imported_nea

Bir seems to adopt the toys he likes. So far hes taken a little teddy bear, and a toilet paper roll. The toilet paper roll isn't where he can get to it when someone isn't supervised, but he loves it when I put a treat in it and fold in the edges. I throw it, and he races off to get the treat out.

I'm trying the be a tree method now, and it seems to be working pretty well. He doesn't pull as much, although we have a long way to go before he walks really well on leash. Thanks for all the help!

Crested, visst g

Ok, I'll try that!

Thanks everyone! I was thinking of showing Bir, since it turns out that both of his parents and his siblings that are shown all do really well, but I guess I won't do that. Some of those other things seem a whole lot funner, too. I don't really care if his coat changes a little, his fur is going to be kept pretty short anyway so it isn't so hard to take care of. Millie, thank you for telling me that! I hope it isn't that way here, but I guess it most likely will be. Why don't they like neutering dogs? It seems so stupid! Unless they hope the dogs will get cancer so they can earn more money or soemthing. :x Vets should be the ones encouraging spaying/neutering! I sure hope they became vets in the first place to help animals, and if they did they should see the benifits of spaying/neutering! :evil: But there isn't any law saying that you can't have a healthy dog done, right? If there isn't, they'll have to do it, weather they like it or not!

Too bad you can't post pictures of Cosmic and Floppy... It would be fun to see them! I'm going to try that with giving him treats in exchange for his toy. And I'm going to start saving money for Bones Would Rain From the Sky. It seems like a good book. Does Cosmic like to roll around? Bir does it all the time, both indoors and out! He looks so funny on his back with his mouth partway open and his tounge sticking out. If hes outside he gets full of leaves and grass. And he [i]loves[/i] having his head and ears scratched! He'll just sit contentedly for ages if I scratch his ear, and he tilts his head towards it. And he also rubs his whole head on my shirt. Does Cosmic do that? And cockers are great!!! :D

Thanks for the help! I'm going to see if I can book some time with a trainer, since the classes started way back this spring. And then in the fall I can go to a normal class with him. In the meantime I'll try one of those methods. What one works the best?

Can't you show a neuterd dog? The most important thing is that Bir has a happy healthy life, and if getting him neutered will do so he won't get cancer, then who cares about anything else?

Bir pulls on the leash [i]all[/i] the time. It gets very annoying, if I want to go at a slower pace but he is pulling on the leash all the time. I get worried that he'll hurt his neck if he pulls hard enough, and I am supposed to be the one in command. If I jog along he is fine, but I don't want to do that every single walk! And then if he catches a scent, he will suddenly stop without any warning. He knows how to heel for a short while like going across the road, but not much longer than that. I don't want him to have to heel all the time either. I've seen other cockers that walk ahead, like Bir, but whose leash is not a bit taunt. I wish Bir could be like that. How should I do?

I'd like to get Bir neutered. Will he try less to be dominant, or does that have nothing to do with it? Will he stop marking so very much? It is ok to neuter a 2 year old, isn't it? Will he be less likely to dislike other male dogs, or not? Will he become calmer? In what other ways will he change? What are the downsides to getting him fixed?

Thank you!:)

Banning dogs is so very unfair! I wish they could ban bad owners, or have everyone wanting to get a dog have to take a test to make sure they could, or something.

[quote name='Crested']Anybody else who wants their dog to be the next victim? :D /Crest[/quote] Me!! Could you please do Bir? [img]http://w1.858.telia.com/~u85822657/valpbilder/birksit0108.jpg[/img]

Cosmic sounds really cute!:) Maybe when I get to know Birk better I'll try to teach him the nose trick too! Bir (thats what we're calling him) seems like a very smart dog. He isn't very well trained, it turns out. But that could just be that he's nervous about being in his new home. One thing that I have noticed is that he does have a tendency to try to be dominant. His former owner let him get away with some things, like growling if he was in his bed and didn't want to be disturbed, and little things like that. We are NOT going to allow that. But it'll take a while to teach him, I guess. If we neuter him, will that help? He doesn't seem like he is about to bite or anything, he let his former owner brush his teeth and stuff. But he needs to know that he ranks lowest in the family. Even Tizzy has a higher rank in our family-pack. But then again, it doesn't really matter if a guinea pig yanks on pant legs. Earlier today when Bir was playing with a ball, I tried to take it away from him. He growled, but I took it away. He didn't like that. But is that ok? Should I just keep doing that when I want him to drop something? Just take it? I am a little worried about how Birk is going to be able to get along with Tizzy. He seems a little hyper sometimes. But I guess Its unfair to judge how its going to be when we haven't even had him for 29 hours. I'm just so very happy to have him!!!:D:D:D:D:D:D

Thanks Bronxie and Bk_blue! I'll try to get some more pictures! Those ones are taken from the Kennel where he was born, but I think I can get hold of a digital camera in a little while!

Thank you! I'm more happy than I've ever been before! :D His name is Birk, but his real name is Flashdance Thunder Ball. He was born on January 13 2001, at Flashdance Kennel. He is being sold because his owner just doesn't have enough time to take the best care of him anymore. He seems like such a wondrous dog!!! In just about 32 hours he'll be a member of my family!!! [img]http://w1.858.telia.com/~u85822657/valpbilder/birksit0108.jpg[/img] In this picture he looks very black, but he is actually more dark greyish on his back. This is a picture of him as a puppy, and you can see the color and markings better on it. But he isn't that light. He's 8 weeks old in this picture. [img]http://w1.858.telia.com/~u85822657/valpbilder/Birk8.jpg[/img]

I just got back from Birk's house, and he is one of the funniest, cutest, sweetest dogs I've ever seen!!! And on Friday we're getting him!!! He seems very obedient, and when told to sit or come, he does, but he also has a mind of his own. He knows how to dance, too. He has the most adorable eyes, and when he listens his eyebrows twitch. And even though hes an adult dog, he lies with his feet out behind him like a puppy! He came and sat with his owner, who also seems nice, and he'd just look perfectly content and happy. He seems like a perfect mix, both very playful and also liking just sitting and being with you. He just seems like a perfect dog! :D Thank you Bubblezzz! :)

I haven't yet had a dog that has been mine, but I've always know lots of dogs. Most of them I haven't know for long, since I've only met them in the summers, but I have loved them tremendously, and even though some of them are gone now, I'll always remember them and the wonderful times we spent together. Even now, eight years later, I still cry because I miss Marmey, one of my guinea pigs. I don't think it matters if its a dog or a rodent, no matter what kind of animal it is they love you unconditionaly for just being you. You can be totaly honest and yourself with animals, they don't care if you are considered strange by humans.

Yesterday I was standing next to someone with a 7 month old German Shepard, who was very, very nice. He wanted to sniff a Flatcoated Retriever who was standing close by. The Flatcoat wanted to sniff him too. His(or her) owner was talking to someone and had his leash pretty short. But the flatcoat kept pulling to try to get to the puppy. That went on for quite a while, untill the flatcoats owner yelled at the dog to lie down. He did, and then his owner yanked at his ear. The poor dog yelped. That isn't right it is? In my dog book it says the best way to get a dog to behave is to use postive stuff. And the dog did what he was told to do, he did lie down. Did he really know that his ear was yanked because he was pulling at the leash, or did he think it was because he lay down, like he was told? Seeing that upset me, and I just wonder about it.

Thanks Bubblezzz and bk_blue! :) I've been finding stuff about English Cockers on the Internet and in books, but hearing about someones experience with them is better, I think. I don't have any kids(actually I'm a kid myself, 15 years old, but I know not to pull on the dog's fur) so I don't have to worry about that. The guinea pig won't be where the dog can get to him when I'm not at home. He'll be in his cage with a baby gate at the door to the room, so the dog shouldn't be able to get to him. And when I'm home Tiz(the piggie) will run around the room, but with the baby gate still there. I'm very glad to hear that they are the sweetest dogs alive! One of the things I think sounds the nicest with Cockers is that they are supposed to be very affectionate. I've also read that they are usually playful, and that is nice too. When I train this dog, if I do get him, I will do it in a fun way, because that is more fun, for me too. I'm planning on brushing the dog once a day, with maybe a few longer grooming sessions a few times a week or so. Does that sound ok? I want to spend quite a lot of time outside playing with the dog. Do cockers like to play frisbee? Fetch? Tag? I don't really have much experience with small dogs, mostly I know big ones. How are cockers compared to like labs or other bigger breeds? If I'm running or something, is there a chance I might step on the dog? Thats maybe a stupid question, but I really don't want to squash a dog. Are English cockers personality wise more like say a lab or a papillon? And yes, I've thought [u]alot[/u] about what its like having a dog, and yes, I think all the negative things about it are outweighed by the many, many wonderful things about having a dog as a family member.

Hi! I love dogs, and in a little more than a week I [i]might[/i] get an adult English Cocker Spaniel. :D I have been trying to find out as much as I can about this breed, and I wonder if any of you have any experience with them. What are they like? Are they usually good with other pets? I have a guinea pig and I want the dog to be able to get along with him, or at least ignore him. Do cockers act more like big dogs or little yappy ones? Do black dogs have more fur than other colored ones? Thanks! Nea