My Dogs

[raeoflyte]

I've primarily used prong collars even with my childhood dog. Even used one with my 15lb rat terrier. Will add more thoughts on it later.

[Opti]

Oct 17, 2022 12:12:58 GMT -5 Annie7 said:

Since you folks seem to be good trainers here - what is your opinion on prong collars?

I went to a trainer when Nala was about 6 months old. She told me to put a prong collar on her. It did help with the pulling. Then, this year, in June when Nala was 17 months old, she got kennel cough. So, to avoid any pressure on her throat, I stopped using it. Also, I left her at the boarding place because I was going on vacation to my birth country for 3 weeks and that trainer didn't want prong collars. 

Nala did ok on the no-pull front harness when she came back from the boarding. However, her dog reactivity had increased a lot. She barks and lunges at other dogs during our walk. 

Yesterday we were on a trail and a gentleman with two goldens told me that I should put her on a prong collar. He was very nice and his dogs were off-leash but he had full control of them. He allowed Nala to say hello to them and said that she was a good dog. His reason for suggesting the prong collar was because if she pulls on a harness, she could pull me to the ground and I could get hurt. 

Another friend who has a german shepherd too has her dog on a prong collar.

I am not too worried about Nala pulling me to the ground. I think I can control her well enough unless it is something extremely unexpected. I am hyper vigilant of her triggers (dogs, squirrels and deer) and brace myself if I think she'll pull towards them. I am wondering if it will help reduce her lunging at other dogs. I am trying distracting her and providing distance when I notice other dogs. And it's helping some.

What are your thoughts? I don't take offense easily, so please be frank and if you have any other suggestions, I'm open to them too. 

Thank you

Not a trainer but a dog lover who often has dominant dogs respond well to me compared to their less dominant owners.

That gentleman is giving his suggestion on his perception of your perceived physicality and how he thinks (not knows) what might happen in the future. If you don't want to use a prong collar, then do not. Can you afford to get a good dog trainer to work with you and your dog in a one on one in situation in the dog park or with running squirrels or deer? They might have varied experience with solving such issues or at least improving it from where you are now as a human/dog pair.

[Annie7]

Oct 17, 2022 16:04:16 GMT -5 Pink Cashmere said:

I’ve used choke collars on my dogs before, but not on Newbie. In my experience with choke collars, my dogs tended to eventually react to, I guess, the sound of the chain sliding and straighten up before it got too tight.

I’m not sure how I feel about choke collars these days, but I do know that I prefer to train and teach my dogs without using one.

I’ve never used a prong collar, that seemed like too much to me for the dogs I’ve had before. From what I’ve read on the forums I mentioned above, they aren’t the most favorite tool. I think in part because pit bull mixes tend to have a high tolerance for pain, so a prong collar might not get the point across. But the common wisdom seems to be that if you do use one, you need to learn how to use it correctly. Apparently, most people don’t use them correctly. From what I recall, it needs be situated a certain way and sit “high” on the dog’s neck, just behind their ears.

I am not judging you for asking about prong collars, if that’s what you feel you might need for your dog, do what you need to do. I am just encouraging you to research how to use one properly if you decide to go that route.

Agree that I need to use the prong collar correctly. I believe I know the correct placement. The trainer had showed me and I used it for about 9 months. I did have it up high way above the collar.

I think I didn't use it properly in the sense of using a light touch. I would tense up and pull rather than give a pop and release. I need to do better there if I use it.

I am not sure if I need it. I too look at it as a tool, not as a torture device. I only used it during walks. 

[Annie7]

Oct 17, 2022 19:27:59 GMT -5 Opti said:

Oct 17, 2022 12:12:58 GMT -5 Annie7 said:

Since you folks seem to be good trainers here - what is your opinion on prong collars?

I went to a trainer when Nala was about 6 months old. She told me to put a prong collar on her. It did help with the pulling. Then, this year, in June when Nala was 17 months old, she got kennel cough. So, to avoid any pressure on her throat, I stopped using it. Also, I left her at the boarding place because I was going on vacation to my birth country for 3 weeks and that trainer didn't want prong collars. 

Nala did ok on the no-pull front harness when she came back from the boarding. However, her dog reactivity had increased a lot. She barks and lunges at other dogs during our walk. 

Yesterday we were on a trail and a gentleman with two goldens told me that I should put her on a prong collar. He was very nice and his dogs were off-leash but he had full control of them. He allowed Nala to say hello to them and said that she was a good dog. His reason for suggesting the prong collar was because if she pulls on a harness, she could pull me to the ground and I could get hurt. 

Another friend who has a german shepherd too has her dog on a prong collar.

I am not too worried about Nala pulling me to the ground. I think I can control her well enough unless it is something extremely unexpected. I am hyper vigilant of her triggers (dogs, squirrels and deer) and brace myself if I think she'll pull towards them. I am wondering if it will help reduce her lunging at other dogs. I am trying distracting her and providing distance when I notice other dogs. And it's helping some.

What are your thoughts? I don't take offense easily, so please be frank and if you have any other suggestions, I'm open to them too. 

Thank you

Not a trainer but a dog lover who often has dominant dogs respond well to me compared to their less dominant owners.

That gentleman is giving his suggestion on his perception of your perceived physicality and how he thinks (not knows) what might happen in the future. If you don't want to use a prong collar, then do not. Can you afford to get a good dog trainer to work with you and your dog in a one on one in situation in the dog park or with running squirrels or deer? They might have varied experience with solving such issues or at least improving it from where you are now as a human/dog pair.

Opt,

I did work with a trainer 1-1. She told me what to do. The issue is doing it. She came to a park (not dog park) and showed me what to do. Basically, maintain distance enough that Nala doesn't get triggered, mark and treat her the second she notices the other dog, keep treating until the dog has passed or Nala disengages. When Nala starts looking to me to get a treat when she sees a dog, I reduce the distance and start over. Basically counter conditioning her to associate seeing a dog to getting treats and not a trigger to react.

The issue is that I tend to tense up when I see a dog. I mark and treat Nala. However, she's not looking at me when she sees a dog. If she's at a sufficient enough distance she doesn't react. She does better in the park we drive to. But in our neighborhood she seems to react more - don't know if it's because there isn't as much distance as in the park or if it's because she is guarding her neighborhood. 

On the trail with that gentleman and his dogs, she barked but when she met the dogs, all she did was sniff them and then disengage. So, I think her barking and lunging is just wanting to meet them, not really guarding. But I don't know. The trainer said that she lacks impulse control.

[raeoflyte]

Oct 18, 2022 8:23:09 GMT -5 Annie7 said:

Oct 17, 2022 19:27:59 GMT -5 Opti said:

Not a trainer but a dog lover who often has dominant dogs respond well to me compared to their less dominant owners.

That gentleman is giving his suggestion on his perception of your perceived physicality and how he thinks (not knows) what might happen in the future. If you don't want to use a prong collar, then do not. Can you afford to get a good dog trainer to work with you and your dog in a one on one in situation in the dog park or with running squirrels or deer? They might have varied experience with solving such issues or at least improving it from where you are now as a human/dog pair.

Opt,

I did work with a trainer 1-1. She told me what to do. The issue is doing it. She came to a park (not dog park) and showed me what to do. Basically, maintain distance enough that Nala doesn't get triggered, mark and treat her the second she notices the other dog, keep treating until the dog has passed or Nala disengages. When Nala starts looking to me to get a treat when she sees a dog, I reduce the distance and start over. Basically counter conditioning her to associate seeing a dog to getting treats and not a trigger to react.

The issue is that I tend to tense up when I see a dog. I mark and treat Nala. However, she's not looking at me when she sees a dog. If she's at a sufficient enough distance she doesn't react. She does better in the park we drive to. But in our neighborhood she seems to react more - don't know if it's because there isn't as much distance as in the park or if it's because she is guarding her neighborhood. 

On the trail with that gentleman and his dogs, she barked but when she met the dogs, all she did was sniff them and then disengage. So, I think her barking and lunging is just wanting to meet them, not really guarding. But I don't know. The trainer said that she lacks impulse control.

That all sounds right to me. I would not put a leashed reactive dog in a dog park for training with loose dogs. (I don't go to dog parks at all except to train on the outside of them and it's still the most dangerous place I take my dogs).

Correction collars aren't to stop pulling or to physically hurt the dog. It's negative reinforcement to mimick corrections given by other dogs. Quick pop/correction as needed.

I know there are dogs out there who train only for praise/cookies, but I've never had one. We tried, for years with our first 3 dogs. We were sucked into a shelter mentality that positive reinforcement was the only appropriate training. The first half dozen trainers I went to gave various routines to that end and all it got me despite hours of work - was 3 really good dogs for the 10-15 minutes before they got dinner. I literally timed visits to coincide with that very short window. Insult to injury was how many of those "positive reinforcement only" trainers who had these perfectly behaved dogs who at some point admitted that they used standard training for obedience and only used the other for tricks/or after the dogs were already trained for maintenance.

I believe in detailed repeated training so the dog knows what's expected, then negative reinforcement when they choose not to, and positive reinforcement when they do it really well.

[Pink Cashmere]

I have never had a dog as needy as Boy is. If he can’t get in my lap, he sits between my feet with his head or body touching and leaning on me.

In the car, he rides in the back seat, but he has to get between the front seats to rest his head on my arm/shoulder.

Mister said the other day that Boy might need counseling because his happy place is as close as he can get to snuggle under one of us or Newbie, and he is very persistent about it.

Idk how any of that will work when he gets bigger. I guess I will find out as time goes on. 

[Opti]

Oct 18, 2022 18:16:40 GMT -5 Pink Cashmere said:

I have never had a dog as needy as Boy is. If he can’t get in my lap, he sits between my feet with his head or body touching and leaning on me.

In the car, he rides in the back seat, but he has to get between the front seats to rest his head on my arm/shoulder.

Mister said the other day that Boy might need counseling because his happy place is as close as he can get to snuggle under one of us or Newbie, and he is very persistent about it.

Idk how any of that will work when he gets bigger. I guess I will find out as time goes on. 

Wasn't he taken from his mom super early compared to your other dogs?

[Opti]

Oct 18, 2022 8:23:09 GMT -5 Annie7 said:

Oct 17, 2022 19:27:59 GMT -5 Opti said:

Not a trainer but a dog lover who often has dominant dogs respond well to me compared to their less dominant owners.

That gentleman is giving his suggestion on his perception of your perceived physicality and how he thinks (not knows) what might happen in the future. If you don't want to use a prong collar, then do not. Can you afford to get a good dog trainer to work with you and your dog in a one on one in situation in the dog park or with running squirrels or deer? They might have varied experience with solving such issues or at least improving it from where you are now as a human/dog pair.

Opt,

I did work with a trainer 1-1. She told me what to do. The issue is doing it. She came to a park (not dog park) and showed me what to do. Basically, maintain distance enough that Nala doesn't get triggered, mark and treat her the second she notices the other dog, keep treating until the dog has passed or Nala disengages. When Nala starts looking to me to get a treat when she sees a dog, I reduce the distance and start over. Basically counter conditioning her to associate seeing a dog to getting treats and not a trigger to react.

The issue is that I tend to tense up when I see a dog. I mark and treat Nala. However, she's not looking at me when she sees a dog. If she's at a sufficient enough distance she doesn't react. She does better in the park we drive to. But in our neighborhood she seems to react more - don't know if it's because there isn't as much distance as in the park or if it's because she is guarding her neighborhood. 

On the trail with that gentleman and his dogs, she barked but when she met the dogs, all she did was sniff them and then disengage. So, I think her barking and lunging is just wanting to meet them, not really guarding. But I don't know. The trainer said that she lacks impulse control.

Thanks for explaining. I don't; my mom taught me how to approach dogs at a very young age. She wanted me to meet the beagle on the farm first because he was closer to my size; but from pics I eventually inherited, you can see me approaching a big dog several ways with hand stretched out so he could sniff me. He was taller than I was when he sat. 

Mom was a farm girl and being her eldest I inherited her ease around dogs. Not fully true of my younger sisters. But the important thing is you know your limits and you have been working on it. My instinct is unless the dog is snarling or growling sometimes, they do have bad impulse control and just want to meet that dog or that human.

Annie7 good luck to you and Nala on your journey together. 

[Pink Cashmere]

Oct 18, 2022 19:29:23 GMT -5 Opti said:

Oct 18, 2022 18:16:40 GMT -5 Pink Cashmere said:

I have never had a dog as needy as Boy is. If he can’t get in my lap, he sits between my feet with his head or body touching and leaning on me.

In the car, he rides in the back seat, but he has to get between the front seats to rest his head on my arm/shoulder.

Mister said the other day that Boy might need counseling because his happy place is as close as he can get to snuggle under one of us or Newbie, and he is very persistent about it.

Idk how any of that will work when he gets bigger. I guess I will find out as time goes on. 

Wasn't he taken from his mom super early compared to your other dogs?

He came home with us when he was 6weeks old. Earlier than the recommendations these days, but not what I consider super early. 

Mister sent me a FB message yesterday from a post he saw on FB, and said “apparently that is just what they do”. It was a pic of a dog that looked like Boy, snuggled up close to another dog.

[Opti]

Oct 18, 2022 19:44:42 GMT -5 Pink Cashmere said:

Oct 18, 2022 19:29:23 GMT -5 Opti said:

Wasn't he taken from his mom super early compared to your other dogs?

He came home with us when he was 6weeks old. Earlier than the recommendations these days, but not what I consider super early. 

Mister sent me a FB message yesterday from a post he saw on FB, and said “apparently that is just what they do”. It was a pic of a dog that looked like Boy, snuggled up close to another dog.

He was also infested with worms so perhaps he got less bonding in than he might have? IDK.

BTW, the other day a customer had a Pitbull in her vehicle with a head like a Boston Terrier, but huge. He seemed very friendly and I waved at him as they drove away. He bounded from the front seat to the back of the SUV to see me as I waved good bye. He might be a super friendly dog, but I thought well of him for doing that. There was a I love Pitbulls or similar sticker on the car.


  (Owner called the dog a "low-rider", stocky legs vs. the more normal to tall ones I see on most Pitbull mixes locally.)

[raeoflyte]

We're on day 6 of "foundation" training with puppy with distractions. The natural distractions are always better than the staged ones, but I expect she will be a very easy dog especially compared to devil dog. She might get caught once on a distraction but after that she sticks with me like glue.

[Annie7]

Oct 18, 2022 18:02:13 GMT -5 raeoflyte said:

That all sounds right to me. I would not put a leashed reactive dog in a dog park for training with loose dogs. (I don't go to dog parks at all except to train on the outside of them and it's still the most dangerous place I take my dogs).

Correction collars aren't to stop pulling or to physically hurt the dog. It's negative reinforcement to mimick corrections given by other dogs. Quick pop/correction as needed.

I know there are dogs out there who train only for praise/cookies, but I've never had one. We tried, for years with our first 3 dogs. We were sucked into a shelter mentality that positive reinforcement was the only appropriate training. The first half dozen trainers I went to gave various routines to that end and all it got me despite hours of work - was 3 really good dogs for the 10-15 minutes before they got dinner. I literally timed visits to coincide with that very short window. Insult to injury was how many of those "positive reinforcement only" trainers who had these perfectly behaved dogs who at some point admitted that they used standard training for obedience and only used the other for tricks/or after the dogs were already trained for maintenance.

I believe in detailed repeated training so the dog knows what's expected, then negative reinforcement when they choose not to, and positive reinforcement when they do it really well.

Rae,

Thank you. I too think she needs correction and R+ won't be enough. She is very intelligent and stubborn. 

I took her to the park yesterday. Not a dog park, just a park where people, kids and dogs are around. I've only been to a dog park twice - once with a group of friends with their dogs so it was just us (and one other strange dog). And second time when we were on vacation and it worked one day but the next day I saw an aggressive dog and did not stay.

Nala did well yesterday at the park. I created distance and would go onto the grass, far enough away, that she would do a down/stay and take treats. 

Do you follow any trainers on YT or anywhere else that I could look into? There are so many that I'm not sure who to follow.

[Annie7]

Oct 18, 2022 19:37:36 GMT -5 Opti said:

Oct 18, 2022 8:23:09 GMT -5 Annie7 said:

Opt,

I did work with a trainer 1-1. She told me what to do. The issue is doing it. She came to a park (not dog park) and showed me what to do. Basically, maintain distance enough that Nala doesn't get triggered, mark and treat her the second she notices the other dog, keep treating until the dog has passed or Nala disengages. When Nala starts looking to me to get a treat when she sees a dog, I reduce the distance and start over. Basically counter conditioning her to associate seeing a dog to getting treats and not a trigger to react.

The issue is that I tend to tense up when I see a dog. I mark and treat Nala. However, she's not looking at me when she sees a dog. If she's at a sufficient enough distance she doesn't react. She does better in the park we drive to. But in our neighborhood she seems to react more - don't know if it's because there isn't as much distance as in the park or if it's because she is guarding her neighborhood. 

On the trail with that gentleman and his dogs, she barked but when she met the dogs, all she did was sniff them and then disengage. So, I think her barking and lunging is just wanting to meet them, not really guarding. But I don't know. The trainer said that she lacks impulse control.

Thanks for explaining. I don't; my mom taught me how to approach dogs at a very young age. She wanted me to meet the beagle on the farm first because he was closer to my size; but from pics I eventually inherited, you can see me approaching a big dog several ways with hand stretched out so he could sniff me. He was taller than I was when he sat. 

Mom was a farm girl and being her eldest I inherited her ease around dogs. Not fully true of my younger sisters. But the important thing is you know your limits and you have been working on it. My instinct is unless the dog is snarling or growling sometimes, they do have bad impulse control and just want to meet that dog or that human.

Annie7 good luck to you and Nala on your journey together. 

Oh, I don't mean I tense up for myself. I am supposed to mark the instant Nala sees the dog. But I "freeze" for a second and my marking might not be instant. So, I don't know how effective I am.

I have loved dogs since I was a young girl. Apparently I found a stray dog and brought it into our garage when I was very young. So my parents then got me a puppy and I've grown up with dogs. I had a mutt as my first one and a GSD and then 2 GSDs together growing up. It's just been about 27 years since I had a dog - since I moved to USA. Most dogs seem to like me too. They all come and ask for affection from me. 

[Annie7]

Oct 17, 2022 18:17:53 GMT -5 raeoflyte said:

I've primarily used prong collars even with my childhood dog. Even used one with my 15lb rat terrier. Will add more thoughts on it later.

Rae,

I'm looking forward to hearing your thoughts

[raeoflyte]

Oct 19, 2022 9:01:48 GMT -5 Annie7 said:

Oct 18, 2022 18:02:13 GMT -5 raeoflyte said:

That all sounds right to me. I would not put a leashed reactive dog in a dog park for training with loose dogs. (I don't go to dog parks at all except to train on the outside of them and it's still the most dangerous place I take my dogs).

Correction collars aren't to stop pulling or to physically hurt the dog. It's negative reinforcement to mimick corrections given by other dogs. Quick pop/correction as needed.

I know there are dogs out there who train only for praise/cookies, but I've never had one. We tried, for years with our first 3 dogs. We were sucked into a shelter mentality that positive reinforcement was the only appropriate training. The first half dozen trainers I went to gave various routines to that end and all it got me despite hours of work - was 3 really good dogs for the 10-15 minutes before they got dinner. I literally timed visits to coincide with that very short window. Insult to injury was how many of those "positive reinforcement only" trainers who had these perfectly behaved dogs who at some point admitted that they used standard training for obedience and only used the other for tricks/or after the dogs were already trained for maintenance.

I believe in detailed repeated training so the dog knows what's expected, then negative reinforcement when they choose not to, and positive reinforcement when they do it really well.

Rae,

Thank you. I too think she needs correction and R+ won't be enough. She is very intelligent and stubborn. 

I took her to the park yesterday. Not a dog park, just a park where people, kids and dogs are around. I've only been to a dog park twice - once with a group of friends with their dogs so it was just us (and one other strange dog). And second time when we were on vacation and it worked one day but the next day I saw an aggressive dog and did not stay.

Nala did well yesterday at the park. I created distance and would go onto the grass, far enough away, that she would do a down/stay and take treats. 

Do you follow any trainers on YT or anywhere else that I could look into? There are so many that I'm not sure who to follow.

I don't have any I follow on YouTube. I probably should but just trying to keep up with our homework keeps me busy.

When I started with this trainer 20 years ago, her style was based on Koehler dog training. I hesitate to say that because reviews of his stuff are largely negative with complaints that it's harsh bordering on or even crossing a line into abuse. And for the record that was never something she practiced or suggested. Koehler trained police dogs and rehabilitated aggressive dogs that otherwise would be put down so considering those items and the time period he worked in, his actual methods were harsh. The system she taught used his foundation, but plenty of updates with more modern understanding of dog behavior.

[Pink Cashmere]

I guess I know why Newbie is overweight, because even though the vet says he is a perfect weight and looks exactly how he should, Boy looks malnourished to me. I told Mister I’m afraid for anyone to see him because he looks like we don’t feed him to me.

When I asked the vet about how Boy looked at his last visit, he said you are supposed to be able to see their first and last ribs, and they should have a “waist”. 

I can see all of Boy’s ribs, and he does have a “waist”, and it just doesn’t look right to me. 

He goes to the vet again next week and I’m going to ask “are you SURE he looks like he’s at a healthy weight”. Because he really does look like skin and bones to me. And I don’t like it.

Every other dog I’ve had, had more fur than Boy does, so maybe they would’ve looked like that too without all the fur, idk. 

And speaking of fur, we HAVE to get them sweaters or coats for winter. They’ve already been shivering outside in the morning after the temps have dropped overnight, and it’s not even winter yet. Neither of them have an undercoat to help protect them from the cold. 

If any of you have good resources for buying them sweaters or coats, please share. 

[Opti]

Pink, think of young kids. There is a time that they get willowy and they ae perfectly healthy. I need to find some funds so I can take Moon Shadow into the vet and he can tell me where he falls on the obesity scale. I'm sure it isn't good, but having an official ruling might help me ignore the whining and pleading and general carrying on that a male guinea pig can generate.

[weltschmerz]

Some people should be drawn and quartered.

Hank was only 8 months old when a Good Samaritan found him in the woods, but he didn’t seem like a puppy at all. Instead of running around the forest with youthful excitement, the lonely dog stayed perfectly still on a discarded dog bed, seemingly unfazed by the stranger approaching him.
Surrounded by his old toys and a sealed bag of dog food, which he couldn’t open, his face conveyed a desperate need for help.

After rescuing him, shelter staff then brought Hank to the vet, where they found that he’d been suffering from a broken leg. According to doctors, Hank had received this injury more than two weeks before being rescued.
That’s why he never moved from his bed in the woods, they said. It was simply too painful.


www.msn.com/en-us/lifestyle/pets-animals/puppy-left-in-woods-with-all-his-belongings-waits-for-someone-to-notice-him/ar-AA13foQb?ocid=EMMX&li=BBnb7Kz

[Deleted]

Oct 21, 2022 17:44:02 GMT -5 Pink Cashmere said:

I guess I know why Newbie is overweight, because even though the vet says he is a perfect weight and looks exactly how he should, Boy looks malnourished to me. I told Mister I’m afraid for anyone to see him because he looks like we don’t feed him to me.

When I asked the vet about how Boy looked at his last visit, he said you are supposed to be able to see their first and last ribs, and they should have a “waist”. 

I can see all of Boy’s ribs, and he does have a “waist”, and it just doesn’t look right to me. 

He goes to the vet again next week and I’m going to ask “are you SURE he looks like he’s at a healthy weight”. Because he really does look like skin and bones to me. And I don’t like it.

Every other dog I’ve had, had more fur than Boy does, so maybe they would’ve looked like that too without all the fur, idk. 

And speaking of fur, we HAVE to get them sweaters or coats for winter. They’ve already been shivering outside in the morning after the temps have dropped overnight, and it’s not even winter yet. Neither of them have an undercoat to help protect them from the cold. 

If any of you have good resources for buying them sweaters or coats, please share. 

You have a good vet.  Allowing an animal to become obese causes all the bad things.  The ribs and waistline stuff is 100% good.  Too much weight messes with their heart, lungs, liver, spine and hips, just like it does with us.  Your slim Boy is on the right path for a long and healthy life.

[Pink Cashmere]

Mister and I cannot tire Boy out, no matter what we do. 

I took them out separately to play with the flirt pole today. Newbie was tired and panting in less than 10 minutes. Boy…..my arm got tired before he did and all I was doing was waving the pole around for him to try to catch the toy at the end. Mister has run around in the yard with them both, and he and Newbie got exhausted, but Boy wasn’t even breathing hard lol.

He gets his last set of puppy shots next week, and we will be able to take him for walks after that. But I don’t see us being able to walk enough miles to tire him out. So we’ll still have to figure out other stuff to do to expend his energy.

I am seriously considering teaching them to use a treadmill. Mister’s Dad has been trying to get of a treadmill for a while and I asked Mister to bring it home. My overweight self can use it even if we don’t teach the dogs to use it. 

[Pink Cashmere]

Boy is taking a short break from harassing Newbie.

[Pink Cashmere]

I have figured out why the flirt pole does not tire Boy out as quickly as it does Newbie. Boy has a totally different strategy for trying to catch the toy at the end of the pole. He does not chase it at full speed, wherever it goes, like Newbie does. He’s more patient and just watches it, then tries to catch it when I change directions, instead of constantly running after it. And he catches it much sooner than Newbie does, every time. 

Now I have to figure out how to outsmart him with it lol.

[Pink Cashmere]

Boy barked at something other than Newbie for the first time today. We were on the deck and I guess squirrels were running around in the tree and when Boy heard it he barked and went to the edge of the deck to see where the sound came from.

I like for my dogs to bark when they hear something unusual. Newbie has never barked inside the house. She barks outside sometimes, but I can never figure out what she’s barking at lol. 

My Bullmastiff didn’t bark. Except for late one night I was in the shower and she started barking. I jumped out the shower, soap suds and all, because I just KNEW something was terribly wrong if she was barking. I didn’t see or hear anything though. My big poodle was awesome about letting me know when someone was on my property, and I really appreciated that about him.

So since Newbie doesn’t bark, maybe Boy will be what I call an early warning system to let me know someone is near the house.

Mister thinks Boy will be protective of Newbie as he gets older. He is certainly a PITA little brother to her now. I play with them separately with the flirt pole now, and when it’s his turn, if Newbie starts fussing because she’s inside the fence and can’t play, he immediately stops playing and runs over to the fence like he’s checking on her. 

My Poodle and Bullmastiff were like best friends. When I would board them to go out of town, the vet eventually asked if they could put them in a large run together, to see if it would help keep the Poodle calm. And it worked. And when the Poodle would steal treats, he’d always take her one first, then go get one for himself. Take her another, and get another one for him. It was so cute! 

But idk if he was protective of her like Mister thinks Boy might be about Newbie. Is that even a thing?

Poor Newbie, she still can’t even take a nap in peace. Mister took this picture last night.

[weltschmerz]

Boy is getting BIG!

[raeoflyte]

That is too cute pink!

[wvugurl26]

The Boy is adorable. He really loves his sister.

[TheOtherMe]

Boy just wants to be close.  The picture is adorable.

[Pink Cashmere]

Newbie has taught Boy the dead dog pose.


If I’d ever stumbled upon Newbie laying like that without knowing she just does that sometimes, I would’ve freaked out thinking she was dead lol.

And Boy still doesn’t seem to understand (or just doesn’t give a hoot)that this is not a community bed, it’s HERS.

[wvugurl26]

That is a mom are you going to do something about this kid look from Newbie.

[TheOtherMe]

Boy just wants to be with his "mom"