Slovakian Rough Haired Pointer Discussions

Aaaah, bless.

RIP Beth xx

Just wanted to say hi cos I think our slovak Jed could be Judge's brother. We got him from Rosetinted at 13 weeks and there was a large undocked boy still there, so pretty sure this is Judge. Not sure if he is related to any of the lovely girls, DOB is 10/5/09 on his cert but he is docked !!!!

He is a lovely dog and its reassuring to hear that he shares many slovak traits; terrible on the lead and a complete food thief but adorable.

Will leave it here for now as new to the site and not even sure if I've posted this correctly.

Once I've figured it out I will post some pics !!

Hey folks,

Anyone do agility with their Slovak? if so, do they enjoy it?

I'm looking into doing agility with Bo when she is old enough (is it 12 months? or 18? I can't remember when they are old enough to start).

I've seen a slovak competing on the circuit, think it is grade 3 and owned by someone with a weim.

Seems to enjoy the agility from what I've seen. They were at the gundog agility show a few weeks back;-)

12 months to start training and 18 months to compete. Find with the HPR's though you don't get them working seriously till they hit the 3yr mark, then everything begins to click into place.

Seeing as mine has the attention span of a gnat with ADHD, your theory makes sense! same for Labs though I find too.

The lady who runs the weimaraner agility organisation has a slovak. Search for it you You Tube and you'll hopefully find a nice interview with her and a slovak in the background. I've found that Grey has mellowed a bit of late (he's nearly two) but also because he's getting enough mental stimulation from his environment these days. I see a big difference in his behaviour and stress levels if he is taken to interesting terrain and he does things with me like keep an eye on me, recalls, finding stuff. They're a working breed and need lots of stuff to do that keeps them thinking. I'm going to look into agility perhaps at some point. Will have to have basic obedience though! So to stay with you and not run amok everywhere.

On another note, Grey's brother Gunner has had a few collapses while out exercising. The vet thinks it is EIC (Exercise Induced Collapse) usually more often found in collies and working labs. It might be hereditary so worth keeping an eye on. Anyone know anything about it?

Hi Lou

You can do a test for EIC now:
http://www.vdl.umn.edu/ourservices/canineneuromuscular/home.html

I am aware of the condition in Labs and know a few breeders who have had their dogs tested (as a precaution, not because they have it).

Some Bo pics...at 9 months:

Hello lovely, Bo! My aren't you lovely! Really similar these hairy UK slovaks aren't they. It always freaks me out as I think what's Grey doing in that strange garden! But when you see pics of the slovakian slovaks there are loads of colours. She's really lovely. Thanks for the info for Gunner. It's been a worry for his owner. Poor love.

Bo is GORGEOUS!!!!!

Have been away on hols and just come back to see latest photos of Bo, she looks gorgeous!! Oh and her sister Cheska approves, she hopes to meet her one day, then they can cause chaos together!

Hi guys,

Just to let you know that Grey is really ill. Has come down with a pain condition and is crying if he moves. Not sure what it is, but vet can't see an injury. going in for xrays and biopsy of lymph gland tomrrow. His brother Gunner is also unwell. Having collapses now every two weeks. Really hope the pair of them get well soon.

Aww no, terrible news.

Fingers crossed they both get well soon x

Lou, I am so sorry to hear that, poor Grey he really has had a tough time of it, thoughts are with you & him and his brother too, i really hope they are both well very soon!

Just seen this now. Poor Grey (and his brother). :-( Do let us know what happens at the vets tomorrrow. Continued good thoughts in the mean time.

Hi guys. Thanks for thoughts. Not how I thought we'd spend Grey's 2nd birthday today. He had a long day at the vets today. They tested him for just about everything. He had xrays which showed joints and spine all clear all organs look fine. They sent off bloods and spinal fluid for testing. They don't think he has cancer which is a relief. But still don't know what it is. One possibility which would be awful is canine IMPA (run a search on it) it's immune system arthritis.

He's very unhappy, scared and crying. Have got to wait till Thurs for results. In the meantime he's got painkillers and antibiotics to take.

Anyone got experience of this?

Just to let you know he's so much better today. Now have to think of ways of keeping him amused while he's not allowed out running. He thinks he's ready of course! In tomorrow for our results. Hope everyone else ok.

Good to hear he is doing better. I'll be interested in the results.

Kim/Sanders, has Cheska had her first season yet? Bo is on day 14 of hers and I so can't wait for it to be over. She spent all morning flirting with my male Labrador, who despite being neutered was keen to oblige...luckily she is too tall for him!

I've only just joined but wanted to tell you about my 2 yr old SRHP, Indy, who had a similar problem. After many visits to a specialist and lots of tests he was found to have an infection in one of his spinal disks. This only showed up after an MRI. After 6 weeks of antibiotics he is back to his normal self running around and enjoying life. After listening to his screams as he got up and down it is amazing to see him now, I though we never would. The specialist told me that it was probably as a result of a urine infection that we missed. All in all we've had 12 weeks of rest and considering we also have a 1 yr old bitch in the house we all survived surprisingly well.

I do hope that all is well with Grey as soon as possible!