Yorkies are NOT lap dogs!

I see a lot of you Americans using the term "Rat terrier" on here.

Is this just a generic term for any terrier who was bred to fight/catch rats? Or is it more specific than that???

I house/pet sat a couple ofweekends ago for my husbands boss.

She has two dogs, a 5 year old Weimerama (sp?) and a wire haired visla puppy!!

Now I have never like the Weim. She is one of those hysterical dogs who barks agressivly at anyone who comes on the yard, the sort you don't let your kids pet!

Trouble is this woman is a BUNDLE of nerves and so the dog is constantly following and protecting her and gets crazy if left alone.

So I get there and 10 mins after the owner has gone this dog is just a diffrent animal!!

Friendly, happy, calm no worries.

She was happy to be left alone for a couple of hours, ignored my kids when they came up with their dad (after I rewarded her for ignoring them she stopped barking and didn;t bark at them again).

When I was watching TV that night the dogs started barking and instead of getting up and down to them I pushed the door shut and ignored them and after a few mins they stopped.

They slept through the night and I thought I had just been totally mistaken!

When the owner comes back though the Weim. goes back on high alert!!

She asked me how the dogs had been and I said , really well behaved. She laughed and asked how many times they had had me up in the night and I said none! Didn't hear a peep from them and she looked confused. Apparently they have her up two or three times a night!!

So now I hear they are going away again and guess who ISN'T being asked to dog sit!!

Why are these people happier to have someone look after their animals who will wind them up just as they do? Why can'tthey think "I'm so glad the dogs were well behaved and happy while I was away!"

Its frustrating!! And horrible to think the puppy will most likely end up a bag of nerves too :(

Anyway.

LEGIT 1: Was there ever a time you wanted to head butt a wall because of something another dog owner did?

LEGIT 2: How many toys does your dog own?

My yorkie is 11 months and still has two baby teeth.

I know a lot of owners get the teeth removed surgically but what are the implications if you don't? Is there the possibility of oral problems if they are left?

He's due up to the vet for a health check in a couple of weeks so I'll discuss it then as well, just wanted to know what you guys thought too!

Wow.

Just found a tick on the Border Collie the size of a small grape!! ITS HUGE!!

I've never had any trouble removing ticks before, but only small just latched on ones, I have a horrible feeling if I try and remove this one it will burst (gag!! :S ) and then the head will be left in.

Any ideas????

Shall I just ;leave this one to fall off on its own?

a LEVEL 7 troll! That's dedication!

Really has he nothing better to do than poke holes in a fun question??

How do YOU deal with this?

***Hello Yorkies are NOT lap dogs!

You have received a message from another user!

From: King Les The Lofty

Subject: weak wish

Message: PIKER!

You wrote "I'm granting you a wish",

not "I'm granting just ONE person a wish".

Yet you have granted NOTHING that I wished for - not even the two that ARE within your power.

Sad....

And the expression isn't "none shed",

it is "non-shedding".

Les P

*********

He even opens by calling me a gypsy!

Claaaaassy :)

Legit: whats your secret to a shiny coat? :)

Ok I'm still a little upset about this.

Today I'm walking the dogs and as I come down a narrow lane I see two women with dogs coming the other way. One of the dogs is a greyhound I know to be a bit aggressive so I turn around and walk up to a place where I can get right off and let them pass.

So I'm really working the Border Collie (the one who was attacked and has lead aggression/fear around other dogs), I have her right out the way, sitting by my side. She has her harness on (training lead around my neck/shoulder) and the slip lead, all of which I'm holding slackly, talking to her, telling her to sit.

She's doing fantastic.

Then this STUPID perma tanned housewife spies my yorkie and is all "awwww how cewwooot!" and not looking at her greyhound as she starts walking towards us.

This greyhound is head up, hackles up, stiff legged tail as high as it will go.

So he gets to within almost sniffing distance and I have to say "Can you take you Dog away please, the Collie has lead aggression."

Well ... she went "Oh." and SNEERED at me like I'd done something wrong! Meanwhile HER dog is BARKING at my collie and trying to get at her.

As I try and explain she walks off in a huff!!

I was so cross!

I was made to feel bad when all I was doing was protecting MY dog AND HERS!!

My Collie was a STAR though and although she was really tense I made myself keep her lead slack and just kept telling her to sit I was so proud of her but this woman just made me come away from that feeling bad :(

Thing is I have the land that I need never walk her outside the home, she has 12 acres to run in but I really want to work on this problem and get her to relax around other dogs, so we go out for walk every day.

real question:

Have you ever been in this situation, trying to train and having idiots look at you as though you have a problem? What do you say in these situations? Or do you just let it go.

Gloves off!

You no longer have to worry about your house, kids, partner, other pets or time, so.... Which dog you going to chose????

Your dream dog *cue angels singing*!!!

If money/time/everything else was no problem I would have an Irish wolf hound! Bigger than my smallest pony! LIke giant lurchers and so friendly!!

So what you having?

My eldest son would really love some horse games (like the Pippa Funnell ones) to play on the PC but he dosn't want to play girls games.

Are there any games that have the option of playing as a guy rather than a girl??

I'm fat :P

But I always said I wasn't going to make excuses and if I just exercised more and ate less blah blah blah.

However I was reading a newspaper feature today about heavy periods and Under active thyroid came up. I was reading through some symptoms and I had most of them.

They include:

Very heavy periods

Carpal tunnel in wrists

shortness of breath, especially around my period (I'm on asthma meds but they don't help significantly)

Depression

tiredness

feeling the cold

Dry skin.

I know all these things can be other ailments as well.

The one thing that made me think though is that even when I was slim I was only ever able to be @ 9 1/2 stone, and that was working a highly physical job 6 days a week (riding racehorses), cycling to and from work and really eating nothing. I always felt it was unfair I wasn't slimmer (although what I wouldn't give to be that weight now!!)

When I sit down and think about what I eat there is room for improvement of course but I don't feel I eat enough to warrant the weight I am. I cycle 4 or 5 times a week and ride as well as walking so I'm not inactive.

Do you think I should ask for a blood test just to rule it out or will the Dr roll his eyes at another "fatty making excuses".

Some background for anyone who wants it.

This mare is just 4. She came to us for breaking last Autumn and was super easy to get going on the lunge, tack getting on etc. We had just started riding her, literally day 2, when the owner came while we were out and decided to show her to a prospective buyer anyway...which she did by chasing her round the field .... and the mare fell over >:(

So anyway suddenly this mare develops a locking stifle so she goes home for the winter (she's only just 3 here). She comes back in the spring and we get her going again but now she has a bad back. Back woman comes out twice, all good.

Before we had her, owner sent her away to stud (at only just 2!), where apparently she had a rough time, wouldn;t stand for the stallion, was hobbled the whole works (I highly doubt the poor cow had even had a season at this point). Possibly had something to do with her back (back woman said there was an older injury around the pelvic area).

OK.

So NOW she is physically well. SHe has taken a long time to come right riding. She has a major lack of confidence under saddle, I still have to be on the ground while she schools and occasionally flick a lunge whip in her direction. Her ear is always on me, she uses me as a safety zone but if I leave the paddock she plants herself shoot back, goes up. (BTW rider is my husband he has 30 years experience with young horses and I wouldn;t trust anyone else to do the job, he is a skilled and competent rider :)

Its getting better though, little by little.

However this confidence issue is also when turned out.

We have another of this woman's horses to break (who is fine confidence wise btw) and the pair of them got so tight that it was huge drama if you took one away from the other.

We split them up and they take turns going out with my sons pony mare and being turned out alone (but still in sight).

We thought we'd cracked it as she seemed to settle down but NOW she has just switched her affections to the pony and has got to the point of busting down fences in a panic if the pony is left.

We even turned her back out with the other mare the other day to take the Pony out but she completely ignored her!

This is a total confidence issue, always needing a comfort zone but its getting ridiculous.

Anyone else have/had a horse like this?

Tried all my tricks and getting p!ssed off fence mending.

My sister just found out she is pregnant today (and its her birthday!!!!), its really early days yet, but in a couple of weeks I want to buy her a really good pregnancy and early weeks book. I especially want one that covers the possibilities of premature birth. All three of my boys were Prem and I found most books/magazines kind of skipped over a premature baby having to stay in hospital. Theres no reason why she SHOULD have a prem but I want her to be prepared.

Obviously she has me to talk to but I'd like her to have a good guide to refer to and there are bound to be times when she doesn't want to discuss something with me (in case she thinks it makes her look silly!! ;)

So any good books for me to consider?

Anyone interested in taking part in a study to work on preventing dog bites with children.

Parents are asked to have their child play with a CD which sets up different scenarios with the "blue dog" and also video the child interacting with the family pet.

There are also some other questions.

My kids are too old to participate (have to be Between 3 and 6) but thought it might interest some DS people??

http://www.lincoln.ac.uk/psychology/blue_dog.htm <------to sign up

http://www.thebluedog.org/ <---- more about it

LEGIT: Have you, your dog or child ever been in a bite/snap situation and what do you think went wrong?

Ahhh... Went for a lovely walk today with the pups and came back to find the yorkie (clipped not long coated) covered in grass seeds!

Spent about an hour brushing and picking them out this afternoon but there are still a load there.

Any tips on getting them out easily and without pulling the poor dogs skin anymore! Might have to get the scissors out later anyway :P

My eyes where fine just less than an hour ago and I was working online when I suddenly realised my eye lid felt swollen. So I looked in the mirror and my right eye is really bloodshot and watering and the lower lid really swollen and the left is also a little bloodshot and watering as well!

Any ideas what it is??

I'm inside, no smoke, no pollen, not been touching pets or anything.

I don;t get hay fever but I do have atopic tendencies (asthma and eczema in the family).

Whats happened?

OK, I'm not devastated but heres the deal.

I have a good friend whos daughter is in my two youngest sons class, the kids play together and have even had sleep overs and all this year she has brought my boys birthday presents.

Anyway last week I was walking back from taking the dogs out and as I get to her house I see kids leaving the house and stop to say hi to their parents and realise that her daughter has just had a birthday party which my boys where not invited to!

Ok, so all the guests where girls and at that age (7) I know they start wanting to be more girly and maybe she just wanted girls at her party BUT I was annoyed that her birthday hadn't even been mentioned to me (and I saw them all the day before and we chatted for a couple of hours).

Its not so much that he kids didn;t get to go (well a little) but that I wasn't given the opportunity to give the daughter a gift and that it was like the party was hidden from me.

The school they go to is a very cliquey and small one and I sometimes think that because I am one of the few parents that can't afford birthday parties that my boys don't get invited, even though they have good friends and play dates and stuff.

Ok what do you think. Deep breath and let it go or what?

Oh and I DO have a gift for the daughter now and am taking it over today.

My Husbands big horse has developed sweet itch this year and this is the first time we've had a horse who has suffered from this.

Just collecting as many resources as possible so wondered if anyone here would share their tricks and tips for managing sweet itch.

I brought some green jade balls (frozen) and just wanted to know how to cook them!!

The back of the packet implies I can do everything from microwave to deep fry.

How do you prefer to cook them?

Sappy fluffy question but I have to ask because my pup is going his thing RIGHT NOW!!

His cutest thing is worming his way into my sweater until he is snuggled inside with just his ears sticking out and then he des this huge sigh and goes to sleep!

Its like wearing a baby in a sling!! (noooooo! So not my baby substitute!!!! lol treat him like a doooog!!!)

He realised early on that getting IN my sweater meant I could still type without him falling off my lap :P

So what cute things do your dogs do??

The next dog I want to get will be a rescue and I was looking into an ex-racing greyhound. However all the sites seem to indicate that ex-racers are not suitable in homes with small dogs or cats because of their high prey drive.

Just wondered what other peoples experiences of ex-racing greyhounds was. this is just a line of thought, keeping options open :)

My husband suggested going to RELATE, he has some anger issues and depression and its effecting our relationship and he wondered if this might help.

Anyone here been to RELATE or other couples counselling??

Really want to know what to expect if we do go to something like this?