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My 2 maniacs. Both rescues. Bailey (left) and Oskar (right)
Lovely hounds. Lola would try to kill Oskar though unless he's supper playful she goes nuts at a collie stare.
So, this is a thread I honestly thought I'd never post on...
... but last Friday we picked up an eight-week old German Wirehaired pointer pup. His name is Sprocket - as per Ogri's dog - and he's ace. I've always wanted a GSP, but the missus likes scruffy mutts, so we compromised and he's the result. Like all pups, he has his moments, but he's bold and bright and doesn't seem to be phased by anything, even next door's irritating barking West Highland Terrier.
Prepare for chaos!
My two GSPs are 14 and are still causing trouble.
Prepare for chaos!
My two GSPs are 14 and are still causing trouble
I'm sure. He's already an embryonic chaos demon, but I'm loving his unquenchable curiosity and boldness. That said, we're quite a calm household, so some of it may rub off on him. Maybe. In a decade or so. 🙄
Double post
Ah sorry, had them the wrong way round. Luckily she doesn't have that crazy collie stare. And has a propensity to put the weight on, so whatever else is in the mix its definitely a porker 🙂
Is Bailey a rommie?
I am confused which one is which now
I meant is oskar Romanian rescue. He has the look of a carpathian mixed in.
That said, we're quite a calm household, so some of it may rub off on him.
There will be an effect. Bodie is known as the most chilled Dalmatian at our vets.
The piglet was found in the woods not far from a field of free range pigs, this new born had clearly decided to just go see the world.
My two girls got super exited about finding it, at first i thought they had found a dead piglet but then it started squealing 🙂
Luckily we saw someone was working at the far end of the field and i took it over to them and they got it back to its mum, so hopefully it will become nice bacon at a later date.
@Twodogs He's gorgeous 🙂 I love the coat variations you get with wirehairs, full gamut from smooth through to total shag-pile.
I am confused which one is which now
I meant is oskar Romanian rescue. He has the look of a carpathian mixed in.
Ah gotcha now, sorry i replied with my mind on about 3 other things. Oskar (left) is a rescue from Macedonia. We are not sure exactly the mix as we have not done a DNA test. But we definitely thought he had Carpathian or Anatolian Shephard dog due to his looks and nature. His issue is reactivity. He wants to be everybody's friend but that's after he barks and snarls. its something we have worked on a lot with him but nothing seems to work. But as it stands we don't think we will have him long as either his Cancer has got into his bone marrow or a disease called Ehrlichia which he has also tested positive for is stopping hm producing red blood cells and platelets. He has such a lovely nature and every day we have him is a bonus.
@Twodogs He's gorgeous 🙂 I love the coat variations you get with wirehairs, full gamut from smooth through to total shag-pile.
Yeah...he's a lot less wiry than our previous 2. He's a rescue so we know nothing about his background, and he could have a bit of short-hair in him, but his shape is pure wire. He's the most chilled and most gentle dog ever.....nothing stresses him (except if he thinks we've forgotten to feed him...every day, at least an hour before dinner time.... 😀
its something we have worked on a lot with him but nothing seems to work
You just described Lola. Even now that video above wouldn't have happened 2 years ago. Scent training worked wonders. Gave her a job in the vicinity of other dogs and she would ignore them. Then she relaxed. Now we can let her meet dogs on the lead, sometimes they get a severe test bark but she straight back being playful mainly. Sorry to hear about his health, its crap but like you say, while they are here... Wonderful.
Today we met 2 beautiful whippet pups, 13 weeks old. Ears took a mauling but she also was gifted a bone from the hardware store so had bigger concerns about stealing that. Peebles highstreet might be the most doggo friendly highstreet in the world.
One week in and I can't believe how fast he's growing. He's doing really well, properly happy overnight in his crate and no indoor accidents for around four days now. Gets mildly tetchy and slightly bitey if he doesn't sleep, which he does most of the time, and doesn't really have an 'off switch', so you have to manage his time carefully.
It's taken a while to find a 'jackpot treat' for him, most stuff he simply doesn't give a stuff about. - even cheese - but air-fried chicken breast properly rocks his world, so it's clicker time. Oh, and bits of fish-skin twists, though they take ages to eat, so of limited use. He also discovered the world of snuffle mats this afternoon, which was ace. Proper full-on focus, though he 'missed' a couple of carrot discs 🙂
Sounds like you and the pup are living a great life already
Another idea for treats is air fried kidney and heart. Just make a large batch up and freeze in some bags.
Buck and Tod stayed over for the weekend. Handsome pair. Willow trying to stay aloof during the obligatory tailgate shot. 
Our Cocker escaped today, arrived home from having been out for a couple of hours and there was no sign of him. Searched all round the house, under the beds - nope definitely not in the house.
Shit, he must’ve snuck out when we were leaving, although that’s very out of character for him.
So we both jump in a car each and go driving around locally looking for him, along his normal walk and asking everyone if they’ve seen him.
Wife posts on the local FB page.
Search continues.
Wife calls me to say the dog walker has got him! Amazing, she must have been in the area and he went and found her. What a relief after 45 minutes of panic.
Oh what’s that, it’s Monday?
The day he goes out with the dog walker to hang out with his gang. Yup. Completely forgot she was due to come and pick him up and take him out 🤣
She’d seen the FB post that he was MIA 🤦♂️
And yes it was quite embarrassing when we had to tell the neighbours where we’d found him.
Here's a nice photo of Henry on Newborough beach this morning.
Our two “fierce hunters” last night 😄
He heard the treat jar open at his local. I cleaned my lens after the photo.
We lost our 15 year old Westie in 2022.
We weren't looking for another dog, we are too busy to train a pup, then, almost at random, just over a year later, this little fella turned up at 7pm on a Thursday, apparently just for 1 night and he hasn't left since.
Here he is, enjoying the Heatherslaw Railway.
So, just over two weeks of Sprocket, now a 10-week-old wire haired pointer pup, and he's ace. Pretty much as nuts as you'd expect from a pointer and no 'off-switch' whatsoever. He's getting the basics of manners now - loves his crate, toilet training has been (mostly) really good and is getting the idea of paws on the floor and no biting please, though obviously he's a pup, so there's occasional accidental contact when playing. Even next door's mutt has mostly STF up, though I can't wait for Sprock's second jabs so we can go explore more of the world together.
He's big into his snuffle mat too, which is ace and doing recall foundation stuff in the garden. It's all a learning experience, but he's a brilliant little dude, getting bigger everyday and starting to grow whiskers too. He's going to be an awesome dog.
Anyway, I wonder if anyone has suggestions for reasonably healthy high value treats. He'll do pretty much anything for air-fried chicken breast or bits of fish-skin twist, but it would be good to have some alternatives that aren't the doggy equivalent of UPF - sausages for example - or bit fatty as per most cheese? Does anyone use biltong type stuff? Fish? I appreciate that it's down the the individual dog, but any suggestions welcome.
Here's the Prince of Daftness safely crated, but plotting his next comedy exploit. Don't be taken in by his chilled demeanour, cogs are whirring...
Pooch and Mutt do some puppy jerky. Herbert has yet to dislike any of their offerings.........
Training treats? We use dried liver. Any type of liver -Pigs liver or beast liver if you can find it. Slice it really thin, less than a cm thick if you have a decent knife, then into 1-2cm wide strips. Lay them on foil on a baking tray and bake in the oven at 110 degrees for 60-70 minutes.
Once cooked cut the results into cubes about half the size of your little finger nail. They only need to be tiny, but being liver are immensely high value. Being tiny they mean the pup gets a taste but doesn't bugger about chewing etc and lose concentration.
Bag them and freeze them, then simply take a handful with you when training or walking, they'll thaw really quickly, and being pretty dry don't get messy.
Don't do what Mrs Scape did and leave them in the car door pocket for a week or so during the summer......
Another quick win is the rind off strong dry cheese. Obviously don't go out and buy a wheel of artisan Parmeggiano, but if you eat cheese, cut the rind (Not the wax!!) into 3mm cubes. Again, high value, quickly swallowed, mess-free.
Ours go mad for liver as well. But being lab/retriever they'd do the same for a moldy strawberry.
Lola still recovering from a torn ACL. Had her first proper off lead walk today after 6 weeks restricted exercise. Bit limpy but heading in the right direction. Didn't chase after Roxie tho, so not ready to run. No idea if this is comfortable, but it is one of her fav sleeping spots. The other one just basically passes out at 9PM 😉
Thanks all, will give the jerky and the liver a try and maybe see how a tiny sliver of parmesan goes down 🙂
[url= https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/54465906504_36cfcdcf6c_k.jp g" target="_blank">https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/54465906504_36cfcdcf6c_k.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/2qYY1rw ]Murphy[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/colinhines26/ ]Colin[/url], on Flickr
Murphy can do majestic, or full derp. Majestic on this occasion. Just before a very windy walk up The Roaches.
No idea what is going on with that link. New forum issue I'd guess.
We're away and Rosie is staying with her previous owner. I don't get the impression she's missing us 
So, just over two weeks of Sprocket, now a 10-week-old wire haired pointer pup, and he's ace. Pretty much as nuts as you'd expect from a pointer and no 'off-switch' whatsoever. He's getting the basics of manners now - loves his crate, toilet training has been (mostly) really good and is getting the idea of paws on the floor and no biting please, though obviously he's a pup, so there's occasional accidental contact when playing. Even next door's mutt has mostly STF up, though I can't wait for Sprock's second jabs so we can go explore more of the world together.
He's big into his snuffle mat too, which is ace and doing recall foundation stuff in the garden. It's all a learning experience, but he's a brilliant little dude, getting bigger everyday and starting to grow whiskers too. He's going to be an awesome dog.
Anyway, I wonder if anyone has suggestions for reasonably healthy high value treats. He'll do pretty much anything for air-fried chicken breast or bits of fish-skin twist, but it would be good to have some alternatives that aren't the doggy equivalent of UPF - sausages for example - or bit fatty as per most cheese? Does anyone use biltong type stuff? Fish? I appreciate that it's down the the individual dog, but any suggestions welcome.
Here's the Prince of Daftness safely crated, but plotting his next comedy exploit. Don't be taken in by his chilled demeanour, cogs are whirring...
Pointers are great dogs, intelligent, great characters and love to please you. Watch that he doesn't do too much exercise, they will run all day long to the point of exhaustion. Probably just because they can, that's Pointer Logic.
You will have a great time with him and I suspect him with you, I am more than a little envious of the fun you'll both have.
Ours is 15 now, we took him on from a refuge 8 years ago and have never had anything but fun and laughter with him. A good soul, he has brought us so much happiness.
Enjoy.
Anyway, I wonder if anyone has suggestions for reasonably healthy high value treats. He'll do pretty much anything for air-fried chicken breast or bits of fish-skin twist, but it would be good to have some alternatives that aren't the doggy equivalent of UPF - sausages for example - or bit fatty as per most cheese? Does anyone use biltong type stuff? Fish? I appreciate that it's down the the individual dog, but any suggestions welcome.
I try to avoid anything processed so normally just roast a chicken breast then chop it into small chunks. If I need something that will last a long time then I have bought dried chicken strips and chopped bits off. I'm not a dog nutritionist but I figure small amounts of plain chicken can't be too harmful and they definitely motivate a dog.
Ladies and gentlemen, I present the graceful and poised Greyhound. 
I try to avoid anything processed so normally just roast a chicken breast then chop it into small chunks. If I need something that will last a long time then I have bought dried chicken strips and chopped bits off. I'm not a dog nutritionist but I figure small amounts of plain chicken can't be too harmful and they definitely motivate a dog.
Thanks, in honesty, that's pretty much the conclusion I've reached. I'm going to try the liver suggestion for variety, but small chunks of chicken seem to be the absolute badger for the pup and, as you say, a pretty healthy option.
Pointers are great dogs, intelligent, great characters and love to please you. Watch that he doesn't do too much exercise, they will run all day long to the point of exhaustion. Probably just because they can, that's Pointer Logic.
You will have a great time with him and I suspect him with you, I am more than a little envious of the fun you'll both have.
Ours is 15 now, we took him on from a refuge 8 years ago and have never had anything but fun and laughter with him. A good soul, he has brought us so much happiness.
Enjoy.
Thanks! I've always loved them, was set on a short haired, but the missus likes scruffy dogs and here we are. It's already clear that he doesn't have an off switch, but he's a fab little character, bright and affectionate and with a spark of utter madness that I suspect will never go. We're on the edge of the Peak District, big hills out of the door, and I can't wait for him to be out there with us in a year or so's time 🙂
