courtnek

I took the quizzes, just to see how I'd rate.... They said for me, the perfect dog would be a Golden (had one) a Lab or a German Shorthair Pointer (have a mix of both)...didnt mention a Foxhound though, although most Foxhound sites say they need a Farm or lots of acreage. But Laurel is 6 years old, and seems happy with just a BIG yard (60 ft. by 80 fy) to cavort with Freebee in.... So I guess I chose well....LOL that's a cool bunch of sites....I also read "The Pledge" and I think all dog owners should have to read it and sign it.... I pledge to make a reasonable commitment of time and effort and to effect scheduling and lifestyle changes in order to make this relationship work. I pledge to make sure my dog is not exposed to the elements of weather without proper shelter, shade cover, dry ground, access to fresh water, and at least one hour of loving companionship and play a day. (I understand this is a minimum and will strive to keep the dog with me as much as possible and treat him or her as an important member of my family.) I pledge to provide appropriate and timely veterinary care for the life of my dog. I pledge to provide my dog with the proper nutrition for optimum health, and to keep my dog at the proper weight, neither obese nor emaciated. I pledge to keep my dog indoors at night, and to include him or her in the activities of the household as much as possible while we are home. I pledge to keep my dog groomed and free of external parasites and matting (particularly behind my dog’s ears, under his elbows, and on his tail and thighs). I pledge to spay or neuter my dog if it has not already been done. I pledge to give my dog ample aerobic exercise daily, and make sure that at least three times a week he gets to run and play until tired. I pledge to provide my dog with mental stimulation in the form of daily play, interactive toys, training, or off-territory leash walks. I pledge to provide my dog with enough training and/or behavioral management so as to enable him to be a welcome part of my community or to be managed safely. I pledge to provide my dog ample outlets for his instincts (such as off-territory leash walks/running, opportunities to sniff and explore the natural world, agility training, trick training, fun and rewarding obedience training, play with other dogs, etc.) So that he does not feel constantly frustrated or develop behavioral problems because he is neglected or understimulated. I pledge to provide a home in which my dog clearly knows there are certain rules that I will insist on and he can count on. I pledge to provide my dog with enough toys to satisfy his urge to chew. I pledge to get professional help if my dog has or develops behavior or temperament problems, and to manage my dog carefully so as not to endanger other people and pets in my community. I pledge to do everything I can to keep my dog from becoming a nuisance in my community. I will not allow my dog to run free/out of my control and chase cars, bicycles, children, etc. I will keep my dog quiet or seek professional help to get my dog to be quiet when I am home and away, so as not to disturb my neighbors. I pledge to "scoop poop" from my dog when off my property so that my dog and other dogs will always be welcome in public. I pledge that, if I have to move residences for any reason, I am aware that finding housing that accepts pets can take longer than average, but that I will commit to moving with my dog as I would move with a member of my family. I pledge that, if for any reason I can no longer keep this dog, I will not abandon this dog. I will return the dog to the shelter (if required) or leave ample time to find a new and appropriate home, tell the new owners truthfully all the dog’s behaviors good and bad, and follow up occasionally to make sure the dog is safe and content.

Also, Yatooma, there is the welfare of the bitches to be concerned about. Puppy Mills generally "mass produce" puppies. As soon as the bitch goes into heat, she is bred again, and again, and again. She never gets a break from the whelping process. A lot of these females age way before their time, because continual ongoing pregnancy is neither good for them, or normal. Also, puppy-millers dont genreally look very closely in to the lines of the puppies they are creating. The dog you just paid $2000 for may have chronic ear problems, hip dysplacia, growth disorders, even neurological disorders, because the breeders are not following the AKC guidelines for bloodlines. A good breeder will do the best he/she can to guarantee their pups are as free from genetic disorder as possible. They will not re-breed from a dog that has thrown a litter with these problems. They also sell the "less perfect" dogs as pet quality, not show-quality dogs, and they insist the owners neuter the dog, so it cant procreate. What we term as puppy-millers are people who just throw two dogs together, get a litter and then sell them at outrageous prices, even though they are not up to AKC standards and may actually be ill. And the papers they sell with them? Absolutely useless. You can buy computer programs to make real-looking AKC papers, and they're completely fake..... Does that help answser you question? :)

She's really cute Crested!! Poor Ben, but I imagine they'll learn to get along soon..... :fadein:

Emily, since you're here all the time anyway, why not just join? It doesn't cost anything and we like to think of ourselves as long-distance family. :D

I am very sorry Mouse, about Poppy. :cry: :cry: :cry:

LOLOLOLOL Freebee is obsessively clean...she will lick my feet if I amd barefoot and have bedn walking with no shoes, and now she has taking to cleaning Laurel's ears...She has the long floppy foxhound ears, and although I cleaned them already apparently Freebee thinks it wasnt good enough. She licks Laurel's ears every chance she gets.... :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

Dont get me wrong, laser light games are ok, once in a while, if you dont shine it directly into the dogs (or peoples) eyes. But you have to keep it limited, to a few minutes once or twice a week. Because there is no smell, no sound, no taste, nothing tangible, they dont understand it. In their lives everything they can see also has a smell and a sound. They can be become completely bent over not being able to figure it out. In dogs who are not sight hounds, smell is foremost. They can SEE this thing, but cant smell it. They dont understand, and as they try to understand, they canb get "addicted" to the game. trying to figure out what this thing is.... Play, but just be careful. And if the dog seems to be becoming angry or insistant about it then stop.

I can crochet and knit, and used to do it all the time - until I had dogs..... they steal the yarn (the cats do too) and any blanket or sweater I tried to make ended up as a dog bed because they would claim it as theirs as soon as I laid it down.... :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: It's been so long I dont know if I even remember how anymore....

I'm sorry Lucky....no one else has any influence in what I do with my dogs. It's hard when someone else is in control.... Can yu get your mom to cooperate? and your dad? Lucky needs to be toned down. It may take your mom or dad to do it. If she doesnt see you as Alpha, she is bothering Riley because she wants position. And only the Alpha can determine that. Maybe if you explain that to them they will help you?

Lucky, it's looking like you will need to be a strong alpha to get through this. I agree with the post that said dont let the other dog walk all over the new one....it's still pack behaviour tho...the alpha will not allow serious fighting in the pack. A few scuffles, but nothing more. You need to stomp down on Chaos when she misbehaves. YOU are alpha, and that's it. They need to obey you. When she shows aggression to Riley, I would suggest seperating her from you, if that means crating her, or putting her somewhere in another room, but definitely dont let her continue to think she can get away with hurting Riley. Dogs dont like to be away from the Alpha, it's a definite punishment in a pack. And when she is behaving around Riley, then reward her. Positive reinforcement whenever possible, but you may have to seperate her from you at times to get the point across.

HEY Marble!! Glad to see you!! I am hoping to have pictures of the new addition this weekend.

[quote]I cannot buy anything bigger than a king size bed. I am very sorry about this. Do not think I will continue to sleep on the couch to ensure your comfort. Look at videos of dogs sleeping. They can actually curl up in a ball. It is not necessary to sleep perpendicular to each other stretched out to the fullest extent possible. I also know that sticking tails straight out and having tongues hanging out the other end to maximize space used is nothing but doggy sarcasm. [/quote] AMEN to that...... :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

It wont spoil him if it's only once or twice. He may turn his nose up at dog food first feeding after, but believe me, they dont let themselves starve.... I have always fed rice when my dogs have an upset stomach (recommended by my vet) and they went back to eating dog food no problem. But someone here made a very good comment. If he is bile puking when he is hungry, he may have a blood sugar issue. It could be too high, or too low. In that case I would definitely recommend a blood test, because dogs can become diabetic, just like people. I have a lot of experience with diabetes, I've been a diabetic for 38 years, and my son is one as well. If the blood test turns up positive, jist let me know and I'll help you through it.

I dont own one (I have a Lab and a Foxhound, both need a yard) but I have heard from quite a few people that Papillons are good apartment dogs. They are supposed to be gentle, intelligent, quiet and easily trained. However they are small. May I make a suggestion? Go to the local shelter or humane society and tell them what you are looking for. Meet the dogs they have there, you may fall in love with one instantly. You can often find puppies there too, if it's a puppy you want. We all have our own favorites, and I would love to tell you to get a Lab (because they're good for first-time dog owners) but I can guarantee they wont do real well in an apartment. They fit all the other requirements, but they need outside exercise..... Keep in touch and let us know how you make out :D

I would also get the humane society in on it. They often work with the police and may have more pull than you do. good luck

Rott, did you get them to dust the gate? Fingerprints and a description of the truck are good leads. If they wont cooperate, my next step would be to call in the media.... "Police refuse to help owner find stolen pet" something like that I hope you get her back soon!!!!

[quote]And she also counter surfs no matter how many times we've done the mouse trap trick, she just looks at me like, yea so what [/quote] yea, unfortunately, it doesnt work for ALL dogs....bummer. I got my Golden to stop stealing food by putting a HUGE pile of peanut butter on the table, and putting the water up...Without the water the peanut butter was a job to swallow, he never stoile anything off the table again. You HAVE to be there for this correction... Some dogs wont respond to that either. The only choice left is to NOT leave anything up there they are interested in... :(

there is a harmless way to fix this. Buy a number of standard mousetraps. Set them on the counter and throw a blanket over them. Leave something "tempting" on the counter (food, usually) and when she jumps up to get it the mousetraps will trip under the blanket. She wont be hurt, but the noise and the scare usually keep them from counter surfing from then on. Alsso, it's a correction that doesnt involve YOU, so you're not the bad guy....

altho dogs prefer to be inside with the family, if your dad is going to insist on her being outside, this is a better solution. She has the relative freedom to run the yard, and has a warm place to sleep that's safer than the garage. I would not let any dog live outside, but theres not alot you can do about your parents..... except make them feel guilty..... :evilbat: the tether line is better than a chain anyway, because they cant wrap themselves around things and choke with it. Good luck to you!! and glad to hear your pup is inside with you now :lol:

OMG!!! I AM CRACKING UP!!! We have a hot dog stand here called "SuperDawg" - I had this visual of this poor dog running with the rubber "cape" under the SuperDawg sign!!!! :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

:oops: :oops: :oops: typing is not my strong point..... :)

How could they AFFORD TO FEED THEM???? I bet they're not real healthy..... poor things.... :(

Is he chained because there is no fence? The garage is not a safe place for a dog - they love the taste of antifreeze and it will kill them if they drink it. Oil isnt good for them either, or windshield wiper solvent. I would like to make a suggestion - instead of the chain and the garage (if the yeard isnt fenced) I would put up an outside doghouse. behind the garage maybe, but definitely blocked from the wind. If you have any skill with wood and a saw, they are fairly easy to build. If not, there are pre-made igloo doghouses that you can purchase. They're not terribly expensive. The best thing to fill it with is straw, and make sure that there is a rubber covering over the dog, that the dog can get in and out but it will block the wind. Then, replace the chain with an overhead line tether. It's a wire line that runs from say a tree to the house, and you attach the dog to it on a long leash (at least six feet) and it gives the dog more freedom than a chain. they can run up and down it and out a little from it. Attach it close to the doghouse, so the dog can get in and out easily, and then make your dad feel REALLY guilty about leaving a pack animal outside by itself..... :evilbat:

I think you're right. They would have to have a LARGE number of dogs to have guaranteed new puppoes every week, AND they have to be letting them breed constantly. This reeks of puppy mill, I agree with you.... bastards..... :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil:

p.s. if you absolutely CANT stand the thought of the fast, ask the vet if you can give him some cooled, cooked rice. Rice is easily digestible and will stay down if nothing else is wrong.