Recent Posts by The_Great_Reiley

Topic: Support And Suggestions / Doggie Dollars

My bank account got wiped out too…was up to 114 and now I’m back to 20 (should really have been around 80 today).

Now Honey can’t buy me that gift she always knew I wanted. <VBG>.

~~

dwain

Topic: Support And Suggestions / Doggie Dollars

P. S.  I LUV that cute pic of the puppy in front of the laptop (the down-for-maintenance page!). 

dwain

Topic: Support And Suggestions / Doggie Dollars

Our Poppa’s not bery clevfur.  He dun opened his mouf’ ‘bout da furee green papers whut he don’t spend ennyways…and den he fingered out dat loggin ‘off and loggin’ on stopped dat missed-steak whut da web-site wuz gibin’ us.  Now, is dat fare?  I meenz, dis website is fur us doggies, not fur him, sew whut bidness duz he have making our furee virtual-green-papers go away?  I fink its time tew dew a drive-by poopin’ at our Poppa’s werk! 

den agin, if he fingers out da drive-by poopin’ comed furom us, den mebbe we don’t gets no mores brown rox.  Hold off on da drib-by poopin’!

~~

Honey

pee. ess.  It’s been alla three weeks and we gots anudder froster.  Kin’t a gurl gedda burreak?

Topic: Support And Suggestions / Doggie Dollars

Not exactly…although today for some reason, I’ve picked up ten doggie dollars in the last three minutes - wondering if the work network is using some new IP schema or if there’s an issue on the MDS server!.

dwain

Topic: Support And Suggestions / Keeping Dog in Crate

I’m probably going to catch a little flack about this, so let me first say that the dog should go to a place where the interactivity each day would be greater and personal – if there’s any possibility that this dog can stay with another large dog person, it would be better than being crated all day long.

having said that, right now, unless he’s had help or pulled a Houdini, I’ve got a foster dog who’s crated (the open wire crate, not the plastic kennel) right now .  He’s got a plush bed in the crate, his binky and the crate is partially covered so there’s a little hidey-hole factor to it.  He’s been there since 12:30 this afternoon and he’ll be there until 11:30 tonight.

My other hounds are roaming the house freely (but if you think they’re roaming, guess again – I’ve watched them on video and they sleep the day away, except when they hear a diesel engine or children).  So is it unfair to the foster to be confined while I’m at work?  Note that I’m gone for eleven hours a day – a half hour commute each end of a 10 hour shift. 

Of course its not fair, but its safe, in a relative sort of way.  While he’s confined, he won’t be bullied or attacked by one of the resident dogs (and the fosters are always the most junior dogs, even if they don’t think so).  He’s got room to stretch but not room to play around and get rowdy.  He’s got a water bowl but not much water (about two cups in a demand-feed bottle dripping into the bowl, which is ample) -

However, I am home after that 11 hour work day, for another 13 hours.  And yes, I do sleep and so do they.  But the foster has a CHOICE to sleep in the crate after I’m home, not a requirement…(his previous family said “he’s afraid of the crate” – but so far, five nights out of five, he’s slept in it the whole night) – the door is open when I’m home. 

Knock on wood, he’s not had any accidents in the crate or in the house – mostly because everything’s on a schedule at my house.    That doesn’t mean he can’t – just means he hasn’t.  And if he does eliminate in the house, then its because either a) he’s sick or b) I didn’t listen (which goes for all the dogs). 

There’s no access to the outside when I’m not home.  My worst fear is the house catching fire when I’m not home – and that fear remains whether the dogs are in crates or roaming the house. 

Of course, I’m not on vacation – and if I were to go on vacation (no idea what that means nowadays), I’d take everyone or board the ones not going with other sheltie people I trust. 

I am home every day and do play with the dogs each day – although I’m sure they would like to play more than I do.

But if I were leaving for a few days, my first choice would be to leave the dogs at home in their normal environment and let my nearest family (mother and father live about three blocks away, no way I’d trust my sister) look after them (which means three to four visits a day – morning potty/breakfast/potty, afternoon potty/play/supper, evening potty/sleep).

Next option would be to farm the dogs out to other dog people I know intimately (working in rescue circles opens many more doors for that kind of friendship) – where the dogs would stay at the friend’s home temporarily.  The downside of this kind of arrangement is the dog is at the bottom of the totem pole at the other house – you need to be very careful about the kind of situation the dog may end up in.

Third option would be to hire a pet sitter to visit my dogs – I’m very reluctant to let a stranger into my house and if I ended up in this situation, I’d cancel the out-of-area plans if at all possible.  The pet sitter should be able to cope with most situations – including entering the house with unconfined dogs, but many of them want the dogs crated – for the security of the sitter.  Some people are pet-sitters in idea only and can’t deal with dogs very well; other folks may be professional sitters, who play with the dog socially and do more than just fill the food bowl and pick up the poop.   Option 3 sounds like what your friends are doing – but probably not using a professional sitter.

Considering the last two options, the dog might be better off…

The last two options include boarding at a kennel.  This logistically might be tough (I ended up paying a friend to drive 1800 miles round trip for me because boarding five dogs for three days would have been more expensive than paying him)...and you’ve got to be very very picky about the kind of kennel service you’d use (my parents’ GSD was brutalized in the kennel he was in for three days when all of us had to travel to the west coast for a funeral).  The more options you chose (socialization play time/individualized services), the narrow the scope of available boarding kennels become and the higher the price.  Then there’s always option five…

Option Five is seen primarily in the Animal Control world, and in rescue.  Option five is when the family decide that options 1-4 are too difficult/expensive or are too lazy to pursue them.  Its cheaper to just let the dog ‘escape’ and let the local A/C pick the dog up.  And if the dog doesn’t ever get found or dies, then oh-well.  In our town, the daily impound fee is $5 for up to 15 days; after 15 days, the dog becomes open for adoption.  In contrast, boarding kennels run at least $30 a day. 

Okay…now that I’ve blabbed on and on and on….

The dogs can handle being confined for half a day every day – thousands of people do it every day.  Its not criminal to crate a dog; but its unhealthy for the dog to be crated continuously 23.5/7.  They’re social and active creatures.  If you’re using a crate for security while you’re gone (and some dogs can be destructive if left to their own devices and allowed unrestricted access – there a host of ‘training’ that can be done to mitigate that), that’s acceptable – as long as there’s an equal amount of time outside the crate (the number is not absolute).

I’m not objectionable to crating – but I go home every day.  I’d rather not crate a couple of my dogs (Reiley primarily) – not because they’re afraid of the crate, but because its a helluva time getting them out of it.  Reiley’s arthritis, size and general disposition to move the bedding to one side makes it tough for him to stand up – which makes it even harder for me to get him out of the crate!  Honey thinks the Crate is Her Castle and she challenges anyone who comes near the Door. 

That’s where I sit…make of it what you’d like.    Crates should not be used for punishment; they are for security (both physical and emotional).  In your situation, its a tough call if you can’t help out yourself – perhaps a large-breed rescue is in your area and they might have a trusted sitter or available foster (I can hear the “yeah right, available foster?” sarcasm already!)...

dwain

Topic: Advice, Training And Tips / Poop!

Go here…it sounds like she needs a refresher in house-training.

http://www.dogforme.com/pages/re-housetraining.html

as a pee.ess.  I’ve got a “poop spot” right by the back door for the dogs that can’t hold it if I’m gone for more than about eleven hours.  They’re very good about using just that place.

dwain

Topic: Advice, Training And Tips / Poop!

its hard to say what’s going on without being there to observe.  My first guess would be that she’s not comfortable outside yet and won’t poop because of it.  Hopefully, she’s pooping in the same place inside? 

Sometimes, especially in new environments, you’ve got to start potty-training over again.  The dogs should re-pattern quite quickly, As Long As There’s Nothing Else inhibiting them. 

Penny (one of my long-term shy dog fosters) went almost two months before she was comfortable enough to poop outside – she’d never been in a place with open sky, with birds and trees and leaves blowing around, so she was very very nervous outside (would always pace around, never stopped pacing).  Gradually, she acclimated to the new world around her.  Rewarding her immediately when she did poop outside also helped train her.  We started off with newspaper in one place in the house (one area she was comfortable with) and then moved the papers closer and closer to the door, and finally outside, where after a few weeks, she didn’t need the paper any longer.

It might take some time – especially if you’re remodeling and there’s lots of unintended scarey influences that she now sees.  Try to remember exactly what “before” was like and compare it to “now”.  Nothing is too small to be considered -

she will relearn – it just might take a couple weeks.

dwain

Topic: Health, Diet And Vets / PROMERIS FLEAT & TICK WARNING

I’ve heard of K9 advantix…its cleared on the MDR1 list and I’ve not heard of any issues with it.  So is Revolution (revolution also provides a heartworm preventive).  I’m just partial to FLP at this point -  perhaps its worth looking into (I do cost/dose sharing – cost savings on the larger doses of FLP and then sharing over the smaller dogs – saves quite a bit of money each year when you’ve got six dogs). 

I do not like ticks at all (or fleas or mosquitoes)...I get completely creeped out when I find a tick carcass.

dwain

Topic: Health, Diet And Vets / PROMERIS FLEAT & TICK WARNING

Hopefully, this time, this’ll go through (having repeated issues with the “you must have mistyped” error message)...

My personal choice is Frontline Plus (and its not a vet discount thing for rescue either)...I’ve found it to be the most effective against fleas and ticks when compared to other topicals.  I’ve not had success with the herbal or holistic remedies and with a variety of long-haired dogs, ticks can hide REALLY well. 

All topicals are mild pesticides – even the cheesy brands like Topspot.  I’ve found the cheesy brands aren’t worth spit (were not effective against fleas or ticks).  There’s always a risk of chemical burn or toxicity responses when you use those applications (and you MUST follow the instructions – don’t apply Frontline after washing the dogs, use the correct dosage for your sized pet and apply it properly – for most dogs, that’s at the base of shoulder and neck – some other applications have you running a line down the dog’s spine).

To me, the biggest issue with Promeris, is that its new (where Frontline and other topicals have been around for years and most vets are aware of toxicity issues), and in the eagerness to sell new products, folks may overlook the cautions that must be taken.  Promeris’ “fault-free” stand is also very disheartening – but they won’t do anything unless enough people scream about it (think “Menu-Foods”).

Anyway, the choices are yours…just be prepared.  I’m continuing with Frontline Plus, myself.

dwain

Topic: Health, Diet And Vets / PROMERIS FLEAT & TICK WARNING

I’ve received a message today from one of the rescue’s volunteers who’s also a member of American Working Shetland Sheepdogs…

Warning:  Promeris Flea and Tick preventive (topical) has had an adverse reaction in at least three Shelties. 

The short story is that during the Memorial Day weekend, a family with three Shelties were going on vacation to the same place they’ve always gone, in the same manner and same transport as they always do.  This year, they’d run out of FrontlinePlus and decided to use a new brand of flea-and-tick topical preventive being offered by their vet; Promeris.

Within two hours, all three dogs exhibited signs of adverse reactions/toxiciy/poisoning – everything else was ruled out by the family (no food issues, no allergic reactions to anything else, and they’d not reached their camping site yet). 

The dogs have recovered.

There is discussion about the preventive being countered to the MDR-1 gene found in many of the herding breeds (and she did google); my own observation is that there is more likely a toxic reaction to the drug that is not related to MDR-1.

There are other cases being reported; Promeris only acknowledges a single case (of six dogs in the same pack, Huskies), but the internet conversation boards also suggests this has impacted Goldies and GSDs, among others.

Please exercise caution when using Promeris.  I personally will not use this preventive, in part because Promeris has refused to acknowledge other cases and are not examining their product for adverse reactions in a newer test case (corporate irresponsibility).

If you use Promeris, and have either a good case or a bad case to discuss, please let me know.  If you have a bad case to discuss, also pursue it with your vet for treatment and Promeris for case-reporting.  Promeris will not act on third-party reports of issues.

Promeris is only available through veterinary practices and is not sold over-the-counter or via internet suppliers.

dwain

Topic: Puppies / Petco

If its a PetCo (as in “PetCo, where Pets Go), they don’t sell puppies, either indirectly or directly - they do host rescues that do adoptions – usually on weekends.  As with any dog, buyer beware – the health of the dog is not always guaranteed from any agency (although some groups try their best not to release a sick dog, not all illnesses manifest themselves in short periods of time). 

there may be other petstores in your area that are supplied by puppy mills through brokers – in St. Louis, we’ve successfully shut down the company ”Petland”, who did sell puppies brokered from millers.  

PetCo and PetsMart sponsor rescues and shelters – typically, they’ll have cats on premises but the dogs leave when the sponsored rescue agency leaves at the end of the day.  generally, there’s no facilities at all for dogs (there are cat kennels).  If you’re at the store during the week and there’s a bunch of puppies in crates or kennels with prices listed on the dogs, leave – and no matter how sad you feel, if you encounter that scenario, don’t buy the dog.  There’s a host of reasons not to…if you want to know more, email me.

Some things to be cautious of at PetCo/PetsMart adoption events:

the dogs may not be on their best feet - these kinds of events tend to be a bit stressful on any animal, and the amount of traffic through the adoption area can make the situation even worse.    The dogs at the adoption events MAY be ready for immediate adoption – that depends entirely on the rescue’s policies (my rescue does not do on-the-spot adoptions – you can visit the dog at the store, fill out an application and continue from there according to our guidelines). 

The dogs should have a relatively clean bill of health – don’t have the expectation that the dog is in perfect health though.  Some of the organizations being hosted have a large number of dogs going through their facilities and its possible the dogs haven’t been observed for any significant length of time – and some symptoms may not manifest for weeks or months.  If the dog has heartworms or hasn’t had the battery of dog-wellness shots, make sure that information is obtained before signing the paperwork – most rescues and APAs get a vet discount; if the dog hasn’t had the basics done, and you’re willing to do the adoption, get the rescue to provide their discount on your dog at their vet – most will agree to this kind of deal.

From my personal observations, I’ve seen some great dogs going to adoptive homes and everything works out fine (where the dogs were adopted at PetsMart or PetCo).   However, I’ve also seen some borderline dogs, where the dogs would have almost no chance of being adopted (either due to illness or stressed behaviours).  And to be brutally honest, mixed-breed rescues tend to populate the PetCos and PetsMarts more than the purebred rescues – you could call it a snobbery factor.  There’s a logic behind that but I’m not willing to discuss it for fear of insulting both mixed-breed and purebreed fanciers on this forum.

dwain

Topic: Health, Diet And Vets / seizures?

try k9epileptics group on yahoo.com.  I no longer subscribe but I know its still there.  Its not an open group – you have to join it and the moderator will approve you.

dwain

Topic: Health, Diet And Vets / seizures?

There’s a thousand reasons why a dog could have small seizures.  Assuming you’ve got an idea of how Dexter’s overall health is (checking kidney and liver functions, white cell count), I think the vet is probably taking the right path at this moment.  Sometimes its idiopathic, sometimes its just a one-shot deal.  Dog could slip and bump their nugget – that seizure may manifest over a couple hours.  It could be something along the lines of changing dog foods (too much protein/protein beyond the dog’s ability to metabolize in their diet).  It could be epilepsy (there’s a epi-dog support group on yahoo).

Seizures are horrible to witness, especially if they’re significant (over about 30 seconds).  During the next twenty-four hours after a seizure occurs, the dogs are more susceptible to seizures.  A couple of during-seizure things to consider – don’t put your fingers in the dog’s mouth.  Try to keep other animals away from the dog (some dogs will revert to weakened-prey instinctive behaviour).  Try to keep the dog confined or mobility-limited – a bath towel is a good choice, but expect it to get mucky.   If its a grand-mal seizure, call the vet/ER immediately to let them know you’re on the way, but do not attempt to move the dog until the seizure is ended.

Since you don’t really know what triggered Dexter’s seizure, from here forward, try to keep a diary/journal/log of what goes on in his life.  The smallest details can be important – for example, when he’s resting for the evening at your feet, is there a fluorescent bar-type light in his line of sight, say perhaps from a fish-tank (epileptic seizures can be triggered by the back-forth pattern exhibited in those kinds of lights).  Was it a couple hours after he ate?  What did he do prior to the seizure coming on (Reno moaned while walking, bumped into a couple walls and yerped before lying down and then seizing about ten minutes later).

Dogs with severely depressed immune systems are more prone to seizing.   Sometimes,the seizures resemble a stroke – no way to tell immediately if its a stroke; afterwards you’ll know (strokes in dogs have similar symptoms to that in humans).

Here’s to hoping Dexter’s issues are fleeting and don’t return.

dwain

Topic: General / Rottweilers are bad and here's proof

I’m not throwing stones, seriously, just wanted to identify part of the fact and part of the fiction about breeding purebreds and the fall-out/lambasting that can occur and propogate if you’re not aware of the full scope of the topic.  I’ll grant you, most of the tracked inbreeding is done by dog fancier/hobby breeders who take the time to do it all in their program, and it always for a specific purpose (example, eliminating a line with CEA and only breeding CEA-normal dogs will unavoidably end up with line-breeding).  Indiscriminate breeders (those in it for the profit) will pump out as many dogs as they can without regard to any controls – in those kinds of breeding scenarios, you’ll find a larger percentage of recessive/defective dogs, which may indeed enhance undesirable traits. 

Breeding for temperment (specifically) is tough – for either end of the spectrum.  You’ve got to do days of research if you’re looking for a specific temperment in a specific breed (everyone advertises their dogs as “good with children, well mannered) – because you’ll be researching the line parentage in the breeder’s dogs, not just the immediate litter and next higher generation. 

Not trying to make anyone feel small…just trying to debunk a common error (knowing both sides of the story is important – AR groups tend only to discuss the shocking side, because bad news sells).  With more information in hand, people can make better decisions. 

dwain

Topic: Fun / Too Much MDS?

Yes, I’m an MDS addict…unlike the original MS, MDS is not blocked by the IT police at work, so I can be up more often (and quite frankly, I don’t like MS or FB, too much gar-baj)...

dwain

Topic: Fun / When Dogs Drive

um…i hope this works…

http://pets.webshots.com/album/20631525ZRWFjWeaKB

let me know if it doesn’t.

~~

dwain

Topic: General / Rottweilers are bad and here's proof

Ariel,

If you’re a purebred dog owner, inbreeding is a factor you’ll almost guarentee to find in the dog’s family tree.  Maybe not directly in the same generation (which isn’t common for the reputable breeders).  That’s part of the challenge of purebred breeding – as you focus more and more on a particular trait, the genetic strength of the dog weakens.  Line-breeding is very common in champion-circles (father breeding to daughter, son to mother)...you don’t often see sister-brother, but you may see sister/half-brother.  I won’t get into Reiley’s sibs but I could get a dog today that’s the great great grandnephew of Reiley without any trouble at all – his genetic heritage has been preserved through the years.

An inbred dog is no more likely to turn on its owner than a poorly-bred dog.  A breeder who’s breeding a dog for meanness will have just as much challenge as one breeding for scenting; probably more so, as the aggressive genome in dogs isn’t as clearly identified – that and gene testing isn’t cheap.  Top end hobby breeders may do it, very few others will. 

A puppy comes into the world a puppy.  Environment develops the behavioural traits far more than anything in the DNA. 

dwain

Topic: Support And Suggestions / Battle for cuteness - feedback

yeah, I’m not worried about the numbers or anything…its not like there’s a reward…but I do catch myself looking at the pics and trying to “flash card” them….and then analyzing at the next selection as to why I picked the winner of the previous selection, then thinking “what makes this or that”...trying to “psych” my choices, do I prefer terriers over hounds, pricked ears or not…dark coats over light…would be a heck of a study in choices and what decisions one makes. 

Topic: Support And Suggestions / Battle for cuteness - feedback

been playing about an hour…not expecting to see my kids at all but was a bit surprised to not see many I know would be there…there must be zillions of pics to cycle through…the most I saw of one pic was probably eight times…and one was really out there numbers wise…like 146 for, 3 against…most of the others were around 50 votes (combined).  

It is fun though…

dwain

Topic: General / Breed to make a quick buck?

Either ignore them or tell them no.  Just one word will suffice. 

dwain

Topic: General / Yep, I could do it...

well, the answers are okay but there’s a lot of information missing – I was hoping for a little more detail…if I was grading (based on your brag), I’d give you about a C- ...you got all the easy ones.

First and foremost, the MDR-1 answer is the most important one in that list, as Acepromazine is frequently prescribed by numerous vets across the country to many dogs that are susceptible to the MDR1 mutation (including numerous folks’ dogs who would be following this forum – not limited to Collies but most prevalent in them).  Most of the vets may not be aware of the large number of suspect drugs.   However, the MDR1 is not limited to just a couple breeds – pretty much any of the collie-rooted breeds and a couple of the sight-hound breeds need to be concerned. 

The CHW, color-headed white collie, is as you indicated, acceptable in the conformation ring for collies (although is rarely a placer).  Also, as indicated, it is so greatly penalized in the shetlie conformation, it would be not worth the effort.  A color-headed white sheltie is very rare – very few hobby breeders will attempt to bred that particular mix.  What is more common in shelties is the confusion with a CHW sheltie and but is a double-merle sheltie. double merle shelties are 100 percent guarenteed to have a disability, either vision or hearing and frequently both.  But there are no defects in the CHW Sheltie or Collie  (very striking dogs but rarely finish in the conformation circles), where a double-merle that looks similar will be an unsound dog.

Many people put faith in what the breeder says is right; John and Jane Q Public may not be able to see the difference between a CHW Sheltie and a double merle sheltie.  You’re going to be one of those who knows now.

The T4 test (commonly done at vet practices, not as many do the T-3, usually sent out to specialty clinics or the TSH test,which is even more infrequently performed) is the thyroid test.  The normal range is 1-4 for a T-4 (not necessarily the most accurate of tests but a good baseline to determine if the T-3 is needed).  However, the normal range for shelties in particular is the top end of that range – 3 to 4 is the normal condition for a healthy sheltie, where below 2, the dog starts to suffer from thyroid deficiency. The clinical, behavioural and healthy symptoms of a low-thyroid sheltie (actually any dog, but noticeable at higher levels in some dogs) include a brittle coat, skin irritation (that is not attributed to other causes and tends to be chronic), hair loss and may lead to tendency to become irritable or aggressive without any outward signs.  They can also become obese (additionally, obesity can lend itself to hypothyroidism).  The dogs also can become anemic fairly easily, may not be as sharp or attentive as they used to be and can become severely hypo-throid. It can be treated with a readily available medication that is cheap – but if left unchecked can exacerbate any other illness.  This is something to remember if you’re treating, evaluating or grooming. Many vets will see a 1 or 2 and not recommend a thryroid supplement – you’ll know differently.

So its important not just to know what the T-4 and T-3 test do but also what they represent – an evaluator or trainer needs to be able to see the health of the dog, not just its behaviour, especially if the health impacts the behaviour.

To properly evalute a dog, you need no less than three people.  The evaluator is the one who is NOT part of the test; the evaluator should be watching the dog and governing the test; there should the the handler and a safety observer in addition to the evaluator – its also a good idea to have a fourth, running a video camera, especially if you’ve got a marginal dog.  The test most commonly used is the SAFER test; a dog that passes all elements of the SAFER test is deemed generally adoptable, dogs that fail are subject to other testing and depending on the reaction during different tests, may be euthanized.  The trouble with the SAFER test is that the evaluator cannot be part of the test and the testers must be able to perform the functions and needs of the test without any personal bias.  This puts a strain on staffing.  The second part of that question was to discuss the other conditions (would you have different criteria for an owner-turn-in compared to a stray).  The best answer is “NO”.  The test is administered to all dogs, equally, no matter what their background, because it is a test of responses to specific conditions.  It is also important that the dog not be over-stimulated when doing the test – the critical period of testing is based on the dog, not a shelter timetable though. 

When you go back to work for the HS this summer, if you really want to be an expert at reading dogs, ask them to let you become part of the evaluation team (assuming they actually perform some kind of testing).  Its a real eye-opener – some dogs you think would be no-problem fail miserably, where others you’d expect to fail pass with flying colors.  If they don’t do a formal evaluation, I’d suggest going to another shelter.

_~~~~
So that’s the questions answered.  The other questions relate to training and rehabilitation – those are topics and areas that if you’d have a little more experience in, you would probably relax your fear of particular dogs. 

Gee is a direction command used in mushing and carting (and horse-carriage driving) – its not something people not into that kind of activity would be involved with except at AKC Carting Trials – and a certified AKC judge had better know those commands.    Obviously, breeds not likely to be trained to respond to Gee would be those breeds not built for carting (either by cart, wagon or sulky).  Someone who’s wanting to be an AKC expert should be aware of the different breed specialty events and what to expect at them.

The fostering question relates to how well you’re able to identify with the dog, from the dog’s viewpoint.  The first part is how you introduce the dog to your home.  If you’ve got other animals, you have to consider introducing them in a controlled environment (which gets more challenging as the weather gets colder).  Do you use an ex-pen?  Do you use a crate? (Answer is yes to both).  Do you make googly talk to the dog for the first day or let the dog adapt?  Things like the hot-water heater kicking over more often due to the cold water, the furnace kicking off and on more often, air blowing unexpectedly from under their backside, all can be issues the foster dog previously has no experience with and may not be able to deal with without your help.  Just examples, mind you, but ones that those interested in saving dogs have to deal with frequently.  You’ve got to be able to think and read dog from the dog’s view.  We’ve already hammered the points home about using non-verbal language with dogs, but its not just non-verbal, the language you speak has to be in DOG, not APE.  Example – do you give your dog a hug or lay your arm across his back?  That’s a simian behaviour indicating friendship.  In dog-speak, thats a dominant behaviour that’s precedent to mounting. 

The leash question was one I was hoping you’d answer, as you’ve trained your dogs.  The biggest challenge in this particular quest was that the DOG HAD NOT BEEN AROUND PEOPLE BEFORE.  This means you must develop the bond with the dog, to gain its trust first.  The first attempt at leash-training may be a few weeks or months down the road from the time you set your mind on leash training.  What I mean by that is: you decide that you can have a dog leash-trained in a month (not an unrealistic goal for a normal dog). For a shy dog, it might be three months before you can reach that one-month start date.  Its quite common to see someone taking a puppy and slapping a collar and leash around the neck and pulling the dog everywhere they go.  If the dog is being pulled, you’re doing it wrong.  You’ve had experience with reward-based training; when you’re dealing with a shy-dog, that will help you immensely, but you’ve got to develop a baby-steps focus with that particular kind of training.  I wish I could explain it better (not enough time, I’m already overdue going home), but to get a dog that won’t even give you any kind of eye contact to wear a leash and go for a walk will be traumatic for the dog if you don’t approach it in very small incremental steps.

_~~~~~
My obvious point on these questions was development; I didn’t expect you’d be able to answer all of them, but as you proceed down whatever path you’re choosing now, you’ll need to think about where you’re going to focus.  Are you going to be dealing with perfect dogs when it comes to training or grooming or judging, or are you going to be dealing with less-than-perfect dogs?  Let me put it another way – there’s hundreds of aggressive-dog specialists; by comparison, there’s a very small handful of successful shy dog specialists.  Its not just the loudmouths that get put down every year; the ones that don’t make contact at the shelter will also end up on the axe list because no one wants a dog that doesn’t interact.

Anyway, if you’ve got questions, if I’ve got the answers, I’ll share them.  I won’t bullshit you; if I don’t have experience in an area, I’ll say that and if I can find a resource to point you to, I will.  But please, don’t think for a minute, that you’ve got all the answers.  You’re not an expert, not even if you’ve an IQ of 190; you’ve got to back the knowledge up with experience before gaining any credibility.  I can’t help you with the experience but I can share mine; you may be able to use it to bolster your own.

dwain

Topic: General / Rottweilers are bad and here's proof

Monty, OUTFREAKIN’STANDING!  Exactly!  Thank you.

Topic: General / Rottweilers are bad and here's proof

Without reading the book, I can’t tell you what the author was driving at.  However, tying up a dog and leaving it promotes the same attitude towards responsibility as letting the dog roam.  There is a difference, I grant you that, where a dog who remains tethered is less likely to escape when compared to a feral dog, but the dog does not develop any intersocial skills that we require they have to be considered pets.   I’m sure that’s probably what the author was driving at.  The tether doesn’t mean that every dog turns into a monster, in the same manner that simply  training the dog doesn’t turn it into an angel, but you’ll find more dogs that were social happy creatures reverting to a more primitive and aggressive outlook the longer they’re tethered.

I agree with you that the dogs should have a secure area they can play around in.  In rescue circles, you’ll find very very few rescues that don’t have a mandatory fence policy (although their reasoning has other facets).  However, having a fence does not mean the dog can’t escape, nor does having the dog inside all the time.  Some owners see a tether as an answer to that rather than take the effort to seek a better solution.  It costs about $30 to lay out a 50 foot tether, and all of ten minutes.  It may take a few months to train the dog to not destroy the house when left alone.

I keep all my kids inside when I’m not home. When I am home and they’re outside, I’m outside with them.  If I’m not outside with them, then I’m in a position where I can watch them.

Most cities and municipalities in the US have code restrictions that prohibit tethering dogs for more than a couple hours a day.  In some places, that could be as short as two hours, others longer.  I’m sure there’s a few out there where tethering is illegal at any time. 

Tethering is a short-cut attempt to fix a condition or set of behaviours (whether the dog is uncontrollable in the house, jumps the fence, related to Houdini, etc.,); it can be quite dangerous for the dog for a variety of reasons and can lead to dangerous situations around people.  About the only time I would consider tethering for any length of time to be an adequate solution would be for mushers when the dogs are in harness and being set down for the night (or in competition, that sort of thing).   Pet owners should seek different restraint methods.

dwain

Topic: General / Yep, I could do it...

p.s.  a couple of those questions have specific right/wrong answers – others are more subjective but can demonstrate a depth of knowledge (in particular to the discipline being discussed).  Don’t be afraid of the answers – part of being a well-rounded dog specialist is sharing viewpoints and learning new skillsets.    I will add, regarding behaviour issues questions and answers, I prefer positive influence training despite the longevity it entails (and with some situations, its the only method that works).  I also understand other methods of training but don’t support them except in extremis situations. 

Those who want to, go ahead and answer those questions if you like – you can always email Reiley and me back privately.

dwain

Topic: General / Yep, I could do it...

Hi, Emily,

if you’re serious (and I’ll provide the answers if you don’t know),

try these questions on for size – they’re pretty common questions and answers in behavioural and rescue circles, although a couple are not.

What is the T4 normal range for Shelties, and what are the clinical, behavioural and health symptoms of a Sheltie outside the ends of the T-4 range?  What is the generally-accepted Normal range for T-4 in all dogs? 

Please identify one commonly prescribed tranquilizer that should not be given to Collies.  Why?

Please identify the path you would take to teach a dog to walk on a leash, when the dog has never been around people or leashed before.  Generalization is okay – but the more detailed your plan, the greater your credibility.

In general, does a CHW Sheltie have the same defects as a CHW Collie?  Explain.

How many people does it take to effectively evaluate a dog that is turned in as a stray?  Please identify the logic behind choosing the number you indicate.  Does the turn-in as a stray have an influencing factor on your evaluation (compared to owner-turn-in)?

What is Gee?  What breeds would not likely be trained to respond to Gee?

You are fostering a dog recently released from the pound due to crowding issues.  It is December, coldest winter on record in recent years ... very cold outside.  What are your first steps when introducing the dog to your home?    During the first few days of living with you, the dog starts startling more and more often and eventually becomes non-responsive.  Identify a couple of home/habitat conditions within you home that could be a factor, that the dog is less likely to experience during the spring than they would during the winter (specific to the inside of your house, not so much what goes on outdoors). 

How about those questions for starters? 

I’d be the first to admit I don’t know everything about dogs – and to be honest, I’ve never indicated I have.  My breed specialty is Shelties and Collies but what I’ve learned and applied has not been limited to those particular breeds.  What I’ve learned has taken over ten years of rescue, fostering and rehab’ing dogs (turning an unadoptable dog into a dog more likely to be adopted).  My track record is not perfect – I can’t claim success in every situation – I’ve had to have animals put down because they were an extreme liability. 

dwain