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Post by jenandkids on Mar 18, 2011 14:51:32 GMT -5
When the girls play with the puppy, Camo, they hiss alot. Is this okay? He will start playing with Mimi and she'll start hissing and it looks like she's trying to play too but I don't know. She will back away from him but she's not all puffed up or anything. There's also some dooking involved and she usually wins by biting him on the lip and making him cry. They never scream out or act scared. Mimi starts it sometimes and they run around together until Cam catches her and drags her by her tail then she hisses and bites his lip and it all starts over.
I'll post a video later for a better description. But is it okay to let them play like this? Is Cam hurting them? It seems to me like he gets the worse end of the deal, am I wrong?
He'll be about 40lbs when he grows up and I'm getting really scared lately that he might accidentally hurt/kill them. He's close to 15-20lbs now so what do you think?
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Post by Heather on Mar 18, 2011 15:10:18 GMT -5
Having or allowing a dog to play with ferrets isn't really a good idea. No, the hissing is all in play but my concern is the same as yours....a dog could easily injure a ferret by stepping on them or picking them up and shaking them. There might never be any harm intended, it's all a game but harm happens and it happens so fast you won't be able to stop it. I don't allow my dog to play with the ferrets even if he does want to and he's very gentle with them. It's my personal opinion but dogs and ferrets may work together but they should never play together. Ferrets don't know fear and dogs sometimes don't understand their own size and strength. You're going to hear conflicting information here, so you will have to form your own opinion. We did have a member on board who lost their fuzz to their dog. I believe that they were playmates and they were supervised at the time. It takes only a fraction of a second, far faster than you can move. Good luck, your fuzzies hissing is all in fun ciao
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Post by Deleted on Mar 18, 2011 15:29:55 GMT -5
Hissing is just fine - all my girls hiss when playing.
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Post by miamiferret2 on Mar 18, 2011 16:26:01 GMT -5
I never let my dog and ferret play together. my dog is very sweet but all it takes is one second and its all over for your ferret. ferrets are just magnets for dangerous situations. they are so small but think that they are invincible. my ferret will harass the dog. he runs up to him, chases him. this freaks my dog out. so that is why i can't let them be around eachother. i once heard of a german shepherd that killed a ferret because the ferret was getting close to his food bowl while the dog was eating. and this dog was apparently friends with this ferret.
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Post by jenandkids on Mar 18, 2011 16:45:27 GMT -5
Well now I'm really scared. He only gets to play with them between the hours of 10pm to 2-3am as he's outside the rest of the time. I don't know how I can separate them as I don't want him sleeping all night outside and we only have one room to keep him in. I can't keep the girls caged up the whole time either. It wouldn't be fair. That's when they are the most playful. I could try keeping him on the chain outside but he'll whine the whole time and I can't let him free roam when I'm not out there. We live in the woods pretty much so dangerous animals everywhere. I'm really just at a loss. He's easy to train so maybe I could train him to leave the girls alone but that won't stop them from trying to play with him. And since he's still a puppy he'll get excited and... Ugh. If anyone has any ideas please help.
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Post by Heather on Mar 18, 2011 17:31:27 GMT -5
I trained my guy to leave the ferrets alone. The command..."No Touch" or "Leave it". My dog is with the ferrets all the time. He just knows he's not allowed to play with the ferrets. There is no need for you to put him outside or to tie him up....positive training, with treats.. My dog will get up and leave when the ferrets come around to play. I didn't mean you to ostracize the poor sod I just meant for you not to let them play together ;D. ciao
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Post by joan on Mar 18, 2011 18:12:32 GMT -5
Why is he outside on a chain except for a few hours? That's no life for a dog...he needs to be inside with his family or else why have a dog? Sorry if this comes across as harsh, but it really makes me angry to think of a dog kept outside and chained almost all the time.
If the idea is to keep him away from the ferrets, then get a KennelAire crate. The ferrets can't get in that, and he can be free in the house when they're caged.
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Post by Sherry on Mar 18, 2011 19:02:45 GMT -5
A kennelaire cage? Can you post the link for that Joan?
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Post by miamiferret2 on Mar 18, 2011 21:12:09 GMT -5
Eh, dont worry too much. We're giving you a only few bad examples. You know your dog and ferrets. I know people that have ferrets and dogs together. For me, I can't put them together because my dog has a very strong herding instinct and my ferret thinks he is "Billy Bad-butt" so he'll get in my dog's face and try to bite the dog. That is not fair to my poor dog. And try teaching this ferret not to attack the dog....yeah right! I think the point is, you should never leave them alone together and supervise them while they are around eachother. In the county where we live it is illegal to tether your dog. You will get a major ticket if they find that your dog is chained up!
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Post by joan on Mar 18, 2011 21:13:44 GMT -5
I used the wrong word...it should have been "crate," rather than "cage." I've had ferrets too long. Here you go: www.kennel-aire.com/Pages/wirekennels.htmThey sure have changed since I last bought one more than 20 years ago, but the Black professional one comes the closest to the ones I used to have. They were the only crates that a Basenji couldn't escape or take apart. I'm very glad that it's illegal to chain dogs where I live, too, as I consider it cruel and abusive...and no different than caging a ferret in a small cage without ever letting it out.
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Post by Heather on Mar 18, 2011 21:24:23 GMT -5
Those are the same type of crates that I've used for years. Mine's folded up in the basement right now. I used them as a method to assist "potty training" the puppy. ciao
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Post by Sherry on Mar 18, 2011 21:44:29 GMT -5
We used the "furrarri" type of kennel for ours. Worked like a charm while we used it. Til a friend borrowed it, and broke one of the release catches
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Post by jenandkids on Mar 18, 2011 22:10:22 GMT -5
No we just let him run around out side free roam. If we tied him out he'd whine the whole time. And when it gets dark he gets put on the inlaws porch until I get cleaning done at night then he comes inside.
Well I'll try training them to leave each other alone first and try another method if that doesn't work.
Of course I don't believe in tying up dogs all day. If Cam runs up the dirt road toward the actual road then he gets put on a twenty foot cord for about two minutes as time out. I've only had to do that once and he's never went up the road again. I know from experience what caging/tying up a dog all day does to them. My brother used to fight dogs before he went to jail. I used to go to his house and let the tamer dogs go. I couldn't let the others go because they were blood thirsty. It nearly broke my heart.
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Post by joan on Mar 18, 2011 22:18:14 GMT -5
He should be in a fenced yard when he's outside...free roaming dogs tend to have a very short life.
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Post by Sherry on Mar 18, 2011 22:27:27 GMT -5
Just out of curiosity- are you in the country side, or in a small town, city? I find that makes a real difference in the attitudes concerning dogs, etc. I was raised on a farm. All dogs and cats were "free roam". I now live in a city, and my cats are never out unless they are older, and we are with them, or on a halter/leash. Our dogs went out ONLY into a fenced yard, or on leashed walks. The reason I'm asking is the fact that even today( I was raised almost 50 years ago with this mentality, so I know where a farm family is coming from), in the country side, or in small towns, most dogs/cats are still free roam. This is not going to change, no matter the risks. So- no sense in any bashing because of it. If someone learns a different method from here, it's all to the good, because I've seen far too many dogs and cats "coyotied" than I care to.
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