0n (23 Jan 08) Janis Kracht wrote to Cindy Haglund...

 JK> Hi Cindy!

 JK> I really do try to keep up with the echos .. this is one of my
 JK> favorite topics   You know what? I need more hours in the day.. or
 JK> the night.. I'll take either 


What is there to keep up with :)... sorry. The traffic is kinda you
know like out in the country. Every now and then a tractor totters by
and then some days a fleet of merry motorcyclists.


>> Combed the dog..he still itches...but the cat...can not even
>> come close to catching...so the vinegar will have to be the
>> way until I come up with a bomb to get them both.

RE to this. There's a DR. Fox (michael) online.Google him. He is
wonderful. He is not a pill pusher either though he will recommend
drugs as a last resort.

Sometimes itching can be a due to allergy. It is difficult to
ascertain what is the cause but most skin allergies are contact
allergies. The dog might be allergic to the toxic surfaces he is
laying on such as carpeting . Many dogs and people to are allergic to
carpeting. And then okay there's food/shampoos... the very air we are
stuck with breathing (tons of toxins there.)...

Sometimes it is as simple as: boredom. If it's not fleas. Or Dry skin.

.....


>> Right now...got an appointment to have the mutt bathed...lucky
>> pup... he gets a real nice blond for his bath....

 JK> Oh bother, said Pooh... 


 The above and yes I am being crabby here is an example of how
gullible we all can be. Dogs don't give a flying leap about looks.
They're not vain. We clean them and groom them so they look better for
US. In that we're happy with the results has them be happy too but
they do not know why. They simply react to our reaction.

As long as the handler is good with dogs/ calm and assertive... looks
do not matter at all- to the dog.

I'm sorry but it's really sad when we project human behavior
attributes to dogs. They're dogs. This is not to say they are lessor
than us, no not at all- just different. They live in the here and now.
They don't fret over the past, bear grudges/guilt trips... or plan for the
future. SOmehow I think
this is BETTER . heh...

 JK> > Hi Peter. I haven't been in here in awhile... Re the itching. Have
 JK> > you ruled out allergies? Dry skin?

 My sisters Tibetan Spaniel suffered dry skin. A lotion helped then
hen they got rid of the wool carpet: tadah! The itching stopped!

.....................


 JK> There was lots of doggie dander, and "dandruff", &
itching... she
 JK> drove us a little batty with the itching til I figured it out... boy

We had the same problem once and now I just know it was the crapet.

 JK> Poor baby did a dumb thing though when she was a
"youngster" but not

No she didn't do a dumb thing. She just did what dogs will do..they
don't see things the way we do you know... the act on instinct. Leashes
are not natural to them. We have help them walk at our sides so
there's none of this tripping trouble.

 JK> young enough obviously... It made things really bad when she got older
 JK> and she couldn't even walk or go outside to pee... She actually
 JK> clumsily triped on her leash when my son was taking her for a walk and
 JK> splayed out all of her legs.. the cries were almost too much to
 JK> bare... she sounded like it was

 Walking at your side on a short leash avoids this.
 And dogs should never be tied up on a leash to a post. Sorry but see
if you think how the dog must think you understand. The dog doesn't
understand leashes. It's not natural and they usually defy them until
they learn to walk at our side. It's not the dog being stupid if they
have an accident with a leash. It's up to the owner to assure their
dog is safe and free of harm.

BTW CM stresses just as humans need to be with their own kind, so
dont' dogs! Now that makes sense. Why do they act up when they see
another dog? They want to socialize. They want to say hi! As long as
the owner of the other dog says okay let the dogs sniff and then say
bye bye ... They just want to socialize just like people do.

 JK> I LOVE watching Cesar Milan :)  he's so tuned to dogs :)

  :)  :) :) I'm practically preaching him. I should get paid !
 He is SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO ..... I've learned a lot from him.

Read his "Be the leader of the pack" He actually SHOWS you how to
project assertive calm even when you don't' feel like it. He says to
emulate someone you know is assertive calm. ... well hey guess who I
emulate? I emulate him. :) When I'm not feeling assertive calm.

IE On a walk. When my Abbie gets distracted she behaves MUCH better
when I act calm... if I act impatient she misbehaves. Right there is
proof of what CM says. Assertive calm is the way to go to if you want
a happy balanced dog, and yes a happily balanced you. :)


 JK> I wish he could "fix" my dog haha :)  Toby, my
"youngster" black lab
 JK> (he's probably 5 going on 6, as opposed to our 12 year old female
 JK> other black lab is one incorrigible dog haha.. He's got to
"mark" his
 JK> territory in the house (unless I use something like Boundry spray)...

 Janis. He did  broach this problem in his book. If your dog is
housebroken and has no medical problem that might cause incontinence
such as what can happen in older dogs especially female dogs (and this
is treatable btw)- take the dog out for a long walk allowing him to
relive himself ... before you go out of the house to work or whatever
and do not baby him when you go. I suspect separation anxiety.

The dogs behavior can be changed it just takes a lot patience. It's
not easy .. that is the hard part is being consistent.

I'd get the dog checked out for incontinence first. Never punish tho.
Never do that. Punish/comfort only reinforces the undesired behavior.
On the one hand you're causing fear and the other is saying it's okay.
This is what CM says and he's right on the money.
..............
              
 JK> but you have to use that every two days :) so what's Cesar gonna tell
 JK> me?  he needs a woman?   no, he owns the house??
.. I
 JK> can't figure it.. I'll probably email him to see what he thinks.. :)
 JK> And he'll probably tell me that I need to get him a female unspayed
 JK> dog (NO THANKS ).

 Forget the spray. HE'd tell you to get the vet to check the dog out
first and then as said above see if it's separation anxiety and act
accordinlgy. Never go into wimp mode with your dog. They see you as
weak that way and feel at loss for not having a pack leader (hey I had
to learn this too...)...  the more dominant type of dog will simply be
the pack leader instead. YOu want your dog to rule the roost?

Many people do that. And they complain about it to CM and he gets paid
big bucsk to teach them how to be what he says should be natural to us
all.. but isn't. He says we're losing touch with our instincts. He's
right! In countries (third world) and amongst the homeless dogs are
willing pack followers. They readily sumbit to humans because they
know who brings the food and offers companionship... They're not
babied and treated like babies. They're dogs! They have a job to do
and they like that... even if it's as simple as sniffing out food or
whatever or just being there for you- but hey you know? Taking walks
is natural.. it's something they Love to do.

I nearly fell out of my chair reading a critic of CM say that CM
advocates FORCING dogs to go for a walk! HOLY cow! SOmebody must be
forcing these dimwits to breathe.

lol!

Cindy

... Hello, I'll be your evil influence for the evening.

--- PPoint 3.01