BlsdMama Posted August 2, 2014 Share Posted August 2, 2014 I'm asking you how can ONE dog create so much chaos? You'll remember three weeks ago when she enticed my German shepherd on a neighborhood excursion? Our maybe the trip to the vet's to get her spayed, shots, check up, etc that totaled over $700? Maybe you remember when I told the story last week of her following some animal tunnel under our house and how we tried to dig her out, cutting down two small trees in the process only to have her show up five or six hours later? We've had our German shepherd for FIVE years and no "adventure" stories like this. Sigh. She killed a mama mouse. I hate mice. So what, right? I went to pick up the mama to dispose of it and there are two tiny, live babies nursing their mama. I wish I was kidding. They have hair but their eyes are still shut. I admit it, I cried. A lot. Then I got a dropper and milk replacer. They might die but it won't be my fault. Stupid terrier. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dory Posted August 2, 2014 Share Posted August 2, 2014 It's what they were bred to do. That's why we always have a terrier around here. I can train them easier then I can a cat and they mouse just as good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tap Posted August 2, 2014 Share Posted August 2, 2014 I have never met a terrier that I liked. They have all been poorly trained (humans fault-not the dogs) and the most annoying dogs I have ever met. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dory Posted August 2, 2014 Share Posted August 2, 2014 I have never met a terrier that I liked. They have all been poorly trained (humans fault-not the dogs) and the most annoying dogs I have ever met. I've met a lot of those too. An untrained, unstimulated terrier is like a 2yo that is stuck in a room with no toys all day long and not allowed to play. In other words, just a horrible little terror. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tammi K Posted August 2, 2014 Share Posted August 2, 2014 I clicked 'like' to agree with your, "Stupid Terrier" comment - not what the dog has been doing to you sanity. Bad dog! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Χά�ων Posted August 2, 2014 Share Posted August 2, 2014 Don't get chickens. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tap Posted August 2, 2014 Share Posted August 2, 2014 I've met a lot of those too. An untrained, unstimulated terrier is like a 2yo that is stuck in a room with no toys all day long and not allowed to play. In other words, just a horrible little terror. :iagree: Hmmmm Maybe the similarity between the words Terrier and Terror isn't as coincidental as it seems LOL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melissa in Australia Posted August 2, 2014 Share Posted August 2, 2014 Aren't terriers ratters? So they were bread specifically to kill rats etc. What I would like to suggest is that the breed of dog is not suited to you. The reality is if you have a cat or use mousetraps you are going to kill mother mice. and who wants mice living in or around their house? Personally I would never have a terrier just because they kill small animals and I live practically in the bush with multiple small marsupials around, some of them almost on the endangered list. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RoughCollie Posted August 2, 2014 Share Posted August 2, 2014 Terriers are great mousers. They have high prey drives. This is natural to a terrier. I have to agree with you though. Terriers can be aggravating. I don't think they are the type of dog for everyone. After having a collie, it took me quite awhile to be able to think like a terrier -- they are such different dogs. After about 6 months, I was able to predict with 90% accuracy, what my terrier might do! I have a huge collection of Aidan stories that would put off most people from wanting to own a terrier, even one who looks like a cute stuffed animal. As for your high vet bill when you got her spayed, that included a year's supply of Frontline and Heartgard. At my vet, that costs $308. That has nothing to do with her being a terrier -- it is a routine cost of dog ownership. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flowing Brook Posted August 2, 2014 Share Posted August 2, 2014 My jaw is dropping over your vet bill. We had a terrier one time. He was nothing like that. The way we got him was my mom heard knocking at the door. Here walks in this dog with deer antlers in his mouth. He walked right in and never left. He was special in that if we gave him a treat from the table he would keep it in his mouth and bring it to the dog outside. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pawz4me Posted August 2, 2014 Share Posted August 2, 2014 I think your vet bill was very reasonable. It would be reasonable here just for shots and spaying, and if it did include a year's supply of Frontline and Heartgard it was an unbelievably good deal. Our vet costs here aren't outrageous, but nowhere near that reasonable. As far as what you're experiencing with your dog, I don't say this to pick on you at all, but to point it out to anyone reading for whom it may be helpful -- This is why I strongly urge people who are looking for a dog to look at what the breed/mix was bred to do. So many people just look at the outer package. And that's such a big mistake. Most people can easily learn to love the looks of any dog. Learning to love a dog whose personality or energy level doesn't mesh with yours isn't so easy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flowing Brook Posted August 2, 2014 Share Posted August 2, 2014 I missed the part about it included a years worth of heartard and frontline. That makes a little more sense. Our vet is ridiculously cheap so if I was getting those services the vaccinations would be 40. The spaying 75.00 and a years worth of heart and flea medications would be 100.00 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danestress Posted August 2, 2014 Share Posted August 2, 2014 "God loves a terrier yes he does God loves a terrier that's because brown sturdy bright and true they give their hearts to you God didn't miss a stitch be it dog or be it bitch when he made the Norwich merrier with his cute little 'derrier' yes God loves a terrier!" And to quote Lyle Lovett, "that's the difference between God and me." I have never met a dog I didn't like. But I generally like terriers the least! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wintermom Posted August 2, 2014 Share Posted August 2, 2014 We had two soft-coated Wheaton Terriers for 14 year each. It sounds like you didn't really do your research into the breed before getting a terrier. They have bounce, attitude and were bred to rid farmers' yard of vermin. Her behaviour (I'm guess she's a smaller breed of terrier than a Wheaton) is exactly what I'd expect of a terrier. Every breed has its typical range of behaviours, and there are always outlier, extreme cases, among the bunch. If you've had a well-behaved, docile Shepherd, you've been very blessed. Any dog of any breed can create a little chaos if you're not used to it. Maybe you need a lab. They're amazing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoJosMom Posted August 2, 2014 Share Posted August 2, 2014 Terriers are great dogs. If you're a marathon runner. Who runs a marathon each and every day. And brings the dog. Does your dog play fetch? Perhaps you could train the children to play fetch with the dog for a few hours a day? Seriously, terriers can be fabulous (as said upthread), but they were bred for certain behaviors and they are ACTIVE. Kinda like GSDs being protective to the point of neurosis. Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
I talk to the trees Posted August 2, 2014 Share Posted August 2, 2014 As for your high vet bill when you got her spayed, that included a year's supply of Frontline and Heartgard. At my vet, that costs $308. That has nothing to do with her being a terrier -- it is a routine cost of dog ownership. Sing it, Sister! We have three dogs, and their annual Rx bill makes me feel like :svengo: every time I think about it! Sentinel, Advantix, Cosequin, Clavamox, Tramadol, Optimune... I keep joking that the points on my rewards credit card for all these meds are someday going to pay off when I cash them in for a luxury vacation! :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MIch elle Posted August 2, 2014 Share Posted August 2, 2014 I can train them easier then I can a cat and they mouse just as good. Really? I took my smooth fox terrier to professional dog training to no avail (afraid of her occasionally getting out and chasing cars). Finally by the end of the 10 wk course and watching all the other well behaved dogs (working breeds), the trainers quietly told me that terriers are very difficult to train. She's now gone after 15 yrs, but we still have our stubborn rat terrier (we love/d both our terriers even though they were difficult). I'm sorry about your terrier troubles. You NEED to know the breed before you take them into your home! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tammyla Posted August 2, 2014 Share Posted August 2, 2014 :lol: Forgive me, but I think she sounds adorable. I miss my old Schnauzer reading this thread; she was bad to the bone and I couldn't help but love her. Although, now that I think about it, chasing her towards the beltway in D.C. with a stroller and preschooler in tow was pretty hair raising. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dory Posted August 2, 2014 Share Posted August 2, 2014 Really? I took my smooth fox terrier to professional dog training to no avail (afraid of her occasionally getting out and chasing cars). Finally by the end of the 10 wk course and watching all the other well behaved dogs (working breeds), the trainers quietly told me that terriers are very difficult to train. She's now gone after 15 yrs, but we still have our stubborn rat terrier (we love/d both our terriers even though they were difficult). I'm sorry about your terrier troubles. You NEED to know the breed before you take them into your home! They are easier to train with everything else if you train them for a job first. We trained our jack russell to hunt mice first, and then we worked on the other stuff. Even then, we set up obstacles and trained the basics with the more advanced which most people would think is ridiculous, but they don't' listen long enough to learn if you just try to put in the boring basics on their own. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wintermom Posted August 3, 2014 Share Posted August 3, 2014 Really? I took my smooth fox terrier to professional dog training to no avail (afraid of her occasionally getting out and chasing cars). Finally by the end of the 10 wk course and watching all the other well behaved dogs (working breeds), the trainers quietly told me that terriers are very difficult to train. She's now gone after 15 yrs, but we still have our stubborn rat terrier (we love/d both our terriers even though they were difficult). I'm sorry about your terrier troubles. You NEED to know the breed before you take them into your home! From our two terriers, one was smart and obedient and the other was not (same breeder for the dogs, but different parents). He was a life-long puppy with the attention span to go with it. He could bounce like no tomorrow, though. We had paw prints on our back door 4 feet off the ground from that pup. He didn't stop bouncing until he was 13 years old. I miss that pup. He was really cute and loveable, despite his crazy puppy ways. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wintermom Posted August 3, 2014 Share Posted August 3, 2014 As far as vet bills go, sometimes it really pays to shop around. Our local suburb vet charges a LOT more than the nearby small town. One big difference is that the city vet charges to put in an IV for most surgeries (teeth cleaning, too). The town vet doesn't. When I got a quote from the city vet for $1500 for teeth cleaning, I ran away and never returned. That is just crazy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.