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Ball "Herding"


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Yep.

 

http://dognerd101.blogspot.com/2010/09/loo...e.html?spref=fb

 

That's just crazy!

5041777921_8e22416771.jpg

 

In other news, ever since Piper's ear got split open and sewn back together, the ear, she will not stand. If I tape a popsicle stick to the inside of it to make it upright while the cartilage finishes mending together, would that make me one of those "I care about my dog's ear set" people? I mean, after 8 years I am kinda used to her having two pointies atop her bean, and I miss that one. Would it even work?

 

RDM

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Well this isn't a case of her ears not being fully developed, this is a case of the cartilage in her ear was busted up. It's not knit back together yet, but the stitches were put in in such a way that the skin pulls together, causing the ear to fall over. Thus it's healing that way - I am thinking that since cartilage allegedly takes several months to fully heal, if I propped the ear up with something, it will heal standing up. The vet said if it stood up it would heal standing up, but if it flops, it will heal floppy. He just wasn't sure what it would do after the stitches came out.

 

I kinda don't want it to heal floppy. I am being facetious about the "ear set people" business. Mostly I just wonder if trying to glue a popsicle stick to the inside of her ear is worth the pain and suffering it will cause to me (she's not particularly cooperative about that sort of nonsense).

 

RDM

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<--- is another video using a ball to show a dog how to work sheep.

OMG!! We've been doing this with Scooter in the basement for years now! It's one of his favorite things to do and he's very good at it. I need to get video of him "ball herding." :rolleyes:

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Well, we don't do anything so formal, but I've got a big jolly ball the gang chases around the yard. I've had to put it up because Robin plays with it so persistently throughout the day with it he ends up with a sore shoulder from butting it around the yard (it's hard plastic) -- now I give it to him in short intervals as a treat. Brodie enjoys it too and Ladybug is just a devil dog with it. She loves it best of all. If she saw all those plastic balls in that video, she'd be so delighted... any ideas on where you get the softer ones...my son gave her my Pilates ball and she popped it on the swimming pool fence...

 

 

Liz

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One woman at the park today (with a bossy Aussie) was telling another woman (with a Border collie) that you could teach them to "herd" balls. (Only I don't think she was using quotes when she used the word "herd"). Normally I just keep my mouth shut. Having already seen a video of this activity from another thread on the Boards, I couldn't help it. "It's not herding," I blurted. "Oh?" the other woman said. "Not when it involves inanimate objects". I managed to shut up at that point. I think it was having watched the Finals last weekend that broke my reluctance to stick my oar in. There was no way what I'd seen on the video with the large balls and the happily barking dog with its tail up like a flag the whole time compared even remotely with the activity I spent all last weekend watching.

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Tape it up then! I don't know if I would use a pop sickle stick though...maybe "mole skin" :rolleyes:

 

I kinda like the half floppy look, but if it bothers you, tape it. Your dog won't care one way or another and you won't always be looking at it thinking "I shoulda taped it" for years to come.

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I kinda don't want it to heal floppy. I am being facetious about the "ear set people" business. Mostly I just wonder if trying to glue a popsicle stick to the inside of her ear is worth the pain and suffering it will cause to me (she's not particularly cooperative about that sort of nonsense).

 

How about the pain and suffering it will cause to her? Well, pain and suffering is probably too strong a term, but I have to think it would be pretty annoying to a dog to have a popsicle stick glued to her ear. They fuss with their ears often enough even without anything stuck to them -- if they get turned inside out, for example. I'd be afraid she'd be scratching it and messing with it so much it could interfere with the stitches or the healing.

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No the stitches are long gone. I was joking about the popsicle stick, as I know there are better ways to keep that ear up (and thanks for the PMs with tips, incidentally!) I think given she wore pantyhose on her head for two weeks while the stitches were in (to prevent her shaking the ear and developing a hematoma) and not die of embarrassment, she could probably wear moleskin in it or whatever for a couple months. I'm just not entirely sure it would work. I do think she looks incredibly silly with the floppy ear though, as she's always been my pointiest little witch. It can be quite charming on other dogs, but on Piper, the earectile disfunction looks goofy to me.

 

There's a good chance I will probably continue to waffle about the whole thing until it's too late and the ear will always be floppy. That's just my way. I was just wondering if anyone else had done anything similar after an ear injury and if it worked - but it doesn't sound like it. As usual, my dog seems to have injured herself in a way that nobody else's dog ever has. Just once, it'd be nice to have a "normal" dog problem ;-)

 

RDM

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earectile disfunction

 

:rolleyes:

 

I was just wondering if anyone else had done anything similar after an ear injury and if it worked - but it doesn't sound like it. As usual, my dog seems to have injured herself in a way that nobody else's dog ever has.

 

Oh, not at all. I've had a dog whose ear flap was injured, resulting in its ending up floppy when it was formerly straight up. I just didn't have a preference for one look over the other, so it didn't occur to me to try to do anything about it. The dog continued on with that rakish asymmetrical look.

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I'd say if you want to give it a try, go ahead and see what she thinks about it. If she doesn't like it, take it off and that's it. But if she leaves it alone, see if it works. I know my dogs all react differently to things like that. I put a boot on Missy and she could care. I put one on Kenzi and get a "what in the world is that doing on me" attitude. I think I could put anything on Kipp as long as he had a beef rib to distract him while he got used to the idea :rolleyes:

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I am being facetious about the "ear set people" business.

"Facetious" and "Facetiously" - the only words in the English language in which all of the vowels appear in the same order as they do alphabetically.

Bet you couldn't have gone on living without knowing that, right? :rolleyes:

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"Facetious" and "Facetiously" - the only words in the English language in which all of the vowels appear in the same order as they do alphabetically.

Bet you couldn't have gone on living without knowing that, right? :rolleyes:

LOL! Whew, thanks, I can keep on breathing today!

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To protect themselves from being run over by self fetching balls.

 

It's part of the costume, donchaknow. Lends authenticity to the scene. And, in addition to being used in self defense against viscious giant balls, as Mark pointed out, you can lean on them when you're exhausted from watching your dog do the work he was meant to do.

 

Ruth

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It's part of the costume, donchaknow. Lends authenticity to the scene. And, in addition to being used in self defense against vicious giant balls, as Mark pointed out, you can lean on them when you're exhausted from watching your dog do the work he was meant to do.

 

Ruth

:rolleyes::D:D

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