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Messages - EnchantedGypsy

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Borzoi Discussions & Pictures / Re: Pupdate (sort of)
« on: January 25, 2008, 08:05:31 am »
Was scheduled to go pick up my puppy on January 19 but had a funeral to go to instead... Plans are now to make the 500 mile round trip next weekend. Hopefully the weather will cooperate,  both highways leading where we need to go were shut down due to snow for nearly 3 days this week....
 

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A male Borzoi puppy ;) Will announce everything when he actually arrives!

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Borzoi Discussions & Pictures / Re: Pupdate (sort of)
« on: November 09, 2007, 11:57:14 pm »
The litter is 2 weeks old now.... A bit too young to determine show-potential or pet quality yet :D I need to get a new battery for my digital camera before long though. When I bought it I didn't realize it uses $80 batteries :o

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Borzoi Discussions & Pictures / Pupdate (sort of)
« on: October 30, 2007, 03:43:09 pm »
My search for the right Borzoi pup continues.... I am currently on the 5th wait list so far, but hopefully this one will be *it* If all goes well, I should have my new addition just after New Years ;) Keeping my fingers crossed!!


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Deerhound Discussions & Pictures / Re: Deer Hound Info Please
« on: October 30, 2007, 03:35:23 pm »
Hi there ;) I adore Deerhounds, but have never had one of my own. The main things that keep me from pursuing one is that even for a large breed they have short lives.... About 6-8 years. The primary cause of death in Deerhounds is heart disease. As for "pros" for the breed, Sir Walter Scott's quote just about says it all in describing his Deerhounds as "The most perfect creatures of Heaven."

 

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Treatment & Preventative Meds / Re: What's the earliest ..
« on: August 06, 2007, 02:01:32 am »
My future Borzoi will be my first big dog. The breeder I've been on a waiting list for a puppy from advised to spay at 12-18 months. She said all of her females have gone into heat at 18-24 months.
18-24 months??? That's incredible!!!

Yep, Zois are late-bloomers. Many don't begin their show careers until about 3 years of age when they've matured physically and have developed their full coat.

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Treatment & Preventative Meds / Re: What's the earliest ..
« on: August 05, 2007, 10:16:44 pm »
My future Borzoi will be my first big dog. The breeder I've been on a waiting list for a puppy from advised to spay at 12-18 months. She said all of her females have gone into heat at 18-24 months.



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General Board for Big Dogs with Big Paws / Re: Therapy Dogs
« on: August 05, 2007, 03:35:37 am »
Dogs can become involved in therapy work after 1 year of age. First they need to be well-socialized, and know basic commands and manners. There are several organizations that provide certification for becoming therapy dogs. The most well-known are:
Delta Society http://www.deltasociety.org/VolunteerAboutBecome.htm
Therapy Dogs Inc.
http://www.therapydogs.com/
Therapy Dogs International
http://www.tdi-dog.org/

Good luck!

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Food Discussion & Information / ~*To soak or not*~
« on: August 05, 2007, 03:26:11 am »
I'm curious if anyone here soaks their dogs' food before putting it down for them to eat? If so, what do you soak it with and for how long?

My future Borzoi will be my first large breed dog. My friend who has 2 Borzoi does soak her dogs' food (Wellness dry/Canine Fair canned) in warm water for 15-20 minutes before letting them eat it. She has never had any cases of bloat in 20 years with the breed.

Looking forward to replies!
 

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Food Discussion & Information / Re: Rawhide eating
« on: August 04, 2007, 05:15:40 am »
I always advise my students at orientation about the dangers of rawhide. Dogs should only be allowed to chew on it when there is someone to supervise them. As previously mentioned, only buy rawhide labeled that it is made in the USA to avoid deadly toxins. When the rawhide gets small enough that your dog may try to swallow it whole, discard and give a new one. Compressed rawhides are bit safer than traditional since they crumble more when chewed on, but they also require supervision and discarding of when worn down.

Alternatives to rawhide I use in my orientations are:

Nylabones-dogs either love these or hate em. Our first pair of Springers hated them, my last Springer *LOVED* them!

Nylabone edibles-these are meant to be completed consumed & digested by your dog and are made from many different foods from turkey to carrots.

Kongs-they come in 3 natural rubbers (soft blue or pink for pups & seniors; original red for average chewers; dense black for tenacious chewers). Kongs can be boiled in broth to tempt your dog to use it, my last Springer *ADORED* his Kong as-is! Speadable cheese or creamy peanut butter can be added to the center of the Kong. Put the Kong in the freezer overnight, then let your dog have it the next day. You can add things to the cheese or peanut butter such as baby carrots or small dog treats. When the center gets dirty, the Kong can be put in the top rack of the dishwasher. It would then need to be re-boiled in broth.

Raw bones-these are actually safer than sterilized or smoked bones since they do not splinter. Most butcher shops are glad to get rid of things like knuckle bones or leg bones at little to no cost.

Hope some of that helps ;)
 

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Big Dogs with Jobs / Re: Rally Obedience
« on: August 04, 2007, 04:37:40 am »
For my classes, I request that dogs already have a minimum of Basic obedience training for my Rally classes. What I consider Basic: sit; sit & stay; lie down; down & stay; heel on-leash; come when called; ect. All Novice Rally exercises are performed on-leash.

However, about 90% of my Rally students are prior clients who've already taken their dogs through my Basic; Intermediate; and Canine Good Citizen courses.

The only age restrictive advice I'd give (especially for large dogs) is don't try Advanced or Excellent Rally exercises until they're mature since these include exercises with jumps. Advanced & Excellent Rally exercises are performed off-leash.


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Transporting & Traveling With Dogs / Re: ~*Small SUVs & Big Dogs*~
« on: August 04, 2007, 04:21:32 am »
Wow, thanks for all the great replies & advice! I think I will go ahead and broaden my search for a Zoi pup and look at males as well ;D My prior dogs have been males, so I'm used to boys but really have no preference.
 

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Transporting & Traveling With Dogs / ~*Small SUVs & Big Dogs*~
« on: August 03, 2007, 11:01:57 am »
Well, I just went through all the prior posts about SUVs & such and have a question.... We have a Suzuki XL-7, at the time I bought it I'd intended to get a Silken Windhound. Now that I've up-sized my next dog to a Borzoi, I want to ask if anyone else has a small SUV that works fine for your big dog??

I originally intended to choose a female Borzoi pup; but after seeing all the big, gorgeous male Borzois last week it got me wanting a male. Female Borzois are about the size of an over-size Silken Windhound at 26"-30" (50-75 pounds); and male Borzois are 30"-36" (75-100 pounds). A couple of the Borzoi people I talked to at the show last week said their dogs don't actually stand up when they're in the car, so not to worry about it. Any thoughts? 

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Big Dogs with Jobs / Re: Service Dog Vests
« on: August 03, 2007, 09:47:59 am »
Glad you found a vest for Remy! Just in case anyone else is looking for service dog vests & equipment, here's my page with some links....

http://home.att.net/~barkers-7733/links.html

The service dog links are toward the bottom of the page.


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Big Dogs with Jobs / Re: Big Dog Service Dogs
« on: August 03, 2007, 09:41:35 am »
Hi! I'm new to the board and just found your post. I'm glad there are a few other service dog people here. My future Borzoi will be my mobility assistance dog (balance issues).

I also plan to train my own service dog. How old is your Anatolian Shepherd? I will be getting my future Borzoi as a baby puppy (about 12 weeks). I also have indoor housecats.... Since they've never lived with a dog, I need to start with a young pup. 

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