sutsibe

What's not to enjoy with Sunday's beautiful weather, Dave? I would have enjoyed being out more (had to work), too! Did you guys get any snow? Finally mostly melted, up here!

Love cheese too - just glad that there aren't any owls around large enough to swoop down and eat me!

Hope that she's feeling better soon!

Father, I'm so very sorry for your loss - I've experienced that transition enough times that I can relate... Hugs from me and my pack...

Nope, you're doing the right thing - that's what a responsible breeder SHOULD do! I've turned more than one person down over the years, although I was generally able to make them see that this wasn't the right breed for them, rather than have to flat out tell them I wouldn't sell them a puppy... They're your babies, and your responsibility, so take the best care of them you can!

Prostate shouldn't be a problem in a neutered male - I wouldn't worry about it. Kidney problems generally show up in the usual bloodwork panels vets do - if he has a urinary tract problem, he would also be likely to drink more and feel a need (whether he has it in him, or not) to try to pee more, so a urine sample isn't a bad idea. The chem panel (general bloodwork) should give a good overall idea of how his health is, but I would also have your parents mention to the vet that he seems to be drinking more than usual, and peeing less than you would expect, given the amount he's drinking... Good luck!

Nope, just the testicles. Prostate stays, but with the hormones gone, is rarely a problem. You might want to have blood work done when you can to see how his kidneys are doing, but kidney problems are usually managed with dietary changes (low protein diet, usually a prescription food made by Science Diet or a home made diet - I have recipes, and there are books available with recipes for dogs with special dietary needs), so dropping out for a semester wouldn't be something likely necessary - even if his kidneys are a problem... Don't borrow problems - there are enough problems in any given day to worry about. Worrying about what may be wrong, when you can't do much about it, only steals your joy in what's happening/what you have at the moment. When Suka's time comes, it will come. You can give him the best veterinary care possible, but you can't possibly keep him safe from every potential problem he might develop. ENJOY TODAY!

Chances are pretty good that it isn't a serious problem. Dogs get upset systems, for unknown reasons, much the same as humans. The feeling of needing to pee but then not, if that were the case, would be more likely to be prostate problem than kidney - if his kidneys were a problem, you'd notice him drinking a LOT of water. I'd guess it's fairly likely that he was excited (more than usual?), which tends to be more stressful to all of us as we age, and that caused the diarrhea. He probably felt like he really had to poo more (cramps), and then when he had opportunity, didn't need to. At around 8 years old, he isn't all that old. You should be likely to have a number of good years with him, yet, so don't panic...

http://www.sagekeepbernese.com/ester-c.htm It talks about the benefits of using Vitamin C to help dogs who have hip dysplasia and arthritis...

Lovely shade of green you've gotten it to - but you're much braver than I am! I'm afraid mine would end up some really odd shade, no matter what color I decided to dye it... (Kind of like the woman I saw in Walmart last night, whose hair was an "interesting" shade of eggplant, with dark showing through, like she hadn't quite gotten it all covered!)

Dad's side: Russian (an area that is now in Poland, although g-grampa was adamant he was Russian!) and Polish on his dad's side, and English and Scots-Irish on his mom's side... Mom's side: her mom's father was Danish, her mom's parents came from Taunton, England. Her dad's family line was Norman English, came to the US in the early 1700s, and married mostly English, with one line in there that incorporated a hodge-podge of German and Scandinavian ancestry, as well as one line way back that was Native American - Mohican, as I recall... Which makes me also very much a Heinz-57!

I guess all I can say then, is that perhaps something on his collar that jingles, as Elyse has suggested, might help, and otherwise, learn to have "eyes in the back of your head"! Expect that he will do it, watch him and try to pick up on the little body-language clues that he WILL give you, and react immediately with a sharp NO! Consistency is always the key. Anytime a dog is allowed to "get away with" a behavior sometimes but not at others, it becomes much more difficult to get rid of (extinguish, in behaviorist-speak) the unwanted behavior...

<span style="font-family: comic sans ms" ,="" cursive'="">Hope that you had a wonderfully Happy Birthday! :cake:

I'm assuming by your comments about him growing that he's a puppy, perhaps around 4-5 months old, at most? It sounds to me like he's both playing and pushing his boundaries, much as he would with his mom and siblings if he were still with them. That's how he figures out what is acceptable, and what isn't. Hard though it is, you'll have to try a method and stick with it, firmly and consistently, for it to work, and it's likely to take a while, unfortunately. He's learned (at least it sounds like it to me) that if he's persistent enough, you'll relent and give him what he wants - peanutbutter in his Kong, or attention. Make no mistake, for some of them, negative attention is almost as desirable as positive attention - attention IS attention! I would google "Nothing in Life is Free For Dogs", and give that a try. Like any child, he needs boundaries, and you'll have to set them for him. Once you've decided what is and isn't acceptable, you have to stick with it - every single time! - or he'll very quickly learn that "no" means "maybe" means "oh, all right, just leave me alone, will ya?!" They are the smartest of dogs, and the most stubborn/persistent! Good luck getting into a more helpful obedience class with him... Despite the difficulties in training, enjoy his time as a puppy - it goes by way too fast, and before you know it, he'll be a senior citizen...

Love it - congratulations on such a find!