Dear Evie,
It may depend on the dog’s preference. Does she look embarrassed or insulted when you say one or the other? It may be like other words that were acceptable years ago but not politically correct today. I think Schaudle sounds more sophisticated and less edible than Schnoodle. I hope that helps.
May 10
JnHtchnsn from England asks:
Can you give me some tips please?
Having seen the pictures of Daisy, I am convinced my rescue dog is also a Great Dane Lurcher. His name is Max. We found him in June 2007 and could not resist welcoming him into our home. He howled when we had to leave him in the pound for jabs and quarentine type issues. Max was found in the Doncaster area in England with no collar and no micro chip!
We think Max was not quite 1 when we got him but no one can be sure. We have several problems with Max.
1 he steals food from the table or work top surfaces when he is not supervised. He even took some bisuits that were in 2 wrappers, one of them being individual wrappers, and managed to get into 3 of them!!! This is not too big a problem as we can move all the food but can be irritating if you have to pop into the other room and leave your toast on the bread board waiting to be buttered!!!!!
2 he is not good with some dogs. He is our only dog as we lost our other dog prior to getting Max. He pulls like crazy to get to other dogs and can sometimes be ok! Other times he can go a little crazy. We try to avoid other dogs if we don't know them. Other dog owners can be a little upset as Max lurches towards them!!! He also got attacked by a pitbull type dog on Sunday. He was with me on the lead and the pitbull was not. Max pulled to go over to the pitbull who left his owner and stopped 6 feet from Max. Max had a little sniff, waggign his tail. I think Max must have exposed his neck as the pitbull went straight for it!!! Max did get his own back by taking a lump out of it's ear!!!! I am now worried this has given Max a taste for biting other dogs.
3 He seems to have a thing for toothbrushes and toothpaste, grabbing them off the side in the bathroom and chewing them to bits!
4 the only other thing with Max is his obsession with tennis balls!!! He sits and chews them 'till they are sopping wet and then throws them in your lap to play!!!!NOT PLEASANT!!!! Not a problem though.
Any help with some of these issues would be great.
Couzin! He looks so much like me. And yes - I do the same thing.
Get Max a crate. You'll need a large one, big enough to lay down and turn around. They are expensive but you get it all back in savings of food, items, and headaches. My mistress found used crates in the newspaper and at kennels sometimes, but she cleans it with disinfectant well and sands off any chewed spots so it doesn't encourage more chewing. If he complains when he is in the crate, let him. Don't let him out until he is quiet. But the crate isn't punishment. Give treats to get him in, feed him in it. The crate actually gives me a secure den. When I'm loose and alone in the house I can feel abandon and nervous, just like other rehomed dogs. All my dog housemates spend alone time in the crates until they are 3 or more. What I don't think of, the dog will and we end up with have pillow stuffing and chewed slippers all over the floor.
Train Max to "Kennel" into the crate and "Wait" to come out when you open the door. This is easy with treats to "Kennel" and popping the door back at them, "no wait" if they try to bolt out of the crate. This makes it safer if you are getting him out of the car, getting his leash on and controlably, not bolting, out of the crate in pubic.
1- Stealing from the table - I like this as well and my master doesnt have an answer. The Labradors are too short and can't reach it . My friend Chad may have an answer for Counter Surfing.
2- Other dogs. My mistress took me to a training facility where they put me in a head halter. I hated it. Couldn't pull or go where I wanted to but it didnt hurt and I'm used to it now. I just give up pulling and wait until I can go.
I can easily over power my humans. The head halter (Halti, or Gentle Leader) prevents me from dragging them. I was not good at first introductions, but I was just afraid not socialization, excited and and I like to be dominant. My first meeting with my Lab friends was a bit growly, but I just wanted to play. I found out later that the halter made me take my time, learn how to get what I wanted by being good, and my mistress was happy. I got treats.
In your case, the owner of the pit bull was at fault. Max was only responding to an attack and fortunately it didn't go farther. We have a lot of loose dogs here. If you run into a similar situation again keep walking. This is where the head halter really helped because my mistress kept me cool and out of trouble. Let the owner deal with his dog, you take care of yours. If you visit parks and run into other dogs regularly you'll find out who plays nice and who doesn't. We have some strong tendencies in us. The sight hound wants to run and the Great Dane wants to push other dogs around.
3- I also also found a full tube of toothpaste in a duffle bag and chewed it up. My breath breath was minty fresh.
4- More chewing. I ate a favorite shoe, making the other one useless. It was just sitting there like a raw hide bone. I love the big Nylabone and rubber Kong. Anything I chew that comes off in big chunks is always taken away from me.
The best way to save your "stuff" and keep the dog safe is to use the crate if you find the dog is getting in trouble when you aren't watching. Put the things you value away. Put food in the refrigerator or oven if you have to leave the room. It's not fair to test a us if you can't deliver the correction immediately. It's too late when the toilet paper is strewn all over the floor in gummy wads. We need to know it's wrong when we make the first attempt to do the bad deed. Dog proof the house. You'll get used to it. Keeping us from repeating these bad behaviors for the first couple of years has meant we'll forget to do them later in our house.
April 4
Dear Daisy,
My name is Buck and I am a Labra-Dane. My owners say I am 28” at the shoulder, and I weighed 88# yesterday. This makes all things on the counter just a nose height. Personally I find it hard to resist the cat food (why does it smell so much better than our own food?!) so I do sneak some from time to time.
I agree with most everything you told that chap from England. My owner uses a pinch collar, which keeps me from pulling. As a training aid we only have to use it now once in a while, especially when icy as my strength and weight can pull my mistress all around.
My mistress is very good about picking up things I should not get into. She makes sure that we all have Kong toys, old lead ropes to chew and pull with, and big cow knuckle bones. Toys that might be chewed to swallow-able pieces are never left with us when she is not around. I think she fears us choking when she is gone at work.
My mistress taught us to have a “time out”, where she picks up the toys and we have to just sleep or hang out. She does this when we get too out of hand and she is tired. This is seldom a problem as she learned long ago that a TIRED dog wants to sleep and won’t chew toys or toothpaste or “counter surf”. When I get out for a long (at least ½ hour) walk, I am much more content.
My old friend had the tennis ball obsession too. He was allowed to fetch and play, but when we came into the house, the tennis ball was put up or he would chew and shred it into confetti.
As far as meeting new friends, I think she would recommend these things:
1) Get that Halti head halter or a pinch collar to remind you not to pull.
2) Find a friend, maybe take out an ad, to find someone who has a friendly dog. Probably one who is taller and not intimidated by a tall dog.
3) Find a place to meet that is neutral ground. A park or field if you can find one. A school which has grass and is fenced with a gate so if someone gets loose you don’t run into traffic.
4) Go slow. Most times dogs work things out on our own. But when we get leashed up, we can get territorial and guard our owners, so sometimes introductions on a leash end up with too much aggression.
5) Remember, some dogs, like owners, are just bone-head jerks like that other dog.
Hope this helps! RarWoooff!
Buck - Wasilla Alaska
Dear Buck
So glad you found a good home. You didn’t say how old you are but you sound very mature. We should get together and form a Tall Dog Club.
Call me