Big ears...listen well!?

O.K., I just have to write one more post about the big hound ears. You would think, that with such big ears, hounds are able to listen well to commands and such. Mh, Copper is a hero in his obedience class, sit, down, stay, heal no problem. But off leash, the command "HERE" becomes a possibility, which gets all to often ignored. So I'm attaching a long leash to him every time we go out, and walk him with a 16ft. flexi leash, when we leave the property. I feel bad taking away his freedom to roam, but I can only secure his safety by keeping him close. So more walks for me. With an east wind blowing and minus 20 Celsius it means bundling up for me and out we go...

Not ready for winter!

Copper loves to be outside in any weather at any time! Lacy...not so much. She wants to be, wherever I am, and the cold wind that's blowing today, I rather sit in my cosy office, then being outdoors. Lacy likes to cuddle up on the couch - yes I know I admit she is allowed on the couch-, never enough snuggle time for her! Looking at her gets me over any winter crankiness in a heartbeat!

Big dog ears...big problems?

All you hound owners (and not only you), are you fighting with yeast infections in your dogs ears? Copper had terrible trouble last winter, really painful, hot red ears. The treatment was painful and he was hiding as soon as he saw me approaching with the ear cleaner and antibiotic drops. I want to be pro-active this winter and was looking into a natural way to balance the yeast in his body. I found the onlynaturalpet.com website, which carries natural health remedies for animals. Always consider a food allergy, if the symptoms persist. Make sure you get a vet diagnosis first and then decide the proper treatment. Sometimes antibiotics are necessary, but if it turns into a chronic problem, other treatments should be considered. I will try the Phytostan Therapy from onlynaturalpet.com. Also I started feeding Copper joghurt and will look into some Schuessler mineral tissue salts to support Copper's ear health. More about this soon.
Stay in tune with yourself and your dog companions!