My Dogs

[Opti]

Oct 2, 2022 16:41:40 GMT -5 weltschmerz said:

Oct 2, 2022 11:05:52 GMT -5 raeoflyte said:

Pink that's so sad! I hate to lose pets, but losing pets the kids love adds another layer of grief.

The pups are doing well. The neighbors are replacing the fence between us and their dog keeps coming into our yard through the gap (on a long leash) so held off on letting them out together. I moved their playpens together so they can sniff and play between the bars. Nothing to indicate they want to do anything but play, even when eating. So tonight we'll do a pack walk but where they're walking side by side with 1 handler, but I'll have dh with me just in case.

Devil dogs test is next week. I didn't work with him at all this week so will need to really buckle down this week. Maybe Ill start calling him Lucifer. Unintentionally creating chaos is his MO. I want to start foundation training with the puppy but that replaces regular walks for a few weeks so may hold off.

Lucifer is a bit harsh.  How about Damien, son of Lucifer?

How about the Taz for the Tasmanian devil from the cartoons? Otherwise, I too like Damien better than Lucifer.

Anyone temporarily want a needy verbal hairless guinea pig? Moonshadow is being especially needy and squeaky today. He's too fat as am I. I need him to be quiet. Oh, just realized while he did have his morning pellets it was the end of that bag. I did not crack the other one, oops, but did refill his water bottle. Maybe that will help.

[Pink Cashmere]

Boy has officially become a PITA. 

That braided piece of my outdoor rug, he’s pulled it up halfway the width of the rug. I tucked the loose piece under the rug, but he still keeps messing with it.

He hates his crate and will whine and cry for HOURS in it. I just ignore it, but somebody (Mister!) can’t take it and rescues Boy, which reinforces Boy’s thoughts that if he makes enough noise for long enough, somebody will let him out of the crate.

But said person also doesn’t always keep a close eye on Boy, which is how I ended up discovering a puddle of pee that Boy left in my kitchen at some point during the day.

In my mind, until he is house trained, Boy goes in his crate when I’m busy (or trying to sleep!) and can’t keep a close eye on him. He can cry and whine until he can’t anymore, but that doesn’t get him out of the crate. Even if it disrupts my sleep, and regardless of how irritating the noise is. As long as I know he doesn’t need to pee or poop, he stays in the crate when I put him there, and he can howl at the moon, voicing his displeasure, but he still has to stay in his crate until I say he can come out. And when he’s raising a ruckus, he still can only come out when he’s calm and quiet. I love him, but he is not the boss of me and he has to learn that.

The pee in the kitchen incident showed me that Mister and I really do have different ideas on living with dogs. He is of the mind that rubbing his nose in it and scolding him teaches him something, when I am of the mind that you need to catch them doing it and then take them where they should go, to teach them. Scolding them for something they did a while ago when you weren’t paying attention…. they don’t even understand what you are fussing about. So you should just clean it up and scold yourself for not paying close attention to the dog.

I am inclined to believe that “my” way works, because I have successfully trained several of my dogs very well, without using old thoughts and ideas about how to do it. 

[weltschmerz]

Oct 2, 2022 17:04:22 GMT -5 Opti said:

Oct 2, 2022 16:41:40 GMT -5 weltschmerz said:

Lucifer is a bit harsh.  How about Damien, son of Lucifer?

How about the Taz for the Tasmanian devil from the cartoons? Otherwise, I too like Damien better than Lucifer.

Anyone temporarily want a needy verbal hairless guinea pig? Moonshadow is being especially needy and squeaky today. He's too fat as am I. I need him to be quiet. Oh, just realized while he did have his morning pellets it was the end of that bag. I did not crack the other one, oops, but did refill his water bottle. Maybe that will help.

Thank you, but no. I already have a needy cat who is much too verbal.  The only time he shuts his pie-hole is when he's asleep.

[raeoflyte]

Oct 2, 2022 17:40:56 GMT -5 Pink Cashmere said:

Boy has officially become a PITA. 

That braided piece of my outdoor rug, he’s pulled it up halfway the width of the rug. I tucked the loose piece under the rug, but he still keeps messing with it.

He hates his crate and will whine and cry for HOURS in it. I just ignore it, but somebody (Mister!) can’t take it and rescues Boy, which reinforces Boy’s thoughts that if he makes enough noise for long enough, somebody will let him out of the crate.

But said person also doesn’t always keep a close eye on Boy, which is how I ended up discovering a puddle of pee that Boy left in my kitchen at some point during the day.

In my mind, until he is house trained, Boy goes in his crate when I’m busy (or trying to sleep!) and can’t keep a close eye on him. He can cry and whine until he can’t anymore, but that doesn’t get him out of the crate. Even if it disrupts my sleep, and regardless of how irritating the noise is. As long as I know he doesn’t need to pee or poop, he stays in the crate when I put him there, and he can howl at the moon, voicing his displeasure, but he still has to stay in his crate until I say he can come out. And when he’s raising a ruckus, he still can only come out when he’s calm and quiet. I love him, but he is not the boss of me and he has to learn that.

The pee in the kitchen incident showed me that Mister and I really do have different ideas on living with dogs. He is of the mind that rubbing his nose in it and scolding him teaches him something, when I am of the mind that you need to catch them doing it and then take them where they should go, to teach them. Scolding them for something they did a while ago when you weren’t paying attention…. they don’t even understand what you are fussing about. So you should just clean it up and scold yourself for not paying close attention to the dog.

I am inclined to believe that “my” way works, because I have successfully trained several of my dogs very well, without using old thoughts and ideas about how to do it. 

Pink - we bought a music player to hang by or near the puppy crate. You could use anything, but we liked having something dedicated just for the dogs. We used it a lot with devil dog, would turn it up as loud as we could to pretend like we could drown him out. Use it with the puppy too, although she's older so settles down faster. I feel like it eventually queued quiet time for devil dog. Enough that we had to look for it when the puppy came home.

Good luck. The whiny stage was hard on us.

I created rules for our dogs before dh would support them. They definitely learned different rules for different people. Eventually dh got on board when he saw how they behaved for me vs them.

And just in case : your way is 100% correct here.

[Annie7]

Sept 30, 2022 17:30:03 GMT -5 Pink Cashmere said:

And Annie7 , I’ve been meaning to ask about you working with a trainer for Nala. What exactly does your trainer do to help you with your dog? I’ve never worked with a trainer, even though I understand a good trainer can be a valuable resource, so I’m not knocking it. I’m just curious about your experience with a trainer.

Pink,

It's a saga. I boarded Nala at this trainer's place when I went to visit my birth country for 3.5 weeks in June-July. I HAD to go to take care of some legal business. The vet had advised me to spay Nala only after her first heat. I did not know when Nala would go into heat. Most boarding places don't take un-spayed dogs. This trainer C accepted them - each dog would have a room for itself in an out-house. No interaction between dogs, only with the trainer and her assistant. That seemed ideal at the time. Nala did get spayed a month before I left. However, since I had left her there a couple of times to get her used to the place, I did not want to look for a new place. I also liked C and her way of relating to dogs - more about behavior, the underlying cause of the behaviors, etc. 

Once I came back and got Nala home, I noticed she was very much more reactive to unknown dogs. She had a place in my living room where she could be the neighborhood watch. She was barking a lot when she would see other dogs on the street. The dog walker also mentioned that she lunged at a couple of people walking near them. 

Then there happened "the incident". I was talking with another dog parent at an intersection - the other dog was a small dog T. Our dogs were nicely playing and just sniffing each other. Then along comes this lady who had two small dogs - one in her arm and another one on a leash. Nala barked and lunged. I had control of Nala and she was  nowhere near the other dogs. T's mom unfortunately let go of his leash since it was crossed with Nala's and he ran into the road. So we both were frantically trying to catch his leash. I had control of Nala on the leash and was trying to get to T too. Lucking the cars stopped and we were able to get T safely. This lady with 2 dogs crossed the street to where we were and then started yelling at me telling me to control my dog and to muzzle her. She said "There are laws in this country". (Just a FYI - neither T's mom nor I are Caucasian but we are both from different countries, not the same either. I've been in this country longer than I've been in my birth country and am a legal US citizen) I calmly told her that my dog was fine with T who is smaller than her dogs and that she was on the leash in my control all the time. That was not enough for her. She told me to move out of her way or she was going to call the police. I did not want any more conflict and just stepped away and moved away. I later heard from 2 separate sources that she's been telling other dog parents to beware of Nala. Luckily for me, both those sources knew Nala and they told her that Nala is not at all aggressive and she's very good with dogs.

I later called the police non-emergency line and asked them what my responsibilities were in this situation. They told me that as long as I had control of Nala, on a leash and she didn't touch the other dog, they would not even entertain a report. She said that dogs will be dogs and bark.

I was very worried after this incident and I contacted the trainer C and asked for help. She met me at a park where I take Nala sometimes and showed me how to work with Nala. I should have her at a sufficient enough distance for Nala to see the other dog but not be triggered. As soon as she sees the dog, mark and treat her. Continue doing this until she looks away from the dog and towards me for a treat on her own. Then decrease the distance and repeat until Nala can be close enough to a dog without barking. Also do other training at home like call her to me and give her a treat when she looks me in the eye (Nala does not like looking in the eye much). Have her in a Down Stay for increasing periods of time.

I am trying to do these. I find it's slowly getting better. If it's a sufficient distance, I can distract her with the treats - I throw them on the ground for her to find which takes longer than just hand feeding her. I am able to pass another dog across a wide street sometimes, not always, doing this. I also closed the curtains to the front window so she doesn't get frustrated by seeing the other dogs and not able to get to them. I am also now sending her to daycare a couple of days a week for her to play with other dogs. 

So, the trainer was good and not too expensive. I just need to keep working on Nala - it will be a slow process - probably months.

A long winded answer to your question. 

[Annie7]

Sept 30, 2022 16:52:27 GMT -5 Pink Cashmere said:

Guess who did this to my outdoor rug on the deck. 



And is it my imagination or what, because I swear a see a toy RIGHT THERE!

Ah, the puppy stage. Nala chewed thru the wire for my one year old reclining couch. Have you tried the no-chew sprays? It seemed to deter Nala quite a bit. This is the one I have: smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B01FDZUKFG/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

This too shall pass

[Annie7]

Oct 2, 2022 11:05:52 GMT -5 raeoflyte said:

Pink that's so sad! I hate to lose pets, but losing pets the kids love adds another layer of grief.

The pups are doing well. The neighbors are replacing the fence between us and their dog keeps coming into our yard through the gap (on a long leash) so held off on letting them out together. I moved their playpens together so they can sniff and play between the bars. Nothing to indicate they want to do anything but play, even when eating. So tonight we'll do a pack walk but where they're walking side by side with 1 handler, but I'll have dh with me just in case.

Devil dogs test is next week. I didn't work with him at all this week so will need to really buckle down this week. Maybe Ill start calling him Lucifer. Unintentionally creating chaos is his MO. I want to start foundation training with the puppy but that replaces regular walks for a few weeks so may hold off.

Good luck rae next week. What test is this? Sorry if you have mentioned it before.

[raeoflyte]

Oct 3, 2022 8:12:09 GMT -5 Annie7 said:

Oct 2, 2022 11:05:52 GMT -5 raeoflyte said:

Pink that's so sad! I hate to lose pets, but losing pets the kids love adds another layer of grief.

The pups are doing well. The neighbors are replacing the fence between us and their dog keeps coming into our yard through the gap (on a long leash) so held off on letting them out together. I moved their playpens together so they can sniff and play between the bars. Nothing to indicate they want to do anything but play, even when eating. So tonight we'll do a pack walk but where they're walking side by side with 1 handler, but I'll have dh with me just in case.

Devil dogs test is next week. I didn't work with him at all this week so will need to really buckle down this week. Maybe Ill start calling him Lucifer. Unintentionally creating chaos is his MO. I want to start foundation training with the puppy but that replaces regular walks for a few weeks so may hold off.

Good luck rae next week. What test is this? Sorry if you have mentioned it before.

It's his level 3 "advanced obedience". Basically pre-off leash proofing. High distraction stays, recalls, and heels. He failed the first time because he sniffed a toy too much (never touched it, but didn't "leave-it" either).

We'd never intentionally go off leash, but we do work toward voice control only with the dogs. This one is a little too friendly/rambunctious and could never truly be trusted. But while his progress is slower than any dog I've ever worked with it is moving forward.

[raeoflyte]

Oct 3, 2022 8:06:02 GMT -5 Annie7 said:

Sept 30, 2022 17:30:03 GMT -5 Pink Cashmere said:

And Annie7 , I’ve been meaning to ask about you working with a trainer for Nala. What exactly does your trainer do to help you with your dog? I’ve never worked with a trainer, even though I understand a good trainer can be a valuable resource, so I’m not knocking it. I’m just curious about your experience with a trainer.

Pink,

It's a saga. I boarded Nala at this trainer's place when I went to visit my birth country for 3.5 weeks in June-July. I HAD to go to take care of some legal business. The vet had advised me to spay Nala only after her first heat. I did not know when Nala would go into heat. Most boarding places don't take un-spayed dogs. This trainer C accepted them - each dog would have a room for itself in an out-house. No interaction between dogs, only with the trainer and her assistant. That seemed ideal at the time. Nala did get spayed a month before I left. However, since I had left her there a couple of times to get her used to the place, I did not want to look for a new place. I also liked C and her way of relating to dogs - more about behavior, the underlying cause of the behaviors, etc. 

Once I came back and got Nala home, I noticed she was very much more reactive to unknown dogs. She had a place in my living room where she could be the neighborhood watch. She was barking a lot when she would see other dogs on the street. The dog walker also mentioned that she lunged at a couple of people walking near them. 

Then there happened "the incident". I was talking with another dog parent at an intersection - the other dog was a small dog T. Our dogs were nicely playing and just sniffing each other. Then along comes this lady who had two small dogs - one in her arm and another one on a leash. Nala barked and lunged. I had control of Nala and she was  nowhere near the other dogs. T's mom unfortunately let go of his leash since it was crossed with Nala's and he ran into the road. So we both were frantically trying to catch his leash. I had control of Nala on the leash and was trying to get to T too. Lucking the cars stopped and we were able to get T safely. This lady with 2 dogs crossed the street to where we were and then started yelling at me telling me to control my dog and to muzzle her. She said "There are laws in this country". (Just a FYI - neither T's mom nor I are Caucasian but we are both from different countries, not the same either. I've been in this country longer than I've been in my birth country and am a legal US citizen) I calmly told her that my dog was fine with T who is smaller than her dogs and that she was on the leash in my control all the time. That was not enough for her. She told me to move out of her way or she was going to call the police. I did not want any more conflict and just stepped away and moved away. I later heard from 2 separate sources that she's been telling other dog parents to beware of Nala. Luckily for me, both those sources knew Nala and they told her that Nala is not at all aggressive and she's very good with dogs.

I later called the police non-emergency line and asked them what my responsibilities were in this situation. They told me that as long as I had control of Nala, on a leash and she didn't touch the other dog, they would not even entertain a report. She said that dogs will be dogs and bark.

I was very worried after this incident and I contacted the trainer C and asked for help. She met me at a park where I take Nala sometimes and showed me how to work with Nala. I should have her at a sufficient enough distance for Nala to see the other dog but not be triggered. As soon as she sees the dog, mark and treat her. Continue doing this until she looks away from the dog and towards me for a treat on her own. Then decrease the distance and repeat until Nala can be close enough to a dog without barking. Also do other training at home like call her to me and give her a treat when she looks me in the eye (Nala does not like looking in the eye much). Have her in a Down Stay for increasing periods of time.

I am trying to do these. I find it's slowly getting better. If it's a sufficient distance, I can distract her with the treats - I throw them on the ground for her to find which takes longer than just hand feeding her. I am able to pass another dog across a wide street sometimes, not always, doing this. I also closed the curtains to the front window so she doesn't get frustrated by seeing the other dogs and not able to get to them. I am also now sending her to daycare a couple of days a week for her to play with other dogs. 

So, the trainer was good and not too expensive. I just need to keep working on Nala - it will be a slow process - probably months.

A long winded answer to your question. 

I do similar stuff with devil dog. I basically do trick training to use as distractions in lieu of leave-its during stays, and now use them when heeling or other activities too. "Watch me" and "touch" are my go to's. Nala might like "touch" if she doesn't like eye contact.

[Pink Cashmere]

Boy’s stool has been black since yesterday.

I called the vet and they said since he already had an appointment for tomorrow, to wait until then to bring him in.

Google says black stool is bad. It’s the normal consistency, but black.

I am constantly fishing stuff out of his mouth. A little while ago I gave up on being outside with him because he insisted on trying to eat mulch out of the flowerbed. Mister thinks he got into the bag of charcoal on the deck yesterday, and ate some. 

He’s acting normal, but Mister and I are both worried. I don’t want my baby to be sick.

[Deleted]

Oct 3, 2022 12:16:14 GMT -5 Pink Cashmere said:

Boy’s stool has been black since yesterday.

I called the vet and they said since he already had an appointment for tomorrow, to wait until then to bring him in.

Google says black stool is bad. It’s the normal consistency, but black.

I am constantly fishing stuff out of his mouth. A little while ago I gave up on being outside with him because he insisted on trying to eat mulch out of the flowerbed. Mister thinks he got into the bag of charcoal on the deck yesterday, and ate some. 

He’s acting normal, but Mister and I are both worried. I don’t want my baby to be sick.

Since behavior is normal, I vote for the charcoal.  Black normal consistency is okay short-term, black tar or coffee grounds consistency are the bad stuff.  Small galvanized metal trash cans with a lid bungee-corded on are great for charcoal storage.  

[Pink Cashmere]

Oct 3, 2022 8:06:02 GMT -5 Annie7 said:

Sept 30, 2022 17:30:03 GMT -5 Pink Cashmere said:

And Annie7 , I’ve been meaning to ask about you working with a trainer for Nala. What exactly does your trainer do to help you with your dog? I’ve never worked with a trainer, even though I understand a good trainer can be a valuable resource, so I’m not knocking it. I’m just curious about your experience with a trainer.

Pink,

It's a saga. I boarded Nala at this trainer's place when I went to visit my birth country for 3.5 weeks in June-July. I HAD to go to take care of some legal business. The vet had advised me to spay Nala only after her first heat. I did not know when Nala would go into heat. Most boarding places don't take un-spayed dogs. This trainer C accepted them - each dog would have a room for itself in an out-house. No interaction between dogs, only with the trainer and her assistant. That seemed ideal at the time. Nala did get spayed a month before I left. However, since I had left her there a couple of times to get her used to the place, I did not want to look for a new place. I also liked C and her way of relating to dogs - more about behavior, the underlying cause of the behaviors, etc. 

Once I came back and got Nala home, I noticed she was very much more reactive to unknown dogs. She had a place in my living room where she could be the neighborhood watch. She was barking a lot when she would see other dogs on the street. The dog walker also mentioned that she lunged at a couple of people walking near them. 

Then there happened "the incident". I was talking with another dog parent at an intersection - the other dog was a small dog T. Our dogs were nicely playing and just sniffing each other. Then along comes this lady who had two small dogs - one in her arm and another one on a leash. Nala barked and lunged. I had control of Nala and she was  nowhere near the other dogs. T's mom unfortunately let go of his leash since it was crossed with Nala's and he ran into the road. So we both were frantically trying to catch his leash. I had control of Nala on the leash and was trying to get to T too. Lucking the cars stopped and we were able to get T safely. This lady with 2 dogs crossed the street to where we were and then started yelling at me telling me to control my dog and to muzzle her. She said "There are laws in this country". (Just a FYI - neither T's mom nor I are Caucasian but we are both from different countries, not the same either. I've been in this country longer than I've been in my birth country and am a legal US citizen) I calmly told her that my dog was fine with T who is smaller than her dogs and that she was on the leash in my control all the time. That was not enough for her. She told me to move out of her way or she was going to call the police. I did not want any more conflict and just stepped away and moved away. I later heard from 2 separate sources that she's been telling other dog parents to beware of Nala. Luckily for me, both those sources knew Nala and they told her that Nala is not at all aggressive and she's very good with dogs.

I later called the police non-emergency line and asked them what my responsibilities were in this situation. They told me that as long as I had control of Nala, on a leash and she didn't touch the other dog, they would not even entertain a report. She said that dogs will be dogs and bark.

I was very worried after this incident and I contacted the trainer C and asked for help. She met me at a park where I take Nala sometimes and showed me how to work with Nala. I should have her at a sufficient enough distance for Nala to see the other dog but not be triggered. As soon as she sees the dog, mark and treat her. Continue doing this until she looks away from the dog and towards me for a treat on her own. Then decrease the distance and repeat until Nala can be close enough to a dog without barking. Also do other training at home like call her to me and give her a treat when she looks me in the eye (Nala does not like looking in the eye much). Have her in a Down Stay for increasing periods of time.

I am trying to do these. I find it's slowly getting better. If it's a sufficient distance, I can distract her with the treats - I throw them on the ground for her to find which takes longer than just hand feeding her. I am able to pass another dog across a wide street sometimes, not always, doing this. I also closed the curtains to the front window so she doesn't get frustrated by seeing the other dogs and not able to get to them. I am also now sending her to daycare a couple of days a week for her to play with other dogs. 

So, the trainer was good and not too expensive. I just need to keep working on Nala - it will be a slow process - probably months.

A long winded answer to your question. 

You must not have read many of my posts.

You are a good dog Mom. Hopefully Nala continues to improve as you keep working with her.

[Annie7]

Oct 3, 2022 10:03:13 GMT -5 raeoflyte said:

Oct 3, 2022 8:12:09 GMT -5 Annie7 said:

Good luck rae next week. What test is this? Sorry if you have mentioned it before.

It's his level 3 "advanced obedience". Basically pre-off leash proofing. High distraction stays, recalls, and heels. He failed the first time because he sniffed a toy too much (never touched it, but didn't "leave-it" either).

We'd never intentionally go off leash, but we do work toward voice control only with the dogs. This one is a little too friendly/rambunctious and could never truly be trusted. But while his progress is slower than any dog I've ever worked with it is moving forward.

Do you do the training all by yourself or do you work with a trainer? Good luck and hope he passes this time. Poor boy wanting to investigate a toy. 

[Annie7]

Oct 3, 2022 10:07:25 GMT -5 raeoflyte said:

Rae, that's a good idea. She does know "touch" and I do that when giving her snacks. It might be another thing to distract her with during the walks. Thanks.

[Annie7]

Oct 3, 2022 12:16:14 GMT -5 Pink Cashmere said:

Boy’s stool has been black since yesterday.

I called the vet and they said since he already had an appointment for tomorrow, to wait until then to bring him in.

Google says black stool is bad. It’s the normal consistency, but black.

I am constantly fishing stuff out of his mouth. A little while ago I gave up on being outside with him because he insisted on trying to eat mulch out of the flowerbed. Mister thinks he got into the bag of charcoal on the deck yesterday, and ate some. 

He’s acting normal, but Mister and I are both worried. I don’t want my baby to be sick.

Pink,

I've occasionally had black stools based on Nala eating mulch or something. If it's just one or two I would not be overly concerned. Sometimes I've seen long blades of grass undigested too

Hopefully the vet will say it's nothing.

[Opti]

Then there happened "the incident". I was talking with another dog parent at an intersection - the other dog was a small dog T. Our dogs were nicely playing and just sniffing each other. Then along comes this lady who had two small dogs - one in her arm and another one on a leash. Nala barked and lunged. I had control of Nala and she was nowhere near the other dogs. T's mom unfortunately let go of his leash since it was crossed with Nala's and he ran into the road. So we both were frantically trying to catch his leash. I had control of Nala on the leash and was trying to get to T too. Lucking the cars stopped and we were able to get T safely. This lady with 2 dogs crossed the street to where we were and then started yelling at me telling me to control my dog and to muzzle her. She said "There are laws in this country". (Just a FYI - neither T's mom nor I are Caucasian but we are both from different countries, not the same either. I've been in this country longer than I've been in my birth country and am a legal US citizen) I calmly told her that my dog was fine with T who is smaller than her dogs and that she was on the leash in my control all the time. That was not enough for her. She told me to move out of her way or she was going to call the police. I did not want any more conflict and just stepped away and moved away. I later heard from 2 separate sources that she's been telling other dog parents to beware of Nala. Luckily for me, both those sources knew Nala and they told her that Nala is not at all aggressive and she's very good with dogs.

Annie sounds like one of those bad pet owners that is a bad person as well. Dogs can take on the personalities of their owners. They take in the projected assholery and model it much like kids would. I generally get along with almost all dogs. However, I have encountered little dogs like this, with and without their owners. I do not blame your dog at all from reacting to her and what she made these dogs into. I flat out told my realtor after encountering a snarly snippy aggressive little dog fenced in, inside the house I would not consider buying it as the owner would be an asshole to negotiate with. These types do throw shade on others hoping they don't notice she doesn't have control of her dogs and they are terrors.

You might want to consider getting a cheap body cam too to CYA in these situations. Until you do, you can just say, TY I have a recording of the incident and will forward to the police if I need to. She should avoid you like the plague. Or you can conversationally say 'you know, that woman in NYC never did get her job back, Silly woman for making stuff up and thinking she'd get away with it.

[raeoflyte]

Oct 4, 2022 8:08:57 GMT -5 Annie7 said:

Oct 3, 2022 10:03:13 GMT -5 raeoflyte said:

It's his level 3 "advanced obedience". Basically pre-off leash proofing. High distraction stays, recalls, and heels. He failed the first time because he sniffed a toy too much (never touched it, but didn't "leave-it" either).

We'd never intentionally go off leash, but we do work toward voice control only with the dogs. This one is a little too friendly/rambunctious and could never truly be trusted. But while his progress is slower than any dog I've ever worked with it is moving forward.

Do you do the training all by yourself or do you work with a trainer? Good luck and hope he passes this time. Poor boy wanting to investigate a toy. 

We work with a trainer. I found her when we were struggling with our first "pack" and I swear she gave us back our lives. It's expensive, but devil dog is so different than our 1st 4 dogs. He doesn't have any of the issues they had, he's confident and friendly, but head strong and highly self motivated. I don't think I could have gotten him to this point without their help. With the new dog, part of me feels like we could do it on our own with her personality, but we do better under deadlines. Paying someone to judge my dogs behavior is the motivator to get in the reps even on busy weeks - because they're all busy weeks.

[Pink Cashmere]

Boy still seems to be feeling okay, considering he’s spent most of the morning terrorizing me. I took him to Chik Fil A with me this morning, and the lady standing outside taking payments ran over to his side of the car to ooh and ahh over him. He was a happy, wiggly mess from her talking to him. Same thing with the lady giving me my order. She called a guy over to look at the dog she wanted lol.

He outgrew his collar, so I took him with me to the small pet store yesterday to get a new one and some more puppy food. Their baskets are small, so I laid a big bath towel in it and sat him in the basket. One of the employees there was oohing and ahhing over him and finally asked if he could pick him up. I said sure. When Boy licked him on the mouth, he put him back in the basket lol. But he picked him up again while I was checking out.

So he’s definitely not afraid of people so far. He loves the attention.

Mister said his poop wasn’t as dark this morning and tried to show me a picture. Uhhhh, no. I’ll take your word for it sir. He’s meeting me and Boy at the vet in a little while. Apparently we have to take the baby to the doctor together lol. I’m not mad about it, just slightly amused. Boy already had the appointment for today for another round of dewormer and vaccinations. We’ll still tell the vet about the black poop.

[Deleted]

Oct 4, 2022 14:00:02 GMT -5 Pink Cashmere said:

Boy still seems to be feeling okay, considering he’s spent most of the morning terrorizing me. I took him to Chik Fil A with me this morning, and the lady standing outside taking payments ran over to his side of the car to ooh and ahh over him. He was a happy, wiggly mess from her talking to him. Same thing with the lady giving me my order. She called a guy over to look at the dog she wanted lol.

He outgrew his collar, so I took him with me to the small pet store yesterday to get a new one and some more puppy food. Their baskets are small, so I laid a big bath towel in it and sat him in the basket. One of the employees there was oohing and ahhing over him and finally asked if he could pick him up. I said sure. When Boy licked him on the mouth, he put him back in the basket lol. But he picked him up again while I was checking out.

So he’s definitely not afraid of people so far. He loves the attention.

Mister said his poop wasn’t as dark this morning and tried to show me a picture. Uhhhh, no. I’ll take your word for it sir. He’s meeting me and Boy at the vet in a little while. Apparently we have to take the baby to the doctor together lol. I’m not mad about it, just slightly amused. Boy already had the appointment for today for another round of dewormer and vaccinations. We’ll still tell the vet about the black poop.

So I'm guessing you aren't good with putting a stool sample in the fridge to take to the vet? 

[Pink Cashmere]

Oct 4, 2022 14:30:55 GMT -5 soupandstew said:

Oct 4, 2022 14:00:02 GMT -5 Pink Cashmere said:

Boy still seems to be feeling okay, considering he’s spent most of the morning terrorizing me. I took him to Chik Fil A with me this morning, and the lady standing outside taking payments ran over to his side of the car to ooh and ahh over him. He was a happy, wiggly mess from her talking to him. Same thing with the lady giving me my order. She called a guy over to look at the dog she wanted lol.

He outgrew his collar, so I took him with me to the small pet store yesterday to get a new one and some more puppy food. Their baskets are small, so I laid a big bath towel in it and sat him in the basket. One of the employees there was oohing and ahhing over him and finally asked if he could pick him up. I said sure. When Boy licked him on the mouth, he put him back in the basket lol. But he picked him up again while I was checking out.

So he’s definitely not afraid of people so far. He loves the attention.

Mister said his poop wasn’t as dark this morning and tried to show me a picture. Uhhhh, no. I’ll take your word for it sir. He’s meeting me and Boy at the vet in a little while. Apparently we have to take the baby to the doctor together lol. I’m not mad about it, just slightly amused. Boy already had the appointment for today for another round of dewormer and vaccinations. We’ll still tell the vet about the black poop.

So I'm guessing you aren't good with putting a stool sample in the fridge to take to the vet? 

Absolutely not!

[weltschmerz]

Oct 4, 2022 15:03:45 GMT -5 Pink Cashmere said:

Oct 4, 2022 14:30:55 GMT -5 soupandstew said:

So I'm guessing you aren't good with putting a stool sample in the fridge to take to the vet? 

Absolutely not!

How did you ever change diapers?

[Pink Cashmere]

Oct 4, 2022 16:49:58 GMT -5 weltschmerz said:

Oct 4, 2022 15:03:45 GMT -5 Pink Cashmere said:

Absolutely not!

How did you ever change diapers?

That was different lol. I happily did lots of stuff with and for my children that I wouldn’t do for anyone else.

[Pink Cashmere]

Boy is fine!

He pooped right before we went to the vet, and it was brown. The vet said it was the charcoal. I am so relieved it wasn’t something really serious. I’ve never paid this much attention to dog poop. 

He doesn’t have worms anymore either. But he’s still going to get yet another round of dewormer in 3 weeks, with the last of his puppy shots. I’ll be glad to be done with vet visits for a while.

And he weighs a whole 10lbs lol.

[Opti]

Oct 4, 2022 15:03:45 GMT -5 Pink Cashmere said:

Oct 4, 2022 14:30:55 GMT -5 soupandstew said:

So I'm guessing you aren't good with putting a stool sample in the fridge to take to the vet? 

Absolutely not!

Its way smaller, but that's how they diagnose most lizard issues, by doing a 'fecal'. You can just collect it with gloves and put it a plastic baggie and put it inside a small paper bag if the ick factor is too much.

[Opti]

Oct 4, 2022 17:06:13 GMT -5 Pink Cashmere said:

Oct 4, 2022 16:49:58 GMT -5 weltschmerz said:

How did you ever change diapers?

That was different lol. I happily did lots of stuff with and for my children that I wouldn’t do for anyone else.

But it's your baby Boy! 

[Deleted]

What with 2 horses, 1 dog and countless cats over the years, DH learned early on not to open refrigerated containers lightly. I'm so glad Boy's poop is back to normal. A surprising amount of animal ownership is about observing input and output. Are they eating the normal amount at the normal times? Are they peeing/pooping the normal amount of the right color and consistency? Often input/output issues are the very first clue to health problems from worms to blockages to really bad things.

[Pink Cashmere]

Oct 4, 2022 18:52:30 GMT -5 soupandstew said:

What with 2 horses, 1 dog and countless cats over the years, DH learned early on not to open refrigerated containers lightly. I'm so glad Boy's poop is back to normal. A surprising amount of animal ownership is about observing input and output. Are they eating the normal amount at the normal times? Are they peeing/pooping the normal amount of the right color and consistency? Often input/output issues are the very first clue to health problems from worms to blockages to really bad things.

When I had my Bullmastiff, I worked evenings. One evening my children called me at work and told me she kept pooping black stuff in the house. She was housetrained, and never pooped in the house, and I was alarmed enough that I left work early to go home and see what was going on.

I took her to the vet early the next morning, and not realizing how serious what was going on might be, I had my children with me. Well, her kidneys were failing, and it was so far gone that the vet told me I could spend several thousands of dollars trying to treat it, but he honestly thought it wouldn’t help.

I appreciated his honesty, and I had a very hard decision to make, while she was leaning against my legs, trusting me to take care of her like I always had. Then I also had 2 little people (my children) looking at me expecting me to get our dog fixed and healthy again. That was during the worst years of my whole life, and I was broke, broke, because I’d been dealing with serious medical issues with my children. If the vet had given me any kind of hope, I would’ve begged, stole and/or borrowed money to save my dog and get her healthy. 

My kids and I took the dog to the vet that morning thinking they would tell me what was wrong and how to fix it, and instead I had to tell my babies we had to let her go. DD still very clearly remembers that day. When I told her Boy’s stools were black, she was sad because she remembered that was why we took our Bullmastiff to the vet and ended up losing her.

She obviously had been sick for a while, but there were no signs until the evening my children called me at work. That’s one of the difficult things about dogs, they can’t tell you when they don’t feel well, and they often don’t show it until it’s too late.

Anyway, just a trip down memory lane. 

[Deleted]

Oct 4, 2022 19:14:23 GMT -5 Pink Cashmere said:

Oct 4, 2022 18:52:30 GMT -5 soupandstew said:

What with 2 horses, 1 dog and countless cats over the years, DH learned early on not to open refrigerated containers lightly. I'm so glad Boy's poop is back to normal. A surprising amount of animal ownership is about observing input and output. Are they eating the normal amount at the normal times? Are they peeing/pooping the normal amount of the right color and consistency? Often input/output issues are the very first clue to health problems from worms to blockages to really bad things.

When I had my Bullmastiff, I worked evenings. One evening my children called me at work and told me she kept pooping black stuff in the house. She was housetrained, and never pooped in the house, and I was alarmed enough that I left work early to go home and see what was going on.

I took her to the vet early the next morning, and not realizing how serious what was going on might be, I had my children with me. Well, her kidneys were failing, and it was so far gone that the vet told me I could spend several thousands of dollars trying to treat it, but he honestly thought it wouldn’t help.

I appreciated his honesty, and I had a very hard decision to make, while she was leaning against my legs, trusting me to take care of her like I always had. Then I also had 2 little people (my children) looking at me expecting me to get our dog fixed and healthy again. That was during the worst years of my whole life, and I was broke, broke, because I’d been dealing with serious medical issues with my children. If the vet had given me any kind of hope, I would’ve begged, stole and/or borrowed money to save my dog and get her healthy. 

My kids and I took the dog to the vet that morning thinking they would tell me what was wrong and how to fix it, and instead I had to tell my babies we had to let her go. DD still very clearly remembers that day. When I told her Boy’s stools were black, she was sad because she remembered that was why we took our Bullmastiff to the vet and ended up losing her.

She obviously had been sick for a while, but there were no signs until the evening my children called me at work. That’s one of the difficult things about dogs, they can’t tell you when they don’t feel well, and they often don’t show it until it’s too late.

Anyway, just a trip down memory lane. 

Yes, animals are way too good at hiding their diseases.  It's an ancient survival instinct that leaves us, as their human family, totally blindsided. You did the right thing by her but you already know that.  Not the easy thing, but the right thing.  I can see why Boy's poopy issue was a really sad reminder for your daughter.  

Today the plumbers asked about our old cat as they met him on their last visit and fell in love as everyone always did.  I had to explain that we released him in June.  It reminded me of just how special he was and how lucky we were to have him in our lives for so many years.  How often do plumbers remember a cat they met once at a client's house, in their days filled with clients?  

[chiver78]

Oct 4, 2022 18:52:30 GMT -5 soupandstew said:

What with 2 horses, 1 dog and countless cats over the years, DH learned early on not to open refrigerated containers lightly. I'm so glad Boy's poop is back to normal. A surprising amount of animal ownership is about observing input and output. Are they eating the normal amount at the normal times? Are they peeing/pooping the normal amount of the right color and consistency? Often input/output issues are the very first clue to health problems from worms to blockages to really bad things.

this. things I never though I would do in my lifetime - last winter (I think? it was definitely in this house) I held a salad dressing-sized ziploc container under Punk's cooter to catch her urine so it could be screened for a UTI. I'd noticed snow holes having some red, not just yellow. shocker, she had a UTI.

[Opti]

Oct 4, 2022 19:33:40 GMT -5 soupandstew said:

Oct 4, 2022 19:14:23 GMT -5 Pink Cashmere said:

When I had my Bullmastiff, I worked evenings. One evening my children called me at work and told me she kept pooping black stuff in the house. She was housetrained, and never pooped in the house, and I was alarmed enough that I left work early to go home and see what was going on.

I took her to the vet early the next morning, and not realizing how serious what was going on might be, I had my children with me. Well, her kidneys were failing, and it was so far gone that the vet told me I could spend several thousands of dollars trying to treat it, but he honestly thought it wouldn’t help.

I appreciated his honesty, and I had a very hard decision to make, while she was leaning against my legs, trusting me to take care of her like I always had. Then I also had 2 little people (my children) looking at me expecting me to get our dog fixed and healthy again. That was during the worst years of my whole life, and I was broke, broke, because I’d been dealing with serious medical issues with my children. If the vet had given me any kind of hope, I would’ve begged, stole and/or borrowed money to save my dog and get her healthy. 

My kids and I took the dog to the vet that morning thinking they would tell me what was wrong and how to fix it, and instead I had to tell my babies we had to let her go. DD still very clearly remembers that day. When I told her Boy’s stools were black, she was sad because she remembered that was why we took our Bullmastiff to the vet and ended up losing her.

She obviously had been sick for a while, but there were no signs until the evening my children called me at work. That’s one of the difficult things about dogs, they can’t tell you when they don’t feel well, and they often don’t show it until it’s too late.

Anyway, just a trip down memory lane. 

Yes, animals are way too good at hiding their diseases.  It's an ancient survival instinct that leaves us, as their human family, totally blindsided. You did the right thing by her but you already know that.  Not the easy thing, but the right thing.  I can see why Boy's poopy issue was a really sad reminder for your daughter.  

Today the plumbers asked about our old cat as they met him on their last visit and fell in love as everyone always did.  I had to explain that we released him in June.  It reminded me of just how special he was and how lucky we were to have him in our lives for so many years.  How often do plumbers remember a cat they met once at a client's house, in their days filled with clients?  

With lizards you generally have three days max. But not always true, I think my worst animal death was my male lizard who I think contracted or developed a brain tumor. Did not have the money to go to the vet. Tried everything I could think of. I was steeling myself to try to pith him just to stop the seizures, but realized his head was way more solid than a frog or toad. It was awful, it lasted possibly a week of real bad seizures. Hydration, vitamins, nothing worked and he wouldn't let go until I finally gave up and brought him in a small container and kept him by my bedside. Every couple hours the seizures would stop, I'd straighten him out and try not to cry. He finally passed just b4 I had to get up. I guess I was tired enough I don't know when it exactly happened. 

I think its was it took out a very young toad I had who I had named Lewis Clarke for his exploring nature. The pretzeled shape he was in confused me when I found him dead after work one day. He had stopped eating a couple weeks before, so maybe he knew.