Dog Owners

[Biker Biggles]

Sorry to add a downer,but my old Spaniel died today.Nearly 14 and been ill so not unexpected,but still agreat loss after all that time.

aaaah Mr.B that very sad be hear.Poor perrito.

Originally Posted by Biker Biggles

Sorry to add a downer,but my old Spaniel died today.Nearly 14 and been ill so not unexpected,but still agreat loss after all that time.

Sorry to hear this It's so sad when they go, but at at least he/she is not in pain any longer

Originally Posted by Biker Biggles

Sorry to add a downer,but my old Spaniel died today.Nearly 14 and been ill so not unexpected,but still agreat loss after all that time.

You have my sincere condolences. I hope he/she passed peacefully.
It's not the loss of a pet, it's the loss of a friend - may good memories carry you through.

Originally Posted by Biker Biggles

Sorry to add a downer,but my old Spaniel died today.Nearly 14 and been ill so not unexpected,but still agreat loss after all that time.

Sorry to hear the news mate, our den is 13 now and we can sympathise totally with how you must be be feeling.

Sorrt to hear that BB.

Quick update on the hound. Last night he did the same. Started barking at about 11 and so I tried to ignore it for a while. It got to a point though as I live on a main road terrace and my neighbours will be getting annoued, not to mention me!. At about 2 I had to go down and stay with him. When I went down to see if he was okay he would stop barking and seem happy enough but once he was left he would be barking within 5 minutes so I bit the bullet and kipped on the couch with him. Even then when someone walked passed the window he would bark a bit. I'm shattered today, 2 nights without sleep!

I'm been working today so got a chance to think things through. I'm getting worried that such an energetic dog needs more space than I have. All the space at the back of my house is a shared drive and a parking space, with the drive leading onto the main road and the footpath on the road right in front of my living room window. The previous owner, a friend of my sisters, lived on a cul-de-sac with a garden etc so he isn't used to the comotion and he was able to just go for a wee in the garden. I took the dog on with the proviso that I'll take him on if he is happy. I'm getting worried that he will be with me, especially if I am working for 5 but usually 6 days a week minimum 8 hours per day. Someone else could give him a better quality of life perhaps?!

Shame though as I have a barn and 2 acres waiting for planning permission that I've been fighting for years. That would be perfect for us as there is the room to let him run, and I wouldn't be so nervous he'll get hurt.

Oh what to do!

We like you do not have much space, a small back garden, which was large enough when he was a small puppy but not large enough for hi to run round now. We just take him for long walks as much off lead as possible but we have had to stop this now as he is no longer scared of horses and thinks they are big dogs to play with and his recall is no longer reliable, which, unfortunately is a sign of the breed. However, we play a lot of mental activbity games. Find it is a favourite where i get him to sit and stay then hide a treat and tell him to find it. I also use 3 cups which i hide a treat under one and he has to find which one the treat is under. Also play hide and seek with him go hide some where in the house then call him, he'll love it, i hide under the duvet and he comes and digs me out of it lol .

The barking may just be a bad habbit he has picked up and never been corrected for. There are ways of correcting it, you just have to be patient and before your neighbours get too ****y with you go and buy them a bottle of wine and pop round and explain the situation and say you are doing the best you can and he is a rescue dog just if they can bare with it for a little while and see how he settles in.

As you said it has only been 2 nights, when we brought Lupo home he was scared and howled for the first few nights and James ended up sleeping next to him on the couch. So when you are getting ready for bed, switch the lights off and watch tv in the dark for a bit, get him to settle by your side, and then set the tv on a timer for 1 hour and then leave the room, and leave him with a marrowbone (not the cooked ones you can pick up raw ones from the butchers or local market) or a kong.

The trouble is with the barking at strangers it is a warning for them to leave the territory, and as they are walking past the barking to him acheives its purpose, therefore it is a hard situation to crack. I will do a bit of research for you and if you are willing to stick it out i can help you.

It would be a shame to see another dog in rescue when so many are waiting there already, although i completely understand where you are coming from having to go through the sleepless nights and worry about neighbours, we have already been through this with our boy, and no doubt will go through it again when we get our 2nd.

I might also add that dogs love routine and once he has settled i'm sure things will be fine our routine for Loopy is:

Switch lights off and leave TV on.
Get Lupo to do his "busy"
Set the tv on timer for 40 minutes to 1 hour
Put kong in his crate
Tell Lupo bedtime and once he has his kong we leave the room and leave the tv on.

although this routine has been modified greatly since when he was smaller it makes life so much easier when going to bed and because he gets his kong full of tuna and prawns, biscuits and other lovely stuff he runs to his crate as soon as we say bedtime .

Good luck anyways

Sammy

Cheers Sam' for the help.

I'll see how we get on tonight, I think I'm a little bitter because I was supposed to see my gf tonight but I told her not to come round. Its not fair two of us not sleeping. If the dog doesn't settle there is a lady who has a springer already who would like another who is eyeing him up. It would b more disruption for him though.

Cheers for all this help though

They are wonderfull, loyal and very easy to train. They are very energetic though and need serious excercise time (2 decent walks/runs a day).

Is it from good breading?