http://www.bigdogsporch.com/ Forums for big dog lovers, dog and breed information, live chat and gift shop en Thu, 20 Jun 2013 00:03:35 GMT vBulletin 60 http://www.bigdogsporch.com/images/styles/sunrise/misc/rss.jpg http://www.bigdogsporch.com/ http://www.bigdogsporch.com/33817-vibes-plz.html Wed, 19 Jun 2013 02:14:37 GMT Evan wiped out on another tree again. His back is out at L1, and his hip... Evan wiped out on another tree again. His back is out at L1, and his hip isn't extending correctly. I skipped my appendix workup this evening to take him to the vet for an anti-inflammatory shot and physical.

He's being referred to physio and chiro for the vertebrae being out. If his hip doesn't settle, he's getting hip prelims early. Ortho vet cleared him a month ago so I'm hoping it's not dysplasia. I have a dysplastic hip and wouldn't wish it on anybody.

He's off all but basic PA training for obedience until it clears up. ]]> lossefalme http://www.bigdogsporch.com/33817-vibes-plz.html http://www.bigdogsporch.com/33809-jen-limping.html Tue, 18 Jun 2013 14:58:59 GMT We were gone for a while last night and got home late and Jeni was chewing... We were gone for a while last night and got home late and Jeni was chewing a lot on one of her front paws. I looked it over and couldn't see anything at all, but she did seem annoyed that I was touching it. She seemed fine last night but now Chris said she is limping. She definitely doesn't have a torn paw pad or any visible wounds - what else should I be looking for? Any ideas what the issue could be? I don't want to rush her to the vet for something that might not be a big deal but I am a tad concerned. ]]> http://www.bigdogsporch.com/33809-jen-limping.html http://www.bigdogsporch.com/33808-i-need-cooling-jacket.html Tue, 18 Jun 2013 02:07:41 GMT Hi all, Shadow is so hot, he is 70 lbs right now and steadily gaining.... Hi all,
Shadow is so hot, he is 70 lbs right now and steadily gaining. Any recommendations for a cooling jacket that is going to be big enough and work in humidity (FL)?
Thanks,
Cherie & Shadow ]]> The Doggy Depot Cherie http://www.bigdogsporch.com/33808-i-need-cooling-jacket.html http://www.bigdogsporch.com/33806-introducing.html Mon, 17 Jun 2013 01:10:17 GMT Image:...
Gage, CGN

And


Bristol, CGN ]]> The Doggy Depot ruffian http://www.bigdogsporch.com/33806-introducing.html http://www.bigdogsporch.com/33799-giant-breeds-unfairly-targeted.html Fri, 14 Jun 2013 21:45:31 GMT Sam is, officially, a obedience class dropout. :facepalm: We enrolled... Sam is, officially, a obedience class dropout. :facepalm:

We enrolled him in a class that sounded perfect for him. It was supposed to be all positive training methods and focus on socialization and be all puppies. We only lasted two sessions and last night, the second session, we left.

I had a feeling something was "off" in my gut when we got there. There was just a large pack of puppies and a couple of adult dogs running off leash. All but two other pups were toy breeds and many were pretty aggressive for their size. The trainer geared the class for people who had never raised a dog before and was not interested in listening to any of the owners about their dogs. This was strictly a "my way or the highway" kind of class.

Sam was the youngest pup enrolled...and the biggest. He also was pretty timid at first with the other pups. The trainer and her assistant immediately seemed to "zero in" on him and quickly began telling me what to do to correct his behavior, letting me know "He's going to be a big dog" (um...duh?) and "You'd better get a handle on him quickly or he's going to be out of control." This, as my dog is sitting quietly by my side and there are several toy dogs running around, growling and biting each other.

On top of that, I kept being pressured to do things that went against my gut, with dire consequences implied if I didn't. Sam just put his paws up on my leg, not even jumping, when I had a treat, and the assistant was right there, telling me I should knee him in the chest so that he won't jump. When I refused she got agitated with me. I was also told I should spray him in the face with lemon juice when he nips. Again, I said, "Um...no, we're working on that in our own way."

On the bright side, Sam gained a ton of confidence in the two sessions we were there. He's no longer timid around other dogs or new people. I just felt like we were getting diminishing returns as I spent most of my time fighting with the trainer and her assistant and less and less time actually...training. When we left, again there were dire warnings about his size and comments that implied that I am incapable of handling such a vicious beast...as my dog is calmly leaving with me and the terrier terrors are running wild and ganging up on another dog.

Have you ever felt that your dog, particularly as a puppy, was unfairly judged just because of their size? I felt like these people expected him to be so much further along in his training because he was bigger than dogs months older than him in the class. I also felt like he was being held to a completely different, and unfair standard due to his size and that harsher methods were recommended for him just because of his size.

I took him home and loved on him and told him what a good boy he was. :) ]]> The BDP Boot Camp packetsmom http://www.bigdogsporch.com/33799-giant-breeds-unfairly-targeted.html http://www.bigdogsporch.com/33797-sad-dog-diary.html Fri, 14 Jun 2013 13:31:53 GMT this had us :lmao: Sad Dog Diary - YouTube... this had us :lmao:

Sad Dog Diary - YouTube ]]> The Doggy Depot jimandthom http://www.bigdogsporch.com/33797-sad-dog-diary.html http://www.bigdogsporch.com/33794-apollo-acting-off.html Thu, 13 Jun 2013 13:56:28 GMT Apollo is acting strange this morning. He won't eat or take treats, which is a huge red flag. He's walking slowly as if he's in pain. :(

Stomach seems fine: soft and has normal gut noises.

He has been having ear problems lately and is on medication for that.

Vet appointment is at 2:30, or earlier if he worsens. Would appreciate prayers and good vibes. ]]> Rott-n-GSDs http://www.bigdogsporch.com/33794-apollo-acting-off.html http://www.bigdogsporch.com/33793-list-all-puppy-mills.html Thu, 13 Jun 2013 04:32:32 GMT Where pet store puppies come from | Nopetstorepuppies.com... Where pet store puppies come from | Nopetstorepuppies.com

This is a great way to research before you buy. ]]> The Dog Pound Julia http://www.bigdogsporch.com/33793-list-all-puppy-mills.html http://www.bigdogsporch.com/33791-two-free-dogs.html Wed, 12 Jun 2013 13:43:47 GMT Last night I spent a good hour grooming and plucking tufts of undercoat... Last night I spent a good hour grooming and plucking tufts of undercoat fluff from Belle. And then about an hour later I look at her and more tufts of undercoat appeared :eek: It was like the grooming and plucking encouraged the undercoat to multiply and come out faster...How much undercoat can possibly exist on a 50lb dog WTH.

Then there is Blue... The delicate flower picky eater that he is is now refusing, yet again, to eat kibble. I have never seen a dog refuse to eat like he does. The only way I can get him to eat his food is if I mix canned food with water and then mix the slurry with the dry food and coat every single last piece of kibble. If a kibble is not coated then it is not eaten. How a big mushy faced dog can be so selective is beyond me.

So anywhooo... Who ever wants an exploding hairball and a ridiculously picky eater can have them :P ]]> The Doggy Depot Dustbunny http://www.bigdogsporch.com/33791-two-free-dogs.html http://www.bigdogsporch.com/33790-happy-birthday-baer.html Wed, 12 Jun 2013 02:10:25 GMT Image: http://i702.photobucket.com/albums/ww21/MarinaInKanada/IMG_9803.jpg...

6 years old today and we are hoping for many more. ]]> The Doggy Depot http://www.bigdogsporch.com/33790-happy-birthday-baer.html http://www.bigdogsporch.com/33789-guy-looking-bait-dogs.html Tue, 11 Jun 2013 16:43:18 GMT Image:... ]]> The Doggy Depot Bridgette http://www.bigdogsporch.com/33789-guy-looking-bait-dogs.html http://www.bigdogsporch.com/33788-tug-drive.html Mon, 10 Jun 2013 23:06:05 GMT So I am really trying to work on tugging with Jeni. She loves tugging with... So I am really trying to work on tugging with Jeni. She loves tugging with the other dogs and will tug with me if she's really excited, but for the most part as soon as I try to tug with her she just "gives" me the toy. We've worked a lot on having proper manners with giving back toys and things and not grabbing things out of my hands and it seems to have made it so when I try to tug she thinks I just want the toy back. I may be wrong, but that's what it seems like. I have a feeling she would enjoy tugging just for fun, but any ideas on teaching her I actually WANT her to tug and I don't want her to give me the toy? ]]> The BDP Boot Camp http://www.bigdogsporch.com/33788-tug-drive.html http://www.bigdogsporch.com/33786-rehoming-ethics.html Mon, 10 Jun 2013 22:00:05 GMT Thought this could be an interesting conversation, so I wanted to see what... Thought this could be an interesting conversation, so I wanted to see what you all think.

If you don't know, we got Bauer from a friend of a friend. They adopted him after their elderly Berners died. He was 12 weeks and supposedly a St. Bernard mix. They were used to lazy, and he was a puppy, and while not high energy by my standards, he was much more than they were used to. I did agility with him once a week, and every week would hear stories about how he got into this or that, and did this bad thing, and was driving the wife crazy, and the husband was gone for a week so he didn't get walked at all, and he was always stressed and hyper and driving her crazy, and she didn't feel like he even liked her, they just hadn't bonded at all.

Now anyone who knows Bauer looks at me like I'm nuts when I tell them this. He's a VERY easy dog. Very mellow, very polite and frankly naps most of the time. But with us, he has active training, multiple walks a day, plenty of time in the yard, lives with other dogs, has playgroups several times a week and is just overall more engaged and "busy."

His old owners were not jumping at giving him up - they could have just dumped him at a shelter or something but they didn't. They weren't actively looking for a home for him, and were doing the best they could, but when a home that was more suited to him, and loved him and wanted him, came along, they knew that it was the best situation for him and they chose to give him up. As far as I'm concerned, they made an extremely responsible choice and did the best thing for Bauer.

But when I tell people the story, a lot of times I get scoffs and eye rolls and disparaging comments about his old owners, and it kind of makes me sad. They are good people and they did really try with him, they just recognized that they were not the right fit. I see nothing wrong with them getting another dog in the future once the baby is older, and they have learned a lot about what they need in a dog and what they should be looking for. I'm always surprised when people act like they are horrible people.

So, curious, what are your experiences with this? What are your thoughts on rehoming? Are there times when it is really a responsible choice and not just a bad owner? Or is it never okay? ]]> The Doggy Depot http://www.bigdogsporch.com/33786-rehoming-ethics.html http://www.bigdogsporch.com/33781-park-frustration.html Sat, 08 Jun 2013 17:21:21 GMT So we finally have a "dog park" (in our apartment complex, a private fenced in area). Well, as great as that is, I'm extremely frustrated about a certain situation. I'd like some opinions, as Josh thinks I'm just complaining to complain.

There's this kid in our building. I've yet to discover his/her gender. Josh thinks girl, I think boy. I'll call it a him for the sake of this post. He lives with his father downstairs and they have 2 dogs, a dachshund and a VERY old beagle. This child drags the dogs around on harnesses and the dachshund is clearly very afraid when it is walking with the boy. He does very strange things and mostly plays alone. Anyway - we've had the dog park for just a few days now. The first time we took our dogs down there, the boy comes out with the old beagle (who barely walks, let alone plays with other dogs) and Bruno is barking his fool head off through the fence at him and the dog. We remove our dogs from the park, but he wouldn't listen when we were saying to please wait until we were out of the park to come in. There are 2 gates into the park and he came in anyway. We safely removed the dogs and I was a bit frustrated that this child was allowed to bring an old dog to the park without adult supervision when there were other dogs there.

Fast forward to just now - we have the dogs down there again and I glance over to our building (only 50 or so feet away) and this child and his father are standing outside with the dogs. They look at the dog park, then the dad nods and the child takes both of the dogs and walks towards the park. We scramble to collect our things and get our dogs and the dachshund starts aggressively barking. The child has told me before that the dachshund is not good with other dogs. I ask him politely to wait until we leave and he says "no, it's ok I will keep them leashed"... I said "No, you need to wait because bringing leashed dogs into a dog park is a very bad idea, especially when your dogs are old and very little, while mine are large." Just as we get them leashed, he walks in before we are able to leave.

I'm so far beyond frustrated and would like to go have words with the child's father, but Josh says I'm being silly and that it's "not our park". I know we don't own the park and apart from the child being disrespectful about giving us our space, I'm very upset that his father allows him to take two dogs into a dog park with other rowdy, large dogs completely UNSUPERVISED.

Also of note, Bruno does NOT like this child. I think he picks up on his dogs' distress.. they never look very happy. The kid drags them around and I have seen him whipping the ground with a whip (why he as a whip.. I don't know) right next to his dachshund, who was terrified. Bruno witnessed that event and he really, really dislikes this kid.

I'm thinking I should go talk to his father and say something along the lines of "I know that your child goes to the dog park unsupervised, so I want to let you know that one of our dogs is uncomfortable around children and small dogs, so if we are down there, would you or your child come speak with us through the fence before bringing dogs into the park while we are there?"

(Of note, Bruno is fine with little dogs, but their dachshund is not dog-friendly so I'm sure Bruno won't stand to be bullied by him)

What would you all do? ]]> The Doggy Depot MuttsOfMay http://www.bigdogsporch.com/33781-park-frustration.html http://www.bigdogsporch.com/33780-hoss-goes-shopping.html Sat, 08 Jun 2013 13:53:57 GMT My husband and granddaughter went to the store yesterday after walking... My husband and granddaughter went to the store yesterday after walking Hoss. Walking down the isle they heard a commotion in the front of the store. My husband saw a store clerk walking a dog with a halter and at first thought it was a service dog, Gee, his ears and his eyes are going, but my granddaughter knew right away. Hoss! He had opened the hatch up and decided to come shopping with them.

He was in his element, all kinds of people making a fuss over him, he was wiggling all over and laying on his back for tummy rubs, my husband was beet red. Back to the van, this time clipping him to his leash which I have tied to the back set of seats.

Hoss figured out how to undo his seatbelt the first hour we had it, he knows how to open the sunroof and likes to stick his head out of the roof. Now, if he is the one who figured out how to open the back hatch door we won't be able to keep him in. I told them both, leash on while in the car.

Happily he just trotted right into the store looking for my husband and didn't run in front of any cars but this could have turned out badly and I made sure they both saw the seriousness of this. Hoss however enjoyed his day. He made it to the cheese isle so Rick bought him some for the ride home, not as dumb as he looks.:lol: ]]> The Doggy Depot Julia http://www.bigdogsporch.com/33780-hoss-goes-shopping.html