The Daily Chit-Chat [2008]

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An elephant would actually… would you continue if the elephant was charging at you?

Yeah... if I had a mouse in my hand. XD;

Are elephants really scared of mice?

Or is that some other animal?
 
I think they are. It was on Mythbusters some time ago, and they proved it. =0 It's totally odd.

One thing I wouldn't want to be in a fight with is a baboon. Those things are beyond mad. <_<;
 
Oh gawd. D: A baboon would like.. Rip you into two.

Technically fighting any animal with claws, teeth and is bigger than your average human being would be madness. XD;
 
Fighting a sloth wouldn't be too hard... it has claws too, I think.
 
But they're lazy... why would a lazy creature bother to attack?
 
... I wouldn't be that stupid. XD;

But logically, they wouldn't necessarily hurt anyone... because of their laid-back lifestyle.
 
True..

But animals are unpredictable creatures.

Unless you've actually face one head on, you can't really tell what they can do. D:
 
Animals aren't actually unpredictable.

If you've studied/known one for long enough, you should be able to predict their next move just by... their facial expression.
 
Yeah but that's an animal you've known for a long time.

Studying about it is one thing, having experience with it is another.

Just like humans, you can predict what your friends or family members do, if you've known them for a long time.

You can't really predict what a stranger will do though. D:
 
I'm with the long name'd fellow. Of course some people are easy to read, but that may backfire your prediction if they once decide to act in a different way.
 
No human or animal is completely predictable, as much as you know or study them. Just my opinion. :)

Agreed. Some beings can be predictable, but no being, whether animal or human, is predictable enough to know exactly what they are going to do all the time.

So, anyways, I seem to have acquired a dog.

We've been after a dog for at least six months, but it's been hard to find what we want, which happens to be a collie that likes cats (we have cats), is a couple of years old and likes dogs (it will go to doggy day-care center some days during the week) and likes people. Then, as it was always going to happen someday, one came up suddenly and so suddenly we find ourselves as dog owners! We saw him this morning and he's in our house this evening.

And we've never been dog owners before, so it's scary. We've read books, but we don't really know what to do and when to do it. A bit like bringing your baby home for the first time, I suppose, but with much less pressure a scary thought! I admit that I've posted this thread on another forum and that the last sentence I stole from a middle aged woman. No, don't ask me what the forum was, I'm not telling.

He's a very sweet boy indeed, wonderfully good-natured. Oh, and he definitely knows cats. We allowed our cat into the room and she just stared him out for a good minute whilst he got more and more submissive. I think they'll be fine, eventually.

But he does have some problems. First, he pulls on the lead. We're aware that this is bad, but trying to stop it this afternoon proved a lot harder that I would have guessed. Secondly, and more seriously, he wants to chase. In particular, he wants to chase cars. But he also wants to chase anything that takes off with speed. We're really worried about that in terms of our cats, if they startle and take off then he will probably want to chase. But even aside from this, chasing is obviously bad. And dangerous. We have to stop it, but that seems really daunting. Thirdly: I'm worried about the fact that he's a stray. I told my parents and they said that he had no lead or anything so what would be the point of giving him into the local authorities? As much as I want a dog, I don't think it's right to just take one from the streets without even trying to return it to his original owners (should he have any). Fourthly, we'll have to bring him to the vet to make sure he's healthy and we'll need to get a dog liscence and all the other stuff you need when you want to own a dog in the Republic of Ireland, and we're sort of worried about how much that will cost.

So, any advice, anyone? About being a dog owner generally but also about his and our couple of problems specifically?

I just figured I'd post it as you all seemed to have been talking about dogs and cats for the last few pages of this thread.
 
Watch the Dog Whisperer. ^_^

Be calm and assertive, collies are pretty easy to train compared to other breeds, is a Collie, isn't it?


I saw the Dog Whisperer do this with a similar problem:

What you should do... Is put the cat in its cat carrier or whatever you use to take it to the vets....

Then Take the Dog in the Room... with your lead and whenever it tries to run at the cat... make a 'SSSSHH' noise.. CALM AND ASSERTIVE.. not aggressive. And don't pay attention the cat yourself either, look around randomly...

Do this until you feel sure its not got any attention for the cat (do it a couple of times)

Then try it without the Dog on the lead... again and again and again.

Then eventually do it when the cat is not in the cage. If he runs at it then start from the beginning again.


You should check whether he has any owners. ^^
 
The answer is: shock collars.
I love that answer. XD

I mean really, I know to some people thinks a shock collar is evil. But if you can't have a fence then it's the next best thing... That or the chance of your dog getting hit by a car, and that's never any fun.
 
Shock collars are what dog trainers use… it is effective… but will leave an emotional scar. xD
 
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