Rush Fan

Thanks so much everyone!

A good friend of mine has begun the process of adopting, but doesn't care for the dog's current name. Would changing his name be ok at 3 years old? If so any helpful tips would be appreciated. (This is not a BC. He appears to be a Toy Fox Terrier).

Congrats on the good news.

The way she lays in my lap with her eyes aglow in anticipation when I pick up a bag of treats. The way she coaxes other dogs at the park to chase her, then runs so hard away from them and zig zags at full speed. The way she slowly crawls up and gently licks my face when it's past dinner time and I haven't fed her yet.

Great point. My Mancer does this as well. When my friends come over for Sunday football she goes bonkers, loving on them, playing with them, etc. Agree that you are probably over worried about this, as I was temporarily as well. I think any good dog owner who loves and cares about their dog always over worries about things at some point.

Congrats and good luck!

I think I may have miscommunicated. Mancer is very much like Ben, now that she is fully grown. But as a puppy, she was a little hellion. . She was very headstrong... frequently barked back at me when I corrected her. Every night had a case of what folks in these parts call "the zoomies" (i called it berserk mode) - where she ran around the room uncontrollably, biting at whatever she came into contact with. I chose a border collie because they are known to be so intelligent, thinking that meant it would be easy to raise one, but quickly learned that just the opposite was the case. That was my point, and is what I try to make clear to anyone who asks me about her. I just want to make sure people understand what I misunderstood, that's all. Believe me, I love her awful, and would do it all again in a heartbeat, I just wish I would have been better mentally prepared for her puppyhood.

I generally agree with the above but with some caution. It's very possible there's nothing wrong, but I would definitely discuss with your vet regarding DNA and any other testing that might be appropriate since there are some lesser common diseases for which low appetite is a symptom.

My biggest concern here is that it sounds as though your pup is becoming more your boyfriend's dog and less your dog. I would not allow this if I were you. I suppose if you are planning to marry your boyfriend, and are reasonably confident this will happen it might be less of a concern, but personally I would still want to make sure he is YOUR dog. I think you should kindly ask your boyfriend to stop being so heavy handed and let you be the boss. I'm not a professional trainer by any means, but I've trained a few pups and have never made it a practice to take food away from them, and I've always ended up with happy and obedient adult dogs. Not sure what the goal of this is, but to me it seems unnecessary (and not very nice).

Agree with this 100%. Especially if raising from a pup. I have been part of raising a few puppies, but had no idea what I was getting myself into when I brought home my BC puppy. I'm a dog person to the max, so all has turned out well, but I will be careful as to who I might recommend a BC puppy to.

Omg that's hilarious! I take it he's conquered his fear of the piggy?

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Mancer loves the wishbone shaped Benebones with various flavoring infused into them. She also has a couple of the "dental dog chew toy" also made by benebone (and also flavor infused), which supposedly help keep teeth clean and seem to take a bit longer to chew through. Be careful with the jerky treats, especially if they're made in China, as many of them are. I remember a year or two ago several of them were recalled for "making dogs sick".

Another quick thought, if you want her to lay in your lap and be affectionate, try coaxing her to sit in your lap with treats. I've always given Mancer her treats this way, and she lays in my lap (as I watch TV in the recliner) every night now. This will also likely make her more receptive to petting. (Over time of course)