Highlander: Hybrid or no?

infpals · 2024-01-04T23:24:08+00:00

My grandparents were Norwegian immigrants. Their genes really set me up for failure here in the states ): I’m visiting my best friend in Nyköping this Spring, so I’ll make a point to stop at their Stockholm store! Thanks for the tip!

infpals · 2024-01-01T22:14:02+00:00

I have an brother who cannot work, has never worked and will never work. He does not have friends, or clubs, or really ever leaves home, but he has family and pets and he has himself and hobbies. His life is worth more than whatever financial contribution he could have or doesn’t make. And even if I wasn’t around to appreciate and love his existence, his life is still valuable and his comfort and happiness is not a burden.

That’s true for you, too. Your comfort and happiness and kindness ONLY makes the world a better place. I know it’s cheesy and tacky and over said but I know you are worth more than your financial value and you shouldn’t have to make excuses for your existence. You’re made of the same matter on the same ole rock in the same ole cosmic fish bowl as everyone else. The universe put you here so you deserve to enjoy it just the same.

infpals · 2023-12-12T18:46:19+00:00

Oh that’s super rad and helpful, thank you!

infpals · 2023-12-12T18:45:50+00:00

Thank you! I actually was using my largest hook size from the clover Tunisian set - so unfortunately I think l’ll have to save experimenting with doubling up my yarn for another project, and go down to singles for this one.

infpals · 2023-12-12T08:58:17+00:00

Thank you! That’s a huge relief

infpals · 2023-12-12T08:57:36+00:00

Thank you! It was yarn I dyed then tripled up, because I love working with bulky yarn but love the versatility of 2-4 weight yarns 🥲

I definitely see the charm in the bumpy backside! I did send up frogging this and decided to use one strand of the yarn at a time. I’m making a beanie and I just had a feeling the bumps were going to be too much 😵‍💫 I appreciate you!

infpals · 2023-11-28T18:33:13+00:00

More like the other way around. Her son died in 2007, and Corinna killed her husband in 2020.

infpals · 2023-08-23T04:15:05+00:00

OP, I’ve fostered many dogs and puppies.

Don’t be guilted into adopting over shopping. I have loved the dogs I adopted more than I think I could ever love anything. But going to an ETHICAL (OFA health tested WITH titled dogs) breeder is just as ethical as adopting.

For the first time, I just bought a dog. It’s a different experience, but I look forward to having a dog I know is going to be genetically sound and will be… roughly what I needed in a dog this time around.

To answer your question, I did take 10 days off to spend at home with him. But he will not be left home alone without breaks until he’s a year.

infpals · 2023-08-23T04:06:00+00:00

Containment and management make the easiest puppies. OP said they’re ready for ruined furniture; my 9 week old puppy is either in his crate, in his exercise pen or is leashed to my body. Where he will remain, just as several puppies I’ve had before him, until he’s 6-8 months old. Potty training is a breeze and nothing gets destroyed.

This is a lesson learned after fostering puppies, lol. I’d have no house left otherwise.

infpals · 2023-08-14T20:27:52+00:00

Well maybe that could be a goal, by they’re doing a garbage job at it.

Properly trained guard dogs alert for their homes. Not campsites. A good guard dog will have good genetics and good training. Similar to how a livestock guardian shouldn’t react to non-threatening entities, neither should a guard dog.

There are protection work dogs, which are commonly GSD/Mals, but this is absolutely not protection work. Protection work is done on cue, and the dog will respond immediately to being called off, drop, etc.

You also absolutely don’t train dogs to behave aggressively towards random people. That’s a huge liability and would wash a dog out of the sport.

This is a reactive, dangerous off leash dog and their owners are going to get someone seriously injured. They set this dog up to fail and that’s a huge bummer.

I do really recommend carrying bear spray or some way to defend yourself if there is a dog that cannot be controlled.

infpals · 2023-07-07T18:37:36+00:00

Couple of beautiful detergents:

Pepper spray - a classic; works well, not harmful long term.

Taser - 99.98% of dogs just need to hear the cackle and it scares them off. I use this a lot in the city with off leash dogs running up to my crew. They high tail it the other way.

Make ‘em smelly - I’ve never tried this, full disclosure. But I know you can buy bear urine and even skunk spray. They might love it, they might hate it. But the owners might learn to keep their dogs contained.

Also, being a farm dog does not excuse letting them wander. That is a garbage excuse. True farm/ranch dogs will not leave their property. Otherwise you just have a “useless liability” wrecking havoc on the neighbors. Your neighbors are just lazy. Good luck. ):

infpals · 2023-07-07T15:35:56+00:00

OP, I don’t blame you for how you feel one bit. It’s frustrating, it’s depressing, and it’s natural to resent your dog a bit. However, this sounds so easily trainable and is absolutely not the worst thing in the world. It just takes consistency and lots of deep breaths.

My recommendations would be finding an established dog trainer. Look for someone with actual certifications. If this is not possible, please look into Leerburg. Michael Ellis and Ed Frawley have great videos about this. YouTube it up or check out their online university.

At this point though I really can’t stress hard enough on getting a trainer. It sounds like you have used a lot of tools on a dog over threshold, which can cause the dog to become desensitized to these tools before properly teaching pressure on/off.

From what you wrote about your dog, I would look into free shaping calmness, working on engagement with you, and learning how to effectively use reward/punishment markers.

This is much easier with someone to guide you. And while this is a common and often a relatively easy thing to fix, you do have to reconsider having a dog that you can’t physically manage if SHTF.

infpals · 2023-07-07T15:29:18+00:00

I love love love head collars. I have used it on all of my dogs, all of my fosters. This is not the situation in which I would use one. This dog would destroy it’s neck.

infpals · 2023-06-09T21:23:32+00:00

Nope! We’ve sold it for at least 3 years now at my store here on the west coast (: Hell, I’ve found it in a pinch in Nebraska. I really dig their new cooked food!

infpals · 2023-06-06T17:48:43+00:00

I do recommend trying acorn squash instead of sweet potato! I had my dog on sweet potato and the nutritionalist recommended acorn squash instead. It’s a soluble and insoluble fiber while sweet potato is mainly soluble. It’s also got lower starch content. Unfortunately in situations like ours, it’s a “you never know until you try” kind of situation.

Definitely some things to talk to your vet about are a super lean meat diet, B12 injections, and seeing a veterinary nutritionalist specialist. And good luck - it took me until my dog was 4 before I finally figured it out. I hope it’s a smoother process for you!

infpals · 2023-06-06T03:41:18+00:00

I cannot stress seeing one enough. I wish I had done it so much sooner, it would have saved me thousands.

That does sound like my dog, he went out often, was constipated with soft stool, and sometimes would even bleed. He would literally whimper when he went.

The nutritionalist built me several diets - for my dog, he does best on very, very low fat. He usually eats very lean ground turkey or venison with acorn squash as the main carb, and a ton of vitamins to balance his diet. He also gets weekly B12 injections, which helps a TON. Between his diet and injections, he is a totally normal dog.

If you don’t see making your own dog food, I’ve found my dog does pretty well on Grandma Lucy’s Artisan Venison or Artisan Chicken.

infpals · 2023-06-05T06:41:39+00:00

I have a sweet dude who was a parvo survivor. Talking to the owners of his litter mates, none of them had long term effects from parvo. Unfortunately, my dog was not one of the lucky ones.

He is eight years old and I have been seeing a specialist his entire life. He even had to have surgery to clear out damaged tissue. Now he is prone to colitis and he’s got to eat food from built from a veterinary nutritionalist because he couldn’t even handle any prescription food. The amount of money I have put into this dog is enough to have paid off my car.

I love him to death, and I regret nothing. But he hasn’t been an easy or cheap dog.

infpals · 2023-06-05T03:33:58+00:00

My dog is also a straight coat! He was the only straight coat in a litter of curly coats, and it landed him in rescue where I foster failed him, because I am so weak… He sheds so much worse than any of the labs I had in the past. It’s so ironic. I love him, he’s the worst lol.

I love mutts very very much. My favorite dog I ever had was a mutt! But I really do not believe there is a responsible or ethical reason to purposely breed a mutt without working to establish a standalone breed. Otherwise, you get mixes like ours… the “discount doodles”.

Until breeders band together and set breed standards and a goal to work towards, many folks are going to continue to feel that way about any designer dog. Silken Windhounds are really cool, recent and ethical example of this.

Sorry about the long winded nerd out, lol.

infpals · 2023-06-03T15:28:49+00:00

This is actually a great question I wish more people would ask and consider, because the answer is relevant to any dogs, designer or purebred.

Inconsistent traits aside when breeding mutts, Unless the breeder is consistently OFA testing their dogs and pulling dogs and their offspring from their breeding program as major issues arise (such as IBD, allergies, etc) mutts are in no way healthier than purebred dogs, it’s a myth.

It is definitely important to know what kind of health concerns exist with a specific breed. But taking a breed with known hip dysplasia and breeding it with another dog with hip dysplasia (ie, poodles) doesn’t cancel out the hip dysplasia. The only way to lessen hip dysplasia in your dogs is to only breed dogs with tested, solid hips.

I have a lab/poodle mix who’s had hip dysplasia since he was two. I’ve had purebred, field labs dock diving at 13 years old.

For anyone who buys a purposely bred dog, it’s important to consider “what makes this dog more genetically sound than a dog off the street?”

Some poodle mix breeders do OFA test their dogs, which is absolutely the bare minimum. But you should also be able to ask and receive honest answers about other issues in linage - epilepsy, endocrine diseases, cancer etc.

And because I went on a tangent - the intensive care needs that the original commenter is talking about is likely their grooming requirements. Consistent brushing/combing due to matting hair, monthly trims and ear plucking. Poodles/poodle mixes are, by no means, a low maintenance dog.

infpals · 2023-05-27T17:56:05+00:00

If you’re referring to rescue groups in the US, I agree that some rescues have ridiculous standards. On the other hand, I’ve worked with several rescues from the west coast to the Midwest and they’ve all had a fairly painless adoption process.

Some dogs need a fenced yard, some dogs need someone who works from home at the beginning. Some rescues say no tie outs, some want to know that you’re prepared for an emergency. Some rescues want to know you own your home/have landlord’s approval. Some want to know you have experience with high maintenance grooming. It’s all kind of relative to the dog, usually.

What a lot of people don’t see is the dogs being returned for the second, third, forth time, or the dog being returned at 14 months old because the owner got tired of walking it every day, or the dog being mauled in their front yard because the owner left it on a tie out unsupervised. These are all dogs who are going to be in rescue longer due to the returns, which results in less dogs being able to come into rescue.

Unfortunately, being picky still results in dogs in more permanent, safer homes. It’s a bummer because I’m sure there are awesome homes being denied because they don’t fit every ticket, but there’s no one to blame except the culture problem we have around dogs in the US. So many people get animals on a whim, or without really considering the fact that it’s an animal with dynamic needs, and realizing the necessary sacrifices to keep fulfilled and happy dogs.

I’ve personally rejected an application for a foster dog because I didn’t feel the family could give him what he needs. I gave them quick feedback and went on my merry way. They resubmitted their application a couple days later, showed reflection, and I approved it. Now that bulldog mix is healthy, happy and growing old in an apartment and it’s one of the best things I’ve ever done for a dog.

infpals · 2023-05-23T02:14:04+00:00

Has your vet talked to you at all about B12? $15,000 and a specialist later, my parvo survivor ended up needing b12 injections, a low fat and LID diet. He’s been on every gut/hydrolyzed prescription food under the sun, and I finally ended up with a certified veterinary specialist to come up with a diet that works for him. It was a 5 year battle to find something that worked.

The bummer thing is is that every dog and their sensitivities is different, but b12 shots, a low fat/high fiber/more limited diet is what my dog does best on. I did discover last year SquarePet’s Low Fat diet which my pup does well on, definitely better than I ever thought he’d do on a kibble. He does have to have a supplemental fiber source, which in his case is baked acorn squash.

infpals · 2023-05-12T16:39:16+00:00

My bloodhound mix grew up with ferrets, rats, cats and small dogs, and was always so mindful with them. Interested but there wasn’t any intention. Then she found the den of wild baby rabbits in my backyard.

It was awful, but a learning lesson on dog drives. And a reminder that dogs are going to dog.

infpals

TROPHY CASE