Dogs- Advice or Opinions

Why rule out huskies, malamutes, etc?

BIG TIME MASTER wrote:Why rule out huskies, malamutes, etc?

Because you can't expect to be able to have them off-leash. They have very high hunting instinct, and they are "serious about it". It's not just going to run after, lets say a cat, because it enjoys the chase,the cat's going to be pretty dead if it gets caught. I don't know what the consequences will be in your country, but in my country, for instance, a farmer has the right to kill the dog if it attacks his livestock.

At least the pointing breeds return to their owner after they're done, you don't know if the *insert polar dog with high hunting instinct here* will...

My point is that you shouldn't underestimate their instincts. Imagine the worst-case scenario: A dog you must have on leash at all times. That's the rule rather than the exception.

If having the dog off leash is important, I'd pick another breed.

That's good to know, I had no idea.



Through training do you think it is possible to keep those instincts in check?

I'm not intent on any type of dog, just curious. I really like German Sheperds as well.

BIG TIME MASTER wrote:That's good to know, I had no idea.



Through training do you think it is possible to keep those instincts in check?

I'm not intent on any type of dog, just curious. I really like German Sheperds as well.

No: That's the difference. One of my dogs has a crazy hunting instinct (at least compared to what I was used to), but I AM able to override it if I'm fast enough. It's just too late when she's already bolted after the cat. Still, she'll come back as soon as the cat has climbed a tree or whatever. The most she's been out of sight after bolting is maximum 2 minutes (felt like an eternity though).

Another example is if I'm in the mountains and she smells reindeer. She'll sort of start to track them down, but won't leave for the hunt "without me" yet, allowing me to put her on leash before does. And yet, when I first found out that she'd hunt reindeer - she saw them before I did and bolted - she didn't go trough with it because:
1.It'd require running farther from me than she'd be comfortable with and;
2. I roared like a maniac, lol, so let's give some credit to her obedience(me as a trainer,in other words) as well

Well, my point is that this ISN'T going to work with those dogs. The same goes for sighthounds; they were bred to hunt, not to listen to their owner when he/she tells them otherwise. Some dogs will start the hunt as soon as they smell the scent, others will start as soon as they see the prey. Then you can roar 'COME!!!!' as high as you want, just don't expect the dog to give a ***.

German Shepherds were bred to work closely with their owner, so this should't be a problem But keep in mind that they need mental exercise, not only physical exercise. A bored dog is a creative dog, and you won't necessarily always appreciate the creativity which isn't on your initiative.

If you choose a German Shepherd, be careful when choosing a breeder, and look for dogs with good health (the health of the breed isn't very impressive in general...)and stable mentality. They are sort of a "one man dog" if you compare them to for instance retrievers, who basically loves every human being on the planet.

Good thing your dog was well trained. I'm sure a reindeer, if it wasn't immediately frigthened, would kill a dog. I've seen a whitetail deer nearly kill a dog with its hooves.

I didn't know German Sheperds had bad health. My parents have a pure bred British lab and he's always got something wrong with him, the poor bastard.

RAITIR wrote:

BIG TIME MASTER wrote:Why rule out huskies, malamutes, etc?

Because you can't expect to be able to have them off-leash. They have very high hunting instinct, and they are "serious about it". It's not just going to run after, lets say a cat, because it enjoys the chase,the cat's going to be pretty dead if it gets caught. I don't know what the consequences will be in your country, but in my country, for instance, a farmer has the right to kill the dog if it attacks his livestock.

This is totally true. I've seen it for myself. Can be an especially bad idea if you have other pets in the house too. A friend of mine had a husky as well as a pregnant cat, and I'll spare you the details but we came back to his house one day and found that something not so nice had happened while we were gone. It was the sweetest dog too. They really just are hunters. It's what they do.

Gruesome.

Doesn't mean they're not good dogs to own. It's just something to consider and prepare for.

Haha. Kind of a funny comment, given the subject.



Sometimes my Husky mutilates pregnant mothers. Just something you gotta prepare for.

Well I just mean in the sense that if you want to get one you have to be prepared to generally keep it away from other animals, especially when you're not going to be around. Most house pets have some kind of hunting instinct, even house cats. Every cat I've ever had killed things like little birds and rodents and stuff, but some breeds of dog are born hunters and powerful enough animals to take down things that you don't want taken down; like the whole livestock thing. That happening isn't completely unheard of.

Yeah, cats are all murderers for sure. Most kill just for fun. Funny comic:



http://theoatmeal.com/comics/cats_actually_kill

BIG TIME MASTER wrote:Good thing your dog was well trained. I'm sure a reindeer, if it wasn't immediately frigthened, would kill a dog. I've seen a whitetail deer nearly kill a dog with its hooves.

I didn't know German Sheperds had bad health. My parents have a pure bred British lab and he's always got something wrong with him, the poor bastard.

You underestimate my killer poodle

I always wanted a Collie dog, but when young my parents got an orphan Spinger-lab, and she turned out to be the best dog I could ask for, albeit one that's scared of feathers.

Does anybody know if it's bad to give a dog people asprin? My pit has really bad joints, which is a pretty common thing with pits, and sometimes they bother her so much she just lays in her bed and cries and it absolutely kills me. The vet's been giving me things for her, and I have my own methods for solving the issue as well, but I can't do it all the time. So I'm thinking about giving her a little piece of asprin, but I'm not sure if that's something that's okay to give her. I keep forgetting to ask the vet about it when I'm there.

Nevermind. I just looked it up online. I don't know why I asked here first? I'm a silly guy sometimes.

I'm sure there might maybe possibly be a veterinarian somewhere on this forum, but probably not.

I wouldn't give a dog aspirin, but then I don't use it myself. A natural source with no risk of horrible side effects is a plant extract called Boswellia Serrata. You can buy it in a pill form or a cream to rub on joints. It is a natural inflammatory agent and over time helps reduce scar tissue build up. I have used it on two knee injuries for more than a year and can affirm that it does work. Albeit, not as powerful and instantaneous as Ibuprofen or aspirin, but it does actually cure the problem naturally over time, rather than just nullifying the pain and wreaking havoc on your liver, etc.

Well I usually give her an herbal remedy that works really well, but I don't like to do it all the time. I mix it so that it's extremely mild and it seems to give her a great deal of relief. I don't like the idea of her being on any kind of pill for an extended period of time. That really seems to be all my vet wants to do. Just put her on some kind of pain killer forever. I don't really want to do that to her. According to the internets you can give them asprin but it's not the greatest thing ever. So I gave her a half a baby asprin and she's sleeping now, but I don't really want to give her any more than that. I'll try that other herb thing. If it gives her some relief then it's worth it.

My preferred breed? None. I prefer rescue animals.

My dog is a shelter mutt and when it seems like all the world's against me, she's right there for me with her wagging tail.

PlasticandRage wrote:Well I usually give her an herbal remedy that works really well, but I don't like to do it all the time. I mix it so that it's extremely mild and it seems to give her a great deal of relief. I don't like the idea of her being on any kind of pill for an extended period of time. That really seems to be all my vet wants to do. Just put her on some kind of pain killer forever. I don't really want to do that to her. According to the internets you can give them asprin but it's not the greatest thing ever. So I gave her a half a baby asprin and she's sleeping now, but I don't really want to give her any more than that. I'll try that other herb thing. If it gives her some relief then it's worth it.

Boswellia Serrata is just a plant extract. If you are going to try it, understand that it is not a miracle cure and does take time and even then it is not a night and day difference, it is just a small thing that helps your joints become more healthy over time. I liken it to having a few extra slaves to help build the pyramids. A couple extra bodies aren't going to raise the pyramid in a week, but overtime the benefit pays off.

Also, keep in mind, I only know about this stuff for use with humans. I doubt a plant extract would harm a dog, but you never know so it is better to ask somebody who knows these things.

Well yeah I generally ask my vet about everything I give her before I do it. Maybe a combination of your herb and mine would do it.

Yeah mine's a rescue mutt too Pendant. I think it's absolutely the way to go. I also happen to love pits, and people have a tendency to toss them away. I can't imagine why. They're the sweetest things. I've never had a pit whose sole ambition was anything other than to be under blankets and eat cookies.

Because of people like Michael Vick. I don't have a pit, but I did take in a friend's for about a week and a half or so and it caused me absolutely no problems. Even got on well with the cats and loved going for car rides.

Yeah they love cats. Or at least mine does. She used to carry my old roommates around by the scruff of its neck and lick it clean like it was her baby. It's true. Pits really only have the stigma because of bad people doing bad things. Has nothing to do with the dogs themselves really. Only that they're stronger than a lot of other breeds and have locking jaws so when jerk offs train them to be killers they do it efficiently.

People need to just train them to be under blankets and eat cookies. It's a lot nicer that way.