Dog Owner Chat V. 5

[.Middy.]

We took the crew hiking the other day and I got my new favorite group shot 😍 I love these four dorks so much. Can’t wait for our next hiking day!

[shadow~wolf]

@Middy
jeez! that's a wonderful group photo, you're living my dream life with all those pups.

[.Middy.]

Lol this was the whole crew that day. It was a lot of fun, even if I did end up covered in mud!

And yeah it’s a fun time, lot of work though. I’ve got 8 in my house rn so that’s been kinda crazy.

[KiraWolf]

Oh my gosh! I have three and that seems overwhelming at time, how do you do it?? They're all so pretty btw♥

[chase.]

Anyone else dreading the summer?


I’m putting a paddling pool in the garden for my dogs as I think they’re going to start overheating soon, Logan especially.

I think out of all my dogs quarantine has hit Valerie (saluki/deerhound mix rescue), Morgan (English springer) and Logan the hardest since they are the most active of my group. They definitely don’t appreciate the sudden lack of ability or flyball so I’m working on Logan’s tricks instead. I tried with Valerie but she seems more into eyeing up my fish tanks instead lmao.

On a side note Logan did get to meet up with one of his few friends just before the lockdown started so here’s their photo:
[sorry for the bad photo it’s a resized screenshot so the quality kinda went yeet]

Here’s percy [the small black dog on the left]
- it was quite funny, a stereotypical Doberman came running up to us (docked tail, cropped ears, collar with ‘bruce’ on it and a deep bark) but he bolted when Percy started barking which me and my friend found hysterical. We got the chance to meet him with his owner when she caught up with him and he was the sweetest boy - just very shy.



Also got Logan measured awhile ago and I’ve just realised how bigger he is from other rough collies that I know. Apparently the average for a rough collie is around 58 - 65cm so I’ve got a bit of a lanky child at a 71.2cm [from floor to shoulder]. I think that might be the breeder though since I’ve noticed his line are all quite big for collies aha.

So it got me curious if anyone else here has a dog that’s oddly short/tall for the breed standard?


I also hope you guys are all doing good! <3

[Cøpacetic]

@alpha
What beautiful dogs! Your collie looks so much like my boy collin. He was a sable and white rough collie too. He was quite big compared to the average collie in his prime, as he was tall enough to put his head on top of the dining room table and weighed about 75 pounds. He passed away yesterday though. I hope your boy stays with you for many more years!

[Boneabii]

Anyone else dreading the summer?


I’m putting a paddling pool in the garden for my dogs as I think they’re going to start overheating soon, Logan especially.

I think out of all my dogs quarantine has hit Valerie (saluki/deerhound mix rescue), Morgan (English springer) and Logan the hardest since they are the most active of my group. They definitely don’t appreciate the sudden lack of ability or flyball so I’m working on Logan’s tricks instead. I tried with Valerie but she seems more into eyeing up my fish tanks instead lmao.

On a side note Logan did get to meet up with one of his few friends just before the lockdown started so here’s their photo:
[sorry for the bad photo it’s a resized screenshot so the quality kinda went yeet]

Here’s percy [the small black dog on the left]
- it was quite funny, a stereotypical Doberman came running up to us (docked tail, cropped ears, collar with ‘bruce’ on it and a deep bark) but he bolted when Percy started barking which me and my friend found hysterical. We got the chance to meet him with his owner when she caught up with him and he was the sweetest boy - just very shy.



Also got Logan measured awhile ago and I’ve just realised how bigger he is from other rough collies that I know. Apparently the average for a rough collie is around 58 - 65cm so I’ve got a bit of a lanky child at a 71.2cm [from floor to shoulder]. I think that might be the breeder though since I’ve noticed his line are all quite big for collies aha.

So it got me curious if anyone else here has a dog that’s oddly short/tall for the breed standard?


I also hope you guys are all doing good! <3

My aussie Pepper really hates this quarantine, but yeah, teaching him new tricks seems to help. Also apparently he's supposed to be a mini aussie, but he's a dog of 20 inches and 47 pounds, the size of a normal Australian Shepherd.

[taikunfoo]

Any advice for a new-ish dog owner? I got my dog almost a year ago, but this is our first shedding season and oh my goodness. It was his first 'real' winter with snow (he was a stray down south) and now he's blowing out his winter coat. He has short fur but a double coat, and I've brushed him out three times already this week and he's still creating little fluffballs every time he gets petted. If I saved the fur we'd have have a dog half his size by now with all of the fluff he's currently loosing. I'm curious to hear what other folks do when it's this time of year to help manage the fur? Any fun or amusing stories from your dog(s) about shedding?

A picture of the fluff-monster who is no doubt pleased with his small percentage of great pyrenees heritage:

[Boneabii]

We kill him and resurrect him with the fur that he’s shedded. You can get medicine for shedding, but often it just gets too expensive when you actually do what you can do. Brushing him twice a day will help, and you can also take him to a groomer to get all that shedding fur off. Bathing definitely helps, but doing it weekly (recommended) can stress your dog out if he doesn’t like baths. Organic, healthy foods will slow down shedding as well as being healthy, but putting a bit of olive oil in his food will do in a pinch. Dogs shed in artificial light, so you might see a small decrease in shedding if you don’t turn on many lights with him around.

Now I’m going to get into the scary stuff.
He might be dehydrated. This time of year of course dogs are going to shed their coat, but major shedding is a sign of dehydration. Having him drink lots of water will help with seasonal shedding in general, but make sure that he is drinking, as shedding is often overlooked as a sign of it.
There could be a fungal infection. If you see that his fur seems to be thinning out or there are bald spots, scabs, sores, or if he’s licking or itching a lot, this could be a sign of an infection. These are also signs of parasites (fleas, ticks, etc.) or allergies, so take him to the vet if you spot anyof this. It could get way more serious, trust me.
It could be diseases such as Cushing’s Disease or cancer. Shedding, weight loss, and an increased appetite are just a few symptoms of Cushing’s Disease. If you see any skin infections, this could be a symptom as well. If you find any abnormal lumps or scabs while he’s shedding, be concerned and on the lookout for other symptoms, as this could be a sign of skin cancer.
Stress can be a factor. If there’s anything that could stress your dog out, check it. Pinned ears, lots of howling/whimpering, and sweaty paws are a few signs that he’s real stressed. Pacing and shaking are some other ones too. If you can’t find anything that could stress him, think about yourself. He’s always reading into your feelings and if you are constantly anxious or scared, he’s going to be stressed for you. It’s hard not to be scared right now during these times, but helping your dog should be highest priority as long as you practice good hygiene.


I hope this can help! Update me by PM or just keep posting on this thread!

Also I love your dog. A sort of funny story, once when he was shedding a lot, I took my dog Pepper on a walk around the block. He literally left a trail of hairs where ever he went. If you looked closely, you could see dog hairs all around the block and into the car because we were going on a trip to Tahoe I think.

[taikunfoo]

We kill him and resurrect him with the fur that he’s shedded. You can get medicine for shedding, but often it just gets too expensive when you actually do what you can do. Brushing him twice a day will help, and you can also take him to a groomer to get all that shedding fur off. Bathing definitely helps, but doing it weekly (recommended) can stress your dog out if he doesn’t like baths. Organic, healthy foods will slow down shedding as well as being healthy, but putting a bit of olive oil in his food will do in a pinch. Dogs shed in artificial light, so you might see a small decrease in shedding if you don’t turn on many lights with him around.

Now I’m going to get into the scary stuff.
He might be dehydrated. This time of year of course dogs are going to shed their coat, but major shedding is a sign of dehydration. Having him drink lots of water will help with seasonal shedding in general, but make sure that he is drinking, as shedding is often overlooked as a sign of it.
There could be a fungal infection. If you see that his fur seems to be thinning out or there are bald spots, scabs, sores, or if he’s licking or itching a lot, this could be a sign of an infection. These are also signs of parasites (fleas, ticks, etc.) or allergies, so take him to the vet if you spot anyof this. It could get way more serious, trust me.
It could be diseases such as Cushing’s Disease or cancer. Shedding, weight loss, and an increased appetite are just a few symptoms of Cushing’s Disease. If you see any skin infections, this could be a symptom as well. If you find any abnormal lumps or scabs while he’s shedding, be concerned and on the lookout for other symptoms, as this could be a sign of skin cancer.


I hope this can help! Update me by PM or just keep posting on this thread!

Also I love your dog. A sort of funny story, once when he was shedding a lot, I took my dog Pepper on a walk around the block. He literally left a trail of hairs where ever he went. If you looked closely, you could see dog hairs all around the block and into the car because we were going on a trip to Tahoe I think.

Thank you very much for taking the time to write out a detailed response! I've been brushing him with a furminator which is a little rough on his guard hairs, but there are a couple of other brushes lying around that might be suitable for daily brushing. As of right now we don't have a groomer for him and most places are closed around here due to the virus. I've been handling his brushing, tooth brushing, nail trimming, ear cleaning, and (much to his horror) bathing since I got him. He isn't big on baths/showers, but we've made a lot of progress by smearing peanut butter on the walls so he can lick that off as I clean him up.

As for diet/general health, he gets a wsava-compliant dry food with training treats and on occasion, rawhide chews. There haven't been any serious health issues with him, but he had been shot before I got him and we know of at least one pellet in his leg. Additionally, he has two chipped (but not cracked) teeth, but the vet determined that they didn't need to come out (root wasn't exposed/the teeth weren't bothering him). He's been drinking/eating normally, and I haven't seen any other signs of skin irritation other than his usual 'I have a itchy spot by my collar' or a quick itch on his belly/armpit area. I just checked through his fur and I don't see any fleas/ticks/lumps/scabs/irritation/redness, just a little dandruff. He does need a bath soon (much to his horror I'm sure), and I've been meaning to pick up a oatmeal-based shampoo for him to help with the dandruff.

We think he's ~3 years old at this point (adopted him last June), so I'm not super worried about cushings or cancer right now. He tends to hover between 50 and 55lbs and is built like a linebacker- we do a lot of walking/hiking to begin with, even more so now that I'm home a lot. He'll usually get between 1 hour (workweek) and 3.5 hours (weekend) of walking/exercise a day. He holds a title in my family for pulling my 220lb father down a hill (admittedly covered in wet leaves) on his rear after seeing a squirrel, but thankfully he's improved a lot on his leash-walking with training.

Behavior-wise he does tend to groom himself like a cat by licking his fur (not obsessively, and he doesn't usually lick his feet/pawpads), and of course the normal licking of genitalia, but he hasn't been doing this more than normal. He's pretty vocal and communicates by whining, but this hasn't changed recently. We have had some changes now that I'm home and not at work, and my little brother moved back in (he's met/lived with him before) which might contribute to elevated stress levels.

In conclusion, I'm not super concerned about health issues right now, but thank you for giving me suggestions as to how to better manage his shedding and things to keep an eye out for! He's my first dog and it's our first time going through the spring shedding together, so I expected some seasonal shedding but I had no idea how much fur could come off of this dog! Heck, it feels like we're already halfway to a carbon copy of him in fluff.

I love your story about Pepper, that's so funny! Do you have any pictures of him to share? I'm glad to hear that events like that are somewhat normal during shedding time (you should see the bushes by where I've been brushing him). Here's another picture of the mighty squirrel hunter: