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OurBoys

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  1. Rest in peace, Diane. I will forever regret not meeting you in person.
  2. Thanks for the replies, you guys. Jake and Josie don't have a backyard to play in now. We've moved and we're living in our camper until we find a house we want to buy. The roads at the front of the campgrounds are paved so I've been walking the dogs on them as much as possible hoping that will help keep their nails trimmed some. In the meantime it sounds like I need to make some phone calls to groomers and do some research on where to buy a pair of Millers Forge clippers. I know where we used to live most of the groomers wouldn't accept dogs over 35 lbs. Hopefully, they're different down here but I won't know until I call and ask.
  3. Does anybody have any recommendations for nail clippers a person with tendonitis in their thumbs and wrist can use? The Dremel is out. DH caught some of Josie’s fur in it one time and we haven’t been able to use it since. I can’t say I blame her. I wouldn’t want it near me again either. Thanks in advance.
  4. Thanks, Emily! If you're able to make it down and I'm not distracted with house hunting I'll look for you and introduce myself. Thanks again.
  5. Hi all, Does anybody know if the SDT being held in Gay, GA at Three Post Farm from April 10-12 is open to the public? Thanks in advance.
  6. Thanks, Sue. Now I find myself trying to remember the Holiday Inn Express commercials. (Sorry, I get your point. I just couldn't resist.)
  7. Back in ’04 when we adopted JJ DH and I worked different shifts….He worked night and I worked days. One day when I was at work DH thought it would be a good idea to visit with the next door neighbor and took JJ with him. At the time we didn’t know one of the neighbor’s dogs was dog aggressive. Sada (GSD) ended up grabbing JJ by the throat and dragging him to her bed. DH told me the only way he was able to get Sada to let go of JJ was to stick his finger down her throat.
  8. Glad to hear Nyla is doing better. It's amazing what a good night's rest can do.
  9. Have you thought about giving her turmeric? Last month JJ was diagnosed with large cell lymphoma. A friend recommended giving him turmeric and collard greens. Because he’s on prednisone and I didn’t know if turmeric acts like a NSAID I asked his vet about it. She couldn’t find any studies on it but liked what she found about turmeric’s anti-inflammatory properties and gave me the ok to give it to him. She told me it might upset his stomach so only give him about ¼ teaspoon once or twice a day. I give it to him about every other day because I don’t want to upset his stomach but we can’t believe how much better he acts. He still pants a lot but not as much. He also still has a twinkle in his eyes and enjoys playing…at least the best he can play at this point. I can’t say if the collards are helping but with the increase of appetite due to the prednisone and with his back end getting weaker at least they help fill his stomach without making him gain weight. Something to think about….
  10. I think all dogs have something to teach us at different stages of their lives if we just take the time to listen to them. Things JJ have taught me: It’s better to have a few weeks with your loved ones than a few hours or a few days. It gives you the opportunity to spoil them like they’ve never been spoiled before. More treats, different treats, you don’t have to worry about their weight or whether or not it’s good for them. Stop worrying so much about the future. Live for today. You can plan for the future later. Stop being so serious. So what if the house needs vacuuming. Snuggle time, car rides or just walking around the yard will always trump vacuuming. Be grateful for the small things in life. Smile and laugh as often as possible. Always tell your loved ones you love them. You never know when you’ll never be able to tell them again. Well, this one I always knew. It just seems more important right now.
  11. Staying in line with the OP’s question…… Even though we don’t have livestock I still want Jake to remember a couple of commands so a couple of days ago I put Jake on one side of the living room and told him to wait. I walked to the other side, turned to face him and waited a few seconds before saying “Walk Up”. When he took a couple of steps I said “Lie Down”. We did this a couple of time. Am I reinforcing the commands or “ruining” Jake?
  12. It’s hard to say which command is the most important. I would think it would depend on the situation. But, with that said, I think a good recall and Leave It would tie for #1. Leave It-When my mom was living with us she took 8 pills in the morning and 7 pills at night. I am soooo glad my dogs knew the Leave It command when my mom dropped her pills one morning. Drop It-One day my mom dropped a pill and I didn’t realize it until Jake found it. I was at the kitchen sink when I heard a crunch. When I investigated the sound I found Jake next to mom’s chair. When I told him to Drop It you could tell he was trying because of the way he ‘flicked’ his tongue but I was too late….He had already swallowed it. That was the day he got peroxide poured down his throat. Go In/On (insert place)-In our case it’s “Go in the living room”. That one came in handy the night I dropped a glass in the kitchen and it shattered. The dogs tried to come into the kitchen to see what had happened. Also, because our living room is in the back of the house, it comes in handy when someone knocks on the front door or rings the door bell. Down-Several years ago when DH and I took the boys on vacation with us (this was before Josie) we found a fenced in area of a park. After playing a few rounds of Frisbee we told the boys That’ll Do and started gathering up the Frisbees. When we told them we were going to the truck they started running towards it. I thought they would have stopped there but DH didn’t want to take that chance and have them running around the parking lot so he told them “Down!” JJ plopped down and Jake came to a stop. Both waited on us to catch up with them and we loaded them up with no problem. Wait-I crate the dogs every time I take them somewhere. I use this one when we get to our destination and I put their leash on them before letting them out of their crate(s) so they don't rush out and into a parking lot. This one also comes in handy when I’m letting them go outside and have to open the screen door first. I’ve had to place the screen door back on the track before but it’s helped me to teach them the Wait command. Go For Daddy-Silly, I know. It’s not an important command to us but it’s important to the dogs. Every time I tell them that, they know they are going to get a treat.
  13. Every once in a while, after dark, Josie sees something down in the lower part of the backyard that’s not fenced in and she’ll start barking. It’s a very serious bark so I know she means business but barking after dark isn’t allowed. When she’s in serious mode she blows me off. She doesn’t respond to any command. I’ll come in the house, grab the training wand and a flashlight and go back outside and start walking her down. I never say a word. I’ll hit the ground a couple of times and/or wave the training wand to let her know I have it in my hand but I never say a word. The last couple of times she ignored me I stood on the deck and said “Josie, don’t make me walk you down. Get up here”. She quit barking and came in the house.
  14. Maybe. Depends on how it’s used. If the OP and his pup are walking past a group of people, I see it as an I’m-more-fun-than-they-are tool. (I’m not saying constantly squeak it. I’m saying just squeeze it once and when he has Juno’s attention keep eye contact with her while talking to her and maybe giving her a treat until they’ve past.) If using it with the meet-up date, the friend can stop walking up to them when they see Juno getting excited. If the OP can’t get Juno to settle, he can squeak it once to get her attention again. Once she’s settled, the friend can start slowly walking up again. If she doesn't settle, the friend could start walking away. Rinse and repeat as often as it takes going slowly (baby steps). The friend could also try turning their back to Juno until she’s settled.
  15. Hi Bill, please don’t switch to a flexi-leash. The 4’ leash you are using now is just fine. It also sounds like you’re on the right track in regards to Juno’s training too. Continue doing the Look At That game. Juno is still a puppy so self control is still hard for her. How do the people act when they are close to Juno? Are they encouraging her to act out? Simple eye contact can do that. If so, politely ask them to ignore her and keep walking. When Juno starts acting up when she first notices people redirection her attention. Have you tried turning around and walking the opposite direction? One thing none of my dogs can ignore is a squeaky toy. Josie’s a nibbler so when she destroyed a couple of toys, I took the squeaker out and kept it. I gave one away but I keep the 2nd one in my pocket. (I used to keep a ball in my pocket. One day when I was trying to check out at the vets, JJ kept trying to go behind the counter. I pulled the ball out and bounced it one time…instant JJ attention. There was a lady behind me who apparently had never seen a very-focused-on-a-toy dog before because she started saying “OMG! Did you see that?”, “Look at him!” and “How did she teach him to do that??” I was in a hurry so I ignored her. Honestly, I wouldn’t even know how to begin explaining something like that anyway.) Any time I want one of my dog’s attention all I have to do is squeeze the squeaker once. Can you have a friend meet up with you guys out in public? When she starts acting up use the squeaker. Keep her attention until your friend walks up. When they do, your friend could totally ignore her until she calms down. Once she’s calm your friend could then reward her with a pat. If/when she gets excited again (and she probably will) your friend should stop instantly, take a step back and look away/ignore her again. When she calms down, reward with a pat again. Puppies have a short attention span so I would do this only 3-4 times before walking on. The more ‘meet up’ dates you can make the better but, if that’s not possible, redirect her attention with whatever works. Make yourself more fun than the people she’s looking at. Oh! And if/when you come across people who ignore your request to not pet her if she’s jumping up on them, walk away. Nobody has the right to undermine your training. I don’t care how nice they think they are being.
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