courtnek

:oops: :oops: :oops: :oops: OK, I feel stupid...by "soreness" do you mean the redness around the wrinkles? If that's so, than MANY people here dont know how to take care of the wrinkles..shame on me, but I thought that was normal.... :o

[quote]I have a problem with the dog having to run in that semi wooded area with gawd knows HOW many other strange, ill mannered dogs and their idiot owners.[/quote] that's the whole problem. People arent responsible with their dogs. I know that Freebee has a dog avoidance problem, she is very dominant. She would want them to all do things her way...Laurel would probably be fine, but who knows how many other owners have dogs like Freebee who think that it's fine to let them run loose and harass other dogs? I would never let Freebee loose in a dog park, I dont trust her. So I wont let Laurel loose either, in case there are other Freebee's around.... It took me a LONG time to find a dog that Freebee would accept and not run roughshod over. She really is a bitch (no pun intended) thanks to my ex, who thought it was funny to rile her up and let her teeth him. And no matter how many times I told him he was not helping the dog doing this, he did it anyway, when I was not home (my son confirmed this). So she is now sequestered from dog parks. I know she would love to run loose, but I cant trust her.

GOOD JOB HF!!! WOO HOO!! WAY TO GO GIRL!!! :angel: :angel: :angel: :angel: :angel:

WELCOME TO DOGO!!! I am Katy, and those two nutcases in the picture are Freebee (Lab Mix) and Laurel (Foxhound). I also have a cat named PushyCat (and he lives up to his name) and a 17 year old son named Kyle. Glad you could join us. Pictures, please.... :D

[quote]in fact to dock a Lab may actually effect it's overall balance. [/quote] In fact it would be a detriment to the dogs ability to swim. They were bred originally to retrieve fish nets and swim them to shore, and the otter-like tail was bred in deliberately to be used like a rudder. It would also affect them in the field, because they use the tail for balance when navigating uneven terrain and hills. I have watched both my Lab Mix and my Foxhound use their tails for whipping around corners and keeping their balance steady.

[quote]I can see mandating it maybe for first time dog owners, or maybe if there were a way to "test out" of it. I don't think everybody should be mandated to do it for every dog they own. [/quote] Kendalyn... :lol: that's what I said.... If they cant pass a basic muster (test) on training and obedience then they should be required to have the dog trained professionally.... The counties here are very strict about rabies vacs. If you are more then two weeks late getting it done, they start sending you notices. If on the third notice it still isnt done, they start calling you. If you dont respond, they will come out and check up on the animal. If you still have the animal, they will give you one last chance to get the vacs, and if it isnt done they take the animal away from you. The same could be done for licensing. I am not saying that everyone needs their dog professionally trained, just owners who cant pass the test. I have never had any of mine pro trained, but mine have never bitten anyone either. This would be a form of education to owners who dont know any better. enforced, yes, but education none the less. And as far as trainers, good or bad, I dont know what can be done about that, although I feel they should be licensed as well. And usually the good breeders and shelters have trainers that they recommend, so do vets. It's still up to the owners in the long wrong. You're not going to cure every issue with this, I understand that, but I think alot of the major issues would be cut down on this way. You cant drive a car without being trained and tested. If you violate the rules of the road you can lose your driving priveledges. Owning a dog is a responsibility that needs to be looked at in the same way. This is a living, breathing creature, and deserves to be treated with kindness and respect. Part of that treatment is training, because he wont know how to behave if you dont tell him.

[quote]there is this overwhelming array of information constantly being thrown about as to how to handle dogs because, doG forbid you screw up, you can ruin their psyches, emotionally scar them for life and throw the entire galaxy out of alignment. Wazzup wit' dat?? [/quote] IMO? It's a fast buck. If you pick up a phone book you will find all kinds a "dog Psychologists" (which is NOT the same as a behaviorist, I am all for behavior therapy) who make big bucks off of people who honestly believe that their dogs are "people in fur coats"....the same people who end up having to see a behaviorist because their dogs are so completely out of control they are running the household. That's after they've dropped a wad on the so-called psychologist and it didnt help, or the dog is now on doggy-prozac and has forgotten his housetraining (I know someone that happened to...) No, they dont have the complex thought patterns of humans, the ability to do math, or tie their shoes....but I believe they do have emotions and feelings, that come both instinctively and are learned. Needing to be with other living creatures is apack instinct. The ability to stay together and form a society that will feed, defend and care for all is vital to their survival. But if you watch a pack in action, the emotions and intelligence displayed is amazing. They learn from each other, the same way they learn from us, and they show a great deal of affection, and caring, for each other. People have argued that dogs greet you at the door because now they will be fed, the same way the cubs greet mom after a hunt for their meal. However, I can come home at any time and they will greet me, knowing they wont be fed, and on that same token, when it's "feeding time" they know that too, and then head for the bowls. I havent trained them to do this, they learned it from experience and from what I believe is the ability, to a certain extent, to reason things out for themselves.

I have had dogs well past thge teething area that still chewed things up. They are pack animals, and need other beings to make them feel complete. if there are no others beings, they will chew things that their "important" being left there. they need to be socialized, and accepted, by other creatures.

I learned just last year that grapes are bad for dogs. I have always given mine grapes, they think it's a treat. It's bad in large quanities, but mine have only gotten a few at a time, so it never hurt them.

yes it would be enforceable...the counties can handle it, the same way they handle rabies vacs...if you dont get your dog rabies shots, the county comes after you BIG time....the dog would have to wear a tag, the way they are required to have rabies tags, or proof of innoculation now. If the dog is involved in a biting incident, and he is not tagged, then the owner gets a HUGE fine and possibly jail time. same as if they are breeding without a license. sure, it wont solve ALL the problems, no amount of laws will. But the majority of decent people will not mind if they know that this is for the good of everybody, and the dog bite ratio could go down. Most people dont take their dogs to training because they feel they can do it themselves. Alot of the web rescues and societies already require it for the strong, dominant dogs, and you have to prove you did it. I think the breeders should require it too. and the licensed breeders who are breeding dogs that become violent can also be checked. This of course will not affect the thugs and drug dealers and losers, who dont follow the law as it is, but it becomes easier to shut them down and jail them if they are not following the rules, before someone gets bitten. It would also make it easier to pinpoint the dogfighters, who I seriously doubt would follow the laws, and shut them down as well. Something has to be done. Education has been tried, most people pay no attention to it until it directly affects them. I think if someone wants to adopt out a dog and doesnt agree to have it trained, and prove it, they dont get the dog. And I believe that the neutering law would end up with less dogs in shelters, because there will be less dogs around. People are basically lazy - we here are dog lovers and follow the rules already. This would make the lazy ones either decide to comply, or not get a dog. either choice is ok by me.

I answered no, but it's a two-pronged question. No, I dont believe they act out of spite, but yes, I do believe they can rationalize AND reason.... The shoes was a good example. Did he chew them up because he was mad at you for leaving him? Or did he chew them up because he is lonely, he misses you and they smell and taste like you? I do believe they have the emotions of lonliness, sadness and can become so attached to you they dont want you to leave them, causing anxiety issues while you're gone. Remember these are pack animals. In their natural existence there will always be other animals around to keep them company. Unlike cats, it is not natural for them to be alone. As far as reasoning, yes, they can reason. In some of the best examples, it's in disobedience. Guide dogs are trained in the art of "intelligent disobedience". They are guiding their blind master, they come to an intersection and the light suddenly changes. Can the dog see the colors in the light? no. He has been trained to notice the change in traffic. He stops. His owner edges him forward, he stubbornly refuses to move. Although he has been given a direct command, he is able to think it thru due to his training and say Nope, not going there. That requires more than just a pea sized intelligence. They have been known to step in front of an insistant owner who is not responding correctly and physically refuse to let them move. It takes almost a year to train a blind person in how to respond to the dog, to let the dog make the decisions. It takes more time than that to train the dog, on how to intelligently disobey. I believe that in order to do that, the dog has to be able to reason, to make the correct choice for his owner, despite being told to do otherwise. in that same frame, they often use Labs and Goldens for this work. hunting dogs, who's first instinct is to chase anything that runs, like most dogs. Yet these dogs will NOT chase a squirrel, a rabbit or another dog in the park. They will calmly sit down and wait for thier masters command on what to do next. I believe this requires reasoning, otherwise why would they not react first to their basic instinct? Yes, they have been trained to NOT react, but not responding to a natural instinct requires a thought process that I can only call reasoning. They somehow seem to KNOW that their job is to be their masters eyes, and nothing else matters. yes, you could attribute it to training, but then again, there has to be a certain amount of intelligence and the ability to make choices (reasoning) to even be trained in this way.

:D Freebee does that, I just never heard it called defleaing before I guess... I didnt know dogs would deflea each other....although I've seen footage of wolves preening, I guess I never thoguht they were removing fleas... :wink:

well, I dont know the authors (I'm SO bad at that) but maybe someone else can supply them. 9. If dogs dont go to heaven, I want to go where they do. 10. The more people I meet, the better I like my dog 11. A dog will forgive you no matter what you do; a cat knows revenge is better served cold....

:oops: :oops: :oops: I thought she meant DE-Flea, like remove fleas.... thanks RNP - that's a term I was not familiar with.

that's what it looks like, except the milk is dried now....well, it looks appealing but since Ive never heard of it before I'll ask the vet. I never knew until last year that grapes were bad for dogs, I have always fed them grapes (although not in huge quantities, just a few at a time). I might try it if the vet says its ok. Laurel has terrible doggy breath and wont chew, so this might help her teeth and breath some.

[quote]Tell me please: WHO TAKES AN UNSPAYED, IN HEAT FEMALE TO A DOG PARK!!! [/quote] basic stupidity? A friend of mine at work volunteered to babysit another co-workers female dog while she was on vacation. They both have dachsunds. His is fixed; hers went into heat while he was babysitting it. He had never had a dog go into heat before and didnt know what to do, so he asked me. I told him simply to get her some of those doggy diapers for heat, crate her, and never let her off her leash outside, and if in the yard, keep an eye on her at all times so another strange male didnt wander in. He finally got ahold of her owner, and he was definitely NOT happy with the situation. He now had to pay three times more attention to this dog than to his own. Plus change the "diapers" and keep her within eyesite at all times. When the owner got back he asked her why she wasnt spayed...she said "she never did this before..." She's really a ditz anyway, but to make matters worse, SHE'S A FEMALE!!! What did she think would happen with an unspayed female dog? HELLOOOOOO!!! How do you suppose they get pregnant? immaculate conception? If you're an adult female past puberty (and she has kids too) I would think you could figure out how it works with a dog..... :o :o :o

Thank you K. The article I was reading stated deliberately that "downers" are cattle that cannot walk for physical reasons, like a birth defect, not disease. But that is the Govt talking, so who knows? :evil:

I chose all of the above, because the dogs listed are larger, and more capable of causing a serious bite incident. HOWEVER, ALL dogs can bite. No matter the size. The problem is that the bigger dogs cause more serious injury, so they get reported as opposed to the little dogs, who's injury is somewhat slighter and most people dont report them. Now for my opinion...I think anyone who wants to own a dog, and cannot pass a basic muster on dogs and training, should be REQUIRED to take the dog to formal obedience classes. No exception, no matter what kind of dog. this goes for mixes as well as purebreds.... second, ALL breeders should be required to be licensed. And unless you are a LICENSED breeder, or can prove you are showing the dog, it should be required to be neutered. I may get flamed for it...but I think this will help keep the number of "mutt" Pit Mixes down, so the media can find something else to waste their time on.... and the number of rottie mixes and GSD mixes, that were not bred correctly and have "issues"....and yes, I would buy licenses for my Lab Mix and Foxhound to make it fair to everybody...

[quote]mine is that we are currently dealing with the "closing the barn door when the horse got out" phenomenon. i can't believe how people can be so irresponsible and think that just removing the brain, spinal cord and part of the lower intestine makes it ok to process the meat of a diseased animal. if this had happened anywhere in europe, they would have taken the whole cow and incinerated it, just to be safe.[/quote] please correct me if I'm wrong, but is it not illegal here to slaughter an animal with this disease for meat sales? The way I read it, the use of feed that has been distributed from an infected animal is now illegal, although sometimes some less caring farmers still do it. If the animnal shows sign of the disease, from what I'm reading, it is supposed to killed. Is that wrong?

[quote]I do home checks of all of my "potential" homes. If there is not some sort of confinement system or a fenced yard, I will not sell a dog to that person. I have lost far too many dogs due to poor fencing and lack of fencing is just an accident waiting to happen. [/quote] When I adopted my Foxhound, a fenced yard was required. Some dogs do not respond well to recall, hunting dogs specifically, because no matter how well recall trained they are their noses will take them astray. My yard is 80x60, and fenced with a 6-ft fence on all sides. They get regular walks as well, but they both run rampant around the yard and chase the ever-present squirrels and have a great time. Better a fenced yard that they can run free in then to be tied up or chained. I work full time, and dont have the time in the morning to walk them properly, so they have the yard to run in for a 1/2 hour before I go to work. They get let out to run at lunch, and also at dinner, and them they get leash walked after that around the neighborhood. Will I let them run loose? Never. There is too good of a chance of being hit by a car. I agree that some people abuse fencing, never interacting with the dog and I feel that's wrong.

dew claws should be removed if they are "ungainly", sticking out from the sides far enough where they can be ripped off. If they are normal, they are usually closer to the paw then the ungainly ones. those can stay if the dog is field trialing or doing agility, but the misshappen ones get torn easily. My foxhounds are misshapen, and one got torn off. So I looked into them after a post here at the forum.

Those of us from the U.S. are aware of and monitoring the mad cow meat distribution problem. A cow was discovered in, I believe, Montana to have mad cow disease. It had already been slaughtered and the meat distributed, so the U.S and the CDC are recalling all the meat that was sold from this cow. So far it appears to have affected Washington, Montana, Idaho and California. All of that meat has been recalled, and now the government is trying to track the course of the cow and where it came from. It is believed that the cow originated in Canada since the U.S. and Canada openly trade in livestock all the time. This has not yet been proven, but they are tracing the cow back to it's beginnings just ot be certain. If the rest of the herd in infected, the entire herd will be destroyed. So be aware, if you are a Canadian or British or Japanese member, the borders for exports of meat and dog food have been closed in Canada, Japan and England. I have read that dry dog food is not affected, however cannot prove that. Canned food would be affected, as would raw meat. (beef, and possibly chicken depending on what the chickens were fed). What you need to look for: Mad Cow only affects the tissues in the brain and spinal column. Stay away from "ground beef", instead, choose Ground Chuck or Ground Roast. Those tissues are not affected. Packaged lunch meat, hot dogs, bologna, all could be affected. Get your ham and stuff from the deli counter, which is not processed. Know that in Canada they are saying the borders will not be reopened for three to four weeks, so stock up now. I dont know of a timeframe for Japan and England. Be very careful, for both yourselves and your pets. There is no cure for Mad Cow if you get it or your pets get it. Britain has sent us advisors on how to treat it, since they were saddled with a bad case of it a few years back. They are helping us trace the cow back to it's origins as well in case there are more cows affected. be safe people. I know that the other cuts of meat are more expensive, but we'll get to the bottom of this, and better safe then sorry. :o

I'm not sure either....I visualized nibbling, but have never actually seen a dog deflea another. Monkey's debug each other all the time, but they have opposable thumbs and can grab them. Wanna help us out with this? we're kinda confused.... :lol: :lol:

Congrats Crystal! Oh the joys of puppyhood...it's almost as much fun as the joys of babyhood...no sleep, odd hours, crying.... :lol: :lol: :lol: on the positive side, Apollo will stop sooner than most kids do.... :wink:

I took a fright one day when in Pennsylvania. There was a dog running loose around the hotel who, from my window, I would have sworn was a wolf. It was black and grey and brown, pointed ears, bushy tail... turned out it was a shepherd/huskie mix, and the mix was so wolf-like it was incredible. It turned out that even though off leash, he was going to his owners car and waited there for him. I talked to the guy later, and he said that everyone thought his dog was a wolf...even the vet the first time he brought him in. I suggested that maybe he should keep him on a leash, so someone didnt shoot him thinking he WAS a wolf...the likeness was just eerie.... but no, the Newfie really doesnt resemble the black bear much.... :lol: :lol: