Teddy Talk: Creating, Collecting, Connecting

she's soo gorgeous!! :clap:  :clap:       

thank you for all that info Tammy! You're a star   :photo:

gorgeous Kay, always the sweetest!      

thanks Tammy! I googled it too never knew so much info was on google. Great photos by the way I'll take some pics outside too and use different backgrounds and do you know what I actually figured out today?! How to use not just the macro but super macro! after all this time!! I never knew it took such good shots so close. I'm pretty excited myself :dance:

great job!       she's perfect and your first elephant too!

Thanks Tammy! I've had this camera for about 1.5 years and I'm still playing around

I have a Canon Power shot S15lS , anyhow, I looked in all the advanced info and can't seem to find how to take the picture with the background blurred out?? any one have any ideas? thanks!

ADORABLE!! Love him!    

thanks so much Elaine and Lesley! :hug:  :hug:

He is handsome!     and is he a little mad at you for taking his picture?

she looks gorgeous Melissa!    

I love this bunny! so sweet!      

many thanks for the tip Krista!

fantastic!! :clap:  :clap:     

thanks Christine!

thank you! great to know. I have had an airbrush for over a year and have never really used it

thank you Melisa! :hug:  :hug:

from Sassy's Fabrics in white, Tyber brand [ I think ] European synthetic, can you airbrush this stuff??

Thanks for the info and links Tracy! I will check them out. You must have a mighty large dog there! I have had a dog before but she was only 50lbs. at her heaviest and she was not a terrible puller. I know of one person who had a trainer that used the prong for his 4 month old Bernese and at first I was thinking wow that's young but after realizing how big and strong they get just at 9 months and will only get stronger I can maybe see why that trainer was correcting the behaviour before this pup got too big. As long as it's used correctly, no harm done. A person can harm a dog with any collar really if abused. Soo true with the question and answer about the Martingale! It's like I'm just using her normal collar and she could care less

Cyndee- she does have tons of personality! never a boring moment. She is so pretty and especially kids want to pet her and say "I like your dog" and I start thinking maybe if they had her for a few days they might change their mind a little She loves other dogs and people and she's even starting to like TALL men They say there's 3 kinds of Bernese 1. The laid back lazy kind 2. Timid and shy 3. happy go lucky kind with energy. Not in those exact words but you get the idea. I would say she's number 3 the most with just a touch of the others.

Linda- If the prong works best for her and me that's the important thing. If I don't start getting a better vibe with this trainer I will drop out and find another, maybe one on one would be better but I do want her around other dogs. She also told us that she will smack any hands if she catches us wrapping the leash around our hand since it's supposed to be held with the loop through the thumb along the palm of the hand, geesh! Makes us feel like children and we are all older than her except one girl

that's too funny about the dog, you, and the chain I know the Bernese where bred to haul carts up the Swiss Alps and to herd. Dakota herds the cats when she can catch them in one spot and I swear she's a bird dog! I have never heard of the Bernese retrieving birds but this dog is consumed by them. She watches the birds in the trees constantly and chases them when she can, she trips over her own feet when we walk because she has to look in the sky when she hears the geese, and her favourite toy is this big honking chicken and she also lifts one paw off the ground when she's sniffing like she's spotting or pointing? She's supposed to be a purebred Berner

Alison, she will be 10 months old on the 12th. She's the biggest one there, the Lab is pretty close but she's fairly chubby at 2 years old, this lab is soo hyper I can't understand why she is overweight but anyways the Lab and Dakota are the most energetic but Dakota pulls the worst.
I started training her myself and she already knew sit, stay, down, come and no bugging but she has a hard time controlling her excitement around other dogs and people even though she plays with 2 buddies, so I'm mainly doing this for more socializing skills other than that I don't think I would be taking her and I already paid the $200.00! She can't really play with her friends lately because they play too hard and her ligament is torn but right now she's not limping at all so I've been taking her on longer walks to for more slower paced exercise that's why it's so important to me that she behaves on walks.
She took me down in the middle of winter on a icy sidewalk [too bad not everyone shovels] and I would really love to take her to see my dad in the home he is in and we have no clue how much longer he has but she has to be well behaved. He has a stomach bag so there can't be any jumping going on! The prong keeps her focused and she has way better manners and I know as times goes on I can phase out that collar.

Daphne- she doesn't really look at me like "who are you to think your my boss" she really looks at me in utter confusion with the head tilt

Wow such great tips and advice everyone! I thought I would be bashed for using the prong but seriously it seems to be the only thing that helps and she would get excited when I took out the prong for a walk?? obviously it's not hurting her. I tried the halti and was raving about it until one day when going for a walk another dog came from across the street to greet her and went totally wild with excitement and managed to flip the whole thing off her head!
The first day of training when she was telling and showing us the collar to use I mentioned the that I had a prong on Dakota a she said " I never use that on a puppy and I didn't even know she had one on!" and she didn't know because of all of her fur covering it and I should of never mentioned it but Dakota was way more behaved until I switched collars. Yesterday she pulled me so hard around the room you would think the trainer would have noticed and I am so sore today! even my butt muscles
I have read too that Martingales are usually used on dogs with longer thinner necks and that are great escape artists.
I am really finding with her that she needs very firm and lots of praise training. This trainer kind of comes off as a snob and if you don't do something right she makes you feel embarrassed and like scolds you like you felt in elementary school :redface: maybe it's me since I'm "sensitive" but my daughter got the same vibe from her and she was just watching and the teacher always has a favourite right? and that would be this 6 month old Golden named Harley and Harley, Dakota, and this chocolate lab named Katie are the crazy kids in class :crackup: The trainer was friendlier yesterday however so maybe she comes off that way when first meeting her.
Dakota is only going to beef up and get stronger so I think I will put the prong back on her and the trainer won't even know.

Kelly Dean - Sorry about your eye!! Your dogs sure look sweet and obedient in the picture!

I also have to say while I was growing up we didn't even use leashes or collars for that matter. I don't know how my mom ever did it and she doesn't either, they just respected her. My mom was also way more calmer with dogs than us kids I tried doing some Dog Whisperer techniques and Dakota looks at me totally confused?

the collar looks like a regular collar but has a loop made out of same fabric or from chain and when you pull on the collar it tightens. I'll try to post a pic of it. You use a choke chain? I think it's the same as a slip chain. Treats are good in the beginning but after about a half hour into the class she's bored of them and sits and won't do NOTHING except lay on her back and roll around with the leash in her mouth I hate to say it but the pinch collar worked really well for her attention and for distractions but this trainer will not let anyone in the class use this collar on a 9 month old pup even though she is big and mighty strong. I do also know that alot of trainers do use the pinch on a large breed as long as their not aggressive and Dakota is definately not aggressive. She takes advantage that she's stronger than me and the arthritis in my hands is getting worse

Hello, well Dakota started her training and the trainer wants everyone to use these types of collars, to tell you the truth... this collar does NOTHING for Dakota! The pulling is just insane! I am so hoping with the training that she will eventually learn not to pull and lunge. I never knew how much hard work going to "school" would be for me too and all the things I have to remember for at home for practice too! where's my memory? I think I might have to start writing things down