Search found 2502 matches

by Erica
Thu Jun 15, 2017 5:08 pm
Forum: Health, Diet and Exercise
Topic: To veg or not to veg
Replies: 6
Views: 4172

Re: To veg or not to veg

Steaming or pureeing supposedly breaks down the vegetables in a manner that helps them be more digestible. I know a dog who has severe reactions when she eats meat, so her food is a nutritionist-devised mix of quinoa and various other cooked veg, with some multivitamin tablets. If she couldn't diges...
by Erica
Sat Jun 10, 2017 7:10 pm
Forum: General Chat
Topic: What are you and your dogs up to today? Part 2
Replies: 3365
Views: 2048621

Re: What are you and your dogs up to today? Part 2

I went to assist two puppy classes this morning and ended up assisting one and teaching the other :shock: The head trainer wanted to spend time with her dogs (one is sick and is on steroids so needs frequent potty breaks) and trusted me to handle the class of five puppies on my own :D It went well a...
by Erica
Mon Jun 05, 2017 11:13 am
Forum: General Chat
Topic: What are you and your dogs up to today? Part 2
Replies: 3365
Views: 2048621

Re: What are you and your dogs up to today? Part 2

I have seen a lot of BS around dominance training but "you have to be the alpha before your dog can be housetrained" is a new one to me :shock: "Make your 8 week old puppy sit before letting them out to pee so they know you're the boss" Okay enjoy cleaning up those accidents beca...
by Erica
Sun May 28, 2017 8:37 pm
Forum: General Chat
Topic: What are you and your dogs up to today? Part 2
Replies: 3365
Views: 2048621

Re: What are you and your dogs up to today? Part 2

Saw a lovely lovely retired racing greyhound earlier this week who got too happy when meeting tall men with deep voices. She was such a sweetheart and really did love hearing those deep voiced guys! :lol: Normally she has fantastic leash manners, but she would pull her owner across a street to find ...
by Erica
Sat May 27, 2017 11:40 am
Forum: General Chat
Topic: Yowling dogs
Replies: 9
Views: 6191

Re: Yowling dogs

While thinking about this, i wondered if there was any control experiment and if so, how it was staged. Because if I take one of my dogs out, upon my return it is sniffed and checked out by the others as a matter of course. A "where ya bin, wotcher done" kind of interest. So same result w...
by Erica
Thu May 25, 2017 10:27 am
Forum: General Chat
Topic: Yowling dogs
Replies: 9
Views: 6191

Re: Yowling dogs

I saw a possibly relevant study on this yesterday. I cant' find the specific article I read but this covers the same study and isn't in science-speak: When the actual whines and whimpers of a dog were played, the dogs hearing these sounds showed much more alertness and interest, as compared with the...
by Erica
Sun May 21, 2017 11:01 am
Forum: Dog Training Advice
Topic: 7 month old puppy biting
Replies: 4
Views: 5162

Re: 7 month old puppy biting

I would change the spay appointment to a vet check, firstly -- sudden behavior changes can be caused by medical conditions, so checking for joint pain, organ function, etc would be a priority before putting her through surgery. Secondly, change the goal of socialization. At 7 months, it's not "...
by Erica
Sat May 20, 2017 11:21 am
Forum: General Chat
Topic: What are you and your dogs up to today? Part 2
Replies: 3365
Views: 2048621

Re: What are you and your dogs up to today? Part 2

...a leash doesn't seem like something one would lose so easily if one walked one's dog on one on a regular basis. I admit this is probably not the usual way of things, but we have no fewer than five leashes by the door at any point in time. A couple are easily converted to slip leads for emergenci...
by Erica
Wed May 17, 2017 2:21 pm
Forum: General Chat
Topic: What are you and your dogs up to today? Part 2
Replies: 3365
Views: 2048621

Re: What are you and your dogs up to today? Part 2

Glad you enjoyed the classes Erica. Sorry about the Richmond and DC traffic. :( It shouldn't have been too bad on a Saturday depending on what time you hit town. A friend of mine and I headed for Pennsylvania at 6:15 in the morning from practically just across the river from DC and we had a clear s...
by Erica
Mon May 15, 2017 10:53 pm
Forum: General Chat
Topic: What are you and your dogs up to today? Part 2
Replies: 3365
Views: 2048621

Re: What are you and your dogs up to today? Part 2

One of the things we are supposed to do for the training course I'm on is capture a lip lick. Delta had a lot of trouble with that one. Zero idea that his tongue was something he could control and get clicked for! So I've taught him to lick a glass jar thing I had lying around and he finally gets it...
by Erica
Mon May 15, 2017 8:06 am
Forum: Dog Training Advice
Topic: Feeling overwhelmed.- 4 month puppy
Replies: 14
Views: 8212

Re: Feeling overwhelmed.- 4 month puppy

Delta still won't overeat at 2.5 years old. If we do a lot of training with treats (hello weekend workshop!) he may not even touch his next meal, so I tend to cut the treats with kibble so it's not totally nutritionally unbalanced! There's a middle ground of exercise -- too little and they're too en...
by Erica
Thu May 11, 2017 7:58 pm
Forum: General Chat
Topic: I know this is a dog form but!!!?
Replies: 4
Views: 3549

Re: I know this is a dog form but!!!?

My mentor recently got into cat behavior. Here are some books she recommends: Cat Culture: The Social World of a Cat Shelter - Janet M. Alger & Steven F. Alger Think Like a Cat - Pam Johnson-Bennett Cat vs. Cat - Pam Johnson-Bennett Starting from Scratch: How to Correct Behavior Problems in Your...
by Erica
Tue May 09, 2017 12:53 pm
Forum: Breed Questions
Topic: GSD or Aussie?
Replies: 10
Views: 16451

Re: GSD or Aussie?

My mentor has found that dogs tend to grow up to be about twice their weight at 4 months/16 weeks. I don't know if this applies as much to giants or toys, but it has been about as accurate as any other guess for the average sized dogs I've seen. :) Delta was about 23 lbs at 16 weeks, and ended up ab...
by Erica
Fri May 05, 2017 6:47 pm
Forum: Breed Questions
Topic: GSD or Aussie?
Replies: 10
Views: 16451

Re: GSD or Aussie?

The head shape doesn't scream GSD to me, but telling a mixed pup's breeds is especially difficult when they're young! How much does he weigh?

There is also the possibility that he's both ;)
by Erica
Mon May 01, 2017 8:06 am
Forum: Dog Training Advice
Topic: Getting dog to sleep on bed
Replies: 2
Views: 2083

Getting dog to sleep on bed

Friend of mine got a dog a few months back, and he's been sleeping on her bed since. With the warmer weather, he's started sleeping on the floor. Any ideas to encourage him to sleep on the bed again? She feels much safer when he's there. She's going to put a fan on in her room at night, to cool it d...