courtnek

Maybe for appearance? Also, most herders (BC's especially) are "sight" dogs. They have been bred with better visual abilities than "scent"dogs. They dont use their noses as much as they use their eyes. They need to be able to see what their herds are doing, and manage them by sight. They have this almost human ability to "stare down" the herd...and the sheep seem to understand and obey. Why the floppy ears? Not sure. Maybe the sight dogs were bred from scent dogs with different abilities....

VERY nice - Only I couldnt get my kids on it - they're too heavy!! LOL :D Does it fold down to the floor for bigger dogs? lol

they have muscles in their ears which get stronger as they get older. While they're pups the muscles are strengthening. When they are strong enough to raise the ears they start to rise slowly. The more they rise, the stronger the muscles get until the ears are erect and stay that way. The interesting thing is that in the wild, wolves, foxes, jackals all have erect ears. It helps them in hearing sounds they need to hear, like approaching enemies and prey. Only in dogs that man has bred for specifics are the ears down, or floppy. Not sure why that was, except that in "scent" dogs like bloodhounds the large floppy ears are used to channel scent to the nose. Kinda like a wind vane....lol Maybe that's why the retrievers and stuff now all have floppy ears - better to scent the game and such.

I already threw in the towel, people....LOL :oops: as far as shaving goes, I used to get my Malamute/border mix "thinned" every summer because of the heat....He got so thick in the winter that even after blowing his coat, he didnt want to go out. He would lay on the couch under the air conditioner! I would take him in and have the undercoat pulled out. He looked 10 lbs thinner and was much more comfortable that way. I never shaved him though.

what kind of pupster is she? If a german shepherd type, the ears will rise on their own and stay there. they are down at birth, but do come up in stages. They can go through a stage where one is up and one is down - those make great puppy pictures

I also hate the puppy stages.....that's why God made them cute - they look at you with those puppy eyes and you forgive them - lol bitter apple works for some dogs, but not others. I'm glad yours doesnt like it. My stupid Alex laps it up like it's applesauce..... :o

The plastic and duct tape thing cracks me up as well....but the sad part is that people are believing it. You're all absolutely correct - anything that could keep germs out of your house would keep oxygen out as well.... Besides, here in Chicagoland we have the same freezing temps the Wisconsonites have....most of us alreay have the plastic on our windows to keep out the cold (the blow dryer kind, not with duct tape). Do I feel any safer? no......lol it must be the duct tape....yea, that's it! :D

[size=7][/size][color=blue][/color]woo hoo!! [color=black][/color][size=3][/size] Good for you!! The more people that try to correct these things, the better. We're the only voice they have... GOOD FOR YOU!! [/u][/b]

A note on the plastic and duct tape fiasco.....Plastic will not keep germs (biological or otherwise) from getting in your house. Staying away from other people will help with standsrd cold virus' and stuff, but plastic and duct tape wont keep biological germs out. You cant stay inside forever... I grew up during the cold war - there are still shelters lined, pumped and ready to live in if a nuclear holocaust erupts... what kind of life is that? Quality of life is just as important as quantity of life... I personally will not live in a shelter underground for God knows how long until the air is clean to breathe...

Gooey, the ones I'm thinkng about are not Igloo - but a small igloo would work as well. It just has to be small enough to stay insulated and cool with only ice or snow. Rest assured, if you have to the insulin will stay viable for a fairly long time at room temp - this is just an added precaution for the long term. God help us - I hope this is only our govt trying tp foresee the long run. I have a 16 year old son. (who is also a diabetic, by the way)

we in the states are on "orange alert" which is high, but not the worst. They are tyring to warn us to be careful, not saying that "this is it!" they just want to let everyone know that there could be issues, and to be pre-warned is better than to not know at all.... A lot of people are hammering the state department and local govt agencies with "what do I do" questions.... from my brother - air force reserves reactivated to duty 1. Fill milk cartons with water - as many as you can. 2. Buy and keep unspoilable food. soup, tuna, canned ham, etc. 3. Get sterno cans, in case the gas or electricity should go off. 4. If you have a fireplace and live in a cold climate, stock up on wood. 5. If not, stock up on charcoal and get a grill. the fumes can be vented to the outside through a window. DO NOT use a grill indoors without outside ventilation. A simple heat flue pipe can be attached to the grill to force it to vent outside through a window, You must leave part of the window open to the outside in case fumes develop anyway. 6. Be calm. If something bad happens, the red cross and emergency teams will be there to help. Go to a shelter if necessary. 7. If you dont have a cell phone, GET ONE! they will not be able to do anything to the orbiting satellites, even if they take out the regular phone services. 8. Trust in God. He is with us always.

I hope this helps. I am a diabetic. Insulin can be kept at room temperature - the reason they tell you to refrigerate it is because it holds it's potencey better when cold. It loses some of that potency over time at room temperature. When I travel, I take a "lunch bucket" with me. I put the insulin in a small plastic butter bowl and put ice in the lunch bucket to keep it cool. The lunch bucket is soft sided and has thick insulation on the sides. I carry my insulin on the plane that way. The ice goes in a thick plastic lunch bag. You can do the same thing with snow, if you lose power. Even cold water will work, you just have to replenish it frequently. If worse comes to worse, you can leave it at room temperature, but it will degrade faster. My brother is Air Force reserves. He's been called up to fly troops from Germany to Kuwait. My heart and thoughts go out to you.

It's a free country, I am glad to say. I am sorry to say that the govt doesnt regulate what can be done at pet stores because there are no specific laws (other than cruelty laws) that say that these people have to know anything about the pets they sell. As long as they comply with the heat/food/shelter laws, the govt can do nothing. And you all know those laws are minimum requirements. The best thing yu can do, if it's a specific pet store, is boycott it and get everyone you know to boycott it. Put up flyers, ads, that sort of thing. The pet stores (and puppy mills) are more affected by being hit in the pocketbook than anything else.

ok, ok...you caught me out! I wasnt seriously going to do it - it was really just a thought. My golden lab sheds, of course, but not the way my retriever did. My black lab mix actually sheds more, I dont know why. But I was looking at him and he is such a good dog....but you are all correct. There is no more need for another breed. I guess it was just oversentimentality and 2 glasses of wine....lol I realized after I posted it that it was kinda hypocritical anyway, since I dont own purebred dogs and will always opt for rescues.... oh well.

thanks Coolie - even disagreement output is good. I know there would be issues with any new breed. But I honestly think that with some tweaking it could be done. All of the recognized breeds took "tweaking" before they became establsihed. as what they are today. This would be the combination of two already established breeds. And joining the best traits of both would be a good thing, in my opinion. This would be a dog that everyone would be happy with! Loving, loyal. dependable, and LESS SHEDDING! Any other takers? I say this because I have one now!! He is a Golden in a Lab body!! All the love, minus the hair!!

please someone respond - I need opinion here ! thanks!

Once again I am watching Westminster.... Give me your thoughts on this. I want to introduce a new breed to the AKC... The "Golden Lab" - half Golden Retriever, half Yellow Lab. I have one (Alex) and the characterisitics are amazing... He has all the gentleness, loyalty, love of children, easy-going all the way around - not a guard dog by any means, but a real family dog where small children might come into play. A real Golden Retriever - WITH SHORT HAIR!! People ask me what kind of dog they should get for their family and kids, one who will tolerate all the abuse that kids can give out, and the Golden comes to mind right away. And the usual response is "Cant deal with the hair". Why not make a "new" breed? The Golden mixed with a Yellow Lab? He has all the characteristics of my first Golden. He's gentle, loving. responsive, puts up with anything...and he has the short hair of tha lab!! What could be better than that? All of the good and gentle traits of a Golden without the constant grooming? Alex is a dog that everyone loves instantly - he has the typical Golden "sad eyes" - everyone wants to pet him. He loves everybody. He DOES have some of the more obvious lab traits. He will only tolerate being picked on for so long, but like my Golden, his response is to go away and stay away until the offending person leaves. He head-butts, a typical Lab trait, when he wants attention. He wants to be always in your face, another typical Lab trait. But he doesnt seem to have the Lab trait of bonding to one person...He likes everybody. They are more protective of their people than Goldens...which could be a good thing since Goldens are useless as protection dogs.. I am now sorry I had him fixed!! He would be perfect stock for a new breed! What are everyones thoughts on this? I think this would be an excellent dog for people who are not real familiar with doggie traits... All the "lovieness" of a Golden in a stern, Lab body...

laduenda everything you said is valid - if the owners dont take care of the dog it doesnt matter what kind of confinement they have. However, the chain run keeps the chain off the ground, providing less means of tangling. I used it with Jarvis before I had a house. He was perfectly happy with it. It gave him a limited run room without escaping or entagling. I mentioned this only because some people dont/cant have fenced in yards. This is a viable solution for that situation. I will never agree that they should stay out all day, either with a chain or a chain run. As was mentioned before, it leaves them vulnerable to ignorant neighbors, children and other dogs. To stay out all day, they need a yard, safe, secure, fenced. And as mentioned, a place of warmth and safety to retreat to. And depending on the weather, maybe not out all day at all. They're not wolves anymore. They no longer have the capability to survive the odds. Using other peoples poor maintenacne standards as a reason for yours doesnt work. laduenda - it is 9 degress out here now in my town - even with a doghouse, is that fair to them??? wind chill is -10....and it would have to be SOME doghouse to keep out the wind...my labbies are in the house - safe, and warm! You have to think of what is best for the dog. Not you, not the neighbors, not the situation - THE DOG

what is it about carrots? my dogs LOVE them, raw...cuz they are chewy? I dont know but everytime I go to make something with carrots they want them... LOL

they're 90 lbs and 75 ;bs - would just tossing them one or two once in a while be a problem? They LOVE grapes.... If i have to stop, I will though

:o Somethin's up over there - I havent seen or heard EITHER of the dogs all weekend.... maybe they went on vacation? I hope nothing bad happened.....

I've been puttin off reading this one, I dont like the sad stories, but it's oh so true..... Unfortunately, people often do the same thing with their children.... So why bother to have them (pets and children) if you dont want to take care of them? They're not toys that you can just throw away when you're tired of them. It just makes me SOO angry......... :cry:

Most of the points I was going to make have already been made. A chain has to be attached to something, and it gives the dog a bad risk of getting entangled in it. However, did you say you leave the dog out this way all the time, or just sometimes? I dont believe dogs should be chained out all the time, because of the above mentioned danger of ignorant neighbors, children and other dogs. For a short run, the better solution in a non-fenced yard is a chain run. A metal line attached to two places (not trees) with a 6-8 foot long "leash" on the dogs collar with a loop in it. He can run up and down the line, and the length of the leash can let him move back and forth. Depending on how wide the area is the leash can be even longer - Since it's not attached to anything but the wire it doesnt get tangled, and it's completely off the ground. THIS IS NOT AN ALL DAY CONFINEMENT MEANS. This is for letting him out to do his business and run a while. Like you said, dog runs are no better, especially if not cared for, and they tend to make the dogs feel locked up all the time. The best solution, if possible, is a fence. I still, however, do not believe in letting them stay out all day unless they have a warm, clean place to rest (like a doghouse with straw in it), blocked from the wind, and only providing the yard is tamper-proofed and the weather is tolerable. Mine would love to stay out all day, but winter in Chicago precludes that. So does summer, come to think of it.....there also has to be fresh water every day. I would never leave mine out all night, no matter how nice out it is. One other thing to think about - dogs that are outside all day tend to bark, at every little thing - even more so when they're chained, because they cant get closer to investigate. Be aware that a dog that barks all day will annoy your neighbors, who may decide to throw a peace of poisoned steak into the yard to put a stop to the noise. Antifreeze can be gotten anywhere, and dogs love the way it tastes....

I have been told they sholdnt eat "tubers" in general, potato's, onions, etc...but carrots seem ok. cooking tubers creates gas - maybe that's why? brocolli isnt the best either. I give mine leftovers now and again, but usually the meat and sometimes the macaroni or rice. They LOVE rice!! The leftovers are only enough to stir into their dry food though - not a complete meal at all. I just use it to spice up their dinners a little. However, mine are not purebred. My vet said that purebreds sometimes react differently to people food then mixed breeds do. It doesnt seem to have hurt mine any and the vet said they are very healthy, but i would check with your vet first. Did the grapes that dog ate have seeds in them by any chance? I will throw a seedless grape to mine every now and then as a treat....Should I not do that then?

It's tomorrow - Isaid I was gonna do it , and I did....\ Dear Cookeville; SOME OF US THINK DOGS ARE MORE THAN JUST ORNAMENTS, OR TRAILER TRASH; SOME OF US ***LOVE** THEM...YOUR POLICE DIDNT TAKE THAT INTO CONSIDERATION WHEN THEY KILLED PATTON - THEY WILL NEVER BE FORGOTTEN FOR THE HORRIBLE THING THEY DID. NONE OF US WILL EVER COME TO YOUR TOWN. aND **NONE** OF US WILL EVER STOP TELLING EVERYONE THAT **YOUR TOWN** IS A PLACE WHERE **DOGS** ARE AT RISK FOR THEIR LIVES!!!! NOT ONLY WILL IT NEVER BE FORGOTTEN., IT WILL NEVER BE ***FORGIVEN*** UNTIL HALL IS IN JAIL,!!!!! WHAT HE DID IS UNFORGIVABLE, and I dont care WHO in your police, government , or othewise SAYS otherwise... bottom line, F*** you and youe police dept and your local govt!!! I have made a great attempt to tell EVERYONE I know about this - your tourism is going to suffer, believe ME!! and YOU deserve EVERY MINUTE OF IT. You defended these BAST****... These firemen know the love that people have for their dogs knpw the bond that exists know that dogs feel. love and give their all your HALL is an idiot...I'm not surprised he cant bond with a dog - your average dog would consider him not worthy of his time.. .