DogPaddle

Short of a vetrinary problem or a trip to a behaviourist I think your doing everything right. I would just keep at it and use a shedule and get her out maybe as often as once every 20 min until she gets it. I feel so bad that the person you got her from mislead you. :( You could try clicker training for when she is good outside and a shaker can for when she is bad indoors, you'd have to keep both on you at all times. There are some pretty inovative people here, maybe they'll have more suggestions for you.

Wow, this sounds tough. I would go with a very scheduled regime and leash him to you and watch him like a hawk, if he goes to make a mistake wisk him outside right away. You'll need to get to know his body language well. If you want to discuss a schedule more pm me.

Is it just me or did abishere222 edit his/her post to highlight the I want to know how to register a new breed part? Apparently he/she is annoyed at our responses and isn't interested in the importance of responsible breeding and hip/eye/elbow etc certification and only wants to know how to make more unwanted puppies in a country that euthanizes truckloads of puppies and dogs a month already. People have expressed educated, experienced opinions and concerns. People have been polite and understand you have a very special dog and referred you to Petfinder. You have given no indication that you will do all needed hip/elbow/eye/genetic certification or truley know how to go about ethical and responsible breeding. You didn't respond, you just indicated you wanted to make puppies and apparently want our help to do so. :lol: :lol: :lol: Did you read any of the posts on this thread or any others here? People here care deeply about the welfare of all pets, they aren't going to help you do this thing.

I don't think there is anything inherently wrong in allowing a dog to follow its hunting instincts in many circumstancs. In national/state/provincial parks - NO. In an unnatural setting where the dog has an unfair advantage or in an area where the dog and prey are confined - NO. If the prey animal is endangered or threatend - NO. If it is breeding/welping/etc season for the prey animal - NO. If there is a risk to your dog - NO. If the prey animal is likely someone elses pet - NO. Otherwise I think its ok but I often would stop my boys because I'm a softy. Laurel sounds like a great hunter. I personally love the baying but I imagine it was a bit less than music while you were trying to drag them both away. :lol:

In a dog pack often only the top dogs breed so not breeding will not be a problem for your dog. Dogs unlike people don't feel their lives are lacking if they're not getting any. The health risks for remaining intact, both direct and indirect, far outway the risks of desexing. Desexing is a common and safe procedure, it is quite simple, especially for males. The internal bits of the scrotum are removed, as these are like a completely bypassable sidetrack in the dogs system there is no risk to other functions. I have had three male dogs desexed. Two did not seem to notice even within hours of removal. No pain or problem. One appeared to have some mild discomfort at first but we gave him half the pain meds our vet provided when we got home and after that he was fine. The one male did appear less . . . domineering. I presume this would corelate to aggression. The other was a pup and no behaviour changes were noticed. The other was an adolescent and I'm not sure if there was much change in behaviour, perhaps a bit less spazzy and a bit more affectionate. Additionally when bitches in heat went by they were less stressed. And dogs are not persons IMO, they are dogs. They are loved, valued, have rights, have feelings etc but they are not people. They are better than people and are better to us than we deserve. BUT we have to make the right decisions for them and the right decisions for our dogs are not similar to the right decisions for persons. Good for you for asking questions. Sometimes people are reluctant to ask because they're afraid people will disagree with their position but I think its good to try to make sure your doing the very best for your dog.

Ah well, that does add up doesn't it. Good for you for working so hard for her, I'm glad she's with you now.

In case you are interested in breeding in part for profit you should know that ethical breeding is no money maker, in fact, it can cost money with all the vet bills and health checks.

:lol: I love your posts HF!

If you check your local shelters, and/or extended shelters and volunteer animal rescues and Petfinder you should be able to find a similar breed. Please research the number of animals put to sleep and the number of "surplus puppies" born every year before setting out on this venture. Things to think about if you did proceed: - 20 generations - health checks and certifications - hips, elbows etc, anything that would generally be certified in any of the contributing parents breeds - health and vet costs in the breeding population - sufficient genetic diversity - bitches should only be bred after 2 years or so depeding on breed and then only every other year - appropriate housing and quality of life for breeding stock - registering with proper kennel clubs eventually if they'll have you - competing in agility, obedience, weight pull, or other sports or events to prove physical soundness and temperment and trainability - most breeders who breed ethically don't really make money, sometimes breeding costs money - there are plenty of breeds out there already, what niche or purpose would your breed fill that is not already filled by another breed How old is your current dog? Pictures? We love pictures here. :D

$600 for spaying? Did I miss something, was there anything else involved or done, any special circumstances?

Thanks Pyrless. I do the turning thing (but the tree method doesn't work for us.) Maybe I'll try a different harness, I find having a variety of heeling/no pull training tools and methods helps.

Thanks Mei-Mei.

mburnett - Can't wait to see pictures of your pups. I have a Lab cross. Excellent eaters aren't they? :lol: I sympathize with them though, they tank up easily, especially when they get to around 5+.

How about frozen green beans? No salt, fresher kinda, tasty . . . my boys love them still frozen, I give them for treats sometimes.

NO!!!! No semi moist. No kibbles n bits. Yuck, bad, suger, salt, corn, soy, by product. Moistend kibble is a good suggestion. You could also try researching homemade dog food recipes, you would be feeding a meal that would be something like this - ground meat, cooked rice, a bit of veggies and maybe tomatoe, perhaps some added supplemetns. Definately semisoft, smells better than dog food, very healthy.

You can find useful sites that help you choose a breed, some of them have shedding as one of the factors. Type the following into a google search: dog breed chooser OR selector Have fun.

Shed less dogs (not to be confussed with shedless dogs.) Poodles Schnauzers Lhaso Apsos Shihtzus Most dogs that require regular clipping/timming and grooming.

Have there been any changes in your pups diet, grooming, etc. If so it could be the culprit. Do you brush her teeth? Everyone made great suggestions, I just have one thing to add: Allerpet D. This and similar products are applied after drying after a bath. Wipe over dog with a cloth 1-3 times a week to reduce chance of having allergic reaction. Actually having someone else do the wipe down is better.

I think the premise that "kids will be kids" or that no matter what you do kids can't be taught to behave in a safe manner is bunk and underestimates 98% of kids over 4. Kids are smarter and more capable than most people give them credit for, including their parents sometimes. Most are more than capable of being reliable safe or doing many other things if we only indicate exactly what we expect and don't create excuses for them that they don't need. Having said this - I would still never leave my neices alone with my dog until they're at least 8 or 9 - and that is IN MY OWN HOME, parents so should not be allowing there kids to run loose IN A PUBLIC DOG FREINDLY SPACE. I think the whole ubersafe, kidcentric, no accountability atmosphere that has developed is really detrimental to developing children who grow into well adjusted, responsible, aware, compasionate, accountable adults who benefit society. I think dogs that have no overt aggression issues deserve a shot at socialization regardless of age. I think places like Petsmart are one of the steps in a process. And yes mistakes may occur, but I know if its me, my dogs will be on a leash and if there body language changes I can stop it before it causes injury - I can CONTROL the dog even if its behaviour is not perfect. But, if there are a bunch of unruly children whos parents have entitlement issues around - it robs me of an opportunity. So why should that not irritate me, why should I not complain. I will hold parents accountable to CONTROL the child even if its behaviour is not perfect expecially in a place like Petsmart.

[quote]The halti is like a harness that a horse wears. Wherever the nose goes, the animal will follow. I have used these for years. They are not uncomfortable,like the prong collar.[/quote] First let me say that I tested the prong on myself before I ever put it on my dog. I tested it against the INSIDE of my wrist and against Pik's neck - he's so helpful. We pulled fairly hard and it is uncomfortable but does not cause what I would consider real pain. While I agree that the prong may be more uncomfortable than the halti during an average correction I do not agree that the halti is comfortable. It seems to cause Zaphod irritation wear it sits across the bridge of his nose. Due to this irriation he will dig at it and, if adjusted properly, there is some play in a halti/gl, therefor he is able to move it and sometimes it rests near his eyes. In fact the halti or GL (I've tried both and had both fitted by a trainer) irritates him so much that after 2 min with the thing on he freaks out and digs and pulls doing damage to his own face in his desperation to get it off. Additionally, he does not notice the prong at all when we are just walking nicely. I think the difference in experiences is probably due to differences in dogs - type of stop on dogs head, thickness of coat around neck, dogs personal preference, much like Gooeydog suggested. Pyrless - Tell me more about the harness. I've tried the loopi wich is a type of harness and it didn't seem to reduce pulling. Any idea what I'm doing wrong?

Wildlife populations naturally fluctuate. Predator populations fluctuate with prey populations. In an "uninterupted" system sometimes there are a shortage of prey (deer for example) and sometimes there is a surplus. This natural system does keep itself in check in many ways, for instance any surplus deer starve over the winter. This system works to ensure that the genetically superior examples of the species survive to procreate. Human hunting styles do not follow this pattern, often the most genetically superior of a species are the prized deer etc. Prey really have no chance against us - we are super-predators. We upset the natural system fairly effectively. We often do this first by eliminating other effective predators that do hunt in ways that eliminate genetically weak prey such as wolves. Wolves used to hunt all over North America and are the prey most closely associated with deer population. We find wolves inconvenient, especially where we have livestock (although there are a lot of myths around this.) We have effectively reduced predator populations to the point where they do not keep deer populations in check properly. As reintroduction of appropriate predators is not likely to occur, hunting might be the solution if we committed to doing so in a way that reinforced genetic soundness. This would mean trying to discourage people from going for the big healthy 7 point buck and encourage them to go for the slower or injured or not as well fed deer.

I tried every method out there before going with the prong and I have to tell you it really does seem more humane than the halti or choke. Zaphod ripped at his face to get the halti off no matter how I adjusted it and he or I just weren't getting the choke and he was in full pull mode the whole time. I tested the prong on me first - it pinches, its uncomfortable but its not too bad and I don't have fur. Zaphod has never yelped on the prong, Kavik did once (he was walking calmly, slowly and accelerated rapidly and nearly dislocated my shoulder, he gave a quick yip and that was it.) If I get the haltis out for a walk Zaphod goes to hide and Kavik won't give me his head, if I get the prongs or their flat buckles - they come running. As with all methods the goal should be to train, not rely on, where possible. IMO prongs have a bad rap, possibly because they look like a dark ages torture device :( I know almost nothing about shock collars.

Purina isn't on the list as it's various products are often loaded with byproduct, unidentified protein and fat sources, unusable or poor quality protiens, corn, salts, sugers, and the like. The most reasonable Purina product is Purina One, it still has undesirable ingredients but its better than Beneful. Purina is a "grocery store brand." If you MUST get a grocery store brand, (and IMO they are more trouble than their worth and cost more in the long run between health costs and serving size) than look at President's Choice Lamb and Rice but I really don't suggest "grocery store brands."

Whatever the case with IAMS their dog food has byproduct in it so its a moot point for me - I wouldn't buy it if they were voted most noble company. Foods I suggest you research for your pup: Innova Canidae Solid Gold Wellness Wysong Homemade but do your research well first. Of these Canidae will end up being the least expensive (check the feeding instructions because it is less than some other foods - dense) and a well researched, well prepared Homemade would be the healthiest IF you do it right, it would also allow you the most customization to your dogs needs. If you aren't comfortable with homemade than Innova is prob. the healthiest but if its too rich as someone else suggested then don't get Solid Gold's Mmillenia (its really high in protien and higher in fat for hard working dogs its also beef based) I would suggest Canidae or Wysong if the others are too rich. i have no experience with the soup type foods.

Hounddogdaddy - Keep at the all positive method and make sure you do a lot of NILIF to back it up. Please keep in mind the all positive approach can be a bit slower than "the old methods" and some people will give you flak over it but stick to your guns and don't let them step in and undo all the postive work you'll be doing.