The Dog Thread

[swingdjted]

I've searched. No real good examples of a decent dog thread, and we need one.

Here we post dogs. Yours, someone else's, or anything else dog related.

Here's one of mine while visiting my parents' house. Right around 1:50 he's really acting odd.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=npN9fUTW4LM

He likes to smile in an odd way.

[dlichterman]

Max!







See more max: http://www.flickr.com/photos/dlichterman/tags/max/

[Widdykats]

^

psst. Have a puppy
Nice dogs, doods!♥

[fc*uk]

Meet Zoe, whom was chasing waves in Lake Michigan when this was taken.

[swingdjted]

Thanks for the submissions - great looking dogs.

Azor is crazy enough that I have to use that same collar. The problem is that I think his neck has grown so used to it that it doesn't seem to affect him anymore. Here's a pic before he got it which would explain why I had to get it:



And after:



For those not familiar - it seems like the most inhumane thing to do - the collar has two metal tines per inch throughout almost all the circumference of the collar that stick straight into the neck if the dog pulls too tight. It was very effective at first, but he can now pull just as hard without it seeming to hurt him at all.

@ widdy...


CATS?

[Wildrose-Wally]

[aFfLiCtEd]

My dogs can beat up your dogs anyday!
Two warlock Dobies and a Min-Pin.
Zeus, Duke & Rocky

[Warrior of the Light]

He's been dead for about two years now, but this has been my best friend for 12 years

[jtbse]

Got all sides covered.....




And one I like to call "The Ninja"

[swingdjted]

The posts above are (to use internet lingo) made of win. Especially W-W's.

This is an extremely rare picture - he's usually very difficult to find while both awake and still. Usually when awake he's got some sort of hyperactivity disorder (along with the previously documented fear of baloons). Let's just say that he's "special"... It's hard to understand the attachment between man and mutt (both often derogatory terms). You have to give him credit though - he made it longer than I did that day.

I find it hard to believe after a long day of running all over the place that he was still willing to rest his head on my socks.

Perhaps later I'll post the other dysfunctional yet lovable dogs in the clan.

[rockouthippie]

Originally posted by swingdjted
The problem is that I think his neck has grown so used to it that it doesn't seem to affect him anymore.

Yep, that's because those training collars are a stupid waste of time only to be used if you are a weak and only for training, not for your daily walkies. I wouldn't use them at all but I think if you consider using them that whether you use them would be inversely proportional to how cooperative the dog is.

Pain doesn't teach a dog anything.

You look stout enough to be able to restrain the dog with a nylon collar. Buy a strong one. The teeth sticking into his neck is only going to distract him from what you have to teach him. I've noticed it also makes the dogs more hyper. Getting steel spikes jammed into your neck would probably make you more hyper too. Toss the choke collar. Train the dog.

I have always had big dogs (for 40 years) and I've only found one method of lead training that will work. Among dogs I've trained this way were a 160 lb. Great Dane, 100lb. Daisy, a 130lb. German shepherd and a big, big Rotty named Kang. You'll want to load up an ipod, because you are going to get really bored. It will be worth a few hours to have a dog that won't drag you. Being dragged is one of my pet peeves and I have gotten all of my dogs to not drag me when tied to my belt.

Plan on spending an hour a day for 4 days. At the end of that you will be pretty close. No one else should walk the dog during that time. You must be absolutely consistent. That's important when training a dog to do anything.

Hook the dog up and get away from your door. Dogs are a little weird about doors. When the dog pulls you, stop the dog, sit the dog and sit down with the dog. Talk to the dog and explain repeatedly "You were "PULLIN!", we can't go... SIT". You should pet the dog too. The idea is that you are trying to teach the dog the meaning of the word "PULLIN" and that "PULLIN" means that we can't go. Wait a clocked 2 minutes. Go again.

The deal here is that the dog will always want to explore. "PULLIN" will only result in getting sitted. The dog will figure it out pretty quick.

It may take you the whole hour to get 100 feet. Those are the breaks. After the hour turn the dog loose in the yard. After 3 or 4 sessions you will have a dog that will walk nice. A somewhat automatic side effect is that when you stop on a walk and tug the leash, the dog will automatically sit. Don't ask me why. Another side effect is that training like this will teach the dog to calm down. You might like that part since you mentioned it.

You can employ the same training technique with "HEEL" when you get "PULLIN" down. When heeling the dog should be on your left and slightly in front of you. A dog will understand "wrong side" Surprisingly they can tell left from right. I use "GO PLAY" as the release command from heel.

Then you have to train the dog's people to use what you taught the dog.

If you get heel down and the dog is by disposition calm enough, you won't need a leash at all. Daisy will heel with no leash. The big rotty I had would. The German Shepherd was too hype, but would still walk nice on a lead.

The only way this will not work is if you don't do it. I always have well behaved dogs and people look at me like it's some kind of miracle. I tell them how and then they don't do it.

A happy dog is a well trained dog. You really owe it to them to train them well.

At 14 weeks, with various techniques, I always have a dog that won't pull, won't shit, won't pee, mostly won't chew stuff up. You do unfortunately have to realize that they aren't grown up until they are 2 years old, where you get the real benefit of how well you trained them.

I personally like going to the farmers market with Daisy tied to my waist and being able to hold a hot espresso without wearing it.

When you get your lead training down, public places are a good thing for dogs. It gives them confidence and they won't be so wary of strangers. Don't worry. They still stay protective enough.

[img]http://retrovision****wp-content/uploads/100_2060a.JPG[/img]
[img]http://retrovision****wp-content/uploads/100_2814.JPG[/img]
[img]http://retrovision****wp-content/uploads/100_2767.JPG[/img]

Always remember:

For at least 10,000 years your pooch has been raised by people, bred by people and customized to be your pal.

There is nothing more that your dog wants to do than please you. It's bred into them.


Your main problem in training any dog is to get them calm enough so that you can talk to them. They'll understand at least 100 words and be your pal then. They are autistic. It's an important to remember that. You can yell at them, but you always have to be sure they know what you're doing that for.

He's been dead for about two years now

Aw! That's too long to be without a pooch. I've never been able to be w/o a pooch for more than 6 months.

My dogs can beat up your dogs anyday!

Nice dobies. Uncropped is good.

[swingdjted]

^I had never seen the middle pic. Daisy looks like she's a good healthy dog. Azor is a lot different from the others and is the only one of the dogs that needs a leash. The rest just seem to stay with me without.

I've never really had to train dogs before because they usually learn from the older dogs how to 'stick around' and not cause trouble. Although all have good hunting ability and have helped me get dinner many times, Azor takes it to the next level - he has instincts that will make him chase a scent of a rabbit (away from me) even if I hold a steak and beg him to come to me. He just doesn't cooperate if he's on a scent, which is why I've always had the leash. I only set him completely free with the other dogs about 1-2 times a week, because if I lose him, I'll lose him for a couple days before he'll come back. I like to do it on weekend afternoons, but I have to very much limit his food the day before/day of, so that he will come back for food the same day. This is very characteristic of a coon-hound, which is likely the predominant breed in his mutt mix.

The other 2 dogs (lab/golden retriever mix and some kind of shepherd mix) seem to do everything Renee and I tell them to do, without ever going through any real training. I only tie them to me when I go to the vet or somewhere where leashes are required. They're mostly calm around people unless someone intentionally gets them wound up. I think it's mostly a breed thing - Azor just isn't bred to be an obedient pet, while the others are and have no trouble with it. It doesn't bother me too much that he pulls - he eventually backs off, although if I had all three pulling like that, I wouldn't have to walk.

Of the three, Azor's clearly the fastest runner (can keep up with my fastest bicycling in the mid 30's mph range), the most stealthy hunter (you might not even need a gun - he can get very close to wild animals without being noticed and then sometimes be able to run and catch them), but yet he's the least obedient and displays the strangest quirks of the dogs. He's the oldest and smallest too (5 years, 65 pounds). If you pat him while he's sleeping, you run the risk of catching him mid-nightmare and he'll jump to his aggressive stance and bark/growl for a few seconds until he realizes that it's just a regular person in the middle of a living room, and then he'll lick your hand. He once got loose from Renee's leash hold and charged/violently attacked/shredded a huge 15 foot tall blow-up Jerome Bettis (football player) figure that was displayed on game day outside my neighbors house, which is fine, because I've never been a fan of the Pittsburgh Steelers, except that I made myself buy a replacement despite that. All this and I've never had anything in the house damaged by him - he just doesn't like things he's not used to I guess.

[rockouthippie]

Originally posted by swingdjted
If you pat him while he's sleeping, you run the risk of catching him mid-nightmare and he'll jump to his aggressive stance and bark/growl

It's too late... but .... They say "let sleeping dogs lie". I wake puppies up a lot... just because of that. I don't want some kid waking the dog up and getting nailed.... or getting bit because I stepped on em accidentally.

Daisy isn't immune to weird behavior either. One of her pet peeves is cordless power tools. If I leave a cordless screwdriver lying around she will KILL it A LOT!

I have managed to discourage her from killing the lawnmower and vacuum cleaner, but if it rolls or makes engine noises ... caution is indicated...

Azor and inflatables... hmmm... I think it's funny what will set them off sometimes. I call this "Dog logic". They do think, it seems like the smartest ones get the weirdest ideas though

Daisy is 8 on Halloween (I don't really know her *exact birthday because she was a pound puppy). Halloween is close.

The vet said she could pass for 5 despite her AIHA. It's sorta funny, only at certain angles or if she's pissed or sprawled out on my bed does she really look as big (94 pounds) as she is. Being that size, she is probably the least clumsy dog I've ever had. Unlikely to clear a table with her tail etc. My other rotty was pretty good in the house too.

I am really a Rottweiler fan. They are mostly calm, halfway smart and easier to train than a lot of breeds. I've never run into that reputation for being killers that they've earned with being a leading cause of dog vs. human fatalities.

On the other hand, I never really went out of my way to piss one off I think a lot of people that own Rotty's and pit bulls make a big mistake in thinking that they need to teach the dogs to be aggressive. If you teach them to be sweet oaf's, aggressive will come up appropriately.

[Warrior of the Light]

RoH: My parents bought a new dog a few months later. I only have photo's of the new dog from when he was still a puppy, but nothing recent, here it is:

Note that he's about 1.5 - 2 years old now

I have two cats myself. I just don't have good pictures of them together (yet).

[Widdykats]

^That's adorable, twice!♥
Great photos, all.
Train-Main..That's Choice!