# For those of us with pets...



## ffemt8978 (Sep 22, 2006)

Here are the PET RULES:

PET RULES

   To be posted VERY LOW on the refrigerator door - snout height.

   Dear Dogs and Cats,

   The dishes with the paw prints are yours and contain your food. The
other dishes are mine and contain my food. Please note, placing a paw print 
in the middle of my plate of food does not stake a claim for it becoming
your food and dish, nor do I find that aesthetically pleasing in the
slightest.

   The stairway was not designed by NASCAR and is not a racetrack. 

   Beating me to the bottom is not the object. Tripping me doesn't help
because I fall faster than you can run.

   I cannot buy anything bigger than a king sized bed. I am very sorry
about this. Do not think I will continue sleeping on the couch to ensure 
your comfort. Dogs and cats can actually curl up in a ball when they sleep.
It is not necessary to sleep perpendicular to each other stretched out to
the fullest extent possible. I also know that sticking tails straight out 
and having tongues hanging out the other end to maximize space is nothing
but sarcasm.

   For the last time, there is not a secret exit from the bathroom.  If by
some miracle I beat you there and manage to get the door shut, it is not 
necessary to claw, whine, meow, try to turn the knob or get your paw under
the edge and try to pull the door open. I must exit through the same door I
entered. Also, I have been using the bathroom for years --canine or feline 
attendance is not mandatory.

   The proper order is kiss me, then go smell the other dog or cat's butt.
I cannot stress this enough!

   To pacify you, my dear pets, I have posted the following message on our 
front door:

   To All Non-Pet Owners Who Visit & Like to Complain About Our Pets

   1. They live here. You don't.

   2. If you don't want their hair on your clothes, stay off the furniture.
(That's why they call it "fur"niture.)

   3. I like my pets a lot better than I like most people.

   4. To you, it's an animal. To me, he/she is an adopted son/daughter who
is short, hairy, walks on all fours and doesn't speak clearly. 

   Remember: Dogs and cats are better than kids because they:

   1. Eat less

   2. Don't ask for money all the time

   3 Are easier to train

   4. Usually come when called

   5. Never drive your car 

   6. Don't hang out with drug-using friends

   7. Don't smoke or drink

   8. Don't worry about having to buy the latest fashions

   9. Don't wear your clothes

   10. Don't need a gazillion dollars for college, and 

   11. If they get pregnant, you can sell their children.


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## islandgal (Sep 26, 2006)

Hi all-

I debated starting a new thread but then thought I'd tag this on to this one.  I have a yellow lab/boxer mix.  He is 7 yro but still very hyper.  He is excellent with other dogs (not aggressive) and with my son who is 11.  The problem is he is very protective, barking, running along the fence- once he cornered the meter reader in my yard.  Didn't bite but was very aggressive and threatening.  (oh, and he is approximately 93lbs)
Anyone dealt with curbing this type of behavior?  Do those shock collars work?  

Any advice would be greatly appreciated


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## MedicPrincess (Sep 26, 2006)

I use the electronic perimeter fence for my dogs.  They kept escaping.  So I got the wireless system, put the collars on, turned on the unit and walked to the street.  I called them, they took off running towards the street, came to the edge of the radio signal and my little dog did a backflip.  And they haven't escaped since.

Now the barking collar, IMO is crap.  I put it on the little dog and it does nothing.  She barks and barks and barks and barks and barks and barks and barks anyway.

But if you want to keep them confined to one area, the frying their butts did the trick for me.


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## ffemt8978 (Sep 26, 2006)

islandgal said:


> Hi all-
> 
> I debated starting a new thread but then thought I'd tag this on to this one.  I have a yellow lab/boxer mix.  He is 7 yro but still very hyper.  He is excellent with other dogs (not aggressive) and with my son who is 11.  The problem is he is very protective, barking, running along the fence- once he cornered the meter reader in my yard.  Didn't bite but was very aggressive and threatening.  (oh, and he is approximately 93lbs)
> Anyone dealt with curbing this type of behavior?  Do those shock collars work?
> ...



This is fairly typical behavior of the dogs protecting what they see as their territory.  Mine are particularly aggressive to the UPS guy, going so far as to leap at any UPS vehicle they see when we're going down the interstate.

As far as curbing this type of behavior, I'm not sure that I would want to.  My back yard is fenced, and I don't want my dogs getting to friendly with anyone when I'm not there.  The reason for this can be summed up by this incident a few months ago:

I was at the post office in town (about 7 miles from my house) when a man I had never seen before walked up to me holding a lab puppy.  This guy asked if I wanted to buy a dog, to which I replied I already have three (I have a Rott/Lab, a Dob/Huskie, and a Bichon but I didn't tell him).  This guy says, "Yeah, I've seen your dogs." and walked away.  Makes me wonder how many burglaries my dogs have prevented if a complete stranger knows my dogs.


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## Tincanfireman (Sep 27, 2006)

We have had multiple Labs and Lab/Golden Retriever mixes (talk about affectionate!) and they all had the same protective instincts you described. At the same time, my wife ran a home day care and those poor mutts were tail-pulled, ear-grabbed, sat on and everything else a curious three year old can do to a dog. Never a growl, let alone a snap or bite.  They did corner the Schwan guy in the living room, the meter reader in the yard, (after he went through the gate and closed it behind him) and a new neighbor in the kitchen after she walked in. Never a bite, but they made it plain that the food chain had shifted until we called them to go lay down.  They were simply protecting their territory until they knew it was OK.  If you are concerned, you might post "Large Dog" or similar signs, but I know even the wording of those is tricky in these litiginous times.  I wouldn't try to change a thing in any of the dogs we've owned, except to wish they hadn't passed on as old dogs  do.  Just my .02 on my dear, departed puppies, Sheba, Indy, Fruno, Pita, Harley, and Solomon.


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## gradygirl (Sep 28, 2006)

We have the most darling 5 y.o. chocolate lab known to man. He's gorgeous, he's affectionate, and he's dumb as a stump. Not to mention at 80 lb., he's a monster purebred. We have nearly 4 acres of heavily wooded land in a lovely neighborhood, so he's does quite a bit of roaming. We've debated fencing, but legistically it's nearly impossible, but so far he's more or less kept his nose clean, though he has wandered down the street a few times.

As for the whole aggression thing, he's snapped at people a totally of two times. The issue was that we got him as a young dog (about 2 y.o.) and he had a hard time learning my stepmom's rules; he always grabbed little things and wouldn't let go. Apparently he snapped at one of my brothers (I live with my mom, so I wasn't there) who was trying to get a toy back and snapped at me. When he did that, I grabbed him and threw him outside; since then he and I have a wonderful understanding of how he is supposed to behave. Except for that one incident, he's my angel (though, unfortunately, no one else in the family gives him the time of day that he deserves.)


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