I miss the pic of the day - dog question

[geekd]

The pic of the day guy (too lazy to look up his name) is on vacation, so 70% of my reason for coming here is gone.


Here's something, I guess, to at least have a pic.  Not hot tub related except for the fact we will probably have trouble keeping her out.

Our dog, Ludwig, died of old age this past August, a few weeks before we got our tub. We had him since before we were married.  We were only 21.  We could barely take care of ourselves, let alone a dog.

Anyway, yesterday we adopted a new puppy from the San Diego Animal Shelter.  We can pick her up on tuesday.  Here's a pic:



That was taken at the shelter during our "visitation".

She's a 2 1/2 month old retriever mix.  They love the water.

I'm very happy/excited to have a new dog in the house.  It's been too quiet since Ludwig died.  Here's a pertinent question:  when you have a water loving breed, how do you keep them out of the tub?

[Tman122]

Dog chain 2 foot shorter than the distance from the house to the tub!

[countryboy]

Your the boss, train her to not go in unless you tell her to. Our lab sits on the stairs and watches us or runs around the yard when we are in. She gets excited when were are near the lake, but she is trained not to go in unless I tell her she can.

[Bonibelle]

Yep, that's it Geekd, you have to teach her just like you house train her. I have a fish pond that my 110lb lab mix would just love to dive into. BUT she learned early on that it was off limits. She also knows that she is not allowed in our vinyl lined pool.  She lays on the deck with her head hanging over the side, but she would never jump in. She has her own pool, if she just wants to sit in some water. It is a plastic kiddy pool. And we let her swim at the beach, which she really loves especially if the kids are in the water.  Labs are very smart and you dog looks like a mixed breed. [glow]I am not trying to start anything[/glow], BUT I will say, in my experience, the loving muts that you find at a shelter are smarter and adapt better than any pure bred $$$dog you will find.  Bless you for rescuing her, she will reward you with so much love...many times over.  Good luck  

[cburk0677]

If you are anywhere near Ohio and want to get a golden retriever you can't go wrong with one from here: http://www.aprilgoldens.com/

My wife and I got our Golden there 2 years ago and she is the smartest, sweetest dog in the world.

[D.P. Roberts]

[glow]I am not trying to start anything[/glow], BUT I will say, in my experience, the loving muts that you find at a shelter are smarter and adapt better than any pure bred $$$dog you will find.

I"M OFFENDED!

'cause a cat is smarter than a dog any day.

[Vinny]

I have a part Lab mix and she hates the water. The other part is either Cocker Spaniel or Border Collie ... all 3 breeds are supposed to like the water.

Actually from hearing about Lab owners and the fact that Labs love to dive into water, I'm glad she doesn't like it.

I have to agree with Boni about mutts, I will never get a pure breed again. Then again I had a husky years ago that could open unlocked doors, I never understood how she knew how to turn the knob.

[Bonibelle]

I didn't say anything about cats..but since you brought it up...
My bird is smarter than your cat  .. and I'll put money on that statement!

[Bonibelle]

My magnificent Mutt is smarter than a 5th grader...she just dropped her pencil when she was taking the entrance exam...

[D.P. Roberts]

I didn't say anything about cats..but since you brought it up...
My bird is smarter than your cat  .. and I'll put money on that statement!

You're probably right about that. I just saw a show that said that some parrots may be as smart as dolphins and many primates. One parrot in particular knew hundreds of words, and understood concepts like color and size.  It made me want to get a parrot, but then I realized that my cats probably wouldn't object to having a parrot around, since they're always hungry...

[Bonibelle]

It's funny, I have never been a "cat" person, but I really do love all animals. For months now there has been this poor cat hanging around when ever it feels safe enough. My dog chases it, as well as the neighbor's dog who invades my yard on a daily basis. I don't know if someone dropped the kitty off thinking it would go live at the farm in front of my house, but it was really pathetic looking, so thin and dirty.  After weeks of trying, I finally got it to eat and now it will let me touch it and pet it. I made it a safe haven in my greenhouse and it shows up every morning and night for something to eat. I even made it a bed but I don't think it has ever stayed at night. I feel so sad for the kitty because I can't imagine where it could be spending the night, when the temps have been so low. I can't bring it in since I have birds, rabbits, fish and a dog that already hates it. I guess some cats can survive outside. I just wish people would be more considerate and not just dump poor animals off to fend for themselves.

[Bonibelle]

sorry Geekd, I didn't mean to hijack your dog thread...

[MostlyLurkingGal]

Bonibelle.....You 'ol softie you! Sweet story.....Thanks for caring for that kitty!

[anne]

You guys give out such good dog training advice that I have nothing to add!!! Well, I do, but not about training the dog not to get in the spa.

Dont get a bird unless you are willing to have an animal with the intelligence and mentality of a 3 year old for a really, really long time.

And yes, adopt the mutts. They offer the best of each breed without the baggage of a purebred. I cannot tell you how many times I have heard, "she has what? but she's a pure (XXX) that I paid ($750-1500) for! I cannot afford to treat that!!"

Congrats on your new family member, Mr Geek!

[drewstar]

Our youngest male taught himself how to open door knobs and can go through a door no matter which way it swings [he either pushes it through or holds the knob and backs up on his hind legs]. So we put entrance lock knob sets all throughout the house, all keyed the same.

Jimmy figured out how to open doors all by himself? Truely, he is a genius.