We often walk along a river valley close to home, there's plenty of pieces of wood laying around that are just going to rot so we often carry one or two pieces home with us. They're hardly logs but are good to get a fire started.

Ben seems to have got the message and now carries a piece home in his mouth, tonight he picked up a branch about 3 inches in diameter and 3 ft long and carried it with great care and concentration about 1/2 mile to our house and dropped it on a pile of wood in the garden. A picture would be worth a 1000 words but unfortunately I didn't have a camera.

What a clever Ben! It is always the same - never have a camera when there is a good picture to be had

I have been watching Mallie prune the Wisteria and my hardy Fuscia's today. I think she
is dropping hints about my lack of gardening for the past couple of months.

It is rather frustrating though to keep finding my standard Fuscias chewed in half and
the debris strewn around the front door. I don't think I'll bother planting up my pots
this year.

My garden has got no chance this year I will have to wait until the puppies (Murray is still only 10 months)have grown up a bit. I was looking at some photos of my garden 'pre deerhounds' - it looked lovely! Still - I would much rather have them than a lovely garden

Same here Trish. The lawns used to be beautiful now they look like a replica of a
battle zone. Just walking across the lawn is asking for broken limbs unless you know
where every hole is they have dug. It's no wonder my ankle was as bad as it was.
I can't count how many times I have fell in one of the dogs digs whilst cutting the grass.

We always ask new owners if they are keen gardeners and warn them about the Deerhounds
passion for digging and pruning.

Luckily Ben seems to have stopped digging up the garden and now he and the terrier concentrate digging very deep holes in the paddock. They are trying to excavate the rabbit holes and will be in Australia at the rate they are going.

I know it's annoying when they dig holes but I must admit I do like watching them dig. They have such a look of pure concentration on their gorgeous faces

Bless Ben's heart, I bet he was very proud of himself

If he wants more wood.... plenty has been washed up on some of our local beaches.... enough to build himself a flashy kennel

We can watch them from the kitchen window and they are oblivious to everything else that
is going on around them. We tap on the window, shout their name and they look up as if
to say "what, can't you see I'm busy" then down go their heads and they get digging again.

It's hopeless trying to stop them.

Still not got a picture of Ben carrying his log home, it's difficult to snap him when I'm walking home alone down the lane with him on a lead. Here's one of him in the garden chewing one he's just brought home. Incidently he had his annual check up at the vet this week and he's got no plague on his teeth, he's not interested in pet shop chews and rarely chews bones but he loves to chew a log so it must be good for his teeth as well.

Dont you get worried about bits of wood getting stuck in his throat?

houndy wrote:


If he didn't chew the bits that he brought home he just pinches logs from the wood shed. He really just chews the bark off the logs and spits it out, I've watched him closely and he never appears to swallow any. I did mention it to the vet and he didn't seem to think that it was a problem. He doesn't have bones and I'd worry about bits of them breaking off or him damaging his teeth. I always take anything off him that he manages to get that looks risky but I can't stop him from everything and a large log seems pretty safe to me.

Ever since I read about a stick piercing a dogs throat I have worried about wood and sticks that's the only reason I asked. Glad Ben enjoys his logs

houndy wrote:


I can understand about small sticks as bits break off easily but with logs its just bark that he breaks off, which is softer and he does spit that out. On balance I don't think its a big risk but I don't want to tempt fate. Anyway he is very fussy about what he eats, only the best and tastiest seem to do and I'm sure that wood bark doesn't come into that category.

That is so precious. Lockie helps to collect wood as well and brought a large bough back to the house for me. Mind you he was quite content to lie and chew it for a bit before donating to the wood pile.