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What are some books or resources people would recommend for training older dogs (as in, not puppies, but dogs in the 2+ year old range)? Researching stuff in preparation for possibly getting a dog and while I think I have a good feel for how to generally interact and basic training ideas (nothing for free, positive re-enforcement training, etc) I feel like there are probably a lot of areas that it would help to have some specific ideas on how to deal with things. Like leash pulling, socialization with people or other animals, or even just constructive ways to discourage bad behavior when it happens.
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Mar 29, 2010 18:26
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KilGrey posted:How come? Has this situation changed? Sounds like he/she moved to a across the country to a place that possibly didn't allow pets, and is now moving to a place that does allow pets. But his parents are attached to the previous animals at this point
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Mar 30, 2010 01:34
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What are peoples opinions on pet insurance for adopted dogs? And are there good companies to go with, bad companies to stay away from, etc? Petfinder has some deal with PetFirst where you get a bit of a discount for your first month, but I don't know much about them or what I should really be looking for in pet insurance. And a side question, is there any dog shampoos that people recommend in general? Thanks
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Apr 7, 2010 14:02
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Yeah, I wasn't really thinking in terms of doing it indefinitely, but for maybe the first 3 months to a year, to make sure everything seems alright. But yeah, hmm, guess I'll ponder it some more and see what the restrictions are
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Apr 7, 2010 16:03
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WolfensteinBag posted:What type of dog, and what type of coat? Any skin issues? Dandruff? These things matter. We're adopting a Border Collie/Retriever mix on Saturday, and kind of gathering supplies at the moment. I don't know of any skin issues but we didn't ask (didn't think of it) I think it's just a case of "ahh, new dog, must ask for advice about everything so we get the best things!" I guess I was ultimately just wondering if there are any shampoos to avoid or things in them to avoid when looking for a general shampoo 
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Apr 8, 2010 01:06
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As a generic shampoo, I like Lambert Kay Fresh N' Clean. Smells awesome, works well, and they sell it practically everywhere. Give me more info on your dog, though, and I'll be able to give more specific advice!
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Thanks for reminding me about the eGGE. I had been looking at one of those but then kind of forgot about it
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Apr 8, 2010 10:51
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first day of new dog ownership is tough :\ Things should settle down as she gets used to us and the new place, but it's a little hectic now. She lived with some cats before, but seems too amped up to meet ours. any calming down tips or cat meeting tips?
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Apr 11, 2010 10:29
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ArmadilloConspiracy posted:As far as calming, is she crate trained? If so, give her the option to be in the crate if she wants, and don't bug her while she's in there. Otherwise, just in general, let the critter have some alone-time, if she seems to want it. Aside from that, just hang in there. When we first got my girl she was so freaked she wouldn't drink out of her water dish for three days; we had to get our hands wet and let her lick the water off. Thanks, I think she's mainly just anxious and while she seems to be taking to us as people she knows and wants comfort from (possibly displaying some separation anxiety, but hey it's been two days, I think it's hard to tell what's going on in her mind), everything is just so wild and exciting and anxiety causing. She's crate trained, and actually did really well last night, settling after a bit of whining and then sleeping quietly through the night. I think the crate is a little too small though so I need to return it today, I just didn't have time last night or earlier today. She can turn around OK but the top of her back hits the top of the crate, so it just seems like that's not quite the right size. And yeah, putting her in the crate with a treat while the cat is out probably is a good idea. I'll try it once I return the crate. I'll post some pictures soon. I'm actually thinking she might be more golden retriever and some kind of spaniel mix, but the ears don't match either of those breeds. So, you know, 100% mutt I think we tired her the hell out today, though. Spent 3.5 to 4 hours walking around the Mall in DC because my fiance was running the Cherry Blossom 10 mile. Did some running back and forth to wear her out, and with all the people that was probably stressful wearing out too. It wasn't ideal to have to take her there but I didn't think it was a great idea to leave her in Baltimore the first full day we had her. She's really good around people at least and didn't seem too freaked out by that. Levitate fucked around with this message at 18:17 on Apr 11, 2010 |
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Apr 11, 2010 18:12
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oh man, we should have never tried to schedule a frisbee game before picking up a new dog, and then had to wake up early to go to DC for my fiance to run the Cherry Blossom 10 mile. I was exhausted yesterday and completely overwhelmed in the end, and I'm still feeling it now. I'm starting to feel like we bit off more than we can chew, even though realistically it's only been a few days and it's not like things have gone horribly. I'm just so tired and stressed about integrating the animals and dealing with the general things that come up with new dogs (she's started barking some at noises, so we've just been trying to shift her focus and then give her a treat) I'm just making myself feel like a really bad person for thinking maybe we can't handle it and may have to give her back, after doing all this research on having a dog and thinking that yeah we can handle it, knowing how it would change out lives, etc. I just feel irresponsible and horrible. And it's ridiculous because it's only been a couple of days. It doesn't help that the petfinder ad said she was 40 lbs and she's actually more like 70 (wtf). I don't know that it's a really huge deal in terms of space that we have, but it does mean we end up with a large, easily excited dog versus a more medium sized easily excited dog argh, I don't really have a question, I'm just having trouble processing what we should end up doing. We have her for a 2 week trial, so if things don't work out we can have the rescue find her another home. I just feel bad about that, but I'm pretty concerned about our existing pets and it's not fair to them if they have to stay hidden all the time
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Apr 12, 2010 13:18
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any way to keep cats off certain rugs or at least to not try to use it as a scratching spot? We have a small rug that was pretty expensive (was a gift) but the cat likes to sleep on it (not really a problem) and scratch at it (much bigger problem). Kinda sucks as we'd like to be able to leave it out. i'm guessing there's really no good way, but thought I'd check if there are any products that work well to repel cats
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Jul 18, 2010 18:12
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This has probably come up but I can't remember where I saw it... What vacuums, besides expensive Dyson's, do people like for cleaning up pet hair?
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Aug 20, 2010 16:08
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Lackadaisical posted:Can a cat kill a chicken? Depends on the cat but I don't see why not. Chickens aren't exactly the hardiest of creatures. Now a cock, on the other hand, might get dicey. (I know nothing about farm animals but regular chickens don't seem like they could put up that much of a fight if a cat got the drop on them)
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Aug 27, 2010 00:39
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paisleyfox posted:Okay, so this is driving me nuts. Not like I know all that much, but is there any chance there could be something wrong with him that's stressing him out? Sickness or something, etc?
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Nov 18, 2010 17:10
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What should I be doing? He never ever did this before and seemed to be the dog that didn't give a gently caress. Now every little thing just makes him so nervous. Nothing in his routine changed except me being gone for a few days, which has happened before and he's been extremely clingy. Does anyone think this may be more than behavioral?
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Our cat had bladder stones/crystals come up a little over a year ago. Maybe it was worse or different than yours, but our vet immediately put her on prescription food and she's been fine since...we got a fountain too, and while I don't think she's a huge water drinker even with a fountain, she does drink a lot more. Our vet also didn't mention anything about the cats life being shortened by having crystals, so... I dunno, being told "just give him canned food and keep an eye on him" after having previous problems with crystals seems weird to me, but I'm no vet. Assuming they're the kind that can be dissolved by the right food then the prescription stuff should do wonders.
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Nov 23, 2010 15:46
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I wonder if getting one of those cat SSSCat things and putting it on the table/desk/whatever would work Downside could be the dog flying off the table in a panic and hurting himself edit: I'd also say he probably needs more exercise. If I'm not mistaken, Corgi's are pretty energetic and a couple of walks and some playtime inside isn't enough for an active dog Longer walks and dog parks during the week could maybe help...or go to a park (or tennis court if you don't trust him off a leash) and throw a ball so he can do more running after it Levitate fucked around with this message at 18:30 on Dec 3, 2010 |
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Dec 3, 2010 18:16
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RazorBunny posted:Plus they have blue blood, but that's just a fun fact, not a reason to keep one as a pet. It's also really valuable for biomedical stuff and it wouldn't surprise me if some moron heard that and decided they were going to get some horseshoe crabs and harvest their blood and try to sell it (yes I'm sure pharmaceutical companies just buy blood from any random person on the street!)
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Dec 15, 2010 14:40
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We just got our pup, Greta, back from being spayed. The vet we go to seems to like holding them overnight to make sure there aren't any complications. Anyways, they didn't give us an e-collar because they said she's been good about not licking the stitches (they're dissolvable stitches). I guess I'm a little worried that when we have to leave her in her crate, she might start licking them. How "bad" is it if she does that a bit before we notice? Not sure if it's a big problem or if some mild licking before it's caught is OK She seems to be doing pretty well. She's on rimadyl and obviously uncomfortable at times, but happy to be home. The spots they shaved her seem to bug her more than the stitches; she did do some licking of her belly at the shaved spots but not the stitches
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Jan 8, 2011 16:22
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Another post-spay question, if anyone can chime in Our pup seems to be wanting to go relieve herself more than usual, but not necessarily getting much to come out (unless it's been awhile before she really peed or something). I'm kind of assuming that she's just sore and things don't feel good for her and so she's thinking "maybe I really have to go to the bathroom!" or maybe it's an after effect from the anesthesia. Just wondered if anyone had any thoughts. Not terribly concerned, just checking
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Jan 9, 2011 03:38
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I'm thinking of checking with the vet about this, but wanted to get some input. Our pup seems to have some trouble with loose stool. She's kind of had it off and on for awhile, in the mornings when I take her out it tends to be firm, but then throughout the day it gets loose when she goes out again. It usually starts with some firmer stuff followed by the soft stool. She's on Blue Buffalo puppy formula right now, but had the same thing on Wellness. She checked clean for parasites last time she went to the vet for a checkup and has been dewormed since then as well. They did bloodwork before she got spayed the other week and that came up normal as well. So, I don't know if it's something we should really be concerned about...it may be some treats or chews don't agree with her altogether? She occasionally manages to sneak some cat food which could also be contributing, and we need to do a better job keeping her from She seems healthy and comfortable otherwise. She's not too thin or anything. We could mix in more pumpkin I guess but I don't know if that does anything but mask the problem. Then again I don't know if this is something she might grow out of, etc
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Jan 19, 2011 01:43
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I think Wellness is chicken based, but the Blue Buffalo she's on is Lamb. I guess there's always fish to try at some point if things don't even out, though I think I'm going to try to keep a better eye on the things she manages to chow down on during the day (the aforementioned cat food, and some of the chewable bones she loves) Thanks, at least it's good to know she's not the only puppy with poop problems 
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Jan 19, 2011 03:47
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Kerfuffle posted:Tons of normal and healthy cats have this, it's just a cat flap. You poke it and make fun of them over it. It makes our kitty look so shapeless 
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Jan 24, 2011 14:15
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Any suggestions for dealing with dog car sickness? Greta seems to do OK if there are two people in the car...we can often just get her to lay down in one of the foot wells for short trips. But if it's just her and the driver she seems to invariably puke, even if it's like a 10 minute ride. I don't know if one of those car harnesses might help, I can't tell if the starting and stopping is making her too unstable and upsetting her, and a harness would help with that?
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Feb 2, 2011 16:12
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6-Ethyl Bearcat posted:Spay-belly will be mostly skin, and normally is just in front of the rear legs. A fatty will be fat elsewhere too. What's the going rate on cosmetic surgery to remove spay-bellies?
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Feb 13, 2011 14:30
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Did they run any tests on her or just look at her and say "she's probably OK"? If they didn't run any tests at all (like for common dog diseases) I'd say go get a second opinion. Usually lethargy, not eating, vomiting, and diarrhea are pretty serious signs for a puppy that something is wrong, and even if it's just an "upset tummy" it might be possible to run into a dehydration problem.
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Feb 14, 2011 19:40
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As an aside, what's with a lot of dog info sites offering advice like this:quote:You may also consult a homeopathic or naturopathic veterinarian for alternative Parvo treatments. There are some natural and homeopathic treatments for Parvo on the retail market. Amber Technology offers Parvaid, an all natural herbal formula that the manufacturer claims has helped some animals overcome Parvo. Parvo is pretty serious poo poo and this isn't the first site I've seen that says "oh you might want to check into some natural remedies it's totally cool"
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Feb 14, 2011 20:54
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dog glamor shot spotted look at that wind blowing through its ears...
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Feb 17, 2011 14:31
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Er, is her rear end bloody or are you just saying that she's scratching the crap out of you when you try to clean her up? pooping blood always seems like a good reason to take an animal to the vet...I would think it's more than an upset stomach if there's blood but ianav
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Feb 23, 2011 14:43
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Anyone know anything about Preventic tick collars? Our vet apparently switched to giving those out for tick prevention, but I dunno, having to have my dog wear a tick collar all the time seems really really annoying Any alternatives?
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Feb 26, 2011 18:14
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We have revolution for flea and heartworm but I guess it doesn't cover ticks.
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Feb 26, 2011 21:19
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eh, she's a puppy, sometimes they just pee on poo poo. Since she was sleeping it could have been one of those half awake half asleep times where they don't have as much control over their bladders. I think that is one of the most common times for dogs with incontinence to pee, so I would think that something similar might hold true for puppies (I think it was something about spay incontinence and the most common times for that to manifest is in that half asleep state) Could be wrong on that though
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Feb 27, 2011 14:57
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Lackadaisical posted:I can't say I regularly touch my cats paws. The only time I really do is when I'm clipping her nails... If you pet your cat at all you're probably getting tons of germs on yourself. Litter dust, them licking themselves all over and the fact that cats have horribly filthy mouths, etc.
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Mar 3, 2011 15:45
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Lackadaisical posted:Ok, in all fairness, if your cat is like mine, that is gross. I've had to ban her from my pillows because she kept tracking poop footprints across my pillow. Yeah I think your cat is defective, you should return it for a refund. Drunkboxer posted:My cat has had most of his teeth removed (chronic gum infections) for a while now and because of this I've been feeding him only wet food. I used to be able to go out of town for a night or two and just leave him a large amount of dry food, but now I can't since I'm afraid he'll choke on it. Is there some kind of soft food that won't get gross if I leave it out? Cats without teeth can still eat dry food. They don't generally chew it that much anyways even if they have teeth. Go ahead and leave some out for him. Also, he's probably eating more because it used to hurt a lot to eat, but now that his teeth are gone he has his appetite back
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Mar 3, 2011 21:40
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probably not, if it worries you just feed him dry food for awhile when you can watch him e: I mean if you're really not comfortable with it then don't do it. I've never heard of a cat choking on dry food and it being a problem but do what you think is the best idea. If you really want to just leave wet food for him, you can get one of those timed wet food feeders. They'll probably have them at any local Petsmart, etc Levitate fucked around with this message at 22:05 on Mar 3, 2011 |
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Mar 3, 2011 22:03
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When is the generally accepted time you can take dogs off of puppy food? 6 months?
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Mar 8, 2011 22:35
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I don't think the lethargy from the anesthetic lasted that long when our cat had some teeth pulled. Maybe just the rest of the day we got her back? We also got some meds to give her for 3 or 4 days after, and she was kind of crazy when she was on the meds (stoned out of her mind) and then would quiet down as they wore off. Didn't take her long to get back to normal though
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Mar 14, 2011 18:13
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Wojtek posted:Crate training isn't an option because they are already high energy and I'd rather let them play together all day. They get plenty of exercise and play when we are home, but I just can't think about them being locked up in their crates all day. Dogs tend to just sleep all day long if there's nothing exciting going on. Crating the while you're gone usually isn't a problem for most dogs because they'd rather be sleeping during the day anyways. Yeah I used to think it was kind of mean to "lock up dogs so they can't do anything and they must be so sad and depressed" but no my dog just sleeps all day even if we're there. Unfortunately I can't comment on appropriate sizes. I tend to doubt they'd be doing much running and playing anyways during the day so as long as they have enough room to easily walk around and have shelter for both of them, that might be fine. I'd just say make absolutely SURE that the whole thing is secure and recheck it all the time to make sure they can't get out. And there are extra risks to keeping them outdoors...extreme temperatures, making sure they have shelter and water, worrying about neighborhood kids tormenting them, them finding a way to escape and getting hit by a car, etc. My rambling point ultimately being, crate training them really is the safest way to keep them while you're not at home and it doesn't hurt the dogs or lower their quality of life. But if you're absolutely against it then please please routinely inspect your property to make sure it's absolutely secure and that they can't get out. Also, make sure they're not annoying your neighbors by barking all day long or something, etc. I'm trying to strike a bit of a middle ground here because I know some people just don't like crating their dogs and won't do it no matter what, and I know PI will mostly just tell you to crate them, so I want to at least impress upon you the added risks of keeping them outside and that you make sure they're as secure as possible in their outdoor areas. e: sorry for not towing the standard PI response to this one and I don't mean to endorse keeping dogs outside as a good solution, I just see this as a situation where it's pretty obvious someone isn't going to take the advice of crating their dogs so the choices become really try to impress upon them the dangers of leaving them outside and unattended, and that they absolutely have to check out their entire yard/fence/dog run on a consistent basis to make sure the dogs can't escape, or we can sit here and go "gently caress you you loser you suck and hate dogs gtfo". One of those options is at least slightly productive. Levitate fucked around with this message at 20:37 on Mar 15, 2011 |
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Mar 15, 2011 20:11
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^^^^ See this post? This is a good post on the subject. Even if the person doesn't take the advice this was a good post. I like it. Thumbs up.
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Mar 15, 2011 20:57
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From previous posts his dogs were crate trained at some point he apparently just doesn't like crating them during the day
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Mar 16, 2011 01:43
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Elijya posted:What could be causing this behavior He's a cat quote:and how can I make him stop? He's a cat
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Apr 1, 2011 20:00
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I need to start planning some upcoming travel, and we'll probably have to board our dog during that time. What do people usually look for in a boarding place? Any warning signs I should look out for?
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May 10, 2011 19:14
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