[motdaugrnds]

....updating....

Just a note to let you all know Valentina is still doing well. She is still a very serious-minded canine who will actually stop eating her favorite foods to check out any disturbances; and she and Cujo have intimidated all predators around here so I never have to be concerned about any animal and/or fowl getting harmed.

Most recent event was right after my son returned. He and Valentina have been getting acquainted … slowly … as he is taking it at "her" pace and she is cautious. It is going well. She and Cujo both did get thru a gate at the back of the property recently and, since it had been over a year since they were both outside the boundaries, they both thoroughly enjoyed their excursion. They were only gone a short time but when they returned Valentina was loaded down with "burs" all in her fur. It was difficult to get them all out, especially the ones between her toes. I learned my tiny scissors worked better than a brush for this. She was so sweet about it even though some of those burs were actually sticking her skin. (Cujo's short hair saved him from these as he only had a couple of burs and those he took off himself.)

The adjustments being made at this time has to do with Valentina's learning David is here to stay. Even the ducks/geese changed their behaviors for awhile; but they are now feeding around his feet. Since David has always been good with wild animals I had no real worry about his getting along with Valentina...especially since it was David who actually picked her out of the litter to bring home. But Valentina didn't act as though she remembered him and has had to adjust to his presence all over again. She is doing so beautifully!

 

[motdaugrnds]

updating...…….

Just a note to let anyone interested know how Valentina (and Cujo) are doing.

Valentina continues to be serious minded, continues to patrol the parameter fencing; and she and Cujo continue to back each other up when predators venture onto the farm. They kill those without hesitation! (Such a difference in their demeanor from when they're with only the animals that belong here when Cujo is playful and Valentina is so very calm.)

Valentina has been eating dry food ("Pure Balance") pretty well even though she prefers "roasted" chicken. LOL Both dogs weigh about the same (a little over 90 lbs each).

The only difference I see in Valentina is her "monitoring" of me! When David is around she will lay down and watch; but when he is not around she will follow me around barking at me at times. (Yes I'm still healthy!)

Both dogs have accepted David's being back on the farm and even enjoy getting attention from him; so I'm well pleased with that.

 

[altair]

Still glad they're giving you lovely "tales"

 

[motdaugrnds]

Updating....

Valentina is still working well on this little 6-acre farm. She still patrols the parameter and keeps "all" varmints (air borne too) off...with Cujo's help.

Valentina's long hair is helping her stay cool too...so far. Cujo's short hair is shedding much more than Valentina's long hair; so I brush him more frequently. I am cutting Valentina's long hair in strategic spots just to help her stay cool thru this coming hot summer. (Will be putting out the other 2 kiddie pools for all again too. Valentina loves to stand in those during heat spells.)

Latest incident: I had just got thru raking some pruned limbs into a pile for my son to burn; and it had worn me out. I was on my way back to the house when this occurred. Usually when I leave the garden area it is Cujo who is right by my side and Valentina has to be sent a personal invitation to leave with me. LOL However, this time it was Valentina who was right by my side. She stayed by my side all the way to the back porch; and each time Cujo made an attempt to get near me Valentina would growl at him. Now I've learned enough about this canine to know she was sensing I was physically tired and my balance was not 100%; so she figured I didn't need a muscled up hyper Cujo near me. ROFL Cujo just took it for what it was...a warning...and kept his distance.

Cujo has had the same type of ear infection and rash on his chest area (under chin) that he had last year at this time. The vet charged me over $200 for Rx and cream last year and it did nothing to help him. So this time I decided it must be some type of allergy. David gave him a benedryl tablet each night for a few days; and I washed his ears out, let them dry then poured a mixture of hydrogen pyroxide and apple cider vinegar into them. After all that dried I put some Ivermex on the rashes and some Neosporin on the rash he had been scratching on his chest. It has taken a week but he is looking better. Still I do not really know what has caused this; yet as long as I'm able to clear it up with home remedies I guess he is ok.

Valentina has not had any "hot spots" for years now...not since I've been clipping her long hair in spots and brushing her often.

Both dogs would rather not eat "dry" chow. They prefer the store-bought chicken quarters (10 lb bags for $4.90) roasted with oatmeal. Still I can mix a raw egg up with their dry chow, set the pans down for them to eat, then sit down and watch them. Cujo will immediately start eating his dry chow and Valentina will just stand there and look at me awhile before eating hers. LOL

 

[motdaugrnds]

Update....

Valentina is still quite healthy with good (not too much) weight on her. She still patrols the fencing and watches the herd from the highest knoll. She often sleeps on the porch with Cujo except when the weather is too bad. Then she prefers the barn with the goats. I often see her laying with the goats as they rest chewing cud throughout the days. She no longer makes attempts to follow the guineas outside our fencing. LOL But will lay at the front gate if they are in that area and watch them. (It is a beautiful sight to see this entire flock fly from that front gate across 2 acres and land where the dogs are....)

Valentina continues to monitor what I do and also tempers Cujo's excitation around me. She enjoys raw meat (after I've washed it if store bought) yet prefers the store-bought chicken to be roasted, chopped & mixed with cooked oatmeal. ROFL (They both love this and get it as often as I can find the 10 lb packaging for under $5.) Since I've been brushing her each summer, she has never had any more hotspots; and the Advantage Plus I use for them both works well.

Still quite please with my selection of this Karakachan….

 

[motdaugrnds]

Updating....

Something a bit different occurred this morning that I thought some of you would enjoy hearing about. I had just got thru tending the goats and had let them out to free-range the rest of the day. They all wanted pets before venturing out into the pastures...as usual.

This morning as I was hugging my 250 lb. Nubian buck (He always leans into me for this.) Valentina came up and pushed herself between the buck and myself. Huh? I've seen her get between me and Cujo when he was in an excited state but her "pushing" herself in between me and this herd buck was quite unusual.... Next thing I know Cujo has pushed himself in between Valentina and the buck...not between Valentina and me but between her and the buck...another unusual event. Not sure what to make of this! Valentina "loves" to be hugged "firmly" and that is what I was doing with the buck; but she is not one who demands affection. Yet after she pushed herself in as she did, I did hug her firmly and her tail wagged. (That too is different in that I only see that tail wag when she is enjoying something...not when she is working.) This has led me to believe this Karakachan saw no need to "work" by getting in between the buck and myself. Could she actually have been jealous? An LGD jealous of another animal getting hugs? Not real sure how to think about this. Any ideas?

 

[aart]

Any ideas?

Nope, no idea, but great anecdote
Could have been 'jealousy'...goats are a lot like dogs and when I had 2 dogs I could rarely pet one without the other wanting some too.

 

[motdaugrnds]

.... updating ....
Well here it is 2020! It has been quite an enjoyable time watching Valentina develop from puppy hood. Full grown now it is obvious she understands what belongs on these 6 acres and what doesn't. She will let people on yet will constantly monitor where they are and what they do. She will let workers do what needs done, i.e. the oil man delivering the diesel for the furnace and the plumber making repairs; and will not even growl at them. She does stay constantly alert until they leave. (Cujo has no interest in strangers except to say hello.)

The recent events are the usual ones this time of year with kidding times & always at least one bottle-fed Nubian goat. This one is a little girl who was allergic to its mother's colostrum. Wasn't sure she would survive! Yet here she is a couple of months old and quite healthy. I have 3 does in milk, including her dam, and now that the colostrum is out of the udders I have been letting her nurse them. Yes all 3! They will each stand still for her to drink, which constantly amazes me since they are not mothering her during the day. Her mother and the herd buck will let her sleep with them resting her little head on parts of their bodies; so for that I'm thankful. Much of the time this little girl wants to stay with Valentina. It is quite a sight to see Valentina sound asleep and this little doe sleeping next to her with her head on Valentina's tail. Valentina just takes it all in stride as though it is normal for a baby goat to think she is her mother. (David had to put up a temporary gate to keep this little doe off the back porch or she would have been sleeping with the dogs on their beds!)

Still quite pleased with this breed, especially the one I was fortunate to bring home...

 

[motdaugrnds]

...Updating...........

Heard Valentina cry out twice yesterday; and when checking her we discovered she was near the baby goat (the one who seems to think she is its mother) and the baby goat had cobwebs all over her mouth. Valentina, too, had cobwebs on her mouth and one side of her mouth was swelling fast! We guessed she was trying to get some crawling spider off the baby goat and that spider bit her. We have black widows and banana spiders both out here; so it could be either of these. David cleaned her up and gave her a benadryl. Today the swelling is 90% improved; however, there is a knot there on that side of her mouth. I suspect this is where the spider bit her.

I don't think we need to take her to a vet; but am not sure. She seems ok today and is eating and getting around as though nothing is wrong. Should I give her another benadryl?

 

[aart]

She seems ok today and is eating and getting around as though nothing is wrong. Should I give her another benadryl?

Probably wouldn't hurt.
Glad sh'es OK.
Reminds me of Libby getting stung in the mouth, the whole side of her face swole up, luckily not her throat.

 

[Wolf mom]

Love your updates.

Yes - at her weight, another Benadryl shouldn't hurt. She may sleep though.

BTW: Black widows have the messiest web.

https://cdn.britannica.com/12/181112-050-1EB73E66/Black-widow-egg-case.jpg

 

[motdaugrnds]

ROFL Wolf Mom your signature message made me laugh as I remember doing just that during my education. I majored in Psychology during undergraduate and throughout those 3 yrs thought I had every illness discussed. During graduate work I discovered I was actually quite normal...whatever "normal" was. Finally during my 2nd graduate program and all the 5 yrs of Seminars, Conferences and live-in workshops I finally realized what I have as my signature message in these forums, i.e. "I am what I am! Acknowledging this is the beginning and my growth is yet to end."

 

[motdaugrnds]

Thought you would all enjoy this little video recently taken of Valentina sitting on top of her favorite knoll guarding the goats....let me see now if I can get it uploaded....nope don't know how.

 

[Wolf mom]

 

[motdaugrnds]

I've found "Nutri Complete" dog food that is a raw diet that has been fast dried. It looks and sounds like something that would benefit my dogs and is no more expensive than what I've been feeding them. Has anyone experience with this "Nutri Complete"? If so will you share your experience of how it affected your dog(s)?

 

[motdaugrnds]

Updating..........
Thought you might be interested in the latest as I've just discovered not only does Valentina keep Cujo calm when near me, growling at him if he gets too close in a hyper condition; but she is also taking care of Cujo. Yes she is letting us know when Cujo is wanting in the house, on the back porch, or wanting out of the house. (As you know Cujo is up in years and, though he is still quite active, his age is showing as he is just a bit slower to move now and he has never been one to "talk" in order to get what he wants. Thus, Valentina has apparently started doing the talking for him. ROFL)

 

[motdaugrnds]

Updating...........

Well duh me!!! I just figured it out! Valentina never has wanted to stay in the house for long even on cold/bad days. She has always preferred the barn with the goats or the back porch with Cujo................until last summer.

Since last year Valentina has been wanting to use our back door as though it were a swinging/revolving door! This has been quite problematic in that either David or I have to let her in and out! She is consistent too in that she will start with a low whimper then a low bark; and if we are not opening the door for her she will bark louder. She will come in to ????? I thought just to say hello to me since I have not been going outside as often as I use to. But that really did not make a lot of sense because she has never been what I would call a "social" dog. So this has been somewhat puzzling to me.

Well she got worse last week wanting to stay inside most of the time. Of course we have kept the goats locked up due to the bad weather and she cannot get into the barn when it is locked; still they have been locked up before without Valentina being very concerned about it ... and not wanting indoors. Then last Thursday night I got sick again (first time since last summer with same problem) and had to go to the ER (first time since last summer with same problem). I returned home the following day and there was Valentina growling at the people bringing me home; and since then she has been wanting to spend even more time inside.

She will come in, say hello to me (realizing now she has been checking me out) and then go to my bedroom where she will stay until she decides to go outdoors again..which is never very long. She will go out, sit on the back porch steps looking out then want back inside. Or she will go out, take a walk around the barn, check out the fencing and then return wanting back in. Sometimes she will return and lay down on the back porch until she hears one of us walking down the hall; then she barks to let us know she wants back in. Then, again, she will walk in to where I'm sitting then want out again. Well duh!!! I should have understood already! Precious dog is trying to watch me as well as the outdoors (and animals out there). WHAT A DOG!!!

 

[motdaugrnds]

.....question about clearing undercoat..........

Valentina has long hair and a thick undercoat. All through the years I've been keeping hotspots off her by daily groomings. This summer is looking like it is going to be a really, really hot/humid one; so I'm concerned about her.

Actually called a professional groomer thinking maybe it would be wise to have her hair cut "shorter" instead of just removing the undercoat as I had been doing. The groomer wanted to keep her "all day" for that; and yes Valentina would have been in a kennel the majority of the time. This made no sense to me and could even be traumatic for her as she has NEVER been in a kennel, not even the day she was spayed.

Now I'm wondering if maybe I could purchase some of the dog shampoo that is purported to remove the undercoat. Have any of you tried it? Care to share your experience?

 

[todd_xxxx]

.....question about clearing undercoat..........

Valentina has long hair and a thick undercoat. All through the years I've been keeping hotspots off her by daily groomings. This summer is looking like it is going to be a really, really hot/humid one; so I'm concerned about her.

Actually called a professional groomer thinking maybe it would be wise to have her hair cut "shorter" instead of just removing the undercoat as I had been doing. The groomer wanted to keep her "all day" for that; and yes Valentina would have been in a kennel the majority of the time. This made no sense to me and could even be traumatic for her as she has NEVER been in a kennel, not even the day she was spayed.

Now I'm wondering if maybe I could purchase some of the dog shampoo that is purported to remove the undercoat. Have any of you tried it? Care to share your experience?

A good undercoat brush works best, and yep, I have a LGD and I know how long you can sit and brush them and it seems like the hair never stops coming out.

 

[motdaugrnds]

I agree todd_xxxx. David and I decided to take Valentina into the milking area and have her stand on the stanchion where I milk the goats. This saves my back as I can sit down to work. Valentina was a sweetheart! I used some old sewing scissors and just trimmed her coat back a few inches all over where she had been getting it knotted; then gave her another good brushing. (Got a great brush for this that works like a comb that disentangles yet has more than one row of teeth. I googled it so I could give the name; but cannot find it and forgot where I purchased it years ago.) Trimmed her nails while she was standing there too. LOL She always growls when I trim her nails yet she never has tried to bite me; just lets me know she doesn't like it. I just kiss her on the nose and keep trimming her nails. ROFL

Clipping her long fur this way and continuing the brushing/combing out of that undercoat ought to work fine thru this terrible summer's heat.