kendalyn

I really think it's a bad idea to try poisoning the dog with medications. If it goes wrong her death could be very painful. I've seen people who have tried to commit suicide by taking pills. It's not always a slow, painless death. Borrow your aunt's car and tough it out. Seriously, it'd be like 40 minutes. You can handle it for that long to put this dog out of it's misery. If you have to, crank up the heat, put on your long underwear, and go there with the window down. I know about cold, I live in Michigan and when Buck is in the car I always have a window down for him because he likes it. I just crank up the heat.

How old is she? As long as she is not a puppy I think she'll be fine. Buck is in his crate that long when I work the day shift. When I come home and take him for a walk, he doesn't rush into the yard to pee or anything. He has no problem holding it that long. Just throw a Kong or something in there when you leave and she'll probably be fine IMO. If you want to start getting her used to being outside of it when you're gone I would definitely start doing it before you move. If it would help you worry less to know that she can roam around while you are gone, than go for it!

It sounds to me like you don't realize that they aren't in there for that long. A young puppy like yours wouldn't be left inside the crate during the day for longer than 5 or 6 hours. They don't live their lives in a crate. That's ridiculous. Many people stop using them once their dog is reliable in the house, but some people use them permanently. People with multiple dogs are more likely to use them permanently I think. And there's nothing wrong with that. I had intended to get rid of Buck's once he didn't need it any longer. But now I can't because he would be so sad. Once someone closed the door and I didn't know it. He came to me whining and crying running between me and the room where the crate was until I went in there and opened it for him. I literally can't get rid of it without making him really sad. So now that you know a little about crate training, do you think it is wrong? And if so, why?

Yay! I'm sure it was a great experience for everybody! It's awesome that they were so well behaved.

They are not mini jails and our dogs are not sad! When I first brought Buck home, I had no idea if he had ever even been in a house. I found him half starved in the woods in Kentucky. It would have been dangerous to leave him in the house alone right off the bat. He could have chewed electrical wires, pulled something down on top of him, or ate any number of small objects and chocked. Buck stayed in his crate at night and when I was gone for about 9 months until he was reliably house trained and I could be sure that he would not hurt himself. He still loves his crate. I never lock him in anymore but he spends a lot of his down time in there. He sleeps in there at night all on his own even though I don't shut the door and I'm fairly certain that he is in there a lot when I leave. Almost every time I come home, he comes running to the door from the direction of his crate. It's really mean to say that we don't care for our dogs and just lock them away. And why do you think that our dogs are sad?? And it isn't just Americans that use crates. There are people from many different countries here and I'm sure at least some of them have used a crate before. Next time if you have a question, please ask it more respectfully because that is insulting.

cute?! :lol:

terrier / shepherd mix? More than likely Heinz 57 like most mixed breeds though. You will probably never find out for sure! :)

[quote]LOL! I've never had to potty train any of mine, they just seem to do it instinctively. [/quote] I've never had a cat! I guess I assumed you had to teach them. That's really interesting that they just know how to do it. My roommate a few years ago had 2 cats. One she found and she wanted to know if I wanted it. I desperately wanted to keep Sophie, but I was worried about finding a place that allows dogs and cats. So my roomie kept Sophie. I miss that cat so much. She was a little terror! So spunky but still very loveable. I really wish I had kept her now. [/list]

I have 1 mixed breed dog, so now it's: 1 West Highland Terrier 2 Mixed breed dogs

That was very nice of Laurel to "finish" in the backyard! I hope she feels better! That's interesting that Laurel actually stops going and comes in. She must have some excellent bladder control!

I think cats are different though. Every cat I have ever met is a lot less trainable than any dog. The furthest extent to training on a cat I've ever seen is they learn to go potty in the litter box and not to scratch the furniture. Even if your BC did learn a few bad habits, it wouldn't take you long to break them. I think once your dog got settled back into the usual routine, he would be fine. Plus, it sounds like you live nearby so you could check in on them everyday. I think it sounds like a good idea. I also doubt it will work because it sounds like he isn't being reasonable. It's really hard to talk an unreasonable person out of anything. But it is worth a shot. Let us know how it goes if you decide to do it.

Italian greyhounds are soo small! They just look so delicate! The italian greyhound's owner should not have had his dog in that area. I wonder why he did? I wouldn't want to worry about my tiny dog being crushed by a larger one, even if it was an accident.

Cool, I'll check it out! What is it about though?

Wow, they are beautiful. I've never heard of them.

That's really interesting Cassie. It's sort of a self fulfilling prophecy. The dog looks aggressive, so people treat it as if it is aggressive and then it actually becomes more aggressive than it would have otherwise. Yeah, I can see how that can happen.

I think you'll have the answers to your questions by watching him. Does he seem tired out after your long walks? Does he seem unruly when he gets a shorter walk? He'll pretty much let you know if he's too worn out, and if that happens, just scale it back a bit. Play it by ear and take your cues from him. I don't think the class on Wednesday and Thursday would be a problem for him at all, but if it seems to be than maybe only go one day. But a young dog like him should really be able to handle it just fine. You could do a shorter walk on those days if you think he needs it.

awww, poor Laurel! There's still a lot of winter left!

I would just be honest with your aunt. Sit down with her and tell her all the reasons that you think you should keep Annie for good. Be respectful and gentle and reason with her. I don't think you should try to trick her into giving up Annie. She might see through it and get mad. Your reasons are valid, so give her the chance to make an informed decision. Also, I would tell her how out of control Annie was before you got her. Tell her nicely and gently though. It sounds like she had no idea. :roll:

awww how cute! Thanks!

I've never heard of a doggie septic system. Do you have an example? I live behind a large forest and Buck is trained to go to the bathroom back there. That way I don't have to pooper scoop. When I walk him I throw the doggie bags into the trash just like you.

Dogs are such clowns! :lol:

Thanks Halo! :D I am NOT a shopper. If I can make it or modify it, I will! Plus, I love crafts. The vari-kennel idea you have is good! Are you married to having the actual metal screen door on the other end? Because a heavy canvas cloth could close the other end also. But to keep it hanging down good, sew something long and heavy into the bottom. Baggies full of sand or metal washers will give it the weight needed so that the cloth hangs properly. OR you could add magnets into the material and stick metal along the bottom of the crate with hot glue. This would give you a pretty good door. Thought not as good as the other metal door obviously. Cutting the vari-kennel will be a challenge, especially where the clam shell comes together. You will compromise the strength of the kennel by removing the back of it. If you are going to have something hard like that in your car though, make sure it is strapped down. Not only for your dogs safety but for your own. A hard kennel slamming into the back of your head in a collision could give you a serious head injury. I've seen people come into the hospital who were more injured by the flying debris in their car than the accident. Anyway, I love a project. Good luck with yours!

I looked and couldn't find any crates with doors at either end. But here is an idea. It'll take a little creativity though! Here is a crate I found at this website: [url]http://www.cagesdirect.com/tentcrate.html[/url] [img]http://store4.yimg.com/I/cagesdirect_1768_14428371[/img] I have 2 ideas for how you can customize it. Do you sew? If so, you could sew another zippered entrance into this crate as it is made of cloth. Or you could take it to a tailor who could do it for you. I don't think it would be that expensive either. Here's my other idea. You could put the crate in the middle of the back seat. That way you can reach her from the drivers seat. But you would have to lean way over to get her out. To solve that problem you could leave it unzipped and put a velcro closure on it instead (very easy to do with stick on velcro) then tie a string to the flap and pull on it from the outside of the car to open. Then she can just walk out. Or since you know she likes it in there you could leave it unzipped and just teach her how to push the flap open to walk out. I know it's not exactly what you wanted but it's the best I can do!

TDG Wrote: [quote]not just starter cultures tho, since they don't survive the stomach to colonize in the intestine[/quote] It is true that starter cultures such as Streptococcus Thermophilus and Lactobacillus Bulgaricus don't actually colonize the intestine, but they do pave the way for other microorganims. They are considered transient bacteria that provide a growing environment for other lactobacili or bifidobacteria. There is also some evidence that they boost the effectiveness of the immune system.

It may be that Freebee simply prefers the texture of a soft rawhide versus a hard one. If her teeth and gums are in good shape then I wouldn't think they are the problem. About the cleaning properties, I'm not sure. I would think the cleaning would be less with a softened rawhide but that is just my first inclination. Have you ever tried greenies? They are not as hard as rawhide and are supposed to be great for dogs teeth.