Bird Flu

[ChrisB]

[SwanR]

I’ve just been reading about the situation on the River Stour. 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-suffolk-63094657?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=news_tab

They are recommending that dogs should be kept on leads when out walking. 

[Wussername]

All dogs should be kept on leads. Especially in the country side. Especially on the Norfolk Broads. There is so much at risk, the dog, wildlife, sheep and other livestock.

In Norfolk, even the beach can be a dangerous place. Fot the dog, for the wildlife.

[Smoggy]

All depends on the training and the owner,  most dog issues are on the other end of the lead than the dog.

[YnysMon]

How can you exercise an energetic breed if you don’t allow them off a lead anywhere? We are all for keeping our dog on a lead most places, but a collie needs to run! 

[JanetAnne]

For the sake of the Broads, can I point out that neither Oulton Broad nor the Waveney from OB up to and including Beccles yacht station are littered with the dead bodies of swans. In fact, having travelled that stretch a number of times over the last couple of days, not a single body was seen littering any part of the journey's.

To be fair, one of this year's cygnets was found ill and collected by swan rescue who said it may have been bird flu but they don't test. A second swan, again found ill, had been struck by a car. 

Of course all that could change quite quickly but, right now, our swans are very happy and keen to relieve anyone visiting Oulton Broad of their bread, swan food, corn and anything else appropriate despite the headline grabbing sensationalist journalism doing the rounds!

[Meantime]

14 hours ago, Wussername said:

All dogs should be kept on leads. Especially in the country side.

There are notable exceptions though. If you and your canine friend are approached by a herd of cows it is generally best to let your dog off the lead. It will outrun the cows and they will generally lose interest in you, favouring your dog instead, which should be ok.

9 hours ago, Smoggy said:

All depends on the training and the owner,  most dog issues are on the other end of the lead than the dog.

It more depends on the byelaws and acts for where you are walking. If the landowner allows you to walk your dog, with a lead, then lead it should be. If walking a dog on a public highway, then it should be on a lead. If exercising your open air rights to land mapped as open country as allowed by the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000, then your dog should be on a lead.

You'll note none of the above situations take into account at any time, how well the dog owner is trained in handling dogs off the lead.

Finally there are a number of people who are nervous of dogs, yes even your well trained friendly wouldn't hurt a fly dog. So the last thing they want is to be confronted by a dog off a lead, when they have no idea whether you are the best or the worse dog owner in the world.

 

[Gracie]

I had an encounter with a cow at Loddon once, trying to run in heels is so not a good look   x

[Meantime]

Great advice for a well behaved dog. 

 

[TFrench89]

4 hours ago, Meantime said:

Great advice for a well behaved dog. 

 

Our dogs certainly take us for a walk lol

[Wussername]

Dogs are so vunerable on the Broads and its rivers.

I am not sure that their owners are aware.

 

[Hylander]

Finally there are a number of people who are nervous of dogs, yes even your well trained friendly wouldn't hurt a fly dog. So the last thing they want is to be confronted by a dog off a lead, when they have no idea whether you are the best or the worse dog owner in the world.

Me for one.    I absolutely love dogs but having been mauled by one years ago , it ripped at my arm, a Labrador as well.   It was tied up outside Tescos at the time.   I am so nervous of them.        I have made friends with a Japanese Akita who lives locally and she and I get on like a house on fire.     I honestly think she is more nervous than me.     She stands behind her owner if anyone comes along.

[LizG]

A few weeks ago one of our elderly neighbours went out for a walk through our local  fields and whilst walking back through the wood was jumped on by a very enthusiastic young but large off lead dog!  Our neighbour is very slightly built and our skin is wafer thin - the result she arrived on our doorstep in shock with the skin on her arm ripped and covered in blood.  We tried ringing 111 but gave up after 15 minutes and realising after cleaning up the wounds that despite looking dreadful it was superficial and the bleeding had stopped!  So we wrapped her arm in a sterile dressing, gave her a cup of tea and took her home.  Checking on her next day and alerting her actual neighbour to also keep an eye on her.

She was in such shock initially that it wasn't that clear how the owners of the dog reacted but they were apparently very apologetic - one would have liked to think they would have walked her home but knowing our neighbour who is fiercely independent - I think she just basically wanted to get away from the dog as quickly as possible.

Never assume however friendly your dog is - that it could still do some actual harm.

[Vaughan]

2 hours ago, Hylander said:

 It was tied up outside Tescos at the time. 

 

1 hour ago, LizG said:

Never assume however friendly your dog is - that it could still do some actual harm.

How true.

Never approach a strange dog if it is attached by a chain or a lead, so that it cannot escape if it thinks it needs to.  Especially outside a supermarket, where it doesn't know where its owner has gone, so it is stressed and will want to defend itself.

If you need to approach a strange animal,  there is a procedure :

1/.  Get down low, on its own level, so that you are not "overpowering" it.  If possible, sit down, and let the animal come to you.

2/. Hold out your hand in front of you, so that the dog can smell it.  Your smell will always tell a dog if you are friendly.

3/.  TALK to the dog as you approach. Talk in a calm, conversational and friendly manner. Talk about the weather, if you like!  Animals (especially horses) will always react to the tone of your voice, and will be calmed by it.  Even if you speak in a broad Norfolk accent!

 

But please, never approach anyone's dog if it has been left outside a supermarket tied up on a lead.  You are just asking for trouble.

Whether the dog's owner should have been so irresponsible as to leave an animal tethered, in that situation, is entirely another matter!

[Hylander]

The fun part was ,   I did not approach the dog at all ,  I was just passing and it went for me.     At the time I was quite shocked to think a Lab could be so aggressive.   Now I understand more from the dogs side of things.   I guess I made him/her nervous by passing for some reason.      I went into Tescos and explained what had happened and they were less than interested as to my predicament or whose dog it was.   I ended up having a Tetanus injection at the doctors.

[FlyingFortress]

Labradors are big dogs. I know I have my overgrown Andrex Puppy curled up next to me right now. Being a big dog if in the rare case that they do go for you they will do some damage. If you have any doubt about this just watch one chewing a bone.

I agree wholeheartedly with what Vaughan posted above about how to approach a dog and how the dog is feeling regards anxiety.

My big Lab is the 4th I have owned and I got my first one when I was 23. He looks like a fully grown dog but he is still a puppy albeit a big one at over 30kg and just over 14 months.

Dog ownership has soared in the UK since I had my first one and the one expression I despise is "Fur Baby".

They are not Babies they are dogs and should be treated like dogs. You are not their Parents you should be the Alpha of the pack. 

I despair when I see dogs out of control, this used to be more common with small dogs but is getting more noticeable with the larger breeds. Lockdown did not help. In fact I believe this is what my dog was a Lockdown Puppy. Very cute and manageable at 12 weeks but a different kettle of fish when 7 or 8 months old and weighing 25kgs when we got him at 9 months.

There are many people who know more about dog training than me who I hope will contribute to this thread, and Griff I don't mind you telling everyone what mine did to your saw handle the other day.😥

Sorry for the thread drift again but a well trained dog is a pleasure to be around. I just hope to get mine there sooner rather than later.

There are some on here who have known my last dog and even some who knew the previous one. I hope they can testify that I usually have a well trained dog . This one is work in progress 😥🤣😁

[Wussername]

Do you train a dog? 

Or do you shape a dogs behavior?

If it is the latter then surely one should select a breed of dog that closely matches your ideal. Many people unfortunately do not. In many instances because of an unwise decision of the type of dog many are left frustrated, disappointed, angry. 

And so is the dog.

[FlyingFortress]

6 minutes ago, Wussername said:

Do you train a dog? 

Or do you shape a dogs behavior?

If it is the latter then surely one should select a breed of dog that closely matches your ideal. Many people unfortunately do not. In many instances because of an unwise decision of the type of dog many are left frustrated, disappointed, angry. 

And so is the dog.

Very good question.

And I am afraid I don't know the answer to that.

The selection process I can have a tilt at answering.

When I was 23 and got my first Labrador I was living with my first LTR Girlfriend who had wanted Black Labrador since she had been a little girl. I was fairly ambivalent but I knew I wanted a larger dog and a pure breed. So a Black Lab it was then. 

I can admire a lot of breeds for different traits of the breed. How can you not admire the grace of the Shepard breeds ,the intelligence of the Collie and spaniel breeds or the sheer magnificence of the Large Breeds like Newfies, Danes and St Bernards. 

Over the years and as I say now 4 Labradors, I think for an all round bigger dog they, and their close cousins such as Retrievers, are a good bet. You know within limits how big they are going to be, they will probably be a bit dopey but loving and your chances of getting a good natured dog is very very high.

One that I was very tempted to try was the Saluki but I know very little about them and Mrs FF was not keen. So my chances of disappointment, as in the quote above could have been high.

[FlyingFortress]

Let's try again 

My Hooligan 

[OldBerkshireBoy]

4 hours ago, Vaughan said:

 

How true.

Never approach a strange dog if it is attached by a chain or a lead, so that it cannot escape if it thinks it needs to.  Especially outside a supermarket, where it doesn't know where its owner has gone, so it is stressed and will want to defend itself.

If you need to approach a strange animal,  there is a procedure :

 

2/. Hold out your hand in front of you, so that the dog can smell it.  Your smell will always tell a dog if you are friendly.

 

 

But please, never approach anyone's dog if it has been left outside a supermarket tied up on a lead.  You are just asking for trouble.

 

All I might add to 2/ a folded hand like a clenched fist with the fingers underneath encourages a dog to sniff under the hand and is harder for a dog to bite than an open palm

[BroadAmbition]

That there adorable hooligan is a proper thief!

Griff

[grendel]

at this stage I will say its not just dogs, my ex once had one of our cats bite clean through her thumb as she tried to give it a tablet, right through, the only thing that stopped it was when it hit the thumbnail having bitten from the other side. moral of the story, when the vet suggests tablets, suggest an injection version instead (no matter if it costs twice as much.

we once had a vet show us just how easy it was to give a cat a tablet, boy did we laugh, they swaddled the cat in a towel, popped the tablet in, and both the vet and assistant got scratched in the ensuing spitball, the towel was shredded, and after everything sort of calmed down, the cat spit the tablet out. we had warned them he didnt like tablets.

[ChrisB]

BBC Norfolk.

 

 

[Andrewcook]

It's a great shame Science could help indicate this awful disease as I was on the News this evening about these Graceful Swans are dying I hope this will clear up before the New Season starts once again.

[Hylander]

On 03/10/2022 at 14:31, FlyingFortress said:

 

 

On 03/10/2022 at 14:31, FlyingFortress said:

Dog ownership has soared in the UK since I had my first one and the one expression I despise is "Fur Baby".

When I read this I immediately thought of my daughter-in-law,   no children , not by choice, but two schnauzers, little ones and she refers to them as her fur babies....

 

On 03/10/2022 at 15:47, FlyingFortress said:

Let's try again 

My Hooligan 

 

A picture of innocence if every I saw one.