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wtftastic posted:Totally stupid question, but it seems like most of the locally owned dog training places are full up or running classes at times I can't make it, how are Bark Busters? They talk a lot about pack mentality bullshit and specifically mention they don't use clickers. (http://www.barkbusters.com/page.cfm/ID/24/HomeDogTraining/)
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May 11, 2011 02:30
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wtftastic posted:Totally stupid question, but it seems like most of the locally owned dog training places are full up or running classes at times I can't make it, how are Bark Busters? They talk a lot about pack mentality bullshit and specifically mention they don't use clickers. (http://www.barkbusters.com/page.cfm/ID/24/HomeDogTraining/) Yeah, I don't particularly like Bark Busters. The poster who posted about being a franchise owner seemed pretty balanced and had a good handle on the reinforcement side of the spectrum, but still relied on a great deal of aversive type training. A good quality training facility is totally worth the wait. I'd use Bark Busters if I had no other options. They're better than tackling behaviour problems on your own, but there are better ways. Not sure about Petsmart. It depends on the trainer. See if you can sit in on a class and see how it's managed. Some are chaos. Some are slightly more organized chaos. Some of their trainers know what they're doing. Some... not so much.
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May 11, 2011 02:46
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a life less posted:Yeah, I don't particularly like Bark Busters. The poster who posted about being a franchise owner seemed pretty balanced and had a good handle on the reinforcement side of the spectrum, but still relied on a great deal of aversive type training. I'm mainly interested in training to see if I can get Bailey to be less reactive to cars, so its not an immediate thing I guess. He'd been responding pretty well to basic commands, but I'm not sure if I'll ever get to the point where I will trust him off leash through my own efforts. Thanks for the input guys. I always know I can rely on PI to give me good input!
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May 11, 2011 03:02
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a life less posted:Not sure about Petsmart. It depends on the trainer. See if you can sit in on a class and see how it's managed. Some are chaos. Some are slightly more organized chaos. Some of their trainers know what they're doing. Some... not so much. You should really sit in on any class you're interested in taking. I've sat in on a number of training groups that say that they're positive only, only to see 4 month old puppies receiving harsh choke chain corrections (one was wearing two chokes at once for some reason) or the trainer dragging dogs to the ground with prongs to teach emergency drops. I wouldn't take my dog to anyplace that wouldn't let me sit in on a class first.
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May 11, 2011 03:15
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So my 3yr old lab mix that I adopted about 8 months ago from a shelter has some dental problems. He has bad breath and after several trips to the vet from worry they assure me it is from his tartar build-up. His previous owners never brushed his teeth and it shows. I have been brushing them every day and giving him many different types of treats and food that are supposed to address this but to no avail. The quote from the local vet is $600 for a professional scaling but I don't have the cash right now and I don't want his teeth getting worse. I likely plan on getting the professional cleaning done down the road but for now how big of a deal is it so do some of it myself? He is extremely calm and just on a hunch I took a fairly dull pair of tweezers and used the tip to scrape away from the gum and to my surprise I completely removed all of the visible tartar on his canine teeth and he didn't mind at all. Now I realize that it goes below the gum and thats why I need a professional, but is there any risk in me removing the superficial tartar now until I can get him in for a proper cleaning?
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May 11, 2011 15:03
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Moto Punch posted:I feel silly just asking this, but here goes. My kitten has a lot of loose skin. Is this normal/ok? I've never met a kitten with so much skin...I can grab a handful on his back (not his scruff, further back). He is not overweight (vet says he is in very good condition, and I feed him orijen + occasional raw), not dehydrated, and is otherwise a happy, healthy kitten. Is this just growing space or what? He is about 5 months old and a Siberian cross, if that means anything. Yeah, it's normal. Ed still has plenty of loose skin and she's six (or...seven?). I guess it's a defense thing for when they're grabbed by another animal. All that loose skin makes it harder for any organs to get grabbed. Also if the skin rips they can get away with a few cuts, but if anything goes deeper it could be fatal. In short yes, all cats have a lot of loose skin.
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May 11, 2011 15:23
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Ever seen a shaved or hairless cat? They're adorably wrinkly, it's awesome. One of my cats has started getting some light dandruff. She eats the same thing as the other cat who has no issues. I'm worried about changing their diets up, since they were overweight before and we've finally gotten them down to a healthy size. But now Cookie is all flaky... She's got her yearly vet checkup next month, would it be okay to just wait until then to bring it up? She doesn't seem bothered by it, and isn't unusually itchy or anything.
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May 11, 2011 16:02
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Probably ok to wait if she doesn't seem to care. Do you give them any sort of supplements? My boys had pretty bad coats when I first got them, but they became so so so much better after a few days of salmon oil on their food. You might want to try adding a fish oil on top of the regular food to see if that helps any.
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May 11, 2011 16:07
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whaam posted:So my 3yr old lab mix that I adopted about 8 months ago from a shelter has some dental problems. He has bad breath and after several trips to the vet from worry they assure me it is from his tartar build-up. His previous owners never brushed his teeth and it shows. I have been brushing them every day and giving him many different types of treats and food that are supposed to address this but to no avail. The quote from the local vet is $600 for a professional scaling but I don't have the cash right now and I don't want his teeth getting worse. I likely plan on getting the professional cleaning done down the road but for now how big of a deal is it so do some of it myself? He is extremely calm and just on a hunch I took a fairly dull pair of tweezers and used the tip to scrape away from the gum and to my surprise I completely removed all of the visible tartar on his canine teeth and he didn't mind at all. Now I realize that it goes below the gum and thats why I need a professional, but is there any risk in me removing the superficial tartar now until I can get him in for a proper cleaning? Usually when they scale teeth, they apply a polisher. When you scale, you leave little scratches on the tooth, and the polisher makes those smooth. Without polishing, plaque will just build up faster in the little scratches. You should probably not attempt to do it yourself.
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May 11, 2011 16:08
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Braki posted:Usually when they scale teeth, they apply a polisher. When you scale, you leave little scratches on the tooth, and the polisher makes those smooth. Without polishing, plaque will just build up faster in the little scratches. You should probably not attempt to do it yourself. Indeed, you can damage the teeth if you try to scale them yourself. Also, as you are aware, you aren't removing the stuff beneath the gum line, and since that's the stuff that is what is most irritating to the gums and is causing gingivitis, you aren't helping at all by removing the superficial stuff. So, in summary, you wouldn't be fixing anything except cosmetics, and you could do damage to the teeth.
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May 11, 2011 16:41
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I have two cat questions. First, I do believe one of my kitty's purr mechanisms is broken. She will still "purr," but instead of a nice rumble it's just sort of a flat noise like with her vocal chords, if that makes sense. Not sure how to describe it better. Otherwise she is totally normal, same level of attentiveness, eating and using the litterbox normally, etc. We are having record (terrible terrible) winds pretty much every day which means tons of dust in the house (it's a refurbished 150 year old adobe so you can imagine it is not sealed all that well) and her missing purr started about the same time everyone's (human and animals like) allergies started acting up, so maybe that's it? But she has no other symptoms like runny eyes or nose or sneezing. She does manage to actually purr occasionally but mostly it's just that weird noise. What could be causing this, and should I see the vet about it? The next question has to do with a semi-feral cat we just caught and have living in the barn office at the moment. We took her into the vet for a full checkup and had a dental cleaning/exam done, and she got a full bill of health. However her breath is absolutely terrible. It smells like rotten cat food. Assuming my vet didn't miss something with the teeth (we have a new vet who is pretty good with them) what could cause that? I googled it but I'm just getting stuff about teeth which I don't think applies unless she has some really hidden issue.
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May 11, 2011 21:40
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I have an oddly shaped Pug (who doesn't) and after spending a lot of money on ill fitting harnesses I've decided to bite the bullet and get him a custom leather one. Does anyone have any recommendations?
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May 11, 2011 22:12
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Has anyone had any experience with the 'RunningEgg' Dog Toy? Lola has and loves a boomer ball, and it looks to be a similar thing. I'm just curious to see what material it's made out of (the site just says 'bite-proof material') and how well it stands up to hours of play.
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May 11, 2011 22:15
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I apologize if this has been covered already, I haven't read the rest of the thread. I just brought home this kitten two days ago. I gave him a flea bath the day I brought him home. Last night, he had a tapeworm on his fur so yesterday he was given a tablet for that. He still has fleas, which will be taken care of eventually when I can give him another bath and get flea control. Anyway, a couple questions. He has little yellowish-white things stuck to his fur, I suspect lice but I'm not sure. Will the flea shampoo take care of lice as well? Also, how long should it take until the wormer takes effect? It's been almost 24 hours and I haven't seen any worms in his stool. Here is a picture of his fur. Apologies for the blurriness, my camera is poo poo.  And the troublemaker himself.  If these are indeed lice eggs and flea shampoo will kill the lice, when can I give him another bath? Any input appreciated.
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May 12, 2011 01:26
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HeadcrabPie posted:I apologize if this has been covered already, I haven't read the rest of the thread. DId you take him to a vet? Flea baths are generally frowned upon, and over the counter worming and flea meds can actually do more damage than good.
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May 12, 2011 01:59
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Fraction posted:Has anyone had any experience with the 'RunningEgg' Dog Toy? Lola has and loves a boomer ball, and it looks to be a similar thing. I'm just curious to see what material it's made out of (the site just says 'bite-proof material') and how well it stands up to hours of play. They're pretty sturdy. There's one JRT at the dogpark who pushes one of those around the entire time he's out. It's very  and it doesn't look like it's experiencing a lot of wear.
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May 12, 2011 02:14
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whaam posted:So my 3yr old lab mix that I adopted about 8 months ago from a shelter has some dental problems. He has bad breath and after several trips to the vet from worry they assure me it is from his tartar build-up. His previous owners never brushed his teeth and it shows. I have been brushing them every day and giving him many different types of treats and food that are supposed to address this but to no avail. The quote from the local vet is $600 for a professional scaling but I don't have the cash right now and I don't want his teeth getting worse. I likely plan on getting the professional cleaning done down the road but for now how big of a deal is it so do some of it myself? He is extremely calm and just on a hunch I took a fairly dull pair of tweezers and used the tip to scrape away from the gum and to my surprise I completely removed all of the visible tartar on his canine teeth and he didn't mind at all. Now I realize that it goes below the gum and thats why I need a professional, but is there any risk in me removing the superficial tartar now until I can get him in for a proper cleaning? Someone else mentioned the problem with leaving scratches on the teeth so that plaque can build up more easily in the grooves, so I won't go into that in any detail. But I did want to mention that with just my fingernail, I was able to pry most of the visible plaque off all my dog's teeth, the canines being the worst offenders. I didn't have scrape or scratch at the teeth at all, but was able to actually feel where the plaque began right at the gum line, and by picking at that ridge with my fingernail, was able to just pry it off. It was pretty amazing actually, it just came off in big chunks, and in one case it slipped off a canine in it's entirety in a kind of canine-shaped sheath. I will add that I managed to do accomplish this with a chihuahua that only weighs 3 1/2 pounds so you can imagine how small his mouth is. I'm pretty sure I didn't scratch or leave any kind of grooves yet still managed to rid him of 90% of his plaque.
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May 12, 2011 02:38
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You may have removed 90%, but if the 10% left is below the gumline, causing gingivitis and eroding the ligaments that keep the teeth in place, have you really done any good? Or have you delayed the professional cleaning, since it won't bother you as much cosmetically? I don't have a problem with picking stuff off your dog's teeth (which is a hilariously gross pastime!), as long as you realize that you haven't fixed the real problem, which still likely needs addressing.
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May 12, 2011 03:34
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Chaco posted:You may have removed 90%, but if the 10% left is below the gumline, causing gingivitis and eroding the ligaments that keep the teeth in place, have you really done any good? Or have you delayed the professional cleaning, since it won't bother you as much cosmetically? I don't have a problem with picking stuff off your dog's teeth (which is a hilariously gross pastime!), as long as you realize that you haven't fixed the real problem, which still likely needs addressing. When I realized how easily it came off, I just went ahead and picked off what I could, which was pretty much everything below the gum line. I didn't do that as any kind of substitution for a dental, which he had the following week. But anything I could do to lessen the amount of time he spent under anesthesia was a plus. The Vet said his dental was a breeze compared to the year before, and that it went SO quickly because of how much plaque I'd already removed. It's a shame I didn't get a price break for having done so much of their work for them, but oh well. 
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May 12, 2011 04:32
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RheaConfused posted:DId you take him to a vet? Flea baths are generally frowned upon, and over the counter worming and flea meds can actually do more damage than good. I actually got him from an animal clinic. The vet had said he didn't have worms, but it was definitely a tapeworm I saw. The wormer I bought has praziquantel, which the vet said is fine to use. I always gave my cats flea baths when I lived with my parents, I've never heard of them being a negative thing. I will be taking him to the vet as soon as I can, and I'll get Advantage for him. The flea bath is only a temporary fix. Any ideas as to the eggs(?) stuck to his fur?
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May 12, 2011 05:31
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HeadcrabPie posted:I actually got him from an animal clinic. The vet had said he didn't have worms, but it was definitely a tapeworm I saw. The wormer I bought has praziquantel, which the vet said is fine to use.
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May 12, 2011 06:31
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HeadcrabPie posted:
Flea eggs shouldn't stick to the fur, but lice might. You should go back to the vet and have them look.
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May 12, 2011 15:51
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a life less posted:They're pretty sturdy. There's one JRT at the dogpark who pushes one of those around the entire time he's out. It's very Sweet, thanks. If another JRT can play with one, I'm sure Lola will love it. I'll pick one up in a couple weeks 
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May 12, 2011 17:02
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I have a question about getting a dog. At the end of the year I plan to move from my rented apartment in to my first home. I'm thinking about adopting a dog some point soon after, but I'm admittedly clueless about owning a dog, and the first question would be what kind of breed would be appropriate for my situation. I live by myself, so the animal would basically be alone when I'm at work and whenever I went out. I would also prefer a medium-sized breed; I don't like small dogs but a huge dog would overwhelm me. Something that has reasonable grooming requirements is a plus too (for example, a short-hair dog). Something like a lab/retriever seems like it would fit my needs, but I'm not sure. Also, an adult dog would be preferred where training is not as much of an issue. I guess what I really need is good resources to decide a) What breed(s) are appropriate for someone in my situation b) What are the specific responsibilities for said breed (i.e. how much exercise it needs, how often to feed it, how often it needs grooming, medical needs, etc.) I'm sure there are books on these topics, but I'd like to know what you recommend.
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May 12, 2011 20:07
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actionjackson posted:a) What breed(s) are appropriate for someone in my situation What we need to know really is: How many hours are you out each day, in general (i.e. how many hours is a social animal such as a dog being expected to be alone)? How much time each day are you willing to put into exercising your dog, physically and mentally?
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May 12, 2011 20:24
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a life less posted:Petsmart I'm a couple days late because this thread moves so damned fast and work has been busy, but PetSmart is apparently revamping their training program. They're heavily focused on positive reinforcement and avoiding anything that looks like positive punishement, according to the brochures. They were passing them out last time we went in to get a few things. I checked out the website just out of curiosity (link) and it looks fairly good, all things considered, but as alifeless said, what gets preached at the top of the organization may or may not be filtering down to the rank and file, so owner beware. actionjackson posted:a) What breed(s) are appropriate for someone in my situation You didn't state whether you were looking for a puppy or an adult dog. My personal opinion is that a puppy is not appropriate for your situation. That said, this is a good puppy primer, and a lot of the lessons carry over to adult dogs too, the book just happens to be puppy-centric. MrFurious fucked around with this message at 20:42 on May 12, 2011 |
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May 12, 2011 20:31
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actionjackson posted:I have a question about getting a dog. At the end of the year I plan to move from my rented apartment in to my first home. I'm thinking about adopting a dog some point soon after, but I'm admittedly clueless about owning a dog, and the first question would be what kind of breed would be appropriate for my situation. The most important thing is to find an individual dog who has compatible exercise and socialization needs with your lifestyle. There is a huge variety within any breed, which is why adopting an adult dog with a predictable personality and traits is a good choice for people like yourself. Unless you enjoy spending the vast majority of your free time at home, then you definitely shouldn't get a dog. You should literally make out a weekly schedule of your current responsibilities and social schedule, and practice scheduling a dog's needs around it. A dog needs several hours of interaction each day, which includes exercise, training, and regular hanging out time. It also changes how you can schedule your free time; for example, going out directly after work isn't cool because the dog needs to be fed and let out to pee & poop after you've already been gone 8+ hours. "Sleepovers" and dating is more complicated too, since you can't be away from home all that long. Dogs also don't get the concept of sleeping in on the weekends. I'm not saying you shouldn't get a dog, but getting one if your lifestyle doesn't mesh well is a huge mistake. I can't quite imagine my life with out my pets, but it sure as hell would be a lot simpler and cheaper.
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May 12, 2011 23:08
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Fraction posted:Sweet, thanks. If another JRT can play with one, I'm sure Lola will love it. I'll pick one up in a couple weeks Thanks for bringing these up. My sister's Aussie just utterly destroyed her soccer ball, and they wanted to get her a herding ball but they're too expensive. She's going to pick up an egg for her instead 
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May 13, 2011 00:58
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I did say I wanted an adult dog in my post. I usually go to the gym after work 3x/week, so it sounds like that might be an issue. On the other days I'd be home after work, at least long enough to take care of food/exercise/etc. I'm not sure if there are breeds that are more "independent" and can deal with being alone for longer amounts of time, or not.
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May 13, 2011 07:31
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Obligatory rescue greyhound recommendation.
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May 13, 2011 07:43
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actionjackson posted:I did say I wanted an adult dog in my post. a cat e: in all seriousness, if the food dish was on a permanent auto refill, sully and nermal would barely notice if I never came back. Dogs are pretty needy as far as exercise and everything goes.
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May 13, 2011 07:43
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I guess I should have mentioned that I don't like cats. I'm not sure why, but I've never gotten along with cats when I've been around them. I don't have many commitments in my life actually, and I would enjoy getting exercise with the dog and giving it plenty of attention, but if I felt that I had to absolutely be home first thing after work each day that might give me some problems as I mentioned. What if the dog was trained to do certain things (like go to the bathroom in a certain spot) indoors?
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May 13, 2011 07:47
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actionjackson posted:I usually go to the gym after work 3x/week, so it sounds like that might be an issue. On the other days I'd be home after work, at least long enough to take care of food/exercise/etc. I'm not sure if there are breeds that are more "independent" and can deal with being alone for longer amounts of time, or not. How many hours do you work for, and then how long would you be spending at the gym? Would it be possible to arrange for a friend or professional dogwalker to come and walk the dog halfway through your time out, or twice during the time you're going immediately after to the gym? Even an 'independent' dog is otherwise going to have trouble being alone for 10-11 hours, whilst you work and go to the gym. And after you've been to the gym, would you be willing to take a dog on an hour long walk, or play for an hour, which is what a lot of mid-energy dogs (not including labradors and such) would need each day. Seconding the greyhound recommendation if you can get someone to come let the dog out; they need very little exercise (2 or so 20-25 minute walks a day) and are pretty lazy otherwise.
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May 13, 2011 07:50
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A professional dog walker that could come by to attend to the dog on weekdays is something I would seriously consider, though I have no idea how much something like that would cost. Another alternative is to use walking/running with the dog as my exercise instead and come home right after work. I guess my big concern is that the dog doesn't get too lonely while I'm gone; I would just feel guilty about that. Oh, right now I'm gone from about 9-7 on those days, though when I move my commute while be a bit longer as I can just walk to work right now. One place I'm considering has a weight limit on dogs (25 lbs.) which I take more to mean a breed limit. Are the exercise requirements for these dogs (I would think this would be mostly terriers) be any different than larger dogs? actionjackson fucked around with this message at 08:01 on May 13, 2011 |
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May 13, 2011 07:58
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actionjackson posted:One place I'm considering has a weight limit on dogs (25 lbs.) which I take more to mean a breed limit. Are the exercise requirements for these dogs (I would think this would be mostly terriers) be any different than larger dogs? Very. Pretty much any terrier that comes to my mind is driven and high energy, same for any herding breed big or small. The energy of a dog isn't dependent on its size. Greyhounds are sprinters, so they have easy exercise requirements and are pretty content to laze around the rest of the day afterwards. And no, you can't "housetrain" a dog like you can a cat to go in a litterbox, dogs don't work that way. Greyhounds are honestly the only dog I'd feel comfortable saying would be -ok- for your situation, and they're well over 25 pounds. I think you have to be honest with yourself here and really think if it's fair to -any- dog to live within your schedule. Dogs are social animals, no matter the breed.
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May 13, 2011 08:52
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Why exactly do you want a dog because your entire life seems to be the complete opposite in regards to the needs of a dog. You're going to be gone 12 hours a day, lets assume you sleep 6. 18 of 24 hours that a social, active animal will be left alone. Thats not including time spent leaving the house, going out with friends, errands, etc. You don't have to spend 12 hours a day with your animal, but it seems that you really do not have the time for a dog.
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May 13, 2011 09:17
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actionjackson posted:A professional dog walker that could come by to attend to the dog on weekdays is something I would seriously consider, though I have no idea how much something like that would cost. Another alternative is to use walking/running with the dog as my exercise instead and come home right after work. I guess my big concern is that the dog doesn't get too lonely while I'm gone; I would just feel guilty about that. I don't know about the cost of dog walkers, but that would definitely be something you'll need on days that you work. I do think a greyhound would be best for your situation; you could give it a brisk half an hour walk before work, a dogwalker midway through the work day, then another twenty minutes walk in-between work and gym (if you can't go to the gym on days where, say, you aren't working) and a final stroll before bed. A small breed is almost 100% likely to need much more than you can offer. There ARE some small dogs, of course, which would be happy lounging around all day - but it's very unlikely you'll find one. A small or small-medium breed in general will need more exercise and daily attention than a large breed.
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May 13, 2011 10:25
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You should try a cat. Really. A grown cat fits all your criteria.
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May 13, 2011 12:45
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Sooo because good things come all at once, Jess (eleven year old ish staffie/beagle) is acting weird. I woke up this morning when she jumped off the bed and crouched/arched her back as if she was going to crap on my floor - this has literally never happened in the seven years we've had her. Managed to get her outside first, and she crapped very quickly. She's since been out about 6 or 7 times, and keeps dragging her rear along the floor, indoors and out. I've made a vet appointment for about two hours from now, but I'd be curious to know if anyone has any idea what it is. Her crap is solid, not diarrhoea, and she's a little more lethargic than usual I guess (hard to know exactly because she is pretty lazy). She has a slight red mark on the underside of her tail at the base, which looks kind of like a bite?, but I'm not sure if that's from scratching herself because I only noticed it an hour or so ago just before I rang the vets. drat it dog why are you ill when I have an exam on Monday that I really need to revise for! E: just got back from vets, one of her anal glands was hard and full (ew) so hopefully now she's fixed. Fraction fucked around with this message at 15:50 on May 13, 2011 |
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May 13, 2011 13:42
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I saw an ad for a new flea repellant yesterday, Pet Armor - apparently it's exactly the same ingredients as Frontline and can be bought OTC at Wal-mart & Sam's. Just wondering if anyone had checked this stuff out yet and if it's really as effective & safe as Frontline. If it really is just as good, seems like it could be nice to save yourself a trip to the vet/vet fees. Here's the link: http://www.petarmor.com/works/how_it_works.php
FretforyourLatte fucked around with this message at 15:31 on May 13, 2011 |
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May 13, 2011 15:29
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