Post by burnsider on Aug 1, 2014 15:40:46 GMT -5
Reggie has been with us since March and has generally been wonderful, although just as clumsy as Lisa warned us he would be ("Reggie in a nut-shell - thick head, thin skin")! He seemed to settle quickly and bonded well with Lola. When anything unusual comes along he still looks to her for her reaction. Play has always been with Lola leading the way and having to encourage Reggie to join in with lots of play bows and running around him, nudging him and small yaps culminating in a good run for both with typical lurcher snapping teeth & barking.
Beginning about a month ago, we have had two mishaps, both resulting in nips to Reggie from collies (there are a lot around here). For the first we had a trip to the vets, but were just advised to keep the wound clean, anti-biotics etc and it healed well. The collie's owner agreed instantly to pay the vet bill. Two weeks later an unrecognized collie, on it's own, appeared in a field showing every intention of joining in with the play and initially seemed fine. With Lola & Reggie chasing in circles, the collie suddenly laid down in long grass. Lola jumped over him & Reggie went to run around him and got another nip, but more of a scratch this time.
Following these two events he began by barking at collies on sight, even making a known aggressive collie slink away quietly, and being generally much more cautious around other dogs. This is improving slowly with constant gentle introductions to known good dogs.
Eight days ago, while playing together in a field, we think Reggie tugged Lola's tail resulting in a limp tail, obviously painful and swelling about a third of the way from the tail root. Another trip to the vets confirmed no permanent damage, but swelling pressing on a nerve, so anti-biotics (in case of a skin puncture), pain killers and anti-inflammatory tablets (I believe the vet is getting a new car soon thanks to us!).
After that, Lola was more reluctant to play for a while, which we thought was due to the pain. Reggie became more & more insistent to the point where he appears quite aggressive in "encouraging" her to play. In the house the usual "bitey face" continues. In the garden they still play chase. Earlier this week in the camper van they snuggled contentedly at night, with just the usual one or two "I want more bed than you" growls through the night. Put them in a larger open space (field, beach etc) and let them off lead and Reggie tries to grab Lola and shake her! There is no preliminary, just straight in and grab. Lola still tries to back away and has hidden in hedges etc, obviously not enjoying it, but Reggie doesn't seem to understand and persists until we put him on his lead. Once on lead, Lola will come back and everything appears fine again.
Is this just Reggie being a teenage thug, the result of the nips he's had or the beginning of a more serious problem that needs to be stopped? If either of the latter, what can we do? Any thoughts/ideas welcome.
Beginning about a month ago, we have had two mishaps, both resulting in nips to Reggie from collies (there are a lot around here). For the first we had a trip to the vets, but were just advised to keep the wound clean, anti-biotics etc and it healed well. The collie's owner agreed instantly to pay the vet bill. Two weeks later an unrecognized collie, on it's own, appeared in a field showing every intention of joining in with the play and initially seemed fine. With Lola & Reggie chasing in circles, the collie suddenly laid down in long grass. Lola jumped over him & Reggie went to run around him and got another nip, but more of a scratch this time.
Following these two events he began by barking at collies on sight, even making a known aggressive collie slink away quietly, and being generally much more cautious around other dogs. This is improving slowly with constant gentle introductions to known good dogs.
Eight days ago, while playing together in a field, we think Reggie tugged Lola's tail resulting in a limp tail, obviously painful and swelling about a third of the way from the tail root. Another trip to the vets confirmed no permanent damage, but swelling pressing on a nerve, so anti-biotics (in case of a skin puncture), pain killers and anti-inflammatory tablets (I believe the vet is getting a new car soon thanks to us!).
After that, Lola was more reluctant to play for a while, which we thought was due to the pain. Reggie became more & more insistent to the point where he appears quite aggressive in "encouraging" her to play. In the house the usual "bitey face" continues. In the garden they still play chase. Earlier this week in the camper van they snuggled contentedly at night, with just the usual one or two "I want more bed than you" growls through the night. Put them in a larger open space (field, beach etc) and let them off lead and Reggie tries to grab Lola and shake her! There is no preliminary, just straight in and grab. Lola still tries to back away and has hidden in hedges etc, obviously not enjoying it, but Reggie doesn't seem to understand and persists until we put him on his lead. Once on lead, Lola will come back and everything appears fine again.
Is this just Reggie being a teenage thug, the result of the nips he's had or the beginning of a more serious problem that needs to be stopped? If either of the latter, what can we do? Any thoughts/ideas welcome.
