Hi, I'm Emma.

[luckypenny]

I think it may be a problem reading them. I don't know (this is where the behaviorist will certainly come in handy). Perhaps she was taken away from her mother and pack mates a bit early? I'm confident she'll catch on eventually though. Aidan was taken away from his litter too young and he was an excellent student here so I'm sure that Emma will catch on soon enough. I'm just a worrywart I guess .

[Frenchy]

Originally Posted by hazelrunpack

That vibrating collar sounds ideal!

omg she's going to wrap a vibrator on Emma's collar ?

[luckypenny]

Originally Posted by Frenchy

omg she's going to wrap a vibrator on Emma's collar ?

Actually, we're going to use the motor of a remote control car, but hey , that might work too. I'm serious .

[Frenchy]

Originally Posted by luckypenny

Actually, we're going to use the motor of a remote control car, but hey , that might work too. I'm serious .

It would work but you would become very popular on your walks in the neighborhood

[14+kitties]

OMG!! I open this thread to read up on how Emma is doing and I get to read about attaching vibrators to her neck! What is this world coming to?

I love the pic of her and Lucky. Lucky always looks so happy.

[Frenchy]

Originally Posted by 14+kitties

and I get to read about attaching vibrators to her neck! What is this world coming to?

I know ! LP has weird ideas sometimes , but her heart is in the right place.

[luckypenny]

Originally Posted by Frenchy

It would work but you would become very popular on your walks in the neighborhood

Silly girl, we'd have to remove the motor from it . Now that you have me thinking about it...it might actually be easier than with a toy car. Do they sell remote control vibrators??? I really wouldn't know about these things . I can just see myself going into one of those shops and asking for a vibrator...for my dog .



Oh my goodness, I must be getting really tired now .

[allymack]

Originally Posted by luckypenny

Thanks Allymack. It's not so much the 'training,' I'm starting to become a pro at that , but helping her to read other dogs' signals. And also to help me with my dogs when she can't read them. I'm not always so sure how to help in such a situation other than having to remove her from it. My dogs would not hurt her but I can't say the same for other dogs. I just need to learn how to teach her what they mean so she doesn't have to encounter another negative experience involving dogs.

I'm really tired. Am I making sense ?

ahh ok, and yes that made sense, i think if you let her meet with other dogs that you are 100% positive will react friendly and grett properly, she should pick up on proper body language quite quickly!

Originally Posted by luckypenny

Silly girl, we'd have to remove the motor from it . Now that you have me thinking about it...it might actually be easier than with a toy car. Do they sell remote control vibrators??? I really wouldn't know about these things . I can just see myself going into one of those shops and asking for a vibrator...for my dog .

.

Gee wouldnt that be a conversation starter with that worker...So, Ahem, i am looking for a vibrator.....for my dog..the worker would be so weirded out

[hazelrunpack]

Maybe you should just get a pager for her collar and put her on speed dial on your phone.

I know that some electronic training collars have a vibration function along with the shock function (which you wouldn't use, of course) but they tend to be heavy and expensive things....

[Chaser]

It really doesn't take long for the most well-intentioned threads on here to turn dirty.

[luckypenny]

Originally Posted by hazelrunpack

Maybe you should just get a pager for her collar and put her on speed dial on your phone.

I know that some electronic training collars have a vibration function along with the shock function (which you wouldn't use, of course) but they tend to be heavy and expensive things....

There's another great idea I didn't think about Hazelrunpack. I did look into the commercially available collars but the thought of accidentally shocking her scares the wits out of me . Some prices I saw were 150-500$ and I did notice that most were heavy. There's a great website, deafdogs.org , that lists the different makes and models available. That's where I got the idea of a homemade collar as well.

Originally Posted by Chase_Mom

It really doesn't take long for the most well-intentioned threads on here to turn dirty.

Notice how Frenchy always posts in these threads ? I wonder if there's a correlation?

[growler~GateKeeper]

Originally Posted by growler

We've seen her alone, and with Penny...now we need pics of Emma & Lucky and Emma & Ava and more Emma alone

Okay so we got the Lucky & Emma pics so cute, love the 2nd one , now we need Ava & Emma

Originally Posted by luckypenny

After some of the of research I've managed thus far, I discovered that dogs can actually be part albino. Those that are, are often affected with hearing impairments. However, Gwen's (BHRR) Mudslide is also hearing impaired and she's a Blue/Merle/Brindle (?). So I guess that deafness isn't only particular to all white dogs .

Oh I know it can afflict any dog any colour most people think only white with blue eyes, I just wanted to point out the possibility with Emma that it might be genetic & not as a result of the attack. I wonder if she either didn't hear the dog approach or din't hear the warning growls/sounds of the dog that attacked

Some deaf dogs are only deaf in one ear but can hear with the other, of course which side of the dog you are on will impact how well they hear. You mention she can hear some tones, when you are testing her reactions to sound try to see if she can hear better in one ear over the other, that should help with training - trying to make sure you are on the side she can hear from etc....

[ancientgirl]

Originally Posted by luckypenny

Because they're full, or classes only start back up mid-August or September after the summer holidays, or that they don't have the resources to work with a hearing impaired dog...all sorts of reasons...I'm guilty of wondering if some that I spoke with were just looking for excuses .

It's excuses like that and people like that, who don't even want to try that put dogs like Emma in a situation where they are euthanized. People think they can't be trained and what not, because they don't want to be bothered to try. Then you wind up with a dog that's grown and unsocialized.

Thanks to you she's at least going to have a chance.

[Frenchy]

Originally Posted by luckypenny

Do they sell remote control vibrators???

Yes they do and really , I ONLY KNOW THIS BECAUSE : I watch Sex In The City and Kim Catrall had one in a episode and put it beside a baby that wouldn't stop crying and ... it did with the vibrator by his side

[rainbow]

Originally Posted by luckypenny

Notice how Frenchy always posts in these threads ? I wonder if there's a correlation?

Yep....Frenchy is










The pics of Emma and Lucky are so sweet.

The vibrating collar is a great idea and to Pitgrrl for offering her help to make one.

[Frenchy]

Originally Posted by luckypenny

Notice how Frenchy always posts in these threads ? I wonder if there's a correlation?

Originally Posted by rainbow

Yep....Frenchy is

ahem , exsqueeze me but I post in almost ALL the threads

[luckypenny]

Originally Posted by growler

Okay so we got the Lucky & Emma pics so cute, love the 2nd one , now we need Ava & Emma

Haven't had a chance to get one of Ava and Emma together yet, but I think I did better . How about all of them?



Penny-girl looks a little upset because I wouldn't let her roll on the pillows .

Here's another of Ava and Lucky with Emma looking on. I just love that crazed look in Lucky's eyes .

[Frenchy]

Originally Posted by luckypenny

I just love that crazed look in Lucky's eyes .

You go Lucky boy ! I like how Emma is looking at them , like she wants in

[luckypenny]

And, of course, more of Emma and Penny . The two of them are inseparable .




Here's an example of what Penny and Emma do for hours at a time. Penny will always play with puppies using her toys or getting them to chase her but, Emma is the very first who's allowed wrestle and jump all over her.

[Frenchy]

Penny is such a good girl , she's Emma favorite toy

[luckypenny]

I think it's the other way around. You should see Emma light up when she sees Penny. She does this little dance and rooroos and then bounces all over her .

[14+kitties]

Wow!! Quite the wrestling match! I got to watch half of it before my silly wireless fizzled. Who won?
I love all of them on the bed together. They look so proud of themselves. Emma is so lucky to have Penny to play with all day. I bet they all sleep like logs at night!!

[allymack]

i love the picture of all of them on the bed and emma really does look liek she wants in on playing with ava and lucky

[Chaser]

Oh they're all so cute! But I have to say I especially love Penny What a sweetheart for being so tolerant and playful!

[growler~GateKeeper]

awwww 4 pups on the bed that made my day

The Ava, Lucky & Emma pic you can just hear Emma thinking "okay, that's how to get the upper paw w/Lucky - put your foot on his head"

Penny is such a sweetie w/Emma - so gentle

[hazelrunpack]

They all look so darn good together on the bed, LP! And playing... I love how Penny lets Emma roll her in the yard! Penny is such a good Auntie.

[chico2]

L-P,that video is great,what a little fireball Emma isand Penny seems to enjoy every minute..adorable

[BMDLuver]

The folks who do system fencing out in Rigaud may have a vibrating collar so I'll call them and see what I can do for one. I know their rep and he's a dog trainer and rescue friendly so give me a day or two to sort it out.

LP rocks when it comes to fostering and Emma's a very lucky little girl to have someone care for her so deeply. As usual, she'll get the best of care and socialisation from LP. Emma broke my heart when I first saw her and she deserves to have a happy life now.

[Chris21711]

She is beautiful BMDLuver, Kudos to you for rescueing her and Kudos to LP for giving her a great home to blossom in

[BHRR]

LP,

"Albino's" do not exist in the GD world. Per JP Yousha(much better explained that a long Gwennie Novel) ; "Albino Series – is not recorded in the Great Dane. It is found in such breeds as the Doberman, where it causes some problems, and in the German Shepherd, where is it disqualified under the standard, and in some other breeds, where – in a modified form – it is allowed. In many breeds there are "cream" dogs who have genes in this series without health problems."

As for Mudslide, she is a blue brindle(visual) and carries the merle gene(hidden) which can cause hearing impairments and/or deafness or sight impairments and/or blindness. However; it is believed that her limited hearing loss is from neurological impairment and not as any 'double' merle gene result though. She was premature and I know that she had quite the fight to survive. I have known many Merle coloured GD's that have also had hearing impairment and not only have seen this in predominantly white or light marked Harle GD's. I have also met quite a few white/blue eye GD's that have had no hearing/visual problems at all.

"Merle is a pattern of coloring observed in the coat of the domestic dog and is characterized by patches of diluted pigment. This trait is inherited in an autosomal, incompletely dominant fashion. Dogs heterozygous or homozygous for the merle locus exhibit a wide range of auditory and ophthalmologic abnormalities, which are similar to those observed for the human auditory–pigmentation disorder Waardenburg syndrome."

Research "will be useful in many way, not only so-called "cryptic" merles (dogs who are merles but don't look it), but for telling if our "merles" are heterozygous or homozygous, and finding out the same answer......"

"Merling is the only known dog gene for color associated with defects in the dog."

http://www.gdca.org/health/merlegene.htm

"2) Recessive Spotting White – is found in many, many breeds. In some, like the Dalmatian, deafness can be part of the loss of pigment, as can blue eyes. In dogs who have more pigment these recessive genes don't cause any trouble. Our Mantle pattern results from such recessive genes. Piebald Danes can have blue eyes and could in theory be deaf, although most have dark caps of color on their heads and have brown eyes, so are not in danger of deafness as a rule.

3) Dominant Spotting White – or merle genes – are not commonly found in many dogs or dog breeds, as merle to merle breedings produce dogs with defects, so the color (and these breedings) are generally avoided. Harlequin (and merle, white, merlikin) Great Danes carry merle genes. Dogs with merle genes who are predominately white, who have blue eyes, who lack color on the head, especially around the ears and eyes, can and do suffer both hearing and sight defects. But blue eyes are NOT directly correlated to deafness. Rather lack of pigment can give a dog a blue eye and a chance of ear and eye defects. So the two traits, deafness and blue eyes DO travel together, but not all blue eyed Danes are deaf."

"Note that merle is unique in that it is considered both a pigment AND pattern locus-as a gene it affects both at once. And it's worth repeating that pigment is not merely decorative; pigment has structural and protective functions, and pigment cells have other duties beyond color. The predominance of white is a gross lack of pigment. Dysfunction of pigment and pigment cells can have far reaching effects: not all colors and patterns are therefore born equal."

"In the homozygote ("double") merle, white in the coat typically predominates and sensory defects are normally found, but the dog is NOT usually all white and not necessarily obviously deaf or blind."

"Merle is a complex phenomenon and still incompletely understood. The subject of "cryptic" merles (dogs that produce merle but don't appear to be merles) is still being investigated, as is the "flip side" of that coin..."

"That said most mismarks in the Great Dane are the result of two carriers producing a recessive color trait. The more dominant the color and pattern a dog has, the more recessives that can hide there; black pigment can hide any number of dilutes and solid coats can hide any number of patterns. mismarks result from careless breeding, although careless breedings produce a lot of dogs who do not fit the standard, in color as in other traits.

"For most mismarks found in our litters, be it piebald or blue brindle, maskless fawns or some disqualifying dilute, the take-home message is "it takes two to tango:" i.e. both parents are carriers. Carriers can remain unseen for 3 generations or 30. So a blue fawn pup from two standard fawn parents or a fawn pup from a Harlequin breeding can happen without mixed color pedigrees or bad breeders being the issue. It's simply a matter of recessives carried along--sight unseen. "

Therefore, one can also see reputable/quality GD Breeders also having mismarks appear!

Originally Posted by luckypenny

After some of the of research I've managed thus far, I discovered that dogs can actually be part albino. Those that are, are often affected with hearing impairments. However, Gwen's (BHRR) Mudslide is also hearing impaired and she's a Blue/Merle/Brindle (?). So I guess that deafness isn't only particular to all white dogs .