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Messages - Sadenna_And Zoo

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Mixed Breed Discussion / Re: It's been a while since I posted last about Maggie
« on: August 17, 2006, 04:21:59 am »
We always take the plastic loop off the toys that they are hung with , this one particular toy did not come with a plastic loop..just itty bitty material tag that is sewin onto the toy..and normall she does not mess with them so I never thought twice about till a friend wanted to know the brand name and I want to look and it was gone that was the first time that had happened....

 I am trying to find some good self entertaining toys as well we have plenty of tug toys and interaction toys...I thought about some of those puzzle type toys I saw one that looks like hollow log and has small stuff animal squirels you put the squirrels in the log and the dog has to figure out how to get them out..only problem I see with that toy is the stuffed animal toys for dogs maggies rips them open in not time and stuffing everywhere..sh e is no longer allowed to have anymore as they don't even last a day.  I need to find some good toys that are really going to stand up to her abuse...lol

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Book Club & Noteworthy Reads / Re: 2 Good Books to Read
« on: August 16, 2006, 02:31:26 pm »
Marley and Me is wonderful you laugh, you cry everything I enjoyed it and even my husband enjoyed it wonderful book. I have not read the other one you mentioned...

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Mixed Breed Discussion / It's been a while since I posted last about Maggie
« on: August 16, 2006, 01:47:27 pm »
Maggie is now about 5 months old and is doing great, she is doing well with commands and we checked out several places locally for obediance and found one we really liked now it's just a matter of getting her enrolled.

  She sits, lays down not only by voice command but also hand signals which I have been working with here at home..she is still has  hard time with stay but is working on it and latley I have been teaching her to turn around via voice command and hand signal she  is doing great and very very smart. 

  We just love her and everywhere we go people question her docked tail all they see is black lab and wonder why the short tail till we explain she is part Rottie and her tail was already docked when we got her..even then they get a funn look on their face..me and hubby we can see the rottie in her by the way she walks and moves even though she has no color traits of the rottie. We have taken her several places the longest so far was up to my moms which is about an hour and a half from us she did great in the car, we have had a few local street fair type things that we have taken her to and she does great in public very polite.

  I have some new pictures I just have to get them all dowloaded in my photo album to share.

 I also have one quick question can anyone suggest any good places or site that make tough durable toys for large dogs...we have a tire toy, a couple knong toys and this one that is made of some kind of canvas material that is suppose to be very durable it is bright orange and looks like a football can't remember the name since maggie chewed the label off but so far has not destroyed it.

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Mixed Breed Discussion / New Here and introducing Maggie
« on: June 12, 2006, 10:51:12 pm »
I had already posted on the general forum about our new family member Maggie our 12wk old Black Lab/Rottweiler mix and thought I would introduce her on this forum as well since we also have one other mixed breed dog his name is Dolittle he is about 7 years old and is Black Lab/Chow/Daschund mix.

Maggie is settling in well and doing great we have been working with some basic obediance at home and have been looking at local obediance classes we have two we want to sit in on and see if we like them. Anyway here are pictures of Maggie. 










Along with Dolittle and Maggie we also have a 6 year old Lhasa Apso, 4 cats, 4 snakes, 3 lizards and a 10 birds I think we qualify as zoo keepers in our own home..lol

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General Board for Big Dogs with Big Paws / New family member
« on: June 10, 2006, 12:35:15 am »
Hello, I was on a while back as my husband and  I had been thinking about adding another dog to our family. We had been looking at purebreds and deciding what we wanted and also were very open to a mixed breed, well memorial day weekend we decided to go check out some local mixed breed pups that were for sale.  Mom and Dad were both on site so we got to meet both and Dad was your typical Black lab anyone new is a friend of his and mom was a very sweet Rotty just mellow, calm and so friendly. The pups were quite independent kind of wandered around their yard not really paying us no mind which made getting ones attention hard, so my husband got down and called to them one came running right over to us and sat down in front of hubby for some rubs and scratches and then was off again to go explore..he then again called to them and another came running over to us this one though when  you reached out to pet her shyed away a bit so we definantly did not want that one...the others seemed so into exploring so again he called one more time and the first pup came running right over so we figured that was she was ours..the big deciding factor for us though was how mom and dad acted and how the pups re-acted to someone they had not seen before and the family who had them was very nice and took great are of the pups very nice fat healthy pups.

 Maggie is doing great, she is 12wks old and already weighs 20.2 pounds our vet is guessing she is gonna be big as she has some huge paws on her his guess 80 pounds at the most.  She is very smart, has already picked up sit and lay down..we are working on stay and will be enrolling her in obediance classes as soon as we find one we like, there are two close to us we are going to go check out all they do is dog training from puppy classes up to more than just the basic obediance, we are going to go sit in on a class or two and see how it is before making our choice.

  The cats and our other two dogs have adjusted just fine, course Maggie has decided our Lhasa Apsos tail is for dragging her across the living room floor..and our Lhasa Tibet takes it all in stride and lets Maggie know when she has had enough and has been putting maggie in her place and has even backed her into her dog bed letting her know she is one the top dogs in the house and that the new puppy is not..Maggie is learning quick when tibet has had enough. As for our Black Lab/Chow/Daschund mix well he let her know on day 1 he was the alpha dog in the house and Maggie does not mess with him anymore that was settled very quickly.

  Maggie took to being on a leash great all it took was putting our Lhasa Tibet on a leash and then putting a leash on Maggie and haveing Maggie follow Tibet around the yard with lots of praise and a couple of treats and instantly she figured it out.

 It has been 7 years since our other 2 dogs were puppies so having a puppy in the house has been a bit strange doing all the potty training which is going well.

  Well thats about it for now, will update when I can.

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Bernese Mountain Dog Discussions / Re: Hello new here
« on: March 16, 2006, 10:11:41 pm »
Thanks for the book suggestions I will check them out,  my husband and I are taking this really slow and not jumping into anything real soon 1 we don't know what dog would work for us and 2 we just are not ready nor have the time to work with a puppy right now, I guess you can say we are some of those rare people who actually take their time and do their research..I actually spend lot of time online reading up on care of a variety of animals from your domestic to your exotic with having the variety we have we never know what will be dumped on us next I just like to make sure I know what I need to know.

  One problem we have run into is contradicting information online and even in books one  will say one thing about a breed and another site will say the total opposite where one  starts making you feel yes thats the breed for us then you read another and are very dishearted and think well I guess not it can be very frustrating..

So far this is our list of Breeds so far

Bull Mastiff
Old English BullDog
Newfoundland
Boxer
LeonBerger


But again who knows a dog we were not looking for will come into our lives thats not even on our list that will become a very much loved member of the family. But I will definanlty post it when I we know for sure..but right now it won't be any time soon we are looking at a good year or so down the road..we want to take our time and throughly do our research.

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Bernese Mountain Dog Discussions / Re: Hello new here
« on: March 15, 2006, 05:42:07 pm »

 thats why I am posting on this message forum to see what dog would work best for our household and to let people know what we are looking for and what your home life is like..I don't know any dog that does not do well with harsh training methods..and I would definantly buy from a reputable breeder no ifs, ands or buts about that we have several clubs in our area for all different breeds of dogs and my husband and I attend the seattle Kennel Club Dog show every year we get our answers questioned but still like to hear opinions from others. And alot of reputable breeders in this area for all breeds of dogs.

I was just curious about the Bernese as my husband very much likes them and has liked what he has read about them..we tend to do our research and spend alot of time trying to learn what we can about the breeds we are interested in something we do with all animals even if we don't have that particular one..we have always done our research.

  After the attending the Seattle Kennel Club Dog show this past sunday we are still not sure what we are going to do and what breed to get, and who knows we may just wind up with your average mixed breed..that right dog will come along but in the mean time I like to learn all I can so I know weather or not a certain breed is going to be worth proceding further on such as buying.
Quote from: sc.trojans on February 22, 2006, 07:20:19 pm

The breed standard for Berners is confident, alert, good natured and never sharp or shy and aloof to strangers. My last Berner, a male, was a mellow easy going boy who was aloof to strangers. My current Berner, a young 1.5 year old female, couldn't be more different. She is extremely athletic, has a very high metabolism and requires a lot of free exercise and socialization with other dogs. She is not aloof at all.  The males are more aloof than females, and males can often be more mellow in adulthood, although there is no guarantee of this.

Berners, if from a reputable breeder and not a puppymill or backyard breeder, can be relied upon to be highly dog social and like other dogs.  The important thing to remember is there is no breed guarantee, so you must evaluate the parents and their temperaments and energy levels. Most young Berners, if healthy, are high energy until 2-3 years of age when they mature and settle down. A highly energetic young Berner will likely be a problem for small dogs but will ultimately learn not to squash them. If you are looking for mellow from the start, there are better choices to consider.

An important aspect of the Berner to understand is that they are highly touch sensitive and emotional. This is in stark contrast to breeds who are not touch sensitive at all such as Labs and GSDs.  Berners are highly sensitive and easily damaged by harsh treatment and aversive training methods. We have seen many in this breed ruined by pinch collars, harsh verbal corrections, and newspaper swatting.


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Bernese Mountain Dog Discussions / Hello new here
« on: February 17, 2006, 12:13:03 pm »
couple weeks a week I found this board and posted on the introduction page and gave a general description my husband I are looking for with a large or giant breed dogs. A few breeds have been suggested to us now my husband loves the Bernese Mountain dog and i was wondering how are they temperment wise we are looking for a dog that will be able to co-habitate well in our home with our pretty much a small zoo of 2 dogs Dolittle is Black Lab/Chow/Daschund mix Male thats 7 years old And Tibe is a 6 year female Lhasa Apso. We also have cats, birds, retpiles so we have been looking for a dog that if raised and socialiezed around all  these guys will do fine.  My question how energetic is the burnese mountain dog as we are looking for fairly low energy as neither of us jog, hike etc. but a dog that would be fine with several walks a day, a romp in our huge fenced back yard with some playtime we are looking for laid back couch potato that would be ok with walks, and playtime but also would like to be where we are weather it's relaxing in the evening or puttering around the back yard. My husband really loves the breed so I would love to learn more about them from those who live with this beautiful dog other than what I have read on the internet. We have the Seattle Kennel Club Dog show coming up in next month and they always have a Bernese Mountain Dog Meet the breed booth along with other several other breed booths so we plan on talking to those who are doing the the booth this year as well. Would welcome any other ideas for a breed of dog if you do not think a bernese would work in our family and home I have also been suggested a Newfoundland as well lovely dogs I also love the LeonBergers. I don't mind brushing, slobber all that is not an issue for me.  I am also home alone at night since hubby works nights so not only are we looking for a dog to be part of our family but one that can be a good watch dog and will make sure someone with not good intentions has no interest in coming up to our porch or entering our home..I don't want a guard but we are thinking size can be a good deterant as well..but mainly we just want a wondeful family member .

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Introduce Yourself to the Forum / Re: Hello New here
« on: January 26, 2006, 12:28:04 pm »
lol I am very much aware of then energy of herding dogs I know people who have border collies, aussies, and such definantly way to high energy for us as cute as they are not for us thats definantly.  As for the Mastiffs yes the Presa Canario, and the Fila were also very much not recommened the Fila was actually used to track down run away slaves and I have even heard kill them do not know how much is true but according to what I have learned this has never been out of their blood lines. And I believe it was a Presa Canario that mauled a lady down in California what I gather the fila, and presa don't have the best of stable temperments but again thats from reading and talking to others who are very much into mastiffs, breeding or even rescuing so don't know how much truth there is to that.

 Mastiffs definantly require you to be the dominant one in the pack so to speak and  require lots of training and you can't just let them do as they please no dog for that matter once you let them have run of the house good lucking getting back any control...lol. I like the pyranese, Newfies,Leonberger, Saint Bernards, Danes, Anatolian Shepherds, Bull Mastiffs you name it which is why making the choice  is even harder all have qualites that I really like and am looking for.. thats what makes it difficult.

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Introduce Yourself to the Forum / Re: Hello New here
« on: January 26, 2006, 02:40:54 am »
A Reputable breeder is a must, I am not one to buy a dog from just anyone who advertises we have a great vet who would be able to recommend someone  if he knows someone who breeds the dog we are interested in and I have been told to go through the local kennel club which for us is the Seattle Kennel Club to find a good breeder.

Slobber does not bother me in the slightest, being that I have been around babies who spit up, I work around birds and have birds of my own so having baby bird handfeeding formula spat back at ya or being pooped on by a bird  or even better a bird that wants to regurge it's seed for you which is a sign of affection with them is everyday norm for me...plus growing up my dad worked on a dairy farm and my fave place to play was the calf barn and having a calf suck on  your fingers is the oddest sensation in the world..so it's pretty hard to gross me out lol so slobber thats nothing just invest in more towels. 

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Introduce Yourself to the Forum / Re: Hello new here
« on: January 25, 2006, 10:58:54 pm »
when it comes to the Mastiffs I have not heard alot of really great things about the Douge De Bordoux  I mean i have but when talking to the a few people at the seattle kennel club dog show and explaining our home environment the DDB was really not recommended, I read what I liked about the American Mastiff but no breeders locally for them for us, Tibetian Mastiffs I have not done to much research on but have read a bit about them on the internet the one site I spent alot of time looking at was www.dogbreedin fo.com.

Anatolian Shepherds are very cool a friend of ours has 2 she lives way out in the boonies on a farm and they have been doing a great job running her farm as she has live stock as well few breeding pairs if Moluccaon cockatoos that reside in Indoor out door flights and so far no problems with strangers coming on the property these dogs don't let nothing get by them and if someone comes to the gate the female will actually stand between the gate and whomever is on the other side and our friend and they are not even a year old yet she is so happy with her Anatolians but not sure if an anatolian would be happy in our home seem they would want be more active and we are looking more for the couch potato be where we are, is happy with slow walks and  puttering about the yard.  I looked up the Newfies when I was researching the LeonBerger as a matter a fact all 3 breeds that they used to produce the LeonBerger are all great dogs with wonderful temperments according to what I have read.

My husband and I both have been looking up alot of different breeds for the past 6 months and still have not come to any conclusions due to the fact we get contridicting information regarding breed temperment and it's ability to get along with other dogs, cats, animals inside the home so it does get a bit frustrating..l ike with the bull mastiff we have been told a female would do fine in our home and have talked to several owners who couldn't be happier with their big snoring couch potatos who seem unalert but really are aware of all that is going on around them and only do their job when they have to..then I have talked to be people that say no a bull mastiff would not work in our home they have to much prey dive..so it does get a bit disheartening and frustrating at times...when it comes to the dog my main concern is since we have both a female and male dog already how do we go about deciding which sex to get next...my other concern is for my cats, and other non canine or feline animals right now everyone co-habitates very well the dogs and cats were rasied around the birds and take no interest in them we have worked very hard to have a multiple pet home..granted most people think I am crazy but what can I say I prefer animals to most people...lol I want to thank you very much for making me feel welcome, and when I come up with a breed question I will definantly ask but right now the birds are all hollering they all want their dinner...yes I cook for them and my dogs..can we say spoiled...lol


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Introduce Yourself to the Forum / Re: Holly
« on: January 25, 2006, 12:32:11 pm »
I am really bad about not using the terms large and giant dog..I just consider them all large dogs and I have to agree definantly a great deal of size difference between and English Mastiff and a Boxer we went to a local canine event at the local fair grounds and I must of counted at least 6 English Mastiff that day all from people who also came to enjoy the event as you could bring your well behaved dog the one I saw was just monsterous and was a male but gentle as a lamb I did find it a bit amusing to watch people go completley out of their way to avoid gettting anywhere near them, the bull mastiff that was at the meet the breed booth I was actually on the floor with giving belly rubs they just have that face you want snuggle I think they are adorable but again people were going out of their way to avoid getting close to them we must of spent a good hour or so with the bullmastiff talking to the person who was in charge of the booth.

As for Danes I have seen some huge ones and some ones that are on the smaller side I have been able to see that with alot of different breed at the local kennel club dog show each year.  I grew up around Black labs granted they are not a huge dog but they left a good sized pile in the yard that my father cleaned up after, and they both ate quite a bit, and a friend of my dads had a dane, and a friend of my moms raised Great Pyranese I spent a good part of my childhood around animals of many types so having that experiance of being around a few large and giant breed dogs I have a healthy respect an appreciation for them...plus most of the giant breeds from alot of my reading are gentle giants and tend to be more of a lap dog or at least they think they are when raised right.   

As much as I love our little lab/chow/daschund mix and our lhasa I am very much drawn to the larger breeds always have been but wanted to make sure it was the right time, that we had the time to put towards a new dog, and really wanted to wait till we had our own home which we have had for a year..previous ly lived with inlaws.  We are not ready to jump into anything just yet, I want to make sure I do more research and talk to more owners of the breeds we are interested in  to get their experiances and as well as breeders which we have I also would like to hear from owners who may also share their homes with other animals cats, reptiles, birds etc. and Large to giant breeds.

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Introduce Yourself to the Forum / Re: Hello New here
« on: January 25, 2006, 03:38:47 am »
well I love the size and stalkiness of the BullMastiff but I also don't mind the size of the Dane either..as for hair I would prefer short but don't have a problem with having to brush everyday I brush our lhasa each day and we have a himalayan cat that requires alot of brushing. As far as drool goes well our lhasa tends to drip water on your lap after she has taken a drink of water same with our lab mix. I have spent time online looking differnent breeds I am interested in, and we even attend or local kennel club dog show each year and spend alot of time at the meet the breed booths. But just when I think I found a breed that would work there was the one thing that worried me and it seems to be more in working breeds and other large to giant breeds same sex dog aggression or just  does not get along well with other animals such as cats and small animals..I have talked to people regarding the bull mastiff and have heard mixed opinions from they would be ok in our home raised from a puppy to wouldn't work at all but that had been said alot about the males seems about 10 months they can get a bit full of themselves so to speak even when neutered and I have been told females are stubborn. I have also checked into Saint. Bernards there is a breeder local and on their site she has put her philosophy regarding Saints that a well bred Saint would be able to tolerate any abuse a child could offer such as pulling on ears, sitting on back etc. and be tolerant of other animals in the house..Saints from my research are not guard dogs at all but would rather show a stranger to your valuable than guard them but their size alone is enough to deter someone with bad intention. 

  We looked and researched boxers but I feel the energy level maybe to high for us, and with them seems same sex dog aggression is the common trait, Another person wrote a breeder at that won't place a boxer in a home with cats even if they are raised with them if a cat runs they will chase and sometime the outcome is not good and that got me rather nervous we have cats... the boxer was another one with a very good description very easy going, not aggressive by nature, good family dog and companion love to be with their people and very devoted...

So we are at a point where we don't know what breed is right for us, we definantly would be going through obediance training I now is a must....and because we just can't seem to find the perfect match we have thought about a mixed breed or even going with a smaller dog and we have a few my husband and I both like.

I would love a Irish Wolfhound but they are sight hound and would not do well with my cats and birds. Another dog that has really caught my attention is the LeonBurger found those in our Puppy 2006 Magazine and have found 3 breeders in our area for them.

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Introduce Yourself to the Forum / Hello New here
« on: January 25, 2006, 12:09:48 am »
My husband and I have turned our home over to quite a Menageri of animals and included in that menageri we have 2 dogs Dolittle is 7 years old he is a Black Lab/Chow/Daschund mix, and Tibet is 6 years old and she is a Lhasa Apso both are fixed.

 We have been considering adding another dog to the family and have been thinking about a larger dog, partially due to the fact I am home at night by myself as my husband works right now 4pm-4am, now Dolittle tries to act tough but due to the fact he is part Doxy he is vertically challenged and many strangers that have come up on our porch sales people, survey people are not bothered by him at all granted he does the whole thing showing teeth hair brissled up on his back the whole nine yards people hardly flinch at him.
Now I am not looking for a dog just for watch dog, guard purposes but a loving family member. We are looking for a dog that is large, but yet not aggressive by nature if raised with our other pets will get along ok with cat and other non canine or feline animals as we have birds and reptiles..now a few dogs have been suggested to us everything from English Mastiff, Bull Mastiff, Great Dane, even a Bouvier De Flanders..we are also limited on the breed of dog due to the fact our home owners insurance has certain dogs listed we can't have in order for them to insure us and those dogs are Akitas, Rottweilers, Dobermans, Great Danes, Chows, Pit Bulls or any dogs mixed with the breeds listed..now we got lucky with dolittle he does not resemble a chow physically he looks like lab thats been shrunk down and had short legs put on him so we got away with saying he was Lab/Daschund.

 We are not a active household neither of us jog, nor hike so we are looking for a dog that is not high energy that would be just as happy puttering around the backyard when we are out there, going for a slow walk or just being a couch potato. We are also very much trying to avoid a high prey drive instinct due to the fact we have birds and cats. Also looking for a dog that will be good with kids as we have plenty of neighbor kids who love to come over and see all our animals and I do my part and educating them on their care and their needs when they ask they are mostly fascinated with our reptiles and birds.

Our work schedules work out well my husband is home during the day and works nights, I am home at night and work 4 days a week with, so someone is always home and we live close to several relatives (all live on the same block) so someone is always able to come over and let the dogs in between my husband leaving for work and me coming home or if we are out running errands.


So any suggestions would be greatly appreciated, we want to make the right decision on the right breed of dog so we are in no rush to run out and get one yet...And yes mixed breeds are also a consideration to.  Since we also have a female and male dog I do worry about same sex dog aggression now our lab mix who is male  is the more dominant dog and our Lhasa is very submissive female I have been told we would do fine with another female dog in the house.

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