Pumpkin the musher

I'm glad you liked poms Ash- I think the only negative is that they can be stubborn like their sled dog cousins, so consistent training is a must. Pyrless- Too funny! I had my first Pom, Pumpkin, before my husband and I were married, and he wasn't into the foofy dog business either, till he got to know Pumpkin and realised there was the heart and soul of dog 10 times her size in there. When Pumpkin died, we both thought we would not get another little dog, her cancer and subsequent death was too hard on us, plus we had 15 huskies at that point. That lasted 2 months and he got up one morning and said. "We gotta get another Pom." Once you have one, you always will..... :iloveyou: [img]http://groups.msn.com/_Secure/0XQCRAskaMK66mw5FVuGSuKZ*wF7nTlvFVfY4nMdlBAlk7MpqisYvZQQuKLcRcuJclakDAZgirVSEHm4q9OXkG2hr61ltUMi10ArESg3u8*h1zO9pVYYBxp0H7lrt9Xaz0cMXrDPVtjk/0876769-R1-052-24A.jpg?dc=4675504801888427336[/img]

And I'll say.........hmmmmm Pomeranian! They do have a longer coat, but mine does fine with a weekly brushing, They are active, but don't mind being couch potatos either. Super smart too, mine rings a bell to go outside, and is getting into agility training. And you guys thought I was gonna say sled dog.... 8) Heres' my Pom- [img]http://groups.msn.com/_Secure/0UwAIA5QYs!xAAJ3OiQP6j69Xr9CoLfOCxwNviF6yPYaYjNOOranT2OwzRxzKFcoWkFUyFzEZhwnTAeNdL05cJ2mo9ttUBuMF*ZEi*mj07wQ!uBTNlxoLPD5SXmkJrJhZ/92300007.jpg?dc=4675511059634950198[/img]

Welcome to husky world.... :wink: That is a fairly "normal" problem for huskies and husky mixes to have- unfortunately the undergroung fencing may not work either- I know husky owners whose dogs learned that a bit of discomfort (the correction shock) is worth the reward- escaping. As opposed as some folks are about tethering, it's still the best option for huskies. Kenneling can cause pacing and boredom problems- they seem to know when they are fenced in. All my guys ae tethered when I'm not with them, and the myth that it causes aggression and anti-social behavior is bunk. This is a pic of all 10 of my dogs-males and females, loose together in the fenced dog yard. If tethering caused aggression, this is where it would manifest. I've not had a single growl or snarl. [img]http://groups.msn.com/_Secure/0UwCRAqMYwu5AAJ3OiQP6jz6CBKSvrta0AhaBMNQ7ImcNyU58kGs84p2TdfzNm4sizj7nm7FWlGmUypdDtl61vr3T2pDuJlkQICUnCb57mo5b*KIVFCyIUi5UyzYG57ef/92300009.jpg?dc=4675511059637309249[/img]

Cricket will get an attack of the zoomies, you know, running around crazy, then she will run to a specific spot on the floor, near the hallway and snarl and bite like crazy at a very small portion of the floor... :niewiem: Then she'll take off at high speed, tail tucked, and run around the couch a few more times, snarling all the while, then lay down and take a nap. :stupid: This happens at least every other day, and the carpet has been cleaned, and no accidents ever happened there. What is going on with that bit of the floor, I have no idea. This is what it looks like.... [img]http://groups.msn.com/isapi/fetch.dll?action=MyPhotos_GetMBPhoto&ImageID=nDQAAADIEfhlpCKka9YBp1QE!DqpW*JBoGjPMX5SNZ28[/img]

If your dog is responding to the words right or left, by all means, continue to use what works! There was a musher a while back who taught his dogs to run faster when he said "Whoa", so when he passed another team, he'd yell Whoa! , and his dogs would go faster and the team he was passing would slow down..... 8) . Hernias should not result from pulling. They usually occur because the umbilical cord was damaged or pulled during birth, or they can be genetic in some breeds.

Huskylover777 mysteriously disappeared when it became apparent that there was a real musher here; at least that's the impression I got after answering a few of his/her threads. Sounded more like wishful thinking than reality. :roll:

My leaders know quite a few commands: "[b]gee[/b]" is for turn right, "[b]haw[/b]" is for turn left, "[b]on by[/b]" or "[b]straight on[/b]" means to keep going in the same direction, "[b]come around[/b]" means to turn all the way around and go back the way they came."[b]Get[/b] [b]up[/b]" or "[b]hike[/b]" means to go faster. "[b]Gee over[/b]" or "[b]haw over[/b]"means to move to the right or left side of the trail, and the one command that all mushers know and their dogs have never learned is: [b]"WHOA, WHOA!! #@**!!?$# ! WHOA!!!!!!!!!!!!!" [/b] I've been mushing for 27 years now, and no dog I've ever owned has figured that one out yet. This is how we train before there is enough snow for the sled- they pull my ATV- it gives me allot more control and we can work on commands better. [img]http://groups.msn.com/_Secure/0XQDrAsMaYKkBsQYQpcB31PrDqsXBbU4NpSHxCZMO6xnnLVlIo*g6bSDf1*pOfsr1D5e!P94WLGY!J6fWpBltGhxLmaD8dWhIzNtYDaNTZKItb*iraX43K9LhlWAFLqFsxduwumh*ew0/0619650-R1-044-20A.jpg?dc=4675500527140035070[/img]

Kat is right- jumping is tough on little bones. Good exercise is important to develop good muscles, as they help support joints. Poms are susceptable to patellar luxation, where the kneecap slides off on the rear legs- again, reasonable exercise is the best. But if your Pom is anything like mine, they don't know when to quit! [img]http://groups.msn.com/_Secure/0UwCbAp8Ymu1AAJ3OiQP6j8n*ZosJbPAqKlGlJj!9*Nhr113LnBXiyW4Qvk8lyiFDPsBtrwOCBjIiNYg6nKu1fIrhj*ArnJRhzInUr*iNnv0F0gaaFHKiFKBtwoCQ*BCO/92300005.jpg?dc=4675511059632064617[/img]

I've been following the development of Jeff Bragg's Seppela Siberian project, and even know a couple of the people involved. I do see some incocnsistancy with what he's trying to say though. He denounces the breeding practises of "purebred dog" breeders, but if you look at the pedigrees of dogs that he himself has bred, there are dogs that appear over and over : [url]http://www.seppalasleddogs.com/isa/pedigree_gifs/helenmpd.gif[/url] At one point he bred to a an [u]Alaskan[/u] Husky from one of the more successful racing kennels in Canada, calling it a "performance outcross" . That point used to be featured on his website, but no longer. Perhaps admitting this outcross would water down the purity of the Seppela bloodline? I can't say for sure, but adding an Alaskan to the mixed added a real can of worms, as his pedigree includes everything from Irish Setters, wolves, and Alaskan village dogs. The dog named "Hop" on the following pedigree is the Alaskan: [url]http://www.seppalasleddogs.com/isa/pedigree_gifs/hltrpd.gif[/url] (Point to the pedigree and wait for the expander button to appear, that will enlarge it)

I have a Pomeranian, or rather she has me... :) [img]http://groups.msn.com/_Secure/0SgAAAM4VAzA7VSAw16UohB3niuChPTvU0NMH872qG6bNpSeAz*3IbRVbw48Vj8bpNSmXSK*mNNHHjm6!iyx23MIPuBfRccnAEbxYHwzW9EpLEnxRqyv2Sg/cric%20sleep.JPG?dc=4675504814413978855[/img] And of course the big dogs, Alaskan Huskies_

Cute topic! Cricket has the typical ear-shattering Pomeranian "yap", George, BC mix makes sort of a "yeeoowl" noise, Bernie says "Yerp,yerp yerp" at about 100 decibles, Bug makes sort of a "yarble wooo garble" noise, like someone trying to talk with a mouth full of marbles, Tynan has real high pitched "woo woo woo", Merlin says "ARFF" Dot and Woofy don't say anything, and Gemma makes a growly sort of "auuuummmm". They all howl, (except for Cricket...)

The tone of Diamonds' reply seems to suggest that your friend specifically asked if they used the rendered remains of pets- otherwise why would they use that as the central subject of their reply- As far as the single source term- it denotes that they purchase their protein sources from one supplier, thus if their were a sanitation,quality or other issue, it could be addressed as soon as possible. Some dog food companies buy ingredients through brokers, always going for the cheapest price, regardless of the source's quality or location.

Do you have a source for this statement? I would be interested in reading it as I have fed Diamond for a number of years and have had no problems.

First thing to do is take your choke collar and drop it in nearest canal, preferably one with alligators in it so your not tempted to go back and get it. :wink: Before you work on pulling, as the other members suggested as well, get some basic obedience down and the pulling part will be much easier. I would suggest a product called a "Halti head collar" it work more like the bridle on a horse. Any google search will turn up a source for you to get one. If she is easily distracted, work on getting her to respond to you even tho there may be other dogs or people around. Have some absolutely yummy treats and the minute she looks like she's going to flake out on you, get her attention and immediatly give her a small treat. That will teach her it's much more fun to pay attention to you. A far as the pulling thing goes, never make that into a negative experience. The choke collar was a mistake because she probably pulled harder to get away from the irritation of the collar. Get a real pulling harness (there are numerous places on the web, I would suggest a company called Black Ice- again, go with old friend Google) and start her pulling something small and with some resistance- not a wagon or cart that could roll into her hind legs. My puppies start with a peice of firewood, that way you can control when you want them to pull, and when not to. There are also allot of books on bike-joring and ski joring available, as well as a wonderful web site called Sled Dog Central that has links for supplies, resources, mentors and forums. Good luck.

Well, Duh... Pomeranians!!! Corgis are a close second with me. [img]http://groups.msn.com/_Secure/0SgD7Ai4XSHiT6eQqwdwikzS015*26kRNRLwvXVyOM7F7WhzKtVCnmjCn*Lb6LUKVaJJoGGiLkQh1cpjYKCWvmqgpq9GzQmEXB88B4czMgXGwuHKsYRnmKQ/birdie.jpg?dc=4675489254244843339[/img]

Huskies are not the only breed with blue eyes. Border Collies and Great Danes have blue eyes, as do Catahoula Leopard dogs. The dog looks like an Australian Kelpie to me.

Hmmmm. Verrry interesting...

I'm a dogsledder, and I started with Siberians back in 1979, but now have Alaskans. My personal opinion is that the AKC has ruined Siberians- they have become short, heavy boned, and are not able to do the work they were originally bred to do. The few breeders who are concentrating on Seppela bloodlines have the right idea.

I'm sorry DAL, he was a sweetie.

I dunno guys... I did a bit of a read - through of this post and a few others by candy and I smelleth a troll...

It's a bunch of B.S.. Really. My sled dogs consume about a half of a [u]ton[/u] of raw meat each winter- beef, turkey, venison and fish. I'm able to let them run around together loose, and they also interact perfectly with many other dogs they do not know at races. If that isn't enough evidence, here is a pic of my 65 pound male Bernie allowing my 6 lb Pomeranian to "help him" clean his dish.... [img]http://groups.msn.com/_Secure/0XQAbA9MaT6sBsQYQpcB31AZfkY5E5E*aIU7U4xJg8!GA314J!S7ld6XE5BYlHS6p!9v*tz8h8eeKa7v!0pSFq!ru64opy1vdgoXNpGHY1TlYZIQAdr2b1g609dhpk0lq8fphWX*rW78/0619650-R1-034-15A.jpg?dc=4675500527124896106[/img]

Congratulations!! :smilecolros:

Cricket has been on there a looooong time,in fact she is one of the first 10 Poms there! :jumpie: She has something like 137 pals now. All the sled dogs are there too, but (I've muttered about this before... :roll: ) there are allot of people who think they have Alaskan Huskies, but really have Siberian mixes. Two very different things, folks. OK, rant complete, now back to your regularly scheduled surfing....

Allot of small dogs that break bones do so because they don't have good muscle structure to support the bones- Why? Lack of excercise. Period. People who get little dogs sometimes get them because they don't want to (or can't)deal with the exercise issue. Poor nutrition in puppyhood could also contribute. Regardless of the dogs size however, there is a minimum activity requirement for all dogs- they do need some exercise! My first Pom, Pumpkin, was the Pomeranian equivelant of Arnold Swarzenegger, (sp?)she would walk for miles, swim, run throught the woods, deep snow, retrieve frisbee till the cows came home. Little Cricket tho, is kind of a couch potato, actually, she's just lazy!! I have to beg her to go for walks.... :-? Here is the queen herself, napping, of course..... [img]http://groups.msn.com/_Secure/0XAAPA5kaW5b3leiDT1dyCaKrOgkFP12jtLp5G6N5GZOl1v8pBVok!ElvByDIYdpbFQdQvPjeA!8j5ZC8gLse2yIKGGhbEeTcyHiQkSEsXg0nXt3kBMb!BvXlJxKKA3yMVMqOkso4YwQ/2109151-R1-020-8A.jpg?dc=4675489116187260276[/img]

This woman calls her mixes "Alaskan Amerindian Huskies" and freely admits that they are Siberian, Malamute, and wolf crosses. :roll: The only info I could gather is that Graystone Ranch is some sort of a fundie religious campground/petting zoo/ puppymill sort of thing. :o There was one Google result that had her up for animal neglect when she was inspected. (Surprise!) Although real Alaskans probably have Sibe and Mal in their mix, it's their purpose, not the breeding that makes them real Alaskans. No mush? No Alaskan. (or the rare dog that is sold from a mushing kennel as a pet.)