dog cats and other pet stuff.

[Funketown]

Thanks for the PM, I really appreciate the suggestions.

 

One of my favorite things about him is that when he crashes after exercise, he crashes hard.

[TooLiveBrew]

Tired dog = happy dog = happier owner

[DocLuna7]

I am glad that this thread was bumped. I am in the process of looking for dogs with the intention of likely getting one at some point in September or October. I am really leaning towards a Chesapeake Bay Retriever. Does anyone have any experience with them or know any good breeders around here? I am not 100% sold yet, but definitely want a dog that's big but not too big and would be a good hunting dog.

[TooLiveBrew]

I'm fascinated by Chesapeake Bay Retrievers' coats. I just think they're so cool.

[Thurston Fluff]

This is a nice site to get started. I honestly don't know much about them but there are warnings for inexperienced dog owners. Overall when looking into purebreds take some time to look up the lineage. If the line tends to have show champions vs field trial ones then you have a line that was bred more for looks than ability. So choose the breeder by the type of dog you want. I am not a fan of show dogs as they tend to exaggerate certain traits for the "look" even if it means it isn't good for the dog's health. If you want show looks then be very careful to vet out the breeder. There are very good ones who do show type dogs but you have to be prepared to evaluate if they went too far for a look.

 

If they have neither then you have either the best or worst type. The best IMHO is the ones who bred their line for their use. These guys sell very few. Many times only the excess pups when they matched two dogs for their next dog. They may never bring dogs to trials or shows just use them to hunt or whatever thus no traceable lineage markers. They usually match up very well to ones who do trials. They also tend to be healthier and more durable. I have always felt those produced the best dogs. The worst is those who find two dogs with papers and breed them without ever checking for compatible characteristics. You can usually tell these types because they won't know much about health and character issues the breed has. Know the breed, both the good and bad, and ask a lot of questions. I think vetting out your breeder and their goals are as important as the type of dog for your needs.

[Funketown]

http://pictures.sprintpcs.com/mmps/023_853bcdb75556251d_1/2.jpg?partExt=.jpg&&&outquality=90&ext=.jpg&limitsize=615,500

Oh yeah, it's bath day today!

 

 

[owbc]

My wife and I just got an Italian Greyhound puppy three weeks ago. It is (and should be) a long process to get a dog. My advice is to be patient and if you find a good breeder that is a right fit, wait for the puppy instead of taking what is available at the time. Some people were shocked to find out how much we paid for a puppy, but it is money well spent considering the guarantee against genetic problems and the ability to pick a puppy from a good home as opposed to a puppy mill/pet store, which still costs a considerable amount anyway. Do not be afraid to say "no" late in the process if something does not seem right. The breeder should always require a contract ensuring that the dog is returned to the breeder at any time in its life if it is no longer wanted. I also agree that it is important to do lots of research and have a long list of prepared questions to ask.

 

For us, everything was going well until yesterday when our puppy was attacked by a much larger, aggressive dog that broke free from a leash. Both her and myself were in quite a bit of shock and we both sustained injuries. I had to reach in and pull her out from under the other dog. Italian Greyhound puppies are small and submissive so she did not really stand a chance. Fortunately, the puppy is doing fine and did not break any bones as I feared at first. I had to go to the ER for a puncture wound in my finger that has caused the tip of my finger to go numb, as well as various other bite marks. It was not a pleasant experience and I made the mistake of letting the other dog owner get away before I got his contact information. By the time I realized that I was bleeding and the puppy was hurt, he was long gone. So that was a big mistake and I will be more vigilant in the future, it would have been nice to make the other guy pay the Pet ER bill--although I am lucky it was only $130, if she had broken a bone it could have been many times that.

[tristarscoop]

I'm a huge proponent of rescue. I work with the Minnesota/Wisconsin Basset Hound Rescue. I've been a foster home for more than six years and have had about 15 dogs come through my doors.

 

I don't want to do a diatribe, but I did want to point out what I think is the best part of going through a rescue:

 

The dogs are usually kept in foster homes, meaning you get a complete, thorough breakdown on what kind of dog it is. They can tell you how they interact with children, other dogs and cats. They tell you whether the dog is house trained or crate trained. Rescues don't want to get the dog back. Their goal is find a permanent, happy home for the dog, so the foster homes aren't going to lie to you or gloss over the rough bits of a dog's background.

 

Becoming a foster home can also be a good way to introduce yourself to a breed and to find out whether or not they'll work in your home. Each breed has their own positives and negatives and you need to know both before you figure out if a dog will work with your family. I love fostering. Its not near as difficult and I'd have thought to see the dogs come and go because you know they're going to happy, loving families. I had one dog I really, really wanted to keep, but he went to a home where the lady went on a 3-5 mile hike in her own woods every day. It was a basset hound dream come true. I couldn't keep this guy from such a great life.

 

Anyway, that's just my 2 cents. But if you're interested in rescue and have questions, feel free to ask.

[Thurston Fluff]

Just found this link that may help people with active dogs find something both dog and human can enjoy. I have not checked every link for every activity but it does a nice job of summarizing and there are links to further research anything one may find of interest.

[theavrock]

Anyone have any tips with dogs and leash issues?

 

We have a 1 year old french bulldog that as the vet put it has 1 speed. He always wants to fly around and go a million miles an hour (for 10-15 minutes at a time in true bulldog fashion). He is very high energy but overall a very good dog except for the leash thing.

 

When we take him on walks for the first 10 minutes or so he always wants to pull and is unresponsive to our commands. We have tried stop and waiting for him to come back to us (he will look back but as soon as we move he will go right on running ahead and pulling), holding treats in front of his face to get him to stay by my side (this worked for a little bit but he just gets distracted and wants to explore) and also turning around and going in different directions (he just turns around and heads in front of us in the other direction).

 

I always lead and make sure that I walk with a purpose (he's not allowed to stop and smell and do his thing etc.). Eventually after 10-15 min he starts to get tired and will hold back more. He loves his walks and is always really excited to go on them. I feel like that has something to do with it but I make him sit down and wait until he is calm before we start, but that first 10-15 min I can't get him to listen to me at all.

 

I see people with dogs who stay right by their side the entire time and I don't know what the secret is.

 

Any ideas?

[1992casey]

I wonder if you'd have success with a head halter.

 

As an aside, does your dog have flatulence issues? I have relatives with a French Bulldog. They're really picky about what he eats because it's too unpleasant to be around him when he consumes the wrong stuff.

[theavrock]

I wonder if you'd have success with a head halter.

 

As an aside, does your dog have flatulence issues? I have relatives with a French Bulldog. They're really picky about what he eats because it's too unpleasant to be around him when he consumes the wrong stuff.

Interesting. I was hoping it would be something that we could control through behavioral means without any other physical means, but definitely something to look in to.

We did at one time. He is much better now. Not sure if he grew out of it or what, but we didn't change his food and he has because much less gassier. We feed him high quality food and also use a brake-fast food bowl that slows him down. Allegedly one of the things that make the gas bad is if they take in a lot of air when eating. He still lets them go every now and then but its not unbearable.

[trwi7]

More pictures. She's having a lazy day.

 

 

http://oi54.tinypic.com/6sg8s2.jpg

 

http://oi54.tinypic.com/zuf50j.jpg

 

Second picture is how she was trying to sleep. It obviously didn't work.

[1992casey]

trwi7, the pictures you're trying to link to seem to be on a "mail" subdomain. You might be trying to link to mail attachments. You'll likely have to upload the images someplace where they can be accessed directly. (I didn't actually edit anything in your post; I accidentally hit Save instead of Back or Cancel.)

 

theavrock, a pinch collar might be another option. I think the special collars are still considered "behavioral." It's just that they're an aid.

[hawing]

Nyjer Morgan adopted a Humane Society kitty. His name is Slick Willy. I wonder what his alter-ego name will be? (or if he has to first meet other kitties and form a Cat Pack)

 

http://s3.amazonaws.com/twitpic/photos/large/375464427.jpg?AWSAccessKeyId=AKIAJF3XCCKACR3QDMOA&Expires=1313606837&Signature=qonfKzLXPtEM8cBWibVUMWDsX0c%3D

[Teatoe993]

My wife and I just got an Italian Greyhound puppy three weeks ago.

 

I totally didn't see your post till today. I have a 5 year old Iggy named Milton. If you ever need advice on the breed or what kind of training worked, just let me know. Backupcatchers has met and played with Milton a few times and he can probably vouch that he's a really well behaved dog. If you live or visit the Fox Valley we should introduce the two. Milton can show your pup the ropes.

[owbc]

I totally didn't see your post till today. I have a 5 year old Iggy named Milton. If you ever need advice on the breed or what kind of training worked, just let me know. Backupcatchers has met and played with Milton a few times and he can probably vouch that he's a really well behaved dog. If you live or visit the Fox Valley we should introduce the two. Milton can show your pup the ropes.

We really love her so far, her name is Ruby, almost 4 months old already. Unfortunately we live in Florida now so she probably won't be making any trips to the Fox Valley http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/frown.gif. But she is good for FL because she is unaffected by the heat. I'll post a pic when I get a chance.

[Teatoe993]

Here's some pics of Milton taking in a game.

 

http://i1198.photobucket.com/albums/aa455/teatoe993/Milton%20Franklin%20Skog/IMG_0080.jpg

 

http://i1198.photobucket.com/albums/aa455/teatoe993/Milton%20Franklin%20Skog/Picture002.jpg

 

Obsessed....Who was the breeder of Ruby? Milton's breeder "Everafter" was from Beaver Dam when I git him but they packed and moved to Florida a few years back. It'd be crazy if they had the same breeder. You can PM me.

[Thurston Fluff]

Backupcatchers has met and played with Milton a few times and he can probably vouch that he's a really well behaved dog. If you live or visit the Fox Valley we should introduce the two. Milton can show your pup the ropes.

 

He's actually pretty amazing. There are dogs that have the it factor and he certainly has that. Both athletically and personality wise. As a matter of fact I kind of want to film him playing skip dog. We did it once and he was perfect for it. Now that I vouched for him we have to talk.http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/devil.gif We'll also have to talk about the hat thing. Brewers or not come on. You could see his shame. I was about to return the book on Italian grey hounds you gave me. You want me to forward it to obsessedwithbrewcrew? Just a warning Obsessed the reason I got the book was I met another an he was not as cool as Milton...yet.

[danzig6767]

Anyone have any tips with dogs and leash issues?

 

We have a 1 year old french bulldog that as the vet put it has 1 speed. He always wants to fly around and go a million miles an hour (for 10-15 minutes at a time in true bulldog fashion). He is very high energy but overall a very good dog except for the leash thing.

 

When we take him on walks for the first 10 minutes or so he always wants to pull and is unresponsive to our commands. We have tried stop and waiting for him to come back to us (he will look back but as soon as we move he will go right on running ahead and pulling), holding treats in front of his face to get him to stay by my side (this worked for a little bit but he just gets distracted and wants to explore) and also turning around and going in different directions (he just turns around and heads in front of us in the other direction).

 

I always lead and make sure that I walk with a purpose (he's not allowed to stop and smell and do his thing etc.). Eventually after 10-15 min he starts to get tired and will hold back more. He loves his walks and is always really excited to go on them. I feel like that has something to do with it but I make him sit down and wait until he is calm before we start, but that first 10-15 min I can't get him to listen to me at all.

 

I see people with dogs who stay right by their side the entire time and I don't know what the secret is.

 

Any ideas?

My dog is obsessed with going on walks and absolutely loves to just go sniffing around new areas which i generally allow him to do, and i use a 25 foot leash so it allows him length to go sniffing around. That said, when people or cars are around i obviously want him closer to me, but in his younger days he wouldn't come at my command, i had to yank him to me. So what i did was simply shorten the amount of leash i gave him to sniff around if he didn't come at my command, to the point that sometimes he only had maybe 2-4 feet of leash to move with. Basically, he'd have no option except to walk right next to me which he doesn't like because he then can't go sniffing around grass and in bushes.

 

After awhile, Tyson finally learned that he had to listen to me if he wanted to be able to have a lot of leash to sniff around places instead of walking right next to me. It didn't happen overnight, but now when i take him for walks i initially keep him right next to me and after a bit i let most of the long leash hit the ground. He'll almost always then just stop and look up at me for my ok to say that he can go sniff around, instead of in the past he'd be pulling so hard to go that he'd nearly be choking himself.

[owbc]

http://images.yuku.com/image/gif/3d21501c8a6a4a3dce5000ca2a0bcb3fbf0a738.gif

 

Here's Ruby--although she is larger than this picture now. Having trouble uploading images so I have to use one with bad quality.

 

Teatoe--she's not from the same lineage, but that would have been a crazy coincidence. She definitely isn't as cool as Milton, no Brewers gear yet but that will change if I have my way. She also has lots of energy and doesn't sit still very often when she is awake. We try to tire her out but she still wakes up and wants to play at 3 AM...and 5 AM...and 7 AM. Also, she is all better from the aforementioned attack.

 

Backupcatchers--We bought a few books on Italian Greyhounds so you do not need to forward me the book, but thanks very much for the offer! We read that some Iggies tend to be timid, so we have introduced Ruby to lots of other people and dogs with good results.

 

It has been hard work to train a puppy but well worth it and we are seeing good results so far.

[Thurston Fluff]

no Brewers gear yet but that will change if I have my way.

 

Oh man not another one. Look at the top picture of Milton. Ears down, apprehensive stance ready to retreat. Now look at the second picture. Ears up alert looking forward interested in the world but content. The difference? His hat. Dogs are meant to roam the world naked.

[TooLiveBrew]

We read that some Iggies tend to be timid, so we have introduced Ruby to lots of other people and dogs with good results.

 

That's really cool. I think one of the most underrated parts of dog ownership is the socialization, especially with other dogs. Glad to hear Ruby's been worth all the tlc so far, she looks great!

[tristarscoop]

I have two basset hounds and the older one - he's 11 - has skin problems and has broken his skin open scratching, so we've taken to putting him in a tshirt to protect his skin. He's a little boys size M, if anyone was interested. I don't take him for walks in the shirt, but he does get put out on his leash to do his business in it.

 

I'm pretty sure I get the "Aw, mom, this thing is so embarrassing look" at least once a day. It's been a couple of weeks, so he's getting used to it. But poor guy is not a fan of being dressed up.

[hawing]

no Brewers gear yet but that will change if I have my way.

 

Oh man not another one. Look at the top picture of Milton. Ears down, apprehensive stance ready to retreat. Now look at the second picture. Ears up alert looking forward interested in the world but content. The difference? His hat. Dogs are meant to roam the world naked.

The team store has a Brewers collar.