Heh, I noticed lots of “tropical dogs” at the meet. Mostly whippets.

Also terriers, a collee and a long haired weimaraner.

Got to Launie and the dog park by 9.00am.

Socks happily playing with the other dogs there, mainly running, man she loves to run and is sooo good at it. Had set a timer on my phone, 10.30am I called an end to the fun and we choofed off to the obedience training.

The bit-over-an-hour of running (that IS what Socks loves to do) had taken the  “piss and vinegar” out of Socks sufficiently that she performed like A STAR! (ummm stand for exam she did show her love for the instructor rather than stand unmoving and, since she had not eaten anything she WAS rather distracted by the smell of some arsehole barbequing! (Can’t feed a dog just before it will run—torsion bloat!)

The acid test—the recall from 10 metres away—went really well! Socks did take off like an ICBM but I could see her sort of remember and at my signal obligingly sat right in front of me.

I praised and petted Socks for a couple of minutes—until I realised that everybody else had returned to the starting line in front of this fence and the instructor said something to me. Unashamed and unabashed I said that you need to praise the dog when it did something right. He couldn’t disagree and didn’t try to.

One moment of comedy: my left ear suddenly suffered, and I quote, “severe to profound hearing loss” a few years ago. I thought the instructor wanted everyone to “leave [their] dog” but he only wanted my neighbor with the Dobermann to do so {Oops!}

Naturally when it was my turn the instructor called out “Holly, leave your dog!” 

Because Socks did so well I took her back to the dog park as a reward. But I think she had had enough so I called her and, after some shopping, we drove home.


Definite progress!

Oh yeah. Not for the first time, I saw some “tropical dogs” today.

There are a couple of paddocks attached to the main paddock. One for “vulnerable” dogs and one for greyhounds. Socks has just under 50% greyhound genetics. Socks also has the greyhound coat, very short haired.

I have seen like half a dozen greyhounds all up since starting to take Socks to that park.


Yeah, no, hounds like Socks with short thin fur are NOT “tropical dogs.” Their slim build means temperature control of their bodies is difficult when it is too cold and when it is too hot.

Physical activity while outside in cooler weather allows the dog to keep its body temperature up.  When it is not exercising the dog’s body temperature can be controlled with heaters, blankets etc.

If it gets too hot body temperature regulation becomes very difficult. So I walk Socks early in the day in summer. The house never gets too hot and even with 35°C temperatures during the day at night temperatures drop to a mellow 12°C.


Of course, one could use a bit of commonsense unless you are really thick: Greyhounds, staghounds and whippets plus the Jack Russell terrier, all short haired dogs, were bred and used in England first! Look up the latitude of London and look up the latitude of Hobart. Socks is perfectly fine here!

The Great Dane was bred, initially from English mastiffs in Germany. Early on it was called “The English Dog” then it became “The German Dog” and the breed finally was called the Great Dane.

Great Danes do not have thin bodies. The one we see at the other dog park, not in Launceston, weighs 76Kg. But they do have short fur.

Jovial Monk wrote on Nov 24^th, 2025 at 6:28pm:


Outdated laws based on the belief they'd bite each other on the race track.

They've been repealed here in WA.

So we drove off grumpily. PetStock—Socks weighs about 26.3–26.4Kg, nice. Will slowly slim her a little bit more.

Coles for frozen veges, sardines and tuna for Socks and yoghurt for me. Good IGA place for a few ingredients for the beef pie, sourdough bread, fruit, veg. Bulk butcher for pet mince, chicken necks and brisket bones, all for Socks. Headed home.

I have mentioned there is a spot on a river fairly close to home where, when possible, I stop and let Socks stretch her legs and toilet.

Decided to walk in the opposite direction from our usual stroll, along a road so Socks was on the lead. Walked about a kilometre, saw a bridge ahead so we strolled another kilometre to that bridge. Bridge had a narrow footpath, say 400mm wide. We stepped up to that, walked along—fine while the bridge was over the banks of the river.

When we had walked far enough that we were over the water—and it was flowing fairly vigorously I noticed Socks had moved off the footpath. Trying to get her to get back on the footpath—there is traffic on the road, not much but some—got hysterical resistance.

Hmmm Socks had practically cried when we tried to cross an inlet and she was about out of her depth.

Did some scumbag throw Socks into a river, the sea or a swimming pool? Something so she was suddenly out of her depth or nearly so? Was this related to her antipathy to toddlers? I had assumed it was tail pulling caused that.

Something someone said yesterday. . .

Heh, coursing dogs bred to chase rabbits, hares, foxes and deer and, in Australia, kangaroos.

Socks, mostly staghound, is of a breed that, here, was called “Kangaroo Dog” and still, in the US, is called “Coyote Hound” because that is the creature they are used to control.

Could—not that it would ever happen in real life—Socks take down a kangaroo? She has a HUGE prey drive and aggression to prey—broken the wire pulling the lure quite a few times, including yesterday. Before her runs she is a right royal pain in the backside, so eager to run.

Socks, not being a full breed staghound, is smaller than a normal staghound bitch. She is well muscled from all the walking and running she gets.

Frankly, I would hate to see her even try to take on one of the wallabies that parade up and down my street. Not sure how it would go.

As I thought:
Quote:


https://www.quora.com/Are-kangaroos-aggressive-to-dogs


“Kangaroo dogs” got a mention in Henry Lawson’s funny short story “The Loaded Dog.” His unflattering description: thievish, spidery kangaroo dogs. The story is on the web and is worth reading BTW.