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

[Kisiel]

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Aww Lupen, he's adorable! He seems so happy with you :3
How many dogs do you have now then? c:

Bear runs like that too, with her tail between her legs and then lies down with her ears like that. Makes me laugh every time xD


Last night we went outside at about 10pm, since barely anyone is out at that time so we can do her off-leash training without too many distractions. It's still relatively light at that time, so it's not like we're talking in the dark. She actually behaves better when I let her walk without the leash than when she's on it, which is quite surprising. She walks beside me, and the only things we need to work on are sitting before she crosses a road - she forgets to sometimes - and not running off when she sees another dog or a cat. So last night, the funniest thing ever happened: we were just walking along the scheme and past this really big bush. And then suddenly, from under that bush, emerged a black Pitbull type stray. He done it so slowly though, and my little sister's reaction was the best: she just kinda looked down at the dog and said "whooaa" and took a few steps back with her eyes so wide. She was so afraid and I was standing there dying of laughter. Bear wasn't bothered, she was just like, "oh, hey, let's play."

[Lupen]

Thank you ^^ I have three now, though Lucky is so old and laid back he almost doesn't count lol

And he could have lab.. Might get a DNA test just to see, but it's a shame ill never know for sure.

Also, the new pup follows me everywhere, yet won't walk at all on leash. Would luring him towards me with a treat while the leash is on him best? Only technique I've found so far, so any tips would be awesome. Never had a dog with leash problems honestly.. Rylee in particular didn't mind the leash at all as a pup.

[evergreen]

It was sooo humid here yesterday. We tried to go for a run but it turned into a walk really fast. Then we came home and I changed the water in his pool. He had more interest in the hose though were going away this weekend so Murray gets to go stay at the farm. My bf's mum just lost her older dog and her other dog is a little off/depressed because of it so hopefully having a playmate for the night will cheer her up.

@lupen: that's a cute new baby you got. Oh my goodness!



these guys guys were posted on one of the heeler rescues I follow on Facebook. It's a good thing I don't live in the states (where this rescue is) because I'm not sure I could resist. Not sure what else they are mixed with but they are just too cute, I can't stop looking at them.

[Kisiel]

Also, the new pup follows me everywhere, yet won't walk at all on leash. Would luring him towards me with a treat while the leash is on him best? Only technique I've found so far, so any tips would be awesome. Never had a dog with leash problems honestly.. Rylee in particular didn't mind the leash at all as a pup.

You could train him to walk without the leash maybe? There's a lot of people who don't walk their dogs on leads here, and they just stroll along beside their owners so calmly. I think it's really impressive if a dog can do that, but then, not all dogs should: aggressive dogs in particular should be kept under control. I doubt such a playful pup as yours would turn out to be aggressive, so maybe you could try that? Bear's off-leash training is actually going great: she can walk without it even near the main road now without running off :3

[greenwolf1998]

I went and had a picnic with some friends a few days ago and decided to take my cocker spaniel with me. I wouldn't normally take her because she gets quite vocal when she is stuck lying around, not being let of her lead. Anyway, Poppy was great! She lay down next to me the whole time while we all sat on the picnic blanket and then joined us on a walk after. I'm so glad to have good weather and I'm definitely taking her with me next time.

[Lupen]

Also, the new pup follows me everywhere, yet won't walk at all on leash. Would luring him towards me with a treat while the leash is on him best? Only technique I've found so far, so any tips would be awesome. Never had a dog with leash problems honestly.. Rylee in particular didn't mind the leash at all as a pup.

You could train him to walk without the leash maybe? There's a lot of people who don't walk their dogs on leads here, and they just stroll along beside their owners so calmly. I think it's really impressive if a dog can do that, but then, not all dogs should: aggressive dogs in particular should be kept under control. I doubt such a playful pup as yours would turn out to be aggressive, so maybe you could try that? Bear's off-leash training is actually going great: she can walk without it even near the main road now without running off :3

The dog needs the right personality for it... As like you said, not aggressive.. But also not hyper, or easily distracted, etc... So, with a curious, playful pup I definitely wouldn't chance it. Besides, I'd like to take him into town further as an adult, and with the crowded streets and cars everywhere, despite how friendly he is, I wouldn't like him being off leash. There are also leash laws, I believe, In many areas.

Rylee could probably go off leash.. I've let her go for short distances around our less crowded area.. She walks a bit ahead but not bad. But still, I like having some control in case something happens. If a car speeds down the road and she's too close to the middle (we have no sidewalks), if a chipmunk runs out... She's usually fine, but y'know. Instead she's on a 26 ft retractable leash, next best thing. She still behaves - sits when I say or whenever a car comes, doesn't pull if I have to keep her close, etc. She has her freedom, I have my peace of mind.

Also, thanks evergreen ^^

Those mixes are gorgeous... Maybe Catahoula leopard dog and heeler mixes?

[Saracirce]

Took Clemmy for a walk for the first time in weeks since I'm finally feeling better. Poor thing was so excited when she saw the leash came out, she bonked her head on the drawer trying to jump up. She was surprisingly well-behaved though. I'd thought I'd have trouble getting her to listen.

Now Clemmy has no excuse to be an antsy little butthead making me paranoid by running to the window every few seconds xD

[MacGyver]

I'm so scared of losing Dixie right now. )': I've mentioned this before but Dixie just doesn't get along with our other smaller dogs. It's not just the resource guarding, I'd don't think, because she's growled at them numerous times just when they walk by her in the house or outside. It's not all the time but 90% of the time she growls at them. We always try to keep them seperate when there might be something she'll not want them having.
To get to the point, this morning Sherlock somehow snuck into mine and my sister's room where Dixie was with me. She was under the bed chewing on her antler and Sherlock was going to see my sister. Dixie saw him and came barreling out from the bed and launched herself at him. No dog was hurt (though Sherlock was badly shaken up and wet all over the place) and we got Dixie off of him.
My dad was pretty mad and said to get rid of Dixie. )': I just don't know what to do! I've never dealt with this kind of thing before and I'm just at my wits end. The only answers I get from some fellow Golden owners are find a behavior consultant, but I know what my dad already thinks of them.

[Saracirce]

I'm so scared of losing Dixie right now. )': I've mentioned this before but Dixie just doesn't get along with our other smaller dogs. It's not just the resource guarding, I'd don't think, because she's growled at them numerous times just when they walk by her in the house or outside. It's not all the time but 90% of the time she growls at them. We always try to keep them seperate when there might be something she'll not want them having.
To get to the point, this morning Sherlock somehow snuck into mine and my sister's room where Dixie was with me. She was under the bed chewing on her antler and Sherlock was going to see my sister. Dixie saw him and came barreling out from the bed and launched herself at him. No dog was hurt (though Sherlock was badly shaken up and wet all over the place) and we got Dixie off of him.
My dad was pretty mad and said to get rid of Dixie. )': I just don't know what to do! I've never dealt with this kind of thing before and I'm just at my wits end. The only answers I get from some fellow Golden owners are find a behavior consultant, but I know what my dad already thinks of them.

How is she with other dogs? Like, outside of the home and ones about her size?

EDIT: She may not growl at them but maybe she shows signs of being insecure?

[MacGyver]

The last time she was in PetSmart, she was an angel. (We did try to steer clear of most of the dogs) But she greeted a Jack Russell pup fine. Our neighbor sometimes dogsits a female smooth collie mix and after a bit if barking from Dixie, she sniffed noses through the fence and was okay. She's never really met any large dogs except the smooth collie and a Rottweiler she greeted nicely at a local pet store months ago.
By the way, our other dogs are all males. I don't know if the Jack Russell pup was male or female.

Edit: She does get visibly distressed first sometimes and if they come closer (even if it's not towards her) she'll start growling. She doesn't always give a VERY noticeable warning like growling though, which is what happened this morning. It happened really fast. It's mostly my fault for not watching her.
With STRANGE dogs, sometimes she seems uncomfortable so I lead her away, but usually she seems happy.

What am I supposed to do when she growls? I know you're not supposed to 'punish' a dog for giving a warning , so I usually just send the other dogs away.