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The dog thread is better than the cat thread, because it features dogs.

tonysingh said:
Dogs really are a blessing.
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Having loving animals is, I know this is the dog thread and although I don't currently have one I regularly check here because I love dogs, have to say my cats (only 1 left now sadly) have saved me from despair so many times.
A loving loyal creature looking at you with love and needing your care and just being there no matter what is incredible in terms of psychological wellbeing (or at least having you take a step back from the edge when other things are tough).
 
Epona said:
Having loving animals is, I know this is the dog thread and although I don't currently have one I regularly check here because I love dogs, have to say my cats (only 1 left now sadly) have saved me from despair so many times.
A loving loyal creature looking at you with love and needing your care and just being there no matter what is incredible in terms of psychological wellbeing (or at least having you take a step back from the edge when other things are tough).
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Oh totally.

All of my animals fulfill the role of protector and saviours from four-legged to many legged to no legs at all. If I can catch a meltdown in time, I'll hang out with my menagerie and I'll be more or less OK.
 
tonysingh said:
Oh totally.

All of my animals fulfill the role of protector and saviours from four-legged to many legged to no legs at all. If I can catch a meltdown in time, I'll hang out with my menagerie and I'll be more or less OK.
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Aye, and I have trouble with meltdowns sometimes due to autism, and being around animals generally helps, but definitely my lovely pets (although just the one cat now) is incredibly helpful.
I don't think they know how helpful they are, my Jakey currently is mostly concerned with does his bowl have food in it, and can his blankie be over him because it is a bit chilly.
He is on my lap right now with his blankie over him and we're both happy - I'm much happier than I would be without him.
 
tonysingh said:
Kail has been a wonderful companion since I did my knee. Very gentle, attentive. I plan on treating him to a new harness when I can hobble into town.

What do people recommend? He's an AmStaff and weighs 35kg and despite my best efforts, does pull a wee bit.
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We have the julius k9 harnesses. My only annoyance is they do knot their long hair but that shouldn’t be an issue for Kail.
 
And yeah, dogs are great in times of trouble aren't they.
Lizzieloo and her OH have been fostering bully type dogs for the last year or so and their current one has been such a comfort to Mr Lizzieloo.
Luckily she's young and fit so doesn't mind being dragged out on lots of walks.
 
We had a Julius K9 and it was really good for a time. However when Cassie started to get anxious and scared of things we found out she could back out of it and managed to escape a few time. We ended up with a Ruffwear one which secures differently to the Julius and it's much better for her.
 
Same with Cara, she could back out of the K9 quite easily if she wanted to. Also she chewed it. I think she has a Hurrta now, but she needs a new one, it's falling apart. I think fox poo might be the only thing holding it together :D She's really hard to fit, because she's small and skinny, but with a HUGE barrel chest. Small size won't go round her ribcage, bigger size is longer and too loose for her :facepalm:
 
Rebelda said:
Same with Cara, she could back out of the K9 quite easily if she wanted to. Also she chewed it. I think she has a Hurrta now, but she needs a new one, it's falling apart. I think fox poo might be the only thing holding it together :D She's really hard to fit, because she's small and skinny, but with a HUGE barrel chest. Small size won't go round her ribcage, bigger size is longer and too loose for her :facepalm:
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Perfect fit are meant to be good because they’re modular so you’d do two separate measurements.

Perfect Fit Harness Overview

Default Description
www.perfect-fit-dog-harness.com www.perfect-fit-dog-harness.com

I did forget that both dogs can back out of their K9 ones.
 
what are the advantages of a harness? Less strain on the dog's neck if they pull I assume? I did use one for Frankie but as noted above it it knotted his fur.

For Cosmo I did have one of those leads that pull the dog's head to the side when they pull but I didn't really like the idea of it and she eventually walked nicely to lead anyway. I am trying the Steve Mann suggestion of rewarding Frankie when he doesn't pull but I think that's a long-term approach. He still pulls like mad when we get outside the gate and he's really strong and really fast so I have to keep him on a shortish lead because otherwise he hits 30 mph by the time he reaches the end of it, he's already strained my shoulder a bit and knackered my thumb.
 
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Harnesses are great (if they are the right one) — places the strain more where it is harmless rather than hurting their neck or back. We have a Nobby one, which cleverly spreads the pressure around their chest, back and side. I do recommend it, although 4 years in it is rather tatty!

One thing the Julius and Nobby ones both have is a place that you can attach a Velcro patch. You can buy loads of these that warn people your dog is shy or aggressive or lots of other things. However, we paid a tenner to Etsy for one that has our phone number on it. That way, you don’t have to catch a runaway Ted to find out our phone number, you can see it from quite some distance away.
 
I don’t like walking them on their collar, especially if they pull. A loose lead isn’t going to bother them but as soon as they take off, there’s all that pressure and force on their neck.

Ours travel in the car too so it’s handy for that. We’ve got attachments for the seatbelts and to secure them in the boot that just clip on the harness ring. Lots of harnesses have a handle on the top so they’re easier to grab if needed.
 
I'm not sure Frankie would let me cut the fur that knots at the top with the harness. I do have an electric razor which I've been slowly introducing him to and proper scissors but I don't really think he'd be comfortable with them. I'll perhaps try it though because he does dive off quite a lot. It's only really for the first 200 metres because he's off the lead after that.
 
Rebelda said:
Same with Cara, she could back out of the K9 quite easily if she wanted to. Also she chewed it. I think she has a Hurrta now, but she needs a new one, it's falling apart. I think fox poo might be the only thing holding it together :D She's really hard to fit, because she's small and skinny, but with a HUGE barrel chest. Small size won't go round her ribcage, bigger size is longer and too loose for her :facepalm:
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Gizmo was bigger but the same shape. Like someone had stuck the front end of a staffie onto the back end of a sighthound :D Can't recommend a brand as I just got something unlabelled from a local pet shop, but the style of harness that worked best for him was one that crossed over at the front of the chest / between the front legs. He couldn't back out of it and I don't remember any of the same fit issues you mention which we did have with other stuff.
 
We had to take Dub to the vets last night because he's been flinching/spooking :(

Might be his teeth, might be his ear - vet discovered a large polyp in his ear last year which explains his frequent ear troubles - so he's got 5 days of ABs + metacam to take long term. Removing the polyp isn't really an option due to it's position (right at the end of the horizontal part of the ear canal) and his age.

He had his first dose of ABs last night and ABs + metacam this morning and he already seems a bit better.
He's also on meds for his liver so I was a bit concerned about giving him metacam long term, but the vet reckons that at his age (16!!!) quality of life is the important thing, and we agreed with him.
 
BoatieBird please give Dubby a kiss on the snout from me and remind him that a mad woman from the internet loves his chops.

I'm pretty sure Metacam is metabolised by both the liver and kidneys (it's an nsaid) so hopefully not too tough on his insides.
 
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