# Shocking Reaction from bella



## ILoveBella478 (Mar 13, 2015)

Well bella is 15 weeks old bella never really barked so I started to train her to bark on command and bark when someone is at my door or coming in my yard so yesterday me and bella was out in the yard last night just wondering I didn't have her on a leash my brother came home she knows my brother but his friends she don't know so when they approach she stood up and locked in on his friends I said "who is it" she gave a low bark" I said it again she did it again so they walk in my yard jokingly I said "get'em bella" but with a powerful voice and omg she went after them I was beyond shocked cause she never did anything like that and she went after them she didn't hurt them but she made sure they stop in their tracks before taking another step then came by my side I was little nervous but I had the "proud dad" feeling lol we all laughed it off cause bella is so friendly but I think her protective instincs are kicking in she not even done with her baby teeth yet


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## Jax08 (Feb 13, 2009)

I very much disagree. You are teaching her to be reactive, not "protective". Their "protective" instincts won't kick in until maturity. IMO, you shouldn't be teaching anything like this unless you have the obedience on her to control her actions and call her off. You are setting her up for a dog bite.


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## scarfish (Apr 9, 2013)

be careful what you wish for. our female is over-protective and it's more hassle than it's worth.


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## osito23 (Feb 17, 2014)

Jax08 said:


> I very much disagree. You are teaching her to be reactive, not "protective". Their "protective" instincts won't kick in until maturity. IMO, you shouldn't be teaching anything like this unless you have the obedience on her to control her actions and call her off. You are setting her up for a dog bite.


This! Your puppy is a baby. You should be giving her positive experiences and building her confidence. True protection comes from confidence, not insecurity.


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## Chip18 (Jan 11, 2014)

And we are off... You've successfully created a dog with a behaviour you can't control and now you have a puppy you don't know, which will lead to a dog you don't know! That is how people and dogs get bit! The foundation to becoming "I thought my dog was friendly" folk! The good news is...you recognized it real quick!
 



Here is a link that contains a lot of information you should know, some will apply, some won't but should "know" all of it! 

http://www.germanshepherds.com/forum/5296377-post8.html

I highly recommend "Who Pets my puppy or Dog" that is how you establish leadership with your dog and teach him how you "expect" him to behave!

Stay away from dog parks and "I thought my dog was friendly folks!" A bad encounter in ether of those situations will only make your job harder...just say no!

Puppy training classes and know safe dogs is the "proper/safe" way to socialize to other dogs! Not with random stray encounters with "strange" dogs that you will never see again and bad encounters that can give "you" and your dog/puppy

And train this The Place Command :
Why the “Place” Command is So Important and Your Dog Should Know It! : TheDogTrainingSecret.com
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OIGq_5r0DeE

And here and just because it "seems" simple...does not mean it has no value to your puppy!

Why the “Place” Command is So Important and Your Dog Should Know It! : TheDogTrainingSecret.com
Looks like this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W2WgOZUebnY

Another view on the basics...I never did the tether thing myself but solid info is here
Leerburg Dog Training | The Ground Work to Becoming Your Puppy's Pack Leader

Finally...don't use treats as bribes..."personal pet peeve of mine"...scroll down! Also more "puppy specific info can be found! 

Boxer Dog Training

Yeah it's kind of a lot but still,if you need help hire a trainer but still I say..."it's better to know it and not need it...then it is to need it and not know it!"


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## ILoveBella478 (Mar 13, 2015)

Wow wow wow don't judge me or my dog off one story bella hasn't gotten aggressive with anyone not even a dog we take her to a dog park almost every day where they're plenty of dogs and people and she loves all of them she loves kids she so nice anyone could walk up and take her she won't even think to bark or snap and if you followed me on the other social media website you would see tmy dog is very smart and is being trained well and she is very under control don't be so judgmental butt hurt people


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## ILoveBella478 (Mar 13, 2015)

Jax08 said:


> I very much disagree. You are teaching her to be reactive, not "protective". Their "protective" instincts won't kick in until maturity. IMO, you shouldn't be teaching anything like this unless you have the obedience on her to control her actions and call her off. You are setting her up for a dog bite.


I come from a family who has own german shepherded for generations german shepherds protective instincs can come into play at any given moment don't say just "maturity" all dogs have their own personality and since we got her at 9 weeks we taught her not to bite if she wanted to bite she had the opportunity last night but she doesn't bite **** she just started barking I have plenty of control of her the kids play football with her she knocks them down doesn't bite anybody can wrestle with her she doesn't bite unless it's another dog she's wrestling with


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## Chip18 (Jan 11, 2014)

Oh well we tried! Drop in on us in the !2 to 18 month range and give us an update! Since you know GSD's I'm sure you'll understand the reference.


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## ILoveBella478 (Mar 13, 2015)

Chip18 said:


> Oh well we tried! Drop in on us in the !2 to 18 month range and give us an update! Since you know GSD's I'm sure you'll understand the reference.


Definitely will hopefully one day we could post videos on here I would love to show off her skills  thanks for the advice though guys


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## Chip18 (Jan 11, 2014)

ILoveBella478 said:


> Definitely will hopefully one day we could post videos on here I would love to show off her skills  thanks for the advice though guys


Well...that's a bit different! 

You don't realize it..but you've "passed" the first "test!" Some of us tend to shake up a "newbie" and see how they respond! :blush:

Best way to shake out the ones that are not worth bothering with!

I tend to consolidate information and do information overload in an "attempt" to keep people from making the same basic mistakes!

Others that have seen the same situation created over and over again tend to address those straightaway! 

No shortage of folks that need and want help! Lots better to me then the "Boxer Boards" Boxers are my first love!

Where the top and only thread was finding a "Poop Clean up service" it was at the top for three days!!

Anyway welcome aboard! And yes post you dog, I never did videos myself but this site should work for you:

TinyPic - Free Image Hosting, Photo Sharing & Video Hosting


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## ILoveBella478 (Mar 13, 2015)

Chip18 said:


> ILoveBella478 said:
> 
> 
> > Definitely will hopefully one day we could post videos on here I would love to show off her skills
> ...



Lol well thank you since I got my puppy I've been on this site but I never signed up I finally decided to and I love it it's very helpful I can take hard criticism cause I know I'm not always right but any advice you have you guys are more than welcome to shoot it to me & here is bella


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## ILoveBella478 (Mar 13, 2015)

Her one more time


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## Chip18 (Jan 11, 2014)

She is a cutie! Luv the ears!


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## Sunflowers (Feb 17, 2012)

She is very pretty. I do agree that you shouldn't sic her on people.


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## Kahrg4 (Dec 19, 2012)

Chip18 said:


> Well...that's a bit different!
> 
> You don't realize it..but you've "passed" the first "test!" Some of us tend to shake up a "newbie" and see how they respond! :blush:


And some of us have never done this. It's generally a very friendly board. I will still agree with the others though; better safe than sorry. Probably shouldn't sic her on people.


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## BARBIElovesSAILOR (Aug 11, 2014)

Original poster (op)

What you did was irresponsible. You are lucky she didn't bite. I read all the posts you made and understand from your explanation she is well trained and friendly. That's great! But it was still VERY irresponsible. I am sure you love her and only want the best, and have taught her a million and one commands, but just imagine if she did bite them. She is trained not to bite you say? Just imagine then, what your friends must have been thinking. Sure they laughed it off later, but it's never fun to think you are about to get attacked by a dog. Because they are your or your brothers friends, of course they are going to laugh and say it's cool,they don't want to seem like wooses. In the future, save the attack command for controlled training sessions or for when you are actually in a life/death situation (I hope that never happens). People with gsd's have to realize even if we have e friendliest dog on the earth, we still have to treat them like we have a loaded weapon. We can't go waving them around to show off or for a good laugh. I used to have a dog that attacked someone, once. Luckily it wasn't life threatening injury, but bad nonetheless, and therefore I am very sensitive to people commanding their dogs to attack or sic them on people for fun.

With all that said, congrats on your new pup, welcome to the forum, sorry to harp on you a bit but I usually speak my mind. Just continue being conscious and responsible with your decisions as far as your pup, and I think if you can do that, you would make a great owner. And don't sic her on anyone anymore for fun! Okay that's all


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## ILoveBella478 (Mar 13, 2015)

BARBIElovesSAILOR said:


> Original poster (op)
> 
> What you did was irresponsible. You are lucky she didn't bite. I read all the post you made and understand from your explanation she is well trained and friendly. That's great! But it was still VERY irresponsible. I am sure you love her and only want the best, and have taught her a million and one commands, but just imagine if she did bite them. She is trained not to bite you say? Just imagine then, what your friends must have been thinking. Sure they laughed it off later, but it's never fun to think you are about to get attacked by a dog. Because they are your or your brothers friends, of course they are going to laugh and say it's cool,they don't want to seem like wooses. In the future, save the attack command for controlled training sessions or for when you are actually in a life/death situation (I hope that never happens). People with gsd's have to realize even if we have e friendliest dog on the earth, we still have to treat them like we have a loaded weapon. We can't go waving them around to show off or for a good laugh. I used to have a dog that attacked someone, once. Luckily it wasn't life threatening injury, but bad nonetheless, and therefore I am very sensitive to people commanding their dogs to attack or sic them on people for fun.
> 
> With all that said, congrats on your new pup, welcome to the forum, sorry to harp on you a bit but I usually speak my mind. Just continue being conscious and responsible with your decisions as far as your pup, and I think if you can do that, you would make a great owner. And don't sic her on anyone anymore for fun! Okay that's all



Your right I should just save that for control training it's just I didn't think she would do that it was a joke at first because bella is known to be very nice but she showed me another side and I'm glad everyone is speaking their mind I don't want you guys think I'm a meat head and want my dog attacking at any giving time no I'm all about peace  it was just a joke she's beyond friendly my brother was even shocked but yeah thanks for the advice it wasn't on purpose guys I promise


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## Chip18 (Jan 11, 2014)

ILoveBella478 said:


> Your right I should just save that for control training it's just I didn't think she would do that it was a joke at first because bella is known to be very nice but she showed me another side and I'm glad everyone is speaking their mind I don't want you guys think I'm a meat head and want my dog attacking at any giving time no I'm all about peace  it was just a joke she's beyond friendly my brother was even shocked but yeah thanks for the advice it wasn't on purpose guys I promise


See...I told you. 

It's all good...now we'll wait and see what "you say" when this comes up again!


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## selzer (May 7, 2005)

No dog is well-behaved at 15 weeks, nor protective. I agree with Jax that it would be more reactive than protective at that stage. Most of the people with a reactive dog call them protective, because when dogs are fearful and reacting, they do not always resemble a human description of fearfulness.

Be careful how you joke with your puppy and your friends. Puppies are little sponges, and when we think a behavior at 15 weeks is cute and we laugh about it, we can be setting our dog up to fail, because that behavior at 15 months can be downright dangerous. 

I would forget about this incident, not do anything of the sort again, and hope it didn't make a lasting impression to the puppy. At the dog park, of course your dog is happy with people and dogs. It should be at this age. But in a few weeks, some pups will start to become suspicious of strangers, or of certain circumstances. Good positive experiences through 16 weeks, through 20 weeks is really good. A bad experience could be really bad, though. Her puppy license is about to wear off, and you will find that some older dogs are going to be less tolerant of her puppy behaviors. The problem is not a correction from a seasoned dog park veteran that I worry about, but an ignorant owner bringing a dog that has no business being there, and there is really no way to completely avoid crazy. Crazy dog, may change the puppy you have in seconds. This is the reason most of us think dog parks are the worst idea of the modern era.


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## Stonevintage (Aug 26, 2014)

Chip18 said:


> Well...that's a bit different!
> 
> You don't realize it..but you've "passed" the first "test!" Some of us tend to shake up a "newbie" and see how they respond! :blush:
> 
> ...


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## ILoveBella478 (Mar 13, 2015)

selzer said:


> No dog is well-behaved at 15 weeks, nor protective. I agree with Jax that it would be more reactive than protective at that stage. Most of the people with a reactive dog call them protective, because when dogs are fearful and reacting, they do not always resemble a human description of fearfulness.
> 
> Be careful how you joke with your puppy and your friends. Puppies are little sponges, and when we think a behavior at 15 weeks is cute and we laugh about it, we can be setting our dog up to fail, because that behavior at 15 months can be downright dangerous.
> 
> I would forget about this incident, not do anything of the sort again, and hope it didn't make a lasting impression to the puppy. At the dog park, of course your dog is happy with people and dogs. It should be at this age. But in a few weeks, some pups will start to become suspicious of strangers, or of certain circumstances. Good positive experiences through 16 weeks, through 20 weeks is really good. A bad experience could be really bad, though. Her puppy license is about to wear off, and you will find that some older dogs are going to be less tolerant of her puppy behaviors. The problem is not a correction from a seasoned dog park veteran that I worry about, but an ignorant owner bringing a dog that has no business being there, and there is really no way to completely avoid crazy. Crazy dog, may change the puppy you have in seconds. This is the reason most of us think dog parks are the worst idea of the modern era.



How could you say no dog at 15 weeks is not well behave ??? Or protective ??? Every dog is different that I don't agree with


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## selzer (May 7, 2005)

Stonevintage said:


> Chip18 said:
> 
> 
> > Well...that's a bit different!
> ...


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## joneser (Jun 9, 2014)

Perhaps another way to say it, is that a 15 week old pup is not predictable. She hasn't been in the myriad of different situations that she'll need to be in for you to be able to predict or project how she will respond. Just like a toddler, they're impulsive and rebellious, meaning you can't trust her 100% yet. The people posting these things aren't trying to make absolute predictions about your puppy; they're pointing out, based on their experiences, how many dogs are labeled "so nice, never had to worry about them biting anyone" and then "out of the blue" something goes wrong. There have been at least 2-3 recent threads of people being bitten by their own dogs with no warning. People are just trying to help...


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## selzer (May 7, 2005)

ILoveBella478 said:


> How could you say no dog at 15 weeks is not well behave ??? Or protective ??? Every dog is different that I don't agree with


I am sorry, I meant well-trained. 15 week old puppies aren't well-trained. They are puppies. And I think we get ourselves and our dogs in to trouble by trying to push them too fast into perfect training. But I disagree with you about protective. Baby puppies are not protective. They can be defensive if they feel something is trying to kill them, they might try to protect themselves, but they should never be put in that position. In the wild a dog would live with its dam for a year or more. And puppies are not naturally protective and the dam will protect her puppies long after 8 weeks.

This is the whole problem with your post. Your puppy at this age should be seeing you as the great protector. They should feel confidence that you will protect them. Not the other way around. Generally a dog that does not trust the owner, and is put in a roll it is not ready for is going to make some bad choices.


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## llombardo (Dec 11, 2011)

ILoveBella478 said:


> How could you say no dog at 15 weeks is not well behave ??? Or protective ??? Every dog is different that I don't agree with


I kinda agree. I've had lots of dogs, several pups. None of mine have ever been land sharks or destructive. Apollo is about 6 months now and I will say he is very well behaved. He has never spent the night in a crate without issue since day 1(I have never experienced that with any pups), he chills out and settles nicely. He hasn't chewed anything or destroyed anything either. The worst thing he did was throw up in the car and he grew out of that. I will also say he has more of a GSD temperament then my other ones early on. He is alert and he watches. I do think I have to stay on top of him to make sure he doesn't switch gears or becomes to big for his own good, he has no fear.


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## ILoveBella478 (Mar 13, 2015)

llombardo said:


> ILoveBella478 said:
> 
> 
> > How could you say no dog at 15 weeks is not well behave ??? Or protective ??? Every dog is different that I don't agree with
> ...


Sounds like bella she's naturally good like that the breeder I got her from said her mom was the same way


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## ILoveBella478 (Mar 13, 2015)

joneser said:


> Perhaps another way to say it, is that a 15 week old pup is not predictable. She hasn't been in the myriad of different situations that she'll need to be in for you to be able to predict or project how she will respond. Just like a toddler, they're impulsive and rebellious, meaning you can't trust her 100% yet. The people posting these things aren't trying to make absolute predictions about your puppy; they're pointing out, based on their experiences, how many dogs are labeled "so nice, never had to worry about them biting anyone" and then "out of the blue" something goes wrong. There have been at least 2-3 recent threads of people being bitten by their own dogs with no warning. People are just trying to help...


I can totally see where you're coming from


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## llombardo (Dec 11, 2011)

ILoveBella478 said:


> Sounds like bella she's naturally good like that the breeder I got her from said her mom was the same way


But it's rare. I can't say any of mine were really bad, but my female was a shock to my system. Once I got on board and got myself familiar with what they need, it was smooth sailing. I don't know where any of mine come from. They could have the worse parents around and I wouldn't have a clue.


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## Stonevintage (Aug 26, 2014)

selzer said:


> Stonevintage said:
> 
> 
> > There are all kinds of writing styles, personalities, humor here. I appreciate the way Chip said what he did, "you passed the test."
> ...


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## Lykoz (Dec 6, 2014)

I think people need to relax a bit. Dog just got exited at new people. I think the actual commands had more effect on her brothers friends getting nervous and running making the dog excited than the actual dog. 

People are acting like the dog was trained to attack in some way..

Dog just needs to work a bit on socialization around new people. 
Problem with dog parks is the dogs are not really being socialized correctly... They go there to play with other dogs.. Devoid of other dogs... The dog may have seen the new people as his play thing. They have no social rank in the household.. And them panicking and running just got the dog even more excited.


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## Gwenhwyfair (Jul 27, 2010)

Stonevintage said:


> And that's the only problem with this site. It may be "fun" on your end but it has cost this site a lot of good members. People do not post here for you to "toy" with. There are people from all walks of life that post here and they are asking for help. It would be nice to communicate with them in a way that does not cause new posters to think of this site as a bad joke.




I'm still trying to figure how to socialize my breed standard slanted back showline hamster.

You're funny. Yeah, you dish it out to us oldies here and I was nice to you the first couple of times I responded to you on this forum too and you blew it off. Ah well.

:shrug:


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## Stonevintage (Aug 26, 2014)

Gwenhwyfair said:


> I'm still trying to figure how to socialize my breed standard slanted back showline hamster.
> 
> You're funny. Yeah, you dish it out to us oldies here and I was nice to you the first couple of times I responded to you on this forum too. Ah well.
> 
> :shrug:


You've always been nice to me as far as I know, and very helpful too. Your comments are good examples of people communicating in a way that gets the point conveyed without getting hostile.


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## Gwenhwyfair (Jul 27, 2010)

LOL!

Sue, the soul of wit. 

See, that is what being a book worm and reading Shakespeare will do for you.

:thumbup:



selzer said:


> When you find the perfect site, though, don't join it, because then it won't be perfect anymore.


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## Gwenhwyfair (Jul 27, 2010)

Well my friend, ya got me there. . 



Stonevintage said:


> You've always been nice to me as far as I know, and very helpful too. Your comments are good examples of people communicating in a way that gets the point conveyed without getting hostile.


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## Gwenhwyfair (Jul 27, 2010)

Sorry ILoveBella, a little off track!

Your pup is adorable and I'm glad you came here for advice and got what you needed so I will just add....

Welcome to the site!


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## Stonevintage (Aug 26, 2014)

Gwenhwyfair said:


> Well my friend, ya got me there. .


There are a very, very few that I am addressing my comments to. Chip's comment seemed to be a good lead in to the more serious aspect of his observation. I know that topics here can become heated because of the passion that people have for the breed and just plain human nature. My comments are only directed to the way that Newbies can be treated sometimes by a very few.


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## Chip18 (Jan 11, 2014)

And "I" get single out for being "the " big meanie??? I merely "stated the obvious"
...as I tend to do! 

There is a deep void between "Yank and Crank" and "Clicker and Cookies" most folks don't get that! Off hand reference to the "Boxer Forums" two days the top post was on "Finding a Poop Clean Up Service!!" 


But I digress ,this should be "pertinent to the dog under discussion:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8bg_gGguwzg


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## Gwenhwyfair (Jul 27, 2010)

Actually, I was run through the wringer with my first couple of posts and then some too. I was trying to make a joke, self deprecating one I might add, boy oh boy a couple of people gave me all kinds of grief. I didn't expect it, really took me by surprise.

I've also made some of the same incorrect statements that other newbies make and was quickly told how wrong I was. This has happened to you a few times as well. There are some myths which consistently clash with truth. Those myths will get slapped down. 

I'll give an example of one myth that we see fairly often (you've not posted this btw, it's just a common example); "Working line GSDs do NOT get hip dysplasia". That is completely false. What will happen is someone will come here and state that as fact. Even our experienced WL breeders will often jump in and say NOT true.

Then the poster who made the statement will react one of two ways: 1) he/she will learn and accept this information 2) he/she will become defensive because he/she now feels embarrassed and insecure about the lack of knowledge. 

My strategy on this site is to stay out of topics** unless I have some really solid information, sources to back me up. I don't get into pedigrees or indepth conformation discussions. I follow them and learn though. 

Then there are the topics that are more moral or broad ranging in nature. Such as the are dog parks a good thing or bad thing. Most of us have thoughts and experiences we can share and plenty of grey area. 

IMO this site has overall become a kinder gentler site but it's not ever going to be like a 'support' site, you know? If you say something which is fundamentally incorrect, you WILL be corrected. Those who can't handle that, will leave. 

The seed bed of knowledge is humility. eace: 


(**that's not to say I don't trip myself up, I do, but far less often then in the past.  )




Stonevintage said:


> There are a very, very few that I am addressing my comments to. Chip's comment seemed to be a good lead in to the more serious aspect of his observation. I know that topics here can become heated because of the passion that people have for the breed and just plain human nature. My comments are only directed to the way that Newbies can be treated sometimes by a very few.


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