Postings by Ria's Family

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Shiver Me- Timbers- "Charlie" My Little Dog, a- heartbeat at my- feet.<3     Barked: Tue May 21, '13 8:31am PST  I'm sorry, but SOCIALIZED OR NOT, my small children WOULD NOT be allowed to run around four dozen sled dogs for such an incident to happen in the first place. It's well known that MANY dogs do not tolerate toddlers well and 2 year olds do not understand how to properly, and safely, interact with dogs, regardless of whether or not that child had been in that yard before. I don't feel this has so much to do with the way the dogs were raised(because even socialized dogs who love children do this), as just general parental neglect to watch their child/canine interaction closely enough to prevent such an incident. my posts | my page | msg me | my family's posts | gift me | become pals [notify]

Shiver Me- Timbers- "Charlie" My Little Dog, a- heartbeat at my- feet.<3     Barked: Mon May 20, '13 10:57pm PST  I know Cobain's owner is in Ontario(although not sure how close they are to Toronto), as is Cohen's owner. I can't recall who was in Winnipeg though. I'd help, but I'm in the same location as Sabi and unfortunately, don't drive, haha.. my posts | my page | msg me | my family's posts | gift me | become pals [notify]

Behavior & Training > crating dog all day

Shiver Me- Timbers- "Charlie" My Little Dog, a- heartbeat at my- feet.<3     Barked: Fri May 17, '13 4:18pm PST  The crate IS a safe place to be, but I'd start off with leaving them loose at night before I'd start off with leaving them loose home alone. At least then you're home if something happens. That said... They sound bored. How much exercise are they getting when you are home? How much training? How much playtime? Are there any daycares around that you can afford to do on a once-in-a-while basis? my posts | my page | msg me | my family's posts | gift me | become pals [notify]

Choosing the Right Dog > The Irish Wolfhound

Shiver Me- Timbers- "Charlie" My Little Dog, a- heartbeat at my- feet.<3     Barked: Fri May 17, '13 10:39am PST  My SIL owns one. BEAUTIFUL, beautiful dog. In fact, he's EVERYTHING a Wolfhound should be. And he has been fairly easy for them to train, actually. Very, VERY mellow dog. Most of his first puppy year was spent just laying around or asking for pets. Now that he's over a year, he's only just starting to get playful. But MAN, for being such a giant, is he ever gentle! Yes, he costs a lot to feed, yes, his poops are big, but otherwise, I don't see any reason I wouldn't own one. They're not HARD to train by any means, nor are they super biddable like, say, a Border Collie. They look after their home very well, and are very good with children too. Tolerant dog, who adores his family. my posts | my page | msg me | my family's posts | gift me | become pals [notify]

Choosing the Right Dog > Ever "misjudged" a breed?

Shiver Me- Timbers- "Charlie" My Little Dog, a- heartbeat at my- feet.<3     Barked: Wed May 15, '13 10:49am PST  Bol, Sabi, that wouldn't happen to be Charlie would it? He's DEFINITELY content to enjoy his comfy recliner(which he claimed as his own) over chasing things any day. Cuddles, food and all manner of spoils? Heck yes, haha. I actually misjudged Beagles. I got Charlie knowing them to be 'hard headed, stubborn, unbiddable, yappy little dogs who would destroy houses and were notorious for being difficult to housetrain that will eat you out of house and home'. Charlie was the complete opposite. He was EASY to train, stubborn yes, but only to degree. Yappy? Only if he sees/hears another dog that he wants to say hi to. Never destroyed my home, and he was relatively easy to housetrain too. He also isn't really all that motivated by food unless it's some treat or another. But I fell in love with him, took him home determined to prove the myths of Beagles wrong, and I ended up with a fantastic little heartdog. My foster dog, Beau, on the other hand, was everything I was told a Beagle would be. He vocalized everything - EVERYTHING. Was a major chow hound and was an RGer. Would wreck things if he was bored, was the typical-beagle escape artist, you name it. But I loved him too, and I still worked on all of it with him too and he's now in a wonderful home with a couple who also fell in love and had the time to commit to continuing on working with his issues. Many of which came more from poor breeding and previously being a hunting dog than anything. I also misjudged Rottweilers before I ended up with them in my life. I was always told they were protective and wasn't really ever told much else. Every. Single. Rottweiler. That I have met has been a HUGE SUCK! Giant lap dogs. They want nothing more than to cuddle up to their people and get attention and affection. Yes, they can be stubborn and difficult and aren't for everyone(but then, no dog is)... They're wonderful to be around, and I absolutely adore them and always will. Labs.. I misjudged them too. Or rather, I just didn't see the huge popularity in them or why there was one. I didn't care for them. Always said I would never own one. They were common(like, every time I turn around common), many were poorly bred, many were poorly trained, etc etc... Then we got Ria who is a Lab/Border Collie mix... And BOY did she change my mind. She's the PERFECT mix of the two breeds, having inherited great qualities from both. She has her quirks, absolutely, but what do you expect with poor breeding right? But overall? Great little dog. my posts | my page | msg me | my family's posts | gift me | become pals [notify]

Shiver Me- Timbers- "Charlie" My Little Dog, a- heartbeat at my- feet.<3     Barked: Tue May 14, '13 8:14pm PST  I'm so sorry that you're going through this right now! I wish I could do more to help. I would contact ALL shelters in the State and post around on Facebook on rescue websites, I'd contact rescues, and Animal Control in all the county's close to you, and post ads on Kijiji and Craigslist as well. I'd also post up 'lost dog' signs around the county and nearby areas with as many details as possible, if you can afford it - offer a reward, and I'd take a picture, choose a specific mile radius and go to neighbors to see if anyone has seen him at all in the last two weeks. Lots of hugs! Just looked at his photos... Man, he looks IDENTICAL to my friends new pup Chino. Same markings and everything, but I'm up in Canada and he got him as a rehome up here and he's under a year old and intact.. my posts | my page | msg me | my family's posts | gift me | become pals [notify]

Dog Health > Dog Ataxia?

Shiver Me- Timbers- "Charlie" My Little Dog, a- heartbeat at my- feet.<3     Barked: Tue May 14, '13 2:09pm PST  Scooter - she started off with it just effecting her legs and falling, then she had it effecting her whole body the following week but wasn't falling anymore, and Monday she was normal almost all day, so it's up and down. my posts | my page | msg me | my family's posts | gift me | become pals [notify]

Dog Health > Dog Ataxia?

Shiver Me- Timbers- "Charlie" My Little Dog, a- heartbeat at my- feet.<3     Barked: Tue May 14, '13 12:07pm PST  Rambo - They did blood work, yes. Update from Neurologist - She said she still has no answers. Leela was normal almost all day, so the neurologist could only come up with guesses based on history and the neurological exam they did. They are really certain that it's Cerebellar Ataxia but they aren't sure what's causing it. They want to do more blood tests and a spinal tap. They also want to do an MRI, but as the dog is improving, my friend is waiting to see. The neurologist said it might go away on its own or it might be going back and forth in the early stages of whatever it is. Just four guesses that they can test for, so far. My friend can't remember two of the names, one is a disease that is common in huskies(Leela appears to be part husky), one is a type of meningitis(non-contagious) where the immune system attacks itself, could also be a brain tumor though, as she responded to the steroids. Could even be as simple as an infection, but the Neurologist thinks that's unlikely. My friend now has to save up and decide which tests to run and hope she gets diagnosed or gets better on her own. She mentioned the Sentinel, and once again, nothing was said about it, but it stays in the system for 30 days, so if it is a reaction to the Sentinel, they should be seeing improvement within the next week or so. If things get worse, it'll be easier to diagnose and my friend will have the money for any treatment needed, and if things get better(which she hopes they do), then I think they're going with a reaction to the Sentinel. my posts | my page | msg me | my family's posts | gift me | become pals [notify]

Behavior & Training > Peeing help!

Shiver Me- Timbers- "Charlie" My Little Dog, a- heartbeat at my- feet.<3     Barked: Tue May 14, '13 11:42am PST  Firstly, is this recent? Or has this been happening the entire time? I would get a Vet check done to rule out any possible bladder issues first and foremost. If she's showing signs of fear and losing her bladder when she sees you, try having a SUPERYUMMY treat handy every time you call her, and get down to her level, avoid eye contact, and just toss her the treats gently. Don't force yourself on her in any manner - even with affection. You want to teach her that it's okay to trust you and that you = positive things happening. I find crouching makes it so you're not as big and threatening, while keeping your posture relaxed and sideways to her, and by doing this, you're giving her the option to approach you, rather than forcing interaction upon her. I'd do the same thing even when your husband is home. It's possible he's turned into basically a 'security blanket' of sorts for her and she's bonded with him and is less insecure when he's around. If that's the case, start taking over training, walking, feeding, treating with her and do as much positive reinforcement with her as possible in your presence, regardless of that of your husband. I'd definitely go for a Vet check first though. my posts | my page | msg me | my family's posts | gift me | become pals [notify]

Shiver Me- Timbers- "Charlie" My Little Dog, a- heartbeat at my- feet.<3     Barked: Mon May 13, '13 2:14pm PST  Keep in mind that not all dogs handle dog parks very well, and not all dogs like all other dogs. In fact, think of it like this: You don't like every single person you meet, and you don't have to, right? Same goes for dogs, and while tolerance is often non-negotiable, many dogs simply do better with dogs they're familiar with. In what situations is your dog showing aggression with other dogs and what are the aggressive signs he displays? You say teenagers, which makes me assume that these are playful, rambunctious dogs that like to get all in your face and jump all over your dogs, in which case, this is often considered RUDE behavior and deserves a good correction from an adult dog that knows better. I could, however, be wrong, but that's what I gathered from your post so far. Also, how old is your second dog that you adopted more recently and what breed is she? These answers can help in determining the best way to help you get back on track and to help motivate her as well. Have you tried an Easy Walk harness or another similar no-pull harness to help you in teaching her not to pull? Or have you tried a sudden change in direction when she begins to forge ahead of you? These can often help, and changing paces and directions can also help to make it more fun for the dog too because it's not a boring, ordinary walk - they have to think and use their mind! We all get frustrated at some point with our dogs. We all have those days, or even weeks where we lose motivation to work on the behavior that we don't like, or on training. Many of us lose inspiration at some point. You are not alone! I find watching fun training videos often helps to inspire me - seeing other people finding ways to make it FUN for both them and the dog! Doing things that you already enjoy with the dogs can help you get back on track with feeling less frustrated with them too. If you need to step away and take a breather and a break, do so! I find if I get really frustrated, taking my mind off of it by going and doing something else, or giving myself a break by putting the dogs away for a bit can really help. Right now, I'm pregnant, and I have MAJOR ups and downs on my motivation with training and my energy levels to keep up with the dogs. If I lack energy to walk them, I play with them or do a small training exercise. A game of fetch can leave me sitting, relaxing, while my Border Collie/Lab mix, Ria gets worn out, or a fun training game can entertain my Beagle, Charlie, while I get to relax. And when I DO have the energy, getting inspired by other trainers videos of fun training sessions REALLY helps to get me in the mood to work with the pups again. my posts | my page | msg me | my family's posts | gift me | become pals [notify]

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