Dutch Shepherd Forum

yes hes been around other dogs and loves to play with those who suit his personality, i know how it works.
i visited the place today and i expected it to be a bit less than their website made it out to be(it looks awesome) but apparently they undersold it because the place is even better.
there was one bark as i drove up and for the rest of the visit and tour it was completely quiet. all dogs wagging tails and chilled out in their kennels with a radio playing low in each of the three rooms (6 underfloor heated kennels per room with attached outdoor runs). the kennels/runs are also MUCH larger than i expected so im beyond pleased.
its not like a daycare and they dont dump all the dogs in together, they need to have compatible personalities and energy levels for any chance to meet(on neutral ground not in their kennels). for demon we decided he would be introduced to the kennels resident 2y/o boisterous rottweiler bitch to see how they get along, if they do he has a sturdy playmate during his paddock time for the week.
the kennel owners are extremely dog savvy and lovely people, 100% flexible and accepting of everything demon needs and doesn't. they used to show and breed Spaniels and have an entire wall covered in rosettes as you enter the reception
they know a large amount about the DS and talked with me saying despite the low population of them here the DS is starting to be imported to the irish police force in greater numbers recently , aswell as chatting about some DS's they met in france. demon should be the first one to board there to my knowledge.
theres no leashes involved for the week as i had hoped and demon will just be let out and herded to and from the paddock when needs be, the whole process is smooth and efficient. theyll also be posting updates and photos of him throughout the week as an extra which is comforting

very glad i waited and kept looking at more kennels, this one ticks every box and then some. as for the treats they said they have a freezer full to the brim with chicken but ill keep looking for anything especially interesting for him to gnaw on anyway.
still dont want to leave him but the stress is cut in half.

that sounds great !!

That's great! Are you going to try boarding him there overnight as a test run? I hope everything goes smoothly for you!

they suggested that themselves bit unfortunately there just isnt any time to make the journey between now and the boarding date, the only thing im trying to figure out right now is how to hand him over.
their system is giving them the leash in the reception, they walk him into his kennel room, you leave without him seeing you. that way he never associates separation with the kennel and the stress is kept down until he meets me again in the reception.
the only thing is ill be transporting him there in a harness and i wouldnt give them the job of trying to get it off him, so between the car and the door there needs to be some kind of switcharoo between harness and collar (a collar im conveniently unable to find yet) with as little fuss and freakout as possible. ill sort it out i just need to be thoroughly prepared

My only additional comment which you probably already know if to practice whatever switcharoo or set up a bunch of times before - you know how smart these dudes are.

Just an update on demon, was sent these today. He seems to be doing well with other dogs and I've been told he's been behaving.
Seems they found a good match for him, can't wait to get home again.

another herding dog !! HA they can herd each other

Ooh. That third pose.

Raven wrote:Ooh. That third pose.

The first one too

Raven wrote:Ooh. That third pose.

Um, yeah....

Look at all that body language in the third pic! Wonder if it's like the game my dude decided was a good way to initiate play - he would walk over to Jakai who was laying down and stand over her like Demon is in the pic, minus the hackles, and she would leap up to snap at him and he would take off running and try to get her to chase him, which usually worked. That took some work to get him to drop that habit but for him and her it was all part of the game.

We prefer the hooves for long term. We have done them with French Bulldogs, our Boston terrier and our blue healer and they work great.... Plus they are cheap and don't make a mess.. I would give them a shot I think you and the pups will be happy.

I haven't gotten hooves, yet, I looked at them last time I went but I already had a basket full of stuff

since I'm pet-sitting for my friend (through the end of this weekend) we went shopping before she dropped them off so they all had plenty to chew on play with and not fight each other... my floor is littered with a half dozen antlers

I also got pig ear pieces, which look like slices from the base of the ear where it meets the skull, which I actually prefer since it's more dense and takes them longer to chew thru than just a papery pig ear itself

I also tried filled tracheas... (I got them at Petco but I can't find them on their website)... I might try the un-filled ones, but I won't be buying the stuffed ones again, I came home to find that when they had worked their way thru them there must have been a bone portion or something inside the stuffing and there were hard slivers and chips all over the floor, I'm too scared of them swallowing something like that

if you do hooves, be prepared...they stink to high heaven. we don't do hooves for that reason... blech!

Stacy_R wrote:they stink to high heaven. we don't do hooves for that reason... blech!

Princess.

Raven wrote:

Stacy_R wrote:they stink to high heaven. we don't do hooves for that reason... blech!

Princess.

Why, yes....yes I am.

Is THAT what that smell was? I tried one for H - lasted about 20 minutes and was broken into pieces (I made him give me any that were over a quarter - okay nickel because I'm a worry wart - in size) - and could NOT figure out what the heck the smell was in the living room. Lesson. Learned. lol. To each their own though - if it works go for it.

Stacy_R wrote:

Raven wrote:

Stacy_R wrote:they stink to high heaven. we don't do hooves for that reason... blech!

Princess.

Why, yes....yes I am.

Oh no, my dogs used to eat horses hooves and WOW do they smell !!!!!

Owned-By-Hendrix wrote:Is THAT what that smell was?

LOL! Nasty, eh? The rule in our house is smelly things that leave lingering, nasty odors are eaten outside, period. I am a clean freak and very sensitive to nasty odors. I'm a weirdo...

has anybody noticed a difference in consistency/hardness of antlers?

the first set I bought were deer I'm rather certain and they seemed to last forever
(except the split ones, Shota ate the marrow-ish centers out within a day)

but this last time I bought the Blue Buffalo elk ones because they were on sale... within a day or two they were down to nubs the length of my thumb