Re: In Tears with Poppy's antics She probably thinks you are the fun one Good plan to take her to the vet to out your mind at rest I'm sure you've done this already, but it might be worth having a think about any differences in what you do and what your hubby does. I do think that being relaxed is possibly a factor....one thing you can try is just faking it Walk in a relaxed, loose way (I know that's not easy when your dog is behaving like a jumping jack...), don't stare at things but look about, head up, hum a tune, swinging arms.....dogs notice that kind of stuff and are very tuned in to our mood. Can you and your hubby walk her together so you can swap between you so it's not too much for either of you? Maybe that might help identify what is different, either on a walk or at home or both?
Re: In Tears with Poppy's antics Good suggestions from Rachael - act like you are really relaxed and in charge, and walk with your hubby to see what it is that is different about his walk with Poppy. Good luck Lois, hang in there.
Re: In Tears with Poppy's antics The other thing is to turn your back on her and completely ignore the jumping up, grabbing, etc. I found this worked well with my scoundrel. Help her to learn that walks are walks, and not "go loony" time. She only gets your attention when she doesn't jump, not when she does. I found clicker training very helpful with the "no jump", have you tried that? Hoping with you that she calms down soon....it's so annoying and difficult, I know.
Re: In Tears with Poppy's antics Well just to let you know after another nightmare walk first thing this morning our lunchtime stroll was very peaceful and uneventful first decent walk all week, still taking her to vets later for my peace of mind
Re: In Tears with Poppy's antics Check in when you can and let us know what the vet says.....glad the second walk was better x
Re: In Tears with Poppy's antics Well we have been to the vet she is now allowed to run yippeeeee!!! But have been advised to change her food from Wagg which is full of E numbers to James Beloved but this is quite expensive hubby not impressed....all you doggy experts out there any suggestion for a similar product not quite as expensive???
Re: In Tears with Poppy's antics If you break the cost down into a daily amount your hubby may actually be shocked at how LITTLE your dog's food is costing per day. No wonder it's full of preservatives, E-numbers, etc. there are any number of good, local pet food sources - but they all cost more, because the shelf life isn't so long. Have you considered raw feeding for Poppy?
Re: In Tears with Poppy's antics I don't know anything about raw feeding so maybe you could advise me sound abit yuk to me...lol
Re: In Tears with Poppy's antics There is a whole section on raw feeding on this site, with loads of interesting articles and threads. Raw feeding is not for everyone, but it's definitely a good alternative, especially if your dog is having issues with commercial dog food. For a dog like your Poppy, chewing on raw meaty bones might help to calm her down (most dogs find it incredibly satisfying), and you would be sure of what exactly she is eating. In a nutshell, raw feeding mimics what wild dogs, foxes and wolves eat - and what domestic dogs ate prior to the development of commercial dog food, about 60 years ago.
Re: In Tears with Poppy's antics Will check this out thanks Karen I have given Poppy cooked bones and ones from Pet shops I always thought raw bones would be dangerous but def look into this.
Re: In Tears with Poppy's antics Cooked bones are a no-no as they can splinter and are very hard to digest but raw bones are fine. Just take away any big bones before she gets stuck into the hard part. Raw, soft bones with a lot of meat on them like chicken, duck, rabbit or fish are perfect and they can eat a whole chunk (like a chicken thigh with bone in). Great for their teeth
