atghylin

Okay... I had to wait for my mom to call me back before I could answer this. She's got a 5 year old black lab (Abby) with the same problem. Mom tried desensitizing Abby's paws by constantly touching them. Several times a day Mom would call Abby over and play with her paws. However, it didn't work, Abby stopped coming when called. Buttons, on the other hand, is still a puppy and might enjoy the new "game" more then Abby did, who is far more older. You might want to add a treat or favorite toy to the game as well. Hope this helped some, Amanda

With the MPs invovled you can bet that this incident went on a perment record and the base housing authorities know about it too. Which means... when these people are shipped to a new base the chances of them being able to get base housing again just got a little slimmer. The military frowns greatly on problems like this. Look on the bright side at least you know these people have issuses. I wish someone had known that my nieghbors at another base had issuses as well... Anyways I'm glad to hear that Zoey is doing well.

Felix never had a problem figuring out that me and my husband are the ones in charge. BUT... when comes to Kristopher thats a different story. Felix would bark and snarl at Kristopher all the time so I found a trainer. The trainer I talked to told me to have Kristopher feed Felix too. The idea worked for a while but then Kristopher started to bully Felix. :evil: So I had him stop with the feeding and just leave my poor dog alone. Felix does know when Kristopher has crossed the line from freindly to bully now though and cowers in my lap as I reprimand the kid. Kristopher is as hard-headed and stubburn as ever and still hasn't learned. :niewiem:

:Dog_run: I gave Felix his first RAW meal last night. He kept looking back at me waiting to if he was going to get in trouble, so I turned my back to him. The one time he caught me looking at him I praised him. He wagged his tail and then licked the bowl dry. This morning he was eagerly awaiting his breakfast. He again licked the bowl dry. :D Until now he never finished all the food a gave him. I'll definately have to keep looking for other recipe books for him. I've enjoyed making his meals... even before I've had my first cup of coffee this morning. :kaffee_2:

OH MY DOG!!! :shocked!: GJP, you just described my old Cocker Spaniel mix to a T! Sandy was a pound puppy too. As for the crate training "baby steps" is the way to go. My mom crate trained Sandy at the age of 7/8, so I know it can be done... it's going to take a long time though. :-? The blanket is an excellent idea... it's hers and by putting it in the crate you've got her attention and she's going to want to know WHY you did that. If she has any favorite toys put those in the crate as well. If she starts whining at night throw a blanket over the top of the kennel... make sure it's big enough that covers the front gate well and most of the sides just enough so she can't see out of the kennel to you. Leave the rest open for fresh air to circulate through. Good Luck! :D Amanda

I forgot about this until this afternoon when Kristopher came home school. He went outside to play and I caught him in the act of recreating The Teenage Mutant Turtles movie. Puppies are very much like toddlers and young children, they mimic everything they see. You might want to litter train those ferrets first. If she sees that they have a specifc place they have to go poop at then she might follow suit. I would carefully watch her just in case she decides that she wants to use the litter boxes too. Good Luck!

I think the dog was in the yard... I THINK! :hmmmm: At least that's what I can deduce from the owner's statement at the end of the article. If there is a leash law and the dog was in the front yard, did the owners have the dog trained to a radio fence? An officer would be unable to physically see it and might fail to ask about it in such a situtation. Just a question and the first thing I thought of when I read the article. I also realize it may prove impossible to answer. :niewiem:

I may be older then Crested but I still react the same way when the profesional I've chosen to visit doesn't listen to me or continually repeats what I already know. I've had one peditrion(sp?) make a move on me during a visit, :o I've had another yell at me for not coming in sooner, and a few months ago an ER doctor tell me there was nothing wrong with my child who was cutting his first tooth and running a 103 fever. After 3 visits to the ER I was finally told my child had an ear infection as well as his first tooth! UGGGG! :evil: When they don't listen the first time I try to understand a little bit but when they continually don't listen I start getting mad. I hold all doctors, human and vet alike, accountable for their listening skills.

Aonir, is there a particular spot she likes to go (i.e. the carpet of a certain room). If there is then get rid of the scent. When Felix has an accident (usually after a bath because I won't let him out of the house until he's completely dry) I reprimand him, clean it up, spray the area with some watered down simple green, scrub as much of it out as possible, then spray a bit of Fabreeze extra strength over the spot. He never uses the same spot twice because he find it again. Good luck! Amanda

Cassie, I stand corrected. I promise to make no more fuss about my previous posts. :) Marys Mama, if you were to take a new puppy to a new vet and told that vet that this wasn't your first puppy and that you had others at home then you received that particular speech wouldn't you be a little upset? I know I would be upset because that speech would have just given me the very clear indictacion that the vet hadn't heard me and assumed that I was completely ignorant of those guidelines. That is a bad, bad sign in either vets or human doctors! The not listening to their clients, I mean.

You're right, Cassie. And I apologize if I sounded rude. :oops: But wouldn't you feel better if the vet you chose to see recognized your dog's breed? Then maybe you'd feel more comfortable with their diagnoses (sp?) and their advice. Okay, this is a little off subject but hopefully you'll see my point. When my oldest son was 15 months old he developed a diapper(sp?) rash that wouldn't go away. I took him to see the peditrition I was using at the time. He told me it was JUST a diapper rash and to use some Zinc Oxcide for a few days. Didn't work! I went back but this time I saw his assistant. She told that my son did NOT have diapper rash but a yeast infection, and that it was pretty far advanced. She also said that the Zinc Oxcide may have made it worse. :evil: I never returned to that doctor because I felt he was unable to CORRECTLY diagnose a problem. It's the same with vets. If they can't correctly identify a breed then how are they going to know what breed specific problems to look for? Is that a better question?

Marys mama, not all vets reconize a breed or know enough about a breed because they do not see or treat that particular breed often enough. Sometimes if they are ignorant of the breed (as per Crested's current problem) they tell you what they THINK they know but do not really know. Does that make sense? As breed specific pet lovers we often know more about our pets and the breeds they come from then our vets (or as in this case our substitute vets). I had a similar experience. The vet I chose to take Felix to after I had adopted him took one look at him and said "Well you defently have something other then Cocker Spaniel in you." I quickly corrected the vet by informing him that Felix is a pruebred Cavalier King Charles Spaniel. The vet just didn't reconize Felix's breed. It wasn't his fault that most spaniel breeds in my area are of the hunting varity. My long winded point is that I agree with Crested, the vet was ignorant of Bella's breed and tried to make himself sound knowledgable, but failed miserably! Mostly due to Crested's knowledge base that made her more qualified to spot a problem with Bella then he did. Is all of this making sense to you? Amanda

Poochster, you say you want a dog that will accomidate a work before play rutine. Okay, a Shih Tzu or a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel are probably the closest you'll come to that. My CKCS is perfectly happy to sleep at my feet while I'm busy doing something else, but if I get up he'll follow... he has a natural curiosity. He's always ready to play when I am and if I'm not... well lets just say I keep my feet out the way and enjoy the show. These once a day shows last about 10-15 minutes as Felix runs circles through every room in the house. That's his daily excersize. What he gets out of it I have no idea. I can also tell you that my mom's Shih Tzu does the same thing. We loving call this rutine the scooters. :wink: If this holds true for most or all dogs of these breeds I have no idea, but it is interesting to watch. :D

Thanks you so much Dogpaddle!! :D :D My husband had so far only read a FAQs page and wasn't too thrilled with what he read. He's now more willing to look further into this. Wish I could say the same for my mom and sister. They told me to stick with Iams! :roll: Guess they just don't understand how much Felix really means to me. :-? Oh well! If this goes well for Felix then we'll see who's right about this. :fadein: Amanda

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

Okay, it seems every few days or so someone mentions RAW or BARF diets for their dogs and I started to get curious. After doing some research and reading what has been said in past threads I've found that I like what I've read. But... now I have to convice my husband. He's a picky eater and there some foods that I don't buy because he won't eat them or the thought of them make him sick. I can't open a can of tuna for myself while he's home because the smell of it makes vomit. :oops: He's also tends to ask some difficult questions about almost any subject. As side from the occassional smell that might or might not make him feel sick I expect him to ask the following questions or some variant there of... How can we be sure that Felix is healthy after we switch him to a BARF or RAW diet? How do you guys know that this is a healthy diet for your dogs? If we cannot find someone in our town or within driving distance that sells the meats that a BARF or RAW diet recommend then where else can we get them? That's about all I can think of for now. He's currently at work and I'm still not sure if I can sell him on this idea yet but I will give it my best shot. I will also be posting more questions as I or my husband come up with them. As for the smell... I can only promise that I will prepare all raw food while he is not in the house. Thanks, Amanda

I went down to the local Wal-Mart and bought a $0.50 soft toothbrush for Felix, which I replace every few months. For toothpaste I ordered a $5.00 toob of tarter control toothpaste from Foster's and Smith when my mom was placing an order. It really helps get the plaque that builds up between his teeth. Amanda

I'm sorry to hear about Poppy, Mouse. :cry: I've always hated the thought of losing a loved one, four feet or two. You and yours are in our thoguhs. with love and comfort, Amanda and Felix

Yatooma, you are not wrong about the amount of money decent people are willing to pay to give a dog a good home. The gods know I did the same for Felix. But the breeder I got him from interviewed me and made sure he would be going to good home before she let me have him. The frustration here is that these people in "Dog Valley" are in the business of puppy brokering. In other words, these people don't care where the dogs are going just as long as they get their money. There is no telling where these dogs are going... they could be heading towards a fight ring, a lab, or an abusive home. (K would be able to give you more information about these places.) Those here on Dogo firmly believe that our pets are members of family and should be treated as such. It breaks our hearts to see puppies going to places like this and then to who knows where. The biggest frustration is some of us can only bring awerness of such places to others. We can't save the puppies even as our hearts are going to peices. :cry: Amanda

:rofl: :rofl:

I grew up with a Britany, name of Millie, and a Cocker Spaniel mix, named Sandy. Millie belonged to my dad but Sandy was all mine heart and soul. So much so that I vowed when I moved out I would get another spaniel. When my husband said I could get a dog he laid down some requirments. 1) I had to choose a purebreed. He's not fond of mixed breeds. 2) I had to choose a toy breed. Sandy made him uncomfortable (she was a medium sized dog). Of course, this requirment left out all spaniels or so I thought. While looking through an AKC breed book I borrowed from the library, I came across a black and white 2"x2" photograph of a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel in the toy breed section. I was in love! :iloveyou: I haven't turned back since... even when it took 5 years to get one of my own. When asked what my favorite breed is I can enthusiasticlly say the Cavalier King Charles! :fadein: Amanda

I would like to use a clicker with Felix and have been researching the idea for sometime now. But I have one problem with it... All my life I have been told not to train with treats. This is a rule that my mom strictly enforced and I am having a hard time breaking it. Call operate conditioning as a child if you will, but I can't break this rule no matter how hard I think about it. I even went out and bought treats for Felix's training but I keep forgetting to give them to him except after dinner as I grew up doing. To me clicker training sounds like a wonderful alternative to treat training. But couldn't I just praise him after I click? I only praised him during obediance training, still do. He's already used to it as his personal reward. Amanda

Ooops! I forgot about Coulee. I don't here much about Coulee but then you would be the only person I know from Coulee. Felix is my only dog and he's a Cavalier King Charles Spainel. I would love to pick up a Saint Bernard one day, though. :D Now that's a breed that would send my in-laws into a tizy. :lol: :lol: No, they would not like that at all. Too many bad feels about the last Saint Bernard in the family. I blame them for what happened to the poor thing... they lacked the knowledge and training techniques for it. Amanda

Black GSD wrote: Just wondering WHERE in Washington you are? I saw the EXACT same add in the paper yesterday. (I am about 40 miles North of Moses Lake.) I am in Moses Lake. 40 miles north? Hmmmmm... would that be Ephrata, Quincy, or Soap Lake? Amanda

I've always wanted to learn how to crochet. My mom does but never found the time to teach me. A last week the October issue of Parents magazine showed up and in it was instructions for crocheting. So I went out and bought some yarn and a hook. I rolled the yarn up into a ball to prevent knots and got to work. I've been working a blanket for the last few days and it seems to be going now that I have the hang of it. Okay, (now this was stupid), I set my work down on the couch so I can check the forum while the boys are taking their nap. Plus I needed a break, my fingers were killing me! :scream7: Remember when I said Felix thinks he's a cat... well he proved me right today. I look over at the couch and Felix has gotten a hold of my ball of yarn and dragging it around and through the livingroom furniture. :o Ooooooh! was he having a good time. The good news is that he only got the yarn... he didn't get the blanket part. But still... I should've known better then to do something so stupid. :oops: Amanda