<p>Ellemenope - “be quiet” is one of those commands that should never be rewarded with a treat. Treats are for “speak”, or in our house, for “go poop” - yup, H trained the dog to go on command (H got too tired of the dog’s sniffing here and there under the pouring rain and taught the dog to “download” quickly). It is amazing what a GSD can be trained to do 
H also trained the dog that nothing in life comes free: want to eat, do “sit” and “stay” first, want to go for a walk - same thing.</p>
<p>Our current entourage includes 5 cats and 2 dogs. All except one cat were rescues, and that one came from a “come get a kitten or they go to the shelter” ad! Our 12 year old dog is a chow/bordie collie mix and she is so sweet. Loves ear scratches and biscuits. Dog 2 is a cocker mix who loves to herd and “bathe” our cats. In return, he loves tummy scratches and biscuits 
Just got a new rescue kitten - wasn’t planning on a 5th cat but someone from my office found her on the side of the highway and so it goes… Morning feeding time is a bit crazy but we love them all and feel blessed to have them in our lives.</p>
<p>OK, so eyes doesn’t work as well as it does on humans and the opposite sex.
How about the velocity of the tail wag?</p>
<p>For some reason I just thought of this pet-
[George</a> Clooney’s Pet Pig Heads to Hog Heaven - George Clooney : People.com](<a href=“http://www.people.com/people/article/0,26334,1565629,00.html]George”>http://www.people.com/people/article/0,26334,1565629,00.html)</p>
<p>"I avoid anything that isn’t a gelded male. "</p>
<p>Sorry…couldn’t help quoting this out of context…</p>
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<p>Channeling Cesar… is Cesar Milan in the house?</p>
<p>Seriously, I’m sure if you posed your concerns on his website, in the online community, you’d get some great responses.</p>
<p>">>LMNOP –
the same way his mother does. <<</p>
<p>Wait till he barks and then nip him on the nose? So wait till he barks, command “be quiet” and then reward with a treat? Sounds like I"m going to be following my dog around for a week, waiting for a bark."</p>
<p>Well, if your dog only barks once a week, LMNOP, then you probably don’t have to train him out of this problem!</p>
<p>I can’t remember which training video we saw this on (we watched a LOT of dog care videos – hey, that’s nothing compared to the stacks of books I brought home from the library before we had our first baby), but essentially, if he starts barking you say NO BARK in a ‘no nonsense’ tone of voice and hold his muzzle shut for a second. Depending on the intelligence of your dog, you might have to do this repeatedly for a while, or he might catch on the first time. When he stops barking you stroke his head and say ‘good dog’ (that’s the treat), if he starts barking at something, repeat above.</p>
<p>Dog barks more than once a week, but at unpredictable times. She mostly barks outdoors (the better to entertain the neighbors). We do the “stern NO BARK” thing (yelling from inside the house), but we’re not close enough to do the muzzle thing. Looks like trying to do both at the same time is the next trick.</p>
<p>I have trained the dog to come to a whistle. So when she starts barking, I blow the whistle and she comes inside (where she quits barking). H thinks I’m teaching her that barking begets a treat. I’m not convinced that she connects barking to the treat.</p>
<p>She’s a smart dog…I’ve found that any deficiencies are on my part as a trainer.</p>
<p>Whatever you get, make it a rescue pet! You can get all sorts of wonderful animals, even specific breeds, from shelters.</p>
<p>I’ve said this before but poodles are great dogs, all the various sizes. And poodle mixes are even better. They’re smart, easily trained, playful, and have reasonable amounts of energy. And, best of all, they don’t shed!</p>
<p>I personally always hated poodles, but we accidently ended up with a poodle mix. We never groom her the “poodle style”, so she is normal looking. (If you don’t give them that haircut, they’re very good looking dogs.) I’m amazed how intelligent she is, and easy going, but still an effective guard dog. Never had an easier dog. And they come in all sizes (ours is about 14 lbs) so you can get one to fit your needs. If you like them big, a poodle/retriever mix might be a good choice (golden doodle). They seem to get all the best qualities of both and they’re cute as can be.</p>
<p>"‘I avoid anything that isn’t a gelded male.’</p>
<p>Sorry…couldn’t help quoting this out of context… "</p>
<p>Gee, it works just as well for me outside of context! :P</p>
<p>^I’ve heard the same thing about poodles. What always made me shy away from the smaller ones is that so many of them have that weepy eye thing.</p>
<p>"I’ve said this before but poodles are great dogs, all the various sizes. And poodle mixes are even better. They’re smart, easily trained, playful, and have reasonable amounts of energy. And, best of all, they don’t shed!</p>
<p>I personally always hated poodles, but we accidently ended up with a poodle mix. We never groom her the “poodle style”, so she is normal looking. (If you don’t give them that haircut, they’re very good looking dogs.) I’m amazed how intelligent she is, and easy going, but still an effective guard dog. Never had an easier dog. And they come in all sizes (ours is about 14 lbs) so you can get one to fit your needs. If you like them big, a poodle/retriever mix might be a good choice (golden doodle). They seem to get all the best qualities of both and they’re cute as can be."</p>
<p>I have actually been trying to get my parents to get a poodle for the same reasons. They are REALLY cute without the goofy haircut.</p>
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<p>Yes, it is kind of gross. You can either wipe it away every day or do what we did – get a black one and you don’t notice it! Also, as ours gets older, she weeps less.</p>
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<p>You’d be weeping all the time too if you were forced to go out in public looking like this:</p>
<p>[Toy</a> Poodle Directory](<a href=“http://www.grizzlyrun.com/Pets/Dogs/Toy_Dog_Breed_Group/Toy_Poodle/Default.htm]Toy”>Toy Poodle Directory)</p>
<p>^^^^ LOL at the poodle pictures</p>
<p>“Yes, it is kind of gross. You can either wipe it away every day or do what we did – get a black one and you don’t notice it! Also, as ours gets older, she weeps less.”</p>
<p>I have read that not cleaning their eyes regularly can cause eye infections…? </p>
<p>My affenpinscher had tear duct issues and we actually had to clean his eyes out everyday and put in medicated drops or they crusted over. Now THAT was a shame. Poor baby hated it. :(</p>
<p>I don’t know about that ^^^. My dog has never had that problem and neither have any of her siblings. </p>
<p>I think the main thing you can do for your dog’s health, other than the shots, is to have their teeth cleaned yearly. I always pooh-poohed that until 3 years ago when my H started doing (paying for) it. She has so much more pep now.</p>
<p>I think it’s a crime against nature, those poodle cuts. They are actually very cute and fuzzy if you leave them alone. If you REALLY leave them alone, they acquire dreadlocks which is also kind of interesting looking.</p>
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<p>You mean where they put the dog out and clean the teeth?</p>
<p>They actually make doggy toothpaste and brushes and, if your dog is well trained, you can brush their teeth at home. We never really knew about teeth cleaning with my dog, unfortunately my parents never did much research and I was too young to have any idea what was going on. I’ve actually even seen recipes for homemade dog toothpaste online. If I ever own a dog again that’s definitely something I’d look into.</p>