[Stacia Porter]

Achilles finally started just plain ignoring Andromeda yesterday. I was thrilled. When I brought her in from her nighttime potty about 2 hours ago he had opened my bedroom door and was standing at the screen wagging his tail at both of us. I decided to see what he'd do if I brought her in.

I held his collar and kept hte leash on her within 30 seconds they were PLAYING. Wrestling all over my living room! And they've been doing that for two hours!!!! I finally had to just make them break up for dinner and to let her rest (she was starting to limp a little bit).

He is soooo happy adn she's smiling from ear to ear! I can't tell you how thrilled I am that they finally stopped trying to dominate one another. I just hope this lasts.

I'm still taking it easy by not allowing them to have toys or food...just asking for trouble IMO.

Just wanted to share my goooood news!!!

 

[Bob Scott]

Excellent! Now.....for the big question.. . How's it going with Abbie?

 

[Guest]

Could be that they've got it figured out. When I had Greg's dog w/me, he and Caleb would wrestle for an hour or two at a time, having a great time, but this only happened after Caleb alpha-rolled Apollo a few times. They seemed to come to an agreement, Apollo knew his place, and all was well with the world. You should have an even better chance of this since they're male/female instead of male/male like I had. Good work.

 

[Stacia Porter]

Excellent! Now.....for the big question.. . How's it going with Abbie?

Way to spoil my good news, Bob!!!

Abbie's, well, Abbie. She'll sit in the same room with Andi for hours as long as Andi doesn't go near her. Then she shows teeth and Andi leaves. They're agreed to disagree. Abigail has NEVER played with other dogs in the 5 years I've had her. Now she's an old lady and just wants a warm bed, snuggles, food, and quiet.

When they started to play she came across the entire house, walked in the living room, GRUMBLED, adn then stood there. THey stopped and hung their heads, she turned tail and went back to bed, and I swear to goodness those two laughed and then started back up noisier than before! It was like a scene out of a movie.

So to answer your question: Abbie's fine, too. She came to say good night to the sheps, too, and for a moment they were all three on the floor together. Now she's in bed with my son :roll:

 

[Guest]

Sounds like my house. Widget grumbled (yeah, that's about the best way to describe it) like they were the 2 dumbest creatures on the planet, and then ignored them. It was better for Caleb to have someone closer to his size to annoy, so maybe Abbie will see it Widget's way and just use this as a great opportunity to be left alone!

 

[Stacia Porter]

Could be that they've got it figured out. When I had Greg's dog w/me, he and Caleb would wrestle for an hour or two at a time, having a great time, but this only happened after Caleb alpha-rolled Apollo a few times. They seemed to come to an agreement, Apollo knew his place, and all was well with the world. You should have an even better chance of this since they're male/female instead of male/male like I had. Good work.

It did take me some reminding Achilles that *I* am the one in charge. I had to revert back to super strict NLIF, give him a couple of prong corrections for hackling/barking at other dogs, and put him in more than one down-stay. I also had to do some correcting for hackling/growling at Andi. I treated him for being nice to her, too. I thnk he finally understood that I'm not replacing him -- I brought him home a FRIEND!!!

He's eating again, too. I hope this lasts. I'll be careful about letting them out together again in the morning since they're separated for the night (I don't want them together right now unless I can supervise 100% AND I want some dang sleep...those two would wrestle ALL NIGHT LONG).

 

[Bob Scott]

Way to spoil my good news, Bob!!!

Abbie's, well, Abbie.

Sorry about that!
Sounds like you've got as much as you expected with her.
As Martha would say. "It's a good thing". :lol: :lol: :wink:

 

[Stacia Porter]

:
Sorry about that!
Sounds like you've got as much as you expected with her.
As Martha would say. "It's a good thing". :lol: :lol: :wink:

You're forgiven.

Yeah, if I SEE Abbie during the day beyond potty and meal breaks it's a good thing! She really is quite the loner. Poor girl was a rescue -- owner abandoned her, her sister, and and her mother on the military base. From what we could tell they were all tied out and thrown food every once in a while. She was emaciated when I got her and she's missing part of one ear. I have worked through her numerous issues (leash aggression, food aggression), but nothing I can do will ever fix the undersocialization or her fear of larger dogs. She's not a lap dog by any means, either...she really prefers to come to us on HER terms. I tried obedience with her and it was a wash . Just made her more fearful, nervous, and less likely to come to us.

But that's my baby LOL. What was that thing about dogs resembling their owners again? :lol:

 

[Guest]

I liked the wrestling. It was quiet, controlled, and I knew where they were. But, you don't really know Andi yet. Apollo wasn't as much of a question mark, temperamentally. I knew, living with Greg, that he must have more than a few screws loose ! Seriously, I think you'll be ok. Achilles is young enough to adjust. I lucked out not having to correct Caleb more than once or twice, and really, it didn't work. If I put him in his crate so Apollo could eat, he got super vicious to anyone walking by. He growled, and Apollo wouldn't eat anyway, from then on, until Caleb was done. Then he'd only eat outside for a couple weeks.

I hate to admit defeat, but when I tried to impose my ideals on them, all hell broke loose. Neither one was giving *me* a hard time, so I didn't have to resort to NILIF. I know you'll all think I'm nuts, but Caleb is an extremely stable dog, and I was not afraid he'd hurt Apollo. Hell, Widget's still alive-Caleb should be canonized O !Caleb was careful and treated Apollo like a pup-corrected him with more noise than anything else, never injuring him. Thankfully, Apollo was young enough to "listen" to his Uncle (really is his Uncle) Caleb, and they got along great. Caleb made more headway than I did as far as letting Apollo know what was appropriate and what was not inside the house (Apollo's from Oklahoma :twisted: ).

I think you may be past the worst of it Stacia. All in all, not bad. :wink:

 

[Stacia Porter]

Well, they had a scuffle again this morning . I didn't see what it was about but they went down my hallway and I called them back and then they started getting serious so I separated them for a while. I'm going to let them rest (they were wrestling about 30 min before it happened) and then bring them out again later after I've gotten some chores done.

I'm more than a little disappointed...I had hoped I'd seen the last of hte fightiing.

Ah well..chin up I guess.

 

[Kristen Cabe]

I'm sure there'll still be some disagreements between the two, but all in all, I think things will turn out fine. The fact that they CAN play together nicely is a good thing.

I'm glad the treating for being nice to her and correcging for being ugly worked! I figured it would, just didn't figure it would be this quick!

 

[Stacia Porter]

I'm sure there'll still be some disagreements between the two, but all in all, I think things will turn out fine. The fact that they CAN play together nicely is a good thing.

I'm glad the treating for being nice to her and correcging for being ugly worked! I figured it would, just didn't figure it would be this quick!

No, I thought it would take until at least after her spay on teh 12th! I was seriously surprised to see him standing at hte door with his tail wagging waiting on us! I suppose that when Achilles decides somethingn, it's settled LOL.

They just played again for about 20 min with no issues. She looks really tired so I put her in the crate in my room with teh door shut for some rest. Typical shepherd: even when she's exhausted and in pain she won't stop!

I think I'm going to take him to PetSMart to have his nails done here shortly. They're waaaaaaaaaaay overgrown and I think I should have them do them professionally before I get into trying to trim them myself. I'm just worried about other dogs there, but I guess he has to learn at some point to ignore other dogs...

 

[Connie Sutherland]

About claw-clipping:

I have problems with the joints in my hands, so I have to have that done every month or so with one of the dogs. (Yes, it's true, I have discovered: Some dogs' claws just wear down great on their own and others' don't, even with all the same routines.)

So anyway, all the vets around here have both full-time technicians and visiting groomers for that stuff, and it's cheap.

I know there are still other dogs, but it's way more controlled than Petsmart. :lol:

 

[Stacia Porter]

About claw-clipping:

I have problems with the joints in my hands, so I have to have that done every month or so with one of the dogs. (Yes, it's true, I have discovered: Some dogs' claws just wear down great on their own and others' don't, even with all the same routines.)

So anyway, all the vets around here have both full-time technicians and visiting groomers for that stuff, and it's cheap.

I know there are still other dogs, but it's way more controlled than Petsmart. :lol:

I actually found a cheaper groomer -- only $5 to trim. PetSMart wants $8 and my vet wants $10...all of them need doing so I think I'm just going to take them one at a time to the $5 place (and this month I'll pay to haVe them done during Andi's spay).

 

[Kristen Cabe]

$5 is great, Stacia. Here, the PetsMart charges $12 to do the nails and clean the ears (and they also give the dog a breath freshener and/or spray it with some cologne too LoL).

Wishing you luck!

 

[Stacia Porter]

$5 is great, Stacia. Here, the PetsMart charges $12 to do the nails and clean the ears (and they also give the dog a breath freshener and/or spray it with some cologne too LoL).

Wishing you luck!

Okay, stupid question: he's not "nail trim" friendly. I just used the clippers (that I finally found in my bedroom) to take just the tips off his nails b/c they're scratching my new wooden floor. I got BIT. No skin boken mind you, but he did leave a mark and it hurts more than a little

So should I muzzle him when I take him by the groomers? I'd hate to have a lawsuit on my hands...he just plain hates having his nails done. Also, any ideas how I can fix this problem, too? It's a recent development right along with the dog aggression, over protection of the property, and general failure to comply :evil:

 

[Connie Sutherland]

.....Okay, stupid question: he's not "nail trim" friendly. I just used the clippers (that I finally found in my bedroom) to take just the tips off his nails b/c they're scratching my new wooden floor. I got BIT. No skin boken mind you, but he did leave a mark and it hurts more than a little .....So should I muzzle him when I take him by the groomers? I'd hate to have a lawsuit on my hands...he just plain hates having his nails done. Also, any ideas how I can fix this problem, too? It's a recent development right along with the dog aggression, over protection of the property, and general failure to comply :evil:

For dog aggression and obedience, you got some serious training to do. (I'm sure you know that.)

For this one issue (clipping), here's what I have done with other people's dogs: Gradually, starting now, as you pet him, skim lightly over his paws. (Many dogs hate to have their paws handled.) Slowly begin to LIGHTLY stroke.....by slowly, I mean over the course of days. Eventually, when you are able to handle his paws, then get him very very tired with a hike and then some fetch, take him inside, and do one claw at a time, with no excitement. Heck, I have even done it one-claw-a-day for a neighbor dog who REALLY hated having his paws touched.

THe big part, IMO, is gradually getting him used to allover handling and then having him VERY TIRED and calm. :lol: :lol:

 

[Guest]

Stacia, He BIT you? Punk! Caleb's a p.i.t.a. about nail trimming, but his answer is to climb in my big overstuffed chair and hide all his paws behind/under the cushion :lol: . I've never been afraid he'd bite me! Sorry that happened. How did you handle it? Not asking to criticize; I'm sure you were probably too surprised to react the way you would've in hindsight. I'd muzzle him, put a prong on him, cross-tie him, and clip away. But then, I'm mean. Go with what Connie says. I have a peke who's been asked not to return to every groomer except one. He bites, holds, and does the death shake with your fingers. Not funny. He has no muzzle to muzzle. Even cat muzzles don't work. He actually needs to be hung, swung, and made nauseous to get about 10 seconds (literally) of peaceful grooming time. I should take a video. It's hilarious, but not in your case. Your dog, unfairly, is going to be in a lot more trouble if this continues.

 

[Stacia Porter]

Stacia, He BIT you? Punk! Caleb's a p.i.t.a. about nail trimming, but his answer is to climb in my big overstuffed chair and hide all his paws behind/under the cushion :lol: . I've never been afraid he'd bite me! Sorry that happened. How did you handle it? Not asking to criticize; I'm sure you were probably too surprised to react the way you would've in hindsight. I'd muzzle him, put a prong on him, cross-tie him, and clip away. But then, I'm mean. Go with what Connie says. I have a peke who's been asked not to return to every groomer except one. He bites, holds, and does the death shake with your fingers. Not funny. He has no muzzle to muzzle. Even cat muzzles don't work. He actually needs to be hung, swung, and made nauseous to get about 10 seconds (literally) of peaceful grooming time. I should take a video. It's hilarious, but not in your case. Your dog, unfairly, is going to be in a lot more trouble if this continues.

Yep, the butthead BIT. Not hard, not enough to even break skin, but the fact that he even considered it an option really bothers me. The only thing I can think of is that with his nails as overgrown as they are, the clippers might have hurt him and that's why he reacted that way (I was miclip wihen he did it).

He is going through a seriously wierd phase...a lot of issues are disappearing as quickly as they came up. It's like he's trying to have every doggie temperment problem possible before he finishes growing up and has to call himself a dog. OMG it's a doggie teenage rebellion...what am I to do?

I'm buying a muzzle tomorrow. I think I really want to teach him that I will do what I have to do whether or not he likes it, plus those nails are in desperate need. DH's job and you can guess about when the last timem he did it was...

 

[Stacia Porter]

I sat here thinking more about it and the only other time he's EVER tried to take a bite at me was when he was about 5 months old and I scruff shook him. He yelped really loud and then nipped at me; I hurt him. He's never done it again up until now.

I think my clippers might just not be sharp enough for his nails. I'm going to give him that one as a by, but he'll be muzzled the next time I clip (and I'm going to try the scissors style over the guillotine -- I'd love to use a dremel but I think that's a pipedream at this point).

You know, I bet he'd not even attempt to wiggle for someone else. These dogs LOVE to make liars out of me...