raineth

That's so "tailsist". I'm not sure I would call it love, but what ever it is, it's wonderful. Nova has things he does for/with me that he doesn't do with other people. He is friendly with everyone, but if there are multiple people in the house (and he's already said his hellos and calmed down), he will place himself next to me. He doesn't really listen to other people if they give him commands, but I'm not sure if that's his affection for me or just that I'm the one who trains/feeds him. When I had housemates they informed me that when I leave the house he will every now and then look out the front door or window, will sleep next to the door. Even though he grew up with my housemate too, he never displayed any "missing" behaviours when she would go away, there has been zero behaviour differences in him since she moved out too. Tailsist :laugh: I'm not a tailsist, but dogs with little bobtails just can't express their love in bruises the same way tailed dogs can. Just sayin.

That sounds like a really nice dream :) I still regularly have dreams about my dog Digby who we pts about 6 months ago. Often I hear a knock at the door, and when I open it Digby is there, and the joy I feel at seeing his happy face

Do people realise that at least some dogs have to have balls, or there'll be no more dogs left?

When you regularly get bruises in the shape of little tail bones across your legs; then you know its love :)

justopping in here to ogle all the cute ppies Hey alvse, I couldn't help but notice your pup's east-west feet. Have you looked into any of the dietary changes you can make to help correct the problem?

I am really beyond amazed that there are so many dogs in the school, and that they are ok with you bringing him a long even though he nips the kids, I guess he must not be actually doing any damage? I think the best bet is to have him on the crate or on lead when you are in the playground. I wouldn't advise using the neighbour kids to practice with, without the help of a very experienced trainer or behaviourist; as it could easily go wrong.

I used systematic desensitisation with my dog when we introduced two pet mice into the household. This dog has a history of catching many wild mice, so you can imagine her initial reaction to them ;) Systematic desensitisation is a bit like counter conditioning, except you usually aim to replace the undesirable emotion with the emotion of relaxation. So I just started from a distance and had her lay down and have a nice relaxing massage. This has been very effective and will usually lay down whenever she goes near the cage.

You could try chlorophyll, but you would probably have to mix it with something to get him to eat it. Like you, my best bet is that the brisket bones and the treats are the main culprits. Have you thought about using cooked meat for treats? I know it is a bit more work than treats from a packet, but it's also cheaper :) Eta: some dogs just are stickier than others. My two were on the same diet, including treats, and one of them was consistently more stinky than the other.

I must admit, I don't believe in reincarnation; but there is certainly an uncanny resemblance between those two Bellas! You must have done a double take when you saw it. They are both absolutely stunning by the way :) Are you thinking of maybe adopting Bella the 2nd?

Oh wow! They are just magnificent I hope you keep this thread brimming with photos gapvic :)

I'm just adding that it could be an excellent idea to get someone out to assess her before you make a final decision. Cosmolo (of Underdog training) has already been mentioned to you, and she has a wealth of experience in assessing dogs in pound situations. I think having someone like her come and look at the dog would be invaluable because it would give you an idea of exactly what you're dealing with. It might be that her problem is quite mild, or it could be a lot more than that...and then at least you would know what you're in for. Also as others have said here, getting straight onto a good behaviourist would be the best bet if you go ahead with the adoption :)

Hi better Late. You probably won't like what I'm going to say, but I would urge you not to adopt a dog with reactivity. Especially if you are hoping dog ownership will have mental health benefits for you. Owning a reactive dog is stressful, and you are often at the mercy of other completely clueless owners and their 'friendly' dogs. I'm with Hankdog, no way, no how, would I ever knowingly adopt a reactive dog. Owning one is really stressful, and there are no guarantees that even with hard and careful work that they will ever get to a point where they are rehabilitated. Who knows, her reactivity might be mild and she may respond well to training, but it sounds as if you don't really know. It would be much easier if she was in a foster home environment, than a kennel environment. Anyway, I know that's probably not what you want to hear, but it's the kind of advice I'd want to hear if I was in your position. Whatever you choose, I wish you the best, you and your partner certainly do sound like you'd be really dedicated to any dog that was in your care :)

In the UK there are working Basset Hounds that are more moderately built than show line Bassets.

The problem is: I own a labrador who loves loves people and who assumes the entire world will love him back and oh my gosh there might be treats or an ear rub etc etc. I have friends who (gasp) don't like dogs. Who don't want to be pestered. So I need to train Ernie not to bother people; not to be boisterous and not to try and kiss every inch of everybody. He's a puppy - he hasn't developed the facility to tell who likes him and who doesn't. So I need to put rules in place for EVERYONE who comes over - that way, the ones who DO like dogs can fuss over him and the ones that don't can ignore him. The only way I can think of doing that is to ask my visitors to do as I ask - ignore him when he behaves like a pork chop and reward him when he's calm. Hopefully, as he ages, he'll learn to leave the ones who can't be bothered with him alone - because he'll be in a calm state already. When a visitor encourages the jumping up or the slobbery kisses -- it sets his training back. Yes, I could crate him each and every time we have someone over, but that, to me, defeats the purpose of having a dog as s family member. If he was a child; and I asked folks not to touch his face or to kiss him - they'd more than likely listen. Why am I ignored because he's s dog? (Edited typos) You don't have to justify your training methods to me, if you like them and they work for you, go for it :) I am simply stating what I do and I have raised and socialised dogs successfully with this method. My Dane also loves everyone, and because of her size it is important she is not boisterous with guests too. I do think it's a little OTT to say that putting your dog in the crate for five or ten minutes defeats the purpose of having them as a family member. What it simply does is set the dog up for success. I can't expect my young dog to behave when he or she is dizzy with excitement, which usually occurs in the initial arrival. They can be in the crate and come out when they are calm and have a better chance of succeeding.

I never really tell guests rules about how to interact with the dog, precisely for the above reasons! Most guests are there to see me, or someone else in my family and at the end of the day couldn't really care less about my dog rules, so they are not going to bothered following them. If the dog is excitable I put them in the crate. When they have calmed down they can come out and say hello. I do have one guest that would consistently go up to the dog in the crate and moan about how terrible it was for the dog to be in gaol; so I just put a blanket over the crate.

Bloody hell HD! Forget the cup of tea, you need something stronger! I think you should report it, Jake was on lead and the other dog wasn't, and that is all that matters. Also you fell over and got injured, it could have been a lot worse for everyone. When Del got attacked by a dog that was tied to its letter box and broke its rope to get to her, and she defended herself against this dog, it was the other dog's owner that got in trouble. We didn't get in trouble because I had my dog leashed, it didn't matter that Del was bigger (probably by about 10 kilos) and that she had defended herself (like your situation, there were no punctures). So I am pretty sure as long as your dog is on lead the Rangers will be on your side. I hope you and Jake are recovering ok.

So why the post about being interrogated, if you would do the same thing in her place? My bad, I shouldn't have said I would do the "exact" same thing. I certainly would not request photos of themselves or photos of the inside of their home, I wouldn't ask about what "drives" them, what their passions are. The questions I would ask would be more doggie related, I would want to get a fair idea of how much knowledge they have about about their chosen breed, if they've had experience with dogs, what breeds they've owned in the past if any, general knowledge on dogs, what they would opt to feed the dog, etc etc. Are you sure she wasn't asking about your passion and what drives you in terms of dog ownership? I suppose the photos of yourself does seem a bit full on, but you could always ask her why she wants them (in a non-confrontational way). It sounds like she might just be really trying to get a feel of who you are. I think this is a great idea :) why not ask her if you can skype? That way you both get to meet each other and you can give her a tour of your house etc and she gets to see that you are genuine :)

Yeah I agree, just explain to them. They might not actually get that they are taunting the dog. Kids just do dumb stuff sometimes and if this is the case they will respond to you explaining the problem and being friendly. If it goes on, then speak to their parents and call the school that they go to.

I think Arthur thought 'These Ikea meatballs sure beat starvation. I think I like Swedish food' Yes Swedish meatballs are delicious! Seriously great story, I am so happy for that dog and his new humans :)

I'm glad when you hear of dogs eating houses you think of us haha! While her initial weirdo behaviour did councide with the first time she ate a fair chunk out of the house she never got any of the symptons of lead poisoning so I don't think she was affected by it. We've barricaded the walls off from her so hopefully no more house eating! Haha, yes i immediately thought of Didi :laugh: it's just one of her claims to fame :D That's good to know she hasn't got any of the other symptoms :) I just thought it would be a shame if I didn't mention it, and it turned out to be the problem!

Terri, I was just reading something that mentioned that dogs that eat houses can sometimes end up getting lead poisoning and that this can have behavioural consequences for them. It just made me think of Didi because I remember you saying that she was eating some of the wall at your place. So anyway, I just thought I'd mention it just in case. And I thought I'd mention it here just in case anyone else reading thought it worth investigating for their dog. I don't know exactly how accurate this website is, but it has a page on it: http://www.petmd.com/dog/conditions/digestive/c_dg_lead_poisoning

Oh yes! You're right it's a Kay Laurence thing :) my bad.

Our club did a less on on this (that I missed) a few years ago. I think that it's a Suzanne Clothier thing. I didn't end up doing it with my dog because I thought it was just likely to confuse her (just because it would have been like a change in rules for her) so I am certainly no expert. But I think other people found it helpful.

Is he like that with all brushes? My dog, Del, generally enjoys being brushed but once I tried a new brush on her and she freaked out and headed for the hills.

I don't mind walking in the rain, but I hate walking when it's windy so much! I can't stand the wind. I still sometimes walk the dog when it's windy, but other times I use those days to do training and scent games. Scent games are meant to tire dogs out really well. To be honest I absolutely have not found this to be true with my dog, but she still loves it and that's the most important thing.