Register a SA Forums Account here!
JOINING THE SA FORUMS WILL REMOVE THIS BIG AD, THE ANNOYING UNDERLINED ADS, AND STUPID INTERSTITIAL ADS!!!

You can: log in, read the tech support FAQ, or request your lost password. This dumb message (and those ads) will appear on every screen until you register! Get rid of this crap by registering your own SA Forums Account and joining roughly 150,000 Goons, for the one-time price of $9.95! We charge money because it costs us money per month for bills, and since we don't believe in showing ads to our users, we try to make the money back through forum registrations.
 
  • Post
  • Reply
Bobfly
Apr 22, 2007
EGADS!

Invalid Octopus posted:

I see your field and cocker spaniels and raise you:




(both from that Danish breeder I posted)
Clumber spaniels are totally awesome! I can't believe they're gun dogs with a bulk like that :3:

But will they fit in a ~60 m2 apartment? 90 lbs. is no joke...

Bobfly fucked around with this message at 18:21 on Jul 24, 2014

Adbot
ADBOT LOVES YOU

Invalid Octopus
Jun 30, 2008

When is dinner?

Bobfly posted:

Clumber spaniels are totally awesome! I can't believe they're gun dogs with a bulk like that :3:

But will they fit in a ~60 m2 apartment? 90 lbs. is no joke...

Only the fattest of fatty fat show dogs get to 90 pounds. They're heavy set, but about the same height as an English Springer Spaniel. From the Working Clumber Spaniel Club: "From working lines the dogs weigh 55-70lbs and bitches 45-60lbs." Here's two comparison pics of two next to a field-bred ESS:


More solid, but taking up about the same amount of space.

Here's how they're built under the coat:

Invalid Octopus fucked around with this message at 18:46 on Jul 24, 2014

biggest platypus
Mar 10, 2014
Hooray, I now have pics to post with my questions :toot:

This is Tumbles, my Pembroke corgi pup. I met her last weekend at almost 5 weeks old, and she comes home in just under a month. I'm super excited!




What's the best way to drive with a 9 week old pup? It should be about a 3 hour drive home, and I'll probably be alone in the car. I'm planning on getting her a wire crate with divider (probably this one: http://www.amazon.com/Precision-Pet-Black-ProValu-Crate/dp/B0010ZH656/, in 36"? may ask the corgi thread about this...) but that seems really big to bring a tiny puppy home in, assuming it even fits in the backseat of the car. The breeder did mention potty training them with horse bedding/pellets and having some of that for the ride home, though, so maybe large crate + litterbox is the way to go, if it'll fit... Obviously I want to avoid accidents but also make sure she's safe. Any advice?

Suzaku
Feb 15, 2012

biggest platypus posted:

Hooray, I now have pics to post with my questions :toot:

This is Tumbles, my Pembroke corgi pup. I met her last weekend at almost 5 weeks old, and she comes home in just under a month. I'm super excited!


What's the best way to drive with a 9 week old pup? It should be about a 3 hour drive home, and I'll probably be alone in the car. I'm planning on getting her a wire crate with divider (probably this one: http://www.amazon.com/Precision-Pet-Black-ProValu-Crate/dp/B0010ZH656/, in 36"? may ask the corgi thread about this...) but that seems really big to bring a tiny puppy home in, assuming it even fits in the backseat of the car. The breeder did mention potty training them with horse bedding/pellets and having some of that for the ride home, though, so maybe large crate + litterbox is the way to go, if it'll fit... Obviously I want to avoid accidents but also make sure she's safe. Any advice?

Holy crap, Tumbles is adorable! Congratulations!

I would think a crate would be very necessary. Our corgi Thor (8 weeks when we brought him home) slept most of the way home (a 4+ hour drive in our case), and my wife held him the whole way. However, when he was awake he was curious and tried to wander, which is not something that would be safe for anyone involved. 36" long seems a bit large to me for the moment; ours is 24" and we're just now needing to see about upgrading at 6 months. Though, we don't have a wire one, so I don't know how that changes things.

You'll definitely need to stop and let her out and give her water a few times. Not only will she get thirsty, but her little bladder won't be able to hold it the whole way home. Food would probably be a bad idea before you get home. Thor got particularly restless and made some crying noises when he needed to go, but I don't know how typical that is.

You'll for sure wan blankets for him to lay on, and to possibly cover him if he gets cold. And in the event of accidents. We were told to get our scent on whatever we brought him home in so that he could get used to it; I'm not sure how much that matters initially.

biggest platypus
Mar 10, 2014

Suzaku posted:

Holy crap, Tumbles is adorable! Congratulations!

I would think a crate would be very necessary. Our corgi Thor (8 weeks when we brought him home) slept most of the way home (a 4+ hour drive in our case), and my wife held him the whole way. However, when he was awake he was curious and tried to wander, which is not something that would be safe for anyone involved. 36" long seems a bit large to me for the moment; ours is 24" and we're just now needing to see about upgrading at 6 months. Though, we don't have a wire one, so I don't know how that changes things.

Thanks! I just saw pics of Thor in the corgi thread - he's super cute too! Ahh the giant ears of corgi pups :3:

Maybe I'll do what you did and get a smaller crate to start and figure out what she needs when she outgrows it. That would definitely help with the car ride, at least, and save floorspace for the first few months. Thanks for the ideas on other stuff to bring along for that first ride home, too.

AHHH so excited.

Suzaku
Feb 15, 2012
Thanks! The best part is when their ears get big just before growth spurts. SOOOOO ADORABLE!

One tip for after you get him home...

His baby teeth will still be coming in, and we found that soaking a washcloth with water and then freezing it became Thor's favorite chewtoy when he was having teething pains. Pretty much every time he started to get cranky for no discernible reason, or when he started trying to chew anything in sight that was soft, we got out a frozen washcloth and let him give it a go. Most of the time it worked, and he chewed happily on it for a while. You may want several washcloths on rotation.

After Thor's baby teeth were in he lost interest, but he really wanted the washcloths again when his adult teeth started coming in. At this point, he also fell in love with ice cubes.

On another note, you'll also want some toys for him in his crate for the ride home. And a leash and harness, of course, but your breeder should hopefully provide those.

And a note on collar sizing...I don't know how large Tumbles is, but when we got Thor we figured we'd need an Extra Small collar for him initially. Nope. Dude totally came home sized to a Small.

Veskit
Mar 2, 2005

I love capitalism!! DM me for the best investing advice!
Edit: We figured it out. Off to the humane society!

Veskit fucked around with this message at 04:52 on Jul 28, 2014

Math You
Oct 27, 2010

So put your faith
in more than steel
Pictures to come when I am not on a phone.

So we brought our Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever home last night, half a week early due to a family emergency with our breeder. She's 8 weeks and 3 days as of this morning.

She's been very good for the most part. She picked up that we want her to pee /poo when we take her out, and does so immediately. 16 hours, no accidents! She squatted once towards the end of a play session, but we caught her and she went outside successfully.

She's been resting easy as well. She has taken to her toys, has found several safe zones for crashing, and even enters her crate on her own.

However.. When we latch that thing closed all heck breaks loose.

From past experience, puppies have cried anywhere from 20 - 40 minutes, crashed for several hours and repeat.
She will cry about that duration, until she falls asleep standing up and crying. The action of sliding forward as she falls smooshes her face into the gate and wakes her up immediately. She resumes crying at that point.

Every half hour or so she would actually fall asleep for 5 minutes, but that was it for the most part. Here is a quick time line.

11:30pm: move her to the crate as she begins looking for snooze spots. She had a toy with her mom's and sisters' scent on it, and a Kong lined with natural peanut butter.
1:30 - 2:30: my sliver of sleep. I don't know if I just slept through her or if she stopped
3:30: take her for a pee and poo. I waited for a lull in the whining before taking her out. She goes quickly. No playing. This is a business trip. Back in the crate
5:30am: wake up. Pee, play and then a short walk. More playing inside, then set her down for a snooze
Now: Posting on somethingawful while I poo.

Wut do? We certainly didn't encourage her, and haven't let her out while she's been vocal..

I know it's only been the one night so far, but if anyone has sweet tips to prevent a repeat performance, that would be wonderful. Her crate is in our bedroom. I'm wasted, and I know she is too.

m.hache
Dec 1, 2004


Fun Shoe

Math You posted:


She will cry about that duration, until she falls asleep standing up and crying. The action of sliding forward as she falls smooshes her face into the gate and wakes her up immediately. She resumes crying at that point.


If you can catch that on video that'd be gold.

As an aside I had to sleep in front of the crate for the first few days so she got over the fact that we weren't abandoning her. Eventually we would wake up for the 3am piss and just go right to bed and she would be fine.

Also, try putting a sheet over her crate if you haven't already.

Math You
Oct 27, 2010

So put your faith
in more than steel

m.hache posted:

If you can catch that on video that'd be gold.

As an aside I had to sleep in front of the crate for the first few days so she got over the fact that we weren't abandoning her. Eventually we would wake up for the 3am piss and just go right to bed and she would be fine.

Also, try putting a sheet over her crate if you haven't already.

Hrm. She's in one of the plastic carrier crates currently, not sure how much the sheet would help, but we'll give it a shot.

I think we might just try positive crate training for the rest of today to avoid stressing her any more.. She'll HAVE to go in for the night though.

m.hache
Dec 1, 2004


Fun Shoe

Math You posted:

Hrm. She's in one of the plastic carrier crates currently, not sure how much the sheet would help, but we'll give it a shot.

I think we might just try positive crate training for the rest of today to avoid stressing her any more.. She'll HAVE to go in for the night though.

The sheet will provide a den like experience if you have a plastic crate with a lot of holes in it. Even if you just keep the lower half of the crate exposed that means she'll likely have to lay down to see out.

Math You
Oct 27, 2010

So put your faith
in more than steel

m.hache posted:

The sheet will provide a den like experience if you have a plastic crate with a lot of holes in it. Even if you just keep the lower half of the crate exposed that means she'll likely have to lay down to see out.

Ohhh, I quite like the last point.

At what point should I start worrying about her eating? She was a total piglet with her litter mates (4 paws in the food bowl, always back for seconds and thirds). She's eaten maybe 1/5th of her breakfast and lunch so far.

I'm assuming that she is just tired and stressed, but I've dealt with fatty liver disease in cats before and it scares me.

I'm considering making her kibble more interesting by introducing chicken, but I don't want to create a picky eater.

Sooo, how long should I wait and see for?

Triangulum
Oct 3, 2007

by Lowtax
Don't put chicken or anything else in her kibble to entice her to eat, you'll just teach her to hold out for something better. Most dogs won't starve themselves and they're not like cats where if they don't eat for a couple days they start getting really sick. If she doesn't eat her food after 10-15 min, pick it up and put it away. She'll eat once she gets hungry enough. In all likelihood it's just stress and once she gets adjusted she'll start eating normally but there's no point in teaching her bad eating habits.

Math You
Oct 27, 2010

So put your faith
in more than steel

Triangulum posted:

Don't put chicken or anything else in her kibble to entice her to eat, you'll just teach her to hold out for something better. Most dogs won't starve themselves and they're not like cats where if they don't eat for a couple days they start getting really sick. If she doesn't eat her food after 10-15 min, pick it up and put it away. She'll eat once she gets hungry enough. In all likelihood it's just stress and once she gets adjusted she'll start eating normally but there's no point in teaching her bad eating habits.

Thanks for the reinforcement. I understand that dogs and cats differ in this regard, but it is tough when you've seen a pet go this way. Makes you a tad paranoid.

Math You
Oct 27, 2010

So put your faith
in more than steel

m.hache posted:

The sheet will provide a den like experience if you have a plastic crate with a lot of holes in it. Even if you just keep the lower half of the crate exposed that means she'll likely have to lay down to see out.

This worked EXTRAORDINARILY well. She was much better last night all round. The only drama occurred when I left the room to go shower without letting her out.
They just don't have the same vocal range when they are lying down. Thank god.

Unfortunately, it looks like I have lost my opportunity to record her face smoosh. =(

m.hache
Dec 1, 2004


Fun Shoe

Math You posted:

This worked EXTRAORDINARILY well. She was much better last night all round. The only drama occurred when I left the room to go shower without letting her out.
They just don't have the same vocal range when they are lying down. Thank god.

Unfortunately, it looks like I have lost my opportunity to record her face smoosh. =(

Ha, there'll be plenty of other goofy poo poo to record.

Math You
Oct 27, 2010

So put your faith
in more than steel
As promised.. Have an Ellie







^ She is the one who is winning.

a life less
Jul 12, 2009

We are healthy only to the extent that our ideas are humane.

Zomg Toller. Do all of the sports with your Toller! What breeder is she from?

Postess with the Mostest
Apr 4, 2007

Arabian nights
'neath Arabian moons
A fool off his guard
could fall and fall hard
out there on the dunes

Math You posted:

As promised.. Have an Ellie

Such a small world, your breeder is our cottage neighbour! I saw these puppies just a few weeks ago, can't believe they're gone already. Are you going to hunt with her? I remember her getting them on wings and stuff pretty early and the mom is a really good retriever.

Math You
Oct 27, 2010

So put your faith
in more than steel

Ikantski posted:

Such a small world, your breeder is our cottage neighbour! I saw these puppies just a few weeks ago, can't believe they're gone already. Are you going to hunt with her? I remember her getting them on wings and stuff pretty early and the mom is a really good retriever.

No plans as of yet.. We were thinking agility but of the whole litter she was the most naturally eager with ducks, and she's not even one of the three crazies. Field may well be in our future.

Here's a hint on the breeder. Please don't internet detective me XD



And here is Ellie rocking out with ducks at 5 weeks




Oh boy.. While I was typing this she finally made the couch jump she has been attempting since she got here.. Help!

grey gray grey
Dec 1, 2011
Any tips for taking the pup (11 months old) on a 12-hour long car ride? Already bought a Thunder Shirt in case of car sickness or anxiety. Planning on several big stops for walks and potty breaks. Any advice from experience out there?

mcswizzle
Jul 26, 2009

grey gray grey posted:

Any tips for taking the pup (11 months old) on a 12-hour long car ride? Already bought a Thunder Shirt in case of car sickness or anxiety. Planning on several big stops for walks and potty breaks. Any advice from experience out there?

Our behaviorist recommended a spoonful of honey to settle Artemis' stomach.

She also said that if they don't get settled (in the backseat, not their stomachs), try a children's benadryl to get them relaxed.

e: used same word for different purposes, added clarification

mcswizzle fucked around with this message at 21:16 on Aug 4, 2014

Math You
Oct 27, 2010

So put your faith
in more than steel

grey gray grey posted:

Any tips for taking the pup (11 months old) on a 12-hour long car ride? Already bought a Thunder Shirt in case of car sickness or anxiety. Planning on several big stops for walks and potty breaks. Any advice from experience out there?

You haven't really given much back story here.
How much experience does the dog have in cars? Is he /she good in them so far?

The best thing you'll be able to do to prepare is practice. Do some work to get the dog as comfortable as possible in the car for shorter trips.

m.hache
Dec 1, 2004


Fun Shoe

grey gray grey posted:

Any tips for taking the pup (11 months old) on a 12-hour long car ride? Already bought a Thunder Shirt in case of car sickness or anxiety. Planning on several big stops for walks and potty breaks. Any advice from experience out there?

Bring covers for your car seats. Multiple ones. Also paper towels, sanitizers and bags. Sometimes all the walks in the world will not take care of car sickness.

First long haul we did with Nyx (3.5 hours) she threw up in the back seat. Luckily we had a cover but it was still a mess.

luscious
Mar 8, 2005

Who can find a virtuous woman,
For her price is far above rubies.
Sherlock only pukes when my dad drives. Is it possible for you to stick the crate in the backseat and cover it? Really tire puppy out before hand like dog park, lots of playing, etc. and then hope that puppy sleeps a lot.

BaseballPCHiker
Jan 16, 2006

I would like to thank everyone for helping me out in the past with my dog. She is getting more and more behaved each month and while progress is slow we seem to be moving forward at least.

There are still a couple of things that I worry about though. She likes to play rough. Like jump around, runs back and forth like crazy jumping around, and then like just tumbles around and wrestles with other dogs. I've never seen her bite down hard, she always backs away if she hears a yelp or a mean bark, but if she finds a willing dog they just play rough and kind of mouthy. Should I be concerned? It doesnt bother me to much as long as the other dog and owner is OK with it. I think it's just her default behavior is to go in and play like that and I'm afraid it could be dangerous with strange dogs she doesnt know. Also she tries to play like that with me. My hand will be in her mouth but she wont bite down at all. And she tries to jump up and tackle too. She will stop if I tell her too.

Most concerning is when she has her freak outs. Doesnt listen at all zooms back and forth pulling on the leash like crazy and jumping and growling/snarling until she seems to wear herself out. It seems to happen mostly if she has to much energy and hasnt gotten enough outside time. Anyway to calm her when this happens?

She has been cooped up the last two weeks with just long hour to 90 minute walks each day. She had some dental surgery and three tooth extractions so she cant use her chew toys like she normally could and I cant let her out to the dog park to exercise either.

Coldforge
Oct 29, 2002

I knew it would be bad.
I didn't know it would be so stupid.
I brought home a 10 month old Yorkie mix from the local shelter yesterday, and finally have enough free time to post about him.

This is Gurgi.


He was just recently neutered, and I was told he can't have a bath until the 16th. We'll get through this smelly time together, somehow. He's remarkably well behaved, and is already semi-housebroken (he's only done his business in the backyard so far, but I'm keeping a close eye on him just in case).

Does anyone have any advice for a 10 month old puppy? Things I should watch for at this particular stage? He's much larger than the standard Yorkshire Terrier, around 14" high at this point. Can I expect him to grow any more, or is he full grown at this age? He's also not eating much yet, and isn't exceptionally enamored with the treats I've gotten him (Zukes). The shelter gave me adult dog food for him, so I got some blue buffalo puppy food for him instead. Should I have stuck with the adult food they gave me?

Tayter Swift
Nov 18, 2002

Pillbug

Coldforge posted:

Does anyone have any advice for a 10 month old puppy? Things I should watch for at this particular stage?

Photo ops.

As for how big, he's probably about as big as he's gonna get .

It's best t tansition the dog food over a few days if you haven't thrown the old bag away yet but it's not the end of the world if you did.

grey gray grey
Dec 1, 2011
Thanks for all of the road trip tips! It was a "we need to leave in the morning" type of trip with little time to prepare with test rides, etc.

Just for the record, he does great on short trips and around town, but there was one 4-hour ride with some anxiety.

He has a bucket seat / car seat thing that he does alright in, but it isn't his favorite. I put his small crate in the back seat, put his thunder shirt on, covered the crate and he did really well there. Towards the end of the trip, with about 30 minutes left, I reached back and let him out. He jumped up front for about 30 seconds before going back inside his crate.

We made frequent stops at rest areas so he'd have room to walk, jump around and play (on leash, of course).

We head back in a few days so if there are anymore ideas or thoughts, I'll take them! Thanks for everything you guys offered up. It was really helpful!

Tayter Swift
Nov 18, 2002

Pillbug

BaseballPCHiker posted:

There are still a couple of things that I worry about though. She likes to play rough. Like jump around, runs back and forth like crazy jumping around, and then like just tumbles around and wrestles with other dogs. I've never seen her bite down hard, she always backs away if she hears a yelp or a mean bark, but if she finds a willing dog they just play rough and kind of mouthy. Should I be concerned? It doesnt bother me to much as long as the other dog and owner is OK with it. I think it's just her default behavior is to go in and play like that and I'm afraid it could be dangerous with strange dogs she doesnt know. Also she tries to play like that with me. My hand will be in her mouth but she wont bite down at all. And she tries to jump up and tackle too. She will stop if I tell her too.

If the other dog is fine with it then nah, some dogs just like to play rough.

Tater for example is happiest when he's on his back at the dog park having his throat ripped out by his Boston terrier buddy. To outside observers it must look scary as hell, and honestly it unnerves me at times (especially when the Boston starts to shake) but they've been doing this damned near every day and Tater keeps going back for more so... okay dude have fun!

luscious
Mar 8, 2005

Who can find a virtuous woman,
For her price is far above rubies.

Eegah posted:

If the other dog is fine with it then nah, some dogs just like to play rough.

Tater for example is happiest when he's on his back at the dog park having his throat ripped out by his Boston terrier buddy. To outside observers it must look scary as hell, and honestly it unnerves me at times (especially when the Boston starts to shake) but they've been doing this damned near every day and Tater keeps going back for more so... okay dude have fun!

Sherlock may as well be that Boston Terrier :haw:

I think it's important to let dogs play like that unless it's getting out of control like really, really intense. My attitude is that it's very important that dogs not only learn to follow behavioural cues but also learn to give them, and the only way that can happen is by allowing them to go until they give/get them. If you separate dogs when they don't need to be, they never learn to give or get the cues and that can cause problems down the road.

There's a dog at the dogpark whose owners get involved WAY to fast, and as a result that dog doesn't know how to give or get cues when they're given. I hate when that dog is there bc he always wants to play with Sherlock and it ends up with them getting pulled apart for no reason or me having to leave because the other dog just won't stop when Sherlock has had enough (which is rare).

a life less
Jul 12, 2009

We are healthy only to the extent that our ideas are humane.

BaseballPCHiker posted:

I would like to thank everyone for helping me out in the past with my dog. She is getting more and more behaved each month and while progress is slow we seem to be moving forward at least.

There are still a couple of things that I worry about though. She likes to play rough. Like jump around, runs back and forth like crazy jumping around, and then like just tumbles around and wrestles with other dogs. I've never seen her bite down hard, she always backs away if she hears a yelp or a mean bark, but if she finds a willing dog they just play rough and kind of mouthy. Should I be concerned? It doesnt bother me to much as long as the other dog and owner is OK with it. I think it's just her default behavior is to go in and play like that and I'm afraid it could be dangerous with strange dogs she doesnt know. Also she tries to play like that with me. My hand will be in her mouth but she wont bite down at all. And she tries to jump up and tackle too. She will stop if I tell her too.

Most concerning is when she has her freak outs. Doesnt listen at all zooms back and forth pulling on the leash like crazy and jumping and growling/snarling until she seems to wear herself out. It seems to happen mostly if she has to much energy and hasnt gotten enough outside time. Anyway to calm her when this happens?

She has been cooped up the last two weeks with just long hour to 90 minute walks each day. She had some dental surgery and three tooth extractions so she cant use her chew toys like she normally could and I cant let her out to the dog park to exercise either.

Regarding the rough play, I would do one of two things. 1. I would mention to the other dog's owners that your dog can play rough and ask if that's okay. If they seem the slightest bit hesitant, call your dog away. If the other dog lets out the slightest sign of being uncomfortable, call your dog away. 2. Separate her from play when she gets too rough, hopefully teaching her to keep things lower key if she wants to continue.

I'd personally go with option 1, but then again, I have a dog who only plays nice with a handful of other dogs.

Regarding her freak outs, it sounds like puppy zoomies (it's totally a thing). I would try to preempt them before they start -- you can see that mischievous glint in their eyes before they go full zoom. Redirect to a toy or a stick or something more appropriate than the least, or do some fun obedience/trick/games to calm her down a bit and to give her something else to focus on. Mine used to get zoomies at a certain part of our walk, so I'd cue a heel and we'd play past the area where she used to go nuts. Eventually the good heeling habits replaced the bad freakout habits.

To tire her out start some trick training. Spin, beg, paw, bow, play dead, roll over, back up, speak, target, retrieve, weaving through your legs, etc are all great beginner tricks to keep her occupied and improve your relationship with her.

Tayter Swift
Nov 18, 2002

Pillbug
Behold, the death of Tater:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=en9feqT6O4A
After which of course he gets zoomies and then runs back for more. Dude's just a glutton for punishment I guess : shrug:

Engineer Lenk
Aug 28, 2003

Mnogo losho e!

luscious posted:

I think it's important to let dogs play like that unless it's getting out of control like really, really intense. My attitude is that it's very important that dogs not only learn to follow behavioural cues but also learn to give them, and the only way that can happen is by allowing them to go until they give/get them. If you separate dogs when they don't need to be, they never learn to give or get the cues and that can cause problems down the road.

There's a dog at the dogpark whose owners get involved WAY to fast, and as a result that dog doesn't know how to give or get cues when they're given. I hate when that dog is there bc he always wants to play with Sherlock and it ends up with them getting pulled apart for no reason or me having to leave because the other dog just won't stop when Sherlock has had enough (which is rare).

While I agree that it's important to let dogs learn dog manners from each other, the dog park is not a good place to let that happen. You don't know what the other dog's threshold is and if their corrections (or responses to corrections) are appropriate. My dogs give dog-appropriate corrections, but I call them away before it comes to that in the dog park because I've seen it lead to escalation.

Rough play begets rough play. If you don't want your dog to engage in rough play, you need to be consistent about not allowing it. If you do allow it, you need to be able to recall the dog out of play because it has the potential to go pear-shaped much more quickly.

luscious
Mar 8, 2005

Who can find a virtuous woman,
For her price is far above rubies.

Engineer Lenk posted:

While I agree that it's important to let dogs learn dog manners from each other, the dog park is not a good place to let that happen. You don't know what the other dog's threshold is and if their corrections (or responses to corrections) are appropriate. My dogs give dog-appropriate corrections, but I call them away before it comes to that in the dog park because I've seen it lead to escalation.

Rough play begets rough play. If you don't want your dog to engage in rough play, you need to be consistent about not allowing it. If you do allow it, you need to be able to recall the dog out of play because it has the potential to go pear-shaped much more quickly.

Yeah, I agree with that which is why I always keep a very close eye - especially when they are playing rough. I'm the first to get involved when things begin to escalate and I would never just let it continue if the other dog or Sherlock was not giving the cues for the other dog to take. There are times that I'm sure I separate too early for cues to be given and without cues being given so I agree with you on that.

ImplicitAssembler
Jan 24, 2013

So Hana was quickly outgrowing out ability to teach her leash manners, so we caved in and bought a harness. First one looked awful (Kong harness) and wasn't all that great, but on recommendation from my local pet store, I got an Easy-walk harness (even though they didn't stock that at the local store!) and what a difference. She doesn't seem to mind it too much (although I still take it off in the park, so it doesn't chafe when she's running around) and she pretty much walks like a well trained dog on the leash!.

a life less
Jul 12, 2009

We are healthy only to the extent that our ideas are humane.

ImplicitAssembler posted:

So Hana was quickly outgrowing out ability to teach her leash manners, so we caved in and bought a harness. First one looked awful (Kong harness) and wasn't all that great, but on recommendation from my local pet store, I got an Easy-walk harness (even though they didn't stock that at the local store!) and what a difference. She doesn't seem to mind it too much (although I still take it off in the park, so it doesn't chafe when she's running around) and she pretty much walks like a well trained dog on the leash!.

That's great! However, you're likely in a honeymoon period. Now is a great time to bump up your loose leash walking training to further cement those good habits. No-pull harnesses, like all tools, should be used with the hope that you'll be able to function without them as quickly as possible.

ImplicitAssembler
Jan 24, 2013

a life less posted:

That's great! However, you're likely in a honeymoon period. Now is a great time to bump up your loose leash walking training to further cement those good habits. No-pull harnesses, like all tools, should be used with the hope that you'll be able to function without them as quickly as possible.

Yeah,I'm alternating between harness and regular collar. For the long walks, I use the harness.
We know that it's imperative that she learns to walk on a loose leash as soon as possible. I met a couple with a 6 month old Great Dane today, which really underlined how quickly they grow. (And also how pretty they are!!!).

Talking about honeymoon period, she has become extremely defiant and have started to ignore commands.
I had to put her back on the leash in the park today, as recall was gone...even when playing fetch and there was no one else in the park!.
She also has a few spots on the way where she loves to lie in the grass and will not move. Tugging on the harness, she'll just roll on to her back. Treats did nothing. Trying to pick her up, she would quite aggressively fight me and I had to be quite rough in order to avoid getting bitten.
Second time, she also knew that I was coming to pick her up and was ready to fight me off. It's not full on aggressive bites, but if they continue, say another month, this could become quite intimidating.
I suspect she's probing the boundaries and maybe we've been too relaxed about it. For the rest of the walk home, I kept her on a very short leash, reprimanded her whenever she tried to bite leash and praised treated when she walked nicely.
This worked in the sense that she never got into a position where she could lie down in the grass.
Anyways..mostly venting as today wasn't a lot of fun.

Edit:

Well, maybe I 'won'. She's been on her best behaviour ever since, even offering sits, etc unprompted! Still wont 'come' as readily as before. Also walking her on a much tighter leash, but with more rewards for proper behaviour.

ImplicitAssembler fucked around with this message at 19:11 on Aug 11, 2014

Sab0921
Aug 2, 2004

This for my justices slingin' thangs, rib breakin' kings / Truck, necklace, robe, gavel and things / For the solicitors seein' them dissents spin and grin / That robe with the lace trim that win.
Does anyone here have recommendations for pet insurance? I have a dog that's getting older (10) -- and I'm headed out of town for a month (with a house sitter behind) so I wanted to ensure that he is covered in case anything crazy happens when we're gone.

Adbot
ADBOT LOVES YOU

Coldforge
Oct 29, 2002

I knew it would be bad.
I didn't know it would be so stupid.
My pups' been here almost a week and he's settling in nicely. He's had his first vet visit, has started to eat regularly from his bowl (though he still needs encouragement), and has a very healthy energy level for play time.

He's developing one bad (?) habit, though, which is chewing and sometimes swallowing bits of tan bark. Is this safe for him to do? He has plenty of chew toys available, and he uses them, but he'll sometimes just drop whatever he's doing (even playing fetch with his chuck it, or chewing on his toys) and grab a piece of wood to gnaw on instead.

If it's not safe, what's the best way to get him to stop?

  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
  • Post
  • Reply