[Rich G.]

June 8, 2014 at 8:35 pm

Yes we had horses and for some reason all dogs find it irresistible not just Weims.  I did read somewhere that wolves in the wild eat the contents of the stomach & intestines of downed prey which are typically grazing animals. Maybe that’s how they get their veggies.

Regarding the water, I  have a Koi pond in the back yard and all four dogs prefer pond water over tap water. A few  seasons ago in early summer the pond turned to pea soup color and consistency due to an algae bloom not uncommon and resolves itself. During the pea soup period they just couldn’t get enough of that water, it was like they were addicted to it.

Regarding the mud, there is a spot in our yard where the dogs will scratch the ground to loosen it and then lick the mud. Naturally they need to chase that with some pond water. What is interesting to me is they have never done this before, nothing could have been spilled or dumped there and its; only that 1 foot diameter area that they lick.

It seems intuitively obvious to me that there is something they are trying to get nutritionally. After a rain horses will scrap their hooves in mud puddles and drink from them. The horse people believe they are getting minerals out of the ground. I’ve researched this  pretty extensively and have never found a convincing explanation.

I do think you need to discourage poop consumption for obvious health reasons.

Enjoy.

 

[Rich G.]

June 6, 2014 at 4:08 pm

Hi Victoria, I haven’t been on the site just to look around in some time and saw your post on lipomas. If you haven’t resolved the problem yet you should take a look at the “Paw Healer” website. They prescribe Traditional Chinese Herbal formulas for dogs & cats. One of there formulas is “Desolve” which is specifically for lipoma. My boy Indigo had some sort of a skin problem when he was born. Hard to explain but he just looked month eaten. At the same time he had anal gland issues that required them to be cleaned about every 3 weeks. After 4 vets & as many tests and medications nothing worked. I filled out the survey on the Paw Healer site and about 1 hour later they called me to get more details. We talked for about an hour and Holly said she would have to call her teacher. thirty minutes later she called back to tell me that it was likely Indigo had spleen and liver Qi deficiency and they could prepare a custom formula for him. It was worth a try and 3 weeks into the treatment his fur & anal problem improved. He been taking the herbs about 7 months, I’ve cut back on the dosage and he has been perfect for the last 9 months. They also sent probiotics that I started giving to another dog with skin issues and she is fine now. It’s worth a try. Good Luck.

 

[Rich G.]

June 6, 2014 at 12:43 pm

Ocha, great suggestion. I’ve done that some I guess I’ll need to be more consistent until he gets it down.

Winnie, I would get an eye check if they can do such a thing just to be sure. I have noticed that Indigo seems to switch between scent & sight. It doesn’t seem like the two senses work at the same time for him. If he looses sight of the ball he will go to scent mode & I’m always amazed that he can come within 6 inches of the ball and not see it so I started yelling “there” when he is in about 4 feet. The command ‘there’ seems to switch him from scent to Sight or maybe turns both on. He didn’t start out perfectly with sight tracking the ball but has gotten really good at it. I’m also pretty certain he listens to the sound of the ball in the air.

As far as what to use for scent, I got Indigo a Megalast Ball made by TW. They have a really strong vanilla scent that he can follow when it’s on the ground. You can also get pheasant and quail wings from “Gun Dog Supply” or Lyons Country Store” but my guess is anything would work Weims are right there next to Bloodhounds olfactory wise. Dead animals would be the first choice. I haven’t done this and perhaps Inge can elaborate, but I’ve heard of hunters using the same dead bird over and over. I think they keep them frozen, thaw them out to leave the trail then refreeze them. I do know the freeze dried pheasant wings I got hold their scent after several freeze/thaw cycles.

Thanks and good luck to all.

[Rich G.]

June 4, 2014 at 9:46 pm

Google Blue Lacy the official dog of Texas. I’m pretty sure my late buddy Blue was a Lacy. I always thought he was Weim Pit Bull mix until after he passed I by chance stumbled on to the Blue Lacy website and there was a picture that could have been my Blue dog. The Lacy folks have their own theory on the breeds that make up the Lacy but if you look at the pictures of the puppies they are exactly like Weims, blue eyes and stripped wrinkles on their heads. Blue was a great dog, lots of Weim characteristics he was 8 months when I got him so a little bigger that your baby with very similar face & ears. Good luck, enjoy.

[Rich G.]

June 4, 2014 at 9:29 pm

Amazingly well said! You really need to write a book on Weims.  Indigo is my first 100% Weim and boy can he be an asshole, he’s now 13 months old, getting better but sometimes he just can help himself. I have the book “Gun Dog” by Richard Waters and he makes one statement that keeps things in prospective “there comes a time in training when you have to strongly resist the urge to beat up yourself or the dog”, and he was training Labs. I really think Weims are the ultimate dog, just not sure if I’m up to the task of being his equal and getting him to his full potential. Thanks for your insights it makes me realize and appreciate my buddy even more.

[Rich G.]

April 6, 2014 at 8:53 pm

I too like the dogfoodadvisor, they seem pretty objective and sort of clinical which is what I want. when I got Indigo at 8 wks old he had some sparse spots on is fur. They vet had a name for it & thought it would go away as he got  older but it didn’t. Numerous tests & treatments didn’t improve his fur so I started experimenting with his food nothing made a difference. But picking dog is like being lost in the forest. The Paw Healer herbs fixed his problem but that another story. I start with the advisor and then send a question to the dog food company. Any semi-technical question will do. Example does your food contain Taurine and if so from what source? Orijen responded with a very complete & thorough email on Taurine it’s source in their food & why dogs need it. Clearly they know what they are talking about. Blue Buffalo replied that dogs make their on Taurine so they didn’t add any. Short & to the point. 4Health a Tractor Supply brand with 4 star rating sent me to the people that make the food for them.  So the response will give you some idea of how serious they are about nutrition. Of course the dogs have to like & not have problems. If nothing else the response can be informative & entertaining. Good luck.

[Rich G.]

April 5, 2014 at 9:23 pm

They are pretty funny. Indigo loves retrieving a ball, but after about 6 runs he won’t give the ball back but takes it over to the fish pond and drops it in. The funny part is it takes him several minutes to let go of the ball. He stands over the pond holding the ball about an inch over the water as if he can’t decide whether to drop it in or not. Once he does drop it he stares at it with typical Weim intensity. He seems to wait for it to go out of reach and then yelps for help at which point I’ll push it closer to the edge and he dunks his entire head in the water to get it.

[Rich G.]

March 29, 2014 at 6:57 pm

Bas G’s picture is the correct location thks. I just checked Indi again and the lumps are about the size of a pea. The one on his left cheek is smaller. Both are can be nudged in all directions but go back to the original spot. Strange things. I find it odd the the vets don’t know what they are. It does seem like it may be peculiar to Weims. Thanks again.

[Rich G.]

March 28, 2014 at 2:12 pm

Saw it on Facebook. Glad we have a new forum! Thks BasG and sorry the old site crashed. I know that was a labor of love and it must have been hard to see it destruct. Thanks again for all your efforts and best of luck with the new site. For what it’s worth a friends son has been working for the CIA in computer forensics and told his dad to use COMODO anti-virus. I know that may have nothing to do with reasons for the crash, just thought I’d share. I switched from Norton 6 years ago and haven’t had a problem. It’s also far less invasive than Norton was. They also have a free cellphone security suite for Android and it is really sweet.