Jean

My usually sweet and loving 13 y. o. mare (who I've owned since last January) has always let me catch her without a problem. I go in, I put her halter on, and I bring her out. But now I go in, put her halter on, and she won't budge. I've pulled with all my might, checked her for sores, even done a little free lunging in her pasture. She has one pasture mate (used to be two but then the other mare left.) Her remaining pasture mate, who is about 3 y. o., is now pregnant (about 45 days along), and I've noticed they have now become fiercely attached. (They used to not really like each other.)

When I finally did manage to get my horse out, her pasture mate was whinnying and running up and down the fence. And even then, when I was walking my mare to the barn, it was a constant tug of war. She would walk a few feet and then stop until I pretty much yanked her halter right off.

Anyway, I don't want to spend an hour pulling and fighting with my mare to get her out of her pasture. I'm a 120 pound female tugging on a 1200 pound mare, so I think we know who will end up winning most days.

Do you think this change in behavior is caused by her pasture mate getting pregnant? How can I fix this? I'd really rather not switch her paddocks, because I think it's sweet that she and her pasture mate have bonded, but it's near impossible to get my mare out now.

Hey everyone!

So just a year ago I purchased a off-the-track thoroughbred from the owner of the barn where I take lessons.

I immediately decided he was the horse for me. The owner of the stable I lesson at told me that his old owner and him had "personality conflicts", and he was skittish and shy. I'd had (and have) some family problems of my own, per se, that he helps me with every day, and I wanted help him not be so scared.

But that's not the point- I'm jumping him now, and I can't decide whether I want to go into show jumping or hunter/jumping. My horse is what I'm wondering most about, and I'm not sure what he'd do best at/be happiest doing. He loves jumping- that's not the thing, but I'm curious about show jumping versus hunter/jumping.

He's 16.2 hands, I think, maybe a bit taller, and has very good conformation. He looks like your textbook thoroughbred. Like most thoroughbreds, he has a long, fast stride, and he's always asking for more rein so we can go faster- it's not a problem, though, because I like going fast as well!

He's very sensitive, and on good days you can drop rein and just steer him with your legs- he responds to your touch very well, and when you're riding it's like he can read your mind! But on bad days he drifts off the wall, cuts corners, and bulges his stomach and shoulders out on circles. It can always be corrected, though.

However, one thing I worry about is that he spooks pretty easy. I've learned to ride it out, but I'm worried it might be a problem when we compete. If I fall off at home, oh well, I just get back on again- but at a show it could get us disqualified or have major points knocked off. And, this sounds confusing, even though he spooks easy, he's very brave and will jump almost anything- it's just scary noises and sudden sights that can make him nervous. He finds the jump well and looks clean-cut while going over.

And, of course, the taller show jumps won't be a problem for him. He over jumps pretty much everything we pop over, and he does get quite some air!

I have a picture from before I bought him, with the owner of the stables jumping him (her face is not shown because, well, confidential-ness and all that.) Also, sorry for the horrible quality! It looks like he hangs his feet in this picture, but (I think) he's actually just beginning to stretch them out for landing.

Here; http://oi42.tinypic.com/20tf50i.jpg

From what I've said, do you guys think he'd make a better show jumper or hunter/jumper, and why?

Hello,

I am going to get a male puppy APBT (American Pitbull Terrier).

I know I might get flame and hate from either ignorant people or people who believe that no one is qualified enough to own one. Let's get it straight- I. Can. Handle. And. Take. Care. Of. A. Pit. Bull. Fine.

I have posted at least two other questions about pit bulls, and at least one answer had, "You sound like you shouldn't own a pit bull. You should research the breed, wait more, or get a different dog."

Some people were just looking out for the breed, yes, seeing as their reputation is not exactly great, but some were just hate, and then there were the poorly written and with horrible grammar too answers that were somewhere along the line of this: "pitbulls r evil nd mean u sold by a nic dog cuz pitbuls r agresssiv + tey wil ripp ur fac of".

So please, understand that I am willing to go through whatever to take care of an (adopted, by the way) bully, and if you answer, please write in a legible form, or I will be forced to ignore it, if only simply because I can't read a single word!

So anyway, I am looking for nice pit bull names. He's (I've seen pictures) tan colored with a white streak down his chest and his belly, with brown eyes.

I would like a strong sounding name, but not anything like "Ripper" or "Shreds" or "Killer", seeing as people will hear that and run, as the pit bull has an unfortunate stereotype that seems to go with them wherever they go. :(

Also, I am heavily leaning towards naming him Wonderwall.

It's like the song, Wonderwall by Oasis. Feel free to listen to it if you want. I'm considering him naming that for personal reasons, which you might get a hint of if you listen to the song, but moving on.

Anyway, what do you think of the name? I like that it's unique and has meaning to me, which a lot of names don't.

Would you name your dog (or any dog, for that matter) Wonderwall?

Oh, and one last thing- thanks for reading this whole thing, if you have- what would be a nickname for Wonderwall? Wonder? Wallie?

Any ideas, seeing as I have very few?

Thanks a bunch, everyone who answers!

Hi guys! So I've asked this question before, sorry, but I only got two answers and neither were detailed or answered my question, so I decided to post this again.

So to understand my situation, you need to know that my sister's dog is a French Brittany that is... well, there is no way to explain it except he has a severe anxiety disorder, the dog version of ADHD and is always hyper and panicked. He barks at nothing, acts aggressive but is really a huge coward, and is incredibly freaked out.

When we leave for even 15 minutes, he gets scared, jumps onto the table, runs around, and barks. And then when he sees us pulling up in the driveway, he runs to the windows and barks, nonstop.

Now let me say that we have tried everything with this dog- it is NOT a result of little to no separation as a puppy, or socialization, or being taken from his mother too early, anything like that. When we got him as a 12 week old puppy, we invited people and other dogs over, we went to strange places and introduced him to strange sounds- we did everything, but he is just a troubled little dog. We think it might have something to do with the fact he is a runt, but we aren't sure.

Anyway, like said, we've tried everything from comforting vests to mild anxiety medication recommended by our vet, but it's gotten to the point where our vet has just told us that he is just a troubled little boy.

Now, we have no plans of giving him away or anything, but my soon-to-be-step-mom has a cat named Hank. We brought Hank to our house and he's been living in a separated room, only in the house when Demi (our frenchie) is in another room or outside. They both know that another animal is living in the house, and surprisingly Demi is pretty calm about it. He tenses up when we slip into that room to grab something, but he never barks or tries to follow us, which I think is pretty impressive.

So recently I've decided I'd like to adopt a APBT (American Pit Bull Terrier). I've read all about them, prepared the house, and gotten all the things I need- I have looked up how to introduce puppies to full grown cats, and asked people about their dogs and cats living together.

But what I am most worried about is my sister's frenchie. Even though he is a coward with big dogs, I'm worried he may spazz out or be aggressive to the pit bull puppy, and I don't want the puppy to feel threatened, because that might encourage him to be DA (dog aggressive) or AA (animal aggressive). With any dogs it's a problem, but with pit bulls especially because I know owning them is a big responsibility to uphold the shreds of their good name, you know?

I know it's important that the puppy is socialized, which is what I am planning to do, but what good will that do if he feels scared in his own home? And when he grows up, I'm worried that if Demi thinks he is still a little puppy he might snarl, and the pit bull could snap- and obviously our frenchie would be no match for the bully, so I'm really worried.

Does anyone have any tips about introducing a pit bull into a slightly chaotic household? I am prepared to give this pit anything he needs, but I am not going to even suggest getting rid of Demi- the thought is just horrible- in my house dogs are family, and even though my family annoys me sometimes, I obviously wouldn't send them to a shelter!

I really want to make this work, so does anyone have any suggestions, based on personal experience?

READ THIS FIRST:

I know that I will probably get flamed for this, but:

(a) I know pit bulls are not a real breed

(b) no, I am not trying to add to the 'meanie' stereotype

(d) I do know what I am doing- I have made a training word vocabulary list, I have shopped for all needed things for puppies, like odor remover, puppy dental set, etc, and have read up on the breed and owning a dog- keep that in mind

(c) I am capable of handling a bully- and they are, after all, only as mean as the ones who own them

So anyway, I technically have two questions. I am trying to convince my parents to get me a bully puppy, and I need your help.

1. Would you buy a spiked collar for your bully or bully mix? I do want my doggie to look mean, even though he'll be a sweetie. No, I am NOT going to make him a fighting dog- I just like the idea of having a tough looking dog who is really just a giant teddy bear, which is what the breed is SUPPOSED to be.

My main fear is that one day he'll get loose (every dog does at one point, haha, I used to have a black lab who used to sneak away and run down to the lake... RIP you, bud) and I'm sure that people who would catch him if he was, say, a golden retriever will shy away from him pit bull-ness.

And if someone DID try to catch him, if they saw the spike collar I'm worried they'd think he was a fighter- even though I'm not planning to crop his ears. I mean, even someone who KNEW the breed would be vary of a stray bully with a spiked collar, just because most pits with spiked collars are trained to be gang dogs/fight dogs.

So what do you think? Is there a real danger of people not trying to catch him, especially since he will have a spike collar?

2. How do I convince my family that bullies and bully mixes are a misunderstood breed? My family is pretty open minded, but when you ask most people if they'd buy a puppy bully for their teen, they would say no, right? So does anyone have a site or a story they could share that I could show my family? I, for one, know that a bully trained right could have the personality of a golden retriever- but most people think pit bull and go, "No way!"

Especially since we already have a French Brittany and a cat- though getting the bully as a puppy and interacting with other dogs/cats will make him tolerant.

So to everyone who answers my questions and doesn't flame, thank you! Hugs and kisses! xoxoxo