Ping: Tom the trainer ...
 

"RCE" wrote in message
...

"Doug Kanter" wrote in message
...


I can't imagine how anyone even entertains the idea of having a dog, if
there's a chance of it ruining nice furniture. Maybe it helps to own
crappy furniture.


If you don't understand, you never will, either. Here, the dogs are far
more valuable than the furniture.

Nothing wrong with not liking dogs, but you are missing out on a very
special commitment of friendship.

RCE


Hmmm...lemme think a moment. $1800.00 Ethan Allen cabinet...dog....EA
cabinet.....dog.....I'll take the cabinet, and my cat, who learned in about
11 minutes to use the scratching post, and never ****s with the furniture.
She can murder a pair of shoelaces in under 15 seconds, but I can deal with
$1.29 every so often.

Ping: Tom the trainer ...
 

On Fri, 17 Feb 2006 15:21:20 -0500, "RCE" wrote:


"JohnH" wrote in message
.. .

On Fri, 17 Feb 2006 19:07:06 GMT, "Doug Kanter"

wrote:



I can't imagine how anyone even entertains the idea of having a dog, if
there's a chance of it ruining nice furniture. Maybe it helps to own
crappy
furniture.


Totally agree. The original furniture was old. They just bought some new
stuff. It took the dog all of about two days to get a moment when it
wasn't
being watched to chew up a leg on the couch.



I am sitting here at my desk - a nice desk. It's oval in shape and has a
leather top with drawers and compartments all over the place for my stuff.
Mrs.E found it in a very unusual furniture shop.

Since Sam Adams joined the family 10 months ago the bottom of the desk has
acquired lots of teeth marks and chew damage. I've repaired it once by
sanding and staining, but the damage is done.

But, the way I look at it, ... 20 years from now (if I am still around) I
am going to look at the bottom of the damaged desk and will recall, with
fond, happy memories, the unique creature that he is, Samuel Adams. The
furniture can be repaired or replaced. The unique personality of a living
creature, even a lowly dog, cannot.



RCE


Understandable. I feel the same way about Buffy, my lab, who, BTW, is going
to the vet this afternoon. The tumor is looking worse every day. I'm afraid
the time is coming very soon to have her put to sleep.

The bulldog has gone through the legs and several cushions of the family
room furniture, chewed the corners off an oak coffee table, chewed the
corners off all the low window sills in the kitchen and family room, and
has now started on the new furniture. If it were an only dog that they'd
had for a while, I could understand it better. They've got another dog, two
cats, and two (soon to be three) kids under four years old. Perhaps the dog
just needs the attention someone like you or I could provide. As it is, the
dog spends most of its life in a cage. I don't like it, but it's their dog.
--
'Til next time,

John H

******************************************
***** Have a Spectacular Day! *****
******************************************

Ping: Tom the trainer ...
 

A friend's two dogs chewed a wiring harness out from under his Jaguar. He
was not amused. He had to have his invisible fence system completely
rearranged so he's able to park in his own driveway. That's friggin nuts.

Ping: Tom the trainer ...
 

"Doug Kanter" wrote in message
...

"RCE" wrote in message
...


If you don't understand, you never will, either. Here, the dogs are far
more valuable than the furniture.

Nothing wrong with not liking dogs, but you are missing out on a very
special commitment of friendship.

RCE


Hmmm...lemme think a moment. $1800.00 Ethan Allen cabinet...dog....EA
cabinet.....dog.....I'll take the cabinet, and my cat, who learned in
about 11 minutes to use the scratching post, and never ****s with the
furniture. She can murder a pair of shoelaces in under 15 seconds, but I
can deal with $1.29 every so often.


I am not talking dollar values.

RCE

Ping: Tom the trainer ...
 

Doug Kanter wrote:
"RCE" wrote in message
...
"Shortwave Sportfishing" wrote in message
...
The problem is that you have to connect the discipline with the
activity - just like a two year old. He's used to getting a reward
for coming in, but at the same time, it's not connected to the
unwanted barking activity. In his mind, he barks, you holler, he gets
to come in and chow down. It's much to complicated for him to
understand at this point. Later on, he might make the connection, but
not at this age.

You have to be with him to get him to stop or use a mechanical device.
Not to be difficult, but I've tried. I have spent an hour at a time with
him out there several times. If I am with him, he doesn't bark because
he's too busy trying to get me to play. (which he is mostly successful
at).

I went down to the PetMart or whatever it is this morning and found a
spray collar. It was in a locked case so the store manager was called to
open it. As he handed it to me he asked what kind of dog I had. I told him
he was a 10 and a half month old, 94lb Lab. The guy laughed at me and
took the spray collar package back. He said it wouldn't faze him at all.
So, I asked what he recommended and he produced a collar that looks like
it came from the dark caverns of the Inquisition. It's a shock type with
two metal prongs and an adjustable shock level.

Couldn't do it. Handed it back to him and said thanks, anyway.

RCE


I think it was Gary Larson (Far Side) who once did a cartoon about labs. 4
frames showing various dog moods. Happy, sad, bored, sad. In all four, the
lab is sorta smiling with its tongue hanging out, and drooling.


Great cartoon, but it was about the only dog dumber than a lab, an Irish
Setter, the blond of the dog world.

--
Reggie
************************************************** *************
That's my story and I am sticking to it.

************************************************** *************

Ping: Tom the trainer ...
 

"Doug Kanter" wrote in message
...
A friend's two dogs chewed a wiring harness out from under his Jaguar. He
was not amused. He had to have his invisible fence system completely
rearranged so he's able to park in his own driveway. That's friggin nuts.


Hafa admit. *That* would be a real test of my patience.

RCE

Ping: Tom the trainer ...
 

"RCE" wrote in message
...

"Doug Kanter" wrote in message
...
A friend's two dogs chewed a wiring harness out from under his Jaguar. He
was not amused. He had to have his invisible fence system completely
rearranged so he's able to park in his own driveway. That's friggin nuts.


Hafa admit. *That* would be a real test of my patience.

RCE


It would be a test of my ability to build a silencer for my handgun, to be
used just twice.

Ping: Tom the trainer ...
 

"Reggie Smithers" wrote in message
...
Doug Kanter wrote:
"RCE" wrote in message
...
"Shortwave Sportfishing" wrote in message
...
The problem is that you have to connect the discipline with the
activity - just like a two year old. He's used to getting a reward
for coming in, but at the same time, it's not connected to the
unwanted barking activity. In his mind, he barks, you holler, he gets
to come in and chow down. It's much to complicated for him to
understand at this point. Later on, he might make the connection, but
not at this age.

You have to be with him to get him to stop or use a mechanical device.
Not to be difficult, but I've tried. I have spent an hour at a time
with him out there several times. If I am with him, he doesn't bark
because he's too busy trying to get me to play. (which he is mostly
successful at).

I went down to the PetMart or whatever it is this morning and found a
spray collar. It was in a locked case so the store manager was called
to open it. As he handed it to me he asked what kind of dog I had. I
told him he was a 10 and a half month old, 94lb Lab. The guy laughed at
me and took the spray collar package back. He said it wouldn't faze him
at all. So, I asked what he recommended and he produced a collar that
looks like it came from the dark caverns of the Inquisition. It's a
shock type with two metal prongs and an adjustable shock level.

Couldn't do it. Handed it back to him and said thanks, anyway.

RCE


I think it was Gary Larson (Far Side) who once did a cartoon about labs.
4 frames showing various dog moods. Happy, sad, bored, sad. In all four,
the lab is sorta smiling with its tongue hanging out, and drooling.
Great cartoon, but it was about the only dog dumber than a lab, an Irish
Setter, the blond of the dog world.

--
Reggie

I think that's what my neighbor had. When the wind blew, the dog's skull
made a sound like a conch shell.

Ping: Tom the trainer ...
 

"RCE" wrote in message
...

"Doug Kanter" wrote in message
...

"RCE" wrote in message
...


If you don't understand, you never will, either. Here, the dogs are far
more valuable than the furniture.

Nothing wrong with not liking dogs, but you are missing out on a very
special commitment of friendship.

RCE


Hmmm...lemme think a moment. $1800.00 Ethan Allen cabinet...dog....EA
cabinet.....dog.....I'll take the cabinet, and my cat, who learned in
about 11 minutes to use the scratching post, and never ****s with the
furniture. She can murder a pair of shoelaces in under 15 seconds, but I
can deal with $1.29 every so often.


I am not talking dollar values.

RCE


I guess I prefer the companionship of organisms that don't need to destroy
things in order to be happy.

Ping: Tom the trainer ...
 

"Doug Kanter" wrote in message
...

"RCE" wrote in message
...

"Doug Kanter" wrote in message
...
A friend's two dogs chewed a wiring harness out from under his Jaguar. He
was not amused. He had to have his invisible fence system completely
rearranged so he's able to park in his own driveway. That's friggin nuts.


Hafa admit. *That* would be a real test of my patience.

RCE


It would be a test of my ability to build a silencer for my handgun, to be
used just twice.


Besides the fact that I am allergic to dogs (dander and saliva) that is
another reason we don't have one.

My wife loves them and gets her fix by visiting the pet store every week and
playing with our friends puppy.

We have 2 cats, both female, both fixed, both declawed front and rear, both
inside cats. They provide enough love and companionship for me and are
definitely fun to play with.

Consider this scenario:

Actors: Dog and cat.

Scene: Both run full speed onto a slippery floor and while trying to make a
turn lose control and run into a wall.

Responses:

Dog: Tail wagging, drool coming from the corner of the mouth, still
stumbling to get up....as if to say (in the voice of Lennie from "Of Mice
and Men") "Didja see that boss, didja, didja see that? I falled down. Did
I do good boss? Did I, did I?"

Cat: Walking away gracefully, tail up, full confidence....as if to say in
the voice of Sir Laurence Olivier: "I meant to do that."