courtnek

depending on where you live, if you order it well in advance of the pup needing it and ship it standard ground slow-boat-to-China it usually isnt too terribly expensive. It's the stuff that people need next day, and in 4 days, things like that, that gets really expensive.

I personally would not do it at this point, since it is now major surgery and not just a docking, but it's best to check with your vet.

I am SOOOOO sorry Starfox. :cry: definitely check with the shelter. And also the local humane societies - like the ASPCA and stuff - often they do surgery at a fraction of the cost if you can prove you cant pay for it. Best of luck to you and Zebra

I hope they ALL find forever homes.... :cry:

LOL@Malamum!!! I'm coming with you!! A holiday with Snowdogs would suit me!!

[quote]But a WORKING dog, a snow dog....pack mentality 100%. Musher has to be alpha no matter what.....And people buy these dogs not realizing that what the dog needs is a FIRM DETERMINED hand, needs to be told what to do and MADE to do it. My malamute mix was a training/dominance nightmare, until I discovered the beauty of pack rules. [/quote] Pumpkin, I WISH I WAS YOU!!! I would love to be pack lead for snow dogs, I love them and my malamute mix was one of the best dogs I ever owned. Once I discovered what was necessary to make him behave, I had no more problems with him. I agree that the lead dog has to work closely with the pack lead... Only most people dont realize that...they buy these dogs as pets and dont give them the physical and mental stimulation they need - they are VERY intelligent animals.... I wish there was a "fix" for this... :cry:

oh, and the Lab's name is Freebee, and the Foxhound is Laurel, if you want to put their names on the bandanna's....

I will buy two of them, one with a black Lab on it (doing Lab stuff) and one with a Foxhound on it (doing Foxhound stuff, running with the pack, that sort of thing). I will ALWAYS donate money for anything the Seeing Eye is doing, since being a diabetic the possibility that I could go blind is very real, and I would want a seeing eye dog if that happened. thanks!! Let me know if this is doable, and I will definitely buy them from you!!

Good post Cassie!! Most of the northern breed dogs (Chows, Malamutes, Huskies, etc) are working dogs. They were bred for a specific task....A working task, that required effort, exercise, and a definite pack mentality ruling. The guy mushing the sled had to have complete Alpha control over his pack... without it, they would not only not obey his commands, they could seriously hurt him as well... People dont understand the way pack rules work. It's not always that important with gentler dogs, like Bird dogs, who live to please....and lap dogs, who just want to be cuddled (although I have seen Alpha poodles and Pekigneses that would take out your ankle, they were so spoiled) but Bird dogs generally WANT to please and lap dogs cant do as much damage as a husky or a chow.... But a WORKING dog, a snow dog....pack mentality 100%. Musher has to be alpha no matter what.....And people buy these dogs not realizing that what the dog needs is a FIRM DETERMINED hand, needs to be told what to do and MADE to do it. My malamute mix was a training/dominance nightmare, until I discovered the beauty of pack rules. I agree that KNOWING the breed (thru research) and determining how your lifestyle will work with that breed (rarely ever done) is the best thing for both dog and owner.

YOu can also try putting choosing a place out of the eating area as "down time" when you're eating - to enforce it, put up a baby gate and block the entrance to the eating area. Then if they dont beg, reward themn with table scraps in their dinner, if not, no scraps. Big praise too. They have to stay laying down the whole time you're eating, or no reward. I use "down time" to get them to lay down and "no scraps" when they dont conform. If they do conform, then when I'm done eating I yell SCRAPS real loud so they know they've been good. once trained, you can let them back into the eating area, and hopefully "down time" will make them lay down and leave you alone while you're eating. :D

[quote]I don't think anyone that is not knowledgeable about any breed should own any kind of dog, no matter what breed it is. To own a dog: purbreed or mix means having educated one's self about the dog before entertaining owning one. People should aways make an informed decision.[/quote] I agree 100% with this. Unfoprtunately, it rarely ever happens. The first "cute" dog they see in a movie, that want that dog becazuse it was "so well behaved on TV, why wont it behave for me?" Is anyone aware that it took almost 4 YEARS to film 101 Dalmations? Because Dalmations are hyper, hard to housebreak, dont take well to being told what to do, and dont pack well either. Yet suddenly everyone wanted one....People tend to teach their kids that what they see on TV is NOT REAL....then they go out and buy the first dog they see immortalized in a movie..... :evil:

yes, be very careful about his eyes...also, make sure the command is something specific to this situation, NO wont do it because that's a generic command. NO BARK or CHILL is what I have always used. They respond well to CHILL because it never gets used for anything else. It also impresses the neighbors ( :lol: ) when she's barking outside and I yell CHILL out the window and she shuts up...It's pretty funny.... The Beagle across the street bays once a barkfest starts around here (every house for a two to three block radius has dogs, one gets started and they all join in) and he has learned what CHILL means.... :D

I dont have any fabric, per se, but I have TONS of old clothes I could give you. If that would help. You are doing a truly wonderful thing y'know.... :angel:

Rosebud and K are dead straight on. As soon as Free was spayed, she lost some of her hiearchy in the pecking order, and Patti is taking advantage of it. Free does not want to give up her spot, which is why she bloodied Patti, and it will only get worse. The resolution is to have ALL of them spayed, Asim included, and that will put the females back on an even level, then the fights will probably stop. Once Patti backs down, Free will be her friend again. Right now, nature and pack rules have taken over. A female that cant breed will NEVER be allowed to be alpha female (or even beta female) in a pack, but Free is unwilling to give up her place. Patti knows that Free cant breed, and so feels she should be top dog. Free feels otherwise. You need to get them all done and be done with it. Good luck !!! Keep them apart until then.

well, I think things will work out. I called Maura, because I didnt think Laurel was happy here, and she explained the way the hound life is (I've neer had a hound before) and she made me feel better about Laurel. Who I THEN discovered is now laying on the couch, and looking sassy with herself. I found out because Freebee was whining about it (MY couch, what are YOU doing up there?) and I invited her to join Laurel on the couch, and SHE WOULD'NT DO IT!! so I said FINE, YOU deal with it and dropped out of the whole scenario...... I think Laurel will be fine now... HEE HEE!!! :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

the bastard needs to suffer his own punishment.....An eye for an eye, in this case....let's see how far HE gets dragged behind a car... :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil: it's a good thing I didnt run into him, he'd probably be DEAD now...and I have just the temper to do it too.... :evilbat:

tell me when, and I will set up and light the candles....it's the least I can do.... thanks!!

Mine is blue too - "Bright Blue" which I like alot better than the dark blue. It's a few shades darker than what I would call "sky blue".... The visual of Betty chasing the Bug is STILL cracking me up!!! :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

well, the batteries are dead in the digicam, so pictures have to wait a bit.... but a funny story when I picked Laurel up. I pulled in the driveway, and was looking at the passenger seat to gather up the leash, and the papers and stuff, and when I looked up and out the driver window there was thie HUGE sheep standing there staring at me. I HAVE NEVER SEEN A SHEEP THAT BIG!!! She was half as tall as I am (5'2") which is pretty big for a sheep.... I got out of the car, (warily) and petted her, she was all nuzzly and friendly. I talked to Maura, signed papers and we loaded Laurel into the car, and this silly sheep is still standing there. Maura called her "Betty". So as I'm leaving, I see Maura Grab her around the neck and hold her.at the obvious look of surprise on my face, she says "Betty likes to chase cars...." WHAT A VISUAL!! I'm driving a VW Beetle, and I'm seeing a visual of Betty chasing my little Bug down the road at top speed (dont know how fast that is for a sheep....) and I'm CRACKING UP the whole way home.....

I'm sorry Abs, I cant help you..... :cry: I'm a diabetic, I cant fast.... I would if I could tho....

she's very timid, although lossening up a little bit, but she doesnt seem happy.... she hasnt made a sound except for a slight whimper when she couldnt get down the stairs, and when I let her out in the yard she just kinda mills around and snifs stuff - I still ahvent seen her actually "go", altho there are no messes in the house...I thought she would love the large yard to run in, but she doesnt seem to care....in fact, I've never seen her run either....she walks very cautiously and although not tucked, her tail is always down. She wags it a few times when I first come in, but that's it. This dog needs some real confidence training..... wait, I just saw her trot, so I guess that's a start. When I'm outside with her all she wants to do is stand by me, in a deferential manner. She wont play tug, or fetch, she just kinda stands there. I'm wondering if she was the Omega in their pack society. She certainly acts like it..... Well, if I could get her to play I might be able to confidence train her, but maybe she just needs some time. She is older after all. Maybe just takes a little longer to break in....

He's been gone alot of years now.....I only have one good picture, and no scanner. He didnt like to have his picture takem, he was afraid of the flash. He passed on 20 years ago...it doesnt seem like that long. His name was Taurus.... Anytime you want to "talk Goldens" let me know!! :)

loose skin around the neck is normal is most dogs. It's a protective feature, it protects their throat and neck if they are atacked. The aggressor gets skin, instead of throat and spinal cord. I wouldnt worry too much about it.

well, the other thing you can try is lemon luice . Spritz it in his mouth when he barks and yell your NO command. It's bitter, but it wont hurt him.

well, she's here. Freebee is hyper as hell, and refuses to lie down, I think she's jealous.... Laurel wont eat anything yet, but that's not real surprising in a whole new situation. She checked out the yard without her lead a little while ago, and now she's laying calmly at my feet, while Freebee is pestering the hell out of me. She always was kinda hyper though.... Now Freebee has to lay at my feet as well - wouldnt do that before, now would she? Laurel is gonna take a while to settly in - she's already looking for ways to escape from the yard, but I think she just wants to go "home"....poor thing. Such a shock to her. I hope she likes it here, and settles in soon....and PushyCat just came up to check out the situation.... and she completely ignored him. He seems to know she's harmless to him.... When I brought Alex home Pushy hid in the basement until they could be introduced thru a baby gate, so maybe this is a good sign....