Dogs...good or bad idea?

reply to post by FalseParadigm


FYI...Old Yeller was a Southern Black Mouth Cur.

Originally posted by RUFFREADY
but, its still nothing like a good watch cat!!

LOL.....that is one fierce looking attack cat you have there.


Although Im pretty sure when worst comes to worst the cat would probably just abandon you once the food supply dwindled down....and they don't like to share their mice


I will stick with my boys, my two Shep's, those guys are with me til the end.

[edit on 7/2/08 by BlackOps719]

Some of the dogs you folks are reccomending are rare dogs and not readily available. Before you buy a dog it is important that you become familiar with the temperament of the breed.
Most people should never consider those that fall into the "big bad dog" profile. I have seen some really shy German Shepherds. There are also some that are very aggressive.

My preference: The Belgian Shepherd - any variety





It should be noted that some individuals of these breeds are also shy/timid.

reply to post by OhZone


Very good point. And I would say that ANY purebred dog a person adopts, whether through the local pound or through a reputable breeder, should be thoroughly researched to make sure you know what you're getting into.

I have two dogs, a Golden Retriever and a Golden/Black Lab mix. They are a mother/daughter team. They bark at strangers and alert me to strange stuff outside. Once I investigate and say "its ok" they stop roo rooing and go back to laying down.

Food and water isn't a big deal if you know how to hunt and live near a fresh water source. Dogs don't need corn and the other crap they put into dry dog food. They will do well on raw meaty bones (like turkey/chicken necks), rabbits cut up into quarters, whole eggs shell and all. A large dog could probably munch on a whole grouse/partridge and be happy. Toss them deer heads, moose heads, etc. A portion of organ meats are good too, like heart or liver. But don't overfeed the organ meats because it might cause very loose stool.

Look up raw feeding for dogs online and you'll come across pictures of dogs fed this way.

Now if anyone says feeding dogs bones is bad, then my dogs should have died a long time ago. They are healthy, have shiny coats and are very active. They eat a combo of lamb kibble and various stuff mixed in every day, like sardines, mackerel (we catch it wild here), turkey necks, whole eggs. Although vegetables are not necessary, they eat our leftover vegetables because they love eating just about everything.






[edit on 7/2/2008 by Ceara]

reply to post by Ceara




I have always gotten a chuckle from people who say that bones are bad for dogs. The very idea is absurd.


My reply is usually, If bones are so harmful to dogs, what did they do before humans were around to pick them out? I am yet to hear anything of wild dogs dropping dead from bone overload


The only problem my two mutts have with bones is when there is only one bone available and the other gets jealous.


Edit to add: Nice looking pair you have there

[edit on 7/2/08 by BlackOps719]

Chicken feet are good, too! This is my crew waiting for me to give them their "treat". Beautiful dogs, Ceara!

reply to post by Benevolent Heretic


hehehe Treat time! Chicken feet aren't available here. I have a hard enough time getting turkey necks. Got two packs today with 8 necks inside for $2 something each pack. Guy at the store says all that other stuff is considered "waste" and they won't bring it in for me. *shrugs*

They are so patient. You did well.

Beautiful doggies.

reply to post by Benevolent Heretic





Good looking gang there BH Chicken feet all around!!


Aren't GSD's just the most majestic looking animals on Earth?

They all have so much individual personality as well.

Great dogs.

well everybody else is showing theres I guess I can show mine. This is Shadow the wonder dog. She is half papered Black Lab and half papered Boxer. in other words energy with teeth. She was gotten to be my last and best K9 S&R dog. She was getting very good and was almost ready to go beyond the basics .

One day my son was wrestling with the kid across the street. just playing and having fun. he let out a scream and she thought he was in trouble so she took off to help her boy. as she ran across the street a big ford truck hit her. Not the drivers fault at all. Shadow broke her front right paw. Three ribs left hip was also broken. two teeth were knocked out and she had a pretty serious head wound. That was the end of her S&R career. Now she is just a family pet/survival buddy. Were teaching her to hunt animals instead of people. A working dog needs to work even if its just games..



She is so hard to get pictures of She is all black. not a speck of white on her anywhere. This dog has the best nose of any of the dogs Ive ever trained. In a SIT-X she will help tremendously even if its just a snuggle buddy.

The "myth" about bones being bad for dogs comes from people giving their dogs cooked bones from their own people food. Often when bones are cooked they become brittle. The dog chews them and sometimes shards break off and end up stabbing the roof of their mouth, or worse, causing internal bleeding/injuries.

If you're going to give your dog bones, you should give it uncooked bones. That is what they ate in the wild as dogs didn't have ovens or the ability to cook over an open flame! I saw that some people mentioned turkey necks, and that is a good recommendation.

There are some good websites on the net about getting your dog off of dry kibble and on to a natural diet. If you plan on going this route, it is very important that all of your dog's nutritional requirements are met. Often, this means supplementing their food with the proper vitamins your pet needs. PLEASE do not go the "natural" route without first studying up on it. Know what you're doing, as you could hurt your dog, or even worse. And always transition to different types of food slowly. Unless your dog has an iron stomach, then you need to slowly mix in their new type of food with their old type to avoid diarrhea, vomiting, etc.

If going the natural route, it is also important to include raw vegetables. Now, you might say, "when did dogs ever eat vegetables in the wild"? The answer is that most of them didn't. But, the prey that dogs ate DID! Dogs would get their vegetables by eating animals like rabbits, and eating their stomachs which were usually filled with digested or partially digested vegetables. So it is important to include some vegetables in your dog's diet. Sometimes you have to be creative about getting your dog to eat them, as most dogs don't care for most vegetables (one of my dogs eats veggies, fruit and just about anything else)! I also recommend not cooking the vegetables, as cooking them often removes a good portion of the vitamins and minerals.

To those who think that dogs shouldn't eat bones, just take a look at your dog's teeth! Unlike humans whose teeth are flat in the back of our mouths, dogs have sharp molars in the back of their mouths. These teeth are made primarily for crushing through bone. Another thing I failed to mention is the nutrition of bones themselves. Not only are they good for a dog's teeth, but the marrow is a great (and tasty) source of important nutrients. Plus, having your dog "work" for it's meal by working it's way through a bone and other goodies is much better than having your dog sit on it's lazy butt and eat prepared kibble from it's bowl!

Just know that if you do decide to go the natural route with your pet that there is a lot of work involved! A lot of preparation goes into this, and depending on your dog's eating style and where you feed him/her, it will probably be messy too. Personally, I would recommend a combination of the natural approach and the kibble approach. There are a few top-shelf brands out there that actually use good ingredients and have the proper nutrition your dog needs. So there is nothing wrong with mixing natural foods with kibble.

Personally, I have yet to feed my dogs any raw bones. It is something that I have only recently looked into. However, I have always been one to "spice" up their meals by adding things to their kibble. I have greyhounds, and they just love things like cottage cheese, yogurt, pumpkin, etc., all of which are very good for them and their digestive systems. I also sometimes add cooked chicken breast, steamed rice (supposedly you should only use white rice for dogs and not brown rice, I forget the exact reason), steamed vegetables, etc. If you have trouble getting your dog to eat the healthy things you want it to eat (ie: veggies), try mixing them with, or cooking them in, a light gravy or chicken broth. Pouring some chicken broth over their food will usually have them inhaling everything!

Let me add that I am NOT an expert in any of this. You need to do your research. But switching your pet to a natural diet, at least partially, could go a long way to making the transition a lot easier if SitX ever does go down. And always remember to discuss diet changes with your dog's veterinarian!!!

We have raised huskies for years and even though I love them and trust them to a point I would not trust them in a situation X do to the fact once they want to start running they wont stop until they want to, no matter what you say. My oldest dog now 12 years old can out run my 6 month old pup, and he will still run 5 miles and wont come back home we have to go get him. Which is a pain in the butt.

I would say a black lab, they are loyal wont RUN off, and yet they are protective of there family. we had one that died protecting us from intruders while the huskies let the men in. So I would say a lab any day. Unless if you can get an Alaskan husky which I have one now and I wont even go near him he is so mean.

Hilda

I have to vote for the Dobbie as well. Talk about loyal!!! I have owned 1 rott a bunch of mutts and 3 Dobbies. The Rott was great just really lacked the smarts that the Doberman possesses. I have had a potential mugging experiance that turn very quickly when my Dobbie who was on a leash nearly took the potential robbers face off. The guy aproched me with the intent of conversation in order to see if the dog was aggressive (he wasnt until I say GO) Boy was he surprised when he tryed to ask me for all my money and that dog came an inch from his face on lead. LOL I still laugh to this day.

I have a female red today I have never train she just watched the commands I gave to the older male and picked it up. I never even house broke her she even as a 6 week old pup would find me stare and run for the door if I moved. Very athletic and is as good a frizby dog as I have seen on ESPN. (Also never trained) As far as a hunter I have seen her take a low flying bird out of the air on 2 occations.

I have 2 kids 2 and 4 who try to ride her everytime she sits still or lays down. Never even a growl just get up and moves.

For my money and life it's the Dobbie.



[edit on 5-7-2008 by butters30]

reply to post by butters30


Early on when I started training I tried training a doberman. very physical dogs lots of intelligence and very loyal.

Big problem thow is they are very temperamental and a little too sensitive. A good S&R dog must care about the job but not let the fear and sadness that goes with the job get to them, this dog did. On a training mission he laid down and refused to go back out. My dogs name was king and he is now a family pet of a friend of my family Monday threw Friday and on the week ends in the summer he plays Frisbee. gotta keep the high energy dogs working or they turn into night mares.

Poodle. Most intelligent and physicaly gifted breed out there (there's a reason they're circus dogs). Something else to consider about SitX.... a properly corded poodle's fur can withstand serious attacks, and poodles don't need much food. 20 ounces a day for a fit bitch, 30 for a heavy working large dog. That's not much by comparison.

my girlfriends brother in law has a bull mastif and it attacked one of my girlfriends sisters kids, who he saw all the time. he was only 8 years old and if we hadn't of pulled him off he probably would have killed him. he had a firm grip around the kids jugular.

they are very stupid dogs and if they are influenced by another aggressive dog, things look ugly. the bull mastif used to fight with my girlfriends dad's dog all the time, a red heeler, who used to be the alpha dog of the property.

all dogs are different I agree but they are too big and stupid to be messing around with little children, imo.

Caucasian Shepherd Dog
These are tough loyal shepard dogs capable of fighting off about 3 wolves at once.

They make very good guard dogs.

reply to post by Dark Realms




Wow that is a new one to me...I guess you learn something every day. I had never heard of this breed until now.


Looks like an Akita on steroids. Cool!!

And being Armenian they probably loves to fight, if they are anything like their human counterparts that is. That is definitely one fierce looking dog.

Dogs = Excellent Idea


Not only they are meat when the winter gets long, but they provide warmth and make great lovers.



Heil.