imported_nea

1 male flatcoated retriever, Webster. :D Soon he'll be 11 months old! :o 2 guinea pigs, both boars: Tizzy (Twizzler Twix Herbert), and Russkit/Tubby (Abbylines Novelty... I did NOT name him that! :o). 4 female mice, Pep (soon 2 years old), Boot (1.5 years), Toki (about 6 months or so) and Dulles (also about 6 months old, is a half-sister to Toki). 1 betta, AJ. 2 adult bristlenose catfish, Mr. Algea B. Eater (who is a female...) and King Harry. They have a bunch of little ones in the tank too.

My dog is not a lab, but he is a retriever. No markings. Still its simple to identify him even when there are lots of other flatties around. Just cause they are the same breed doesn't mean they to look alike! Sure they all have similarities, but there are destinct differences too. If you know your dog you know what it looks like and don't mistake it for any other. Theres my answer to your "question". Just a suggestion- if you really aren't a troll (don't know if I believe that... :-?) I think you'd be taken more seriously maybe if you didn't insult and put down certain breeds of dogs. You don't have to like them but there's no reason to continually bash them and be so judgemental about them. Its ignorant, immature and dumb. [size=2]Not to mention entertaining to read, since its hard to get upset at things so abusurd and untrue :wink: [/size]

[quote name='Rabid-Poodle'][quote]You mean shepards[/quote] You mean German shepards----please do not confuse this breed with the beautiful, intelligent, and friendly Australian Shepard!!!!!!!!! geesh big enough ears or what! Funny, they all look the same. I feel bad that the breed was bred so much to fit a standard of certain look that the back legs are way down. I dont think thats a good look at all. Oh well, I dont need to worry, there will soon be no more German Shepards around here.HEHEHEHE :evilbat:[/quote] I think they were pointing out your incorrect spelling :roll:. If you want to appear the least bit credible you ought to be a bit more openminded- now you just sound like a total idiot. Certainly not someone to be taken seriously! :wink: :lol:

Now I can see them! :D My computers been acting a bit strange lately so maybe thats why I couldn't see them before. He is really gorgous and stands very nicely :)

I agree that certain breeds are less nicelooking than others. But not liking a breed because of the way they look is really very superficial. Personality is what matters! I'm not going to bother answering the "mean" dog thing. Its just ludicrous. I can't believe someone actually believes that kind of thing... :o

Thanks for all the advice! :)

The last three days or so Webby has been acting different. He seems to only listen when it suits him, which he hasn't done before. He sometimes just flatout refuses to do what I ask him to, or stops before I tell him its ok to get up again, and is just a pain. Those are the more concrete things but there is something else too, and I'm not sure what. He just dosen't really seem like himself in a way. Its both disconcerting and discouraging. He is usually so good, and now thats gone! :( A few days ago I stopped using treats so much when I was rewarding him, and now I'm mostly praising verbally. Could that have anything to do with his behaviour? There have been some exciting things happen for him too. Is he stressed because of it? Or has he reached a point when he is going to test the limits and all that stuff? How should I treat him when he acts this way, should I try to ignore it and wait it out or should I try to do more intense training and try to get him to do it right? Unfortuanatly one of the things he seems to ignore the most now is the recall. :( If he doesn't shape up I won't feel comfortable letting him off leash and that would make him really sad! He loves zooming around...

:lol: Those are nice teeth!

I can only red Xs :(

Thanks :) Good luck with the show Mami! :D

Thanks kendalyn and hillside for the advice :). I'm going to try to fase out the treats a little bit and see how that works. He is a very smart dog and I think he likes learning things, but he is also an opertunist and if he can coax out more treats then he'll do it. I need to learn to outsmart him maybe too... :-?

[quote name='HazelNutMeg'][quote name='nea']Webby's "pee schedule" :oops: :wink: is sort of once loooong each time he goes out, thats usually right outside the building. Then he marks a bunch of things on the walk, sometimes quite alot sometimes he seems to sort of run out of pee and lifts his leg without anything coming out... :o :lol: I've never counted his markings but the "real" ones are maybe 4-5 times a day or so I guess.[/quote] Webby lifts his leg???? :o Okay, he's younger then Coal right? Cuz I'm pretty sure he is and am begining to think my dog's a gay boy :lol: :lol: He STILL squats :o[/quote] Webby is only 10 months and has been lifting his leg for a while. How old is Coal? Web has to prove himself macho and all that to impress his crush Disa :wink: :lol:

Something I've been wondering about lately is if I try to hard to motivate Web. I try to use clicker training as much as possible, and that does involve lots of treats. But even when I don't use the clicker I tend to feed alot, and use toys to reward him with. When he does something good I show how pleased I am by playing a bit with him by running/jumping and praising him enthusiastically. When I'm training at home I almost always give treats/toys for something he's done right. Often in "real life" I treat too, but not always. I do not want him to become dependant on treats or toys in order to do what I ask him to do. I really don't. I don't want to overuse that help, but I want to take advantage of how it motivates him too. I've noticed how lately he will lie down like a flash if its right before dinner time for him. Other times he lies down in his own pace. With his trick high five, he does it only when he feels like it. Which is usually when I'm holding a treat, or have the clicker out. I feel like I have to make a huge deal out of him whenever he does right. I'm getting tired of it because I wonder if I'm underestimating his eagerness to learn, and I'm worried that eventually he'll work for the food or play and not because he enjoys working with me or learning new things. For example retreiving. He is a retreiver and naturally loves carrying things in his mouth. He loves it when we practise the more "formal" retreiver, he joyfully bounds to the dummy and then does some zoomies before coming to me with it. When he does I make a huge fuss out of him. Someday I want to do hunting/retrieving tests with him. They seem quite tough- the dog has to bring back many things and during several hours. I don't know if youre allowed to give tidbits to the dog during them or not- but during real hunts, a flattie is expected to keep going for an entire day retreiving things. Now I know that Web is still a puppy and all that. But still, shouldn't the actual retrieving be a bit of a reward too? In the book about flatties I have it says how retrieving is a "self-motivated" thing to do, or soemthing to that effect. Is all my wild praise and treats really necissary? Can it do more harm than good in the long run? Would a calm and approving 'good' be as effective? I want to be able to do things with Web and have him enjoy it for the sake of doing it, not for candy or playtime. And I'm worried that the way things are going now that isn't going to happen. What can I do? Sorry this got so long-winded. :oops:

I thought of another one for Web; Flip Flop. He has an obsession with a purple flipflop, he [i]adores[/i] it! :roll: Also, he is either doing flips (well, more or less :wink: ) or flops down tired. :fadein:

[quote name='xavierandrea'] Patti would be renamed GB ( because she is the dog version of a garbage disposal, always looking for food )[/quote] :lol: :lol: Thats a great name! :wink: :lol:

There was a topic about it a little while ago (here it is[url]http://forum.dogomania.com/viewtopic.php?t=12863[/url]) with some great ideas. :D

[url]http://www.boxcarbailey.com/spitzbreeds.htm[/url] There are some descriptions and pictures of spitzes down a bit on that page.

what would you name him/her/them? I think I'd name Web Printer. He is [i]facinated[/i] by the printer, for some reason. :roll: And he is black like the ink, and makes paw[b]prints[/b] on stuff when his paws are wet or muddy. Also he can be a bit dysfuntional when he feels like it, just like my printer :wink: :evilbat:.

Webby's "pee schedule" :oops: :wink: is sort of once loooong each time he goes out, thats usually right outside the building. Then he marks a bunch of things on the walk, sometimes quite alot sometimes he seems to sort of run out of pee and lifts his leg without anything coming out... :o :lol: I've never counted his markings but the "real" ones are maybe 4-5 times a day or so I guess.

Showing a dog doesn't [i]have[/i] to take alot of time, energy or money. You could always go to a few shows a year, there isn't anything that says you have to show so intensivly (although it does seem fun too.... :wink:) Training for conformation doesn't have to take that long either (at least in my very limited experience!). Just 5/10 minutes a day for a while and the dog should be able to trot nicely and stand still. I don't know what its like there, but here you can feed the dog while its being shown too which makes it LOTS easier! You could always enter a show and try it out, see if you think its fun. Part of the fun is showing your own dog, watching someone else do it doesn't seem that exciting.. Also, Webby's breeder told me that often the dog will look happier if its with its beloved owner, and therefor do better, than if its with some stranger. :)

voted. :)

Thanks :) I got Web to pose for some pictures with his ribbon, they didn't turn out that well but still, here he is [img]http://images.snapfish.com/33%3A7955523232%7Ffp46%3Dot%3E2329%3D444%3D637%3DXROQDF%3E23235434%3B%3A278ot1lsi[/img] Somehow he wedged his lip over my finger in this one :-? . He still has to have candy in order to stand still :roll: [img]http://images.snapfish.com/33%3A7955523232%7Ffp54%3Dot%3E2329%3D444%3D637%3DXROQDF%3E23235434%3B%3A285ot1lsi[/img]

Yeah I think I am addicted :o Next thursday theres a sort of show close by, I'm going to try to go to that. And on Saturday theres a show that I might go to just to look, its to late to enter now. :( And then in July there are a bunch of little unofficial ones I maybe can enter... :lol: Its so much fun, and GREAT training. I'm so amazed at the difference in how he reacts to other dogs now between before and after the show. He no longer lunges at them joyfully! :D I'm sure he will again, but its exactly what he so desperatly needs, to just be around other dogs. :) If I can trust him to be somewhat calm in situations where there are lots of people and dogs, then maybe next spring we'll be ready to start competeing in Obedience too! :D

wow thats impressive! :o How did you teach that? Didn't she steal other things out of the refrigerator?

They bleed when they are in heat, which is what, twice a year or so? And that can easily be illiminated by spaying.