Sallyg, Talkta Me

Hey, whatever happened with your GSD puppy search? Do you have a new addition?

I have settled on a great breeder and, if all goes well, we should have our new pup by March. I'm going to go to the Great Dane national show in Lancaster, PA in late October where I'll get to meet the sire and dam (my baby daddy and baby momma) and take in the sites. There should only be about 700 Danes at the show, lol. Dane Heaven.

Btw, if you're interested, there are some good dog training clubs convenient to us both. Since I'm off of work for several weeks, I've been doing lots of training and breeder research and have been checking out the different training classes, etc. I'm especially interested in obedience and agility ...

Welllll, I didn't want to one-up hart's Jello.......and I've been busy...and here's one reason why. This is Adeline. called Addy, which is fun to say in our faux British acccent. I was almost posting her on the Yellows thread, because she was the yellow ribbon in the litter. I didn't really research breeders. My husband fell in love with Addy's mom and two of her pups from her first litter, then was talking to the owner . It was basically a done deal before I knew about it, you know how that goes......But the owner seems to know her stuff and be very committed to her dog. Only has the mom and one of mom's first litter, and her son has another from that litter, so no mass-production.
Addy is from 'German' german shephards, we have a litter certificate. I think she's doing well. Got her Aug 1. She's very good about being in her pen in the kitchen when we are out/asleep. It's a lifesaver. She is not a whiner/ barker, except when I vaccuum LOL
We were recommended to go to class with a woman at a small pet store in Severna Park. My husband will go as handler for this class. (He needs the training!) I do think it would be fun if I could take it further, into agility or something, later.

This picture is yesterday, you may have noticed her cute floppy ear has straightened. Those ears- I think she has Fennec fox in her blood.
We have made some progress with housebreaking, altho she doesn't signal to go out, so more like we are getting better at taking her out. And no fence on our yard -- I'm thinking it's good that she's leashed from the get-go.
Hubby says he loves her to death. Kids love her despite the chewing and nipping.

OMG. Adorable!!!!!!!!!!! Maybe we can have puppy play dates next Spring. Well now you can post her in your Blacks and Yellows threads.

Did you see my "Working Danes" thread on pets from a couple days ago - some fantastic Agility clips from you tube there. Why don't you join CTA, get a head start, then mentor me???? Not that I'm self-centered or anything ...


Some good local club links where you can do obedience, agility, rally, show handling, etc. etc.:

Beltsville and Davidsonville (and I think other locations as well?): http://www.caninetrainingassociation.org/

Silver Spring: http://www.cdtc.org/

This message was edited Aug 31, 2007 3:04 PM

She is adorable - good luck with her - :-) We love our Belgian Shepard to bits - took us a few years to get her to calm down - but, after extensive and continuous training she has been an awesome dog for 10 years now! We have already made the decision that when the time comes - we will get another Shepard - I have already found the breeder in Denmark :-)

thanks guys, I am proud of her. But boy, you know it's like getting a new toddler in the house, and it's been a busy week, school, etc

Absolutely, it is! Too bad ya kant krate train the two legged toddlers though, eh?

heh heh

Playpens. LOL. Which I never got my kids to stay in once they could walk, so I guess that doesn't really compare. I might have been a better parent if I had a dog first!

And I told my son we should open a daycare center and call it Kiddie Kennel.
Just kidding folks, please don't kill me for that one.

BTW, I need a cheap source of huge amounts of rawhide....

This message was edited Aug 31, 2007 9:24 PM

What's not to like?!

Sally, she's beautiful! I really, really love those ears. LOL

Jello is learning to sit and shake this evening. She'll do anything for bites of peanut butter crackers.

Sally, my vet told me years ago not to give them rawhide. Maybe he was just being a worrywart? Might want to try Tractor Supply. Their dog biscuits are cheap and the dogs love them so maybe they have big bags of rawhide too.

Wrightie, you're going to be a new puppy mama too? We can all be tired together. LOL

Oh, I didn't see the rawhide comment. Yes, Sally, just say no to rawhide, pigs ears, and all that other carp. The stuff doesn't digest and very bad stomach problems can result. A good Kong and some decent biscuits or dog food are the safer option. For me, I give raw beef marrow bones instead of rawhide, etc. Google is your friend with regard to this subject ...

Edited for stupid grammar.

This message was edited Aug 31, 2007 9:45 PM

Not to mention many of the non-USA made ones use cyanide to treat them.
Sally...I have total puppy envy...THAT is an adorable pup!!!

Thank you all for the compliments. She is much better than a cat at coming to the door and wagging her tail!
I asked the vet about rawhide sticks cuz I saw the problem right away- she chewed it down to a stub and swallowed the stub. He just said to be sure not to let her be swallowing hunks. She sure loved to chew the rawhide'bone' I got, but it's disappeared already. Not interested in Mylabone.
We have a Kong bone with rope but she's not so thrilled. Maybe the red snowman shaped thing? I guess I'll make veg soup this weekend and give her a marrow bone. Plus a trip back to Petsmart and peruse the kong options and biscuits.
Here's the mom on Addy's 'birth day'

Forgive me for this, for I do not wish to offend or otherwise step on paws, butI Highly Recommend giving raw marrow bones, not cooked. Maybe that's what you meant though. Dogs adore the raw bones and they'll stay busy with it for a long time, depending upon what size you get. The Giant grocery store usually has Raw Beef Marrow Bones in the meat case or I'll just ask the butcher for them directly. When introducing raw bones, it pays to ease into it, and prepare to be *gassed*. This, too, shall pass though.

For the record, I do not feed an all raw diet such as BARF (Bones And Raw Food). I use a good kibble (will use Bil-Jac with next pup), but imo raw bones are The World's Greatest Dog Treat, tooth cleaner, discourager from chewing on household objects, puppy teether... I could go on and on. I agree that Kong's and other manmade chew products do not even hold a candle to them.

I'm bummed to hear that the vet didn't discourage the use of rawhide. There is all sorts of evidence showing how dangerous it can be. In my own research over the past ten or more years, I've read over and over that vets do not learn much about nutrition during their training, only spending a few hours on that subject typically during school, so I don't look to them for nutritional expertise, I'm afraid.

http://www.daneangelnetwork.org/rawhide.htm

PS I sincerely apologize for going off topic and for getting on a soapbox ... I did it only because this is a passionate topic for me and wanted to get the message out. Please forgive me. (Yesterday's anesthesia still hasn't worn off? Yeah, that's it)


This message was edited Sep 1, 2007 10:30 AM

w-
I do appreciate you getting right back to me on this. That was an interesting link describing rawhide traditional uses and modern production.
After thinking a minute I had wanted to ask you raw VS cooked bone and you already answered.
Well, I can figure out why rawhide is sold everywhere. Who wouldn't want to make money selling garbage?
We are using Iams Puppy. I think our southern states carries Bil jac. Breeder had Enova but haven't seen it in my stores.
Please feel free to educate me We are newbies!

I used Nutro's Natural Lamb & Rice for many years with Sophie and was happy with it - it's fairly natural, so low on preservatives, junk and fillers compared to other brands... BUT I'm now learning that dogs really don't need all of the grains that kibble often packs in... so this time I'll use Bil-Jac, which is what my breeder uses. I'm also thinking of switching my cats over to Bil-Jac. http://www.biljac.com/ If I was a better pet Mom, I'd make their food for them fresh, but I use kibble instead, but also supplement with some fresh fruit and veg' ...

In my case with a Giant Breed dog, there are othe issues that come in to play regarding the percentages of protein that the puppy requires. These pups require a lower % of protein than other breeds. Consequently, I'm going to need to mix two different types of food in order to lower the protein. Sheesh ... the things we do for our puppy-shmuppies.

As for those raw bones, be sure to get them in a fairly large size so that there is absolutely no danger of choking or swallowing. Leave the marrow and meat on the bone, but either feed outside or confine him to a place in the house/crate where the floor can get blecky from the bone. If you go with large bones, introduce in short increments (15 min to start????) in order to avoid gastrointestinal issues, or at least lower them. You might take a look at the barf dot com website for tips on starting out. Alternatively, you can scrape out some of the marrow and meat to feed at a later time, that way he can abuse the bone for a much longer period of time without having the initial GI distress. Just my opinion here, as this is how I do things with my own...

I'm so relieved that you aren't upset with my response! BIG sigh of relief.

Upset??? My gosh! For saving me the money and hassle of buying unneeded items or giving her something to make her really sick? One thing I do know from my kids, I'd rather start good habits ASAP than have to backtrack.
Gotta go now buy grass seed and starter fert from farm supply, mabe another kong but NOT rawhide
: ^)

PS I would probably give no more than one raw bone per week. Let him continue working on the clean bone until you're ready to give another. You can store the extras in the freezer. I do that; I just pull them out of the freezer and feed as PupSicles. I don't even bother thawing. That's your call though.

Also, if you ever catch the puppy chewing on something that he shouldn't be (like that new Prada shoe of yours), simply get a raw bone then remove the shoe from puppy's mouth and hand him the bone instead. Make that a habit to always trade the inappropriate item for an appropriate item. No need to go into hysterics (unless it really is a $500 Prada) ... Keep a basket full of Appropriate toys handy so that everyone in the family uses this technique.

Another word of advice: absolutely no squeaky toys allowed unless they are used under careful supervision, -OR- the stupid choking hazard squeakers are removed. Honestly, those big pet stores can be our own worst enemies! It is soooooo hard to find safe, alternative products!!!!! Buyer Beware Beware Beware.

Are you wishing that I'd just heal up and get back to work already????

Sally, Petsmart carries Bil Jac. Also, see if they're still offering free bags on their (Bil Jac's) website.

Another tip on chewing - I used to have a lab who chewed up everything. I do mean everything - table legs, electrical wires. A little Vics Vaporub smeared on wires and table legs won't hurt the item or the dog and will keep them from chewing on it.

Absolute best dog toy ever are the Hide a Squirrel, Hide a Bee. They're indestructible and dogs love pulling the little bees and squirrels out of the beehive/tree trunk.

They're about half regular price here - I see Hide a Bee and Hide a Bird. They have a lot of other toys at good prices too. (It says wholesale but they sell to anybody.)
http://www.upco.com/sidebar-treats-toys

Avoid those Soft Touch Sea Creatures, by the way. It took Java about 30 seconds to pull them to pieces. Absolute junk.

The Hol-ee Roller ball is another toy that both Java and Jello have loved. It bounces, is indestuctible and fits in even puppy mouths.
http://www.upco.com/sidebar-treats-toys

The local butcher will give me a huge bag of raw bones for the asking. I also give Java the beef flavored real marrow bones they have at WalMart for around $3. They're good sized bones and take even her bonecrushing jaws a while to chew down. She usually manage to suck the marrow out in an hour or so. I would be wary of giving raw meat products of any kind nowadays unless I knew where the meat came from. I know the local butcher has local meat.

I checked the Bil Jac site - don't see the free bag offer any more but you can sign up for coupons. They have a large breed puppy variety.
http://www.biljac.com/store/products/Puppy_LB.asp

$8 Iams coupon by mail
http://www.startsampling.com/sm/25008/captureAddress.iphtml?item=25008&source=printable-coupons.blogspot

You guys are the best!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I found some marrow bones at the food store, cut the marrrow out of one(save for later) and gave it to her. It was so good, she immediately thought it was forbidden!!!!! So cute! We could hardly get a hand on her for the leash to keep her on the deck with her 'daddy' but she wouldn't have gone anywhere anyway. She LOVED it !!!!!!!!!! I can already see this is way cheaper than what I thought were the standard dog chews these days. Also had picked up biscuits at farm store, they were a hit too!
hart- thank you so much for the toy advice and web links! . I will check those. I will for sure get that Iams coupon for now and consider changing food later.
wrightie -Have you heard of Crunchies pet food store? There's one in Crofton on rt 3. opposite Friendly's. (Vienna Mocha Chunk has proven restorative powers by the way...) I stopped to check into it but they were cloing for the night and shooing the last customers out. He said they sell all-natural foods, top brands. Website should be crunchies.com
Thanks again guys. Please consider all your thoughts Valuable Advice, as they are to me.
Life is so good! One of our beloved kitties had gone missing- not liking the puppy- but is home again. I found a new source of garden horse manure. I have a chocolate pudding cake in the oven. DD and I are going to On Demand watch Dreamgirls, as all the guys are out. It is a beautiful evening. My kids are happy with their new school. My mom is doing well with shots she has to get , 12 down, 36 to go.......
I am wishing everybody a little piece of my contentment right now......................

Howdy again - need to come with a tiny bit of advice here on marrow bones - make sure they are always big enough that she can't get them stuck around her bottom jaw or lodged in her throat - we had a very unfortunate Sunday "adverse event" with a marrow bone I got from the butcher - it was one of them sawed up ones - Izzy had a field day with it until she got it STUCK around her bottom jaw and to make a very, very long story short - Sunday visit to emergency vet - they had to sedate her and use a bone saw to cut it off her :( She still loves bones, but alas we can't give them to her - kills her tummy and much as I would love to give her some - I just have to stick with treats

Crunchies? No! Is it new? I think I know which plaza you're talking about though. I'll look for it. Same with the Vienna Mocha Chunk. Sheesh, it's been many years since I've been to a Friendly's. I was always a chocolate almond chip or pistachio kinda gal. But if you say "restorative powers" then I'm there; my foot's been bothering me a bit tonight, but I took a Tylenol 3 and that has helped ... had a little snooze as well.

Horse manure, you say? You can always come by my barn in Bowie if you're after some Black Gold. We've got "Aged" and "Hot off the Presses." All you can dig ...

Bec's right. It's very important to make sure those bones are large enough not to get stuck, cause choking, or be swallowed.

Oh wait, I take this back. I have seen "crunchies" from Rt. 3 but never stopped by. Here's the website http://crunchies.com/

I'm so sorry that I never bothered going in to check them out. I will definitely be looking in to using them. Thanks for mentioning it, Sally!

Bec- aaagh, what a nightmare that must have been. My puppy is still pretty small, but yeah, soon enoguh I'll have to really look for the bigger bones.

wrightie- quoted
'Why don't you join CTA, get a head start, then mentor me?? the phrase 'the blind leading the lame' comes to my mind ha ha Would like to meet your handsome horse one day if I can get free........................

Well, you just let me know when you're ready for a field trip, Sally ... could be a few weeks before I can drive again though.

So, how did Addy's G.I. tract handle her new treat yesterday? I hope that you weren't all forced out of your own home... Oh, and I'm sorry for referring to her with the wrong pronoun... Sheesh.

This might come in handy: http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/p.php?pid=3928522

Wrightie - "how did Addy's G.I. tract handle her new treat yesterday?" - OMG....too funny...sadly I'm overly familiar with that - luckily my other 2 dogs don't have Amber's "issues"

wrightie- sounds fun. Life will hopefully settle down here too....................

I gave her a small bone with very little meat on it and the marrow cut out. We didn't notice anything...............Can you get bigger bones by asking the meat guy directly? These looked almost the size of human thigh or shin bones, soon to be too small I think. There wasn't much to pick from, I guess they may put more out in cooler(soup making) weather.
Ham bones OK or no?
Thanks for the link.

I only use beef marrow bones typically, and yes, you can usually ring the bell and ask The Guy. Each store seems to be a bit different. If you're lucky enough to have a 'real' butcher in your town, then I'd go there instead of to the Thuper Market. Sometimes the bones will be quite long, four to six inches, which I prefer for a giant breed. Yes, there's usually not much meat on them, but enough to keep them busy and without causing a lot of GI funk. I'm not sure about ham bones. I'd google it along with the acronym "barf". heh heh

Chantell, my Dane, in her final year, reached quite an 'interesting' level of fumage in the evenings, as we would relax around the couch. Well, try to relax, anyway. And that was au naturel, not due to marrow bones. lol

I am probably the only one neurotic enough to see if fumage is a real word. Lo and behold, Sophie was way more talented that I understood. Turns out "fumage" is a surrealist technique invented by Wolfgang Paalen in which impressions are made by the smoke of a candle or kerosene lamp on a piece of paper or canvas. Who knew? She was the Dane all right!

I just had a great time reading this thread. I too am a dog lover. Your tummy upset stories amuse me. ha-ha

Good luck with all the new pups. There won't be another little one around here for a good while. Already have three boys, ages 10 and 7 years.

The dogs definitely serve as our main source of entertainment. Not a day goes by that either John or myself are telling the other about one of the boy's antics. They have served me well in terms of being a mood lifter.

At the moment they are doing their favorite afternoon thing.....napping. All three have it made her, no doubt about it.

Ruby

LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL

She even blew smoke rings.

And I bet those smoke rings were the fumigatious!

Hey, Bec, when Izzy got the bone caught around her jaw, please describe. Was her lower jaw actually going through the hollow of the circular bone? Or was the bone wedged inside of her mouth and between the teeth of her lower jaw? What size/breed of dog is Izzy? This is a good point that you bring up, but I'm still trying to envision just what happened. I'm assuming that she has a fairly narrow and small jaw.

Hiya - Izzy is a Belgian Malenois - she has a typical Shepard jaw - long and narrow - this was a marrow bone that was cut into pieces - about 2 inches thick and yes, her jaw went through the ring and got stuck behind her canines - lesson learned, Vet said to give nothing smaller than 5 -6" thick/long

Ugh, that must have been terrifying! Poor pumpkin. I'm glad she got passed it, but I'm sure that that was one awful vet trip.

She's gorgeous.

Between trying to calm down DH who was panicking and dog who was panicking - it was horrifying - however, as you can see - she is no worse for the wear :-)

cuddles time. a one-dog night. while the cat as usual sulks behind the couch pretending not to care.

I'm visualizing the Dane 'painting' scenes on canvas while you sit on the sofa watching.

Cheap treat, Ice Cubes! My dogs loved them. Couldn't open the freezer door without them coming over for them.

Wow, you are right about that!! She LOVES chomping ice. and it's FREE!