete or cooked (cereals especially) as they take different lengths of time to digest, BUT if I'm a bit short of meat one day I'll chuck in a bit of dry to fill them up. If you want to feed one meal dry and the next meat I'd suggest mixing some plain yoghurt in with the dry: most dogs love yoghurt, its good for them and moistens the dry stuff. Or you could add a very weak gravy granules mixture: very weak though as its got a lot of salt in it. If I was going to do this on a regular basis I'd mix in one of the following to add flavour extra goodi
  18. skycat
    What a brilliant idea! Once the thieves get to hear about it there won't be much point them nicking the dogs.
  19. skycat
    An incredible tale AND with a happy ending. When you look at the map enclosed you can see just how lucky the dog was: it could have carried on swimming straight out to sea. Wouldn't you say that this bitch should be the foundation for a lurcher breeding scheme??! LOL
  20. skycat

    bitches in heat

    skycat replied to sue's topic in General Talk

    I only exercise my in season bitches at very unsociable hours when I know that there'll be hardly anyone about: IMO it is just plain courtesy not to take them out and about when it winds up every male dog within miles.
  21. skycat
    Non weight bearing bones, so no legs. Personally I keep to breast of lamb (ribs), chicken carcases and wings (though I will give chicken leg bones to adult dogs that I know will crunch them up as opposed to swallowing them whole: some dogs try and dog that if they are very greedy: not a good idea.) Lamb back bone is OK as long as the dog is the peaceful sort who will sit and grind it down slowly rather than swallowing lumps. I mince whole rabbits: once the bones are minced the dog's stomach juices will do the rest.
  22. skycat
    Dan: just remember that some of the 'hunters' on here would be pissed at someone who takes anything they don't or can't: a lot of them live in fantasy land LOL So don't you worry about pissing them off: I find it really interesting to see how other folks in the world hunt: keep the posts coming. I genuinely wish that someone could take you up on your invitation to come over with their dogs and try to tackle coyote. I think that a lot of people just don't realise how fast a coyote can run
  23. skycat
    Classic!
  24. skycat
    I always start pups off in the house even if they are to be kenneled later on. People say that you must start as you mean to go on, but being left alone in a kennel feels like rejection to a puppy. Treat it like the baby it is to begin with, let it gain confidence in you and its surroundings, don't leave it for hours on its own, and later on you can get it used to a kennel by firstly feeding it in there, then leaving it for just a few moments to begin with. My pups are in the house when I'm around but they go in a kennel and run when I'm out, always with plenty of bones and things to pla
  25. skycat
    Don't cook it! Smells ten times worse if you do LOL Just to add: I know that some people find feeding complete much easier, but if you dare to put your dog on raw meat and bones you'll be amazed at how much better it looks: and if it looks good on the outside think how much healthier it is on the inside as well. IMO pups need red meat: beef or horse, chicken wings and carcases and not too much tripe though they love it: not got so much protein in as muscle meat etc.
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