Be careful where you store your detergent
http://www.katu.com/news/story.asp?id=57295 John Engstrom Plano, TX _ The new MSN 8: smart spam protection and 2 months FREE* http://join.msn.com/?page=features/junkmail
Yet another use for DNA
http://www.nypost.com/news/regionalnews/265.htm John Engstrom Plano, TX _ The new MSN 8: advanced junk mail protection and 2 months FREE* http://join.msn.com/?page=features/junkmail
RE: Realities of puppies
Rose, I don't believe it's that simple. IMHO It's not whether they can hold it at a certain age but how long and how well can they hold it. For example, a 4 month old puppy can certainly hold it for 10 or 15 seconds while the owner takes him outside. Both my Berner and my Swissy have demontrated the ability to hold it for a very short time while I walk to the back door and open it up. As soon as the pups step off the back patio onto the grass they squat and pee - there's no wandering around for a few seconds. Also, at night it took maybe 20 - 30 seconds for me to get out of bed, let them out of their kennels, lead them to the back door, and let them outside. Once again they didn't potty until they got to the grass and then it was immediate. I wouldn't expect them to be able to hold it for very long though. Certainly not 5 minutes or even 2 miutes. Heck, 1 minute is probably too long for them to hold it. I do agree that vigilance is a requirement - you cannot let the puppy out of your sight for even a second. That's no exageration. You don't get to read the newspaper, watch TV, prepare a meal, or do anything else while the puppy is loose in the house. John Engstrom Plano, TX Enzo - The 6 month old housetrained Berner Schumi - The 4 month old Swissy who is slowly catching on Rose Tierney [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Hi Jean, Actually puppies do not have the ability tohold it until they are five months old. What happens with these star pupil puppies is that their owners are more vigilant:-) Rose _ The new MSN 8: smart spam protection and 2 months FREE* http://join.msn.com/?page=features/junkmail
Re: venting
Do you mind if I use your response to question 3? I really would love to tell someone that with only a hint of sarcasm in my voice. They wouldn't know they've been insulted...hehehehe...I love that. I agree with you completely about the lack of general knowledge. John Engstrom Plano, TX Andie Reid [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: [SNIP] 4. Is that a Burmese Mountain dog? (to which I always want to reply, Why, yes! He was born and bred in Burma! Doesn't he look suited to the climate there with all that THICK HEAVY BLACK FUR!!!??? Jeez! Go take a geography lesson!) _ Add photos to your e-mail with MSN 8. Get 2 months FREE*. http://join.msn.com/?page=features/featuredemail
RE: Realities of puppies
Rose Tierney [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: IMO holding it pertains to a puppy being able to wait while awake for it's owner to enter the house, deposit the groceries in the kitchen and get the youngster outside or such similiar circumstances. Under five months and getting puppy out in time is always a priority. That's my point - if it's only been 30 minutes since the puppy has pottied then even the excitement of returning home from a quick trip to the grocery store probably won't cause the puppy to piddle inside. For a puppy the ability to hold it is based on many things including how full their bladder is and how excited they are. Having raised in excess of twenty Berners it has been my observation that gifted puppies that can cross their legs, until their eyes are floating, younger than five months are a rarity. How quickly do you think the ability to hold it develops? Certainly it's not that a puppy one day shy of 5 months can't hold it and the next day he's magically transformed and can hold it. Does it develop over the course of a couple days? A week? Two weeks? I believe that every puppy is different (not that I'm saying you don't believe that) and has to be observed and treated accordingly. John Engstrom - yeah, there's a grocery store 2 miles from my house and I have been there and back in 30 minutes. :-) Plano, TX _ Help STOP SPAM with the new MSN 8 and get 2 months FREE* http://join.msn.com/?page=features/junkmail
Re: Realities of puppies
jean cheesman [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Takes gentle encouragement, take pup out and praise when goes outside! If there's one thing that has helped me housetrain my two puppies (well, one is housetrained and the other isn't yet old enough to have complete control although he will run to the door when he needs to go) is to not only priase the pups when they go outside but to also give them a small treat. Sure, you go through a lot of treats but if you use healthy treats and cut back a little on their food they won't get fat. Also, be sure and give them priase and treats EVERY SINGLE TIME they potty outside. Consistency is a key to training. John Engstrom Plano, TX _ Add photos to your e-mail with MSN 8. Get 2 months FREE*. http://join.msn.com/?page=features/featuredemail
Re: Please Welcome Wyemede's Gallant Gelbackler
Patricia, first of all congratualtions on your puppy. Having had Enzo, our 6 month old Berner, for 4 months and now raising Schumi, our 3 1/2 month old Swissy, I can certainly relate. Let me just say that it does get easier - both because you get used to the routine and because slowly but surely dogs do learn. :-) I remember when Enzo was almost 5 months old and the gallon of Nature Miracle we bought when we first got him was almost empty. All of a sudden it seemed to click and Enzo stopped pottying indoors. Over the course of 3 days Enzo became almost completely accident free. Enjoy your new addition and be sure to take a moment everyday to appreciate the simple puppy things like tail chasing, puppy breath, puppy bouncing, etc. They'll be gone before you know it and you'll wish you spent more time appreciating them while they were here. John Engstrom Gweebarra's Grand Prix - Enzo Alpenglow Onyx Way to the Finish - Schumi Plano, TX From: P. Buickerood [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Please Welcome Wyemede's Gallant Gelbackler Date: Thu, 29 May 2003 19:23:37 -0700 (PDT) Hello all, We are pleased to announce our adoption by Wyemede's Gallant Gelbackler. Gelli was 10 weeks old this past Monday and we have survived 21 days of living with this little devil who answers to the sobriquet Gelli, the Gila monster. So far, he has visited 9 states (on his drive home) and met 73 new people. One neighbor, who is into computer photography, has made a special study of Gelli and is producing incredible digital photos which I will load onto a web site as soon as I can get some spare time. [SNIP] After all this whining I have to count our blessings. There is nothing better than being adopted by a Berner and I would not trade this for anything! = Patricia Buickerood _ STOP MORE SPAM with the new MSN 8 and get 2 months FREE* http://join.msn.com/?page=features/junkmail
Good puppy
Well it finally happened. Enzo, out 4 month old bouncing ball of puppy energy has been quite the dominant dog. When we took him to puppy class his first month with us he would climb on all the other dogs in the class and force them on their sides/backs. He wasn't agressive at all, just dominant. This past weekend we took him to my sister-in-law's house and had him meet her border collies. Sam, the female border collie, was quick to accept Enzo in her back yard but Elvis, the male border collie, wanted to Enzo know who was in charge. After a few moments of slow cicling and sniffing, Elvis decided to fire a shot across Enzo's bow. Enzo and Elvis got along OK after that with Enzo never trying to push Elvis around. Yay, Enzo has taken his first steps into polite doggie behavior. Last night our seemingly nightly game of stop-trying-to-mouth-daddy's-hand was getting tiring to me. I was sit ting in my chair with Enzo on the ground in front of me. I slowly fell forward onto my hands and knees on the carpet - all the while growling a deep slow growl. Enzo sat down, looked up calmly at me, and in excellent submissive puppy behavior licked my lips. He was very careful to only open his mouth just enough to get his tongue out as he sat calmly and licked me. This may seem like a non-event to most people, but combined with the recall and fetch training I've given him over the past couple of days, I feel like he's finally learning a little respect. Yeah, I know, the next couple of months are going to get harder as he enters adolescense, but hopefully by the time he's a year old we'll have a kind, faithful, gentle, and loving dog! John Engstrom Plano, TX _ Add photos to your messages with MSN 8. Get 2 months FREE*. http://join.msn.com/?page=features/featuredemail
Re: Drafting biomechanics
Sherri wrote: Okay folks, I have a question. I was at a seminar this weekend for canine structure and the question came up as to whether a dog uses their front or rear to pull with. My initial reaction was their front, but after thinking about it further, I think it's much more complicated than this. I think terrain, weight load, not to mention the type of harness the dog wears all affect how they pull and drive. My therory is that they use both front and rear, sometimes equally and sometimes one is used more than the other. After watching a video of a Swissy at a weight pull, it seemed to me the dog was using its rear much more than its front. I don't have any proof that this is the case, but I can tell you the dog squatted its rear down, kept his rear feet planted, and pushed with the rear. The front end of the dog lifted up and the front legs seemed to claw at the ground in an effort to keep the dog going straight (instead of arcing around on the end of rope) more than pull the dog forward. Now maybe with a carting harness that has stays the dog wouldn't feel like it could swing around and thus would be able to use more of its front for pulling. I just don't know the answer to that. John Engstrom Plano, TX _ Add photos to your messages with MSN 8. Get 2 months FREE*. http://join.msn.com/?page=features/featuredemail
Re: Fetching Berners (aren't they all?)
Enzo, my 4 month old Berner, would fetch and retreive a thrown tennis ball occasionally. Since I have such fond memories of playing fetch with my Lab I decided tonight that I would see if I could teach Enzo to reliably fetch. I had a pocket full of broken up dog biscuits and threw the ball. Luckily Enzo brought it back on the first throw. He was promptly rewarded with a piece of biscuit (also had the added benefit of causing him to drop the ball at my feet). After a few rounds of throw ball, Enzo retreive ball, Enzo gets treat, throw ball, Enzo chases ball but leaves it, Enzo doesn't get treat, throw ball, Enzo stares at ball in the distance, Enzo doesn't get treat, he finally caught on. Heck, he even ran to the ball and brought it back to me unprompted when I took him out to do his business. Looks like this could become a good game. I also started working on the come command with treats. Once again Enzo showed his intelligence by catching on after only one attempt. He's a very food motivated puppy! ;-) John Engstrom Plano, TX Catherine wrote: My boy Mickey is both a fetching (retrieving) Berner and a fetching (fabulously handsome) Berner G I don't even remember teaching him to fetch - we just started doing it one day. I'd throw and he'd bring it back. Then I really shaped it with treats and using 2 toys (throw one - he fetches - throw the second - he drops the first and goes after the second - repeat - repeat - repeat...). Now I've added the commands Take It and Out. During training sessions we take breaks to play with his tug toy. When he's really into it, sometimes I tell him Out and he removes his mouth from the toy. Then I tell him Take It and he takes it again and when I say Tug-tug-tug we play. I've heard that Berners aren't much for fetch, but our boy loves it! Catherine Young Madison WI Shadow, Mickey Jenny _ MSN 8 with e-mail virus protection service: 2 months FREE* http://join.msn.com/?page=features/virus
Re: Berners vs. Goldens
Amanda wrote: Every Golden my family has had is much more hyper than Griffon ever was. This was one of my main reasons for not getting a Golden of my own. When Griff was a pup, he would sit and want to be loved, while my parents' Golden was bouncing off the walls. The Golden we had before was the same way. The difference in energy levels was drastic. I've owned a hyper Lab. I now own a very energetic four month old Berner. Yes, the lab was more hyper than Enzo the berner is, but Enzo is still a bundle of energy. I have a feeling that there is a lot of variation in Berner energy levels. The good news is that Enzo's uncle Hank is an energetic (but not overly so) loveable goofball. If Enzo takes after his uncle I will be thrilled. John Engstrom Plano, TX _ MSN 8 with e-mail virus protection service: 2 months FREE* http://join.msn.com/?page=features/virus
Rescue Help! Now this is the kind I like to see!
Crossposted with permission. I can't decide whether it's funny that someone used satire and turned the tables or it's sad that the situation occurs frequently enough to elicit the satire. John Engstrom Plano, TX --- RESCUE HELP NEEDED ASAP Please help! After two long years of being on a waiting list for an exotic rare breed dog, we were finally notified by the breeder that at long last, our number has come up, and... WE'RE HAVING A PUPPY! We must IMMEDIATELY get rid of our children now, because we just KNOW how time consuming our new little puppy is going to be! Since our puppy will be arriving on Monday, we MUST place the children in new homes this weekend!!! They are described as: One male, white, blonde hair, blue eyes. Four years old. Excellent disposition. He doesn't bite. Name is Tommy. Temperament tested. Current on all shots. Tonsils removed already and very healthy condition! Tommy eats everything, is very clean, house trained and gets along well with others. Does not run with scissors and with a little time and training, he will do well in a new home One female, strawberry blonde hair, green eyes. Three years old. Can be surly at times. Non-biter, thumb sucker. Her name is Mary. Temperament tested, but needs a little attitude adjusting occasionally. She is current on all shots, tonsils out, and is very healthy and happy (mostly.) Gets along well with little boys, but does not like to share toys. She is house trained, and would do best in a one child household. We really LOVE our children, and want to do what is best for them. I hope you understand, that ours is a UNIQUE situation, and we have a real emergency here! They MUST be placed by Sunday night at the latest! _ Help STOP SPAM with the new MSN 8 and get 2 months FREE* http://join.msn.com/?page=features/junkmail
