Hi!! I'm granma_ota. I'm 51 years old. You could say I have a massive love for dogs. I have 6. All rescues. The oldest is 13 years; the youngest is 6 months. In order by age, we have:
Suki - black lab/chow chow mix. Best dog I've ever owned. 13 years old and has cancer. Have had her since she was 7 weeks old. Found in a box in an alley.
Cubby - red heeler/German Shepherd (we think?) Abandoned in shopping center at 3 days old. Got when he was 1 year old. He was skittish and afraid of everything and liked to nip at heels. Now he is happy, calmer (I don't think he will ever outgrow ALL the nervousness), doesn't nip anymore and is the guardian of the house. Have had him for 4 years. Don't even have to worry about the chickens being around him -- he just protects them.
Abraham - full-blooded Doberman Pinscher. Thinks he is a lap dog. Stands 32" at the shoulder. Found abandoned by the side of the road at 6 months and taken to pound. I've had him for almost 3 years. Had a mouthing problem (what puppy doesn't?), but, of course, has mostly outgrown it. Sometimes, when playing, he forgets that my skin won't take it like Coco's (his best friend) will. I just stop playing with him and turn my back on him. Not a great guard dog unless you count him guarding me against the squirrel in the tree in the back yard. :P
Maggie - black lab/? (Small for a lab.) Found abandoned and starving at 5 months. Was taken to the pound. She was so weak, the other dogs would not let her eat. Could see every rib, hip bones, and shoulder bones. She's the little princess. She's a lot like a cat. She reminds me of the baby dinosaur on that dinosaur show a few years back: "I'm the baby. Gotta love me!" Have a problem with her stealing food from the garbage so I hafta remember to keep the lid on it.
Have had her almost 3 years.
Coco - full-blooded chocolate lab. Found abandoned and taken to pound. No one claimed and no one wanted her, so the day she was scheduled to be euthanized, Debbie called me and I went and got her. Someone took the time to train her for retreiving. She's a wonderful bird dog. When my chickens get out, she will chase them down and hold them for me without harming them. She's about 2 years old.
Molly - black lab/australian shepherd mix. Owners claimed she was untrainable and were going to take her to the pound. She has food aggression and wouldn't let their other dog eat. Have had her three days and she's walking on a leash, sits and lays down on command. Still having issues with the potty training. {Oh yeah, she's 6 months old and not potty trained yet.} No problem. I can train any dog. She's been attached to my waist by a thin rope attached to her choker chain during the day.
{Before a big hullabaloo about the choker chain, I only use it for training. I never leave it on unless I am there to supervise. I never "pop" or choke a dog with it. But, when a young pup that starts to pull and fight against a choker chain, they quickly learn that it hurts them and they stop. As long as they are old enough, they won't hurt themselves irreperably. When they get to the point of not fighting it, I put a regular collar on them.}
I do not crate train -- I think it is cruel that people leave them in those things for hours. It can't be good for the dog's bladders. I know
I can't hold it that long.
ops:
My dogs have a HUGE (about 1/2 of an acre) fenced-in back yard with doggie door access to the house. Then that yard is inside the fencing that goes around my 5 acres. I, also, have chickens, geese, turkeys and guinea hens running the property, and hope soon to have goats.
(For those with land, nothing is better for keeping down insect population - especially ticks - than guinea hens. Also good at sounding the alarm for danger. As long as you give them water and a safe place to roost, they take care of themselves.)
My dogs are shot, FrontLine'd, chipped, and fixed. Well fed and healthy. (Well, except for Suki's cancer.
) They sleep with me, watch TV with me, guard me and love me. What more can anyone ask?
Well, that's my crew.
Another Newbie 
I've been watching my dogs with her -- watching their body language and observing their behaviour with her. One thing I've noticed is that when she does something bad and I tell her "NO!", the dog closest to her will jump up and cover her neck with their mouth and force her to the ground. They never hurt her, but they are teaching her what it means when that sound comes out of my mouth. 
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