bk_blue

Ok this may seem like another dumb question, and it's a bit off topic, but are there bears kind of running amok all over the place? Or is it like roos are here, pretty much confined to the outer outer suburbs and the bush? :-? :oops:

Thanks Eric for your advice. :) I will see if I can find one of those dog enclosures (I'm not in the US) and get prices etc. It sounds good, he won't be able to chew his way out! Would he be able to turn it over though? Could I put it up outside? We have a concreted area where it could go but no patio unfortunately. I would have no probs if we had a dog door. I've been out and left him in and the back door open, and all he does when he has the choice to either dig out or stay inside is stay inside (he sleeps on my bed and watches out the window), so a dog enclosure inside would be pretty pointless. But leaving the door open is not good security wise, and although he'd probably scare away anyone who wanted to steal stuff I'm not going to chance him being stabbed or shot by anyone aggressive. What I will do today is make a paste out of the curry powder and put it on the corners where he's been chewing and see how that goes. It's so frustrating, I love him so much but he is just too smart for his own good. :cry:

My dog gets canned food and dry food. And a bone every couple of days. I want to put him onto BARF one day though, we'll see, he's doing well on what he's having now.

I am amazed that there are such patient, kind people out there. I know myself I could not deal with a blind, deaf dog (old age is different though). Shame on the irresponsible breeders who let it happen. But what a great story! :angel:

I agree with what everyone said. Heelers are so active and you can't just have them as couch dogs. They need to be worked physically AND mentally. Most of them (including mine) are too smart for their own good! :wink: If people understood this before they bought them then there wouldn't be half as many in rescue or put to sleep every year. I wish they would also understand these dogs are bred to work, and heeling is part of it, you can't just breed it out or ignore it, it would be like expecting a bird not to fly. I hope everything works out for this dog because it would a shame if she got put into a shelter or even PTS for her "aggressive behaviour" when that's not really the case at all. Good luck and I hope your friend sees sense and either works with the dog, or sends her to an appropriate home or rescue. :)

Nice to see you on the board Deep :D Hobbit has been the centre of us girls' attention!!!

Update on the digging: I got home from work and found my sister had put him back inside because he's chewed the plastic weatherboard strip near the back door off, and has mauled the corner of the house near the side gate. Hasn't done any digging though!!! :roll: I might try and put curry powder on the bits where he's chewed to stop him from doing that, if that doesn't work then... :-? Understandably Mum is a little annoyed (it's her mum's house we're living in), and thinks it would be best if Blitz went back to Dad's where he won't do any damage. I can certainly see her point, if it was [i]my[/i] rental property I would be annoyed too. I am trying to think of the best thing to do for BK. I want him to be happy and relaxed and not fret so much when there is nobody here and he is here by himself. I CANNOT be here all the time, it's impossible, I am here probably 80% of the time and I deliberately organise things so I am not away for too long but sometimes, like today, I was out all day because I had to be. I hate leaving him inside all the time, it's not good for him, maybe ok for some dogs but not him. But if he's going to destroy the house when he's outside then what can I do?? :( Any advice would be appreciated as I am in a bit of a quandry. Keeping him here for my own happiness is a bit selfish, but I really don't want him to go and want to see if there is any other solution.

That's a great greeting page! And thank you for modelling the art deco woman on me... I wish! :wink: All the best for the holiday season! :drinking:

I think backing away and avoiding eye contact is very sensible. Also covering your vital bits ie. by rolling on belly if you're on the ground is a good idea. Playing possum (playing dead) might work too? Being attacked by a dog isn't something I've given a lot of thought to :oops: :oops: :oops: I wouldn't like to kick a dog either, but if it meant the difference between my face being ripped open and the dog breaking some ribs then I know what I would prefer :-? I reckon half of it might depend on my mood!!! LOL!!! If I'd been attacked last week I would have fought back... this is what PMS does to you, guys :wink:

:o no wonder dog breeders are broke, vets are worse than used car dealers LOL :wink: Thanks Anne and everyone else for your advice. :) I initially thought he had an allergy to something inside or outside the house because I hadn't seen any fleas on him until a few days ago. Now I can get on with the treatment. (I have seen a few dead fleas on him which means SOMETHING is working anyway!)

Sorry that was me... I forgot to log in... :oops:

Oh they are both such sad stories... but with happy endings... :angel: OK, I am sure I have said this before but here we go again: we adopted BK from the Home when he was a [b]very[/b] skinny 6 mth old puppy. We were looking at a KelpieX in the next pen and we could hear this squeaking and whinging on the other side, so we had a look and there was our boy. He was wagging his tail furiously and arched his back up against the wire as we patted him. We went outside to think about it, leaving him whining after us, and I started bawling because I couldn't bear to have him left behind there to be put down (he was due to be PTS in 2 days). So we went back and bought him, newly neutered and vaccinated. That night he escaped out of what we thought was a secure yard... he bent an aluminium fence on a wooden frame back enough so he could squeeze his thin body out and back onto the streets. We were frantic and hardly slept, went looking in every gutter and down every street for him. The next day, in response to our LOST DOG ads (at that time he didn't even have a name!) we got a call from the high school in the next suburb saying he was playing with the kids and did we want to pick him up? He was EXHAUSTED when we got home. So he should have been- to get to that school he had to cross 2 major roads, the freeway, the railway line and the creek, quite a bit for any dog let alone a baby in a new faraway place. He should have been called Lucky. I often wonder about who he belonged to in those 6 mths before we got him, why he came into the Home (I can imagine him being a surrender- too hyper, too boisterous etc. or a runaway- he's still a very streetwise little punk), where he goes when he runs away, what sort of mischief he gets into... I often wish he would just mature and act like a normal middle aged dog, but there's not much hope of that. I could go on but I will shut up now! :P

Anne, can you get Sentinel over the counter or do you have to go to the vet? Blitz is due for his checkup in a few weeks (January) so if I need a vet to give it to me I'll think about getting some, either that or Frontline. I doused him with flea powder and lavender spray and he's doing well- hasn't nibbled once at his groin. :) I will ask Dad about the worming stuff, as bk was living there Dad will have his schedule and know what sort of worming program he is on and what I should do if I intend to swap to Sentinel. This is the first reaction he's had to a flea collar, he's had at least 2 before (but years ago, fleas are a rarity for him). I don't know if it's the brand or not, but I won't be buying it again (exelpet).

I hope Penny is ok and her cyst doesn't come back! Nobby (our Basset) had a cyst in the corner of her eye, but it wasn't doing her any harm and the vet said it was benign, so it just stayed there. :)

Hi Marble, glad to hear that Dresden is kind of settling down... as much as a cattledog mix can settle down... :wink: I can't really help with the first question but with the puppy/adult food, we had BK on adult food when we got him (6 months). I don't think we even thought about it, and puppy food wasn't as big as it is now, where you can walk into Safeway and have half an aisle devoted to puppy food. He has had absolutely no trouble with his joints or bones either. BUT this might have been the wrong thing to do and as Dresden is obviously a lot bigger than he is, maybe you should stick with the puppy food. With my grandad's dachshund puppy Tomson, when my aunt's Beagle came to stay for a few months (their house was getting renovated), he wouldn't eat his dinner (BARF variant) unless Grandad mixed in some of Bonnie's canned food in with it, and this is when he was 4-10 mths approx. He is a psycho little brat too, doesn't sit still for a second. So who knows?!

Hey Trinity, it's cool. I knew you weren't suggesting it as a remedy, but in a way I could see how it would work- scaring the hell out of the dog- NOT a good way to do things in my opinion, and yours too and probably everyone's on this board! :wink: :D It's all good! :D

I can see how the holding the head underwater might work but it's a bit cruel and anyway how would you ever be able to bath your dog again? He would hate water after that if he didn't already. Anyway that's certainly one I won't be trying... I trialled him outside by himself yesterday evening after sprinkling curry powder and chilli flakes at the place where he digs. He didn't touch it!! (I was watching from the window.) BUT he just made lots of whingy noises and barks at the back door, and when he began to tear the plastic architrave thingy (the house has "fake" weatherboards over the real ones) off I went out and yelled at him. I put him in his kennel, made him stay there for five minutes while I sat in the chair, then called him over and made him lie down next to me for another five minutes, then we went back in the house together. He was very contrite after that. :)

Thanks, I have found a natural remedy which I am trying- 10-20 drops of a flea repellent essential oil (eg. lavender, lemongrass, citronella, eucalyptus) with 500ml water in a spray bottle. I sprayed it on him just before and I'll see how that goes. I might also try the garlic... if this fails I'll give the Frontline a go, I've heard good stuff about that too :) The flea collar is stinking out the house! No matter which room I put it in it reeks... what a waste of ten bucks :x

I love that pic Rowie :D very cute!

I hope that nobody would *intentionally* breed a bitch at six months. I have also read that the minimum age that a bitch should be bred from is 2yrs.

I too have read this before and thought it was hysterical! :D How anyone could take offence to it is beyond me :roll:

Hobbit, the wire stuff is probably not a great idea as I may not be here in a couple of months- and I can't afford it anyway. He behaves perfectly when I leave him inside, he curls up on my bed and goes to sleep. He sleeps inside with me at night and can hold his bladder for about 8-9 hours. I just don't like the fact he's inside all the time when he's always been a predominantly outside dog. Also, if there was a fire, he wouldn't be able to get out :( I have 3 mths holiday but I'm going back to uni in March and I also work and that plus errands and having no car and not being able to take him to work or on the tram means I spend a lot more time getting to places than I used to. If the bricks don't work to stop him, I'm going to ask Grandad or someone about putting concrete in that little gap otherwise he will have to go back to Dad's. :( I will try the poo thing *wrinkles nose* and the curry powder thing, but he is a very determined little pest. :roll:

Nicole, can I also say, in addition to the great advice already given, that Bassets (indeed, most dogs) [i]cannot [/i]be left outside all the time. They are very people-orientated animals and must have lots of time with their family or they will get upset and howl and bay incessantly. They also like the good life (well ours did) and will not go on the grass if it is too long (irritates their belly), will pull the washing off the line if they DO wish to sit on the grass, will not leave the fireside until their bladder bursts, and will not leave YOUR side if you are eating!! They also have a very strong "doggy" odour, like most hounds, and even if you bathe them and their bedding every week the smell will still return. They also slobber HEAPS which you must be prepared to put up with both inside and out, every time you eat something they will be there looking sad and dribbling on your foot. :wink: Good luck and just be sure to do ALL your homework before letting one of these delightful creatures into your life.

He mainly scratches and nibbles his lower belly on either side of his pizzle :wink: and around his bottom. He loves grooming his paws, he is worse than the cat but he's always done that. He scratches pretty much all over, some of it I think is just normal itch scratching but some of it is flea scratching. I think I will give him a bath, the flea collar smells so disgusting- really strong flea collar smell- I wouldn't be surprised if he pretended to react to it just to get me to put it away!

Thanks :) To answer your question Mei-Mei, he definitely digs to try to get out. I would imagine if he dug for the fun of it I wouldn't have a garden :D , the only places where he digs are places where he thinks he can get out and explore. At dad's he would dig up the gravel in the driveway so he could get out, Dad ended up putting blocks of bluestone underground and that stopped him for a while. It wouldn't matter if I took him running all day and tired him out, if I went out he'd still try to escape... I've read some stuff about seperation anxiety and I think he may have that along with some boredom issues which aren't solved through exercise (though he doesn't like toys and looks at me weirdly if I try to play games with him). Trinity, I will try the poo idea and crossing my fingers hoping it will work. :wink: If he manages to escape again, which would make it 4 times in 2 weeks, I think for his own safety and for my nerves he should go back to Dad's again where he is not able to get out and is familiar with things, and this is what Dad thinks too. :( sad but maybe best for him.