Oh, clm, I'm not attacking you! I was making some fun, and I'm sorry you thought I was attacking you, not my intent! Yes, you would need to prune away any dead wood, that is always a good idea as it can be a source for insects and infection to gain entry. But it's not necessary to prune very young citrus if they're a bit uneven. And, as John has mentioned, the Improved Meyer lemon's natural growth habit is more bush-like, so I would allow it to do what it wants to do, naturally. Now, all that being said, you can prune for shape, and even what I would call "severe" shape with espaliering of citrus. Lemons and limes actually do well with this, and the Bearss lime has sort of a natural "espalier" type of lateral, 2-dimensional growth habit to start with. So, if you're so inclined, and would like to try your hand at espaliering a citrus tree, pick up a Bearss lime tree that hopefully is already displaying some of the 2-dimensional lateral branching, and prune to espalier. Beyond this type of "ultra-pruning", it really isn't necessary to prune young citrus. I let mine grow for a bit to see it they can recover their shape themselves, then, if they are really, really lopsided, I'll either pull a branch down mechanically, so that it runs parallel to the ground to stimulate new apical branching (think of a climbing rose - you want the canes to run horizontally, parallel to the ground, so that new nodes are stimualated to act as apical nodes, and sprout new growth and flowers), or resort to some minimal pruning. Almost all plants will respond in this manner, and you can force new apical node growth from the nodes along that branch, and voila! New growth. No need to nick or cut the tree (which damages the tree, and you always run the risk, then of a portal of entry for diseases and insects). Remember, citrus are tip producers, so if you prune too much, you're going to prune away your flowers and then your fruit. Okay, some before and after photos of a couple of poor citrus trees I had ordered, and could not pick up for a couple of weeks. Had someone holding them for me, who forgot to water them. They were in very bad shape when I finally got my hands on them. Yes, I did prune out dead wood, but that's all I did for these two trees, and they needed every leaf they had, even if they were leaves on their way out (dying). These two little trees needed as much ability to generate energy as possible, until they could recover and produce a new flush of leaves. They both were rather rare varieties, so I was determined to save them, as they were very hard to get. First series of photos is my Chironja orangelo, before and after: And after (about 2 years, now). There is enough canopy growth to now support some fruit (as you can see): And, my little Ortanique tangor, which has a more weeping structure, sort of like a Satsuma mandarin. It was in very sad shape as well, I thought I was going to lose this little tree. I think it had maybe 10 leaves on it, and was all bent over sideways. I just allowed that branch to stay horizontal, as I knew it would create those apical nodes to wake up, and send out new branches. It did in a huge way. It, too, now has fruit that I'm letting stay to maturity. This series of photos is from the start, 1 year later, then just today, almost 2 years, now: Patty S.

Carol, it's so wonderful seeing you back at our Gallery! We miss your sunshiney presence I've been noticing wonderful sweet Debbie/Dovesong, has very occasionally posted too. I'm hoping that your roses flourishing will help keep you at the Gallery! Boxo came back so that I can happily stalk his Garden to my heart's content, lol!.... Carol, I hope your Lincoln is continuing to do well. Mine are 10' awkward giants, yeeeeeeks! Speaking about all our Rosie friends who inspire us, my Folklore and Broceliande was because of Markiz, Distant Drums was a gift from Jim, I got Compassion and Viking Queen because of Florence, I got Purple Beauty, Coronado, Typhoo Tea because of Beth, I got Marchesa Boccella because of Krista! :D HarmonyP and Carol, yes, Border Collies are sooo graceful and smart and beautiful the way they work sooo hard and want to please their owner. They always want to be by your side accompanying you, and in their eyes you are the Shepherd and they need to be told what next new goal to accomplish.... And oh, that intelligence is just amazing. HarmonyP, yes, the debate against Border Collie pet breeding is a very! serious issue, and yes, I do think it's appropriate to get on a soap box about this. BCs should never ever be bred save to breed for that intelligence, that keenness and sensitivity and love for work and never, ever! for looks or prettiness. Owning a B.C. comes with a heavy load of responsibility and dedication. They are not! a hobby or just-for-fun dog. Carol, many females have better biddability and are easier and faster to train because of this sensitivity factor; whereas sometimes! males because of their huge strength and size just become too independent-minded and on their-own-track of thought. I will ask my friend Pam which ones win more at trials-- male or female. She attends lots and lots of trials since it is her profession. Hehe, here are my final sets of photos, Rosie friends! Troika HT: Viking Queen Climber: Don Juan Climber: Royal Sunset Climber: And some new companion planting photos: As you can tell from Little E's photo, it's really hot in Kansas!!!

It's wonderful that you're thinking things through ahead of time and great that you plan to adopt a shelter dog who needs a home. Even if you have never trained a dog before, you can learn. The obedience classes are for YOU the owner, and that's where YOU will learn to train your pup. The real training of the pup happens at your home one step at a time. Don't feel that because you have never had a dog before you are less capable than others to train your dog. You are in fact in a BETTER position because you don't know the ineffective or damaging ways to train your pup...and can instead learn and implement the most effective ways to train. Many folks believe that because they grew up with dogs they know everything there is to know about dogs and they don't keep up with new findings on the most effective ways to train. That's why we still see folks who advocate cumpulsive training methods instead of positive and motivational training. Please avoid so-called 'puppy camps.' You need to be involved in the training, and will have no idea what methods will be used when you leave. The shock collars and negative methods will come out as soon as you leave. Why else would they not want you around? Plus you want your dog to bond with you and learn together. Training isn't a two week thing, it's a lifestyle. Most dogs thrive with ongoing training. GOOD trainers know that they are training YOU not the dog, that training continues for the life of the dog, and that you must be involved and working with the dog or any training they've done won't last. Short cuts used at these puppy camps can traumatize the dog and affect learning and confidence or even damage the dog. Here's a link to the most recent article I've seen on this type of trainer: http://www.kcra.com/r-video/26395882/detail.html Please keep learning and reading. I've attached a link to the APDT site which has a lot of good info on training, including the reasons why food based positive training is most effective. There's also information on selecting a trainer. Remember that anyone can call themselves a trainer, so be sure to check credentials, and look for CPDT and APTD certified. Observe a class before you sign up and run the other way if you see pictures of shock collars and prong collars on any trainers website. These are damaging tools, and there are so many skilled trainers out there who really do know how to train without use pain as a motivator. Here is a link that might be useful: APTD

I don't think the girl is from He**@#$! or is a witch. Something similar happens to me when I walk my dogs. Here's how it happens. I walk my dogs daily. DAILY. All dogs need formal e-x-e-r-c-i-s-e. I take different routes around my neighborhood. BUT one of my dogs is young (I rescued her), and although sweet and well-mannered most of the time, will become uncontrollable when dogs behind fences rush the fence and start barking at her. If I want to train her not to do that, I MUST train her at the precise time that that is happening....which means stopping at the fence with the barking dogs. (I don't always use stopping as a training method...I also try just pulling her along, ignoring her, but that doesn't seem to work well.) My guess is that that is the cause of the training at that spot. It is that YOUR dogs are causing a problem to passersby. Now, it is understandable that dogs inside fences will rush the fence and bark (not all do, but a lot of them do). But it is ALSO understandable that in order to train the dog on the street not to react the same way, the dog owner has to deal with the problem right then, right there. There is no other way. You mention the early time of morning and how all the noise is a disruption. But it is your dogs that seem to be causing the noise and the disruption. She is merely walking by. She probably quits running shortly before your house and starts walking because she has learned from prior incidents that her dog will pull her, and she needs to be more in control and not running. There are things you can do to try to contain your dogs barking problems, though. Simple things. They will still bark, of course. That's what dogs do. But if no one tells them NOT to rush the fence and bark at passing dogs, they don't know that you don't want them to do that, right? I put a couple of pennies in a plastic 16-oz soda bottle with cap on, and when I hear mine bark too loudly or too long, I open the door and call out "quiet!" (always use the same word, and accompany it iwth a hand signal inside; I hold the index finger straight up while saying "quiet", then I move the finger to my mouth, as if I were saying "shush"). You can't use the hand signal when they're in the backyard, so I call out "Quiet!" and shake the plastic bottle with pennies. It is somewhat loud, and catches their attention. It breaks their barking pattern, and they are usu. quieter afterwards, even if they don't stop barking totally. The girl's dog sounds like he has an aggression/wary of strangers issue. Hence the sign on her door about making eye contact with the dog. One of my dogs is the same way. She is sooooo sweet and loveable and obedient. She likes people and other dogs. BUT...she becomes almost uncontrollable when dogs rush fences and bark at her, AND she will growl at people if they make direct eye contact with her. In the dog world, eye contact is a form of confrontation, I have read. You say the girl passes by every day, and my neighbors with barking dogs in their yards would probably say that I do, too. But I don't. The reality is...most people rarely take the exact same path when they go on their daily walks. I would bet you see her often, but that she takes different routes. And like I say, she stops at your house because your dogs cause an issue that interferes with their outing, and she has to address it at the time it happens. A thought on your dogs barking too much: Dogs bark less when they are tired. Do you provide regular, formal exercise for your dogs? When I skip a few days of walking my dogs, their barking in the yard increases, as does their activity level. They are more wired, less relaxed, more into finding entertainment. After we go on a long walk, they are more relaxed, bark less, play less, and they fall asleep early that night. Tired dogs are good dogs! That's all. It's no big deal, really. If that's the worst you have in your life, you lead a charmed life.