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savingdogs
Queen Filksinger
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Gosh, I have pictures of Fat Liver already, but I don't have room left on here. He isn't really so fat but the breed is supposed to look hungry, which they usually are. I'm still waiting on getting him. I'm glad the shelter in Utah is understanding and working with us. I'm shocked no one in their system hasn't adopted him. He is probably in the "available" group at the Salt Lake City humane society if anyone is looking for a ridgeback. He is actually named Henry. Maybe he isn't passing their tempermant test but they don't want to euth him. I think we will end up getting him the same day that Ellie and Hanna leave, which would be EXCELLENT. I know Hubby thinks we are crazy to let Ellie go. The other day when Bindi was proving so dismal at herding goats, I told him I need a herding dog and he says to me, "Ellie can herd." Ellie chases the goats so that was a silly lame comment and he knew it but had to slip it out there, hoping I'd suggest we keep her. A guardian dog would also be a good idea, but not an Ellie. Her new nickname is "her Elliness" since he treats her like royalty.
Regarding the too many bitches, yes, I certainly do have too many bitches, owning four, fostering two (and I had three last month). Girl dogs get along worse in my opinion than boy dogs in most cases. They fight more regarding who is the top dog or NOT the bottom dog and care more about status, although of course not all females, but more than males. We are bitch-heavy here and especially right now with two female fosters. This is not a good balance that I would recommend to anyone. We do understand how to introduce dogs a little better than most people (ha ha) having done it over and over and over and over, and there are certain dogs that we would never TRY because by reputation we know better. And once dogs have a "grudge".....forget it. One needs to be rehomed. If we were told that a female dog was aggressive with other females we would have to decline to have it come here. In every dog group there is a female dog leader and the pack health depends in part on how well that dog meets and greets new dogs. My dog Deirdre the ridgeback is the top dog here and was raised while we were fostering so she really enjoys new dogs and is extremely, extremely well socialized. I'm not bragging, but it is just a fact.
If anyone has questions about dogs getting along or getting girls to get along I'd be happy to help them. But the situation is individual. Usually one of the important aspects people don't notice is that they have to respect and understand the current dog pack order, even while they remain the ultimate leader. As soon as you leave the room, they make up their own order. Cesar Milan has been very helpful in teaching this concept to people. I love how he relates how we are full of wrong thinking about dogs and often use the analogy he used when we heard him speak. He said that to most Americans, the dog is first Charlie, then a cocker spaniel, then a dog, then an animal. When we need to remember that he is first an animal, then a dog, then a cocker spaniel, and then Charlie. I expect Deirdre to act like pack head wolf even though she is also my "Dee Dee" who is trained as foster dog friend extraordinairre. But the way your alpha bitch is makes a big difference and I have to give her the credit, not me. She took over the mantle when another dog we had died.
And the main thing I do that enables me to keep several dogs like this is that we don't put all the females in a room loose with only one person there. Outside is okay, but not inside a room where there is one person. And I would never do something like divide a piece of steak up amongst so many girl dogs in a room unless I had worked on training them for awhile. I've been doing this a long time so I can "get away" with doing things that might be hard for dog novices because I am trained with long practice not to do things that cause fights, even among dogs that 'don't fight".....in my experience most dogs will fight about something, it is just a matter of prevention. If you divide resources carefully (usually out of sight and smell) and use restraints such as crates, you can manage a much larger group of dogs fairly easily. It might sound hard to take care of so many but if you saw my routine, you'd see it really isn't very hard. The dogs train the other dogs and keep the new ones in line. I just adhere to a routine and they all fall in line, dogs love routine especially when they get treats and rewards and not hurt or hit or whatever.
Regarding the too many bitches, yes, I certainly do have too many bitches, owning four, fostering two (and I had three last month). Girl dogs get along worse in my opinion than boy dogs in most cases. They fight more regarding who is the top dog or NOT the bottom dog and care more about status, although of course not all females, but more than males. We are bitch-heavy here and especially right now with two female fosters. This is not a good balance that I would recommend to anyone. We do understand how to introduce dogs a little better than most people (ha ha) having done it over and over and over and over, and there are certain dogs that we would never TRY because by reputation we know better. And once dogs have a "grudge".....forget it. One needs to be rehomed. If we were told that a female dog was aggressive with other females we would have to decline to have it come here. In every dog group there is a female dog leader and the pack health depends in part on how well that dog meets and greets new dogs. My dog Deirdre the ridgeback is the top dog here and was raised while we were fostering so she really enjoys new dogs and is extremely, extremely well socialized. I'm not bragging, but it is just a fact.
If anyone has questions about dogs getting along or getting girls to get along I'd be happy to help them. But the situation is individual. Usually one of the important aspects people don't notice is that they have to respect and understand the current dog pack order, even while they remain the ultimate leader. As soon as you leave the room, they make up their own order. Cesar Milan has been very helpful in teaching this concept to people. I love how he relates how we are full of wrong thinking about dogs and often use the analogy he used when we heard him speak. He said that to most Americans, the dog is first Charlie, then a cocker spaniel, then a dog, then an animal. When we need to remember that he is first an animal, then a dog, then a cocker spaniel, and then Charlie. I expect Deirdre to act like pack head wolf even though she is also my "Dee Dee" who is trained as foster dog friend extraordinairre. But the way your alpha bitch is makes a big difference and I have to give her the credit, not me. She took over the mantle when another dog we had died.
And the main thing I do that enables me to keep several dogs like this is that we don't put all the females in a room loose with only one person there. Outside is okay, but not inside a room where there is one person. And I would never do something like divide a piece of steak up amongst so many girl dogs in a room unless I had worked on training them for awhile. I've been doing this a long time so I can "get away" with doing things that might be hard for dog novices because I am trained with long practice not to do things that cause fights, even among dogs that 'don't fight".....in my experience most dogs will fight about something, it is just a matter of prevention. If you divide resources carefully (usually out of sight and smell) and use restraints such as crates, you can manage a much larger group of dogs fairly easily. It might sound hard to take care of so many but if you saw my routine, you'd see it really isn't very hard. The dogs train the other dogs and keep the new ones in line. I just adhere to a routine and they all fall in line, dogs love routine especially when they get treats and rewards and not hurt or hit or whatever.
They get along great though, and I enjoy watching them interact.
Did you know that we can upload pictures on the sister sites?
