imported_Cassie

I have 2 of my Newfoundland dogs entered in an obedience trial this coming weekend. Usually the breeder takes them through all the conformation and obedience....but, this time she tricked me and entered my dogs and her dogs, and told me I will have to take my dogs through the paces as she will be busy with her dogs! :o I know she has been planning some thing evil like this for quite some time! :evil: she is even making me take my young bitch in the conformation ring!!!! the horror! I am prepared for the obedience trial as I have had my dogs in obedience since the breeder gave them to me. My male especially is so non typical of the Newf's I think he will be the first one from my breeders kennel which will not lay down during the long sit and fall asleep. I have a feeling my little bitch will....she is very lazy. So any way, I dont' expect to walk away with my CD title....but, just wish me luck that I don't embarrass myself to tears.

:o That is every owners worst nightmare!!!!! I am so releived nothing happened to your little furbaby...

[quote]I was thinking it would be better if... I put him a down/stay (for a couple mins only) if he does that, then release him and see if he does back, if he does then repeat it. If he doesn't then praise him of course[/quote] Quote by ThePoutyPitbull Hey you were on the right track with the "down" "stay"...since it has been 3 years since I have gone through this "hunting kitty" phase with my Rottie...I thought I would do a little research to see if there was any other suggestions to offer rather than my life experiences.... :lol: I just wanted to add, if you do not feel comfortable spraying water at Tydo...then don't do it....even though your trainer suggested this to you. I some times feel that in some cases if it don't feel right; don't do it. Go with your gut instinct...you were quite right about the down and stay...I think your on the right track and you and your cats will make it through this perfectly fine. I was reading in my Whole dog Journal (very good magazine I might add) and they have an article on Prey Drives.... A solid foundation of good manners training can also be helpful, combined with vigilance on your part. If you are out hiking with your dog and see the deer (in your case this would be your cat and your in your back yard :lol: ) and you see the deer or cat before your dog does, you can call her to you and snap the leash on. Even if she sees it first, a really reliable recall will bring her back to your side, especially if you call her pre-launch, before she is headed hell-bent-for-leather after the fleeing animal. A well trained emergency "Down!" can also save the day, even if your dog is in full stride. Many dogs will "Down" even when they won't "Come" because they can still watch the prey. Stopping the charge gives the dog's arousal level and adrenaline time to recede, and you may be able to call her back from the "down" or calmly walk up to her and snap on her leash. One of the most useful applications of the chase behavior is in conjunction with teaching your dog to come when called. Lots of dog owners make the mistake of moving toward their dogs - or even chasing after them - when they won't come. In dog language, a direct frontal approach is assertive, even aggressive, and dogs naturally move away from it. Its much more effective to do the exact opposite - run away from your dog! start playing chase/recall games with your dog. Teach your dog that come means chase me and play. You could teach Tydo that the appearance of the cats is the cue to lie down, a dog can't chase when they are "down" or the appearance of your cats could be the cue for your dog to sit at your feet. This type of training can be difficult because the dogs are so highly motivated to chase - it is quite a challenge to convince tham that they'd rather do something else. YOu must find something highly rewarding in order to make it work....practice regularly rather than just expecting it to work in the heat of the moment.

Some cats.... :roll: I have a friend whose cats think every dog they meet is a new friend. When I take my Rottie over to her house I keep her on lead...I find as long as I am calm my Rottie remains calm...I will walk her over and let her sniff the cat...on the first few occasions she has tried to grab the cat...I firmly tell her "no" and we walk away...my friends cat will just stay where it is with a baffled look on its face. It's hard when you have a dog with a high prey drive and especially when they have not been properly socialized with cats...I found with my Rottie she is very aware the cats are a part of the "pack" now; and the cats have just as many if not more rights around the house than she does. I also for awhile fed my cats first in front of my Rottie...just to show her the cats have some status...I have also taken all of my 5 dogs and 3 cats and handed out peices of hamburg...I felt it was a good way to show all my animals that they are all equals in my eyes and that food comes from me....and if I can givith the food, I can also taketh away... :lol: I would definately when out doors keep your dog on lead when around the cats, when you see your friendly kitty... walk your dog calmly over to the cat and give them both treats. My Rottie will still try to chase my cats out doors also...when she catches them (they have no fear of her now) she usually just wants to play with them, she will take her nose and push the cats around the yard. I have also tried taking a ball and throwing it in the opposite direction to get my Rottie to chase that and release that pent up energy and encourage her prey drive to other objects instead of my precious cats...you can't stop a dog from displaying its prey drive...you can only encourage them to display it in a good way....if that makes sense... :o As for spraying your dog with water....you could certainly try that. I havent tried that myself... I just keep my patience and know there will be set backs from time to time...my Rottie now perfers the company of cats to other dogs....and she plays well with them...another friend of mine has a 7 month old kitten, when I take my Rottie over to her house the kitten and my Rottie play for hours...the kitten will stalk my Rottie,...then the kitten jumps on my Rottie after that its chase and play...kitten chases dog ...dog chase kitten...my Rottie will even grab the kittens toys and entice the kitten to try to jump up and grab it from her mouth...she turns her head side ways each time the kitten jumps...that way the kitten is sure to miss while prolonging the game. My recipe for a good cat + dog relationship...patience - don't hurry things let the dog and cats get used to each other in the house. Be sure to have good obedience skills with your dog, I really like your idea of having your dog lay down for the cats...a dog can't do much attacking from a down position. Follow your own instincts; watch how your animals respond to each other...it can take a long time....some times up to a year before you can fully trust them with each other. Be sure you are calm (as you said you are) and expect things to be a little different when out side of the house.

I can certainly emphatize with you on this topic! I have a Rottweiler which I adopted at 1 year or age...she was unsocialized & very dominant etc. (it was a horrible situation for this poor dog; she was confiscated by the SPCA) any way...she also has a very high prey drive and I own 3 cats...it was really really rough at first, but, I got her used to the cats by putting up baby gates so the cats would have their "special areas" to get away from my Rottie. I did not force the animals to see each other..my Rottie was especially bad, she would lunge at the baby gate if she caught site of one of the cats. I put items around with the scent of my dog for the cats to smell and the scent of my cats for my dog to smell before I really allowed them to start seeing each other through the baby gate. after a few months the cats of course started getting nosy and would come over to the baby gate and stare at the Rottie...she would stare back while drooling. Once things seemed calm and my Rottie was able to walk past the baby gate while one of my cats was sitting there..I then knew it was time for the gates to come down. I have not had any problems since, they all live in harmony and the cats will even sleep in bed with me and my dogs now. You really will require alot of patience and of course obedience training. If your dog does chase your cat the worst thing you can do is start screaming for your dog to stop...cats are pretty good at getting up some thing to get away...if you start yelling for your dog to stop...most times when they are intent on the chase they will choose to ignore you or perhaps the more you yell and get excited the dog may even think you are joining in on the hunt. I have never been successful at redirecting my Rotties attention when her prey drive is in full force...a treat just does not come close to the thrill of the chase. Every time your dog is calm around the cat give the dog treats and a little extra lovin' pat your cat also while you are patting your dog and massage...now massage is a great way to calm and relax a tense animal...I have done this so my Rottie will realize the cats are allowed in my "personal space". I am so amazed at times especially when I give my cats a peice of hamburg and my Rottie will not go near the cats while they are enjoying their treat...if they leave a scrap behind then its fair game and she will dive in and gobble it up. Good luck! :wink:

I am very surprised your Vet did not advise you that he/she would contact a specialist with disease control or with a local Vet college to see if there are special precautions you should be aware of... if you havent already; advise your Vet that you do have other kittens at home from the same litter, you need to know if this can be spread etc. I also work at a Vet clinic...I also have not seen any thing like what you have described, the Vets I work for would be very concerned and would be on the phone pronto to find out every thing they can.

[quote]The only way to reduce the number of dog attacks is to educate people to the dangers of ALL dogs, irresponsible owners, and the like. How many people who get attacked by dogs have the least bit of understanding as to why dogs do what they do? How many people have seen "signs of trouble" in the neighbor's untrained, unsocialized dog, but chosen to ignore it because it was "none of their business"? Then when something happens, they're the first to run out screaming at the top of their lungs, "I knew that dog was dangerous, I saw this... and this...". How many dog attacks would have never happened if the people around the dog HAD taken notice of signs the dog was giving off, and taken steps to stop things BEFORE they reached that point? It all comes back to educating people[/quote]. [b]Quote by Gooeydog[/b] Very well said. I just want to add to this post that I agree any dog in the wrong hands can be dangerous....but, how dangerous that dog will be will be dictated by the motor patterns that dog was bred for. I also want to point out that APBT's are not the only breed bred to be non aggressive to humans...ALL reputable breeders insure their dogs are very human friendly, any dog which demonstrates a potential to be aggressive is usually PTS. most dogs which are aggressive towards humans usually stems from a learned behavior....either from the bitch or how people respond to the dog. I have also seen first hand from a friend of mine who breeds German Shepherds, when her children were living at home her pups grew up to be perfect adult dogs with no fear phobias or aggressive tendancies...once her children left home and the pups were no longer being socialized with a few children running around or teenagers etc...the dogs did not function as well as her previous litters did in their new homes....and this just so happened to be a repeat breeding by the same bitch and sire...just different circumstances in the breeders home when she was socializing her pups made a big impact on how the pups matured mentally. Most of the dogs which I have seen which have been beaten, neglected, abused etc. have been very submissive and are the first ones to cuddle up to the first person who will show it a little love, I have seen many breeds including Shepherds, Dobes, Lab's, little mixed breeds etc. which have been just so happy to finally have a person hold them...I have also seen the opposite where they have become so fearful they will not allow any one near them..I get to see more animals which have been abused as they will show up at our Vet clinic due to injury's caused by neglect...our clinic does all the medical work for the local SPCA, so these dogs will never see the inside of a public animal shelter....once they come to our clinic they stay until they find a home (by the choice of the Vets on staff)...many dogs which have been abused are usually very submissive. We have a few clients at the Vet clinic I work at, one couple in particular bought an APBT after hearing how wonderful they are around people and they loved the look of the dog...this couple was very submissive and did not enforce any rules over the dog, this APBT eventually took over the household and became very dominant and snapped at their child and basically had the whole family frightened of the dog....this can happen to ANY breed...this APBT was placed in a home with a middle aged man who had a very dominant but freindly personality...the dog did wonderful with him. another women bought an APBT and she was a very good owner and mother of one child....her APBT would bark at every thing which passed by the front window, the owner would always go over to the dog say its name and call it away from the window....one day the dog being hyped up by alot of activity going on attacked its owner (redirected aggression) the attack was carried from the living room where finally the owner made it into the bathroom and yelled out her window for some one to call the police...the dog was out side her bathroom still tearing at the door, and her arm was torn to peices...when the police arrived she yelled out her window to kill the dog as it was taking a fit! any way, this women had bought this APBT in the understanding they are not human aggressive at all...the dog proved her wrong, plus, the dog was in the wrong environment, always having some thing to stimulate it and cause it to get worked up...this also could happen with any other breed...but, for people to tell others that the APBT is the only breed bred not to be human aggressive, I really don't beleive that. I want to add also that I work with many many different breeds of dogs daily. I have been working with dogs directly for about 20 years...I have not been biten, possibly due to my dominant body language around dogs and understanding them...and the dogs body language. I have to say that every one is always raving about how the APBT is bred for dog fighting and how they are not human aggressive due to the fact they had to be handled in the pit...I am quite sure these people handling these dogs were very knowledgeble around them, and possibly used devices to stop a dog fight (breaking stick)...I also don't beleive that these men have never been biten, I would assume they would not have reported a dog bite from an illegal dog fight. I don't beleive they would have culled every single dog which may have bitten them in error or by redirected aggression...I am sure they understood the consequences when holding these fights and know how to handle themselves. I am also pretty sure a small submissive type person or a child etc could not jump into the middle of an organized dog fight and stop it or expect not to be seriously bitten or possibley killed....for one thing it would be pretty stupid to take a child to such an illegal, immoral, disgusting horrible event as a dog fight... I think more education is needed before any one takes on the challenge of dog ownership. It is some thing which a person should consider committing them selves to for the next 15 years or more ( we have a few dogs which come in which are over 20 years old) I also beleive a person should look at their own lifestyle and where they live before taking on a dog. I also firmly beleive that some breeds can be more dominant than others....I could own a dominant Golden Retreiver or Newfoundland dog and not run into as many problems as if I ended up with a dominant Rottweiler or APBT etc. some dogs are more in tune to your body language and fears...some dogs will pick up on other peoples fears easier than others...for humans its not dominant personality's which need to be extremely cautious....its submissive people which a dominant dog can walk all over which need to take extra careful.... So, for the most part....alot of people absentmindly make a dog aggressive, either territorial aggressive, dominance aggression etc...some people just do not have the right temperment them selves to take on certain breeds, or the time or knowledge.

It is a very good idea to have Coal see you prepare his meal, and have him sit before you give the meal to him. You can also practice your training method of leave it (until I say its OK to eat). I have always controlled my dogs resources and rewarding for appropriate behavior...I have 5 dogs; I feed all my dogs in the kitchen (although I don't really feel its that important for my dogs to watch me eat before I feed them, thats the last thing I want is for 4 slobbery Newfoundland dogs and 1 anxious Rottweiler drooling all over the place while I eat my dinner!!! :o ) For the crate perhaps if you have it in an area which Coal has "chosen" as his favorite sleeping area...leave the crate in that area with the door open during the day...Coal will probably start going into the crate during the day for his naps...make if comfy with perhaps a couple of good treats in there for incenative. [quote]I didn't have to do this with my dogs because my personality is so overbearing that they immediately knew who was in charge.[/quote] [b]Quote by Mei-Mei[/b] :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: I think I have the same personality trait as yourself and Courtnek...

Most dogs are very sensitive when it comes to their legs and paws....this has alot to do with instinct...without full use of their paws and legs they would not be able to hunt therefore they would not survive. I have also seen many dogs when they fight they will go for the other dogs legs first. Any way, I do many dogs nails during the day as I work with dogs daily...I usually hold the dogs head in a bear hug and bring the leg up under the belly to do the nails...but, that is only because I don't have time to desensitize each dog which comes in....in some cases with smaller dogs one of us holds the dog in a bear hug on our lap and the other person will clip the nails all the while praising the dog...some times if the dog is really difficult we distract the dog by blowing in its nose each time one of the nails is cut. Where your dog lives with you you will have the time to desensitize the dog to nail trimming. First gain the dogs trust, when I first adopted my fully grown Rottweiler she was horrible for doing nails. I started by massaging her head working down her back then down each leg and taking each paw and rubbing and massaging each individual toe...she really enjoys the massage and relaxes completely...I then started to clip each nail very quickly while massaging the toe, stop massaging clip, give a treat, then massage some more then move on to the next...for the dew claws I massaged the entire leg then clipped the nail. Your dog needs to fully trust you around its paws and legs. As every one said once your dog is desensitized it will not be a problem...have treats and lots of praise during the nail cutting process to let your dog know that for each nail that is cut will be rewarded.

Your poor pup has been through quite a bit in such a short time frame. Healing takes time. I am curious what kind of mange your pup was diagnosed with...being on revolution I would assume it would be Sarcoptic mange...I was just curious because the other kind of mange is called Demodectic Mange and this particular mange is found on all dogs, the only ones this particular mange poses a problem to is pups and dogs with inadequate or poorly developed immune systems. As far as I know Revolution is only effective against Sarcoptic mange not Demodectic. Any way you poor little pup's body has taken quite a beating....I would defenitely be adding additional fatty acids and a good doggie multi-vitamin to his diet to help him to get over this. You could also add yogurt to Tiramisu's diet...the yogurt will be helpful in replenishing some good bacteria in the gut. Yeast infections are commonly misdiagnosed. At the moment at the boarding facility I work at; the owner has rescued 3 dogs currently which are in very poor shape due to demodectic mange and poor immune systems, horrible ear problems...I could go on..one of the older males he is about 2 years old could not stand up on his own when we first took him in..and he had no fur on his rump or tail...he is only starting to show improvment and is standing and walking on his own now...he was neglected and starved when we rescued him, thank goodness for nosy neighbors or this would never have been reported. Keep working with your Vet, some times a pup or dog which has a suppressed immune sytem and is trying to fight off other ailments can take a lot longer to heal than a pup which had a good healthy start on life and can cope much better...get the pup on a premium holistic dog food and add Vitamins and fatty acids...discuss this with your Vet. I wish you the best of luck, and keep working with the pup to help him to get over this...he was not healthy when you first took him in and he has gone through much more than most....give him time.

It just blows me away by how defensive people can be....a bad owner is the one who has to state...."my dog is friendly" nobody knows how their dog is going to act in all situations. I have seen "friendly" dogs caught by surprise by another dog and had to consort to a frontal confrontation on first meeting....even the sweetest dog may have a hard time to act really good with a face to face surprise meeting. I would have done exactly as you had and I wouldn't give it another thought... common sense and good responsible dog owners would never had gotten mad about you taking your dog out of the situation. I also would have been worried about privacy for the person in room, diseases etc. I own a Rottwieler, and she loves people, cats and "some" other dogs...I don't expect "everyone" to love her. I have a sister in law who is scared to death of my Rottie, but, she loves all 4 of my Newfoundland dogs...when she comes to visit me at my house I put my Rottwieler away in the kennel along with my Newf's (don't want her to be lonely) although I know my Rottie would just love to see her, I will not put my Sister in law though a meeting until she is ready (its been 3 years now :lol: ) I don't take offensive...I can understand her feelings...its when people stop understanding how other people feel and may react who shouldn't own any breeds which people may be frightened of....if they get defensive then don't set your self up to have to be defensive.... perhaps I don't make sense, but its early early morning..I'm on my way to work... :cry:

I agree, the child is at fault...and now is the best time to discuss this situation with her properly. Tell her that what she was doing was teasing Devin...ask her how she would react if other children at school kept bullying her around and pushing her to the ground etc. ask her if she would defend herself with these other children or if she would just grin and bear it. We being humans have done horrible crimes in the name of justice in our eyes...shoot people who break into our homes, slapped boy friends who have been doing...well, wrong things behind our backs...even we the superior of all species reacts to situations...and not always in a nice way...heck, I don't even know how I would react if some jerk kept sticking his face into mine and teasing me...I think I'd bite him too...and who was that boxer who bite that other boxers ear off??? :lol: I find adults who have the most hatred for dogs have been children who were possibly bitten and the parents over reacted and did not look at the situation...if a child beleives they were bitten for no reason they will have distrust of dogs which grows into fear...

Did the Vet look down the ear canal with the otoscope? usually a swab is done when there is inflammation present, if the ear drum is involved and if there are any foreign bodies, tumors or other potential causes of the problem. Dogs with allergies, either to food or something they inhale, often have ear problems. As a matter of fact, the ear problem may be the first sign of the allergy. Since the allergy changes the environment within the ear, we sometimes see secondary infections with bacteria or yeast. If we just treat the infection, we are not getting to the root of the problem. We need to treat the allergies too. If you did not feel comfortable with this Vet then make a follow up appointment with your usual Vet....at the clinic I work at we would consider this a re-check and it would not be the full price of a normal exam (they are in the same clinic, arent they???). There are alot of Vets with terrible bed side manners...some of these Vets have terrible people skills but are wonderful with the animals...I know a few like this! :lol: I have also worked with an older Vet who was also a horse Vet and had a small animal practice as well...he could diagnose any thing within seconds he was great...he had been around so long and had seen so much that it was second nature to him. I would definately still keep an open mind...I would probably start adding fatty acids to the pups diet just in case of allergies.... Here is one thing I just want to mention for those who are insulted by a Vet going over vaccines and boosters etc with clients even though they have had many many pups...all comments are recorded in your file, for each pup or dog you aquire the Vet will put down that they discussed vaccines with the owner, they explained spay/neuter, and worming schedules etc with the new owner....all of this is recorded in your file so if some thing does happen and the cleint tries to blame the Vet for not telling them....it is in your file that you were told. I don't care how many pups you have had...every body should be made aware and refreshed...and especially if the Vet felt your Pup may have had a repressed immunity... I don't think he should have kept repeating himself though.... :roll: Well I wish you and Bella the best, :wink:

Crested, just because Ben has allergies and does not eat very much or is picky does not mean other dogs with allergies are picky eats!!! a friend of mine has a white boxer, they are known for having repressed immune systems which makes them prone to allergies...this dog is allergic to every thing - grass, house flies, beef, chicken...I could go on...but, this dog would eat a horse..then chase the driver!!! one of my Newfoundland dogs has allergies and I put her on a hypo allerginic food...I had her on BARF but, it was too hard to keep all the food items she was allergic out of her diet and still give her a well balanced diet...for a while the only indication of allergies was severe ear infections which would be treated and then come back and she started having vaginal yeast infections, she too will eat every thing in sight... I think the Vet sounds very competent and was trying to explain things to you as he could see the breeder was leading you down a false trail...tell me, how does a pup get an ear infection from its mother...unless it is from parasites...or a repressed immune system...and if your pup has a repressed immunity the Vet seemed very concerned ...as for vaccines we tell the same thing to our customers....we make the customers aware they should be very careful with their pups until they have all their boosters. At least this Vet took the time to talk to you instead of mumbling some medical terminology and pushing you out the door. Not every dog in the world which has an ear infection has allergies...but, a Vet has to find out why the dog has an ear infection and what is causing it...perhaps the Vet saw the pup was very young and saw it was not mites causing the infection...saw there was not excessive moisture...many dogs get ear infections from getting water in their ears for example labs & retreivers which swim and put their whole head under quite often. You can't just treat an ear infection without knowing what is going on. And atghylin it is very hard to diagnose some ailments...I work at a Vet clinic and some times certain diseases are very hard to diagnose. But, I will say one thing, the animals that come to our clinic are given more attention and tests etc are done much more quickly on our animals than the medical care we humans receive. As for knowing the different breeds, all dogs are within one species...they all have the same anotomy...the only difference is purebreds are usually over bred and can become prone to diseases which are a result of over breeding and small gene pools...there are new diseases popping up every day...for an example, Newfoundland dogs; my breeder friend has been very successful keeping hip dysplasia out of her lines...by breeding to keep HD out she has created a new hereditary disease...elbow dysplasia; this was never some thing Newf's where ever afflicted with before. Many dogs due to over breeding are having resulting problems of repressed immunities and poor conformation resulting in problems. The clinic I work at the Vet's know their breeds...and they will tell you there are many breed specific diseases which all Vets should be aware of....I would just like to know what you feel the Vet did wrong in diagnosing Bella....isnt it probable that these breeds are prone to have repressed immunities??? a repressed immunity Purebreds are the biggest portion of business at our Vet clinic.

I am agreeing with Mary's mama, there are numerous reasons why dogs get ear infections...one of the first steps in curing an ear infection is finding out why the dog is having them...you can't just say..."oh, my dog has an ear infection...just treat it and don't ask questions" Dogs can have ear problems for many different reasons. When a dog has an ear disease we need to think about the possibility of: Allergies such as atopy or food allergies Parasites - ear mites Microorganisms - bacteria and yeast Foreign bodies, e.g., plant awns Trauma Hormonal abnormalities, e.g., hypothyroidism The ear environment, e.g., excess moisture and ear anatomy Hereditary or immune conditions, and tumors Because there are many potential causes of ear problems, we cannot just say it is a bacterial infection, dispense antibiotics, and it will go away. Often, more work is needed. The treatment is going to depend on what caused the ear problem and what secondary conditions are there as a result. Antibiotics are used for bacterial infections and antifungals for yeast infections. Glucocorticoids such as dexamethasone are often included in these preparations to reduce the amount of inflammation in the ear. Ear problems caused by a systemic disease such as a hormone abnormality or allergy must include a therapy that treats the whole dog, such as hormonal replacement or allergy testing and hyposensitization (immunotherapy). [quote]WHY CAN'T HE UNDERSTAND THAT THE ONLY REASON BELLA HAS PROBLEMS WITH HER EAR FOR THE FIRST TIME IN HER LIFE IS THAT HER MOTHER HAD GOT AN EAR INFECTION A LITTLE WHILE AGO AND THAT THE PUPPIES GOT IT FROM HER [/quote] [b]Quote by Crested [/b] How did your pup get an ear infection from the mother? I would agree the Vet was ignorant if he did not do a swab to insure it is not a bacterial or yeast infection and thus made his conclusion it was an allergy solely on the breed. and yes, atghylin most breeders are much more aware of the "problems" their breed may be more inclined to....and yes, Vet's learn about more about anotomy than breeds...but, there are alot of breed related hereditary problems which all Vet's are aware of.

Hey K & Rosie's Mom I have linked an older article for Rosies Mom which K had posted a while back about yeast over growths... [url]http://forum.dogomania.com/viewtopic.php?t=6674[/url]

Wow, one Vet told you it could only be done at 1 year!!!! thats terrible!! I am so glad you are able to get Rufus in at 6 months to be "snipped" :lol:

I've never owned this breed myself..but, I've been told a good dog for a couch pototoe is a Bull Terrier, they are easy going (although can be a little dog aggressive) and their excercise requirements are moderate...a good stroll is good...for grooming the sleek coat is easily maintained by a weekly rubdown with a bristle brush. another breed which is very low maintenance is the Bull Dog..they can adjust to just about any environment and are a relatively low activity level...but, because of their facial structure they can be prone to snorting ,snuffing and snoring.... the Bull dog coat is low maintenance. I also would go to my local humane society and see what they have available and tell them what you are looking for...an adult dog is usually always a good idea as Mutts4me mentioned...you could also take in an older dog which would normally not be placed due to the age factor...an older dog just looking for a rest home... I have also seen many many many breeds so not typical of their breed standards...so, even by getting a breed which is supposed to be laid back...you could end up with a dog which is hyper and not typical....you don't know how many times I have heard this statement ( I work at a Vet clinic, Grooming & boarding facility) from so many people..gee, this breed isnt supposed to be like this?????

A clear mucoid vaginal discharge is a reasonably reliable sign of pregnancy and is noticed about 4-5 weeks into pregnancy and continues until parturition...so a vaginal discharge is quite normal for a pregnant dog...of course you should be taking your bitch in to have her looked over by a Vet to insure her good health.

[b]Aroura,[/b] [quote][quote]You really want hybrid vigor, by a proper mutt, go to the shelter and pick yourself up with too many breeds to count and you'll see hybrid vigor! Tessas an example of that... Kelpie, Blue Heeler, Pit Bull, Bull Terrier... god only knows what else!!! She is the healthiest kind of dog you can find, and she only cost $20!!! Plus we knew we were saving her life. None of this $700 bullshit you get when buying a crossbred mutt with a label[/quote] Yes, I agree that there are too many dogs in this world period...I think being man we should clean up the messes we have made first before breeding more dogs...including reputable breeders....I also am in complete agreement....Mutts are wonderful. A really good example of hybrid vigor is our horses...when I ask some one at the barn what kind of horse they have you'll usually hear some thing like 'Oh, hes a Morgan, quarter, appalosa...all cross breds or if you'd like to call them Mutts....horses are pretty healthy and you can show any cross you have...it doesnt matter! I am starting to see problems in the horse world where the "purebred" image is staring to over lap...the warm bloods I see are skitsy, nervous...do not make good trail horses, spook 10 times easier...hopefully the "purebred" image is not going to snake its way into the horse world like it has the dog world....

Here is an interesting article - written by biologists who actually really study genetics. [quote]Where did this idea come from that in the beginning all dogs were purebreds and everything else since then that is not pure is a mutt? it is highly unlikely that the dog evolved from wolves into one of our modern purebreds and then later degenerated into a mongrel....purebreds are not seperate species...Sexual isolation from the greater population of dogs leads almost inevitably to dire consequences for those dogs that get trapped in a pure breed, another severe problem with locking dogs up reproductively is the problem of inbreeding. By not getting a purebred your chances of getting a healthy dog are greatly increased. ...crossbreeding ensures health and energy that are known as hybrid vigor...[/quote] [quote]Many dog breeders have poduced a contrary effect in trying to preserve breeds. They treat breeds as if they were a species, and sexually isolate small populations of them in an attempt to preserve their historic, ideal phenotype. Sexual isolation from the greater population of dogs leads almost inevitably to dire consequences for those dogs that get trapped in a purebred. Indeed, the idea of trying to modify a breed's behavior into a more tractable type of pet, while holding its form constant, seems not to work very well. Holding the size and shape constant while changing the behavior might well be one of those developmental constraints that don't work, like trying to get ocular overlap and robust drooling in the same animal. Another severe problem with locking dogs up reproductively is the problem of inbreeding. Once the stud book is closed on a breed, it is unbelievable how fast thay become inbred. I was sitting in a review session at The Seeing Eye in New Jersey one afternoon with John Pollak, a geneticist from Cornell, and I asked how fast inbreeding will occur once a population is isolated. A true teacher, he led me through a little exercise. How many founding sires do you start with? if you have just one, than all the first generation will be siblings or half-siblings. By the second generation, all breedings are inbreedings. If there are two founding sires (unrelated), then the third generation is inbred. So he developed a formula for me to go home and practice with. If I started with five hundred unrelated founding males when I closed the stud book, then by the tenth generation I will start inbreeding. That could be only fifteen years after the stud book was closed. If I created a breed of dogs in 1900 (that is, closed the stud book) with 500 males, currently that breed would have been inbreeding for eighty-five years. They are caught in a genetic trap. And what can possibly be done about it? open the stud book. The pure breed story is worse than that. Starting with five hundred males, I get ten good breeding years if I use all the males equally. If the members of the breed club begin to breed only to the champions, then the inbreeding is accelerated. If the stud book closed on five hundred males but every female is bred to this year's grand champion, then inbreeding starts next year. Is it such a wonder, then, that our purebred dogs have so many breed-specific diseases, increasing all the time? Consider the advice of the experts who counsel breeders to eliminate from their breeding programs those dogs that exhibit retinal atrophy or hip dysplasia. The inbreeding coefficient increases more rapidly. The breed is in big trouble. [b]The old-fashioned breeders who continue to create dogs by cross-breeding for specific, specialized tasks, like the lurcher breeders of Europe or the sled dog drivers, are, by and large, disdained by pure breeders[/b]. I have been chastised many times by newcomers to the world of the uncommon guardian breeds. How could I possibly crossbreed the pure white Maremmano-Abruzzese with those gray and black Sarplaninac? Well, I say, in the first place, my understanding of the transhumance leads me to believe that the Maremmano-Abruzzese and the Sarplaninac are not pure breeds at all. And in the second place, improvement of plants and animals, when performance is the goal, relies on crossbreeding and hybridization. The ability of agriculture to produce the quantity and quality of animals and plants it does depends heavily on crossbreeding and hybridization. The successful techniques of cross-breeders of working dogs are practically unheard of outside of their fields. What purebred breeders forget is that golden retrievers and every other modern breed are poducts, originally, of crossbreeding. That is why they have been good dogs....at least in the beginning, they had the health and energy that are known as hybrid vigor. Surely we owe dogs more than tightly restricted lives and distorted body shapes. Surely we can give up the eugenics of the pure, the perfect dog, and create instead a population of well-adapted, healthy pet dogs. In my wildest dream, I imagine people who have given up the "What kind of dog should I get?" question and gone to "I would like to make a dog for this task" During the past one hundred years, hobby breeders have taken the working-sporting breeds and bred them specifically for the household market. I understand that throughout history breeders have bred miniature and gargantuan forms of dogs simply for display: the bonsai-garden type of breeding. But few of our modern household breeds are much older than a hundred years. The "perfection" of breeds is coincidental with the interest in expositions in which owners or trainers submit their dogs to judges who decide which which dogs are superior in looks. Over the past hundred years, the hobby breeding program has succeeded quite well in isolating subpopulations of working-sporting breeds from their greater populations for the specific purpose of public display and sales to the household market. This is an important concept to understand. The modern hobby breeder specializes in a breed. A breed is a population of dogs that is mechanically isolated from all other dogs. It also points up a very different process than the one producing pet or show dogs. A dog purchased from inbred stock (closed stud book), untested in the field for many generations, is the product of a breeding program (maybe) that has little to do with its working behavior. The expectation of the new owner is that the dog will be good because it is a purebred golden retriever."What kind of dog should I get?" "Get a golden retriever because they have a friendly nature and disposition, athletic ability, love of water, and natural instinct for hunting and retrieving". That sounds ridiculous to a working-dog person, or to a population geneticist. Friendly disposition is genetic? Love of water is genetic? Athletic ability has something to do with golden color? Is the implication that all goldens have this same set of genes, and all these traits? Is there no variation in golden retrievers? Lord Tweedmouth (founding father of Golden's) had good dogs because he had a good breeding program that included a high percentage of crossbreeding and because he hired people to work those dogs from their youngest days and develop the best dogs. He liked to hunt, he liked to have the best hunting dogs, and he was proud of his eye for working dogs. And he culled the bad ones. Increasingly, the modern household dog becomes a genetic prisoner trapped in an isolated population. With each succeeding generation the behavioral and physical misfits get eliminated from the gene pool while breeders try to hold on tho the ancestral form. But in each new generation we see a host of new genetic problems. Lists of breed-specific genetic diseases are now part of the professional and popular literature. And it is worse than that. Breeders and owners forget what the historical dog looked like. They select for the exagggerated form. They select for the longest face. They select for the really big ones. They select for the flattest face. The breeds end up with weird conformations. Each breed takes on an unnatural shape, becoming a freak of nature. They are loved the way the hunchback Quasimodo was loved-a dichotomy between the grotesque form and the honorable personality...As the decades go by, every part of the household dog's life is increasingly manipulated for the human host's benefit. The dog is capriciously manipulated for human pleasure. The more bizarre and exaggerated the animal is the more benefit it seems to confer. This recent breeding fad for the purebred dog is badly out of control. It appears that selection for the exotic is the goal, We are producing unhealthy freaks to satisfy human whims. This is terribly unfair to dogs. The same reduction in gene diversity takes place when a breed club tries to select against hip dysplasia, retinal atrophy, and some other so-called genetic disease. Every time an animal is culled for genetic problem, the genetic variation in the closed population is further reduced. It's not just the bad genes that are affected, it is all the animal's genes. Any time there is selection for or against single characters, ie, "tame" or "hip dysplasia," then one must be prepared for the appearance of new or altered characters because of what Darwin called "the mysterious laws of correlation" Today the phenomenon is called pleiotropy, or saltation-the fact that more than one characteristic can be controlled by a single gene, and selection can result in unintended and unpredictable changes. Many breeds are living to pay a terrible price for the temporal increase in population or the luxury of expensive food and care. It is not simply that the dogs have access to the kind of medical care that is given to humans, but that they have been bred so they need such care to survive. Breeds like the English bulldog are in a dead-end trap. There probably is not enough variation left to get them out of their genetic pickle. Unless the breed clubs open their stud books and and allow outside breedings, Bulldogs and the other breeds caught in these eugenic breeding practices are headed for extinction. The problem here is that unlike the wild counterpart becoming extinct because of habitat loss, these purebred individuals will increasingly suffer ill health. What is troublesome is that modern society seems to have little realization of what it is doing to dogs..owners don't seem to be disturbed about deformation.... [/quote]

:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

I think its great your starting your own forum, its wonderful to have a support group and others you can discuss special topics with! good for you! Speaking of deaf dogs the [b]whole dog journal [/b]has a great article on training deaf dogs....its call "deaf-initely trainable!!! :lol: I have started to read it but havent gotten that far yet! :lol: For all of my dogs when it comes to obedience I train both sign and voice commands. Its wonderful when your dogs all resond to a hand signal...I have freaked a few people out doing this and having all 5 dogs go from sit, to down, to sit again with out uttering a word and being very coy about the hand signals.. :lol: I have done this training for voice/signal training because you never know when you dog is going to lose one of its senses and you have to have a back up plan. Good Luck to you...

OK, now don't laugh at me BUT.....how in the heck do people get off saying that SOME breeds of dogs are not human aggressive because they are bred to not be human aggressive????? I have read many many books about aggressive tendancies and the best I have read yet on behavior is written by a couple of biologist who actually STUDY behavior and motor patterns etc of dogs...human aggression is not a normal behavior for ANY dog!!! dogs evolved to be scavengers of humans...they depend on us to survive...human aggression cannot be bred for or against in dogs...it is all to do with socialization and how other people perceive your dog...each time some one steps back or shows fear for certain dogs, this dog can become aggressive toward people; dogs are responsive to the move, and the people react more demonstratively to its movement, and so on...the only genes for human aggression is in the coat color and shape of the dog...

For one thing, just because a dog is timid does not mean it has been abused...all of my Newfoundland dogs came from a female breeder with little contact with men (except at shows) when these dogs came to live with me they were frightened of men...a man would have them hiding in my bedroom shaking of fright...any thing a dog has not been conditioned to during its critical period usually before 16 weeks and has never been around a rowdy teenage person...well, this can be very scary...dogs are natural hazard avoiders...if they think it might hurt them, they will avoid it.. .one of my Newf's seeing me carry in a sack of potatoes sent it into a terror fit!!! it had never seen some one carry pototoes and the kennel life it grew up in did not help any as the dog never learned to be confident enough to explore things first...now, with my Rottweiler; she is a whole different story; although she had not been socialized properly before I got her...she is very bold and will investigate first. First as I am sure you already know as I have read your previous posts; you are a very knowledgable person when it comes to dogs...you really have to first build Laurel's confidence and don't force her to get to know your son...let her do this in her own time...spend a quiet evening with your son perhaps watching movies and leave Laurel in your room hiding...she may, but probably won't get curious enough to come out and investigate...ask you son to ignore Laurel and do not try to force his attention on her...and just go about life as usual as if the dog isn't there. I lived with a man for quite some time which one of my Newf's was very frightened of...I did not force her to get to know him...after what seemed months and months she started slinking out and sniffing his legs etc. I know it seems like a tough situation...but, with time I'm sure you can work this out...I would definately have a quiet place for Laurel to get away from it all...and don't expect that she will warm up to your son or his freinds any time soon... Perhaps if there is an activity like say for example going for walks that Laurel really loves...perhaps put her on lead and ask your son to come for a walk with you...of course I wouldn't force some thing like this any time soon. You can also talk to an animal behaviorist or an obedience trainer who may be able to help you build Laurel's confidence and give you more advice.