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Topics - lulu

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General Board for Big Dogs with Big Paws / Is it impossible...?
« on: March 29, 2007, 11:34:32 am »
 okay, all you dog owners out there, is it utterly impossible to have a nice yard (GRASS!) and also have big paws? Because if there is someway to have both, i have yet to find it. after seeding every spring/fall for several years, hubby and i decided to sod the backyard last fall. it was pretty expensive, but it was WONDERFUL to have pretty, green grass and not just dirt/mud. unfortunately, and not to anyones surprise, it did not last long. first, all the dogs peeing burned up the grass, and their running and trampling killed the rest.
 we have gotten so much rain here lately and our backyard is a disgusting and embarrassing mess. the mud problem is totally stressing me out and i am constantly trying to clean up their mess when they come inside.
  so, has anyone here managed to have both a nice yard with grass and also big paws? if so, whats your secret? and if not, then how do you all deal with the mud problem when it rains?????
 im trying to talk hubby into sodding the yard again, but he thinks it would just be a waste of money. but i dont care, im desperate!
 Leah

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Behavior, Housebreaking, Obedience / I am seriously considering...
« on: March 28, 2007, 06:30:57 am »
  okay, well, ive written previously about the problems i am having with my puppers. me and hubby tried to take all 3 dogs on a walk last night and it was a disaster. it reminded me why we dont take them on walks more often. they are h*ll on leashes. even cooper with his no-pull harness manages to drag my butt down the block.
  has anyone ever sent their dog off to a trainer for a couple weeks to be trained??? we have this place here in town that offers all kinds of training options and one of them is "in-house" training where you send your dog there for 2-3 weeks. here is the link to their website

http://www.chisholmcreekkennels.com/obedience_training.html

it is a very well known place here, and is very highly recommened by vets, by the woman who owns the petshop where i buy dog food, and by multiple strangers i have met while walking my unruly pups. i am starting to SERIOUSLY consider it for sophie and dasher. cooper has had 2 levels of obedience at petsmart, and though he is far from where i want him to be, i dont believe that he needs something quite so intensive. the same place offers regular group obedience classes, which is all i think cooper needs.
 the "in- house" training  is pretty expensive but in the long run i think it would be well worth it. sophie is a stray that i found about 6 or so months ago and has no training and is probably a couple years old and she has NO manners whatsoever. i think i know why she was on the street!
  so...what do you guys think?
 Leah

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General Board for Big Dogs with Big Paws / multiple dog drama
« on: March 27, 2007, 07:17:34 am »
 I posted the other day about having a "bad dog day", well, im sorry to say that it is turning into a bad dog WEEK. for one thing, it has been soooo dreadfully rainy for the last week, and thanks to the dogs endless digging, our back yard is a muddy mess. and everytime they come inside from going potty, that muddy mess gets into the house no matter how much i clean their feet. Also, sophie ate hubbies computer wire and he is less than thrilled. he really got super mad and was talking about wanting to get rid of her,and how he has never liked her, blah blah blah. and she is also still tearing wallpaper offin our kitchen every second our eyes are turned.
 i am feeling very frustrated and think i might strangle all 3 dogs and hubby too at any moment.
 there are some things that i know my dogs need :
 more exercise. longer, more frequent walks.
 and more more more training.
i am finding it very difficult to train multiples though. do you guys try to train all your dogs together or do you do it seperately? my dogs listen pretty well when they are alone but when they are all together it is just a mess and they dont listen. if one of them is in a room and tries to chase a cat,we can get them to "leave it" but if its all three in a room, it is just out of control. same thing for jumping up on people.  i am just feeling overwhelmed and i feel like i am doing everything wrong with these dogs.
 so, any advice, encouragement, anything??? im desperate!
  Leah

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General Board for Big Dogs with Big Paws / my smart little man
« on: March 23, 2007, 05:42:04 am »
 Im so proud of Dasher. he has done amazingly well with potty training ever since we got him. he is soooo smart. he hasnt had any accidents in the house in a long time, but he just recently started going to the door and sitting and whining when he needs out. yay!
i havent posted any pics for a while but he is getting so big. last time i weighed him he was 45 pounds. bigger than my girl sophie, but sophie doesnt seem to notice or care. lol
all the puppers are getting a long very well. Dasher seems to think cooper is his daddy. he always wants to be right with him and cuddle him. and he still walks all over cooper, laying on top of him and everything even though now hes a bit big to do that but cooper doesnt seem to mind.
i'll try to take some new pics this weekend of the gang
Leah

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General Board for Big Dogs with Big Paws / Bad Dog day
« on: March 21, 2007, 09:40:10 am »
 Sorry, but I just need to vent a bit. my dogs are driving me mad lately! i walked into the kitchen and saw that they were chewing on some paper. and then i realized that it was the wallpaper they had chewed off the wall!!! i have my suspicions about who the instigator was *ahem Sophie*. it seems like all they have been doing lately is tearing things up. and hubby has about had it. and so have i! i thought confining them in the kitchen was a good idea bcos i didnt think there was anything they could tear up, i never even dreamed that they would go after the wallpaper!  i love love love all my puppers but sometimes...i daydream about what a dogless life would be like -- nothing torn up, no holes covering the yard, no dog hair...
Leah

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General Board for Big Dogs with Big Paws / Petsmart disaster
« on: February 10, 2007, 10:08:43 pm »
 So, tonight we thought it would be fun to take all 3 dogs to Petsmart. This was Dasher's first time going since we got him a couple weeks ago. When we arrive at Petsmart, my husband was supposed to take Sophie and Cooper's leashes, and I was going to take Dasher, since I thought he might be a little scared. When we are getting out of the car, i help Dasher out, thinking that hubby has the other 2. Wrong! Sophie escapes out my door, and i have to dive to the ground (in puddles of water, I might add) to grab her leash. So, we proceed inside, and all the dogs leashes keep getting tangled up. While rounding a corner, Sophie and her leash manage to knock over an entire display of toys. A little while later, Sophie manages to pull her leash out of my hand while i am busy trying to untangle her and Dasher's leashes. Sophie takes off running across the store and we have to hunt her down. After all that, we are about fed up and decide to head for the car as quickly as possible, lol.
The lesson learned - 3 dogs is a lot to take to Petsmart all together! ;D
So, it wasnt quite the uneventful, fun outing that i had hoped it would be. But on a postive note, Dasher did really well and wasnt nervous at all. He just wanted to follow his brother and sister around.
Leah

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General Board for Big Dogs with Big Paws / Growing like a weed
« on: February 09, 2007, 04:07:24 pm »
 Just got back from taking Dasher to the vet for his second round of shots. While there, we weighed him and he is up to 23 pounds. when we got him 2 weeks ago, he was 10 weeks and 17 pounds. so, he has already gained 6 pounds! i cant believe it. hes still really skinny, but he is getting taller every second it seems!
Leah

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Groans, Gripes, Brags & Boasts / are you kidding me???
« on: February 07, 2007, 09:39:30 pm »
Omigod, i did a search on the web for great dane/lab mixes, because that is what Dasher is and i was hoping to find some pics of dogs like him so i could get a better idea of what he might look like and how big he might get. well, i came across information on "labradanes", a lab/great dane hybrid. how ridiculous! all these hybrids *ahem* mutts, are just getting out of hand. i mean, dont we have toooooo many animals in shelters and without homes to be intentionally breeding mutts??? it is really absurd and annoying to me.i had never heard of a "labradane" before -but it turns out i have one, lol. but mine was a rescue and im quite sure unintentional. i just cant believe all these mixed breeds that are gaining popularity. will it ever end???

Leah

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Medical Conditions & Diseases / sick fur-kids
« on: February 07, 2007, 01:55:32 pm »
 Sophie had been "coughing" for a couple days, on and off, so i took her to the vet, and she has a chest cold. she is taking some meds for it. later that day, i noticed that my cat, cleo started sneezing, and today she is still sneezing, so i am thinking that she probably has a cold as well. the vet said that a lot of animals have been getting colds this season. so far none of my other furries are showing any symptoms, and i am *hoping* that it stays that way. i have 3 cats and 3 dogs, so if they all get sick, that will get pretty expensive! poor babies.
Leah

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Group Discussions & Photos / Now that I know how...
« on: February 03, 2007, 08:14:05 pm »
 Now that I know how to post pics, I just cant stop ;D Here are some more pics of my babies. I was asked how Dasher is doing with my kitties...well, i think one of these pics answers that question, lol.
 Leah
















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Medical Conditions & Diseases / Pink eye?
« on: February 02, 2007, 09:47:46 pm »
 I just noticed that Dasher's eyes (the whites of his eyes) are getting pretty pink. what does that mean? is that a sign of him being sick? ive never seen it any of my other dogs. hes acting fine. doesnt act sick or anything. and there isnt any drainage or anything coming out of his eyes. do i need to take him to the vet to get it checked out? any ideas?
 thanks, Leah

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Group Discussions & Photos / and some more...
« on: February 02, 2007, 11:29:24 am »
 I hope you arent getting tired of all the pics! here are some more of my gang. and hopefully, i posted the pics right this time so they show up!  ;D Leah

















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General Board for Big Dogs with Big Paws / for your enjoyment
« on: February 01, 2007, 11:51:29 pm »
 Here are a couple more pics of my furkids, including 2 of my kitties. I havent taken a whole lot of Dasher yet, but i will try to take some this weekend and post them.
Enjoy ;D Leah














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Behavior, Housebreaking, Obedience / Should I be worried?
« on: February 01, 2007, 02:51:18 pm »
 I am a little worried about Dasher's behavior. When playing with my other dogs, he barks and growls at them a lot. not all the time, but a lot of the time. I have had someone make the comment, is he going to be mean when he grows up? he can sound pretty ferocious (sp?) and shows his teeth. i have read somewhere that barking and growling in a young puppy (Dasher is almostt 11 wks) shouldnt be considered a sign of aggression, but that it just means they havent learned to play appropriately yet. is that true? should i be worried over this behavior? will he grow out of it as he gets older and learns how to play appropriately with other dogs? its worth mentioning that he doesnt bark or growl at any other time other than when hes playing with other dogs. hes very sweet and cuddly, i can take his toys or bones or food away from him with no problems. any advice or opinions would really be appreciated. thanks, Leah

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Collars, crates, & other cool things / what kinds of toys?
« on: February 01, 2007, 02:36:03 pm »
  What kinds of toys do you give to your big paws? my golden retriever is so destructive with toys and never seems to have them for more than an hour before he rips them to shreds. we recently bought a toy that had a guarantee, but we got it home and it was torn up within an hour so we took it back to petsmart and a nice woman who worked there recommended a couple other toys to try so we bought one of them, and again, it was destroyed within an hour. so, we are going to take it back, but i was just wondering, are there any toys that are virtually indestructable, because i have yet to come across any. my dogs love love love toys and i want to find some that they can enjoy for longer than an hour. it seems if mankind can walk on the moon than surely we can invent a toy that a dog can not desttroy! lol.
 Leah

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