Posts made by UnluckyDrabBear

@LiveWWSD:

if you dwell in it you learn nothing and will repeat your mistakes over and over.

Well said!

So we now joke that Stick thinks he is a person now. When I allow him to get in bed with me he will crawl under, shimmy around, and carefully crawl back out so his head is the only thing sticking out from under the covers. Not only that, he lays his head on the pillow! It's one thing if he did it once or even twice, but over the last week I've seen him do it a dozen times! Silly dog/cat/person :rolleyes: !

Sorry about this rant but I just need to get it off my chest….

My parents threw me a going away BBQ yesterday with lots of friends, family, and neighbors in attendance. My two B's and my parent's Jack Russell, Scottie, were running around (not a problem, my 'rents have a huge fenced in back yard). One of their new neighbors (who I've only met a hand full of times) came over. During the evening he kept making snarky comments about my parent's dog (about how annoying he is, that he barks all the time, that he seems stupid- yes I actually heard him say that!!!). Later, while his wife was walking her dog on the other side of the fence, I saw him kick at Scottie because he was barking and jumping up and down. He thought no one was looking. He didn't actually make contact but :mad: GRRRRRRRR.

I am now ashamed of myself for not confronting him. Unfortunately I was raised with the southern attitude of grit your teeth and don't rock the boat. Now I wished I had rocked the boat and tipped it over! I wish I were one of those witty people that scathing zingers just roll off my tongue!

What is wrong with non-dog lovers? Why would he even bother to come over if he hates our dog so much? Evil petty man. Funny part (or not so funny), his wife has a lovely Sheppard that he seems to hate too!

Okay. Whew. Sorry about that. Just really needed to get it off my chest.

Sophie, Stick, Conal and I are all so sorry for your loss. Jack was always a wonderful thing to see running at the park. He will be missed greatly.

Audrey

When Stick last blew his coat it took so long I started to get worried. A friend of mine suggested giving him Missing Link and it worked miracles!!!! After two weeks he lost his "moth eaten rug" look and went back to being the shiny sleek boy that we all know and love.

Here's a link if you're interested: http://www.designinghealth.com/products/canine_products_main.html

Good luck!

@Quercus:

the most effective training solution does not involve encouraging the dog to practice the behavior.

We tried using methods that were non-evasive but they were not effective at all. Keep in mind since all dogs are different, typical training methods sometimes don't work and new ideas need to be used. If it doesn't work then it is not effective.

Bought from a roadside stand? Are you kidding me? WHY would you ever do that and then be shocked when the papers from a "vet" may be false and your puppy is sick?

So I searched this site for posts relating to flea/tick medicine but still haven't found the answer to a question that I have. I just moved down to NC where the fleas are supposed to be really bad in the summer. I am really concerned about putting a topical medicine on my B's necks. They play rough and have a tendency to grab each other by the back of the neck when playing (don't worry, it sounds worse then it is!). I'm worried about them getting toxins in their mouth. Sounds like most people use a topical solution, has anyone had any problems occur because of this? Maybe I'm being an overprotective worry-wort. :o I just want to do what's best for my furkids.

I know I'm in the minority, but my boyfriend and I think this video is hilarious. The reason we do is beacuse it was a relief to see another B that makes those same noises. We got Sophie three years ago from a shelter and she had clearly been abused. She looked and sounded like Niles any time she was touched while she was curled up and relaxing. She even bit my boyfriend once when he tried to move her from the couch. It has taken years of "pushing her buttons" (and by this I mean talking to her while touching/ nudging her while she is curled up) but we now rarely get the attitude, and she is much safer for kids to be around. I can understand it looks disturbing to those who have never had to deal with it, but sometimes IMO pushing them a little past their comfort zone is really the best thing for them.

I just got laughed at in my office because I was Oooing and Ahhing over your baby! He's so handsome! Great job!

Sophie came to us as DeeDee (the shelter worker renamed her that because she hated her original name of BeeBee). I figured since she had been renamed once before then another time would hurt. Princess Sophie Cat is her full name.
A friend told me a story of how a co-worker allowed her 3 year old daughter to name the new family dog. Promptly she named it "Stick". Horrified the mom explained she was thinking of a cuter name that ended in an E noise. The little girl looked around and said you mean like "Telephone Poley"? The mom then thought Stick sounded just fine. I ROFL when I heard this so we now have a dog named Good Ol' Stick. I'm pretty sure if we get another B we'll name it Telephone Poley!

PS- I've always wanted to write a children's book called "The Adventures of Princess Sophie Cat and Good Ol' Stick"!!!

I know I'm in the minority, but my boyfriend and I think this video is hilarious. The reason we do is beacuse it was a relief to see another B that makes those same noises. We got Sophie three years ago from a shelter and she had clearly been abused. She looked and sounded like Niles any time she was touched while she was curled up and relaxing. She even bit my boyfriend once when he tried to move her from the couch. It has taken years of "pushing her buttons" (and by this I mean talking to her while touching/ nudging her while she is curled up) but we now rarely get the attitude, and she is much safer for kids to be around. I can understand it looks disturbing to those who have never had to deal with it, but sometimes IMO pushing them a little past their comfort zone is really the best thing for them.

Pictures! Pictures! Pictures please! :p

"a 'free' basenji is a joyous creature to behold."

Honestly, I think that is why I will be willing to do it again. They looked so happy and free when we were out in the woods. They have been consistently coming in an instant when we blow the whistle (thanks to some yummys we give out when it's blown!), so once I work up the courage we'll try it again soon. :o

I think part of my problem stems from all of the dogs I had growing up. On a farm you let them run free and do their own thing. Now don't get all upset, I've owned B's for three years now, and trust me I know they are not like other dogs. But it is really hard for me to see them cooped in the house or in the fenced in area we have for them especially knowing that at heart, they are true wild hunters/runners. If anything were to happen to them it would crush my world, but the idea of limiting them to keep them "safe" from the unknown hurts too. I want to give them the fullest and happiest life I can, not limit them because of my own fears. (Sorry, that was a bit of ranting wasn't it?)

So my boyfriend and I packed up our two B's and moved to North Carolina. We now live on a huge farm (out in the middle of nowhere!) with lots of woods nearby. Within our first week of moving my boyfriend convinced me that it would be okay to let the dogs off lead in the woods since we were miles from any road. Amazingly it went really well! Both dogs would run ahead, and then run back to us to check to see how we were doing. Any time I got nervous and called out they immediately came back. Talk about shocked! I just couldn't believe it! They were obviously happy to be running and exploring and I was pleased as punch to not be dragged along.

So what's the problem you say? Well, we tried this experiment again only with not so great results. The first time we put them back on the lead a mile before we got back to civilization. The second time we got lax and decided to let them run a little longer. Don't worry, nothing tragic happened BUT they ran so far ahead they couldn't hear us calling. We had to chase them down frantically. When we finally caught them, Sophie ran over with a clear look of joy saying "where in the world have you guys been?". Sigh. I'm I an incredibly dumb B owner for letting them run free? Does anyone have any training suggestions on how to keep them in the area closer to us? We have been working with recalls using a hunting whistle, but I admit I am EXTREMELY nervous to let them off again.:(

Hehehe! Trust me, I have all the same pains while cleaning (snuffling the pile I just swept, attacking the evil TP while I'm cleaning the den) BUT for some reason when I clean…

Sophie and Stick get their "crazy faces". You know what I'm talking about, huge round eyes, ears angled back. The play bowing and racing commences and who can clean? All I can do is hold my sides and laugh!

@ELERICKSON40:

It Sounds Like Devil Talk Its Almost Like She's Talking.

HaHa That's Sophie to a tee! If you try to force her to do something she doesn't want to (like making her go in her crate at bedtime before SHE is ready) then we get a "talking" to. Conal and I think it's hysterical!

@thegriffswife:

the reason we got another is because ramsey had horrible separation anxiety and since we got the 2nd he is much better now

Same for us. Sophie had issues when we got her. Getting a 2nd B helped with her separation anxiety and with her socialization skills. Getting Stick was the best thing we have ever done! Plus, I have never laughed so much in my life! Watching my two Bs play together around the house is hysterical!

Let's see… we have to put a carabiner on Sophie's crate, she's climbed over a six foot fence several times, can open sliding glass doors, and pop open regular doors by pawing the handle and throwing herself against it.... nope, never heard of a basenji escape artist!

:rolleyes: It is disturbing to see them playing rough, but I can also assure you that it is completely normal. Stick is the king of it at the dog park. He's upset quite a few new dog owners there :o . At least he just uses his mouth. Sophie sounds like a (hmm, sorry for the language) Hell Bitch when she plays rough. Our rule is as long as the other dog is not in distress (squeaking, growling, or honestly trying to get away) then we leave them be. I swear over time you start to not even notice it. Good luck!