The dog musing/vent thread

So Wilson is a little bit nervous in the dogwalk in agility and I'm pretty sure it's because he has zero hind-end awareness. I've started working on four feet in a box and a little bit of perch work but I'm not sure if those really work all that well for hind-end awareness or what else I should teach?
 
Glitch had to miss class this week due to his sad and swollen scrotum. His trainer called to go over what he had missed. She was very complimentary towards him, and thought that I was doing really well with the clicker. That's great, because he's the first dog I've soley clicker trained and it's hard!

But then the bad news: she has a dog in another class named Glitch as well.

Is anyone else irrationally disappointed when they hear another dog with their dogs name? I tried so hard to think of some names where there wouldn't be a bunch of them at daycare or in class.
 
Is anyone else irrationally disappointed when they hear another dog with their dogs name? I tried so hard to think of some names where there wouldn't be a bunch of them at daycare or in class.

Yes! I'm pleased to have never met another Brisbane, and I'd change Ru's name if he wasn't so happy to hear it. I'm always amused when daycare clients are shocked to learn that there are five Coopers or Lucys or Bellas that day.
 
But then the bad news: she has a dog in another class named Glitch as well.
Is anyone else irrationally disappointed when they hear another dog with their dogs name? I tried so hard to think of some names where there wouldn't be a bunch of them at daycare or in class.

Oh god yes. I have seen of one other Recon and one other Patton (though never met them) and am upset about it. Lol.

I have nextdog's name picked out, and am going to be CRUSHED if I find another dog with that name before I get mine.
 
So Fable has a yeast infection. I have to clean her ear every other day and put in meds 2x a day every day for 2 weeks. Just great. Also, vet visits are really expensive.

And in other news, my aunt's giant schnauzer has a tumor on his toe that is probably cancerous. He had one of his toes removed about 3 months ago because it had a tumor on it, but that one turned out to be benign. So now he has to get another toe removed, but the vet thinks this tumor probably isn't benign. And he's only 5. :(

Today was an awesome day.
 
Does anyone know how teacuptiger is doing? I really hope she's alright :(

I thought about her today. I really hope she's doing alright. I checked the list on Chaz Addicts once to see if I could add her on facebook and send her a kind message but I'm not sure if she's on it.
 
Zoe is in a cone until the end of the month. Her corneal ulcer we've been working on healing for the past two months continued to not quite work itself out, so her third eyelid is sewn over as a patch for three weeks.

And... her soft tissue sarcoma is back again, after two surgeries which both showed clean margins. We're looking into a mild chemo to keep it from spreading as long as possible, and maybe keep it from growing super large and bothering her mouth. Radiation isn't available in Alaska, and... I just want it to take a while because her joints are bad as it is, so it's not like I thought she'd be around forever... but cancer sucks. Old dogs are hard.

Is anyone else irrationally disappointed when they hear another dog with their dogs name? I tried so hard to think of some names where there wouldn't be a bunch of them at daycare or in class.

I named Zoe before I got involved in the dog world, so I expect it to be common. The funny thing is that the other two I've seen around here doing sports are also brindle.

Rook I feel is pretty unique, but I have to say it at least twice and usually spell it to convince people I'm not saying Brooke. The only other one I've heard of is a BC owned by the couple who do the Bad Dog Agility podcast.

I have a whole list of bird names planned, and would be sad to see another one around with the same name. I wanted to name future Staffy Bull Chickadee, but it turns out there's a Golden near me named that.
 
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Is anyone else irrationally disappointed when they hear another dog with their dogs name? I tried so hard to think of some names where there wouldn't be a bunch of them at daycare or in class.

I have yet to find another Rara.

Rararararararararararararaaaaaa.

Lancer, I haven't heard either and I hope I never do! It's just a class in an MMO called Tera that I used to play (also name of warrior men who use lances, I suppose), and thought it would make a nice and rare dog name.
 
Cynder is driving me bonkers! That now makes TWO giant holes in the yard thanks to Miss I'm-Going-To-Be-Perfect-And-Then-Dig-A-Giant-Hole-When-You-Least-Expect-It.

It is a sad day indeed when Abrams is starting to be considered the "good dog".
 
Lady in a minivan full of carseats with bumper stickers declaring 'momm' to be the best job on the world, who came to pick up some plants I had posted on Craigslist: "How old are your little ones?"

Me, surveying the town-strewn yard, springpole, traffic cones, wading pool: "Ten, five, and eight months."
 
Lady in a minivan full of carseats with bumper stickers declaring 'momm' to be the best job on the world, who came to pick up some plants I had posted on Craigslist: "How old are your little ones?"

Me, surveying the town-strewn yard, springpole, traffic cones, wading pool: "Ten, five, and eight months."

I choked on sushi laughing at this.
 
I'm kind of getting tired of the attitude I see in some (not all, of course) nippy herding breed owners that their "well-mannered" dogs have a right to correct dogs that are doing as little as behaving too bouncily in their vicinity. Yes, my dog has a very, er, straightforward approach to other dogs, and it intimidates or annoys them and gets him into trouble. He is a rude dog. However, your dog that jumps straight to biting any larger, sniffier dog that comes too close at all? Also not manifesting super polite dog behavior.

And I really wish there were a way to communicate to these people without being misinterpreted that, while my dog looks and acts goofy initially and loves other dogs, he doesn't back down easily at all. Now, I work very, very hard to keep him out of other dogs' ways when we're in multi-dog situations unless the dog is VERY obviously accepting and tolerant, and I am virtually always successful.... however, if for some reason something were to happen and he got too close to their nippy dog, that dog would not be effective in "teaching him manners, hahahaha!" as they seem inclined to think. One of two things would happen:

1) The bite would not be enough to make him feel threatened, and he would keep doing what he was doing.

2) The bite would be enough to make him feel threatened, and he would fight back.

And he is bigger and often physically harder than many nippy herding breed dogs. So there is a strong chance that, while it would be bad for my dog, it could be worse for yours.

My dog being rude in his approaches and not knowing when to take a hint isn't cute or funny, but neither is your dog overreacting about it and trying to throw a first punch. It's just another source of trouble.

(Note, I do of course think there is a time when it's appropriate for dog-dog physical corrections to happen. I'm just stymied by some people's desire to minimize their dog's tendency to "overcorrect" other dogs' essentially non-threatening behavior and potentially escalate the situation.)
 
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Why is your dog getting that close to other dogs? I have friendly dogs who are slow to correct, but you'd be getting an earful if your 'goofy, friendly' dog ran into their space without permission and I would be ten times more PO'd if my dog corrected your dog and your dog tried to come back at them when it was the one that started it.

My dogs have the right to not be accosted by other dogs when they are in public and I like my bubble!
 
Why is your dog getting that close to other dogs? I have friendly dogs who are slow to correct, but you'd be getting an earful if your 'goofy, friendly' dog ran into their space without permission and I would be ten times more PO'd if my dog corrected your dog and your dog tried to come back at them when it was the one that started it.

My dogs have the right to not be accosted by other dogs when they are in public and I like my bubble!

He actually does not regularly get close to other dogs, as I was very careful to emphasise in my post. (It did happen once in the last month, and he got bitten, but that was fully his fault and I have no complaints about that owner's response, either.)

My concern is with people that seem to find the prospect of their dog quickly nipping any excited dog that gets within a 4 foot radius amusing, or assume that their dog "correcting" the other dog will necessarily teach the other dog a lesson rather than, realistically, escalating an uncomfortable situation that the excitable dog probably is not creating intentionally.

Having a dog that wants to get into other dogs' personal space is something the owner needs to control.

Having a dog that is quick to nip other dogs and lacks tolerance also requires owner management. A "haha herding dog such the fun police" attitude toward a trigger-happy dog, not so much. Willingness to let that situation play out could very well harm both dogs.

Responding to the post below: My dog does not interact with other dogs off leash at all the vast majority of the time, certainly not if I don't think the other dog will get along with him. But really, this isn't about my dog specifically.
 
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What is the leash situation in the above scenario? Because , as the owner of a dog who would probably not be happy to meet yours, that strongly colors my thoughts on the issue.

Having said that, I try like heck to make sure she doesn't have to correct or 'throw the first punch' with any dog ever. It is not her job to teach any dog manners (other than any dog I bring home, which she is great at). If my dog is onleash and a happy pushy dog approaches her, either leashed or unleashed itself, it is more than likely going to be greeting my foot. It is my job to protect her from what makes her uncomfortable.

If I am somewhere that we are off leash and such a dog joins in also off leash, my dogs and I leave the area. I don't expect someone else to change their plans because my dog doesn't like theirs.

But if mine is onleash, she has a right to her space, and I will help her keep it. If there is a risk your dog will "finish the job" if my 33 lb dog snarks when he gets in her face, 'virtually always successful' at keeping him away from other dogs honestly isn't good enough for me.
 

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