courtnek

I didnt really train Freebee to retrieve, she came about it naturally. When she was a puppy I would throw a ball for her and she would chase it. She would pick it up and wait for me to come throw it again. after a while I got tired of following her around, so when she picked it up I called her to me. If she didnt come back with the ball I didnt throw it anymore. She learned in short order that I would throw the ball, but not go get it, so she started bringing it back to be thrown again. Now for her, the fun of the game was in the chase, and the attempt to catch the ball. I was never really attempting to teach her to retrieve, I was playing a game she liked, but got lazy after a while..... :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: Now she's a pro. She will find the ball, bring it to me, and drop it at my feet. If it rolls away, she will go get it and bring it back. None of this was actually trained, not deliberately. It was just a game that evolved over time. Laurel will not retrieve at all. She will chase, but not bring back. In fact, she wont even pick up the ball, just chase it. She waits for Freebee to bring it back, and then runs off with her.

all of Crazy's facts are correct. There is also testicular cancer, and escapsim to consider. Unneutered dogs tend to wander off more. However, if you want to show it's a moot point. You cant show a neutered dog. It's best to wait and see what happenes with training. Yu can always get it done later as mentioned.

yea Hazel, he blessed everyone's pets at the end. There was a priest that used to do that in a town near here...

I watch the show every week..this one made me cry... An Epscoplaian priest...married a woman who loved dogs. He introduced the dogs into his sermons...and found that the flock loved, and responded to them. He found them able to heal, respond, cure people of lonlinenss; sadness..he would let the dogs, Goldens in this case, after mass to visit with the people. The people loved them, and responded. when his wife died, he kept up her belief that dogs could help people. could give them strength, love them no matter what.... He brought the dogs to mass, every day. let the people pet them, know them, love them.... Thank God, for dogs... he did.

foxes, coyotes, and wolves, dont, as a genreal rule attack people. They are afraid of us. (as well they should be, considering what we've done to them) The wild canid that attacks is either protecting it's den (which we wandered into) or rabid. sick in some way. That cant be helped. Rabid and sick dogs have attacked people too. But because these animals are "wild", people want them eliminated. I cant tell you the arguments I have had with people about "wanting to able to let their small children wander 'free' in the forest preserves". !!!!!!!! there are lakes, creeks, rivers, ponds, raccoons, possums, skunks. ALL of which can be detrimental to a small child....who in their right mind lets a small child wander off into a forest???????? alone, without adult supervision????? I'm sorry, but some people shouldnt be allowed to have KIDS either. they dont seem concerned that the skunks, raccoons and possums ALL can carry rabies....or that their kid could DROWN unsupervised in any of the above....they want to get rid of the "wild" animals. (and they were thinking that raccoons, skunks and possums are TAME????)

y;know what? that was wrong. I'm thinking Heartguard. I dont know why I was thinkihg Frontline... The generic is called Iverheart....same ingredients as Heartguard. I have used Frontline for fleas...havent had tick problems, fortunately...

Frontline also deals in Heartworm medicine. They are better known for fleas and ticks, but they do have a heartworm medicine similar to Heartguard. I have used them for flea issues, and so trust them. I got Generic Frontline, at a good cost.

although I have to agree, my fear is that these dogs would end up being destroyed, much as the Pit's are today. you are absolutely correct, some people should not be allowed to own certain types of dogs (IMO, some people shouldnt own dogs AT ALL...) but there are no laws in place to enforce that, and I am only thinking of the consequences to the dog. There are already people that think that ALL wolves should be destroyed....Pit's at least are accepted as a breed of dog...you throw in the word "wolf" and people start panicking. There is already a huge debate going on here, as to whether the Coyote's that have returned should be driven out, or killed. I cant tell you how much politicking I have been doing to prevent that. They want to get rid of the Foxes, too, and this area of the state is know as the "Fox Valley"!!!! You even mention a wild animal, and everyone panics. They have no idea how much these "wild animals" go out of their way to avoid us. they know better. And they dont want to hear, or learn....

for stubborn dogs, I have used the chair down, or table down. put the dog in a sit, on the other side of a low chair or table. Be armed with a really nice treat. sit on the floor ont he other side, call the dog. He will HAVE to go down to come under the chair/table. his butt will be up, command down and back away. once his butt goes down, so he's laying down completely, give the treat. It takes a few repititions, but once they learn it you can work on speeding it up.

[quote]... Bissell "proudly sponsors Petfinder.com... ADOPT A HOMELESS PET." Isn't that cool?? I thought it was. [/quote] :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: doesnt surprise me - most people buy Bissells for pet accidents. I used to have one, when I had carpeting....they work pretty good, but you still need to spritz the spot with something that will take the smell out for the dogs. other than that, they clean up pretty nicely.

[quote name='SexxieRacerChik']I cannot rememeber for the life of me who said it, but just the other day someone mentioned this very thing. And that they bought a generic version of Frontline from [url]www.petmeds.com[/url] at a pretty good rate and it worked great for them. Maybe they will see this and speak up again.[/quote] that was me SRC. I got a generic version of Frontline from Petmeds. It was almost half the cost. See the above post. I did verify the ingredients first, and they are identical to frontline.

There is nothing wrong with "generics". I have generic frontline for heartworm for both my dogs. The important thing is to compare ingredients. If the ingredients are EXACTLY the same in both products, then the generics will work just as well. Most of the time, with things like Frontline, you are paying extra for the name. Just like Nyquil, and Tylenol, etc. I buy the "Jewel" generic brands instead. They have exactly the same ingredients, but you're not paying for the name. HOWEVER, that said, I too read the article about dilluted animal medicines coming in to the states through websites. I would email them (A reputable site has email for questions) and ask for a list of the ingredients, then compare them to regular frontline. Just to be safe.... If suspicious, you can also call the Better Business Bureau (here in the States, at least) and see if any complaints have been filed against the company.

:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: I dont know...I kinda like "The Bitch"....know some people it would definitely apply to....(not here! at work....) yes, your dog will have seasons, probably twice a year. Everyone has suggested spaying, but if you dont know, here's why. A female allowed to go into heat stands a much stronger chance of developing "female" cancers. Of the fallopian tubes and the uterus. Also, a female in heat will try much harder to escape, to mate, than a spayed one. Even if she cant escape, there will be unneutered male dogs hanging about whenever she's in season. It only take a moment for "accidents" to happen, and them it's too late. Please consider getting her spayed, for her own good and yours as well. By the way, if you decide on a male instead, we will all also suggest you get him neutered. For all of the above reasons. Unneutered males suffer testicular cancers, dominance issues, and escapism.

hhmmmmm....I dont know Fred.....wanna make a deal over your new Springer Puppy? hmmmmm? :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: just kidding. voted. It's very close. Alfie's at 30% and the other pup is at 31%....

larger dogs (labs, goldens, and the giants) often dont reach maturity until 2 years old or older. However, puppy food is not always the best thing for a dog that grows slowly. I think I would check with my vet, and get his/her suggestions.

I would agree with Roo to ask the breeder. I am sure there are also books you can buy, but I would get the breeders sugestions first. good luck

good for you! kind hearted soul! voted! :D

unfortunately, the only pics I have of him are photographs, and I dont have a scanner. His name was Jarvis, because with the black and white coat and markings, he looked rather like a butler in serving dress. Try to imagine a 100 lb dog, black with white markings (like a butler, border collie coloring) with the bushy tail and a BC type head. floppy ears. wide head, big feet. lots of fur between the toes, long enough when not cut to cover the pads. The vet determined him to be a small part wolf because of his teeth. His mouth was huge, and his teeth enormous, and curved under. She did some blood work on him too, although what that was I'm not sure. She warned me that if there were any incidents with him, the odds were good he would be put down. So I was very afraid of his ever misbehaving. He didnt in the 13 years I owned him, but it took a lot of training and discipline.

[quote name='Horsefeathers!']Let's see how psychic I am... you're going to need new clothes soon because you shall be exercising more. It seems to me like now that your ladies are showing such reliability and are enjoying themselves so much, you're committed. No turning back now. They're going to come to expect these outings and you can't possibly look at those sad eyes and deny them now can you? I'm glad they had such a good time. Enjoy your new wardrobe. :)[/quote] :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: too true!! and that would be a good thing, I could use to shed some pounds!! they had so much fun, they made me feel guilty when we left! Staring out the car windows, barking goodbye....Laurel baying...it's not easy to drive with that sound behind your ears... :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

boil up some rice, and cut some american cheese into it (american, because it has little issues, cottage cheese is even better) hope he feels better soon!!

both of my dogs have "web collars" seemingly harmless, except Laurel managed to get hers caught on the "tines" in the dishwasher. Before I could free her, she had pulled apart and wrecked the dishwasher tines. Sometimes shit happens. Dont feel bad about it. :D :D :D

:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: Oh I have no problem with it, I actually find some of the "dumb blonde" jokes funny... my favorite - "what do you call an intelligent blonde?" "a Golden Retriever" :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

thanks Mei Mei...there is a notable difference in Free since Laurel came. I dont know how to explain it. Laurel is both dominant, in some aspects, and not, in others. Laurel gets away with stuff Alex never did...She "plays" Freebee...pushes her buttons, backs down when necessary, but lights up when not. She is much more intelligent then I would have given her credit for, in the beginning.....she both keeps the peace, and pushes back at the same time. They had a one on the other day...Freebee wants to clean her ears..Laurel doesnt want her to. Laurel eventually snapped, and snarled, snapping at Freebee's nose....I broke it up. They both obeyed (I am alpha) but the point was driven home. Freebee doesnt bother Laurel when she doesnt want to be bothered. weird...Freebee is SO full of herself, I did NOT expect this. to see Free in the park, accepting ( not exactly playing, but not being belliegerent) and chasing Lau7rel down..I think Free is learning, through Laurel, to be more socailized. She now looks to Laurel, when outside, to decide whether to be a "bitch" or not...no pun intended.

i am SOOO sorry....Hounds are hard to keep in line. I know MINE has been. They want to be "out and around" - mine has finally gotten to the point where I could trust her enough to take her to a dog park...it's been almost a year since i got her... I hope someone claims them. or they come back... :cry:

well, Laurel has proven herself amiable to coming back when called, so I took her to the non-enclosed dog park today. I took Freebee too, because i COULDNT stand the sad face of "why her, and not me?" I kept Freebee on her long leash, and watched her, but let Laurel run around. She was amazing. She greeted all the dogs, became submissive when necesary, and just played otherwise. She's exhausted now, and sleeping at my feet. Boy can that dog RUN!! her hunting training came to fore, she outran every other dog in the park!! no one could keep up with her! I eventually let Freebee loose too, since she showed remarkable (for her) tolerance of the other dogs. Freebee chased her around the park, like she does in the yard, and with the extra room, Laurel outpaced her so bad Freebee had to come lie down!! As did the other dogs. No one could catch her. and she's SUCH a tease..she would sidle up to another dog, entice it to chase her, and then leave it in her dust!! :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: