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a life less posted:I don't think a vet visit would be in order. Sometimes puppies spook. My 3 month old puppy did not much care for walks either. That's about the time they can enter into their first fear stage too. He doesn't really engage in much outside of the house. He's been playing fine in the backyard, but once we get out of the gate he just freezes and tries to go up the front steps  I'm taking him to my parents' place today so he can play with their dog, maybe that'll help him reset a little bit if it was the barky dogs that scared him. 
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Aug 10, 2012 17:09
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Thanks for the advice! I love intelligent and energetic dogs like border collies, we used to walk a neigbours'. We certainly plan to take the dog along for jogging/cycling. But yeah, he/she also has to live in an apartment. We'll go check some shelters and see. Could be dangerous though 
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Aug 10, 2012 17:13
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I figure this is as good a place to ask for advice as any... This stray recently started living with us, so we're feeding him and sort of slowly taking him in. (I live in the US midwest, in the country, so he would probably have dehydrated a long time ago without us around). He's cute, extremely smart, and a very, very passive dog, who has clearly been trained at some point. He has fleas, and probably ticks, and my parents absolutely won't touch him until I've cleaned him up, and gotten rid of the infestation, so I bought some flea and tick shampoo ( as well as puppy shampoo), but the poor thing can't handle getting wet for some reason, and won't go within two feet of any running water source. I have no idea what to do because I've never owned a dog, and at that, I'm a cat person, so I'm sort of lost on how you acclimate a dog to... Anything, really. I can't force it on him, because he acts like he's been abused, and I don't want to beat him down any further. Help me, dog goons. 
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Aug 10, 2012 17:27
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Starship Arcadia posted:I figure this is as good a place to ask for advice as any... This stray recently started living with us, so we're feeding him and sort of slowly taking him in. (I live in the US midwest, in the country, so he would probably have dehydrated a long time ago without us around). He's cute, extremely smart, and a very, very passive dog, who has clearly been trained at some point. Are there any clean ponds or streams or even a kiddy pool available? Getting him used to water = fun might be a good first step toward bath-time, I would not recommend trying to use hoses etc on him until you're sure that he trusts you and won't panic and snap at you while trying to wash him, etc.
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Aug 10, 2012 17:31
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coyo7e posted:Start with a flea collar and brush his coat regularly, I hate flea collars but they do work pretty well to deal with a really infested animal. This is completely 100% wrong. Flea collars not only don't work but they are dangerous to use. Do not follow this. Control F "flea" in the OP until you get to a section linking the old flea megathread. There is a google docs link right next to it, it has everything you need for treatment of the pet and your house. Start with flea drops, call your vet's office and ask what they recommend (this varies by area because of immunity), they really don't cost much and do what they're meant to do. e: Tick collars on the other hand are fine and help keep ticks away better than most drops on their own, they're best for animals that are regularly going out in the woods and such, not so much treating an infestation. Ticks you're going to have to work to carefully manually remove once they're already on the dog. Kerfuffle fucked around with this message at 18:13 on Aug 10, 2012 |
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Aug 10, 2012 18:07
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uptown posted:He doesn't really engage in much outside of the house. He's been playing fine in the backyard, but once we get out of the gate he just freezes and tries to go up the front steps I don't think off-leash playing with another dog is going to generalize to "don't be fearful on leash walks" at this point, even if the dogs barking was the precipitating event for the fear. Not that it's a bad idea to get him out and playing with your parents' dog at all, but I don't think that it will help the leash problem.
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Aug 10, 2012 18:40
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Topoisomerase posted:I don't think off-leash playing with another dog is going to generalize to "don't be fearful on leash walks" at this point, even if the dogs barking was the precipitating event for the fear. This is true, many dogs that have problems on leash don't have the same problems off leash and one can't be fixed doing the other. uptown, if the dogs get along though (or even if they don't), you can take this opportunity to take them for walks together and do parallel and opposition walking where you teach your dog that walking time means calm, ignore-the-other-dog time. They can be rewarded with play time after a nice walk, but during a walk, they have to pay attention to you (work on things like eye contact) and walk nice. Just be careful because if one dog is spooky, the other dog can feed off of that.
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Aug 10, 2012 19:07
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Thanks for the advice, guys. I'll try the parallel/opposition walking ASAP - Some stuff just came up though, my boyfriend's greyhound (who I lived with for 2+ years) was just diagnosed with cancer today so... awesome.
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Aug 10, 2012 20:12
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Starship Arcadia posted:I figure this is as good a place to ask for advice as any... This stray recently started living with us, so we're feeding him and sort of slowly taking him in. (I live in the US midwest, in the country, so he would probably have dehydrated a long time ago without us around). He's cute, extremely smart, and a very, very passive dog, who has clearly been trained at some point. Kerfuffle's flea advice is good. In regards to the water issues, you'll want to counter-condition the water experience. Find something he really, really likes and give it to him near a kiddie pool filled with water or a hose. Start far away and move gradually closer. If it were me, I'd start with ice-cubes as lots of dogs love them. You can make some awesome home made dog treat ice cubes too, made from chicken broth or something. Just get an old school ice cube tray, pour in broth, saran-wrap if necessary and put in freezer. Toss these in the pool and let him go bobbing for chicken cubes.
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Aug 10, 2012 21:26
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Kerfuffle posted:This is completely 100% wrong. Thankfully I forgot to grab the collar on the way home today, then.  I've got a friend who told me about the drops, so they've been on the list anyway, I thought they were just preventative, good to know they'll help actually get rid of the drat things. And yeah, I should've done more than just skim the OP, sorry about that.MrFurious posted:You can make some awesome home made dog treat ice cubes too, made from chicken broth or something. Sweet jesus this is brilliant why didn't i think of this
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Aug 11, 2012 04:03
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uptown posted:He doesn't really engage in much outside of the house. He's been playing fine in the backyard, but once we get out of the gate he just freezes and tries to go up the front steps Update: I tried luring with treats, but they just aren't a big enough payoff for him. To make leaving the yard more fun and exciting, I am now feeding him his meals at the end of my front lawn, then immediately taking him for a walk before he has time to get scared. He is still a bit reluctant, but it's much better than it was a few days ago. Thank goodness, because without walks he is a ball of cat-chasing, pant-leg biting energy
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Aug 12, 2012 15:49
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Hey, I'm not usually in this neck of the internet, but I have a pretty serious question and I think this is a good place to ask it. My family recently moved in to a roommate situation and our roommate owns a beagle. The dog is a cutie, and nice when we pay attention to her but she is obviously not trained. She seems ravenous every time she is out of her kennel, and will climb anything in the house to get to food. This is annoying, but we can deal with it. The problem we are having is with how often she is in her kennel. Our roommate is paranoid about people breaking in the house and stealing his things, so every time he leaves the house, he kennels her up and locks the door to his room, which only he has the key for. He generally leaves around 10am, and never gets home before 8pm, usually past 11pm. Yes that's right, he keeps his dog kenneled for an average of 12 hours a day. He also NEVER takes her on walks, the last two times she left the house was for a cosmetic surgery that had no adverse effect on her health. The only exercise this dog gets is when she is playing with our dog for the hour or so between her owner getting home and everyone going to bed. I am essentially worried that the ravenous nature of this dog is because she is not fed enough (She has a small food bowl that is at most filled once in the morning and once at 11pm.) and that she doesn't get enough exercise. She seems to be a healthy weight, but I think this is because she burns less calories than she should be burning, so the fact she doesn't eat enough is mitigated by the fact that she doesn't exercise enough. Is this abuse, if so what should I do, we are moving out on the 26th, so I'm not worried about salvaging any sort of friendship, I am just worried for this dog.
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Aug 13, 2012 03:45
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50 pounds of bread posted:
You're talking about a kennel with just enough room for the dog to turn around right? If so keeping a dog crated in there for 12+ hours a day regularly sounds pretty loving abusive to me. At the very least, if he's going to be out *that* long, try to get some sort of pen situation set up - baby gate her in his room or the kitchen - so the dog has a chance to move. The sad thing is, animal abuse sort of varies depending on where you are - chances are if the dog looks fine and your place isn't a complete and utter shithole, the authorities aren't going to do much. As for food - two bowls of food a day is sort of the norm for adult dogs...especially ones that don't get a chance to run around as much as they should.
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Aug 13, 2012 04:08
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...does he crate her at night, too? If so, that's more like 18-20 hours crated, eh? I think if it were me, I would assess the situation as such: is he nice to you guys? If so, try having a talk and saying he should crate her OUTSIDE of the room. That way at least you can spend time with the dog during the day - if you want to, that is. Option two: If he's an rear end in a top hat who views the dog as a possession, and you're in a favorable financial position, offer to buy the dog. Taking her to a rescue after that will help her find a good home that can handle a beagle. Option three: steal dog.
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Aug 13, 2012 04:36
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He is not a nice guy, he's the kind of person that gets mad that we are messy, and don't always clean up all the toys our daughter plays with, yet leaves moldy food in the fridge himself. Option 2 isn't an option (I am a machinist, and labor is payed poo poo in the US), and option 3 would be too obvious. We are in california if that helps for anyone who knows about legality stuff, and the size of the bowl is half of the size of what we leave out for our rat terrier-chihuahua mix.
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Aug 13, 2012 04:56
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Unfortunately appropriate exercise and attention do not count into bare minimal care for a pet. Unless he is starving it of food/water, leaving it out without shelter, or ignoring its needs for medical attention- animal control isn't going to give two shits.
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Aug 13, 2012 05:36
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That sucks man, I'm pretty sure this dog is going to have serious health issues in the future. It's pretty sick how he just treats her like property. Sometimes he and his girlfriend sit in their room mocking the dog when she is scratching at the door to get out at night.
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Aug 13, 2012 06:01
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A beagle could be fine with just a cup or cup and a half of kibble a day, so I'd guess he may well get enough food. It is one of the breeds I associate with a very healthy appetite, so if it weren't ravenous I'd think it was probably hugely overfed and overweight.
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Aug 13, 2012 06:08
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50 pounds of bread posted:Hey, I'm not usually in this neck of the internet, but I have a pretty serious question and I think this is a good place to ask it. http://www.animallaw.info/statutes/statestatutes/stuscaset.htm http://www.anapsid.org/pettrade/penalcode.html There's some reading for you -- good luck. In regards to the food amount, there's a lot of homework to be done before making a judgement. The dog's weight and lifestyle need to be taken into account, in addition to the caloric content of the food he's being given. You can do some math here: http://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/dog-feeding-tips/dog-food-calculator/
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Aug 13, 2012 14:42
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I've been slowly researching and reading about getting a dog for the past few years. Haven't started looking at the various rescues and SPCAs yet. I have one question regarding puppies that I haven't really been able to find an answer about. Let us say I end up adopting a puppy instead of a older dog and I decide to work from home until the puppy is old enough to stay at home by itself without accidents and so forth. Is this setting the dog up for unrealistic expectations when I go back to work normally? Is it better to just pop home every hour or so while he/she is a puppy? Just for clarification, I work across the street from home.
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Aug 14, 2012 19:26
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Hey there again puppy thread. Waffles is almost 4 months old now and has been doing great for the most part. We're making progress on the typical puppy biting issues but we've developed an issue that I can't seem to rectify. It's only outside on the leash so I think it has something to do with that. I can't think of anything that changed or pinpoint exactly when it went from chewing my shoes playfully sometimes outside at 10 weeks to this. It's been at least 2-3 weeks. I'll take her out, and if she has to go RIGHT NOW she'll do her puppy business no problems, then we can go inside. But sometimes she'll doddle first thing in the morning, or I'll try to walk her and see if she's gotta 2 if it's been a while, etc. During these times, she practically attacks me. She'll latch onto the backs of my shoes where there's that tag, growling and sometimes shaking, or throw herself at the bottom of my shorts (below the knees variety) and hang there, tugging and growling. I can be walking or standing still, doesn't seem to matter. She's missed plenty of times and bitten my legs or the backs of my ankles and left bruises. She'll also bite at her leash, towards the attachment part on her harness if she can wiggle it around, which is easier now that she's had to go up a size last week, or the leash itself and tug it while growling like it's a tuggy toy. But a bit more vicious than regular tuggy toy play. Then she'll randomly stop and start behaving and wanting to walk around, sniff the world, etc. So any advice would be really appreciated. I tried to get a video but it's pretty hard to keep her in frame and try to keep the leash taut while she throws herself at me. I found it a hard thing to search and find anything on, plus my doctor's changed my mood stabilizer around again so that's making me extra cranky about it the past couple of days. And the neighbors have been giving me weird looks when the only thing that gets any response is a NO at full force volume. Even then she just acknowledges I'm there and is all whatevs about it. I'm really hoping there's something we can try at home training wise because I can't afford something like classes for a few months b/c her spaying is coming up next month. Money's tight now because I had some emergency car repairs shortly after I got her. Freaking pug-bug. Oh and I'm a stay at home pug mommy, and she's not crated often. Obligatory Waffles picture! She was such a good girl with the kids and big dogs at my friends place. 
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Aug 17, 2012 05:39
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We're taking the plunge brought home our puppy today. His name is Linus (border collie/golden retriever mix). We successfully got him to eliminate outside after about 3-4 hours of hourly attempts. Every hourly trip out since has seen good progress. He's pretty shy but maybe that's more of the stress of adoption day. He doesn't really run far from us when outside and is a bit timid to follow. However, he enjoyed play with a tug rope after a couple of select trips outside. Someone please tell me I'm doing alright by him. The little guy is so freaking and just wants to crawl up into someone's lap or arms and be petted. I'd hate to do something to ruin him.
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Aug 19, 2012 02:40
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Don't panic, it sounds like you're doing just fine so far. Read lots about puppies, training and dog care in general and I'm sure you'll do very right by him. Right now your goal should be to get him exposure to loads of different types of people and environments - this time is key for laying the groundwork for him being a well balanced adult. Take treats and toys along and hang out in various places, encourage him to walk on different types of flooring (some unstable!) and try to get him to meet 50 men, 50 women and 50 children in the next few weeks. And of course, make every experience a positive one.
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Aug 19, 2012 14:31
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So last night was really rough. I knew it would be but he was just besides himself in his crate. Barking and yelping for most of the night. We felt so bad and got maybe four hours of sleep. I know it takes a bit of time for him to get used to and like the crate but he really didn't enjoy last night in it. Is there anything more we can do outside of laying on the floor all night next to him? I don't want him to become too attached to us that he can't sleep without us.
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Aug 19, 2012 15:39
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It's been a long time since I have had a puppy, but I remember with the one my family had when I was a kid we had luck with putting a hot water bottle for warmth and a timer or something like this heartbeat pillow in his crate to help him settle down. Basically simulating his mother/siblings until he gets really comfortable in his new home can help I think. I also don't think you really have to worry about him being too attached to you at this point. It's probably not so much about the crate as it is about him being alone. Was he with his mother and/or litter mates until you took him home? It's quite a shock to go from sleeping in a puppy pile to sleeping alone in a totally new environment and the little guy is just scared and lonely right now. Dogs who are overly attached and can't be left alone are usually that way due to insecurity, not habit. I wouldn't suggest taking him out to cuddle if you want him crate trained, but sleeping near him at first and gradually moving away (either by putting the crate next to your bed or you sleeping near it) isn't going to make him overly dependent on you and may actually help him get over his fear more quickly than just leaving him to cry it out.
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Aug 19, 2012 17:06
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From what I understood, his litter was kept together so maybe the warm bottle thing could work. We had some setbacks in the house training department as well. A couple of accidents due to our mistimings led to quick trips outside. Later I had him outside and he really refused to go. Within a few seconds of being back in his crate, he peed on the bed liner. So that's out now and I've divided the crate to create a smaller, cozier space. Ugh...
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Aug 19, 2012 17:55
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Thwomp posted:From what I understood, his litter was kept together so maybe the warm bottle thing could work. Just give it time. It only took my pup about a couple weeks to really never want to pee in her "crate" which ended up being the bathroom because crates didn't fly for the pound dog. still working on the not peeing anywhere in the house part though. That'll take some time.
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Aug 19, 2012 18:48
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I find that it's really hard to know when to praise for eliminating. Linus has the habit of peeing then waiting another minute or so to poop. Do I praise him twice or wait for him to finish everything?
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Aug 19, 2012 19:06
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Thwomp posted:I find that it's really hard to know when to praise for eliminating. You praise him twice, and not after he finishes, either- the party occurs during each and every elimination. I start as soon as they squat and don't stop until they're done.
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Aug 19, 2012 19:41
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I'm doing that now and he seems to be responding. Fingers crossed but he hasn't had any accidents of late. He does have parasites though. He went in for his previously scheduled vet check which found them (after we reported his lack of appetite this morning and general lethargy). He's got some medicine now and should be himself in a few days. What's the best course as we continue to housebreak him? Do we let him sleep due to his condition or do we keep taking him out every hour or so? Also, we keep hearing conflicting advice on housebreaking at night. Last night we slept down by him, gave him my shirt to sleep on and put a warm bottle in it to help him sleep. He had a much better night than his first. We don't want us being there at night to become expected so tonight we're going to go to bed in our room. Do we still take him out at night to eliminate? He's about 9 weeks and we don't feed him 4 hours before bed or give him any water 2 hours before. Will he be able to hold it if he's got almost nothing to hold or should we make one middle of the night trip?
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Aug 20, 2012 18:37
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So excited to be able to post in this thread! Everyone, meet Maverick! Olde English Bulldog, 8 weeks old, and one handsome little dude. I have forgotten just how difficult raising a puppy is and reading the last few posts, I feel better knowing I'm not alone.  We have had him for a week now, and he has made great progress as far as ringing the bell to go outside. He actually rings it occasionally now to get outside and do his business, but there are other times he just squats and goes. Do I just need patience here? It seems like he gets it some times but other times completely forgets. Also, any advice on Olde English Bulldogs anyone can share would be much appreciated. He is an awesome dog, pretty well behaved. Two big things are the accidents and puppy chewing/nibbling.
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Aug 20, 2012 18:49
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Thwomp posted:I'm doing that now and he seems to be responding. Fingers crossed but he hasn't had any accidents of late. There are a couple of different schools of thought in this thread -- as far as who you should listen to you, that's a decision you need to make on your own. Regarding sleeping through the night, my wife and I used a Snugglepuppy (basically a rice filled toy that you can microwave to keep warm) and a heartbeat pillow for the first couple of weeks. Your dog is going to go through an adjustment period where he learns to sleep on his own, and this is going to involve a lot of whining and crying. How to handle this is up to you -- it's very similar to letting babies cry at night. Lots of different opinions, and you have to decide as parents how you want to handle the situation. For nightly outings I would give him the benefit of the doubt through his third month, at least. If he's whining and freaking out in the crate, take him out and give him a shot to go to the bathroom and if he doesn't, go back inside and re-crate. DO NOT engage in any playing, because he'll quickly learn that if he keeps whining you'll let him out and he doesn't have to be bored or go to sleep. What did the vet diagnose regarding GI issues?
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Aug 20, 2012 19:20
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MrFurious posted:There are a couple of different schools of thought in this thread -- as far as who you should listen to you, that's a decision you need to make on your own. Coccidia. Linus has a week long antibiotic to deal with them now.
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Aug 20, 2012 19:31
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Thwomp posted:Coccidia. Linus has a week long antibiotic to deal with them now. That one's fun, but not as bad as Giardia. Good luck - make sure he's getting enough water in the duration, especially if he's still having diarrhea.
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Aug 20, 2012 19:44
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MrFurious posted:That one's fun, but not as bad as Giardia. Good luck - make sure he's getting enough water in the duration, especially if he's still having diarrhea. Yeah, he's not having a good time. He threw up after taking the first round of antibiotics but it happened long enough after taking it that the vet believes he got most of it. He's really not interested in food or water at the moment but we've got a baster and are dropping a bit of water into his mouth to keep him going. Poor guy.
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Aug 20, 2012 20:11
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Don't mean to double post but Linus is doing a lot better today. His appetite is back, he's drinking water again, and his demeanor is much improved. He also slept through most of last night. He only started yapping about 45 minutes before our planned morning elimination/breakfast. We just ignored him until 5 rolled around. Today I'm splitting my time between playing/training him and doing chores. He's still yappy in his crate when I'm out of the room but I think he's slowly getting the picture that I'll be coming back eventually. Progress!
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Aug 21, 2012 15:21
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Well PI, after weeks of the dog in the bathroom and her only whining for an hour there per every 6 hours of sleep i end up getting, I have officially thrown in the towel and am letting her sleep in her crate in my room so she can only whine for 30 minutes. Zero accidents the past 3 days though (2 nights in crate 1 in bathroom), so I think she's finally old enough to have enough control of her blatter. I swear to god I acidentally got a half brittany half poodle. She's smaller than the cats yet can jump a 3 foot fence no problem, in insanely attached to the two of us and has what feels like a rubber band attached to my leg at the dog park where she has to be within 5 feet of me every minute. I love her to pieces though, but I honestly wasn't prepared to have a puppy that needed a solid 1-2 hours of running a day. That's the update, and now the question. What are the best ways to keep a dog mentally distracted when alone at home for a few hours? I've seen those kong wobblers, but have no idea how much dogs really dig those.
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Aug 22, 2012 22:43
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Veskit posted:What are the best ways to keep a dog mentally distracted when alone at home for a few hours? I've seen those kong wobblers, but have no idea how much dogs really dig those. Frozen stuffed kong (not wobbler). You want your dog to chill and nap when you're gone. The wobbler gets them moving about, while a stuffed kong they can just sit and lick/chew until they fall asleep.
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Aug 22, 2012 23:18
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Engineer Lenk posted:Frozen stuffed kong (not wobbler). You want your dog to chill and nap when you're gone. The wobbler gets them moving about, while a stuffed kong they can just sit and lick/chew until they fall asleep. Tried it. She'll use it for 30 minutes and give up on all the goodies on the inside regardless of what it is (cheese turkey hotdog peanut butter). It buys me about 30 minutes. VVV are you talking about the wobbler or the kong? Veskit fucked around with this message at 01:21 on Aug 23, 2012 |
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Aug 23, 2012 00:36
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Veskit posted:Tried it. She'll use it for 30 minutes and give up on all the goodies on the inside regardless of what it is (cheese turkey hotdog peanut butter). It buys me about 30 minutes.
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Aug 23, 2012 01:14
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