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WeimMe

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Everything posted by WeimMe

  1. Just out of curiosity, what does your trainer recommend you do about the cat? That to me is a serious problem.
  2. It's a very unusual situation that you find yourself in. I personally feel that she is taking advantage of you and using you as a way to keep a dog that she cannot care for herself. No responsible owner would contemplate leaving the dog alone in the yard as a viable option, nor expect a neighbour to take care of it and feed it for free. You could get the vet to scan for a microchip and check with the council if the dog is registered, however ultimately the dog belongs to someone else, however irresponsible and undeserving she might be. I would call her bluff and ask if she can come and collect it. I'm guessing that her answer will be excuses, at which point you can offer to take the dog off her hands and if need be, offer to buy it.
  3. Since they seem to be happy to do their research, it might be a good reality check for them to meet some young labs if possible. As they are a breed that is often surrendered, I'm sure that if she can't hook up with a breeder or owner, she'd be able to meet some at a shelter. They are lovely dogs, and I agree that everyone is a novice the first time around but it's always good to know what you are committing to in terms of energy levels and how the dog will fit in to your household. I love the breed, however I'm not cut out to own one. I had my finger broken when I was volunteering at a shelter by a lovely, friendly but powerful, boisterous and untrained lab. They are not for the faint hearted!
  4. Oh my goodness, he's very sweet! I wonder how he gets along with other smallish dogs...and cats. My beagle mix has been quite lonely since our old girl died.
  5. The oldest dog I've ever met belonged to my husband's favourite Aunt. Honey was a mini dachshund who was 19 when I met her and given her wings at the age of 21 when she could no longer see, hear or move. She was a sweet little thing, but I did feel sorry for her at the end. It must have been heartbreaking to have to make the decision to let her go, but she had no quality of life at the end and it was sad to see her like that. My own lovely girl declined very suddenly at the age of 14 and went over the bridge in May this year. Not a day goes by that I don't think of her. In many ways it's like losing a very close friend.
  6. I would try talking to them about it first - in a friendly way. I've received notice from the council about one of my dogs barking. It's very unpleasant and will cause problems with your neighbours. This was for a one off incident when we went out for an evening and left him outside - we had no idea there was even a problem and have since taken measures to make sure it doesn't happen again. In our case, we leave him inside at night if we are going out and he's fine (or at least there have been no further complaints) - maybe your neighbours will take similar measures? Some dogs just can't be outside all night long without causing problems.
  7. It takes me a while to really build a solid bond with a new dog - about 6 months. I'm sure that other people will have different experiences, after all a "bond" is a two way thing and very personal. Training and positive reinforcement will help, not to mention just spending time with your dog. In terms of training techniques, I think it's important to use some common sense, and be gentle and kind always. After all, this is your puppy, he's just a baby and adjusting to a new environment away from littermates. Right now he's relying on you for everything that his mother would do for him. Don't take for granted that everything you read on the internet is the best way to go. Just like raising a child, there are thousands of ideas and methods of raising a puppy. Much of what you read will be just someone's opinion and not necessarily the absolute right way to guarantee that you end up with a well trained and socialised dog. As Oscar's owner you need to weed through what makes sense to you and what doesn't and try to find a way that is in keepiing with what you believe. Causing distress and ignoring basic requirements is probably not the best way to go. Some kind of attention and affection is a basic requirement for all baby animals if you want them to live happily with humans. Right now, you have inadvertantly taught your puppy that you won't respond to him, so he's stopped trying to engage with you - he's smart! Try teaching him to come when called and sit instead. It's never to early to teach these things and it helps to build a great relationship.
  8. I'm not trying to deter you - just prepare you. Weims are a wonderful addition to the family and I miss my gorgeous girl more that I can say. Unfortunately with my current work situation a young puppy (and a naughty, boisterous Weim puppy at that) is out of the question for me.
  9. I will never understand why there are not council staff monitoring the streets and fining owners for having their dogs off leash and not picking up dog poop. On any given day I will encounter at least 3 of them while I'm walking my dogs, and while driving around I'll see more. I think it could be a very lucritive revenue source for them, not to mention having the knock on affect of making the streets safer. I'm pretty sure that once word got out that there would be a lot fewer idiots putting their dogs and everyone else in harms way.
  10. They are wonderful wonderful dogs - but I can say with complete honesty that to a certain degree your life will need to revolve around them as they tend to form a very strong bond with one particular person. They are not an independant dog and if not given the level of attention, training and companionship they require they can develop destructive tendancies. This is not a dog that will cope being an outside only dog. They need human companionship and do not tolerate extremes of temperature well. If lonely they will howl - very very loudly and for hours at a time. They are clumsy, boisterous and powerful dogs while they are young and can easily knock over a child...or even an adult during play. Your committment to training must be absolute and you must keep in mind that they are sensitive dogs and do not respond well to negative reinforcement. They are slow to mature and strong willed but generally quite food motivated. The people at our dog obedience school maintained that Weims are not particularly intelligent and therefore difficult to train. I always believed that she was smart enough not to bother doing anything she didn't feel like if thre was not sufficient reward in it for her. Leaving them in a boarding kennel is completely out of the question - Weims need to be babysat more than merely kenneled and are eaily stressed. That said, if you put in the time and the training you will have a loyal, obedient and beautiful dog who loves to be close to you.
  11. I've had some outside fencing off the hosereel for about 2 1/2 years now and it is still in perfect condition. I wonder if perhaps they changed manufacturers? Agree with the hint to toss the useless springs. They are a PITA.
  12. He could have tried to pass it off as a magic trick perhaps? :laugh:
  13. I lost my beautiful girl a month ago on a Saturday and went to work on Monday. I haven't been there very long so I didn't feel that I could take time off for that reason so I forced myself up and went to work. I was glad to have the distraction to be honest as home felt very empty without her. If I had been in no fit state to work I probably would have called in sick. My husband works for a fantastic software company that really values their employees. Instead of sick days they call them "personal days" - you still only have a fixed amount available per year, but the difference is that you are able to take time if you need it, no questions asked. It's a shame that more employers are not like that.
  14. Generally the shelters and RSPCA have to just take an educated guess at breed, especially when they came in as strays. We have a new dog who has been listed as both Greyhound/Bull Arab and English Pointer/Bull Arab at the RSPCA. In the absence of any solid proof they can only go on appearances. So nice that you got such a lovely dog and also that he found himself a wonderful home with you.
  15. A Weimaraner perhaps? Although they do have a certain reputation for being difficult to train, they love to be with you both inside the house and outside.
  16. Her ex-owner must have been devastated to see her like that. It's very fortunate that things turned out as they did - she very easily could have been PTS. Good for you for taking this poor girl in. I hope that her temperament is not affected by the hard life she's led in recent times.
  17. I can't comment on the anxiety, but I did have a destructive dog who did (and still sometimes does) like to steal and destroy things. I still can't trust him 100%, but for the most part he has become much easier to live with as he has matured. Some things like bags of rubbish, socks and underwear still prove too tempting to resist so I have to be mindful of doors being closed and things being kept out of reach but at least he isn't destroying the furniture any more! I also found it difficult to bond with him when his stealing was at its peak so I completely empathise with you on that point. The turn around for Hugo was obedience training, largely I think because he learned to associate being on the leash with sitting quietly. For a while he was either in his crate, outside playing with something I'd given him or inside on the leash sitting quietly while we watched TV etc. He was not allowed indoors if he was not contained or controlled because it was a certainty that he'd destroy something. After a while I allowed him to be off the leash supervised for short periods and eventually he was able be off leash most of the time. I also trained him to bring me whatever he'd stolen and drop it for a pat or a treat...but if it's a food related item (ie. rubbish or food container) that doesn't work so well. Anyway, hang in there. I just wanted to let you know that there's light at the end of the tunnel and I'm sure that if you work with a trainer you will see a positive improvement soon. BTW...as I wrote this Hugo brought me an eraser - my daughter left her bedroom door open!
  18. I'm so sorry to hear about Joey. He was such a beautiful little dog. I'm sure that he had a wonderful life with you and left you with many happy memories to treasure.
  19. Am I the only one who feels the idea of a dog aggressive/possibly people aggressive dog that knocks down fences is a terrifying prospect? Regardless of the fact that you suspect someone is deliberately antagonising him, if he were to break down the fence he could really hurt a person or possibly injure or kill someone else's dog who was doing nothing more than being walked on lead. You will have to get a dog run if the fence is not sufficient to contain him. In the meantime, you might have to keep him with you inside and only allow him out on leash while you sort out something more secure. It could be an absolute disaster for all concerned if he were to get out. "he also does the same at the backfence as well since my neighbour's toddler threw stuff over the fence... i know the kid was only playing but he still jumps at the same spot." This is of particular concern.
  20. My dog bloated last year. I thought it was the end of her, the vet certainly didn't hold out much hope. I do think anxiety can be a trigger as I am fairly certain that it was the main contributing factor in my dogs case as we had a stranger in the house for over an hour and she was going beserk outside trying to get in for the entire time. I normally would have her inside, she'd sniff the guest and content herself that all was well and relax but he was Sri Lankan and uncomfortable with dogs (maybe a cultural thing?) so to be polite I locked her out. Next time he'll have to deal with it. The vet told me that she would almost certainly bloat agin within weeks but she has been OK so far, touch wood. I feed her 4 small meals a day and try to keep her stress down as much as possible. I think she is more gassy now though - she is certainly more flatulent. If she had not been so old I would have had the gastroplexy done, but the vet advised against it at her age (13). It is hard when there are so many things that contribute to the condition. I can't think of anything else that you could possibly do that I have heard of.
  21. WeimMe

    Us News

    Oh my god. Some people do not deserve children.
  22. I have a beagle cross and I will agree that he is very focussed - once something takes his interest it is near impossible for me to get his attention. The puppy/teenage phase was a bit of a nightmare but he has matured into a wonderful dog with a big personality. He is very fun to own, great with kids and a nice size - not to big to bath easily and nice and sturdy. He sheds quite a bit and suffers from allergies which apparently the breed is prone to. I wouldn't say that he is low maintenance, but he is worth it.
  23. Interesting choice of the word "roam". When I hear of dogs roaming, I imagine them to be completely out of control and out of sight of the owner and able to go wherever they want unsupervised . Dogs on an offleash beach or park are not roaming.
  24. Pretty terrible journalism. If you give any living creature 4 times the recommended dose of any medication there are likely to be fatalities. I feel sorry for the vet who tried to help him, and the poor cat who died as a result of his carelessness.
  25. I know this is late, and you have received some great advice - but you mention that she particularly seems attracted to mats as a toileting spot. Maybe you could remove them for the time being while she learns the basics so as not to confuse her. Your breeder may have used puppy pads in the kennel and this might be why she is using mats as her new indoor toilet. My pup used to do this too and I had to train him out of it. Good luck with the training. I am sure that she will get the hang of it eventually if you are persistent and patient with her.
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