Off Topic · I couldn't have just one! (page 1)

She's a 12 pound, 7 1/2 year old Jack Russell Terrier (the same breed as Eddie in the TV show Frasier) who needed a home. She's much calmer than most JRTs and she's incredibly sweet. I got her from my local Humane Society today. Her previous owner became too sick to take care of her. Her name was "Muffy" but I've changed it to "Lucky." I thought Muffy was a bit too much girlie. My two dogs are now named "Lucky" and "Chance." I love Lucky already! (and still love Chance obviously!) Chance was a little territorial at first but I think they like each other now.
Pics:



Chance got into this pic too

I have the same tile in my kitchen. LOL. Very cute dogs bro.

Bonn if I didn't know you were a man I would think this was definitely a woman posting.

Cute dogs though. Love lucky. I want oneeeeeeee. Too bad I can't have one in this apartment.

BTW let me ask you, don't those dogs shed a lot? I have a carpet and don't have the time to vacuum massive amounts of hair if I ever do get a Jack Russell Terrier. My brother has the same breed(energetic but so cute and friendly) and it sheds buckets. Not think hairs but thin of course.

Posted by GKFv2:

Bonn if I didn't know you were a man I would think this was definitely a woman posting.

Cute dogs though. Love lucky. I want oneeeeeeee. Too bad I can't have one in this apartment.

They're not that girlie. They're just small. It's not like I got a Bichon Frise!

[Edited by - bonn1997 on 05-17-2009 07:21 AM]

Posted by GKFv2:

BTW let me ask you, don't those dogs shed a lot? I have a carpet and don't have the time to vacuum massive amounts of hair if I ever do get a Jack Russell Terrier. My brother has the same breed(energetic but so cute and friendly) and it sheds buckets. Not think hairs but thin of course.

They shed a fair amount--not huge but a decent amount. I don't mind having a little fur around the house. You can get something called a Furminator, which I've heard removes virtually all of the dogs loose fur. If I wanted there to be virtually no fur around the house, I could spend about 15 min a day vacuuming the major areas and I think that would be fine. There are some very low shedding dogs, though, if that's a concern for you. Wheaten Terriers are a bit bigger but are extremely affectionate and playful and shed very, very little. Dachshunds don't shed much. Any dog is going to have some imperfections, though.

Well I've got a story already...
I gave Lucky and Chance each a dog bone treat that takes about 30 min to finish. Lucky didn't finish hers and tried to hide it by pushing it tight in the corner of the family room. She then kept using her nose and snout to push "imaginary dirt" over the treat to hide it. Really she was just rubbing her nose against my rug but I think she thought she was covering up the treat. She worked hard, doing this for a few minutes nonstop! But a few minutes later, Chance "found" the treat. So Lucky came sprinting over, put her body between the treat and Chance, and then started pushing more "imaginary dirt" over it. I guess there wasn't enough imaginary dirt the first time to fully hide the treat. These guys are so entertaining!

Posted by Finestrg:

I have the same tile in my kitchen. LOL. Very cute dogs bro.

HA! Thanks!

great dogs, great beasts, good job bonn.

i give you 'mad props' for getting them from the shelter. i hate it when humans who proclaim themselves animal lovers buy pets from stores..while millions of animals are trapped in shelter cages, waiting to die.

Posted by orangeblobman:

great dogs, great beasts, good job bonn.

i give you 'mad props' for getting them from the shelter. i hate it when humans who proclaim themselves animal lovers buy pets from stores..while millions of animals are trapped in shelter cages, waiting to die.

I agree 100% on pet stores. Pet stores should NOT be allowed to sell puppies. If a puppy is being sold at a pet store, I'd say there's almost a 100% chance he/she came from a puppy mill. No reputable breeder who cares about each one of his/her dogs and the well-being of the breed, would sell a dog through a pet store. I wish Congress would enact some kind of legislation that reduced puppy mill breeding but neither party seems interested in the topic. It's frustrating and saddening.

I think most people who buy puppies from pet stores are just uninformed (rather than having ill-will).

Posted by Bonn1997:

Posted by GKFv2:

BTW let me ask you, don't those dogs shed a lot? I have a carpet and don't have the time to vacuum massive amounts of hair if I ever do get a Jack Russell Terrier. My brother has the same breed(energetic but so cute and friendly) and it sheds buckets. Not think hairs but thin of course.

They shed a fair amount--not huge but a decent amount. I don't mind having a little fur around the house. You can get something called a Furminator, which I've heard removes virtually all of the dogs loose fur. If I wanted there to be virtually no fur around the house, I could spend about 15 min a day vacuuming the major areas and I think that would be fine. There are some very low shedding dogs, though, if that's a concern for you. Wheaten Terriers are a bit bigger but are extremely affectionate and playful and shed very, very little. Dachshunds don't shed much. Any dog is going to have some imperfections, though.

Thanks for the info. If you don't mind me asking, what shelter did you get these dogs from? Also I will be hitting you up for more info if I ever decide to get a dog myself. Is that alright?

Posted by GKFv2:

Posted by Bonn1997:

Posted by GKFv2:

BTW let me ask you, don't those dogs shed a lot? I have a carpet and don't have the time to vacuum massive amounts of hair if I ever do get a Jack Russell Terrier. My brother has the same breed(energetic but so cute and friendly) and it sheds buckets. Not think hairs but thin of course.

They shed a fair amount--not huge but a decent amount. I don't mind having a little fur around the house. You can get something called a Furminator, which I've heard removes virtually all of the dogs loose fur. If I wanted there to be virtually no fur around the house, I could spend about 15 min a day vacuuming the major areas and I think that would be fine. There are some very low shedding dogs, though, if that's a concern for you. Wheaten Terriers are a bit bigger but are extremely affectionate and playful and shed very, very little. Dachshunds don't shed much. Any dog is going to have some imperfections, though.

Thanks for the info. If you don't mind me asking, what shelter did you get these dogs from? Also I will be hitting you up for more info if I ever decide to get a dog myself. Is that alright?

Yeah, that's definitely all right. I got one of them from my local humane society. The other I got from a rescue organization in Georgia. (I can't remember its name off-hand.)http://www.petfinder.com is the place to go to find dogs that are up for adoption. There's a lot of websites that list the pros and cons of different dog breeds. This info. is definitely useful although each dog is unique--many dogs don't conform to the reputations of their breeds. Here are some websites I think are good:

http://www.yourpurebredpuppy.com/dogbree... This site gives a very honest, if not overly harsh, overview of the pros and cons of each breed. I say overly harsh because the site really describes and maybe even exaggerates every con associated with each breed. Nevertheless, it's good to know what you're getting into and it's worth looking at this site.

http://animal.discovery.com/breedselecto...

http://www.terrificpets.com/dog_breeds/

http://dogtime.com/dog-breeds.html

Some sites let you sort by different criteria (e.g., degree of shedding, affection, playfulness, etc.)

[Edited by - bonn1997 on 05-17-2009 8:03 PM]

Posted by Bonn1997:

Posted by orangeblobman:

great dogs, great beasts, good job bonn.

i give you 'mad props' for getting them from the shelter. i hate it when humans who proclaim themselves animal lovers buy pets from stores..while millions of animals are trapped in shelter cages, waiting to die.

I agree 100% on pet stores. Pet stores should NOT be allowed to sell puppies. If a puppy is being sold at a pet store, I'd say there's almost a 100% chance he/she came from a puppy mill. No reputable breeder who cares about each one of his/her dogs and the well-being of the breed, would sell a dog through a pet store. I wish Congress would enact some kind of legislation that reduced puppy mill breeding but neither party seems interested in the topic. It's frustrating and saddening.

I think most people who buy puppies from pet stores are just uninformed (rather than having ill-will).

Bonn, just remember, not all high energy dogs are going to be high strung from the start. They are going to be a little fearful at first and then they get used to things and their energy comes out more as time goes. You got to be firm with dogs like that from the very beginning that you become the owner, and of course, take them on lots of long walks! Then you'll have a great relationship with little jack. I say that out of experience. My boxer was very shy and timid and quiet when we first got him, but sooner than later, he became extremely high strung. You just have to work with your dogs.

PS: It's definitely hard to do, but once you master walking more than one dog at once, then things become that much easier. Just a little tidbit since you have 2 dogs.

Well this has been a lot rougher than I expected on all three of us! They're getting into territorial aggression. They've had 3 significant altercations that I've had to break up (by yelling "no" and clapping my hands loudly) today. At times, they seem interested in each other and Chance definitely wants to play with Lucky. She'll "paw" at Lucky but Lucky doesn't know what to do. Sometimes Lucky seems interested in Chance and will start sniffing and licking her and will roll over on her back to invite Chance to lick her belly. Whenever there's food or treats around, though, there seems to be an aggression risk. I picked up all the bones and treats on the floor and I think I'm going to separate them when they eat. Chance still seems happy and interested in me. Lucky started out seeming to be in love with me but then after the first altercation with Chance, Lucky became fearful of me. Now she's unpredictable. Sometimes she approaches me and wants affection; other times, I move my hand toward her to pet her and she jumps back and seems scared. I'm not sure it was smart to get a 2nd female given that I already have one female. I'm gonna try to keep an open mind and give it more time--it has been only a little over 24 hours!--but this is definitely rougher than I expected. I assumed things would go smoothly because Chance loves all dog visitors (male and female) and Lucky was interacting very well with all the other dogs (male and female) at the humane society. Man, I need a break. I think I'll try to find something on TV.

awwwwwwwww

Like I said, it's all about you showing your firmness.

Her laying on her back when they are playing rough isn't inviting the dog to lick her belly. It's showing submission to a more dominant dog.

It's OK to be a little physical with your dog too. Don't hurt them, but if you have to show your superiority with your touch, then do it, and I don't mean by hitting. Nudge them away from eachother and make them realize that your the leader and not either of them. You can write a whole book on this stuff really.

^yes, you have to show the beast who is the boss, they will appreciate this because they don't know any better, they're dogs.

Posted by Allanfan20:

Like I said, it's all about you showing your firmness.

Her laying on her back when they are playing rough isn't inviting the dog to lick her belly. It's showing submission to a more dominant dog.

It's OK to be a little physical with your dog too. Don't hurt them, but if you have to show your superiority with your touch, then do it, and I don't mean by hitting. Nudge them away from eachother and make them realize that your the leader and not either of them. You can write a whole book on this stuff really.

Yeah, you're right about it being submission. They each show submission at times and dominance at others. I'm not sure if right now they're just trying to sort out which is going to be the dominant one. I'm really hoping that they'll get to a point where they not only tolerate each other but actually like each other and have fun together.

Things seem a bit more peaceful now. I was pleasantly surprised when I walked into my bedroom and found them sharing Chance's bed! They still don't seem to know how to play together though!





[Edited by - bonn1997 on 05-18-2009 08:49 AM]

Bonn,

If I were your best friend I'd have to shoot you.

Posted by Bonn1997:

Things seem a bit more peaceful now. I was pleasantly surprised when I walked into my bedroom and found them sharing Chance's bed! They still don't seem to know how to play together though!





[Edited by - bonn1997 on 05-18-2009 08:49 AM]

Bonn, how do they "Fight?" Just remember what your interpretation of it is and then ask yourself what the animal kingdoms interpretation of it is.

Dogs playing are going to jump on eachother, bark, growl, nudge eachother, nibble a little, look intimidating. It may be loud and sometimes uneasy to look at, but that's how they play. It's your job to make sure it doesn't escelate into a fight. It's good to monitor their behavior like that, but let nature be nature also.

Look at this youtube video. They are 2 big boxers, but your little dogs might be displaying that same exact behavior. Just make sure it doesn't escelate. This is how dogs play though. It's nature.