mommacat

Mouse - extra hugs from Minnesota to you and your family. It is such a hard decision, but you are doing what is best for Poppy, as you always have. We all care, and we are all here for you.

ooohhh he's beautiful!!! I say train them all you can, at least they know that when they are in training, they are getting your full attention, and that is probably what he needs the most!

Best of luck, everyone. Keep those emergency supplies handy, and leave if you have to. You and your family (four legged ones included) are more important than anything!

R-n-P - SOO SORRY to hear of Snow White. I had a miniature Schnauzer stolen when I was a kid, and I've never really gotten over it, the unknowing is so hard! Please keep checking shelters, and make sure you get the police involved. The advice about the insurance company was good, also, they can put more pressure on the police. Best of luck, we are all thinking of you!

[quote]If you can change, I would. This food actually made the WDJ List of Least Recommended Food. There are much better foods than this. It is your decision though.[/quote] Thanks, MM! I think I will. she has been not eating much lately, and now has taken to stealing food off the table and counter when we turn our backs! VERY frustrating, when she has a full dish!!:evil: I think she doesn't like the taste of it, either. Can you tell me, what is the WDJ List? (sometimes I feel so ignorant on here, thank you all for educating me!!) :oops: I know my pet store carries Innova and Natural Balance, so I may try one of those.

Thanks, DogPaddle - Sometimes she seems to really like it, other times she doesn't eat much, but if I remember right, that could be just a puppy thing. (my kids are like that, too!!) I think I may look into it a little more, some of those ingredients scared me a little, too. Remember the Bryers Ice Cream commercial - we only have ingredients we can pronounce?? I was feeling a little like the kid who can't pronounce anything in his ice cream as I was typing the ingredient list! :oops:

Those are beautiful quilts!! You sure take a lot of time to make them lovely for the animals. Keep up the great work!!

Can we see them??? (hint, hint) Also - maybe sports teams (if you make it out of purchased liscensed fabric, I don't think you need special permission)

Maya LOVES the Turkey Tenders - first ingredient is Turkey - so I think they are good for her :-? The other nice thing is that they are thin and soft - so easy to break into chunks for training. I can get about 20 treats out of one piece!

Sensible Choice Chicken and Rice for Puppies- Chicken Meal, brewers rice, brown rice, chicken fat, chicken, beet pulp, natural chicken flavor, rice hulls, brewers yeast, monosodium phosphate, potassium chloride, DL-methionine, chicory extract, choline chloride, L-lysine, zinc proteinate, Vitamin E supplement, zinc oxide, iron sulfate, manganese proteinate, copper proteinate, copper sulfate, manganous oxide, rosemary extract, sodium selenite, ascorbic acid, Vitamin A supplement, calcium pantothenate, biotin, niacin supplement, rivoflavin supplement, calcium iodate, pyridoxine hydrochloride, thiamin mononitrate, vitamin B supplement, vitamin D supplement, folic acid

What do you guys think about Sensible Choice? It is what I started Maya on, the pet store owner (who is a good friend, by the way, so I trust her) suggested it. She suggest either Sensible Choice Chicken and Rice for Puppies or Innova. We are using Sensible Choice and it seems to work well so far, is Innova alot better??

By the way, about agility, I checked into it, and the group in our area doesn't start dogs until 10 months, so I will have to wait until spring. Then I plan on taking her. I'm trying to get my sis-in-law to take her female Boston Terrier, also, I think it would be good for both of them!

Well, I think I solved the heeling problem. I just went back to the way I had originally been taught, used a choke collar, and after two training sessions, she no longer pulls and walks very nicely. Now, how do I get her to come when she's called when she isn't on a leash (she is a little escape artist!!) Please, don't jump on me for using a choke collar, i felt it was better than letting her pull until she was gasping for air, I know how to use it responsibly (small, light jerks on the leash) and I NEVER have it on her unless I am on the other end of the lead!

Daisymom - no, I didn't see that. How did they say to teach it? Danyell - Abker told me this one, put a piece of tape on her nose, as she tries to rub it off, say whatever code word you want (I say Paw, but my husband says I should've said Cry or Nose) and give her a treat. Keep tiny treats handy, because she'll do it many, many times in a row until she gets the tape off. I tried a couple of sessions with the tape, then tried without, and after aout 3 sessions she had it. I did work on that trick the longest, and she must think it's her best, because whenever we are eating, she sits in front of us and just about rubs her nose off to get some!! I tried it with my mom's dog (mini schnauzer) but had to use the tape over her eye, she has so much beard that she didn't feel it on her nose!! By the way, my mom always told her dog "We're eating, go lay down" and now all she has to say is "we're eating" and the dog goes out of the kitchen and lays on the rug until the dishwasher is opened! We stayed there last week, and Maya started to do that, too.

I usually work with her 1-3 times a day for about 5 minutes each time. My daughter has started working with her, she taught her High-5. Our worst problems right now are the jumping on people, walking on lead, and coming when outside. She is just so much more energetic than other dogs I've had (schnauzers, chihuahua), she reminds me of my husband's lab!! The walking on lead frustrates me. When I did obedience as a youth, we always used choker collars. I may be resorting to that again, if this "turn around when she's not where you want her" method doesn't do the trick soon.

Looks like a good product. I agree that fences are best, but some of us can't put them in for one reason or another. To me, the price seemed a little high, but I haven't researched what other similar products are, so I'm no expert! Just thought you'd like to know - 1st paragraph, 2nd line there is a typo. Heady should be heavy. Just the teacher in me coming out, I guess! :-?

Don't mean to alarm you, but GET HER CHECKED IMMEDIATELY!! My Abbie had that symptom - slight discharge and was not eating or having much energy. She had a uterine infection that was so severe (in all parts of her uterus) that we had to have her put down. PLEASE get her checked as soon as possible, if we had caught it sooner, she could have been saved with antibiotics or a simple spay (rather than the complete hysterectomy we would have had to put her through at the end, when she was too weak to handle the surgery) Best of luck, and please keep us posted.

Meehs - never heard of this, it must be a city ordinance?? What city are you moving to here in MN? We have 2 dogs, a yellow lab and a Japanese Spitz puppy We almost got a chocolate lab puppy - but I think I talked my husband out of it. We are trying to move into the country - then we will probably rescue a couple of bigger dogs, and would love to get a horse or 2!

How fun for you! And how wonderful for your friend that she will know her baby is in the best of care :D

This thread is great!! I haven't really had Maya long enough to see a lot of this, except that whenever she wants anything, she sits in front of me and puts her paw on her nose (we worked really hard on that trick!!) When I was single, I had a schnauzer named Alphie - he would always travel with me, in the back seat. When he would get hot, he'd jump to the front seat and stick his nose on the vents, and breathe in really hard, then I would turn on the air conditioner for him. I think he thought he was turning it on himself! He also was very scent sensitive, and HATED :evilbat: the smell of fingernail polish, permanent markers, or Carmex lip balm. He would wrinkle up his nose, lift his upper lip, and sneeze to get rid of the smell. I ended up teaching it to him as "smile",and didn't even have to open anything, just show it to him!

Beautiful dogs!! Welcome to Dogo!

Yah, I think so. I need to find the place around here that trains, and look into it some more. My biggest problem now is that she wants to run so bad, she won't come when I call her outside. :evil: She doesn't run away, she just runs around me in circles to get all that puppy energy out. I guess I need to get a longer lead and work her more with that?

oh, Blehe, I am SO sorry for you - the tears just flow for poor Max and his family. Even though we know our friends are now resting easy - it is much harder on those left behind. May Max find peace, joy, lots of places to run, and lots of trees to mark at the bridge.

OOH!! My daughter and I just went to thier site, you've never heard so many AWWW's in your life! :D I love thier work, and how they don't use much for props, etc, they just let the beauty of the dogs show! Did you get one with you with your dogs?? When Maya gets a little older, I'll definetly have to go there for a pic - they are only about an hour from me!

He is so cute - what an :angel: baby!!