Jump to content

skycat

Donator
  • Content Count

    7,517
  • Joined

  • Last visited

  • Days Won

    15

Everything posted by skycat

  1. The thing to remember is that if you reward a behaviour, any behaviour, with some kind of attention, the dog gets what it wants, whether or not that is what you want. Acceptance into the pack is the craving behind the belly-up pose: look at me, no threat, please let me be part of your pack. Always stroke under a submissive dog's chin, not on top of its head: a hand down on the head shows dominance, just like the paw which is laid across another dog's shoulders, but it can in some circumstances also indicate a request to play: hard to read all the different messages behind an action sometimes.
  2. Very submissive pup. She is showing that she is tiny, and no threat in the face of huge, two and four legged potential threats. Ignore her when she goes belly up and tell everyone else to do the same. Don't let loads of people fuss over her with silly high pitched voices which will only make her more submissive than she is. Get her more confident by using food treats every time you call her to you: let her jump up at your legs, don't tell her off for doing this, you can sort out the manners later. Everything you do at this age should be about filling her with confidence so she doesn't feel the
  3. The wonderful thing about dogs, and especially lurchers, is that they are so adaptable. Work alone, work as a team, lamping at night, bushing by day or ferreting. One dog at night on the lamp, but half the fun I have in the day is working my dogs as a team out bushing. We catch more like that than if I just had one dog out on its own. There's no right or wrong way to do it, but I really enjoy watching lurchers hunting as opposed to just point, aim and fire.
  4. skycat

    Depression

    Just read a very good book called Learned Optimism ....http://www.amazon.co.uk/Learned-Optimism-Change-Your-Mind/dp/1400078393 This is a book on why you feel and think like you do, and how to change it. Not a quick fix as if by magic fancy, but serious insight into the problems we as a species are facing today. The author's opinion on why there is mass depression is that we have become a species of the 'self'. We search for, strive for and work for glorification of the self. We have less, or no, belief in our communities, our country, and whatever religion we used to have. Depression at n
  5. skycat

    Depression

    I've been doing a little research into depression and anxiety, having suffered from both for many years: anti-depressants never really worked, just dulled the pain. What really helped me was Cognitive Behaviour Therapy: really learning to understand why you feel the way you do, and tracing it back to what started it (usually something in your childhood) can be the start of climbing out of the hole you are in. I've recently been learning about certain genes that can be dormant at birth, but become 'switched on' through stress or trauma, so yes, it can be genetic too. It has been proven that chi
  6. Dogs can't synthesize Vitamin D from sunshine anyway, but supplements are very dodgy, so better to give a good varied diet: have a look at this link: explains it well: http://healthypets.mercola.com/sites/healthypets/archive/2014/05/09/dog-vitamin-d-levels.aspx
  7. Just heard mine have a yelp thought feck he doing now look round little girls got the control letting him have it pmsl she only 1. Learning young. Poor f****r probaly sleeping and got a shocking awakening :\ I do hope you are having a wind up when you wrote this. If not, you shouldn't even have a dog. If you can't be responsible enough to keep your kids away from the controls of shock collar ... words fail me.
  8. That's the way to do it! Just looking at those photos and picturing the hunt: what life should be like.
  9. It isn't fair to muzzle a dog all the time it is in the kennel: it needs to itch itself, groom itself, not to mention drinking when it needs to. Even a basket type muzzle won't really allow a dog to drink properly. I feel for you as I've had a couple of terriers the same way inclined. In the end I made sure they had large willow branches to chew on at all times: that did the trick, and willow isn't dangerous at all, quite the opposite. Failing that, if the dog feels frustrated at being confined, get it a giant dog wheel to run on: only joking!
  10. Without a correct diagnosis no one even knows it is mange when bald patches appear. There could be many other reasons: atopic (cause unknown) dermatitis: itching, scratching, etc can have many causes: irritant, as in plant sap, chemical, or even an allergy to something. You can't say for certain it is mange until the mites have been found under microscope after a skin scrape. One of my terriers sometimes gets those bald spots, and yes, they do clear up with a bit of antiseptic. That is not mange, but far more likely to be a reaction either to a flea bite, or an irritant of some sort. She
  11. Advocate is a 'spot on' treatment. Just a few drops in the tube, depends on size of dog. Very easy to apply. You don't need to bathe the dog nor smother it all over. But it does cost more than some of the old fashioned treatments.
  12. TCP may cure a secondary infection: dermatitis brought on by scratching, but it won't kill the mites. Use advantage or advocate to kill the mites: they're actually the same thing. Best treatment around today.
  13. The thing is a dog soon learns there's no point marking a burrow if you don't ferret it. Mine never mark rabbits underground when I'm mooching/bushing, but the moment a ferret is taken they revert back to marking. Why would you want a dog to mark a burrow if you haven't got a ferret with you? Or did you mean that the dog won't mark even when you're out ferreting?
  14. The whole problem with breeding from older bitches for the first time is that the ligaments which tie the joints together aren't as elastic as they are in younger dogs. This can lead to birthing problems if the birth canal isn't able to open wide enough: then you need a caesarean, which costs a fortune and isn't reimbursable through pet insurance, if you have it. The birth process can also be a lot slower, with weaker contractions and the bitch getting very tired which can mean dead puppies towards the end of the labour, and you still may end up with a caesarean to remove dead pups that haven'
  15. Yes, you can do a test for ovulation. Some people do this to make sure they are getting a bitch mated at exactly the right time in her season: very useful if you have a bitch that ovulates either much earlier or later than the norm.
  16. My Terrier/Whirrier pups are six months old too, and are out for an hour every day, bashing through cover and investigating everything. They come home and start playing all over again. I wouldn't like to have them out for hours and hours at this age, though regular exercise and introduction to work is a daily necessity.
  17. Yes, that's it: had been spelling it wrong Seriously good stuff: virtually untearable, very strong material, and in my experience a lot more breathable than any other I've tried, as well as being both warm and not too hot. Only drawback is the slight stiffness in new coats: I've had mine over ten years and it's now nice and soft, and in just as good nick as when new. Andy wears his ferreting a lot and it hasn't got a single rip in it: would definitely recommend.
  18. You are always going to get the odd (as in occasional) wild animal that does not conform to 'normal' wild animal behaviour. Where most hares suddenly realise they are wild animals when they get to a certain age, there are some which are happy to remain in a domestic situation. I remember someone who reared two fox cubs from before their eyes were open. Reared by his cat which had kittens at the time. One fox cub went 'wild' and was released, the other remained very tame and lived out its life with the family.
  19. The most I ever did when I was young was smoke cannabis, grass, etc. To be honest, it just made me sleepy. I tried coke once, and swore I'd never touch it again, and never have: the feeling was just too good. It scares me too much to ever become dependent on something that alters how you feel to that extent.
  20. Thanks for showing us that video again. Once more, I am so envious of the freedom and space you have over there. What dogs do you have now?
  21. Unless you're tea total that's a daft thing to say tbh, even chocolate has an effect on the mind, the chemicals it contains mimic the feeling of love, maybe why lots of women are addicted to it? That's just nit picking. You know that I am speaking of drugs or alcohol which turn people into gibbering wrecks, comatose, lying in their own filth, unable to wash, feed themselves properly, and I do know what I'm talking about: I've unfortunately seen too many alcoholics in my life. They are just as bad as any drug addicts and the problem is only getting worse these days. Alcohol is legal and
  22. Unless you're tea total that's a daft thing to say tbh, even chocolate has an effect on the mind, the chemicals it contains mimic the feeling of love, maybe why lots of women are addicted to it? That's just nit picking. You know that I am speaking of drugs or alcohol which turn people into gibbering wrecks, comatose, lying in their own filth, unable to wash, feed themselves properly, and I do know what I'm talking about: I've unfortunately seen too many alcoholics in my life. They are just as bad as any drug addicts and the problem is only getting worse these days. Alcohol is legal and
  23. I can't stand anything that is mind altering, may cause anti-social behaviour of any sort, but let's face it, the fact that it is illegal now hasn't stopped hordes of people being addicted. The problem is within society, and nothing to do with the law.
  24. Far be it for me to criticize anyone who makes an effort to keep their dogs warm, but personally I prefer a bed with four sides high enough for the dogs to get below, so out of any draughts that may cross the room or shed where they are. I like Tomo's set up, apart from the missing side at the front, dare I say
  25. Accident or no, some of the best hunters seem to be sight hound crossed with nose hound. Personally I've not seen anything better than my Airedale lurchers, though I don't get out much with other people I'd love to see those Springer crosses hunt though. They look light enough to run too.
×
×
  • Create New...