Whoa more good possibilities!! Stress could be an issue but not related to our remodel. Nidoba came home to us when we were in the thick of it. The last 4 years it has been going on but has slowed to nearly zero over, especially this past year. Maybe she is stressed because she misses it : D Other things stress her though; noises...of all kinds. We'll keep an eye on her in that regard. She gets plenty of exercise. A routine she has. It's been basically the same for years. We don't have other dogs for her to play with but we have a cat that loves to play with her

Thank you all for helping. Lots of information to take in, but I think we can eliminate: Food - she's been on the same diet for 3 years. She does like salmon at first but when we tried that, she became less enthusiastic about eating after a couple of months. Beef she is allergic. Chicken as well. So not sure what else to feed her in a home cooked, natural diet. The Venison seems to work for her but I don't hunt..so it's in dry food form. Hot Spot - this is interesting because this past weekend, she was laying in the sun and was panting a lot. I moved her

Hi - thank you for the links...I didn't search for "Hot Spots" because it didn't occur to me that they would be considered that; it's not summer, etc. I will read all the posts tonight. Yes, she removes the fur completely and the skin turns red and eventually she opens the skin. There are no fleas. Why do you suggest removing the fur? i.e. 'dog sheers, scissors'

Tried to search but the word "fur" is only 3 letters so the system can't handle it. Hi all - it's been a while. We finally "finished" our remodel which more or less consumed us into a black hole. Nidoba is 4.5 years old now and a great dog. However, she has always had some issues with chewing her fur off in the area at the top of her hind legs, just ahead of where her tail is attached. Food: We tried a variety of foods, etc and have settled on Nature's Balance L.I.D. Venison. She seems to do well with it. Treats are the same manufacture but Bison flavored. Both of these

LOL you all are making me laugh. Yep, she's a beauty just like all the AIDogs!!

(click on picture for larger image)..now who wouldn't want to see a bigger picture of my baby??

Oh my gosh - I forgot to upload it. Thanks...here she is!

2 years old (tomorrow) Weight: 43 lbs Neck: 18" Girth: I forgot but she fits into a Ruff Wear Jacket size small. LOL people ask me how old my "puppy" is and when I tell them they can't believe a 2yo has so much energy....neither can we!! Honestly, she's doing great. Happy as can be and a true lover. Our walks are going much much better now. No problem with walking her during normal day time hours. We intentionally head out often just about 5:30p during the week so there will be people coming home from work, kids out playing and other dogs being walked. This has helped tremen

Bravo Ziva! ..wish I could handle all that exercise

Parvo is a nasty one. I nursed a previous dog back to health years ago. Good luck! "Evil Chocolate chips" - LOL!!

^LOL fair enough.. Wanted to mention that Nidoba is eating Back to Basics grain free pork formula food now. So far so good..I'll have to report back after a little longer. Thanks to your suggestions, we did buy a nice coat for her. I think it was on sale at Sierra Trading post for $20. She'll be trying it out in a couple of weeks. Hope she can redeem herself with a better picture!!

I somehow missed the Canidae suggestions. Too bad as we have switched Nidoba again. The salmon seemed to be working fine, but the pet store was having trouble keeping it in stock. Now she is on "Back to Basics" grain free pork formula. It's mostly made from pork liver. She loves it - she loves anything so that's no real indication. But so far her fur it still attached : D

Down (dog sized) blanket is a great idea. Ultra light!! We're shopping around for a dog coat too. I'm sure we'll find a nice, stylish one soon : ) Yes, Nidoba carries her own gear; water, food, tick tool, 10' cable and PJs. She even carries her gear when we go for day hikes. She has really taken to her pack. At first it was a little big but she's grown some, so now it fits well. She jumps logs and scrambles over boulders no problem while wearing it. The only time her and I had a problem was last summer. We got a late start on a strenuous hike, so the afternoon sun was beari

Oh what a bummer for everyone that was planning on attending. Please post 2012 dates as soon as they are known. We have to put in well in advance for vacation time off and our Alps climbing plans fell through so we're considering an Oregon road trip instead ; )

Nidoba has strong prey drive too; chases anything that moves. I don't hunt so don't need a hunting dog, but like I said Lizards, rabbits, birds, deer, squirrels, cows..if it moves she's off at full speed. She almost caught a California King Snake last fall. The only thing that prevented her was me chasing and yelling "no" because at that point I didn't know what kind of snake it was. It was very fast going down hill.