sheesh

all good suggestions - and I do most of them already. She has 2 kongs. 1 is stuffed with goodies. She has a buster cube. She has a cute turtle-shaped sandbox which she can dig in (and I hide biscuits in it!), she has other bones and toys. She has a great big sized dog run, with shady trees, and I even had my handman saw out some panels in the fence so that she has 2 windows!!! Talk about spoiled. I think the only thing that has changed is that we took a vacation together and we were together 24/7. Ever since returning, she will not tolerate me leaving to go anywhere. I know I have long hours - i'm gone for 11 hrs - but it's only 4 days a week and for 1 of the days she goes to daycare. Sigh...not sure what to do now.

Hello, My 1yo has lately developed this nasty barking habit while I am away at work. It's not unusual for there to be 2 messages on my machine when I return, of neighbors complaining of her barking all day :o . I am looking into the root of the problem (this is a new thing for her), but in the meantime, I don't want animal control being called. It is not 'nonstop' barking, from what they tell me, it is intermittent. I think she is lonely eventhough there's a dog nextdoor and I take her daycare once/week. Anyways, I bought a little unit which you place near her quarters which emits a high-pitched ultrasonic sound whenever it is activated by her barking. I was scared to get a shock collar, so I'm hoping this 'gentle' form will work. Anybody had any success or failures with ultrasonic measures? Thanks

Dogpaddle - I have Dogs for Dummies (someone gave it to me) - it was pretty useless. I guess it's informative if you want to choose a new dog - it goes over their characteristics in a 1-page deal. But nothing on training or behavior stuff.

no gross stories yet...it's too close to lunchtime :P

I think the 1 day of doggie daycare/week is a good idea. That is what I do - the change in scenery does wonders for my girl. Can't afford to send her there daily, but she gets to be social and pack-like during that 1 fun-filled day.

Hello! I was just wondering who supplements their dog's diet (including all BARFers and non-BARFers and semi-BARFers!) with vitamins, cod liver oil, alfalfa, kelp, probiotics, enzymes, garlic, other oils, etc. If so, what kinds of doses do you use? I have done some research and am still not sure of which products to buy (for ex: for kelp powder, I bought kelp tablets...but what is equivalency of tsp to powder??) If you have a good reference, please tell. Also, where do you buy stuff like kelp & alfalfa powder? GNC only had the tablets. I guess a 'natural store' like Whole Foods or something. [img]http://www.angelfire.com/ga2/kttenkaboodle3/images/dinsect.gif[/img]

Thanks for the comments. I will of course read other sources of pet nutrition including the Volhard plan. Dog nutrition is no easy topic to master. I think human nutrition is easier!

I am totally confused. I have accepted the benefits of whole raw foods and plan to incorporate that into my girl's diet. But I also want to keep feeding her high-quality kibble. But Dr. Billinghurst says no grains - they contribute to chronic illnesses. What to do? I don't want to do 100% BARF because I need to kennel her every now and then, and for other reasons. Any input/comments greatly appreciated.

My little girl will run for the ball or whatever I throw. But then she may just run right past it or pick it up and run elsewhere. When I tell her to come to me, she will come, but without the ball! How to change her behavior? Have food in my pocket? But again, she has no problems coming to me, she just will abandon her toy!

Have you read "The Dog Listener" by Jan Fennell? I am halfway through and it is a wonderful book on understanding why your dog does what he/she does. My little 1yr old has responded beautifully.

Very fun! I will forward it to my doggie friends and see how they fare. I too fell victim to #2.

Have you tried the rubber Zoom Groom brushes? They attract pet hair literally like magnets. You can use it on furniture, the doggie bed, whatever. And it's a nice little massage for the pooch of course :wink:

Courtnek - just ordered Why Does My Dog... Thanks for the recommendation! Will let you know if (when!) I see changes in Riley!

Hey all! Thanks for all the great advice. Now I know my bossy little girl is just acting like her folks. I didn't know that cattledogs were so dominating and bossy. Eventhough the little pipsqueak is only 40 lbs, she acts like she is a 150lb great dane or something :o . I will definitely try to demote her and will look into the books & websites you have suggested. I'm glad to hear that she is acting like a pack dog, rather than she is being vicious and aggressive. She has not hurt any dog ever. If the other dog reared it's fangs and started to bite her, I think she'd back off, and even cower back to me to seek shelter! The little wimp. How did you know she was sleeping in my bed? I'm guilty. I will keep her out of the bed till I have re-established Alpha titleship! I still think she can distinguish the blond dogs (goldens & yellow labs) from the black dogs. She is scared of the germans and bigger dogs. But the blondes--- I swear she seeks them out to bully. Poor things!

You've received lotsa great advice!!! I am also taking heed of the good pointers. Wanna hear what my little 10monther cattle X has gotten into/chewed :o ? Let's see, where do I begin? 1. Last summer... 6 pairs of shoes ruined 2. 2 lbs of raw hamburger also last summer 3. Rubber landscaping siding in the whole yard -- pulled off and chewed up 4. 1 TV Remote Control chewed to oblivion. (Minus the batteries...thanks for small miracles) 5. 4 wrapped Xmas presents that were in a bag inside my office closet. The tragedy -- they were xmas ornaments my mom had got me from Portugal. She ate them entirely! All that was left were the golden hang cords! 6. My down pillow and pillowcase -- all that was left was feathers 7. My Nike Watch 8. My purse 9. 2 throw rugs 10. Her doggie bed. Now don't think i just leave all that crap all over the place. They were "put up" to where I thought were out of her reach. She is a little rascal. She hasn't chewed anything for a while. The remote control was the last thing and that was back in November. I have tons of toys for her including Kongs which are great. Also the rock hard shin bones are wonderful, too. Often times I wake up at night to hear her gnawing happily away on the shinbones. One trick I was taught was to always ask her "Where's your bone (or ball, or toy, or whatever you want to call it)" every time I come in from outside, or just anytime she is just looking bored and needing something to do. Everytime she goes to fetch her toy, I give her lotsa praise. It seems to be working really well. She knows that when she comes to me with a toy in her mouth, she will be praised. If she comes to me with something "naughty", then she gets a stern reprimand. I hope you can work it out -- in addition to the stress, dogs bring so much joy!