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skycat

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  1. skycat

    Ground

    skycat replied to relic2's topic in Bushing Dogs

    Airedale's too big to get to ground
  2. skycat
    Good to see you've posted on here! Thanks for doing that write up, very interesting: I'd love to know more about the background of the Tain kennels. I assume (wrongly or rightly) that they are KC registered, originally from show stock? How does their ability and intelligence differ from the American Redline strain of working Airedales? Do you think that their noses are as good?
  3. skycat
    Get a proper diagnosis from a good greyhound vet: no point filling a dog with painkillers and resting it if there is something out that needs fixing. Most likely scenario is what they call a trapped nerve: actually a nerve squished in inflamed tissue or a disc out of place which presses on the spinal cord.
  4. skycat
    Yeah, don't be put off by the crap film of The Hunger Games: the books are way better.
  5. skycat
    Depends a lot on what type of work and what breeding the dog is. Marathon runners like Salukis don't need the same protein content as sprint dogs with big fast-twitch muscles. It is a mistake to think that all dogs should be fed the same way: sure they may function on a less than ideal diet, but they are more likely to hold their condition when working hard if they are fed according to their type and build.
  6. skycat
    The Pagans, The Penal Colony and Refuge: all by Richard Herley. Very good writer indeed: Penal Colony is futuristic survival on an island prison. Refuge is a post-apocalyptic tale of survival. The Pagans is set in the Stone Age. I've got them all on my Kindle, along with another 300 odd books, mostly post-apocalyptic survival. The good thing about Kindle is that you can read a few page on Amazon before buying, as well as reading the reviews.
  7. skycat
    Well, they'll be baying for my blood then because I have that scenario every day when I exercise my dogs: less dogs of course, and only one human, but the fun's just the same and the dogs are happy even if we only come home with one rabbit.
  8. skycat
    Did you see this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eQ1-YKz7fxM Bushing Spanish style, or wherever they are from crazy big pack of dogs all having fun: reckon the men are having as much fun as the dogs!
  9. skycat
    I'm sure this has been put on here before, but I just found the vid again: love it ... and the music. Very fast dog, overshooting a bit, but makes up for it with the strike .... and retrieves! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ICRoB3XZLvE
  10. skycat
    There are some really good retirement homes for lurchers, but they are very few and far between, and a lot depends on the dog's temperament and attitude in general. I found the best home in the world for two of mine, where they are treated like royalty, have their every need catered for, and even get to run a few things for fun every now and again. But they do have very good 'family dog' type temperaments, which not all ex-working dogs do, especially if they've never been broken to pets and livestock: sadly, there seem to be more and more of these as the 'lurcher pool' overflows. I would h
  11. skycat
    Marrow bones not a good idea, especially in shared kennels. Marrow bones take ages for a dog to grind down, and the fact that they lie around for ages means that there is more reason for kennel fights. Also, grinding away on marrow bones can wear a dog's teeth down: eventually. You would be much better off feeding lamb ribs and fat. Whatever you do, do not leave bones in a shared kennel!
  12. skycat
    Sent you a pm
  13. skycat
    You two are ancient..... Ever so ancient: trouble is, I tend to forget what I learned long ago sometimes Then I get reminded of it when I see threads like this Complacency is a terrible thing.
  14. skycat
    Tragic thing to happen. Had a dog kill itself throwing itself off a cliff after a fox once: bloody fox got up and ran away. The dog broke its back. Happens when drive exceeds self preservation: my condolences to you. I guess they'll be a hard act to follow.
  15. skycat
    Spot on Birddog. The things we did, the time spent on training, messing about, teaching pups the meanings of different words: I wonder if youngsters today are in too much of a hurry to get out in the field and do the actual hunting, without spending that invaluable time. Or do they just not gain the same amount of fun just from messing about with their dogs? Is it just a chore to be got through as fast as possible so they can go hunting? I do wonder if the way youngsters view dogs, interact with them, has changed quite a bit over the years. Or is it that humans are just getting further and fu
  16. skycat
    4x4 foot isn't very big for two average sized lurchers, but you can do it. Cut a 4x4 sheet of ply with a dog-sized hole in it: not in the middle, but to one side: even better, cut out one corner to use as a hatch way: fix into the space where the stable door is: at the moment you are getting more cold air in than if you had no door at all. If you can, dump the plastic beds, build two deep wooden beds from ply, at least 20 inches in height, that take up the whole space: that way each dog has its own space. Fill beds with shredded paper or straw: warmer than a couple of old throws. If the kenne
  17. skycat
    Teaching the word 'fetch' is very important. A lot of dogs retrieve balls and dummies that you throw for them, but once they have caught a rabbit, all that goes out the window. This is why it is so important to instil the 'fetch' command from the start. Using the 'fetch' command each and every time the dog picks something up to bring it to you should mean that the moment the dog hears that word, it brings you the thing, be it rabbit or ball. I've made this mistake a few times: forgetting to put the 'fetch' word into the dog's vocabulary, especially with pups that seem to love fetching wha
  18. skycat
    So look at it from the dog's point of view: one minute he is living in a nice warm house, the next, he's put outside in the cold with a strange bitch that may or may not be making his life hell when you're not around ... and on top of all that he's having a lot more exercise and graft. It's enough to make anyone lose weight! Already been some brilliant suggestions from those who know what they are doing: but what food are you feeding him? You say 'good quality', but what is the make? Anything less than 25% protein and 15% fat is not good enough, and if the first ingredient listed on the b
  19. skycat
    Thats the right sort. Dont feed that day and just give them 24hrs at most and then remove. Not all dogs will work them hard straight away but when they do it cleans teeth and works the jaw. My bullcrosses love big shin bones and will work on them for hours. true mate then they shite lumps of hard chalk easiest to lift like we stones ... and not good for a dog at all to try and pass lumps like that. Very occasionally wouldn't generally hurt, but puts a tremendous strain on the system, and for what? Much better to give hard rawhide chews to dogs that grind down bones into dust. Don't l
  20. skycat
    Some smooth coated dogs can lose a lot of weight just by shivering to keep warm in a cold kennel. It's a case of knowing the dog and how it reacts to a drop in temperature: some smooth coated dogs stay just as warm as rough coated ones if they are part Collie and have a good double coat. I know I have to feed my terriers twice as much in the winter despite deep straw beds. Extra fat for energy in their diets as well.
  21. skycat

    Painting.

    skycat replied to Ideation's topic in General Talk

    You're bonkers
  22. skycat
    The dog owner who cannot sit with his dog's head in his lap, pull thorns from its foot, open its mouth to clean or inspect its teeth, clean its ears or wipe gunk from its eyes, be greeted each day with a wildly wagging tail and shining eyes ... doesn't deserve to own that dog. Dogs, like horses, are social animals, and training them to do natural, or unnatural things, comes down to the animal knowing that its leader will not harm it in any way. A dog wants to fit into the pack, be that of many or just the dog and its owner: the trust is not hard to earn if you understand what motivates the an
  23. skycat
    Poor feckin dog
  24. skycat
    Don't try and dry up a deep wound. If in any doubt see a vet: but what is 'pretty deep'? One centimetre? Half a centimetre? What type of wound: tear? Puncture? Different types of wound need different treatments. A small cut which only involves the skin, and where there is no big flap of skin involved can be allowed to heal naturally, but it needs to heal from the inside out, and attempting to dry it up will not do any good at all. As someone suggested, Intrasite Gel is good: or use honey: which is antibacterial and also keeps the wound moist.
  25. skycat
    This is the Parasol mushroom: very good eating providing picked young whilst the gills are still white: http://www.celtnet.org.uk/recipes/ancient/wild-food-entry.php?term=Parasol%20Mushroom
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