Yoladybug

Thanks for all of the replies. Those were basically my thoughts...I didn't really see the point. I never wanted a dog for protection -- my dad just worries about me :roll: . The point is that I like my dog the way she is. She isn't timid, she just takes the more submissive role with more dominant dogs. With people, she's friendly and confident. That's a really good point about having her in an environment with those aggressive dogs that he specializes in. That could be a disaster. You all pretty much reinforced what I was thinking, so thanks! I didn't know if I was being over protective, but just the thought of leaving my dog with a stranger for a day makes me sad. Plus, it's my responsibility as an owner to train her, which I think I've done very well (if I do say so myself). I appreciate your opinions and advice...you all seem to be very knowledgeable and this forum has been a big help. Now I have my sister's wrath to face...she's not too happy when I don't take her advice! Thanks again :D .

My sister is insisting that I leave my dog with this trainer (link listed below) to have him completely train her. She did this with her Brittany Spaniel and speaks very highly of him. Her dog was aggressive and they were to the point where he was going to have to be given away or PTS. This man totally "fixed" her dog (if that's possible). He now behaves incredibly well and has not had an aggression problem in about a year. My dog doesn't have aggression problems...she's actually a little too submissive at times. She's a little defiant with me, but generally listens pretty well. She's only 1, so I sometimes write off her occasional defiance as her "teenage" phase. It seems really weird to me to leave your dog with someone else for a week for training to be done. My dad is really pushing for me to do this too because he feels that she would not protect me if I were in danger (I agree..she's just too nice)...that's why he wants the training. Since my dog is already somewhat submissive, I wouldn't want a harsh trainer to make it worse. She also has the sweetest, friendliest personality I've ever seen in a dog, and I'd be heartbroken if that were to change. I didn't get her for protection...I love her friendliness. I'm very confused by all of this. Until my sister took her dog, it never really occured to me that people send their dogs away for training instead of doing it themselves. I promised her that I'd meet with the guy to ask some questions, but I have a feeling I will not go through with it. It just seems like I should be the one to do all of the training...it is my responsibility as a dog owner. I dunno...just wanted to hear your opinions on this. Thanks! Here's the link to the trainer's site: [url]http://capitalcanine.com/index.html[/url]

Abby has a bump like this...she's had it for about a month now. The vet said it was folliculitis (basically, an ingrown/infected hair). He says it's harmless, and luckily it doesn't cause her any pain. Maybe that's what it is...you should get it checked out though.

Thanks so much for the replies :wink:

Can dogs have strokes? If so, are the effects similar to strokes in humans?

Abby did that the other day. I keep her food in a large plastic bin. She got the top off and ate what I estimated to be about 6 pounds of food. I'm not sure if that's even possible for a 65 pound dog, but judging from how much was in there originally and how much was left, it seemed like about 5-6 pounds. I couldn't believe it!

It's so sad that so many had to be put to sleep :(

Abby got into my boyfriend's wallet and ate some money...he would never tell me how much. I don't think it agreed with her stomach, and the evidence came out the next day (use your imagination). This isn't something she eats, but she loves to sit and lick the electronic stuff...the VCR, Receiver, DVD player. Just sits and licks...happy as can be.

I get "did you know your dog's ears don't stand up all the way." Ya know...no, I've never noticed :roll:

I call my dog Bear...I don't have any idea why...she doesn't look like a bear. It just happened one day and stuck.

Thanks for the helpful suggestions. "Guest," you don't have to attack me :evil:

Tonight I let Abby out to pee in the front yard like I do many times each day. My roommates and I trained her to stick around in our yard without a leash. Anytime we leave the yard, I use a leash, but I've never had a problem with her leaving the yard or porch. Anyway, tonight, mid-pee, this black dog dashes by (it lives a few blocks from me and ALWAYs runs away). Abby just went chasing after it. It scared me to death. They were running in and out of the street (I'm a student living in your typical college neighborhood, so you can imagine how fast people drive) and in and out of people's yards. I kept calling Abby, and she never even stopped to look at me, she just kept chasing this dog. This went on for about 10 minutes...I couldn't catch up to either of them, and they were starting to get pretty far away from my house. I was convinced something horrible was going to happen when finally they came close enough to me, and I literally tackled Abby. I then had to carry my 60 pound dog back to my house with the black one jumping on us the entire way. I locked Abby up and grabbed a leash to put on the black dog. This is the third time I've caught this dog (my roommate has had the pleasure 2 other times). When it happens, we just end up walking it around the neighborhood until we finally run into it's owner. Seeing as this has become a regular occurance, we've asked this guy for his address and he won't give it to us. So tonight, with no destination, I walked and walked and finally the dog started pulling towards a house and ran up to the front door and sat down. I knocked and a guy I'd never seen before came out. I asked if it was his dog, and all he said was, "Yeah, totally...thanks." That was it...no concerned comments, no apologies, nothing. I'm so pissed! People like that shouldn't be allowed to own a dog. Anyway, the point of that long story was my disappointment in Abby (and of course myself). She usually listens so well, ESPECIALLY when we're outside. There are always people out walking their dogs, and she just sits on the porch and watches them pass. I don't know what was different tonight. She just ran and never looked back. She didn't give any ounce of recognition when I was frantically calling her name. I wonder where I went wrong in training her. Any suggestions that could help me ensure that this won't happen again? They'd be greatly appreciated!

This is my boyfriend's pit mix (also seen in my sig.)...I was wondering if anyone could guess what she's mixed with. The vet said maybe pit/german shepherd. It doesn't really matter what she is; she's an awesome dog regardless. I was just curious 8) [img]http://groups.msn.com/_Secure/0WQCZAoEa6Iu2ez3jaolxZNmQNeBd6G92uKV6K0Bf1tmDUl812YlUIG66kq127tgJmKNUz4gZ2iO6tECYBYuiPC0BpW7g!TYW2IOAEKIhWPSS6T!lyuuTG*S8pGuV*1gtvaiPKD6A6xQ/The%20Ab%20001.jpg?dc=4675474137013007864[/img] [img]http://groups.msn.com/_Secure/0WQCZAoIaMoy2ez3jaolxZPdjpfEDASA7doBvMEUJxxkjuUAK48v3mLAM*!xKHTv!UKgUqAHX!G2OeOTWgOeOCQVTwCDgcKKT0Bc4YqnCA73HJRaa4n6bj7FYYjIIOtmVV!3XpKViihM/The%20Ab%20002.jpg?dc=4675474137021083993[/img] [img]http://groups.msn.com/_Secure/0WQCZAocapI22ez3jaolxZAJHthPHTvcyqw9Z1onOusi5yw72qLTPm*kichtxSbuGwaRCA3I12ss3GmMTI0ifC2x1hx6ymna64ONql4YyzggTNntpO17TAeHYPrrX!wGWYvNYuyG8NPM/The%20Ab%20007.jpg?dc=4675474137033560078[/img]

[quote name='"Mutts4Me"'][quote name='Yoladybug']Prim, would you argue to the death if we posted a topic saying that the sky's blue? Seriously, just get over yourself.[/quote] [quote] Well, it's not... always... you know. At night it's black... and during storms it's gray... and at dawn it's kind of orange, with some purple mixed in. So it'd be a serious misrepresentation for us to suggest that the sky is Always blue, now wouldn't it? And it'd be horribly misleading to those folks who don't know much about the sky if we neglected to mention that while the sky does tend to be blue, it can also be black, gray, orange, or purple. Right? :oops: [/quote] Well, I guess you've got me there...but may I mention that I didn't say the sky is ALWAYS blue...I just said it's blue, which is technically a true statement. :wink:

Prim, would you argue to the death if we posted a topic saying that the sky's blue? Seriously, just get over yourself.

Today I had Abby at my parent's house -- they have a large wooded backyard, so I take her over there to let her run around with their dogs. Anyway, I went outside to check on her, and she was standing on the deck foaming at the mouth. There wasn't just a little foam, it was pouring out and it was all over the deck in big puddles. I kept wiping it off and it just kept coming back. She was also acting really aloof and out of it. I called the emergency vet and he said not to be alarmed, just to rinse her mouth with tons of water and call back if she was still having abnormal symptoms. I did what he said, and the foaming turned to lots of extra saliva, and pretty quickly it all went away. According to the vet, she probably ate a weird bug or something which caused her to have that reaction. Maybe it's because I'm a new dog owner, but I've never seen anything like this. I searched online and immediately found tons of articles on the Bufo Toad. Apparently they're in Florida (where I live) and in many other parts of the country. They are very posionous, and quite often dogs lick them or try to eat them and have the same reaction Abby had. In really bad cases (esp. with smaller dogs), this can result in death. Some articles said that if you have an outdoor water bowl, toxins from the toad can be in the water if the toad sat in the dish long enough. So anyway, just thought I'd pass along my new found information. Luckily my experience was no big deal, but good lord I was scared!

This has happened to me a number of times...I can think of nothing worse to have to deal with in the morning. Oxy Clean works really really well if it stained your carpet. And once the oxy clean dries, put baking soda on it for a few hours and then vacuum it up...this gets rid of the smell. (I think it's baking soda...whatever you put in the fridge to keep it smelling fresh.)

Abby -- 1 year old GSD (from the shelter, so she might be mixed...who knows)

hehe...well thanks!

Still trying to get this right (apparently I'm an idiot). :o

Now that I've figured out this picture stuff, I'm testing out my sig. Don't mind me.

Thanks for all of the help!

Hi. Sorry if this request is annoying, but could someone explain to me how to post pictures? I looked on the FAQ page, and it said something about posting them on a website and linking to there???? I don't have access to post anywhere like that. I'm quite confused! Any help would be greatly appriciated. Thanks so much! Jamie

Cute Pictures! My dog does that too...exactly how you described it. How funny!

He's really really cute! I love his ears. Good luck in the upcoming weeks...you're doing a really great thing!