Peng1zrule

some dogs just won't tug! he could refuse to play because he sees you as a true alpha and is nervous of even playfully challenging you. some of mine won't tug, some will...depends on the dog.

first of all, if the dog is a nuisance to neighbors, KEEP IT HOME. Tie it up, put it in a lot, never let it out without a leash, whatever. If the dog is annoying other people, it MUST NOT be outside without supervision. If for nothing else, you're being a good neighbor by not letting your dog onto other people's property. The best reason for making sure your dog stays on your property: mean, mean, rotten-to-the-core people can pour antifreeze out and your dog will be a dead doggy before you know what hit him. I've seen it happen I don't know how many times. You don't have to fence twenty acres. One roll of hundred foot fencing, fashioned into a square, with a door added, gives him alot of space. You can try walking him around what you consider to be his "yard" with him on a leash, correcting him for going over a boundary. He must never be outside without a leash while he is still ignoring your "Come" command. Never say it unless you can make him come, (ie, he is on the leash and you have ahold of the leash) and always reward him for "coming" even if he "came" by you hauling the leash hand over hand to get him there. It may take years before he is entirely trustworthy off leash. And, it sounds like he has a prey drive. This means two things: he may NEVER be trustworthy off leash, and he may NEVER be able to be alone with your cats, even for a few minutes. The prey drive is a hard one to control, and a professional trainer is your best bet for learning how to do so.

face licking is a submissive behavior. correcting the dog is not a bad thing to do if you dislike this--in a pack, the subordinate member will lick an alpha's face. depending on the dog, the alpha either ignores it by lifting thier face out of range and walking away or by giving a swift, aggressive "bite" to the muzzle--a dog's way of saying CUT IT OUT!! Licking the legs is grooming. If they lick you after licking themselves, they are wiping the taste off of thier tongue. Licking you as you pet them is also a subordinate thing--beta grooming alpha. Licking the floor can indicate nausea, as a dog that spends alot of time indoors substitutes carpet/floor/furniture licking for grass eating.

I think hazel's right about the catnip...none of my dogs care about catnip, and even my cats don't really care. I only smell it when I heat it up in the microwave to entice Katherine-the-Cat.

a truly unstable dog, which i've seen, I would not try to help with drugs. But a dog that's just nervous or has seperation anxiety, I would use antidepressants on. My Best Friend has a german shepherd I got to watch all summer. At first, the dog was freaking out because her person was gone, then she got attached to me and would destroy the house because I would be gone. Toward the end of summer, she chewed herself half bald, worked horrible, scabby, knots onto her skin, and had worked open wounds onto her legs. The vet puts the dog on the same antidepressants the owner takes (it's a running joke between us) and sometimes, it's the only thing that keeps that pup from destroying herself!

that's so cute!

I don't know if he'd actually be hurt by jumping up and down. Gypsy seems fine, and the only reason I let her jump is because I can't get her to use stairs, ramps, or other leverage devices. She does wake me up at night so that I'll lift her down to get a drink. She can usually get on the bed alright, but if she thinks she can't make it, she lets me know. You could try teaching him to "stay" and then practive several times a day having him stay before getting on and off the bed, the idea being that he is not allowed to leave a peice of furniture until you lift him down or up--I think he'll happily adjust. I have tried this with Gypsy, to some success, with the shortcomings being because I forget we are in the middle of restructuring her behavior.

[quote name='pwrpufgirlz']while I generally agree that the sort of statement that you said can have bad repercussions later on in life (such as a fear of all dogs) is it such a bad thing to have a child know to not approach strange dogs? Like I said, I agree that perhaps the mother should have asked if she could have allowed her child to pet your pup, but what if she had tried that before and encountered a bad dog owner, who was rude to her? Is it ignorance or truly a learned behavior? I would like to hear what other people have to say on this. Let's look at it from a point of view of all dog owners, not just pit (and other BSL affected breed) owners.[/quote] Yes, this is a TERRIBLE way to tell your child(ren) not to approach strange dogs. I have not just an apbt, but a siberian husky, a lab mix, and two corgi mixes...PLUS my ever-present little companion, gypsy, a small, white, fluffy, gregarious mixed breed. I take gypsy out alot, and people have yanked thier children away from her and called her dirty and said she would bite. I feel this is a terrible thing to do because parents instill a fear in the child and rarely back up what they've said about the dog biting. I cannot count how many parents have told thier children my dogs would bite, then would not run after their child to stop them from approaching my leashed dogs. They would say nasty things, like "i hope you DO get bit!" and the kid, depending on the age, either learns the parent is a liar, or walks up to my poor, innocent, leashed dog, and kicks or hits it to teach it a lesson about wanting to bite them. It's happend so often I don't take my dogs out, and I put them up when children come over...I just can't stand it anymore.

if you're wanting another one, it's not too soon. sometimes a new baby helps the healing process...

mine weren't afraid of the vaccum until I got the bright idea to vaccum them...now they're more cautious than scared

it was not a night terror--it was a dream...he was hard to wake up because he was experiencing REM sleep, and REM sleep is very hard to come out of, the muscles are even "paralyzed" to prevent you from standing up and acting out your dreams (same with dogs) A night terror takes place in stage four sleep, where there is almost no brain activity, and a night terror is much more "violent."

have you explored all options with the new landlord? The dog being crated ALL times when you are not home, you will take the dog to acheive his Good Citizenship certificate, he is obediance trained, he will be excercise daily, you will give an extra amount on the deposit and a slightly higher amount of rent each month? Don't give up before you've exhausted every single one of your options!

mucho thanks to all who replied!! she didn't seem unstable, and you're right--it's out of my hands, and best placed into a professional's. I'll be sure to tell her all this. Thanks for lending some insight to the situation!!

I'm so sorry this is soooo long!! Please bear with me and tell me what you think. My neighbor has a rottweiler. I watch the dog over the summer, while she's away. The first year I watched the dog, I wouldn't bend over when I went to feed her for the first few weeks (she was on a chain the whole summer) because I didn't want her to be able to reach my face--I would use a hoe to pull the bowl to me, and then push it back into place. Eventually, she got over her aggression toward me, and i was able to pet her and play with her and even bathe her and walk her. I didn't really work with her, she wasn't my dog so I didn't want to spend alot of time getting her over a behavorial problem. (yes, I know that's probably a wrong attitude) Anyway, my neighbor came back and the dog had puppies. Knowing that the dog now liked me (we thought) she asked me to peek in at the mom and pups that first day. I did, and the mom went beserk. I had let her out of the bathroom, thinking she'd like to releive herself outside, and she flipped out. She wouldn't let me down the narrow hall (where I could have escaped) and she wouldn't let me get near the babies, and she began to bite at me. Not hard enough to bring blood or break the skin, just little pinches through my clothes. She was gradually biting harder and harder, and so I "removed" myself from the situation by backing into the bedroom. She charged the door and I had to hold it closed for a second, then she calmed down. I tried to go back into the hall, thinking she was calmer, would recognize me, and let my by. She backed me into the bedroom again. We did this three times, then I let her follow me into the bedroom, I slipped out, shutting her up, and ran out of the house to call my neighbor and let her know the dog was going nuts. (she tore up the bedroom in the ten minutes it took her owner to get home) There was a greenish liquid all over everything-the floor, the walls, even the cabinets and toilet in the bathroom where she had been corralled for the birth. AFter much discussion, we agreed she probably was in pain and scared, and that was why she had reacted so negatively to me. Well, I watched her again this summer, and she was in the house all the time (I let her out several times a day) She never tried to block my path, always allowed me in, but she did kill two of my neighbor's cats. My neighbor had told me she was "fine" with the cats, great with them, wouldn't bother them, so I beleived her. I had almost forgotten her aggression towards me before. (yes, I know it was stupid) Anyway my neighbor let her get pregnant again, and she had puppies again. They are now about three or four weeks old. Last week, I went up to see my neighbor, and she had the dog running around the yard. The dog didn't even bark as i pulled in, and I was a bit slow getting out of my car, so my neighbor went ahead and went inside with the dog. As I got to the porch, her other dog had hung behind to say hello to me, so I let her in first, then stood for a second, holding the door open and talking to my neighbor. The dog was standing in front of the door, at first off to the side, then toe-to-toe with me. I barely noticed her, but she seemed to be looking up, right at my face, or above my head (she seemed to be peering very far up) I went to step over the threshold, and she freaked. She seemed to jump, and she snapped my hand so close she gouged my nail polish. She could have bitten me, but she did not. She did bark her head off, and my neighbor leaned forward and slapped her on the hip. The dog instantly quit barking and slunk down the hall, toward her puppies. I really don't feel in danger with the dog, but this behavior strikes me as abnormal. I have had unstable dogs and human aggressive dogs, and I can recognize it in other dogs--but this dog doesn't flip out like a truly unstable one, and she doesn't seem to vy for dominance--she just gets very aggressive toward me. My neighbor says she is scared of her and does not want her around if I think the dog is dangerous. I don't know what to tell her, because I am not afraid of the dog but I think the dog's head is not screwed on quite right. What do you guys think??

do not give her human cough medicine, especially anything made to releive pain! take her to the vet, he'll give you doggy medicine. (gypsy LIKED Her sore throat meds)

Being a pitmix, I cannot say that you may ever be able to trust her completley with any dog. However, what you describe her as doing to HUMANS sounds completley different from any dominance aggression. First--I would NEVER EVER EVER let anyone put thier faces next to my dog's faces for any reason, unless it is the vet or groomer, someone in that vein. This is so "aggressive"! (to the dog) Your dog sounds afraid of strange people, and in shy dogs, this could cause a fear bite--you're lucky she's only giving fear warnings! Lots of people greet strange dogs by giving them kisses, I think children are big for this. Children also get bit on the face alot. I actually put out my hand and prevent people from kissing my dogs faces or bending down to see thier faces. my dogs have wonderful temperments but this is an aggressive move, and if the dog is scared anyway, he's likely to say BACK OFF the only way he can--with his teeth. As for barking at strange-looking strangers, this is not particularly weird, either. It's a part of the canine temperment test, but I think most dogs react abnormally to people who don't fit what they've been socialized to. Watch a dog that has never seen a very small child, particularly one who moves jerkily because he or she is just learning to walk--the dog is startled, the dog is confused, and the dog is scared. I know a dog whose family was a certain ethnicity, and they didn't socialize the dog much, so when people of a different ethnicity came over, the dog raised caine because the visitor looked weird to him. (actually, i can think of several times I've watched this scenario) And if she ever "gets over it" may be up to you--i think with training from a professional, she could be great!

one more thing: when timothy mcveigh was executed, I don't think they waited for him to be properly buried before they claimed him as thier next "spokesperson." Per thier own statements, they are hoping mcveigh will become as gloried a killer as charlie manson, and since mcveigh had mint chocolate chip ice cream as his last meal, they trumpeted: mcveigh was a vegetarian! you be one, too!

oh, don't get me started on peta's campaigns. when "the summer of the shark" was the big news story, especially here, considering 11-year-old jessie arborgast was a victim to a bull shark, actually had his leg yanked/chewed off, Peta tried to fly blimps over beaches where people had actually been attacked, with the message: warning! dangerous predator in water now! stop eating meat now! luckily, everyone saw how insensitive this idea was. they even have a special fund set aside to pay the legal fees of anyone who attacks what they so tastefully refer to as "carcass eaters." Does anyone remember the young man who brutally beat a college professor as he (the professor) was leaving work? PETA paid for his lawyer.

you can try not using a flash (best idea) or using treats to direct his gaze down or off to the side. My biggest problem in taking pictures of my animals is the red-eye.

sounds bored to me! you've got a rare husky, if he's calm enough to be left all by himself all day, and only occassionaly chews things. My baby is OLD, (between 12 and 14) and I don't dare leave him by himself. One night, he let himself out and spent the night entertaining himself. Here's what he did: 1) pre-cleaned all my dishes 2) inventoried my trashcans 3) streamered my house with toilet paper 4) chewed up several books 5) got into a fight with the cat and knocked over the printer 6) drank and drooled water out of his bowl, then drank out of the toilet 7) woke me up starting a fight with my other male. Now, my baby can be left alone for short periods, but if he's toyless, friendless, and unsupervised, my house is "fair game." I think he needs some toys, especially ones that will make him think/work, such as stuffed kongs, and buddy balls. I think, personally, he chewed up the video boxes because they are easy to destroy, and destroying is a very stimulating, satisfying, activity.

I missed alot...why is she being muzzled? Is she able to be seen in public wearing the muzzle? I, personally, would not let her be seen outside my home (such as on walks and such) with a muzzle on. I don't even use the GL or head halters because they can be misconstrued as muzzles. (I am thinking of acquring one, as I have lived here four years and people know me and my dogs) I think letting her be seen muzzled will lead people to beleive she is human aggressive and likely to attack. I received, saturday, a bunch of pamplets from the adoa (american dog owners association) and two of them were about how to respond to such things as your dog(s) being accused of human aggression. It includes things such as pointing out that you do not have to let a policeman into your home, that you can refuse to let one enter without giving you a copy of a search warrant, and that you have the right to take down thier name, badge number, phone number, boss's name and number, and any info about the reporting person, as well as the nature of the incident being reported.

My dogs do something i've heard lots of people complain thiers DON'T do: when I say, "look!" and point...they LOOK where I'm pointing. Calliope drags her blanket wherever she wants to sit, (she picks it up in her mouth and it trails the ground between her legs as she looks for a comfy place to sit) and has a comfort toy--her squeaky ice cream sandwich. whenver thunder rolls, I know she goes to find it and move it wherever she's sleeping. recently, she decided to bunk in with Fang, and I knew how much she loved him when I found she had moved her ice cream sandwich, too. Sandy paws at me to get me to pet her...actually, sandy does a lot of very human things...once, I was late coming home and she looked cross as she peered at my car from the window. I opend the front door, and there she was. I held out my arms and cooed to her. she gave me the same cross look, and pushed me out of the way as she went to releive herself in the yard. she wasn't having anything to do with me until she had cooled off. Buddy bites the sleeves of my sweaters when i intend to leave him outside. He will hold on and I'll have to pry him off of me. If I move my arms back, he will fall flat out on his chest, his legs stretched out behind him, and use his front paws to wrap around my ankle, his muzzle pressed to my shoe. it's so hard to leave him when he does that! when Gypsy wants to go with me, she will follow me, and whenever I pick up my foot to take a step, she will wrap her front legs around my ankle from behind, so that I'm almost kicking her in the chest with my heel. again, very hard to say "no" when they're hangin on your leg. she also claps her paws when she wants me to put her down. india claps when she wants food, she LOOOVES to sneak up on people (especially people who were not friendly to her before) and nip them on their calves, then run like the wind. she can also trick me into looking up at the ceiling fang...squeaks puppies. he runs at them so that they fall over onto thier backs, then places both big paws (one atop the other) on thier tummies. then he puts his nose down onto his paws. then he presses on them until they make a squeaking sound. he jumps back, looking absolutely delighted. I have never heard of another dog "squeaking" puppies.

I've got a siberian husky and an american pit bull terrier...talk about getting your arm pulled loose!! argh! BUT, training is possible. If roxy can (or will) back out of her collar, get a choke, or a martingale collar (I LOVE my martingale collar) Walk her with it, but of course, never leave it on her, even for a few minutes, when you are not there, and never when she could get hung up in a situation you would not be able to assist her in. (I know, duh :roll: ) Anyway, now training can begin. I always use a leash I can easily slip over my wrist, then turn my hand around to grab the leash and hold it under my palm. (make any sense?) The leash should be loose on your wrist, this is important. When the leash begins to tighten, you'll be able to tell she is about to start pulling. Get the walk started. The second Roxy pulls, turn around. Go the other way. For a moment, she will be disoriented. After a few steps, she will come up beside you, the leash will be slack, and then you praise her, verbally. Don't get excited, just give her a jovial, "good girl!" and keep going. When the leash pulls again, turn around--turn on a dime, and start out in the original direction. Also, train her to make and keep eye contact with you. I used a food reward, and to this day, Calliope will make eye contact when I say "look at me!" this is invaluable in situations she would otherwise be nervous or excitable in. This is how I have trained all my dogs (and with Calliope, I trained her to sit politely at my heel when I stop in the street to talk to someone--I can't tell you how PROUD I feel when I am chatting away, and my apbt is sitting at my side, so regal and polite)

Black GSD is absolutely right. He's tiny now, but he wont' be forever. DO NOTHING now that you won't LOVE and ADORE years (or months) from now.

I'll never forget the episode of animal cops when they confiscated a fighter's dogs. There was a six month old pup in the mix, and the vet tech was crying silently as she carried him to back room. (capitalize that: The Back Room) the puppy licked the tears off her face, over and over, washing her face as she carried him to his early demise.