Horsefeathers!

[quote name='Seijun']I saw a picture of an explosives detective dog, a german shepherd of some kind, with a docked tail. At first I thought this was strange, but it does make sense to me now. Suppose the dog found an explosive, turned around, and its tail hit the explosive blowing everyone up? Sounds to me like a pretty good reason to dock.. ~Seij[/quote] I dunno if I believe that. I'm not a militant anything, and I'm certainly no expert, but at the same time, that makes about as much sense to me as cutting of their feet just because there's an off chance that the dog may step on an explosive, or cutting off their noses because they might touch it while sniffing. I'm sure they had a valid reason for docking the GSD (I reckon), but I just can't wrap my brain around that particular reasoning.

Actually, it's a very valid question. I live in a very rural area and I still hear it all the time... people saying to never give a dog meat because it will make them "bloodthirsty" and vicious. We know better, but a lot of people apparently still believe that. :-?

When I first read that, I was thoroughly confused. I was thinking DP has Kavik and it's not a name I hear a lot. Then I thought for a minute that DP and Matty may be roommates or something. Had me all shook up, I tell ya. 2 Kaviks? [img]http://groups.msn.com/_Secure/0YQAAAI0fqTyPoHbo*VO*k6YkVsjsui1KYGfqoPb3PGet0mEYsc71EksSfApXuugKjHdt1Ms4!cD27pQV8nrn8Z6dzari1HH34CMOi!oVjvIB6tHi4rASPunurILRzrWiFe24vTgOHfiql1eELXToKA/crying%20girl.gif?dc=4675436072349453090[/img]

Way to go, Ilsa's daddy! Wish I could see the pictures better, but my stupid monitor... :x

This was written by a friend on another board. She does a lot of rescue work and has just about seen and heard it all. I thought this was so worth sharing and she gave permission to crosspost. ======================= It has been my experience in fostering that when a new dog comes in straight from its owner, that it's usually useless to even look at the items that were sent with the dog. With a few notable exceptions they're usually disgusting and unusable. So I often don't even open that bag. It's a bad habit of mine, but so much easier just to switch the dog to bowls and toys that I know are clean and usable. After all, quite a few of these dogs come with undisclosed medical conditions as well. It takes days to sort through all the junk and get the dog on the right treatments to make them fit for adoption. The sort of things I find in garbage bags dropped off with dogs, and the sort of things left off the dogs' profiles were the inspiration for this song. One the first day of Fostering my new dog brought with him one collar that doesn't fit. On the second day of Fostering my new dog brought with him two leaky bowls and one collar that doesn't fit. On the third day of Fostering my new dog brought with him three moldy toys two leaky bowls and one collar that doesn't fit. On the fourth day of Fostering my new dog brought with him four expired tags three moldy toys two leaky bowls and one collar that doesn't fit. On the fifth day of Fostering my new dog brought with him FIVE HOURS AT THE VET! four expired tags three moldy toys two leaky bowls and one collar that doesn't fit. On the sixth day of Fostering my new dog brought with him six piddle puddles FIVE HOURS AT THE VET! four expired tags three moldy toys two leaky bowls and one collar that doesn't fit. On the seventh day of Fostering my new dog brought with him seven crumbling bones six piddle puddles FIVE HOURS AT THE VET! four expired tags three moldy toys two leaky bowls and one collar that doesn't fit. On the eighth day of Fostering my new dog brought with him eight feet of clothesline seven crumbling bones six piddle puddles FIVE HOURS AT THE VET! four expired tags three moldy toys two leaky bowls and one collar that doesn't fit. On the ninth day of Fostering my new dog brought with him nine leftover biscuits eight feet of clothesline seven crumbling bones six piddle puddles FIVE HOURS AT THE VET! four expired tags three moldy toys two leaky bowls and one collar that doesn't fit. On the tenth day of Fostering my new dog brought with him ten things he's scared of nine leftover biscuits eight feet of clothesline seven crumbling bones six piddle puddles FIVE HOURS AT THE VET! four expired tags three moldy toys two leaky bowls and one collar that doesn't fit. On the eleventh day of Fostering my new dog brought with him eleven holey sweaters ten things he's scared of nine leftover biscuits eight feet of clothesline seven crumbling bones six piddle puddles FIVE HOURS AT THE VET! four expired tags three moldy toys two leaky bowls and one collar that doesn't fit. On the twelvth day of Fostering my new dog brought with him twelve spots of ringworm eleven holey sweaters ten things he's scared of nine leftover biscuits eight feet of clothesline seven crumbling bones six piddle puddles FIVE HOURS AT THE VET! four expired tags three moldy toys two leaky bowls and one collar that doesn't fit. (And to end this on an up-note, on the thirteenth day of fostering the dog finally got used to all his new things and to being healthy, and on the fourteenth day he was adopted! That's usually how it goes.) ***written by Diane S.**

[url=http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=1339&item=7121711723&rd=1&ssPageName=WDVW#ebayphotohosting]Dog for sale[/url] :o

Poor Boonie. I hope he gets some relief. Keep us updated.

Report them. It will be up to AC to determine whether or not the concerns are valid (and it also depends on whether or not you have competent AC officers). I was just watching a local newsblurb where our area AC officers are going to be out scouting around for dogs left out in the cold without proper provisions (we're having some overnight hard freezes) and they're going to be confiscating dogs and issuing fines. Your neighbors won't necessarily [u]know[/u] you called even if they suspect it. Could be an AC officer that spotted the dog tied out in the cold with no food and water and in a prong collar, you know? Even if they confronted you with it, you could always become their "ally" by "helping" them learn how to take better care of that dog and what to do to keep those pain in the *ss AC people off their butts. *wink*wink*nudge*nudge* My own backdoor neighbors are forbidden to even own a dog (could be just Pit Bulls, but I think any dog) and AC told us to report to them any time we see dogs in their yard. A couple of times a year, we'll see several Pit Bull puppies in a small pen in their yard and all it takes is a call to AC and within hours the puppies will be confiscated. I really think you'll sleep better if you report them and let AC sort it out. If AC does absolutely nothing, you will at least have the very small consolation of knowing you tried to help.

Since Rocco bloated and died, I'm [u]extremely[/u] paranoid about bloating. I've been thinking that any future dog I get with a tendency toward bloating may have its stomach tacked to one side as a precaution. One of my Standard Poodle's stomach is tacked to one side already because he was having some unexplainable problems and the vet went in for an exploratory. While he was in there, he tacked the stomach to one side. I probably should have Pauly done because he's such a volatile burper and I'm afraid it could happen to him. However, the e coli outbreak has just about wiped me out for this year's vet budget. Maybe it's something we'll do next year. I'm terrified of it with Peaches (the foster Dobe) as well because she just woofs her food down like she's starving to death. Since she's not my dog, tacking her stomach is not an option. All this to say that I'm paranoid enough to do the tacking in a dog I even think *could* bloat. Overkill maybe, but I can't help being so freaked out about it. We did all the "right" things with Rocco because I was so aware of the tendency in Dobes and it still happened.

Good, it's not just me. It's taken quite a bit of convincing on my part to get my husband not to do a full body shiver when he sees me grab a spoon from a drawer and dish out something like some canned pumpkin (for upset tummy) or canned food if I'm giving meds. I know it's just as easy to add these to their regular food, but if I see some loose stool between mealtimes, I'm not going to prepare a bowl of food just so they can have some pumpkin. Easiest thing to do is just scoop some out on a spoon. Same thing with some of these pills. I HATE the way canned dog food feels on my hand, so I use a spoon to scoop it out and just put the pills in that and spoon feed it straight to the dog. I thought my husband would faint. It's not like they go back into the drawer when I'm done; they go into the dishwasher. :roll: He still doesn't know about me setting a plate or bowl down to be licked clean before it goes into the dishwasher. I'm afraid he'd have a meltdown. :oops:

Do you let your dog lick a spoon or fork when you're done with it? What about a bowl or plate? Do you put it down and let your dog lick it clean before it goes into the dishwasher? Or is that just plain gross? :o

I'm no expert, but one thing I would suggest is this... when pup is freaking out, or having an "episode," you [u][i]don't[/u][/i] want to respond by picking him up and coddling him. Some people think they are being soothing and reassuring (and some people think it's cute), but IMO, it creates a monster. You'll just need to remain calm and matter of fact. Dogs are great at conditioning their people to give them what they want (attention). When you leave for work, don't made a scene with long, dramatic goodbyes. Same when you get home. You don't have to totally diss him, but just be calm and matter of fact. It's hard to say why your pup is the way he is. It could be breeding, a traumatic past experience, both, neither, there's just no telling.

[quote name='Lokipups'] Use a command every single time you put the pup in the crate (I use the term "kennel up"). [/quote] That's what we use! We can stand up anywhere and say "kennel up!" and these dogs will line up military style in front of their respective crates. 8)

Congratulations! 8)

We posted at the same time, Baginja. :oops: Sounds like you are on the right track. Good luck! :) Edited to add: [quote name='Baginja'] I still don't know why he won't ask to go out at least every now and then I feel he understands because when we ask him if he wants out he get excited to go....Will he if he hasn't by now? [/quote] We adopted three and four YEAR old Standard Poodles which had never been inside a house a day in their lives before going into rescue. If THEY could be housetrained, I believe your baby probably can. It sounds like he's making progress already.

[quote name='pwrpufgirlz'] Get a water bottle (one with a stream, rather than a mist)... The second he whines look at him, firmly say NO! and squirt him right in the eyes with the water bottle. Repeat as necessary. I guess you could say I'm a huge advocate of the water bottle for both cats and dogs.[/quote] I'd be kind of concerned about using a water bottle for a dog that already seems stressed. You might be able to make the dog be quiet while you're around to watch him by squirting him, but I don't see how it would keep the dog from peeing and pooping in his crate and clawing until its nails bleed when no one's right there. It seems to me like it might have the potential to make things worse. I'd be afraid that a dog which is that upset already (not only the crying, but the peeing and pooping and clawing until its nails bleed) would become even more neurotic if you punish it for being afraid. I'm not trying to be argumentative and I'm certainly no expert. I don't mind using a water bottle on any of mine if they need a little attention getter ("hey, you, I said leave that alone!"), but I'd just hate to use it on a dog who is reacting to fear or stress already. That's just me, though. I could just be a hippy weirdo. It could just come from having to deal with so many "special needs" dogs that don't respond well to any kind of negative training and I usually end up having to outsmart them. :oops:

My opinion may be different from many others' opinions, but here it is for what it's worth... I think there are dogs that have a hard time learning to cope with crating and I even think there are some dogs who just never really do. 16 weeks is still fairly young, so it's hard to say if yours might, but I have known some dogs that just never would crate. One was Rocco, the Dobe we adopted. He was everything we could ask for in a dog, well mannered, professionally trained, had been involved in lots of events, but he would not be crated. I also had a Cocker grooming client that I could not crate. He was the most mannerable, easy to groom dog otherwise, but I had to either tie him in one spot, or just give him the run of my grooming area and close the door. He would pace, drool and bang himself on the sides of the kennel if I tried caging him. He would sleep peacefully through the day (other than the actual grooming part) if I just tied him in one spot or let him loose with the door closed. It wasn't worth the stress to him or me to try to [u]make[/u] him accept it. I'm all for crating and it's very rare that I would give up trying, but if the dog is clawing until its nails are bleeding and housetraining is going relatively well EXCEPT for when crating, I might consider another means of confinement. I have leashed dogs to my bed, too, mostly new dogs or fosters when I didn't have enough kennels :oops: . Also, is there a way to confine the dog to the kitchen or a bathroom when you're gone? You could still work with the crating issue. Just put the pup in the crate long enough to eat and let him back out. Put some treats in there and lure him in to enjoy those with the gate open. Put his favorite toys in there and something soft to lay on. Make it a place he wants to be instead of just locking him up when he's to be alone. Don't be pushy about it. Just be upbeat and perky and let him think it's his choice. You're just trying to make him CHOOSE to go in there :wink: . Perhaps he'll eventually come to consider it his "den" as most crate trained dogs do. He may be viewing that crate as some sort of banishment at this point (who really knows what goes through a dog's mind, anyway?). He goes into crate, you leave, he's alone. Crate means abandonment. I dunno; just theorizing here. He really DOES need to eventually learn how to accept being kenneled in case he ever has to board anywhere, spend the night at the vet's, or anything like that. Perhaps it's just time to take a step back and start all over, but in the meantime until you get it worked out, find another way to confine him. Then work on making him [u]want[/u] to go into his crate. Make it far more interesting than anything else he could be doing. That's just my take. Good luck either way it goes. I like Bichons, too. 8)

Oh, Tammy, I'm so very sorry! Life is a series of judgment calls. Sometimes we make the right decisions and sometimes we don't. You can't kick yourself for not being right 100% of the time. It's not always easy to interpret what little things mean or whether they're worth panicking over. This is so cliche, but hindsight is 20/20. I don't think you were negligent at all. Parvo can overcome a puppy so fast. To be honest, we've lost puppies in the past to parvo, too, and it's one reason I also don't do puppy rescue anymore. Grieve, but don't be so hard on yourself (easier said than done, I know). :( RIP, little Smudgie.

Wow, this has been very informative for me! I never really imagined Poms as being kind of hardheaded and stubborn. The Poms I see in our clinic and at my groom salon have all been well mannered, happy little smiling dogs. I just assumed it was a breed trait since I've never researched them any further (other than coat care related stuff). I can't think of a single ill mannered Pom I've ever handled. This is why I'm glad I read stuff. Learn something new every day. 8)

He's being a dawg. However, YOU can outsmart him. :wink: We have clearly defined boundaries in our house (physical and behavioral) mainly because we need order since there are so many of them. We've learned to never leave a dish (*ahem* hot chocolate mug) unattended, not even for a second. Our dogs are like vultures in that they seem to be constantly in a holding pattern, hovering around until one of us (hubby or me) is off our game for a minute and leaves a potentially edible (or lickable or chewable or sniffable) item unattended. We have to be faster and smarter than them. If I need some alone time in the bathroom, I simply close the door. If they persist in being doodoo heads, they go into their special "calm down, time out" places which would be their crates. The parrot trick worked well for mine when they would cry to the heavens about their confinement. We'd simply cover the crates with a blanket or draw the blinds and close the door and say goodnight. Since their pitiful pleas didn't work initially (have to get some of that good selective hearing that most mamas have and tune them out sometimes at first), they don't bother protesting anymore. Anything you don't want destroyed, put away. Clothes, paper, shoes, anything. In the initial training phases, our house frequently looked as if we might be selling off our belongings to support a drug habit since it often looked so bare in here, but the dogs did eventually learn that they couldn't eat, shred, gnaw, chew everything that wasn't nailed down. You'll probably need to put trash cans up on a high surface, or have one with a very securely locking lid. I don't know how old Scout is, but I never gave free run of the house to any of my dogs until they'd been here a while and were more trustworthy. Dogs will be dogs and the world (or unattended house) is a huge place to explore and with exploration often comes destruction. Pretty much whatever others have said... persistence and diligence and lots of exercise couldn't hurt. Find things that are most interesting to Scout than your newspaper :wink: . It's kind of a pain in the butt in the beginning (then again, it's pretty fun because you'll get to look back and laugh), but it usually pays off with a well mannered dog. When I think of some of the things we've been through with some of these critters in the past, I heave a huge sigh of relief that all ten are settled in (mostly :oops: ) and fairly reliable. I'm a huge believer in a structured environment. It just seems to me that dogs react much better to structure and routine and a clearly defined set of boundaries rather than constantly having to test their boundaries to see what they can get away with. Good luck. 8)

I live in a fairly mild climate where it doesn't get too awfully cold. It doesn't snow here or anything. Of course, that doesn't stop me from putting a jacket or sweater on Peanut if we're going out somewhere just 'cuz she's kind of cold natured (oh my, it's below 60 degrees... better grab a sweater :roll: ). I've always wondered how people handle their little dogs with the boots and the coats and such for the quick potty trips. My dogs are usually in such a hurry to get out the door that I don't think I would have a chance to get any of them suited up in time to make it. I was wondering if dogs that have to pee or poop will just stand there while you're dressing them. I'm not being a smart*ss; I'm genuinely curious about how that works.

Hey, how cool is that? I'm having a hard time with the pictures (because of my stupid monitor), but I love the idea. I think that's great!

[quote name='candy722'] And in every state and city you are allowed to have a certain # of dogs.[/quote] Not every state and city. We legally have ten dogs and five cats, all indoor pets, no kennels or breeding. We don't have to have any kind of license to have them and there is no limit on how many we can have in my county. However, if I lived three miles further up the road within city limits, we would only be able to have two dogs on a residential property (unsure the limit of cats).

Oh, geez, Tammy, I hate that! I, too, hope it's not parvo. I really hope Smudge will be fine. :(

I think it's a personal decision. If you want to tip, that's fine, but if not, no biggie. Me personally, I set my prices where I get paid pretty good regardless of tips. I consider tips as gravy, not a part of my main income. Many of my clients are generous and I appreciate them, but I'm ok with people not tipping. Some people just don't think about it and I'm fine with that. To be honest, I hate feeling [u]obligated[/u] to tip anybody. I do it to show appreciation for a job well done, not because I feel obligated. While we're on the subject, and this may raise some hackles, but I hate tip jars I see in places, grooming salons included. There's no way I'd do it.