jassie: I find it a little disturbing how White folks get too close to their pets, especially dogs.
There's been several cases where dogs eat or bite infants, despite this, they persist.

Those of you saying "aww" "beautiful" won't allow a dog come close to your infants... abi no be Nigerians? We too get sense. Beautiful ko, Sadiku ni. . . If e chop d pikin now, u go see am for yahoo news. Nonsense and Ingredients!!!

JbravoAdodger:

Bipolar much?

Rexxie:
beautiful...cannines tend to behave like humans atimes and its lovely....but what still beats my imagination is how some folks and wierdos find dog meat a delicacy! I was actually down with that convo today morning! Pretty gross, methink....

Burger01: @Chronique, you said it all. My dog behaves not less than what you stated. Btw, what do you feed your dogs? Where is your vet?. Thanks.

chucky234: Lovely, great chemistry between the two and thats why I just cant do without a dog in my house.

chronique: Well,used to feed them with a variety of foods,depending how bouyant. From puppy stage,you do the regular milk,biscuits,bread,pap,custard stuff and as they progress,you introduce them to the canned foods. Pedigree and jojo are 2 popular good brands and they come in a variety of rabbit/chicken/lamb(I think) meat. You can feed them per can or mix the canned meat with rice. Feeding them solely on canned food could get pretty expensive later as they'd need more cans per meal based on their kg as they grow. You can also feed them with crunchies(cookie-like shaped hard biscuits made by pedigree/jojo). It helps them exercise their jaws while chewing from puppy stage(think about 8-12 weeks if I'm not mistaking). We used to go to the eatery to get left overs for them then but we realised they didn't like it. They'd just pick the bones out and leave the rice. Your dog's case might be different. We also used to buy chicken neck/bum-bum from eateries in kg then. We'd boil them and cut them in bits to mix with their rice so they can eat it(they used to reject plain rice. Guess it's cos of the way we started feeding them;they got used to seeing meat in their food). In the absence of that,you can substitute with fish. Marsh the fish with the stock and mix it in their rice. If you wanna give them stuffs like eba,you've got to use soups like ewedu,okro,ogbono. Use soups that are slimy. Reason is,dogs don't chew;they lap up food. They need stuffs that would make it easy for them to swallow. They might lick up ur egusi/vegetable from your eba and wait for you to come and pack the food away. If you want them to eat eba or any solid food,cut the balls small,small and pour plenty of soup in it. Mix it well and avoid giving them solids that sticks togwther to form a big lump. They'd finish it in no time. Cheap soup you can make for them is okro with crayfish blended in it and smoked or iced fish scattered in it. You can also feed them with noodles;they'd eat it well. I don't know about other dogs but my experience with ours was that,they wouldn't eat stuffs like yam or beans. Serving them that was a waste. Also aid their feeding with multivitamins(they have their own. It's usually sold at most vet clinics). It helps to improve the sound of their bark and gives them that thick scary voice. Dogs don't eat fruits;don't waste your time giving them that. Above all,do not forget to wash them regularly with their shampoo,medicated soap and their chemical so as to drive ticks away. One more thing. Check your dogs regularly,run your hands through their fur for ticks and fleas and pick them out as often as you can. Check their ears and paws regularly for ticks as they hide there quite often. And most importantly,do not press/kill the ticks/fleas on the floor when picking them out. Else the eggs in the blood from the tick that you've killed,multiplies and causes more infection for the dogs. When you pick them out,put them in a small cup filled with kerosene and they'd die off. As for my vet,I used to use barry vet,a vet on the mainland. At the moment,I no longer have dogs due to some unfortunate/mysterious events that happened but I intend replacing them soon with boerbulls or bulldogs. If I find a dalmatian,I'd be very happy too.

Blackteeth: A dog IS NOT man's best friend. Its only a friend to its owner. It bites man he doesnt know. The animal that is friendly to every man is true best friend of man.

all4praise: [b][/b][b][/b]
how did you get to train your dog to do all aforementioned

chronique: Well,in terms of feeding,cannines get used to the type of food you start them with especially when they are imported breeds. Mongerels(local breeds) can eat about anything but it's not usually so with imported breeds especially if they're full breeds. I just realised from their attitude to food served,that they liked having fish or meat mixed in their meal. Like I said,at puppy stage,they got introduced to different foods and each time you prepare a particular meal and serve them,their reaction to the food tells you they don't want it. If you leave them with it,you'll come back next morning and meet it the way you left it. It's a clear sign they don't want it. They'd sniff the food before putting their mouth in it. I think it's how you start them as regards their feeding. In terms of them giving signals and alerts to things happening around,it has to do with training. Dogs expect you to lead them and not the other way round cos it's a lot of work for them to keep you in line. Owning a dog goes beyond tying it to a stick/locking it up and giving it food. You need to spend quality time with them and let them know they must be subject to alL humans in the house else,you'd have an uncontrollable and willful dog that would only wanna do what he/she wants. You have to give them commands to follow at an early stage,and also interract and communicate with them like humans. Believe you me,they'd understand. You have to show them what to do regularly and from there they'd pick up. Very energetics dogs like dalmatians,bullmastiffs,rottweilers,could be difficult at the start because of their high levels of energy but constant and continuos exercise/trainings would yield results if done in an assertive manner. It's in the dog's instincts that you should take charge while they follow. If you're passive on them,they'd never learn anything. You have to spend time to develop them and teach them mainly by communicating what you want and do not want,in a firm and assertive manner. They also need regular exercise to develop their bones and muscles. You need to take them for a walk regularly. Never allow them walk in front of you. It gives them the impression that they are in charge. They should walk behind or beside you. When entering or coming out of a gate or door,make sure you go in/come out first. It's a sign you're in charge. Basic thing with training a dog is communication and dedication. Time must be spent with them and you must learn to observe their behaviours while doing these.

dasparrow: @Post

I am late to the party but as an avid dog fancier, I can't help but post on this thread. First of all, the pictures are very cute and just reminds me yet again why I love dogs so much. I see them as part of the family. Posters like Chronique, Niggadee and a few others did an excellent job explaining how to properly take care of dogs while also providing information about the Labrador Retriever which is a dog breed used quite often in helping the disabled in the western world. I could not help but 'like' their (Chronique, Niggadee) very informative posts on this thread.

I have been around dogs all my life since I was a 6 months old baby. My admiration for canines can never seize. I also cannot stand people who eat dogs but then again, the increasing poverty level in Nigeria is causing an alarming number of Nigerians to eat just about any animal they can lay their hands on all in the name of eating meat. Our people have been known to eat snake, monkey, sea turtle, dog, I mean, the list is endless. I wonder where people draw the line.

I am still hoping that Seun and his moderators will create a pet section on Nairaland where we pet/dog enthusiasts can convene and discuss anything pet/animal related. I am looking forward to that day.

adaobi123:

Lemme go and beg my sister

adaobi123:

You guessed right. I suffer from a severe case.

toofine765: i love this

NoContract:

Beautiful.

NoContract:

Beautiful.

chronique: Lovely pics. Peeps who don't keep dogs or haven't kept good dogs as pets wouldn't understand what it feels like to have loyal ones. My pets used to come into my bedroom way back and most times when you play with them,they try to kiss you. Even when you try to avoid their kiss,they sometimes force themselves to lick your face. At times,they pull my towel from the line and lay on it. When it's hot outside,they come into the living room to sleep under the fan. Dogs are lovely creatures to keep any day,any time. You can't get bored with them. They know when you're happy and when you're sad,have emotions like humans too. If I wanna get something nearby,they know when I'm not going too far and would wait patiently. If I'm going far,they somehow have a way of knowing;they won't even bother walking to the gate. If the gen is on and phcn restores power,they'd alert you with their barking. They do same thing when you're pumping water and the tank gets filled up and it's overflowing. If a family member is knocking or horning at the gate,they'd know and would bark to tell you a family member is around. You can tell when there's a visitor at the gate cos of the sound of their bark. If anyone of them is in distress,another comes to bark at the door or window to alert you. They bark and jump and scratch at the door to get your attention. So many things. Some might see them as mere animals but they're pretty intelligent. You'd love dogs when they are properly trained cos you can easily communicate with them. Sometimes,people wonder when I talk to them or scold them;they get surprised that the dogs do understand everything I say. I've always had dogs around me right from my infant days and have grown to love them. They've always been a part of our family all through our growing up. Summary is: I can relate very well with the pictures above. But not all dogs can be kept around babies. Never keep a rottweiler,pitbull,or any naturally aggressive dog around a baby. They are very unpredictable. Sometimes,kids do things dogs don't like and they're not usually taught how to handle dogs. Some dogs get jealous too and don't like their attention to be shared with a baby;things could go awful if they notice it and you leave the child at their reach. You'd have yourself to blame for the outcome. On the flipside,they're also very protective of kids(especially bloodhounds). The 3 pictures below show 3 different dogs. The dog with the scarf around the neck is a pic of a bloodhound. Large and plays with kids. The golden brown haired dog is an alsatian;very loyal,meek and intelligent. However,her partner,ceasar,was a terror to all who knew him. He looked pretty wicked and was very wicked but also playfull. The black dog in the pic is smart,a crossbreed of rottweiler,alsatian and dubberman. This dog was very unpredictable. He actually chased,fell and bit my younger brother not too long ago. I had to pull him by the collar to drag him off my brother. This dog doesn't like people fighting or shouting in high tones. If you get into a quarel,he barks aggressively to warn you. If you don't stop,he attacks one of both parties. Understanding your dog's temperament is important(especially when they've been crossbreeded). They start exhibiting different traits from parents breeds in them.

Nb: the pic of the bloodhound is not a pic of my dog. Just put it there to show an example of what a bloodhound looks like as it's not really a common breed in this part of the world. I rarely see people with bloodhounds at vets.

sarutobie:
I can relate to what you said since I have had different breeds of dogs with varying intelligence and temperament..but to make a litte correction,the dog(s) on the pictures is one and the same dog all through..babies grow real fast.notice the blue baby sheet with designs when the baby was still lying on his back? Notice it again when he became a toddler and covered the dog with it?..and that dog is a golden retriever..alsatians don't have drooping ears.and bloodhounds have more 'wrinkles' and thicker hides than the dog in the pictures..Labradors or retrievers are the best dogs around kids,good natured and gentle.they also have a soft lining of flesh around their teeth which means they can interact with a child without their teeth interfering..