Chickens for 10-20 years or more? Pull up a rockin' chair and lay some wisdom on us!

[Beekissed]

Yes! Anyone ever try to hear heart, lung, and abdominal sounds while a 7 lb yapper is dancing and snapping a few inches away from your face? And STILL maintain your smiling and gentle nature towards the patient, time after time after time after time.....?

Or when you bend to take a blood pressure and the darn rat growls and snaps at you and no one says a word of correction? I would just love to bring in a big dog and let it snap and growl all through the visit at those who reside in the home, all the while shouting over the din, "Oh, HE doesn't mean it! He's just trying to protect his mommy!".

Do that for 19 years with a smile on your face and all the while saying, "He certainly is a feisty little guy!" as if you don't really want to twist his head off in front of the family so that they learn how to control their dogs with a very graphic "hands on" lesson.

Trust me, it can wear on a person's soul until they just want to lie down and have a full body seizure right there on the floor!

It wouldn't be so bad if it wasn't across the board...I've rarely ever seen nice little dogs being mannerly and staying out of your way as you examine a patient or dress a wound. It would have been a lovely break from the reality of how it is 9 out of 10 times one enters a home to care for someone.

 

[bruceha2000]

I actually take great pains to talk low and move slow so that they will trust me to be consistent in my movements.

Yeah, I got that one figured out. Stride through the flock and they all go nuts running every which way trying to get away from the "predator". Walk slowly and they calmly get out of the way while continuing to do what ever they were doing. Hardly even notice you are there.

Bruce

 

[thedragonlady]

I agree. I see him coaching these people about being alpha and you know that as soon as he leaves that dog is going right back into the same pattern because people cannot transition a lifetime of behavior as sweetly as can a dog. You are either born alpha or are strong and smart enough to see the necessity of becoming alpha and so work on it. Mostly, most are not smart enough to see how it would benefit their whole lives to work on becoming more alpha about some things and about the dogs and children in particular.

I am the mother! YOU are the chicken , child, dog, etc. What's hard about that?

 

[Pozees]

I'm curious...why is it that folks think it's okay for small dogs to bark until their throats bleed but not alright for big dogs to do the same? Don't ya all know how to turn that barker off?

I'd never let my dog bark at folks like that, be he big or small. It's just rude and has no place in the home unless I am breaking in to steal something from the home. Same with jumping up on the pant legs...NOT cute, not amusing and should never be encouraged or allowed, no matter the size of the dog.

Folks seem to think that small dogs cannot be trained to shut up...and the owner is right in the same room. I can see if the dog is outside and across the yard not having full control over his vocal chords but the dancing, gurgling, growling and yapping mutt is RIGHT in the living room within correction distance. Why is this never addressed? And when I say NEVER, I do mean NEVER. I've never seen anyone with small dogs correct them when they are barking at visitors that they have seen a thousand times.

Inquiring minds wanna know....

Had small dogs for years. They barked when they heard intruders, and stopped when I told them to. All dogs should. As long as they are treated like dogs, they respond like dogs.

A small dog's Job is to be a companion first and foremost. Any dog, small or otherwise, who does not meet this basic requirement has no place at my home.

 

[bruceha2000]

I have a Taco dog about the size of six pack that licks my face when I try to nap longer than 10 minutes on the recliner, and is great at barking incessantly from the couch top looking through the window at meadow Larks on the porch. Does that count

Nothing personal, but most small dogs are neurotic, yippie, scared and/or aggressive out of fear.
For my money, if you can drop kick it more than 3 feet, it isn't a dog.

Bruce

 

[Beekissed]

We've been small dog bashing all evening, haven't we? How do we even get into these subjects??

I'm sure there are nice little dogs out there but I've only met two of them in all these years and hundreds of dogs. Wish it could be more.

 

[thedragonlady]

i thought it was 1 dog against a crew of bears. the gp i am not to educated on. i am a mastiff guy.

I bred and showed Mastiffs for years, all English imports. Best of Breed, from the classes, Westminster 1972, owner handled. These dogs were wonderful with all my livestock. My stud dog would guard little chicks or ducklings, AND my wallet between his paws at Westminster the year the pickpockets hit.I would not use one for a LGD though. These dogs are bred to protect PEOPLE.

I've even had bitches in season kill coon hounds who came over my perimeter fence on the farm.No invading Mother's territory, but no real guarding of livestiock living outside the house , or barn either.

 

[bruceha2000]

I'm curious...why is it that folks think it's okay for small dogs to bark until their throats bleed but not alright for big dogs to do the same? Don't ya all know how to turn that barker off?

I'd never let my dog bark at folks like that, be he big or small. It's just rude and has no place in the home unless I am breaking in to steal something from the home. Same with jumping up on the pant legs...NOT cute, not amusing and should never be encouraged or allowed, no matter the size of the dog.

Folks seem to think that small dogs cannot be trained to shut up...and the owner is right in the same room. I can see if the dog is outside and across the yard not having full control over his vocal chords but the dancing, gurgling, growling and yapping mutt is RIGHT in the living room within correction distance. Why is this never addressed? And when I say NEVER, I do mean NEVER. I've never seen anyone with small dogs correct them when they are barking at visitors that they have seen a thousand times.

Inquiring minds wanna know....

I heard a radio alarm in my neighbor's house while working outside a few years back. No one was home to shut it off so I went in the front door, up the stairs, found the clock and shut it off. Went down stairs and as I was LEAVING the house their mini Daschund "scared me off" barking his head off from under the couch.

And the female long hair mini-dox barks at me incessantly when I am in MY yard minding my own business.

Worthless excuse of an animal if you ask me.

Bruce

 

[rowerjen]

For my money, if you can drop kick it more than 3 feet, it isn't a dog.

I'm with you Bruce. I like my dogs dog sized. If I want something little to curl up in my lap, I've got cats. That said, I've met some great little dogs over the years, and mostly, they come with great owners.

When I got my first dog many years ago, someone gave me some very good advice: if it won't be cute when they weigh 80lbs don't ever let 'em do it. The problem is, there are a lot of dog behaviors that aren't cute no matter how little the dog is, but a lot of little dog owners don't see the problem because how much harm could a 6lb punt-a-pooch do?.

 

[thedragonlady]

I heard a radio alarm in my neighbor's house while working outside a few years back. No one was home to shut it off so I went in the front door, up the stairs, found the clock and shut it off. Went down stairs and as I was LEAVING the house their mini Daschund "scared me off" barking his head off from under the couch.

And the female long hair mini-dox barks at me incessantly when I am in MY yard minding my own business.

Worthless excuse of an animal if you ask me.

Bruce

Go to Germany. You'll see hundreds of German breeds in restaurants and shops, all well behaved. The German breeds have been bred to accept training while being very bright. Absent the training, and you have a thinking monster. Think about these breeds...Dobermans, Rottweilers, Daschunds, Wy Mars, GSPs , Schnausers, Large and small, etc. All super bright dogs who deserve smarter owners.