Honestly, the one time I can be 100% sure he'll be quiet is when he's on sheep. I'm the jackass in the field without a clue.

LOL, just let the dog do its thing. He is a border collie and this should come instinctively to him http://www.pitbull-chat.com/images/smilies/smile.png

That's basically what I do. Well, I make him do what his trainer yells at me to do, like if he gets in too close or something. If we're doing something new, his trainer does the handling.

The vet who neutered him gave me a big lecture on how it's dangerous to do with pet dogs. He's never been hurt working sheep. Meanwhile, I once had a ram somehow get him horn stuck in a belt loop on my jeans. This resulted in my tiny little self being dragged a bit while yelling "motherf**ker" and beating the thing with the stock stick.

Dumb line of the evening
 

"Yo, she's not a pit bull, she like a boxer or something, pit bulls are big and thick, yo."

But in any case, Sinead earned me a free beer tonight (I had her at an outdoor bar with me). This one guy and his son were totally enamored with her so they bought me a drink. She just laid under my stool perfect and greeted everybody who came up to her with love.

My "boxer or something:"

http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j3...858_389139.jpg

LOL nice boxer, it is so great to see a boxer without an underbite http://www.pitbull-chat.com/images/smilies/smile.png

*sarcasm*

Great looking apbt though http://www.pitbull-chat.com/images/smilies/smile.png

Thanks, the same guy told me he liked the "blue" ones, and that I should get her tail docked so it wouldn't be crooked. I just told him she broke it a long time ago and I thought it gave her some character. A couple friends also suggested I dock her tail, but I just can't see putting a grown dog through that pain just for looks. Plus, I think it adds to her charm.

A lot of people tend to dock their tails if they are a bit longer than normal, this is known as a "gay tail." The gay tail is considered a fault in most registries, but it should be noted that this is all just conformation. The apbt is not meant to be a showdog and there have been many gr. ch.'s and ch.'s with crooked legs, long tails, bob tails, etc. Don't sweat the minor aesthetics LOL.

Yeah, I don't worry about that with dogs at all. I just like good dogs that can do whatever I want them to do. I have some pretty major issues with conformation showing.

And you might be interested in this one book, it's basically focused on working border collies, but it touches on other breeds...it's called "The Dog Wars" by Donald McCaig. It talks all about how the AKC ruins dog breeds basically.

I like her tail. Yay for free drinks! I can't wait until Puck stops being such a spaz and I can take him out with me and actually talk to people while he lays semi still...If that ever happens. Big if...

Haha yeah...very nice boxer ya go there http://www.pitbull-chat.com/images/smilies/wink.png
LOL, seriously she is beautiful!

Well, I've had Mick (my Border Collie) since five months, and I still don't think he could've handled tonight. Sinead is just calm as hell and loves everybody.

There was even a wedding party going on and she just laid under the table. And she put up with one of my "black belt brothers" yelling at her to sit. It was pretty funny when one of the other guys there was like "yeah, you're not the dog whisperer, you're the dog yeller."

---------- Post added at 11:11 PM ---------- Previous post was at 11:10 PM ----------

Thanks, she's my baby. http://www.pitbull-chat.com/images/smilies/smile.png

I'll look into that book, but all you really need is to look at the american german shepherds LOL.

Don't even get me started on them. It was pretty funny actually, because when my mother was looking to get another GSD, I told her to go for Schutzhund lines. She blew me off and came back a month later like, "yeah, my vet told me the exact same thing."

Her GSD can be a wimp, due to my mom's babying, but she steps up when needed, like when she treed a bear. I just get frustrated because my mother honestly does not understand dog behavior and thinks my Border Collie is "mean and unsocilized" becuase he fought her dog over a frisbee. She doesn't get that stuff like that is part of a dog just being a dog.

LOL, well GSDs like all dogs, including apbts, are really sensitive towards humans. I can get my dog to off another dog just by yelling at him, though a break stick is still carried and I'd prefer to not have this happen again. Too many people with dogs off leash and the owners don't realize that their dogs can easily jump over a 4 foot fence. Twice I've had a dog jump over my fence, one of which was my neighbor's mutt. Because of this, I can't even put my dog outside on his chain spot while unsupervised. It sucks to have to crate him for 4 hours a day, but that is what was mandated in court. "my dog climbed the fence to play with your dog and your dog attacked my dog!!!!" is what they actually told me, but they don't understand dog behavior. Their dog was baring teeth and was barking aggressively, but because his tail is wagging, they think it is play.

Yeah, I can call Mick off by yelling at him, too. Unfortunately, my mom's GSD doesn't respond to that. Neither dog was seriously injured, just a tiny bit of blood on both sides. My mom's dog was fine until she went all "oh my poor puppy." Mick was like, "alright, I'm ready for some more frisbee" right afterwards.

I haven't had to do that with Sinead, but I really ought to get a break stick in case something happens.

There's been a few times when people thought Mick was being friendly because his tail was wagging...um..hackles up, teeth bared, that's not a friendly tail.

Yeah, the hackles and teeth is generally a warning sign. I haven't seen many apbts show hackles or raise their teeth, they just normally lunge and snap. They also occassionally let out a whelp and growl due to seriously wanting to be in contact with the other dog.

I've never seen Sinead do that, but Mick's the Border Collie, and he'll do the full hackles/snarling thing at dogs walking past the house.

LOL, typical Border Collie behavior. They are herding breeds afterall and some amateur border collies will bark and snarl to round up the herd.

People have NO CLUE what a 'pit bull' looks like. People compliment me all the time because Socrates "looks just like a pit bull should but he's small". Now, while I think my dog is absolutely adorable and love his looks, he is far from a looking "just how a pit bull should". Since he has a broad chest and a massive head people think he is perfect. He also weighs 65 lbs. Just the other night I was talking to a friend about this...I told him he has no idea what an APBT should look like. I proved it to him by pulling up some BEAUTIFUL dogs and he said they were all too tall and skinny. Sometimes I will see dogs and say "OMG what a gorgeous APBT" and someone with me will say "he doesn't even look like a 'pit bull'".

'm guessing your dog is an ambully. To be honest, most people think the ambully is the definition of the apbt, while the real deal is in front of their faces and they deem it a pug, beagle, lab, whippet, etc. mix.