Positively | Victoria Stilwell | Forum

I love your question! In certain situations, many of us tend to treat kids like short adults. But here's the thing with young children - they have short attention spans, are easily distracted and don't often instantly retain what we teach them. This is all perfectly normal and what frustrates parent...

My heartfelt sympathy PennyWhistle. Your love and devotion to Piper comes through in every word of your post. What a tremendously lucky dog he was to have had you as his mom. My thoughts and prayers are with you.

we had him castrated approximately 3 months ago too so thought that might have helped but it seems to have had the opposite effect. No, it didn't have the opposite effect, though timing and coincidence makes it seem so. Neutering can certainly help with some things like aggression to a degree (afte...

Yet, I do know my lifestyle. I'm out and about, that's how I survive and have joy. Taking my pup w/me everywhere and having them enjoy the outings (parks, malls, stores, car trips, around kids and people and other dogs) is key to my hapiness and I hope to the dog's. Very well put jbirdsd. While it'...

I adore shelties and have owned two wonderful ones over the years. Shelties are incredibly sensitive dogs. And I do mean to a very high degree. Even a cross-ways look can send many of them slinking from the room. (One of my shelites would head off to our bedroom when football games came on TV becaus...

Meanwhile, the most important thing is for you to listen to what he is saying. He has been telling you that he doesn't want to be picked up. Dogs HATE being picked up - it really scares them. So pretend he is a Rottweiller and stop picking him up. With all due respect Nettle, I often see this writt...

Put it this way: :D We have had two dogs get to 18, one 17 before she was killed by another dog, of breeds that don't normally make it past 12. The rest tend to check out at about 14. I have never bathed any of them and I've been keeping dogs for around 30 years. I feed a very good diet, exercise t...

I wholeheartedly agree that keeping the dog indoors is best, but some folks, for various reasons, just can't. If your dog can be indoors more Emma, that's great! But if you have reasons why she just can't, then you do need to address the bathing issue. And maybe dogs really shouldn't stink, but some...

Hi, I've copied below a post I made awhile back on another thread on this very subject . . . We recently rescued an 80 pound golden retriever mix and I too was concerned about how she would do with my three cats. They're used to dogs, but it takes them awhile to get comfortable with a new one in the...

I think it would depend on what you're bathing the dog with . There are many dog shampoos that are very mild, like the oatmeal varieties. While bathing too often isn't desirable, if it must be done then I think you could find a very mild one that isn't harsh on his skin and coat while making her sme...

Congrats on the new pup! I have had two Shelties in the past and they are a wonderful breed who are incredibly smart and intensely loyal. They're a herding breed, so that might explain the nipping at your feet. I remember our first Sheltie used to "herd" my two children while out playing i...

Moonbeam, congratulations on your new puppy! :) I would definitely get your little dog to the vets regarding the fleas. They are nasty little buggers that have a very complex lifecycle and will need immediate attention to rid your dog (and possibly your home) of them before they become a huge proble...

Thanks Jacksdad and Noobs for taking the time to help me and Layla out. She's a great dog that deserves the best I have to give her. Your advice is very much appreciated!

Thanks for your reply Jacksdad. when in a low distraction place such as your living room or back yard, is she still refusing food when doing any training? The thing about treats with Layla is that they have very little value to her. She will take them, but with little enthusiasm. And after just 3 or...

I would love some feedback on teaching my dog not to bark/lunge at other dogs while on our walks. Here's my situation: Layla is a spayed, 80 pound, 14 month old Golden Retriever mix that we rescued about 5 weeks ago. She is sweet, smart, very quiet, low key and gentle. For walks, I use a Sporn harne...