courtnek

my son is 18. you all know he brought Ford home as a kitten. Ford has acclimated to the dogs, and the other cat. he is King Cat. he is healthy and happy here. Kyle and his girfriend want to move out, and take Ford. Ford is his cat. I cant stop him. but Ford sleeps on my bed. loves me. seems perfectly happy here with the other animals. he lords it over them. I feel he wont be happy in an apartment with no other animals to lord it over, since that is what he is used to. But I have no say in his fate... what do I do, if anything? I am sad, but have no right to intervene.. am I just being selfish? I dont want him to be sad and alone in his new home...

I would check rescues as well. breed rescues. do you have a brother as nice as you? :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

Kat, did you ever sit down and tell him exactly how you feel, like you did just now? I knowits sometimes easier to share pain with friends, rather than family, and it doesnt sound like he's been real supportive of you in the past....but maybe just coming right out and saying this exact same thing to him, or writing it down and leaving it for him, might do the trick. he's your dad, as pig headed as they can be(call my son and he'll tell you all about it) he still loves you. its worth a shot, and even if he still says no,at least you will have cleared the air for when you come home with your new puppy. best of luck to you, and we are all rooting for you. 8)

I have to agree. what kind of idiot approaches someone walking a dog? glad all he got for it was a bag of dog droppings....maybe he should've studied his chosen weapon better. 22's are known to jam if you dont use high-quality copper-topped bullets.... she and her doggie had someone looking after them that day. I hope they get him. that's assault with a deadly weapon, and intent to kill...nice prison sentence awaiting him.... :evilbat: :evilbat:

I agree with K, sadly. Hi by the way, havent seen you in a while. hows it going? what most people dont understand is that Rock wouldd've kept going even if Travis had said nothing. he was not trained to attack, probably didnt even understand the words, but was encouraged by his owners tone to keep going. the "get him" was in affect to frighten the gunman, and when the dog didnt stop, even after being shot, thats exactly what happened. neither of my dogs are attack trained, but I can yell "get 'em" and that will rev them up even farther. its the tone of voice and the excitement that gets imparted to the dog, not training. RIP Rock.....Good dog!

[quote]Courtnek: That sounds like a way further extreme case than this. And yeah, it might be a slight dominance problem, but what if the dog feels it should be dominant because it's injured?? [/quote] an injured dog is more likely to react, I agree100%. but that is still no excuse for biting. he didnt really bite this time, he warned the baby off, possibly becauseof his injury, as was mentioned. however, having gotten away with it once, he now feels truly higher in thepack structure. I am not saying that these steps need to be take forever, just a week will probably do it. once the dog has accepted his new rank, mom can relax, however, I still would not let the dog be on the floor with the baby, he needs a "spot" he must stay in when the baby is down. and NILIF should be followed for the life of the dog. the harsher steps, like keeping him away from the baby at first, is just the first step in the demotion process. once the dog has accepted his new rank, she can slowly start giving it more priveledges, but be prepared to take them away again if necessary.

[quote name='"pigman"']I think some people are missing the point. A dog must always assume it is subordinate to humans, no matter what. No matter what age the human or how long the dog has been there before the human. So a dog that bites a child in an attempt to lovingly discipline the child, is breaking the cardinal rule. DOGS WHO BITE MUST NOT BE TOLERATED!! Simple!! It is not a dog's place to discipline a human. In tribal societies where kids and dogs are always together, a dog who bites ends up on the campfire that night. There is no sense in keeping a dangerous animal in the camp, humans are more important. Training a dog to bite is another matter, something I don't agree with but it does happen in protection work etc. A dog should be encouraged to bark at strangers it deems as a threat to its family but never to bite them. Weeding out aggressive dogs or dogs who think they have some sort of pack right over a human is the safest thing to do and is the smartest thing to do. All dogs who show some sort of dominance that is exhibited by biting (even if it's a warning bite that doesn't break the skin) should be neutered or spade immediately. I don't think it's necessary to put the dog to sleep, there are other options like rehoming it where there are no kids. But to allow a dog to bite someone and put it down to personality problems is downright dangerous and bad for dogs in the long run. It's people who give their dog the benefit of the doubt when it bites someone who are responsible for the passing on of the temperament problems we see all too often in the news. Who are these people going to blame when the dog kills a baby? The behaviourist?? A dog who bites for any reason is a dangerous animal and should be placed in care where biting is not an option.[/quote a dog who has been taught his place in the human pack will never suffer this fate. WE as humans are not as strong, as fast, or as accurate. so therefore if we want ot live with dogs, who are faster, more accurate and more dangerous than we are, we need to show them their place. in OUR pack.

[quote name='SandrA9810']Well call me stupid in dog behavior.. I know I am, I've only owned a dog for less than a year now. But why do so many people have quick reactions to what the proper solution is. And yes, I can very well seeing that keeping a dog out of a room with a baby is hard. Undeniable hard when every one eats in the kitchen at dinner time, or sits down to watch a movie every so often. This dog has been part of the family life, knows the family routine. Maybe she should've picked the baby up before s/he got too close. There's a number of reasons of if i did this. You guys all talk about this whole dominance thing. The dog probably took it's role as being number 3, and now is number 4. Maybe he's just a little jealous or something... In any case, dogs do get jealous over petting another dog at the dog park, spending more time talking with a friend than playing with it. From my experience, Faith (my c@t) got over jealous when I got Kiani and now likes to spend a whole bunch of time with our neighbor who addors her and comes home to eat. And Kiani got overly jealous when we bought two guinea pigs, which both have babies. So we've had to spend more time taking care of them. I just think the dog needs a little more one on one time. Find a babysitter that can watch the baby for an hour while you take your dog out, whether it's to a training class or for a rump in the park, but let it be known that it's doggie time with mommy. And have a dog sitter come over to give the dog a walk, or put it out in the yard, and let him know that its baby time. From what you've said, this dog is really really smart, don't let his intelligents bore him. Keep his mind sharp. My best friend is considered a genius (not trying to brag or anything, just comparing), and she has to read anything possible, whether is the label to food, or a poster, she's always doing something to keep her mind active. Rarely besides work, which I still catch her doing it when there's nothing to do, she's trying to learn something new, or analyze life around her. :roll: Your dog just might be getting overly bored with the same stuff, and not feeling like he's getting much attention. I think he might get a joy out over a behavior class just to stimulate his mind.[/quote] actually, dont get upset, but dogs dont get jealous. a dog reacting to your playing with another dog in the park is simply trying to redetermine its place in YOUR pack. this can cause problems, especially if your dog doesnt see you as top dog in your pack. jealousy is a human emotion, not a dog one, although they are actually based on the same thing. fear of loss of place. I am not a behaviorist, and I am sorry I was so harsh with the OP (please come back) but I have trained, aided and yes, broken, dogs of dominance issues over many years. dogs that would have been put down because of them, because the owners (most of them my friends) were at their wits ends. I had to shortleash a shepherd who would not allow the husband to sleep in his own bed, and demote him to a more acceptable level of behavior. that was the closest I ever came to being bitten. he was on the bed and wasnt going to move. he snarled when I entered the room. he realized right off the bat I WASNT backing down. I took a leash and fed the chain through the handle, put it around his neck (from a distance) and YANKED him off that bed, then ordered him to sit (by pulling up tight on the leash and forcing his head up), then made him do it by holding his head in that position and pushing his rump down. DONT DO THIS AT HOME. I know how to do it, most people dont. he didnt like it. I shorleashed him with a 2 ft leash to the husband, and he couldnt eat, walk, or even lay down without doing something for it (NILIF) he learned a great respect for the husband, was demoted to his "spot" in the pack, and there are no more problems. again, DONT DO THIS AT HOME. its very risky, and its only 30years of working with dogs that lets me get away with it. this was a one-off...most arent that hard to break.

OK I have said this before and been flamed for it. But I;m going to say it again, take it however you will. I suggested a behaviorist because he/she will basically tell you the same thing I am going to tell you. this is free. your dog has a DOMINANCE problem. he considers the baby beneath him in the pack structure. he is treating your child like a wolf cub that overstepped his bounds. that tells me there is a serious lack of pack order in your house. the baby needs to be seen as higher than your dog in the pack order. I would immediately institute NILIF, the dog gets nothing unless he has earned it, even by just a sit. no food, no walks, NOTHING. do not let this dog enter doors before you, even if you have to slam a door in its face. do not let this dog sleep on ANY furniture. YOU eat first, while the dog watches, even if that means you suck down a few crackers. he NEVER eats before you, or the baby. the BABY comes first,always. feed him first, make the dog lay down (even if that means you tether him to a chair) and make a big fuss over the baby. feed him in front of the dog, while the dog gets nothing. good behavior is rewarded, AFTER THE BABY IS FINSIHED EATING. the dog is not allowed access to the baby at all, keep him behind a babygate while he watches you playing with the baby. this is a DOG. his internal instincts are pack rules. anyone lower than him in the pack can be punished. YOU have to elevate the baby. I know we like to think of them as furry people, but its simply NOT SO. we dont have the teeth,strength, or instincts they do. You CAN break this dof of this behavior, but you cant back down. dog has to see himself as below the baby in the pack. Me,l I would not ever have them together with the baby on the floor til the baby is big enough to stand up for himself. even with all of the above. I raised my son with a 110 lb dog. he knew that when Kyle was on the floor, he was to go lay in his "spot" and NOT GET UP until **I** said he could, which was when Kyle was either in bed or in his playpen. they did not share the floor until he was 4 years old. they did not share a room until he was 7. until I felt Kyle (with my training) was old enough to order him to lay down, and he would. I am alpha in my household. I have never been bitten, and dont expect I ever will be. My son has never been bitten because of that. I'm sorry to sound so harsh, but a dog needs to learn its place. its up to the people invloved to teach that place...

looks like a chain link or a thornbush type tear...kinda jagged looking to me. I hope she gets better real soon.

they're not terribly expensice...cheaper than a vaccum...

dont worry about it. I have run out of dog food and given them canned tuna, and c@t food....as a once in a great while thing, it wont hurt them. its only bad if you feed it all the time....I shouldnt give mine hot dogs, but I do as treats once in a while. just think of it like a person. we shouldnt eat McDonalds every day, but once in a while isnt going to hurt you. this wont hurt them either. 8) the stupid c@t word is still broken.... :evil:

people have told me that a dustbuster with a brush attachment works better than a big vacuum...makes less noise. I guess I would start by running the vacuum while they're in the room, without touching them, and letting them get used to the noise first. dont put it near them, or touch them, just let them hear it. then once used to that, taked the brush part and brush them with it, without the vacuum going, just so they get used to that. then arm yourself with treats, and try to vacuum one. give them a treat every few minutes while you're working, but if they freak out stop and try again later. this may take some time...

it is never a good idea to leave a baby on the floor near a dog, any dog, for just this reason. however, there is a lot missing to this story did your dog actually bite, or mouth to warn off? break skin, or grab the babies arm? what you decide depends a lot on the answers to these questions...if the dog recently had surgery he may still be in pain. dog dont show pain the way people do, they tend to hide it because their wolf ancestry would get them potentially booted out of the pack for it, depending on rank and position. and how bad the injury was, or if it was intefering with the pack duties, etc...anyway, what actually happened? if it was a mouthing warning, You need to keep the dog and the baby seperate, and take the dog to a vet that will check it for possible pain or other after-affects of the surgery. they do respond badly when in pain. if it was an all-out bite, then I'm sorry but the dog needs to be rehomed. you cant put your child at risk, at least in my opinion. it comes down to what really happened, and what you want to do about it. I am sorry this happened.

there was an elderly neighbor who's back fence backs upto mine, and she was the sweetest thing in the world. she had a golden named Taffy, but had a problem at night because she would put Taffy out, and then fallasleep. after a while poor Taffy woud start barking to be let in, and sharon slept right thru it. I made a deal with her. give me a house key, and if you fall asleep while taffy is out I'll bring her in. she agreed. the neighbors were tired of hearing taffy bark late at night. this is the same woman who came walking down the sidewalk towards my house when kyle was about 4. his dad had fallen asleep on the couch ( :roll: :roll: :roll: ) and Kyle let himself out, went to sharons house (around the corner!!!) picked up her garden hose and started spraying it in her kitchen window.....I pulled in the driveway from work just as she was bringing him home. she told me what happened, and I felt mortified.....but she just laughed and said "I have grandchildren his age..."

well, in all the years I've had Free, I've never had to clip or have her nails clipped...they dont grow or something.....Laurel,yuck..has the HUGE all black thick-as-steel nails, and I dont dare try to cut them. even with a flashiglight, you still cant see the quick and they grow like freakin' weeds!!!!! fortunately, petco will do them fo 5.00, and they do a nice job, so I take her there.

since being bought by P&G, Iams had hired a third party testing facility, which was SUPPOSED to be testing how the dogs reacted to certain foods. there is a huge article on it on the web. believe it or not, it was PETA that discovered that this lab was overstepping its boundaries in the testing that was being done. The way I understand it, Iams was not aware of what was happening (which really doesnt surprise me in a corporation that big. the one I work for, the left hand hardly ever knows what the right hand is doing, until some crisis erupts...)and supposedly Iams fired the 3rd part lab and does all of its own nutrtional testing now. I cant prove the latter, but I havent seen anything recently to debunk the new setup.

oh "keep 'um" Fairy....where are you????? go for it 8)

Its very simple really. Burs have an internal "sensor" for dog hair. happened over millenia of evolution. so when they sense a dog is coming by, they leap out of the bushes and land on the dog, especially the tail, and any fanning fur (like Goldens have). then they very happily wind themselves around the fur until they are completely cocooned and finally feel safe.... 8) 8)

I hope its just a photoshop, but even if it is I'd like to have a few "words" with the people who put it together..... thats just sick. and if the poor dog does have encephaltis,its even sicker.... :evil: :evil: :evil:

wth spring coming, theres a lot of creatures making nests and stuff. maybe she smells them, and is letting you know. my lab barks at everything every spring, but she has the hunting nose...

Kat, you said it all yoursel. she LEFT the ring to come to you. if you were showing her, she would not have done that. she loves YOU more than anyone else in her little doggie life, and thats why they are backlashing you. they wanted you to train her, teach her, make her perfect, and then they wanted to take that away, with every feeble excuse in the book..you "left" her to go to Holland...you "cant see her because you went away, and that might affect her training"... do I hear a big round of BULLSHIT!! sorry but thats what it is. she loves you, and performs for you, and will probably never perform for any better than you. there is a BOND there that these LACKBRAINS arent seeing, or recognizing. they wanted you to make her perfect. what they didnt realize is that with dogs, that perfection only comes with a bond formed of love and trust, over time. Kat, she is your your dog. I dont care who owns her. And i would file a formal complaint because of this. they arent helping her, she loves you. in the long run, whats better for her? :wink:

congrats to you! however her "rules" just put me in a foul mood...I went through that same crap before I got Laurel. Sorry, cant adopt to you, you're not home all day...who the heck IS? the majority of the people in this country have two working spouses.... how do they ever expect these dogs to get adopted? the stay at home mom is quickly becoming a thing of the past, in most situations....

now I HAVE heard of doggie doors that have electronic "sensors" on them, tied to a chip in the dogs collar. the door will not open until the chip comes within range and unlocks it. same to get back in. that may not stop the cats, depending on how soon it took them to figure out they could slip through with the dogs, but its still safer than a regular dog door. the downside is that they're expensive...

well, I'm of no help. My dogs are so big that any door big enough to let thme out would let an averaged sized human (100 lbs or so) squeeze in as well, and I dont trust that around this neighborhood. also, it would let my cats out. it would be nice, because I have an inside door leading to the kitchen which can be closed, and the entryway could go straight down to the basement, which has cement floors and is unfinished, so no mud problem. easily mopped.