Carolk9s

Wow Shara, what an experience! Sounds like YOU were able to keep your cool even though your were terrified, you were right in there helping your dog! Glad Coal is ok. Was this a hard cookie or soft treat? Just curious, I imagine either could have gotten stuck.

Sounds like great fun! Perhaps you've broken through a 'barrier', he now knows that playing and being a bit wild is ok!

[quote name='K'].and that he should of seen clearly that a "Meet and Greet" with Jesse would of been a prime training point for all concerned..and all he did was let his dogs see and feel his displeasure at another dogs approach...[/quote] Dangit K! Why didn't I think of saying that to him! 8) I was so startled by his anger and am still feeling ruffled. Silly on my part, now [color=red][size=6]I[/size] [/color]need to get over it!

I decided to take the dogs to the park early to take advantage of the cooler temps. Right as we got there, a man walked across the street with his 3 dogs on leash, I stood to one side and voice controlled my dogs to stay put while he walked past us. We then headed into the woods. Very soon I realized that Jesse was not right behind me anymore. I backtracked, he had also backtracked and was walking towards the guy with his 3 dogs across the field. Jesse reached him and his dogs before I got to Jesse. I was calling Jesse's name but Jesse was intent on meeting and greeting. He was walking amongst the guys dogs waving his tail, there was ZERO aggression of any kind. I could see the guy was irritated by Jesse being there. First words out of my mouth to the guy were, "I am so sorry my dog is bothering you, he snuck away from me". He fired back, "You should be able to control your dogs". Well, I do happen to agree with that but this is an area that people bring their dogs and let them run offleash. I mentioned this to him, not good enough. He told me I was irresponsible, my dogs (only Jesse approached him) had RUINED his training session. I AGAIN apologized and said let me get my dog out of your way. The girls at this point were on a down stay near me and NOT approaching his dogs. The guy kept on talking about how MY DOGS ruined his training session and I should be able to control them etc etc. On and on. He is walking away. I got a bit ticked off and said again dogs get to be offleash here and stuff happens and he should get over it. I know, not the best response, I was reacting to his anger. I then said, we are going the other way you are welcome to resume your training and my dogs will not bother you again. He kept walking and saying the same stuff over and over, I was irresponsible and needed to control my dogs. What a start to our day! Again, I DO agree that it is up to me to control my dogs but I feel he overreacted. The entire exchange took about 5 minutes, perhaps a couple more, but as quickly as I could I collected Jesse and moved all my dogs away from him. The guy was really bent out of shape and marched off and left the park. As a trainer, I feel that part of training is to work THROUGH distractions and maintaining ones cool. Anyway, I just needed to vent, I was embarrassed and apologetic but still feel he overreacted to the very brief interuption.

Happy Birthday Elmo and congrats to you and your mom on your superb agility accomplishments!

My dogs must live for chow time. They crowd into my tiny kitchen with me while I prepare their food. As soon as I say, 'Ok, lets GO', Jesse rushes across the front room to his 'spot'. Think of a person drumming their fingers on a table, that is pretty much what he does with his feet. I tell him to hold his horses, I'm coming and stop drooling on my end table/covered dog crate! 8) The girls follow me, once I give Jesse his food, Brittany leads the way to her 'spot'. Candy is watching me with a bit of worry, 'why am I always LAST???' Well, partly because she is the fastest eater. They each get a greenie after dinner, she pops into the kitchen mere seconds after I put her food bowl down and wants her greenie. At breakfast, Candy hovers near Jesse waiting for him to finish, she always licks his bowl to make sure he did not miss the tiniest morsel. They just crack me up sometimes, what would I do without them!

The above very illogical post from guest is making me rethink MY stance on members only postings too. My Belgian Sheepdog would have most likely killed cats when he was younger under the right circumstances. Lets see, running at large, no supervision, with another dog, pack mentality kicks in, already quite aggressive towards cats, um, yep I think there's a recipe for quite a mess.

[quote name='emc']Anyone know of a good way to get dog hairs off the sofa? [/quote] Sure fire GAR-UN-TEED method..... Sit on said sofa wearing a business suit or dress of a contrasting color. Make sure you are on the verge of being late for an important appointment. Hairs will instantly transfer to the seat of suit or dress.

[quote name='Shannon_C'][color=darkred]There isn't a law for cats here, they like to wonder......you couldn't possibly stop a cat from going where it wants to, besides cats are clean....they always hide there mess :D xxxx[/color][/quote] Gotta break the news, not all cats bury their poop. I was having quite a time recently, finding poop in my yard almost every day, I thought it was a smallish dog. Had to keep an eagle eye on the girls, both would gulp down this poop with glee. Pulled in the driveway one day to see my neighbors tom leaving a large deposit. He casually strolled away when done. I have since read that confidant cats do not generally bury their poop, I guess the more dominant they are, the less they feel the need to 'hide' their scent. BTW, the weirdo that berated you then apoligized, sounds like he has a screw loose, I'd be a bit careful.

[quote name='pitbullEmily'] You might start with a really small (thinly cut) one. [/quote] Er, no. Or to clarify, nothing small enough or thin enough to A. be able to get stuck in pups throat or B. slip over lower jaw. Old family pet (long since passed on) once got a bone stuck on his lower jaw, he had worked the bone his lower canines. It was terrifying watching my father take this bone off but he did it without breaking any teeth. Otherwise poor Pepper most likely would have had to wait til the morning to go to the vet, this was, oh, 30 odd years ago and I doubt we had a local emergency vet. If excessive marrow at one sitting is a concern, scrape most of it out first before giving bone to dog. You can either discard excess marrow or chop and freeze into little bits for tasty little freezer treats.

From the AKC Standard: Color The Labrador Retriever coat colors are black, yellow and chocolate. Any other color or a combination of colors is a disqualification. A small white spot on the chest is permissible, but not desirable. White hairs from aging or scarring are not to be misinterpreted as brindling. Black--Blacks are all black. A black with brindle markings or a black with tan markings is a disqualification. Yellow--Yellows may range in color from fox-red to [color=red]light cream[/color], with variations in shading on the ears, back, and underparts of the dog. Chocolate--Chocolates can vary in shade from light to dark chocolate. Chocolate with brindle or tan markings is a disqualification. I guess defining 'light cream' could be tricky! If the 'white' lab is an AKC champ, it is simply a VERY pale yellow. So whether or not your friend is getting ripped off may depend on how this breeder is promoting the pups from this breeding. RARE WHITE LAB PUPS!-Run for the hills. Pups from parents of working background and all health checks in place with no special emphasis on color, worth checking into. I hope your friend knows that Labs generally have no sense until they are about 2 years old and are EATING machines. I don't say that to pick on Labs, many larger breed dogs take longer to mature mentally as well as physically.

TDG, Thanks again for your analysis, it's very helpful to be able to turn to someone here for some nitty gritty details!

TDG, Could you point out the sugar sources for me? I know cane molasses is one but I do not know which other ingredients add sugar. The beet pulp 'says' sugar removed, is that even effective? One thing I am glad to see on their website, they have changed the wording for the Senior product, used to claim 'Heart Healthy Oatmeal'. It's been reworded to 'Oatmeal - a "heart healthy" food for humans - is included in our Senior Dog Food formula for its many exceptional health benefits.' Fresh Chicken By-Products (Organ Meat Only), Fresh Chicken, Corn, Chicken By-Product Meal, Dried Beet Pulp (sugar removed), Fresh Chicken Liver, Brewers Dried Yeast, Cane Molasses, Eggs, Salt, Sodium Propionate (a preservative), DL-Methionine, L-Lysine, Vitamin A Acetate, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Vitamin E Supplement, Riboflavin Supplement, Niacin, Biotin, Choline Chloride, Folic Acid, Thiamine Mononitrate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Ascorbic Acid, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Menaione, sodium Bisulfate Complex, (source of Vitamin K), D-Calcium Pantothenate, Manganous Oxide, Inositol, BHA (a preservative), Iron Sulfate, Copper Sulfate, Zinc Oxide, Cobalt Carbonate, Potassium Iodine, Sodium Selenite. Thanks again,

Perhaps you could contact a Sheltie breeder and ask them for specifics. Might want to ask how they feel about breeding for so called 'teacup' sized dogs first! I cannot remember the source, I read somewhere that dogs bred down to be tiny had more skeletal problems as their bones are so tiny too. Tell your folks, Shelties are SUPPOSED to be a small but robust breed of dog, the teeny tiny birdy boned ones are generally far from robust. I 'believe' they tend to be more fearful in many cases as well, probably as much due to poor breeding practices as to their size. Wish I could be more help.

TDG, I've read these threads and your comments with interest. I've been feeding my 3 dogs Bil Jac for a couple of years and with minor exception have been satisfied with the results. The exceptions are: 1. Since it is a fairly 'soft' food, it crumbles easily and at the bottom of the bin I have a huge amount of food dust. 2. Dogs stools could be a bit firmer...but since I add tasty bits to their food, can't say for sure it's the Bil Jac causing that. Tasty bits like (daily) yogurt, Missing Link, and (now and then) about 1/2 ounce of canned cat food per dog. I also add glucosamine and MSM to the older dogs food. The older dogs are on the senior formula and Candy is on select. Prior to switching them to Bil Jac, I had tried Canidae. They were on that for almost 3 months, right from the start they had REALLY soft stools. Jesse also had far more frequent bowel movements on Canidae. The stools did not firm up so I dropped the Canidae. BTW, I understand about the whole "feed less with a better quality food than with a lower quality food' thing but as I feed significantly less already than the guidelines call for, I'm not looking specifically to reduce the amount I feed. For instance, Candy gets just under 1 cup a day, recommended for her weight range is 2 to 2 1/2 cups daily. Of course they do get that dollop of yogurt each morning. I am not going to do BARF or home cooked, I cannot afford Wellness, (my eyes bugged out when I saw the price) I am considering switching to Chicken Soup For the Dog Lovers Soul. Do you feel Chicken Soup is a higher quality food than Bil Jac? Same? Lower quality? Thanks in advance,

Voted again, Elijah is up to 7.7% but needs our continuing support!

It's a shame they opted to use a deceptive ad to promote the product. I purchased one of these to see if it would help reduce the anxiety my dogs feel during thunderstorms. I DID see some reduction in their anxiety but have gotten far better results using Melatonin and peppermint extract.

I'm very glad to hear you are feeling better today! Of course the beach is the perfect place for a WIPE OUT, I can see you explaining that one to the dr.! I rather figured Beau was just having fun and miscalculated a wee bit. I also know you are well versed in doggie behaviour and sounds like Beau is doing great.

Mouse, You could have gotten all 'technical' with him, asked him to look closer and see how close Gladis was to the ground. Explain how if she was a poopin, her back would be arched a bit and her butt would be higher from the ground. Perhaps he would have been sorry he asked. 8) I think we should all start a campaign to convince fools like him that dog poop is the latest 'hot item' in fertilizer for flowers and trees. Practice a speech to the effect, say how some are selling it but it's not worth haggling over price for individual 'samples'. Tell him he can have a sample for free but for a larger quantity, the two of you could negotiate a price. Just imagine, being able to hand over the poop in it's baggie to someone else. Of course you'd have to be a little reluctant, act like you were going to take it home to fertilize your OWN yard. 8)

[quote name='courtnek'] ok sorry but I cant help it...I woulda LOVED to have said "oh definitely not. this is a new "Sh**less dog", recently developed breed. They never have to defecate"......with a completely straight face.... [/quote] Note to self, do NOT drink coffee while actively reading dogo. Snorting said coffee through ones nose is NOT pretty sight. You cracked me up! :P

Um, if Beau does this frequently, I'd definitely work on teaching him otherwise. A dog that continually body slams a person IMO, is showing a dominance behaviour. [color=red]HOWEVER[/color], sounds like this was just exuberance on his part, I'd still be wary and try to make sure it never happens again. Of course, now that you know what a freight train feels like, I'm sure you will take steps to get off the tracks! 8) I sure hope you are not seriously hurt, being sidelined with an injury aint no fun at all. Many years ago we had a St. Bernard who would knock us over as she barreled by. When Jesse was young, he would blast by me or my mom and nip us on the way. He was so danged fast, by the time we said OUCH, he was across the yard laughing at us.

Voted for Elijah! Er, don't let K see Chewie, it'll be all over then. He is a handsome fella.

I hope your girl is feeling better very soon, if you can take a urine sample in to the vet, it should help narrow the diagnosis. Please write again and let us know how your dog is doing.

Fireworks ARE illegal for individuals in my county, does not stop the fool pool from setting them off. The ones that really terrify the dogs are the screamers, once they are scared, even the popping sounds make them nervous. The county/city does have fireworks displays, at the baseball diamond and I believe near the river. Those are far enough away that my dogs do not react, it's the idiots two doors down that cause a problem. A couple of years ago, we were smack in the midst of a fairly severe drought, do you think those morons considered that when they pulled out the fireworks? Nope. Very lucky no spark ignited, water tables were LOW and things were very dry around here.

It is indeed possible Candy is picking up something from me. I am one of those who cannot STAND to hear dogs barkbarkbarkbark constantly, she could be picking up on my irritation. The last time we were at an outdoor trial, in early May, it was not really hot, it was warm with a nice breeze. I AM thinking that perhaps Candy needs more space away from the crush of dogs and handlers and will work on that at our next trial in early September. If I have to carry her to the ring and feed her all the way, I'll do it. Of course she also dislikes me putting her in her crate or xpen, something I HAVE to do when I walk the course.