a_daerr

HA! We got a handyman from Craigslist to install ours into a solid wood door. He also replaced the window on that door, so it was maybe $100 total. Shop around, and you should be able to find someone to do it on the cheap. I also agree that the rise is the most important part. Ours fits Truman nicely, but he's quite a bit taller than Henry. Poor Henry has to really do some high-stepping to get through.

Oh goodness! Do you think she is wound up and excited? Or does it seem more aggressive or fearful? It's hard to say without actually seeing it...

This. I researched the automatic dog doors and there were way too many problems with them. I was worried that something would malfunction and our dogs would be stranded outside. We have a plain old flap door, and it's wonderful. Like others have said, it has strong magnets and it automatically "clicks" closed after the dogs go in or out. I don't notice any problems with it being drafty. We have an alarm on the basement door, so if the entire door would open, that would trip the alarm. And the dog door isn't really large enough for a regular-sized person to fit through. Even if an intruder could get through it, I feel like the dogs would scare them off before that would happen. Training them to use the dog door is pretty easy. The only issue we had is that one of our guys was reluctant to go outside unsupervised (it was almost like he thought he was doing something wrong). But once I stop opening the door, he got to the point where he couldn't hold it anymore and went out on his own. The entire process took maybe a week, tops.

"On your bed" only really works if she's also good with the "stay" or "wait" command... and it doesn't sound like it's helping much with the barking. I would maybe try a different route with the training because it is sort of odd that she is seeking your guests out to bark at them. That leads me to think it's more territorial than fear-based. Leash Treasure before your guest walks in the door. Make sure your guests are as non-confrontational as possible (not facing the dog straight on, not making eye contact, not posturing or reaching for the dog, moving slowly). Just have them act uninterested in Treasure and what she's doing. You interact with your guest first- face them and talk to them, touch them or shake hands, then bring your hand back to dog. Reward her for calm responses. Try that for several minutes and if she's doing okay with it, you can ask your guest to give her treats. Don't force the interaction if she is very distressed or you feel like she may snap/bite. Also, try to be cognizant of your own emotions and body language. Nervous people make dogs feel nervous too. Hope this helps!

Oh dear... not the answer I was hoping to see. He must've be terrified. Positive thoughts that the mass is benign.

What is Lilly's birthday? Truman's is 8/31/11, so he is almost 15 months. They must be really close in age. He is the same way- a huge string bean. All legs, very deep chest. But his hip plates and butt area are no wider than my spread-out hand. I'm still supplementing him with canned Nutro in the hopes he will fill out. He's not picky at all though- he'll eat cat poop and grass all day if you let him.

Oh, you're from Pottsville! That's not too far- we're closer to Pittsburgh. We used to always lose to Pottsville for high school newspaper competitions!

Huh. Well, there's the science behind it. Very interesting.

For us, the green bag caused a temporary increase in pooping. But then things tapered off and went back to normal. I would say the size of the poops are a little bigger, but the quantity is still the same. The only thing that I can think of regarding James is that now his symptoms are subsiding, his body is trying to compensate for the weight he lost. His appetite is probably coming back around, which may continue until he gets back up to a healthy weight. Is James still on the sulfasalazine? If so, that could definitely explain the gas!

I am going to post some pics... he has these white-white spots on his tail that look very raccoon-like

No flames at all! I totally get that you want to know. Wishing you the best

Ah... Sorry to hear this. When I got Truman, I thought dietary problems would be the least of our worries, since he was a clean slate and didn't have any intolerances from the track. We have as many, if not more issues with him as we did with Henry. Who knew?

Oh don't break my little heart! Well, not totally fake. I heard somewhere that at the time of filming, the people already live in the house they supposedly 'choose.' Could be a rumor though... I hope so because I also love that show!

Amen, think of all those brats you see in the store that were not taught to behave properly around other people. Well, this puppy is growing up, and if not taught properly, it will act out to the wrong person at some time, and you just might end up in court. I don't take growling from my dogs just because, and wouldn't expect some else to take it either. I certainly would not take that off of someone elses little precious puppy dog since its not my precious puppy dog. Nothing to do with this topic, but hello from a fellow SWPA person! My sister lives in Johnstown.

That is AWESOME! I heard HH was fake though... is that true?

Yeah, I'm leaning toward this too. Especially with a spook.

If it just appeared, I'm thinking abscess. They can get big and nasty really quickly. Tumors develop over time. Can you try hot compress for now? Then vet appointment in the morning?

Whoa!!

He is skinny. He's the cutest, most dainty little boy I've ever seen! I'd give the food for at least 4-6 weeks, and look at doing a gradual switch if the problems haven't ceased.

Since everything was within the normal range for Henry's bloodwork, we've started supplementing his food with Cholodin (choline, phosphatidylcholine, DL-methionine). Just wondering if anyone had success with it?

A high GLOB can be from anything. In combination with a high T/P it could be cancer, but not necessarily. The T/P isn't too far out of the normal range.

Yep, you could choose to walk them on the same side if you want to. If you were interested in any formal obedience training, a proper heel is always on the left. Our dogs were forever bumping into each other, so I switched to one on each side.

Mine get the whole foot. It's disgusting, but they eat all of it (including the nails).

You would have to train them "heel" separately, one on the left and one on the right. First give them treats for being in the correct placement. Your treats should be high-value (hot dogs, chicken, cheese, about the size of a raisin). Continue by keeping the treats in your fist, holding them at your chest. If the dog is keeping pace and looking at you, give them treats. Then try it with both of them in the backyard or somewhere with minimal distractions. Heel is one of the more difficult commands to teach... Greys are naturally pretty good at loose-leash walking, but reliable heeling is a quite a bit harder.

Truman has had a couple small wounds (nothing major, no stitches). I'm finding that after his wounds heal, the new fur grows back pure white. It's especially noticable on his tail, where he had all the "happy tail" issues and ultimately, a partial amputation. He also has a few spots on his back where it looks like he rubbed up against white paint. Very strange! Anybody else's hounds have this?