courtnek

Take him to a vet!!! Does he pee excessively, and drink excessively? Dogs can become diabetics, and no amount of feeding will overcome that... he needs to see a vet. Good luck - I hope I'm wrong....

Snow has an excellent point. She senses that your husband is irritated with her, and may be trying to calm the tense situation. She also may not feel completely comfortable around him, and is displaying a form of fear hyperactivity...some frightened dogs (like mine) will pace back and forth when the person they are frightened of is around. Laurel does that. If I am in the room, she will lay down under the desk and is comfortable, but if my son's friends (and sometimes my son, if he is being really loud) will send her into pacing mode....I think she is uneasy because she wants to like him, but is afraid of him at the same time. Does she then calm down when you come in? It may actually be a fear issue (which Laurel is teaching me alot about!)

[quote]they are afraid to stop them as they feel the dog won't "like" them any more...finally it gets so out of control....[/quote] I have seen this repeatedly with friends who's dominant dogs I had to break because they allowed the dog free run of everything. "He's so cute laying there on the bed, and he looks so sad when I pull him off..." "He loves our food and wont eat his own" "gee, I dont know, he always got off the bed before...today he showed me his teeth..." and then "PLEASE HELP US!! He is threatening to bite!! My husband had to sleep on the couch last night!!" or, "he snarls at me if I get too close to his food..." "he wont let me pick up his toys and put them away..." "he snapped at my daughter when she picked up one of his toys..." (and where were YOU during this episode???????) and over and over I tell them what is wrong with this picture, and it's not until the dog has become a threat that they finally start to listen... I had to distance muzzle some of those dogs to regain control...that's how bad it had gotten....

[quote]And now as I watch them the thought comes to me that theirs is the spirit that Christmas should be. Should children and puppies yet show us the way And teach us the joy that should come with this day. Could they bring the message thats written above And tell us that most of all Christmas is love. [/quote] AMEN :angel:

My thoughts exactly Kendalyn, and while some people dont agree with the belief in God, I will say this anyway. God protects all of us, animals included, and maybe he gave them the ability to forgive us to teach us to forgive and love each other. Maybe their whole purpose in being is to teach us, who are stuck on ourselves and want everything our way, at everything elses expense, that we are NOT the supreme beings of the universe. We all know of the great and wonderful things dogs can do, to protect us and care for us...it's just recently been discovered that dogs and cats can help prevent heart attacks, depression, they have served us when we are blind and deaf, asking nothing more than that we love them and care for them. They have found us under snow drifts, in burned out buildings (911) and under earthquake damage...so my question is...HOW COULD ANYONE HURT THEM? I firmly believe that what goes around, comes around. And those of us who have loved, cared for, rescued, and had pets in our lives, will see them again at the end. And I believe it works in our favor, in the long run...

I am sorry about your loss Behle, but you did what was necessary for the good of Paisley....be proud of that, not burdened. It's our job to see to it that our furry friends are kept well and out of pain. Sometimes that requires the "hard choice", as I know too well... Know that Paisley is happy and giving Max a hard time, and as for the stupid woman at the vet, also know that "what goes around, comes around...." Peace to you Behle. You did the right thing. :-?

I dont know exactly when mine were born...I can only guesstimate and do birthdays that way... :cry:

VERY HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!! she is BEAUTIFUL!! WHAT A DARLING FACE!! Many more years to come in her very happy life with you!! GOOD OWNER!! :angel:

You;re probably all sick of hearing this, but I have Never had a timid dog before...and she's starting to reall come around. To thse who dont have timid dogs this may seem like a "so what?"..but it means alot to me trying to socialize her and make her happy here... She MOOCHED french friesrom my son and his friends!! So what, you say, MY dog mooches fries all the time. SHE has never entered the room where they were...and when offered food (in her hiding place upstairs) she would never take it. She WENT INTO THE LIVING ROOM AND MOOCHED FOOD!!! Bad habit, I'm sure, but that will be easier to break then her fear has been.... I think she may finally be getting comfortable here. That'sall I wanted. To those who have never raised a timid, fearful dog before, believe me, it's easier to break a dominant dog than this. I have broken many, inside a few weeks....we are going on four months of fear desensitizing here.... Laurel is happy! Merry Christmas to everyone!! :drinking:

WHY WAS SHE NOT PUT UP FOR ADOPTION FIRST??? I am SOOOOO pissed off!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

:cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: very sad. I believe the oringinal "flipper" died the same way, wanting to be near the people he had been raised with and trained by. WHY they take such a strong liking to us astounds me....I dont have a strong liking for alot of us....but maybe this is God's way of making us see that we are not the most supreme ever being.....and if we give our hearts to the animals we live with, they give us much in return. Goodbye Keiko....may your next stopping place be always at peace and always happy, and with people who love you, if that's what you want.

Laurel came with her name, so I kept it. Freebee was an interesting story. She was advertised in the paper as a "purebred German Shepherd" (with floppy ears!!) and my ex went to see her..and told the owner that GSD's dont have floppy ears, and she was not purebred, and she gave the dog to him for free..

I forgot to add you can also use "ice" as a training command. Once she has stopped nipping you, with the NO TEETH command, you can say ICE and direct her to the bowl/towel. She will soon learn that ICE means to go chew on the ice, instead of on you... ' :D

Thanks!! I'm more than sure I'll rattle a few cages with THAT.. my current one says "Sarcasm is just one more service I offer..." :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: feel free to use it if you want... :D

well Atghylin, I will tell you what I know about Irish Wolfhounds and the one I had for a short time. They are hounds, who are exactly the opposite of "fighting dogs"...when used for their real purpose they are raised in packs (deliberately) and are very comfortable and usually inoffensive to each other. They literally live by pack rules. In a real wolf pack, dogs dont "fight to the death" unless someone challenges the Alpha and has to be put down because he wont quit. In fact. most of the upper ranking wolves never even quarrel, you see that in the lower ranking trying to gain a higher position, and even then, it's mostly show and posture. The pack knows instinctively they cant injure each other unless absolutely necessary, for the survival of the pack. It's pretty much the same for hunting hounds. On the down side, as I have found out with Laurel, there is usually very little human interaction. The dogs become bonded to the pack, and not to people. This can cause fear issues because they are not used to people paying close and deliberate attention to them. I've had Laurel (Foxhound) for four months now...she was lower ranking in her hound pack and is just now starting to come out of her shell. As far as fear of humans, in your storyline this dog may have been abused by humans while on the run, kicked, had things thrown at her, all kinds of things can make a dog scared of people. But hounds, raised in a pack society, would not be natural fighting dogs, unless threatened. They would not take to the fight like a "fighting dog" would. and I want a copy of the story when it's done!!! :lol: :lol:

this is a working dog, she needs exercise or she misbehaves, as you've seen. You could try a dog run in the yard (if you have a yard) where you attach a metal line to two structures, and then clip a 6 foot leash onto it It allows them to run back and forth, and kinda to the left and right, without escape. However, you need to watch them to make sure no neighbor loose dogs come in, becasue she cant escape this way. Maybe this will ease some of her exercise frustration. I hate to say it, but if she cant get the exercis she needs you might need to rehome her. These dogs need to work, and run, and have something constructive to do.... Best of luck to you p/s/ I used the dog run for my malamute mix, and it worked wonders...

Two things Crested....first, give her some ice on a towel to chew on - that will help the teething pain. Second, and I have said this before and been flamed for it, but it works with few issues. Pinch the top of your ear with your nails, on the thinnest part of the outer edge, to guage what you feel as uncomfortable. Then when her teeth touch you, pinch her ear with the same or a little less pressure, using your nails. You are not trying to hurt her, this is how her mother would punish her if she bit persistently. at the same time say loudly and sternly NO TEETH! She will try to pull away, let her go, but use the same technique every time she nips. She might even yelp, but if you dont press too hard you wont hurt her. That's why you need to test it on your own ear first, to guage the correct amount of pressure. I have used this successfully with two dogs, both persistant nippers where all the screaming in agony and yelling NO did no good. The ice will help as well, but it's kinda messy. Maybe put it in a bowl, and leave a towel down that she has to lay on to chew it. Use the ice as a reward when she removes her teeth. She will associate not biting with getting something that makes her teeth feel good.

The article was good, but RNP is right. WE already knew that!! All they had to do was ask... :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: THIS cracked me up.... [quote]Some people are like Slinkies, not really good for anything, but you still can't help but smile when you see one tumble down the stairs[/quote] Can I have permission to use it as my email signature???? :D

I put my tree up on a small two foot high by two foot square end table, solid wood. Now, my tree us seven feet tall, but I have 9 foot ceilings so I can do that. Then I put wrapped presents and parcels on the table and along the floor all around the table. This is where the boxed vricks might help. The cat doens like the uneven feel of the different sized boxes on the table, and the boxes on the floor keep the dogs pretty far away. I also put the lower ornaments on with twistie-ties (from lunch bags) so they're really secure and tails wont pull them off. In fact, some of them are still on because I secured them so well last year I couldnt get them off.... :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

The size of the house is not as important as how much work you are willing to put into the dog. As was stated, Cockers hunt, Corgi's herd, and both dogs need a fair amount of exercise to keep them stimulated and out of trouble as far as destruction goes. BGSD is right, some dogs will not take to the crate,,,Freebee wouldnt and had to be baby-gated into the bathroom during housebreaking, where she had all of her chew toys and bed in there with her. If you're willing to do the grooming, and want a more laid back dog, and a big one, consider a Golden. They require a fair amount of exercise like any dog, but they tend to be less destructive and are happy to lay around all day if you will play with them in the morning and evening and walk them and run them. As with any dog, they will require training to teach them the house manners you want them to have, but that's the same for a Cocker or a Corgi..... Perhaps you should check out some websites on your dog choices and find out more about them before deciding.... Good luck

are you writing a story?

A lot of things can cause a dog to be afraid of people, without involving dogfighting at all. She may have been mangled by another animal, but that doesnt necessarily mean the other animal was even a dog. My Foxhound came to me terrified of everyone, including me. She was not socialized with lots of people for most of her life. She was field trialed, and spent most of her time with other dogs, except on those occasions where she was trialed. So until she was rescued, she had no real active contact with people at all, except during the hunt, and then only with her handlers. She lived outside in a kennel until she was 6. Your girls snapping was probably just a protective response to her puppy. And if she was running loose for long, people may have thrown things at her, yelled at her, she may have even been shot at....it's hard to tell without knowing her history. The fear can be overcome, but she needs a vet to tell you if she was fought deliberately (IW's are not prone to this and not normally used for it. I fostered one - they fall into the hound dog category, and traditionally have not normally been used for fighting, except perhaps as bait as was mentioned). Good luck with the poor girl...I am becoming newly trained in the world of hounds and fearful dogs, so if I can help I will...

MY DOGS DONT LIKE TOYS!!! I must be abnornal.. there are chew toys here, rawhide, kongs, etc...they dont touch them. Freebee wants to play outside with her Jolly Ball, and Laurel just wants to run in the yard. They appear to be content with each other, and people contact. And the ill-tempered cat..maybe he's been whipping them into shape. (NO JOKE, he's a dynamo, I believe he could do it!!) :) :lol: :lol: :lol:

In reality, more people die from heart attacks than any other reasons. So if you want to live long, exercise, lower your cholestorol, and dont eat anything that TASTES GOOD... Your numbers are both wrong and stupid. and, YOU ARE A TROLL AND NOT WELCOME HERE. Pit Bulls do not account for the REAL majority of dog bites in the world, they just happen to be the MOST REPORTED because of the media hype about them. The average person couldnt tell a Pit Bull from a Staffy, a Bulldog, or a mixed breed. Including me, and I have had dogs for 30 years... throwing out illegitimate facts, and BS, will get you nowhere here. There are a LOT of true APBT owners here, who could refute your every point. Rott is only one of them. He recognizes you as a troublemaker, and so do I.

I;m crying too.... that was beautiful :angel: "If dogs dont go to heaven than I want to go where they do...."