gooeydog

If you are around when they come through, it might be fun to set up a sprinkler in the front, flip it on when they pass through, and watch the reactions (of both dogs and people, though the people part would probably be even more fun) :lol:

I know there was a topic about this a long time ago, but there are a bunch of new people now, so maybe we'll get some new ideas... What sort of places do you take your dogs, and what places do you know of that allow dogs? Things like stores, parks, etc :lol:

Dachshunds----- Oscar, Meyer, Schnitzel, Frank(furter), Brat(wurst), and many other hot dog brands and/or condiments :roll: Chis---- Tiny, Baby, Spike, killer (the latter two usually owned by the same people who think its cute when the dog is savaging someone's pantlegs) APBTs---- Nitro, Diesel (when I hear that name for an APBT, I immediately think of the "fumes" emitted by both, and it actually is sorta fitting :lol: ) Cockers---- Puddles And for breeds we dont have but I know quite a few of.... Labs---- Buddy (if I had a nickle for every lab named buddy in this area.... :roll: ), Champ (not so common now as in past years, but still quite a few), Angel (one in particular I used to walk, Angel... yeah right :lol: ), Blackie, Lady GSDs---- King, Sergeant(sp?)

You're absolutely right Kendalyn, but in any group, you're going to get people who lose their tempers and make fools of themselves. I saw some of the letters this woman got from pit bull owners (though certainly not all), as well as the replies they got back from her. Most of the letters I saw were not as she describes them. Mine weren't, and I got back nasty replies to each. There will always be a few bad apples in any group that ruin things for the rest, not much anyone can do about it.

She got quite a few replies back when the article was first published, I doubt she was expecting so many angry "assault weapon" owners to come forth in defense of their pets. Here's a follow up article she wrote: [url]http://www.jsonline.com/lifestyle/advice/apr02/36650.asp[/url]

Thanks Cassie :lol: I'm leaning towards feeding twice a day right now, and may give it a try within the next few days. Haley (the overweight one) already has diabetes (though she was actually underweight when she developed it), but until recently, my mom didn't think she was overweight. She's been switched over to a "lite" food now (though I know most of them aren't very good, I'm not the one who feeds her, so I can only do so much), so hopefully she'll lose the excess weight, and I can get my mom to put her on a quality food. Re: variety, I do give fruits and veggies with some meals, sometimes meat or broth (cooked though), along with some "good" bits of our food (either after I eat, or mixed in with her food). I have a bit of a hard time with switching foods right now, as there are few places that sell decent food within that range that I can get someone to drive me. She was on a different, slightly less quality but still decent dry food for a couple months over the winter, when I the place that stocks the NB was out of it, but is back to the NB now. She has a sensitive stomach, so it's hard to find foods that don't make her sick, especially when my options are already limited by whats available in this area. I should hopefully have my license by this summer, then I'll be able to drive wherever to get her food, until then, I'll try to add a bit more variety to her "add ins". I didn't know about the preservatives making the other food taste better, I suppose that could be a possibility, as even when the gate to my room is wide open with food out for her, she sometimes goes in and tries to eat some of Haleys. She seems to like her food as well though, more than most I tried. I guess I'll just keep trying to shoo her out and redirect her to her own food :-?

On nice days, I'll put Haley or the little dogs out on the deck to hang out for a bit, I check on them every 15 mins or so, keep the big doors open so I can see/hear if anything's going on, the deck is always at least 1/2 shaded, and they have plenty of water, toys, and other such junk. That of course doesn't stop the three little pansies (Annie, Casey, and Joey) from coming back to the door and whining/barking to be let back in. They do the same when I shut them in the fenced part of the yard for a while if I have them out and can't keep a close enough eye on them. We've finally made a bit of headway, and they've figured out that hanging out at the door gets them absolutely nothing, though if they start barking for attention, they may get lucky and I'll open the door..... to squirt them with the water bottle :lol: Goo and Haley both enjoy sitting outside watching the world go by, but I can't leave Goo out alone (she'd be over the railings if another dog came by), and have to be sure to block off the table that's built into the deck when Hale's out, or she mountain goats her way up to see people far away, then can't get down :roll:

Lately Goo has taken to eating her food at suppertime, then after everyone is done, she goes over and checks the other dogs' bowls, then sometimes goes and chows down on their dry food (which is NOT very good quality food, so I shoo her out of it :oops: ). I've noticed this on and off ever since I switched her food, though it does seem like maybe since she doesn't always have easy access to the dry food, it's more common. She usually has dry food down in my room, but I have to keep the gate up or Haley goes in there and pigs it all down, or else let the gate open and put her food up. When it's down, she usually just picks at it, gets a few bites here and there throughout the day, though if I'm "late" getting her supper, she'll go in and eat the whole bowl (usually has a cup or less in there, and I keep an eye on how quickly it goes). Anyway, my mom thinks I'm not feeding her enough, and that I need to give her more. She gets 1 cup of Natural Balance dry food, soaked in warm water for about 1/2 hr beforehand, plus a bit less than a can of Nutro canned food (a can is 12ox, so I'd guess she gets 5oz). She's a bit rangy at 21ish" and 55 lbs or so, but is fairly light framed, so I figure she's about right as far as weight goes. I can easily feel her ribs, but you can see a few (not really prominent, but visible) of her vertebrae when she lays down or stands certain ways, which I think is still pretty normal, because I can see two even with overweight Haley. She's 11 yrs old now, but I do try to keep her active, and with the weather warming up, we've been out a lot. Usually she gets at least a mile long walk (moderate-fast pace), along with either playing ball, or another walk, or a wander around on the long lead, and several other shorter walks a day, and we're going to work up to longer walks as it gets warmer. Given that my mom feeds the other dogs enough that they're all a bit overweight, I don't know that her advice is really the best to take :lol: I have been toying with the idea of feeding her and Annie twice a day, and may do that, as Annie eats so much that I worry about bloat feeding all in one meal. I supposed it would help with Goo being hungry as well, since she'd have some food in her belly in the morning as well as evening, and less time to get hungry. Also, I've read in some places that it's good to feed a little while after exercising them, though I don't actually remember why it said... any truth to that? Also, she used to get more volume of food, before I switched her over to her current food (other food wasn't had more fillers and junk, so she needed more to maintain her weight), so maybe her belly just doesn't feel as full until a bit after, and she thinks she still needs to eat more?

Ace can have bad side effects on some dogs, I would NEVER use it on a dog if I wasn't around to watch them.

I didn't mean yours courtnek, I meant the head halters as were suggested in the article. I've seen what you mean, and don't think most dogs would have a problem with it.

Any tool can be misused , including halter type collars (even flat collars can cause damage in some circumstances). I've seen many a dog dig their snout til it was bleeding trying to get off a halter, either because they'd never been acclimated to wearing one, or because they disliked the collar even after being acclimated. I've also seen dogs that would continue dragging their owners down the street, wheezing away, as the owner hauled back on a choke chain. I've seen dogs overcorrected on both choke chains and pinch collars, and completely shut down (don't have enough experience with e-collars to say comment on them). What's best really depends on the dog, the owner, and the situation, but all can be useful tools when used properly.

[quote]several babys nappies (if you slit them open you can use the absorbent granules coupled with the sandwich bags to soak up any accidents)[/quote] I never thought about that, that's a good idea :lol: In our car, we have: Annie's box (actually it belongs in my room, but I hate having to tote it in and out every weekend, though I may have to start again as it seems everytime my nephews have been in the car, there's one less bolt holding it together :o ) Leashes (both regular and slip leads) Extra collar for Annie (who usually goes without in the house and yard, so I often forget to put one on her when we go somewhere) Water bowl Water Toys (mostly tennis balls I toss in as we pack up from Annie's tracking class, then forget to get out, there are quite a few in there now) Treats Puke bags (Goo gets so excited sometimes if she knows she's going somewhere that by the time we actually go, she's made herself sick) Sunscreen (for Haley's nose and ears) Blankets (though they're in the back, or it'd look like x-mas in july thanks to our blanket shredders Goo and Hale)

When I'd walk Haley's former owner's parents' dog, I wouldn't let him stop and sniff at all because he was so used to doing whatever he wanted that he would try and drag you over, then if you tried to get him moving again, he'd growl and snarl at you before continuing to sniff. Eventually, after we'd established that he didn't go anywhere I didn't feel like going, I started letting him sniff again, but made him sit before "freetime" and afterwards, when we were getting ready to walk again, just to reinforce the difference between walking (walking to get somewhere) and meandering (where he could sniff all he wanted). This was (is) a dog with a ton of issues though, and that was the only way to deal with him on walks and not worry about him acting goofy. With our dogs, they're usually allowed to sniff, unless I tell them to leave it, or say "lets go", like if we're going somewhere and don't have time to stop for a sniff. Goo is on "probation" because she gets so engrossed in sniffing (once I timed her, 7 mins in ONE spot and she was still checking it out :lol: ) that she ignores when I say it's time to move on (plus she tries to cross in front of me if she smells something as we walk and I trip over her constantly). We walk for a bit with her not allowed to sniff, then stop and let her sniff to her heart's content for a few minutes, then go again. In between, I may let her take a quick stop for a sniff, depending on how she acts. Keep in mind though that these walks are for exercise, not for "free time", and she gets that as well, either at the end of the walk (we'll walk through the field on the way home, plenty to smell there), or on a seperate walk. I think it's just a personal preference in most cases, and that it really doesn't have much (if any) bearing on a dog becoming overly assertive.

Petedge.com has some nice coats, We have a couple from there for both Goo (scrawny bully) and Haley (pudgy little pink pig), and they fit well, plus are pretty well made and didn't cost an arm and a leg. Here's Goo in her manly plaid coat (which didn't look nearly as manly on the curly coated model dog, lol) [img]http://img2.photobucket.com/albums/v11/gooeydog/january/lcoatshad.jpg[/img] They both have parkas from there too, though Goo's is a size too large, big even on Haley (Goo wearing Haley's in this pic, which is the right size) [img]http://img2.photobucket.com/albums/v11/gooeydog/january/lsnow.jpg[/img] I'd imagine that it doesn't get really cold where you are, so just a light fleece or some such fabric should do the job. You could probably go to a fabric store and get fabric to make a simple coat. One pattern I can think of that's easy enough and seems to not restrict movement is a horse blanket type coat, either with straps across the fornt and under the belly, or just cut the fabric so that there are straps and add velcro (if that makes any sense at all). You could also just buy a couple kids' sweatshirts and alter them in whatever way needed to make them fit.

I'm sorry to hear this :( Best of luck to both of them during this tough time.

This is among the best, if not the best weight pull articles on the net, covers everything from pre pulling vet checks to training schedules: [url]http://apbtconformation.com/weight_pulling.htm[/url] I agree with not starting any actual pulling until the pup's joints are closed, at least a year, more if he's maturing slowly. That doesn't mean he can't get used to a harness and having noise dragging behind him. You can use pebbles in a soda bottle for this after he's used to the harness. You can also look into obedience, agility, and if he matures to be not to dog aggressive, flyball (the dogs are all on the floor together for this, so you don't want to use a dog aggressive dog for it), all things APBTs do well at. If you're looking for something a little more low key and methodical, some APBTs do well at tracking (then there are various branches of that, SAR work could be an option, or just recreational tracking, depending on what you wanted to put in and get out). APBTs are also good dogs for hiking/jogging with if you like to do that, and many can be trained to run beside a bike (on leash of course). They're a versatile breed, and just about anything you want them to do, they'll try, so you have plenty of options :lol:

I'm just wondering what supplements (if any) everyone here gives their dogs. Anything from joint supplements to diet additions, the whole nine yards :lol: I give Annie and Goo (the only 2 of the 5 dogs that I feed) flax seed oil and salmon oil, usually salmon oil one night a week and flax seed oil a few days later, so they get each once a week. I had a hard time finding guidelines on how much should be given, so I've been splitting a 1000mg gelcap at a 1:5 ratio between Annie and Goo (Annie is around 13 lbs, Goo is around 55 lbs) and mixing it with their food the nights they get it. Since then I've read that you can give up to 1000mg per 10 lbs of body weight, but that seems like a lot? I'm also looking into starting Haley (have to talk to my mom first about that, since she's the one who pays the vet bills and buys food, reason for putting her on it... she's only got 3 legs, and recent x-rays showed her hips aren't the best, so hopefully an ounce of prevention...), Goo (who's in decent shape, but getting up in years, again, preventive measure), and possibly Annie (who's had no problems, but with her being so active and Dachshunds being prone to back problems) on joint supplements at some point in the near future, leaning right now towards MSM. Most of the diabetes resources I've read advise that Glucosamine/Chondroitin supplements can cause spikes in blood glucose levels (from the glucosamine), and should only be used when there is no other alternative. We had a hard time getting Hale's sugar/insulin levels straightened out in the first place, the last thing I want to do is have to start all over again. I did try Goo on a low amount of MSM last fall (500mg, 1/4 the dose they prescribe for a person) for a couple months, and she seemed to have a bit higher energy, etc, though I also switched her to a better food around the same time, so that could easily have been the cause (I took her off it because she was due to have a dentistry done- which still hasn't been done yet due to the vet having some other issues; it wasn't an emergency situation, so we'd rather wait until he can do it than go to someone else- and I was worried about any possible complications the MSM could cause). Basically I'm just looking to see what anyone else gives their dogs, but would also appreciate any resources that detail exactly what different supplements can be used for and at what amounts (books, websites, anything).

Even vaccinated dogs can get kennel cough, anyone who works in a kennel environment can tell you that, in fact, many people don't even bother with the kennel cough vacc anymroe unless they're doing something with the dog where it is required (boarding, training, etc where the establishment requires it). Vaccines are not 100%, and there is mounting evidence that yearly vaccinations are not necessary for dogs because the vaccines last much longer than that. Ever wonder why the one year and three year rabies vaccines were the exact same thing, same amount, everything?

In some cases it's not possible for the dog to do the work it was originally intended to do, so even just a simple aptitude test that the dog can work in a way traditional to the breed would be enough IMO, better than the nothing KCs require now, or allow any of several tests to count (like weight pulling, agility, or the like for APBTs, just something to weed out people breeding incredibly sloppy oversized (overweight too) dogs that get out of breath walking to get the mail). In Germany (I think?) GSDs are required to have hips scored and have working aptitude tested, or their offspring cannot be registered with the KC. If people wanted conformation to be the only requirement for championing a dog out, then why not add another category (title, whatever) for dogs that can work AND conform to the breed standard for looks.

Vinegar can cause cornea (I think that's what it is?) damage if it gets in eyes though, and since it's easy enough for the dog to flip their head at the last second as you squirt them, that's a risk if you add it the the water in the squirt bottle. Some people use it and never have problems with it, but it's not something I'd take a chance on.

[quote] I don't place a lot of faith in the black tongue thing being a surefire way to tell a Chow.[/quote] I agree with this... Goo has a quarter sized black spot on her tongue, and while we have no way of proving she's a completely purebred APBT, she's definitely not a chow mix :lol: . Lots of dogs have black spots on their tongues, I've seen a couple other definitely purebred non-chow/sharpei dogs with spots as well. There's also a decent article about it somewhere online you may check into, just in case this issue crops up again over soemthing more serious (home insurance, etc).

Midori, is that the one up by patterson? My sister's BF took their rotty up there about a week after they got him, and apparently he got into several scraps (well what did he expect with an intact, hyper, adolescent rotty fresh out of the shelter? :roll: ). He said they got kicked out, so if it's the same one, I can see where they have problems.

The Petco I get their dry food at (only store nearby that sells any decent brands at all) has Neura, and I did use it for a short while after they stopped keeping a steady stock of the NB canned food. It is [b]smelly[/b] though :o . That is a good idea about adding in other things, and I may try that at some point for a bit of a change.

[quote]The thing that "jumped right out at me" with the regular adult formulas is the "ONION SALT"(In the "common ingredient" section). WTF??? Onion is NOT good for dogs. And it pretty high up on the list. And supposedly it can build up in their system over time. I wouldn't feed that stuff to my dogs[/quote] You're right, I didn't notice that on the site. :oops: Looking at the actual can though (we got one just to see if the dogs even liked it), it lists: Lamb, Lamb liver, water sufficient for processing, brown rice, carrots, guar gum, salt, carrageenan, potassium chloride, sodium tripolyphosphate, calcium carbonate, natural flavor, iron oxide, Vitamins (it lists those as well) This is the lamb, rice 'n vegetable formula, so maybe it's different from the others? Also, on another site, I read that salt wasn't a good thing in food, both this stuff (the Triumph and the Evolve) and the Natural Balance has salt in it, so is that a bad thing? I think I'm just going to see if I can get the Evolve instead, they don't get much of the canned food, so even if it costs a bit more (Nutro is 1.05 anyway), I should be able to manage. Thanks again :lol:

Kiwi, this post is another old one, and the poster is probably long gone... :roll: