Postings by Dandelion

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Dandelion helloooo....! - i\'m TALKING to- you!!!!!     Barked: Wed Jul 27, '11 6:11pm PST  where did i say i "yell" at my dog!? i'm sorry, but you have a very strange idea how i correct dandy. yes, i correct my dog. yes, i correct my child, too. when they do something i don't want them to do, i correct them - that means i give a clear indication of displeasure (and no, i don't use a shock collar on my kid, either) then redirect them to something they can do. it's elementary behaviour management. "dont drop the chocolate" - unrealistic. stuff gets dropped, particularly in a household with a 4yr old and five cats. if food gets dropped on the floor, he won't touch it - that's because i've taught him that unless *i* personally give him the food from my hand, he's not to touch. that means when we're out and about and ppl want to give him a treat, they have to give it to me first because he won't touch it otherwise. maybe that's harsh but i live in a country town - it's not a big city where everything for miles in all direction is paved and you have 100% visibility. there's also a lot of freaks around here - ppl who think it's their god-given right to set out poison for any animal that strays onto their property. i don't know your household dynamic but your way simply does not work for my dog and for my household. it works for you, hey - rock on, i'm not saying a word. but don't tell me i'm wrong because i disagree with you. my posts | my page | msg me | gift me | become pals [notify]

Dandelion helloooo....! - i\'m TALKING to- you!!!!!     Barked: Wed Jul 27, '11 5:51pm PST  so what i'm hearing you say is, i wait until AFTER dandy has ingested the baker's chocolate dropped on the floor or the poisoned meat tossed into the yard or the bowl of antifreeze left is out (as happened this past winter to the tune of 3 dogs and 4 cats) then say "oh.... about that... i been meaning to mention that...." i'm sorry, but that sounds way more mean to me - tell the dog AFTER it's nearly killed itself not to touch. my posts | my page | msg me | gift me | become pals [notify]

Behavior & Training > Remote Collar for Dog Rushing Vehicles

Dandelion helloooo....! - i\'m TALKING to- you!!!!!     Barked: Wed Jul 27, '11 4:57pm PST  never once did i say use a shock collar. personally, i don't agree with them - i have never yet met a dog it's worked on. i said "correct" - i'm not going to tell someone how to correct their dog. my own method: audio warning first, then a leash pop (not a "yank", a "jerk" or anything remotely like that, i only use two or three fingers, not a full grip), and if he's really being persistent, he gets a bonk with my foot a la cesar (and no, it's not even remotely related to a "kick" or a "stomp"). how someone else corrects their dog is their business. and YES, i have put attractive nuisances (ie, chocolate) on a coffee table, waited for him to try to take it, then said "ah-ah! no!". guess what? he doesn't eat chocolate. since that is the entire point of the exercise, i'd say it works. also, i didn't say urge the dog to take the chocolate or rush the car - you know the dog's gonna go for it, no urging is necessary. set the situation up, let the dog react as it will, then correct. of course, there's been times when dandy out-wits and behaves perfectly - so praise, praise, praise, end the exercise, go home, and wait for another day. my posts | my page | msg me | gift me | become pals [notify]

Raw Food Diet > So, what's in your food bowl today!!

Dandelion helloooo....! - i\'m TALKING to- you!!!!!     Barked: Wed Jul 27, '11 4:45pm PST  i want to plump dandy back up - he stopped eating with the heat wave then got the runs from all the water he was drinking and is down to 29.2kg from his usual 32kg (+/-). basically, he lost about 10% of his bodyweight and is just a bit too ribby for my liking. i like to feel "dog" when i pat, not think i'm playing the xylophone. so today, breakfast and dinner will be a piece of turkey thigh, a small portion of mixed chicken hearts/gizzards/livers, rounded off with a centre cut beef short rib to gnaw on. sounds crazy but it only ran me $30 and that'll feed him about 4d - pretty much what it would cost to feed him a decent commercial kibble. once i get to lindsay on friday, i'll be able to buy his regular food, which is $1.89/lb if i want it pre-pack or 75c/lb if i want to buy it in 10lb sacks that i have to portion out myself (boooooring!). my posts | my page | msg me | gift me | become pals [notify]

Dog Health > Vet Doubt

Dandelion helloooo....! - i\'m TALKING to- you!!!!!     Barked: Wed Jul 27, '11 4:37pm PST  dandy does not get vaccinated AT ALL. whn i got him, i was told he'd had his shot but they didn't send his papers, couldn't find them, and couldn't remember the name of the vet that went out to the farm and did all the dogs. normally, i'd've doubted but i do know these ppl and they're solid. the local vet doesn't touch small animals - "not worth his time" - so they have to wait until a vet comes from the next city over, which is nearly 2hrs away. i spoke w a vet and he said to wait until dandy was a year old just in case. dandy was 14mo old when i got him the first of what was supposed to be two shots. he *shrieked* when the needle went in - the vet jumped a mile, said that was a wierd reaction. 3d later, dandy had ripped all the fur out around the injection site. that vet said never to get him vaccinated again - he'd clearly had his first shots (cause allergic reactions never happen the first time - the first time is the trigger and the reaction happens after that) while another vet said he should get them but be admitted to hospital for 48hr monitoring (cha-ching) while a third said i needed to get blood titres done every six months at $75 a pop, one for each disease! who's got that kind of money cause i sure don't! three vets, three different answers, each more expensive than the last so who knows - considering the dismal track record of vaccines in humans and my oldest daughter reacting (such a high fever the emerg threw my baby in a cold bath to try and bring it down as fast as possible) with subsequent development of asperger's syndrome, i have no faith in them. my posts | my page | msg me | gift me | become pals [notify]

Dandelion helloooo....! - i\'m TALKING to- you!!!!!     Barked: Wed Jul 27, '11 4:19pm PST  dandy gets diarrhea if he drinks too much water - during this recent heat wave, he had the runs constantly but was drinking the toilet dry as well as any other water he could get his face into. also, "live" water (ponds, streams, rivers, etc) contains micro-organisms your dog's digestive tract may not be able to tolerate. he may be exposed to other dogs that aren't exactly in the pink of health. my posts | my page | msg me | gift me | become pals [notify]

Raw Food Diet > Raw Pork & Puppies

Dandelion helloooo....! - i\'m TALKING to- you!!!!!     Barked: Wed Jul 27, '11 4:17pm PST  the only reason i don't give dandy pork is because it makes him fart. my posts | my page | msg me | gift me | become pals [notify]

Behavior & Training > Spin-off: How much "Dog" Do You Understand?

Dandelion helloooo....! - i\'m TALKING to- you!!!!!     Barked: Wed Jul 27, '11 4:13pm PST  i am pretty good with dandy but the one i just never get until after the fact is when he wants out to do his business - it's usually in the middle of the night and all he does is stick his nose in my ear. i wish he'd do something more definitive - pull the blankets off would be a good one, or heck, just bark in my face. i'm *asleep* - I NEED A CLUE! but he's just too darned polite. during the day, he'll just walk to the door and "border collie eyeball" the door handle, like he's trying to turn it telekinetically (probably will, one of these days). when we encounter another dog, his tail goes up but it's not sticking up like a shark's fin - in a human, it'd be "doood - 'sup." if the other dog is receptive, dandy's tail starts whipping all over the place. most impressive, with his plumage. when we encounter ppl, i always know when someone's afraid of dogs or has medical or mobility issues even if they're trying to hide it - he becomes very soft and almost apologetic. today, a paraplegic with severe MS in wheelchair minded dandy while i ran back to the store for a lighter for him - when i came back, he said that was the best experience he'd had in a long time - he'd had to give up his dog when he could no longer care for her. when my blood pressure goes up too high, dandy goes "crackadoodle" - does figure-8s like a squirrel on caffeine. when i get home and dandy's acting totally panicked, i know he's broken house-training (it rarely happens and only if he's got the runs or like the time the car broke down 18mi from nowhere and i didn't get home till the middle of the night) - i never ever get angry or correct him when he's like that - don't need to, he's doing it for me. i just reassure him he's fine, it's an accident, and take him for a walk immediately. my posts | my page | msg me | gift me | become pals [notify]

Behavior & Training > Remote Collar for Dog Rushing Vehicles

Dandelion helloooo....! - i\'m TALKING to- you!!!!!     Barked: Wed Jul 27, '11 4:03pm PST  i don't agree with the idea that "setting up for failure" is mean - how else is the dog to know you don't want him to do something? either you wait until you catch him at it, or you create the situation and teach him the response you expect - what's the difference? me, i'd start with the lead dog. confine the other two and put Boss Dog on a long lead. get a friend or neighbour to drive up to the house and, when the dog begins the predicted reaction, correct. continue until she doesn't do it with that car - then get someone else to do it. continue until the dog has the point that you don't want cars to be rushed. this can take time but be persistent. once the dog is more-or-less consistent, bring in second-boss dog. the first will no doubt relapse but should pick it up much more quickly the second time around. the second dog should pick up more quickly because it's got the first one as a lead example. the third dog should be the quickest because now you have majority dogs not rushing cars and more likely to assist in teaching low dog on the totem pole. my dog's a border collie mix - BAD BAD BAD for chasing fast-moving things because my neighbour used to play with him using an ATV or skidoo just to see how fast he would go. he doesn't do it at all now - the last time he broke after an ATV, it was bcause the machine came too close to me and i flinched. dandy bolted after it but broke off immediately and came back when i yelled. rollerblades and skateboards used to freak him right out - now he sits at the skateboard park and watches them all with the most bored expression on his face. maybe it ain't the most touchy-feelie method but it's direct communication, it's quick, and it works. my posts | my page | msg me | gift me | become pals [notify]

Dandelion helloooo....! - i\'m TALKING to- you!!!!!     Barked: Wed Jul 27, '11 3:52pm PST  my guess is it's the wrong smell - right appearance but smells wrong - combined with knowing that that other dog has just had your undivided attention for however-long. possible the unbathed dog is trying to re-establish dominance after you (apparently) just ranked the other dog. seriously? leave them alone to sort it out. dogs together ARE really rough and rowdy but unless there's actual blood, i don't count it as a "fight". i just figure they're being like me - loud and socially inappropriate. also, you say beau went after charlie before his energy skyrocketed - but you also said he was shaking and nervy in the tub. beau could've been going after charlie's unstable energy in an effort to bring him back down the ways dogs do - by establishing dominance and then "ordering" the other dog into a calmer state. this is why i generally don't mix in unless i absolutely do not know the other dog - when i walk dandy, it's a daily occurrence that another dog will "bring it on". i don't do anything unless i see dandy "puff up" - that's a sign it's gonna get ugly for the other dog and it VERY rarely happens. normally, i just let dandy deal with it and it's always worked out well so far. my posts | my page | msg me | gift me | become pals [notify]

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