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skycat

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Everything posted by skycat

  1. skycat
    Frequent shampooing doesn't do a dog's coat any good: much better to do as you have been doing: rinse off in warm water, but be sure the pup is dried off and kept warm afterwards. I take it the pup lives in the house? Kennel dogs can roll around in shredded paper or straw and the mud comes off when it dries naturally. Forget any wipes or stuff that has man made products in it: too many chemicals in a dog's life already these days: warm water, dry off is best.
  2. skycat
    Could be this? http://www.holisticanimalmedicines.com/store/collie-nose-or-discoid-lupus-erythematosus-dle.html
  3. skycat
    no, got me self a saluki cross, thing won't go through openings, it's a c**t to get in and out of the kennel but gates are worse. Any ideas? Now listen very carefully: the first thing you should know about Saluki crosses is that they have an instinctive fear of traps, being half wild genetically as you know, so you have to disguise the gate as something that doesn't look like a trap. How about getting a few of your mates to line up along the gate posts with their dogs: that way your dog can't see it's a gate, but then you have to lie down in the gate way, and crawl through it as though yo
  4. skycat
    I think it's a lot to do with the fact that most kids these days are very far removed from animals in the first place. Even if mum and dad had a pet dog chances are they fed it on tinned food and hardly walked it. So they go ahead and get a lurcher or working bred terrier, and find out it ain't as easy as they thought. Yes, in an ideal world, everyone getting a dog would have an experienced mentor.
  5. skycat
    Feck, that was close: she must have shut her eye at the right moment.
  6. skycat
    I said it on another thread: about skin wounds, and the same applies on this thread. There are many people who come on here who've never had a dog before, or maybe never had a running dog: or, people who get a lurcher after having been brought up with more 'pedestrian' breeds, those which fit in immediately into a human environment and are born submissive and willing to please ... there's no comparison between a steady little pony and a top flight racehorse: same goes for dogs. People who reply with stupid remarks like 'kick it' should be ashamed of themselves, even if they are joking, tho
  7. skycat
    Put collar and lead on pup in back garden/yard: somewhere she feels happy and safe. Don't try and lead her around, just let her wander about with lead dangling. Call her to you: hand feed her titbits. Once she's OK with the lead trailing, take hold of the lead; just stand there, feed more titbits. Take one step away, crouch and call pup to you for more rewards. Go to end of lead again, crouch, call her etc. Very soon she'll realise that staying with you on lead means treats and rewards. Do this several times a day, before you feed her so she's hungry when you do it. Then try leading for a few
  8. skycat
    There is fit and there is properly fit: if your bitch is 26 days out of season then her muscles won't have the tensile strength they should. It's not only that: the ligaments that hold the bones in place, particularly the pelvis, will soften as well, and stretch: all part of the hormonal changes that go on during the post season weeks. This is a hangover from when all bitches in wild packs would make milk to provide for pups if their natural mother died or was unable to feed them. It's a real nuisance in modern working dogs, but one we need to be aware of, and an unexpected run when the bitch
  9. skycat
    You wouldn't take a course of antibiotics if you gashed your own body, and it was only a skin wound, so a dog doesn't need them either. As has already been said, clean gently with salt water every day (unless the dog can reach the wounds to lick them itself in which case he/she will keep it clean). Don't put wound powder on the wounds: dries them up too fast. Honey is a good natural antibiotic: a little smear on the wounds after cleaning is all you need. Only let the wounds scab up when they are the size of a one pence piece. Giving antibiotics for things that don't need it only builds up
  10. skycat
    That's hardly fair Baw. Everyone starts from a place of ignorance: we learn, little by little, what injuries need a vet, and what various lumps/bumps are likely to be caused by. To the OP: without seeing the dog in the flesh no one can say exactly what the problem is, though it could well be something that someone has experienced in the past. In my experience, when a dog gets a soft lump just above a toe it is often caused by a dislocation of that toe: pretty much instant soft tissue swelling occurs. Most times the toe has clicked back into place by itself: you'd see if it hadn't as it wou
  11. skycat
    See this one: http://www.thehuntinglife.com/forums/topic/312296-leg-injury/
  12. skycat
    Ruptured (torn) muscle. The bruising is the blood that has leaked from the muscle under the skin. Ice pack it twice a day: not directly on to the skin: pack of frozen peas wrapped in t shirt or tea towel. For 15 minutes each time. This will help to stop the bleeding and reduce inflammation. Rest for a week. Try to keep dog quiet. Lead work only for next 4 weeks. It will probably leave scarring on the muscle which may make the dog run 'shorter': scarred muscles don't work as well as normal muscles and tire more quickly but short runs (rabbits and the like) should be OK. Muscles tear when d
  13. skycat
    The dogs let the falcon have the kill, there main interest is getting the "Crunchy Squeaky" once its broken they just want to find another one. The bird just wants dinner! That statement perfectly illustrates the point which was being discussed on another thread about how wolves 'became' dogs and the hunt drive compared to prey drive.
  14. skycat

    Prey Drive

    skycat replied to kevk's topic in Bushing Dogs

    Prey drive is the amount of determination and keenness a dog shows when pursuing its prey, but dogs with high prey drive also make great sniffer dogs, drug dogs etc, but in their case the prey is a ball or toy they are allowed to jump and grab once they've successfully located drugs or people. Prey drive doesn't only show when running live animals, but in the case of working lurchers and terriers it would be safe to say that this is so. Working Collies have high prey drive, but in their case the actual bite and kill is inhibited by generations of breeding for a dog that will 'chase' but n
  15. skycat
    Salukis don't have great take off speed, whereas Whippets and Greyhounds do: sprinting the dog will help build the thigh muscles as much as genetics allow which will help take off speed. But are you sure that the lack of speed is the problem? Might it be lack of confidence? Or thinking that the rabbit, once it gets near cover, is away and uncatchable? Dogs learn pretty quickly when not to bother if they think they don't have a chance. If your dog has learned from experience at failing to catch on the lamp then it might be a hard habit to break. As you don't know her history, who knows what sh
  16. skycat
    They are rare some over in Arizona but I have never seen one. The coyotes know I am hunting hares and want to rob the bird if they get a chance. If the dogs are at the kill with the bird then all is good but if the dogs come back to me the falcon is vunerable on the kill if coyotes spot the action. That is what happened to the falcon she was on her own and didnt get out of the way of the coyotes fast enough. I mainly course along the edge of the city and the urban coyotes have little fear of humans. Just recently there have been attacks by coyotes in Denver on adult humans, and a young w
  17. skycat
    http://www.hobartuk.com/parts-accessories
  18. skycat
    Human: the most treacherous, selfish and disloyal animal on the planet. Dogs: the most loyal, devoted and honest animal that has ever had the misfortune to have aided humans in their quest for supremacy.
  19. skycat
    No dog needs thrashing like that There's more than one way to get a dog to do what you want it to, and it should never involve beating the dog to a state of nerves. If people bothered to try and understand what makes dogs tick they'd know that thrashing isn't the answer. I'm not saying they shouldn't be corrected in the right way if they've deliberately done something they know is wrong: such as stock chasing, and all dogs need to respect their owners as boss and leader. I've made mistakes in the past, and lost my cool with a dog, but I learned how to do things better. Someone who continue
  20. skycat
    Any dog can be made nervous through incorrect handling: as Bird has illustrated, and generally the more intelligent the dog the more sensitive it is: note I said 'generally', as a high drive dog overcomes the sensitivity to a certain extent, though even these can be turned into cowering wrecks if mishandled regularly. A dog that is inherently (genetically) nervy, living in a state of perpetual fear and tension, is a nightmare to handle. I've had very nervy, highly-strung dogs, but they've worked very well indeed, and not been frightened of me. I'm not saying I'm any better a trainer than t
  21. skycat
    Thank you so much for putting those videos up. I'm interested to hear how the coyotes get involved. Do the birds get injured when the dogs are running coyotes and they try to get in on the action? I'd have thought the bird would have held off if a coyote is the target. Or does it happen differently: accidently bumping into a coyote? Love to hear more details.
  22. skycat
    BRILLIANT photos: not often we get to see such superb action shots of the actual strikes
  23. skycat
    Dog looks fine to me: most pet owners these days have no more idea of what a healthy weight is in a dog than they do in their own kids or themselves. People get used to seeing both dogs and humans covered in a layer of unhealthy fat. It IS healthy to see the last few ribs in a dog, along with good muscle on each side of the spine and on the thighs, no matter what the breed. Tell your wife to say to the idiots that the dog is a canine athlete, and as such, much healthier than if it were any fatter. If she must, get her to take it to the vet for a check up: vets see obese dogs all the time and
  24. skycat
    Sadly, I could tell numerous horror stories of dogs and pups kept in appalling conditions: and people wonder why I don't like humans very much.
  25. skycat
    And a seriously talented trainer
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