For Dog Lovers.... Part 3

The friendliest place on the web for anyone that follows U2.
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More Gracie Pics...

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"mom, i am kinda hot..."
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"wat dat?"
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surveying the outdoors
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her beautiful profile
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another awesome day at dog beach
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"i can swim realz good mom"
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"mom this water is yucky"
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Gracie is so beautiful. Her coat looks so soft and shiny. :cute:

I was looking for a certain dog pic I'd seen earlier and came across this:

Not ours, but we have one just like her!

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I'm watching my sister's dog while she's out of town. I've lived with the dog for over a year but never paid much attention to her potty habits before. Normally I'd just let the dog out and then let her in when she either starts barking by the backdoor (about 10 min) or just whenever I remember to let her in. So I've never actually been out there with her to see what goes on. Over the past few weeks she's been naughty to the point that my sister goes out there and stands with her at all times. We have a lot of stray cats running around the leave a lot of dead birds :yuck: This dog lives to bury things in the backyard from treats to toys so now that we have dead birds she thinks it's her mission to find them and bury them. Plus, even though we have a cat in the house that she leaves alone, she seems to think that she has to protect the yard and chase after these poor little cats. Ok so because of all of this, we now have to go out with her. She eats one meal a day throughout the day so my sister said that going #2 is not a daily thing. I let her out this morning before I left for work and she pee'd then. She keeps drinking tons of water and we keep going outside but she doesn't do anything but run around and then drink more water from the dish we have outside for her. :doh: Is this normal for a dog to only go once a day? She's never gone in the house before so I know she's not going when I'm not looking. Plus, she barks at night :crack: so she sleeps with me on my bed and doesn't move all night. I can't keep going out there and chasing her around all night long. I hope going once a day is a normal thing for a dog because I have the rest of the week to deal with this :crack: My sister keeps saying "she's a dog, she's fine...." but when she sits by the backdoor crying I don't know what else to do but let her out. She just doesn't do anything when we go out......
 
If your sister doesn't care how she behaves, that's probably why she acts this way. If she were mine, I would go back to house training. We go out on a leash, we stand there, if the dog does potty they get praised and can go off the leash to play. If they don't, we go back inside and repeat every 1/2 hour or so until she goes (for a pup it would be more like 10 minutes but this dog isn't having accidents in the house). You can teach her that going out is to potty, not a free for all for her.

The cats thing is trickier, dogs learn in context so the family pet indoors is not treated the same as the cats outdoors. We have three cats in the house and for the most part my dogs have free reign of the home, but there are cats, rabbits, and squirrels outdoors and when it comes to them, all bets are off.

The once a day thing should be fine if that's how she usually is. Some dogs are like that. Kenya went 5 days without pooping while I was gone. She used to only poop once a day but now she poops 2, I think it depends on the food.
 
:huh: I never said my sister doesn't care about her dog! It's the exact opposite which is why we stand with her when we're outside. My sister's comment means that she's a dog, not a human, and doesn't have to go as much.
 
I didn't mean to imply she doesn't care, just that dogs do what works for them. If she's been allowed to bark at cats and roam around before doing her business, that is what she will do. Standing with her and restricting what she can do is the right thing, if she wants to stop her.

The poop thing wouldn't concern me unless she suddenly changed to only going once.
 
A few pics of my brother's dogs. I just had to share:

Stan the bulldog. Love this boy!
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I just love to smoosh his face whenever I go home :love:
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He and his girlfriend also just got a St Bernard pup and named her Sophie. So adorable.
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So.much.slobber LOL

If I don't get another German shepherd, I think I'm getting a pit bull as my next dog.

Ahhh, you'll love a pittie :) They're something special, though I may be just a little biased...... ;)

And LOL, the slobber :no: I love big dogs like that, mastiffs and all the rest of them, but I could NEVER deal with the slobber.
 
Meet my trainer's older dog, Sam. He is titled in the highest level of Schutzhund and is very well trained. What we call a "safe" dog because he is at a high level yet is not out of control and he will perform with any handler as long as you give the commands right. I got to do some practice with him last night. It's so weird, going from Kenya who is 55lbs and her head is just above my knee on a tall day, to this male with a massive head that is glued to my hip when we heel. He bit his tongue working on the ball and dripped blood all over my favorite jeans. Oops.

Sam, with my trainer (his owner)
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If I didn't have three dogs and minimal space, I would borrow him for a while and maybe enter a trial with him (for my own practice).
 
^ Yay! I love Tzus. They are so smart!

We just got back from the vet. I have a one month supply of amitriptyline, yikes!
 
We have 2 shih-tzu mix brothers. Even though they're not purebred, their shih-tzu qualities made us fall in love with the breed. :heart: Also have a collie-shephard mix too.
 
I'm hoping you guys can give me an idea of something? My dogs are really well bonded. I've finally definitely got Sally to sleep in the dog house at night. She likes it in there. Archie, however, may not use it and I want to know if there's a good chance he sleeps inside it with her. I'm worried about him being cold. Would two family dogs fight over kennel space, or is it more natural for them to lay together in the nights? It's impossible to sneak down to check because his hearing is so acute that he's up and at the fence before you've even got near.

And in news no one probably cares about, I'm now wondering if there's a bit of Bull Mastiff in him. I swear, I should join your dog forum, Lies, and ask the masses to "name that breed!" I have no idea. My opinion on what breed he is changes frequently. He's got definite Terrier in him, perhaps some Boxer, maybe a bit of Ridgeback, 2 seperate vets think a touch of red Cattle...
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Does amitriptyline help an anxious dog? Sally is very nervous. She's very restless around new people. She's not aggressive, but a nervous dog can do terrible things when stressed enough.
 
I think if they are closely bonded already and used to being together, they wouldn't fight in a kennel unless they were fighting FOR something (ie, I wouldn't stick them in their together with raw bones or something good like that). I can kennel mine together in any combination and they are fine. When I boarded them for 10 days I only rented two kennels and asked her to put two dogs in the larger one and just switch who it was each night. If they are both adults and haven't had a fight yet, I wouldn't have any hesitation trying. Maybe something will come up, you just never know, but even at the dog pound here we kennel dogs together than have only just met (and there's the guillotine style drop door that divides the kennel anytime the dogs eat). Dogs are pack animals so it's perfectly natural that they sleep together. Mine don't really sleep right next to each other but they probably would if they got cold (usually they are HOT).

Yes, amitriptyline is for anxiety. Kenya has several odd behaviors that she does, and new ones come and go randomly depending on her level of stress. We believe she is just "wired" differently, very high strung. We have tried years of behavioral mod now with almost no success. What makes us think her wiring is off is that she is NOT stressed in situations that are usually stressful for a normal dog (she doesn't mind thunder, fireworks, not gun shy, likes going out in crowds, competes in many dog sports and trials, loves playing with other dogs, doesn't have the common separation anxiety behaviors and is perfectly reliable being left out in the house when we're gone). She is still very scared of my husband and we cannot make any progress with that until we take her head down a few notches first. The behaviors that she does are perfectly manageable, but I do not feel that my dog is truly happy, at least not compared to my boys. So I am the opposite of most people, who want their dog on drugs to stop the peeing, whining, howling, chewing, etc. I have managed and trained away all of that but still she is as anxious and twitchy as ever.
 
So you think I can safely assume he does go in with Sally and sleep where it's warm? I don't think she's at all territorial about her space - unlike food, so they get their treats in day time and well away from where they sleep. I just can't help worrying that he might be forced out, because, well, Sally is a right bitch when she wants to be :lol: My poor Arch is a compliant and gentle dog. He'd easily sleep as close to the doorway as he'd be allowed if she made a fuss. I just cannot get close enough to their kennel without Archie leaping to attention way before I get a chance to see him unawares. Sally, I know, sleeps in there because she is also getting a lot happier in staying put before coming to greet us in that she'll often wait to see if we come bearing treats before she'll haul her butt out of bed. Archie, alas, is up and at the gate before you've even closed the door. I just wish I could see where he sleeps!
So yeah, they do get on very well. They never fight, except the occasional gruff growl at some small and fleeting annoyance. They play and live very happily together. It surely makes sense they'd also share their sleeping den? I need surveillance cameras. :D Or to worry about something more important, lol.


With socialising, is there a point/age where it becomes too late to achieve any effective change in behaviour? Sally, for example, walks fine. She ignores people, can ignore many dogs, but if I walk her to say my kids' school to wait in the afternoon, she'll have to sit right on my feet and can growl if any child comes too close. As a result, I really only walk her when it's necessary as I don't want any incident with any of the kids. I do doubt she'd bite, but I am absolutely not taking a risk. Despite her highly strung nature, I do feel she can be changed. I guess I just don't know how, beyond exposure - which I'm wary of with school kids. Archie is a different story. He's a jumper. But he's large. He's going to knock someone flying one day. How the hell do you stop a dog from jumping everything? He often takes himself over the 6' colorbond fence to go exploring.
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No, there's no age when the dog stops learning or can't be trained. My in-laws always tell me their cocker is too old to be trained (he's like 13 now) but complain about his begging, getting on the table for food, and choking himself on walks, so to prove them wrong I taught him 2 new tricks (lie down, and push a button) in two 5 minute sessions.

Kenya is also nervous around toddlers and I know that when pushed far enough she will bite, so like you it's easier for me to just not allow her around toddlers. Yes, I could train her to tolerate them better, but I don't know anyone who wants to volunteer their toddlers to train my German Shepherd dog! It's just one of those things where for me the time and patience it would take with training is not worth it when I can easily manage her never being around toddlers since I don't have any. So I think you are right to be cautious of the exposure. It is difficult to do effective unless you have *total* control. For Kenya, that would mean getting with my trainer and having her bring some kids along and instruct them *exactly* what to do. Part of the reason Kenya is fearful of them is because she has been rudely approached by toddlers in the past (screaming at her, pulling her ears, grabbing her tail) even when I am asking them to leave my dog alone. I have had to physically remove toddlers while the parents stand there and laugh (either they don't care or are afraid of dogs themselves).

For jumper dogs I would do two things: 1) tie the dog to a fence or tree then get some people together and ask them to approach the dog but if the dog jumps on them, they instantly turn their back and step out of range of the dog, ignore for 10 seconds, then try again. If the dog keeps his feet down, he gets pet and praised. If he bounces, the people turn away and ignore. 2) Do the same thing but do it out on a walk with you holding the leash. Tell the dog to sit and stay when someone asks to pet him and ask them to only keep coming forward when the dog is sitting and to stop or back away if he bounces. Typically the bouncers are the nicest dogs and they want to be pet so they will soon figure out that bouncing = no petting and sitting = petting.

I don't kennel my dogs so I don't know about sleeping but I suppose you could always add another dog house. My dogs each have their own crate in the house and one in the car so they don't share, but sometimes they pick one that's not theirs, or two jump in the same one at the same time and there's never been a scuffle unless there's a raw bone in the crate.
 
Kenya is also nervous around toddlers and I know that when pushed far enough she will bite, so like you it's easier for me to just not allow her around toddlers.

Our old Collie, King, was like this as well. My parents had good family friends who used to come over often with their toddler granddaughters (twins), and as soon as he saw those girls, he'd run into his crate and hide. He absolutely wasn't a biter, but unfortunately he did have a habit of sort of jumping on the toddlers to push them off him when he got sick of them and so I always thought it was a huge liability to have them around him.

Samson, on the other hand, you could put a toddler on him like he is a pony and he couldn't care less. He would probably be happiest in life if he had three small children on top of him pulling his years and playing with him. He's just that sort of dog, kind of like Lassie in the movies. Either that or he's really a Golden Retriever on the inside, heh.
 
LOL, that's Coke and Nikon for sure! You could ride them.

Kenya is just a "snappy" dog. She's never actually bitten someone or gotten in a dog fight, but she shows teeth and air snaps as her warning signals, which means she gets on VERY well with dogs because they understand these signals very well, but unfortunately, people are waiting for a growl which they're not going to get because she has never growled at a person. I tell people that if her mouth is shut, you need to leave her alone, if it is open, that means she is relaxed and you're fine. Toddlers just can't be expected to understand or adhere to the rules of being polite with dogs. I don't really concern myself with it anymore because she is a very aloof, quirky dog anyway so I generally offer up the boys when people want to pet or play with my dogs. When we have guests, Kenya is typically crated more for her own sanity than liability. She's a true working bred GSD, she really wants absolutely nothing to do with anyone but me. She is not scared or aggressive (though the toddlers do certain prey-like movements that confuse her), she just has no interest in petting for the sake of being petted.

Nikon loves all the little African American girls around here b/c they use special stuff in their hair and he likes to lick all over their heads. They just love it and stand their shrieking while he is eating them with kisses.
 
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