# Winston



## aldra (Jul 2, 2009)

Just waiting for my grandsons dog to arrive

Haven’t seen him for a few days as it’s the school hols 

My daughter says he’s been to the vet as he seems to have hurt his front legs 

He rushes about constantly so whether he’s landed funny on them I don’t know

He’s on pain medication apparently 

Funny how you worry about things in the early hrs 

Sandra


----------



## patp (Apr 30, 2007)

Hope Winston is all right.


----------



## aldra (Jul 2, 2009)

Yes he seems to be , Pat 

I think he may have jumped up or down and injured or sprained his elbow joints 

He’s on metacam once daily and doesn’t seem too subdued 

Sandra


----------



## patp (Apr 30, 2007)

Some breeds are pre disposed to elbow joint trouble  I expect the vet is well aware.


----------



## aldra (Jul 2, 2009)

He’s fine
I doubt he even needs painkillers now 

Sandra


----------



## patp (Apr 30, 2007)

Just a thought, Sandra, but do you have laminate or other hard flooring in the house? I did a lot of research, when we had Esther, on caring for dogs with joint pain and one of the things we can do is put down rugs etc on slippery floors so that dogs feet don't slip and cause wear and tear on their joints. There was a brilliant page on Facebook, run by a very caring vet, that gave out advice for people to help their old and not so old pets with joint pain. It was called Canine Arthritis Management. Although aimed at arthritis in dogs it is also good advice for all dogs to protect their joints. Even puppies need a good grip underneath their feet to protect their joints.


----------



## aldra (Jul 2, 2009)

We do Pat 

But he seems to have injured himself at his house
Not mine

But he does rush around like a lunatic 

I do have rugs but obviously not covering the whole of the wooden floors which would defeat the object of wooden floors 

Sandra


----------



## HermanHymer (Dec 5, 2008)

Yes poor young Winston, his breed would be more used to tearing through the bush, not a shiny floor in sight. They are very clever with snakes, for obvious reasons.


Every Zim farmer had at least 5 (in those days).


Hope he's okay now Sandra!


----------



## aldra (Jul 2, 2009)

He is fine I think Viv 

Sandra


----------



## patp (Apr 30, 2007)

He needs to attend the latest State of the Art training classes alongside Georgia and me  No longer are we encouraged to train our dog to sit and lie down and come when called from the start. It is all about teaching them to "switch off". From day one they have a mat that they are encouraged to lie on. I use the word "encouraged" deliberately because you wait until they tread on it at first before you reward. Then they get rewarded for standing on it followed by sitting or lying on it. This is all a free choice by the dog. Treats are given for a few seconds on the mat building gradually up to three minutes (at Georgia's age). No commands are given as dogs learn better when they choose the right behaviour and get rewarded for it. 
The mat can go anywhere with the dog and used to get the dog to "settle", as soon as he sees it, as he will have learned that settling down on it gets him rewards 

Gone are the days when we played with and exercised our dogs to "wear them out" as this is virtually impossible with a high energy breed such as the Border Collie, Spaniels or Rhodesian Ridgeback etc. It has been found that lots of stimulation makes the manic behaviour worse. We are now encouraged to use crates and "quiet spaces" and mats to teach the dog to calm down when not working for its owner.

Most dogs can be taught obedience exercises at any age. Teaching calmness, however, sets puppies and adult dogs up to learn all the other stuff we want them to learn.

In the wild they would lie around most of the time until hunger drove them to hunt. After eating they would lie around all day again.

Have a word in Winston's ear about getting in touch with his wild self and chilling out more


----------



## JanHank (Mar 29, 2015)

We have been able to switch both Shade and Motley off by using 2 expressions, 
_half time_ and _full time._
_Half time_ Motley comes and sits between us on the sofa,(Shade would just lie down and drop his ball) 
half time they would/will have a little rest and then get us going again.
Full time end of game until we start another.

Don't ask me how we taught them that.:grin2: it just happened.

I forget what we said to the others, probably settle down or that will do, something like that.


----------



## aldra (Jul 2, 2009)

No

He’s a dog who comes here

And meets the hound from hell

We are past training now 

We just have the hound from hell

The cross Ridgeback 

They exist together 

And we will travel with the hound from hell

And he will be the hound from hell

And we will control him 

And he will become an absolute baby to make us absolute liars 

Once he meets

It’s just that moment before he meets 

When he’s dangerous 
Sandra


----------



## patp (Apr 30, 2007)

JanHank said:


> We have been able to switch both Shade and Motley off by using 2 expressions,
> _half time_ and _full time._
> _Half time_ Motley comes and sits between us on the sofa,(Shade would just lie down and drop his ball)
> half time they would/will have a little rest and then get us going again.
> ...


Probably because you are experienced dog owners and know better than to "give in" after giving the signal that all games are over  
How did you train Hans?


----------



## Drew (May 30, 2005)

Just wondering Pat, did you ever try posting a photo?


----------



## aldra (Jul 2, 2009)

In the house

Shadow is a baby

Outside he is on guard

Traveling he is on guard 

Nothing persuades him otherwise 

Until he meets

And we are having our bathroom done

By Mark 

And shadow is all over him 

And he is all over shadow 

He is an abosolute baby

Until he’s not when a stranger comes that he hasn’t been introduced to 

And he’s anxious when we travel 

A hound from hell

50 kilos of anxious hound 

Not good

But he swims relaxed , ignores all dogs around 

And he would ignore them 

If they ignored him 

But little dogs attack him 

Owners think so sweet , they haven’t a clue he could kill with one bite 

So we keep him on a short lead

He would never want to kill with one bite 


Sanra


----------



## JanHank (Mar 29, 2015)

*Motleys "meal time" spot*

He chose it himself :laugh: 
Its his 9th birthday on Monday.


----------



## aldra (Jul 2, 2009)

Need to get a move on 

The hound is booked in for bath and bear cut 

Needs his yearly injection 

Both of us...not the hound dentist appointments 

Albert an eye appointment and to have a wart removed from his swollen arm, not a melanoma thankfully

Van cleaned outside but needs cleaning inside and packing 

Bathroom new shower fitted ...almost and tiled , no sink yet 

On suite so, the bedroom is a dust haven

And most of the house also

Although I’ve tackled that today and I’m nackerered

Feeling smug as I haven’t had an arthritis flare up for a few weeks 

But you’ve guessed it woke today with a swollen painful foot and ankle 

Our three not so blind baby rats are growing so next week we will set out to trap and transport them to pastures new 

I’ve fed them in the disabled traps 

Can’t sort out if we need an emission sticker for the Netherlands

Well we may but do we get it there ?

Still haven’t booked the tunnel yet

Sandra



And not a carving knife in sight


----------



## JanHank (Mar 29, 2015)

It's at it agen, email for your post Sandra, but nuffink here.
I give up


----------



## jiwawa (Jun 22, 2007)

aldra said:


> And not a carving knife in sight


Eh???


----------



## aldra (Jul 2, 2009)

Three blind mice nursery rhyme ? Jean


----------



## jiwawa (Jun 22, 2007)

Ahhhh! It was too late!


----------



## aldra (Jul 2, 2009)

I’m not cutting off their tails 

In fact I’m getting quite fond of these three 

Who scurry about

Tiny but beautifully formed 

But they have to go

They have amused and delighted me 

As all of nature does 

And the older I get the more I appreciate this world of ours and all it contains 

Sandra


----------

