kendalyn

I think it's just being able to read their body language and to communicate to them with your own body language. I've never been bitten by a dog either and it's because I know when to approach and when to keep away from a dog on the edge. It also is important to adjust your own body language to communicate what you want to the dog. Dog's read body language very very well. It's no coincidence that kneeling down and opening up your arms will get a dog to come to you way better than standing with a ridgid posture and yelling. Have you witnessed your friend's body language while she is working with the dog? Is she making training fun and does she genuinely enjoy working with her dog? I think 90% of the time someone is bitten, it could have been prevented if they were reading the dog more accurately. There are some times when a dog is completely unpredictable though.

When I read the name, "Borgies", I couldn't stop picturing little dogs that go around trying to assimilate everyone! :lol:

[quote name='Blitzkrieg Bop SBT']Ok maybe it's just me, but English Bulldogs are the only bully breed I do not really like.[/quote] yeeesh, talk about a wet blanket. :roll:

Can't you leave Riley at home and ask your neighbor to just check on him and let him out a couple times during the day? If she's willing to let him come over, she's probably willing to pop over and let him out.

I don't think the size of the dog matters at all. I think the disposition of the animal makes all the difference. If I were trying to make someone comfortable with a dog, I would make sure they only had access to very well behaved dogs for a long time. I would make sure they only had positive experiences. I would avoid any overly enthusiastic, shy, or fearful dog.

That does suck. I didn't see that one, but I think it's probably worth a letter... [quote name='Mutts4Me']But it was a Mastiff/Great Dane mix - and *cough* they discovered it was exactly that mix by casting a mold of its bite marks [/quote] It's when they do stuff like this that really irritates me. Yeah, they can really tell from bite marks exactly what kind of dog the bite was from. It seems like they're constantly making these "100% accurate" connections that are totally unrealistic. Sometimes I can't stop rolling my eyes during that show. :roll:

How large is the crate? Can he poop or pee in it and still be able to avoid laying in the mess pretty well? His crate may be too large. You only want it large enough for him to sit upright, and turn around in. Get the smallest size crate that still enables him to do those 2 things. If the crate is of proper size and he's still going in his crate, then you probably won't be able to use it to housetrain him. Somehow he's decided that this is an OK thing to do which is kind of unusual... Did you get him really young or from a really dirty situation? Again, if the crate is of proper size and he's still peeing in it, I would consider putting him somewhere else while you're gone. Can you leave him in the bathroom with the door closed? It would be better if he's not laying in whatever mess he just made. It probably will take longer to potty train him this way because he won't learn to hold his urine like he would in a crate, but you can still do it. Just make sure that when you are home you are watching him like a hawk and take him outside or to his wee wee pads whenever he seems ready to go. And of course make a HUGE fuss over him when he pees or poops in an appropriate place. It would probably be a good idea to put some of those pads in the bathroom also.

Well we're back from our trip to the vet! I brought in the urine and the vet said good idea, but it came out very normal when tested. But again, it was a really good idea to bring it so thanks a lot DO!! :D The Vet thinks he's just been eating stuff he shouldn't. Buck is quite a scavenger and loves to eat dead things, and I'm not at his side all the time when he's out, so it's entirely possible. I think I will be accompanying Buck on all his outside trips for a while to make sure he doesn't have a cache of dead things stuck somewhere. :roll: The good news is that they have a new Vet there and that is who Buck and I saw today. I like him WAAAYYYYY better than any of the other vets so I think I will be requesting him from now on. Dr. Bob is his name. Yeah, I think it's kind of dumb. Dr. Garrison sounds fine to me, but if he likes Dr. Bob, so be it! So, basically Buck's fine for now unless keeps becoming a problem and I know he's not eating things he shouldn't be eating. So it's all good :-)

I think Buck has big nipples for a guy... :oops: [size=1]Nobody tell him I said that![/size]

I've never heard of it. Looks interesting though :-)

Well he was pretty mopey all day and he seemed to get mopier as the day went on, so I made an appointment for the vet tomorrow. however, now he is perking up and starting to act fine! He even asked to be let out and ate a treat when he came back inside! :x I'm happy he's feeling better, but I don't understand why. [quote name='Doberfanatic']I forget to feed them and their tummy is too empty [/quote] He has had food in his bowl all day. He just wasn't interested... If I keep the appointment tomorrow I'll make sure it bring in a urine sample. Thanks for the advice DO! :-)

Something strange is going on here. Last Wednesday Buck woke up very early in the morning vomiting bile. Throughout the morning and early afternoon he threw up about 10 times and each time it was all bile. He was also pretty lethargic and obviously not feeling well. I have Wednesdays off so I decided to just stay with him and see if he was still sick by the next day and if so, I would take him to the vet. Buck was almost 100% better by late afternoon that day. He was perking up, eating, drinking and acting almost normal. I decided it was a very strange thing that happened but was just glad that he was feeling better. Now fast forward to today, exactly a week later. He threw up bile 3 times today so far. The first time was in the morning. The other 2 times was on our walk. I decided to take him for our usual long Wedensday hike because he has been acting about 80% normal. He seems a little less energetic today, but he obviously enjoyed the walk and was feeling alright. So what's going on?? I can't figure out what could be making him sick on Wednesdays. Every other day he has been fine! Poops have been normal, he's been eating fine except for last Wednesday and today. He hasn't eating anything yet today. My best guess right now is that something is going on with his gall bladder, but I really really hope it's something more simple than that. Buck has a vet appointment next Wednesday for regular check up stuff. I'd rather not take him any sooner (unless he gets worse or is throwing up tomorrow) because I know exactly what the vet will do. She'll tell me he has a bug and send me home with a broad spectrum antibiotic. I really don't think that's what is wrong. Any ideas? It's really very strange...

Dissolvable sitches can take a long time to dissolve. I had some and it took well over a month for them to go away. You can also take stitches out yourself really easily. Saves a trip to the vet.

How about another nut name? Almond, Cashew, Pistachio, Macadamia, Hazelnut, Sesame Almonds, Cashews, Macadamias and Sesames are white also. I think some Pistachios are white too but I'm not sure... I'm not a nut expert! I think Pistachio or Macadamia are really cute. :-)

I think the move will be very good for Cleo!

Cute! Puppies are so much fun :-)

Very cute! I've always wondered how Buck would react to a cat... He's never met one before. Sasha looks like a sweetie :-)

It took that long to figure out it was e. coli?! I was thinking it was going to be something exotic! Do you know if he ever did a gram stain and looked at it under the microscope? I would think after seeing those gram-negative rods and with your dog's symptoms that e. coli would be something he could diagnose. :-? I've succesfully isolated e. coli from Buck's poop many times. Most dogs have it in their GI Tract. It's cool you know what it is now and that the antibiotics seem to be working :-)

When there are so many good dogs being put down everyday, I think it's ludicrous to give a known biter another chance. :x I realize the dog came from bad circumstances, and in a perfect world it would be nice to try and rehabilitate the animal, but this is just not the time for that.

You might want to get something in writing from your base. If it's against the rules I'm sure you wouldn't want to find yourself in the position of having to move. :( If I were a rescue or responsible breeder, I probably wouldn't adopt a dog to you without something in writing anyway. It'll smooth the adoption process along if they know it's really OK. :-) And yeah, I've never heard of a Teacup Chihuahua. You might want to look into it and see if it is a "fad" breed.

If a dog is fat and lazy, I think it's a good guess that their owner is too! :lol:

Buck is a mutt and he needed a home because he was abandoned in the woods. So I guess I didn't really "choose" him. I did pick him out of the 2 other pups we found him with because he was the largest and seemed to have the sweestest temperment.

I agree There is a small privately owned petstore that I go in sometimes and as soon as Buck and I walk in the door the owner is spraying him with some sort of doggy perfume. It's really annoying. :roll: She's very nice and means well, but perfume is for people not dogs.

[quote name='Seijun']unless you are ABSOLUTELY SURE that the dog will not hurt the baby in any way. [/quote] You can never be absolutely sure that a dog and baby will be safe together unsupervised. Never leave a baby alone with a dog. Jesspitt, I think we need more information to answer your question.

It's better that you're not using the GL anymore. Those things don't do any training and are dangerous as well. As long as you're working to get off the prong, I think it's ok. If you can't eventually go from the prong to a flat collar without the bad behaviors popping up again though, I'd get rid of the prong.