Dog pack attacks gator in Florida
Dog Pack Attacks Gator In Florida
At times nature can be cruel, but there is also a raw beauty, and even a certain justice manifested within that cruelty.
The alligator, one of the oldest and ultimate predators, normally considered the "apex predator", can still fall victim to implemented 'team work' strategy, made possible due to the tight knit social structure and "survival of the pack mentality" bred into the canines.
See the remarkable photograph below courtesy of Nature Magazine.
Note that the Alpha dog has a muzzle hold on the gator preventing it from breathing, while another dog has a hold on the tail to keep it from thrashing. The third dog attacks the soft underbelly of the gator.
Not for the squeamish
See Below
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RE: Taking our Lab pup camping for the first time
Here's our beautiful baby now. She was 55 pounds 2 weeks ago at the vet.
She still nips, she still jumps up on us no matter what we do, but gosh we love that dog! We've hired a private trainer that has years of experience training labs for hunting, obedience and so forth. We go once a week and he promised we would get the wild out of that dog in a month. Don't want to break her spirit at all, and we won't, but she needs a bit of discipline to be able to be around people in a civilized manner. Not jumping up, scratching people, nipping on them and acting all retarded. :) Humane discipline is the key though, just from someone much more experienced than us and teaching us one on one.
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RE: Taking our Lab pup camping for the first time
Thanks everyone for all your replies and helpfulness. She did really well on the camping trip except for waking up really early and barking. :)
That was in May. Here's my beautiful girl now. This was taken a month or so ago, now she's 55 pounds of beautiful dog. She's 7 months old today.
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RE: Taking our Lab pup camping for the first time
Sounds like to me your doing a great job. I just hope your not to much over 50 cause that dog takes lots of energy to raise. It will take a good 8 years for that one to slow down. One thing for sure since your from the south you should know see your vet about regular heart worm medication. They get them from miscreeters and traveling you'll get all kinds. Ounce of protection will let them live happier healthy lives. Good Luck and Happy Trails
I'm 48 years old and fit as a fiddle, lol!! But she IS a huge handful of dog already and she will get to be 80 to 90 pounds of pure energy. I keep her exercised as much as possible. I knew all of this before I got a Lab, but the breed really appeals to me and I love big dogs. She keeps me on my toes thats for sure. :)
I took her to the vet the day after I got her and she is on an on time schedule of puppy shots, worm treatments, and heartworm treatments. (She had already had her first worming treatment and puppy shot before I got her). Tomorrow she goes for her next set of shots, Rabies Vaccine and another Frontline treatment. I also plan on having her spayed as soon as she's old enough.
RE: Taking our Lab pup camping for the first time
Beautiful dog, you asked for tips -- we have a dog and take her with us and a lot of people you stop and talk to will have small children or be older and a dog that jumps up on a person to us is a definate NO NO so keep a short leash and teach her to heal or lay down while socalizing will be a big +. I understand that a pup will be all excited with new people, smells and especialy childern, control on your part will be important and not have the attitude of (oh she just likes to play). JMHO
I agree very much with what you are saying and plan on keeping complete control over her and not let her jump on anyone. She does have a problem with this and I will make sure she doesn't do it. Plus this will be a great learning and teaching opportunity for us. Great advice. Thank you. :)
RE: Taking our Lab pup camping for the first time
She is a cutie!!
I think one of your problems with nipping is that she wasn't trained by her mother. There is a reason that most breeders would rather you wait until 8-10 weeks before you take a puppy. Most of the nipping seems to be trained out of them by the mother during the 2-weeks you first had her.
I'm sure that with training, you'll break her of that bad habit, but it's a shame that you have to deal with it.
As for camping, it sounds like you have things pretty well under control. You will probably want to keep her in the crate inside....with the A/C, and the knowledge that she won't get stolen by someone, if you had her left outside.
You will probably want to invest in a ground screw and tether, or some other means of giving her a bit of room outside, but still keep her under your control. We've got 6 little Papillons, so a tether is out of the question...we use the X-Pens and set up a little play yard for them.
Before you know it, she's gonna be a regular camper. The more you socialize her, the less problems you will encounter with her seeing other dogs or people around the campground. Taking her for walks around the CG will let her see what is all around, as well as burn off a bit of that energy she's got!!
Have fun!!
Thank you so much for your comments and advice!! And you are right. I do believe that the reason she is such a nipper and I'm having to go through so much getting her out of it, is that she was taken away from her mother and siblings too early at 6 weeks instead of waiting til she was 8 weeks. I have learned that they learn bite inhibition at that time. But ignorant me, did not know this fact until after I got her, experienced the problem and started asking questions around Lab forums. The man had them for sale at 6 weeks and I thought that was the right age. Oh well, only thing to do now is work through it.
I was wondering about the screw and tether before I posted. I think that will give her some room and give us time to relax around her without having to hold onto her leash constantly.
She really needs socialization. She is an extremely outgoing dog and she loves every person and animal she meets. The only problem is she is too rambunctious and I have not taught her not to jump on people all the time but we are working on it. She loves other animals, but if they are small, she jumps and steps all over them in her exuberance. But I think it will get better with time and work.
Hey, Wilmington is 1 hour from us and we go there all the time. As a matter of fact, we are taking the obedience course at Petsmart there. :)
Thanks so much for your comments!
Taking our Lab pup camping for the first time
I have not had a dog since I was a girl growing up. Somehow our lives were just too busy to give a dog enough attention, so we never got one. Now we are empty nesters and I had been longing for a dog for a few years now. At around the end of March, we got a 6 week old Chocolate Lab pup named Savannah.
She is now house trained (as far as peeing and pooping go) and we are ready to take her for her first camping trip in our motorhome.
When I first got her, I had her sleep in her crate at night and before long, she was sleeping through the night without messing her crate. When she got bigger, we moved her out to the large pen we bought for her which houses a very nice dog house we bought for her. She spends her days out there while I'm at work. At other times (and during my lunch) she is with me playing outside or with us inside. So she is an inside/outside dog.
We are really anxious to see how she does camping. We thought we will bring the large crate we have for her (though she has not been in that one much as she no longer sleeps in a crate) during the trip. We will acquaint her with our motorhome a few times before we go. On the trip, we will probably let her free in the RV because she loves riding in the car so I think she will do fine. When we get there, of course we will just keep her on leash. Then at night we will put her in her crate (either inside or outside I'm not sure).
We plan on spending our entire time with her and not leaving the campground. We are staying at Willow Tree Resort in Longs, SC from Friday night til Sunday...a short trip. We hope to be able to rent a golf cart (it's first come, first serve)and we can ride her around in it around the big lake and the campground, and take her for nice walks around the grounds and lake and the nature trails they have. Now it's going to be hard keeping her out of the lake because she is a swimmer, lol!
I am a complete novice at taking a dog to a campground so please give me any advice you can or comment on my plans...good/bad, needs improvement or just anything that can help me.
She is almost 4 months old, weighs about 29 pounds is super active, still a nipper (but getting much better). She's a good dog, but we are taking her to obedience school once a week. She is still in training and needs work with not chewing things she is not supposed to and nipping. But she's a good dog and I want to socialize her as much as I can. And camping is certainly one way to do that. I have dreamed for years of getting a lab and taking her camping!
I'm really excited, please give me some pointers.
My baby Savannah:
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An update on my Labrador Savannah
Weeks ago I let you all know that, though a beautiful pup that I love so much, my little Lab pup Savannah is a hand full with her biting me and pooping and peeing all over my house. Well, I'm proud to say that she is now house broken (as far as pooping an peeing go....she still loves to chew things she's not supposed to, after all she's a lab, :)). Also, her biting is getting much better. Though I still have to wear bandaides on my hands and arms, she is much better. The skin on my arms is getting thin and all she has to do is graze my arm to get blood. I have helped her achieve the less biting and the house training by MUCH training and consistency and it's been a challenge. But I have come to love this dog deeply. I use to kinda make fun of people who love their dogs like children and saying things like "mama and daddy love their baby dog, yes we do!" But I find us doing that all the time. Everything she does is absolutely charming and the cutest thing I've ever seen. I am so glad for this experience.
We started obedience classes at Petsmart 2 weeks ago and that's going really well. She loves it.
Another joy to my life.......
She's now almost 4 months old.
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"I'm a goofy dog."
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"I'm a world class swimmer."
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"Can't you see depth in my eyes? I'm thinking, where is my next treat?"
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"My mama loves me."
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"It sure is tiring having a day full of eating dead frogs, digging up worms and eating them, swallowing a pile of fire ants and licking the cat."
RE: My Lab, a piranha & pooper in an innocent package
I like the pictures, very cute puppy.... but I feel as though I need to remind you that it isn't a good idea to let her chew upon your body like that. These kind of behaviors can become bad habits really fast and they imprint on young puppies to the point it is hard to change the habit sooner than you might realize.
Perhaps you need to encourage her to chew more appropriate items. Saying a firm quick "no" and removing your hand from her reach or even making a high pitched noise (as in painful response) and then removing your hand, then ignoring her for a few minutes and finally trading a toy that she is allowed to chew upon will help change her habit of chewing on humans. This will help teach her what is appropriate to chew on.
I'm glad you are enjoying her and being patient on her housetraining... it's always good to remember that nothing works well when broken and we all work best once trained... especially cute young puppies. It's a mindset kinda term really. You are right, you will get there... keep the reward for the proper behavior, consistency and patience ready and she will make good progress. :)
Oh my gosh Cat, you can't believe I just let her gnaw on me like that do you? lol!!! I've done everything I can possibly think of, read about, & advice the vet has given me and I cannot break her from it. Those injuries are when she gets me without my consent I assure you. :) I'm at my wits end with her biting actually even though I made a joke of it.
My Lab, a piranha & pooper in an innocent package
Look at her. Doesn't she look like the ultimate in innocence and sweetness? Don't let that exterior fool you, she's a man/woman flesh eating machine. (yeah, play biting is what they call it, right). I've only got her 1 percent housebroken with the peeing an pooping. But by gosh, we'll get there.
Look at the innocence.....and look at my arms and hands. This pic does not do it justice.
Oh but I love the little chocolate covered sweetie pie. I really do.
Between her and my new job.....I've not been able to post in days and days or read. Sure miss it.
"I'm innocent."
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"I calmly look outside."
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"I chew my toys."
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"I chew my master."
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"My mama needed medical care."
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"Somehow she needed medical care on the other arm too."
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"But do I look like I'd do anything like that?"
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RE: Calling all dog and puppy owners, PLEASE HELP!
I simply cannot fathom anyone suggesting you put a shock collar on a tiny seven week old puppy. Good grief!!! Shock collars can have a place to stop a behavior that has proven to be a real challenge for the dog & owner, such as excessive - nuisance barking. But used instead of training is silly, lazy and yes cruel because the dog deserves to be properly trained using reward instead of punishment. This is especially true on a very young puppy.
Rhonda please remember that positive re-enforcement of the proper behavior works 100% better than punishment. Dogs want to please their owners (pack leaders) and when they figure out what pleases you they will do it. That is what REAL training is all about.....
I would not punish the pup. I know from all the reading I've been doing that positive reinforcement is the way to go. It's just frustrating sometimes when it does not seem to work. We'll get there. :)
Thank you all for the advice!
RE: Calling all dog and puppy owners, PLEASE HELP!
Thanks everyone. I appreciate the very good advice. I will continue to use the crate, even during the day and let her out when I get home from lunch. I must be expecting too much of her and from myself right now. I have not had a dog since I was a teenager and even then it was my mother that trained the dogs and only one was house trained.
I had no idea she was too young to be taken away from her mother. That's just when the owner said they were ready. Of all the reading I did on Labs I didn't realize 6 weeks was too young.
Anyway, thanks for everything. I'll take an extra dose of patience with my meds tonight. :)
RE: Calling all dog and puppy owners, PLEASE HELP!
Another vote for the crate. Under no circumstances should the dog be chained-up outside, which is against the law in many locales. Just wanted to cover all the bases without a fenced-in area.
I would never, ever chain up my dog. I didn't mention doing that.
Calling all dog and puppy owners, PLEASE HELP!
As some of you know, I just got a 7 week old female Lab last week. Her name is Savannah. I love the dog. I crate her at night and she is getting very good at going right to sleep, waking at around 1 am to go out, I take her out, put her back in and she goes right back to sleep til 5 or 6. Then she is done. I feel we have success in this training.
However, the potty training is not going well during the day. I take her out about every 1 to 2 hours and she does her thing. And since I'm out on medical leave, I romp and play with her all over the yard at least 3 times a day. But when I bring her back inside, she STILL pees and poops in my house. Thankfully, I had already planned months ago to get new carpet, which now I won't do until she is house broken. We're not doing good in this area.
When she is playful, all she wants to do is bite me. She means no harm, this is just her way of playing but my arms and hands look like mangled meat. I substitute my flesh with her toys that I have for her to chew on. We're not doing good in this area.
Now I have the question. I would pose this question on the Lab forum I found, but they would chew me up and spit me out because it is their firm belief that a Lab should be strictly a house dog with playtimes outside, supervised, then brought back in to be a complete part of the family.
However, what I was really wanting is a part indoor part out door dog. Let me run this by you and tell me if this is humane.
I'm going back to work Monday to my new job which will be Mon-Fri 8 hours a day. I will have an hour for lunch and I will be on the road so will be able most of the time to come home to her and play with her. What the Lab forum would say is to keep her crated in the house during this time. To me, keeping a dog crated at night is one thing, but to turn around and keep it crated throughout my work day seems cruel. We have bought an invisible fence but do not have it installed yet. Once that is in, I will let her stay outside during the day, with a nice doghouse in the yard. When I get home, I will let her come in and be with me until bedtime but of course play with her outside too and I'm not sure if I will continue to crate her in the house at night or put her outside. But until then, we are thinking of getting a fenced in (real fence) area outside for her to romp around in while I'm at work. At least she will have more room than in that crate.
What do all you dog owners think of this idea?. The Lab forum would probably hang me for any of these ideas because Labs to them should be inside dogs. But I really, in my heart, believe that a dog that is a member of your family can also be an inside outside dog.
I'm sorry this is long but I need real help. Thank you for any advice.
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RE: Say hello to my new Lab pup Savannah
Hi pup, what is he/she’s name? Nice looking dog, Cooper Boy says “woof”
http://www.dennishome.com/
Her name is Savannah. :)
Say hello to my new Lab pup Savannah
I just got her yesterday. She's 7 weeks old and we already love each other. :)
The top photo is when we first went outside, the 2nd is after our fun around the yard. And yes, she's chocolate. ;)
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RE: Oh the stress of life.....
Thanks for the replies everyone. I am now starting to feel much better and more like my old self again. Life is good again. Thanks!
RE: Very Good News About My Daughter's College Situation
Congratulations to her!! I know how relieved you must be. It cost a pretty penny to send a child to college so this is a wonderful event. I wish her a very happy college experience. (from a woman who has a freshman in college :))
Oh the stress of life.....
I am one of the luckiest women on earth. I have a wonderful husband of 27 years, 2 great daughters, a house with many of our bills paid. I have my health...well kinda.
I just want to throw some things out to you guys & gals, though I don't post as much as I used to, I've been a member here for many years.
I'm an RN and I work under the most horrendous stress imaginable. I have done this for many years and do it well. The last several months I have noticed that on the days that are extra stressful, such as 6 discharges in one day, many transfers into the unit, admission, patients going bad and having to be transferred out of the unit, patients having procedures and coming and going, meds having to be passed every 2 hours, unruly, unhappy and downright rude and MEAN patients, some that should have their mama's present at age 30, nursing assistants that sometimes look at you like you are from out of space when you ask them to do something because they are also so stressed out....you know, on some days like that I felt my stress level going through the roof. It started getting worse and worse the last few months. Then to make matters worse, they closed our unit due to low census and sent us to another floor to share the other half of the new floor with another group of nurses. We knew where nothing was, no one else knew where anything was, we didn't have enough of the things we needed it was complete chaos. Then mid day they change my patients to new patients totally and I had to start all over again with my routine. I pictured myself sitting in a ball in a corner somewhere mute, or worse yet, kicking and screaming somewhere. Somehow I finished up my day and got it all done and on time. I wanted to talk to my unit manager but she was gone for the day. Next day I went in and talked with her. I made it to work but felt like I had been on a battlefield somewhere and I didn't feel right.
I talked with her, she was understanding and suggested I go to the doctor then and there. I did. I was put on medical leave and an antidepressant (also for panic attacks and generalized anxiety disorder). Made me an appt for mental health a week later, they changed my meds and I'm feeling better but I have been to a very, very dark place before I have reached this better feeling. I go back to work next week after being out on medical leave for 3 weeks. The severe stress event I had caused a deep depression.
I'm lucky to have a job with this economy....but I don't think I want to die from the job. I'm hoping with this new meds I can hack it.
Kinda makes you want to go to one of those dude ranches and just chill. Kinda makes ya want to take up doing things you really would love like being a ranger giving tours to places like National or state parks, or raising dogs or horses, leading a laid back life, just making enough money to get by. I have GOT to simplify my life.
You who know me know I'm one of the happiest most upbeat persons there is. But I'm not ashamed to say I have hit rock bottom but am climbing my way out. I don't drink, smoke or do illegal drugs....which would make things so much worse. But sometimes life will beat you up a little bit.
Now....where's that dude ranch....think I'll buy myself a puppy.....
