courtnek

Poor you!! Maybe I was wrong about Cracker not wanting to lead (since you said she is very submissive). She appears to have decided she DOES want to lead....At best guess, I would say stop favoring either of them and let them work it out amongst themselves. Onlyintervene if a fight is in the making. Other than that, let them decide. In a pack, this is how it would be doneanyway. Snarling, posturing, dont worry about. Leave them alone unless it looks to become a real fight, then intervene. But ONLY then. I really hope it all works out. :D

Hello everyone!! I missed you all! Portland is a beautiful city, I love it everytime I go there, but I'm glad to be home and I have a story to tell. We went to a BBQ at a friends house on Wednesday. While we were grilling out, a shepherd/coyote mix wandered into her yard. She has cats, so we watched the dog to make sure she wasnt aggressive. SHE WAS SWEET AS PIE!! She jumped on the deck, we all petted her, but were concerned because all she had on was a choke collar, no taqs. My friend (TK) called her brother, who lives down the street, since she knows all the dogs in the area and hasnt seen this one before, and asked if he knew who owned her. (she lives out in the middle of nowhere). He sent his wife over to the new neighbors house, since he had seen a dog with that description shortly after they moved in. In the meantime, we were all spoiling this dog ROTTEN, petting her, playing with her, she was a GREAT dog, very well behaved. I told TK if no one came for her I was gonna take her home, and she said "OH NO!! If no one comes, she's MINE!!!!" (She's as bad as I am about stray animals....) anyway, about 20 minutes later, a lady shows up ON HORSEBACK (bareback at that) and thanked us repeatedly for fnding and keeping Maggie until she could come get her. This is all way out in the country, and dogs generally wander around and visit other homesteads cuz there is no real traffic to worry about. All the neighbors know each others dogs. Maggie was new to the area, and got confused about her surroundings, but once Kyla came and got her she was all happy again. The horse was a beautiful chestnut quarterhorse, very tame, everyone petted her and she was really good about it. So Kyla says "COME Maggie! Time to go home!" and Maggie jumps up and licks the horses face, and off they all went. I think I'm going to move to Portland...... Glad to be back!!! Tell me everything that's been going n!! Katy

It IS a beautiful place, I would love to live there..On Sunday we are going to the coast - I've never seen the Pacific coast and always wanted to. They are going to take me to the Tors areas, where there are cliffs and mountains overlooking the ocean...I;m SOOOO excited!! Taking my little webcam with me, hopefully get some good pictures.... talk to you all next week!!! :D :D

Thanks Sheltie!! that means a lot to me.... :D

I am going on a business trip to Portland, Oregon, leaving tomorrow and will be back on Friday night next week. Freebee is kenneled at the best kennel in the area, a really nice place where they play with them everyday, the kennels are clean and the dogs are well cared for. I would recommend this kennel to anyone in the Chicago area. Pushycat is staying here, and I have someone coming in a few times during the week to check on him and pet him. I imagine I will have a lot of catching up to do when I come back! Everyone have a great week! :D :D :D

It's still a possibility - but only the vet can tell you. If he's not better by your vet's time, then take him back. Wormer can make them throw up and have diarhea too, but if you're still concerned when you take him back have the vet run the test. I believe it's a simple blood test. Good luck! Hope he's all better soon....

[quote]I admit Zaphod could stand to fill out a bit but he's an adolescent dog, he is lanky and with Labs tendency to be tanks I am happier to see him lean rather then hefty. Thanks. [/quote] I have to agree - Freebee has to be watched carefully, or she'd eat til she burst!! Labs especially should not be heavy on the hindquarters, and should have at least a marginally tucked waist, because of their tendency to hip displacia. A fat lab is only going to have more hip problems because of the extra weight. So you keep up with what you're doing DP, and tell the rude neighbor from me, in a sweet voice, "I keep them on the thin side, because I want them to live as long as possible.....y'know, fat dogs have heart and hip problems, just like fat people...." then just smile and walk away. Let her stew on THAT for awhile.... :lol:

I'd think they'd want you there while they drew blood, if for nothing else to calm the dog so it wouldnt bite... I'm not thinking too highly of this vet... :evil:

[quote]Anything with the word aggression seems to get people's back's up - maybe we should use the phrase "Don't play nice with other dogs" instead _________________ [/quote] Thank you. Hollywood, we here know that the Pit is a very people-orientated dog - for all the above reasons - but it was bred to fight. Not dogs, originally, but Bears, Bulls and Boars....Dog fighting became a "sport" (God, I DREAD that thought) by macho morons who think fighting is a fun thing to watch. You'll find the same breed of people in the ones who stage cockfights. Let's let these poor birds rip each other to shreds, wont that be fun??? Pit's make EXCELLENT service dogs. Their loyalty and loving of people is extraordinary. They are probably more people friendly (truly people friendly) than labs or goldens. Labs and goldens are for the most part laid back and gentle....but not always, as is the case with my girl. Yet you cant take the breeding out of them. Example: my girl is part (we think) German Shorthaired Pointer...her physical body style and long skinny legs give that away. She has never been trained to point, yet she does....all on her own, with no encouragement. That's something that was bred into her over the centuries; I could no more make her stop doing it than I could make her stop breathing voluntarily. There are some things you cant train out - breeding heredity is one of them. We arent turning on you, as I said before, but just warning you that it COULD happen. Doesnt mean it will, but the odds are too high to risk it, and risk losing your guys because of it. "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure...." :)

hard as it may be, you should report them....for just this reason....

Most vets will tell you to switch them at about a year, but be careful with that. Larger breed dogs are puppies longer than smaller breed dogs. Some of the larger breeds need puppy food (for the additional vitamins and minerals) than smaller breeds. The best bet is watching their weight and activity. If they are still acting like puppies, (tons of activity, never slow down, never stop) then feed them the puppy food until you see differences in their behavior. When they seem to slow down a little, then start them on the adult food. For large breed dogs, 1 1/2 years is usually the time.

until he gets used to it, hang towels over the back of the steps (blocking him from being able to see thru) and then walk up with him. Once he is used to that. take one towel away at a time, starting at the top, so he doesnt see the opening until he's already up, then encourage him to cross the open space. Stay with him, with a lead if necessary, until he feels completely comfortable with the open spaces...dont pull him, just encourage him to cross. It may take a while. :D

:) yea, it stops - they go through puberty, fixed or not. Also, it might be a dominance thing. Mounting is not always sexual, he may just be claiming the spot as "top dpg" amongst the dogs....

[quote]And as always hmmmmm nailed it if one of your dogs gets into a scuffle the other will definately be right there and then you really have a problem 2 pit bulls will make short work of any dog. [/quote] Thank you Rott, and Hmmmm...that was my entire point - yes, the dogs are good now, yes you can trust them - UNLESS some other dog (like mine, who is NOT friendly and is a Lab, and I would not her loose in a dog park) decides to challenge. Yes, Freebe is a Lab. Loves everyone, right? NOT! Good with children, right! NOT!! Get's along well with other animals! NOT!! NOT!! These are the exceptions to every rule. Please let me explain. I am looking to adopt another dog. One of the ones that someone brought here was part Pit. He didnt like her, she didnt like him. Both were on leashes, so nothing happened. Without leashes there would have been a fight. Plain and simple. Pit's DO NOT like to be challenged, and Freebee will NOT be demoted. WHat's to say that you wont run into a Freebee at the the dog park, who will NOT be demoted by your Pits, and might start a fight? She would lose, most probably, but YOU would be blamed and your Pit's put down...yea, she started it, but the news WONT SEE IT THAT WAY. It will be another story of 'VICIOUS PIT BULL ATTACK IN DOG PARK. VICIOUS PIT'S KILLED LAB....." which will get everybody's dander in a huff because it was a Lab...Gentle family dog, good with children. I KNOW my dogs shortcomings - most people with Labs dont. They arenht all angels, and they can be very dominant....which wont help them against a dog bred to fight. and Pit's were bred to fight. I know you treat them kindly, train them well, and have socialized them. But a dog like Freebee would be enought to try any fighting dogs patience....she tries mine all the time.

It's more likely she has a urinary tract infection, then a bladder infection. UTI's are very common, in peopke and dogs. If the discharge was kinda like a watery/milky pus, then she probably has a UTI and a few days on antibiotics should take care of it. A bladder infection would cause pain when she urinates, stop her from wanting to eat and cause a fever. You need to get her to the vet either way. UTI's can become bladder infections if not treated quickly...

oooh!! ooh!! I can explain the Chicago and Joliet ones.... The upper level opera people (with the box seats and best view, usually the wealthy) would take their poodles to the opera with them because they owned the box....bought yearly like season tickets. When the dogs heard certain singers (like the aria) they would often start to bark and howl, which irritated the other listeners. Poodles seemed particularly bad about this, and for a long time it was a fad for the rich to own poodles, fru-fru cut and all. They couldnt evict the box owners, since they owned the box and were generally in some politicians back pocket, so they evicted the dogs. The other one came about on Rush Street. There are a number of bars (and other assorted "pleasure palaces") in that part of town...these idiots would get their dogs drunk, and they would run out into the street (and sometimes onto Lake Shore Drive, a major hiway) and cause accidents. And they would pee on the floor in the bars..... The one in Joliet was because they had a major dog overpopulation problem. They were losing at the effort to get people to have their dogs spayed and neutered, so the law was meant to keep female dogs in heat off the street. That's why they "may be fined" instead of "will be fined". Depended on whether the bitch was in heat or not.

Freebee's recall is very bad - she knows the commands, and will respond in the yard, because she knows she cant get out...I can come get her and make her come in - outside of the yard, she's smart enough to know that I cant catch her when she is offleash. And she has the natural lab tendency to want to roam.....I have brought her back often with "treats!" or "play ball!" but usually after a few minutes at least. She is getting better, but it's taking a long time. Still, with all of that, my solution is to not let her offleash, and to continue to train her to respond. I would NEVER throw a chain at her, or anything that could hurt her. Koeller seems to think that dogs are stupid...hold the chain in your hand and dont let him see you pick it up? What're the odds THAT will happen everytime?

tie a ring toy on a string and pull it. He'll learn to chase it anyway, and may end up wrapping his thumb around it to hold it :D

I am also now thinking that a lot of the times I was turned down were because Kyle didnt like the dog (because he wants a puppy, but doesnt want to have to take care of it) and they could see that. Just a mom's intuition, but I think it's accurate. an almost 17 year old boy is not always easy to live with....

He got adopted by somebody else. They had put in before me, and they passed the requirements so they had first choice - bad for me but good for Barclay... I have my eye on another one, named, of all things, Astro.... but I'm not going to go look at him until after next week - I have to go on a business trip to Portland, so if he's still there I'll go see him when I get back, I dont want to adopt a dog just to have to kennel him - that's just not right... But thanks ALOT for asking.... my friends all say he looks like a 'BRUNO" The problem is visitation - I cant get there except on weekends. My son is now at his dads, so things might get easier. Kyle refuses to come with me to look at Shelter dogs - he wants a puppy and I dont...

IF A DOG WERE YOUR TEACHER ..... You would learn stuff like this: When loved ones come home, always run to greet them. Never pass up the opportunity to go for a joyride. Allow the experience of fresh air and the wind in your face to be pure ecstasy. When it's in your best interest - practice obedience. Let others know when they've invaded your territory. Take naps and stretch before rising. Run, romp, and play daily. Thrive on attention and let people touch you. Avoid biting, when a simple growl will do. On warm days, stop to lie on your back on the grass. On hot days, drink lots of water and lay under a shady tree. When you're happy, dance around and wiggle your entire body. No matter how often you're scolded, don't buy into the guilt thing and pout - run right back and make friends. Delight in the simple joy of a long walk. Eat with gusto and enthusiasm. Stop when you have had enough. Be loyal. Never pretend to be something you're not. If what you want lies buried, dig until you find it. When someone is having a bad day, be silent, sit close by and nuzzle them gently. Author Unknown _____________________________________________ If only people could be like this!!! :D :D :D :D

Does the lady who rescued him live near you? I was afraid he might be heading back your way...you're his owner in his mind, he hadnt adapted to his new home yet. that kinda thing takes time - Alex tried to run away three times the night we brought him home... His new owner needs to secure him strongly for a while - until he adapts and accepts his new home...the poor guy probably feels like Devin doesnt like him.....I felt that way about Alex too, but eventually he will settle into his new home and be happy. It just takes time..... I am VERY VERY glad that he is safe and sound.... :D

Simple!! take on of the GSD/Rots AND get another Staffie!! then everyone is happy!! :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

Rott, I agree with you entirely.... if she doesnt believe that dogs know good people from bad people, tell her my story about the so-called "animal control officer" who came to my house one night and asked to be let in to "see the dogs" - since I have nothing to hide, I almost unlocked and opened the screen door. As soon as I reached for the latch, BOTH dogs started to snarl.....not a warning growl, but a snarl....I had never heard either of them snarl like that before. They were basically saying "if you come thru that door, we WILL bite you.... I closed the door and called the police, and sure enough this guy had been reported all over town....fortunately no one let him in, maybe all their dogs reacted, but he was definitely NOT an animal control officer.... I believe they know bad people who you think are friends, or neighbors, too. My old dog didnt like my bestfriends boyfriend. He wouldnt let him pet him, he would growl if he came near him. I warned her he was bad news, she didnt want to believe me, and when he hit her smack across the face one night she realized myself and the dog were correct. They DO know...

short lesson on cats: they are independent, haughty, like things that are warm and cuddly, like to play, can be alone for a time but like companionship (tho they'll never tell you that the way a dog does), are very clean, fastidious, fussy.... they can ignore you for days, and then decide they HAVE TO HAVE YOU RIGHT NOW and jump in your lap, or curl up on your bed.... they are extremely intelligent, and have been known to treat their humans like they are completely STUPID.... It's just the nature of a cat - once you have one, you become addicted. They dont fawn over you like a dog, they want you to fawn over them. They are their onw little Princes and Princesses... But you find yourself addicted, and trying to make them recognize YOU.... it's quite funny. I have had many cats, and loved all of them dearly. My own evil tempered, seemingly unfriendly, wants his way NOW just came up and asked to be picked up. We had a 20 minute lap holding and scritching, where he then said ENOUGH and jumped down. Why do we tend to wait on them hand and foot? Because they fascinate us. We feed them, love them, care for them and they are like "You want WHAT?????" LOL :lol: :lol: :lol: