courtnek

"lie down" is fairly easy, since she likes her treats!!! take a treat (one she really likes, like cheese maybe) and get her under a chair or table (so that she cant stand up real easily or comfortably) with a lead on her. say "lie down" and put the cheese on the floor near and in front of her, forcing her to lie down to get it (because of the chair, table) after a few of these sessions, she will associate lying down with something good. After a while, when she has learned the command, you can eliminate the treat and use praise instead! forcing them down is self-defeating, people and animals have a natural tendency to "buck" about being forced, you say down and push and she will push back and up...its' not defiance, it's an instinctive, protective tendency...

"leave it" is a very hard command to teach using food. Their instincts will tell them to eat, when food is available... You could try starting with a non-food item that she really likes, like a favorite toy...once she gets used to the command in general, then you can teach her with food. Put her on a short, 2-3 foot lead, put the treat down, when she approaches it say "leave it!" and give her a gentle tug away from it. (dont yank, please) Since she will be somewhat familair with the command from toy training, it shouldnt take too long to accept food training. Of course, as soon as she leaves it willingly by your command, then you give it to her. I have found "leave it" easier to train starting with toys, until they get the basics of the command down.... Hope that helps some... :)

is there an email address available? I will send a (non-volatile, I promise) letter stating how I feel about auctioning dogs off for ANY reason... no one checks the buyer, no one makes sure they would be a good dog owner...etc... thanks Rosebud.

[quote]Totally agreed. Although I have come across a few cases where the person just couldn't find the right dog (Val, who is getting a Labradoodle, she made a couple posts, and has joined as POGO, welcome Val[/quote] her's is a (arrgghhhh, Goldendoodle) and we decided Pogo was better - LOL in that case I can understand the desire for a specially mixed dog. Just like I understand the reason behind Golden Labs...she is into hunting, and this mix would make an excellent hunting dog...however, what I object to is the people who create these mixes, and sell them as "Labradoodles" and "Goldendoodles" and try to pass them off as a purebred, while charging purebred prices for them. Pogo knows what she's getting, and wants that mix, but some people get roped in by the hype and buy these dogs, then discover that there are health, breeding and soundness issues. I am a mutt person myself (so I own a Purebred Foxhound? LOL) but my Foxhound was a rescue...I personally prefer rescues, but not everyone does... and Brinnie? warn us next time..... LOL -

anything new happen? changes in the house? changes in the status of the people in the house? a new baby? relatives? Seperation anxiety can take all forms, including house soiling, but you usually see it coming on...It usually doesnt happen just overnight.... Also, did you change his food? or add something to it? I guess what I mean to say is that we need more info.... :)

[quote]He always believed Penny would get worse and he was right. I had really hoped I could "help" her with medication and monitoring and, of course, enough love should've fixed anything (right?). We don't believe this had as much to do with her being a Pit(ish) Bull, but more like she just had some genetic screw loose. It was such a hard decision to make and my heart feels like it is broken into a gazillion pieces. [/quote] HF, no matter how much it may hurt, what you did was right and my heart and love and sorrow go out to you. I had one I "hoped" I could help.... he bit my ex-husband and had other aggression issues, and I too had to let him go....I AM SO SORRY.... You did the best you could....and worked really hard trying to bring Penny around, but sometimes all of our good intentions, just dont work. Know that on the Rainbow Bridge, she will be happy and wait for you. And she knows, like we do, that you did the best for her you could... Love you!! :(

It's actually been proposed as well that Columbus didnt "discover" America..... That Lief Erikkson did, a few hundred years before.... :lol: :lol:

I am new to hound ownership, but have been told and read that they can go one of two ways...either be very friendly to people, or very stand-offish...mine is standoffish....and timid, but that's just her... was yours socialized with people early on? Mine was field trialed and had lived in a pack environment, with very little people exposure.... I cant be a great help, this is my first hound, but from what I've read it kust depends on the dog... hope that helps...

mine started pointing (on her own) at about 9 weeks, but she's part pointer....I have never heard of a Dobie being a natural pointer, but do cattle dogs normally point? Maybe Dres has some pointer in there...

please sned this to DAL Shara or Starfox or K... DAL, I too apologize if what I said appeared harsh. It was definitely NOT meant to be that way at all.. I was merely concerned that your dogs reacted so strongly, and did not appear to obey you, however, I did not know that your husband is not home. I can accept their reaction better knowing that they were protecting you in the absense of the alpha. Please dont take what was said personally, I am positive it was all with good intentions, and I would hate to lose you as both a friend and a dog owner who has taught me alot about the world of deaf dogs and caring for them. I have never had one, so your information has been much appreciated about them.... Please reconsider? Katy

YEA!! ME TOO!! there is no good food for Columbus Day...LOL mine will get turkey on OUR Thanksgiving!! :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

this is Freebee - she's a mix, a non-deliberate one - she sheds little, she has an attitude and she loves me more than anyone.... she looks after me, protects me, licks my feet ( bad habit, but I cant break her of it) licks my other dogs ears...when my son is sick she lays on the couch with him and wont get up, even to go out, unless he does... NO ONE is allowed to be sick, depressed, sad or lonely around her. She is IN YOUR FACE until you are better... [img]http://thumbs.webshots.com/s/thumb4/7/9/30/80370930idvIHd_th.jpg[/img] she was not deliberately bred this way...that's how she turned out, with , a loving mom (me) and understanding...there are SOOOO many shelter dogs out there, needing homes...my other dog is a resuce.. purebred Foxhound, Field Trialed, would have been put to sleep after her "career" ended, except there are rescue societies for them. WHY create new breeds? There are already TOO many dogs without homes....

If she has a fear of Samoan's, then yes, she would have reacted this way. and her companion dog would back her up, that;s pack rules. However DAL, that doesnt make them good "guard dogs" - she may have reacted just out of fear, not out of protection....Anyone you let in your house should be accepted by the dogs, since you are pack lead and you have made that decision...HOWEVER!! (and I'll probably get flamed for this) if you let someone in, and the dog seems suspicious, not friendly and tries to avoid them (NOT attack them, they have accepted that you let them in but arent happy about it) then IT COULD BE AN ISSUE WITH THAT PERSON...they know so much more then we do, about good and bad people...You just have to know the traits or your particular dogs... My best friend was dating a guy that my dog HATED...ABSOLUTELY... Would not let him touch him, growled when he came near, but never attempted to do anything to him, just warned him off. I told Joan this guy was BAD NEWS....(I trust my dogs instincts) but she wouldnt listen, UNTIL he hit her during an argument and she had him arrested. She ended up with a black eye, HE ended up in jail...he had a history of abuse with his paramours....and Jarvis knew he was bad news from the get-go.... Within pack limits, sometimes it's best to trust the dogs...

[quote]I'm thinking Candy was trying to tell ME to save my money for doggie treats! _________________ [/quote] I'm thinking she's right....while I am not completely convinced that Sonya is an animal psychic (she may be responding to clues the people are giving her, or she may actually be empathic, and feeling the problems presented by the people....I am somewaht empathic, and can feel peoples "problems", alttho I cant diagnose and cure them..) THIS person appears to be a fraud....I am a BIG believer in letting the dogs decide who is good and who isnt...If it's a stable dog, who generally likes people and gets along with them, not a problem with strangers, happy-go-lucky, who SUDDENLY avoids/ignores/snarls at someone, MY take is that that SOMEONE is bad news...and should be avoided. They sense so MANY things we dont....I rely on mine to tell me good people from bad....

yea, she's manipulative - at some point she realized that if she is on her "best behaviour" she will get a treat.... as long as you dont fall for it, you'll be ok... they are much smarter than we give them credit for... :lol:

If you can prove this, report them to RRCUS...they have the monbey and legal manpower to do something about it....

You might tell him that growling like a put bull is no different than growling like any other dog...they all growl, the growl only gets deeper depening on the size of the dog....

:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

Mine couldnt pass it either K... Freebee DISLIKES strangers (is that politically correct enough? LOL) and Laurel is afraid of them.... Congrats to Brooklyn and Jaeden!!! :D

put the whelping box in your room, if that's where you stay most of the time. The baby gates are a hassle, and like K said, can be knocked over, but if you can secure them tightly you should be ok....My son wasnt able to move them, and my dogs have never been able to either. if they can jump over you may need two, one on top of the other. This is how I kept my son from escaping from his room when he first started escaping from his crib....and I only did it because three feet outside his bedroom were the stairs, a long winding flight down to the living room, so I had to keep him in his room until I could get him out... do you have a kennel? Maybe it wuld be best to set up the whelping box in a large kennel, and put her in it in your room. That way she is secure, she's with you and she cant damage the male....You wouldnt need to do anything until she starts to give birth... Some of the kennels have removable tops as well...

If lemon juice works than the lawn is PH negative...lemon is acidic and adds the acid necessary to blend the lawn. I have found that my dogs yellow the lawn only with certain foods... The food you're feeding may be either too or not enough acidic...the urine excretes PH according to the food... You can get kits to test the lawn for PH balance, then maybe change the dogs diet, if too acidic add more fluids, if not acidic enough then put the lemon juice on the lawn.... :)

It doesnt appear to be a defect, just a case of mating two tigers with the recessive gene,,,kinda like yellow labs. Scientific Name: Panthera tigris White tigers are very rare and can only really be seen in zoos. There are somewhere between 30-90 white tigers in US today. White tigers are not a different species of tiger, they are just white-colored Bengal tigers. They are not albino either, they have blue eyes, a pink nose, and creamy white fur with black/brown stripes. White tigers are rare because they only occur when two tigers mate and both carry the gene for white coloring. Males grow to be about 105-125 inches in length, while females grow to about 95-105 inches long. A tiger's tail alone is 3 to 4 feet long. Male tigers weigh anywhere from 419-569 pounds. Females weigh slightly less, between 221-353 pounds. so it looks like it happens in nature, but I agree with your point that it may make it hard for the cat to survive in the wild...

That "Signature" cracks me up - it reminds me of a married couple at odds...on the same bed, but not looking at. or talking to, each other... :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

The people in the attached yard have a "mini-shep" (I posted his picture)...... I was out playing with Freebee and Laurel in the yard...Throwing the ball for Freebe and encouraging Laurel to play...the little mini-shep ran along the gate, I think wanting to play too, but his owners are afraid of big dogs.. (BIG compared to him.. he;s about 6 lbs....) The owners are mexican and dont speak english, but the kids do, so I asked if I could hold "Spikey" ( the name cracks me up, my cat could take him out...) Spikey was an adorable little dog, all kisses and hugs, my face was completely washed by the time he was through...and both Freebee and Laurel were sniffing him...and then Freebee got all excited, and barked and brought her ball to him (which is bigger then HE is) expecting him to play... the non-speaking mom got afraid and took him away, and it took me a long time to convince the kids that Freebee wouldnt hurt him, just wanted to play...so eventually Spikey got brought back, and both Freebee and Laurel played with him along the fence (like they've been doing all along) but mom feels beter about it now...A small victory, but a victory none the less....

I'm really sorry...but the longer you let them be brats, the worse they become...like children...and they can do a whole lot more damage, physically, then children..just my take... :D