Dogs

I have 2 cats and 2 rabbits and am really hoping to get a dog. Can anyone suggest any dog breeds that may or may not get along with my other pets? Or possibly how I can train the dog to not attack or bother the cats and rabbits? Thanks guys.

No matter what kind of breed of dog you get never leave them alone. My friend had a Lab and a rabbit; They were the best of friends. They even slept together and would spend hours outside together. One day she came home and there was blood all over the house and one sad bunny :[. I don’t mean to scare you but I’m just warning you. If you are going to watch them get a highly trainable,friendly, non-hunting dog.

I am specifically interested in the long term results of diet, vaccination and anti parasitics.

What questions do I ask in the survey?

Dog Age – important in considering what is due to age and what is due to diet, vaccination or deworming medications; when the dog was acquired is also important, as a puppy or adult
Dog Breed – important to distinguish between genetic characteristics and affects of diet, vaccination, etc.

Diet – what is the diet and has the diet always been the same or what is the diet history, what treats are given, is the dog given table scraps
Vaccinations – Which vaccinations has the dog had and when did they have them? Were they split vaccines or combined? Did they give all the vaccines on the same day or different days/alternating years?
Anti-parasitics – when and how often has the dog been on anti-parasetics

Health – what is the dog’s overall health? Any major concerns
Exercise – how often is the dog exercised, what type of exercise

I am a person who sometimes likes to give my dog ‘human food’ to eat, like cooked chicken/meat, a few french fries, crackers, half of whatever I’m eating. What foods can seriously harm dogs or make them sick? I heard that dairy products can make a dog sick or worse!

milk will give them the runs as well as spicy food. brown or dark chocolate will kill them. only chocolate dogs can have is white.you can give them people food. but it’s not good for them in the long run. it could shorten there life span. just think what the french fries are doing to your heart. now think what it’s doing to rovers.

my Pomeranian (about 1 year old) has always had bad breath but it has gotten worse in the last couple of weeks. he has also been drooling and today when I brushed his teeth I notice that his gums are more red then usual and they started to bleed. he has been very sensitive to touch on his right side.Is there something I can do about it or should I take him to the vet.I love my dog very much and am concerned but I don’t want to take him to the vet for no reason.what should I do?

You should take him to the vet and I’m sure they’ll recommend you get him a dental or prescribe medicine. It just sounds like his gums are inflammed from an infection and breath does get worse when this happens. It could become painful though for the dog if you don’t take him and it’ll be hard for him to eat.

I have had bad experiences with adopting pets from the pound/ humane society. They all passed within days of adoption. I am willing to pay up to certain amount for a puppy but purebred is not that important to me. I cant seem to find a good way to locate a puppy!

Do be carefull whatever you chose to do, a colleague got scammed yesterday trying to buy a pug puppy on the internet, she lost £300!

My Boxer dog has always been obsessed with anything orange. It started when he pinched babies Tigger from Winnie the pooh. He is drawn to anything stripy and orange. He will go straight to orange toys in the pet shop, stuffed toys in charity shop windows and even his favorite blanket he chooses is orange. I find this confusing as i am always told dogs cant see colours. Is this true?
I bought him a orange tiger stripped furry blanket for his basket and he nearly exploded with happiness. His eyes where bulging! I was told dogs only see black and white???
I bought him a orange tiger stripped furry blanket for his basket and he nearly exploded with happiness. His eyes where bulging! I was told dogs only see black and white???

I too was told dogs saw in black & white wondered why, then , were dog toys in such bright colours.
I bought my one of my dogs a toy that was a navy blue rubber ring holding various other rubber shapes in a variety of colours.
She broke the big ring & now will only play with the yellow, orange & red parts & ignores the blue, purple & green.
I always wondered how they knew what colours dogs see anyway! Strangely enough, my other dog doesn’t care which colour her toys are.

We have 8 rabbits and are planning to get a maltese dog. what is the best way to inturduce them to each other and will they be friends? I have a Hotot rabbit (1 year)and a holland lop (1 year) with six babies. Thanks

I have a dwarf lop rabbit and a maltese they were intoduced as a 2yr old rabbit and 4yr old dog, and all my maltese wanted to do was lick my rabbit all over, now they tend to mind their own business and just check on each other from time to time, they both love attention so try to push the other one out if they are getting attention.

They both live in the house all though when no one is home the rabbit is shut it his own room.

Most of the time they are great together occasionally they chase each other dog after the rabbit or rabbit after the dog, my rabbit is very friendly but has got very defensive over food even the dogs food and has once or twice in the last year nipped the dog but has never caused any wounds (scratches or drawn blood).

Honestly i wouldnt leave them unattended even after a year becuase there is nothing to say that one day the dog might attack my rabbit, even though they have been living together happily for at least a year.

i would say give it a go but supervise them, introduce the dog to the rabbits with the cage wire between them and let them get used to each other once the dog ignores them, Get one rabbit out at a time and sit with your rabbit and let the dog come over and just keep an eye on them, after a while i’m sure you’ll know if they will be ok on the floor together.

I would suggest being more carefull with the baby ones.

Good Luck I hope it goes well, i shall be introducing a cat to the mix in a couple of months so i hope the 3 get on well.

My german sherperd dog is already 10 months old. She is still very shy with other dogs. Even a very small size dog can chase her. If other dogs approach her aggresively, she submited immediately. I would like her to play with other dogs happily with confidence. Most dogs she met in off-leash park were very nice(not as aggressive as she thought). Please give me some tips on how to train her to be confident like a gsd should be.

Unfortunately, while GSDs are *supposed* to be confident, many are not. Many in the US are products of back yard breeders and because of this they are prone to improper temperament. Also, at ten months old, she is still very much a baby. You wouldn’t expect a toddler to stand up to a bullying teenager no matter how small or dorky that teenager was. It is your job to get in there when other dogs approach her aggressively and get her out of the situation/prevent the other dog from approaching. As someone else mentioned, I would rather have a dog that submits to even the smallest dog than one that is fearful or aggressive to them…especially a breed like the GSD with it’s dubious public relations/reputation.

As for increasing confidence, you stepping in and ending the situation when you feel that she is becoming overwhelmed will go a long way. After all, everyone’s braver when they know someone’s got their back if they should run into trouble. Also, basic obedience will do wonders for a dog’s self confidence…especially if you use positive training methods. As she learns what you are asking/expecting of her she will become more confidant as she realizes that she knows what it is you want. GSD’s are frequently happy to please their owners and if she knows she’s making you happy then she will be more confidant in her abilities.

I sometimes walk the streets of downtown and see homeless people with pet dogs. I feel bad for the dogs because they always look sad.

My view is that if a person is homeless and can’t provide a good environment for their pet dog (let alone themselves), then they should not own a pet at all.

Do you agree?

whats the point of NOT allowing it? Taking the dogs, and putting them in shelters, where they will just be euthanized?

I’ll be honest. Most homeless people care for their dogs better then themselves. That dog is ALL they have, their only family and friend. I have several homeless people in my area with dogs, and all the dogs look healthy. The people will go days without eating just so the dog can eat.

Learn what to do when your dog is choking, in this free emergency pet health care video with tips from a veterinarian.

Expert: Dr Adrienne Mulligan
Bio: Dr. Adrienne Mulligan graduated from veterinary school at North Carolina State University in 1993, and now owns the Camp Verde Veterinary Clinic in Camp Verde, Arizona.
Filmmaker: Chuck Tyler

Duration : 0:2:17

Read the rest of this entry »