Horsefeathers!

Chow/Pit-ish mix? I can't do it. :oops:

Thanks for the links!

Oooooooohhhhhh, now see, you both explained it so well. It makes a bit more sense to me. I'm not really worried about re-training the rest of the "old" gang with it. I was just diddling around with it with them. I really want to find a way to get Fifty to focus. Click/treat may do it (eventually :-? ). Devin is also still young and could always learn more, but since he's a permanent resident, time is not really a factor. I need for Fifty to learn how to focus and to learn some basic good manners if he's ever going to be successfully rehomed. Click/treat and then training may do it. That makes more sense. That's what I'm desperate for with him... a way to catch his attention. This is the sweetest dog, well socialized and he is super smart, but it's almost like he can't control his energy. He's just go go go. That's why the two families who have given him up say they can't deal with him. I'm hoping this is a way to make him more manageable. Thanks! :)

[quote name='hillside']What it sounds like is that HF will be having a new dog soon. :roll:[/quote] :shocked!: What'd I ever do to you to wish such a thing on me? :puppydogeyes:

Seriously, I don't get it. I know I need to do some book learnin' and all, but can someone give me a general description of what I'm hoping to accomplish with clicker training? I mean, I can't quite figure out how it's different than a vigorous skritch at the right time, a treat, or an "atta boy!". I understand the concept that it's to mark a desired behavior, but I feel like I'm still missing something. I was doing a bit of remedial training this evening with some of my older dogs and used the clicker just to see how they'd react, but all they do is nuzzle my hand for treats. :-? Someone please 'splain this clicker training thing to me like I'm 4 years old.

[quote name='Malamum']oh dear... what kind?[/quote] He's still a tiny puppy, but it appears to be one of our area's generic Pit(ish) Chow(ish) mixes. It's a popular "breed" around here (Pit Bull/Chow). This puppy is still a very young thing, but is already very nervous and skittish. [quote name='courtnek']why did they oust Devin? Behavioral issues?[/quote] Yup. :-?

They have a new puppy. :-?

[quote name='pwrpufgirlz']another for a chi is... chico [/quote] :oops:

The thing that is upsetting to me is that it's someone in the pet [u]care[/u] business. What care? It's all about the money. Selling puppies and also automatically creating clients. I just can't wrap my brain around the idea of telling a client, "hey, cute dog... wanna breed it?"

I just realized I may have posted this here before. I think I posted it [u]somewhere[/u] before :oops: . Oh well, maybe someone hasn't seen it. It still disgusts me... especially the "about me" page. :evil:

[url=http://www.annapet.com/index.html]Click[/url] :-?

Thanks so much for the input. I'm really considering putting Fifty in some sort of formal obedience class, but it would have to be totally positive. As hyper and aggravating as he is, he totally shuts down and cowers if he perceives even a hint of frustration. There is another trainer closer to me, but she is kind of a "get the job done whatever it takes" trainer, meaning if the dog doesn't do "right," he is strongly reprimanded. Fifty wouldn't get a thing out of that. He'd lay right down and pee himself. :oops: I've always taught my dogs basic obedience, myself, but I just think Fifty could really thrive in more of a classroom setting with someone who could make him focus without intimidating him. Thanks. :)

[quote name='Malamum'] One thing I have noticed since we got her is that Indy's general behavior has improved dramatically. He has always been pretty good but since Saturday he obeys first time every time and on Sunday at training classes he was the best he has ever been. He was so attentive and did everything perfectly - no misbehaving at all. I think this is really going to be a good thing.[/quote] You just don't know how good a thing it could be. One thing I've learned with all the fosters that come and go and all the dogs that take up residence here.... while training is a wonderful thing, I swear that dogs learn best by watching other dogs. Indy will be the best teacher Kira can have! Since he's being an IndyGoodBoy, that's all the easier she'll learn good habits. It could be the other way around. I've seen several learn bad habits from a misbehaving dog. Dogs are WONDERFUL teachers! I'm so glad Indy is on his best good boy behavior.

[quote name='Holz_Boomer'] i find that one is Poodles=Fido... [/quote] It must regional thing. As many Poodles as I know, I've never met a Fido. :-? I swear every single Toy Poodle (or toy breeds in general) is named Precious, Molly, Angel, Sassy, Mi Mi, Fi Fi, CoCo and _____ Baby (fill in the blank with anything... I know a Hope Baby, Sugar Baby, Pooh Baby). For some reason, nearly every female Cocker Spaniel I know is named Maggie. Bulldogs and mixes usually have some tough guy name like Spike, though I know one cool Pit Bull named Snookie. Makes me giggle every time. It seems that every Standard Poodle should have a French name like Jacques, Pierre or some unpronouncable (for me) name. When I first named Perry, people wanted to call him Pierre. No, no, he's not a French Poodle, he's an AMERICAN Poodle... call him Perry. :P Golden Retrievers around here generally get good ol' boy names like Sam, Fred, Buddy and Charlie. I think the majority of them are named Sam. I had a Sam in today, actually. Buddy is the common Lab name around here. Color specific... red/brown dogs are typically named Rusty. Small white dogs often get Snowy, Snowflake, Snowball, Lily or just plain Snow. Black and white parti color dogs are almost always called Oreo or Patches. Anyone ever notice it's the truly evil dogs that have names like Angel or Precious? :o Also, ever notice that when people meet another dog with a name like theirs (say, Buddy), they always seem surprised, as if they thought it was original? :lol:

[quote name='DivineOblivion19']Well of course there are reactions with Ace, just as there are with anything you give your dog. This is why I said to talk to your veterinarian and to test it out when you will be home to watch him. There are a lot of animals that take Ace with no problem.[/quote] Not to be argumentative, I swear, but... There is no way to know how a dog will react to Ace. If he does fine when you "test" it out on him once, or even twice, he may not that third time when someone is not around who knows what to look for. Reactions can range from lethargy to deranged behavior... some dogs will actually become more wound up like a mean drunk. I just don't consider Ace to be like "just anything." I truly feel it's dangerous to be sending it home with people. My own vet does it, too. It's pretty common. I'm just uncomfortable with the home use of Ace and would rather see other options explored first and Ace considered as an absolute last resort rather than a quick fix. That's just me. The way we handle the boarding thing with our dogs...? We never go on vacation. :-?

I'm surprised the staff at the kennel didn't offer to help. I know at our clinic which also does boarding, they will offer to help anyone walk their dogs out, especially if there are multiple dogs. Next time, don't be afraid to tell them that you would like some help. They really should have offered, anyway. Just a gripe... I swear customer service is going to h*ll. People just want your money and then they want you to just get out. Ever ask anyone at Wal*Mart to help you carry groceries out? Good luck!

Oh well, it looks like he's going to live. Three sutures and a handful of antibiotics and he should be good as new. :) And it didn't get me out of housecleaning. I was nearly done when I saw the boo boo. If it had been this morning, though... :oops:

Son of a...!!! :x If it ain't one thing, it's another. I'm a baaaaaaaad, baaaaad mama!! All I wanted to do was give them a bit of fresh air and sunshine on a nice day to get them out of this stuffy old house as well as get some housecleaning done. I've checked on them about every 10 minutes and they all seemed to be doing just fine. I just let them in and Fifty has a big GASH in his side that looks like it may need sutures. Off to the vet... :-?

My dogs *mutter*... Today is a lovely day out. Sunny, warm, but not hot. I'm off today and what better day to put them outside to get some fresh air and sunshine and let me get a bit of housecleaning done. Sounds reasonable, no? So why is it that when I put my dogs outside, they quickly run to do their business and then dash back onto the doorsteps whining and crying to get back inside?? When I look out, I see 10 little noses crammed on those steps pointing up at me, pleading. I open the door and shoosh them down and tell them to go play, or lay down and enjoy the sun, or SOMETHING. Nope, they ain't buying it. Why do they do this? I have a spacious fenced yard, lots of shade, it's a GORGEOUS day out and they want to be freaking inside the house all day. Well, I'm not going to do it. Yer gonna stay outside and YER GONNA LIKE IT! I don't know about the liking it part. They are whimpering and some are barking and muttering. Surely they can't think I just forgot and need their reminders. Brats. :x

Ooooooooooo, congratulations x 1000!! She's absolutely gorgeous!

Hey, another Georgian! Me, too! Not related to the topic at all, but just wanted to throw my hand up in the air and wave. :oops:

I'm going to join in the Beware Of Ace choir here, too. While it works great for some dogs, IMO, it's just too unpredictable. You never know which dogs are going to just be mellow, which are going to be konked out for the day, or which ones will turn into mean drunks (not uncommon). Even though it's common, I really hate to see ace sent out with people to use at home. Also, while it doesn't CAUSE seizures in dogs, it does weaken their resistance to them in a dog already prone to seizures. We've had more than a few cases of dogs who had never had a seizure before having a seizure when taking ace. I used to give it to one of my dogs who is horribly afraid of storms (in our region, afternoon thunderstorms occur daily). He would pant, drool, and lose control of his bowel and bladder, he was so afraid. The ace pretty much sedated him for the entire afternoon and over into the night. It just wasn't worth having my dog so dopey just to get through a one hour storm. I hate to sound like an alarmist, but I am troubled that ace is so commonly prescribed for home use in sedating dogs. The effects of the stuff are just too unpredictable and I would never give it to a dog without being present to monitor it. All that said, I think the friend option seems like a good idea. Luka may not receive the same level of care as if you were there, but sometimes you have to weigh the evils and this may be the lesser of them if you think Luka would self destruct in a kennel. Good luck!

I know a black Cocker Spaniel named Frog. :-? Something else that's just weird to me is that I have a Cairn Terrier client named Scottie. Then again, I also have a Springer Spaniel client named Scottie, but it isn't as freaky to me as a Cairn named Scottie. I mean, I don't see many Scotties named Cairn. ? :-? ?

Anyone else seen this? [url=http://www.kirotv.com/weirdheadlines/2932671/detail.html]Elderly Woman Charged For Keeping 235 Chihuahuas In Filthy Home[/url] If it's posted here elsewhere, I apologize for the duplicate. I don't always get to see every post. :oops:

My vet carries those! I've watched him implant a very few and they feel funny. I'm afraid if I had them implanted on one of my own dogs, I might go to jail for inappropriate behavior. Imagine my neighbors' expressions as I follow Devin around the yard feeling his doodads and trying to "fix" them (oh no, they're one in front of the other... here, let me put them back side to side for you... just one of those things that would bug me). :oops: My neighbors already think I'm strange. More than once, they've seen me lift a tail and get up close and personal with my dogs (is that a tapeworm back there? blood in stool? never hurts to look). Once, they saw me outside trying to help express Perry's bladder when we first got him and were trying to housetrain him. I thought I could massage under there and give him the strong urge to pee. My neighbors looked on in shock as I stood over him, reaching under and, um, massaging him. I can only imagine what they thought I was doing. Me tending to some neuticles would be just enough to have them call the authorities on me. :oops: