We finally got our dog

[Henrietta23]

Ooo, I have to look those up to see what they look like. My favorite childhood dog was collie/GSD cross. Loved that girl!

 

[Dace]

Your new pup sounds great

Good luck with the ticks, I have no suggestions, just wanted to say....yay, a pup!

 

[big brown horse]

Texas ticks...don't miss them one bit!

Once when I was in farrier school, we were shoeing a group of horses in the TX hill country area...I was three hooves in on my first horse when I happened to look up from my job. The horse's entire belly was covererd in those durn things. Some as big as your thumb too. OMG, I was rubbing my back and sometimes my head up against the belly of that horse for 20 minutes!! Thankfully I didn't get any ticks, but some of my comrades did.

Sorry, I don't have any herbal tricks that I know of that will help you get rid of them. I do know "Biospot" works great for ticks, but I'm sure you don't want to go that route. (It doesn't work that great on fleas though...I don't miss them TX fleas either!!!)

Congrats on your new dog!!

 

[ORChick]

I've read that this is also the reason that Irish Setters are so flighty - bred for looks, and no more room in their narrow skulls for brains. I'm sure it is happening for many/most breeds.
Congrats on the new pup; I look forward to seeing a picture when you have a chance to post one.
BBH - off topic - I worked in a Pediatric clinic for many years. I also have long hair. Generally I wear it in a bun or a braid, but one day it was in a ponytail; as I was weighing and measuring a patient (for her annual well checkup) her mother announced that "oh, by the way, she has lice" - and me with my hair hanging over my shoulder, and onto this little girl's head. Luckily I escaped catching them ... but that was the last day I wore my hair down while working there!

 

[lwheelr]

The funniest dog we ever had was an Irish Setter. She used to go down to the neighbor's house. He had a carport over his front porch, and he would put his shoes beside the porch each night. She'd go snag his shoes, and bring them to her doghouse, and pull the laces out. Never damaged the shoes, just pulled the laces out! She was clumsy, goofy, and funny as anything, but had all her smarts in one area only. Pa eventually sold her to a bird hunter, who bred her, and said she threw the most beautiful bird dogs ever.

One of the problems you run into with rescuing a breed is that early on, people think they have to use EVERY animal for breeding. That means that it hurts the breed rather than keeping it good. Since each animal is so precious, breeders are reluctant to cull any of them, even when they SHOULD.

We've been watching our little girl, making sure the problems she had at birth are only situational problems, not genetic ones. If we feel they are genetic, we won't breed her, we'll get another to replace her, and just keep her as a farm dog. We want to sell breeding stock that is worth breeding, and that has the important traits for the breed, both in appearance AND behavior.

 

[Henrietta23]

Heehee, one of the funniest dogs I've ever known was my grandparents' Irish Setter, Clancy. I'm rushing out but will try to remember some of them later. He was smart as a whip, almost human in some ways.

 

[Wifezilla]

I've read that this is also the reason that Irish Setters are so flighty - bred for looks, and no more room in their narrow skulls for brains. I'm sure it is happening for many/most breeds.

The OLD Irish Setters were awesome. My dad jokes he was raised by an Irish Setter. His mom just supervised. Want one of the kids? Tell the dog. She'll go get em. Want to make sure the kids don't leave the yard? Put the dog out with them. She would NOT let them leave the property.

Dad bought us an Irish Setter when I was 13 and my little sister was 3. The puppy actually picked my sister. They were best buds. Rusty always watched over Kris. Wouldn't let older kids pick on her, picked her up when she fell, came and got us if there was a problem. She was an awesome dog and a fantastic hunter.

I would be afraid to get one today. The ones I have seen look horrible and are dumber than a box of rocks.

 

[ORChick]

I've read that this is also the reason that Irish Setters are so flighty - bred for looks, and no more room in their narrow skulls for brains. I'm sure it is happening for many/most breeds.

The OLD Irish Setters were awesome. My dad jokes he was raised by an Irish Setter. His mom just supervised. Want one of the kids? Tell the dog. She'll go get em. Want to make sure the kids don't leave the yard? Put the dog out with them. She would NOT let them leave the property.

Dad bought us an Irish Setter when I was 13 and my little sister was 3. The puppy actually picked my sister. They were best buds. Rusty always watched over Kris. Wouldn't let older kids pick on her, picked her up when she fell, came and got us if there was a problem. She was an awesome dog and a fantastic hunter.

I would be afraid to get one today. The ones I have seen look horrible and are dumber than a box of rocks.

She sounds like that dog in "Peter Pan"

I don't know much about smart dogs; I grew up with English bulldogs - cute, but not the smartest.