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Post by Brutus Buckeye on May 29, 2019 7:00:21 GMT -5
What is the over/under on the number of dog strollers Wolfgang has?
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Post by ironhammer on May 29, 2019 7:43:36 GMT -5
Yup. Mixed breed are a good idea from a health standpoint. That being said, one drawback is that it is harder to predict the temperament of the dog. Whereas with "pure" breeds, while they are all individual dogs with their own unique personality and quirks, in general, you get a good idea of their overall temperament. Nah...they’re all good. All dogs go to heaven... I think many mixed breeds are great dogs with less health issues than pure breeds and many are in need of adoption. My point is that with a pure breed, you know what you are getting in a general temperament sense, notwithstanding individual variability in behavior. For example, with a German Shephard you know you will be getting a dog that is intelligent, highly trainable and with a good protective instinct. Not every single German Shephard is like that, but the majority are, enough for the breed to be classified as a herding dog. Likewise, breeds like Labrador and Golden Retrievers, you know you will be getting a dog that loves to retrieve objects, is friendly and loves to play. Again, not every labrador is like that, but enough are like that for them to be classified as gundogs. Same goes for greyhounds, terriers and so on.
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Post by Phaedrus on May 29, 2019 8:06:44 GMT -5
Always wanted a dog, never did because my mom is deathly afraid of dogs. When I went on my own I was spending my time doing things that it wasn't fair to the dog because I was never home. Now my mom has moved in with me so, no doggies.
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Post by rockhopper on May 29, 2019 8:13:14 GMT -5
I have two dogs. Sadly, the older one is in the "checking each morning to see if he's still alive" stage of life. So far, so good. I think it's just a matter of time, but I've thought that for months. He doesn't seem to be suffering though, so we're just trying to care for him while his eyesight and mobility deteriorate. Been there and know how emotionally difficult this stage of dog life is. Hang in there and cherish all the good days.
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Post by ironhammer on May 29, 2019 9:01:15 GMT -5
All dogs go to heaven... I think many mixed breeds are great dogs with less health issues than pure breeds and many are in need of adoption. My point is that with a pure breed, you know what you are getting in a general temperament sense, notwithstanding individual variability in behavior. For example, with a German Shephard you know you will be getting a dog that is intelligent, highly trainable and with a good protective instinct. Not every single German Shephard is like that, but the majority are, enough for the breed to be classified as a herding dog. Likewise, breeds like Labrador and Golden Retrievers, you know you will be getting a dog that loves to retrieve objects, is friendly and loves to play. Again, not every labrador is like that, but enough are like that for them to be classified as gundogs. Same goes for greyhounds, terriers and so on. I learned the hard way that terriers are wicked smart. And stubborn. At least mine is. I can't honestly say that I'm a fan of that combination in a pet. If a dog is going to be smart, it's nice if those brains come with a positive trait like desire to please (Labrador and/or Golden Retriever) or protective instinct (German Shepherd). Our dog is extremely smart, but with no apparent desire or instinct to put it to beneficial use. Well, not for our benefit, anyway. The thing is that many pure breeds today were not originally bred as house pets, they were bred as working dogs to fulfill certain tasks. To hunt prey for their owners, to guard a flock of sheep, to go into tunnels to eliminate rats, to pull sleds in the Arctic and so on. Many of these breeds were then adapted to become household companions, some breeds adjusted to this new role better than others. Breeds like Beagles, Spaniels or the Labrador and Golden Retrievers excelled in their new role because their original function did not strongly conflict with their new purpose as family companions. But some breeds have retained their original instinct strongly (like terriers) that may not be as well adapted to domestic life. Terriers, some of them anyway, were breed to be more stubborn and independent because they needed that temperament to hunt rats. That was their original function. This does not mean a terrier will make a poor pet, but one needs to know their function and adjust their training accordingly. Breeds like German Shephards, Rottweilers, Pitbulls and Dobermans have developed (perhaps undeserved) reputation as dangerous and aggressive dogs, but in many cases that was due to their owners not understanding it's original working purpose and did not know how to train these dogs properly in the modern home setting. A well trained and socialized German Shephard for example, will not attack anyone randomly and will always obey it's owner's commands. And speaking of "dangerous breeds", this is not helped by the reputation of their owners, who are ultimatly at fault. People with shady backgrounds who wants a pitbull because that would help their fearsome "street cred", for example. Or folks who wants a German Shephard or Rottweiler purely as a form of home security and not caring one bit for the dog's welfare and well-being. Those cases do nothing to help those breed's reputation. And northern spitz breeds (those with erect ears, pointed muzzles and usually a long curled tail) like Siberian Huskies, Malamutes and Samoyeds were specifically breed to be very friendly to people yet also rather hard to train because they needed their independence, to know how to get out of a sticky situation when they are confronted with polar bears or surrounded by hard-to-navigate ice without direct human intervention. That was their survival instinct. But now transplanted into the modern home, a husky or malamute's independence becomes a problem because they become disobedient dogs that don't always obey their owner's command. The hardest-to-train dog breed of all I think is the Shiba Inu. A small Japanese spitz type hunting dog that is one of the most primitive breeds in existence (and which might also explain their resemblance to the Australian dingo, a Shiba looks almost a little dingo). They are not recommended for first time dog owners and can be very stubborn and refuses to listen to owners a lot. Yet they are at the same time very loving to their owners and family members. And many Shiba owners love their pets, even if they give them a lot of trouble with their disobedience.
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Post by mln59 on May 29, 2019 9:52:27 GMT -5
moar pics of doggos!
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Post by volleylearner on May 29, 2019 9:57:50 GMT -5
My parents had a dog, I got a dog after college, and we had cats when my kids were at home. In my old age, I've become philosophically opposed to the idea of pets.
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Post by Wolfgang on May 29, 2019 10:45:06 GMT -5
My parents had a dog, I got a dog after college, and we had cats when my kids were at home. In my old age, I've become philosophically opposed to the idea of pets. This post is not cranky enough.
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Post by Wolfgang on May 29, 2019 11:12:17 GMT -5
What is the over/under on the number of dog strollers Wolfgang has? Over/under on dog strollers? I don't even know what this is!!!! I googled. The answer is ZERO (0).
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Post by mln59 on May 29, 2019 11:57:01 GMT -5
What is the over/under on the number of dog strollers Wolfgang has? Over/under on dog strollers? I don't even know what this is!!!! I googled. The answer is ZERO (0). don't lie wolfgang....you look great with the doggo strollo
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Post by Wolfgang on May 29, 2019 12:36:43 GMT -5
don't lie wolfgang....you look great with the doggo strollo These days I'd need one of those to take my dog for a walk. I tried to take him for a walk not long ago and it.....was.....the.....slowest.....walk......ever. By the time we got to the end of the driveway -- at the start of the walk -- he was pretty much done. We went to the end of our street and back and it was all he could do. Maybe .25 mile. Poor doggy.
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Post by Wolfgang on May 29, 2019 12:37:28 GMT -5
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Post by rockhopper on May 29, 2019 13:53:07 GMT -5
I have a small dog stroller that I got when my previous dog's health started failing. She enjoyed going for rides around the neighborhood and I didn't feel guilty about always leaving her behind. Towards the end of her life, it also came in handy around the house as she wanted to be near me and I could stroll her around to whatever I was doing. She usually fell asleep in it. It also kept her out from under our feet in the kitchen when we were cooking (small kitchen and smallish dog). I miss that ole girl.
I thought the stroller was a ridiculous extravagance but I do feel that it improved her quality of life at the end.
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Post by Deleted on May 29, 2019 19:18:36 GMT -5
I have a doggy. I like to talk about him. the goodest boi
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Post by ironhammer on May 29, 2019 20:01:04 GMT -5
I have a small dog stroller that I got when my previous dog's health started failing. She enjoyed going for rides around the neighborhood and I didn't feel guilty about always leaving her behind. Towards the end of her life, it also came in handy around the house as she wanted to be near me and I could stroll her around to whatever I was doing. She usually fell asleep in it. It also kept her out from under our feet in the kitchen when we were cooking (small kitchen and smallish dog). I miss that ole girl. I thought the stroller was a ridiculous extravagance but I do feel that it improved her quality of life at the end. I think strollers are fine for old and infirm dogs. But I have been seeing folks with strollers with young (or middle aged) dogs that are perfectly capable of walking and running on their own. Which begs the question of why. I think there are some people confusing their dogs for human babies.
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