Dogs and sleep

[McMurdo]

Well AA I won't give you any advice, you seem to have a handle on things. I just wanted to say that what you have done for the little guy is just perfect, he really does look as if he has been outside for a while. As someone who has taken in his share of strays, dogs, cats, owls, squirrels even, no not at the same time that would be bad, I have to commend you on doing this for the little guy, I hope you decide to keep him, if my experience means anything you will, but then I get attached to animals quickly. Best of luck whatever you decide.

[The F-H.C.A.G.]

...snip...
Also have to suggest that there's a growing body of evidence that the techniques of back-rolling and extended eye contact don't result in your having dominance over a dog and can, in fact, lead to other behavior problems that can be really annoying and potentially dangerous....snip... Back-rolling should apparently be used only by a well trained animal behavorist and then in very specific sets of circumstances. There are cases of it's use by others have been disastrous and resulted in serious injury. I'll find some citations for this later on and give you a link.

Ol' Cesar Milan is coming under fire as well...many established behaviorists are expressing the opinion that his techniques can lead to dangerous problems, as well. It may look like it works on TV but real life can be very different. Face it...it's pop-psychology for dogs.

Stare downs may make sense to humans but field research has shown that dogs don't do it as part of normal pack life. When they do do it, bad stuff ensues. If anything, dominant dogs signal their dominance by what looks to us like aloofness and a minimum amount of "verbal" signaling.

If you've been having success doing this consider that the day may come when you do it to the wrong dog...there are psycho dogs with aggression issues. It happens. Even the professional behaviorists have stories about situations where one little thing went wrong and bad craziness happened. Proceed with caution.

Best

AA

I am so glad you wrote all this, AA, it saved me a lot of time. Just want to say ditto, and Cesar Milan's techniques are going to get someone killed someday soon-I hope their relatives sue him for all he's worth.

Be well,

[sean_cummings]

Hope you can get him under control. Hes very cute and would make a great addition to the family.

[auld argonian]

Thanks to everyone for their good wishes re "The Dude"...we're thinking that he reminds of Jeff Bridges in The Big Lebowski.

Unbelievably, aside from "marking" the two plastic trash cans in the kitchen, this guy has been no trouble at all. I had to take the car in to the dealership for service yesterday; I took him with. He laid down on the seat in the car and just mellowed out in the waiting room. Last night I figured that I'd give up on keeping him downstairs in the crate overnight and brought him upstairs where the other two have their regular places on their dog cushions on the floor. I folded up a towel into a pad for him and he laid down and crashed out...didn't get me up till quarter to five and then it was the Beagle that got me up and the whole pack went out to go. We get up at about five anyway so it was no big deal.

This is too good to be true...I'm waiting for the other shoe to drop.

But in the meantime...

...the Dude abides.

Best

AA