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Having a blind dog isn't the end of the world, my aunt and uncle had a blind cocker and it could still get around just fine. She could even still play fetch provided the ball made noise when it landed. The only issue she had was bumping into furniture for a day or two if they decided to rearrange a room, otherwise you couldn't really tell she was blind apart from the cloudy eyes.
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Nov 14, 2015 00:44
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| # ? May 31, 2024 01:17 |
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I got my pomeranian spayed a few months ago, just after her 1st birthday, and her coat has changed  I knew it would happen, but still. She feels soft like a puppy, without proper guard hairs anymore. She'd better not get cancer now!
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Nov 14, 2015 13:00
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Lily is 12 weeks old today and she weighs a whopping 15lbs. I'm not sure how accurate they are but using a dog weight chart it seems like she'll be 30-35lbs. She's actually putting on weight a lot faster now than she did when she was younger so it could end up being more than that. Size wise I still think she's much too small to be a full Australian Shepherd. Australian Shepherd/Border Collie mix is still my main bet.     One of my favorite things is that her pads are different colors. Where she's got white toes they're pink and where she's black they're dark. So cute. 
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Nov 14, 2015 21:21
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She'll probably end up between 35-40 if she's the mix you think she is. I have an Aussie/Cattledog mix who ended up 45 lbs but cattledogs are generally heftier than BCs and he's also got more muscle than your average dog. My dog also has the spotty toes, they're the best
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Nov 14, 2015 21:42
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Anyone have any suggestions about how much I need to winter-proof my dog? This will be our first winter together, and we're in Chicago which will occasionally have a week or two of sub-zero temperatures. Also a decent amount of snow/ice and salt on the ground. She has short fur with an undercoat (kind of like a Labrador). And she doesn't have much extra body fat at all. Should I get her a jacket, and what temperature do you think she'll start to need it at? Also, will she need boots? Here's a picture of her paws, she's got a little bit of hair sticking out.  Edit: Bonus video of her doing a dance in a sweater that I am probably going to return because it doesn't fit right. (Plus it's too hard to get on/off) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yzDAOarhNIg cloudy fucked around with this message at 07:03 on Nov 15, 2015 |
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Nov 15, 2015 06:52
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I moved from Texas to the midwest with my dogs last summer, so I went through the same thing last winter. My dogs each have one of these that they wear when it's below 20 out. Boots are useful if you have to walk your dog somewhere with a lot of salt on the sidewalks since that can really irritate their feet, I don't bother with them because I have a yard and we don't really go for walks when it's stupid cold/icy out. A lot of places suggest trimming their toe hairs so they don't get snow and ice stuck between their toes as well. Here are my assbutts with their winter coats: 
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Nov 15, 2015 17:32
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Adorable assbutts! I just went and exchanged the sweater for something more like what you guys have. Yay Velcro! I think maybe the sweaters are meant for like, greyhounds and chihuahuas that are cold all the time, so you don't need to take it off very much. Oops. And I have a small shared backyard (live in a 6-flat) but she doesn't poop or pee back there.. So we will probably still have to go on our 4 walk a day regimen... Hopefully I can get her to really like boots! She loves walks, so hopefully she will quickly associate boots with walk time.
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Nov 15, 2015 20:07
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I also just moved to Chicago in time for last winter with two dogs, although mine are <15lbs each. Hopefully you get lucky and your dog takes to boots, mine did not so I opted to purchase Musher's Secret. As far as I could tell it worked as intended. Our walking area was heavily salted and really terrible, but their feet never bothered them.
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Nov 15, 2015 21:54
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Another dog attacked Worf at daycare and we were asked to pick him up. When we got there, we were told straight up the other dog just jumped on him while Worf was eating, but they nevertheless asked us not to bring him back because the owner of said dog feels that his dog felt threatened by the pit bull and was merely preemptively defending himself. Seriously. We checked him over and it doesn't look like this dog managed to cause any wounds, fortunately, but Worf his now basically cowering in the corner of his crate and won't come out for anything. Clearly he was pretty traumatized by the whole deal. What's the best way to start reintroducing him to other dogs to make sure this incident doesn't set him back socially? We're thinking 1-on-1 playdates only from now on, but how should we introduce him to dogs that come to play? And yes, yes, I know you told me so. The trainers at this daycare insisted that they were pit bull friendly and had lots of experience having them in day care. I feel totally swindled and foolish. I've learned my lesson. I just want to make sure Worf comes out of this still friendly to other dogs.
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Nov 16, 2015 20:24
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LeftistMuslimObama posted:Another dog attacked Worf at daycare and we were asked to pick him up. When we got there, we were told straight up the other dog just jumped on him while Worf was eating, but they nevertheless asked us not to bring him back because the owner of said dog feels that his dog felt threatened by the pit bull and was merely preemptively defending himself. Wait, so that means the other dog that attacked is allowed to stay at the daycare and the dog that got jumped is kicked out? That doesn't add up.
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Nov 16, 2015 20:56
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LeftistMuslimObama posted:Another dog attacked Worf at daycare and we were asked to pick him up. When we got there, we were told straight up the other dog just jumped on him while Worf was eating, but they nevertheless asked us not to bring him back because the owner of said dog feels that his dog felt threatened by the pit bull and was merely preemptively defending himself. Seriously. I would consider killing the owners of the other dog.
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Nov 16, 2015 21:00
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Ikantski posted:Wait, so that means the other dog that attacked is allowed to stay at the daycare and the dog that got jumped is kicked out? That doesn't add up. Yep. The day care said, straight up, that Worf did not instigate the incident but he would not be able to come back to day care. The dog that jumped Worf comes with like 6 other dogs (we spotted the bastard in the isolation kennel when we came to get Worf), so my guess is the owner of the day care is not as good as we were led to believe and is kicking out the dog that won't lose them 6 other dogs' worth of business. Tsyni: I've considered your suggested course of action, but like Worf I am much gentler than my gruff exterior would indicate  . I managed to coax him out for some couch cuddling and he's finally stopped shaking, so progress  . Hopefully we can just get him back into his daily walking and training routine tomorrow and work out a way to get him longer walks on days when he would have been at daycare. I haven't been able to do long walks lately because I'm dealing with plantar fasciitis and need to let it calm down before putting more stress on my foot. We're looking at a dog-walking service here in town that will also do leash training 1-on-1s with us. Hopefully the more focused and engaged he is in the walks, the longer we can go and the more tired he'll get. We've been working on his walking skills on our own, but his progress is really slow so we're looking at professional help.
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Nov 16, 2015 21:26
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I am looking to get a dog in about 6 months, I hope it's OK if I post here while I'm in my research/learning phase. First question - is there a small dogs thread? Like for bichons, shih tzus, Maltese, etc? I know, I know, those little dustmops aren't real dogs, but that's mostly what I'm looking at and I'd like to learn more. (Yes, I like some big breeds too, but I have practical reasons for wanting a cuddly dustmop. I can hang out with my boyfriend's St. Bernard if I feel the need for big dog company.) I did use search, but, well, search. It didn't come up with anything useful. I'd also like to ask "what breeds are best for me?" but I won't clutter up this thread with it if there's a better place for that. I'd be grateful if anyone can point me to a place to ask really basic questions about how to choose/acquire a dog in the first place. (I do know to avoid pet stores, and would prefer a shelter mutt if possible, but I'm clueless beyond that.)
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Nov 17, 2015 17:50
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pookel posted:I am looking to get a dog in about 6 months, I hope it's OK if I post here while I'm in my research/learning phase. First question - is there a small dogs thread? Like for bichons, shih tzus, Maltese, etc? I know, I know, those little dustmops aren't real dogs, but that's mostly what I'm looking at and I'd like to learn more. (Yes, I like some big breeds too, but I have practical reasons for wanting a cuddly dustmop. I can hang out with my boyfriend's St. Bernard if I feel the need for big dog company.) I did use search, but, well, search. It didn't come up with anything useful. I think there was a small breed thread at some point, but it's likely fallen into the archives. Maybe start up a new thread? You might get a few more eyes on your question that way. Or not. Because this forum is basically dead these days.
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Nov 17, 2015 18:22
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a life less posted:I think there was a small breed thread at some point, but it's likely fallen into the archives. Maybe start up a new thread? You might get a few more eyes on your question that way. Or not. Because this forum is basically dead these days. I hadn't noticed that as I was reading a bunch of old threads. What happened?
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Nov 17, 2015 18:34
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pookel posted:
What are you looking for in your dog? From this post, I'm taking away small, affectionate, and long-haired. Is that accurate? What other qualities are important to you, and what would be dealbreakers?
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Nov 17, 2015 22:05
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pookel posted:I'd also like to ask "what breeds are best for me?" but I won't clutter up this thread with it if there's a better place for that. I'd be grateful if anyone can point me to a place to ask really basic questions about how to choose/acquire a dog in the first place. (I do know to avoid pet stores, and would prefer a shelter mutt if possible, but I'm clueless beyond that.) What do you want to do with your dog? Would you prefer to just hang out on the couch with occasional strolls around the block or go on adventures? Do you want a dog who wants to be your buddy all the time or one that's more content to co-exist and is generally more independent? I'm not generally a little dog person but papillons are pretty cool versatile little dogs. I would advise against Pekingese because they're horrible little dogs whose eyeballs fall out of their heads way more often than they should.
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Nov 18, 2015 02:47
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LeftistMuslimObama posted:Another dog attacked Worf at daycare and we were asked to pick him up. When we got there, we were told straight up the other dog just jumped on him while Worf was eating, but they nevertheless asked us not to bring him back because the owner of said dog feels that his dog felt threatened by the pit bull and was merely preemptively defending himself. Seriously. Why were they even feeding random dogs together? Why would the dog daycare people even bother to disclose the breed of the dog their attacked? At least blast them on yelp/facebook. Other customers may rethink about taking their dogs there if they know there's a confirmed dickhole dog there that gets a free pass. Burn those bridges.
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Nov 18, 2015 03:12
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What are the teenage rebellious years because I think mine just hit it today. Also how do I teach my dog some manners? Never wipes his mouth. After he's done slurping a gallon of water he runs around dripping it everywhere and shaking it on the walls.  Rude rear end lazy dog with a pregnant woman bladder get a job
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Nov 18, 2015 03:14
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Bananaquiter posted:Why were they even feeding random dogs together? Why would the dog daycare people even bother to disclose the breed of the dog their attacked? My wife left angry reviews everywhere she could think of yesterday. They had the nerve to offer us credit toward a training session because they won't refund us for the half day we paid for but he didn't get. What a shady loving business. They're cash only so we can't even do a cc chargeback or anything. Worf seems mostly back to normal today. He's playing nicely with Thor and napping on the couch with me for the most part.
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Nov 18, 2015 03:37
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That sounds like a really lovely daycare. Can't even install a CC machine and feeds random dogs together? Eesh. I'd put that money towards a private dog walker instead if he needs some exercise during the day while you're gone.
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Nov 18, 2015 03:43
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I've been told that if dogs fight that you should reintroduce them real soon after?
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Nov 18, 2015 03:46
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Aquatic Giraffe posted:That sounds like a really lovely daycare. Can't even install a CC machine and feeds random dogs together? Eesh. I'd put that money towards a private dog walker instead if he needs some exercise during the day while you're gone. That's exactly what we're doing until my plantar fascitis heals. He actually really loves his crate, so he's fine in it assuming we walk when we get home. We're going to hire a walker until I can do that again.
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Nov 18, 2015 05:17
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I found a local lady that's heavily involved in rescue and fostering. She has a couple pits. Kind of got into dog-sitting. Anyways found her via a local FB group. Pay her $50 for 3 "sessions" which is usually around 8 hours. She takes him out to the park sometimes and does some minor training Anyways just a suggestion to find someone that doesn't dog-sit officially per-se but doesn't mind a couple extra bucks and already has a dog. She's always in the vicinity and rotates them through the backyard, house, and crate
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Nov 18, 2015 05:34
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Aquatic Giraffe posted:What do you want to do with your dog? Would you prefer to just hang out on the couch with occasional strolls around the block or go on adventures? Do you want a dog who wants to be your buddy all the time or one that's more content to co-exist and is generally more independent? What I want to do: well, both my kids are dog-crazy, and want a fun dog who will play with them in the daytime and cuddle up with them at night. Me, I want a chill dog, one who is sweet and calm and affectionate, but not too clingy and needy. Not a high-energy dog and not one who's always trying to escape. We dogsat my friend's bichon/Lhasa apso mix a few weeks ago, and he was pretty great. Very bouncy, but then he's only 1 year old.
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Nov 18, 2015 06:11
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pookel posted:Ha, yeah, my grandma had a pekingese and they're on my "no way" list. He was great for her, but he was a one-person dog, and he was totally uninterested in making friends with other people or animals. Havanese
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Nov 18, 2015 06:12
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how about a poodle
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Nov 18, 2015 11:01
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pookel posted:Ha, yeah, my grandma had a pekingese and they're on my "no way" list. He was great for her, but he was a one-person dog, and he was totally uninterested in making friends with other people or animals. A lot of toy/small dogs would fit that description, which is good news for you! I think a bichon would be a very good fit, personally. They're great family dogs, super friendly with everyone, and relatively low-energy.
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Nov 18, 2015 13:24
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Nostalgia4Dicks posted:I've been told that if dogs fight that you should reintroduce them real soon after? Meh. I'm of two minds about this. It needs to be done carefully. After a fight, dogs will be amped up for hours and days afterwards. Their body chemistry changes when stressed/excited by a situation like a fight. So if you toss the two dogs back together, you're at an increased likelihood of seeing increased agitation and aggression over lesser triggers. I think reintroduction with lots of crates & gates, where the dogs aren't encouraged whatsoever to acknowledge the other's presence, but with lots of counter-conditioning exercises is the way to go.
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Nov 18, 2015 15:39
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EXTREME INSERTION posted:Havanese This is the right answer. With some training and consistency they can be absolutely great dogs. Super sociable, low energy and very clever. 
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Nov 19, 2015 00:27
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Yeah, Havanese isn't an option, unfortunately. I did some research and the nearest breeder I could find is an 8+ hour drive away, and won't sell over state lines anyway. Even if I could afford a $2000 purebred, which I can't. I've never seen one come up for sale in the area, and my boyfriend (who's from here and has been a dog person all his life) says he's never seen one. I don't think he'd heard of the breed, even. Maybe they just don't do so well in the north?
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Nov 20, 2015 01:50
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pookel posted:Yeah, Havanese isn't an option, unfortunately. I did some research and the nearest breeder I could find is an 8+ hour drive away, and won't sell over state lines anyway. Even if I could afford a $2000 purebred, which I can't. I've never seen one come up for sale in the area, and my boyfriend (who's from here and has been a dog person all his life) says he's never seen one. I don't think he'd heard of the breed, even. Where are you located? Dog breeds can definitely be regional, my dogs are super common where I got them then I moved and hardly anyone's even seen one in person before here. Have you looked into rescues? If there's not a driving reason you need one from a breeder you might have better luck with a breed-specific rescue organization.
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Nov 20, 2015 02:34
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I'm in North Dakota. Dogs don't seem to be easy to get here - even the city impound adopts out their strays and rarely have many available. And yeah, I looked at rescues too. Nothing I could find within 7-8 hours, although I have some alerts saved on local classifieds sites, in case anything turns up.
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Nov 20, 2015 04:20
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Why do dogs sleep at the foot of the bed
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Nov 20, 2015 05:40
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Because they want all of your blankets and they are waiting to make a stealth run at them.
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Nov 20, 2015 05:52
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EXTREME INSERTION posted:Why do dogs sleep at the foot of the bed You're lucky your dog stays at the foot of the bed. Neon sleeps on the other pillow and if there's two people in the bed he sleeps between us (gotta leave room for Jesus, guys  ).
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Nov 20, 2015 05:55
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 What my girlfriend wakes up to when Rhea sleeps in our bed. (I'm the grey lump)
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Nov 20, 2015 07:14
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pookel posted:Yeah, Havanese isn't an option, unfortunately. I did some research and the nearest breeder I could find is an 8+ hour drive away, and won't sell over state lines anyway. Even if I could afford a $2000 purebred, which I can't. I've never seen one come up for sale in the area, and my boyfriend (who's from here and has been a dog person all his life) says he's never seen one. I don't think he'd heard of the breed, even. In my experience, breeds like that aren't as popular in more rural areas, plus they're more sparsely-populated so of course less common breeds like Havanese won't be as abundant. I think you might have your best luck at a shelter, especially if you don't have your heart set on a puppy. Breed-specific rescues are a great option too, depending on what you can find within the distance you're willing to drive. But either way, if you find a mix that appeals to you and it isn't a baby, you can be reasonably sure that the personality you're seeing is what you'll get. Plus you could get one that's already housebroken (take it from me, little dogs are hell to housetrain).
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Nov 20, 2015 16:18
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cyberia posted:You're lucky your dog stays at the foot of the bed. Neon sleeps on the other pillow and if there's two people in the bed he sleeps between us (gotta leave room for Jesus, guys Tank sleeps between the wife and I snoring away as only a bulldog can. She has also decided that being under the covers is fun as well, expecially when the humans get up in the morning and she can roll around under them.
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Nov 20, 2015 17:01
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Yeah, my dream dog would be about 2 years old, housebroken, sweet, and some sort of mix of curly little mop dogs like bichons and poodles and shih tzus. And it'd be at the shelter for a $80 rehoming fee. I'll keep looking and cross my fingers. Realistically I can't get a dog until May, but my boyfriend did offer to foster for a few months for me if I find the perfect dog sooner than that ... I hope that wouldn't be too confusing/stressful for his elderly St. Bernard, if so. Note to self: I do NOT need to keep looking at that picture of the very sweet, very quiet, nearly blind 8-year-old Lhasa Apso at the Fargo shelter. Who has been in foster care for over a year, poor thing. (My kids are too loud/fast-moving, I think. They might trip over her and scare her.) pookel fucked around with this message at 20:26 on Nov 20, 2015 |
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Nov 20, 2015 20:18
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