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[CrankyJay]

Crap...so...any other dog owners with a large breed dog have them tear one of their cruciate ligaments?

My 4 year old lab was running around the yard like a madman and we didn't see what happened, but after he rounded the corner of the house he came up limping and couldn't bear any weight on his hind leg.

I took him to the vet and they did some movement tests and the doc says he tore or completely ruptured his cruciate ligament and would like to get him in for surgery as soon as we can.

I wanted to read up on it and be informed before just saying yes (and talk to my wife)...we're obviously going to do it, the surgery is $2500-2700, but I'm super concerned about him in recovery since he's a pretty active/hyper dog at times, so I'm afraid I might be flushing all that money down the toilet if he can't remain calm during recovery and re-tear it.

 

[iLLmAtlc]

hey guys my sister is bringing her 6 month old maltese and poodle mix to stay at my place for the next week. she normally just leaves her alone in the washroom while she goes to work and she told me to do the same. if i go and take her out to walk once in the afternoon would that mess her routine up? or is it best that I just leave her alone during the day like my sister said? i asked her about the walk thing but she said she doesnt know if it'll mess her routine up.

 

[Massa]

hey guys my sister is bringing her 6 month old maltese and poodle mix to stay at my place for the next week. she normally just leaves her alone in the washroom while she goes to work and she told me to do the same. if i go and take her out to walk once in the afternoon would that mess her routine up? or is it best that I just leave her alone during the day like my sister said? i asked her about the walk thing but she said she doesnt know if it'll mess her routine up.

You should definitely walk her, she'll love it and be more relaxed at home.

 

[Socreges]

The bathroom? Is getting some cheap wooden panels to act as blockades an option so as to give the dog more space? ? We've got our guy penned up in the kitchen/lobby (carpetless and hard for him to get into trouble) when we're both out.

 

[Socreges]

So we got our dog a few months ago and have put a lot of time and effort and money and training into him since. He came as a 5-month old rescue with zero training experience (didn't even know what 'sit' was) and has made amazing progress. 3.5 months later and he now knows 'sit', 'stay', 'down', 'come', 'shake a paw', and 'roll over'.

Some challenges remain...

- Whenever he sees another dog, he has to play with them. Nothing else matters. And regardless of the size, he plays the same way: jumps on them. He has no restraint and it requires the other dog telling him to fuck off (growling or snapping). Even then he doesn't always take the hint. Sometimes the other dog is just as into it, but we want him to be able to read the signs much more quickly. Plus not jump on dogs 1/3 his size.

- His recall needs some work. We use 'come' only when we know he'll respond and almost always give him a treat or affection for coming right up to us. The problem is that our incentives can't compete with another dog or even an interesting stick. He tunes us out.

- He's starting to bark more and more. Mostly when he's frustrated or wants something (attention or to go outside). When I give him time outs, he tries to make a game of it and sometimes even continues to bark (while in a timeout). Should we just ignore him and hope that over time, if barking elicits no response from us, he'd quit doing it?

Any suggestions would be appreciated. We've taken him to puppy class, but it was just one 'expert' doling out the advice.

 

[blainethemono]

Crap...so...any other dog owners with a large breed dog have them tear one of their cruciate ligaments?

My 4 year old lab was running around the yard like a madman and we didn't see what happened, but after he rounded the corner of the house he came up limping and couldn't bear any weight on his hind leg.

I took him to the vet and they did some movement tests and the doc says he tore or completely ruptured his cruciate ligament and would like to get him in for surgery as soon as we can.

I wanted to read up on it and be informed before just saying yes (and talk to my wife)...we're obviously going to do it, the surgery is $2500-2700, but I'm super concerned about him in recovery since he's a pretty active/hyper dog at times, so I'm afraid I might be flushing all that money down the toilet if he can't remain calm during recovery and re-tear it.

My american bulldog tore both her rear leg ACLs at the same time a few years ago. Most likely from being overweight and being too active, but she also has hip dysplasia. Had to get TPLO surgery done on both of her knees. Then one day she started limping around again and we took her back in and they said she might have dislocated her knee again or some shit, so they took her back in for surgery and opened her up but found nothing wrong.

She's fine now but she takes tramadol and some other medications every day. Just have to make sure she doesn't run and jump around too much but otherwise she seems pretty happy so that's pretty much all I can hope for right now

Rehabilitation was a slow process but it wasn't too bad. But we also had enough people in the house to watch her 24/7. They gave us a sling to keep under her hips to support her when we took her outside too. If it's only one of the legs I imagine it'd be a little easier but I don't really know

 

[Hung Wei Lo]

So we got our dog a few months ago and have put a lot of time and effort and money and training into him since. He came as a 5-month old rescue with zero training experience (didn't even know what 'sit' was) and has made amazing progress. 3.5 months later and he now knows 'sit', 'stay', 'down', 'come', 'shake a paw', and 'roll over'.

Some challenges remain...

- Whenever he sees another dog, he has to play with them. Nothing else matters. And regardless of the size, he plays the same way: jumps on them. He has no restraint and it requires the other dog telling him to fuck off (growling or snapping). Even then he doesn't always take the hint. Sometimes the other dog is just as into it, but we want him to be able to read the signs much more quickly. Plus not jump on dogs 1/3 his size.

- His recall needs some work. We use 'come' only when we know he'll respond and almost always give him a treat or affection for coming right up to us. The problem is that our incentives can't compete with another dog or even an interesting stick. He tunes us out.

- He's starting to bark more and more. Mostly when he's frustrated or wants something (attention or to go outside). When I give him time outs, he tries to make a game of it and sometimes even continues to bark (while in a timeout). Should we just ignore him and hope that over time, if barking elicits no response from us, he'd quit doing it?

Any suggestions would be appreciated. We've taken him to puppy class, but it was just one 'expert' doling out the advice.

Sounds exactly like my rescue - so I'm curious about advice from fellow GAFfers...I'd like to add that he's becoming quite territorial. He barks at any and everything that comes within 30 feet of the house

 

[The Albatross]

I posted months ago that my dog would need surgery on his luxating patella. 2 1/2 year old Boston Terrier. He got the surgery on Oct 1, and happy to say the pooch is doing very well. Within like 2 days he was wanting to rip roar around the backyard with his bad leg just "held up" in the air. He did just fine and now he's really starting to walk/run on it better after really not using it for at least a solid month. He's got a bad ass scar to boot and is pretty much as good as new 90% of the time. Only times he really limps/favors his leg are when he gets up from sleeping or a long nap.

 

[CrankyJay]

My american bulldog tore both her rear leg ACLs at the same time a few years ago. Most likely from being overweight and being too active, but she also has hip dysplasia. Had to get TPLO surgery done on both of her knees. Then one day she started limping around again and we took her back in and they said she might have dislocated her knee again or some shit, so they took her back in for surgery and opened her up but found nothing wrong.

She's fine now but she takes tramadol and some other medications every day. Just have to make sure she doesn't run and jump around too much but otherwise she seems pretty happy so that's pretty much all I can hope for right now



Rehabilitation was a slow process but it wasn't too bad. But we also had enough people in the house to watch her 24/7. They gave us a sling to keep under her hips to support her when we took her outside too. If it's only one of the legs I imagine it'd be a little easier but I don't really know

Thanks man...

Unfortunately we don't have the 24/7 support.

He is a week removed from surgery and already bearing good weight on the leg. He didn't get TPLO...forgot what it was but it was basically medical grade fishing twine that the muscle develops around.

Needless to say keeping him calm and off stairs or jumping has been a challenge. Yesterday was the first day we had to leave him at home unsupervised, so I gated him in our dining room with his cone on. I came home after 4 hours during lunch only to have the bozo greet me at the garage door, lol.

To do this he had to knock a gate over and had to jump over a small children's plush chair and go down 2 stairs....I'm paranoid now that he could have tore his artificial ligament but I know that's probably not the case.

He's going in for his first laser therapy and massage rehab treatment this afternoon so I'll have to ask about that.

It's tough because right now we have a 1 year old not sleeping and we have to keep him downstairs at night because taking him up and down the stairs would be too dangerous. Right now to get him down the 2 stairs I just wrap a towel until his hind legs and he uses his front to get down.

But every day I see improvement with our leg rotations and icing and short walks.

 

[BeFlatLine]

We have 3 canine fur kids.

Hiro - German Shepherd Dog
Valentina - Pit Bull (Foster dog)
Luna - Looks like an eternally young GSD . . . but is actually a mutt. Mix of chow chow, basenji, dachshund, and a couple other breeds.

Hiro is my best friend. My wife understands that if it ever came down to her or him, she'd lose. He helped me through my cancer treatments, and I helped him through his medical issues. As a result, we are bonded and I would never give him up. Even if it means she goes.

Luckily, she's a bright lady and knows not to get between a man and his dog I love the other 2 also, but Hiro is my bonded boy.

 

[Red]

Didn't want to start a new thread, but I have an issue I wanted to ask about.

My parents had three dogs. Two toy poodles and a german shepherd. The older of the poodles was nine years old to the day, the younger is seven, and the shepherd is two. The shepherd grew up with the poodles and is generally calm.

Tonight at around 6:30 pm I received a text from my mom saying that the shepherd had killed one of the poodles. I went over and found my dad covered in blood, the poodle dripping dark-red, and the shepherd licking its lips. It was almost certainly dead: it was not bleeding, and I was told it had initially been spurting blood. His body stayed warm for hours, but we couldn't find a pulse or feel a breath, so we boxed him up to be buried.

The injury was a pinprick compared to the amount of blood, a maybe-one-centimeter puncture behind his left ear, at the base of his skull. They had both been anticipating food when the poodle barked, and the shepherd snapped at him.

They are trying to figure out now what to do with the shepherd. They don't want to put her down, and I'd like to think that there is another option, but I can't think of a situation where she gets out of this okay. Who would want her knowing she's killed another dog? Has anyone dealt with something like this before? What is the proper etiquette?

It's a surreal situation. I've been telling my parents for months it's a gamble to keep those dogs together, and I hold them at least partly responsible, but this has happened so fast and the poodle was in my family so long it feels unreal. I've been trying to wash the scent of gore off my hands for hours. It's nuts that such a small injury could be so grievous. There was blood everywhere. It looked like his head had been lopped off.

What do you do? Put down an otherwise tame dog? To me, "otherwise tame" is exception enough to consider it, but I don't know.

 

[DonMigs85]

Sounds like a freak accident, and I guess toy dogs are more susceptible to seemingly minor wounds ?
I don't think I would put down the shepherd if she's generally friendly to people and other dogs.

 

[Red]

Sounds like a freak accident, and I guess toy dogs are more susceptible to seemingly minor wounds ?
I don't think I would put down the shepherd if she's generally friendly to people and other dogs.

She's nipped at him before, and she gets aggressive with strangers. She's never bitten anyone but she does get tense, and she has no hesitation about barking. The big fear is that, since she's mostly an outdoor dog, she might go after one of the young children in the neighborhood. They tease her sometimes and she will furiously shake her toys at them. Until now she's responded well to commands to stop or stay, but tonight she didn't.

She bit him hard, punctured deep enough that he bled to death in seconds. We don't want to put her down but at the same time, how do we know she won't try something like this again? It takes a split second, intentional or not.

 

[DiscoJer]

The injury was a pinprick compared to the amount of blood, a maybe-one-centimeter puncture behind his left ear, at the base of his skull. They had both been anticipating food when the poodle barked, and the shepherd snapped at him.

Dogs have a pack mentality. When the toy poodle barked (while waiting to be fed), the german shepherd thought she was being challenged, and grabbed the back of the poodles neck to pull it down and assert its dominance.

I have two black lab/german shepherd mixes. They do this to each other all the time.

Only in this case, because you have a 80-90 lb dog grabbing a what, 5-10 lb dog, the results were fatal.

I don't think it's a bad dog, it's just a matter of circumstances. Dogs want to act like dogs, but they don't realize that toy poodles can't be treated like other dogs because they are so tiny. I think you should try to find her a home that doesn't have other small dogs. Either that, or start feeding them separately.

 

[Socreges]

You need to take some necessary precautions. It sounds like the dog doesn't understand that it needs to deal with small dogs differently (many dogs are naturally very good with this, contrary to what DiscoJer implied). If you're not going to put the dog down, please do your neighbours a favour and either muzzle him or don't take him to dog parks.

Our dog is extremely friendly and wants to play with any dog. When owners tell us that their dog doesn't play well with smaller dogs, I appreciate the warning. Each dog comes with its own challenges and needs to be handled accordingly.

 

[jourdy]

We had a photoshoot with out dogs yesterday.

Happy dogs

Sad dog

 

[Liferebooted]

Chloe, German Shepherd I got today. I missed having a big dog, she'll fix that. I had to put my diabetic blind dog to sleep 2 weeks ago, I miss her so much. This isn't meant as a replacement at all, I just saw this dog today and thought I had space to give her a good home. I've only had her 10 hours and she's already learned her name and what "no" means.

 

[Teggy]

My dogs are trying to kill me with cute today

 

[Krauser Kat]

My holmes has been really cute lately.

 

[J-Roderton]

Here's Robert. Just rescued this dude from the shelter about a month ago. So far he's doing pretty well. He's been trained a bit before. House broken and rides in a car fine, can sit, etc. Just wish he'd stop chewing things he finds laying around. He is strong as hell. It's ridiculous but super friendly.

Anyway, can anyone take a guess as to what kind of dog this is. They said he was a boxer mix, but I don't see it.

 

[Teggy]

Don't know, but the polka-dot ears are super cute.

 

[Socreges]

Lab/dalmatian cross maybe?

 

[tim1138]

Any other Jack Russell owners here? We're going on three years with our JRT and wouldn't trade her for anything in the world.

 

[Jaeger]

Hello, Dog-GAF!

I'm looking into my first dog (since I was a child, so my first large pet in a decade +). I wanted my pet to look as close to a wolf a possible, without actually being a wolf (so as bad as I want, no wolfdogs for me, sadly lol).

So a narrowed it down to a few breeds, which included GSD, Huskie and Malamute mix's. I believe I'm settled though, on the American Alsatian. Beautiful dog. And they fit all my criteria, now. Calm and non-aggressive, low health risk, can be comfortable with smaller spaces (I'm living in a 3 bedroom apartment), etc etc.

Anyone familiar with that breed, here?

 

[Liferebooted]

Hello, Dog-GAF!

I'm looking into my first dog (since I was a child, so my first large pet in a decade +). I wanted my pet to look as close to a wolf a possible, without actually being a wolf (so as bad as I want, no wolfdogs for me, sadly lol).

So a narrowed it down to a few breeds, which included GSD, Huskie and Malamute mix's. I believe I'm settled though, and the American Alsatian. Beautiful dog. And they fit all my criteria, now. Calm and non-aggressive, low health risk, can be comfortable with smaller spaces (I'm living in a 3 bedroom apartment), etc etc.

Anyone familiar with that breed, here?

I don't know anything about the American Alsatian but don't get a GSD, they're great dogs but not for first time dog owners at all.

 

[tim1138]

Pictures of Bell, our Jack Russell Terrier.

 

[Jaeger]

I don't know anything about the American Alsatian but don't get a GSD, they're great dogs but not for first time dog owners at all.

I'm not. I'm getting an American Alsatian, as I stated in the above post...

 

[DonMigs85]

I'm not. I'm getting an American Alsatian, as I stated in the above post...

Are they the same as the Shiloh Shepherd?

 

[Jaeger]

Are they the same as the Shiloh Shepherd?

I don't believe so. Information I'm seeing is stating the breeding project starting in the late 80's, while the Shiloh Shepherd breeding started in the mid 70's.

http://www.direwolfproject.com/project-history.html
http://www.vallecito-alsatians.com/

 

[Alric]

Here is a few updated snow shots of Sif our Husky. Link to IMGUR for a few more as to not clutter here.

 

[Radec]

My Husky had given birth to 7 beautiful pups last week.

And I watch her all the way.

Wow. Such birth.

 

[kevo_huevo]

So my dogs do Flyball, and I made a short video from some footage I took of our club at a recent tournament. This is a great dog sport for all you owners with breeds that are looking for jobs to do (my girlfriend and I own two Heeler mixes), but really, any dog can learn it.

https://vimeo.com/86870579

Please check it out!

 

[Socreges]

Need help, GAF:

My 1-year-old pup (terrier mix, 20 lbs) has always been a bit protective when sleeping on the couch. He'll rest there from 10pm-12pm, or thereabouts, and then I pick him up and put him in his kennel. He's often growled a bit when I pick him up, showing his displeasure. Over the last week, though, he's started to actually snap at me and bark aggressively (always once). I still pick him up, pet him, talk softly, then put him in his kennel.

I now fear picking him up. I think he may eventually bite me if this keeps escalating. For a few days I actually baited him with a treat before picking him up, but tonight I tried again (hoping I'd built a positive association) and was met with growling, snapping and a bark.

Suggestions? Any helpful sites? I know not to match his aggression and I'm reluctant to soothe him, but I don't know what I'm supposed to do to stop it.

 

[The Albatross]

Frustrated with my 3 year old Boston terrier. The dog gets up earlier and earlier every day... He got up at 3am today, 45 minutes ago, and doesnt want to go back to sleep. Its my fault -- I encouraged this behavior by responding to him when he wakes up but it's just ridiculous. Every day earlier and earlier.

Has nothing to do with excercize or how late he eats the night before. He just gets up. He could eat dinner at 730pm or 530pm, have a ton of exercise or little the day before, go to bed at midnight or at 930, makes no difference... Im only posting on GAF because sitting here listening to him whine for 45 mins drove me crazy.

I know if I get up and feed him he'll eat and then go back to bed right away,but j don't want to give in anymore. 430 am is one thing but 4am, 3am, its just crazy. Anybody else ever experience this? He's been sitting at the foot of the bed whining for almost an hour now

 

[East Lake]

There might be a more direct way but ignoring him completely sounds good to me. Wake up at whatever time you normally do and let him whine until he figures out you don't care. If he made it through the night before he still can comfortably. My dog used to do these high pitched barks that were awful but he eventually learned he wasn't going to get anything from it.

 

[EverythingShiny]

GAF, meet my puppy Shorty. My boyfriend and I adopted him a little over 2 months ago. He's a 9 month old... something. I volunteer at the shelter where we adopted him from and they said he was a terrier mix, but they only put that because they had no idea what else to put. I think he's a Basenji/Chihuahua mix. He's only ~13 lbs, he has a curled tail, shortish legs, and a very expressive, furrowed brow like a Basenji. He gets a lot of attention when we go for walks. I've had people suggest he's part Corgi or part Shiba Inu as well. Probably time to do a dog DNA test.

He's pretty awesome. Definitely has some issues but overall he's adjusted really well. Shorty was already house trained and he has no problem with his crate. He gets along okay with our cat (except she hates him) and he likes other dogs and people.

So happy to be part of Dog-GAF!

 

[Celegus]

D'awwww that's a cute dog! I thought he was part Corgi from glancing at the pictures. Not like it matters, he's adorable regardless!

Pretty sure my 16lb maltese is mixed with something, maybe Bichon. He's not fat, just twice the size of a normal maltese.

 

[Socreges]

"terrier mix" eh - they weren't even trying

Looks like a fun pup.

 

[BertramCooper]

Shit, there IS an official Dog-GAF thread in OT Community. I did not realize that.

Here's my new guy! He comes home Labor Day weekend.

 

[PG2G]

Happy "National Dog Day" Dog-GAF

 

[BertramCooper]

My little guy (posted two posts above) is now home, and we are in the midst of crate training, and holy hell, it sure is exhausting.

It's so emotionally draining to force yourself to ignore the cries (or screams, in my case) of a puppy, but I'm 100% committed and I refuse to give in to him.

Other than that, he's wonderful. Super cute and generally very relaxed. And thankfully, he really doesn't mind the crate itself. He eats his meals in there and he goes into it without a struggle (thanks to his peanut butter-stuffed Kong and a cube or two of cheese). But once that door closes, he is not pleased.

Thankfully, we're making progress. He's falling asleep more easily in the crate and I think he's grudgingly starting to accept my ground rules.

 

[Cheska]

Shit, there IS an official Dog-GAF thread in OT Community. I did not realize that.

Here's my new guy! He comes home Labor Day weekend.

My little guy (posted two posts above) is now home, and we are in the midst of crate training, and holy hell, it sure is exhausting.

It's so emotionally draining to force yourself to ignore the cries (or screams, in my case) of a puppy, but I'm 100% committed and I refuse to give in to him.

Other than that, he's wonderful. Super cute and generally very relaxed. And thankfully, he really doesn't mind the crate itself. He eats his meals in there and he goes into it without a struggle (thanks to his peanut butter-stuffed Kong and a cube or two of cheese). But once that door closes, he is not pleased.

Thankfully, we're making progress. He's falling asleep more easily in the crate and I think he's grudgingly starting to accept my ground rules.

He is so damn cute! Is he a goldendoodle?

In regards to the crate training, it took my Husky about a full week before he got used to it and stopped crying. Now they love it and will go in willingly to sleep if it's left out. Have you tried putting a light towel over it to cover it? Sometimes to crying is because they see you or their surroundings and want to be let out. Another thing I know has helped has been to put an article of clothing with your scent on it.

 

[BertramCooper]

He is so damn cute! Is he a goldendoodle?

Sure is! He's insanely, absurdly cute. He went to the vet today and they couldn't get enough of him. They've had doods before, but he was the first red dood they've had at their clinic.

In regards to the crate training, it took my Husky about a full week before he got used to it and stopped crying. Now they love it and will go in willingly to sleep if it's left out. Have you tried putting a light towel over it to cover it? Sometimes to crying is because they see you or their surroundings and want to be let out.

I've got it covered with blankets except for the front. Should I try covering it entirely? (With a bit for ventilation, of course.)

Another thing I know has helped has been to put an article of clothing with your scent on it.

Yeah, this is definitely something I should try. I'll dig up a t-shirt to sacrifice.

 

[BertramCooper]

Okay, so covering the front of the crate worked WONDERS. He got through last night far better than the previous two, and he was great today when I put him in for a couple of hours this afternoon.

I guess he was constantly getting distracted by seeing me and couldn't properly relax. He still throws a fit when I close the gate and cover the crate, but he calms down within about 15 minutes and sleeps pretty soundly.

The back of the crate is open for ventilation, but it's near a wall, so there's nothing for him to look at and get worked up over.

 

[joelseph]

 

[BertramCooper]

After two days of substantial progress, the pup had a very rough morning.

Last night I took him out every 2-3 hours as usual, but when I woke up in the morning, I found a turd in his crate. I took him outside immediately and then came back in to thoroughly clean and deodorize the crate and its contents. He then pooped on the rug in my living room, and about two hours later, peed on the rug.

Oof. He's only eight-and-a-half weeks old so I know stuff like this will happen, but it's still a bummer. I just need to get him settled down (he has been a rambunctious mess all morning) and push forward with his training.

 

[joelseph]

Hang in there, it will get better!

What size of crate are you crating the pup in? They won't use the bathroom in the crate if the crate is small enough. You want it small enough so they can only stand and turn. This can be tough if your pup is going to grow!

Also, keep in mind that a pup goes a lot. I would take them out at least once every 2 hours, no later. Keep the times set in stone. Keep the place you take them strict. Reward them for going to the bathroom on command, teach one for each. Give extra rewards if they go in the designated location. Also don't be afraid to reduce the amount of food you are feeding.

Good luck!

 

[BertramCooper]

Hang in there, it will get better!

What size of crate are you crating the pup in? They won't use the bathroom in the crate if the crate is small enough. You want it small enough so they can only stand and turn. This can be tough if your pup is going to grow!

Also, keep in mind that a pup goes a lot. I would take them out at least once every 2 hours, no later. Keep the times set in stone. Keep the place you take them strict. Reward them for going to the bathroom on command, teach one for each. Give extra rewards if they go in the designated location. Also don't be afraid to reduce the amount of food you are feeding.

Good luck!

The crate is a large one that will fit him as an adult, but it has a divider that I've used to cut it down to about a fourth of its size.

I suspect the main issue with the poop accidents was that probably I'm not giving him enough time on his bathroom breaks. He pees instantly, on command at this point, but he takes a bit longer to poop. I think my poor, sleepy judgment last night caused me to rush his nighttime potty breaks.

I'll put him in the crate for a bit this afternoon and see how it goes. I suspect he'll probably be fine and I'm needlessly agonizing over this.

 

[teruterubozu]

Dogs thrive on a schedule so if you keep maintaining the walk-food-nap-sleep-play-etc. cycle the dog's body clock will eventually lock-in to specific pooping times. You sound like you have a great handle on this and taking it patiently so keep it up man! There will be stumbles, he's just a puppy after all.

 

[joelseph]

When my little guy won't poop on command I find walking him a block or two and letting him smell everything will usually do the trick.