Welcome to Oakwood Canine Services Forum

Hi Everyone,

My name is Flick and I have six dogs ....... presently (I'll come to that bit later)

I have Fern (an eight year old greyhound X rescued from HAWT) and my Husband's dog is Penny (a seven year old Collie X rescued from RSPCA) and all was well.

Then my mother-in-law decided she wanted a dog and we chose Honey (terrier X rescued from HAWT) and four weeks after we got her she gave birth to six puppies (we have two, Maisie and Pip, and my MIL took two, Harry and Jessie, the other two went to my aunt and cousin.

HAWT offered to take back and rehome the pups, but there was no way I would let them go. Honey was only eight months so was not sure what to do at first and when you have been a mid-wife to six pups you do not want to give them up easily!!!

It was the greatest experience of my life, raising six pups - and then seeing them go off to new homes.

So that left us with five - they got on well together. Then Harry was returned to us, he was growing to large for my MIL and was very nervous.

I am new to this forum but not to Oakwood training. Last year I went to a growl class with Pip and also attended basic obedience classes with Harry, as he was a 'nervous wreck' when he came back to us.

With the help of Nicky and Gill, we seem to have done TOO good a job on Harry, and he is now full of confidence and challenging Pip. In fact they had a big fight a couple of weeks ago and, after consulting with Gill, it seems one of them will have to be re-homed.


Left to right: Pip, Penny, Fern, Maisie, Honey
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/141/3411 ... 87e463.jpg


Harry
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2574/366 ... ab4895.jpg

Well welcome to the forum and good luck with your little problem. I would foster one but we have Freddie at the moment so we are full sorry

So did you have any luck rehoming ?

Not as yet - it has been an eventful few months for us.

After a consultation with Gill, we began to realise that Pip needed to be the dominant dog in our pack and that, because he followed me about like a lost soul, I started to bring him in the house with me and basically give him 'special' time with me.

The dogs began to calm down as we slowly began to let Pip go into the garden with Harry, firstly, in an cage so he could see Harry but not get near him and then walking on a lead, then just wandering about (under supervision). We even began taking Harry and Pip out together and now they are playing together as though nothing ever happened, they even bark at the dog next door together. I was able to spend the time with Pip as I am home all day and touch wood it seems to have payed off, although we are always aware that we would not want to put them in a stressful situation and, thanks to Gill we know the signs.

Just after things began to calm down, Harry got a hair under his skin which swelled up and had to be flushed out at the vets, but until it healed he had to stay indoors and he had a 'lamp-shade' on his head.

A couple of weeks later Pips' eyes, nose and lips lost their pigment and cracked open so he had to go to the vets, and after stitches and a course of steroids (and yet another dog with a 'lamp-shade' on) he is getting better - turns out he is allegic to something!

One day, we agree that life would be so much simpler with two dogs as we could enjoy life a bit more without having to worry about them and go away without finding kennels for six. But a few days later, we look at them and wonder who goes and who stays - how do you decide? Do you rehome the ones who cause the problems or the ones who would rehome easily?

Everyone says how happy our dogs seem together, especially the 'pups' and their mum (OK, I know they are 5 but they will always be our pups) and they look after me when I am ill.

But how can we get rid of the first two dogs we got? We made a promise to look after them or is that me looking at it emotionally. We are trying to do what is best for the dogs.

When you have spent your life dedicated to animals, it is so hard.

Sorry to ramble on, but when I get on the subject of dogs I go on and on .