lefty's random dog thread. - Page 13

i understand that their gameieness is bred into them, but at the end of the day, isnt the pet what you make it out to be?

Dont you think with the proper exercise and stimulation, a patterdale would be like any other terrier? Nature vs. nurture. All those pats that have a pretty intense drive only have it because their owners promote that kind of behavior and frequently go out to hunt game. If you get a patterdale as a puppy and he has never been exposed to ratting or hunting, then how will he know what to do? Couldnt you just break them of their habits at a young age during their formidable years

ive seen cesar milan do some shit to crazy dogs, and his method isnt rocket science at all and i have been able to use them in situations. Im not saying im a dog expert cuz i watch cesar milan, but i think its all common sense and that a dog can become what you make it.

your thoughts? I really want a pat

A bit of interesting dog news in SoCal last week:

Early reports told of how a man visiting Blue Jay campground in the Santa Ana Mountains was charged by mountain lion and probably would have been killed has his heroic dog not rushed in to the rescue. The dog required four hours of surgery afterward.

Later, however, rangers or wildlife officials (not sure which) investigating the matter came to a different conclusion. Instead of the noble dog saving his master, it seems the fool dog had attacked the mountain lion, which had merely been going about its business. Predictably, the dog got the worst of the exchange. The officials declined to hunt down the lion. I am rather surprised the dog wasn't killed and dragged off by the cat.

Mountain lions are purposeful creatures. If there are people around and they don't want to be bothered, they'll get out of the way in a hurry unless cubs are involved. If they're within close proximity of another animal, there is a solid chance that they're stalking instead. That guy is lucky, whether his dog started it or not.

Just saw this on Archival Clothing - training airedales for war service: http://archivalclothing.blogspot.com...airedales.html

My late friend Vicki Hearne once defined an airedale as "wirey coated pit bull that had learned discretion" (or at least something similar to that).

My pal of the pit bull/tiger bump got an airedale out of what were supposed to be good working/performance lines. He was somewhat disappointed in it--not a bad dog, but it didn't have the grit he wanted like his Fila de San Miguel.

I speak of performance lines, but I wonder what canine work functions 'dales are really first-choice for these days.

I may have exaggerated by calling Vicki Hearne a "friend," but I did have several lengthy phone conversations with her. She got in touch with me after I gave Bandit a favorable review in Handguns magazine, which I then edited. She struck me as one of those strange people who teeter on the borderline between genius and nuttiness. Interestingly, I only recently learned that my brother-in-law had known her back when she contributed occasional pieces to the L.A. Times, for which he works. He couldn't stand her: "She thought she could write," was his comment. I think he tends to have real problems with people more intelligent and talented than himself.


If we ever have a major earthquake in Long Beach, Eminent Dogs, Dangerous Men will, along with the works of Vicki Hearne be among the first to fall on me if I'm lying in bed. As I recall, McCaig's book was a gift from my mother a few years before she checked out. Most of the urban Border Collies I encounter seem to have kept all the hyper-ness but lost the sagacity and work function. Sad.

Any idea what breed the man's dog was.

I'm a complete neophyte, but it seems like the dog would have to be fairly big ( and/or totally nuts ) to attack a mountain lion.

It was never mentioned in any of the reports I saw, so I am surmising the dog might have been a mix.

A lot of small dogs have no idea of the limitations of their size. There were a couple of unfortunate incidents where small dogs got injured (none very seriously) when they hurled themselves at my Tosas. I would presume the dog in question must have been fair sized simply to have survived the scrap with the lion.