Postings by Syddalee's Family

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Syddalee Some things are- just meant to- be.     Barked: Thu Nov 15, '12 12:10pm PST  Anyone feed Earthborn? Any opinions on the food or brand? Syddalee has done great on Holistic Select with her allergies but the website I normally order from stopped the free shipping on the larger bags and I like to buy the larger since it last for both dogs about 3 weeks and its hard to find locally. The one store I drive 30 minutes to has said they will stop carrying soon too and no longer always has bags of it in-stock. The other local store that carries it is know for selling puppy-mill puppies so I don't support them at all...Searching the website I normally order from I came across Earthborn and it seems good and like their UPC tree program. Also like that it's a North America brand. The only draw back for me is the protein level. Syddalee normally does better in the lower proteins but I fingered I would feed her a little less then suggested to balance that. my posts | my page | msg me | my family's posts | gift me | become pals [notify]

Syddalee Some things are- just meant to- be.     Barked: Fri Nov 2, '12 9:04am PST  Seems like a dog-sitter is the way to go from this discussion. I would definitely think they would prefer to say in their own home and if only they understood the backup plan was a vet's kennel...I'm sure they would be angels. I told my friend to watch out for any whining when leaving or arriving and know she will give them two good walks a day and hoping with a rotation of toys and treats they will be too busy to care they're alone. Lucy I'm sure won't care and hopefully her presence is better then nothing. I'm also thinking I'll have my friend put on Syddalee's thundershirt overnight to keep her calm. When I called to check kennel pricing it was crazy! I worked in kennels for 8 years, and stopped around 2004 and I almost fell over when I was quoted $60.00 per day for two dogs to sit in a kennel and eat the food I bring. CRAZY! Not even counting what taking them in for just a boardatella shot. my posts | my page | msg me | my family's posts | gift me | become pals [notify]

Dogs & Travel > Dog-sitter or Kennel?

Syddalee Some things are- just meant to- be.     Barked: Fri Oct 26, '12 12:07pm PST  I have arranged a trip without my 2 pups....and I have mixed feelings about what I should do with them... I have already lined up a dog-sitter that will stop by at least 3 times a day to check on the dogs, feed and walk but by Dogsitter I mean a friend, not professional dogsitter and my dogs aren't bad but also not the easiest dog(s) to handle, plus I get the sense she is coming to handle business and not hang out too long after the care is done with....So I'm torn if I should stick with the plan or look into Kenneling them which would involved getting them both a bordatella shots (they are update outside of that one shot) but just for that one shot and vet visit for two dogs would be costly. Reasons I concerned both ways: If staying at my place: Main concerns is the amount of time Lucy will be locked up in crate which is probably 22 hours worst case and Syddalee being left for 4 days she has separation anxiety and could start whining which would be a huge problem since I live in an apartment complex. If Kenneling the main drawbacks is the money involved plus Lucy was a feral dog and could very well think she is back a shelter and training could regress and Syddalee was left in a crate her first 6 months by previous owner who majorly neglected her and is the reason she flips out in a crate now and has separation anxiety. She tends to be an escape artist too...I've had a doggy daycare facility call after syddalee went missing when locked kenneled for lunchtime on her first visit. Luckily she was their washing room and not outside of the establishment.... What would you do.... my posts | my page | msg me | my family's posts | gift me | become pals [notify]

American Pit Bull Terrier > new to the breed, need some help please =)

Syddalee Some things are- just meant to- be.     Barked: Fri Aug 3, '12 11:39am PST  Congrats on the new addition. Sounds like you have two different training issues: One having a pit and two having a stray dog. I agree with a lot of the first response. for 1: Agree,Crate training will be a great tool and also give your new pup a space for himself. This should help with submissive peeing too. Dogs don't pee where they lay. Or at least don't like to. Only punish the dog if caught in the act and if its not a submissive pee but just a hey i'm peeing here kind of thing. Also anytime caught peeing (submissive or not) take the dog outside and give the bathroom command. Using the same door and same spot sometimes helps drive the point home that this is the action to do before peeing. Also a schedule will help the dog become familiar with the routine. For 2: I would teach the command "leave it" or something to that affect. I live an apartment and my lucy would lunge at the window anytime anything happened outside. Anytime she would bark or anything at the window towards someone walking by I would say "leave it" (I use this outside too when walking pass things she pulls towards) and if she came she back to me or stopped then she got a treat and if not then she got sprayed with water from a bottle. She stopped pretty quick and that worked for me. For 3: I feel ya on this one again with my Lucy. Absolutely never punish the dog for this. For me sometime I can tell Lucy is about to do it when she looks uneasy and I start using baby tones with her and don't approach her. I wait till she comes to me to try to avoid the release. Crate Training will help with this. Lucy now goes into her crate anytime she is unsure of a situation. Also if in the act (and I'm close to her) I will grab her collar and tug her to walk out peeing to stop the action and normally lead her outside and give her the bathroom command and then put back inside with no farther punishment. The more confidence the dog builds the less this is an issue with leads to 4... for 4: Persistence is key. Also so toys like puzzles can help build a dogs confidence. Bully breeds can be stubborn. They know what you want they just don't feel like doing it. The award has to be worth it for some. One of my dogs cares nothing about treats and just wants attention and love, the other will always prefer treats. Know what award works best for the dog and that will help with training more tricks. For 5: Agree that a thick skin is needed with this breed. Hopefully you will be able to change a couple minds but be prepared for rude comments, parents pulling their kids away and the eye rolling. Kill them with kindness or ignore all together is normally the best routes here. For 6: A strong hand does not tend to work well with this breed. I was raised with labs and always was taught to spank and rub noses in things and those kinds of negative punishment but with bully breeds and especially a submissive pee-er this will have you taking steps backwards. In my experience with pits, they tend to mirror their owners behavior and any aggressive behavior from you (punishment or not) will come out as aggression in the dog. Anything left on the floor when left alone is fair gain in a pits mind. If you have a corner you keeps shoes in you can spray some bitter apple spray in that spot or when in the room with the dog you can try using "no" anytime the dog walks towards that corner so it learns that's not for them. If a "no" triggers a submissive pee then use the crate as punishment but not for long periods of time. Also like I mentioned before spraying water in the dogs direction can be a great no contact punishment and has stopped a lot of my dogs unwanted behavior. I agree socialization is great for pits to be a great breed ambassador. Car rides, petsmart really anything you can do and bring the dog along to build up confidence will help with a lot of these things. If you don't trust your new pup in social situations only attempt this with friends at first. Good luck with your new pup. With 4 dogs hopefully Gamma will learn his spot in the pack. The leader dog can also be a great help to you with training your new pup. my posts | my page | msg me | my family's posts | gift me | become pals [notify]

Behavior & Training > Leaving two dogs alone..yah or nah?

Lucy 1172460     Barked: Fri May 4, '12 12:44pm PST  I do understand the concern and your suggestions. I had read some stories and advice when looking for a second dog and was looking for a male for the reasons mentioned. That being said in my mind I'm considering this and justifying this because when their play does go to far (and it has) I haven't had to step in to referee it or break it up, meaning as soon as Lucy cries out that Syddalee is hurting her, syddalee backs down and lucy goes the other way. I have never had any fights between them that I did have to get involved in, not saying it can't happen. And I do understand the warning since my mom can't trust her pit and lab together. (they got into once (luckily when someone was there) and have never been in the same room since and her pit and syddalee have fought to where it was hard to pull them off but in that situation her pit again started that fight and was aggressor and mine was just defending herself.) Syddalee has gone to doggie daycare and never once had a bad report. she is very mellow and laid back. Lucy is wild but very much like her name sake Lucille Ball..She gets into trouble but she doesn't mean to and doesn't want apart of anything wrong. I understand the breed warning but feel like it should be judged more on personality of the dog and not breed. I may wait to attempt it when I live closer to work and can check on them more often or install a camera to view online to watch them. I was just wondering since I do hate locking Lucy up for so long and know a lot of people who do leave dogs together all day. my posts | my page | msg me | my family's posts | gift me | become pals [notify]

Lucy 1172460     Barked: Fri May 4, '12 10:57am PST  Normally my pups are not left alone together for long periods of time, however Wednesday this week Lucy (about 2yrs old, I've had for over a year)seemed to of gotten out of her crate. (Syddalee is not crated during the day due to her being an escape artist herself and has had full run for the last two years.) (She is about 4) So Wednesday assuming Lucy got out right after I left for the day they basically spent 9 hours together unsupervised. And that has we wondering if I should start leaving them together during the day. I'll add that they both are well behavior alone in the house and are trusted fully when left alone but normally I leave for just quick errands under an hour. But Wednesday after getting over the shock of having two dogs greet me instead of one I noticed them both more relaxed that evening and they went to bed early for them...which has me wondering about doing it more often on purpose during the work day. I know many people with multiple dogs do leave them alone during the day and it was something I was gonna do a little later like after Lucy was 5ish, not for any good reason, just what I thought I would do but now wondering if I should wait that long... my posts | my page | msg me | my family's posts | gift me | become pals [notify]

Food & Nutrition > Pure Vita or Fromm

Syddalee Some things are- just meant to- be.     Barked: Fri Feb 3, '12 9:29am PST  yeah that's why I went with Pure Vita because Chicken and Chicken fat is an allergy of hers, her main one outside of wheat and dairy. So which one would dogster go with out of: Holistic Select or Pure Vita. I can't remember which on from Natural Balance or Holistic Select that the pet store owner said is loosing quality. Said owners were aging and Kids have control over the company and don't share the quality passion and are just waiting for the parents to die to sell the company. I'm 95% he was talking about Natural Balance but I discussed so many foods with him I can't remember, it may of been Holistic Select. I know he talked me out of Holistic Select because he said it was now manufactured by Diamond under wellpet and I'm definitely not a fan of diamond's manufacturing. Also about Fromm he said the chicken cartilage wasn't a protein source so it shouldn't trigger an allergy reaction that it was just a binding agent...But anything with chicken anything I stay away from, which was my answer to him when he said that. my posts | my page | msg me | my family's posts | gift me | become pals [notify]

Food & Nutrition > Pure Vita or Fromm

Syddalee Some things are- just meant to- be.     Barked: Thu Feb 2, '12 5:13am PST  Anyone feed either brand? Have my first bag of Pure Vita Salmon grain free right now for Syddalee's allergies. After her poop problems and reading similar reviews I decided to switch and the guy at the pet store I go to sometimes is a big fan of both companies and sold me on the Pure Vita... Any thoughts fellow dogster? my posts | my page | msg me | my family's posts | gift me | become pals [notify]

Behavior & Training > Gentle Leader Headcollar or Harness

Lucy 1172460     Barked: Tue Jan 31, '12 8:54am PST  Any experience with either and/or suggestions on picking out the right one for your pup? With Syddalee I was thinking the harness. I'm not really getting it for her. She tends to pull at times but nothing that's not correctable with a command. She also seems to like her normal harnesses...But the real reason I'm looking at them is for Lucy. Lucy my little feral dog has came a long way but leash manners is still left to be desired. I was thinking the headcollar for her but have read reviews that many dogs rub their nose making it impossible to enjoy the walk still. Lucy does pull and lunge when walking and due to being feral has shown anxiety in new situations. I've finally stopped her submissive peeing when putting on a choke chain and thinking she might not like the headcollar since she had an issue with that but from reading it sound like a headcollar is more fitting to correct her leash manners. Any suggestions? my posts | my page | msg me | my family's posts | gift me | become pals [notify]

Syddalee Some things are- just meant to- be.     Barked: Tue Jan 31, '12 8:13am PST  Anyone notice after feeding Natural Balance (Venison and Potato formula) odd droppings? Like Tar poop is the best way to describe it because its so black and then becomes so hard when dried. I know all poop smells bad but this seems to have a different defined smell too. I switched a couple months ago off this brand because it was causing colitis in both dogs with a more mucus wrapped poop and tried Nature Variety but after learning about their animal testing and them adding chicken flavor to even there LID to make it more appealing to dogs I switched back for now but guessing I won't be staying with it. Any suggestion or experience with this? my posts | my page | msg me | my family's posts | gift me | become pals [notify]

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