courtnek

I dont have a coffee table, but Alex was so tall at the shoulder that if he stood up under the dining room table it was precarious!! :D The kitty box one applies here... and the cat with the attitude - DEFINITELY MY cat!! :lol: :lol: :lol: (one of my close friends calls it "cattitude...)

No, dont stop him. Let him wear himself out - if he likes to play with the footstool, consider it a blessing he's not dragging your dirty clothes out of the hamper - LOL :lol:

hiccups are caused by air getting trapped between the diaphragm and the lungs - eating too fast can cause it, so can too much excitement. Jackie has the correct fix - burp him. Make him lay down, then pat him with slow, even taps (like burping a baby) just behind the shoulders. This helps the trapped air escape and then the hiccups go away. He's a pup - running around, eats like there will never be food again (another Lab trait) and always excited..... I think he is clueing in on your excitment at owning him. You may need to tone down a little too Hazel - LOL :D

LOL@Hillside!!! A GSD and a dalmation? If it took the GSD coloring it would look like a quilt!! That was quite a visual - LOL How about a long-haired dachsund and a pekignese? You could attach a pole to it's collar and use it as a dust mop.... :D

different animals (and people) react differently toanesthesia... she's probably going to be fine :D

Mine does it too - raids the trash, stole food off the counter the other night (A trick she learned from Alex....she never did it before) steals stuff, I sometimes think they hold grudges..... that was just a temper tantrum because of the bath. Confine him after the bath with a baby gate where he cant get at anything, and he'll learn. only after he's done something bad though. tell him he's bad and then confine him away from the family, where he can sulk it out. I;ve found that works with Freebee. She doesnt like to be away from me.

Freebee: Freeb, Freebster, Freebee-girl, baby-girl, Freebeebeebee(kind of a rolling sound, like baby pronounced beebee) PushyCat: ill-tempered-stuck-on-yourself-cat Push damn-cat damn-cat-from-h*** Woosey (my sons favorite) purr-face (when he's being nice) the third and forth come from years of his biting my ankles AFTER I have my pantyhose on, therefore causing them to run.....he ruined three pairs one morning..... :D

he's not evil - he's a puppy - and WORSE - he's a LAB puppy - !!! lol Labs are notorious for all of the above - they chew, they run, they chase, they steal....The worse thing you can do is chase them, because then it becomes a fun game they will always want to play. Teach him to sit (and try stay, too) and then remove the object he has stolen and put it away. As far as chasing his tail, I never had a dog that didnt. He's just full of energy and burning it off....my lab mix has a white tip of fur on her tail, and she chased it constantly until she pulled all the white hairs out!! they distracted her somehow, bothered her....she would yelp when pulling them out, but did it anyway....LOL the bright side is, since he's a lab, he'll grow out of it....by 8 years old or so..... :roll: LOL

very dangerous in the summer to keep pets in a car. I heard a story of a couple who went to a restaurant in 85 degree heat and saw a dog locked in the car with all the windows up. They went inside and asked who owned the car - no one knew. They made a scene, telling everyone in the restaurant that these people were killing their dog leaving it like htat. The owners eventually fessed up when the whole restaurant turned on them and left. The couple called the ASPCA and the dog (who had been reproted before for mistreatment) was taken away and rehomed. It can get up 120 degrees in a car with the windows up - thank you very much for posting that.

Well, I had to postpone the meet. Last Saturday, we had severe thunderstorms and tornado's through here, and part of one of my big trees (40 feet tall) got hit by lightning. Three large limbs hit the ground, and one was still up in the tree. The one in the tree has a limb width at it's widest point of 16 inches across.....it came down last night during a windstorm and crushed part of the fence. I have to hang around here now and wait for the fencing people to come and fix it, so not even Freebee can run around in the yard. I have a makeshift wire runner set up so she can go outside and play....damn!!!!! :evil:

I gotta go with Kiger - wash and wear is my style Poodles who actually are used for work dont get the entire shave, there is some hair left in those places to protect from cold and insects, but it's like a marine cut. very short and thick. Also, the fluffy parts are not kept that long and dont come out looking blow-dried. The joints and major organs were kept more hairy for protection from the elements, and the rest of the coat was cut short to allow for better swimming. I agree with Kiger - my dog is a lab mix. Short hair, waterproof (you can actually see it bead up when she gets wet) the perfect water retrieval dog. Comes out of the pond, shakes, and she's dry. No haircuts, no styling, no shaving. As is. Am I just lazy, or what??? LOL Of course, a poodle left with longer hair stays warmer in the winter, so there's two sides to every story.... And for bows, if the dog is ok with them then it's fine. I personally wouldnt do it, but dont object to anyone who does. :D

Where do you live? I dont want to alarm you, and it probably is kennel cough if he was a t shelter, but have the vet check for blastomycosis (blast-oh-my-cohsis) as well.....that same cough is what alerted me to Alex's illness, and it killed him. An X-ray will tell them right off the bat...This illness is most prevalent in the midwest of the US, and near waterways and rivers. Like I said, dont worry, but have it checked. Good luck and I hope he gets all better soon!

well, we're on for Sunday! I wont get to bring him home, but I will get to see how he and Freebee get on...I hope it works out - she looks so lonely laying out in the yard all by herself....If she wasnt so pig-headed this wouldnt be so hard..... lol . :D

Good news for Rosie!! My ill-tempered, overweight (18 lbs). old (13) cat was diagnosed with a thyroid condition too. Since being on medication he is less ill-tempered, (still a "bitch" tho) has lost some weight (he's 16 lbs now) and is calmer and nicer....it really seems to make a difference...

[quote]Some people need to be beaten. Thoroughly I agree wholeheartedly - and THANK YOU for doing what you could for the little guy - I am sure he is on the bridge, remembering that at least SOMEONE cared about him...... :D

ALL TRUE!!! I dont have carpet anymore - hardwood is easier to sweep.... Lay your head on my foot anytime - I'll sit still til you get up.... You can always kiss me, I just wont think about where your nose has been.... Do I spoil my dog? GUILTY AS CHARGED..... lol :D

He'll probably be fine, fortunately they tend to forget pain pretty quickly. Poor thing!! Hope he learned something from it! My malamute mix got skunked TWICE!! By the same skunk!!! You'd think he woulda learned from the first encounter....but it didnt get his eyes so there was no pain involved. Maybe that's why - but you'd think the discomfort of the tomato juice baths would have taught him something... LOL Hope you feel better Boomer!! :D

It is a dominance issue - she is working on taking over, but hasnt gotten complete control yet. You will need to demote one fo them, if it becomes necessary. Many times, during dominance takeovers, it seems like the dogs are about to kill each other, but it rarely ever happens. One of them will eventually give in, and things wil settle down. However, if NO ONE gives in, then demotion of one of them will be necessary by you. You are the alpha, you make the rules...

Rott is basically correct. Dogs that have squared off and intend to fight dont bark. Barking in a wolf/dog society indicates warning....if they dont agree and they are seperated, they will bark. If they are not seperated and they have decided to fight, they will snarl, which is different from a growl...the growl comes from low in the throat and is meant as a warning - leave me alone or I will attack/defend. The snarl appears with all teeth showing, lips back, nape hair raised high, and it means I AM GOING TO ATTACK. If the other dog doesnt back down, a fight will start. This is true of any dog, big small or otherwise. I have heard that often the bully breeds give no warning, but that is a breed characteristic. Most dogs warn first, and try to avoid the conflict. That story was very sad - those children were considered of lesser rank than the dog, which puppies are in a normal wolf/dog society. It's up to the owners to make sure that the dogs know their place, which in this case is lower ranking than the children. In a pack, the puppies would not ever challenge the leader. In a human household, the children dont understand pack rules. NEVER LEAVE A CHILD ALONE WITH A DOG!!! Childern, especailly young ones, dont understand that the dog is a dangerous creature under certain circumstances. That story upset me, because it was framed as "big bad rottie attacks child", but the same thing happened around here with a Golden, who attacked a childs face and permanently disfigured him, and the news said "HOW SHOCKING! beautiful family dog attacks child...." I hate the media....

I've been emailing back and forth with the lady at the shelter. Their rules are that at least two visits are required, and all family member must be involved, which presented a problem. My son broke both the lower bones in his leg in an accident, and he has to walk on crutches and cant get around real well. The shelters an hour from here, and the long car ride is very painful for him. So at first I thought this would be a no-go as well, but the lady said that we could do an initial meet with me and Freebee, and that she could make arrangements to bring Theo here to meet my son and the ill-tempered cat. The cat's not going to like him, I know that already, but I am mostly concerned with how he reacts to the cat. If he's ok with him, then we're on. I may take the cat to meet him in his carrier with Freebee, since I wouldnt let them meet outside the carrier anyway. Safer for the cat that way (and Theo, PushyCat can be very nasty when he's upset....) I had to seperate him and Alex at first and let them meet thru a baby gate. Alex had no experience with cats, and just wanted to sniff and learn, but PushyCat would just run for it....and hiss.....and spit..... The person who invented baby gates should be given an award. I still have the ones I used when Kyle was a baby, and now I use them for every containment need, including putting up in the window during the summer so the dogs wouldnt leap out the screen at the mailman.... So I am hoping that Sunday I can go meet Theo and hoping that all goes well. If he can charm Freebee, he can charm any dog.... I'm not crazy about his name, maybe I'll rename him Karma, cuz I really liked that name.... :D

You can steal Freebee and Alex if you want - Alex is gone, But Freebee would like to see her picture "in lights" LOL

Labs are part goldfish - they will eat till they burst!! LOL put a feeding schedule on the calander - Check marks for everytime she's been fed. That way your mom will know she's been fed and it wont be an issue. :D

When one dog steals the "top spot" from another (same as wolves) there is always going to be tension because the loser wants her place back.... Also, the lady across the yard has a Border Collie and Freebee doesnt like her. That surprised me at first, until she said there is an issue with female BC's and other female dogs....The BC wants to be dominant - she called it "female aggression". And since Freebee is very dominant and wont budge on that spot, they dont get along.... If you want to keep both dogs, you will have to demote one of them. It's a very hard thing to do. But you will have to intervene and make one of them the lower ranking animal. Otherwise they will fight all the time. Good luck!! :(

Nancy - you are absolutely correct. People who cant dominate their dogs should not own guarding breed dogs, for their own safety and everyone elses. The Macho slobs really irritate the hell out of me.... and as for this statement [/quote]I agree. I saw statistics on the top biters. I think the Golden Retriever was at the top of the list. Let me see if I can locate that link again and I'll post it. [quote] I have said repeatedly that I am sick of people thinking that Goldens are the "perfect family dog..." in a family willing to train it and not let it take over, they are. But like any other dog, as soon as it becomes Alpha all the rules change....an Alpha poodle will snap and bite; an Alpha Golden, at 65+ pounds, can take off your arm....65 lbs doesnt sound too big (I.m sure K is laughing at me) but you have to remember that that is 65 lbs of muscle with a mouthful of sharp, dangerous teeth. And a dog can snap and bite 5 times faster than the average human could respond.... AND a dog that has been badly bred is more likely to suffer from mental instability, with or without the Alpha role. When German Shepherds were the top "Macho dog" many were bred badly, just to supply the demand. They became biters and attackers. One of them ripped open my goldens leg and he had to have surgery. [/quote]

[img]http://www.petfinder.org/fotos/IL93.1577506.jpg[/img] Theo is a 1 year old (65 lbs) Yellow Lab/Rottweiler mix male. He still acts like a pup when he gets excited, but he's also very good at being calm with his human friends and being a great companion (typical behavior for both of the breeds he's mixed with). He's good with other dogs, but it seems that female dogs are especially susceptible to his charms, so that even the most dominant females fall under his charismatic spell (just ask Marielle and Silbey)! I called - they're not open so will try again tomorrow. What a nice Mother's Day gift that would be!!