Dexter9607

Sorry I've been quiet! My computer is in the shop...anywho, Dexter is fabulous!! There have been absolutely no problems. They gave him an extra pain med shot before I left the vet (he was in a LOT of pain when they brought him out to me), and that let him sleep through the night. The next morning (Tuesday), he was already bouncing off the walls like his old self! Of course, I've had to try to keep him quiet! That was easy once I figured out just how much he responds to me...when I was quiet and just sitting on the couch watching TV, he'd do the same and chill out. If I got up to do anything (even load the dishwasher!) he'd be up and ready to play. So, it gave me a nice reason to vege for a day!!! I knew he was good at responding to me, but that level of reaction surprised me!!! He's still wearing hie e-collar. I want to take it off of him when I'm with him. I also want to bring him with me to the farm this weekend. Dear BF is being a bit of a paranoid dad, though, and is of the opinion that the collar should stay on for the 10 days the vet instructed. He also thinks Dex should not go to the farm! I partly agree with him...just bc I'm uber paranoid about that wound reopening. But I want him to not have to wear the collar anymore! FYI: the vet did send me home with antibiotics and pain meds. And, for anyone who might be interested, he had this done at Banfield. As far as I can tell, they did a great job. The only "complaint" I had was that they made me do all the paperwork AFTER they brought him out to me. Once he knew I was there (when they brought his collar into the back), he was ready to go home. Because they did the paperwork after they brought him out, he had to sit by my feet without my attention. THEN we had to go into PetSmart to buy the ecollar....very inefficient. But, overall, everything was fine and great!! Thanks for all your prayers and thoughts...they worked!

Send your positive thoughts our way to Dexter! I feel like I'm going a bit crazy...I KNOW this is a perfectly routine procedure. I KNOW there is nothing to worry about. But, he's my little Dex and I'm worried about him!! I can't wait until this evening when I can pick him up!!!

hahaha We went camping this weekend and Dexter brought me the remains of an eggshell. yummmmm (and, yes, he had eaten what was in there...I saw him by the nest which was on the ground and thought he had found a stick...) He also loves to bring me his ooey gooey rawhide. But only when he's been working on it for a couple of hours and it's good and soggy...

Hey! Skye is gorgeous! I'm in MD, too. I'm in Bowie, though (its 30 minutes from Annapolis, Baltimore, and DC...very equidistant!) Dexter and I are agility/herding addicts in the making, too. I'm just putting it off for a little bit because he's getting neutered at the end of this month. Welcome!

Thanks everyone! I, too, am NOT a fan of the icky greasy spot some meds leave. It sounds like most of the meds are OK (with Frontline Plus and Advantix being the top dogs {hahahaha}) but that it really depends on the dog. I guess I should have figured that out! Thanks again everyone!

I'm just curious as to what Flea/Tick medication all of you use. I've heard awesome and equally horrid things about Sentry. Frontline Plus is not working well enough for my taste. Advantix is OK so far, though It hasn't really been tested well yet (haven't been in the woods, etc.) What do you use? Toodles!

I have insurance on Dex. It is almost the bare minimum, though. It covers all emergency things that (god forbid) may happen. It doesn't cover any preventative stuff (though I did consider that) because I do the wellness plan through my vet. It gives me a lot of piece of mind simply because Dex is very active and very interactive...and I'm planning on agility so...there's a lot of risk with these energetic dogs and I want to make sure I'm going to be able to take care of him no matter what happens. On a side note, for a while there, Dex had better health coverage than me....oi! My goodness, he has me whipped!

We use a bell by the door. I taught Dexter to target the bell (so he knew I wanted him to hit it and make a noise). Once he got that down, every time I took him out (he was asking to go out at this point, so you'd need to reorganize the training to fit Shadow's needs) and asked him to touch the bell. He no longer barks or whines if he needs to go out, he just rings the bell. Maybe this would help Shadow? Maybe he'd appreciate a clear cut way to tell you what he wants. One cautionary note - if he's anything like Dexter, he'll ring the bell all the time for a while...so pick a bell that has a nice ring to it! And, he will stop that after a while

Dexter's eyes were quite blue when we got him. Now, I'd call them hazel. Sometimes they look blue, sometimes green, they mostly have a yellowish tint though. It really depends on the light!

I tried a local vet in my area and was really surprised by the prices (the vet I had where I moved from was MUCH cheaper and MUCH nicer...) So, I actually switched Dex to Banfield. I really like them over there - the vets are nice, gentle, and knowledgeable. The nurses are very confident and precise. I'm much happier with the staff over there. The wellness plan for puppies won me over too - SO worth it in the long run. Dex's neutering is going to be covered. I've heard nothing but good things from other customers. Overall, I'm very impressed and happy with Banfield so far. BTW - not sure when you're looking to get yours done, but Dex is getting snipped at the end of Feb. I know he'll have different doctors from your Banfield, but they should use similar techniques and resources...I can give you a report, if you'd like!

cool beans

True that they all have their own unique look. Here's a picture of Merl... There are also videos of him on youtube - her username is swooshtube She's got a couple of her Aussie on there too

I don't think that's bad at all! I love aussies. Aussies have very similar coloring to BCs...and sometimes very similar physique! Lootah has a pretty square face, which reminds me of an aussie I used to know. I've also known aussies that could easily be mistaken for BCs so...they're all pretty similar!

I don't know if the basic obedience will be a problem, per se. I've just been told not to do the basic obedience because they learn that stuff in basic agility and it's learned in a different way (so you kind of have to reteach it). I'm just going by hearsay, though...it may be the best thing for Lootah! I emailed my BC guru to get a pic of Merl. Surprisingly, I don't have any on my harddrive! It would be initeresting if they were in fact related! You never know...they're not exactly the same, though Lootah could theoretically be the big boy of Merl's litter. My BC guru adopted him from a rescue up in NY state, so I'm pretty sure she's got zero paperwork on him. Lootah looks like he's got Aussie in him! Has anybody ever said that? He's got the face of an Aussie

He's such a good looking dog! One of my friends (I call her my BC guru...) has a merle BC who is a loner, too. He's also a hunter. Whenever they go for a walk in the woods, he's the one who is off hunting for mice or whatever while the other dogs are running around playing. He also had a very strong herding instinct and she found a place where he could herd some sheep. He LOVED it. So maybe that would be something to look into? I've also heard that if you're planning on doing agility, going to a basic obedience class is not the way to go. From what I've been told, it's better to start with basic agility or a puppy prep course so that the basic obedience you teach him doesn't have to be reworked for agility use. He's 8 months and 45 pounds Big Boy! I think Dexter is on his way to that point too - he's just under 5 months and about 22 pounds (although I haven't actually weighed him in about a month). Is his butt taller than his withers? If so, he's still growing! (I love that horses and dogs have the same rules sometimes...) Anywho...maybe Lootah and Merlin (my guru's boy) are brothers....they sound and look extremely similar!!!