courtnek

poor Free has the same problem. She doesnt LIKE children, plain and simple. But since she looks like a Lab everyone and their brother yells "Oh look at the pretty Lab! You can go pet her!" I have had to stop children from approaching her at petco every time I go there. Their parents get all upset and say "Labs are GOOD dogs, why cant they pet her?" SHE'S NOT A LAB, SHE'S A LAB **MIX** AND SHE DOESNT LIKE SMALL CHILDREN!!! Dont you have the brains to teach your kids not to try to pet a dog WITHOUT ASKING THE OWNER FIRST?????? (I had this exact conversation with an idiot mother the last time I was there) Free will tolerate small children if I tell her to, and if she is not jumped on or suprised from behind. She doesnt care for it, but she will sit still and let herself be petted. IF she knows about it up front. small children frighten here, with their quick movements and arm waving, she prefers to avoid them. When they force themselves on her, she tends to duck behind me, and then raise her lip a little in warning if they keep coming on. She has never bitten anyone, but do I want to take that chance? no. she will always respond to my "CHILL!" command, but what if I wasnt paying close attention? I hate people like that. this last time, the people that worked there were really great. They stood behind me and said "no child should ever approach a dog without the owners permission, for the childs safety and welfare". WOO HOO!

***HUGS*** to you Tammy....so sorry. Rest In Peace Ariel. be in joy now that you have no pain. :angel:

as mentioned, take a leash and collar. you will have to stop on the way home, a puppy cant hold it five hours quite yet. A crate is a very good idea as well, becasue if he gets scared he may try to crawl under your feet. which is not good when you're driving. as far as the cats, putting the puppy in a crate and letting the cats sniff him will work at first. Later, you could babygate him in, say the kitchen., where an accident is less of a problem, or the bathroom, and let them commune through the gate. that's how I have introduced my cats to all my dogs. they decide when they want to commune.

**confuso-meter switches on...* you want a dog that doesnt shed, but yo have a GOLDEN???? I had one, they shed year round...?????? all dogs shed, some just shed less....poodles and schnauzers, as listed. Goldens, IF TRUE TO TYPE (not ALL are) get along with just about anything. cats, dogs, mice, doesnt matter. only you know your dog and its tolerances. It would be best to introduce the two beforehand and watch for reactions, on both dogs parts.

HELL YEA! its animal abuse . I would report it ASAP...

I believe they CAN tell the weather, if you know what to look for. My Lab starting blowing her coat in July!!! and the summer had been cool and rainy up til now, now its getting warmer. Also, if you watch the undercoat in the fall, the thicker it gets, usually the colder it will be. My Lab is an excellent weather barometer, long term. Dont know if she could tell if it;s going to rain, cuz she wouldnt care. she loves water and will stand out in the rain till shes drenched. :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

I have a friend who breeds bloodhounds. His are prize winners, and have been in the winners circles many times. The ones that dont "cut it" that he cant adopt out. he keeps. and neuters. The problem is, as he tells me, that bloodhounds are not real popular as "family pets". They arent "cute", they really do need to work, they are very large. Not at the top of the pet list. also, alot of people mistakenly belive that bloodhounds kill their human quarry when they catch them. patently untrue. they simply lead the police or the trackers to the people. they dont attack people, but they will hold them, and annoy them to death with that bay (I have a foxhound, I can sympathize) until the authorities get there. They arent easy to place as pets. I dont know if Afghans are the same or not. He owns a restaurant now, and has a room in the back (like a screened in area, like McDonalds has for the play room) where the dogs he keeps as pets are kept with him all day. People can go out there an meet them, and play with them. they're very gentle, lovable old coots....

well, I put foam down on the floor, covered with sheets. Dogs slept on the couch. I added more foam...dogs slept on the couch....I put two king size pillows on the floor in my room (with pillowcases) with old couch pillows under them. Dogs sleep on the floor.... :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: they KNOW when they're comfortable....spoiled? of course not.... :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

I certainly hope so....however, I had to re-read it, after Matty's post, to see that. I am afraid other people will see it the way I did, as advertising this dog as a golden, when in fact it isnt, and that could be harmful to the fate of the dog.

he couldnt survive being away from his mother at three weeks. He would not even be weaned yet. I think PetSmart is wrong on this one. Let's see if I can explain this in a way that will make sense to you. In a pack, the mother "dens" her pups until they are at least 8 weeks old. She nurses them the whole time, and then eventually starts to regurgitate solid food for them to eat. In the "den", the pups sleep in one area, and "go" in another, away from their sleeping area. The mother then eats the solid waste and goes on about caring for them. Gross, I know, but animal nature is much different from humans. Your pup doesnt KNOW that he should not go in your house. To him this is perfectly normal. Yelling at him, or hitting him, will not train him to NOT go. It will only make him fear you. As suggested, get him a crate. Small enough so that all he can do is get up, turn around, and lay back down. Leave a small place to put puppy pads for overnight, away from where his blanket and toys are. By instinct, most dogs wont soil their own bed (there are exceptions, and this is where you come in). A puppy this young needs to go outside, even crated, AT LEAST every two hours. then praised in a high yippy voice when he performs, as was already stated. After every meal (within 5 minutes at this age) after he drinks, after playing for a while. all of these things will make him need to go. You provide the "positive" reinforcement of taking him out and making sure he does it there. Overnight, I would have puppy pads in the crate, and take them outside with you first thing and put them where you want the dog to go. Smell is a big enforcer for housetraining. The crate, if trainng is done properly, will become your and his best friend. As he gets older and can hold it longer, he may still choose to sleep in his "den" at night. During the day, if someone is there to watch him and take him out, you can put cardboard in the crate to make it just big enough that he can stand up and turn around, then take it out at night so he can reach his puppy pads. Good luck to you!!

y'know, the more I think about it, the more this P***** me off. They left a two week old baby, unattended, on an adult bed. not in her own crib. not in a bassinett.....not in a playpen.....for all we know, the baby could have fallen off the bed, thus fracturing the skull....I have hardwood floors in my room. I really hope they make both parents go through some kind of mental counseling/treatment before they get those kids back. I dont think they should be allowed to have pets, either, at least until they get their acts cleaned up.

absolutely untrue. there is no such thing as a "short-haired Golden"....the purebred Golden's trademark is it's long, flowing fanned hair, and the fanned tail. There is such a thing as a Golden Lab (not a registered breed, basically the mixing of the Lab with a Golden) who can be the color of a golden, with short hair. I had one. They looking nothing like this pup. This dog has bully breed in it. My golden lab looked like a golden retriever, with the short hair of the lab and the otter-like tail. on the left was my "Golden Lab".... [img]http://dingo.care-mail.com/pictures/63/633/361/633617708.jpg[/img]

I have to agree with everyone else. This man's speciality is training/breaking aggressive dogs. I know he does basic training, but I personally wouldnt want to send my dog anywhere where I couldnt see and interact with what's going on. I know he has an excellent reputation and all, but I;m just not the trusting type..... Shy and sweet is not a bad thing. Confidence boosting is easier than aggression training. HF had an excellent suggestion as well. Talk to some of the other training places, that allow you to stay and learn in the process. I would definitely prefer that. As far as protecting you? There is a big difference in a watch dog and a guard dog. That's where people get confused. What kind of dog do you need/want? If just a dog to alert you to strangers around the house, let you know something odd is going on, bark to wake you up if necessary, all you need is a watch dog, and most breeds (not all mind you) comply with this naturally. Some, like my Foxhound OVERcomply, even when unnecessary, and baying at the wind and a slammin door can make you crazy..... If you want an actual guard dog, it doesnt sound your little sweetheart fits the bill. Dogs chosen for guard duty, police work and military are usually aggressive to start with, and then get strict obedience training to make them handleable. Or they're puppies who show dominant traits from the get-go. So I guess you need to decide which you feel more comfortable with. Personally, I wouldnt send her, but thats OMO.

I agree with BK. Sassy needs to see a vet. thats the only way you will know for sure. I am now bowing out...unles a vet check requires more questions. I will help, if I can, but dont expect me to trust. not yet.

Sharpei, you need to take Sassy to the vet. no one here can diagnose for you, and alot of people, including myself, are still upset over her supposed demise. I am not going to get into it, but if you want people to trust you, you'll have to prove you are worthy of it. and that will take time. I am not trying to hurt you, but trust is hard to earn, and it only takes one incident to blow it all to hell.

I have no-pull harnesses for both my dogs. they are harder to pull out of than a standard collar, but because Pits are so strong you might want to look into a heavier-duty one than the ones I got. Good luck.

Huh? Why am I thinking that Sassy was gone???

[quote]PETA continually complains that humans are a blight on the earth. We are a part of the ecosystem, and cannot separate ourselves from it. That doesn't mean that we have free license to abuse our resources, but it does mean that in my mind there is nothing wrong with having a turkey sandwich. [/quote] THIS is why these people scare me. So, we let all the dogs and cats become extinct, or die off in the "running free" phase by cars, starvation, and other animals. Of course, there will be no more pets, so all the guinea pigs, and birds, and white mice and reptiles, all will be "released into the wild", to die from lack of knowledge on how to LIVE in the wild....and since no one will ever eat meat again, all the cows and steers will be set loose as well. and turkey, and pigs, and you get the drift. so now no one owns pets, or fram animals, or eats meat. Since PETA thinks humans are a blight to the earth, will they then demand that we all die too? Leave the planet to the wild animals and the plants? OK, a little over the top, I know, but this is what happens when fanaticism takes hold. Hitler again comes to mind......

well, I dont do it. there is an area of my yard that is "overgrown" (deliberatley) and thats where they go. not offensive to anyone, and it just mushes into the lawn and needs a little extra cutting... there are bushes, and downed trees there. it looks lilke a wild area...

no matter how rational PETA's answers may seem, they are typical PR BS. canned answers. I agree with them that the treatment of "farmed" and "warehoused" slaughter animals is abhorant. I have been fighting that for years, but NOT thru PETA. I would not support PETA's stands on anything, since they say one thing to their "people" but do other things, deplorable things, to get their point across. By blowing up labs where animal research is done. By seeking the extermination of all Pit Bull's, and by trying to make having pets impossible. I dont buy the "they should be free and without human intervention" crap. WE bred them to be our companions and helpers. PETA likes to call them "servants", but has obviously never seen the joy on a hunting dogs face when she brings back her kill, tail wagging madly, or a team of sled dogs running like mad and enjoying every minute of it. Or a Guide Dog, leading his blind master thru traffic and obstacles. These dogs were BRED TO WORK. and enjoy it, in fact need it. Many people here could tell you the sad fate of Border Collies not allowed to herd. They get destructive, and bored. So they are our servants? THEY dont seem to think so. They take this "servitude" with joy in every interaction with their people. Oh, and as far as "We may not know as much about a mollusk’s ability to feel pain compared to a fishes’, but here at PETA we prefer to err on the side of compassion and urge people to avoid eating sea animals of any kind."......did no one tell them they should have REMOVED the rubber bands from the lobsters claws before returning them to the sea? that they would DROWN and STARVE without the use of their claws? ooopppsss.no. guess not.... PETA (and mostly Ingrid and her merry band of fanatics) are in it for the MONEY and the PUBLICITY. I feel sorry for the poor underlings like you, who honestly believe this crap. I guess brainwashing isnt illegal if the brainwashee agrees to it....

HF, you need to post "food warnings" on these threads, I have to clean now.... :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

I make both of the dogs sit/lie down before I feed them. Laurel does NOT like to lie down, and it usually takes 4 commands or more before she eventually gives in. so tonight, its dinner time. "Laurel, Freebee, SIT!" both dogs sit. Laurel, Freebee, LAY DOWN! Freebee lays down, Laurel fidgets, gets up from sit, heads to dish. same commands are issued again. hand signals are given. Freebee responds, Laurel fidgets....on the third try, Freebee gets PO'd...she breaks lay down command, turns around and snarls/snaps at Laurel, who lays down in a heartbeat.... dont jack with a hungry Lab!!! :lol: :o :o :lol: :lol: :lol:

well, its a little late now, but if you tell me about Mocha I'll be more than willing to write you a poem for her. you gotta give me personality. It rook three weeks total to adopt my foxhound. they had strict adoption requirements, and had to verify everythng I told them, then go thru the meeting process with the current "bitchy" dog. (Free). hang in there... :D

Seij, my Lab hunts. and is very good at it. I have never once seen her "play" with her prey. She goes in for the kill, and its done. sorry if thats too graphic, but its true. Cats play with their prey, my cat does it all the time with bugs and such. I have never seen any of my dogs do it. so maybe that's true of some dogs, but not necessarily all.

[quote]He should have received a pink duplicate that serves as a claim ticket, but didn't. [/quote] I have to agree this is VERY suspicious. Had he said "I lost the ticket", that would be one thing, but he specifically said he DIDNT get one.....which makes me think someone in the park took a liking to that puppy, and never intended to return it. If I were the park manager, I would be checking out all the employees that day to see if someone "suddenly" got a dog.... Lab puppies, like most puppies, are adorable, and it's easy to become enamored with them. I personally cant resist them, or golden puppies, because the cuteness factor is WAY too high. I would never steal one, but who knows? maybe one of the kennel attendants just couldnt resist. still wrong, but I hope they can get him back to his owner. I would be devastated, AND angry......