Pets!

[45R]

Here is my fat cat :)

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v176/forty5r/IMG_8470.jpg

My friend's dog Gracie came over for a play date today. Gracie was recently adopted last week.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v176/forty5r/IMG_8449.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v176/forty5r/IMG_8480.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v176/forty5r/IMG_8488.jpg

[JM Campbell]

Bia, Rhod Ridgeback/German Shepard mix at 5 months

http://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll296/jcam54/BiaPlayPics73120106MonthsOld156.jpg

Shasta (6 year Lab/Terrier mix) and Bia Playing

http://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll296/jcam54/BiaPlayPics73120106MonthsOld062.jpg

Shadow (11 year old lab that we lost this year) and her sis Shasta

http://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll296/jcam54/BiaPlayPics73120106MonthsOld025.jpg

All of our dogs are rescues.

[David]

http://i244.photobucket.com/albums/gg10/imdavid/088cf89a.jpg

[derekb]

I can play.

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4135/4785486952_486c9f4e2f_b.jpg
This is my cat. he's pretty cool.

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4121/4785444380_313de107aa_b.jpg
this is my dog. he's also pretty cool.

[texag]

Teddy, a pit bull/corgi mix:
http://i785.photobucket.com/albums/yy138/TexAg10/Teddy/IMG_2687.jpg

About 7 ft up in a tree. He was going after a squirrel. Getting down didn't work out so well:
http://i785.photobucket.com/albums/yy138/TexAg10/Teddy/DSC00086.jpg

[JDM]

http://184.72.239.143/mu/a6cd086e-d0b8-6bcb.jpg

[LittleLebowski]

Nacho the the Belgian Malinois and Vera the FAL

http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h251/baxshep/IMG_0752.jpg

[jdavis]

16

Protecting the house..... or sleeping on the job....

and yes the gun was triple checked to make sure it was clear:confused:

17

[willowofwisp]

My labradoodle

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5045/5236749556_f298a1f671.jpg

i also have a black lab and chocolate but no pictures.

[VolGrad]

My boy ....

http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd208/volgrad/IMG_5048.jpg

... an 8yo lab/golden cross.

[ToddG]

Freyja at two months:
http://9x19mm.com/photoalbum/albums/userpics/freyja1.jpg

Freyja at Christmas:
http://9x19mm.com/photoalbum/albums/userpics/normal_Freyja-7mos-trail-2.jpg

Our home after seven months of Belgian Malinois fun:
http://www.abbottkc.com/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderpictures/Destroyed_Home.jpg

[JulieG]

Freya is a "gorgeous puppy!" - quote from my little one :)

Here's our cat Webley - hunter of all things that creep, slither, flap & skitter.

18

[orionz06]

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3292/3066490178_113365b122_z.jpg
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3131/3164543289_90f2ce42f9_z.jpg
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2375/2248229858_8ded7f0946_z.jpg
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3289/2678197997_4e9efaff75_z.jpg
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3222/2920815114_72b36ac4e9_z.jpg
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3011/2622298523_e5ed9c923e_z.jpg
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2304/2376473699_f8c91677de_z.jpg

[JMorse]

Great thread. Dogs are the bestest.

Here's Chloe. I suspect she's got a tinge of collie mixed in with the shepherd.
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4128/5170419760_f0fca76849.jpg

And Vincent, my mostly malinois.. I think. They're both rescues, so it's hard to say for sure.
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3080/3216553615_2eb3b6f720.jpg

[WDW]

http://i865.photobucket.com/albums/ab217/10mm4me/weiner.jpg
This is my Dachshund, Alvin. He's a good little dog and full of personality. He caught a chicken last weekend by the butt and wouldn't let go. We finally got it away from him (it wasn't hurt). He was so proud.

[Ray Keith]

My Bulldog Flash

http://i117.photobucket.com/albums/o64/luggoflash/Flash1.jpg

Relaxing...

http://i117.photobucket.com/albums/o64/luggoflash/Flash2.jpg

On Alert for Trouble...

http://i117.photobucket.com/albums/o64/luggoflash/Flash3.jpg

French Bulldog CeCe

http://i117.photobucket.com/albums/o64/luggoflash/CeCe1.jpg

[Ray Keith]

Great thread. Dogs are the bestest.

Here's Chloe. I suspect she's got a tinge of collie mixed in with the shepherd.
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4128/5170419760_f0fca76849.jpg

And Vincent, my mostly malinois.. I think. They're both rescues, so it's hard to say for sure.
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3080/3216553615_2eb3b6f720.jpg

Rescues...wonderful! :D

[ToddG]

Freyja out for a swim today:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R4aEh6kuX8A&feature=related

[JMorse]

"Rescues ..wonderful! "

I can't imagine going any other way. The shelter was one of the saddest places I've ever been in my life, but knowing I helped just a little bit was worth it all.

[JMorse]

Hehe Todd. I played your video and both my dogs raced into the living room and watched it with me.

[Ed L]

Dogs during a rare Dallas Snow:

http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m115/edagain/dogssnow2011.jpg

Dog & cat:

http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m115/edagain/dogcat.jpg


NSW Cat:

http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m115/edagain/NSWcat.jpg

[Ed L]

A note & question on dogs.

My dogs are Spanish Alanos, a rare hunting breed from Spain.

They are supposed to need a lot of exercize but get by okay with a walk before I go to work and getting let out in the 10 foot x 35 foot fenced in back yard to do their business when I am home.

I have a neighbor who wants to buy a Belgian Malinois with the same home setup as me and wants to keep it the same way I keep my dogs. From everything I have heard about the breed, this does not strike me as a wise idea. Any comments from Malinois owners?

[ToddG]

No, no, no, and more no.

Especially as a puppy, a short walk a day isn't going to cut it. Even at 1yr old, we try to get our Mal at least an hour exercise every day plus a couple of short (10-20min) walks. On top of that she spends at least one full day at daycare every week, burning energy for 7-10 hours.

There is a huge difference between hunting breeds and working breeds. A working dog needs to be worked and challenged constantly. We keep bringing Freyja back to obedience classes she's already taken for no other reason than to expose her to new people, new dogs, and new ways of doing the same old thing.

Mals are awesome. Mals are not easy.

[Ed L]

Thanks, Todd. I basically said that I didn't think it would work because different breeds have different characteristics and from everything I've heard Malinois are *very* high energy dogs.

My dogs are kind of a small Mastiff breed (65-85 lbish). They are used for catching boars for hunting and catching cattle on ranches, so they are a kind of a working dog. When they were puppies they were either in the back yard or crated when I was at work--until I knew I could trust them alone in the house. I did the same when I had a Rottweiler--took him for a walk before work then mostly relied on the fenced yard afterwards whenever he needed to go to the bathroom.

But from what I understand it goes beyond the working dog thing with the Malinois in that they are just very high energy and if not engaged will find other things to do. It seems like the neighbors picked an unsuitable breed for their lifestyle. It would be like a relatively new shooter showing up at AFHF with a Colt Delta Elite with hot 10mm loads.

[willowofwisp]

My labradoodle...he hasn't had his hair cut in a few months now..he's starting to look like a dirty homeless man LOL

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2532/5837611809_fc76018490_z.jpg

[LittleLebowski]

What Todd said on Mals. You do not want a bored Mal in a small yard and the neighbor has NO idea how much these dogs need. Mals thrive on mental stimulation, not just being "let out."

I sincerely hope Mals do not become popular as most of the American public is not equipped to deal with them.

[GJM]

http://i250.photobucket.com/albums/gg251/GJMandes/AstroBishopBeach.jpg

http://i250.photobucket.com/albums/gg251/GJMandes/AstroBrooks.jpg

[SecondsCount]

http://i250.photobucket.com/albums/gg251/GJMandes/AstroBishopBeach.jpg

Good looking Viszla!

[NickA]

My labradoodle...he hasn't had his hair cut in a few months now..he's starting to look like a dirty homeless man LOL

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2532/5837611809_fc76018490_z.jpg
My niece has a labradoodle as a service dog...fantastic companion with the patience of a saint.

[Shellback]

Our 2 year old Boxer.
http://img694.imageshack.us/img694/702/seattle081.jpg

She's very patient as well.
http://img21.imageshack.us/img21/9251/img0231512x768.jpg

[irishshooter]

my "panther" finishing up the last of the ribs.
https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/33564_1532649449652_1637271249_1258584_7053421_n.j pg

[Ray Keith]

my "panther" finishing up the last of the ribs.
https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/33564_1532649449652_1637271249_1258584_7053421_n.j pg

That's an awesome cat! How big is he? He looks huge.

[irishshooter]

thanks man! i think shes like 14 pounds now as far as i can recall! she did max out at 18 at one point....we cut down on the brisket after that weight in! Shes a British Short Hair and acts more like a dog than a cat. shes still a cat so she defies my attempts to train her to get me a beer from the fridge like i've seen some dogs do!

[JFK]

Grumpy Pup under cover

http://gallery.me.com/jaykoller/100160/DSC00387/web.jpg?ver=13088353550001

But he is usually a happy guy.

http://gallery.me.com/jaykoller/100160/DSCF0703/web.jpg?ver=13088353530001

http://gallery.me.com/jaykoller/100160/DSCF0715/web.jpg?ver=13088353540001

[Slavex]

an old pic but a goody. Best pets ever. I love cats, I love dogs, I LOVE Skunks.

72

[SecondsCount]

I guess skunks can be de-scented but my sons German Shorthair has a hint of skunk left on him right now after meeting a wild one, not a good thing.

They also don't get along with the chickens which is not a good thing.

[rsa-otc]

I guess skunks can be de-scented but my sons German Shorthair has a hint of skunk left on him right now after meeting a wild one, not a good thing.

They also don't get along with the chickens which is not a good thing.

Dude tomato juice really works. The coat will have a pink hue for awhile.

[Slavex]

Huge difference between wild skunks and tame ones. Besides wild skunks get along too well with chickens. The chickens just can't keep up.
For the sprayed dog, modern shampoo works wonders for getting rid of the smell. Or you could be like the wife and I oneday, and like the smell of skunk spray.

[turbolag23]

pardon the cell phone pics.

he likes car rides
http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j255/lazyboymsu/Mobile%20Uploads/downsized_0504112003.jpg

and relaxing on the couch with a book
http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j255/lazyboymsu/Mobile%20Uploads/downsized_0508112202.jpg

[texag]

Teddy looking particularly demonic:

http://i785.photobucket.com/albums/yy138/TexAg10/Teddy/IMAG0030.jpg

[SecondsCount]

Teddy looks like the happiest demon I have ever seen. :D

[ToddG]

Teddy looks like the happiest demon I have ever seen. :D

Which raises an obvious question...

[rjohnson4405]

Which raises an obvious question...

This is texag's house, demon dog, demon cat, and baby devil to accompany the prince of darkness himself:
http://clockwatcher23.files.wordpress.com/2009/11/funny-pictures-black-cat-devil-baby.jpg

[Tim]

Riley.


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v613/Tim_Orrock/Riley/2011-04-30_14-05-02_412.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v613/Tim_Orrock/Riley/2011-08-12_19-27-18_792.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v613/Tim_Orrock/Riley/2011-08-12_19-31-16_208.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v613/Tim_Orrock/Riley/P1060025.jpg

[JM Campbell]

Riley reminds me of Spuds Mckinsley!

[Shellback]

They really are best friends. Our Boxer takes a hell of a lot of abuse from the lil guy, pulling ears, poking eyes, used as a drum set, and always comes back for more. :)

http://img31.imageshack.us/img31/4352/img23371024x683.jpg

http://img695.imageshack.us/img695/2811/img2339683x1024.jpg

http://img228.imageshack.us/img228/3736/img2350683x1024.jpg

[LittleLebowski]

http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h251/baxshep/IMAG0533.jpg

http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h251/baxshep/fbad8576.jpg

http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h251/baxshep/705b3688.jpg

http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h251/baxshep/5ae8b5b5.jpg

[Coyotesfan97]

Where is Nacho's saddle?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[LittleLebowski]

Where is Nacho's saddle?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Yup :D She uses his ears as reins.

In that pic, he is pissed off because a lady with a Lab is not listening to me when I tell her "My dog is VERY protective of my daughter around other dogs; you need to keep your dog back." It basically got to the point where he is snarling and I am saying "My dog will fuck your dog up if you let your dog get any closer."

Some people just don't understand that their dog is not typical of other dogs.

[Zhurdan]

My two little mobile alarms
Bruiser and Ezri - Jack Russell Terrible's

http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r127/Zhurdan/Family/IMG_1406.jpg

They're our family as we have no kids... so we buy them Christmas presents, wrapping and all. They're quite good at opening presents.
http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r127/Zhurdan/Family/IMG_1398.jpg

Ezri's a daddy's girl. One of her favorite places to sit during the winter months.
http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r127/Zhurdan/Family/IMG_1351.jpg

[JAD]

265
Marvin the Silky Terrier and Lucy the Alsatian.

[medic15al]

Honey, My 3mo old Cocker Spaniel

http://i365.photobucket.com/albums/oo96/medic15al/002-1.jpg

http://i365.photobucket.com/albums/oo96/medic15al/073.jpg

http://i365.photobucket.com/albums/oo96/medic15al/075.jpg

[John Ralston]

Our new German Shepherd Pup, Jaegar...

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6019/6350763315_dd58aa40ce_b.jpg

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6114/6350763087_7f93950dc9_b.jpg

Thought about a Mal, but after looking at their needs we decided it was a BIG no. This little guy is about as much drive as our house can handle with so much else to occupy our time. I work obedience with him every day, and socialize him at the kids' bus stop. He is turing into a great addition to our home.

[irishshooter]

nice lookin pup! great breed. my buddy taught all of the basic commands ie. sit, speak, come etc.... in german to his shephard. thought that was kinda cool.

[John Ralston]

The only command he knows in german is "Potty" - and he will only go in the designated area - "Area 52". He will also recall on a whistle (coach's whistle), which is probably the most important for me - don't want him running out of the culdesac and getting hit by a car.

[Shellback]

Our new German Shepherd Pup, Jaegar... Thought about a Mal, but after looking at their needs we decided it was a BIG no.

Cute puppy, the wife loved the picture. We're talking about getting a GS in a year or two. Did a bit of research on the GS comparing it to the Mal and the one quote that stuck with me was "They're like a fur coated chainsaw with teeth, on meth!" or something close to that effect. Most of the conclusions I've read is that the GS is much easier to handle and the Mal takes a more experienced owner/handler.

[John Ralston]

Cute puppy, the wife loved the picture. We're talking about getting a GS in a year or two. Did a bit of research on the GS comparing it to the Mal and the one quote that stuck with me was "They're like a fur coated chainsaw with teeth, on meth!" or something close to that effect. Most of the conclusions I've read is that the GS is much easier to handle and the Mal takes a more experienced owner/handler.

That is pretty consistent with what I found in my research.

If you want some good info on working dogs, check out Leerburg.com. He has hundreds of training videos online that can be watched for free. Michael Ellis also has a good site with lots of training stuff. I am amazed at how much Jaegar has learned in just 3 weeks, and I have based all my training on Michael Ellis' principles.

[LittleLebowski]

I would take a good Shepherd over a Mal. In my personal experience, Shepherds are better about the natural protective instinct. My Mal never leaves my side. I would prefer he patrolled the house like my old GSD did. He is however, an excellent family dog. My daughter and he are bonded and he has infinite patience with her. The GSD will do things automatically, out of instinct, and in a precision manner. The Mal will go balls out, 110%, and are EASY to train. The Mals shed less and have far better health overall. No bad hips or spleenatic tumors.

Look for a Czech or East German line GSD. With either of these breeds, you have to be the boss. Their instincts are very different from those of other common dog breeds.

I have gotten a good Mal and a good GSD fom Craigslist. For free.

[John Ralston]

He has German Blood Lines, with most of the dogs having Schutzhund Titles. He really loves the kids and I think he will be a great addition to the family : )

I do wish he had short hair like a Mal or a Dutchie, but that certainly was low on our priorities.

[Shellback]

If you want some good info on working dogs, check out Leerburg.com. He has hundreds of training videos online that can be watched for free. Michael Ellis also has a good site with lots of training stuff. I am amazed at how much Jaegar has learned in just 3 weeks, and I have based all my training on Michael Ellis' principles.

Thanks for the info. After seeing the picture of your pup the response I got was "Oh my God, I want one!!!".

[LittleLebowski]

Did a bit of research on the GS comparing it to the Mal and the one quote that stuck with me was "They're like a fur coated chainsaw with teeth, on meth!" or something close to that effect.

Savage killers :D

If you touch their wards.... I believe Todd's Mal is also very good with children. I find my Mal easier to train than a GSD. In my experience, the Mal is easier to train but requires more training from the ground up. Hope that makes sense.


http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h251/baxshep/IMAG0535.jpg

[ToddG]

Our Mal is great with kids because we socialized her weekly around strangers, including screaming playing little kids. There's a shopping center with one of those fountains that kids run through near here, and I took Freyja there as often as I could so she could see, hear, and smell those annoying little ankle biters. She tolerates them far better than I do now.

At 18 months, Freyja still needs at least one solid hour of exercise plus a couple of short (15-20min) walks a day. She'll survive skipping one day once in a while but you won't make it to noon on the second day before she lets you know she needs some exercise. Her normal method of communicating this is to begin trying to destroy everything in the house she can get her teeth on.

Freyja definitely doesn't prowl the house but then we don't let her. She's usually penned to the same floor we're on because we don't want her getting into anything. She's scary smart and scary agile. She'll be up on the kitchen counter figuring out how to open a cupboard before we know she's left the living room. She is definitely very alert and unlike a lot of dogs she will actually move toward something she thinks is dangerous to us. In fact, when she hears something outside that bothers her she'll get up and position herself between us and the door. She'll even lie down and go to sleep in that spot so she'll be the first line of defense. My wife tells me that when I'm away on travel, Freyja's protection instinct goes into hyperdrive.

[LittleLebowski]

Todd's dead on regarding socialization. No matter what breed of dog you have; you'd better be able to walk it in public. I see folks (usually using the wrong collar/harness) that cannot simply walk their dog in public. They are letting their dogs control where they go.

My Mal also is scary smart and agile. He roams the house freely but is usually near myself or my daughter. At 2 years of ownership; he's just starting to come into his own.

What's funny is when he is barreling around the dog park at full speed and I tell folks "He went running for four miles this morning." :D

When I took him to Schutzhund, I was told "all Mals are neurotic." I also got raised eyebrows when I told folks that hee is a rescue off of Craigslist and he'd never had any type of formal training. Just me, at home.

The same skeptics with their silly show line GSDs (complete with sloping back) broke into applause as Nacho nailed the dog handler on the sleeve, off leash.

Then I got the "You don't know what you have here; you could be a winner in Schutzhund" speech. That was not my goal so we only did a few training sessions.

Remember, this is a breed that instinctively grabbed my arm in his jaws while playing. GSDs and Belgian Malinois really are different from other breeds. If you can't be the Alpha and you don't want to have to work to get the dog to behave and act as you want...........get a Lab/Boxer/whatever.

[ToddG]

We got the same "neurotic" warning from the first puppy class teacher we took Freyja to. They actually sent my wife home in tears thinking that we had an eight week old tazmanian devil that would kill small children for sport. What we learned is that a lot of dog trainers think all dogs are Labs. We found a girl who knew exactly what a Mal is and isn't and she's been great.

Freyja does love to play rough and, like LilL said, she thinks arm bites are part of play. When she was 10 weeks old, she'd grab onto my arm (wearing a fireplace glove) and I could literally walk around the house with her latched on, growling and snarling and trying to shake my arm to pieces. But the moment the glove got pulled off my arm, she stopped. That's one nice thing about Mals: they don't usually take bites personally. They can be trying to kill you one second and then be your best friend the next. :cool:

[John Ralston]

From what I learned on Leerburg, the higher the drive, the easier it is to train the dog. That is why Mals and Dutchies are easier to train. The down side is a dog with high drive requires a lot from the owner as well. Our GSD has drive, but not hyper drive. He is very easy to train, so I can't imagine what a Mal would be doing by now. Jaegar loves to play tug, chase a rag on a flirt pole and track and is like a crack head with the shakes when I pull out the frozen liverwurst to start training! He ignores other dogs and doesn't mind the 15+ kids at the bus stop. Won't really know much else until he gets older, but we are happy.

I am not sure my wife would have been as happy with a Mal, as she wasn't really wanting a dog at all and told me that I was on my own. She gets pissed enough in the mornings when I let him out of the crate and he attacks her slippers (while they are on her feet). I don't think I would have the time to keep a Mal from getting bored either.

[ToddG]

John -- I'm the farthest thing from an expert, but I sometimes think people try to slice the onion too thin when talking about different breeds' trainability or intelligence. Now, I don't doubt for a second that an average border collie is substantially smarter than the average shihtzu, but variation between dogs of the same breed is high enough that it seems you'd be hard pressed to say "every Mal is smarter than every GSD," or vice versa.

And for what it's worth, GSDs are almost universally listed as "smarter" than Mals on trainability charts, etc.

[LittleLebowski]

I think they're about equal but the Mal's drive may mask some problem solving capability. As Todd said, dogs vary greatly. His Mal will jump through fire for a chance at tug of war and my Mal's food drive is so high, he stole and ate half of a cantaloupe off of the kitchen counter.

Below is a sample of what I want my next GSD to be like.

http://www.ehretgsd.com/pike052910a.jpg

http://www.ehretgsd.com/luke6631.jpg

http://www.ehretgsd.com/luke6629.jpg

[Coyotesfan97]

Since Dutchies were mentioned here's my partner K9 Lotus the Dutch Shepherd. He's almost three, weighs about 62 pounds and has a Politithund I certificate. He is very social and would be a great dog inside if my retired Malinois would grant him access. He has springs in his legs and is very fast.

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c310/coyotesfan97/33437779.jpg

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c310/coyotesfan97/a0e2255f.jpg

[John Ralston]

John -- I'm the farthest thing from an expert, but I sometimes think people try to slice the onion too thin when talking about different breeds' trainability or intelligence. Now, I don't doubt for a second that an average border collie is substantially smarter than the average shihtzu, but variation between dogs of the same breed is high enough that it seems you'd be hard pressed to say "every Mal is smarter than every GSD," or vice versa.

And for what it's worth, GSDs are almost universally listed as "smarter" than Mals on trainability charts, etc.

Agreed...

The trainability theory is based on drive and the desire to get whatever treat you have to offer them (food, toy, etc.). If the dog has a huge food or toy drive, they will do whatever you ask to get it. Jaegar can learn something new in about 5 minutes if I have the frozen liver paste, and he seems to retain it. Not sure how long a really high drive Mal would take, but it probably wouldn't be statistically significant.

I certainly would pic one over the other based on that, but I suppose if you were dead set on getting some Schutzhund Title or have a REAL Protection Dog you would want to pick the highest drive dog and train, train, train.

I am certainly looking forward to the next couple years with this one!

[ToddG]

We try to work on Freyja's problem-solving ability regularly. We tend to pair it with get over anything she shows fear toward. For example, something must have happened at the doggie day care place because a while back she became scared of baby gates. She wouldn't go near one and if she heard one moving or falling she would run away.

So I got some chicken, put it on the ground, and put the baby gate on top of it. She could smell and see the chicken but either had to get it through the holes in the gate or move the gate. She figured out how to get the chicken without any help and learned that baby gates were nothing to fear.

Same thing with the vacuum cleaner. Like most days, Freyja used to freak out when the vacuum cleaner was on. So I would put one of her tug toys on it. She'd have to figure out a way to get the toy off the vacuum and, at the same time, she got used to the vacuum being unimportant to her daily life.

Lately, we've been working on scent games. We'll let her play with a toy, then put her in another room while we hide it somewhere. She's given the command "find it" and she'll spend a solid few minutes searching all over the room until she gets it. We then switch to another toy so she gets in the habit of finding the last thing we played with. We're now escalating this to playing with a part of something (like a strip from a ripped pant leg) and then having her find the other part even though she's never seen or smelled it before. Success has been so-so but it gets her thinking and totally wipes her out mentally.

[John Ralston]

CFan -

Great looking Dutchie! I love the Brindle coloration of the Dutch Shepherds.

LittleL -

I love the Sable GSD's too - really sharp looking.

[John Ralston]

We try to work on Freyja's problem-solving ability regularly. We tend to pair it with get over anything she shows fear toward. For example, something must have happened at the doggie day care place because a while back she became scared of baby gates. She wouldn't go near one and if she heard one moving or falling she would run away.

So I got some chicken, put it on the ground, and put the baby gate on top of it. She could smell and see the chicken but either had to get it through the holes in the gate or move the gate. She figured out how to get the chicken without any help and learned that baby gates were nothing to fear.

Same thing with the vacuum cleaner. Like most days, Freyja used to freak out when the vacuum cleaner was on. So I would put one of her tug toys on it. She'd have to figure out a way to get the toy off the vacuum and, at the same time, she got used to the vacuum being unimportant to her daily life.

Lately, we've been working on scent games. We'll let her play with a toy, then put her in another room while we hide it somewhere. She's given the command "find it" and she'll spend a solid few minutes searching all over the room until she gets it. We then switch to another toy so she gets in the habit of finding the last thing we played with. We're now escalating this to playing with a part of something (like a strip from a ripped pant leg) and then having her find the other part even though she's never seen or smelled it before. Success has been so-so but it gets her thinking and totally wipes her out mentally.

That's excellent! I had to start right off getting Jaegar used to loud, strange noises because everything in the shop is just that. He doesn't even twitch when I turn something on, which is great, otherwise he would never get to come out of his crate during the day. He is also fearless of one of our vacuums, but the other one must make a funny high pitched whine, because he really isn't sure about it.

Jaegar is a little young for the "Find It" game, but he will follow scent trails in the grass made with treats.

[NickA]

Thought I'd just throw this in here...
http://www.lackland.af.mil/units/341stmwd/index.asp
From what I understand they're hard to get and usually go to the handler, but it's neat that they do this. I believe you can sign up to foster the pups before they start training also.

Sent from my PC36100 using Tapatalk

[Shellback]

Savage killers :D

If you touch their wards.... I believe Todd's Mal is also very good with children. I find my Mal easier to train than a GSD. In my experience, the Mal is easier to train but requires more training from the ground up. Hope that makes sense.

I got that quote from a LEO/.Mil working dogs forum and thought it was funny. I know that they need to be socialized properly and it's in how you train them but it still struck me as humorous. And if somebody's coming into your house late at night I wouldn't mind having a fur lined chainsaw of death on meth! :)

Our Boxer is great with kids and people we know but is very protective of my son and wife around strangers. She's the runt and only weighs in at about 45lbs but she makes up for it in personality.

[John Ralston]

One other thing to note (and has been touched on in a few of the posts) between a GSD and a Mal/Dutchie is the size of the beast. GSD's tend to run larger (much of that probably driven by breeders-especially in the US-and not necessarily because that is how the breed should be). I am hoping that this guy stays on the smaller side of the range so that he IS quicker and more agile. I actually picked him because he was smaller than the others in the litter. 65-75 pounds of snarl is plenty big for ANY intruder coming into my house. I really don't want a huge lumbering 100+ pound pooch that can't haul his own butt up the stairs of my house. If you look at the protection sports and see what those 60 pound Mal's are doing to the decoys in the bite suits I don't think you would call the dog small...that whole thing about the size of the fight in the dog.

[John Ralston]

Jaegar's ears went up this morning...must be something to do with all that white stuff!

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6093/6358560049_169345a21f_b.jpg

[JMorse]

Great pic. Very cute kid and pup.

[SmokeJumper]

That's a fine looking young K9... I bet he'd love to come to work with us!

[LittleLebowski]

That's a fine looking young K9... I bet he'd love to come to work with us!

He's got a lifetime of work that I'm sure he's already committed to. Everybody always talks about Labs/Boxers/etc as family dogs; gimme a dog that will lay down its life for my wife and kids.

[VolGrad]

Appreciate your animals guys. I posted in this thread back in March with a pic of my lab/golden cross.

http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd208/volgrad/0c7dbc54.jpg

Unfortunately, we lost him suddenly to a stroke in August. He would have been 9yo last month.

[ToddG]

VG -- So sorry, dude. But you know he had nine fantastic, happy years with your family.

[VolGrad]

VG -- So sorry, dude. But you know he had nine fantastic, happy years with your family.

Thanks man. That he did. We started out raising him for a group called Canine Companions for Indpendence ( www.cci.org ... they have a Wounded Veteran Initiative BTW http://www.cci.org/site/c.cdKGIRNqEmG/b.4011033/k.D44E/Veterans.htm ). They provide assistance dogs for the physically and/or mentally disabled. He was the second we raised for them. The first is currently a hearing dog and lives in NJ. He was with me 24/7 for the first year and a couple of months of his life. He came to work with me, out with the family shopping & to dinner, on vacations, anywhere we went he went. We worked with him on basic obedience, socialization, etc. He didn't pass his formal training portion of the program though so we adopted him as our pet. We had a special bond that can never be realized again. He is missed every day. He was the only pet my daughter has ever known and even visited her in the hospital when she was born.

Sorry for the thread jack. Back to the cool pics.

[NickA]

Sorry for your loss VG, but that's a great story. My niece has a labradoodle that was going to be her service dog but also failed out, due to bad hips. He's about the best companion you could ask for. Just to lighten the mood a bit: the organization that provided him is called Hawaii Fido.
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[ToddG]

VG -- While I'm sure no dog could replace him, I also know from personal experience that a new pup means new and happy experiences. We still miss Loki -- my wife keeps his ashes on the sideboard in our dining room, which is just creepy -- but every day we have with Freyja benefits from the things we learned from Loki. We like to think that if Loki were around, he'd approve.

[VolGrad]

My 8yo daughter asked Santa for a puppy. She knows it ain't happening right not though. He's bringing a stuffed chocolate lab to hold her over for now. We'll prob get a new pup when summer gets here. The wife (teacher) & daughter will be home then to do the potty-training. We're still in the deciding phase ... do we get another lab (this would make 3 in a row) or branch out. Still can't decide but at least we have a little time ... but it is fast approaching if we need to find quality breeders, etc. We'll see.

Here's a couple more pics ...
http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd208/volgrad/5e086fb2.jpg
http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd208/volgrad/774b3653.jpg
This one was his matriculation ceremony .... where we turned him back in for his "formal" training.

He's buried in the backyard, back by the hammock where we loved to nap. When spring gets here I'm ordering one of the nice granite markers with his pic on it. I found some nice places to order from online.

[SmokeJumper]

VolGrad- Sorry for your loss Brother, they become one of the family and when the time comes, it ain't easy. Its funny how we bond with each dog we have and how they bond with us, they each have their quarks and unique personalities and they are always willing to please you and never ever complain. You'll know when the time is right to add a new dog to the family.

[ToddG]

I'm sure it's different for everyone and undoubtedly lifestyle/work schedules/etc play a huge role, but I know that putting a little puppy in my wife's lap -- even though she was originally furious that I didn't "wait a respectable time" after our last dog passed away -- played a bigger role in her rapid healthy acceptance of his death than anything else could have.

[JodyH]

My Border Collie/Lab mix "Oreo" who passed away late last summer at 13 years of age. She was a great dog, one of the best I've owned. She's buried at my farm where she loved to chase critters.
The puppy is "Spot" a Catahoula/Red Heeler mix, he's a little over 2 years old now and has impressed me so much I brought home one of his half sisters a few months back to give Spot some company after Oreo died.
The new pup is "Maggie" and she's a Catahoula/Blue Heeler mix.

Oreo and Spot (pic taken a few years ago when he was a pup):
http://i126.photobucket.com/albums/p82/JodyHuggins/spotoreo.jpg

Spot playing King of the dog house:
http://i126.photobucket.com/albums/p82/JodyHuggins/IMAG0027.jpg

Maggie (fuzzy pic because she NEVER stops wiggling):
http://i126.photobucket.com/albums/p82/JodyHuggins/IMAG0031.jpg

[m91196]

I'm sure it's different for everyone and undoubtedly lifestyle/work schedules/etc play a huge role, but I know that putting a little puppy in my wife's lap -- even though she was originally furious that I didn't "wait a respectable time" after our last dog passed away -- played a bigger role in her rapid healthy acceptance of his death than anything else could have.

Been two weeks since my 12 year old rescue Rott passed, first Christmas in 20 years without a dog in the house.
Not liking this.
I started looking at this thread and at first it didnt help(dusty keyboard) but now I need to know how long you waited to pull the puppy trick Todd?

[ToddG]

but now I need to know how long you waited to pull the puppy trick Todd?

Loki was put to sleep on Wednesday. I contacted the breeder on Friday. Less than three weeks later we visited the breeder and picked our puppy. Two weeks after that we took Freyja home. If I could have made it all happen faster and still been satisfied we were getting a properly bred, healthy Mal pup, I would have.

[jetfire]

This makes me miss having dogs; but with the work schedules we keep here we just wouldn't be able to give a dog the attention it needs. So instead I have Satan...er...I mean her cat.

356

Here, the cat attacks my desk chair and her tail, and loses.

[lindertw]

our 11yo pup Chloe
http://i910.photobucket.com/albums/ac306/lindertw/bdbf1783.jpg

and we're in the middle of the adoption process for this girl, should be able to bring her home next week!

http://i910.photobucket.com/albums/ac306/lindertw/new_pup.jpg

they got to meet and play together today and all went well...

[t1tan]

My Welsh Corgi-Pembroke, Brock Samson


http://i543.photobucket.com/albums/gg456/t1tan19/bed97772.jpg

http://i543.photobucket.com/albums/gg456/t1tan19/3a01c79a.jpg

[ToddG]

Just a typical day at the park for Freyja:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ITUSY8bJxVc&context=C33f0ff2ADOEgsToPDskI0LU6eY7z_zYJ7WDY04_YC

[tremiles]

My 10 year old pug Ladybug

http://img.tapatalk.com/616746c0-a32a-a95b.jpg

And now 7 mo old pughuahua Cricket

http://img.tapatalk.com/616746c0-a3c8-5620.jpg

A stray pit lab greyhound dane mix we named Bubba. He'd been out for a weekend when we found him. His owners were visiting Clermont from South Tampa when their hosts accidentally left the garage door open and he bolted. I'm a solid 225lbs, and he could drag me 100m fighting if he wanted to

http://img.tapatalk.com/616746c0-a6ef-cc9c.jpg



Sent from my DROID2 using Tapatalk

[Shellback]

Our 3 year old Boxer, Cabo, passed away this week from sudden heart failure. Our family has been devastated by the loss. My wife's wingman when I'm away on business trips and my son's best friend since his birth. An amazing dog in every possible way. Our house feels empty without her and there is a huge void where our lives revolved around her in so many ways. She is dearly missed...

http://img695.imageshack.us/img695/2811/img2339683x1024.jpg

http://img851.imageshack.us/img851/9125/img22661600x1067.jpg

[LOKNLOD]

Man, that's rough Irish. Sorry to hear.

[Shellback]

Man, that's rough Irish. Sorry to hear.

Thanks. She was a member of the family, not a pet, and a key piece to the puzzle. My wife's been in tears for the past 4 days and swears she doesn't want another dog. I'm doing research now on a new one as I think it may help the healing process with another furry friend to love. I know that Boxers have a shorter life span than some other breeds and am currently researching GSD's. I think they might possess the family qualities we want along with the additional layer of security that I expect from a dog.

One foot in front of the other I suppose. Thank you again.

[LittleLebowski]

Man, that's rough. Went through something like that with my last GSD a couple of years ago, Irish. Please let me help with GSD selection.

[Shellback]

Man, that's rough. Went through something like that with my last GSD a couple of years ago, Irish. Please let me help with GSD selection.

Absolutely, I'd appreciate the help. Dobermans look like a good possibility as well. I'll shoot you an email here in the next couple of days.

ETA - I'll just post this preemptively before we get too sidetracked. I appreciate the condolences and nice words but I don't want this thread to turn into my own personal sob story. I posted this as a form of venting I suppose..... I don't want a positive thread to turn into something it wasn't intended to be so I'd appreciate people posting more pictures of their furry loved ones instead. Again, thank you all very much!

[LOKNLOD]

This is my dog Pete. He'll be 8 y.o. this march.

http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f392/LOKNLOD/Family/Pete.jpg

[SecondsCount]

Sorry to hear of your loss Irish. Best of luck in finding another good one.

[texag]

Another one of Teddy, my pit bull/corgi and my roommate's dog Sam, a Rhodesian mix:

http://i785.photobucket.com/albums/yy138/TexAg10/Teddy/IMAG0144.jpg

Sam was hit in the face with a G17 mag while I was practicing reloads yesterday. Our relationship is...strained.

Teddy and I are turning into cranky old people together. It's fun. He doesn't tolerate other dogs unless they're fun to play with or humpable. I am the same way with people.

[JMorse]

Irish, a big +1 to your consideration of a GSD. I rescued one a few years ago and can't imagine I'll ever seriously consider another breed now.

[Shellback]

Irish, a big +1 to your consideration of a GSD. I rescued one a few years ago and can't imagine I'll ever seriously consider another breed now.

Thanks, I appreciate the support. Lil is helping me out with a lot of valuable info on the GSD's and also looking at the Mals. Taking the wife & kiddo to a few breeders this week to play with puppies and lift their spirits. :)

[JMorse]

There are tons of wonderful GSD's to be had at your local GSD rescue too. There are a couple really great orgs here in Los Angeles that can help you find the right dog for you. It's not that far of a drive... =)

[ford.304]

I second looking at a breed specific rescue. I used to volunteer with a dobie rescue, and they were good people. I gave everyone who adopted one of my fosters a booklet of information on absolutely everything I'd ever learned about the dog while I was fostering them, down to personality quirks and their favorite types of toys.

This is my Akita, Kumiko. She's 4 years old and can't decide whether she is a terrifying monster with teeth or a giant fluffy teddy-bear. She is currently protesting the lack of snow in Ohio in January this year.

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-z-rwfp89umQ/TQJVcT813GI/AAAAAAAACZ0/Cf4utd1hOAQ/s400/IMG_5638.JPG

[Shellback]

This Saturday we're going to meet Bam! At this point in time I'm pretty certain he'll be the new addition to our family. He's a 4 year old Belgian Malinois executive protection dog fully trained for off and on leash commands, narcotics trained along with being attack trained. I've spoken to the owner/trainer at length and we're going to meet them both this weekend to interact with the dog and discuss the possibility of bringing him into our home. At this point in time I'd say we're about 95% sure that we'll be bringing him on board. No puppy training BS and this guy's good to go out the gate with the type of training I'd give a new pup anyway.

A new best friend for my boy and a trained protector for my family.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EjlIVYlxS1o&feature=youtu.be


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qMxhwjsTSno&feature=youtu.be


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6WGp0m8Mg3E&feature=youtu.be

[JMorse]

He's amazing!

[Shellback]

He's amazing!

Thanks! Fingers crossed everything goes well with my wife and son at the meet & greet and if so it's a done deal.

Along with Bam my wife and I will attending training with his trainer to master his commands and learn "how to operate" him. I'm really looking forward to the challenges and rewards that come along with him.

[JMorse]

Thanks! Fingers crossed everything goes well with my wife and son at the meet & greet and if so it's a done deal.

Along with Bam my wife and I will attending training with his trainer to master his commands and learn "how to operate" him. I'm really looking forward to the challenges and rewards that come along with him.

I'll ship you my dogs to train after you get it down. =)

[Surf]

My Belgian Malinois

http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd60/SSDSurf/Pets/DSC_00081.jpg

This video is a couple years old and his training is phenomenal. Best dog I have ever owned!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GjXz7FdruRc

[Shellback]

My Belgian Malinois

http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd60/SSDSurf/Pets/DSC_00081.jpg

Beautiful dog and very well trained!

[JDM]

Awesome dog Surf.

[JMorse]

Wow! Surf, your Mal is seriously amazing. Nicely done!

[turbolag23]

i recently moved into a new house and this thread is making me want to get another dog. my grandpas neighbor (k9 unit officer) made me want a well trained GSD.

[Shellback]

Everything went great with the trainer today and we brought Bam home as our new addition. Very friendly, cuddly and warm with the wife and baby. From all accounts he's going to make a great family dog and an excellent protector as well.
http://i43.tinypic.com/16ih114.jpg

[TGS]

Irish,

Bam looks great!

I'm finally posting some pictures of the critters.

Here's Argus. He's 4 years old, 65lbs. According to DNA testing, he's 3/4 Rottweiler, 1/8 Border Collie and 1/8 German Spitz.
Here's Argus playing in the snow today:
485
And an older one:
486

Here's Tallaya, a kitten my sister rescued over the summer while walking Argus in the neighborhood park. She was crying out from a pile of bushes covered in mud.
488

487

And then there's Freya, the house fat cat. She's about 6 years old.
489

[Shellback]

http://i43.tinypic.com/3304fm9.jpg

[JMorse]

Grinning big for all 4 of you, Irish.

[Shellback]

Grinning big for all 4 of you, Irish.

Thanks! We couldn't have asked for a better dog, he's fantastic. Fearless protector of toys!
http://img651.imageshack.us/img651/4236/bam4q.jpg

[John Ralston]

That's a good looking Mal!

[Shellback]

That's a good looking Mal!

Thanks! Any new shots of your growing pup? I've seen the ones on your FB page but you might want to add them here ;)

[LittleLebowski]

All Mals are neurotic and you can't trust them around kids.

http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h251/baxshep/IMAG0647.jpg

http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h251/baxshep/IMAG0649.jpg

[Shellback]

I couldn't agree more! :)

http://img845.imageshack.us/img845/5516/bam3.jpg

My son has been poking, prodding, punching him in the face, pulling on his tail and drumming on Bam and he has yet to illicit a response other than being passive and submissive.

[John Ralston]

Thanks! Any new shots of your growing pup? I've seen the ones on your FB page but you might want to add them here ;)

He doesn't look much like a pup any more! I would love to do protection sports with him, but I don't really have the time right now, and the last thing I want to do is start bite work and not follow through. For now I am working on his obedience using the principles laid out by Michael Ellis/Leerburg.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7002/6767326747_c1f5fcb475_b.jpg

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7172/6767325753_b5e2f92d45_b.jpg

I really like this one...chasing his ball on a string.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7006/6767326205_fb5f422668_b.jpg

[Shellback]

Gorgeous looking GSD John. Wait'll he grows into those ears and feet :)

[John Ralston]

Gorgeous looking GSD John. Wait'll he grows into those ears and feet :)

Yeah...he still has a bit of growing to do. I would be happy if he stopped right where he is at, but his feet are enourmous, so I don't think that is going to happen! :eek:

[LittleLebowski]

Talk about a gawky teenager! Good looking pup, John. I would not do any protection work before 18 months at least.

[John Ralston]

Talk about a gawky teenager! Good looking pup, John. I would not do any protection work before 18 months at least.

Even in another year I don't know that I would have enought time to commit to the process. He is becoming quite the obedient shop dog, and if all he ever excells at is obedience he will be 1000 x's better than any other dog I have had. :)

I am doing some scent work with him - just to keep his mind stimulated, and he really likes that.

[Patroldog]

http://i1170.photobucket.com/albums/r533/tito45acp/erosjpeg-1.jpg
Here is a pic of my partner

[John Ralston]

Good looking pooch! Is he a dutch? His coat looks very short.

[Coyotesfan97]

Good looking boy there Patroldog! He looks like a Dutchie to me. I really like his eyes. He's got the look.

Here's my Dutchie. About 7 months on the road with six finds.

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c310/coyotesfan97/a0e2255f.jpg


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Patroldog]

John Ralston Thanks yeah he is a short haired Dutch, although the people we got him from thought he might be mixed with something else. Never bothered to try to find out if he was or not.

Coyotesfan97 Congrats on the finds getting to work in the field after is so rewarding after all the training we do! That's a nice brindle coat on your pup.

[LOKNLOD]

The women in my life conspired to bring this little girl into my house today...
The girls wanted to name her "Princess Lilly Rainbow Heart" but they settled on "Lilly" LOL.
Supposedly some Aussie Shepard mix, but not sure. So far, a very calm and good tempered pup. I think she'll be a good dog. Pete the Boston is excited to play with her toys, still not sure what to think about her.
http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f392/LOKNLOD/Family/f87711a5.jpg

[Suvorov]

My Smooth Collie, Jackson admiring his AK.

http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f32/wyorca/IMG_2852.jpg

[JodyH]

The girls wanted to name her "Princess Lilly Rainbow Heart" but they settled on "Lilly"
My boy (2 at the time) named our dog "Spot McDonalds King of the Dogs" we just call him "Spot".

[NEPAKevin]

My other half took this pic with her phone this morning. Remi does not do mornings. :)
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-R4JbN8Kj7Js/Ty2WsJaQUJI/AAAAAAAAAEQ/44c8pcOS-sc/s512/remi_mornings.JPG

[UNK]

My monsters with their dog. Here's where I got her. http://www.libertydogcamp.com/
Great website with lots of photos and videos.
http://i1171.photobucket.com/albums/r550/brianbeard/heidiandkids12-30-10012.jpg
http://i1171.photobucket.com/albums/r550/brianbeard/245.jpg
http://i1171.photobucket.com/albums/r550/brianbeard/235.jpg

[LittleLebowski]

Nice looking Mal, Brian! I'll bet those kids are safe around him.

[UNK]

You bet they are. She absolutely loves them. By the way thanks for all the help on straightening out my account.
Just looked at your profile and your blog. Semper Fi

Nice looking Mal, Brian! I'll bet those kids are safe around him.

[UNK]

I did a bit of research on the GS comparing it to the Mal and the one quote that stuck with me was "They're like a fur coated chainsaw with teeth, on meth!" or something close to that effect. Most of the conclusions I've read is that the GS is much easier to handle and the Mal takes a more experienced owner/handler.[/QUOTE]

mmm I don't buy this for a moment. My requirements were I needed a dog that could be calm. I didn't want a dog that should be in the back of a patrol car. Don't get me wrong my girl could do that...but... she has calmed down nicely and loves being a family dog. Also I had a parent at home with Alzhiemers and a caregiver coming in everyday. On top of that I had two children 10 and 6. I didn't have working dog experience before this but I got a years worth of free lessons which helped a lot. (The lessons were for me not the dog :) )It was a three hour drive each way but it was well worth it. At one point I mentioned to the owner, Tony, that I really liked the looks of another dog he had for sale and he told me, "Look it's your money, you can have any dog here. But for the requirements you gave me I am telling you this is the dog you want." I can't say enough about his kennel or his character and what a great guy he is.
If you want to know without a doubt that you are getting the right dog for your situation you should call him. His dog's come already family/children and animal socialized. Here's his link again http://www.libertydogcamp.com/

[Shellback]

mmm I don't buy this for a moment...

I now own a Mal and he's an amazing dog. I was simply relating a story I'd read on a K9 cop forum, nothing more. This is our fur coated chainsaw attacking our son!

http://img845.imageshack.us/img845/5516/bam3.jpg

[Tamara]

This is young Huck, named for Huckleberry Finn, for his redheaded looks and fearless nature. It was this morning that I remarked to my roommate "Holy crap, his skull is wider than my palm. We need to stop feeding him before he decides to eat us." He's some five months shy of his second birthday...

559

(Due to the focal length of the lens, there's a certain amount of foreshortening going on there, but my sleeve in that picture is touching the cat's fur.)

[UNK]

This is our fur coated chainsaw attacking our son!


Yeah you can't trust Mal's

http://i1171.photobucket.com/albums/r550/brianbeard/1009101754.jpg

[UNK]

Well unless you have midget arms that is one big cat.

This is young Huck, named for Huckleberry Finn, for his redheaded looks and fearless nature. It was this morning that I remarked to my roommate "Holy crap, his skull is wider than my palm. We need to stop feeding him before he decides to eat us." He's some five months shy of his second birthday...

559

(Due to the focal length of the lens, there's a certain amount of foreshortening going on there, but my sleeve in that picture is touching the cat's fur.)

[jstyer]

Tough to take a picture of a dark colored dog with a cell phone...

But here's Moses the wonder dog!

http://img.tapatalk.com/636e2ba3-f0dd-f581.jpg

[tremiles]

My monsters watching over me while I was napping. I startle easily when woken before I'm ready and they keep me from breaking furniture.

http://img.tapatalk.com/616746c0-f395-8148.jpg

Edit - tapatalk seems to think I'm upside down.

Sent from my DROID2 using Tapatalk

[John Ralston]

For you Dutchie guys - are there any breeders here in the states or are they all imports? I have looked around a bit, but never could find any breeders/kennels.

[UNK]

For you Dutchie guys - are there any breeders here in the states or are they all imports? I have looked around a bit, but never could find any breeders/kennels.

Dutch Shepherds, Malinois and GSD all available here as fully trained dogs or pups http://www.libertydogcamp.com/
Info taken from their website:
Malinois pups available May 1st
Dutch Shepherd pups May 14th
Taking reservations for both
GSD pups Available April 26 One male and two females still available.

[John Ralston]

I want to make sure Jaegar isn't gun shy, so I have been exposing him to lots of strange and/or loud noises. This weekend I took the pooch out to my dad's and had him tied out at the house while my little one and I went out in the back 40 (actually it's really 20) to let her get some trigger time on the Tac-Sol 22 AR. He was going totally nuts trying to get off the lead and get out to the range with us, so after I got done reloading the Black Dog mags I went and got him and brought him out to the range. We shot off another mag or two and he didn't really have any reaction to the shots. I loaded up a few more rounds and went and stood about 15 feet from him and proceeded to fire off the rounds with ZERO reaction.

The final test was when I ran a few drills with the P30. I had him and my dad's shepherd off lead, as I wanted them to be able to head back to the house if the noise was too much for them (and they like to play together, so I figured the playing would help distract them from the gun fire). I started some drills with them hanging out behind the line, but after I started I could barely get off a string of fire due to the two of them running between my legs. They didn't give a rip about the rounds going off 5' from their heads!

Looks like I don't have to worry about taking him to the range with me any more.

[Shellback]

For you Dutchie guys - are there any breeders here in the states or are they all imports? I have looked around a bit, but never could find any breeders/kennels.

I ran across these guys when I was doing research on Mals. http://www.vandaliakennel.com/

[UNK]

Looks like I don't have to worry about taking him to the range with me any more.[/QUOTE]

Firing weapons is a great part of the training. When mine hears gunshots she thinks she is supposed to be working. They have had gunfire during every class I have taken at Liberty Dog Camp

At 4 min into this video you can see the dogs swimming across a pond and shots hitting the water around them. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gGZi7S9K3U0&feature=player_embedded#!

[t1tan]

Found some pictures of my Corgi Pembroke on his ride home, when he was a puppy back in May 09, now he's a monster as far as Corgi's go.

He's been pissed off lately, the girlfriend brought home a kitten and I am NOT a cat person. If it chews on another wire it's off to the chinese buffet down the street.

http://i543.photobucket.com/albums/gg456/t1tan19/CIMG2244.jpg

http://i543.photobucket.com/albums/gg456/t1tan19/CIMG2245.jpg

[John Ralston]

That first pic is awesome!

[texag]

Corgis are where it's at.

My corgi pit mix being a demon:

http://i785.photobucket.com/albums/yy138/TexAg10/Teddy/IMAG0030.jpg

Being spoiled by my parents (he's not allowed on my furniture):

http://i785.photobucket.com/albums/yy138/TexAg10/Teddy/IMAG0011.jpg

[Coyotesfan97]

My Belgian Defense Team (props to LL)

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c310/coyotesfan97/9c8d9aa8.jpg

[losrobles]

Weezie, getting ready for the range:

http://i190.photobucket.com/albums/z130/losrobles/misc/DSC_0004a.jpg

[Shellback]

Awesome!

[Shellback]

After chasing the ball all afternoon. Happy boy :)

http://img207.imageshack.us/img207/6433/photouia.jpg

[Mitchell, Esq.]

http://a3.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/409514_366762836684124_100000512335796_1445439_206 337997_n.jpg

Tribble takes her nap seriously.

You will NOT interfere.

http://a7.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/397315_366751053351969_100000512335796_1445430_247 099506_n.jpg

Tribble does not have a problem...just a very good evening.

[Wolvee]

The Best friend our family has ever had. He is 8 years old now and has been the best trained and well mannered dog I've ever had. He's the complete opposite of what the normal thoughts are about a shih tzu. He's quiet, calm & was very easy to train.
Oh course his name is Gizmo. (The wife named him.)
http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f33/wolvee123/Jessica%20And%20I/IM000374.jpg

We've been looking for a Doberman to add to the family for months now with no real luck.

[barstoolguru]

out of all of the gun webb sites I have seen; I have never seen a thread like this that has gone this long. I have to say it brings a smile to my face to see all the happy animals. we do love our pets and it show, we just need to support and promote laws that reflect that they are not JUST animals but part of us

[JMorse]

https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash2/19740_254156648809_580423809_3182641_1659146_n.jpg

[Shellback]

I knew Mals could jump prior to getting Bam but I'd never really had the opportunity to have him jump other than leaping over the kid's baby gate occasionally. I took him with me to a friend's house who has an elevated back deck in her yard, approximately 6' tall. We recorded this video http://imageshack.us/clip/my-videos/41/s2ss.mp4/ as a little demonstration. :cool:

[JMorse]

That was effortless. One point I had Chloe in a buddy's back yard with 8 foot walls and we shut the glass door. Within a minute she was at the front door trying to get back into the house. Pretty neat.

[Serenity]

Well the best I can do is put her picture as my avatar. :o

Anyway, this is Lilo. 9 year old border collie/heeler. Named after the naughty little girl in the Disney movie. Silly clown most of the time; 40 lbs of scary if she thinks her family is threatened.

[barstoolguru]

even though this isn't my dog it's still funny. so remember when your dog has to go sometimes they have to go


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AjRkHtcdi_w&feature=g-all-u&context=G2cb7483FAAAAAAAAYAA

[LittleLebowski]

Let's keep this thread centered upon our pets.

[UNK]

http://i1171.photobucket.com/albums/r550/brianbeard/251.jpghttp://i1171.photobucket.com/albums/r550/brianbeard/1-11005.jpghttp://i1171.photobucket.com/albums/r550/brianbeard/kids2010003.jpg

[Coyotesfan97]

Good looking Mal there Brian


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[voodoo_man]

my cat, relaxing on my range bag while I dry fire.

http://i1081.photobucket.com/albums/j341/shevon_vspec/2012/011212_60mm/06.jpg

[UNK]

Good looking Mal there Brian


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

:cool: Thx !!

[Coyotesfan97]

:cool: Thx !!

If you get the chance head over to http://malforum.com. You'll see some familiar faces there.

[UNK]

out of all of the gun webb sites I have seen; I have never seen a thread like this that has gone this long. I have to say it brings a smile to my face to see all the happy animals. we do love our pets and it show, we just need to support and promote laws that reflect that they are not JUST animals but part of us
Respectfully disagree. My dog is a tactical asset. If she was sacrificed for the families security I would be on the phone that night and have another one the next day. Laws that say she is not just an animal probably wouldn't see eye to eye with my philosophy and the manner in which an animal must be trained to reach that level of competence..

[LittleLebowski]

Respectfully disagree. My dog is a tactical asset. If she was sacrificed for the families security I would be on the phone that night and have another one the next day. Laws that say she is not just an animal probably wouldn't see eye to eye with my philosophy and the manner in which an animal must be trained to reach that level of competence..

Yup. Love my Mal but he's a dog and people are people. Might be my rural upbringing....... Glad to see you here, Brian.

[Shellback]

Respectfully disagree. My dog is a tactical asset. If she was sacrificed for the families security I would be on the phone that night and have another one the next day. Laws that say she is not just an animal probably wouldn't see eye to eye with my philosophy and the manner in which an animal must be trained to reach that level of competence..

I couldn't agree more. First and foremost his job is to protect my family no matter what the cost. We love, cuddle, feed and take care of him but at the end of the day his job is to be a protector and he's damn good at it.

[ToddG]

If we had no dog and I was the one that "went in first" to save my wife, does that make me not a member of the family and just a tactical asset?

I'm not sure why it's an either/or thing.

[Shellback]

I'm not sure why it's an either/or thing.

I reread my post and don't think I made myself very clear. Our dog is both part of our family and protector. His primary purpose is different in everyone's eyes. My 17 month old sees him as his buddy, punching bag and furry torture victim and my wife sees him as a cuddly, snuggly dog who is also very protective and she's comforted by his presence. In my opinion his primary function is being a defender of our family and being a loving pet comes in second.

I'll try to make this brief. My wife treated our 1st dog, prior to having our son, as her "baby" and when we lost her it was a huge blow to our family. She was a great Boxer and we're lucky for having owned her. However, my wife treats our Mal very differently now that we have our son and I think that it's a more natural relationship. Our Mal isn't loved less but he's loved like a dog instead of as a human. Owning a dog without having children is vastly different for a lot of people than those that do have kids of their own, my wife included. Just watch the Dog Whisperer for plenty of examples of this.

I feel like worded that all goofed up but I hope you get the gist of my meaning.

[orionz06]

http://img.tapatalk.com/a6936132-714e-77a2.jpg

[UNK]

If we had no dog and I was the one that "went in first" to save my wife, does that make me not a member of the family and just a tactical asset?

I'm not sure why it's an either/or thing.

You protecting your wife is one of your many roles within your family. You have other roles which are probably employed much more frequently than the protector role. Husband, Father, Provider, Mentor, boo boo fixer.
To my kids, the dog was a Christmas present to them and they love her as a pet. They have also taken classes with her and know her capabilities both in obedience and as a protector. They don't like my point, not one bit, but they understand it.
I can replace her with a phone call, something I cannot do with my children nor could your wife do with you. There may be family members who haven't dealt with the grief of losing a dog they loved, but they will get over it and eventually love the new dog. The new dog will however immediately assume its primary role, as the protector. The amount of love it is shown at the introduction time period has nothing to do with the job it will perform. I have seen as the dog is shown love and moved away from the hardened protector role into a role that also includes being the family pet it will become even more protective to the point it won't wait for the command to protect but will go into full protection mode if not stopped. That would be a significantly different response than when the dog was purchased and initially brought into the home.
The choice to love your family dog is your families, and emotional attachments can change perceptions.
Don't get me wrong I like our dog. I baby her. I would miss her if anything happens. But I would still have another dog the next day.

[JodyH]

Living in rural areas where dogs have a day job tends to change your perspective.
My dogs are like close friends, not family.

My brother runs mountain lions with his dogs.
They make great companions at the house and I like all of them.
But if I (or him) have to shoot through one of them to kill the cat so it can't hurt a human or kill more dogs we'd do it without hesitation.

[UNK]

My dogs are like close friends, not family.
But if I (or him) have to shoot through one of them to kill the cat so it can't hurt a human or kill more dogs we'd do it without hesitation.

You won't be getting a request to add me as a friend and I'm probably not going to take a pistol class with you either. :D

[JMorse]

http://img.tapatalk.com/a6936132-714e-77a2.jpg

Obviously a savage beast.
'Rub my belly and pull back a stub!'

[LittleLebowski]

Living in rural areas where dogs have a day job tends to change your perspective.
My dogs are like close friends, not family.


Yup.

[JodyH]

Ignore the Bloodhound, he's just along for the ride.
The Catahoula/Bluetick's are the hard core dogs.
Catahoula's are absolutely fearless, they'll fight a cat or a bear in a heartbeat.

http://i126.photobucket.com/albums/p82/JodyHuggins/catdog.jpg

[UNK]

Ignore the Bloodhound, he's just along for the ride.
The Catahoula/Bluetick's are the hard core dogs.
Catahoula's are absolutely fearless, they'll fight a cat or a bear in a heartbeat.

http://i126.photobucket.com/albums/p82/JodyHuggins/catdog.jpg

That is so friggin cool!!!! :cool::cool::cool:

[JodyH]

That is so friggin cool!!!! :cool::cool::cool:
You haven't had an adrenaline rush until it's you, 2 or 3 dogs and a pissed off 200# cat that's not going to wait around for the guy with the rifle to show up and shoot him out of the tree.
Even worse is when you're running cats to scare them away from town and there isn't anybody with a rifle.
Sometimes the cat likes to come out of the tree ready to fight just about the time you have all the dogs leashed.
The crazy tough dogs are more comforting than the 9mm pistol I carry when running cats.

[John Ralston]

Living in rural areas where dogs have a day job tends to change your perspective.
My dogs are like close friends, not family.

That has always been my perspective. I am always more than a little surprised when I hear about some people's Vet Bills (like THOUSANDS of $$$) - I have a $$$ limit that I'm not willing to cross. If that means I have to put him down, I wouldn't do it happily, but I would do it.

Now for cat hunting...that is a BLAST! I got a really nice Tom when I was 19. The dogs had him up 2 different trees and couldn't decide which one to stay on, so when I got there, I walked right under the Tom laying on a branch about 12 feet up :eek: I went with a friend of my dad's and helped run the dogs on several other hunts. Picked up a pup from him shortly after that and ran him on bobcats with his other hounds.

[Shellback]

Doubles as a bean bag for watching Sesame Street.

http://img23.imageshack.us/img23/4663/bamcash.jpg

[Shellback]

Copied from my journal on MalForum. I believe I've mentioned before that I wasn't happy with the heavy handed training techniques Bam's old trainer used. Coincidentally today I ran into Sin City K9 (http://www.sincityk9.com/) today at the park and their training philosophy is the exact opposite. They were doing bite and obedience work with their Mal and my jaw was on the ground with how fast he'd respond to commands. Precision military drill team like reactions to commands and the whole time happy as can be, I was very impressed.

Bam and I wandered over when they were done working their dog and began to talk about their company. They're nationally ranked and have won numerous awards for their dogs in national competitions. I really like their approach to training and the results are amazing. If you'd like to see some examples of their work you can view their Youtube videos (http://www.youtube.com/sincityk9), great work. Anyhow, Bam and I will be working on refining his obedience training, learning some new stuff and really working on his bite work which he LOVES!!!

Getting you schooled and your dog trained is the equivalent of training with a gun. You may own it, you may take it with you everywhere but if you don't train to use it you're doing both you and your dog a disservice in my opinion.

I ran him about 8 or 9 times with this guy before I had the great idea to film it. This is the first time Bam and I have ever done bite work together, I'm obviously a novice, but he did great. He released every time on command and on this last run the guy told me not to pull him off so he could have the vest as a reward. It was hot and we'd been playing fetch for quite a while so he was a bit on the tired side.

VIDEO HERE:
http://imageshack.us/clip/my-videos/809/2js.mp4/

[Coyotesfan97]

Nice work! His bite looked shallow but if he was a tired dog he's not going to put as much into it. I didn't like how the decoy spun Bam away from you when you were getting the leash. Slipping the suit for a reward is great but I'd rather have the dog on lead when you do it. It's nice giving the dog the sense he just won the encounter.

Depending on the dog's equipment fixation and how much street experience he has the decoy might get a surprise if he spits out the suit and goes for a bite! My current dog will spit out the sleeve, step over it, and fire up on the decoy. I don't have anyone slip the sleeve until he's on a tight leash.

[Shellback]

Nice work! His bite looked shallow but if he was a tired dog he's not going to put as much into it. I didn't like how the decoy spun Bam away from you when you were getting the leash. Slipping the suit for a reward is great but I'd rather have the dog on lead when you do it. It's nice giving the dog the sense he just won the encounter.

Depending on the dog's equipment fixation and how much street experience he has the decoy might get a surprise if he spits out the suit and goes for a bite! My current dog will spit out the sleeve, step over it, and fire up on the decoy. I don't have anyone slip the sleeve until he's on a tight leash.

Thanks for the advice, makes complete sense. I'd been running him hard playing fetch with a Chuck It ball thrower prior to the video and that was after a few other attempts, every other one I called him off with a hold on the leash. He didn't tell me prior to letting Bam go that he was gonna let him have the vest and admittedly I'm new to all of this. I'm with you on having control of him at all times, hate to have him tear a piece of calf out or a forearm. Thanks for your insight.

[UNK]

I thought giving the dog the sleeve was more of a schutzhund thing. The guy who trained my dog never rewards with the sleeve and in fact specifically cautions against sport training a working dog. Here's his take on the subject. http://www.libertydogcamp.com/protectiondogs.htm

[Shellback]

I thought giving the dog the sleeve was more of a schutzhund thing. The guy who trained my dog never rewards with the sleeve and in fact specifically cautions against sport training a working dog. Here's his take on the subject. http://www.libertydogcamp.com/protectiondogs.htm

Interesting. I know those guys compete in schutzhund and mondio and that may play a part in it.

[Coyotesfan97]

I thought giving the dog the sleeve was more of a schutzhund thing. The guy who trained my dog never rewards with the sleeve and in fact specifically cautions against sport training a working dog. Here's his take on the subject. http://www.libertydogcamp.com/protectiondogs.htm


I work with Dutch KNPV trained dogs with PH1 certificates. Some are sporty but not all of them. Most of them have multiple street bites on real deployments. We use bite sleeves to minimize the equipment odor during building search training and sometimes area searches. The bite sleeve is a reward for locating the decoy. We also do a lot of civil finds with no equipment.

I like having the decoy slip the sleeve for several reasons. It's easier to verbally out my dog after the decoy has slipped it, the chance of a rebite on an unprotected decoy is lessened if I can pull my dog away from him with the sleeve, and the dog gets to think he won the encounter. My Dutch Shepherd outs off the sleeve and will bark at and try to engage the decoy who has no equipment. The bite sleeve will literally be forgotten under his feet. That's exactly what I want.

[UNK]

The bite sleeve will literally be forgotten under his feet. That's exactly what I want.
I have seen numerous times where the sleeve is treated as a toy and the dog carries it with tail high, the decoy forgotten. Your method sounds more realistic. One other thing many don't realize, there is a lot of skill required to be a decoy. It's not just throw on a bite suit or a sleeve.

[Coyotesfan97]

I have seen numerous times where the sleeve is treated as a toy and the dog carries it with tail high, the decoy forgotten. Your method sounds more realistic. One other thing many don't realize, there is a lot of skill required to be a decoy. It's not just throw on a bite suit or a sleeve.

I've seen that too but not much at least with the dogs in our unit. We tend to go for harder dogs.

A good decoy is priceless. A bad decoy can set your dogs training back. The sad thing is in the US ( at least in police work) decoys tend to be guys who want to get into K9 who are usually thrown into the suit with little instruction. We have an agitator class to train decoys but it is only four hours long. So there tends to be a lot of OTJ at least with us. The new decoys are taught by our instructors as they come outand train with us. The handlers also rotate wearing the bite suit especially in the summer where catching three dogs is pushing it.

It's amazing how much bite pressure the dogs put on you through the suit. If you don't slip the bite you are getting bruised!

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c310/coyotesfan97/e5f4a78e.jpg

Sorry for bad cell phone photo. The back of my arm through the suit. I had two bumps in my arm for three months on that one. I was backing into the dog to encourage leg bites and he came up and caught me on the tricep. There wasn't any slipping that one.

[UNK]

Videos can't convey the ferocity and power of a good working dog. You have to be right there. I know it scared me the first time I saw it. Almost changed my mind about getting a dog. I am glad I did now. I'll never have anything but a working dog from now on.

[RoyGBiv]

Molly is NOT a working dog. :D

http://img521.imageshack.us/img521/6151/mollyyq.jpg

[Coyotesfan97]

Molly looks like she needs a drink with an umbrella in her paw. ;)

[RoyGBiv]

Molly looks like she needs a drink with an umbrella in her paw. ;)

.... and a mani-pedi. :cool:

[LittleLebowski]

http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h251/baxshep/09115193.jpg

[Chris Rhines]

So how long did the snake survive?

-C

[LittleLebowski]

The snake beat a hasty retreat :D

[texag]

Teddy requires sandwiches NOW!


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kCKRYo7OX40&feature=relmfu

[Coyotesfan97]

The snake beat a hasty retreat :D

Riki Tiki Nacho!

[LittleLebowski]

The vicious Belgian Malinois.....getting sat on and having sand poured on his head.

http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h251/baxshep/NaomiNachoSand.jpg

[Coyotesfan97]

The vicious Belgian Malinois.....getting sat on and having sand poured on his head.

http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h251/baxshep/NaomiNachoSand.jpg

You know you can't trust those dogs...:rolleyes:

[Shellback]

You know you can't trust those dogs...:rolleyes:

Fur real!

http://img526.imageshack.us/img526/5455/photokky.jpg

[ToddG]

Freyja playing fetch in Seneca Creek:

http://9x19mm.com/photoalbum/albums/userpics/Freyja-Seneca2-120624.jpg

[167]

https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/314668_10150439788320552_1150094883_n.jpg

https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/308835_10150385133545552_767530727_n.jpg

[aspect]

Enzo, our shitzu/lhasa apso:

Ten minutes after we brought him home:
http://www.earthfirstenergy.com/aspect/pics22/doggie/DSC_0821sm2.JPG

Camping:
http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn1/26850_408587666564_8125954_n.jpg

In his native ancestral environment:
http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/26850_408587676564_8312202_n.jpg

Cooling off during a summer hike in AZ:
http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/26850_408587721564_6385810_n.jpg

After I got my Sig...I was taking a picture and he decided to bring his duck over:

http://www.earthfirstenergy.com/aspect/pics3/DSC_0226.JPG

And a vid that my wife cut together of puppy footage for her brother:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qydrCtARMmU

[Pennzoil]

We just got a new GSD after going 3 years without a dog since our last GSD. Wish we didn't wait so long before getting another. Here’s a picture of Luna relaxing on the patio enjoying the monsoon rain weather after just defending the homestead from a rogue cricket.

http://img829.imageshack.us/img829/443/lunaen.jpg

[Shellback]

Best friends and fearless protector.

http://img266.imageshack.us/img266/1226/bamb.jpg

http://img526.imageshack.us/img526/1856/bam2h.jpg

[LittleLebowski]

Hiking today.

http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h251/baxshep/5ea3591c.jpg

[JMorse]

Holy shit is Luna cute.

Great looking dogs, all.

Here's Vincent hanging out at the dog park:

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8150/7445067762_b9c0b9b4b3_c.jpg

[Coyotesfan97]

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c310/coyotesfan97/092a4db9.jpg

Lotus at work last night demonstrating the tiger stripe night camo coat.

[orionz06]

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7265/7834310724_345161dd5d_b.jpg
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8285/7834309500_3efa670678_b.jpg
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8302/7834308826_0375feae3e_b.jpg
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8432/7834308210_8f2959d4a1_b.jpg

[John Ralston]

Took the family out to the coast for a little bit of R&R - Jaegar loved the beach.

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8447/7795665730_8a3879b6fd_c.jpg

[tremiles]

Ladybug doing what she does best.

http://img.tapatalk.com/aee4c26f-0751-c5ad.jpg

Sent from my DROID2 using Tapatalk 2

[Sheep Have Wool]

Joe: The world's most dog-like cat.


http://i.imgur.com/3lya6l.jpg

[NETim]

Buffy The Magnificent
7/7/96 to 8/22/12
http://www.frontiernet.net/~netim/buffytrash.jpg

Thanks for everything.

[Sheep Have Wool]

Sorry, Tim.

[NETim]

Sorry, Tim.

Thank you.

The worst thing she ever did was get old. I wanted her to pass in her sleep but we had to make the decision to put her down yesterday.

I never imagined our house could feel so empty. :(

[LOKNLOD]

Wife was playing with new camera, snapped this pic of my buddy Pete. He's 8 this year, starting to get some grey around the eyes.

977

[ToddG]

Freyja the Water Mal

http://9x19mm.com/photoalbum/albums/userpics/freyja-swimming.jpg

[LittleLebowski]

Eastbound and down.

http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h251/baxshep/IMG_20120824_110710.jpg

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2

[Pennzoil]

Holy shit is Luna cute.
Thanks

Here is a few more of Luna since we got her.

lego time
http://img717.imageshack.us/img717/5821/img0577t.jpg
family pool time
http://img89.imageshack.us/img89/9360/img0662wku.jpg
first time the ears went up Luna was waiting for the girls to come out of the bathroom
http://img560.imageshack.us/img560/5906/img0683r.jpg

[LittleLebowski]

Awesome pics. Those girls are safe, I'll wager.

[RoyGBiv]

Just a reminder to those of you posting cell phone images, or any photos taken with devices that have a GPS, especially APPLE devices. Images taken with devices that have a built-in GPS often have that GPS data (your exact location) written into the image file. It's called EXIF data. Anyone with even the most basic photo viewing software can look at the image information and see the exact GPS location where the image was taken.

For many software apps running on cell phones, you need to tell the app to stop collecting GPS data. IIRC, some of the early Apple products did not have the ability to stop collecting the GPS location and the user had to go in afterward and remove the GPS data before sharing the image. Most up-to-date camera apps have a setting that can be turned off to stop writing GPS data to your images.

Mobile phones, iPads, Tablets, etc... Even some DSLR cameras have GPS built in. It's a useful function, when you want it.

However, it's a good idea, from a personal security standpoint, to make sure that photos you post to web sites do not contain your GPS location.

How to Remove Personal Information from your Digital Photos
Detailed article: http://www.labnol.org/software/remove-photograph-metadata/19588/

[45R]

My Chocolate Lab puppy
https://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/s720x720/533177_3641150716120_752903661_n.jpg

[Stephen O]

https://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/576624_309732105777969_349832200_n.jpg

In case the bad guys or the hogs are coming from down wind...

[TGS]

The other day we hung out at the beach. This beach is Island Beach State Park, and kinda similar to the Hatteras National Seashore (Outer Banks) with regards to remoteness/original natural state, except you have to walk about 200 yards or so from the parking areas through a natural shrub/dunes area to reach the beach. Since there's hardly anyone around, it's a great place to have room and bring the doggies (we saw 5 other dogs that day). I didn't get any good pictures of him being completely swamped by a wave, unfortunately. He definitely had lots of fun playing in the waves. Ever see a dog try to whargarbl a stream from a garden hose? He tried to whargarbl the ocean. Didn't work out to well for him when he discovered it's salt water.......and comes in the form of crashing waves.

986

987

Argus is a very photogenic dog. He's definitely a prima donna though, so when you break out the camera he tries to work it.

[JMorse]

Beautiful family you've got there.

[orionz06]

Just a reminder to those of you posting cell phone images, or any photos taken with devices that have a GPS, especially APPLE devices. Images taken with devices that have a built-in GPS often have that GPS data (your exact location) written into the image file. It's called EXIF data. Anyone with even the most basic photo viewing software can look at the image information and see the exact GPS location where the image was taken.

For many software apps running on cell phones, you need to tell the app to stop collecting GPS data. IIRC, some of the early Apple products did not have the ability to stop collecting the GPS location and the user had to go in afterward and remove the GPS data before sharing the image. Most up-to-date camera apps have a setting that can be turned off to stop writing GPS data to your images.

Mobile phones, iPads, Tablets, etc... Even some DSLR cameras have GPS built in. It's a useful function, when you want it.

However, it's a good idea, from a personal security standpoint, to make sure that photos you post to web sites do not contain your GPS location.

How to Remove Personal Information from your Digital Photos
Detailed article: http://www.labnol.org/software/remove-photograph-metadata/19588/

FWIW I was able to pinpoint the home address of a semi-famous internet type who was discussing taking ownership of many highly coveted firearms and suppressors and posting pics this way. PM #1: Hey, your home address can be obtained from the pics posted. I was told "I'm fine". PM #2: Do you live at 123 Evergreen Terrace? No response but all the pics came down.

[NETim]

I call them "Tap", "Rack", "Bang" but my wife insists that they be called (l-r):

Suzanne "Suzy Q" DeLancie
Rose "Rosie" Sayer
Charles "Charlie" Allnut

1016

Charlie has a little conjunctivitis going on I think. He and Rosie are going to see the vet today. They are brother and sister, Maine Coons about 12 weeks old. Suzy is another Maine Coon about 4 months old now. Suzy was the only one left out of her litter. We aren't sure why no one wanted her.

(And yes, we are paying homage to an old favorite flick with two of the names.)

[ToddG]

Lil'L and his monster Mal, Nacho, met up with Freyja and me at the park today. Freyja found an obstacle course:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9TF-O1wx-9w&feature=youtu.be

[GJM]

sheep hunting last month:
1027

[ToddG]

Don't shoot! That's not a sheep...

[GJM]

Astro was hunting north of the Arctic Circle ...... for the elusive Gadget.

[ToddG]

Well played, sir.

[NETim]

No thread about pets is complete without "Pets."


http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=HpkmtweNQ-U

[LittleLebowski]

http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h251/baxshep/a542cf66.jpg

[MDS]

http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h251/baxshep/a542cf66.jpg

Does he always bring you a severed limb when you force him to wear that hat?

[LittleLebowski]

Does he always bring you a severed limb when you force him to wear that hat?

No, not sure if it's a supply problem or a discipline problem.

[ToddG]

Does he always bring you a severed limb when you force him to wear that hat?

I was going to say something funny, but not nearly as funny as that.

[Pennzoil]

http://imageshack.us/a/img832/481/img0750zp.jpg

Luna recently found out the hard way that you don't fall asleep first when around 3 and 4 year olds armed with washable markers.......

[LittleLebowski]

Best dog I've ever owned taking care of a fox he caught stealing his food. He wisely broke all of the fox's bones to keep it from coming back as a shambler.

http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h251/baxshep/photo.jpg

http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h251/baxshep/photo2.jpg

http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h251/baxshep/Kin5.jpg

[orionz06]

http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h251/baxshep/Kin5.jpg

Gang colors