MerlinsMum

Sending hugs... :grouphug

Oh dear! What a little princess! :lol I understand completely. Merlin woofs at me (not quite a full bark) or tries to whine when he wants me to get up (generally at the weekend, when I let myself sleep in a little). I used to get up and say "No!", now I just give ignore him. Eventually he lies down or goes back to bed and waits. I don't even say No, because that's still feedback. However, 6am at the weekend is one thing, 4am on a weekday or every day is quite another! You've been given some good advice above. I too think you should put a leash on her before you take her out. Give her a few minutes, then take her back inside. Don't let her resist, just act calmly but firmly like you're going in, period, before she tries to 'statue' (obviously don't pull if it's going to hurt her neck). If that doesn't work, do start off by doing a little circle so that she follows you willingly and then quickly keep up the momentum by running back inside with her. No more bribes. It will be hard for a day or two, and you will lose sleep, and it will be a PITA and probably get a little worse before it gets better (the "extinction burst"), but eventually she will learn that she is not going to get anywhere and will lie back down. Good luck!

I am so, so sorry Spencer was so beautiful, it's clear that you were both very very bonded to each other. :grouphug :grouphug Rest in peace sweet Spencer, your mum will never forget you...

Agree 100%. Argos, my first grey, went to the dog park twice a day. He got to run, play with the few dogs that inspired play in him, and socialize as much or as little as he wanted. He was perfectly comfortable sticking up for himself if another dog had bad manners, and he was perfectly comfortable walking away from scuffles. Bootsy, my current grey, gets very nervous at the same park, so I don't take him. I don't like the body language he exhibits or what that might bring out in another dog. He doesn't seem to care about running, so he is happy with his twice daily long walks. Yes, I agree, it does depend on the park. When I first adopted Merlin, I used to take him to the dog park very frequently. He loves playing with little dogs, so he really liked it there. He would stay out of trouble, only pinning another dog down on the ground once when the dog kept trying to hump him. I did not reprimand him for that. Then the place changed - some rough people started coming with their aggressive dogs; I was bitten by someone's dog; and people would come and not pay attention to their dogs, just stand there and drink coffee and chat. I stopped going. I would go to a different park - much nicer crowd, and Merlin behaved, but it was a large place and I felt like I couldn't keep an eye on Merlin all the time. So we stopped going there too. I set up a greyhound playgroup and now we use a local ballfield to play and run Sometimes I wish I could have Merlin play with little dogs again, but Sagan is quite scared of other breeds, so greyhound playgroup works best for us. Generally, dog parks make me nervous for various reasons. First, many people take their dogs there because they are too lazy to walk their dogs. The dog park is not the place for your dog to get his/her main exercise, IMO. Dogs should be exercised PRIOR to being taken to the dog park. Second, so many people either can't be bothered to educate themselves about dog behavior, and are therefore clueless about what is appropriate behavior and what is not, or they don't supervise their dogs when they're at the dog park. Whereas I set up our playgroup, so I know it has rules that everyone needs to abide by.

If he is really peeing, as you say, and not simply marking, then I think it's safe to assume that he probably just has to go. As others have suggested, he is mostly likely way more active when you're around than he is when you're out of the house. My two certainly are. At the weekend our schedule changes a bit and if they have been following me around a lot, or we've played during the day, we usually go out into the yard more often. If that really doesn't work, I personally would try using a belly band before resorting to the crate again Good luck, Liz, and keep us posted!

I am so very sorry :cry1 :grouphug

He is so handsome!! What a lovely photo. : Congratulations!

Sending lots and lots of good thoughts! Fingers tightly crossed. :goodluck :goodluck

Welcome from Maine! Breeze is just absolutely stunning! :wow

I'm so terribly sorry :cry1 :grouphug

Oh, {{{{{{{{{Anne }}}}}}}}}} :grouphug Keeping you in my thoughts.

A whole year, already? Hard to believe... I am so sorry she is no longer physically with you, Claudia... you must miss her so much. But I know she is in your heart always, and our loved ones truly do live on in the smiles they elicit when we think of them, and the laugh we spontaneously break into when remembering a habit they had or an expression they wore... may you continue to treasure all your beautiful memories of Misty, and draw comfort from them. :grouphug

:cry1 Oh, how utterly heartbreaking, I am so, so, so sorry I think that you absolutely made the right decision. I haven't had to make that decision yet, so I can't even begin to understand how much hurt and pain you must be experiencing right now. But don't second-guess yourself, you did the kindest thing you could do for her - freed her from her pain. You're in my thoughts. :grouphug

I am so, so sorry :cry1 You've had such a terrible time and so many painful losses Run free BooBoo Hang in there :grouphug

My two eat poop too. I think it's gross as well , but my main concern is just that I don't want them catching any intestinal parasites, as you yourself mentioned. So every single time they go out into the yard they do so wearing muzzles fitted with a stool guard. We get plenty of cats visiting our yard and leaving "gifts", and even though I am always outside with them when they're in the yard, sometimes they're just too fast

Sorry to hear this, Kristen I hope the procedure goes smoothly -- I'll be keeping my fingers crossed for the cleanest margins in the world :goodluck You did a really wonderful and compassionate thing by helping out that Pekingese dog.

You could try sprinkling some nutritional yeast on something he has accepted and eaten. This must be hard for you I hope your vet figures this out soon :goodluck

:sad1

Sending lots and lots and lots of good thoughts for Cartier. :goodluck

:cry1 : I'm so very sorry :grouphug Rest in peace, Zema

OMG. I am only just seeing this. I am so terribly sorry, what a horrible, horrible shock. :grouphug :grouphug

Yup. Absolutely - what Batmom said.

:cry1 :cry1 I'm so terribly sorry, Pat.... :grouphug

Oh my - :weep What beautiful words, Susan, I am in tears. Your connection with Alan and your love for him have always struck a very deep chord in me. Alan will ALWAYS be with you. I am so pleased that his tree is blooming :grouphug :grouphug

Congratulations!!! She is gorgeous! I love her smile