[punatic]

True. I shoulda slipped an "IMO" in there.    I'm a little jaded because where I live now, there are a lot of dogs that are 100% ignored, barely sustained, and living a meaningless existence.

I'm with you on that.  I see the same thing here and it breaks my heart for the dog, and pisses me off at the owner.  Some people should not have dogs.  They are not responsible enough to take care of themselves, much less be responsible for another living, feeling being.

Sometimes I wish that the owners would have to spend a few days with the roles reversed.

[tschmidlin]

I highly recommend crate training for dogs, it seems to be comforting for the dog to not have much space to worry about, and there is less for you to worry about leaving them home alone.  Once they are also potty trained, chew trained, etc, you can leave the door open on the crate and they will go in there on their own to sleep or relax.  After a while we moved the crate to the garage and the dog found other spots to sleep.  Ours has at least 7 "favorite" spots to lounge (one in a corner under a table, her new "crate"), and we have beds in three different spots for her.  It might make less of a difference with a puppy, but for a rescue who comes with bad habits I think it's great.

I also think Cesar Milan is worth watching/reading.  He has a TV show The Dog Whisperer, and I've really learned a lot about why dogs do what they do and how easily they can be trained.

[bluesman]

I highly recommend crate training for dogs

I also think Cesar Milan is worth watching/reading.

+1

Crate training is recommended by many dog experts and works well but be careful not to abuse it. I crate trained all of my pups and they responded wonderfully to it.

Also a big +1 to Cesar Milan. A true prodigy of his field.

[morticaixavier]

When we got our current pup we crate trained and it worked really well. We didn't have to keep it up much past 6 months or so, but when we had to leave him alone for a while it gave us a sense of safety it that we knew he wasn't gonna chew up an elictrical cord or whatever. At first we tried to keep the crate downstairs but he would howl until someone when down to visit him so we brought it into the bedroom and he was fine.

[bluesman]

When we got our current pup we crate trained and it worked really well. We didn't have to keep it up much past 6 months or so, but when we had to leave him alone for a while it gave us a sense of safety it that we knew he wasn't gonna chew up an elictrical cord or whatever. At first we tried to keep the crate downstairs but he would howl until someone when down to visit him so we brought it into the bedroom and he was fine.

We slowly weaned them of the crate over the course of a year, but we also leave it up with the door open as it's a place for them to go from time to time to relax. They all love the crate, it gives them a sense of security.

[gordonstrong]

my dog came out of the stream at the dog park the other day and a lady said "you must not have a very nice car to let your dog get dirty and wet like that".  I replied "maybe not, but i have a very nice dog"

I would be torn to choose between these responses:
A. "And you must not have very good manners to poke your nose in other people's business like that."
B. "I already have one mother-in-law, and you're not her."

[narcout]

We have Beatrix, a 4 year old Rhodesian Ridgeback/Pitbull mix (I think), and Salvatore - they are both rescues.  Salvatore is a strange, strange creature.

[Hokerer]

We have Beatrix, a 4 year old Rhodesian Ridgeback/Pitbull mix (I think), and Salvatore - they are both rescues.  Salvatore is a strange, strange creature.

Beatrix would be really interesting with some Norwegian Ridgeback in the mix

[dbeechum]

That's my kind of creature.

[punatic]

We have Beatrix, a 4 year old Rhodesian Ridgeback/Pitbull mix (I think), and Salvatore - they are both rescues.  Salvatore is a strange, strange creature.

Beatrix would be really interesting with some Norwegian Ridgeback in the mix

She'd be breathing Goobers of Fire!   "Accio broom!" 

[phillamb168]

Watched the first of the Cesar Milan videos last night. Good stuff. Thanks for the tip on that one.

[corkybstewart]

I highly recommend crate training for dogs, it seems to be comforting for the dog to not have much space to worry about, and there is less for you to worry about leaving them home alone.  Once they are also potty trained, chew trained, etc, you can leave the door open on the crate and they will go in there on their own to sleep or relax.  After a while we moved the crate to the garage and the dog found other spots to sleep.  Ours has at least 7 "favorite" spots to lounge (one in a corner under a table, her new "crate"), and we have beds in three different spots for her.  It might make less of a difference with a puppy, but for a rescue who comes with bad habits I think it's great.

My parents got a rescue puppy from Hurricane Katrina, even at 6 years old she can't sleep anywhere but in her trael box.

[dak0415]

my dog came out of the stream at the dog park the other day and a lady said "you must not have a very nice car to let your dog get dirty and wet like that".  I replied "maybe not, but i have a very nice dog"

I would be torn to choose between these responses:
A. "And you must not have very good manners to poke your nose in other people's business like that."
B. "I already have one mother-in-law, and you're not her."

Or C:"Nah! I usually just tie him to the roof rack.  He's usually dry by the time we get home!

[ccarlson]

my dog came out of the stream at the dog park the other day and a lady said "you must not have a very nice car to let your dog get dirty and wet like that".  I replied "maybe not, but i have a very nice dog"

I would be torn to choose between these responses:
A. "And you must not have very good manners to poke your nose in other people's business like that."
B. "I already have one mother-in-law, and you're not her."

Or C:"Nah! I usually just tie him to the roof rack.  He's usually dry by the time we get home!

+100 That would have been perfect.

[BrewingRover]

True. I shoulda slipped an "IMO" in there.    I'm a little jaded because where I live now, there are a lot of dogs that are 100% ignored, barely sustained, and living a meaningless existence.

I used to see lots of dogs like that when I delivered mail. They loved me.