3ofakind

Stewie was neutered at 5 mo and Finny at 7 mo. Neither ever marks in our house ever. There has only ever been one incident at my hubby's g-parents, they have a intact male and Stewie marked a chair after we had been there about 3 days. Was pretty weird. No explanation really. My sister and my SIL dogs are both intact males and they mark at other peoples houses but not at their own. Regardless, go ahead and get him neutered. My vet wanted to wait til 6 mos on Stewie but I explained he was beginning to mark outside and it was time, they agreed. Finny didn't mark until 7 mo and thats when he got done. It may not prevent but it is a good start!

I am sorry to hear about Boonie. That is not an easy illness to deal with. We are sending our best thoughts to you both.

You might want to go to [url]www.greatdanelady.com[/url] She has good information about what causes bloat and how to prevent it.

Cairn6 Your post was beautiful and really many terrier lovers would agree with you 100%. I feel the same about my jacks. As far as grooming is concerned with my 3...Mary is tolerant and never baks at you, Stewie will nibble on your finger to show his diapproval but will not cross the line, and Finny wants a bath and brushing every day, he absolutely loves the attention. So some of the things that are said about terriers are true and that is why they are not for everyone. I think the biggest problem is that people can't get over categorizing a whole breed. We even have a hard time doing that with other people, ie racial profiliing etc. Terriers are what they are, but they are oh so much more too!

you can give him the 1/4 cup of kibble and as many veggies as you want, there is no limit, they are "free" foods :)

My mom and dad have had 2 mini schnauzers for 12 years. They lost both of them this past year, Shadow just last week. They talked about not getting another dog but I knew it wouldn't last. The house just seemed too empty. So they are going to pick up their new Standard Poodle on Friday. She is a rescue from Florida, about 5-6 months old. She was found during clean up from one of the hurricanes. A breeders house was destroyed, the breeder died along with many of the dogs. We will be seeing them for Christmas. It will be much different without Jazmin and Shadow but I think Sophie will be a great dog for my parents.

I hear you and you are right! I have Jacks, pretty misunderstood breed. My 3 are VERY well behaved. Some say I have a special touch but really I think it is all in the breeding. I didn't get my dogs from some fancy breeder but I did make sure they had great parents. People often say after meeting my kids how nice and sweet they are, nothing like what they have heard. Then I hear the dreaded words "I think a jack would be a good dog for us" AHHHHHHHHHHH NO NO NO!! One guy was asking if they were good with kids, he was looking for a small dog for his kids. So I showed him their teeth (fyi, they are very large for a small dog, bigger than some large breeds). Told him what they were bred to do, they chase bark and bite. He quickly understood that a Jack was not right for him or his kids. My jacks are good with kids and most are (but definitely not all) and I could have told him that if I didn't know better. Maybe sometimes peoples miseducation of others is simply their own misunderstanding.

You can replace a portion of his meal with veggies. That was the easiest with Stewie. He still felt full but wasn't getting the excess nutrition.

I have to give you all that let them in the bed a lot of credit. I just can't do it. When it was just Mary it was great, when it was Stewie and Mary it was tolerable, but when Finny came it was just tooo much. I toss and turn and they would pin me down in the worst positions! I was super crabby those first few months. They all sleep together in one big crate now. They dont object and go right in on command. We have cuddles before bedtime and in the morning. I think the dominance thing only applies to overly dominant dogs. If you are having a dominance struggle, it is something to consider. If it is not a problem for you dont worry about it.

Gotta love snopes.com!

Wish I had some advice. Sounds like you are doing the best you can. Maybe you could get him a belly band. If he does not achieve his goal of leaving his scent, then maybe he will quit.

That is a great story!! :D One time my husband was late for work for a few days in a row because the "alarm was not going off" I leave before he gets up. He was so angry cuz I was turning off his alarm. Long story short....my husband doesn't wake up as soon as it goes off and Stewie apparently got tired of listening to it and was turning it off himself. Imagine explaining that to your boss. :o

[quote name='IlBLisSlI']There is no better bonding experience with your pet than to give it all of the love that your glands will provide. Taking it one step farther I think that if you can't provide milk for your little pet I believe you should try to bond with it in other ways. for instance, say you own a snake or a gofer or any other subterranean critter... there's absolutely nothing wrong with sticking them in your bum and giving them a nice, dark, and warm place to stay while at the same time holding them close (very very close) and bonding with them. :roll: I guess what I

what are you doing to teach him to go outside? no criticism just dont want to suggest something you are already doing. Small breeds are often stubborn. Negative corrections only encourage the behavior. Positive training on what you do want him to do is the only way to go. And yes you may have to make a fool out of yourself to get the response you want.

Might be an old wives tale but I have heard that they should be half their final weight at 4 months. In all 3 of my dogs this has held true. If nothing else it might be able to give you a rough guestimate.