courtnek

I know that sometimes dogs (and wolves) view sick animals in their packs as "baggage"...and will kill them, or let them die.... usually a strong pack lead can prevent it. I thought I was one. as you all know, PushyC@t is 17 1/2 years old, and failing...hanging in, but failing....Free has taken to chasing him down and snapping on him, when he so much as walks in front of her...Push has always fought back, and nailed Free smack on the nose for it in the past but cant anymore... I am now afraid. Afraid that Free will kill him. she is SOOO good about everything else, this upsets me horribly.... I am seperating them when I'm gone, Push gets my whole room all to himself. is there a way to stop this? I know his time is near, I want his passing to be gentle. NILIF is still in practice, she seems to not care. I can yell, stomp and punish, all to no avail... :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry:

my vote? beagle, if they can stand the bay, or foxhound if they want a larger dog. foxhounds are heartier, but ADHC isnt an illness that causes cruelty, just lack of attention. beagles DEMAND attention. they love it. foxhounds and beagles are gentle caring dogs, head-in-lap, sad eyes, "pleaseplay with me"faces... cleaning ears regularly and cleaning up after a dog, walking, playing with and being responsible is good for an ADHC kid. forces them tofocus... 8)

I have hardwood, and cloth machine washable runners, that are held to the floor with thissticky backing stuff you can get at carpet stores. its like a rubber material, you lay it out and put the runner on top of it and it doesnt slide. my area rug and runners both have it. you just pull up the rugs ad throw them in the wash.

a retired foxhound will work too...yes, I have one. they are smaller than greyhounds, but have the same basic make up. after having been run/hunted for many years, they are usually MORE then ready to be a couch potato... my foxhound is as laid back as they come. hounds are very affectionate animals, and gentle creatures to boot. they do good in apt's once they have matured. they are NOT good in apt's as puppies... 8)

thats been debated for a long time. this is my theory.... they are more in tune with what is going on around them then we are.... sound. scent. light.... I think that they hear/smell/sense things we dont. When I was in school my mom said my dog would lay down in the foyer 15 minutes before I came home M-F, but never did it on the weekends. I think he could hear the bus, which makes distinctive sounds, when it was far away from the house. I got proof of this when my X used to take my son for rides on the Harley. I could hear the Harley when it was 3 blocks away,I believe Free could hear it sooner. mine will head for the back door 5 minutes before I get home. I believe they know the sound of my car engine. If I get a ride home from someone else they miss it. just my take... 8)

thanks 8) Free is usually the peacemaker, if its a real or serious argument. she will force herself between the combatants and not let themget close to each other, while barking and looking threatening...Laurel usually just looks on...but Free realized this was not a serious argument and opted to go outside, leaving Laurel in the drivers seat. she tried, she really did... but every day she gets a little braver, a little better.....she's hard to train out of this because the standard confidence builders dont work with her. she wont play tug, she wont play ball, and at the first loud or angry word she closes up like a clam and climbs under my desk. poor thing was never properly socialized with people. she's great with dogs, having lived in a pack of more than 20 for 6 years.... :angel: :roll:

IZZY!! you cant do that to us...even those of us without Akitas like to read about them.... :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

the proverbial poo happens. not your fault Nad....flystrike is not uncommon at all, I got my Golden Lab with it, but his wounds were on the outside, so you could see it. underside of ear is harder to notice. you caught it and got help, thats all that matters. 8)

seperation anxietycan be trained out, but it takes time and patience. you'd need to do this on a 4-5 day time off schedule, cuz it needs to be done every day without fail. put up/away everything you dont want destroyed, first off. then...say goodbye to the dog, but thats IT...no fuss, no hugs, nothing. just goodbye, see ya later... leave the house. come back in 3 minutes later. again, no fuss. just hi! how was your day? make the dog sit and then treat. 15 minutes later, do it again. and again. and again. once you've said goodbye, DONT turn around and look back at the dog. goodbye is it. upon re-entering, sit and treat. keep extending the times you are away by 5 minutes at a time. then into day 2 of the procedure, leave things that you dont mind being destroyed (old pillows, whatever) and practice some more. keep extending the absense time. if something gets destroyed, immediately pick it up, show it to the dog and say "bad dog" this is not the same as housebreaking. they know they shouldnt destroy stuff, and its not necessary to do so. make sure while you are gone there is a safe chew toy there. after the bad dog, look away and dont greet or say anything else. ignore him completely. 5 minutes later call him to you and give him an acceptable chew toy, and praise him when he takes it and chews on it. then do another round of obedience training, and treating. you are both teaching him that destruction is bad, obedience is good, and he will enjpy the attention and the treats fromproper behavior. as you extend the time, you get him used to the idea that you are always coming back. this is actually a three-for-all...they are learning three different things with one lesson. now this is IMPORTANT. make absolutely certain what you say when you leave and what you say when you return is the same EVERY TIME. upon hearing those words, he will eventually learn that leaving doesnt mean gone for good. with acceptable chew toys and this training, he will get accustomed to your being gone. now please dont get upset, but most dogs suffer SA because they are TOO attached to us, which means he's getting way more attention and is higher up in the pack level then he should be. with an adopted abused dog this is very common. no one has ever been this nice to them before. dont reassure when afraid. dont intervene for every little thing. try to remember, hard as it is, that this is a dog, not a person, and they dont respond to the same reassurances and comforting that people do. if I can help, let me know. 8) p.s. when gone, leave the tv/radio on. the sound often soothes...

most favorite? Free is the house guardian. no one gets past her. Laurel is the gentle dog, useless as a guard dog but a good warner, everyone fears her bay. least favorite? Free is the house guardian. no one gets past her including the pizza delivery guy....or UPS...or the Post Office... Laurel is the gentle dog, useless as a guard dog but a good warner, everyone fears her bay. so the neighbors think she's a wolf and either turn me in out of fear, or because they think she's being strangled... :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

[size=1][/size]I can train anybody elses dogs to do anything...mine wont come when they're called.... feel for you HF.... :oops: :oops:

LOL :lol: :lol: :lol: when I take mine to the river I have tons of plastic bags in my pocket... I didnt realize it, but I was leaving a trail of them behind me as we walked....some nice lady stopped and said "do you need these?" and I said "on no, leave them please....they're like bread crumbs, I need them to find my way home..." and we both busted out laughing... :lol: :lol:

it is both a cooling off mechanism, and a trust one. they feel completely safe and comfortable in your house, have no reason to not display their upper sides, because they dont fear attack, and are generally cooler and more comfortable. the hair on the belly is usually thinner than the hair on the back, so laying "belly up" helps cool them off. they wouldnt do it if they didnt feel safe and comfy tho... 8)

HF you have a REAL pack there....10, right? Pauly has chosen to not try to usurp whoever he thinks is above him, and so chooses to sleep on the floor in respect to the "higher uppers"...including you. Freebee does the same. Laurel sleeps on the bed sometimes, and altho Free was here first she wont displace her. they work it out amongst themselves most times... 8)

this is the first time since I have had her that she stood up to anything... Kyle and his girlfriend were arguing....I wanted to put the dogs out for their final go...she wouldnt go. she stood there wanting to intervene, but afraid to. yet she wouldnt go out til the arguing stopped. to me, this is a big step. she is coming along.... :D :D :D

Mine run a tag team. Ol' PushyC@t will catch and kill them, and Free will then eat them. they've been doing this for years. PC is getting old now, and not as nimble as he was, and Ford couldnt care less about the bugs, so dont know what Free will do if PC wont catch and kill them for her anymore.... :o 8)

I dont know if you ever got the link open, but if not hope this helps. NILIF is Nothiing In Life Is Free...its pack rules with a human twist. your dog needs to earn everything, no freebies... for anything he wants/needs, including meals, walks or games, he has to do something for it. Start simple, with a sit. then a stay, etc. he does NOT get the intended meal, walk, playtime until he obeys. EVERY TIME. you cant do this occasionally, it has to be every time, or it wont work. you're teaching the dog that YOU are the boss, no matter what, and if he wants something has to please you first. when he nips, turn your head and YELP loudly, then dont look at him. resist looking at him at all, just turn your back, and walk away. he will get that confused look on his face, may even tilt his head, and follow you. let him stew for a couple minutes, then turn around and command him to do something. when he does, reward him. if he doesnt, walk away again. again without looking at him. this takes some time (the nipping part, the NILIF should be instituted immediately, and followed explicitely) but he will learn. good luck 8) p.s. Kevin has to do this as well

NOOOOOOOO!!!!! just postulating on genetics. I am not ready to be a grandma...and he's not ready to be a dad...he's only 18..but thye are very serious about each other, and she's a sweetheart....I really like her.... :o I'm NOT on of those parents who thinks "no girl" is good enough for her son... :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

oh! oh! MY blonde moment story.... I wanted to make bread. I turned the oven on to preheat, and walked away. came back ten minutes later and realized I smelled gas. pilot was out....I lit the pilot in the broiler without opening the oven first to release the pent-up gas. five seconds later I had no hair on my forehead, no eyelashes and no eyebrows.... :drinking: :drinking: :drinking: I shouldnt bake... :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

where is sciencedoc when you need him??? :lol:

well, you can think of it like blue eyes and red hair in people. both are recessive genes, but the genotype is there. so you could have two people with brown hair who have a red-headed blue eyed baby, because the gene combinations in their history paired up "just right"...my x has brown hair. I had blonde hair with a red gene in my genotype which is now brown. my son was born with blond hair and hazel eyes. his is now light brown, lighter than mine or my x's. his girlfriend is a natural blonde with red genotypes. they could, conceivably, hava a red headed child with blue eyes... its all in the genetics, so no, although rare, its not impossible... 8)

heres a link for pet friendly hotels..good luck and have fun 8) [url]http://www.letsgopets.com/?src_aid=Glgp[/url]

I'm leaning towards a threesome...the shape of the face and ears is Shibu, the body is Labish, but the head? the head is hound, I would guess Beagle as well... her sister has a similar shaped face as well, but the coloring and body is completely different, so I would also agree possibly two fathers.... the teller would be when she barks..the whole bay/woo woo woo thing is usually a giveaway.... shes so CUTE!!! :lol: :lol: :lol: and Kat is a good name for a dog. I had a friend with a cat named Dawg.... 8)

oh she's a Lab mix...arent they all? :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: sorry, just COULDNT resist... how big is she? very pretty pup. looks like a sweetie.. 8)

I'm not suggesting you do this, but this is my scenario. Free is an absolute BITCH ( non-gender specific) when on a leash. I now think she feels cornered...she will fluff up and growl at strangers, dogs, kids...but if off leash and not in close proximity to me she is fine. I think she feels both cornered and protective. if I take her to the park she is fine with all the dogs, kids, parents.....in a pack, they would never meet on a leash, giving one of them the opportunity to back down and back off... :-?