Topic: Rox's Dog Advice Thread

[reddebs]

the benefits of the dim witted bull breeds

Yeah Borders are far too clever for their own good 😂

[tubby]

Thanks, ladies.  I'll try playing the sounds to him and see if that helps.  He's a bit of a coward in general anyway, so I'm not hopeful, but we'll see how he gets on with it.

[Claire.]

if he's got special treats, reserve them for when you're doing it so he can associate the big scaries with a nice thing.

[CraigDS]

Norbs is 3 today - that's gone soooo fast.

[Claire.]

Norbs is 3 today - that's gone soooo fast.

❤️ happy birthday Norbs!

Floyd turned TEN 😅 last weds, and still acts like a daft puppy.

[CraigDS]

❤️ happy birthday Norbs!

Floyd turned TEN 😅 last weds, and still acts like a daft puppy.

Wow 10! I remember when you got him and doesn't seem that long ago.

[reddebs]

Happy birthday Norbs and Floyd it'll be 6yrs on Sunday since we got Izzy from the rescue 😱

[Slippers]

Been there Tubby and it's not nice.  I agree with Claire though as a way I f getting them used to if unfortunately ours knew the difference 😂

Ultimately we ended up getting another dog to encourage him to stay on the walk rather than run back to car, even when there were no noises.

He's a bit better now but the thunder the other night then an organised shoot locally over the weekend hasn't helped though we've just been down the estuary for a walk and he'd forgotten about the shoot.

It takes our dog three weeks to forget about Bonfire Night,it's December before we can get her outside after dark.

[Slippers]

Norbs is 3 today - that's gone soooo fast.

He looks thrilled.

[CraigDS]

He looks thrilled.

His usual "I make everyone think you mistreat me" face

[Slippers]

His usual "I make everyone think you mistreat me" face

Ours has got the 'nobody loves me' look down to a fine art.

[Claire.]

Does anyone else have an indoor ring cam for their dog and do they also know they're being 'watched'?

Got a few issues with barking at things he never used to be at all bothered by and he's also developed serious separation anxiety if I even attempt to go out - crying, whining, barking, pacing, luckily he's never been destructive just annoying. I've got an absolute c*nt of a neighbour who kicks off all the time like he's the only dog in the world who's ever barked which is making any re-training a chore.

The barking at random things, I WFH so I was going down the stairs to tell him to knock it off and I thought maybe me going to him is seen as a 'reward' so I got the ring cam so I could talk to him remotely, first day of getting it all set up he was barking, I goes on it and tells him off... fucker looks straight at the thing, does the twisty head and sits down.

Since then, all I have to do is connect to it and he KNOWS I'm watching, shuts up and sits down, which is great n'all BUT... it makes no noise, the light comes on with movement not me connecting, the mic isn't on. How the fuck does he know?! I'm thinking if I can replicate whatever happens I might be able to go the shop without me needing to kick the fuck out of my neighbour, or is it going to be a case of him learning I'm kinda always there through that and just be patient?

[CraigDS]

I have one on Norbs but I don't think he knows when I'm watching, at least he never seems to act like he does anyway. I have spoken to him threw it a number of times and he looked at it then so he knows my voice comes from there.

[Claire.]

Norbs quickly putting down the book when he knows you're there and playing it cool

How does Floyd know, he's thick as mince.

[CraigDS]

Norbs quickly putting down the book when he knows you're there and playing it cool

How does Floyd know, he's thick as mince.

TBF Norbs isn't the brightest either. I've occasionally caught him looking at the camera when I've checked, but it's been the odd time rather than often so think was more a coincidence.

[Crosby Nick]

My stupid dog is a bit of a psycho who keeps biting out the beast eyes of my daughter’s teddies. She obviously likes the challenge of gouging them out, the big weirdo. Normally the missing eye is left lying around on the floor. She did it again today, with a newly purchased teddy (oops) but I couldn’t find the missing eye so presume she may have swallowed it. Hoping it will ‘pass’ out the other end, but has anyone’s dig done anything similar? Just wondering how big a foreign object has to be to cause any issues. She did her usual morning dump today, but was only an hour or so after eyegate so too early for anything to come out I guess.

[CraigDS]

How big is your dog and how big was the eye? Shouldn't be an issue to be honest, they can pass pretty big things.

[Chakan]

We have an indoor cam for Mia when we go out, it’s situated on the tv desk and watches the couch, which she usually sleeps on when we are out. She definitely knows when she is being watched though. It does have a light that comes on when we connect to it. So I think that lets her know we are watching.

[redbyrdz]

Does anyone else have an indoor ring cam for their dog and do they also know they're being 'watched'?

Got a few issues with barking at things he never used to be at all bothered by and he's also developed serious separation anxiety if I even attempt to go out - crying, whining, barking, pacing, luckily he's never been destructive just annoying. I've got an absolute c*nt of a neighbour who kicks off all the time like he's the only dog in the world who's ever barked which is making any re-training a chore.

The barking at random things, I WFH so I was going down the stairs to tell him to knock it off and I thought maybe me going to him is seen as a 'reward' so I got the ring cam so I could talk to him remotely, first day of getting it all set up he was barking, I goes on it and tells him off... fucker looks straight at the thing, does the twisty head and sits down.

Since then, all I have to do is connect to it and he KNOWS I'm watching, shuts up and sits down, which is great n'all BUT... it makes no noise, the light comes on with movement not me connecting, the mic isn't on. How the fuck does he know?! I'm thinking if I can replicate whatever happens I might be able to go the shop without me needing to kick the fuck out of my neighbour, or is it going to be a case of him learning I'm kinda always there through that and just be patient?

Are you working upstairs? Maybe he can hear you connecting to it, or something you do before you connect.


Or maybe it's confirmation bias. You can only see he's looking at it when you connect, but maybe he's looking at it all the time.

[Crosby Nick]

How big is your dog and how big was the eye? Shouldn't be an issue to be honest, they can pass pretty big things.

That’s what I thought. My wife mentioned the dreaded vet word but don’t want to fork out for a visit if they’ll just say she’s fine. It’s probably about thumbnail sized and she’s a fairly small labradoodle…about the size of a springer spaniel.

Haven’t measured ringpiece circumference but should just about be able to get it out!

[CraigDS]

there was a mangled, headless pigeon outside and I'm not sure if the dog (he deffo didn't kill it) has well... ate any of it, it was dark when I let him out and I'm fairly sure it hasn't been there more than an hour or so. Do I just worm him or best to go the vet? fml.

Just had this exact thing happen but with a frozen blackbird. Look into the garden and he's got something black in his mouth, no idea what, he somehow listened and dropped it and came running inside (he doesn't normally at the best of times if something has his attention). Went and looked and it's a blackbird minus it's head 

[Claire.]

Are you working upstairs? Maybe he can hear you connecting to it, or something you do before you connect.


Or maybe it's confirmation bias. You can only see he's looking at it when you connect, but maybe he's looking at it all the time.

I suppose the confirmation bias is true, though I can watch back the recordings from movement to see if he's doing that. I am upstairs, he can't hear me picking up my phone (all sounds are off) surely

We have an indoor cam for Mia when we go out, it’s situated on the tv desk and watches the couch, which she usually sleeps on when we are out. She definitely knows when she is being watched though. It does have a light that comes on when we connect to it. So I think that lets her know we are watching.

I thought maybe it's the light being on, but it goes blue when there's movement and no difference when connected. Maybe he's cleverer than I give him credit for, might be able to hire him out as a bug detector.

[Claire.]

Just had this exact thing happen but with a frozen blackbird. Look into the garden and he's got something black in his mouth, no idea what, he somehow listened and dropped it and came running inside (he doesn't normally at the best of times if something has his attention). Went and looked and it's a blackbird minus it's head 

oh my word, hopefully he hasn't ate it's head but poor little bird probs froze. Good Norbs though, Floyd would've tried to bring it in!

[CraigDS]

oh my word, hopefully he hasn't ate it's head but poor little bird probs froze. Good Norbs though, Floyd would've tried to bring it in!

He's def eaten it's head, and looked like one wing, and would have done the lot in if I'd not have looked outside. He'd normally either stay out or run around with it when I try to get him in, thankfully this was one of the few times he decided to listen

[CraigDS]

He's just found the wing I thought he ate, and decide to run around the garden with it in his mouth before eating it 

[WhereAngelsPlay]

 

[Claire.]

He's just found the wing I thought he ate, and decide to run around the garden with it in his mouth before eating it 

oh dear, feathery poos for a few days then!

[Claire.]

Does anyone else use a bully billows collar?

Floyd's one has an issue where if I don't align it to the millimetre when closing it, the clasp will open if it's pulled on the diagonal - doesn't even need to be a hard pull, but he's really strong. Wondering if it's an issue with the design or his is just fucked.

[CraigDS]

Does anyone else use a bully billows collar?

Floyd's one has an issue where if I don't align it to the millimetre when closing it, the clasp will open if it's pulled on the diagonal - doesn't even need to be a hard pull, but he's really strong. Wondering if it's an issue with the design or his is just fucked.

I don't but I had been looking at getting one last year, ended up getting a new K9 harness instead (although this def makes him pull more than a proper collar does).

[Claire.]

Ha, I've ordered him one of those K9 harnesses this morning cos I'm too paranoid about the collar now, I've taught him to finally not pull on the collar and now hoping it doesn't resurface!

They are good collars and I'll still put it on him with the harness, when it's closed properly you'd need to be the hulk to get it apart, just happened once too many. We bumped into an Alsatian on our walk today and I panicked because I can't trust the collar even if I've tested it before we've left.

[redbyrdz]

Does anyone else use a bully billows collar?

Floyd's one has an issue where if I don't align it to the millimetre when closing it, the clasp will open if it's pulled on the diagonal - doesn't even need to be a hard pull, but he's really strong. Wondering if it's an issue with the design or his is just fucked.

I don't know that brand, but how does the clasp work? If it is one of the plastic ones that you squeeze together to open, check that the outside corners (of the queezy part) aren't worn. The should be triangular and pointy, if they become rounded they don't click in right and can be pulled open.

[Claire.]

It’s metal and has two little levers on either side, when you push it together the two levers lift and then lock into place. At least, that’s what’s supposed to happen! His pushes in and feels like it’s locked and if it’s pulled on a diagonal it’ll twist and then can pop open. I’ve had it for years so maybe something is worn, I’ll get the wd40 on the levers to see if that makes a difference.

[Claire.]

His harness arrived and first walk on it today, didn't pull at all but we saw a couple of dogs who got him a bit worked up and have a lot less control over him so bits to work on still!

least I know the fucker can't escape

[CraigDS]

His harness arrived and first walk on it today, didn't pull at all but we saw a couple of dogs who got him a bit worked up and have a lot less control over him so bits to work on still!

least I know the fucker can't escape

Does that harness have a front clip where you can attach a lead? We found that really helped when Norbs pulled as allowed us to easily change his direction rather than mostly just pulling back on him.

[Claire.]

No, it's only got the one on his back, I didn't know they did them!

Issue was with changing direction suddenly to swerve them crossing over, he was too busy being nosey and ended up in front of me, he does listen but will be doing some more clicker training. Luckily was a staff and not a breed he loses his shit over!

[reddebs]

Anyone have an explanation why dogs howl and are there different reasons for them howling?

Sometimes my two will start howling (singing) to each other as we're setting off in the car to go for a walk.

When I'm getting ready to take them on their morning walk the oldest one will start howling in the middle of the drive.

Occasionally they'll start howling if they think they're being left at home.

[joe buck]

maybe coz they used to be wolves

[jason42]

Took my 14 year old Shih Tzu Smudge to the vet today for an ultrasound scan and some more blood tests.

He had a couple of seizure type events last week so they did some blood tests and he has really hight Liver enzymes but the extra blood tests showed he has very high levels of calcium and that is not good.

He is fine in himself though and apart from the above, he seems in reasonably good health for his age.

We are thinking of not going down the more invasive investigative route as we do not want to put Smudge through it.

[Slippers]

Anyone have an explanation why dogs howl and are there different reasons for them howling?

Sometimes my two will start howling (singing) to each other as we're setting off in the car to go for a walk.

When I'm getting ready to take them on their morning walk the oldest one will start howling in the middle of the drive.

Occasionally they'll start howling if they think they're being left at home.

My sister's dog howls when that 'Flash' advert is on telly,ours hasn't howled since she was four months old and I accidentally locked her in the garage.