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skycat

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Everything posted by skycat

  1. skycat
    Tried to pm you, but it says you can't receive any new messages: is your inbox full Inan?
  2. skycat
    You should put up a separate post to ask your question. But a quick answer would be that at 5 months your pup is only a baby still, and couldn't be expected to catch a rabbit or jump much higher than your knee: maybe you should have a read through some of the post on here under lurcher discussion, or the health and training section. Obviously this is your first dog or you'd understand that a 5 month old pup is still growing and that your time will be best spent on getting a good bond with the pup, training it, with the help of either training classes or someone who is willing to give you the h
  3. skycat
    Have you tried using Jungle Formula?
  4. skycat
    Bloody gorgeous
  5. skycat
    Takes a seriously sharp and speedy dog to take bunnies on that sort of grass
  6. skycat
    Dogs don't actually need to eat biscuits (complete food?) if you are feeding a balanced raw diet, and pups, like a lot of small children, don't always want to eat their veg Steam the veg and mash it: it will not have such a strong taste as it does raw, and you only need a teaspoon of veg per meal for a pup of this age. What sort of veg are you using? I stick to lightly cooked carrots, peas, spinach at this age. Celery and green cabbage have a very strong taste. Feed a variety of meat: tripe, minced beef, chicken wings (whole), the occasional bit of cooked liver, tinned sardines a couple
  7. skycat
    They recommend waiting at least 6 weeks after the vasectomy before allowing the hob to mate a jill. Hopefully you waited long enough!
  8. skycat
    There are some dogs that don't do well on a raw meat diet. I had a lurcher which threw raw chicken straight back up: she just couldn't tolerate it for some reason. I had to feed her on cooked meat and rice and she was always in good condition. Just like people, some dogs may be lacking in the digestive department. Maybe a lack in the correct type of intestinal bacteria, or simply intolerant. I'd try your bitch on cooked chicken and brown rice (it has more goodness in it than white rice) Add some lightly cooked veg such as peas, carrots, greens, celery, but start off with plain chicken and rice
  9. skycat
    White painted roof to reflect the sun's heat. Mesh on two sides, solid on the other two, but make sure that the side which takes the most blast of the sun, usually the west side, can be shaded by screens during the worst heat of the day in the afternoon. We have those bamboo roller blinds which we attach in the summer and let down in the afternoons: still lets a bit of air through but cuts the sun. Big pottery dog bowl of water for the ferrets to cool off in as well. Bottles full of water frozen in freezer and put in the court will let ferrets cool down by lying up against them: keep a rotati
  10. skycat
    Have a look at this: http://www.vetsurgerycentral.com/ortho_carpal_hyperextension_injury.htm This injury is typical in young dogs that have been run too young too hard. No wonder lurcher owners have such a bad reputation in rescue organisations. They see so many dogs which have been ruined like this, and with similar tendon and ligament injuries. Only a complete fool would try to run a dog that was obviously suffering from a visible injury, whether it 'seems' in pain or not. Even if a ligament or tendon hasn't actually torn or snapped, it takes at least 10 weeks with gentle lead wor
  11. skycat
    I do not and will not push any of my pups, even on rabbits, got no time for any of the egotistical bollocks in competetive coursing either. I've been called 'too cautious' and accused of wrapping my dogs in cotton wool for too long or whatever, doesn't bother me. Obviously now and again a youngster will run the odd rabbit when out on a walk, but none of my dogs have been entered on anything until they are physically and mentally ready. All dogs will pick up injuries now and again, but none of mine have ever been damaged by being run too young. P S, not having a dig at you personally skycat lo
  12. skycat
    That's true. I lost two dogs on the fens, fatally injured when they broke their backs in big dykes, and they were experienced dogs too. Shit can happen at any time to even the best: the harder the dog tries, the more likely it is to injure or kill itself. You see very few dogs over the age of 5 running regularly, though a friend of mine, who runs his dogs very hard, and conditions them like no one else I've seen, had a couple of bitches which were still running at 9 or 10 years old. A rarity indeed. More dogs are permanently damaged through being run unfit than anything else. Most of today's
  13. skycat
    Some very good breeding there, but with so many people breeding stuff from good lines every year in a relatively small market, which is now pretty saturated, not being able to sell them doesn't surprise me. A shame as they are obviously good strong pups and well reared
  14. skycat
    Funny you should say that Phil. I never considered myself the slightest bit competitive until I started coursing: it brought out the very worst in me. I used to be a nervous wreck before meetings, whether doubled up under rules or single handed. I breathed a huge sigh of relief when I actually stopped: the whole competition thing ruined my ability to appreciate seeing my dog work a hare purely for the joy of being there and seeing applauding the skill and effort it went through to make that kill. The retrieve was the icing on the cake, and very few things have brought me as much pleasure as se
  15. skycat
    Nowadays it's all about 'ME': and not only in working dog circles. You only have to look at the indignities some pet dogs are subjected to, especially the toy breeds. Larger breeds are often status symbols. Sure, there are thousands of genuine dog owners, whether working or pet, but an awful lot of dogs are simply there to satisfy their owners' egos, something to enhance the owner's idea of themselves, or to fill a hole in the persons' life. Let's be honest, how many dog owners actually ever wonder what their dog thinks about something? Do they even consider that a dog may have feelings? T
  16. skycat
    More young dogs destroyed by running too soon, over running. Man has bred these coursing dogs who literally run themselves into the ground rather than stop: no wonder so many are ruined both physically and mentally before they are 2 years old as too many are owned by people whose egos are bigger than their brains.
  17. skycat
    And that's plain cruel too if it's on a dog for any length of time. All these punishment 'remedies' never take into account a dog's needs. Dogs kennelled 23/7 need to be able to itch themselves, groom themselves, and chewing the kennel wouldn't happen if the dog got out more, got its needs met with proper exercise and had bones and things specifically for it to chew when it got bored. Dogs need to chew: helps to calm them, exercises their jaws and teeth, and it de-stresses them. And the kennel can be chew proofed.
  18. skycat
    Ours bark like feck at hedgehogs they can hear rustling about in the garden at night. It only got worse when one managed to get in the back yard and was ripped to shreds in seconds Needless to say the Airedale and a couple of others who ended up sprouting spines from their snouts are now kinda obsessed by the poor wee critters. Bloody dogs eh!
  19. skycat
    Best idea. By the way, young dogs are usually noisier the more space they have. I have a couple of young adult dogs who are kennelled at night because if they have the run of the place they are trying to play daft games in the middle of the night, barking at each other. In the kennel, with a small run in case they need a pee, they are as quiet as mice. Mine have learned that when they go in the kennel it is a place to lie down quietly, or else they get a cup of water thrown in their general direction. Never had any need to soak them, just told them sternly NO and they soon learned. They are no
  20. skycat
    He's talking about a four and a half month old pup FFS and it's barking while its playing, or wanting to play, not barking because it has heard something or trying to get out: I guess? That's how I understood it at any rate. Putting a shock collar on a playful pup of that age is plain wrong.
  21. skycat
    Pups bark when they are playing, it's normal. Punishing him for being a pup, whether with water or a shock collar, will only damage his spirit, and your relationship with him. Some breeds bark more in play than others: Collies being one of them. Rather than punish, either confine him away from other dogs, where he can't see them or interact with them, with a big juicy bone to occupy his time, or bring him indoors in a crate at night. Make sure he has plenty of opportunity to use up his energy during the day, and don't let him run loose at night: you say he 'lives out the back': does that m
  22. skycat
    Both parents are equally important. Yes, the stud dog may throw one or two pups in his likeness, just as the bitch may seem to influence a couple more than the others, but the majority are usually a blend of both parents, as well as their grand parents and those before them, so saying a good stud dog will throw good pups out of a floor cloth is pure fantasy. If someone did get a brilliant litter out of a mediocre bitch and a good dog (performance wise), then if the whole litter turn out well it is much more likely that there were good dogs back in her line and the pups have thrown back to them
  23. skycat
    Huh? Not too bad with my arms out for balance.
  24. skycat
    Thanks: here's a story he told me: during an air raid somewhere in Holland, my dad was in a farmhouse and the farmer came rushing in saying one of his cows had a turnip stuck in its gullet, or somewhere, and the cow was blowing up like balloon with gas. My dad drove miles through the air raid to fetch the vet who was hiding under a table, drove him back to stick the cow in its stomach to release the gas: he was more concerned in saving that cow than worrying about his own skin! Another time, he was in the Black Forest, and came across a German family who had built a tree house where they'
  25. skycat
    That's my next port of call: I've heard there's a good one near where I live: they put you on a treadmill and analyse your gait for starters: is that the sort of thing you mean?
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