In reply to A newbie all over again! by Annec
In reply to A newbie all over again! by Annec
Nice to have you back and to read such a happy story barn_elms
In reply to A newbie all over again! by Annec
Congratulations! A beautiful litter and they look so healthy! I did not know about this particular breed until today, but I did a search through Google and I found very interesting information on them. Also some excellent videos where you see the "pastori" in action:
[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hfb7D6Sp_ww&feature=related]YouTube - Pastori Abruzzesi al lavoro[/ame]
In reply to A newbie all over again! by Annec
They look beautiful Barn Elms - goodness you are going to have your hands full!
My pup (pastori x red setter) is now a year old and measures 69 cm to the shoulder. He has a wonderful temperament and we have never heard him growl yet, not sure if that is inherited from his mum or dad.
Good luck finding them all homes, I’m sure it won’t be hard because they are very popular out here and yours look particularly cute.
In reply to A newbie all over again! by Annec
I agree with you, the beginning of the video I posted is a bit boring with so many sheep and goats... but when it comes to the dogs they are really beautiful. Also, the images of the sheep killed by the wolves are a bit hard to watch, but that is part of nature's way and I like wolves, who, in turn have to eat.....
Anyway, going back to the breed, I believe that both Mina and Zorro are the original "pastore abruzzese" because I have also read that there is now a breed called "maremmano abruzzese" which is smaller in size than the original abruzzese. How big is Mina? Difficult to tell from the photos.
As for liking sub-zero temperatures, it seems that this is a common trait of all shepherd dogs. My father used to own two Basque shepherd dogs (Berger des Pyrénées) , both mother and son, and they loved to be outdoors no matter the temperatures. The mother also delivered her litter in the middle of winter and they were all very healthy.
But I must confess that the "pastore abruzzese" is prettier than the Basque one...... I think that it is also larger in size.
In reply to A newbie all over again! by Annec
Thanks for the pics - these are truly beautiful Congratulations and its a real shame that the elderly Italian died before seeing them. I would love to see them but we are in the UK until February.
In reply to A newbie all over again! by Annec
barn elms truly impressive dogs... thanks for the photos...
wrote a bit about them in the past... and there is a good site in that thread for information on the breed....
we are lucky in the sense that we live in a very highly populated sheep area... as most of the land above where we live is only suitable for that... and each day on our journey to work or school the herds of sheep and their dogs during spring and autumn are much in evidence in the lower valley areas until they move up to the hill tops... one of the main hazards driving into Teramo at those times of year are the dogs lying passively in possesion of the area of tarmac where the owners are going to arrive with their morning feed so that the dogs can get a well earned day time sleep...
[URL]http://www.italymag.co.uk/forums/do-see/7540-abruzzo-sheep-dogs-again.html[/URL]
am sure you are aware of the site anyway... it sort of makes sense of the history of these animals...
anyway am glad to see that someone is looking after the future of the breed from this site... it makes for a very heart warming start to a new year.... again well done and good luck... and keep up with the stories... have missed your postings on abruzzo... in general ...and would like to hear more from the experiences of raising these animals ....
In reply to A newbie all over again! by Annec
Very interesting link, adriatica, I did not remember seeing it in the Forum, perhaps I was away at the time. Anyway, they look as excellent guard dogs without being nasty and very loyal and affectionate towards their owners. Some very good points to take into consideration when choosing a dog.
As you were mentioning wolves, last night I saw a program in Spanish TV about this problem and an innovative way of protecting the herds of cows and sheep in the northwest of this country. They are using donkeys who patrol the area and keep the wolves away in a very successful manner. A good idea because donkeys were not very highly regarded nowadays as they have been replaced by farm machinery and some of them are abandoned or even worse.... Apparently, the donkeys make a lot of noises to warn people on the approach of the wolves, frightens the wolves but also tell the owners to be alert and chase them. It looks as if the number of deaths amongst the cattle has diminished dramatically thanks to their work. Perhaps, a combination of some donkeys with the dogs could make a perfect team.
But if I were a ranger, I would still leave some food for the wolves, particularly in the middle of winter. They also have some rights....
In reply to A newbie all over again! by Annec
[quote=Gala Placidia;106662]But if I were a ranger, I would still leave some food for the wolves, particularly in the middle of winter. They also have some rights....[/quote]
After all, there wouldn't be todays pet dogs without their ancestors the wolf!
In reply to A newbie all over again! by Annec
And where would we all be without Romulus and Remus eh? :bigergrin:
In reply to A newbie all over again! by Annec
I have tried to find the same piece of news, which was actually repeated this morning on Spanish TVE 1 channel, but I was unable to find it on Internet. I will keep on looking for it and I will post it.
Meanwhile, as I could remember that the people involved said that the project came into fruition after a long search on the subject, including overseas experience, I did a little search through Google and I found this thread which may be of interest to you: [url=http://www.sheep101.info/201/guardians.html]Sheep 201 - Livestock Guardians[/url]
The donkeys do not wear any sort of protective harnesses or collars, they only wear a rather thin collar with a sort of cowbell. They say that the wolves do not come near them as they start braying very loud as soon as they sense the presence of predators. This is confirmed by the article I recommend you.
They showed that there were at least 2 donkeys guarding a small herd and they agreed that it took them some weeks to get them used to the presence of the herd, but they seem to respond very well and particularly one of them was actually "patrolling" the area. And they certainly were not "making asses of themselves". They had gained the respect and gratitude of all herd owners.
In reply to A newbie all over again! by Annec
i wrote another post about the dogs which was to do with them being shipped off to Australia to help protect a species of penguin from wild dog attacks...
[URL]http://www.italymag.co.uk/forums/do-see/5357-sheepdogs.html[/URL]
cannot find the exact article... i think it was il centro that published the story here.... does seem a bit strange to poach dogs from here when i think there is a pretty well developed Australian breeding program... anyway it sort of fits in with the uses these clever animals can be put to...
on the question of mules ... but in this case donkeys ...
i read a fair while back about the problems of the sardinian donkey... and it was a slightly mad idea of mine that i would one day have a go at starting a sanctuary having watched a pretty disturbing film about these animals before coming to live here... several years on now and nothing much came of my idea... you know how it is... and one day anyway was pleased to see on the news about someone who had more determination than i and did something about it...
there is a link to the story which italy magazine also published... and its an interesting read...
[url=http://www.italymag.co.uk/italy/sardinia/city-man-s-crusade-save-sardinian-donkeys]City man's crusade to save Sardinian donkeys | Visit Italy Guides - Property - Holidays - Accommodation - Community[/url]
In reply to A newbie all over again! by Annec
I am sorry to hear that barn elms, and agree that the alternative of reducing the litter would for me be impossible to do. Lets hope the others hang on and thrive.
best wishes
Angie
In reply to A newbie all over again! by Annec
So sorry to hear about the death of the pup but I do understand your feelings about reducing the litter size. Perhaps, there is a solution by taking a two or three of the weakes pups indoors and feeding them manually as perhaps it is a bit too much for Mina and not all the pups are eating enough. Put them in a box with a blanket and a hot water bottle and they will be fine. There is also the problem of low sugar in blood levels for Mina handling such a big litter.
It is not an easy task, but there is a chance of saving the rest of the litter. It is relatively easy to make a milk formula for pups using dry milk powder. A nursing ***** milk is richer than ordinary cow's milk but using powdered milk it can be adjusted. You will find plenty of information through the Internet.
Good luck!
In reply to A newbie all over again! by Annec
Maybe this too will help the weaker pups. I watched last night a youtube video of an episode of "The Good Life". In it Tom and Barbara had a runt piglet so they took it indoors, put it in a blanket and box beside the range, fed it warm milk with a touch of brandy and made a little oxygen tent. It survived.
In reply to A newbie all over again! by Annec
You can get proper powdered milk from vets, or at least you can in the UK so I would guess you can here. We raised a kitten from two days old in this way. Takes dedication though, you have to do night feeds, just like a baby.
In reply to A newbie all over again! by Annec
Sorry to hear the sad news Barn Elms. It may seem harsh but, as Mina obviously did not fetch the pup back, it may have had more problems than you realised.
Our pup was one of eleven, two died very quickly but the mum managed to rear the other nine till they were weaned. Her owners said she made no attempt to feed the two which died and they were very small and possibly not properly developed in the womb.
Sometimes nature knows best.
In reply to A newbie all over again! by Annec
They look and sound extremely healthy. Congratulations!
In reply to A newbie all over again! by Annec
A rub down with an old damp towel will take off the worst of the muck - but I wouldn't worry about it too much - they're real dogs and they're supposed to smell doggy - not perfumed like one of those pink pampered poodles called Fifi.
You haven't called one of them Fifi by any remote chance have you? :swoon:
In reply to A newbie all over again! by Annec
Another possibility is to rub them with one of those micro-fiber cloths (also damp). They work very well and you simply rinse the cloth and reuse it. Particularly handy for "spot-cleaning" as the cloth seems to absorb the dirt. There is dry shampoo.... but I would use it for Fifi or for small apartment dogs as it would cost you a fortune. As JC rightly says they are real "country" dogs.
In reply to A newbie all over again! by Annec
Was just wondering how the lovely litter of pups were coming along. My Oh loves these dogs and since seeing them continues to want one......
In reply to A newbie all over again! by Annec
How old is Mina?
In reply to A newbie all over again! by Annec
Now, if I'd asked you in this thread, about the age of Mina (the singer also known as the Tiger of Cremona - and therefore most definately not a dog) then you would have berated me for taking the thread off topic - apart from the fact that it would also have been a total waste of time asking a question that I already knew the answer to - so you are correct in your assumption that I was asking the age of Mina (your dog) - which I didn't know the answer to until now.
Joking apart - the reason I asked was because I'm curious to know if you will mate Mina (your dog) again? :smile:
In reply to A newbie all over again! by Annec
You know what? I ALWAYS do that! I know it's "definitely" but for some reason the fingers work faster than the brain at times. However, I'm sure if you care to trawl through my copious posts you will find a lot more to be(r)at(e) me with than the odd typographical error every now and again. :bigergrin:
Moving on - I assume you haven't owned Mina since she was a pup as you say "apparently" and I'm surprised to hear that this was her second litter (as she is still so young) so, I'll ask now for your opinion on what is generally the best age to breed a b!tch - (not a typo - I just wanted to beat the forum naughty word basher) - to give her a better chance in producing healthy pups?
In reply to A newbie all over again! by Annec
One question leads to another. Is there a breed standard for these dogs - a pedigree - an Italian version of "Kenenel Club" registered papers? It's something I've never thought about before, but would be interesting to know more about. They certainly are fine looking dogs and although I've only met a few of this breed - I thought they were wonderful.
So has Mina given up singing for the foreseeable future then? :bigergrin:
Healthy looking litter. Brava Mina!