I adopted a puppy, then they wanted it back! It's cute! I'm Venting..
nicole___
15 days ago
last modified: 15 days ago
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nicole___
14 days agolast modified: 14 days agoRelated Discussions
I'm back -- with problems
Comments (13)If your way of "expressing anger" is to slam things around and make noise in your apartment, it shouldn't be that surprising that your neighbor might want to remain anonymous instead of confronting you directly about your dog. Not everyone is reasonable about stuff like this. I realize what a drag it must be to hear other people making noise and then have THEM report you, but it would make more sense to figure out why your dog is barking when you aren't home. Is there a way you could try to find out when he is barking? Maybe someone is letting their cat roam around outside your door in the hallway? Or perhaps he is still adjusting to his new space and/or might just be lonely. I knew a woman who got a puppy. She was gone all day so she got an answering machine that had a built in intercom. She would call everyday from work, several times a day and listen in to see if he was making noise. She was able to talk to him to. This helped and let her know if he was being noisy or not. We used to have a dog that would howl all day and scratch at the door until we got him a buddy. Quiet as a lamb after that. Sometimes a little company is all they need. You might also try leaving the radio on for him or arrange for a relative or friend to drop in and say hi now and again. Perhaps some type of doggie day care would be in order?! Even just one or two days a week to break up his "routine"....See MorePuppies are exceptionally cute tonight!
Comments (29)No potty training going on here. There's three feet of snow out there. Even if I were to attempt I'm sure the puppy-wuppies would be most unhappy...too unhappy to do their business, you know? They are Bearded Collie dogs. Tuffy is part Bearded Collie. Gabby's mother was Tuffy's full sister so Gabby is 1/4 bearded collie. Gabby is Mom to the puppies. Daddy to the Puppies is Whiskers. He and Tuffy are full brother and sister. These puppies are especially special Bearded Collies because their grandpa times three? four? was a famous Rodeo Dog named Hairy the Rodeo Dog. (this is a Dave Stoeklein photo). Harry traveled all over Idaho, Utah and Wyoming with a rodeo company. I can track these puppies back three generations. I know where they came from. My Dad had Harry's daughter, Top. Top was bred to a border collie named Tip and they had, among others, Tuffy, Afton (Gabby's Mom) and Whiskers. Cool, no? Holly AKA Achmed the Terrorist AKA Holbert AKA Holly Buns can't stand the puppies. She is certain they are taking her rightful place in the family and nothing I say will convince her otherwise. She is very jealous and somewhat afraid of them. Ruby doesn't care one way or another as long as she has her heating pads and a scoop of catfood with her senior citizens chow every day. I got Ruby the same day Jesse started first grade. Jesse is almost twenty one now and was six at the time. Ruby is almost fifteen years old. I keep waiting for her to go downhill but she's kind of at a plateau. In fact, I've justified getting the last three dogs on the basis that 'Ruby is getting old and will be passing away soon...' She's sure fooled me, huh? She also loves her ball, the front deck in the morning and barking at birds.She especially hates the ugly black birds that fly in and steal her dog food from her dish. Someday she WILL catch one and then they'll be sorry! She is a happy dog. Incontinent but happy. So happy she sometimes does not know the cats are sharing her heating pad. We don't tell her when this happens as it would upset her because, you see, she really doesn't like cats. LOL Lori...See MoreAdopted Shih Tzu privately, came from puppy mill
Comments (9)My four and a half month old Shih Tzu is nothing like the dogs listed here: she is a very sweet natured dog, wants to please, wants to play and I make very sure that she gets a good, running type of exercise twice a day, every day - be it throwing a small ball down the long hallway so that she can chase after it and bring it back for about 20 minutes, or a good run in the back yard on a leash, or taking her for a good brisk walk in the neighborhood if weather permits - taking that walk is very important as these dogs need the mental stimulation of seeing different things and meeting different people on a regular basis. I don't find her to be yappy at all because I didn't allow for barking from the minute we brought her home - just told her "no" firmly and she caught on right away. She isn't manipulative at all, she seems to be willing and eager to please. She is very affectionate and I'm careful not to walk around holding her. She gets held when I'm sitting down and only when I allow her into my lap - several times a day but not all the time when I sit down. I decide when she will be held and she knows not to assume that when I sit she gets held. She plays with her toys, she ever chews on anything but her toys, she eats well and sleeps well, is a calm dog and is now completely potty trained. On the potty training, the key is to keep an eye on your dog - remember these dogs are very tiny and therefore have very tiny bladders. They need to be taken out very, very frequently. She will poop about an hour and a half after her meal and if I'm not paying attention and she urinates or poops in the house, it's my fault because she goes to the slider whenever she needs to go - it's my job to see her there and take her out. I never make a big deal if she goes in the house, I don't even comment upon it. It's a rare thing when she does and it's my fault if she has, so why would I comment - her bladder and bowels are very small, I can't expect her to hold it indefinitely until I get the clue that she is sitting right at that door for a reason. I don't work, so this is not a problem - and I rarely miss her signal that she has to go outside. She is cheerful, affectionate unless I want to be mushy and hold/kiss on her for too long a period of time and then she lets me know *enough!* as she wants to play with her toys. She wants to please, is very easily pleased and is calm and easy going with a distinct and affable personality. I don't know that I have an exceptional shih tzu, as her personality is pretty much like the personalities of those I know who have one. I think good training and educcating yourself about this breed along with the helpful tips to avoid ending up with a problem dog is something to keep in mind. Everything I have ever read has stated to be careful about designing a diva from your puppy - it happens fast and easily if you allow it. You are the alpha and the dog needs to understand and accept that fact right from the start. I can't really recall ever even raising my voice towards my dog - I will say "no!" firmly and quickly remove her from the place where she is doing whatever it is I object to, and that is how I handled the barking - just said "no!" and handed her a chew toy. She is a smart dog, she got the message within just a few objections and now she very rarely ever barks. She has always gotten along perfectly with my old yellow female lab - she knows when she is bothering the old dog and will leave her alone then, she understands that in the ranking, she is on the bottom of the ladder but is top dog for affection - she is very affectionate to all around her and is completely charming to family, friends and strangers. She is a very likeable dog. She is priceless - a wonderful little companion. She understands that I am the boss, she is not, and she is fine with it because that is how it was from the day she came into this house at exactly 12 weeks of age. She is content with her ranking and content with her family and home....See MoreVent - dog adoption
Comments (79)Trupanion does. I agree, besides your new puppy, pet insurance will be another new best friend. I'm not sure if Trupanion is available in your neck of the woods, but if it or something similar is available, it would behoove you to check into it. Also, I didn't know this but when I picked up our lab from daycare today, I noticed a sign from the groomer that said, "dematting fees will now be charged effective immediately".. I know the groomer, he's extremely giving and layed back, so I inquired, "is J**** getting a lot of dogs in need of dematting?" She replied oh yea! It's the Doodles, they all come in so matted up and it takes hours to comb out because their owners don't want them shaved". I didn't know that about them, but their fur is so cute and curly it makes sense. We use a Kong Brush, it's all rubber and is perfect for lab hair but I'm not sure if it's the right tool for a cute little doodle. The picture of those puppies is precious. I don't know how you can stand waiting. I'm a complete and total sucker for puppies! When I need a fix, I sit and watch the puppy cam on Animal Planet with our dog!. LOL...See Morenicole___
14 days agolast modified: 14 days agonicole___
14 days agonicole___
14 days agolast modified: 14 days agonicole___
14 days agonicole___
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11 days ago
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cyn427 (z. 7, N. VA)