bk_blue

For those of you who don't know Blitz is a consummate escape artist. Even now, that we have the new fence up, he managed to dig a hole under it (but didn't get out, the gap was too small). We've filled it in with dirt and big bricks that he will only be able to move if he grows a pair of human hands :D but is there a way to stop him from digging his way out of the backyard? This only happens when there is nobody home and he is outside by himself. He has a one track mind when he is there- to escape- so Kongs, bones etc will not distract him. I am petrified of him getting out again and getting hurt or run over, but I hate leaving him in the house all the time, he's used to fresh air and being able to sunbake or pee when he wants to. A doggie door is not an option, as I am not allowed to alter the doors. Does anyone have any suggestions for stopping him digging? A friend suggested I put some of his poo where he digs, because apparently dogs don't like to dig where they poo... does this work? Any suggestions are welcome :drinking: :o :) :-?

Blitz has been scratching and biting for about a week. I gave him a flea bath and flea powdered the whole house etc etc but I could never find any fleas until yesterday. So I got him a flea collar (he's had them before), and he seemed to react strangely to it. He would lie in places on the floor (not on the couch or on my bed, not like him) and in corners where it may have been cooler, and breathe quickly- not panting, but normal either. Anyway after about 4-5 hours of monitoring him I took it off and now he's fine, but back to biting and scratching himself. I don't know if I was overreacting or not, as he's never had any reaction to a flea collar, but I thought it would be best if I took it off. Has anyone experienced this before? The only reason I tried the collar was because the soap and the powder did not seem to work. Maybe I will have to go to the vet and get some sort of tablet. :-? BTW he is not on any medication.

I've read that before- it's a great article 8)

Ooh, so cute! :angel:

Horsefeathers I'm even later- but I am happy to know Perry made it through surgery ok and I hope he lives a long and enjoyable life, with no more scares! :angel:

Aroura, I remember BK reacted very nastily to Rinny earlier this year when he picked up a bone of BK's that he had not been interested in for a few hours (only the second time I've seen him be really horrible to Rinny). Other than that, and the time 5 years ago when they had a nasty fight and Rinny ended up missing a piece of his ear, they absolutely adore each other. But Blitz pestered Rinny for 4 years before he became alpha!!! I hope that with your help Tessa and Lily can grow old together with minimal repeats of their recent behaviour. :)

Eric, I sometimes call a dog "it" if I do not know the sex, and don't really want to embarrass myself by looking to see if there are dangly bits or not :wink: and don't want to offend the owner by calling it a he if it's a she or vice versa... so maybe that's what other people think too? Though I will say I am very devoted to my dog and I know he would risk his life trying to save me from harm, and I would do the same for him if I could. Blitz gets called a "she" all the time; like Carol's Jesse, I think it's because he's so damn pretty :wink: and the lack of obvious genitalia and cute red bandanna probably don't help either! :D

Fingers are still crossed Hobbit. :wink: I hope Guy gets better quickly!!! It's so hard when it's one of yours isn't it?! I tend to think that people who fuss over their dogs excessively were loony, but not anymore, I know if it was my dog in there having his leg rearranged I'd be a basket case! :angel: :drinking:

[quote=Bentley's Dad]That is funny, Bentley either goes 100 mph or 0... if he had a permanant playmate it would be chaos :)[/quote] Heh I know what you mean. If Blitz isn't asleep he's hyperactive, either guilting me into going for a walk or pestering me for food. When he lived with Rinny (when both of them were a lot younger) it was action all the time, they would be out playing and chasing each other at top speed while we would just try to stay out of the way (BK will knock you over if you're in the way, he's not heavy- about 24kg- but he's bloody fast and strong, Rinny is more of a gentleman).

Sorry I can't help you, breeding is definitely not my area of expertise 8) I prefer to leave it to those who know what they're doing! If I had to add my 2c I think breeding for looks OR money (puppy millers, backyard breeders) over everything else (working ability, health, temperament etc) is going way too far. You may find that there are distinctive differences in some breeds with regards to showing and working, sometimes so far as to create a completely separate breed. eg. there is the Working Kelpie and the Bench (show) Kelpie.

Well said GP and Newfiemom. I voted "no" because if the people who were behind the dogs who created BK were responsible, they would have had their pets spayed/neutered or not allowed a dog to get near their bitch on heat, or had an unsecured yard where their dog could escape and impregnate another bitch. I am very thankful for him- he is tremendously healthy and has a great temperament- but there are too many like him being destroyed who are the product of not enough dogs being fixed, dogs running away and coming home pregnant, the owners not having thought about the welfare of the pups and where they will go, or genetic testing, or vet checks etc etc etc. :(

Can't really help you Egg. Maybe more the bitch's circumstances than where they're living ie. with women (humans that is LOL) their cycle can be affected by stress, diet etc. Maybe the same with bitches? :-?

Hi Rowie, a koolie is a type of (mainly) working/herding dog used in Australia. They're not very well known, not even here, so no wonder you haven't heard of them! this link has some info [url]http://www.dogbreedinfo.com/koolie.htm[/url] or you could PM working koolie, she will be more than happy to help you out :)

:lol: :lol: Not laughing at you Marble but laughing with you... Dresden is so much like BK it's scary. He used to like stealing soap out of the bathroom when he was a puppy, he got told off for it enough times and he stopped. I guess he must have liked the taste because he had more than enough normal stuff to chew on... not that we let him chew it after we caught him though :roll: I guess the thing you should be doing is scolding her for taking it (if you catch her doing it), and maybe putting it out of reach if you can? Good luck!!

:cry: please stop making me cry K!!! :cry:

Thanks for clearing that up Hobbit... :oops: :lol: Ok, so really name-calling is just all that showy stuff. Got it! :wink:

[quote name='Hobbit']Male dogs usually do lots of posturing, chest bumping, name calling, making faces, circling, tails up, ears up, head up, very rigid appearance. [/quote] Sorry if I sound like a bimbo but how do they go about calling each other names? :-?

Thanks. I will see if our pet shops stock Bag Balm. Could I use Vaseline as well, or would that be bad for the dog? (he likes to groom himself and that involves lovingly licking his feet, and mine if they happen to be in the way :roll: )

Leerburg is a very good site, I've been there before. I can see how his no nonsense style would piss some people off though. I like it, might as well tell it how it is, no pussyfooting round! :wink:

Ha ha, no can't really imagine you doing that Aroura! I guess if you have a container of ground pepper you could use it at home (if it was handy), or take some on walks if you think there might be potential situations where you might have to use it... I've heard that grabbing the hind leg or legs of one of the dogs is also a good method to at least break them apart. Don't know what you'd do with the other dog if you were by yourself though :-? Poor Tessa! Having to sleep in the cupboard to get away from big bad Lily! Rinny is missing a little piece of his ear from a time about 5 yrs ago when he tried to steal BK's dinner (and this is when Rinny was alpha)... that's one of 2 times I've ever seen BK get nasty, the other was earlier this year when Rinny tried to take one of BK's bones. It's really scary to see how a well-adjusted, even tempered dog can get so territorial and aggressive over certain objects.

:lol: Love it... Dobes are great dogs and one day I will get one... one day...

A lot of people on the ACD list recommend ground pepper- it's not harmful to the dogs in any way-all it does is make them sneeze, apparently, and distracts them from trying to kill each other long enough for you to grab them. Personally I don't know if it works but it's maybe something to keep in mind. This is a good link that gives several suggestions: [url]http://www.ccc.govt.nz/animals/DogFights.asp[/url]

Hey that's not good. At least you are responsible, but it sucks when you have to keep an eye out for everyone else's dogs as well as your own, and can't really enjoy the fun that an off lead park with responsible owners can entail. :(

Sorry Hobbit I can't help you BUT... if you want to post that question on an Australian dog forum they might be able to help you... [url]www.dogzonline.com.au[/url] I did have a look at the site.... oh I wish I had a farm so I could have a kelpie... :)

Hobbit, how's Sissy going? (should start a new thread, oh well)