courtnek

oh my God....I am SOOO sorry. What a horrible thing to happen..... My love goes out to you. I hope you find another puppy that will make you happy.... :cry:

:D That was hedging BK...lol I meant what I said. I WILL accept the majority rule. Dont NOT disagree with me bacuase you dont want to upset me. First, I am NOT easily upset, and second, I think the majority should rule. I do customer service for a living, I'm used to being disagreed with....I just want what everyone else thinks is best. Her posts themselves dont upset me as much as the responses to them. We all seem to get caught up in prosecuting or defending her... It seems to be bringing out the bad sides in us....some people get very angry and post, and then others feel the need to defend, and post... I want to think of her as a good person who loves her dogs, but in my personal opinion her contradictory posts and replies belies that. That's my opinion. I would be interested in hearing everyone elses.

My dog was not neutered as a puppy, so he lifts his leg still. I also have another dog and the dominance battle heats up, so that may be why. A dog neutered as a puppy doesnt learn the marking behavior and doesnt have the dominance issue either. Your dog may never lift his leg, he may never feel the need to. Maybe around other dogs, but not anywhere else. Squatting is what a dog does when he is not marking and not dominant. It's not really a problem, it's just the nature of the beast....

Tell them, completely straight faced, that your dog will only breed with one better looking than him.....say it's an ego thing.... LOL :D

I am having issues with all of this. I dont want to be mean, but every time Laduenda posts something here, it throws everyone into a downhill spiral and arguments break out. Is she a dog fighter? I dont know, I hope not. But we have had issues in the past with her contract, her replies, etc. I believe that her posts should be sent to the administrator and a decision made as to whether to let her stay here or not. Most of us get along fine here, her posts always upset us. Am I alone in this? I will accept the majority rule. I am sorry Laduenda, but we are dog lovers completely. I appreciate your trying to learn about your breed, but some of the things you say contradict some of the other things you say. I cant honestly say I believe you....

Maybe Patton made a difference....they didnt try to sweep this one under the rug....

The Lion Pride is covered in my post just before your's Luka... :D

OK a little scientific edification for the non-cat people.... Cat's originated in Egypt - they are desert creatures by nature. That's why they prefer warmth. That's also why the whole litter thing. They would bury their droppings in sand to make them less obvious to predators. They are loners. They spend little time with each other except to mate. This is still true in most wild cat societys except for the Lions. Lions form packs, or "Prides" because where they live, and the food they hunt, requires more than a loner cat could handle. They adapted. Cats are actually very clean, even considering the litterbox. They wash themselves countless times a day. This is not because they are obsessive/compulsive. but because in their original habitat they needed to remove any scent from themselves to be safe. They were prey to some larger animals, although predator to others... They are not "outgoing" in most cases. Their original habitat required them to be alone, unlike pack animals who have learned instinctive "family" ties to remain alive. So while they are not dogs, they can still be loving and caring. They just need to be looked at a different way...

Here's another one for you - Barry Manilow wrote "Mandy" and everyone thought it was a love song - it was about his dog. "Oh Mandy, well you came and you gave without taking, and I sent you away.... Oh Mandy, you kissed me and stopped me from shaking, and I need you today! Oh Mandy....." He wrote it after Mandy passed away and he was having a really hard time dealing with it. He spent so much time on the road that he really didnt have enough time to pay attention to her, and when she passed on he realized how much he missed her....

He's not touch sensitive, in fact probably enjoys being handled and roughed up a little. He is tolerant of being held, but only for so long. Then tries to assert his independence and be put down. He is intolerant of being dominated. That's something to watch for. The scruff test is also for willingness to be dominated. This is a pup you will want to watch for "I'm running this show" behavior. It's easier to train them now than later. The willingness to follow shows healthy affection for you; he's not shy or afraid. He wants to know where you're going and why No fear of loud noises shows he feels safe, both with you and confident in himself. All in all, your pup is confident self assured and somewhat bold. I would watch for the dominance thing, that comes on slowly and before you know it they think they're king.

To be safe, I would go with my motto - keep the dog on a leash until he and you are sure of the surroundings. Dont let anyone pet him without your permission. Watch the dog for reaction to every person, if he seems uncomfortable, then keep them away. Dogs instincts are SO much stronger than ours!! He could react to someone who seems harmless, but THEY KNOW!!! I almost let a guy posing as an animal control agent in the house, until both dogs reacted. They SNARLED... they KNOW.... I firmly beleive you can rely on them to let you know what they feel. you just have to pay attention...

Squirt bottles dont work for my dogs, all they do is bite at the water -lol But there are better, although they take longer - ways to train a dog. For the truly stubborn, difficult ones, there are sound aversion disks. When they do something bad, you toss the disk (not at them, just in the room) and it makes an unpleasant sound while you say NO or whatever. They learn to associate the sound with your raised voice. It takes longer than fear training, but it's more reliable. and using chains for recall??? that's truly ridiculous.... The LAST thing you want is for your dog to be afraid to come to you....a fifty foot lead and treats will bring them back every time until they're trained. Then you can work on treat training them without the lead. They need to learn that when you call them, something NICE is going to happen. Lots of hugs and petting, good dog....then when you call them, they know you're going to give them lots of love, not fear....

My male lab mix gets foamy after a lot of exercise, so it may be nothing. especially if you're playing with "mouth toys", like tug bars and such. They sweat through their mouths, so it may just be a cooling device, but I would have the vet check him anyway, just to be sure.

If you can wake up in the morning always cheerful and glad to see the day...... If you can start your day without caffeine or sugar..... If you can put up with all the things people do and still love them.... If you can accept blame for every wrong and not get angry.... If you can be wrongfully accused and still forgive..... If you can go to sleep every night without alcohol or drugs..... [img]http://pics.paulsonator.com/users/courtnek/nose.jpg[/img] YOU ARE PROBABLY THE FAMILY DOG!!

It is stereotyping...Labs are known to be sweet, gentle, good with kids, etc. "wolves" are nasty and tried to eat Little Red Riding Hood....It's hard to get around that, but I get really ticked when people tell theri kids - "Oh look! those are Labs, they're friendly! go pet them if you like!" without even asking me first!! How the hell do they know THESE particular labs are friendly????? Well, you can kinda tell with Alex, but Freebee isnt, and she's the smaller one and everyone wants to pet her. The last time a mom did that I told her kids, right in front of her, that they should NEVER pet a strange dog unless the owner said it was OK first. And if it was alone, dont go near it. She got all mad and said "are you trying to make them afraid of dogs?" (I wanted to smack her upside the head right then and there...) and I said "Do YOU want them to come home scarred for life because the lab they wanted to pet bit them in the face? they need to ASK first!!" She got all huffy and agthered up her kids and stomped off....They just dont understand that breed specifics dont match every single particular dog....is it likely a lab would bite them? Probably not. However, it has happened and I dont want to take any chances....Someone in this room got bit by a lab/GR mix, VERY out of character but is still happened... It does happen.

Best of luck to you and Rinny BK. Hang in there, he could surprise you all. As long as he's happy and not in pain, let him go on. He sounds to be in pretty good shape for his age. 16!! WOW! That is a long time for a big dog like a shepherd.... My cat is 15 and getting a little rough around the edges. Best wishes to you and Rinny :D

I agree Science. I think being either a cat or dog person is a myth, similar to the age old one of cats and dogs being natural enemies. In fact, they are not. Natural enemies are predator and prey. In the wild, cats and wolves, foxes, etc, are all predators and would rarely even interact with each other. There are exceptions, of course, but normally they would avoid each other. Even real natural enemies, like cats and mice, can learn to get along and be friends. I see that on AP all the time. It just depends on the situation My best friends husband is afraid of dogs - bit when a child - and they have cats. We're trying to break him in with Alex, cuz he's HUGE but so laid back there is no reason to fear him....

All of them are verified temperament testing, and dont hurt the dog. Of course, there are exceptions. Dont pick up a large puppy by the scruff, that could hurt him if's he heavy, like over 3 months. Rolling them on their back tests them for reactions to dominance and doesnt hurt them. Like picking them up. The toe pinching is actually a specific test - there are certain dogs that are what is called "touch sensitive"...and have to handled differently than others. You dont pinch hard, not to cause pain, just enough to see if they will pull away right away or not. Most dogs will tolerate that for 20-25 seconds, a touch sensitive dog will pull away almost immediately. I had never heard of that until getting Freebee. She is touch sensitive. You have to pet her very gently, no heavy rubbing or patting. So you wouldnt want to place a touch sensitive puppy in a home with rowdy children, things like that. Unlike Alex, who you could roll down a hill and he wouldnt care!! :D

whoever made the cats look like Dals did a good job. I cracked up when I saw it....

It's kinda blurry - I had to photograph it to get it here - but it's cute - if you cant read the text, it says Honey, please.... Just calm down.... I can explain..... [img]http://pics.paulsonator.com/users/courtnek/dalcat.jpg[/img]

Well, I realize that cats are not really "worker animals", and werent at ground zero, but they are often used to take into hospitals to sit on old and sick peoples laps and purr at them. Some people prefer cats because they require much less care than dogs. It's not however true that they "dont love you and only care about the food". When brought up as kittens, they can be trained to not scratch, not jump on counters, and be basically friendly. Mine never gets on the tables or the counters, even back when he was young and he could. And K, I had a siamese mix before this one, and aloof was NOT his way. Siameses TALK, constantly.... They remind me of that Meow Mix commercial..... It's a personal choice thing. I dont think any animal is bad, but there are some I wouldnt want to own. (i'm not a snake person, for instance. I'm not afraid of them, just dont want one for a pet) Like I said, I have both, and there are three different personalities in all three pets. Mine is not friendly to anyone but me. Some cats bond that way. But some dogs do, too. It just depends on the cat....

I sympathize. I have two lab mixes, the male is an airhead and wouldnt hurt a fly, but the female is very protective. They all want to pet them, and she backs off and they say "OH..is she MEAN???" NO, she's not MEAN...she just doesnt want strangers petting her...." the funny thing is, the male is very INTUITIVE about strangers. Some people he will just slobber over, others, his dander gets up. She is reserved about everyone she doesnt know... kinda strange...

All of Lad's comments were pretty acurate - cats are independent and seem to act like they need no one. In the wild, they usually dont. They can survive better than dogs on their own....but a housecat that's learned to love it's people - THATS a prize. Nothing is more compelling than having an independent, "I dont need you" cat jump into your lap and purr at you. Dogs will always come to you for affection - a cat that "chooses" to love you is not as common. They are not better than dogs. just different. I have both. My dogs are lovey and kind, my cat comes in for "special moments" they are just as loving, just in a different way...

WELCOME ABOARD!! I have two lab mixes and the "terminally nasty cat" K referred to.... LOL :D

One more note - In a dominant dog scenario - NEVER let them eat before you. The Alpha male and femal always eat FIRST..the choice bits go to them. whats left over goes to everyone else...