I looked at a dog

[kendalyn]

I was killing time at the pet store today and I looked at a dog there :-) She's a rescue from the Kalamazoo ASPCA. Here's her petfinder link:

http://www.petfinder.org/pet.cgi?action=2&pet=2893489&adTarget=468petsgeneral&SessionID=40ac221127888385-app1&display=&preview=1&row=25&tmpl=&stat=

I kind of fell in love with her :oops: I know I shouldn't have even looked but I did. And I took her for a walk. DOH!

It's dumb because I can't have another dog right now! But I was thinking maybe my boyfriend Scott would be interested. He has a cat (they said she's ok with cats though) and a pretty big yard and no dog! It would be really fun to take her and Buck out to do stuff together. :-)

Anyway, they had a prong collar on her while she was in her kennel which I thought was weird. I don't know much about prongs but I thought they were for training only. I asked the lady why she had it on and she said because they're trying to teach her not to pull on the leash. Isn't it hard to pull while she's in the kennell? :roll:

They wanted the leash connected to it while I walked her. I didn't feel comfortable since I don't know how to use a prong, so I just kept up with her so the leash stayed slack. :-? She pulled like crazy otherwise (and choked and coughed and hacked). Apparently their method isn't working.

I'm glad the ASPCA rescues animals, but it would be nice if they had some more knowledgable people working at the pet store. Am I right? Prong collars aren't supposed to be left on all the time are they? I could be wrong here... I've never used one.

So we'll see. Hopefully Scott will like the idea :-) I think I'll e-mail the people at the ASPCA about the prong thing though. As soon as someone tells me if I'm right or not that is. I don't want to look stupid!

[Lokipups]

Prong collars can and should be left on for the duration of a day so the dog doesn't become "collar smart" :wink: , but ONLY under supervision, those people should not have had it on when she was kenneled, that's a major no-no :x . And if she was pulling herself against the collar, I can almost guarantee it wasn't fit properly. Was it low on her neck and loose? If it was, shame on whomever put it on without finding out how to use it the right way.

[kendalyn]

No, it was high and tight. Not really really tight but tight enough that the prongs were probably touching her skin at least a little most of the time.

Prong collars can and should be left on for the duration of a day so the dog doesn't become "collar smart"

ohhhh, OK, that makes sense.

I didn't like the idea of her wearing it in the kennel. She's supposed to be able to relax in there! (I know that's not the real reason for no prong while she's in the kennel!) To me, wearing the prong while in the kennel is like me going to bed with a bra on... :lol:

[Lokipups]

To me, wearing the prong while in the kennel is like me going to bed with a bra on...

H*ll, if I didn't wear one to bed, my hoohahs would hit the floor every time I bent over in my decrepit state :lol: :lol: !
But I know what you mean, dogs need "downtime" too. The collar should have been right under her ears in the back, and just under the chin in the front. Regardless of fit, it almost sounds like they put it on and expected the dog to train herself, which ain't gonna happen. The prong is a good tool, but still needs training in conjunction with it to make it work right.
I say get her, she's cute!

[kendalyn]

H*ll, if I didn't wear one to bed, my hoohahs would hit the floor every time I bent over in my decrepit state

:lol: I guess I'm not looking forward to getting older! ehh, I guess I'll just let 'em drag... :lol:

I say get her, she's cute!

She is cute! A guy in the store was commenting that he thought she was a purebred lab and the ASPCA lady said she might be. There is no way she is but I didn't say anything. Well, I'll show Scott her petfinder page tonight when I see him. Maybe he'll be interested. He needs a dog I say!

[anne3149]

I have always believed that a prong collar was for training only and not to be left on the dog except when training. Same as a choke chain.

Never would I leave a prong or choke on a dog who was not supervised. It sounds like a recipe for danger to me.

In any case the prong is of no use unless you are training/correcting the dog. Just sitting on its neck isn't teaching it anything.

I used a prong only twice on my dog and I would not use one without being instructed by a trainer on the fit and the use of it. My trainer was present when we used it and it took only two corrections, small ones at that. Have never needed to use it again. We use a Martingale now.

[Guest Anonymous]

she is so pretty! i have to agree i dont think she is a pure bred lab,but she's beautiful anyways!! let us know what Scott thinks about her!!

[courtnek]

Quote:
H*ll, if I didn't wear one to bed, my hoohahs would hit the floor every time I bent over in my decrepit state


I guess I'm not looking forward to getting older! ehh, I guess I'll just let 'em drag...

I say "let 'em drag!!!" I WONT wear one to bed!!

she is a cutie....I hope Scott really likes her....


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

[kendalyn]

I hope he likes her to! I mean, I'm sure he'll like her, but I know he's not positive about having a dog right now. He's been kind of waffling. At least she's not a puppy, and the ASPCA lady said they think she's housetrained. Those are two bonuses.

I don't get to see Scott until this weekend so I'll show him her petfinder page then! :-)

[kendalyn]

Well, it's a no go on Cheyanne with Scott. :(

He's decided to wait to get a dog. He's not sure what he's waiting for I don't think, but he said he's not ready right now.

That's OK, I'd rather he wait until he's ready than get in over his head. I'm a little sad though!

[imported_Chimama]

I know that this is an old post but I jjust wanted to say sorry that Scott didn't go for the dog idea.