Nancy B

[quote name='pets4ever']Hi - I'm back. His parents are working, his father is quite degreed in Schutzhund and the mother, although from working lines, has essentially no "drive" and is into obedience. Of course they have been screened and are healthy with good hips etc. This is a reputable breeder and she has good dogs. :[/quote] Hi, I was just wondering if you'd be willing to post the breeder's kennel name and the names of the sire/dam. I quite understand if you'd rather not....I was just wondering if I know of them.

[quote name='Black GSD']I'm afraid I have to agree with Carol and Hobbit. I have seen a LOT of neutered males that "act" like intact males. Even ones that were neutered young.[/quote] Yep, that's been pretty much my experience too. Neutering doesn't guarantee anything except that the dog won't be albe to sire pups and won't get testicular cancer.

[quote name='Hobbit']......it's like little stars by your name when you're good. :lol:[/quote] Well gee.....now I'll never shut up! :D

[quote name='Hobbit']Because Nancy --- you are a posting maniac!! :lol: Seriously, your posts are counted and when you reach a certain amount, you get a paw. Sweet, huh? ...... or, "Now isn't that speeecial?"...church lady (LOVED SNL!) :lol: :lol:[/quote] Seriously? They're related to posting?

OK, what are these paw things anyway? I just noticed that there's one under my name now. Why?

My dogs are never left unsupervised in our yard so barking will never be an issue for us but I guess I hold an unpopular view. I don't have a problem with someone debarking a chronic barker. I attend many agility trials and almost all the Shelties there are debarked. I'm grateful their owners did that because it's annoying as heck and disturbing to my dogs to be seated near chronic barkers. (Agility venuse are usually so packed that you can't just pick up and move...folks set up the night before and by the time you know you've got a problem dog nearby, there's nowhere to move to.) A chronic barker can also be a distraction to the dogs working in the ring. I also attend conformation shows and I've noticed that a lot of the conformation Shelties are debarked too. Our neighborhood had a chronic barker for quite a while. The homeowners association finally, after being urged by a large number of homeowners, enforced the covenants. Barking for more than 5 minutes started with a fine and kept escalating until the homeowners were left with the choice of debarking the dog or giving it up. (Yes, they were irresponsible pigs but, that's beside the point.) The dog is a middle aged dog not a cute pup, not even a very nice dog. I don't think it would have stood much of a chance in a shelter of being adopted. I'm glad that they debarked it becasue at least it kept it's home. It may not be a great home but it's the one it's had all it's life and it is cared for....aside from the barking issue. Debarking, as with any surgery, poses a risk to the dog. I do think that most barking problems can be resolved through better management (not leaving dog outside) and to some extent training. I also believe that there are some breeds and some individual dogs that are recreational barkers. I'd rather see those dogs debarked than lose their homes or drive an irate neighbor to harm them.

When we moved to this house I did an extensive amount of landscaping. I asked my husband if he had any requests and he asked for strawberries and pear trees. I planted loads of strawberries and four pear trees, three different varities. We have yet to eat a single strawberry. Whitney watches and waits....just when they're about red enough to pick, she eats them. We always see lots of green berries and berries that are just starting to blush but, since Whit loves them I guess we'll never have homegrown strawberries. The pear trees are another problem. Both dogs will harvest pears on the very low branches so I have to keep them clear. Many green pears = dog with tummyache. Last spring Mason added an extra twist, he started climbing the pear trees to get to the fruit. They're not big trees and the only way he could to it was to sorta "grab and kick" his way up. <sigh> My trees look pretty strange now....pruned to discourage dog climbing.

[quote name='NVMY03GT'] OH Yeah one more question.. Getting ready to have a house built debating on how to do the fence for Isabelle.. Parents say electric fence.. I say start off with the elctric then get a real one.. My question is.. How durable are these electric fences.. Meaning if she sees something she wants.. Isn't there the possibility of her jumping right through the thing?[/quote] I don't think electric fences are a safe way to contain a dog. If a dog is operating in drive (think chasing a squirel or rabbit or something like that) it will generally elect to take the shock and go on out of the yard. What happens then? Then the dog is outside the yard and will get shocked if it tries to come back in. An electric fence also does nothing to prevent other dogs (or people for that matter) from entering your yard and possibly harming your dog. I read a lot of great advise on your chewing problem. I've got a very aggressive chewer at home here, Mason. He's always been that way and, believe it or not, the only thing he's ever destroyed is one sandal. For me the key was to keep him supplied with a wide selection of things to chew on that he was allowed to chew on. Another thought....a tired dog is a good dog. See to it that she gets LOTS of exercise! :D

[quote name='Black GSD']The reason I asked this, is that I get the feeling that the origional poster doesn't think that the pup she is thinking about getting has shown any of these tendancies yet. So I was wondering at what age he would most likely start. I still don't know how old this pup is anyway.[/quote] Oh, guess I didn't answer that very well! :oops: Mason is two years old and only now starting to show signs of aggression toward other male dogs. Onset of same sex aggression among male Dobes varies a lot. Some pups start with dominance humping and aggressive displays before they're one.

[quote name='Black GSD'] Nancy, In your experience, at what age do the boys start showing the dog aggressive side? .[/quote] My Dobe's sire tollerated my dog until he was about six months old. At that time Gent started "lifting a lip" at Mason so they have never been allowed to interact offlead since then. Some male Dobes will not tollerate a male pup no matter how young and others seem to tollerate them until the pup is about to reach sexual maturatity. It varries all over the place. The only constant is that male Dobes, in the long run, will not get along.

[quote name='pets4ever']Hi, I've read everything I can find about dobermans. I've gone to breeder, individual and general doberman websites and read everything. I've read about diseases and as much about behaviour as they give out (which isn't that much). If you have a favorite site I'd love to have it. My goals are to do competetive obedience and agility like you. I'm impressed by all the degrees after your dog's names. I'm glad to get the opinion of a real life dobe owner! I'm very respectful of leash laws etc. and don't let my dogs run loose...but you just never know what will happen in life, y'know?. I would like to take this dog around with me and other people do take their dogs out too! I just wanted to minimize problems and be able to enjoy my dog out without having to deal with him (or her!) challenging every other dog. My last dog was crazy dominant and was a female! It made everything difficult and I am hesitant to do that again. Of course, if I get a male that is not alpha it would be less a problem. I will talk to the breeder again before I decide. I wonder also, since she is the boss at home, does your female ever show dominance aggression to other dogs? Do dobe females tend to be the same way or maybe to a lesser degree? Are all dobermans more or less the same way towards other dogs? Sorry about all the questions. I only know a few doberman owners and their knowledge is limited to their experience. I gather info whenever I can! :wink: Thanks ![/quote] OK, here's part 2. I'll start with a bit of an explanation of the basic dominance issues with Dobes. In a multi Dobe household, one male and one or more bitches, almost invariably a bitch will be the alpha dog. That's just the way it is. Yes, some bitches can be such "strong" alphas that bringing them places can involve taking the same precautions that you would with male/male Dobe/dog aggression but, that is not the norm. That is not to say that you can take a less alpha Dobe bitch everywhere with you and expect her to happily play with any dog who comes up to her. My bitch is dominante over my male, definately the alpha in our house but, she's not at all what I would call a strong alpha. At classes or trials she's quite happy to play with dogs that she knows. OTOH, if we're at a trail and a strange dog/bitch ran up to play and got right in her face chances are that she would react poorly. This is normal for a Dobe. This is not a gregarious breed out to play with any dog who might be wandering around. It's important to "introduce" any new dog who may be playing with the accepted "pack" of dogs before it gets in my bitch's "face". A lot of how a Dobe bitch reacts to other dogs wanting to play depends on the level of socialization it received from the time it was a young pup. Whitney was my first Dobe and I got her at the age of 18 months old. Her breeder did a pretty good job of socialization but, I think she would be a bit more easy about strange dogs coming up to play if I had had her from the time she was a pup. Mason I had from young puppyhood and worked on socialization very heavily. Pretty much any bitch who runs up to him will be greated with joy and he'll want to play. If a male ran up to him he'd want to fight or, if a very young male, dominance hump. The male/male dog aggression in Dobermans has NOTHING to do with being an alpha dog. Mason most certainly is not an alpha dog, most male Dobermans are not alpha in their homes. Now, as far as taking a dog out and around with you goes....I don't know what to tell you because I'm not sure where you're talking about. I regularly take both Mason and Whit to malls or grocery stores to practice heeling or obedience routines. Lots of pedestrian traffic, lots of strange folks who want to meet them, very good for them. I have the utmost confidence in both of them in a situation like that. Of course, there are no stray dogs running around there! The other places I take my dogs are all dog related. Yeah, my life pretty well revolves around dogs! :) We go to the training center. I'm an instructor there so in addition to having my dogs in classses, I frequently take them over to work on attention or obedience while other classes are going on....distraction training. Yes, there are dogs there but, I know all of them. I know what to expect from them and, except for the higher levels of training, all dogs are onlead unless they're taking their turn to work. The higher level competition dogs are all dogs that my dogs know. My bitch has no problem with any of them and I just have to watch that the males do not come too near my male. The owners of the males are also aware that their dogs need to stay out of Mason's face. I do have other friends who own dogs but choose not to train competively with them. My dogs have not met those dogs. They have no reason to meet those dogs. If I go out to dinner at one of their homes I'm not gonna bring my dogs. I really can't think of a reason why they should meet. I dunno, perhaps you're thinking about going for long walks with a friend(s) and their dog(s)? In that case you'd be better off with a bitch that you could "introduce" to the other dogs on neutral ground. If you had a male Dobe and your friends had a male dog, you would have to be very careful to keep them apart. I think that one thing you really need to consider is that, aside from puppyhood when Dobes are wild to play, Dobermans are really more people oriented than dog oriented. My Dobes have sometimes gonne many weeks without playing with another dog. They really don't care....they'd rather be playing with me. Yes, if we meet some of their doggy friends at the training center they're happy to play but, if I go near any of the agility equipment they'll run to me. They'd rather play with me than run with the other dogs. I really think you would be far better off with a bitch. It can be frustrating searching or waiting for the right Dobe. I know, I waited 2 years for Mason. It's worth it. As far as other boards or lists go, you could read the Doberman Discussion Forum it's at [url]http://www.network54.com/Forum/11341[/url] There's a Yahoo email list that is strictly for folks working Dobermans in agility [url]http://groups.yahoo.com/group/DobeAgility/[/url] There's an email list called Doberworld with a lot of general Doberman information. It's mostly aimed at first time Dobe owners so, I don't have the address anymore but a search would probably turn it up. There's also an email list called Cyberdobes. Cyberdobes may or may not interest you. There are over 1000 folks on it...breeders, owners, profesional handler, judges all kinds of folks. Topics can range all over the place, lots of good info and a lot of garbage at times. If you want to give it a try I think you can subscribe through the Cyberdobes website [url]www.cyberdobes.com[/url]

[quote name='pets4ever']Hi, I've read everything I can find about dobermans. I've gone to breeder, individual and general doberman websites and read everything. I've read about diseases and as much about behaviour as they give out (which isn't that much). If you have a favorite site I'd love to have it. My goals are to do competetive obedience and agility like you. I'm impressed by all the degrees after your dog's names. I'm glad to get the opinion of a real life dobe owner! I'm very respectful of leash laws etc. and don't let my dogs run loose...but you just never know what will happen in life, y'know?. I would like to take this dog around with me and other people do take their dogs out too! I just wanted to minimize problems and be able to enjoy my dog out without having to deal with him (or her!) challenging every other dog. My last dog was crazy dominant and was a female! It made everything difficult and I am hesitant to do that again. Of course, if I get a male that is not alpha it would be less a problem. I will talk to the breeder again before I decide. I wonder also, since she is the boss at home, does your female ever show dominance aggression to other dogs? Do dobe females tend to be the same way or maybe to a lesser degree? Are all dobermans more or less the same way towards other dogs? Sorry about all the questions. I only know a few doberman owners and their knowledge is limited to their experience. I gather info whenever I can! :wink: Thanks ![/quote] OK, thanks for explaining things a bit more. It helps to know where you're coming from. Now I just have to figure out how to explain without writing a novel and where to start! :D Dobermans can excell at obedience and agility. I own two Dobes that have sometimes placed above Border Collies in agility trials. That's not an easy thing to do! So, as far as suitability of the breed for the formal activities you wish to persue goes it's a match. Dobermans are naturally atheletic, intelligent and highly trainable. I've only owned/trained one bitch and one male but have discussed training issues with many other Doberman owners. I'm certain that there are exceptions to the "rule" but, we think that bitches are far easier to train than males. Bitches mature, both mentally and physically, far earlier than males do and I'm sure that has a lot to do with it. Dobermans need STRONG leadership. That is not to say that they need to be trained with correction based training methods. Both of my Dobes were and are primarially trianed with a clicker, positive reinforcement. That is not to say that they did not receive the occasional corrections, with a high drive protection breed it is sometimes necessary to use a correction. Not often and not for obedience/agility commands, more related to coping with the natural "guard" instincts. In short, Dobes need a consistent, loving yet firm hand that always lets them know that you are in charge. (not heavey handed) A Doberman owned by someone unable to supply the above is smart enough to realize that and will ultimately wind up running the show...which can be dangerous. If you wish to do obedience/agility with a Dobe you need a Dobe that will have an apprioate amount of drive. The USA has a bit of a split in the breed, working lines and show lines. Working line Dobes are usually higher drive than show line Dobes. I've met some that were very much like my dogs when it comes to the level of activity they need. I've also met others that were so high drive, somewhat like a Border Collie, that I could never live with them. Some working line Dobe breeders incorporate European dogs into their breeding program. This usually increases the amount of drive and sharpness. I personally would not purchase a working line Dobe because I do not wish to cope with the level of drive that would probably be present but, that's a personal decision for anyone to make. For some folks, that's exactly what they want. Show line Dobes are from breeders who predominately breed to show at AKC conformation shows. (All show line breeders will also produce some "pet" pups in every litter.) Some lines of show Dobes have a nice amount of drive but there is the occasional line that pretty much have the drive bred out of them. Both of my Dobes are from show lines so, it doesn't mean that a show line Dobe can't successfully compete. In the past few years there are quite a few show Dobe breeder who have place Dobes in performance homes. Many of those Dobes are successfully competing in performance events. My Dobes have the amount of drive I want. They love to "play" agility with me yet are very happy to snuggle on the sofa too. One of the first things you need to do is define the level of drive you want in your Dobe. No, a breeder can't tell you exactly what you're gonna get from a pup but, indicators will be there....both in the pup itself and in the pedigree. do you have a copy of the pup you're considering's pedigree? If not, do you at least know the name of the sire and dam? If you have the sire and dam's names you can go to the store on the AKC website ([url]www.akc.org[/url]) and order a pedigree. Once you get a pedigree take a look at the dogs behind your pup. How many of the dogs have some type of performance title? How close up are they....are they way back where there will be little impact on your pup? If you know the names of the siblings to your pup's sire and dam you can do a search of the AKC store database to see what titles they've earned. Do they have any performance titles? The titles are just an indicator for you. Lack of any titles doesn't mean that the pup doesn't have a chance. If you look at my kid's website both Whitney and Mason's pedigrees are posted. Whit really doesn't have much of anything up close in performance titles yet she's competing with success. Mason, on the other hand, has a sire competing in agility. Between my two dog, Mason has far more drive and desire to compete than Whit but, that doesn't mean she can't do it at all....I just don't think she'll go as far as Mason ultimately will. The best way to get an idea of what you would be getting in the pup would be to do puppy testing on the pup. I can't even begin to explain this...done correctly, it give a very good indication of the pup's natural drives and tendancies. I don't personally puppy test pups that I'm considering, I get a woman I know who has years of experience to do it. Perhaps there's someone in your area who does this? A local all breed kennel club or an agility training club may be able to refer you to someone. BTW, health issues. You mentioned that you'd read up on them. Have you checked the OFA database to see that both the sire and dam of the pup are listed with a good or excellent rating. All you need to do is go to [url]www.offa.org[/url] and enter the sire/dam's name into the searh engine. If they've been done and the results were permitted to be listed they'll pop up. If they don't pop up then I would suspect that they either had not been done or that the results were not favorable. Agility is hard on a dog, correct structure is important! I'm going to post this for now so I don't lose it. I will continue in another post.

[quote name='gooeydog']Is it acceptable for someone to own a dog aggressive animal, provided they can do so responsibly (ie: dog on leash when in public, enough obedience to get by, etc)? If you were doing rescue, and you ended up fostering a dog aggressive dog (no other issues), would you place the dog (responsibly), send him to a different rescue, or have him PTS? Would you own a dog aggressive dog (assuming your living situation permitted it)? If one of your dogs became dog aggressive, to what lengths would you go to "correct" it, or rid them of the behavior? [b]Edit:[/b] Forgot this one: How much dog aggression will you allow/tolerate in your dog (ie: one who "wants" to fight if challenged, one who "wants" to fight if another dog gets in "their" space, one who "wants" to fight as soon as they see another dog, etc; also/or: one who will calm down when told to, one who is so "fight crazy" they'll do anything to get to another dog, etc)? [b]Notice we are only talking about [i]dog[/i] aggression here, not human aggression. [/b][/quote] Yes, I think it is perfectly acceptable for someone to own a dog aggressive dog as long as they are responsible to take the extra precautions required to deal with it. Extra training, extra vigilance. Face it, not allowing dog aggressive dogs could wipe out entire breeds. Male Dobes are male dog aggressive. Doberman rescue routinely places male Dobermans, which are dog aggressive, as well as the occasional bitch who is also dog aggressive. Dobe rescues screen homes very carefully and ensure that the potential adopters are aware of the issue and what extra work and responsibilities are involved. They will also NEVER place a rescue male in a home with a male of any other breed. Any bitches who come into rescue with regular dog aggression problems (not the normal male/male stuff) will only be place in a home that fully understands the problem and will commit to having the rescue be the only dog. Dobe rescue destroys any Dobes that display aggression toward humans. I own a male Dobe. He's still young (2) and has displayed little aggression toward other males yet but, I've been training to cope with the problem since he was a pup. Most knowledgable folks who own male Dobes do likewise. My Mason, when on lead or when working agility or obedience offlead with me is perfectly able to ignore other male dogs in the vicinity. He knows his attention belongs on me and that any "displays" toward other dogs will not be tollerated. I simply do not let him offlead anywhere he could potentially run into a male dog. That solves most of the problem. Of course, there's always the potential for someone to let their male dog roam free around the neighborhood (not legal here). If a male came charging up to Mason (even when Mason was on lead) I think he would be justified to respond given the breed disposition. That's why I always carry pepper spray when I walk him. I've never had to use it but I wouldn't hesitate to drop a loose dog. It would be far kinder to the loose dog (no lasting ill effects) than to allow the fight that would inevedibly ensue. As far as how much dog aggression I personally will tollerate in my dogs goes, it's about what a normal male Dobe would display. I expect a dog onlead with me to be albe to ignore or at least not react to other male dogs onlead in close vicinity. I expect to be able to confidently run offlead in agility, at practice or in a trial, with no worries that my dog will "go" for a male staring at him from the sidelines. If a male dog is loose and runs right up in my onlead Dobes face I wouldn't blame my Dobe at all for reacting. (Actually, this happened once recently and a male Golden bit by boy on the head. Drew blood. Mason didn't break heel position and, as someone tackled the loose dog, I heeled him away. I was very proud of my boy for not reacting poorly but, I certainly wouldn't count on it in the future.)

[quote name='pets4ever']Thanks Nancy, that was a good explanation. Do you think your male would fight if another male just wanted to play? I want to take my dog places etc. but if I ever had him at a beach or something and another dog bounded over, I would like to think it wouldn't be instant war. It would be nice if they'd play if they weren't both dominant and at the same level. Or it would be fun if he'd play with my friends dogs when we visit. Is there something special about male dobes that make people choose them just to be neutered companions? Why would people want to deal with aggressiveness if females aren't? ( I don't want to offend people who have or prefer males)...just asking for the heck of it. Maybe they are more laid back or extra sweet? :) I will ask the breeder about his aggression levels specifically and how he reacts to strange males. I didn't do this before but then she knows what I'm looking for. It's just that all other factors are good. By the way, my other dog is an older spayed female.[/quote] Gee, I wrote a long answer earlier today but it seems to have gone into cyber oblivion so I'll try to cobble it together again. Please don't take what I'm about to say the wrong way and be offended. A Doberman is not a Golden or Lab in a snazzy short hair black suit. The way a breed looks is only a very small part of what a breed is about. Dobermans were developed as personal protection dogs. They are naturally protective. Your example of a "dog bounding up" has two problems. First, if it's a male dog bounding up no male Doberman is gonna care why he's bounding up (play or not) he's just gonna care that a male dog is trying to invade his space. He will want to attack the dog. The second problem is how exactly the dog is "bounding up". If a Doberman, male or female, decides that a dog is approaching in a threating manner they will move to protect their owner. I think it would be a very good idea for you to do some more research into Doberman breed characteristics. Perhaps you could start by reading the information published on the Doberman Pinscher club of America website [url]www.dpca.org[/url] I think Dobermans are beautiful dogs but they do require a larger committment than many other breeds. Male Dobes are 75 pounds or more, all muscle with four on the floor to dig in with. A responsible owner must do much more obedience work and socialization with a Dobe than the average Golden or Lab requires. You need to evaluate your lifestyle and what you expect/want from a dog. If you want a male dog that will play with dogs that bound up to him, do not get a Doberman. If you want a male dog that will happily play with your friend's male dogs, do not get a Doberman. As to why anyone would want to own and deal with male Dobe aggressivness. It depends on the person's lifestyle. Dealing with a male Dobe is pretty easy for me. I was already quite used to dealing with the obedience and socialization requirements for a bitch so, the only thing I needed to add was to always be aware of other male dogs. My dogs get to run and play in protected areas with a few friends female dogs but most of the time they play with me. My dogs never go to dog parks, my dogs are never allowed to run loose in an unfenced area. A great deal of my time is involved in training my dogs....both obedience and agility. For Dobe owners a male/female Dobe is the most common two dog household.

[quote name='pets4ever']Actually, this dog I'm talking about is not a rescue, it's a older puppy from a good breeder. His temperament is right for what I want (not alpha, not hyper, smart)...it's just his sex. I should think a good part of it is individual and socialization. I was just wondering since I've heard that male dobes are aggressive. They implied no leeway - just like a couple of the responses from my original question. Hmmmm. This pup sounds right otherwise and I AM tired of waiting for the right temperament female and taking a gamble that there will be the right temperament in the litter. His age is also nice since I will be able to skip the baby puppy puddles etc. and the ear taping duties. I usually have female dogs and have had a couple dog aggressive females. The only male dog I've ever had was intact and never picked a fight with anyone. He could get along with whoever. So you see...I'm a little confused. Of course I'm going to question the breeder a little more before I do anything but this group is the perfect place to get a lot of info and real life experience very quickly! :wink:[/quote] OK, let me see if I can explain a bit. Almost every single male Dobe I personally know, and I know a lot of them, is dog aggressive toward other males. Some of those Dobes are rescues but the overwhelming majority are very well bred Dobes that belong to members of the local Doberman Pinscher club. It's a breed thing. Male Dobes, intact or not, are almost always dog aggressive toward other male dogs. I can only think of one male Dobe that I know who is not aggressive toward other male dogs. He's the exception to the rule. On the other hand, male Dobes almost alway submit to the resident bitch. My bitch rules the roost with an iron paw. She pins my male to the ground by his neck quite regularly. Also stands over him to show her dominance. She can only do this because he submits to it....he outweighs her by 20 pounds. You may see many male Dobes in close vicinity at shows, obedience trials and the like and tend to get the impression that they get along famously. this is very wrong. Dobes are very intelligent and highly trainable....part of the training is to define what is acceptable behavior and what isn't. I have no worries with regard to the behavior of my male when he is walking with me on a lead, heeling offlead or working agility offlead. He's under my control and knows that any male dog who crosses his path is to be ignored. I would never just turn him loose and let him meet other males. That would be asking for someone to get hurt. No, he's never attacked another dog but if another dog went for him I do believe that there's an excellent chance that he'd respond in kind. Talk with the breeder. Any responsible breeder will tell you the same things that I've told you. Unless it's to someone with a LOT of Doberman experience, no responsible breeder will sell a male pup to a home that already has a male dog of any breed.

BTW, I personally hope that they do fire the officer.....and that the family sues the pants off him!

[quote=ROTT'N'PIT]sixjollydogs, I do agree that the cop over-reacted but you are thinking as a pet owner/lover. Think of this as a cop youve got a large dog bounding toward you not sure of the temperment, because you may not know dog body language all you know is that its coming at you you have its family on the ground cuffed at gun point, most canines are ot going to be happy to meet you in these circumstances, I know i would feel sorry for anyone in that situations where my dogs are concerned. [/quote] I certainly don't wish to imply that I agree with the officer's actions but, I agree with the statement above. This is one of the primary reasons my dogs are ALWAYS crated when traveling. Several years ago there was a car accident on a very rural highway....joins Atlanta and Savannah, miles and miles of nothing. Ambulance arrived, couldn't get to unconcious driver because her Rottie was "defending" her. Time was of the essence so, the cops shot the Rottie. Poor Rottie was just doing what she considered to be her job. :cry: I will never allow my dogs to be put in that position.

[quote name='pets4ever']Hi all, I have heard that male dobes can be aggressive, but they never say if the males are intact or have been neutered. Do you or anyone know if that "other dog aggression" applies to neutered dobes as well as intact ones? I don't like constant aggression and am considering adopting a male dobe (soon to be neutered) and so of course, am curious. At the moment he is quite young and so does not know about mature male issues. If you fix them soon enough, before they mature, can you nip the aggression in the bud? Opinions requested and welcome..... :)[/quote] Generally speaking neutering, even at a very young age, will have little or no impact on male to male Doberman agression.

Oh yes, I forgot to say that I've seen quite a few Poms running in agility trials. There's one local Pom doing exceptionally well at the Excellent level.

[quote name='yellowlabsrule']I set up my agility couse again! (just moved a couple weeks ago) Winnie sped through it like a border collie! I included a table in my course. Does anyone know how to get a dog to weave faster? That's Winnie's hardest obstacle. She doesn't like it that much, she thinks it's to much work! :lol:[/quote] Training with channel weaves is the best way to get really fast weaves. I'm not quite sure how to explain channel weaves...let me see if I can sorta type something here to explain. A normal set of weave poles has 12 poles in a row like this: o-----o-----o-----o-----o-----o-----o-----o-----o-----o-----o-----o A set of channel weaves has a split base that allows you to slide the poles apart like this: o-------------o-----------o-----------o-----------o-----------o -------o------------o-----------o------------o-----------o-----------o To start with the channel weaves you spread them very wide. You want the dog to be able to run straight down the middle of them without touching them and without having to flex it's body. The incentive for the dog should be a target with food placed at the end of the weaves. If the dog runs straight down between the weaves, they get the goodie so, it really motivates the dog to move FAST! :) Graduallly, over time, you start moving the channels in closer together so that the dog will eventually wind up really "weaving". The beauty of teaching weaves this way is that allmost all dogs will hang onto the speed as you reduce the distance between the split channel. Channel weaves are pretty expensive. You can sorta approximate what they do by using "stick in the ground" poles and just spread them apart. Whitney was initally trained with the "tilt over weav-o-matics". Problem was that when I moved them from almost all the way straight, to straight, she didn't understand. I went back and trained her with straight up, in line weave poles. She's a good weaver and quick compared to most dogs but, she's slow compared to Mason. I trained Mason with the channel weaves and he held onto all his speed...goes though normal weaves at a run!

[quote name='eggrolyn1223']This is kind of off topic: Isn't there an agility club in Richardson, Texas?My mom said if there was a place not too far from our place(in US), I could take Duck there when I go back next year.. :)[/quote] If you're interested in an agility club, you may searh for a local one on Clean Run's website. [url]www.cleanrun.com[/url] Clean run publishes the only monthly agility magazine in the US.

I'm an agility instructor for a club called Canine Capers. [url]www.caninecappersagility.com[/url] Our classes run for six week sessions, one lesson per week and cost $72 for the session. We are the only non-profit agility club in Georgia and our fees are somewhat lower than other clubs. Because of that, I would tend to think that $10 per month is more in line with a group of folks getting together to practice together as opposed to formal classes. That's great, just do take the advise Carol gave you to heart. It was excellent advise!

Oops, sorry for the typo. The name of the shampoo is Nova Pearls!

If you wind up having to bathe your dogs fairly frequently I'd highly recommend Nova Pearly dog shampoo. Because of therapy dog visits, I've frequently wound up bathing Whitney once a month and I've found that Nova Pearls does a wonderful job of cleaning without stripping all the oils. OTOH, if you have a breed of dog with short hair like I do, a good quick clean up is to spray on a mixture of Listerine and water. Wipe off with a towel....cleans and shines! :)

I do occasionally give my dogs canned Jack Mackeral. It's people food...in store near the tuna fish.