Carolk9s

Your vet can neuter the rat. Years ago, a friend and I were given a litter of guinea pig babies, two boys and two girls. We each took a boy and a girl. Got both boys neutered when they were right about 3 months old. One boy was neutered just a tad too late or still had some potency shortly after. My friends female gave birth to one tiny little girl piggie. Never happened again thank goodness! When my allergies got so bad I could not keep my piggies, all 5 piggies got to live together til they died of old age.

Putting any of my dogs on a chain on a routine basis is not for me. I have had to put Candy on a chain on occaision when visiting my mom. Mom has a large chain link fenced yard. Candy is determined to get to the other side. She has gone under the fence many times in many different places. We have walked the fence, blocked gaps, filled in holes, rearranged objects in the yard, placed tree limbs at strategic areas etc etc. Put the dogs out for a few minutes, go to let them back in, where the heck is CANDY! Oh, she's next door visiting. She learned very quickly how to open the gate, it now has a lock on it when we visit. When she goes under the fence to visit, she can never seem to 'remember' the spot in order to come back but it comes back to her the next time she wants to sneak out. This means I have to reach over the fence and grab her by the throat er neck and haul her over. Hard on my back. So if one of us cannot either be outside or stand by the window and watch her EVERY DANGED MINUTE she's out there, she might go on the chain for a short time. She's never on the chain for more than 15-30 minutes tops. Then she sits in one spot looking pitiful. She also crawled under the oil tank once and again scared the crap outta me as I went to let her in, did not see her, called and called, no Candy. She was crouched under the oil tank ignoring me. The other option would be to make her so fat she could not go under the fence, not gonna happen.

Travis could be from European working lines or even Shiloh lines. Euro working lines do not have the extreme slope of the American show GSD. They tend to be bulkier and 'generally' have a more stable temperament. Shilohs also do not have the slope in the rear, here is a link to one Shiloh page, [url]http://www.shilohshepherds.org/[/url] Smooth coated Shilohs look very much like GSD's, they also come in a plush or long coat. The (sadly) still missing Rumble is a Shiloh.

How old will the new dog be? Will he/she be in the house while you are at home? Is it possible to put up an above ground fence so there is a physical barrier not only to keep your dog in but other animals out? If not a whole acre, how about a solid fence for a yard area, say 50x50 feet? Trouble is if dog gets bored/frustrated, might dig so would want to bury part of fence or otherwise discourage/prevent digging out. If your dog can safely get some sort of exercise while you are at work, he/she will be a bit less crazy when you get home. Now thats not saying your dog will self exercise itself but some room to stretch out might help. A dog left to its own devices for too long may either find trouble to get into or simply escape. Hopefully will get some more responses on this, I'm sure I've left out ideas.

She's a lovely girl, thanks for sharing the photo and story. My Jesse is also experiencing the advance of time and the decline of the body. He still gets around pretty good and actually many people are surprised to hear his age. He still enjoys agility play with me but I have to limit both the duration and jump heights because he will overextend himself to please me. At his recent chiro visit, the vet highly suggested I put him on glyco-flex III. I just started him on this, he was getting glucosamine in his food but she is not a fan of that. I had had my concerns as well as I wondered about the actual benefit derived from food sources. He also gets (almost) nightly massages and flexation exercises. Of course the girls think that whatever I do for him I MUST do for them. Wears me out but the dogs feel better! :D

[quote name='cairnmom']Frodo got his second distemper shot and the vet said it was now ok for him to be around strange dogs :) We are starting puppy class on 11/27 too. He is in with everything from a bichon, whippet, lab, GSD and border collie. The vet said he was well socialized :) He never stopped wagging his tail, even when he got his two shots and had to take a pill.... There was a white GSD at the vets too. His owner didn't have a collar or leash or anything. So, he almost escaped when I was leaving with Frodo. Try grabbing a big puppy when there is nothing to grab! I was talking to her before that and she said she was going to train him and not use a collar or leash. Is this normal? I mean, the city I'm in is fairly large with 100000+ people! And, Frodo is getting microchipped when he is neutered. I was worried it was going to be way too expensive but only $45 and thats with a lifetime service. :) Sorry to go on and on but just happy :oops: Jessica[/quote] congrats jessica and frodo! all vaccinated and ready to take on the world! That person at the vets with a white GSD, no collar no leash? Is she stupid? Did you ask her if she was stupid? Yes I know that is rather mean sounding but I cannot take it back. sigh.. Watch out for Frodo in class, bigger dog puppies might not have all the grace they will acquire at adults and might run over and flop on Frodo. :D

sounds like some one on one time with tyson is in order! :D

[quote]Before beginning agility start with another basic. Heel is detrimental to an agility dog. [/quote] I must disagree with this, basic obedience (I feel) is a MUST before beginning agility. All 3 of my dogs are trained in obedience, they easily transition from heeling or other obedience work to running agility. [quote]With the puppy sitting beside you (outdoors) on the right. Slap your right leg to get his attention and then step out with the right leg first. Saying Heel while you do all this. [/quote] If you are planning on agility, it is important to teach your dog to work on BOTH sides of you. [quote]The biggest part; make it a routine to spend at least 20 minutes a day of good fun work. [/quote] I would amend this just to say break up the time into at least two sessions, puppy brains do not have such a long attention span. Even 3-4 5 minute sessions can be effective as opposed to one longer session that bores or frustrates the puppy.

[quote name='nearstorm']how can i help train him so that he isnt afraid of walking on a leash? when i put one on him all he does is back up lol[/quote] Put a very lightweight one on him in the house and let him drag it around a bit, just be nearby at all times in case he decides its a chewie. Also, put it on him, follow him a bit, then get happy and see if you can lure him your way, then follow him again briefly, then lure him your way. It will come, his little puppy brain is not sure about this leash thing yet.

You CAN start his agility training now. The key now is that everything is low low low. Start with bars on the ground to simulate jumps, he just walks/trots over them. You can get a childrens play tunnel from places like JC Penney, Toys R Us etc. Or get creative and make your own. You can put a plank on the ground on on two bricks to simulate the dog walk. Another plank can rest on a 2 inch diameter piece of pvc to simulate the teeter totter. You get down on the ground so you can control the action. Puppy does NOT jump anything higher than his elbow til growth plates close. If you have a training site nearby that has equipment, once your pup has learned some basics, perhaps you can rent their ring for more training. Puppy stays on lead so again you control the action. If you can have another person to help, all the better. When you graduate to a full size dogwalk, have one person on each side to ensure puppy CANNOT JUMP OFF. Same with the A-Frame. The A-Frame would need to be lowered way down at first til puppy gets some growth on him and understands the concept. Take it slow, have lots of fun, get creative and see whats around the house to improvise with.

I use both! That is both treats and the clicker. After all, clicker training is successful when the dog associates the click with something good! Now this could be verbal and physical praise but I find that for mine, food treats work best. I say use what works best! Initially in clicker training, it's click-treat, click-treat, click-treat. You gradually reduce the FOOD rewards and replace them with verbal and physical praise, a pat, a rub, make sure ya smile! You still use the clicker as the dog should associate that sound with having done something to please you. Also, make sure you cut the food treats into itty bitty pieces. You don't want to be stuffing your dogs mouth full of food so they have to sit there and chew chew chew while you are ready for the next step. Now your dogs might be more toy driven, a bouncing ball, a tossed squeaky, a short game of tug, you can use that as a reward.

My dogs also have a doggie door so they can go in and out during the day. Making them stay indoors while I'm at work all is just not how I want them to have to spend their day. Especially for Jesse, he's 11 and making him 'hold it' that long would be detrimental to his health and cruel as well. Judging by what they do when I am home, they are in and out quite a bit. I would hate to come home when they had had no exercise all day, we'd all be basket cases! There is no way I could afford to haul them off to doggie daycare even a few days a week. Or maybe I could but then there would be no money for agility, flyball, decent dog food, decent people food, the mortgage... 8) At least I have good neighbors on either side of me, the older woman on one side is home practically all day and they are her 'babies' too, she keeps an eye out. The folks on the other side of me have two dogs also, they are left out during the day. We each have privacy fences, the guy next door works in the neighborhood so he's in and out all day. Oh and a cop lives across the street. :D Does that mean they are perfectly safe? No. They would not be 'perfectly' safe locked in the house either. If there was a fire, they could at least get out of the house. My gate is locked from the inside and I have a double fence all around. Each choice has its good and bad points, this is the choice I am most comfortable with for my dogs.

Me too me too! :drinking: :drinking: Good thing no one can see the faces I've been making at reading some of the posts. Sheesh! :multi: :multi: I think I need an icepack for my head along with that drink.

Hey Eric, welcome to da family! Lovely story of how you and your wife came to be a two dog family. Two of mine are snuggled on the bed as I type, the other is on the couch but the CHAIR IS MINE! ALL MINE! 8) Tho I invite dogs up for snuggles, one at a time of course!

[quote name='K']Not really related but just wanted to point out that people who don't keep thier dog with their baby miss out on great photos like this one! [img]http://image1ex.villagephotos.com/pubimage.asp?id_=1012540[/img][/quote] OHMYGAWD! K! I thought we knew you! The absolute horror! Proof positive of the vicious killer SAINTS! Gobbling that childs face right off! Oh, or is it the innocent looking blond chewing the saints face off? Maybe I'm looking at this wrong. Don't let yer young dogs see this, it's just too too raw! 8) OK, really now I just love it! Very cute, bet nobody bothers that kid when her cuddle bear, um..protector is around.

[quote name='K']Not really related but just wanted to point out that people who don't keep thier dog with their baby miss out on great photos like this one! [img]http://image1ex.villagephotos.com/pubimage.asp?id_=1012540[/img][/quote] OHMYGAWD! K! I thought we knew you! The absolute horror! Proof positive of the vicious killer SAINTS! Gobbling that childs face right off! Oh, or is it the innocent looking blond chewing the saints face off? Maybe I'm looking at this wrong. Don't let yer young dogs see this, it's just too too raw! 8) OK, really now I just love it! Very cute, bet nobody bothers that kid when her cuddle bear, um..protector is around.

Whacking myself in the forehead, can't believe I left out this! I would post to dogo and my belgian list and ask that everyone cross post and be on the lookout. Even if dog is most likely in my local area. I would want the word OUT THERE! :D

Looking at my dogs snug in the house, glad they are all safe at home. My dogs are all tattooed, I've considered microchips but have not decided on them yet. The tattoo on two of my dogs is all but unreadable. Jesse because I don't keep his belly shaved plus its old and his skin has darkened over the years. Candy's tattoo has been smudgy since she got it. Dogs wear collars with tags whenever they go out the front door. What would I do? I would immediately get flyers made up with a recent photo and detailed info regarding the dog. I would post them everywhere I possibly could. I would let all my neighbors know I was missing a dog along with a flyer. I would visit all local vets, rescue orgs, spca etc with said flyers. I would NOT just call, I would go there personally. Heard too many stories of people who just called, were told no dog matched the description only to find that their dog had been found and either put down or adopted out. I would go more than once also. I would let local animal control know and provide a flyer. I would put a blanket, bed or SOMETHING with the dogs scent and mine out on the front step. So what would you do?

[quote name='Anonymous']:-? Horsefeathers....think you are wrong this time...the comments and observations are good.[/quote] The comments and observations are good BUT I agree with Horsefeathers, looks exactly like an ad. THEY WANT YOU TO BUY THE BOOK! Is it a worthwhile book? Perhaps so. Did the poster of the ad ask for a discussion? No. Is the ad a good starting point for a discussion? Sure. I am going to post a new thread for this, look for it under 'What Would You Do If Your Pet Was Missing?'

Man, thought I had the dogs on a great food that would be around for a while. Not to be. A couple of months ago I started switching the variety pack to Canidae. Candy is on adult and the older dogs on senior. The older dogs have been on straight Canidae for almost a month. I had been noticing their stools were getting very soft, just barely formed. Took Jesse to the chiro vet Wednesday, mentioned this to her during his exam/massage. BTW, not only did he get a chiro massage, he got accupuncture! I must not be living right, dog gets better health care than I do and it's far cheaper. Anyway, I digress. She said she felt Canidae was too rich for their systems, she had also heard from others that Canidae caused softer stools than desired. I'm wondering if the multiple meat meal sources are of concern, I know Jesse did not do well on either lamb based or turkey based food as a youngster but have no idea if there is a link. Canidae adult and senior has chicken, turkey, fish and lamb meal as protein sources. Then again it could be one of the other ingredients that is the problem. sigh... A couple of people on my belgian list now say they too saw softer stools when they tried Canidae. So I've decided to give Bil Jac a try. So far, replies from the belgian list are positive regarding Bil Jac. Hope this food will be good for my pack and they can stay on it a while.

BK is one handsome dude, hope all goes well at the first meeting betweem him and the Dobie gal.

Can you provide some more details please? How old is your dog? How long have you had him/her? What kind of dog? What kind of meat? Cooked? Raw? Beef? Chicken? Have you talked this over with your vet? What is your dogs overall health like? How about his/her weight? To be honest, off the top it sounds like your dog has trained YOU! :D They can be so sneaky about it, give you those puppy eyes looking so pitiful, ok baby just this once I will give you this lovely sirloin steak but no more ok? Dog snickers, has you right where he wants you. 8) Let us know some more info ok?

[quote name='Shannon_C']Its so sad for all animals who get abused/illtreated, .... animals especially dogs are what you make them to be, just like children.... Owners of dogs and parents of children are to blame for bringing them up misserably, you dont dump your child for being naughty do you ? so why a dog! My oppinion to how it should be, i know a few of you might have others.[/quote] I'm with your Shannon, have to point out tho, people DO dump their kids or abuse their kids or murder their kids. I read a quote some time back, probably don't have it exact, but it went like this: [quote]All over the country, thousands of children are living lives of quiet desperation. [/quote] Horribly sad for them, sad too for all the dogs and other animals living such lives. I like watching animal planet shows, even animal precinct. It just boggles the mind how many people think of animals as just 'things' to do with what they please, treat any old way, dispose of as they see fit.

Sounds like a promising situation! How old is BK again? She will probably lay down the law to him. When I decided to bring Brittany home, she was just an 8 month old, if anything I thought Jesse might be rough on her. Ha! She thoroughly whipped his butt for about 4 days, just rough play mind you, he would run to me! I finally got his message and told him it was ok for him to kick her tail now and then. Heck she taught him how to fight dirty and that he'd better keep his legs tucked under him or she'd bite them! Letting the dogs meet at a neutral place is great, if there is a fenced dog park where they can run loose together would be even better. Hope it works out for you and BK and the 'new girl'.

Hm, wondering then about your reaction when she rolls over to pee, thinking perhaps TOTALLY ignoring her behaviour might help? Such as, she runs to you, as soon as she starts to hit the ground, calmly turn on your heel and walk the other way. Do this over and over, perhaps she will start turning the gears in her mind over and think well than WHAT can I do to get her attention! Is she obedience trained? Will she sit on command? Making a quiet, pleasant request for her to sit in front of you and mild praise might help. Basically, choose a behaviour you WANT, teach it, ask for it, praise for it, IGNORE the submissive peeing, no fuss no muss. Just walk away like she is not even there. When she follows you, ask her to sit, if she sits, quiet praise. If she dives to the ground for more belly showing and peeing, walk away. Remove any perceived 'reward' for the behaviour you want to stop. Even if you were to say 'oh too bad you have peed again' in a mild voice that is STILL a response. Again, best of luck!