Forum Rescue Dogs

[PeteS]

Hi All,

Some heart warming (and sad) stories on here so thought I would share my latest experience.
This is Mungo

IMAG0111.jpg

He's a collie cross (with a muppet I think!) and about 8 months old. He was collected from a local dogs home and had been found stray in a park barking at all and sundry. He was very thin with a touch of kennel cough but otherwise in good health. A bit bouncy but obviously bright and had had some basic training.
I'm looking forward to the day he can come running with me off the lead but as he will bark and chase anyone and anything, that may be a while off yet.

Mick/Flopsy - he too was a puller on the lead to the point of choking but it was suggested I try a harness rather than attach the lead to the collar. What a difference that has made! He now walks quitely by your side and will even jog along with me and Mrs S quite comfortably. Still a way off being able to let him off the lead but a combination of praise and treats when he passes someone without growling seems to be starting to kick in. Other animals are still a differnet matter though.......!

All in all, he is a smashing litle chap and although he does have a few issues, I cannot imagine being without him now.

[MickTor]

Hi All,

Some heart warming (and sad) stories on here so thought I would share my latest experience.
This is Mungo

IMAG0111.jpg

He's a collie cross (with a muppet I think!) and about 8 months old. He was collected from a local dogs home and had been found stray in a park barking at all and sundry. He was very thin with a touch of kennel cough but otherwise in good health. A bit bouncy but obviously bright and had had some basic training.
I'm looking forward to the day he can come running with me off the lead but as he will bark and chase anyone and anything, that may be a while off yet.

Mick/Flopsy - he too was a puller on the lead to the point of choking but it was suggested I try a harness rather than attach the lead to the collar. What a difference that has made! He now walks quitely by your side and will even jog along with me and Mrs S quite comfortably. Still a way off being able to let him off the lead but a combination of praise and treats when he passes someone without growling seems to be starting to kick in. Other animals are still a differnet matter though.......!

All in all, he is a smashing litle chap and although he does have a few issues, I cannot imagine being without him now.

He's a beauty!

I tried a harness with Blade.. As he's a pulling dog it gives him more power! He's almost as strong as me, could power a dog 'n' cart like contraption!

Kennel cough is awful isn't it! Frothy sick in the middle of the night is not pleasant to listen to!

All the best with him! Here's a pic of me and Blade -

995013_10152175894176255_46405288_n.jpg

[Flopsy]

Tried and failed:

Harness
Halti
Gentle leader
Stopping every time he goes ahead
Stopping and changing direction every time he goes ahead
Noise every time he goes ahead
Leg out every time he goes ahead
Treats

....think that might be it!!

Just not found what works for him. We can get it to work in short bursts but as soon as you go on a walk.......

The trick to having them off lead and not chasing (Max is a chaser) is to find something that makes you more appealing than the chase. For us it a tennis ball. We have also trained him to respond to the whistle (whistle blows, he comes back, we throw the ball). Also never shout for them if they leg it. There's no incentive to come back. We find calling his name but in a high pitched playful way (Maaaaax. What's this. Shall we play etc etc...)means he'll come back usually. You gotta catch them early though before the red mist of the chase sets in. You then just work on that and expand it. Not saying it's easy. Took a long time to find out what worked for him. We also found that agility has helped getting him listen to us. We have a fantastic agility teacher who uses very modern methods that involve getting your dog to listen to you - the dogs are not lured over each obstacle as old fashioned methods use. The combination of everything is a dog who used to be off over the hill chasing sheep / deer / rabbits, to a dog that will ignore sheep in favour of us playing with him.

[PeteS]

He's a beauty!

I tried a harness with Blade.. As he's a pulling dog it gives him more power! He's almost as strong as me, could power a dog 'n' cart like contraption!

Kennel cough is awful isn't it! Frothy sick in the middle of the night is not pleasant to listen to!

All the best with him! Here's a pic of me and Blade -

I see what you mean - he looks a strapping chap.
Yes kennel cough's no fun for either dog or owner. Nothing like being woken up in the middle of the night by a retching dog and then putting your foot in the results when you get up! Seems to take an eternity to clear up too......

[PeteS]

Tried and failed:

Harness
Halti
Gentle leader
Stopping every time he goes ahead
Stopping and changing direction every time he goes ahead
Noise every time he goes ahead
Leg out every time he goes ahead
Treats

....think that might be it!!

Just not found what works for him. We can get it to work in short bursts but as soon as you go on a walk.......

The trick to having them off lead and not chasing (Max is a chaser) is to find something that makes you more appealing than the chase. For us it a tennis ball. We have also trained him to respond to the whistle (whistle blows, he comes back, we throw the ball). Also never shout for them if they leg it. There's no incentive to come back. We find calling his name but in a high pitched playful way (Maaaaax. What's this. Shall we play etc etc...)means he'll come back usually. You gotta catch them early though before the red mist of the chase sets in. You then just work on that and expand it. Not saying it's easy. Took a long time to find out what worked for him. We also found that agility has helped getting him listen to us. We have a fantastic agility teacher who uses very modern methods that involve getting your dog to listen to you - the dogs are not lured over each obstacle as old fashioned methods use. The combination of everything is a dog who used to be off over the hill chasing sheep / deer / rabbits, to a dog that will ignore sheep in favour of us playing with him.

We tried everything except the Halti too. Sounds like we were lucky with the harness but it has been a real life changer. The chasing is getting better - he still has quite a bit of puppy in him and a lot of it is nerves. Given his background it hardly surprising but I'm sure as he gets older and has more confidence in us he will improve.

[PeteS]

A bit of advice sought on running with the dog.
He has started running with me but I was advised, quite sensibly, to take it easy at first. He's about 16 months old and we're now doing about 5 or 6 miles hilly runs once a week. Obviously I need to build up gradually but what sort of mileage/pace should I expect him to be able to do?
I'm also aware that excessive exercise in young dogs can lead to problems in later life with joint problems etc. At what age does this cease to be a problem?

[brummievet]

A bit of advice sought on running with the dog.
He has started running with me but I was advised, quite sensibly, to take it easy at first. He's about 16 months old and we're now doing about 5 or 6 miles hilly runs once a week. Obviously I need to build up gradually but what sort of mileage/pace should I expect him to be able to do?
I'm also aware that excessive exercise in young dogs can lead to problems in later life with joint problems etc. At what age does this cease to be a problem?

What sort of dog is he? The advice with over exercise in young dogs is mainly due to a condition called Osteochondritis Dissecans (OCD) and to a certain extent other conditions such as Hip Dysplasia and Elbow Dysplasia (which can include OCD as a cause). These are a big problem in certain breeds and there is some evidence to say that over exercise when younger could contribute to what is a multifactorial problem i.e. other things as well as exercise contribute to it (genetics, growth, etc).

At 16 months old your dog is skeletally mature so conditions such as OCD and Hip Dysplasia would have developed by now anyway, if they were going to, and would have led to secondary arthritis already so restricting exercise now isn't helpful for preventing these conditions. So my advice is if your dog is outrunning you or easily keeping up and isn't stiff/knackered at the end of every run, then it's fine. If he starts to lag then you are running too far. Do build up gradually to further distances though. Remember, certain breeds are bred to work all day long so should be able to manage a steady run at further than you would normally run anyway. If he is a Bulldog, don't run him at all!

[PeteS]

What sort of dog is he? The advice with over exercise in young dogs is mainly due to a condition called Osteochondritis Dissecans (OCD) and to a certain extent other conditions such as Hip Dysplasia and Elbow Dysplasia (which can include OCD as a cause). These are a big problem in certain breeds and there is some evidence to say that over exercise when younger could contribute to what is a multifactorial problem i.e. other things as well as exercise contribute to it (genetics, growth, etc).

At 16 months old your dog is skeletally mature so conditions such as OCD and Hip Dysplasia would have developed by now anyway, if they were going to, and would have led to secondary arthritis already so restricting exercise now isn't helpful for preventing these conditions. So my advice is if your dog is outrunning you or easily keeping up and isn't stiff/knackered at the end of every run, then it's fine. If he starts to lag then you are running too far. Do build up gradually to further distances though. Remember, certain breeds are bred to work all day long so should be able to manage a steady run at further than you would normally run anyway. If he is a Bulldog, don't run him at all!

Thanks for the advice. He is a collie x german shepherd but physiologically more collie than anything. There is a pic earlier on this thread (#181) from Jan when we first got him. He is quite comfortable at 5-6 miles and even longer when out at a slower pace with Mrs S. I'd like to get him up to my longer runs which are usually 10-12 milers but was a little put off after a conversation with a dog behavourist who thought it would be physically too much for him. He really enjoys his runs and I love his company and can't wait to do more but obviously we would build up the distance gradually. I was just not sure what the max would be though from what you are saying it would seem he is more than up to the job (and probably more so than me in the long run given his breeding!)

[brummievet]

Thanks for the advice. He is a collie x german shepherd but physiologically more collie than anything. There is a pic earlier on this thread (#181) from Jan when we first got him. He is quite comfortable at 5-6 miles and even longer when out at a slower pace with Mrs S. I'd like to get him up to my longer runs which are usually 10-12 milers but was a little put off after a conversation with a dog behavourist who thought it would be physically too much for him. He really enjoys his runs and I love his company and can't wait to do more but obviously we would build up the distance gradually. I was just not sure what the max would be though from what you are saying it would seem he is more than up to the job (and probably more so than me in the long run given his breeding!)

Collie's can go all day. German shepherds are generally good working dogs too if well bred. My jack russel manages about 3 miles then wants carrying home! The max distance really depends on the individual but if your dog is managing longer at a slower pace then just build him up steadily. He should be able to go as far as you if healthy and running fit. You'll know if it's too much as he'll lag behind. My dog used to do longer than 3 miles but i did a few runs with him earlier this year and he just lagged behind or to the side of me. He just didn't look bothered and seemed stiff after, which was the cue to retire his longer distance running career! He is 9 and only has little legs though. He's also grumpy in his older years. In his heyday he'd do 7 or 8 miles steady pace no bother on any terrain.
One way of looking at it is you'd not worry about walking 10 miles with your dog. If you did walk this far I'm sure he'd do double that running back and forth, sniffing out scents, marking etc. You wouldn't walk that far with a bulldog or pug but a collie cross shold cope easily if healthy and no previous juvenile joint problems. Also make sure he gets to drink whilst out and don't run him far in the hot weather.

[brummievet]

Just checked out his pic. He's really sweet!