This is great. :D I'm with ya Nance, I can't STAND - 'We're due", We're pregnant". :ack2::ack2:Give me a break. Do you think a guy would ever say that if pregnant? Not a chance. How about girlfriend, as in, "I've gotch ya back, girlfriend" :ack2:

Do you have any close up photos of the skin problems? (I read the blog post, not sure, I might have missed them)

I think this is is a good, inexpensive suggestion to give a try. I also like a certain Happy Jack product, well I like a lot of their products, but there is a skin dip product. I have to leave, but will look for it later and be back to post the name. S.

Home Another Way. I hate to admit I read it. What a waste of time. Now I am going to have to read The Shack LOL, just to see why everyone hated it. :D

LMAO Love it!

I know! Your avatar always seemed strange to look at, but I liked it! (If that makes sense!)

LOL yes. Remember the first ones that did not have rewind? You had to fast forward, take it out, flip it over, listen, take it back out, flip it back over again, fast foward again... when we got one with 'rewind'- now that was the day!:D

:hurray::cheers2: Wonderful news! Sending along our thoughts for your family. :grouphug:

:D:D:D:D:D

LOL I'd better sign off before I start :banghead:- this actually managed to raise my always low blood pressure. :D

Because that is not the intention- to create a breed for a true purpose. The purpose is to only take people's money with mixed breed dogs being created for no reason as a result.

From what I have read, some of these breeders are making a real effort to create a breed for an actual purpose and a doing good job at it. This I can live with. The problem came when people saw this and started copying the idea with other breeds and for far different reasons (ie- to take people's money).

Thank you Astrid. I could quote every word and add in that dog breeds were created over centuries of time for a purpose. Maybe man should have done that, maybe not. But there was an atual reason for it and they enriched and helped human lives by doing specific jobs. The sole purpose of creation was not to line pockets by making up a fake purse name and create a dog. Many of these things combine groups- breeding a herding dog to a terrier. Who in their right, thinking, ethical mind would do that? I will tell you who- fly by nighters who are cashing in and laughing their @ss off all the way to bank. I've been in purebred dogs my whole life. It makes me laugh that the "designer breeders" think that those of us in purebred dogs feel "threatened" by them. Threatened? No. Saddened and frustrated? Yes. Amen sister.

A couple I liked were- Clicker Training for Obedience by Morgan Spector and Don't Shoot the Dog by Karen Pryor. http://www.clickertraining.com/basics

Hello Willow, you are very welcome, I hope it helps. *sigh* yes, our herding breeds can love to bark. Later on in the game you can stop using the clicker once the command and behavior is solid. You won't need the clicker forever. If you want to add in something new later on, you can begin that activity with the clicker. With coming, make that an exciting, happy experience for the dog, clapping, smiling, jumping up and down, woo hoo time. You can also treat for the dog coming, even if the come was 'slow'. There is a round robin type activity- each family member sits apart with treats and takes turns calling the dog, treating the dog, then the next person calls and treats, using again the overly happy demeanor. Our issue with "designer" dogs is that they are deliberate crosses of purebreds with a sole desired outcome to make the almighty dollar. They are not crosses created for a reason or need, only to line someone's pocket. Most of these people doing the crossing are certainly not experienced or experts in either breed, they buy two kinds of dogs and slap a made up name on it. Keep me posted how it goes!

I agree with Astrid, and negative on the Science Diet and pinch collar uhhh. They do need time to adjust to a new setting and family. Sounds like you are seeing improvement already. I do agree that marking can be hard to stop once started, but I think neutering would go most of the way toward probably stopping the humping and marking behaviors. He sounds great otherwise. I also agree about treating for entering the crate, and offering kongs or chews while in the crate, and not opening the crate or giving attention while he is barking or whining. Open the crate door when he is being quiet so he isn't 'training' you to open the door by whining. ETA- just thought I would add that fixing this crate behavior is a fairly easy fix using that method.

I debating on responding because I knew I would want to speak my piece about *designer* :glare: :cursing: mixed breeds. But I will go ahead and speak while severely controlling myself. :tongue_smilie: I would eliminate her access or view to the screened porch area by the use of expandable gates/baby gates if possible. This would help give you a breather on this issue until you can hopefully work out a solution. Have you ever tried clicker training? If you have not, this is a method where the dog is rewarded for good or desired behavior. You begin by just clicking -then treating with a super yummy treat. (no dry or boring treats- it needs to be viewed as 'high value' by the dog) After a little while of this you will start to see the dog turn to you or come to you when it hears the clicker, showing evidence that it knows the treat is coming. It has learned to associate the sound of the click with the food reward. You always treat after any click, even if you click by accident. Then you move forward to clicking when you see desired behavior. If the dog happens to be lying quietly while you watch TV, click and treat. At first the dog is like-'on that was nice and unexpected' :tongue_smilie:, then after a few times the dog thinks- 'hmmm she keeps clicking when I am lying quietly,mmmm'. Soon the dog starts to offer the desired behavior before you click. At first you click immediately, then you add in variables- length of time lying quietly before the click, place the dog is lying quietly, ect. Over time, you can work on as many behaviors as you want, and add in a cue- the command. You add the command after the dog is offering the behavior often. Another method that my herding trainer taught me for a super barky sheltie while herding (I can't stand this- I want pretty much silent herding) is such a simple method I never would have thought would work, had I not watched it in action, and then used it. Ok- the dog is doing an annoying behavior- in my case- running around the pasture annoyingly barking while herding. In your case- yapping crazily at birds or going in circles. While the dog is in the action of this behavior- walk straight toward the dog. Do not act intimidating in your demeanor in any way. Do not speak. Do not frown/scowl, anything. Walk up normally. Walk toward the dog until it stops this behavior and looks at you. As soon as the dog 'gives' immediately walk backwards, smiling. You can have the choice of not speaking- using only body language (dogs read body language very well- it is their method of communication), or you can give a one syllable praise- 'Good!' quietly. This takes some work. There is no negativity involved, (unless you call acting the alpha part a negative -which I do not, when it doesn't involve any kind of punishment for the dog) you never speak or act as if the dog is in trouble while you are coming foward. Keep repeating. As soon as the dog starts barking again- repeat. You may have to step toward the dog even while you are very close to them, before it tears attention away from the object (birds in your case). Make sure you never step on the toes or push the dog. Just step forward- this is sort of showing your displeasure as the alpha b*tch :D and in dogspeak saying- I am alpha and I am displeased :coolgleamA:. Keep repeating this action, it takes a bit of time, but it has worked every time for us- even out in a huge pasture where I would have to trudge down the dog all over the field because she knew what was happening. Very soon I had a blissfully silent! dog working beautifully. We had to repeat this excercise as we moved from each area- from inside the barn, to a small pen, to a pasture. Each time we had to show her that the same rule applied. You would likely have to do the same for each area or room. It is such a simple activity and it works if worked on. I would second the suggestion of using a crate when you need a break or have company for now. You can do these behaviors with barking at visitors in the same fashion. Some breeds are naturally inclined to bark at birds, ours included.

ROFL Nance :D :D on the 'Not Tonight' / 'Tonight' pillow. Get that message across early!

:D Wonder if the site police will show up- like that guy from the stamp place. :lol:

:lol::lol:

There are many things you can add in with little to no cost. We collected beach and river stones to use as our math tangibles. (you can also use glass gems from the craft store- we have these too) Some of our next projects- creating a sandbox area using tree trunk sections and rocks as the seating and to contain the sand. We are going to make our own wooden building blocks by cutting boards in various shapes, sanding them, and then staining. Helping the children create an outdoor fort or playhouse with found wood or a limb framework with fabric walls and ceiling. (fabric taken inside depending on where you live). Ours boys have been learning to use bows, helping chop and gather wood for the winter, keeping bird feeders and watching what birds visit, learning to watch the weather- wind direction, types of clouds, temperature, learning to use a compass. Our also have been helping cook- they absolutely love this. Learning to play an instrument, right now we are working on the guitar. We will add in the recorder soon.

Hello and welcome!