Dog Owner Chat! (for-fun poll added) (new chat)

[Fantelle]

Hey Guys, I need your help. My Golden Retriever just turned one and because he is going to live with a female Golden Retriever this summer, we decided now was the time to neuter him. Afterwards, he had to put on an Elizabethan Collar.

He's had it for three days now, and he's scared of walking, drinking and eating. He does do them with enough encouragement, but most of all he just wants to stay on the same spot. He also gets very frustrated with the collar, and I feel very bad for him.

Is there anything we can do to make this one-week experience (until they take off the stitches) better for him, or should we just leave it? Thank you for all answers!

This is how sad he is looking, by the way. Poor baby. D:

[Imzadi83]

@MacGyver - First of all kudos for recognizing the canine rudeness in the first place and trying to fix it. One thing you can do is to pay close attention to their body language and behavior. Be proactive, when someone is getting to excited call them over and give them time to chill out. Putting them in a down or sit stay for a few minutes for example. Inside you can use separate rooms, baby gates, crates, etc. Work on "leave it" and if there's a high value toy or treat that sets any dog off, like Dixie's ball, keep it out of playtime.

@Tawk - He does look sad and pitiful, poor baby. Give him something to do that'll make him happy and occupy his time. A kong stuffed with peanut butter, a really good chewie, a new toy, a nice massage, let him lick some baby food off your fingers, etc.

[.Middy.]

Guys! You gotta check out this website! While it's mostly geared towards Boxers, there is a great section on what you should ask/talk about with any breeder you are looking at.

http://www.worldwideboxer.com/PUPPIES.html

I have been looking into Boxer breeders in my area and happened to stumble across a breeder who is amazing as far as I can tell. I am going to try and get in touch with them about possibly being interested in one of their pups in a couple years.

[Saracirce]

Major progress on the Clemmy front today. We were walking along when this man with a border collie caught up to us. Clemmy did her usual pulling bit when they got close enough but without all that barking and growling. We let them meet since she'd met this dog before and then we end up walking together for a bit since we were going the same way at the same pace. Clemmy did pull a lot at first but I praised her greatly whenever she didn't or she looked at me and she stopped. She even shook herself a few times, which means when she was calming herself down. That was great. And then, when we parted ways, she only stopped to look at them once before looking back at me and walking on completely calmly. No whining, barking, growling, pulling so hard her front paws left the ground. I'm so proud of my Clementurd <3

[Clio.]

Ugh. I just had to separate My Chihuahua (ellie) and my Rottweiler (Kali) from fighting.....again. Does anyone have ay tips on how to stop this? It's normally Kali who starts it, but she's just a puppy and wants to play while Ellie acts like a Homecoming Queen and thinks she's entitled to everything. Does anyone have any advice to have them in the same room with Ellie barking her head off?

[MacGyver]

Some progress with Dixie and Sherlock today! My dad helped me out while I was working with Sherlock and Dixie today. I had my dad hold Sherlock on a leash just outside of Dixie's "threshold distance" while I held Dixie on a leash. I fed Dixie treats as fast as I could everytime Sherlock was in her sight and my dad did the same with Sherlock. When we moved them out of each other's sight, the treats stopped coming. Just today, we were able to get them 4 ft apart with no negative reactions from Dixie. She even wandered over to him, looking for his treats when we were finishing up. I don't know how long it will last but it was encouraging to see.

She seems to see mine and my sister's room (we share one and that's where Dixie usually is with me) as her den or special place. She's definitely a lot more touchy about one of the dogs passing the bedroom or especially if one sneaks in.

Btw, thanks for the articles! I read them all last night and did a bit more searching. Found some interesting stuff on WholeDogJournal. Particularly an article by Pat Miller.

[Lupen]

Managed to get a few more photos of Koda ^^ You can kind of see how he has a white tipped tail in these photos...





So far so good. Like all puppies it gets frustrating at times (mainly the waiting ten plus minutes for him to just go pee) but he's actually not too bad. He bites like all puppies, but not too much.. He's more interested in toys. He's dug up a few of Rylees bones, but now that I've thrown them all away he has stopped digging. He already learned sit, and working on stay and lay down... Also have to get him used to the cats still; he likes playing and chasing them but what can you expect.

Oh, and he has been coughing a bit,which worries me.. our vet can't get him in till tuesday, though. :\ And It's not exactly emergency worthy, but worrying nonetheless... So I'm forced to wait.

But yeah.. as much as I love young puppies I honestly can't wait till he's four to five months. They're still hyper, but by then he'll hopefully be fully potty trained, and I can walk him, rather than carry him when going into public. That's another thing I need to work on.. leash training.

Started switching him over to a new food as well.. which I'm excited for. After seeing Rylees transformation from eating pedigree to a better brand, I just know he'll improve.

EDIT: Also, to be completely honest, the poll disappoints me ;-;

[Cardinal]

LETS ALL PLAY THE PETFINDER WANTS GAME~!

GIMME GIMME GIMME. She's a shepherd dobbie mix and sssooo insanely pretty.. D:

Shep/grey mix. : Grabby hands:

Chow mix. BLACK AND TAN CHOW MIX! xD

[Onew~]

omg this sounds so fun i'm in

/scurries over to petfinder

aaaah isn't she so pretty? shes a big great pyr but so adorable and cuddly looking. xD

GSD, eeeee! so prett, them eyes ^^

THOSE EYES AND EARS AND FACE

those eyes that fur eeeek she looks like such a sweetiepie... sheltie husky mix. <3



aaah well i think i just freaked out a little xD

i might actually want a shelter dog, if i could find a breed or breed mix for adoption that i know fits me, but it depends >o<

[Saracirce]

Piper, a chow mix. She's got some fear issues but nothing I can't handle.

Mr. Scruff. He actually wouldn't be a good fit for me cause he's typical terrier but just look at him!

Bear, a boxer/lab mix. This guy would be perfect for me. Good with cats, dogs and has the energy to do things with me but also knows how to settle when play time's over.

Again, not a good fit for me cause she can't go to a home with cats but just look at dat face!

Sarge. Oh, if only this guy were cat tested. I'd go scoop him up in a heartbeat.

Yvette. ermehgawd.

Kona. lab/boxer mix Only downside is she's in a rescue that believes in the dominance method. xp

K. I must stop now before I flood.

EDIT: actually just one more!

Lita. Boxer. Brindle. Velcro dog. Good with cats and dogs. PERFECT.

.... It's a bad idea to send me to PetFinder...