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ruta posted:Hello puppy thread! My family (or rather, my parents) have bought a border collie puppy. Her name is Lindy. Here's a picture. I'd probably work on her distinguishing her toys from other objects as soon as you can. If she get's free reign to chew on everything she can find it'll become a major problem in a few months when she starts teething. Get her an antler and some basic chew toys, roll up an old tshirt and free it and just be ready for it.
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Jul 9, 2014 15:01
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Thanks for the replies! We do also have normal puppy toys for her. Rather than letting her chew on anything, it's more like a number of the baby toys have moved into her collection of puppy toys. I suppose this happened because we didn't buy any puppy toys for her until a day after we brought her home, and let her pick out a few baby toys in the mean time. We've decided to leave her a few of the baby toys until she gets big enough to damage them. She seems to prefer chewing on the puppy toys, anyway. She likes the interactive features of the baby toys. When we go to pick up a new collar for her when she gets a bit bigger, we'll try to find some more interesting toys for her. She seems like a really clever dog, so I'm trying to think of ways to entertain her mind. We've started teaching her a few tricks, but she doesn't have a huge food drive yet. She seems to like her kibble more than human food, so if anyone has any good recommendations on puppy treats you think she might like, feel free to drop names! Speaking of antlers, I did try to buy her some, but the pet store owners all said she was too small. Is there an age limit, or was she just physically too small? I know some of those toy breeds are about her size fully grown, but maybe it's just hard to find antlers that are tiny enough.
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Jul 9, 2014 20:53
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ruta posted:Thanks for the replies! We do also have normal puppy toys for her. Rather than letting her chew on anything, it's more like a number of the baby toys have moved into her collection of puppy toys. I suppose this happened because we didn't buy any puppy toys for her until a day after we brought her home, and let her pick out a few baby toys in the mean time. We've decided to leave her a few of the baby toys until she gets big enough to damage them. She seems to prefer chewing on the puppy toys, anyway. She likes the interactive features of the baby toys. When we go to pick up a new collar for her when she gets a bit bigger, we'll try to find some more interesting toys for her. They might have worried that she couldn't fit it in her mouth and would be bored with it. As for keeping her busy: look into a Kong Wobbler and feed her kibble out of it. If she loves her kibble use that as a training incentive. Just be sure to give her less during her meal to make up for the amount you trained her with.
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Jul 9, 2014 20:55
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ruta posted:so if anyone has any good recommendations on puppy treats you think she might like, feel free to drop names! We ended up going to one of the larger petstores (Petsmart) and buying a selection of treats, as she would start ignoring treats if it was always the same. Current favourite is any of the 'soft' treats (usually with peanut butter) as they're easy to break into smaller pieces and she can eat them quickly. She really likes the biscuit type treats, but they take some chewing to eat, so they're not ideal when training.
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Jul 9, 2014 21:16
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ruta posted:Thanks for the replies! We do also have normal puppy toys for her. Rather than letting her chew on anything, it's more like a number of the baby toys have moved into her collection of puppy toys. I suppose this happened because we didn't buy any puppy toys for her until a day after we brought her home, and let her pick out a few baby toys in the mean time. We've decided to leave her a few of the baby toys until she gets big enough to damage them. She seems to prefer chewing on the puppy toys, anyway. She likes the interactive features of the baby toys. When we go to pick up a new collar for her when she gets a bit bigger, we'll try to find some more interesting toys for her. I think she's a little young for antlers. I would wait until she gets a full set of adult teeth before introducing her to them. However, I am not a vet -- ask your vet for an opinion. And "seems like a clever dog" is an understatement for a border collie. Good luck. You may need it!
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Jul 9, 2014 21:59
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ruta posted:Hello puppy thread! My family (or rather, my parents) have bought a border collie puppy. Her name is Lindy. Here's a picture. My first thought: "Oh Christ get her away from those shoes  "
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Jul 10, 2014 06:20
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adventure in the sandbox posted:Agreed. Most days I come home at lunch and offer my dogs time for a pee, but they don't even want it. They are large breed adults and can easily go 9 hours without a bathroom break. rekamso I definitely think you could find an awesome adult dog and give it a great home Chiming in with others to say, my shiba puppy has been able to hold it comfortably 12 hours since 6 months old(~17 lbs), whereas I've seen an large breed adults(like a Cane Corso(~90 lbs)) who cant hold pee or poop through the night. It really depends on the individual dog. Though I do think, rekamso, if you can swing it, coming home at lunch or having a dog walker at the beginning while the dog settles in would help. Also during the settle in period, I would use a crate or x pen while you're not there until you can reasonably trust the dog to not destroy your home(I don't know if this fear can really be put to rest 100% for a long time, but you reach a point where you can be pretty confident/comfortable giving them free roam). Muttonchips posted:My pup's been sleeping in her crate in her own, so I took her out for a walk where she did her business, and tried locking the crate doors when she settled inside for a nap. As soon as I closed the gate, she started barking and whining to be let out. I read you shouldn't give in and open the door, so I waited, and waited, and waited, but she wouldn't stop so I left the room. It got worse. I came back inside, sat down in front of the crate and she seemed to calm down long enough for me to finally let her out. Now, she's been whining nonstop even though I've let her out, and she won't even go near the crate. Have you played crate games with her at all, to build a positive association with the crate? Kikopup(link) has a ton of Youtube videos on the topic. Also, what I did when I first got my puppy and was having issues with the crate was get an x pen instead. Did the same kind of training to get her associating the x pen in a positive way(with another Kikopup video), and I think the larger space made it easier for her. Plus I don't feel as bad leaving her alone for longer periods of time because she has more space to move/flop around in, and she can get up to stretch if she wants. I always recommend it to people having issues with crate training, or people who have to leave their dogs alone for longer periods of time(rekamso), for those reasons. ruta posted:She hasn't had an accident at night so far, and I'm not sure if that just means I'm doing a good job or if I'm just waking her up like a jerk all the time. She's only 8 weeks old, so I guess I'll just continue being a jerk until the end of the summer, at least. IMO if the dog is sleeping through the night, count your blessings and just let them sleep, just keep an ear out for if they start crying(helps to sleep near them/have their crate/pen in your room till you get their schedule down). That's just my opinion, though, because my puppy was able to hold it through the night since she came home at 7 weeks, so we just let sleeping dogs lie, and she never had an overnight accident(sorry for bringing that up twice in one post but it was relevant v  v). As far as treats go, I super recommend these Natural Balance Food Logs. Like the name implies, it's in log form so you do have to cut them into pieces, but IMO a lot of premade treats are too big for training(esp for puppies). They're super soft and super smelly, and my girl loses her poo poo over them. I've tried the lamb and beef and recommend either(the lamb cuts a bit easier though). Also most places sell a 4 lb log for like 13 dollars, and that'll last you ages. It's the kind of training treat our in store trainer uses.
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Jul 10, 2014 09:22
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For the longest time I've considered helping a local shelter foster dogs. Main reason being that I own a 1.5 year old husky and I recently landed a full-time job and the only other person living with me has moved out, so the husky would be alone for longer periods of time now. Is it in bad taste to want another dog to give my current dog a companion? I live in a pretty sizable house with backyard and high enough fences to prevent jumpy huskies from getting out (mine doesn't attempt to jump/climb fences). I realize fostering means I would have to give the dog up once someone actually wants to adopt, and the dangers of getting attached emotionally and etc. However, I think my situation could give me an opportunity to help keep my current husky from being lonely at home since she's been somewhat destructive when left alone for a while (finding things on tables to chew on, ripping at carpet) and I'd love to help the shelter in any way possible. I know another dog isn't a guaranteed remedy, so I wanted to know people's thoughts on the matter. Would fostering another dog help or worsen the situation? What are people's experiences?
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Jul 11, 2014 22:47
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Willsun posted:For the longest time I've considered helping a local shelter foster dogs. Main reason being that I own a 1.5 year old husky and I recently landed a full-time job and the only other person living with me has moved out, so the husky would be alone for longer periods of time now. Is it in bad taste to want another dog to give my current dog a companion? There's really no telling if it would help or if it would hurt, it totally depends on your dog and the other dogs, but the potentially for her getting hurt or your house getting hurt would definitely increase. I personally would not keep a foster dog unobserved with my resident dogs until I knew them extremely well, I'm talking months, even then, and with resident dogs you can have unexpected problems. I don't even leave my own dogs free to chew up tables etc while everybody is gone they are kenneled for their safety too, ie so they don't eat poison. I think it is a bad idea, unless you're deciding to start crate training as well. pizzadog fucked around with this message at 23:51 on Jul 11, 2014 |
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Jul 11, 2014 23:46
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JoJo keeps eating stuff like cardboard and, according to my mom, in once case a wasp, and she throws up. Is that just normal dog stuff she'll learn not to do eventually or is there a serious problem and how do I assess it?
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Jul 12, 2014 20:54
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So we adopted a Blue Heeler/Schnauzer/Australian Shepard mix and have had him for a week and we're wonderig if we just have a breed that isn't compatible with our family. We've had him for a week, have been doing the general training guidelines you do with puppies, but he's very bitey (outside normal puppy bites) and we're afraid he's going to start biting faces, specifically our two year old, who is a small girl and would probably be outgrown bu the dog. Anything we can do or try that could prevent us from having to find him a new home? We absolutely can't have a dog around that has the high potential to bite at faces.
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Jul 13, 2014 04:43
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Louisgod posted:So we adopted a Blue Heeler/Schnauzer/Australian Shepard mix and have had him for a week and we're wonderig if we just have a breed that isn't compatible with our family. We've had him for a week, have been doing the general training guidelines you do with puppies, but he's very bitey (outside normal puppy bites) and we're afraid he's going to start biting faces, specifically our two year old, who is a small girl and would probably be outgrown bu the dog. That's a mix of some very bitey breeds. Is there a reason you can't limit interaction between your toddler and your puppy? I think this is the blog people here generally recommend for handling dogs and young children together: http://dogsandbabies.wordpress.com/ (someone correct me if there's a better one)
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Jul 13, 2014 05:10
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Louisgod posted:So we adopted a Blue Heeler/Schnauzer/Australian Shepard mix and have had him for a week and we're wonderig if we just have a breed that isn't compatible with our family. We've had him for a week, have been doing the general training guidelines you do with puppies, but he's very bitey (outside normal puppy bites) and we're afraid he's going to start biting faces, specifically our two year old, who is a small girl and would probably be outgrown bu the dog. Puppies tend to be mouthy til you teach them not to be, just like with babies sticking everything in their mouths first and foremost as toddlers, but their teeth happen to be sharper. Tell him sharp NOs, shove an acceptable toy in his face in place or any hands, don't present hands/people to him for play, if he insists on playing bite-style he has a time out with no play whatsoever, etc. How old is he? Was he with his entire litter and mom for long enough? Normally fellow dogs and moms teach their siblings how hard/rough they're allowed to play with their own teeth.
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Jul 13, 2014 07:05
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Question: we are adopting a ~2yr old small dog (supposed to be shih tzu/terrier mix), and it is crate trained. We are looking to buy a crate, and the foster mom said she used a 48" crate, which is huge simply because that's all she had. This is a 13 lb dog. However, she recommended getting "the largest crate we can handle space wise because the dog isn't a denner". This obviously flies in the face of most crate training and sizing logic. Am I right to just get like, a 30" crate for this dog and be done with it, or do I risk the dog not wanting to use the crate because it is smaller than what its used to?
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Jul 14, 2014 04:01
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Not any reason we can't limit time with our daughter outside just them getting used to each other. He's 9 weeks old at this point and I believe was with his mother for the first month. Again, we're just afraid that due to his breed that he'll be predisposed to biting and bite one of the kiddos really badly. We have a second baby due next month so the amount of time we'll have to do really intense training will be spent being dead to the world.
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Jul 14, 2014 04:02
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We're still having issues with our 10 week old Great Dane to make her tell us that she needs to go. Only signs that she needs to go, is that she'll run the last bit of out building when she's desperate and will often only just make it outside the door. Even in the crate, she wont really whine unless she's really desperate. Other issue is that she will still occasionally pee indoors and it's without any warning. No sniffing, etc, just "I'm gonna pee now!". She's otherwise good at peeing and pooing in designated areas outside.
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Jul 14, 2014 04:40
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Louisgod posted:We have a second baby due next month so the amount of time we'll have to do really intense training will be spent being dead to the world.  I never say this, but I think you should seriously consider rehoming your high-energy herding breed mix puppy. Why on earth would you adopt a pup with a new baby on the way? It seems so obviously doomed to fail, and the dog will be the one who gets the short end of the stick.
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Jul 14, 2014 05:33
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adventure in the sandbox posted:
Exactly this. You don't need a puppy, especially a mixed herding puppy, with 2 babies. If you want a dog go rescue an old golden or something. Sorry dude. At least if it's a puppy it'll be adopted soon Psychobabble! fucked around with this message at 02:31 on Jul 15, 2014 |
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Jul 14, 2014 10:11
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Cozmosis posted:Question: we are adopting a ~2yr old small dog (supposed to be shih tzu/terrier mix), and it is crate trained. We are looking to buy a crate, and the foster mom said she used a 48" crate, which is huge simply because that's all she had. This is a 13 lb dog. However, she recommended getting "the largest crate we can handle space wise because the dog isn't a denner". Crates are meant to be small primarily so dogs don't pee on one side and sleep on the other. If this isn't a concern, then I'd probably guy whatever you want. My chihuahua sleeps in a crate one size larger than she 'needs' and it seems like it's a good size for her. It's small enough that it will warm up with her body heat and large enough that she can stretch out/burrow as desired. ImplicitAssembler posted:We're still having issues with our 10 week old Great Dane to make her tell us that she needs to go. At 10 weeks old, your dog is still very much a baby. Danes especially are slow to mature. She probably barely knows she needs to go until the pee is actively flowing out of her body at this point. Give it time and consistency. Watch her like a hawk after waking from naps, after eating, after playing. Watch her like a hawk pretty much any time she's not passed out.
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Jul 14, 2014 12:51
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adventure in the sandbox posted:
Spur of a moment decision fueled by puppy love, of course, and we do have the time and patience for a puppy but weren't aware of how bitey the Schnauzer breed is, unfortunately. The herding is fine (we've dealt with Australian Shepards before) but the biting is not. Regardless, it shouldn't be too hard to find him a home, and thank you for the responses!
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Jul 14, 2014 15:44
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Louisgod posted:Spur of a moment decision fueled by puppy love, of course, and we do have the time and patience for a puppy but weren't aware of how bitey the Schnauzer breed is, unfortunately. The herding is fine (we've dealt with Australian Shepards before) but the biting is not. Regardless, it shouldn't be too hard to find him a home, and thank you for the responses! It is not the schnauzer part that is causing an issue here. Herding breeds tend to be very mouthy (aussies and cattle dogs are herding breeds and are *known* for these issues) I know it is not fun and sounds mean but... Two babies or a mouthy puppy are enough to tackle on their own, I can't even imagine the mess it would be to have both at once. Major props to you for considering rehoming.
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Jul 14, 2014 17:10
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Honestly having a puppy hasn't been a problem at all (he's great) and isn't too much more of a burden with another baby on the way but the biting is a huge concern to my wife and we've had two other friends that have had to rehome their dogs (one was 12!) because they bit their toddler in the face. It's not fair to the dog to keep him and have to rehome him due to that after he's been around so it sounds like rehoming sooner than later is best. Either way, thanks for the feedback!
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Jul 14, 2014 17:34
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Louisgod posted:Honestly having a puppy hasn't been a problem at all (he's great) and isn't too much more of a burden with another baby on the way but the biting is a huge concern to my wife and we've had two other friends that have had to rehome their dogs (one was 12!) because they bit their toddler in the face. It's not fair to the dog to keep him and have to rehome him due to that after he's been around so it sounds like rehoming sooner than later is best. It sounds like you could benefit from this site. It's wonderful and does an excellent job of setting you up for success when it comes to mixing babies and dogs. http://www.dogsandbabieslearning.com/ Puppy biting is very, very different than an older dog lashing out in frustration, though both can have similar results. I mean no disrespect to your friends, but dogs biting children almost always comes down to the adults not supervising correctly. The kids and dogs are the ones who suffer for it. Good luck with whatever you decide to do.
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Jul 14, 2014 17:50
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a life less posted:At 10 weeks old, your dog is still very much a baby. Danes especially are slow to mature. She probably barely knows she needs to go until the pee is actively flowing out of her body at this point. Give it time and consistency. Watch her like a hawk after waking from naps, after eating, after playing. Watch her like a hawk pretty much any time she's not passed out. Ok, thanks for that...at roughly what age do they start developing the ability to 'tell'?. We are watching her like a hawk, but she still catches us out from time to time, with her ability to pee without any real warning. Now it's mostly in transition from indoor to outdoor.
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Jul 14, 2014 18:58
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Our lab mix puppy is now ~6 months old. She for the most part knows to pee outside. I work from home and our schedule looks something like this: - 6.30am my wife gets up and lets the dog outside. Dog pees and may poop. - Morning (7-8am) we walk her before my wife leaves for work. Dog pees and may poop. - Lunch (~12-1pm) I take her outside to pee. Usually does not poop. - 4-5pm my wife comes home and she goes outside to pee again. Usually does not poop. - Evening/night we take her out every 2-3 hours or so, or when we see her sniffing by the front door. Usually doesn't poop. - We also walk her one more time sometime after dinner, so say 7-9pm. Dog usually poops on this walk. She doesn't have any accidents during the day at all, she usually sleeps the whole day under my desk or on her dog bed. When my wife comes home the dog comes to life and goes crazy for a couple hours and then settles down. The problem we're having is that sometimes she will pee in the house with no warning. For example we're playing and she'll just squat down and pee in front of us, or we see her go to the front door but she doesn't even let us get to our shoes before she lets it go. A couple times she's jumped up on her pet bed (raised, stretched fabric type) and peed on it while we're in the room. We clean thoroughly with Natures Miracle and wood floor cleaner afterwards to eliminate any lingering scent and the house does not smell like dog pee at all. We give her praise and occasional treats when she goes outside. At my wife's parents place I gave her a big piece of steak when she peed in the garden and she went to the same spot two more times to pee (she used to go all over the yard), so I know that it is working but we can't seem to prevent her from going in the house on odd occasions. We crate her at night and she hasn't peed in the crate in our house for a long time, however some friends looked after her for a few days while we were out of town and she apparently peed in the crate every night, and all over the house. She also does excitement/submission peeing, which has gotten a little better (she makes it from the crate to the yard now before she lets loose) but she still pees out of excitement almost every time when she meets my wife and our family/friends. So question wise - is this normal for a 6 month puppy? Do we just need to stick with giving her treats when she goes outside? We verbally correct her when we see her peeing, but not if we just happen upon the pee after the fact. Is that correct? When will we be able to trust her not to pee in the house?
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Jul 14, 2014 19:23
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We have yet another issue with Betty, our Boston Terrier pup. We noticed some scratching and small patches of hair loss and long story short the vet diagnosed her with demodex mange. He gave us a shampoo to use once a week, a pill to fight infection, and a liquid to give her directly by mouth using a small syringe. What else can I do outside of the instructions fro our vet? She is on a diet of lean raw beef supplemented with BLUE Wilderness Salmon Recipe. What can I do to help boost her immune system? Have any of you guys ever dealt with this before? I used to think only filthy strays got this sort of thing, not a little puppy that we completely and totally baby. I'm sure it's because of the idiot Joe-blow breeder we bought her from. Our vet said she was likely born with a weakened immune system which has triggered this now. Downhome fucked around with this message at 23:13 on Jul 14, 2014 |
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Jul 14, 2014 21:59
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Louisgod posted:Honestly having a puppy hasn't been a problem at all (he's great) and isn't too much more of a burden with another baby on the way but the biting is a huge concern to my wife and we've had two other friends that have had to rehome their dogs (one was 12!) because they bit their toddler in the face. It's not fair to the dog to keep him and have to rehome him due to that after he's been around so it sounds like rehoming sooner than later is best. You are taking this really well, its cool to see  The decision is yours in the end, and if you and your wife will both be home for a few months when puppy is very small and still working on housebreaking, and when baby is new and being a newborn, then maybe its not as bad as it seems. I'm assuming one of you will be going back to work soon? It was hard enough housebreaking 2 pups with 2 adults working full time jobs in my household. I can't imagine how tedious the dog upkeep would be if there was a baby waking periodically through the night/day and needing everything that babies need. Not even mentioning the biting/nipping concerns!
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Jul 15, 2014 02:10
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adventure in the sandbox posted:You are taking this really well, its cool to see Yeah, I work full time (wife works 10 hours or so in the evenings when she wants) and will have parental leave come next month (up to 5 weeks paid if needed) but my wife was bedridden for the first month and a half last birth so there's the potential for the burden of training/caretaking/etc. to fall on me, which is not an issue at all, but I have a very strong feeling I'm going to literally be dead to everything for a while, which isn't fair to the puppy. Anyway, we talked with two other professional trainers and a vet about it yesterday and they were very positive about the situation and were taken back that we were asking questions and weighing possibilities sooner than later. Despite their reassurance and encouragement that the dog's situation shouldn't be any different from any other dog, we're thinking it's best to get him into a home that can be more attentive. I feel kind of stupid for making the decision without fully thinking it through but it's already been made and has a solution that works out. Thanks again for the feedback.
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Jul 15, 2014 16:42
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Downhome posted:We have yet another issue with Betty, our Boston Terrier pup. We noticed some scratching and small patches of hair loss and long story short the vet diagnosed her with demodex mange. He gave us a shampoo to use once a week, a pill to fight infection, and a liquid to give her directly by mouth using a small syringe. I've had dogs get mange in the past because a mangy fox went through the yard. They never came into contact directly with the fox, but he must have been shedding mites as he walked through the yard. You never know. Also from what I've read your dog probably just doesn't have an immune response to the mites. I'd recommend making sure the diet you are feeding is nutritionally complete. Why feed lean raw beef? If you want to feed raw, just raw meat isn't going to cut it. Sure you supplement with kibble, but that may not be enough. Also make sure you are feeding puppy food- it provides all the calories and nutrients rapidly growing dogs need.
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Jul 15, 2014 17:12
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Downhome posted:We have yet another issue with Betty, our Boston Terrier pup. We noticed some scratching and small patches of hair loss and long story short the vet diagnosed her with demodex mange. He gave us a shampoo to use once a week, a pill to fight infection, and a liquid to give her directly by mouth using a small syringe. Are you feeding her just beef from the grocery store or a premade raw food? I would be really careful to make sure the pup is eating a well balanced food while growing because its really important to get all those nutrients as puppies. Lots of dogs get demodex so don't feel bad! It seems like bully sorts of dogs are more prone to it than others too. Hopefully it will clear up just fine for you.
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Jul 15, 2014 17:19
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Our breeder discouraged us from using raw diet until the puppy was 1 year old, as she thought it would be hard to maintain the right nutrient balance.
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Jul 15, 2014 17:28
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Downhome posted:We have yet another issue with Betty, our Boston Terrier pup. We noticed some scratching and small patches of hair loss and long story short the vet diagnosed her with demodex mange. He gave us a shampoo to use once a week, a pill to fight infection, and a liquid to give her directly by mouth using a small syringe. Demodex is a mite that lives on all dogs - people have their own species, I think it lives in eyelashes and ears, iirc. Most dogs, their immune system keeps it in check and it doesn't overgrow. Some dogs, their immune system goes funny and Demodex grows wild. Most dogs with Demodex problems will "grow out of it" eventually, unfortunately many times the overgrowth is enough that it warrants treatment to avoid damaging the skin with inflammation and skin infection (as with your dog). I see it most commonly with "Pit Bull" type dogs, but any breed can get it. There are no "immune boosters" that will help. You've got to wait it out. There are a lot of nutritional supplements out there that lay people say work, but as this disease resolves on its own anyway, it would take some pretty good research to determine if something actually works versus the thing coincidentally resolving on its own.
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Jul 15, 2014 17:50
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Hello, PI, is this the right thread to ask for dog breed advice? We are still very, very early in the process, but it's best to be well prepared, right? The thing is, my girlfriend is becoming quite dog-obsessed, and plans are being laid for us to move to an apartment where pets are allowed. It will still be an apartment, though, and in spite of living in the nation's capital and largest city - Copenhagen, Denmark - enclosed dog parks are relatively few. In the long term, we will unfortunately both have to be out during normal working hours, but we are willing to let the dog be a major part of recreation, so that it should be possible to find one or more hours a day dedicated to exercising him/her. My girlfriend enjoys teaching dogs tricks, so some degree of trainability is a definite plus. Most important, though, is that it's a dog with a loving temperament. One of her friends has a Staffordshire terrier who I've repeatedly been informed I need to be jealous of - they love each other so much, and he's the primary reason she wants a dog for herself. Also, none of us wants a ridiculous dog: A 'barking rat', or otherwise solely couch-potato / ottoman companionship-only dog. A couch potato is fine, actually very nice for when we need to work at home, but we want a creature, not another piece of furniture. I'm sorry if that was very rambling (it probably was). We've looked up races on the internet and taken some of the tests you find, and seem to have preliminarily settled on a whippet. Does this make sense given what I've written thus far? Only minor niggle I have is that I'm in the early stages of training for a marathon, and I think it might be nice to bring the dog on some runs. At least some short restitution ones. And I hear whippets don't go much for endurance running, to say the least. Does anyone have any experience with the danish-swedish farmhound? ED: No children on the way, and we both grew up with dogs, but neither of us has had one of our own before. Bobfly fucked around with this message at 20:31 on Jul 15, 2014 |
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Jul 15, 2014 20:21
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Bobfly posted:Hello, PI, is this the right thread to ask for dog breed advice? We are still very, very early in the process, but it's best to be well prepared, right? Whippets are nice dogs, but if you want trainability and an endurance running companion, you could do better. Smaller dogs in general have smaller bladders, so if you're not planning on having a dogwalker during the day, that's something to keep in mind. If you're both committed to spending the time exercising and training the dog after work and on weekends, then you don't necessarily need a "couch potato" -- just an individual dog with a good off switch.
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Jul 15, 2014 20:31
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Invalid Octopus posted:Whippets are nice dogs, but if you want trainability and an endurance running companion, you could do better. Smaller dogs in general have smaller bladders, so if you're not planning on having a dogwalker during the day, that's something to keep in mind. If you're both committed to spending the time exercising and training the dog after work and on weekends, then you don't necessarily need a "couch potato" -- just an individual dog with a good off switch. I see. Thank you for your input. Part of the reason for finding whippets attractive was indeed the size - apartment living with something like a GSD or a golden retriever sounds a bit overwhelming. But... Dare I ask if you have any suggestions? Or is my writeup too unfocused?
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Jul 15, 2014 20:41
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Bobfly posted:I'm sorry if that was very rambling (it probably was). We've looked up races on the internet and taken some of the tests you find, and seem to have preliminarily settled on a whippet. Does this make sense given what I've written thus far? Only minor niggle I have is that I'm in the early stages of training for a marathon, and I think it might be nice to bring the dog on some runs. At least some short restitution ones. And I hear whippets don't go much for endurance running, to say the least. I'm not sure if you were thinking of getting a puppy or older dog but a puppy isn't supposed to run any long distances until their hips are fully developed.
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Jul 15, 2014 20:50
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I think whippets are awesome, but they're a mixed bag. Some are nervous & meek and it drives me crazy. Others are high energy, rough & tumble & edgy, which I really like. I think most people are looking for something in between. Like all dogs, it's important that you familiarize yourself with the parents of any litter, as well as relatives and lines associated with the breeding. I don't really think of whippets as cuddly dogs, but I'm sure some are great at it. Again, it comes down to the dog's temperament so it's best to know the sire/dam/etc well. I admit that I'm looking at whippets and their relatives as potential next dogs. I'm hugely enamoured with silken windhounds. Have you looked at those? I'm pretty confident that just about any medium sized, fit and properly conditioned dog can keep up with marathon training. However, one of the many downsides of getting a puppy is that you can't take them running with you for the first 12-18+ months while their bodies mature. I think whippets make pretty good apartment dogs. They need a good deal of exercise, but once they've got it the majority of them are pretty low maintenance. I'm not sure how you would exercise a whippet in areas without fences. You would want to work very, very, very hard on the dog's recall from day one. Many sighthounds never develop a solid recall, but I know of a few who are reliable off-leash. I don't have any experience with danish-swedish farmhounds unfortunately. When contemplating breeds, I would make up a list of things you absolutely need, things you want and things you cannot tolerate. Size, grooming, handler focus, etc all vary greatly between breeds.
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Jul 15, 2014 20:51
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Maybe go to a dog show and look at all the breeds and talk to breeders/owners of ones that appeal to you. Make a list of things you absolutely need and can not deal with and see what meshes. I think a smaller sporting breed like a spaniel would work. From some brief reading the farmdog sounds like it would fit but you should find some breeders and owners and talk to them and visit their dogs if its a breed you want to explore further. A lot of dogs sound good on paper but its different when they're in your home! If you have animal shelters in your area go bring your list to them too and see if they have anything that fits. Some adult small-ish labby sort of mix would be great for your situation.
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Jul 15, 2014 20:53
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It's not uncommon for breeders to occasionally to have adult dogs for sale, so even going that way doesn't mean a puppy is the only option. I second the people who said sporting breeds, especially spaniels. I'm a sucker for them in general, because they're pretty moderate dogs, and quite sweet (and quite cute!). Moderately sized, moderately energetic, moderately trainable. Additionally, I think there are a few good Danish breeders of field or dual-championed Clumber spaniels (the best of the spaniels). If you have a facebook account, I'd start joining groups for breeds that interest you. It's a good way to get an idea of what living with a breed is actually like. edit: in my area (which is all apartments), I see all sorts of breeds of dogs. Mostly smaller (due to condo size limits) – but there are also Great Danes, goldens, aussies, labs, GSDs, etc, that I see regularly. Invalid Octopus fucked around with this message at 21:18 on Jul 15, 2014 |
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Jul 15, 2014 21:11
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| # ? May 30, 2024 18:53 |
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Oh no I've taken my dog running since she was like 6 months old and she's a year now, when is she going to explode?
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Jul 15, 2014 21:13
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