A warning for owners of Labs, Goldens, and other Bigdumbdogs

[Damocles]

My German Shepherd/Rottweiler mix is a big friendly doofus. His middle name is Doofenshmurtz...

I have many more years to hang with him, and he is already one of the better behaved dogs I have owned. (They are all well-behaved but rarely this early or easily). I am looking forward to many more years to hang with the Doof.

Lazy on a walk, he'll play incessantly with our lab mix or run back and forth for his favorite rope toy all day long.

 

[Thorn]

My German Shepherd/Rottweiler mix is a big friendly doofus. His middle name is Doofenshmurtz...

I have many more years to hang with him, and he is already one of the better behaved dogs I have owned. (They are all well-behaved but rarely this early or easily). I am looking forward to many more years to hang with the Doof.

Lazy on a walk, he'll play incessantly with our lab mix or run back and forth for his favorite rope toy all day long.

Rory's a big goofball too. But he also loves to snuggle and is never more than a couple of feet away from me. He's a great pal. Here he is, thinking that he can drive, one half of our doggy family:

 

[uscitizen]

Dogs are much better friends than most humans.

 

[Cancel5]

My sister had a Lab-Shepard mix, the son of an earlier dog, but it looked all lab, solid black and weighed at least 140. It wasn't so dumb though and was a good protector of the family. When they moved to Virginia from Maine her husband was busy at work and one of the movers started giving her a hard time. She was all alone with 5 kids. "Barney" sensed something was up and leaped over a 4' fence like it was a curb, got between sis and the perp and just glared at him. Needless to say he furniture got moved in without a scratch.

I used to wrestle with the dog and could not pin him. One winter I was visiting them in Maine and it was a dry winter- no snow at all. They lived on a lake and I brought my skates with me and literally skated miles that weekend. Barney followed along with me for as much as he could but I had a distinct advantage in speed and grip on the ice. I tired him out and was finally able to show him who was boss and pinned him on the ice in the middle of that big lake. He was still in good humor after that proving himself was a fine friend.

They had to kennel him during a vacation trip and poor Barney thought he was abandoned I suppose, because he died of a broken heart, age 8.

Oh, what a downer! So sad!

 

[Cypress]

That's pretty funny. I grew up in the country with a big black Lab named Buster. He went everywhere with me, always walked between me and the road, nearly sending me into the ditch, and basically kept me out of whatever trouble I might otherwise found myself doing. He was extremely protective of us, yet seemed to have a sixth sense as to who was a good person. He was my best pal, and I don't remember any silliness on his part at all.

Now I have a friend who has two Labs who are friendly and energetic and lots of fun. I've moved on to the herding group, but still have a very very soft spot in my heart for the big Labs.

Labs are really cool, but pretty hyper sometimes it seems like.

My best furry buddy ever was a German Shepard named Heidi. She was so cool, friendly and mellow. Never too hyper, and never to lethargic. Man, Shepards are beautiful dogs too, IMO. Just classic canine features.

Hey Thorn, what do you know about Huskies or malamutes? How would they be with a little dog, like a shitzu? And are they super hyper or anything? I live in a cool, temperate climate, so I don’t think a huskie would be hating the weather here…..

 

[Thorn]

Labs are really cool, but pretty hyper sometimes it seems like.

My best furry buddy ever was a German Shepard named Heidi. She was so cool, friendly and mellow. Never too hyper, and never to lethargic. Man, Shepards are beautiful dogs too, IMO. Just classic canine features.

Hey Thorn, what do you know about Huskies or malamutes? How would they be with a little dog, like a shitzu? And are they super hyper or anything? I live in a cool, temperate climate, so I don’t think a huskie would be hating the weather here…..

A friend of mine raises Siberians, I'll ask her. She has never had a small dog around, though! I know that they're intelligent, sometimes too much so!, and very wilful. It may take a few days for her to get back to me but I'll let you know what she says.

Everyone has mentioned so many different breeds; I love them all! At the dog show last weekend, one competitor in Obedience had the sweetest Rottie who was very stressed out. People have sometimes misguided expectations about certain breeds' behaviors and sometimes treat them accordingly. This poor girl's owner told me of a couple of incidents at shows where people had all but terrorized this poor dog, assuming that she was "tough". At her owner's request, I spent a lot of time just petting her and helping to make her feel at ease. She loved it!

 

[Cypress]

A friend of mine raises Siberians, I'll ask her. She has never had a small dog around, though! I know that they're intelligent, sometimes too much so!, and very wilful. It may take a few days for her to get back to me but I'll let you know what she says.

Everyone has mentioned so many different breeds; I love them all! At the dog show last weekend, one competitor in Obedience had the sweetest Rottie who was very stressed out. People have sometimes misguided expectations about certain breeds' behaviors and sometimes treat them accordingly. This poor girl's owner told me of a couple of incidents at shows where people had all but terrorized this poor dog, assuming that she was "tough". At her owner's request, I spent a lot of time just petting her and helping to make her feel at ease. She loved it!

Thanks! I just think those Huskies look awesome, I have no idea what it would be like to own one.

Totally understand about the misconceptions.... Most of those so-called mean dogs I've had experience with are total pussy cats! It's those damn little dogs you have to watch out for!

The rottie probably sensed your good vibes. You sound like a total animal person, and animals can sense that. One thing I've learned about dogs, is that they are excellent judges of people. !

 

[Cancel5]

Thanks! I just think those Huskies look awesome, I have no idea what it would be like to own one.

Totally understand about the misconceptions.... Most of those so-called mean dogs I've had experience with are total pussy cats! It's those damn little dogs you have to watch out for!

The rottie probably sensed your good vibes. You sound like a total animal person, and animals can sense that. One thing I've learned about dogs, is that they are excellent judges of people. !

I love to watch them get ready for a race!!!! It is so exciting! They are so eager and ready to set off with the sleigh! The excitement is infectious!

 

[zoombwaz]

A friend of mine raises Siberians, I'll ask her. She has never had a small dog around, though! I know that they're intelligent, sometimes too much so!, and very wilful. It may take a few days for her to get back to me but I'll let you know what she says.

Everyone has mentioned so many different breeds; I love them all! At the dog show last weekend, one competitor in Obedience had the sweetest Rottie who was very stressed out. People have sometimes misguided expectations about certain breeds' behaviors and sometimes treat them accordingly. This poor girl's owner told me of a couple of incidents at shows where people had all but terrorized this poor dog, assuming that she was "tough". At her owner's request, I spent a lot of time just petting her and helping to make her feel at ease. She loved it!

Most dog competitions are fun to watch Retriever field trials are a blast. Border Collie herding trials are amazing. Agility trials, K9 trials, and obedience trials are fun as well, because the dogs are doing what they love (although I have been told that Basset Hounds tend to fall asleep during long sit-stays). I saw a Basset Hound fetch his own ear when searching for the object touched by his handler. The handler looked disgusted, but the crowd was on the dog's side...the ear fit the criteria he was given: bring back the first object you find that has the handler's smell on it...when you're snuffling along the ground and your ears are so long they drag on the ground, it's pretty much guaranteed that if you turn in either direction, the first object you're going to run into is your ear, which means it was the handler's fault for touching the dog's ears in the first place. He contaminated the field by introducing two more objects with his scent (duh). Then we have the horsey set's favorite: the Jack Russell races, which are absolute madness. My daughter was an equestrian, riding in combined training events, and saw one race where the usual 12 dogs started, with the usual 12 pre-adolescent girls and boys waiting at the end to catch the little shits as they come tearing through the chute at the finish line, but in this race 13 dogs finished; one Jack Russell amongst the spectators got overly excited and entered the race from the sidelines, meaning we now have one pre-adolescent too few to catch the dogs, and worse only five of the kids had the presence of mind to secure their own charges before attempting to corrall the 13th dog. The other seven lost control of theirs, so we now have 8 manic little dogs on the loose instead of just one. I love it when a plan comes together.

The coolest demonstration of obedience I have ever seen was not in an obediance competition, but in the Colorado Sled Dog Championships in the weight pull event, where they hook a singler dog to a sled, and see which dog can pull the heaviest load a prescribed distance. The woman who gave my black Lab Jason his obedience training had a Samoyed named Puff, who excelled in the obedience trials. Like your Aussie, Puff would shake with excitement at the end of each exercize until he heard her say the magic words, "exercize over," at which point he'd jump up into her arms. The crowd ate it up.

Shek new Puff was strong, and figured he could at least hold his own in the weight pull, so she entered him. Against a bunch of big bruisers: Siberians. Malamutes, Huskie mixes, some shepards, Bernese mountain dogs, St. Bernards, Great Pyrenees. a lot of Kings, Rexes, Dukes, Princes...big, macho dogs, with manly names and macho, manly owners.

And Puff, whose owner was (gasp) A WOMAN! And great was the hilarity when they called his name over the P.A., with much hooting and stomping of feet. As each manly named dog took its turn in the first round, the manly owners would stand at the finish line and shout out encouragement, imprecations, and even the odd tongue-in-cheek threat (of being neutered if he lost, what else?) to their big bruisers with the royal and/or tough-guy names. Diane walked to the finish line, turned to Puff, and said quietly (and once only, for each round) ”Puff, come.” And Puff obeyed. Every round. And he won. And after the last round, when all the hooting had long since stopped, she took Puff out of his traces, stood up, and said, “exercise over.” Nobody laughed when Puff jumped into her arms.

 

[Thorn]

Most dog competitions are fun to watch Retriever field trials are a blast. Border Collie herding trials are amazing. Agility trials, K9 trials, and obedience trials are fun as well, because the dogs are doing what they love (although I have been told that Basset Hounds tend to fall asleep during long sit-stays). I saw a Basset Hound fetch his own ear when searching for the object touched by his handler. The handler looked disgusted, but the crowd was on the dog's side...the ear fit the criteria he was given: bring back the first object you find that has the handler's smell on it...when you're snuffling along the ground and your ears are so long they drag on the ground, it's pretty much guaranteed that if you turn in either direction, the first object you're going to run into is your ear, which means it was the handler's fault for touching the dog's ears in the first place. He contaminated the field by introducing two more objects with his scent (duh). Then we have the horsey set's favorite: the Jack Russell races, which are absolute madness. My daughter was an equestrian, riding in combined training events, and saw one race where the usual 12 dogs started, with the usual 12 pre-adolescent girls and boys waiting at the end to catch the little shits as they come tearing through the chute at the finish line, but in this race 13 dogs finished; one Jack Russell amongst the spectators got overly excited and entered the race from the sidelines, meaning we now have one pre-adolescent too few to catch the dogs, and worse only five of the kids had the presence of mind to secure their own charges before attempting to corrall the 13th dog. The other seven lost control of theirs, so we now have 8 manic little dogs on the loose instead of just one. I love it when a plan comes together.

The coolest demonstration of obedience I have ever seen was not in an obediance competition, but in the Colorado Sled Dog Championships in the weight pull event, where they hook a singler dog to a sled, and see which dog can pull the heaviest load a prescribed distance. The woman who gave my black Lab Jason his obedience training had a Samoyed named Puff, who excelled in the obedience trials. Like your Aussie, Puff would shake with excitement at the end of each exercize until he heard her say the magic words, "exercize over," at which point he'd jump up into her arms. The crowd ate it up.

Shek new Puff was strong, and figured he could at least hold his own in the weight pull, so she entered him. Against a bunch of big bruisers: Siberians. Malamutes, Huskie mixes, some shepards, Bernese mountain dogs, St. Bernards, Great Pyrenees. a lot of Kings, Rexes, Dukes, Princes...big, macho dogs, with manly names and macho, manly owners.

And Puff, whose owner was (gasp) A WOMAN! And great was the hilarity when they called his name over the P.A., with much hooting and stomping of feet. As each manly named dog took its turn in the first round, the manly owners would stand at the finish line and shout out encouragement, imprecations, and even the odd tongue-in-cheek threat (of being neutered if he lost, what else?) to their big bruisers with the royal and/or tough-guy names. Diane walked to the finish line, turned to Puff, and said quietly (and once only, for each round) ”Puff, come.” And Puff obeyed. Every round. And he won. And after the last round, when all the hooting had long since stopped, she took Puff out of his traces, stood up, and said, “exercise over.” Nobody laughed when Puff jumped into her arms.

I've watched the international herding trials; they just amaze me. Here's something even more mind-boggling, if you haven't seen it before (or even if you have):

http://link.brightcove.com/services/player/bcpid1137883380?bctid=17075685001

I'll be competing next weekend in Agility trials with my Border Collie. He's brilliant, it's I who am the amateur and have everything to learn. He is extremely enthusiastic, and fast (the only time I thought to look at the time clock, we had done a 16-obstacle jumper's course in 19.56 seconds). He obviously enjoys himself so much that even if he messes up he's enormously entertaining. We're both looking forward to a very good time. In the meantime I expect he'll continue to wake me before first light, hoping I'll accompany him into the back yard to run him through the Agility course we have set up there.

 

[WinterBorn]

I've watched the international herding trials; they just amaze me. Here's something even more mind-boggling, if you haven't seen it before (or even if you have):

http://link.brightcove.com/services/player/bcpid1137883380?bctid=17075685001

I'll be competing next weekend in Agility trials with my Border Collie. He's brilliant, it's I who am the amateur and have everything to learn. He is extremely enthusiastic, and fast (the only time I thought to look at the time clock, we had done a 16-obstacle jumper's course in 19.56 seconds). He obviously enjoys himself so much that even if he messes up he's enormously entertaining. We're both looking forward to a very good time. In the meantime I expect he'll continue to wake me before first light, hoping I'll accompany him into the back yard to run him through the Agility course we have set up there.

I love that video. In addition to being a testament to the amazing abilities of the herding dogs, it shows how far man can go when he is bored.

It also may answer the age old question "Do robots dream of electric sheep?"

 

[zoombwaz]

I've watched the international herding trials; they just amaze me. Here's something even more mind-boggling, if you haven't seen it before (or even if you have):

http://link.brightcove.com/services/player/bcpid1137883380?bctid=17075685001

I'll be competing next weekend in Agility trials with my Border Collie. He's brilliant, it's I who am the amateur and have everything to learn. He is extremely enthusiastic, and fast (the only time I thought to look at the time clock, we had done a 16-obstacle jumper's course in 19.56 seconds). He obviously enjoys himself so much that even if he messes up he's enormously entertaining. We're both looking forward to a very good time. In the meantime I expect he'll continue to wake me before first light, hoping I'll accompany him into the back yard to run him through the Agility course we have set up there.

Mind-boggling is right. That video was stunning.

The thing that impressed me about the one local herding trials I attended was that while one Border Collie was going through its paces, ALL of the other dogs in the competition were watching intently, whether they had already competed or were waiting their turn. Incredibly smart dogs.

It was there we met Donald Mccaig, author of Eminent Dogs, Dangerous Men and Nop'sTrials. He's the one who told us that if you don't give a Border Collie a job to do, the dog will find a job to do, and you won't like the job he finds.

 

[Thorn]

Mind-boggling is right. That video was stunning.

The thing that impressed me about the one local herding trials I attended was that while one Border Collie was going through its paces, ALL of the other dogs in the competition were watching intently, whether they had already competed or were waiting their turn. Incredibly smart dogs.

It was there we met Donald Mccaig, author of Eminent Dogs, Dangerous Men and Nop'sTrials. He's the one who told us that if you don't give a Border Collie a job to do, the dog will find a job to do, and you won't like the job he finds.

All true. You should see Barley waiting for his turn in the Agility ring, or just if we're walking past. The intensity of his gaze could burn holes! That statement about giving a BC a job has become a mantra, I think, and is oft-repeated. It is absolutely true! As to his intelligence, some of my fellow agility handlers have suggested that I just show him a map of the course and let him take it from there. I only have to show him something once, and I swear sometimes he has it figured out before we start. Our Agility coach and I are also convinced that he can count.

On his other side, the BC is the sweetest, most affectionate breed I've ever lived with.

 

[zoombwaz]

Actually, in making them companions we simply are emphasizing something that is inherent in their natures, the "pack" mindset, with the alteration that the humans become the alphas rather than other dogs. You can see a reversion to the Pack, sadly, when people ignorantly release unwanted pets into the country and they form packs of their own, suspicious of humans. That is, assuming that they survive before this happens, but that's for another thread.

Yup, and the people who can't control their dogs are the ones who are unwilling or unable to assume the alpha role. When I worked as a pool and spa technician, we had a lot of customers with dogs, most of whom I was on very good terms with (the dogs, not the customers). Later as the service manager, I still assigned myself a full day of service calls, both because I was the second best mechanic and because I hated being in the office. One cutomer in particular, who lived way out in the middle of nowhere, at least 15 miles from East Jesus, had this beast that was half husky and half wolf (or so he claimed), and the rule was that either this snarling monster had to be inside when we got there, or somebody had to be home to bring him in. I got there to start the pool up for the season, and the dog was out, raising holy hell with me from inside the 6' stockade fence, and nobody was home.

Being the service manager, I knew nobody was going to be anywhere near the place for weeks, and even though it was their fault for leaving the hound of the Baskervilles out, I really wanted to get their pool started up on that trip. I knew he was just ornery and not attack trained, so I figured, what the hell, let’s take a shot at this bear. I got my tool belt, walked up to the gate, and in my best “take no prisoners” voice, I said, “SIT!!” His ass hit the ground in about a half second, but he looked conflicted,sort of like, “I don’t recognize the voice or the scent, but this sumbitch means business. I know. I’ll scoot forward a little bit and see if he notices...”

“STAY!!”

“Shit, he noticed...guess i’ll stay.”

So I walked in the gate like I owned the place, and ignored the dog until I got to the filter system, set my tool belt down, faced the dog, who was still sitting, but looking over his shoulder at me , bent over slightly, slapped my hands on my knees, and said, “You wanna play?” The dog immediately dropped into the “play” stance: down almost on his elbows, front paws splayed, butt in the air, tail wagging. All mine. I said, “Come on up and say hi!” And the monster came bounding up like a puppy, and my new best friend in the world EVER. We had a great time. We played ball, stick, plastic shovel, 3/4” box wrench...WTF? How the hell did you get that? C’mon pup, give me the wrench back. That’s my toy, not yours. Drop it. Good dog. Oh, I know this game...when I reach for it, you’re gonna snatch it up again. Well, aren’t we clever? Got news for you pup. Homey don’t play that. I’m not going to risk getting my hand on that wrench a half-second before your jaws clamp down on both, and...LOOK! A flying turtle! (don’t laugh...it works on my dad too..ask Froggie or apple about that)

He whirled and looked where I was pointing “WHERE? WHERE?”

Thinking, “sucker” I snatched up the wrench before he could turn around again, and

Oh, no...

Doggie slobber...

All over my wrench...

a 1/8” thick coating, with the viscosity of a 60/40 mixture of Pennzoil 10W30 and snot...

Aarrgh....is it even water soluble? Barely.


Remember two things: 1) be the alpha, and 2) wear gloves.