BS: Dog : Yap... yap... yapyapyapyapyap...

Subject: BS: Dog : Yap... yap... yapyapyapyapyap...
From: gnu
Date: 03 Aug 08 - 03:58 PM

A few weeks ago, at about 05:50h, I was watering the flower pots that hang from the eave of my mother's garage. As I hung the last one of five back up, sommat caught my attention about 25m up, about 100m out. My immediate thought was, odd looking gull. Then, as I focused in and gained a sense of distance and scale, it was not a gull... waaaaayy too big.

I stood in awe and watched it as it flew so effortlessly over me. When it was directly overhead, I gauged the wingspan at just over 1.2m. I had goosebumps. I guesed at what it might be. I was wrong. An hour later, after searching my bird books and the internut, I confirmed it was a female Northern Harrier. Never saw one before.

No matter that I could not identify it right away. As it flew out of sight over me Mum's house, I had a thought come to mind. If only her next door neighbour's yappy little dog had somehow gotten outside without being on it's leash, I wouldn't have to listen to it yap and yap and fookin yap all fookin day long from dawn til dusk. (I know it's not the dog's fault, but the Harrier couldn't carry Ches away, eh?)

Subject: RE: BS: Dog : Yap... yap... yapyapyapyapyap...
From: Amos
Date: 03 Aug 08 - 06:24 PM

Northern Harriers.

Subject: RE: BS: Dog : Yap... yap... yapyapyapyapyap...
From: kendall
Date: 03 Aug 08 - 07:47 PM

There was a story in one of the travel magazines about a couple who had parked to let their dog out.
It was a little yapping, useless, annoying little door stop. As it was running around, suddenly, an Eagle swooped down, grabbed the dog and flew away. The woman was frantic, screaming at her hubby to do something. His only reaction was to raise his fist and yell, "YES"

Subject: RE: BS: Dog : Yap... yap... yapyapyapyapyap...
From: gnu
Date: 03 Aug 08 - 08:25 PM

Amos... none of those pics look quite like the one I saw in feather. This one was a female and mostly dark feathered, although, it WAS against the early morning sky, so, even fairly light feathers would look dark. But, that is definitely it... the owl features are the give away. Excellent pics... thanks!

Kendall... a while back, when the yapper was having a particularly bad "fit", I said to Ches, SEMI-jokingly, "Kick it. It'll learn." Ches replied, "I'd like to, but I'd rather kick the wife." Well, there it is... not the dog's fault... it's the fault of the owner's owner.

Subject: RE: BS: Dog : Yap... yap... yapyapyapyapyap...
From: Greg F.
Date: 04 Aug 08 - 08:55 AM

Well, there it is... not the dog's fault... it's the fault of the owner's owner.

But that don't make it any less annoying. Try kicking it yourself.

Subject: RE: BS: Dog : Yap... yap... yapyapyapyapyap...
From: GUEST,lox
Date: 04 Aug 08 - 08:59 AM

Not arf ...

Subject: RE: BS: Dog : Yap... yap... yapyapyapyapyap...
From: GUEST,leeneia
Date: 04 Aug 08 - 09:39 AM

Is it barking at you? If so, approach it slowly, speaking gently, and toss it something nice to eat. (I use a few pellets of dry cat food.) A normal dog will soon learn that you are a friend and will not bark at you.

This is my standard procedure. I have no intention of putting up with an aggressive dog right on my home territory.

The people next door have a dachshund, and that is the only dog for which this plan has not worked. I'm convinced it has no intelligence whatever.

====
As for the harrier, birds of prey like that can vary in color, one from another. The one you saw doesn't need to look just like the bird book. Also, their colors are more vivid during breeding season, which is probably over by now.

Subject: RE: BS: Dog : Yap... yap... yapyapyapyapyap...
From: Ebbie
Date: 04 Aug 08 - 09:45 AM

"The people next door have a dachshund, and that is the only dog for which this plan has not worked. I'm convinced it has no intelligence whatever."


Calling Little Hawk! Little Hawk! lol

Subject: RE: BS: Dog : Yap... yap... yapyapyapyapyap...
From: gnu
Date: 04 Aug 08 - 09:59 AM

It yaps to get back in the house and I think they are patially deaf or ignoring it.

It yaps when people walk along the sidewalk out front or along the sidewalk between Mum's house and their house and I think they are patially deaf or ignoring it.

It yaps when I or Mum make any noise in our yards and I think they are patially deaf or ignoring it.

It yaps when the other dogs yap, like the one across the street that yaps constantly. It yaps for the same reasons Ches' dog yaps and I think they are also patially deaf or ignoring it.

Yapyapyapyapyap.....

Subject: RE: BS: Dog : Yap... yap... yapyapyapyapyap...
From: SharonA
Date: 04 Aug 08 - 10:03 AM

Leeneia says, "Is it barking at you? If so, approach it slowly, speaking gently, and toss it something nice to eat."

Don't forget the caveat "...with the owner's permission to feed his/her dog." The dog may have a medical problem (diabetes, food allergy, etc.) unknown to you, and you could with all the best intentions be poisoning the dog. Or the owner may have the dog on a strict weight-loss or weight-gain diet prescribed by a vet, and you could inadvertently be undoing the owner's efforts. Or the owner may have trained the dog to guard the property, and your attempt to befriend the dog could be in conflict with that training.


Leeneia also says, "I have no intention of putting up with an aggressive dog right on my home territory."

Eeeeek!!! "Next door" is not one's own "home territory"! Next door is someone else's home territory! Leeneia, if your "standard procedure" is to consider the next door neighbor's dachsund to be on your "home territory" when it's barking next door, I'm worried about you. I suggest that you seriously consider an attitude adjustment! Rather than trying to bribe someone else's dog into betraying its own territorial instincts, I suggest consulting with its owner about befriending and feeding his or her dog (and, if necessary, keeping it off your property).

If, as in gnu's case, the owners are in conflict with one another about training their dog, I'm afraid it's their problem more than yours. If they won't or can't respond reasonably to complaints about the dog's noise, complain to the local authorities and ask what the town's laws have to say about it.

Subject: RE: BS: Dog : Yap... yap... yapyapyapyapyap...
From: kendall
Date: 04 Aug 08 - 10:27 AM

A pellet gun is almost silent, and set on a low power setting will not do harm to the dog, it will get the idea.

Subject: RE: BS: Dog : Yap... yap... yapyapyapyapyap...
From: SharonA
Date: 04 Aug 08 - 10:35 AM

Oh sure, "no harm" unless you happen to hit it in the eye... sheesh. I'm sure the neighbor will get the idea, too: the idea that you want to shoot his dog. In some places they'll arrest you for animal cruelty for pulling a stunt like that. Next thing you know, you'll be sentenced to mandatory counseling because of your aggressive tendencies toward living creatures (which, in the law's eyes, may well portend aggression toward other humans).

Subject: RE: BS: Dog : Yap... yap... yapyapyapyapyap...
From: Big Mick
Date: 04 Aug 08 - 10:35 AM

I would do a variation of kendall's idea. I would use the pellet gun, and every time the dog yaps, I would shoot the neighbor. In about 2 weeks they will move and take the yappy little bastard with them....

Just kidding...........

Mick

Subject: RE: BS: Dog : Yap... yap... yapyapyapyapyap...
From: SharonA
Date: 04 Aug 08 - 11:38 AM

...or you could subject the neighbor to the annoying noises of your own pets, like this guy does! (I think he needs more bells.)

Subject: RE: BS: Dog : Yap... yap... yapyapyapyapyap...
From: GUEST,lox
Date: 04 Aug 08 - 12:48 PM

Shoot the Neighbour and the dog.

Subject: RE: BS: Dog : Yap... yap... yapyapyapyapyap...
From: John Hardly
Date: 04 Aug 08 - 01:23 PM

Who let the dogs out?

Subject: RE: BS: Dog : Yap... yap... yapyapyapyapyap...
From: Lox
Date: 04 Aug 08 - 01:25 PM

And then shoot the BAHA men.

Subject: RE: BS: Dog : Yap... yap... yapyapyapyapyap...
From: pdq
Date: 04 Aug 08 - 01:29 PM

Add Snoop E. Dogg Poop to that list, if you will.

Subject: RE: BS: Dog : Yap... yap... yapyapyapyapyap...
From: kendall
Date: 04 Aug 08 - 01:31 PM

Sharon, believe it or not, I am an animal lover and would never do that. Besides, anyone who can't tell a dogs eye from his ass shouldn't even have a gun.
My way would be to charge the neighbor with harboring a nuisance or disturbing the peace.

Another thing you might try, record his dog's yapping, find out when they sleep, call him up and play the recording of the yapping.
Personally, I would be most apt to confront them. You have a God given right to enjoy the peace and quiet of your home, and these idiots are robbing you of that.

Subject: RE: BS: Dog : Yap... yap... yapyapyapyapyap...
From: SharonA
Date: 04 Aug 08 - 03:48 PM

Kendall, I believe you. Honestly, I do. I've hung around the Forum long enough to know that you were kidding. I just didn't find it terribly funny, and my fear was that someone out there might take your tongue-in-cheek advice seriously.

Hey, gnu, why not tell your buddy Ches to contact Victoria Stilwell, that dog trainer who has the "It's Me or the Dog" TV program? She's in the UK, though her show also airs here in the US on cable. She'll set Ches's wifey straigbt! If not, there's always Cesar Milan the "Dog Whisperer"!

Subject: RE: BS: Dog : Yap... yap... yapyapyapyapyap...
From: Sorcha
Date: 04 Aug 08 - 04:07 PM

Look, it's just a known fact that small dogs yap. Small, hairy dogs seem to yap more. I don't know any way to shut up a small hairy dog. Lap Yaps, I call them. (Not sure if I even really consider them to be 'dogs')

Subject: RE: BS: Dog : Yap... yap... yapyapyapyapyap...
From: Lox
Date: 04 Aug 08 - 04:09 PM

Toffee ...

... just a suggestion ...

Subject: RE: BS: Dog : Yap... yap... yapyapyapyapyap...
From: gnu
Date: 04 Aug 08 - 04:13 PM

Well... they don't know how to train it. And, yes, it bugs me, but I don't wanna upset the poor old dears.

Now, the couple across the street are in their 30's, but, so is the dog, so it won't be a problem much longer. However, he drives a commercial delivery truck which has a loud backup warning beeper and, when combined with the fact that the idiot can't seem to figure out how to park his truck so the the beeper doen't sound at 5AM.... it's a tad upseeting! I might be able to train him... maybe... ya gotta wonder why he doesn't think of it... besides the fact that a bylaw prohits such vehicles from being parked in residential areas.

Arrrgggghhhhhhh!!!

Subject: RE: BS: Dog : Yap... yap... yapyapyapyapyap...
From: GUEST,lox
Date: 04 Aug 08 - 04:40 PM

They have a 30 year old dog that drives a truck backwards?

Damn!

Give him toffee and then shoot him!

Subject: RE: BS: Dog : Yap... yap... yapyapyapyapyap...
From: gnu
Date: 04 Aug 08 - 05:03 PM

Hey, an old dog knows all the tricks. If only his humans were near as smart as the fleas on his balls.

Subject: RE: BS: Dog : Yap... yap... yapyapyapyapyap...
From: kendall
Date: 04 Aug 08 - 05:20 PM

What Lox said.

Subject: RE: BS: Dog : Yap... yap... yapyapyapyapyap...
From: gnu
Date: 04 Aug 08 - 05:47 PM

I knew that bone was gonna get chewed when I threw it out there. I just figured a dog with a bigger bite would get on it.

Ditto, K? You soaking yer teeth in a jar tonight er what?

Subject: RE: BS: Dog : Yap... yap... yapyapyapyapyap...
From: Bee
Date: 04 Aug 08 - 07:35 PM

I'd talk to the owners once, at least.

I used to have a severe aversion to dogs smaller than my cats, because every one I met was a yapper or a nipper or both, often stank or had some hideous skin or eye goober condition, and seemed to have no proper dogginess to them.

Then I met The Festival Pekingese. I first saw this critter at a Bluegrass festival (where the size of the dog is in inverse proportions to the size of the owner's RV - we were no exception, having a teeny trailer and a huge dog). It looked pretty much like the business end of a dustmop, only made of smooth, shiny cream silk. She had perfect manners. She was a thoroughly friendly little thing, playful, patient, cuddly, and a thoroughly Good Dog. I've since run into her at a dozen other music events, and she actually remembers us and goes into full body wag when she sees us. She completely changed my mind on what small dogs can be.

Subject: RE: BS: Dog : Yap... yap... yapyapyapyapyap...
From: Liz the Squeak
Date: 04 Aug 08 - 07:49 PM

Whenever I see little dogs like that, I just want to get a bread roll round it....

Lunch on a leash.


LTS




































Kidding, really! :D

Subject: RE: BS: Dog : Yap... yap... yapyapyapyapyap...
From: GUEST,leeneia
Date: 04 Aug 08 - 09:49 PM

Leeneia says, "Is it barking at you? If so, approach it slowly, speaking gently, and toss it something nice to eat."

Don't forget the caveat "...with the owner's permission to feed his/her dog." The dog may have a medical problem (diabetes, food allergy, etc.) unknown to you, and you could with all the best intentions be poisoning the dog. Or the owner may have the dog on a strict weight-loss or weight-gain diet prescribed by a vet, and you could inadvertently be undoing the owner's efforts. Or the owner may have trained the dog to guard the property, and your attempt to befriend the dog could be in conflict with that training.

Sharon, only a fool or a brute tries to do amateur guard dog training.
Such dogs are known to be dangerous and often are euthanized.

I don't believe for a moment that two bits of cat food would harm any dog, no matter how fat. If the owners are out, I give the dog a treat when the owner is right there. If the owner isn't there, the dog might be eating mice, bugs, or garbage. (I've seen them do it.)


Leeneia also says, "I have no intention of putting up with an aggressive dog right on my home territory."

Eeeeek!!! "Next door" is not one's own "home territory"! Next door is someone else's home territory!

Sharon, a dog can be over a fence or through it far faster than I could escape from it. In fact, two dogs killed an elderly woman working in her yard in Kansas City Kansas recently. Months before that, two pit bulls attacked a man on the public sidewalk and injured him so badly he was hospitalized for weeks.

Several years ago, two Rottweilers killed a 10-year-old boy in a rural Kansas area near here. An aggressive dog is dangerous. Even a small one.

Leeneia, if your "standard procedure" is to consider the next door neighbor's dachsund to be on your "home territory" when it's barking next door, I'm worried about you.

Sharon, I never said that. But come to think of it, the dog isn't, but the noise is. My neighbors would hate it if I made a loud repetitious grating noise which invaded their living room over and over. But that's what they're doing to me.

I suggest that you seriously consider an attitude adjustment!

Sharon, getting military, are you?

Rather than trying to bribe someone else's dog into betraying its own territorial instincts, I suggest consulting with its owner about befriending and feeding his or her dog (and, if necessary, keeping it off your property).

Sharon, I suggest you start reading and learning about dogs and city life.

Subject: RE: BS: Dog : Yap... yap... yapyapyapyapyap...
From: SharonA
Date: 05 Aug 08 - 10:05 AM

Let me get this straight, Leeneia: you're feeding cat food to a dog ("two bits" how many times a day?), and you want me to read up on dogs? I'm sure you're aware that cats and dogs have different nutritional needs and that one should not deliberately feed cat food to a dog and vice versa. Whatever the animal's owner lets it eat is the owner's business, but it's not up to the owner's neighbors to decide what foods will or will not "harm" his pet. (For example, my last cat was under the vet's strict orders NOT to be fed fish in any amount, so the regular Cat Chow that contains fish would have been quite harmful to him.)

Besides, rewarding a yappy dog with a tasty treat will only show the dog that yapping=treat. It trains the dog to bark at you! So again I say that one should get the owner's permission before feeding anything to his dog.

As for reading up on "city life", I don't know what life is like in the concrete jungles of Kansas, but here in the Philadelphia PA area, feeding someone else's dog might get you shot by an irate owner who assumes you're trying to poison it. I am not exaggerating. But then, around here, just sitting on your front stoop might get you shot (in the crossfire of a drug battle).

Around here we have more than enough news stories about dog attacks, dogfighting, fools and brutes, believe you me. I totally agree with you that an aggressive dog is dangerous. But I don't agree that the best defense is to "approach it slowly, speaking gently, and toss it something nice to eat." As you said, that might work for "normal" dogs (whatever "normal" means), but do you really think it would've saved the victims you cited? I don't.

But this thread isn't about killer Rottweilers running loose. It's about yappy little dogs next door that stay on their own side of the fence and make noise while their owners ignore them (or are partially deaf!). When you said in your post of 04 Aug 08 (09:39 AM) that your "standard procedure" for dealing with "an aggressive dog right on your home territory" was something you'd tried with the dachsund next door, it certainly sounded as if you considered "next door" to be part of your home territory. Sorry if I misinterpreted that statement and your attitude toward your neighbors.

As for "getting military", if that were the case I would have been barking orders (if you'll pardon the pun). I can't imagine a drill sergeant saying "I suggest that you seriously consider marching forward"! :^D

Subject: RE: BS: Dog : Yap... yap... yapyapyapyapyap...
From: gnu
Date: 05 Aug 08 - 01:53 PM

Hmmmm... killer Rottweilers eh? There are a few in the hood. I wonder how I could get them together with Snack?

Subject: RE: BS: Dog : Yap... yap... yapyapyapyapyap...
From: gnu
Date: 05 Aug 08 - 02:28 PM

Hehehee... let's crank it up a notch eh?

In the spring, with some snow still on the ground, I was comin down Walker Street in my truck. Walker tees onto my Street at Ches' driveway. Ches don't see too good, but I do. There's Ches on the doorstep with Snack on a long leash and Snack is across the driveway, across the sidewalk, and up on the bit of snow left on Mum's lawn, about 2M of lawn on that side of her house.

Now, Ches' house is smaller than Mum's. And he has a small Baby Barn, whereas Mum has a fair sized garage. So, Ches has a lot more lawn for Snack to crap on, but he prefers crapping on that 2m bit of Mum's lawn... I mean Ches, again, of course... I mean Ches prefers that Snack crap.... you know.

So, I filed that away until the snow was gone and the aroma of thawing dog shit was in the air. I waited until Ches and his bride were sitting out enjoying the spring air and got out a shovel and rake... I gathered up all the dog shit, under their watchful eyes, waltzed over to them and asked Ches where he wanted it. He got a garbage bag and apologized.

Now, I got a FAR crappier story... another post.

Subject: RE: BS: Dog : Yap... yap... yapyapyapyapyap...
From: gnu
Date: 05 Aug 08 - 02:46 PM

As some of you might be aware, I love hummers. I have feeders and flowers to attract them and I take pics and videos of them.

Last summer, I was sitting in Mum's yard and an elderly lady from down the street was walking her dog along the sidewalk that runs next to Mum's and connects the streets. She stopped at the end of the fence and her dog had a crap. She started away. I jumped up, rounded Mum's apple tree and said, "EXCUSEMEEEE!" She turned, and I asked, "Are you gonna clean that up?"

Well, never mind the details, but, she was nasty and abusive... even after she used her plastic bag to pick it up. And, I never backed down. The more she was nasty, the more I pointed out that she DID know the dog had crapped on Mum's lawn and that she should clean up after her dog and not call me names and hurl her verbal abuse. She was so nasty, I finally told her to "fuck off you ignorant bitch".

About twenty minutes later, a rather LARGE and VERY upset young man was on the sidewalk. He wanted to know exactly who told his mother to fuck off and had called her an ignorant bitch. I said that I knew who it was and that he should come around the fence and speak with me. He did. I said, "Watch this.", and I played the camcorder video of the whole thing. He apologized.

Subject: RE: BS: Dog : Yap... yap... yapyapyapyapyap...
From: Little Hawk
Date: 05 Aug 08 - 02:48 PM

Ah, Sharon, count your blessings. I have 2 dachshunds. They both love to go outside and yell. One of them will go on and on for a good half hour at a time. He starts yelling and he can't seem to stop. There is a hysterical poodle next door who does the same thing. There is a hysterical Jack Russel on the other side who does the same thing too. They all yell at each other, they yell at noises three miles away, and they yell at mysterious things which no one can figure out what the hell it might be that they are yelling about.

And no one cares...

We carry on our mutual lives blissfully unconcerned about the yapping little buggers.

You could learn to do that too, Sharon... ;-)

There is no way to stop these dogs from yelling, Sharon. Trust me. No way short of killing them. They live to yell. It fullfills their little lives. It is the central purpose of their existence. It is the grenadine in their cocktail. You might as well ask the birds to stop singing and the squirrels to stop chattering.

So just relax and enjoy it all, I say. I amuse myself by yelling back at them now and then and imitating them, just for laughs, and it draws a hilarious response. The dachshunds think I'm joining in the fun. Maybe the others do too...it's a little hard to tell. ;-)

Subject: RE: BS: Dog : Yap... yap... yapyapyapyapyap...
From: Little Hawk
Date: 05 Aug 08 - 03:03 PM

gnu - My 2 dachshunds are so goddamn lazy that there is no danger at all of them pooping on the neighbours'lawns. You know why? They can't be bothered to even walk that far! All their poop gets deposited within 15 or at most 20 feet of the door, and in a highly predictable fashion. This certainly helps when I'm going around to find it and clean it up off the lawn so I don't inadvertently step in it.

They don't go for "walks". They wouldn't consider doing something that pointless and strenuous!

Now, don't blame me. I did not raise these two couch muffins. No sir. They were both raised by previous owners who I must assume never gave them any exercise at all...and they are unwilling to change their lazy habits.

But they are very good at barking. And eating. And lying about. ;-)

Subject: RE: BS: Dog : Yap... yap... yapyapyapyapyap...
From: SharonA
Date: 05 Aug 08 - 03:41 PM

Little Hawk: Huh??? Not sure why you're singling me out particularly. I'm not the one complaining about the noise (just complaining about a couple of the "solutions" others have posted! *grin*). But I do think that the dog-training experts I cited would disagree with you about the inevitability of the constant barking and about how fulfilling it is to their lives. As Cesar Milan would say, they need a pack leader to make then "calm-submissive"...

Subject: RE: BS: Dog : Yap... yap... yapyapyapyapyap...
From: SharonA
Date: 05 Aug 08 - 03:50 PM

Excuse me, make THEM "calm-submissive"...

Subject: RE: BS: Dog : Yap... yap... yapyapyapyapyap...
From: gnu
Date: 05 Aug 08 - 03:58 PM

LH... maybe, deep down inside, I know that. Maybe, I have a little bit of the hound in me, and, even tho I sometimes want to put on my cleats and stomp the little bugger into yesterday, perhaps I comisserate with Yappy Snack on a primordial level.

That being said, perhaps my primordial instinct is that of the junkyard dog, it that I would like to bite Ches in the ass for letting his dog bark... all fooking day long.

Subject: RE: BS: Dog : Yap... yap... yapyapyapyapyap...
From: SharonA
Date: 05 Aug 08 - 04:01 PM

Here's what Cesar Milan says about Nuisance Barking:

"Ongoing, Excessive Barking – This is your dog's way of sending you a distress signal. Somewhere his needs as an animal are not being met. Is his world anchored by a pack leader who projects calm-assertive energy? Are you walking with him every day, which exercises his body and his mind? Is he living a balanced life? If nuisance barking is a problem, consider these issues to find a solution. It's the best way to show real love for your dog.

"Barking as Greeting - Some clients tell me that they love coming home because their dog greets them excitedly by jumping and barking. They feel this proves their dog's love for the family. But in a natural setting, dogs don't bark, yelp, or jump on pack mates in a burst of affection. Dogs that greet their owners in this way are trying to communicate. But rather than professing undying love, they are probably trying to tell you that they are lonely and bored; their needs as a dog are not being met. The excitement is your dog's way of burning off the excess energy that has been building throughout the day. Don't be disappointed by this revelation. Dogs simply don't use emotions like people do. Remember, they're dogs. To love a dog means you must treat him like an animal, which means fulfilling him as Nature intended him to be fulfilled.

"Remember the Fulfillment Formula: Exercise, Discipline, and then Affection!"

Subject: RE: BS: Dog : Yap... yap... yapyapyapyapyap...
From: kendall
Date: 05 Aug 08 - 04:08 PM

Actually, there is a way to shut them up. Have their vocal cords removed..
I've never liked little yappy snappy imitation dogs, but my brother just got a Lasa Apso or a Shitzu don't know which, and it is the funniest, cutist, friendlyist little thing. I couldn't believe he would ever go for such a "dog" after owning a Lab, but he did.
Many years ago, he wrung a poodle's neck then blew its brains out for picking cat turds out of the litter box and eating them on the living room carpet !!!

Of course, that was not the only incident, just the last straw.

Subject: RE: BS: Dog : Yap... yap... yapyapyapyapyap...
From: Little Hawk
Date: 05 Aug 08 - 04:18 PM

"This is your dog's way of sending you a distress signal."

Yeah. ;-) They do that when they want to come in or when they are impatient for supper to be served.

"Is his world anchored by a pack leader who projects calm-assertive energy?"

Well....yes and no. That pack leader is clearly my elderly mother, but she does no project calm-assertive energy. To the contrary, she's a real worry wart and she projects nervousness and confusion. The dogs are right in that same groove with her. ;-) They are not really my dogs, you see...they are her dogs.

"Are you walking with him every day, which exercises his body and his mind?"

Hah! No chance whatsoever of that with these junior couch potatoes. If you put a leash on them and suggest a walk they give you a look that says..."You're kidding, right? What a stupid idea. I see no good reason for engaging in such pointless folly and risking the possible hazards that may lie beyond the property line."

"But rather than professing undying love, they are probably trying to tell you that they are lonely and bored; their needs as a dog are not being met."

Too true! ;-) They are definitely bored a great deal of the time, and they hate being alone (the company of the other dog doesn't count for much in that equation...) Their needs are:

1. For my mother to be less than 12 inches away at all times.
2. Food.
3. Water.

These dogs do not wish to be fulfilled as Nature intended them to be fulfilled. ;-) Trust me on this. In Nature they would last a very short time and then end up in something's stomach. They abhor Nature. Their idea of a good life is a soft quilt to lie on, central heathing, a constant supply of food, and the fulltime presence of my mother at arm's length. Nothing else will do.

They are forever lost to Nature and its imperatives, I'm afraid. They have become a new form of domestic life unto themselves, and there's not a danged thing I can do about it.

Subject: RE: BS: Dog : Yap... yap... yapyapyapyapyap...
From: gnu
Date: 05 Aug 08 - 04:24 PM

SharonA : "Cesar Milan says : "But in a natural setting, dogs don't bark, yelp, or jump on pack mates in a burst of affection.""

Who the heck is this yahoo? I'd like to take him up country and show him some real dogs.... Eastern Brush Wolves... in the back woods. If he wouldn't pee his pants when we get in amognst them. They can be nasty if they smell stupidity.

Subject: RE: BS: Dog : Yap... yap... yapyapyapyapyap...
From: Becca72
Date: 05 Aug 08 - 04:54 PM

Actually, Gnu, Cesar Milan really does know his shit when it comes to dog behavior.

and Dad, I though the last straw with Fifi or Gigi or whatever the damned dog's name was came when she pissed on the bed...

Subject: RE: BS: Dog : Yap... yap... yapyapyapyapyap...
From: gnu
Date: 05 Aug 08 - 05:26 PM

Yeah? Well, Cesar don't know shit about dogs except those that don't bark, yelp, or jump on pack mates in a burst of affection... which means some kinda dog I never heard of ner seen.

He might be able to train some dogs, but, so can I. I have "trained" Eastern Brush Wolves... in their natural setting, where they do all the stuff he says they don't.

Subject: RE: BS: Dog : Yap... yap... yapyapyapyapyap...
From: Little Hawk
Date: 05 Aug 08 - 05:31 PM

I bet they'd love to meet Cesar and fill him in some on the stuff he's been missing.

Subject: RE: BS: Dog : Yap... yap... yapyapyapyapyap...
From: gnu
Date: 05 Aug 08 - 06:01 PM

Bite his pussy ass maybe. He oughta tune into the Nature type shows on the TV... he obviously ain't been anywhere near real dogs.

Subject: RE: BS: Dog : Yap... yap... yapyapyapyapyap...
From: Becca72
Date: 05 Aug 08 - 07:06 PM

Too bad you two guys don't have your own Discovery Channel show...

:-)

Subject: RE: BS: Dog : Yap... yap... yapyapyapyapyap...
From: Bee
Date: 05 Aug 08 - 07:16 PM

Well, I've watched the man on TV, and he seems to be able to do what he says he can do. But that doesn't translate into knowing what is 'natural' for canines in general, and wild ones for sure. I've seen wolves at the wildlife park exhibiting those behaviours he says aren't natural.

I know a couple who have a very handsome springer spaniel (I think - short haired long eared red and white spaniel). It's a very well behaved dog, extremely obedient, trained within an inch of its life. They are very proud of it. But that dog, in my estimation, has no personality to speak of. It doesn't seek affection. It doesn't exhibit any interest in new people, doesn't come over to sniff your hand, tolerates being petted but doesn't seem to enjoy it or dislike it. The dog's like a robot.

Subject: RE: BS: Dog : Yap... yap... yapyapyapyapyap...
From: kendall
Date: 05 Aug 08 - 09:04 PM

There is not great secret to training dogs. The main requirement is, you have to know more than the dog! Then, you reinforce good behavior, and you discourage bad behavior. For example; if a dog is a jumper, turn your back and ignore him/her. All it wants is your attention and if you turn your back he/she is not getting what he/she wants and will modify his/her behavior.

Subject: RE: BS: Dog : Yap... yap... yapyapyapyapyap...
From: Becca72
Date: 06 Aug 08 - 08:09 AM

My sister tried turning her back on her pug, Owen (a serious jumper) and he bit her in the ass. :-)

Subject: RE: BS: Dog : Yap... yap... yapyapyapyapyap...
From: kendall
Date: 06 Aug 08 - 08:18 AM

Becca, I was talking about dogs, not hairy door stops with half a face.

Subject: RE: BS: Dog : Yap... yap... yapyapyapyapyap...
From: GUEST,SharonA about to go to a gig - no time to lo
Date: 06 Aug 08 - 08:50 AM

I think Bee and Becca are right about Cesar Milan. On the other hand, I don't think Victoria Stilwell would be up to gnu's challenge. But I'd like to see Cesar do it and broadcast a show about it!

See ya later -- I'm off to accompany a harmonicist at an outdoor fest... wish us good weather!

Sharon

Subject: RE: BS: Dog : Yap... yap... yapyapyapyapyap...
From: GUEST,SharonA again
Date: 06 Aug 08 - 08:52 AM

That last GUEST heading was supposed to end with "no time to login"... but no space to type the words either! :^)

Byyyyyye....