I Just Solved all the DK Problems!!

[Laurie, Fudge, and Vern]

Today on my walk with the dogs I was thinking about the past couple of weeks on DK and a few things that have been bothering me.  I think I have come up with a fair solution and a way to make things better.  One of the biggest complaints on DK is the number of times repeat questions are asked in the open forum, instead of using the search engine to see if we have discussed the topic before.  It gets tiresome to see the same questions over and over and makes some of us grumpy.  It is also not fair that the same people have to answer the same questions over and over again and then get to hear that they were not nice enough or welcoming.  Well, on my walk today I figured out that we should have different members assigned to different areas of expertise and they field those questions.  Now mind you, there may be room for improvement on some of what gets assigned to whom, but I figured we could work on this group together and get the list down pat.  So far, this is what I have come up with.

 

• Dog Food -any questions about dog food, we know who the go to gal is for that and it would have to be Karen, however since there are a ton of questions per day about this subject, she needs help.  F, we miss your hokums, and this is where you are going to be invaluable.  If you see any questions on food that you know do not make sense, we need you to issue one of your hokums with the corresponding graphic. 

Please find a way to do this nicely and if you need an assistant Hokumer, please feel free to pick anyone but me, because I am far too busy.

• Graphics & Innovative Comments – This is a no brainer, because nobody wastes more time does this better than Sheila (and Finnley) with her different colored fonts, squiggles, funny faces, and blinking things, than our own Sheila. Sheila, if you see a question about how to do comments like yours and I doubt you ever will, please handle that question.
• Where do you find a good breeder of Mini Great Daihuahuas? – Another no brainer, because Allyson (Peri) has a Chihuahua and has just had a baby, so she can explain breeding these two dogs,

making birth look something like this: 

Allyson, thank you for your help.

• Apple Cider Vinegar questions - I want to do my part and I know I speak for Ricki (and Tara) when I say she will help me, so we will handle all of these questions.  I would like to clarify that F once told me I had to stick my head in a bucket of ACV for a couple of minutes in order to help with wrinkles, and I am sure that is not correct because I tried it and I still have wrinkles.  If that is your question, don’t listen to F.  I might need some help with some questions, but I should be able to Google it and get the right answers, since everything you read on the Internet is factual.  Ricki, Could you handle any pH questions, since I flunked Acronyms in college?  I once answered, “not right now, but what have you heard?” to someone when they wrote GAS to me, which I found out later means Got a Second?
• Can my dog and I enjoy a morning cup of coffee together, y’all? -  Doris, please don’t post these kinds of questions.  We have told you a hundred times the answer is NO!
• Training Questions - I could field some of these questions, but then we are going to have to form more new groups called Why Did I Listen to the Dog Yeller? and Who Wants my Untrained Doodle?, so I feel that all the good trainers in the Training group need to get into a sit/stay and put their heads together and divvy up questions.  If you think you are a good trainer, ask yourself this one question, do you get up in the middle of the night with your dog and reward this annoying behavior with a treat?  If the answer is YES, please give yourself a verbal correction and do not respond to training questions.
• Grooming Questions - We have some great groomers on DK.  We could have a designated groomer in each city nationwide and if your Doodle ever looks like this 

or you admit publicly you do not have a Les Poochs brush or they simply don’t like your question, the designated groomer from your area is dispatched immediately to confiscate your dog help.

• Coat Questions – It seems as if every day someone wants to know the coat type of their dog or puppy.  Please refer them to this diagram.

• Puppy Questions – Puppy behaviors seem to be the biggest surprise to new owners.  I feel we need two responders for these questions and they should be a Good Cop/Bad Cop combination.  The good cop can ooh and aah over the puppy and refer the poster to the Puppy Group, while giving them lots of hope that it gets better.  The bad cop can chime in with the information that ALL puppies bite, pee, bite, poop, bite, misbehave, bite, chew, bite, destroy, bite, nip, and bite, so the poster can realize that they are not in the process of raising a Cujo.  On second thought, the bad cop should probably respond first.
• Photography - Questions about photography should be referred to the Photography group and let the knowledgeable people in that group field these questions.  However, if the questions are, “How do I change lenses on my Polaroid Instamatic Camera?” or “Where can I find flashbulbs for this camera?”

please refer them to our new senior group called, “Newfangled Electronics are Killing me,” led by my mother.

• Pet Insurance - We need to send Flo on the Progressive commercials a Doodle, so she can join DK and field all of these questions.
• Neutering Your Dog – Our go to gal for this question should be Joanne (& Spud) because she spends a lot of time talking about Spud’s balls and photographing them.

• Becoming a Back Yard Breeder – Easy peasy.  We need to form a committee led by our own gun toting, Jane (Rooney & Stuart).   When this question comes up, we will simply ask the poster to meet the group up at the nearest Animal Shelter.  Please remind the poster to look for the group wearing masks, carrying billy clubs and bolas, and holding a sign that says,  “we neuter idiots for free!”
• Multiple Dudes Doods – anyone involved in a threesome or more should answer.
• Working Dog Owners – Lisa (and Daisy) should answer these questions because no one spends more time commenting on every discussion while telling us she misses everything because she works full time.  Hopefully, she has a list of tips she can share with other diligent workers about how she gets away with this at work manages her time.
• Downton Abbey, PBS Shows, Big Words that Nobody Understands, Hoisted by your own Petard Problems, Lost Comment Complaints, Science Crap Questions– Not everything is about dogs on DK and from time to time we have posters that hijack discussions about these non-related to dog issues.  If you don’t know the initial of the person who should answer these questions, (and allow me to channel this person), you are not very perspicacious.

 

I have given this my best shot, and I could go on and on, but I never like to overstay my welcome.  In conclusion, let’s see a show of hands from everyone that would like an eject button for any member that gets on our nerves.  For example, if someone posts a picture repeatedly after being asked to stop, a tribal council would meet to decide if they might vote that person off DK.  The only thing that could save them is if they have an immunity necklace photo shopped on a picture by their daughter. 

Any other suggestions are welcome unless of course, you disagree with me and then please say nothing.

[Laurie, Fudge, and Vern]

Nancy, Thank you!! I am glad you enjoyed this post. I will have to ponder a shedding coat :) The poop questions are still up for grabs, if you are interested. LOL

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

Nope, my guys have good poop. I would tell questioners - feed them good and they will poop good.  Simple and uncomplicated, but perhaps not detailed enough for a discussion post..... :-}

[Laurie, Fudge, and Vern]

Yep, I would tell them the same thing! Poop is one thing my dogs are great at :)

[J]

I am a newbie here and you have made my day. I can't remember when I laughed so hard ( don't feel too,too flattered, I have a small life....), and my DH came into see why, which set him to laughing. Thanks for that. But I do have some questions for you. Do you know the names of any breeders who combine the Great Dane and chi's? Too tempting to pass up. And where can I get a body like the bikini girl? I once had one eons ago, but seem to have misplaced it somewhere!!!!

I'm sure I will have other questions along the way, but on a serious note, when searching for past discussions,it is not always easy to find the topic you are interested in. I love this site and the knowledge it gives me, but it is not always an easy one to navigate. I think the longer you use a site and when navigating becomes second nature, people tend to forget how it was when they were new. If a topic is written over and over, consider directing the writer exactly how to get to the original discussion. I just read a post re 2 goldendoodles where a responder mentioned a blog post she had written about 2, and suggested the OP read it. I would have liked to read it, but wasn't sure where her blog post was.

Having said that, as we wait for our first doodle, this site is a wonderful place and I am thrilled it is a viable, friendly one.

[Laurie, Fudge, and Vern]

Thanks, J. Well, all I can say about that bikini bod is you have to have a daughter who knows how to use photoshop and not be afraid to use threats to make her help you out :)  LOL  I pray there is no breeder mixing those breeds.....dear lord :)

The search button can be hard to navigate and confusing and sometimes, you just have to ask. I wish I could remember what someone said recently about the way they search. Maybe through Google and then by entering DoodleKisses and the topic. If I can find it (LOL) I will try to link it. Most of the time, if we have discussed it before,  the links for some previous discussions are often given to the poster. We all know it can be confusing, but that doesn't stop me from poking fun ever.

P.S. One way to find that discussion about the two goldendoodles is to go to the responder's page and look at her blogs.

P.S.S. Welcome and enjoy the site. How exciting to be waiting for your puppy. If you need help, just ask.

[J]

Thanks for the welcome and the advice. The waiting is horrible, I think I went through 9 month pregnancies faster, but the end will be worth it! We might go with an older girl rather than a puppy, but we'll see. In the meantime, I am loving this site.

[Laurie, Fudge, and Vern]

It will be fun to see what you end up getting :) I remember that wait, too.

[F, Calla & Luca]

It was Jane, of Guinness etc. I think I think she googles the topic and adds the word DoodleKisses at the end. Maybe she'll chime in.

[Laurie, Fudge, and Vern]

Thanks, F. I remembered it was Jane, but have no idea what discussion, but you are right in how she does it...that is the way I remembered it, too.  Hey, I found the discussion and what Jane said.

Permalink Reply by Jane, Guinness and Murphy on January 16, 2013 at 4:47am

When we teach our "newbies" to search, the way I've found to be the best is to go right to Google and type in the subject AND Doodle Kisses.  For example, housebreaking and Doodle Kisses.  I always get the prior posts on the subject quickly using this method.  It seems like lots of our newer folks struggle with how to search effectively.

This discussion:

http://www.doodlekisses.com/forum/topics/how-can-we-better-help-new...

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

When we teach our "newbies" to search, the way I've found to be the best is to go right to Google and type in the subject AND Doodle Kisses.  For example, housebreaking and Doodle Kisses.  I always get the prior posts on the subject quickly using this method.  It seems like lots of our newer folks struggle with how to search effectively.

This discussion:

http://www.doodlekisses.com/forum/topics/how-can-we-better-help-new...

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

J, I have a terrible time finding past discussions that might answer a really specific question.  I am just not good at that.  However, if you don't have a narrow question, past discussions can be very informative.

[Laurie, Fudge, and Vern]

Here is one old discussion that might help navigate DK.

http://www.doodlekisses.com/forum/topics/got-questions-about-how-to-do

Wa-la...I found the old search discussion. See what can happen when your dog gets you up in the middle of the night. Here is what was said.

Permalink Reply by Jane, Guinness and Murphy on January 16, 2013 at 4:47am

When we teach our "newbies" to search, the way I've found to be the best is to go right to Google and type in the subject AND Doodle Kisses.  For example, housebreaking and Doodle Kisses.  I always get the prior posts on the subject quickly using this method.  It seems like lots of our newer folks struggle with how to search effectively.

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

When we teach our "newbies" to search, the way I've found to be the best is to go right to Google and type in the subject AND Doodle Kisses.  For example, housebreaking and Doodle Kisses.  I always get the prior posts on the subject quickly using this method.  It seems like lots of our newer folks struggle with how to search effectively.

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

I will try this  next time, Jane.