Mary's Mama

Wow you guys. :o Surely you dont believe that I suggest everyone go around grabbing dogs tails, but you must be smart enough to know that a child will grab the dogs tail, and therefore you better be sure you get a dog that can handle it. You can come over and grab Mary's tail anytime (its docked, btw), she'll just lick your hand. And no most jrt's wont tolerate it, I knew someday I would have children and she better know better!! For ppl who talk about how important it is to train your dog, surely you know that means more than sit.

[quote name='Hazel Nut Meg']Yup, I do have a gentle leader that I use, but I don't want to use it all the time, so I've been using training and such to control her instead, but I still use the gentle leader when out. [/quote] I understand that you need to do what you feel best, however, as you described the situation, its sounds bad enough that regardless of what you "want" to do, some things are just necessary. I guess it makes me question your desire and dedication to truely correct this issue. Also, I should hope that your parents are understanding enough that if the dog actually has a serious illness that needs treatment they would not deny the dog the appropriate treatment b/c you can't pay for half. To the rest of the readers: This is a perfect example of why children, regardless how old, should not be expected to be "responsible" for a pet. Many things are out of human control, that a child does not have the resources to handle. Just something to keep in mind. :D

Corgilady - you are indeed correct. It is not at all a definate science. Just because a dog reacts to those situations doesn't mean they will 100% have some sort of problem but if you can find a dog that doesn't, even better. And if the pup you pick does have trouble, going through those exercises daily will help the pup get used to them. Still with a 3 yr old around I would try to find a pup with as high of tolerance level as possible. I'm sure you would agree. Thanks for your thoughts and compliments. :D

Rob - While I understand the others positions regarding not getting puppies for christmas etc, I would like to assume you are genuinly looking for help and have made the decision to get a pup, regardless of the time of year. I think you are doing breed research by asking us about the rotts and I must applaud you for putting at least some thought into this. Have you heard of the puppy test?? All dogs or animals for that matter have potential and predispositions for certain behaviors. You can perform tests on the potential puppies to determine aggressive tendencies, submissiveness etc. I [b]always[/b] perform this when I select a new puppy. Pick up the puppy, hold close to your face, see the puppies reaction. while holding in a standing position, turn puppy on its back, see its reaction. while puppy is on its back gently put pressure between its pads (dont pinch or squeeze too hard but enough that the puppy can feel it) check its reaction. grab its tail, its ears, check its teeth and gums as a vet would. continually checking for any negative reaction. make sure to let the pups play together for a while and watch their interaction, you will see which pups are more bold and/or aggressive. You can do a search for the puppy test on google and get more specific guidelines. The puppy should have no reaction to any of these events; snipping, bitting, yelping, pulling away are all negative indicators. Once you have choosen the pup you are comfortable with continue to perform these tasks daily. That way the pup will get used to it and have no reation when the 3 year old grabs it tail. Incidently I have a good friend with 2 girls under the age of two who recently got a rott puppy and they are all having a smashing time. It is not necessarily the breed but the puppy. Choose a good puppy.

Have you ever used a gentle leader? I would say when introducing her to ppl that she be on a leash with the gentle leader. I would even think about keeping her on the leash/gentle leader attached to your hip the entire time you are home with her. This way at the first sign of any aggression you are directly there to correct and she will learn that you are in charge. Do this until you feel comfortable that she has earned the right to be free. Also make sure the guest has a treat to give her. Also, many ppl reach for the top of the dogs head when they are petting, this often frightens dogs. It is easier for her if they reach for her chest, under her chin btwn her front legs. This is not as threatening. Start with getting her used to ppl first. Find voluteers of ppl she has never seen before such as co workers or someone from your vets office. In this situation, you can use the gentle leader to correct her if she becomes aggressive, and she will begin to associate visitors with treats. But as newfie said, you really need to have her checked out at a vet, it seems their may be some underlying reason for her aggression. Have her eyes and ears checked as well the blood work suggested earlier. Good luck.

[quote name='eric']Building your dog's confidence is probably the #1 thing you can do to help alleviate some of the behaviours you refer to. Separation anxiety, constantly following you around, destructive behaviour - these all arise from poor self confidence. [/quote] Unfortunately, I need to disagree. Just because your pet loves you and wants to be with you does not mean they have poor self esteem or no confindence. Destructive behavior too, usually comes from boredom. Once again it comes to dominance. Many owners do not understand that their dog needs to understand the owners are alpha. If your dog knows this, their need to please you will help tremendously in training, confidence, self esteem etc. Dogs don't care where they are in the pack, as long as they know what their position is. If you take the time to train and socialize your dog well, and make sure he knows his place in the pack (Adult humans>small humans>then dogs) you should have nothing to worry about, regardless of breed.

A good way to feed veggies that I have found is frozen veggies, especially if you dont eat many yourself. The frozen veggies are often not cooked and still contain most of their nutrients. Mary loves frozen green beans in the summer! You can get the broc/cali/carrot mix, spinach, etc. Frozen peas are great for training. Concerning potatoes......they can digest potatoes just fine from what I understand. The problem is the skin and any green parts of the potato. Have you ever peeled a potato and it was green under the skin. This happens when it gets sunburned. Whatever chemical that is is posionous to dogs. I give Mary peeled red potatoes quite often, she really loves them. She also loves all kinds of fruits like apples, plums, bananas, pears, peaches (just no grapes!!). I have a vacuum sealer so I buy one fruit for her each week and give her a little bit each day. Then seal the rest. It stays good for about 10 days, no discoloration or anything. It was a great investment!!

K - you are so right! I try to keep my posts concise and sometimes leave out important info. Thanks for your comments. :roll:

I think so. I did see some other things I would worry about though, fat and sucrose not to mention some of those things I can't pronounce. I give Mary Rollover [url]www.rolloverpetfood.com[/url] once a day, stuffed in her kong. I swear it is dog crack! She loves it. I have found it to be the best of the "roll" type dog food. It is a candian product that I have to order over the internet but if you live up north you might be able to find it. The organ meat is not a problem though. From my barf research I have read that in the wild the animals actually go for the organs before the muscle. (Hope that is right, can't always believe everything you read right!)

IMHO its sounds as though you have a dominance issue. Who is the alpha in your house?? It should be you. If you have established your dominance than you can teach the bulldog what his position in the pack is. You do this by making sure the Lhasa always comes first, fed first, treated first, out/in the door first, gets first dibbs on your lap. When ever the bulldog tries to pick a fight (you can usually see the posturing) you need to lunge toward him and make the most hideous sound you can. You need to teach him you are alpha and will not tolerate him picking on the lhasa. I have learned this from Jack Russells. They commonly have trouble with same sex aggression. Many families I know that have multiple bitches have experienced multiple fights and have overcome the troubles using these methods. Good luck!

:lol: :lol: Oh yes, we only have the one jack sleeping with us but we stil need a king size bed. And my hubby and I are both small (<150 lbs). Mary sleeps with her legs straight out also. It cracks me up. Once she hits her dead sleep I can move her to just about anywhere on the bed, but she only weighs 15 lbs :wink:

Yellowlab - I did see the dirt dog. It was very cool and I actually know two of the dogs that competed. My friends Mike and Deb (have the 9 rescues) had two of their dogs (Slick Willy and Sadie Rose) compete. They played it off as a husband against wife thing. Pretty funny to see them on TV. Anyway, the thing about that competition, as cool as it was, that is not how we actually compete. So the reason alot of the dogs had trouble is because they have never seen anything like that before. And my favorite JRT commercial is the Cingular Wireless Rollover Minutes commercial. Everytime the announcer says rollover the jrt rolls over. Too cute!!! :D

Well I am not sure what your definition of a backyard breeder is so I hope this doesn't fall under that. I got Mary from a farm. The family has horses, hounds, and jacks that they use for hunting. They breed for hunting dogs. Pups that do not show potential for hunting are sold as pets. That's how we got Mary. She definately would not be a good hunting dog. She wont go in the hole!

why does barking and running constitute a nightmare? couldn't it be a dream about chasing a rabbit, which would include barking and running. or playing at the dog park, includes barking and running. Hmmm, I guess we will never know!

[quote name='eric']I always cringe when I watch Fraiser thinking about how many people are going out and buying JRT because they're "cool" and not realizing what they are getting into. [/quote] That is why there are thousands of russells around the world in rescue. That is why there are foster families with 9 russells they cant find good homes for. It is especially heartbreaking for russell lovers like myself. Hope to get a rescue in the spring!

[quote name='eric'] A friend has one and the little guy literally trembles with energy. The first time I saw him, it was 15 minutes of watching him run circles around us, non-stop.[/quote] :lol: You mean that isn't normal dog behavior?? I thought all dogs did this. :lol: My favorite is when Mary pushes the giant tennis ball. There is actually a guy with 5 that has a full soccer team. They are pretty serious!!

You all have probably had this conversation before but.... We all know dogs dream. I am curious if you all think dogs have nightmares. My personnal position is no or at least not normally. Possibly if severly traumatized. I have had ppl tell me I should wake Mary up if she is dreaming and making noise or running so she doesn't have a bad dream. I think she is probably chasing the cat I told her not to. Do you all have any idea if dogs from happy backgrounds have nightmares?

Very nice website, which program do you use? I am just getting started on my page and am far to remedial to be willing to show you.

I understand I am new and I may not understand the entire situation but from what I have read it doesn't seem to be about the dog at all. Just like bullygirl said, this man craves chaos. So I would kill them with kindness. By their kids an inexpensive christmas gift. As for your dog, do what you feel best, if you know he doesn't bark than ignore your neighbor. It seems as though he is feeding off of the situation.

Thanks again everyone for such a warm welcome. I think I joined on a strange day with all this talk of trolls and wierdos. I am legit! Trinity - How did I get her to sit still. Very carefully :lol: Actually she is graduating from basic training next week. She is such a good dog. She is the star of her class. I am very proud of her. She does love to run though. Here is a picture of her first race! [img]http://pic1.picturetrail.com/VOL131/778664/1366138/15941171.jpg[/img]

I feed Mary Wellness Super5Mix Chicken. She also gets whatever fresh veggies I am cooking with dinner that night, and one kong filled with rollover everyday. I have researched both sides of barf and decided against it. I am not confident I know what to give her, and the bacteria and splintering of bones makes me weary. All natural kibble is a very good alternative!

They are basically the same dog. Not to say that I am an expert on this issue but this is what I know. For registration purposes, they are splitting into two types. The old standard read 12.5-15 inches in height. So if your pup was less than 12.5" which alot are, you could not register them. Also, the parson has written in his original standard a height of over 12.5". So many argue this is the "correct" standard and the reason for the names, i.e. over 12.5 = Parson Russell and under 12.5 = jack russell. However the shorter legged version is still the same dog. I've read that the shorter legged versions were used around the farms to keep rodents and such under control but were not used for hunting for they could not keep up with the prey. There is no differnce in temperment, intelligence, etc. Lastly, many (in the JRT world) would argue it is of no consequence b/c the dogs should not be registered with the national kennel clubs. Many feel that becoming part of the show world will be detrimental to a breed which has remained as true to its hunting roots as possible. Breeders will start to choose asthetics over hunting ability which is not as the parson would have wanted it. Be aware, there is no such breed as the miniature jrt or black and tan jrt. Hope that helps.

:D Hey you guys, thanks so much for all your compliments and a warm welcome. It is encouraging. Mary does keep me on my toes. Jacks get kind of a bad rap. She is definately not the typical Jack. And yes I have a thing for the fuzzy ones too. Are there any other jacks around here or people for NC?

Hello. My name is Erin and I am owned by Mary Jane. She is a 10 mo old JRT. She is the light of my life. I enjoy message boards and hope to add this to my daily routine. Here is my special girl! [img]http://pic1.picturetrail.com/VOL131/778664/1403570/16380681.jpg[/img]