Postings by Indiana

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Indiana 1278977     Barked: Wed May 15, '13 6:57am PST  I'm so sorry to hear this! I have friends whose dog bolted from the dogsitters house while they were on vacation but after 20 days and a 13 mile trip she showed up back at home on thier porch. Don't give up hope! my posts | my page | msg me | gift me | become pals [notify]

Indiana 1278977     Barked: Tue May 7, '13 5:59am PST  I have a cattle dog and we've always lived in apartments/condos and it's not a problem at all. I can see how being pent up, bored and underexercised might lead to a cattle dog being a bit of a jerk but I don't know about actually making the dog aggressive. If they're bored, they're trouble, and keeping them entertained and getting them tired out is probably harder than it would be for a lot of other dogs but it's certainly do-able. For us, 3 times a week he's home alone all day while I'm at work and then the other two he goes to daycare to play. On the days when he's home we go for a long walk in the mornings and work on his manners along the way - stopping at curbs, not pulling on the leash, not herding or jumping on everyone we see - while I'm at work he gets a kong with peanut butter and carrots or apple slices inside to keep him busy, then after work we'll go for another walk and play or work on his tricks. If there's a dog park near you that's helpful, too. Also long weekend hikes and weighted doggie backpacks really do the trick, but that won't be an option until she's older. There's no reason you can't do it if you're willing to put in the work. my posts | my page | msg me | gift me | become pals [notify]

Behavior & Training > Has an electric fence worked for you? Training advice?

Indiana 1278977     Barked: Tue Apr 30, '13 5:35am PST  My mom has one at her house for my stepdad's dog but it doesn't keep her in the yard. She'll run out and then not be able to come back in. I also have friends who got one in their front yard for their dog but all that did was make her afraid of grass for a good long while. Funny story with my stepdad's dog, though. He was walking her off-leash (which is ridiculous because her recall is NOT good, but that's beside the point) on the trail behind the house one day when she saw a deer and took off after it. The deer ran up into my mom's yard and then across the street and got away but the dog found herself in the back yard. She wasn't wearing the collar for the fence since she'd been out on a walk but didn't realize she could leave the yard again so she just wandered up to the back door to be let in. We couldn't for the life of us figure out where she'd come from or why she was back while my stepdad and the other dog were still out somewhere. my posts | my page | msg me | gift me | become pals [notify]

Behavior & Training > Can they remember?

Indiana 1278977     Barked: Wed Apr 10, '13 11:49am PST  I'm sure they remember other dogs that they've met. When I first adopted Indy he had spent a full day in a van coming up to the DC area from South Carolina so after picking him up we headed to the dog park to let him burn off some energy. There was only one other dog there, a black lab named Remy, who ended up being his absolute favorite dog in the whole world. If we went to the park and Remy was there Indy ignored all other dogs. After only a few months of living there I moved to a new place and that dog park was too far away so they didn't get to play anymore. We ended up going to a different dog park well over a year later and when I let him off the leash he made a beeline towards the back of the park and this black dog with a frisbee in its mouth. The owner yelled to me as I was walking up to them "Is that Indy?!" Indy had totally recognized Remy and it was the same thing all over again - no playing with any other dogs, just chasing Remy while he chased his frisbee. It was really very funny to see! my posts | my page | msg me | gift me | become pals [notify]

Behavior & Training > Can they remember?

Indiana 1278977     Barked: Wed Apr 10, '13 11:49am PST  I'm sure they remember other dogs that they've met. When I first adopted Indy he had spent a full day in a van coming up to the DC area from South Carolina so after picking him up we headed to the dog park to let him burn off some energy. There was only one other dog there, a black lab named Remy, who ended up being his absolute favorite dog in the whole world. If we went to the park and Remy was there Indy ignored all other dogs. After only a few months of living there I moved to a new place and that dog park was too far away so they didn't get to play anymore. We ended up going to a different dog park well over a year later and when I let him off the leash he made a beeline towards the back of the park and this black dog with a frisbee in its mouth. The owner yelled to me as I was walking up to them "Is that Indy?!" Indy had totally recognized Remy and it was the same thing all over again - no playing with any other dogs, just chasing Remy while he chased his frisbee. It was really very funny to see! my posts | my page | msg me | gift me | become pals [notify]

Indiana 1278977     Barked: Wed Apr 10, '13 10:45am PST  I agree with all the advice to ignore him when he whines (assuming you know he doesn't REALLY have to go out). Can you start crating him overnight? That way you know he won't be getting into trouble and he'll get used to sleeping through the whole night. my posts | my page | msg me | gift me | become pals [notify]

Behavior & Training > Separation Issues and Lack of Respect

Indiana 1278977     Barked: Wed Apr 10, '13 10:30am PST  He might just still need some time to adjust. How was he with your boyfriend before you guys moved in together? We have a sort of similar situation in my house but I don't intend to let my little brother live with me forever so it's not really an issue. Indy absolutely adores him...as something (somebody) to play with. When it comes to actually obeying him it's not happening. He'll still do things that are situation-dependent like, sit and wait to be fed, sit at curbs, not come in the kitchen unless it's for food/water...but responding to a "come" or "sit" or "stay" isn't going to happen. He also won't hang out with him when I'm home and my brother says when I'm not home he mostly sleeps on my pajamas at the foot of my bed. You said your boyfriend isn't mean or abusive but does he maybe go a little far in the opposite direction? I think one of the things that might contribute to Indy ignoring my brother is that he rarely says things like he means it. He's flat out told me "I just want to love the dog" which is fine but that means all of his interaction with him is in the "good boy, I love you so much, hooray!" kind of voice and not a "really dude, I mean it" tone. He also has a habit of saying a command over and over and over if Indy doesn't do it the first time or, he'll just get up and go to him instead if he doesn't come when called. Maybe there's something that your boyfriend is doing that makes Cobain take him less seriously? As far as the following thing goes, I've got nothin. I pretty much leave doors open because Indy's a big follower (Unless I turn on the shower and then he runs). If he didn't do it before, though, maybe it's just becuase he's still a little uncertain of the new space? my posts | my page | msg me | gift me | become pals [notify]

Behavior & Training > When you accidentally hurt your dog..

Indiana 1278977     Barked: Tue Apr 9, '13 9:24am PST  I once stepped on Indy's mouth. We were walking up the stairs to my apartment and he went to bite my foot mid-step and my foot came down right on his lower jaw. He yelped and I felt absolutely awful. I've also stepped on his feet a few times when we're out walking. I always stop and apologize profusely and give him lots of pets but he never seems to hold any of this against me. Of course he's given me a concussion so I figure we're probably even. my posts | my page | msg me | gift me | become pals [notify]

Behavior & Training > How to introduce toys?

Indiana 1278977     Barked: Fri Feb 22, '13 10:09am PST  What about stuffing something tasty inside a kong or a treat-dispensing ball? It might get her started with figuring out that some things are okay for her to chew on. my posts | my page | msg me | gift me | become pals [notify]

Indiana 1278977     Barked: Wed Feb 20, '13 5:56pm PST  She's eating just fine and she seems perfectly happy. Runs to the door to see me when I get home and comes over to be pet and loved on while I'm sitting on the couch. When my mom first got her (maybe 11 months ago?) she was like a lump. She'd had several different owners already in her 2ish years and she was very timid. We don't think she had ever been walked on a leash - my mom got her from a friend of my brother's who was going through a divorce and he didn't have one for her because she never went anyway or even attempted to move quickly so they just didn't use one. She's never shown an interest in toys but she has started trying to play a bit but she's still easily overwhelmed by it all. She'll start trying to play with Indy and then immediately roll over onto her back. Fetch/tug/other toys don't interest her at all, though. But, she's come a long way from where she was when my mom first got her. That's why this is so surprising - it seems like a big step backwards. The reason my mom started taking her to agility was to build her confidence and it seemed like it was working...maybe a little too well. She started taking off when my mom would let her out back (they don't have a fence). Her recall is not good and she'd disappear for considerable amounts of time. The vet told my mom that it's because "she's a teenager and self rewarding by smelling things" or something like that. 3+ seems a little old in my mind for the "teenager" thing and I think it's mostly that she's part husky and has a high prey drive and chases things but the reason for the shock collar is to try and keep her from running. I'm not sure how it's used in the class but that's the main purpose at my mom's house. I've voiced my opinion that shocking her might not be the best way to handle things because she was so timid and insecure to begin with and has been getting better but my mom just sees that as me criticizing and trying to say my dog/my way is better. She said "I'm not abusing her". I never used those words or made that accusation. This is part of why I'm not sure how to bring up this new issue. I could easily just leave it alone and say that's why I won't dog sit in the future but I doubt that would go over well either... ugh. Moms really can be such a pain... You'd think that now that I'm in my 30s with my own home this wouldn't be such an issue! my posts | my page | msg me | gift me | become pals [notify]

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