gooeydog

[quote]playing herself into an excited frenzy.[/quote] I think you hit the nail on the head here. Some dogs will do this out of stress/excitement, they get so worked up, then have to get it out some way :roll: I would try redirecting her to a more "polite" outlet, like a game of fetch or tug (does she do either?), and (theoretically) that will take the place of the humping in time.

I wouldn't have (by choice, since you never know what's going to drop into your lap): Chows, Peis, Akitas- not a big fan of the asian breeds, they're too aloof (the ones I've known haven't even been very outwardly affectionate to their owners) plus I know from my aunt's chows that those coats are not the most fun to deal with, all that undercoat :o Labs & Goldens- I live in lab central (plenty of goldens as well, and this describes them too), everyone here owns one because they're "water dogs", so I get to see plenty of them. The majority are big bouncy goofballs, something I'm not real fond of in dogs. I actually like a lot of the ones I know, but I like them in [i]other peoples[/i] homes, not mine :lol: Most of the smaller breeds (under about 35 lbs), with the exception of Dachshunds, Bostons, and maybe a few others I can't think of right now. We had Lhasas when I was a young child, and I think they're great little dogs, but I don't know that I'd want to deal with the long fur. I'm not really a small dog person, but any sturdy small dog that can keep up with bigger dogs is ok by me :lol: A lot of the terriers, not really a fan of rough coated dogs, and most are on the small side of my preference. Exceptions would be the bully breeds, and maybe an Airedale :oops: I'm also not a fan of most herders, just a bit too intense for me, plus many are long coated. I don't mind a dog that is aloof with strangers, but outright aggression isn't something I'd want to deal with. I also don't like dogs that are constantly trying to climb the rank ladder (the occasional uprising isn't a big deal, I mean dogs that constantly push the limits all the time), so this eliminates some of the more dominant molossers and working breeds. In addition, I worry about the giant breeds' short longevities, which steers me away from many which I'd otherwise like to own. Looking back over this post, it would appear that I don't like much at all :lol:

I'm very sorry to see this :( It may be of little consolation to you, but judging from the pictures you posted of the little guy since you had gotten him, he was very content at your home, and I'm sure he was grateful to have been loved by you and your family, even if for only a short time. My thoughts are with you all.

Chiming in a little late in the thread, but I agree that exagerating a breed's good qualities in hopes of people liking them is not in the best interest of anyone. I dislike it when people are ignorant about pit bulls and think they're all vicious, but I dislike it even more when people exagerate the breed's good qualities and omit the bad in an effort to make them look better. "OH, they're just the sweetest dogs, never hurt a fly!", lines aggravate me more than, "Oh, aren't you afraid he's going to eat you while you sleep!?" lines. At least when my dog disproves the second line, they'll be having a positive influence on people meeting them, if someone is proven wrong on the first, the once friendly, harmless dog is suddenly unpredictable, and "turned". Another line, "pit bulls are great dogs, everybody should have one".... no.... that's why the breed is in the trouble it's in already. Pit bulls are great dogs for committed, responsible owners who are willing to deal with breed nuances such as high energy, high prey drive, and dog aggression. When people ask me about the dogs, I'm open about their faults, I make it clear that the breed is generally a people loving one, but that they are often not good with other dogs, and have other traits that make them unsuitable for many homes. Most people can grasp those ideas, and hopefully walk away with a better, more understanding view on the breed.

What you describe reminds me of Haley's old owner, except your friend isn't near as negligent. They love the dogs, but they aren't able/don't want to give the care they need, and they don't even realize it. They also don't want to give the dog up, because they're worried about how they'll feel. I'd liken it to kennel blindness in breeders, they're so caught up in their own feelings that they don't believe their dogs have any faults, except in these cases, they don't believe they're not giving good enough care. You're doing the right thing for Peaches, and probably for your friend as well, though she may not see it that way.

Are you sure it's not a hot spot DAL? I can't find any links with decent pictures, but they look like raw, kind of moist sores, and can be any size.

While I was with my aunt the other day she stopped in Big Lots, and they had Air Kong (the tennis ball covered retriever rolls) toys there for $3-4, normally they're between $6 and $10 apiece, so I got several :oops: It is a bit embarassing to note to non dog people that the first gifts I bought this year were for the dogs :lol:

I'd say it depends on what you want the area to be for. If you plan on exercising her outside of the enclosure when you're home, and just want a place for her to hang out in and relieve herself in while you work (most dogs sleep a lot while their owners are away), it could be considerably smaller than if you wanted to exercise her in it. Do you walk her off-leash? Or on leash? And does she get time off-leash, or would you be using the fenced area to let her exercise and play in to keep her from running off? If you just want a small place for outdoor access, and plan on exercising her outside of it when you're home, I'd say a 20'x20' area would probably be good, though of course you could go larger if you wanted, but that's the smallest I'd use. If you plan on exercising her in the fence, you'd want it considerably larger to give her room to open up and run, at least 100' long and 25' or so wide. I'd also say to go with 6' fence, and if she starts climbing or jumping out, you can put a tip in (where the top foot or two angle in) on top to keep her from doing so.

Do any of these breeders check hips, hearts, etc in their breeding stock? If not, I'd be looking elsewhere, as Boxers seem prone to a number of genetic disorders, and it stacks the odds in your favor by getting a dog out of health tested lines.

Is she sure he's not just blowing coat? The lab x I used to walk looked diseased when she'd blow coat, huge patches of undercoat hanging out over the other coat, like a bird coming into full plumage. Just tossing it out there, as it's common, but not something most people think of.

My mom still thinks cooked ham bones are good things for the dogs to chew on, and she won't hear about giving them bones raw, so I'm planning on just giving them to my two. Of course, if she sees them eating them, I'm guaranteed to get about a lecture a week, so I'm trying to avoid that :roll: I could give them bones in my room (and probably will at times, on a towel on the floor), but we're outside a lot on nice days, so I figured that'd be the easiest way to do things. They'll always be supervised with them, so no worries about them toting them off and stockpiling. I let Annie chew on one for a bit yesterday, she was initially a bit skeptical, but once she realized it was real meat on there, I though I was never going to get it back :lol: She barely made a dent in it, so I went ahead and put it back in the freezer for another day. Goo's not getting them just yet, I want to wait until I've seen how Annie handles it before I try Goo.

We went to the health food store the other day, and I picked up a pack of soup bones while we were there to try with the dogs (as recreational chewing only). So now, there are the obligatory 1001 questions I always have about trying something new. I've done some reading, but have came up with conflicting or no answers on most of these so I figured I'd toss them out here and get some thoughts.... What is the best surface to feed on? I'd prefer outside, but might be able to handle feeding them inside. Do I need to disinfect the area after they eat there? (I don't eat much meat myself, so I'm a bit ignorant as to the ins and outs of handling it) Can they be put back in the freezer if the dog only chews a little while and the bone is still mostly frozen? Annie's a small dog, but a food gulper, so I'd rather leave the bone whole (it's a section of femur, about 3" long), but obviously she isn't going to eat all that in one sitting. Anything else I should know or watch out for?

It says not to freeze, but can I? If not, how long should it keep in the fridge? And how often can I feed them it?

Glad this got bumped up since I have another question :) I saved the guts of the pumpkin I carved for Halloween, do I need to de-seed it before I can give it to them? I know a lot of seeds aren't good for dogs....

She's been out and about most of the day, first a trip to the school earlier with me and some family, then she came home and got "decorated" (we colored her green and drew on some fake stitches... frankendog) for Halloween, then tied out in the yard while we did some work, then finally she got to go trick or treating with us and all the kids (we had 2 babies, 5 other kids of various ages, and a horde of adults to go along with em). She was a maniac when we left the house to go, seeing all those people gathered around -just for her, I'm sure she thought- put her right over the edge, she carried on (whining, dancing around with her toy, almost bowled over my friend's father when he knelt down to visit with her) so much I almost decided to take her back over to the house. She eventually settled in a bit, and got to meet a friend of my sisters she'd never seen before before we headed out. When he asked "is she a pit bull?", I braced myself to hear a lecture, but he seemed not the least concerned with my answer, just kept playing with her and talking about what a nice dog she was :lol We went to the neighborhood store first, it's almost 1/2 mile away, and she carried her toy in her mouth almost the whole way, she was so excited. There she got some pets and attention, and part of a hot dog ( :oops: ). We hung out there for a few minutes while everyone ate, and she had a chance to get a drink and take a little rest, then we headed down a side road. She did pretty good, since she could take a little break at every house the kids stopped at, and she made full advantage of it. She'd be laying down upright, then notice someone looking at her, and sprawl out on her side hoping for belly rubs. My aunt was dressed as a cow, and we all had a good laugh when Hale noticed her "udder" and started trying to pull it off :lol: . Everyone who passed was a reason to wag her tail and grab the toy from me again, no matter what they were dressed as. At one point we were waiting at the top of someone's driveway while everyone else we were with went to the house, and I noticed a person in a werewolf costume (mask and all) leaning on the mailbox across the drive from us. Haley didn't see them there, but as soon as they went to resituate themselves and said something, she whipped around and went into a fit of happiness, whining, wagging, and trying to drag me over there to see them. The only thing she didn't like was one of those blow up ghosts in someone's yard, we had a pretty good wind blowing through, and the ghost kept rocking back and forth. She peered at it while woofing under her breath... how scary :roll: She's slept most of the evening since everyone left, now I know how to get her to behave herself :evilbat:

How do you protect your own dogs from illness? I've been toying with the idea of trying to get a job at the SPCA or HS (when I finally get my license) for a while now, but I can't help but worry that I'll drag home some contagion and give it to our own dogs. My mom works at a vet clinic (bathing for a groomer, but has been a tech there in the past), so I know illnesses can be brought hom from there, but it seems the risk would be higher with a bunch of dogs of unknown/varied origin, past vet care, etc. So, anybody who works (or volunteers) in this sort of environment, is this a concern for you? And what do you do to prevent problems?

I finally found some canned pumpkin at a store today (I've been looking for the past year, you'd think pumpkin would be kept in the canned veggie aisle, but noooooo...), and picked up a can. I'm sure that 2 dogs totaling 70 lbs won't eat the whole 14 oz can in one sitting, so is there anything I can do to preserve the stuff for a bit longer so it doesn't go to waste? Freeze it in an ice cube tray then bag it in the freezer maybe? An aside, the training place we go to started carrying Nupro, so I switched from the wellness supplement to Nupro, Goo likes it much better than the wellness pills, so we'll see how it works. They've been on it for about 2 weeks now, and so far seems about the same as when they were on the welltabs. It did give them both (even Annie, the iron stomach of the house) the runs the first night I gave it to them though, I think it was a bit rich, but they're fine on it now.

It sounds like going to foster with your friend is a pretty good plan. If that doesn't work out or you want to keep trying with her for a bit more, you might want to give one of these type of leashes a try, they have a built in bungee, that is supposed to absorb the shock of a dog hitting the end of the leash. [url]http://www.cleanrun.com/category.cfm?Category=164[/url] I'm sure you'll do what's best for both of you, good luck :)

Many Neos are already in a pretty sad state, not from any registry, but just from breeders screwing them up on their own. Being accepted into the AKC isn't going to make that big of a difference, except to give one more excuse for people looking to breed Neos that really can't do what Neos were made to do. Further, all the AKC (or any registry) does is register dogs as being purebred. They do not make the standards, that's up to the breed clubs, so it's up to the breed clubs to make sure the standard is in compliance with what the breed is really supposed to be like. Some blame also lies with breeders, as no one is holding them at knifepoint making them breed unhealthy/non-correct dogs that conform to the current fad at shows.

This is actually an old case (4 or 5 yrs old I think), and I don't think it's done much to hinder the passing of BSL in other areas since. Still good news that at least in one place BSL was avoided, but I doubt it'll do much good in Ontario.

Our dogs are rarely left outside without a person with them, and never if there's no one home to check on them. We only have a couple small parts of our yard fenced, but even if we had it all done, Goo can jump fences, and would to get the neighbors dogs (who harass us all the time while we're out). We also have a lot of traffic coming through from my younger cousin (lives with my grandparents in the house behind ours) bringing his friends though, and I wouldn't trust some of them not to tease the dogs, let them out, or do something else to them. In addition, I've also had quite a few people express interest in Haley, asking if I had plans of getting rid of her, etc when I have her out walking (who would think?). She'd go right with someone, so I wouldn't dare leave her outside without anyone there to keep an eye on her. It also gets too hot for the dogs to be outside comfortably in the summer, too cold in winter. When we're gone, the little dogs are gated in the kitchen, and either Haley or Goo (sometimes both) is put up. Goo goes in my room, Haley gets crated because she's taken to chewing on things and making a general mess out of the office. There's usually someone home that can keep an eye on them, so it's not like they're locked up all day long.

natural stand up ears- GSDs (and the other similar shepherd breeds), Chows, Akitas, some APBTs and AmStaffs (Staffordshire Bull Terriers are not supposed to be cropped), Heelers, Chis, Pharoah and Ibizan hounds, Malamutes, Huskies, Basenjis, Scotties, Corgis, Bull Terriers, Yorkies, Poms, Westies, Boston Terriers (can be cropped as well), French Bulldogs. cropped ears- Schnauzers, some APBTs and AmStaffs, Dobies, min pins (actually there are some with natural standing ears as well), some mastiff breeds, Danes, Boxers. You can usually tell pretty easily if a dogs ears are cropped, because it's pretty common for the cut edge to stay relatively hairless. Dunno about tails...

Saw something today that made me decided to throw this out as a FYI... There have been incidences of small dogs being injured/killed by birds of prey (hawks, eagles, etc). It's not a real common occurance, but if you live in an area where these type of birds live as well, it's something to be aware of. Especially in recently developed areas, where birds are still around and food is getting scarce, they don't know that your small dog (or cat) isn't food.

[quote]IMO I think it was the officer's fault that the dog bit him, well at least the second time around because I could tell by the dogs expressions he was ticked.[/quote] While this may be true, this sort of thinking can get dogs (and dog owners) into more trouble than its worth. Despite the fact that there are a substantial number of dog owners in the general population, most people are still pretty ignorant as to dog behavior, body language, etc. A dog person will probably pick up on a goofy look, or a hint that a dog is uneasy, but the world at large isn't going to. And when the dog progresses to further warnings, they're going to wonder why "it" came out of nowhere, and think the dog is dangerous. When people think something is dangerous, they'll seek to eliminate it. There isn't room for error in dealing with dogs that get ticked off by normal human actions. It takes a particularly observant owner that has the skill to read their dog well. Most dog owners don't fit that category, and if they get their hands on one of these dogs that is easily aggravated, and can't figure out how to keep them out of trouble, we all pay. Blaming the guy for not backing off when YOU could see the dog was ticked off is like blaming someone for walking across the crosswalk as you realize your car brakes are out and you can't stop for them. MeiMei, I hadn't noticed that until you pointed it out, but you're right. I would think though that they'd have vet checked the dog before starting to work with him, though I guess they probably didn't spend much time checking specifically for vision probs.

Forgot to mention that the first time, the dog was in a kennel with the other dog that'd been siezed; second time, the dog was out with a handler/trainer, who tried to introduce him to the guy, the dog was fine for a minute, then turned around and snagged the guy again. That's what struck me as odd Sash. They're so worried about the threat of one type of dog that they kill them all, then they put up for adoption a dog they KNOW will bite people. It just doesn't make sense.