drjeffrock

To curb Dex's pulling I did a couple things. First, what you mentioned: the quick turn around and walk the other way. This worked for me in conjunction with a few other things. Perhaps the timing is off, thats why it doesnt seem to be helping. Basically, you want to turn around sharply and start walking the other way. Your dog will feel the jerk and spin around. In essence, you are trying to make the dog uncomfortable. However, you should take at least 10-15 steps before turning around. This kind of makes your dog "forget" about being at your side. That sounds confusing, lol. That method wont really work if you spin around every couple of steps, it will just confuse your dog. Another thing I did was when Dex was pulling like crazy, I would get tangled up in the leash and pretend that Dex made me trip and fall. When I got up from my fake fall I would limp like crazy for the rest of the walk. Dex would no longer pull cause he thought I was hurt. It seems a little silly, but over time it has worked. FYI, this was done with a choke chain. I wouldnt recommend a halti, from experience they work, but dogs seem to forget not to pull when they are not used. Good luck!!!

Keep in mind that your location plays a role in how much vets charge. I have gotten quotes for my 7 year old Akita to get spayed. I only trust 2 vets to do the procedure,including bloodwork and everything the costs ranged between $285-$400. I could go to some hack and pay under $100, but I prefer to make sure that the vet doing this procedure will me monitoring bp, etc. in the unlikely event that something goes wrong. Also, spaying a 100lb. 7 year old keeter is not as easy as a 8 mo. old pup.

There is a pet store in my local mall that sells dogs. I am not really welcome there cause I always voice my opinion in there quite loudly about how people could go to VERY reputable breeders and pay half of what the pet stores charge. It is sad. They have 1/2 off signs and "No credit? No worries!" signs. A friend of mine bought 2 dogs from there, one has terrible pat. luxation and the other dog, a rat terrier, died at 2 years old of some really weird cancer that usually affects dogs that are 80+ lbs. I just went to the mall last week and saw that they had an Akita. Damn near broke Christine and my heart.

[quote name='Dog Lover']Unless issues arise I will DEFINATELY allow my dog on the bed because at this rate it doesn't look like I'll find a man for awhile and my dog will be my cuddle buddy. :D Plus I LOVE being very warm at night...[/quote] Sounds like you and Dex were made for each other. Give me your address and I'll ship Dex to you. :lol: :lol: :lol: He always bogarts any warm spot on the couch or bed. If Christine or I get off the couch, you can count on the fact that Dex will sneak up onto the warm area. He's a tricksy little hobbit. Um, to answer the original question, we sometimes let Dex sleep on the bed. He is just too much of a hog, always stretching his legs, so we only let him sleep if its a quick nap for an hour or two. He used to try to sneak onto the bed in the middle of the night. Kira does not like sleeping, or even getting on the bed for that matter. She gets hot quickly, and does not like body heat all up on her. In fact, she prefers the coolest area of the room or house.

You could try soaking the foot/cut in a solution of warm (not hot) water with Epsom Salt. It works well. Feel better Bailey!

Cute! I have ones for Kira and Dex although I used some email addy I rarely check. I sometimes see dogs wanting to be their friends two months after the fact. :lol: It's all good though, Kira and Dex dont like other dogs, let alone want to be friends with them. :agrue: Here are their pages: Dexter: [url]http://www.dogster.com/?725[/url] Kira: [url]http://www.dogster.com/?911[/url]

Welcome to the forum! There is only one t in pitbull. :wink: Scratch France off your list. Absolutely no importation of pits whatsoever. If it looks like a pit, then it is a pitbull as far as their concerned. I have a pretty decent link somewhere, I will post it when I find it.

Glad to hear he got home ok. Akitas can be quite the escape artists. In her prime, Kira could scale 6 foot fences with no problem. LOL, she even figured out how to smack the latch area hard enough to open the gate. Silly dogs. :hand:

My suggestion is... EXERCISE! Take your dog on daily hikes, jogs, etc. and you will def. see a change in behavior. I know it sounds obvious, but it will really does work wonders. I cannot imagine the terror Dex would cause if I did not strenuosly exercise him daily. If your dog is plum-tired, he wont have the energy to do naughty things ;)

Hey hf. Not quite sure what to recommend. Every once in a while Kira will get an upset tummy and throw up a few times. I kind of just like to let her be and not give her anything, aside from some water. Hoping Pauly feels better.

What/ what kind of organization(s) do you volunteer to? I volunteer for Akita Buddies Rescue (akitabuddies.org) Do you (other than volunteering) work outside the home, with a set schedule (8-5 M-F, shifts, etc)? Yes, I work and am a full-time student. What do you do as a volunteer? I go to adoption events, do home checks, and make sure that the dog being adopted will be in a good enviroment (observing other pets in the house, etc.) Do you see a lot of need for more volunteers? Absolutely! I am so busy with other stuff I cant spend as much time voluntering as I would like to. The is ALWAYS something to do. Currently, I am trying to work some time into my schedule to go to the rescue and help build some kennels and runs. What would they need to do? Just make some calls and I am sure there are plenty of people with things to do. What kind of volunteer opportunities are there for those who must work 8-5 M-F? You could always help at adoption events, volunteer at your local shelter or humane society. Anything else you can think to tell me would be fantastic! It is a wonderful feeling to help find animals new homes. It can be a little depressing at times, but you learn to roll with the punches. At Akitabuddies there are currently 50+ Akitas and x's looking for homes. I look in their eyes and see Kira in all of them. They are just looking for someone to be loyal to. Best of luck and please keep us posted! I cannot foster any dogs as my 2 are not into making doggy friends

Hi Starfox!!! Sorry, I havent been on dogo at all lately, busy with school and stuff. LOL, 33 years old?!?!? I sure hope Kira lives that long! :wink: Lemme know if this guy is in jeapordy of being pts, as I work with an Akita rescue. So, how is Bull's temperament?

Hmm, thats a tough one. Deb gave some good advice. Perhaps you could contact animal control or whoever is in charge of registering pets. Since their puppy shots, I have not allowed my dogs to receive any shots aside from Rabies (which is the only one required by law in CA.) Good luck w/ whatever you decide.

Seijun, where is this dog located?

[quote name='Debbie']Oh, Gee and I thought that meant you were manning the PB Kissing booth.......d*** ! :-? :evilbat: :lol:[/quote] :oops: LOL, I am not sure if you are inferring that I have the face of a pitbull or if I will be selling kisses from my sweet lips for a buck, lol! Hopefully it was the later! :wink: Here are some pics from day one. This guy, Cruiser, was amazing. He is such a sweet boy. Very big and playful. I found that he was very ticklish between his toes. Everytime I touched them he would start rolling around on his back. He is 10 months and is prolly gonna gain another 25+ pounds :o He peed on a female volunteers leg after I let her walk him. He's an Akita/Samoyed cross. [img]http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b4cf27b3127cceaa6b9d65af950000001610[/img] This is Strider. He is about 5 months old, and a total hambone. He just wants to kiss and play with everybody. He is going to be a big boy, maybe 105lbs+. He was very skinny when we got him. [img]http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b4cf27b3127cceaa6b9e1d6e440000001610[/img] This is another pic of him with the guy who adopted him. [img]http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b4cf27b3127cceaa6b9f70af810000001610[/img] This puppy just breaks my heart. Some d*ckhead backyard breeder had a litter a few weeks ago. His kid was playing with this 1.5 week old pup. The kid dropped the puppy on its head. For some reason, the "breeder" seperated the puppy for 2 days, and his mom rejected him when the shmuck brought him back. He went to the vet saying that the puppy had been attacked by coyotes. The vet told him that he was not certain, but he thought the pup would be fine if he was bottle-fed. The breeder told the vet he had no time to do that and didnt want to take the chance of getting a sick dog, so he want the puppy put down. [img]http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b4cf27b3127cceaa6b9f392ef80000001610[/img] We sure hope this guy is going to be okay. He is adorable! [img]http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b4cf27b3127cceaa6b9dba2e7a0000001610[/img] [img]http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b4cf27b3127cceaa6b9d122ed20000001610[/img]

Thanks Kat. Yes, they are a lot of fun. My favorite is the pitbull rescue kissing booth. For $1 you get a big sloppy kiss from pits they are trying to adopt out. I usually end up going home broke after I visit the booth. :wink:

Hey all, if anyone is in Los Angeles this weekend there is going to be a fun adoption festival at the La Brea Tar Pits, right next to the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. There will be all kinds of fun stuff there like dog agility demonstrations, auctions and food. Admission is free, it is going to be a blast. Plus, they put a pittie on their official flyer! :laola: Here's a scanned pic of the flyer. If anyone needs directions, etc. drop me a pm. I will be there both days with Akita Buddies Rescue. If you want to find me just look for the Akitas and look for the tall guy standing next to them. If I am not there, you can always try the Pitbull Rescue kissing booth. :iloveyou: [img]http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b4cf22b3127cceaa4df2c6545c0000001610[/img]

Awww, how cute. Congrats Judy! Of course a bitch named Kira is going to have beautiful pups :wink:

How cool. The property manager where I live has a treat jar in her office. She always comes running for Kira when she sees me walking her through her glass window. Now, Kira always goes straight to the glass window to search for her. :angel: LOL, at drive-throughs people are more often scared of my dogs than offering them treats.:niewiem: [img]http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b4ce01b3127ccea95c33ba315a0000001610[/img]

Woo-hoo. What a good girl. Grand mal seizures are really scary. My one friend suffers from them, and one time I stuck my arms out and caught him like 2 inches before he would have went crashing through a plate-glass dining table. Way to go Faith! :angel:

Kewl site. Woo-hoo, Dex is an internet celeb! I will have to email my friend the link, as his weim is in the photo with Dex. I like the layout, it looks great. Way to go Kat!

Hey Mutts, that Akita sired my good friend Chrissy's Akita named Tomo. Here is a pic of Tomo girl. [img]http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b4ce36b3127ccea89f567752c60000001610[/img]

Well, I try to follow breed bans in different countries as much as time permits. It ALWAYS starts with the pitbull. Many dont even bother to make distinctions between the bully breeds. In France they go so far as to say any dog that has pitbull characteristics is banned. EDIT- Banned in the sense that importation or breeding is strictly prohibited. Any dogs already in the country require spay/neuter, licensing, muzzling in public. They also are not allowed on public transportation or in public housing. My mom works for Air France cargo, and she was telling me about a couple who just moved to France with their American Bulldog. The jackoffs in France saw the dog in the cargo hold and wanted to kill it on the spot cause it looked like a pitbull. They did not even want to ship the dog back to the states without charging the owners another $1,000+ for the return flight. My mom convinced them to just ship the dog back free of charge. Other commonly banned breeds include Tosas, Rotts, Mastiffs, GSDs, Akitas and Dobies. The list goes on and on. Dogo argentinas and Cane corsos, Presa Canarios, etc. Although some might countries dont mention Cane Corsos or Dogos, they will take one look at them and decide they are pitbulls.

Ok, I will take a stab at this. Bear in mind you should consult a prof. trainer before implementing a training program, but I will try to make some sense of this. Both of my dogs are EXTREMELY dog-aggressive but behave on-leash. I have tried a few different methods, I will give you the one that worked best for both my dogs, and friends aggressive dogs that I have helped train. What kind of collar do you use? I might get flamed, but I suggest a choke chain fitted as high on your dogs head as it can go without slipping over the ears. A choke chain can be an excellent tool. You can have a lot more control than using a nylon collar that just hangs around the lower neck. Basically, first you must teach your dog to NEVER walk in front of you. Keep the leash short, dont give your dog the opportunity to lead you around. This applies for all walks, etc. Dont let your dog pull you to the grass to pee, etc. You should be the one to determine when and where your dog pees. You need to let your dog know that YOU are the boss, and if you are not interested in other dogs, then your dog shouldnt be either. During training, there is probably only 12 inches between my hand gripping the leash and Dex's neck. If you dog tries to get in front of you, a simple snap of the leash will correct this as well as stopping abruptly when he tries to get in front. This teaches your dog that he is not #1, you are. Once you get the feel for this, you can move on to the next step, getting your dog to behave around other dogs. This should be done with just you and the aggressive dog. Dont bring your other dog to the park with you while you are working on this. What you want to teach your dog is to avoid other dogs. This will take some learning on your part to see your dogs behavior and to recognize the very first characteristics of his aggression/dominance. Most likely he will stare, stick his nose and chest out a bit. You basically want to shift his attention from the dog(s) back to you, before his aggression reaches a 10 (snapping, lunging, etc.) What I did is the second I noticed my dogs starting to stare down other dogs, they get a quick correction. If they continue to stare at the dog or pull/lunge/etc. I will make them sit facing the opposite way of the other dog and let the other dog walk by. If they try to turn around or whatever, another correction or two or 10 is given. Bear in mind that the correction does not need to be harsh. If the choke chain is fitted properly, you should be able to give a little snap and break your dogs stare. I also like to make a SHHHH noise to get my dogs attention. Another way of getting your dog to not pay attention is to redirect its attention to you with treats. I have done this, but found its much more effective to give a correction (in the case of aggressive dogs) than to reward the negative behavior. In a sense, you want to teach your dog to be submissive to you (and the other dogs around.) Right now, your dog thinks that he is in charge and needs to take control to protect his pack from other dogs. When you are walking at the park, choose a path and stick to it. If another dog walks by, keep your pace. Dont slow down, or hunch over and tense up. Your dog will pick up on this, and it will make the cycle much more difficult to break. If your dog starts staring or deviating from the path you choose (i.e. starts pulling to the left towards a dog) he should receive another leash correction as you keep up your pace. If the behavior escalates to snapping, lunging, etc. turn him away from the other dog and make him sit without letting him turn around to look at the other dog. I strongly suggest not just trying this stuff without first consulting a professional trainer. Its a lot easier said than done. Dex was a complete nightmare before I got tough on him. He would get so worked up in a frenzy over other dogs, I was worried that he might bite someone or a dog who just happened to be close when he went turned into a nutcase. He has gotten much better, I can hike through our local dog park for 2 hours without him lunging at a single dog. Needless to say, he is never allowed off-leash as he is far from being submissive to other dogs. Good luck, its a long, hard process but once you get some results it will be well worth it. I used to dread walking Dex cause there are so many dogs in my neighborhood. I dont know why I did not just try this method at first, as it had worked like a charm with my Akita. So to summarize: Be the leader of your dog, do not allow your dog to escalate to the frenzy point of snapping and lunging, and walk past dogs like they dont exist (keep a calm, positive attitude.) Other people might disagree with this method, however I have seen this work in numerous dog-aggressive dogs, as well as human-aggressive dogs. Keep in mind that different dogs have different training needs, and a pro. behaviorist/trainer can help your assess your dog better than anyone of us can through a computer. Good luck!

Here are a few: [img]http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b4d733b3127cceb635b20922d00000001610[/img] [img]http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b4d733b3127cceb635b220a3c90000001610[/img] [img]http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b4df06b3127cce87391457b34f0000002610[/img] [img]http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b4dd29b3127cceba5668c505aa0000001610[/img] [img]http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b4dd30b3127cceba63b4da71ac0000001610[/img] [img]http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b4dd30b3127cceba63b4ce71b80000001610[/img]