imported_Kat

Meg and I are just back from the childrens hospital after a very active and busy visit. No matter how many times we visit, the staff always welcome us with open arms quite literally and rave about how much it benefits the children. So many children get so much out of throwing a ball and being in control or simply stroking Meg. It still amazes me how some respond so positively to Meg but yet are reluctant to take orders from staff. One little girl today who was 6 ys old had no notion of going out of bed and really didn't have enthusiasm for anything. We brought Meg to say hi and she stroked her like the other kids. As we were leaving the wee lassie began to cry and shout that she wanted to take Meg for a walk outside. She wouldn't give up at all, so the nurses detatched her iv drip and set her in a wheelchair and she held Megs lead and walked her to the end of the corridor and back. Her parents just couldn't say enough thanks. That wee girl was then happy to go back to her bed quietly and that just made her day (and ours) :D This was Meg and I's last visit and the staff at the hospital as well as myself were emotional. They all say that even if they get another dog in, it won't be as special as Meg and one wee girl with cystic fibrosis who is in hospital a lot said that Meg was the hospital's special dog. I was near in tears. :wink: The staff and children on one ward at the end of our 3 hour visit gave me a big box of quality street chocolates as well. That folks is what therapy dogs are about. They bring so much pleasure and please I urge you if anyone has got a dog with a suitable temperament enrol in a scheme and get your dog temperament tested. It makes such a difference. I shall now go and upload a few pics that I took :wink:

For the biting you can either use a very firm No and walk away from him, or you can push him away from you and ignore him totally, then when he is sitting on the floor and being a good lad (teach him a sit) then reward him. Don't give your pup a whole glut of water at once as it can tend to give them bloat. It is much better practice to give a puppy little amounts of water often as they don't have any idea with water regulation at a young age. For the peeing, take him out regularly as he is still a very young pup and it will be difficult for his bladder to hold for a long period of time. Lastly restrict his access around the house so that he is only in one room at a time. This way you can keep an eye on him and also he will feel less intimidated by having so much free space and is less likely to pee. Ten hours is way too long for a puppy to be crated. A puppy needs regular exercise to ensure that he will grow properly so please arrange to get a neighbour or someone come into the house during the day.

What breed and age is this puppy? He sounds like he is both bored and is probably also teething so you need to ensure that firstly he is in a secure crate which will also help him feel more settled and secure and additionally to provide him with stimulation. Stuffed kongs filled with frozen yoghurt are great and also help to cool his gums for the teething.

I had a wee quick jeff juke there and looks very good indeed :wink:

What Bk said 8)

[quote]So what really "so sucks" is that these kittens will either die themselves soon[/quote] What bullsh!t! You are directly implying that her brother in law is going to dump the kittens instead of finding responsible homes for them? Sarah and her brother in law don't appear to live with each other so perhaps he isn't up to his limit. I suggest before slandering others that you get your facts straight first.

Hey Shara just to make ya feel better, I was diagnosed with osgoodslaughters disease too in my knees when I was about 13. Now my right knee is forever dislocating so advice that my physio gave me , keep your joints flexible and mobile. Simple bends of your knee to stop any swelling or locking does wonders as well as vitamin E and glucosamine. :wink: I have bilateral posterior cruciate ligament tears in my right knee which will eventually require surgery but so far I've managed to hold off by keeping up with my own physio and activity.

The halti or gentle leader is a good tool but have you tried to address the problem of his wandering attention rather than try to fix it by using a variety of collars? Do a little basic obedience training with him, of which more details can be found in the training section of this forum and try to get his attention focessed more on you so that you are more exciting than the distraction. [b]Below is an extract from a previous post where I advised another owner about distraction:[/b] Basic obedience, keep him on lead on your left hand side, with a treat at below left hip level and tell him watch.(show him the food before hand and make sure he knows its there). As soon as he rears his head to watch you, treat him. Break him off and do it again, this time getting that focus for a few seconds, and build it up. Then and only then when you have the watch, ask someone to walk past, and keep that watch. Again go through the motions, and continue on until that person can walk a dog past you and your dog, and your dog will keep his attention on you. Always have him on the lead. You don't achieve anything by having him off-lead. When you are confident with this, take him to a busier area, and if you are at a park/dog class, ask a few owners with dogs to hang near you, but not to play with their dogs. Again when you have his attention, progress and ask the owners to play lightly with their dogs. Keep that focus. You have to show your dog that you are much more exciting than the distraction that is going on around you. [b]And another on pulling on the lead:[/b] When I am teaching my classes lead pulling is the most common problem that owners have to deal with. We start off by getting the dogs attention using food, with the dog always on the left leg of the handler. The handler steps off on the left foot and walks fast. If the dog isn't interested at all in food and is pulling way ahead then a fast direction change is done calling the dogs name. This is continued up and down the training hall until the dog starts thinking whoa I'm getting no where pulling like this, and the dog will then start paying attention to the handler to judge when the handler is going to make the turn. It then turns into a catch up game with the dog keeping pace with the handler to attempt to judge when the turn is going to come. This exercise keeps their brains active (both dog and handler!), and is a great way I have found to prevent dogs from pulling. The important thing to remember is not to support the dog and a tight lead, as this encourages the dog to pull.

As the others said, you need to be careful. The growth plates take longer to close in a large dog than they do in a small dog so yeah certainly go along to the class and get him used to the equipment by letting him sniff around and also you can do things like the tunnels and contacts laid flat on the ground, so that he gets used to walking over planks of wood. As far as jumping goes please do wait for another few months and let his bones fully mature as even small jumps still require impact upon take-off and landing. Good luck. Its great fun and you will both become addicted! :wink:

awww HF, we do tend to acquire our regular favourites don't we, and its like we lose on of our own when that wee pet has to go to the bridge. At the surgery I frequently saw old favourites and when the time came I couldn't hold that professionalism and let my emotions be with the owner when that time came. Still, we always have those wonderful memories :angel:

aww I know how it is when you fall in love with a furbabe. I hope that your brother gets good homes for the kittens and that he gets the mother spayed.

its lovely to have that proud feeling in your heart no matter what age or stage our dogs are at. Good lassie Chaos :wink:

Meg and I do agility and obedience to championship standard which are our main sports, but we also do canine freestyle displays at schools, hospitals and events and shows which is always great fun :D Its great hearing the crowds go oooooh when I leave Meg at one end of the ring or area where we are and signal to her and she gallops full pelt across to do a flying leap over my raised leg as part of a routine :D Also we do pets as therapy visiting and visit sick kids in hospital, and Meg is a registered SARDA dog and when we are called out we help to track down people that are lost in the mountains or forests. I love having such a great versatile wonderful little dog :wink: Good luck with the diving Shara! Its not something that I'm very familiar with at all so I would love to know more info about it. :wink:

There is a girl in England that has just got an Alaskan Klee Kai for agility so I will be interested to see how this dog does, as I am not 100% sure that it is an actual breed just yet.

It sounds like it was a case of male/male dominance. Bentley had received a lot of attention at the store and was obviously still thinking he was the bees knees and cats whiskers and proud of his space. By letting the kids stroke him he received good attention and respect, therefore when the other dog walked in, it sounded like this dog invaded his space and Bentley was voicing his displeasure at the new-comer entering his domain that he had created with much treasured respect. I don't think you have too much to worry about at all given the circumstances. To me it just sounds like a bit of a displeasure reaction.

awww hes only a baby! Izzy its great that you have taken him off the streets from harm and best of luck in finding him a forever home :wink:

people can be so opinionated at times, and advice resorting to a choke chain just isn't training advice in my eyes at all, as I detest training using choke chains and prongs.

you have every right to be angry Marion! Don't let him fire those type of inconsiderate selfish comments at you :evil:

What a good little girl Cassie is! :D

well he is still a young pup so take it easy with him and build up from a walk to a power walk to a trot to a gentle jog. His bones will still be developing so you would be advised to avoid any prolonged stress on his bones. A walk is much better for a young dog than a power jog is. What breed actually is he?

lol! these pictures are absolutely hilarious! we really are so cruel to make our poor animals go through this humiliation :lol:

we shall hold you to that pwomise :wink:

HF no offense taken at all :wink: There could well be another underlying cause which may never be determined but the events may be linked, with respect to the bruising only in one area of the dog. If it were say an allergic reaction or a blood disorder in connection or possibly not in connection with the dental treatment then really I would have expected that the bruising would appear all over the wee dogs body. Then again it may be a different type of shaver that was used on the dog's neck in comparison to the rest of her body and this may be the sole cause for the bruising? Again another possibility. It may also be that the vet/groomer really has upset the dog and that some form of harsh handling was involved. This would be a concern for future vet/grooming visits, and also the fact that the vet doesn't seem to be very helpful in forwarding advice to a concerned owner isn't impressive. Consequences and connections are wonderful things when they work, but the main thing is to get this wee pet back on track, which only her owner can do by giving her lots of confident interactions. Keep us posted on how she is traumapom :wink:

Yep definitely doggy people are more compassionate than non-doggy people :D

Dogs can withstand physical interference to a higher extent than they can emotional interference. You know that your pets behaviour has changed and coupled with the bruising you should be speaking to a lawyer and su that place for negligence. :evil: