Postings by Kye

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Kye I'm like- Einstein only- hairier.     Barked: Wed Mar 13, '13 9:28pm PST  My friends dog was very sick recently. She had stolen a piece of food off the table on Thursday night and then started having diarrhea and vomiting the next day. She's always had a sensitive stomach so they didn't think anything of it. By Saturday she was completely lethargic, hadn't eaten since Thursday night and wasn't drinking water. My friend called every vet in town and 2 from smaller towns outside of ours and not a single one would let her work out payment options so she could afford to get Roxy seen by the emergency vet! I couldn't believe it, the dog was VERY ill at this point and NEEDED to see the vet but my friend couldn't afford the $225 plus any actual tests they would have had to do. She rushed the dog into the vet Monday where she was diagnosed with Parvo, by that time she tested a "faint positive" and had actually managed to fight it off almost completely without medication. She got her some antibiotics to help with the last little bits and is doing much better. I realize that they don't want to take the chance that you will bring your dog in and then just not make good on your end of the bargain to make the payments, losing money isn't usually a great way to make money but it just seems wrong to me that they would just let the dog suffer because they might not get paid. my posts | my page | msg me | my family's posts | gift me | become pals [notify]

Kye I'm like- Einstein only- hairier.     Barked: Wed Feb 6, '13 11:47pm PST  Great post Smokey! I agree with trying to avoid medicating. my posts | my page | msg me | my family's posts | gift me | become pals [notify]

Behavior & Training > Maybe we aren't the right home for her :-(

Kye I'm like- Einstein only- hairier.     Barked: Wed Feb 6, '13 9:45pm PST  I adopted a dog from the SPCA last year and ended up returning her. They had very little information on her but I had visited her almost every day for a month at the SPCA, my shelter does not do trail adoptions. After she hit her 5 month mark of being at the shelter I caved in, scraped up the adoption fee and adopted her. As soon as she got home her personality did a 180. Gone was this sweet, quiet little dog only to be replaced by an anxious and busy dog! Don't get me wrong, I loved Sevin just as much as all my other 'kids' but after 2 months I finally conceded that my house was not the right one. They had her labeled as a Border Collie mix but looked to me to be more of a Husky/Shepherd of some description, she was overweight and had no manners. In the 2 months I had her she lost 7 pounds, had regular exercise and grooming and learned how to walk nicely on a leash and respect everyone's space. She had a problem with riding in the back during a car trip and would bite me (broke the skin once on the back of my arm) but I managed to cure her of that before I returned her as well. Even though her temperament and training were progressing nicely I could tell that she wasn't 'feeling it' at my house. We did 2 hour walk followed by an hour of dog park time everyday (at -40 even) the 2 months I had her and after she'd get home and desperately try to get back outside. She hated indoor living and I have no backyard. (http://tinypic.com/r/zlsm7o/5) Sevin and Carbon playing video (http://i41.tinypic.com/34e25pc.jpg) Sevin photo If my shelter had given me the option to return her I would have done so sooner, as towards the end we were both so stressed out it wasn't enjoyable for either of us. I'm happy to report that she was adopted 4 days after I returned her, the staff at the SPCA called and told me. I was pretty torn up while I was filling out the papers to surrender her, I'm sure the forms still have tear stains on them lol. You just have to sit down and have an honest discussion about if you think this dog will fit in. If you have any doubts maybe it's best to return her. Like the other posters said, there is no shame in admitting that you cannot meet all the needs of this particular dog. There is probably someone out there who she is a perfect fit for. If you do return her you will have a better idea now of what kind of dog you need to make everyone happy. Returning her isn't a failure on your part or hers, just a wrong match. Good luck and keep us posted! Sorry for my huge story here, just figured I'd share what I went through. Hope it helps! my posts | my page | msg me | my family's posts | gift me | become pals [notify]

Behavior & Training > Working with a highly fearful dog

Kye I'm like- Einstein only- hairier.     Barked: Mon Jan 14, '13 10:12pm PST  I wouldn't prescribe medications personally. My dog Kye was abused badly before I rescued him (he was adopted in 2004 from my hometown SPCA) and was so terrified of people that he would shut right down as soon as the kennel door was opened. He would crawl to the back panting, shaking and urinating on himself. His pupils would dilate and he wouldn't respond to any stimuli, he was just that terrified. Thankfully he seemed to adore me right away. I managed to get a lead on him and took him for a short walk around, he was still extremely skittish but being outside seemed to help him deal with people a lot better. What I did was first work on a bond with me, once a dog trusts and respects you it's far easier to convince him you're doing things for his own good. A good tip for a fearful dog is to pet under the chin and the chest instead of the top of the head or back/shoulders so you the dog builds confidence. I know a few trainers suggest stroking the tail and keeping it from between the hind legs, triggering a new mindset, but I have never applied this method and cannot vouch for it. I did a lot of hand feeding, controlled exercise (heel and sit/lie while on walks) and I'll admit, I even sang to him when the mood struck and despite my utter lack of tune I think he enjoyed it. After he felt comfortable around me and would take food from my hand we worked on areas of discomfort. I'm thankful for my school bus driver, who let me bring my terrified dog on the bus every day after school and patiently waited while I got him to sit calmly. After he would get on the bus and sit I started getting my bus driver to give him a treat, first step in seeing strangers as something fun. I used the school bus as a way to teach him to deal with stressful situations and remain calm, even if approached by a stranger. It was very important to me that he didn't develop into a fear biter. We moved on to walking down Main Street at rush hour and visiting pet stores where strangers would pet him (one at a time) after he relaxed in the new environment. You can use popular phrases as cues for a behavior as well. A lot of people say "Hi" when greeting a dog so use 'hi' before providing a reward, this way the dog learns that when he hears it good things happen. I don't mean treats always, it could be anything from praise to play. The first 'scary' place you master with your dog is a big milestone, they get easier to work through every time, you just have to provide your pup with an alternative response to fight/flight. I used 'sit' and then added 'touch' after to keep Kye focused on me. If he feels like he's being overwhelmed he will sit and place his paw on my foot. It takes a long time to get a fearful dog comfortable around new people and things but it's 100% worth the effort for you and the dog. my posts | my page | msg me | my family's posts | gift me | become pals [notify]

Behavior & Training > Lab mix and cats?

Kye I'm like- Einstein only- hairier.     Barked: Mon Jan 14, '13 9:50pm PST  The main thing is you provide your cats with an up high escape route, or a baby gate the cats can jump over into another room where the puppy cannot get into. My cats have their cat tree and the window sills in the bedrooms where they can get out of reach if they feel threatened or just had enough dog time. Puppies are usually really good because they learn right quick when the cat says no he/she means it. Puppies raised from really young with cats tend to become super reliable around cats once they outgrow that puppy stage where every living creature is a potential toy. My dog Kye is a notorious cat killer but after a lot of supervision and patient training he now stays home with the cats un-kenneled while I go to work. They wont have to be supervised forever no, and I wouldn't worry too much about the unknown breed, just make sure the cat(s) have an escape route and that your puppy understands proper cat manners, most of which the cats will probably teach for you. my posts | my page | msg me | my family's posts | gift me | become pals [notify]

Kye I'm like- Einstein only- hairier.     Barked: Wed Jan 9, '13 11:24pm PST  I used a coupler to teach my dog Carbon to heel. My old guy Kye is pretty good at correcting errant behavior, he doesn't get pushy or mean but he can stare any dog into behaving lol. If your older dog is gentle and heels well try coupling them, the older dog will get tired of the zigzagging and reprimand your pup. I wouldn't recommend this method if the older dog gets carried away with corrections or if she is particularly dominant or doesn't get along that well with the puppy. my posts | my page | msg me | my family's posts | gift me | become pals [notify]

Behavior & Training > House Training Issues

Kye I'm like- Einstein only- hairier.     Barked: Sun Jan 6, '13 8:57pm PST  A girlfriend of mine has a 9 month old puppy that was only partially housebroken until she put one of those cloth doggy diapers on him. He peed in it once then refused to do it ever again, she just took the diaper off when he went outside. You may have to make frequent trips outside at first but my friend had him completely house trained in 2 weeks using the diaper. my posts | my page | msg me | my family's posts | gift me | become pals [notify]

Behavior & Training > vocal and demanding

Kye I'm like- Einstein only- hairier.     Barked: Sun Jan 6, '13 12:04am PST  It sounds like he's caught on to the whole idea of vocalizing when he wants something. Just start rewarding when he whines to be let out and just completely ignore any unwanted alerts from him. He sounds like a smart cookie and if you're consistent he should learn when being vocal is acceptable and when it isn't. my posts | my page | msg me | my family's posts | gift me | become pals [notify]

Behavior & Training > Dogs & Hunting

Kye I'm like- Einstein only- hairier.     Barked: Fri Jan 4, '13 8:21pm PST  *facepaw* I totally did forget to address the actual issue in this post didn't I? Kinda scatterbrained lately haha, re-reading my post I'm confused as well. Many apologies!! I disagree with any "hunting" that either shoots caged animals (canned hunts, hunting of retired zoo animals, etc.) hunting from a hidden shelter where the prey animal has no idea you're even there or any practice that creates waste from game animals (not using all the parts) or hunting of animals that do not have explosive populations or animals that have little known about population. I'm not a huge fan of hunting predators for sport either. I DO actually agree with deer hunting as long as it's done in a sportsmanlike manner, as in not throwing out food and waiting for the deer to walk blindly into your bullets, and all parts of the animal are used. That being said I agree with using hunting dogs as long as the dogs are well cared for and are in the least amount of danger possible and the animal being hunted isn't toyed with or tortured before being killed. A lot of great dog breeds out there were bred solely for the purpose of hunting game and it's part of their instinctual nature to do so. I bet if a Beagle living in the city was able to trail game once a week he'd be a happier dog because he is able to fulfill the drive to do what his breed has been honed to do for generations. The deer, raccoon, boar or any other game animal may not appreciate it but I personally do not see anything wrong with it. ** Had to add** Just read Tiller's post above me about dogs being bred down from working to pets: "Sanka, the basic dog fancy is populated by breeds whose use has come and gone.We don't (or shouldn't) engage in Pit fighting anymore, the Mastiff was a dog of war, turnspit dogs and so on. Bull Terriers, Mastiffs, Great Danes, etc. all are outmoded breeds things got outdated on, but were preserved. So whether you agree or don't agree, it still remains the sort of thing has gone on for a century." I do agree with some points in Tiller's statement, Pit fighting is most definitely abhorrent and should not be continued but I do believe that the breeds being outmoded will eventually undergo changes (some subtle, some not) that will set them apart from the original breed in the future. Similar to how we have bred English Bulldogs to have less leg than their ancestors, or the Neapolitan Mastiff to have more wrinkles, the dogs of the future will have to adapt to being less driven by instincts. Domestication combined with selective breeding often have strange results if looked at in a long term point of view. my posts | my page | msg me | my family's posts | gift me | become pals [notify]

Kye I'm like- Einstein only- hairier.     Barked: Thu Jan 3, '13 10:53pm PST  Forgot to add that I agree with everything Sanka said on the 3rd page in response to Trigger. In fact I agree with Sanka's responses on page 4 as well. my posts | my page | msg me | my family's posts | gift me | become pals [notify]

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