courtnek

They need to learn house manners. when they're inside, if they are wrestling, give them a command specific to resting, or calming down. I use CHILL.....then have them lay down. If they stay in the down poition, give them each a treat. If they get up or start to wrestle again, say CHILL again and seperate them, like with a baby gate. In time they will learn that CHILL means knock it off in the house or I will seperate you. and also that if they lay down and behave they will get a special treat. It takes time, I had to do this with Alex and Freebee cause they were constantly squabbling about something, like the bones.

I'm also now thinking about that opening line from Animal Precinct again... 6 MILLION pets....if only 1/3 of them are dogs, that's still 2 MILLION dogs in New York City alone.... :o :o

:oops: :oops: :oops: :oops: thanks Pei. I'm glad you pointed that out cuz I was really perplexed. It didnt make sense, but I just looked at the numbers, not the link. must be time to start :drinking: now... :fadein:

I agree. A vet will be able to tell you, and she can be spayed now. If you're not planning on actively breeding her, it's in yours and her best interests to get her done. It can help cut down on escapism, as well as prevent a lot of worse problems down the line.

that list totals at only 500,000+ dogs......so it must just be registered purebreds. I know for a fact that there are more than 52 American Foxhounds in the country...I have one, and the rescue lady I got her from had more than 20 on her farm. I wonder if the hunt clubs dont register them, or if the ones registered are only for show? Also, Kendalyn, I know at leat two of those registered Otterhounds are in Michigan. A friend of mine breeds both Otterhounds and Bloodhounds.....and there's no bloodhounds on the list at all....and all of his dogs are registered and titled. and shown. I wonder where they are getting their numbers from? even so, it's still a far cry from the opening line to Animal Precinct - "8 million people, 5 million pets..." in New York City alone....

I took Laurel to the vet, because her ears are bothering her and although I've been cleaning them, they are slightly infected. The vet recognized her! She had been adopted out before and returned, because of her timidity... her first words were "OH MY GOD!! IT'S LAUREL!!" then she said that the previous owners gave her back because she was so timid, her breath was HORRIBLE, and she was constantly shaking her head and crying when she scratched her ears. Her breath IS horrible, her gums are infected. I have been soaking rawhide in water to soften it up a little for her to chew on while I'm here, because in its hard state it makes her gums bleed. That seems to work. Her breath is getting better little by litle, and her gums are receding from puffy red to normal..her ears I have cleaned a zillion times, but she needed antibiotics in the end, and a complete ear flush. Her timidity is better although still there to some extent, she is now letting my son feed her and pet her, although she still bays when he enters the room. I actually think she is protecting me - she is very attached to me. Her peripheral vision is bad, which could account for her growling when someone comes by and she cant really see them. The vet was amazed... said she never thought Laurel would get a home with all her issues, and what had I done to make her this good? All I could say was that I loved her, and did what was necessary for her health (ears and teeth). She laughed and said...."yea, right..." but really, that's all I've done!! I mean I worked with her. helped her, got her Rescue Remedy, and have been socializing her...aside from the Rescue Remedy I thought this was normal dog upbringing...apparently the vet thought this was extraordinary... are people REALLY this bad with their dogs? that scares me....no wonder the Pit's and Rotties and Dobies have such bad names.... all I was doing was what I thought should be done with ANY dog...nothing extraordinary...

well, I'm going off the wall a little here, but maybe the fact that this started after a romp with another dog has brought out her pack desires... she might just want the company of another dog to play with. Once Freebee had gotten accustomed to having another dog around, she moped and got lethargic until I got another one. Something to think about at least/

If you're not too far away from the door you can get a craft bell and hang it on the doorknob, and teach him to swat it with his paw. But ou have to be within hearing distance, otherwise the wireless bell will work better.

Not a problem...I just didnt want you to miss it... :D I had a malamute/Border collie mix...very dominant, very stubborn, wanted to be Alpha and would literally fight you for the position. I am not real big, or strong, and this dog could have taken me out in a heartbeat. All 100 lbs of him. It seemed like we were fighting all the time, about everything. When I got to the point that I was AFRAID of him, I knew something had to be done. He could not be enrolled at that time in standard classes, because he was considered "aggressive" (and he was) and I couldnt afford a one-on-one training. Someone suggested this book to me, and it changed everything. I realized what it was that **I** had done wrong in this dogs upbringing. (most people would have dumped him in a shelter, that's how bad it had gotten. I am too stubborn for that... :D ) After only three weeks of living by JF's rules, he was under control. He knew who was boss, and had mellowed considerably. I actually had a control stick for this dog, he was that bad...but once I trained him using John's suggestions and they make perfect sense, he became a loveable and valubale member of my household...THREE WEEKS! I was amazed, and ashamed, that I had never looked into this before. He saved my son. I had a problem with the lock on my bedroom door. I had let Kyle out and put him on the floor in my room. to crawl around while I used the bathroom. I wanst in there 2 minutes when I heard Jarvis bark, and Kyle cry. The door wouldnt latch properly, and the cat had pushed it open. Kyle crawled out and was heading for the stairs. Jarvis caught him at the top of the stairs, after barking, and held onto his "onesie" with his teeth until I got here. I came out to see a dog, holding a child by his t-shirt, getting pummeled by baby fists, and he never reacted. Just held on. Three weeks before, I believe he wouldnt have cared, one way or another. He learend his place, and saved my son. He got steak for dinner that night...

thanks Cassie Rescue Remedy has worked well with Laurel, she is very timid and anxious all the time, but giving this to her three times a day has helped. I would definitely take him out, even after an accident, and then if he goes again praise him greatly. You want him to realize that going outside is the thing to do, and inside will bring him no gratification at all. clean and ignore if he goes inside, praise and pet if outside. unless you catch him in the act. they forget after about 3 seconds... Like Cassie said, keep the crate small. They will not normally soil their own "den". take him out 30 minutes after eating, and first thing every morning. also, a last run before bed. You wont actually harm the situation by paying no attention to him after he has gone inside, that's what he wants. Negative attention is something you want to stop. Once he realizes that following the rules outside gets him tons of attention, and disobeyong them inside gets him none (remmeber, they dont care if its positive or negative, it's still attention) he will come around and behave.

the thing to realize here is MEAT...it's not dog food, or canned food, it's real MEAT...it's hard for a dog to pass that up, but since you didnt catch him in the act he didnt understand your change in attitude and body language. Dogs are scavengers, like wolves have to be sometimes, and if something smells like meat they will go for it. If he did in fact take it to his crate, then thats a double whammy. He already knows you're upset, he doesnt know why, and you are now insisting on getting into his space. Does he like peanut butter? I cured a dog of counter surfing by putting a HUGE dab of peanut butter on a plate, and letting him steal it, after I put his water up. he licked and swallowed and licked and swallowed for an hour afterwards, and never stole anything again after that. You have to BE THERE if you're going to do that, in case he needs his water, but it worked in this case when nothing else did, including moustraps....

[quote]Of two dogs, one has to be the dominant of the two and it seems that Goliath was and Blitz was responding in tune to that[/quote] Judy is right on this one. This is just dogs, deciding who gets to be top dog between them. They should not be allowed to wrestle in an enclosed space, because the "loser" has nowhere to go. But in the yard, as you saw, where there is room to move, the loser will be able to move away out of the winners space, and all will be well. With puppies, it's not so much aggression as "laying down the rules". As far as running up to other dogs outside, that is a definite no-no. You have no way of knowing how the other dog will react, it is better to have them meet lead-to-lead, where you can pull them away if necessary. Some dogs are fine with a bouncing puppy in their face....my dog, Freebee, would not be. She would raise hackles, snarl and demand respect, even from a puppy. And she gets it, because her snarl is threatening and her hackles are obvious, since her hair is so short. The point here is to make sure your dog does not approach another one without the owners permission, and I would still watch closely. You know how your dog will probably react, but there are a lot of clueless owners out there who dont know how their dog will react, or dont care.... p.s. Freebee is NEVER walked off lead, for that very reason. Unfortunately, not all owners feel the way I do about it.

I also use 1800petmeds, and have never had a problem with them. I was impressed that when your meds are about to expire, and at the beginning of heartworm season, they send you notices to remind you to get your heartworm tests done and reorder the medication. I am very pleased with them, and they are definitely cheaper than the vet.

I will again suggest "Why Does My Dog....?" by John Fisher. It explains alot of the reasoning behind why dogs act the way they do, and uses positive reinforcement and pack mentality as a training basis. It's very easy to read, and humorous as well. He does not believe in abusive training techniques, and speaks out loudly against them in the book. He is a practicing behaviorist in Britain. I have to agree though that regular training classes, if you have never trained a dog before, is the best place to start.

my personal favorite is "Why Does My Dog...?" by John Fisher I know there are others as well... :)

I'm SOOOOOO happy he's better!!! :angel: :angel:

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ALL!! :bday: :bday: :bday:

[url]http://www.newmanveterinary.com/Facts%20About%20Ringworm.html[/url] maybe this will help - it's pretty informative

I dont think I'd want my dogs to smell like lemons either, and no one was being nasty Guestme....they're all entitled to their opinions. I suspect a troll has returned....

another thing - you could try those "brush mitts", which is basically a glove that you wear that has short bristles on it. you are actually brushing him as you pet him, my cat loves it. It will get him accustomed to being brushed and handled, and then you could graduate to a real brush once he's used to it and realizes it's pleasant.

I got one as well. I think Tobey is looking for negative attention, having been attention starved before. I agree that neutering, and then only saying something to him when caught in the act, like a quiet but firm Bad Boy, clean it up with the enzyme clenaer and then ignore him. When he pees outside, make a big deal out of him with lots of attention, so he learns that peeing inside will not gratify his attention needs. When he starts telling you inside that he needs to go out, or has stopped peeing, then make a big deal out of him inside as well...

I should clarify that. IF you see him sniffing and circling, just say "outside?" and let him out. when he's done, praise him LOTS. Then he learns that "outside?" means if he has to go you will let him out, or take him out.....he soon learns that if he needs to go out, he can "bother you" and if you say "outside?" he should head for the door...

I will probably get flamed for this, but sometimes, yes, you do have to YELL AT THEM! IF you catch him in the act, then definitely YELL and say "OUTSIDE!" as soon as you see the signs he will pee. You cant do alot once its done if you're not there, but catching him in the act and booting his butt outside will train him faster than anything else. keep him crated while you're not there, but watch him closely when you are there and he is loose. Sometimes they circle, or sniff around, that's a sign he needs to go out. Mine go to the door because that's what I've taught them, but with a pup sometimes you have to just look for the "signs"...

relax HF - they are only responding to the feel of wind and air that they couldnt feel before....they'll get over it and the coats will grow back out. sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do...they'll be fine, trust me. just remember that matting is painful to them. Yes, you couldnt keep their coats up under the pressure, but you've done the next best thing. They'll be fine... WE WANT PICTURES!!! :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :fadein:

[quote]funny recent example:- Hubby got flashed by a camera for supposedly speeding..now the cruise control was on so therefore the car should of been at the perfect speed...this set Hubby and Snoop up for a day of taking the car apart and inspecting things and poring over the manual...both were happy to be doing something and both greasy finger and pawprints are on the pages of the car manual... [/quote] TOOOOO FUNNY!!! Freebee likes to watch things that move, like stuff on the TV, and she would stare at the fish for hours...but never wanted to work on the car or anything... :lol: :lol: