Carolk9s

Micheline, thanks for the well wishes for Jesse. I completely understand the money issue, Jesse got stuck with a needle when they drew blood, nary a murmer from him. When I got the bill, I said 'OUCH'!

Did the vet suggest these pajamas? I would think (not being a vet of course!) that pajamas would not be a good idea. Her tummy will be quite tender and fabric may irritate it. Candy did lick her belly a lot, she managed to make the skin around her incision quite raw. She did heal of course but pain meds would have been a good thing. If your pup licks a great deal, might look into getting an 'elizabethan collar' to put on her neck, it fits snug at the base and fans out away from the dog. This will prevent her from worrying her stitches. You may not even have this problem so don't panic or rush out to buy one just yet. This will be a time for lots of snuggles and gently stopping her from worrying her belly.

That does seem very high to spay a small dog. HOWEVER, perhaps that is the 'market price' in your area. $322 Can. I believe converts to about $203 American, that is high for a routine spay. I feel by far most vets are not out to gouge the public, I hope that your vet is in that group! Is it possible your vet is using a more modern technique such as laser surgery to reduce recovery time? Is your vet the 'only vet in town'? I would shop around a bit, keeping in mind that your gut feeling about the vet is also important, do you like him/her, how is he/she with your dog etc. If there are other vets within driving distance, once your dog has recovered, take her for 'happy' visits, just chat with the staff to get a feel for them. Does the cost of spaying include some sort of pain management for a day or two? Candy was quite sore after being spayed, now part of that was that she was still very skinny, no fat reserves at all and not much muscle. I feel for you, I just wrote a check at the vets for $259 for an exam, bloodwork, thyroid testing and thyroid meds. Jesse has apparently had an attack of either gastrities or pancreitis, bloodwork results will be in tomorrow. We were both up all night last night. Tomorrow I get to go back with another dog, I'll be writing another check but I imagine it will be much smaller.

I forgot about the biting issue. Puppy play nipping can indeed be quite painful and needs to be nipped in the bud, pun intended! :D My dogs respond well to me saying in a loud and firm voice 'OW!' They immediately appear contrite and want to give me kisses. You can also teach your dog the 'LEAVE IT' command. You might start outdoors with her on leash. Toss a few things around that you want her to leave alone, casually walk somewhat near them, when/if she turns towards them or tries to go to them, say firmly, 'LEAVE IT' and give a bit of a tug on her leash. As soon as she looks back to you, praise her, even give her a little food treat. This is something that may take awhile but keep working on it. Take her inside, have her on leash. If she touches something she is not supposed to chew on with her nose or mouth, say 'LEAVE IT'. Now some dogs will need a bit more of a leash pop than a tug, especially those really stubborn critters. I am not saying you need to hurt her or her neck, but all 3 of mine will literally choke themselves against steady pressure if there is something they really want. A quick pop/release generally works a bit better. When she does respond in the manner you want, heap liberal praise on her.

If you cannot get Bitter Apple, and btw, my aussie mix thought Bitter Apple was like hot fudge on ice cream, try Vicks Vapor Rub or some other type of mentholated smelly stuff. Always test your dog first, if you can get a jar, let her smell the jar. All 3 of mine screwed up their faces in total disgust and backed away. You can either dab tiny amounts of it on things she chews or put some on a strip of paper or paper towel and tape the paper to the object. She will outgrow this, just takes time and patience. Brittany used to chew on the wall corners. Stepping in her pee and poo, dont know what to tell you about that. Oh the barking, that'll drive ya nuts. I've heard that if you can teach your dog to bark or talk on command, it's easier then to tell them 'NO BARK!' You might also try taking an empty soda can, rinsed out and let dry, drop about 3 pennies in it, tape the top. When your dog start barking, toss the can on the floor so it will make an unpleasant noise, tell your dog 'NO BARK'. Kinda in line with other responses about making a loud unpleasant noise and perhaps the dog will associate with her own barking and ease off. Of course when she stops barking, calmly and kindly praise her. I wouldn't praise her with a lot of excitement in my voice as that may just set her off again. Good luck.

You mean those two tiny chihuahua's? :P Kidding! They are Neapolitan Mastiffs. Within this line, Community: Pets: Dogs: Cinciripini's Chino: (L) Chino and (R) Lettizia click on Cinciripini's Chino and you will go back a step to multiple photos of these dogs. To the left, under cmastino's albums there is a link to the neapolitan mastiffs.

Sorry K, wasn't picking on ya! :D I should have said could 'some' folks here back it down a notch. Reading some of the replies, if I was new here and a first time dog owner, I might have felt slammed and slunk away thinking I was obviously in the wrong place to get help instead of hollered at.

OK, can everyone back it down just a notch? Stop assuming the worst? Perhaps because of some private correspondence with Micheline, I feel she IS willing to try and learn, can we stop beating her over the head and saying NO NO BAD OWNER? Can we try and give her guidance instead? For instance, when she says mostly in a crate or on leash with me, might we ASK her just how long puppy is in the crate? I am a firm believer in APPROPRIATE crate training, if puppy is ready for naptime, the crate is a wonderful place for that nap. If I'm going to be cleaning and vacuuming, a crate in a quiet room is just the ticket. Having the pup on leash in the house is a great idea. Perhaps Micheline is a first time dog owner? Those of us who are not are used to watching out for doggie feet, mine still get pinched now and then because they sneak up behind me ever so quietly! Perhaps is was just her fear of hurting her pup that made her sound frustrated instead. She's asking for help, lets HELP HER.

Is it 'normal' wet doggie odor or is there something in that creek that might be dangerous? If it's not normal dog smell, I'd be concerned about her swimming in possibly polluted waters. Not just for her but you also. If it is just wet dog smell, perhaps rubbing baking soda into her coat, let dry, brush out. Does she swim every day?

[quote name='Micheline099']:( I am the proud owner of a Japanese Chin, the nicest and cutest dog I have ever seen. The problem is that she does not want to be housetrained. [/quote] A couple more notes, please do NOT say she 'does not want to be housetrained'. She has NO idea yet what 'housetrained' means. She WILL want to please you if you are patient and kind and show her what you want from her. Also, a dog that is NOT housetrained or one that has frequent relapses SHOULD NOT have free run of the house. Your pup does not fully understand yet that is it 'wrong' to potty wherever she might be, until she shows real consistancy in going outside, don't let have full access.

[quote name='Mei-Mei']Lapses in housebreaking are very common, especially with toy breeds. Relax, take some deep breaths and try to be patient. Dogs are extremely sensitive to the moods of their owners, and your bad mood may influence your dog's training. Be sure to praise her a lot when she does it right and I'm sure your problems will cease! Good luck. :)[/quote] Mei-Mei is right, dogs are sensitive to whatever emotions WE project. Even if we think we are holding our frustration and irritation in, our dogs can sense it. Any frustration can most certainly have a negative affect on your pups training. I know it's irritating, but chant to yourself, she's just a baby, with PATIENCE, PERSISTANCE & PRAISE, I will succeed in showing her what behaviour I want from her. Do you have her on a schedule? Potty time, play time, feeding time, potty time again, naptime-preferrably in a cozy crate, then start the schedule again. Consistancy is VERY important, patience with her is critical. If YOU cannot take her outside consistantly and often enough, consider the small dog litter box. My sister got one for her chi mix and her dog does use it while my sister is at work.

Congratulations and a pat on the back for adopting! Hope you have many years of exploring your world with your dog by your side. Do you have a web site? With photos of your pup? If you do, you will be able to post photos here or include a link to your site so we can all crash it. Oops, not crash in that sense! should say pay a visit. House Training: Do you have a crate? I HIGHLY recommend appropriate crate training. Not punishment, training. Also, just a mention, sometimes shelter dogs MUST potty in their cages so a formerly housebroken animal might revert to untrained in some cases. Try to come up with a schedule of potty time, play time, feeding time, quiet time. Not exactly in that order necessarily! :D Tho potty time should be first thing in the morning of course, maybe a short play time, feeding time, potty time again, maybe some quiet time for pup to relax in their crate. Another potty time, play time so on and so on. Potty time also last thing at night. Pup should probably sleep in crate for at least a short time but please have the crate in your room so pup does not feel isolated and lonely. Right by the bed would be great as you can reach down and tickle pup with fingers if he becomes restless. Learn to recognize restlessness that means 'gotta go!' I'll try to write more in a bit, time to get off work now! Yeeha! Now I will stop annoying my coworkers with constant references to being on vacation! 8)

To quote "If you follow my posts at all this is not the first post I posted regarding this puppy being aggressive and trying to asert dominance. " I don't know deep, this sounds a bit more than puppy/rough play. I'm all for active rough play as long as the dog above all has respect for you as the alpha and does not try to run over top of you. The dog has to clearly understand 'enough' so that if he starts getting a bit TOO wired and pushy you can tell him to 'back it down' a notch. This dog is already pretty darned big and will be huge full grown. If at 4 months he's pushing for a dominant position, what will he be like at 12 or 18 months? Of course all pups test the waters, he's big enough to part them! Pup has to learn that rough play with one person does not mean rough play ok with another. At 4 months he does not have total control over his gangly body and might even hurt someone without intention, especially children. He certainly cannot be allowed to stalk and rush children.

I've missed some of your posts so don't know if this has been suggested. Has your pup had some basic obedience training? He's not too young at all. Some positive training to impress upon him that obeying you and taking cues from you is a GOOD thing. My belgian boy used to do that, he would stare, stalk, rush, nip and be gone before I could even yelp. He grew out of it but not soon enough for my mom! She was ready to hang him from a tree. I'm not sure about suggestion tho, racking my brain. Maybe having a toy or ball handy, set him up for this behaviour, when he starts your way, throw the ball to redirect his attention. If he even LOOKS at the ball, just turns his attention, say GOOD DOG in a happy tone. Do it again. Maybe this will build a new behaviour to replace the one you don't want. Alternatively, a negative reinforcer might be to put him in a 'time out'. You are out playing/interacting with him, he does his raging bull thing, playtime is over. You very calmly while using a happy tone take him inside and crate him or in some other way restrict his movement. 'Gee isn't this great baby you are going to have a time out to think about running me down in the ground, there ya go in your crate see ya later'. Walk away. Don't fuss at him. Let him stew for about 10 minutes. Then calmly let him out. The next time he decides to bulldoze you, happily and calmly put in up for 20 minutes. They're smart critters, he will start to understand that charging you puts an END to playtime. You don't need to fuss at him, in his mind he's just playing rough like he might with another dog. Good luck!

I thought of mace or pepper spray, trouble is, dog has to get mighty close for either to be effective. Also, wrong wind direction, ya just maced yourself! Or one of your dogs as they are spinning and twisting about.

Brittany has been the wildest dog in my house ever. While trying to 'graduate' her to the laundry room, I put up a baby gate to keep her in there. Hahaha, silly me. I came home for lunch, she had jumped the baby gate and DESTROYED much stuff. Jesse was on the couch with the 'I didn't do it ma' look. She had even pulled a heavy glass ashtray down and broken it. I had to call work and tell them I would not coming back to work that day, I was actually in tears at the devastation of my living room. While cleaning up, I heard a 'crunch crunch' noise. Whipped around, little miss innocent lying there gazing back at me. Turned back, heard it again. I went to her, opened her mouth, she had a chunk of GLASS that I had missed and was chewing on it. I made her spit it out, checked her mouth, no blood. I picked it up to throw it out, cut my finger. Danged dog! Good thing she's cute. One thing that I found worked like a charm to keep her clever teeth from was Vicks Vapor Rub. If you don't mind your house smelling like Vicks, you can dab it on areas that are magnets for chewers. Alternatively, put some Vicks on a strip of paper and tape the paper to the item/area. I had tried Bitter Apple, did not slow her down at all. I always say tho, test your dog first, make sure they don't consider Vicks to be a condiment. Mine all make the horrible screwed up face and back away while giving me a look of disgust. Corgilady, good luck with your Aussie mix. Like many breeds, they are high energy/low boredom threshold dogs. Is there a doggie day care in your area? Might be worth to take your youngster there at least a couple days a week so he can burn off some of that youthful enthusiasm.

[quote name='deepseasnake']we should get the hobbit on here he's a pro at these kind of dogs, I'll bet he'll know what to do[/quote] You mean velcro-ing them to the ceiling is not the best answer?

Corgilady, I can totally appreciate the 'fear factor'. Recently at an off leash dog park, a really big German Shep and my Jesse had some harsh words with each other. The GSD actually broadsided Jesse and Jesse was reacting. I was ready to bodily pick up the GSD and hurl him away. Haha, I would have been in traction whether or not I was successful. I waded right in throwing knees left and right and yelling OUT in a firm voice. Thankfully, once again, it worked. AFTERWARDS I had time to contemplate this GSD taking exception to my interference. I have used the same technique to break up a fight between 3 bitches, to date no bites but perhaps one day my luck will run out. :P One other thing you might do if a strange dog approaches, bend over your dogs, taking care that strange dog doesn't see your face as lunch, and in a loud firm voice full of rightous conviction, say MINE! OUT! LEAVE IT! I threatened a dog or two, shifted their focus from my dog to ME! So far all have decided I'm too big to take on. :D

Just read your post corgilady. What a scary incident. I think you were VERY lucky the neighbor was there and willing to grab the growling dog. Whew! You asked about dropping the leashes, that (in my opinion) would depend on proximity to roads or highways. It would be too possible for one of your dogs to run in panic right into a roadway. I agree with deep that you will want some sort of weapon (for want of a better name) to protect you and your dogs. Something with shock value! Granted it sound to me as though the growling dog was more intent on 'guarding' than attacking as I think he/she would have attacked if that was their true intent. Nonetheless, I totally understand how unnerving this must have been. Also in agreement with deep, any dog that attacks my dogs will have to contend with me, I'm a 'big gal' and will have no second thoughts about taking on an aggressive dog attacking me or mine. By ANY means necessary I will protect my dogs.

I was a volunteer at my local SPCA. I had to stop going for a number of reasons. Perhaps #1 was burnout. It was especially hard seeing the dogs that were up in age that had been brought in. There was also an issue of safety, when taking dogs from their cages outdoors to walk them, one had to frequently negotiate an obstacle course of carts, bins, loads of laundry, wet floors, etc. When being dragged forward by a VERY eager dog, was all to easy to stumble and fall there. After bringing Candy home from the shelter and finding out she had kennel cough, I was concerned about bringing other nasties home to my dogs. Richmond is moving to a new building soon, I will consider volunteering again after seeing the layout and how things are being run.

The increase in her food intake and the fact that she is sleeping better could be related to her feeling 'more at home'. She is probably starting to settle down and realize that this is her place. With Brittany, I was EXTREMELY glad to have had a large crate. She was a very BUSY little girl, an extreme chewer and for her own safety had to be confined when no one was home to watch her. Luckily for the first couple of months after getting her I had a roomie who worked a different shift than me. I'd put her in the crate when I left for work, he'd let her out when he got up and put her back in when he left for work. I truly don't think I could have kept her without crate training. Over a period of months I worked on giving her more freedom. Almost backfired on me one day. I left her loose in a room, nothing in the room but her water, her crate, some toys. I came home, something looked 'wrong'. Suddenly I realized she had chewed the plastic electrical outlet cover right off the wall. So glad she did not spark a fire. It took time but she finally became trustworthy, time and maturity on her part, and loads of patience on mine. I told her frequently, it's a darn good thing you're so cute! Have you had to the vet since adopting her? Has she been wormed recently? Only mention this in case you feel her food consumption is really high as well as her sleeping. Otherwise, it's been so long since I had a really young dog in the house I'd be hardpressed to come up with anything else.

Aroura, It's also QUITE possible, perhaps pretty much guaranteed, that Pro Plans formula has changed over the years. Since they recently changed it again I would bet money on it. They recently added fish meal and I believe they said Vit E to their senior and adult foods. So while Jesse did not thrive on Pro Plan 7-8 years ago, he does now. Might be just the formula change, might be as he's matured his nutritional needs stabilized, might be the Missing Link supplement he's been on for the past few years etc. Might be all of the above! :D Best of luck in your search

Congratulations and hats off to you for adopting this pup! I bet she is just beautiful. Hope to see some photos of her soon. My GSP/Aussie mix topped out at 23 inches tall and her best weight is right about 57-58 lbs. She was 8 months old when I got her, was probably 20-21 inches at the shoulder then. Cant remember her weight at that time. She once got up to about 68 lbs, was quite chubby then. Aussies are generally solid built and she gains weight very easily. It can really depend on if the parents of your pup were big for their respective breeds, average or small! I would 'guess-ti-mate' that she will be in the 55-65 lb range full grown. More or less again depending on how big her parents were. My BSD was 30 lbs at 4 months, his top weight was 73 but that was at hir prime and he carried quite a bit of muscle. He's now right about 63-65 lbs which is a better weight for a mostly retired but still moderately active dog.

Now you're taxing my brain, trying to remember what I was feeding Jesse 9 years ago. LOL! I know I had him on Purina Hi-Pro for a short while, didn't like what that did for him, had him on Purina One for a time, so-so results. I had him on Pro Plan way back then for a time also, no matter which I fed he stayed rail thin. Then again, thats common in young male Belgians. He's a fairly tall dog for the breed. His coat was pretty good but he did have some dry skin issues. When I switched him to Science Diet, in a matter of months I saw a nice positive change in him. Better weight, skin and coat. I do think part of the change was him maturing and not burning quite the high # of calories as before. You know, I have heard some good things and some bad about Hills. One good thing I've heard is that they have some of the tightest quality controls. don't know if its true or not. In Jesse's case, at that stage of his life, Hills Science Diet was VERY good for him. Now that he's a senior, I've had him on Pro Plan for over a year, he is thriving on it. Even starting to see where I might need to trim back his portion just a bit.

My dogs ate the books and smacked their lips.