Audery! STOP!! LOL!!! I don't read anyone here calling you stupid! Only you are!! And, you know, there are LOTS of members your age here! As a matter of fact, Logan and I were just talking about how the younger ones are taking over! (And we're not that old!) And Audrey, it's not only young people disagreeing with older ones. Full grown adults disagree with each other as well, all the time! You're right! In two years you too will be in "our group," and you won't have the "excuse" of being a "kid" to fall back on when you and other disagree!!! That's just the way life is. I think you should stop putting yourself down, because no on else here is! We're all here to share ALL of our ideas. And I think, as I said before, that you are a very special young woman, with a lot of love to give to your animals, and that's the most important thing. I wasn't NOT sticking up for you, silly! I was responding to the comment made about Carrie by Jiz, who doesn't know her. You know how negatively I feel about hitting a dog because I already told you! And while I am not as knowledgeable about the science of animal behavior as others here, I have my own instintive feelings, emotional responses, as well as first hand experiences with my own dogs, that I base that decision upon. I told you about my abused husky rescue, Cody. Even the motion of a hand going up in the air and she yelps, cowers and belly crawls into a corner. She was hit throughout her young life, and I see the permanent harm it caused her, everyday. And I know, that is not the type of hitting you are talking about. But still, it is just feeling that there are so many other ways to deal with doggie issues than resorting to physical correction. Just give others... here, and in your life in general, a chance to share their thoughts, ideas and knowledge with you. None of us is too old to learn. Not me, for sure! Why not pick up a few books on dog training, talk to other dog guardians in your area, other trainers??? I know that since coming here to Pet Talk, I have learned so much about dealing with obedience issues with both my lab Star and Cody; all by listening to what others had to say and reflecting upon what their experiences have been with their dogs. Star is a lab, and she can certainly be a handful!! She is VERY independent, strong willed, intelligent and very demanding, IF I allow her to be! She definitely wants to assume the alpha role for the whole world!! If she had it her way, she would bark her head off everytime the wind blew, would eat every minute of the day, and until just recently, would wake me up at 2am with her ball in her mouth, plop it on my chest, and whine to go out to play. If she misbehaves, it is MY fault. I have given her the wrong message, signals. I have a very sympathetic side, and my tendency is always to "give in" rather than reprimand. Well, finally, I was getting too tired, being woken up every night at 2am! And, she has to learn to eat at the appropriate times, or she'd be yelping at the pantry and frig all day long! After a lot of discussion with knowledgeable dog people and my vet, I finally accepted the fact that I had to be the boss!! And it didn't require physical reprimand. It was hard, but when she would start to bark to demand something, when she would yelp and bark to go out and play at 2am, I was told I HAD to just ignore her. She would stop when she realized that barking or begging was not going to get her what she wanted! And, after a week or two, blessed silence. And no, I certainly am not denying her anything or being cruel. Ask anyone here. No dog gets MORE atteniton, time and love than Star and Cody. But, guidelines do have to be set or your life will be chaos! Just think about what others have said. OK?? Oh, and on my refrigerator, I have printed the Dogs' Bill of Rights. Among those rights is this...."I have the right not to be made a prisoner of my own misbehavior." In other words, "teach me how to be good...not punnished." And, the quote in my signature below, for me, says it all!

[ December 15, 2001: Message edited by: tatsxxx11 ]