courtnek

Pepper spray is actually an excellent idea. It wont hurt the dog at all, but it burns and it will definitely make the dog stop attacking. All of the mailmen here carry it for protectin against dogs. Check with your local police and make sure it's legal where you are. I agree it's not the dogs fault, but the dog needs to learn that he cant just attack anything he wants. Pepper Spray may be the way to go. I would not use vinegar - it could damage his eyesight, which would make you liable.

If she was a stray, possibly something bad associated with water happened to her. A lot of dogs like water and lakes, but cant stand rain. Alot of dogs just cant stand baths - mine is one - but give her a pool and she's in it in a heartbeat.... The previous advice about praising her when she's in the water and giving her treats may get her over it. :D

The mother is Alpha, the daughter is challenging because she is whole. Unless you plan to breed her, get her spayed. Pay a little more attention to the mom, give her Alpha (beneath you of course) privledges. Let her eat first (after you) while the daughter has to lay down and watch, let her out first, while the daughter watches, etc. With her spayed, they are sexual "equals" and they will get it worked out. The daughter will give up easier. :D

Fergi, you have an Alpha issue - not uncommon with mothers and daughters....one of them needs to be "promoted" and one "demoted" are they fixed? either of them? if neither, get one done. For the time being, leave the other one whole. Choose the one that is the strongest, most dominant, most capable, and get the other one spayed. For a few months after the spaying, let them try to work it out. If they cant, and thats not uncommon in a mother/daughter situation, you may have to demote one. Take all the toys away from the non-alpha, pay more attention to the alpha, feed her first, do doorways first, the whole nine yards..... after the pecking order has been established, you can have the other one spayed if you want. If they are both now spayed, then just demote one of them. In fairnes to both of them, you should choose the stronger more agile and capable of the two to promote - it really doesnt matter which was there first - pack rules will, literally, rule. They know when their time is up. Some are just more stubborn than others.... the Alpha (you) needs to decide for them....

<hypnotism> join, join, join...be a member...become addicted like the rest of us...join, join join....never leave Dogo...spend all your time here...join, join, join... :o :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: welcome aboard!!

here's another choice - not in your poll, but I like it Call her "Ileah" (pronounced I-LEE-ah) gaelic for "rescue" :D

She is beautiful RNP - CONGRATS!!!

couple of things did he attack Goo on your property, or his, or neutral? were the owners anywhere where they could have restrained him? Is he mormally left outside to wander alone without supervision? You have a real case for the animal control department, especially if it was on your property. Goo was on a leash, are there leash laws? You can file a complaint and make the owner pay for any damages his dog did to Goo, including vet bills. Plus, animal control may fine them for leaving a dangerous dog unrestrained. Glad Goo is ok - some people are just useless.... :evil:

she is BEAUTIFUL!!! I like "Storm" - you are her "port in the storm" for having rescued her - If she is afraid of men, she may have been abused or mistreated by one.

not that I know of, but if it's an iron deficiency you might notice the gums are "whiter" than they should be. Gums should be nicely red, but without the red blood cells that iron produces they could end up pink or white....

that's pretty much what I said DP - :lol: man realized that the wolf held the potential to be a useful guardian and protector - so yes, he did use them as a tool, and then set about breeding them in a way to become even more of a tool....but if he hadnt, we wouldnt have the dogs we know and love today. And at any time the wolf could have decided "not for me" and abandoned man, but the pack instinct back then was very similar to tribal instinct; both sides realized that they were safer with each other than alone. I dont think that man captured wolves and forced them to work for him; I think rather that the wolf realized that life was easier with man in the picture; and man realized that life was easier with the wolf in the picture. I understand how you feel, because people today are SOOO much different than people back then; but both sides had "pack" mentality and both sides benefited from the joining. People today dont have to sit by campfires and ward off bears and lions....and they have lost a lot of the appreciation early man had for the skills of the wolf, and the dog....

toys, a water bowl, a leash, a tie-out chain (some camp grounds require it) an outside play toy, things to chew on....also take syrup of ipecac, in case she eats something she shouldnt.l HOWEVER - never administer without checking with a vet or poison control first - some things, like gasoline and antifreeze, should not be vomited up... so a cell phone would be a good thing too.... have a WONDERFUL time!! dogs love camping... :D

Just FYI - my old Golden used to eat rocks - chew them up and swallow them - they did find a mineral deficiency in his diet but only after I insisted they do blood work for it. They put him on vitamins, and he never ate another rock. Sometimes the food just isnt enough for some dogs.

I never got them before - it just started in the last few days... :evil:

NO YOU'RE NOT!! It's annoying as hell, and I had intended to ask K about it....

actually, Angel, we did. That's exactly the info we need to help you, and this forum has always been about helping, and not slamming. That's why I love it here - I can help, I can be helped, I can cry, laugh, anguish - no one holds my outbursts against me - we all try to understand. Something happened to your pup to make her afraid of facial confrontation - I didnt make that up - most dogs will not confront each other by staring - it's a threat of a fight. Having a person stare her in the face (as she sees it) when she has been confronted, and maybe frightened before would make her growl. She is trying to protect herself from confrontation. The earlier advice still holds. You can train her to not be afraid of someone being close to her face, but it will take a little time and some effort on your part. Once she realizes that people in her face mean lots of attention, hugs and kisses, she'll be more than happy to let your kids do it. She trusts you - you just need to make her trust your kids, too. :D

hen you and your hubby were together, did he used to get in her face to discipline her, or yell at her? My ex taught my dog to hate rolled up newspapers. You roll one up and she sees it, she goes ballistic. He also got in her face, and she doesnt like it at all.....she will let me do it, but she will sit stiff as a rock until I move away... She may have just learned that someone in her face is a threat, or frightening. She trusts you, but she definitely needs to be taught to trust your kids as well. I would sit her by my side, have one of the kids pet her up close *not in her face, but close) and you praise her the whole time - she will eventually learn that having the kids in her face is not a threat.

from the thesis I did in college, on wolves: it is believed that wolves were the first to approach man, staying just out of site but near enough to scavenge and feed off of man's refuse. As time went on, the wolves got braver, and crept in close enough to be seen, but still stayed out of reach. Man eventually realized that the wolves provided a form of protection to the tribes, since they would sound early warning alerts (to protect the pack, but man soon recognized that meant danger) and started to encourage them to come in closer. The wolves were fed leftovers, allowed to come nearer to the fires and stay warm, and at some time an unspoken pact was made between them. The wolves would be allowed to remain with the tribes, providing protection and warning, and in return man would feed them leftovers and let them stay warm. This was not a man/dog relationship - it was formed entirely on the basis that both parties achieved something positive out of it. At some point in time, when the tribes would move, the wolves decided to go with and that was where the first real wolf/man relationship developed. The pack would follow the tribe to their new location, and set up house there. Over time, the relationship became one of man taming the wolf, breeding him to other canines, intended for a specific work that needed to be accomplished. From that came the dogs of today.

I had one purebred dog - A Golden Retriever - Taurus every one since then has been a mix Rasilon - Irish Wolfhound and German Shepherd Jarvis - Alaskan Malamute and Border Collie (vet thought there was some wolf in there as well, because of his teeth) Freebee - Labrador Retriever and German Shorthair Pointer (we think) Alex - Golden Retriever/Yellow Lab All but Freebee have gone to the Rainbow Bridge....

crate training is the way to go, providing someone can let the dog out every 3 to 4 hours. If not, you can enclose them in a bathroom with newspapers or doggy pads (dogs are attracted to them to pee) and have their bed on the opposite side. Any room with a tile floor will do. Then, when you get home, take the doggy pads/newspapers outside and put them down where you want her to pee, and then praise her big time when she does. As she gets older and her bladder gets stronger, you can start taking away the pads and papers and just take her out to her spot. You have to pick a "proper" spot for her to go, so she knows what you are trying to tell her with the pads/papers. Enclose her in her room with a baby gate, not the door, so she can see out and doesnt feel trapped. Freebee did not like to be crated. She destroyed the crate in no time, so we used the bathroom method and she was good with that.

I am a claustrophobiac - fear of enclosed places I cannot drive my car unless the windows are open, no matter what the weather elevators make me break into a cold sweat I stay away from anywhere it's really crowded (like the mall at Christmas) because I feel totally hemmed in I was trapped in an elevator between floors when I was a child. Shouldnt have been there at all, the building was closed and we were just playing in the elevators....It got stuck between the third and fourth floors and I was stuck in it for 4 hours. Fortunately, I finally figured out how to use the emergency phone thingy they have in there and I called for help. I can ride in elevators if I have to, I just dont like to.... silly me.... :D

I like the vet I have - the lady there especially - she was the one who did all the work up's on Alex, and and is always pleasant and nice to the dogs. But like everyone has said, your best bet is to talk to people who own dogs and see what they think.

search and rescue would be good for an Akita - they like to keep busy. I think there should be a place where you can show mixes....I have always thought so - they are often just as intelligent and train up nicely, so why not?

:angel: :angel:

VERY nice - like his markings....