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

[Cardinal]

http://www.whole-dog-journal.com/issues ... 062-1.html Article addressing OCD/CCD in canines. Great read.

[Keletheryl]

Here's an article I found on CCD (the dog equivalent of OCD): http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news ... ce-brains/ There are more on google. I just grabbed the first one I thought would be reputable.

Anyway, I would be careful of saying that it's probably CCD. Signs like licking paws or chasing tails can also mean that your dog simply has too much energy and is expending that energy by doing those things. Obsessing over lights or shadows could just be prey drive, especially if the lights or shadows are moving quickly. Lolita used to lick her paws (and us) obsessively but that was because she was getting little exercise. That's calmed down with age, even with new stressors added into her environment. Clemmy likes to chase lights and it can be hard to call her off of them but, considering she's got a good prey drive, it's not exactly weird for her to chase something that moves fast.

Upon reading it, it seems Piper might, indeed, have CCD. She has a medium prey drive, but likes to chase shadows/lights, and the last few nights she was snapping the air with her jaws. She chases tails (but that's normal) and licks her paws/nibbles them a lot, too.

I know, like I said before, that Piper's just a puppy, but showing 4/5 symptoms of it? I think we've both got OCD.

[Jazi]

Just remember, a puppy has a lot of energy and GRs are an active breed, so she might be expressing the symptoms only because she doesn't know what to do with herself. A lot of these conditions occur to the point where the dog is hurting itself or cannot be "snapped out of it" at all, and some need medication to help them deal with it.

[.Gone.Traveling.]

Do you own a dog?: Yes, three!
Favorite dog breed?: Wippets, pugs and beagels.
Tell us about your dog(s), if you have any!: We have two female Bichon frises (?), Amy (3 or 4?) and Lucy (14). We also have a french bulldog x pug puppy name Bella who turns 1 in september...
Pictures of your dog(s): Can't find any good ones of the two fluff balls, but here's Bells:

My mum has her suspicions about Bella actually being just a frenchiexpug as apparently she's alot bigger than she's supposed to be and she's so hyper-active. She races around the lounge/kitchen and jumps up on the couch, using it to push herself off and then off she goes again! I swear if the couch didn't have the support of the wall behind it she'd push it over!
Although just like a pug she is food-driven, she learns quickly and will do almost anything for any piece of food you give her. We have a long list of all the tricks she can do somewhere...
We feed all our dogs home cooked meals, including liver, vegetables, rice with a mixture of dry dog biscuits and Bells puts on weight quite fast, but loses it in just about the same amount of time it took to put it on... We stopped feeding them regular dog roll a few months ago as their skin starting playing up.
We have to take her on at least two walks a day to calm her down as well.
Currently she's taking a holiday with some friends as Amy is having puppys near the end of July, it was quite unfair on our two other dogs to have Bella here when Amy's expecting puppies and all Bella wants to do is jump and play...

Does anyone have any tips on things we can do with Bella at home to get rid of all this extra energy?? Something we've found quite fun to do with her at the moment is play hid and seek!

[Imzadi83]

Do you own a dog?: Yes, three!
Favorite dog breed?: Wippets, pugs and beagels.
Tell us about your dog(s), if you have any!: We have two female Bichon frises (?), Amy (3 or 4?) and Lucy (14). We also have a french bulldog x pug puppy name Bella who turns 1 in september...
Pictures of your dog(s): Can't find any good ones of the two fluff balls, but here's Bells:

My mum has her suspicions about Bella actually being just a frenchiexpug as apparently she's alot bigger than she's supposed to be and she's so hyper-active. She races around the lounge/kitchen and jumps up on the couch, using it to push herself off and then off she goes again! I swear if the couch didn't have the support of the wall behind it she'd push it over!
Although just like a pug she is food-driven, she learns quickly and will do almost anything for any piece of food you give her. We have a long list of all the tricks she can do somewhere...
We feed all our dogs home cooked meals, including liver, vegetables, rice with a mixture of dry dog biscuits and Bells puts on weight quite fast, but loses it in just about the same amount of time it took to put it on... We stopped feeding them regular dog roll a few months ago as their skin starting playing up.
We have to take her on at least two walks a day to calm her down as well.
Currently she's taking a holiday with some friends as Amy is having puppys near the end of July, it was quite unfair on our two other dogs to have Bella here when Amy's expecting puppies and all Bella wants to do is jump and play...

Does anyone have any tips on things we can do with Bella at home to get rid of all this extra energy?? Something we've found quite fun to do with her at the moment is play hid and seek!

Since she's food motivated have you considered a toy that dispenses food? Or maybe stuff her regular food into a kong toy. We used to play fetch and tug of war indoors with our little dog. As long as you keep it a calm version and in a safe area you could even play fetch by rolling the ball. Maybe try a big ball she'd have to learn to push around with her nose.

[Lupen]

I really think Koda does have some husky in him... While other breeds can do this too.. He has that kind of weird husky talk/howl thing. I'm sure some of you know what I mean lol.

[elizabethhher]

hello there. i have a question, not a serious one (i think), but one that just aroused in my mind, and i thought that i'd ask you guys for your opinion. today, i just bought a one month old labrador x staffordshire. i found him in the shelter, where he was in a cage along with his brother and sister. i was told that they were going to be euthanized tomorrow as no one had adopted them in their time there and there was no other shelter or rescue that wanted them. now, i felt bad just adopting him, but i couldn't afford the $360 it cost to adopt them all (it cost $120 each), and i already have a bundle of dogs at home, so i just adopted him. the problem is, when i took him home, my other dog, who lives in the house, is afraid of him. she is a one year and five month old german shepherd dog. every time the new puppy gets near her, she puts her ears back and starts running away, or backing up. i decided to put the puppy in a cage (his own cage) and let my german shepherd walk around the cage and sniff it. she did that, but after about two hours, i let him out so i could take him on a walk so he could use the bathroom, and my german shepherd instantly jumped up and urinated on herself, then opened her cage and laid down. she hasn't come out since, unless it is to terrorize the cats. what is wrong with my dear german shepherd, and what can i do to get her to like my new dog?

also, i brought home my little labrador x staffordshire mix because i wanted increased protection of my house. because my city has a limit on the number of dogs we can have without a kennel license (and in my city, a kennel license for ten months costs about $200 to $350, which i do not have), i decided to give away the dog that did not protect my house in any way, and that would be my one year old chihuahua. he doesn't bark when someone's at the door, he doesn't alert the other dogs of anything (even though, he couldn't alert my german shepherd, as she is in the house), and he just sits around, consuming food. i kept him because of my male rottweiler, who after we sadly had to let go of our maltipoo because she barked to much, he started to become afraid of the dark and would howl all night, disturbing the neighbors. my sister had actually brought home the little chihuahua for him because she had seen someone selling him in front of a store for $5. my rottweiler didn't like him at first, and tried attacking him, but after some time grew to like him. i'm afraid i am doing the wrong thing by selling / giving away the chihuahua. as my new dog will be in the house, i do not want to repeat the same process with my rottweiler. i would have gotten a new rottweiler by now because of this, but i cannot do that because i have had this dog for eight, almost nine years, and it would be like giving away one of my children. am i making the wrong choice?

miniature question, which i think is important to ask;
because i now have a rottweiler, german shepherd, and staffordshire (which, as i was told, is like a pit bull), do you think that i would have any major problems with the three together? i've been reading online and i saw many articles that said that the rottweiler was number three on the commonly seen most agressive dogs breeds list, the german shepherd number two, and the pit bull number one. i realize that the cats might be a problem, but so far the cats are pretty chill with my rottie and my shepherd. it'll take some time for the cats to get used to the staffordshire, for sure. also, do you think that anyone would avoid trying to break into my house once they found out i had the three dogs (once my staffordshire grows up, though)?

i have one more question, which isn't as serious as the ones above. if you read any of the above, you know that i have a staffordshire x lab puppy. i want to name him, but i don't have any clue what name i want. i'll list the names of my cats and dogs, so hopefully you can see what's going on here.. i hope.

seal lynx point - male cat - quincy (named after quincy jones)
siamese - female cat - janet (named after janet jackson)
seal lynx point x persian - female kitten - paris (named after paris jackson)
seal lynx point x persian- female kitten - velcro (named after the fact that she clings onto everything; random name, basically)

rottweiler - male dog - hero (because he's a hero)
german shepherd - female dog - macie (the name means weapon)
chihuahua - male puppy - earl / poppy (named because my sister wanted to / named after the elementary school i went to)
labrador x staffordshire - male puppy - ???

what should i name the little guy? i want to name him something along the name of a villain. he looks like a little tuxedo kitten, with the pattern of him. he is mostly black with a little white on his nose, paws, and chest area. i was thinking of naming him penguin, dr. manhattan, or lex luthor, but my sister thinks we should name him bruce or bruno. do you guys have any suggestions?

{edit;; oh my... i didn't think this post would be so long @.@
sorry for so many questions. i am an experienced dog owner, as i have had many large dogs in the past (totaling to about 76), but i just wasn't sure about the behavior of my dogs now. thank you for answering my questions.

[Cardinal]

Dogs and other animals are not disposable, I find it.. horrible.. You're willing to give up an animal for another for a super silly reason. When you bring an animal into your home you become responsible for that pet for its ENTIRE life, hell or high water.

That out of the way, the puppy needs to see a vet and be bottle fed if its really a month old.

THAT out of the way, staffy and labs are both HORRIBLE guard dogs. They are complete people sluts and love EVERYBODY. Theres a joke in the bully breed community that a bully is far more likely to show a robber the jewels instead of protect you.

Also, bully types breeds are typically dog aggressive. Rotties are typically same-sex agressive. You now have two males, both breeds that are known for dog on dog aggression. Good luck.

[Lupen]

No offense, but how the heck have you owned 76 dogs ? I'm assuming you aren't older than thirty, and even a thirty or forty year old shouldn't have gone through 76 dogs.

I also find the fact you get rid of dogs a bit.. Sickening. Dogs aren't meant to be bought and given away at a moments notice just because they can't "protect you". And I hope you realize that no dog should be expected to protect you, even a Rottie or GSD, unless properly trained. And personal protection training costs thousands of dollars. I'm talking ten thousand or more. Any unprofessionally trained dog is nothing but a liability.

And I would've thought someone so experienced would know the answer to most of these questions... Whether a staffy would do good with other dogs for example. I also find it hard to believe a shelter would allow a dog home at one month, no matter how crappy of a shelter. Pups need to still be on milk at four months, albeit in the process of being weaned. It's also vital for them to be with their mother and litter mates if possible for socialization. If not possible, it's still required to hold them for eight weeks as It's actually against the law in many areas to sell them any sooner.

My dogs to me are family. Companions. They aren't accessories, security systems or whatever else. I don't buy them only to get rid of them a few months or years later.

As for your fearful GSD... I don't know why she's so terrified of a puppy. It just seems like lack of socialization.. Or has she been traumatized by dogs in the past? Either way, socialization and even a professional trainer, to help BOTH of you, wouldn't hurt.

I'm sorry if this came out offensively but .. It kind of irks me.

Edit: Ninja'd by cardinal.

[~Serenade~]

Dogs shouldn't be treated as weapons for the purpose of protecting the house. You get a dog because you love the dog and want to take care of it, not because you want something to protect your home. A badly trained guard dog could seriously hurt someone who's meant to be in the house. There are way too many cases of friend drops by quickly, guard dog mistakes him/her for intruder, dog bites, dog gets put down.

You shouldn't decided a dog's worth based on how well it guards your home, if you need something to do that invest in a camera, alarm system, ect.

When you get a pet, you commit to caring for it for it's whole life, not just until it's not worth the space/money. To get a dog simply because you want it to guard your home (Which as said a staffy won't likely do) and you're willing to give up one animal just to get another. Plus the fact that you seem to go through dogs faster than candy bars, I don't think you should get another pet. Ever. I apologize if my opinion offends you.

Doing that math if you are about 10-20 and have owned 76 dogs, you get about five new dogs every year?