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My dogs both have preferences to peeing on hard floors (i.e. pavement, the back yard, even the middle of roads  ). In the yard I just swill it down with hot water + disinfectant weekly or so in the summer, and monthly or so in the winter. Got no problems.
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Sep 14, 2014 14:21
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a life less posted:It's pretty normal, but that isn't to say it's also not a little gross. I don't really like it when dogs pee places other than grass, but logically there's not much difference between grass and stone. Difference is I'm not walking in the grass.
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Sep 14, 2014 18:02
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Swill the alley down yourself if you're that grossed out by it.
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Sep 14, 2014 18:07
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Tell the neighbor to let his dog go somewhere else. I make sure my dogs do their thing as far away from the doors/alleys so that visitors don't have to smell pee and poo, your neighbor should do the same. Speaking of dogs and poo, how do you manage to keep a backyard clean during the winter? I've thought of a little fenced area where I could bring my dogs and leave them in there until they do their things, reward and let them out. If it's uncovered though snow will keep burying poops until I lose track. A big kennel of some kind? Under the deck?
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Sep 16, 2014 18:07
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Take the dogs out on a leash, or be prepared for a big cleanup in the spring. Technically you can teach them to eliminate in a particular area, but I've never bothered following through.
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Sep 16, 2014 18:58
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a life less posted:Take the dogs out on a leash, or be prepared for a big cleanup in the spring. If you have a child, time to teach them pooper scooper duty. Or, you know, be prepared to do it yourself.
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Sep 17, 2014 21:03
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I need some advice on Pickles. She's about 2.5 years old. We got her in Febuary. When we first got her, we started her on 1 cup of kibble a day with measured treats. She was 10.4 lbs, was generally uninterested in eating (maybe stress) even though she always eventually finished. She maintained her weight throughout this period. Then, out of nowhere in June, we found her gaining weight until she hit 11 lbs in late August and maintained it. She also was eating her kibble completely at every meal immediately. (We had originally attributed this to us being strict on only feeding her and keeping the kibble down for 30min.) We hadn't changed any of her food, but due to the weight gain, decided to decrease how much we fed her first to 3/4 of a cup, and when she kept gaining, to 1/2 a cup per day. Now that's all we feed her, and she's still not losing weight. She's also started acting extremely hungry ALL the time. If we just ate, and have an plate with a bit of leftovers on the table, she'd sit underneath the counter and whine to get the food. We don't feed off the table, so we're not sure where she got this from. Mostly we're concerned about if we're really starving her (logically impossible since she's not losing ANY weight) or if it's medical. Something else concerning is that previously her belly would only be turgid/firm after eating. Now, it's turgid all the time, and especially bulged out after eating. She's not fat at all, she started out being super lean (but not too skinny either). But she definitely has more fat on her now than before.
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Sep 18, 2014 03:42
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Rurutia posted:I need some advice on Pickles. What are you feeding? My 12.5 lb (very active) terrier mix maintains his weight on 2/3 cup per day grain-free taste of the wild, while my less-active 11 lb terrier was maintaining on 1/2 cup ToTW per day. She went down to 10.4 lbs when we were feeding 2/3 cup of the hydrolized protein allergy food, though, so it's highly food-dependent.
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Sep 18, 2014 04:13
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We feed taste of the wild.
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Sep 18, 2014 13:00
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My wife and I just got married, and for months we've been wanting to get a dog, but we've been so busy we haven't had a chance to take care of one properly. Now that the wedding and honeymoon is done with, we finally have time. We're interested in a Corgi, and we've found a breeder who was recommended to us by a local Corgi rescue organization (Immer Essen farm in Athens, TN). Their website looks like it took a time machine here from 1995, but they seem to be fairly reputable. They claim that their dogs are genetically tested for diseases and/or cleared by parentage. The problem we have right now is that we live in an apartment, and the breeder is grilling us about keeping the dog safe from Parvo since we don't have a fenced yard of our own. The apartment allows dogs, but we would have to use the common areas and on-site dog parks for exercise and bathroom breaks. I've been doing some research and it seems to me that most recommendations seem to imply that as long as the vaccination schedule is followed religiously, it isn't much of a concern. But, I can definitely understand the concern. If a single dog in the apartment does indeed carry the virus, then it's likely that every single dog in the apartment will be exposed to it. And while the city requires permits for dogs to use the dog parks, and those permits require vaccination records, I don't think they post guards at the dog parks, so there probably is no real enforcement. Our strategy right now is that we would keep the dog "isolated" to our apartment property, except for training/socialization classes, until we've passed 16-20 weeks of age. We would also try to take less-used doors and let the dog go to the bathroom in areas we know are less frequented by other dogs. We would also avoid taking the dog to other public places that aren't controlled...coffee shops, off-property dog parks, etc. So bottom line question is: if we follow the vaccination schedule, should we be worried? I'm making the assumption that the dog WILL be exposed to the virus, so we're trying to figure out if there's a risk that the maternal antibodies will wear off between shots and leave the dog vulnerable.
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Sep 19, 2014 13:32
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16-20 weeks sounds excessive. Do wild animals often come through your common area/neighborhood? Are there laws on the books regarding strict vaccination/shots? If not to the first and so to the second, then I wouldn't worry about it past week 10 or so. You've got to remember that socialization is almost as important as vaccination.
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Sep 19, 2014 15:29
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I would consult with a local veterinarian if they know about the local parvo incidence. Some places are much, much worse than others. The way vaccination goes, pups aren't usually (mostly) protected from parvo until after their last shot, sometimes the shot before. The reason is that the pup is born with mom's immune system, which will nullify both parvo and vaccine, but wanes anywhere from 8-16 weeks or so. Regular vaccine schedules are done to try and catch that wane period, however there is no way to know for sure when that happens. Pups on that appropriate schedule can for sure come down with parvo if they end up unlucky - mom's immunity is waning, immunization immunity is weak, and the parvo load is sufficient - then boom, parvo. Where I grew up, I would be all on board with socialization early. Where I used to practice, the parvo was bad enough that people who followed vaccine schedule, kept their pups isolated (even with bleach buckets and hand cleaning stations for the clients on their way in and out!), and didn't interact with other pups or dogs STILL would occasionally come down with parvo. It was a well-known thing that entire litters would get wiped out. It was bad. And then, if there's enough virus in the environment (or if your dog is directly exposed to a parvo positive) they can still come down with parvo even if fully vaccinated, though usually it isn't as severe. Luckily the vaccine companies will pay for treatment in that situation as long as you got the vaccines through a vet.
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Sep 19, 2014 16:04
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HelloSailorSign posted:I would consult with a local veterinarian if they know about the local parvo incidence. Some places are much, much worse than others. That helps a lot, thanks. We were planning on consulting with a couple local vets anyhow, but I didn't realize there was that much variation in different regions. We live in Cary, NC, so there are TONS of people moving in from all around the country right now, so that concerns me a little. But, we've watched a lot of people in our apartment complex get puppies and we've watched them grow up, so we're fairly confident things aren't so bad around here. We know that socialization is vital at a young age, but the breeder seems very concerned about parvo, and our own research has found a lot of mixed opinions. It's been difficult for us to really come up with a plan that would satisfy the breeder and also put our minds at ease.
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Sep 19, 2014 16:24
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My wife and I are thinking about getting a puppy and I have some questions. We both had small dogs as childhood pets and we have had a couple of pet rats together over the last few years so we have some idea of what we're getting into. Firstly, we have decided that we want to get a Havanese as they are the right size for us, apparently are good companion animals and are pretty cute. We've contacted this breeder who will have puppies available in January and we are planning to go and visit the breeder in the next few weeks to meet the parent animals. I asked if the breeder recommends getting one or two dogs and she said either, or. Apparently Havanese are fine on their own but of course any animal is going to be happier with a friend. What is the PI thought on this issue? When I was younger I had a maltese-shitzu who got incredibly stressed and unwell from being alone so we ended up getting a bichon frise to be the maltese's companion and they were very happy together. Currently I work days and my wife works 2-3 nights a week so there would almost always be someone home to be with the dog unless we go out for the day on the weekend or something so it's not like the dog would be super neglected but at the same time I don't want the dog to be 100% dependent on our presence and to freak out when we leave the house. Secondly, when I was a kid our dogs had little beds in the kitchen they slept in and they had pretty much free reign of the house. They had minimal training but were little dogs so they didn't rule the house or anything. Now, from what I've read in this thread and in PI in general people seem to recommend crating as the best way to give your pet space / boundaries and to help with training. I've never met anyone (in Australia) who crates their dogs and am wondering if it is something we should do or if there is an alternative training method that is more commonly used in  ? I am also keen to make sure any dog I get is well trained so I will commit to doing clicker training and stuff like that when we get a dog as I always felt bad about how poorly trained my dogs were when I was a kid and I don't want to be that guy with an out of control, yappy dog who everyone hates 
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Sep 22, 2014 03:45
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DaveSauce posted:That helps a lot, thanks. We were planning on consulting with a couple local vets anyhow, but I didn't realize there was that much variation in different regions. I know a vet that practices about 30 minutes from Cary, and they see tons of parvo. I do not know if Cary has less, but it is a real concern.
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Sep 22, 2014 04:10
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cyberia posted:My wife and I are thinking about getting a puppy and I have some questions. Havanese are great little dogs. That being said, I would strongly recommend against getting two puppies due to littermate syndrome. Basically, two puppies raised together won't develop as well as if they were raised apart. I would get one dog, and introduce another one once you're feeling comfortable with the first one in your house and its level of training. I'd say most people in PI recommend crate training puppies, but reducing it/eliminating it entirely (that is, leaving the crate for the dog to sleep in, but not locking it in) once the dog is reliable inside.
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Sep 22, 2014 04:12
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DaveSauce posted:... Personal anecdote here, from *very* recently (like, now). I'm in a city, and my block literally dead ends into a popular dog park, so I assumed this meant DO NOT go out the front door until 16 weeks - I was super terrified of parvo when I first got my pup (also a corgi). PI told me I was being overly cautious, and I talked to my vet, and she cleared us for short walks in the city after just the first 8-week shots, and then walks anywhere but the dog park itself after the second set. My dog gets her last set this coming week. That said, my vet seems to be very liberal about this, and people I meet still caution me about parvo out of the blue (apparently it's been on the rise this year). I have a friend in the same city with a 14 week old pup who hasn't left the house yet at all :/ Obviously I'm careful about her sticking her face in things on the street or interacting with dogs that seem shady, but overall we've been walking around a lot and she is healthy so far, and meeting people/dogs/vehicles/etc has been so, so good. I believe my vet said her office has seen 1 case of parvo in the last 6 months, that she volunteers with a group that gives free vaccinations to homeless dogs (how many of them actually take advantage, I don't know), and that my pup should be about 80% safe after her second round, although I don't know how scientific that number is. This doesn't necessarily help with reassuring the breeder, and I'm not sure how much worse parvo is in your area versus in mine (San Francisco), but I do think that there is a ton of fear mongering on the internet that blows it out of proportion, from personal experience. I look forward to hopefully seeing tiny baby corgi pup pictures soon. Best of luck!
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Sep 22, 2014 04:23
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Invalid Octopus posted:Havanese are great little dogs. That being said, I would strongly recommend against getting two puppies due to littermate syndrome. Basically, two puppies raised together won't develop as well as if they were raised apart. I would get one dog, and introduce another one once you're feeling comfortable with the first one in your house and its level of training. We just spoke to a second breeder in our area ( https://www.anandahavanese.com ) who said this exact thing so I guess we'll look at getting one puppy and see how we (and the dog) go. quote:I'd say most people in PI recommend crate training puppies, but reducing it/eliminating it entirely (that is, leaving the crate for the dog to sleep in, but not locking it in) once the dog is reliable inside. This is what I was thinking so I will see if any of the local pet stores carry crates once we confirm when / if we're getting the dog. edit to add another question: I've seen posts in this thread about keeping your puppy away from dog parks to avoid the risk of parvo. We live in a house in the suburbs and our neighbours on both sides and across the street all have (small, yappy, but well looked-after) dogs. Is there any risk of a puppy getting sick just from playing in the backyard if there are dogs in the backyards next door? I know that seems like a crazy question but I want to make sure I'm covering all possibilities here 
cyberia fucked around with this message at 04:54 on Sep 22, 2014 |
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Sep 22, 2014 04:47
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cyberia posted:edit to add another question: I've seen posts in this thread about keeping your puppy away from dog parks to avoid the risk of parvo. We live in a house in the suburbs and our neighbours on both sides and across the street all have (small, yappy, but well looked-after) dogs. Is there any risk of a puppy getting sick just from playing in the backyard if there are dogs in the backyards next door? I know that seems like a crazy question but I want to make sure I'm covering all possibilities here Parvo is passed with feces and contact with places where feces has been. It tracks extremely well on feet, hands, clothing, basically most things can be infective if they've come in contact with the virus. The virus itself is extremely hardy and can last several years in the environment. Sometimes cases will spike after a rain or wind storm, which some believe is due to virus in the environment being shifted around and uncovered. If there are enough unvaccinated dogs in an area, it can settle in and be endemic. In places where lots of virus has been shed, it can overwhelm immunity and cause illness, even in fully vaccinated dogs. HOWEVER it requires that there be a dog who had parvo. If your neighbor's dogs didn't have parvo, the dog who lived in your house before you didn't have parvo, and there hasn't been parvo in your neighborhood it is probably fine. There's a reason why some people freak out about parvo; it's because it's a nasty loving disease. However, it all depends on your local area. Some places it isn't bad because it can't get a hold. Maybe most people vaccinate, maybe infective dogs aren't taken outside or allowed to roam, whatever. If you want to have an idea what parvo is like in your area, give the local vets a call. Don't just call one or two if there are several - parvo hits unvaccinated dogs, which include: client is too poor to vaccinate, client is too uneducated to know vaccines exist, client decides to use feed store vaccines inappropriately, client decides vaccines are poison/will give their dog autism... and several of those groups will never go to an "expensive" clinic, so if you choose the specialty center or the "expensive" GP you may get a skewed sample. I used to practice at a clinic that was known for "working with people" and in an area where there were less than 100,000 people in an hour radius there were days I would see 2-4 confirmed on testing parvo cases each day during the parvo "seasons." Otherwise, we'd see 1-2 a week at least as a clinic. Another local clinic that didn't have that reputation saw less (most of their parvo cases also had the money to hospitalize whereas most of ours didn't). It is all about weighing risks. If parvo is high in your area, does that risk outweigh the risks from lack of socialization?
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Sep 22, 2014 05:52
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HelloSailorSign posted:Parvo... Thank you for all the information. I'm not aware of parvo being particularly prevalent in my area but will definitely talk to my vet and the other local vets about it in the next few months. The dogs on my street are all well-looked after and have never been obviously ill in the year and a half we've been living here and strays are pretty much non-existent. That being said we will be suitably cautious and base any action on the advice of the breeder / vet / local experts once we do get a puppy.
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Sep 22, 2014 06:32
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cyberia posted:Secondly, when I was a kid our dogs had little beds in the kitchen they slept in and they had pretty much free reign of the house. They had minimal training but were little dogs so they didn't rule the house or anything. Now, from what I've read in this thread and in PI in general people seem to recommend crating as the best way to give your pet space / boundaries and to help with training. I've never met anyone (in Australia) who crates their dogs and am wondering if it is something we should do or if there is an alternative training method that is more commonly used in I'm in New Zealand where crate training has made a small inroad on dog-haver-habits. I too am looking at puppies and in Research Acquired Thus Far people have indicated that even if you don't plan to lock the crate long term it's still very useful to crate train so a) dog has a spot that he likes to chill out in and b) he doesn't lose his poo poo when being caged at the vet. A vet tech friend said they always breathe a sigh of relief when they get a crate trained patient because it means so much less drama for them and a calmer dog. (However I'm not a vet so happy to be overruled by people in the know!)
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Sep 22, 2014 06:45
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Thanks again for the info on Parvo...I would expect that if areas 30 minutes away from Cary are bad, then it won't be a whole lot better around here. Cary is definitely a more affluent area of Raleigh/Durham, so people here are more likely to have vaccinated their dogs, but it sounds like it doesn't take much to spread Parvo. In puppy-related research, I'm trying to work out how to best acclimate a dog to being left alone. Both my wife and I work full time, which I know is not good for raising a puppy. However, I should be able to bring a dog to work with me pending my boss' approval (which would be arranged prior to committing to a puppy). Others in my office have done it on occasion with older dogs, so I'm looking in to see if I would be able to do it with a puppy for an extended duration. Obviously this isn't a permanent solution, though, as I occasionally have to travel for work and my wife is unable to bring a dog to work with her. The idea is that I could bring the dog to work with me for a while so it can adjust to being separated from the litter. The breeder we're looking at starts crate training at 6 weeks, and the entire upstairs of my office is unused, so I have an opportunity to crate the dog up there for any length of time during the day and still be able to get to it and bring it outside for a bathroom break and to play for a bit. We also have a few conference rooms on the lower level that are unused, but I would prefer to leave it upstairs where it's quieter and free of distractions (or maybe not, to get it used to random noises?). I could easily add a radio if that would help. In my head, I would do this for a couple weeks while slowly increasing the amount of time the puppy spends alone. Maybe start at 1 hour intervals and work up from there. Eventually we would get to the point where we could leave the dog at home and stop over for lunch for a break, and of course long term we want to be able to leave the dog home alone all day (uncrated). I guess the biggest question is, how long are we talking to get to the point that we can leave the dog at home for half a day (either crated or uncrated)? Days, weeks, months? Again, my thought was that it would take a few weeks...or at least long enough until the dog is old enough to go to day care (to cover the gap until the dog can be left alone at home all day). I don't want to tell my boss that I'll be bringing a dog to work every day indefinitely. If I can put a timeline to it, I'll have a better chance of getting approval.
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Sep 22, 2014 19:59
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General rule of thumb = 1hr left alone for every 1 month of age. So an 8 week/2 month old puppy shouldn't be left more than 2hr without at least a bathroom break (and pref play), a 4mo old can be left around 4hr, etc. Obviously dogs are individuals and all that but it's a good thing to try and stick to imo
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Sep 22, 2014 21:40
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Fraction posted:General rule of thumb = 1hr left alone for every 1 month of age. So an 8 week/2 month old puppy shouldn't be left more than 2hr without at least a bathroom break (and pref play), a 4mo old can be left around 4hr, etc. Obviously dogs are individuals and all that but it's a good thing to try and stick to imo To piggy back on the "all dogs are different" point above, pay attention to the puppies potty habits. If you notice that they pee after about 30 minutes, get an egg timer and take them out every 25 minutes. You want to associate outside=potty as early as possible (specific cases of parasites/disease in the area notwithstanding) so there's usually not a great reason to use pee pads or the like. As you go every 25 minutes, start slowly giving more time, plan 30/35 minutes and if there are no accidents stay at 30/35 minutes until it's reliable (a week maybe? maybe less) and then add a little more time. If you notice the dog is already lasting longer you can start at a bigger interval, but you want to set the dog up for success, not wait for it to fail. The better you stay on your routine and consistent, the better results you'll get.
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Sep 23, 2014 14:13
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Our 3 year old dachshund Charlie is recovering from heart worm treatment. His immiticide injections were 11 days ago and he has been home for ten days. He's on strict activity restriction, no playing or jumping on furniture, no walks, absolutely nothing that will increase his heart rate. He is definitely feeling better and more energetic, but sometimes he just seems to feel like absolute poo poo. He will lay on the floor and just stare off into space, panting. We called the vet and she said he would still be feeling pretty bad sometimes, but my question is: is there anything we can do to make him more comfortable and just...happier? It really sucks seeing him sick like this. We got him from a shelter and he tested negative for HW at the first vet appointment, and was on ProHeart 6 for the next six months, and then tested positive at his 6 month checkup. The vet said he probably had a very new infection when we adopted him and it wasn't our fault, but oh man it sucks to see him this sick. My partner will lay next to him just for body warmth and comfort, but Charlie doesn't seem to want to be touched sometimes. He is normally the biggest snuggler, so this is super sad. He stays in his crate like 90% of the time, because he won't stop jumping on the couch and we don't want to risk it. So, um, any ideas? Someone is almost always home with him, and we stay in the same room as his crate and talk to him and give him loves as much as he wants. I just feel really helpless and I want him to feel okay again. Here is Charles Xavier Dogson. He is LITERALLY the best. Edit: He is tapering down on prednisone, down to 1 every 24 hours, and we still have a couple of pain pills left but we can't tell if he is actually in pain or not so we haven't been giving them to him much. He never really cried, just sort of whimpered those first few days. It's hard to tell what's going on with him. appleskates fucked around with this message at 21:10 on Sep 26, 2014 |
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Sep 26, 2014 21:06
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My husband and I are thinking of getting a puppy. We're both a bit cautious on the subject (even though we'd both really like a dog) because neither of us have raised one before (I grew up with a German shepherd and a staffy, he hasn't got any dog experience). I guess I'm wanting to know if what we'd be able to offer a dog would be 'enough'. The run down is this: - stable relationship of almost a decade. - own our own 2br home with a fenced backyard *but* the backyard isn't very big. We do however live a 2 min walk from a school with a fenced rugby field and a there's a big park with lots of trees and rabbits next to it (my cat has a habit of bringing said rabbits home sometimes. He also bought home a seagull once. He is a beast). We both like going for walks/jogs there. - own two cats who have met dogs a couple of times. Neither of them were very impressed by them, but I think they would come around after some sulking. - we both work full time this is the main issue. We can afford to do doggy daycare or a dog walker though. I figured daycare every work day for the first 6-8 months then either tapering it down to a few days a week, or transitioning to a dog walker instead. Both breeders we've been looking at will have pups ready around the end of the year. I can probably work from home for the first week, then there'd be a period of daycare/walker, then it'd be Christmas/summer holidays for me and the Mr. He usually takes off three weeks, I take off 2. Then it'd be back to daycare. Outside of daycare we could offer training/play and a walk in the evening. Most weekends we like going out on road trips and going for walks/tramps which is what we want a dog for in the first place in addition to being an evening walk buddy.The thing we disagree on at the moment is timing. My husband reckons we need a bigger house first. I kind of think if a dog is going to daycare & being walked, house size isn't such an issue. The yard is big enough for potential dog to go out and eliminate but I don't plan on leaving the dog out in the backyard anyway - so does size really matter? He also thinks we should wait until we have kids to get a puppy because I'll be at home. I think raising a puppy and caring for a baby or toddler sounds like a pretty bad time, esp if we get a larger breed and it's knocking the kid all over the place. I would prefer to get a pup now and get it through the rear end in a top hat stage so we have a nice adult dog who can walk well on a leash by the time we have a kid in a couple of years. I know the ideal solution is to get an older dog, but of the breeds we like this is tricky. (We got a lead on an awesome 2 year old who was being rehomed but on the day we were meant to go meet him the owners decided to rehome with a relative. I was gutted ) I'm open to a mixed breed shelter pup, but since the mr hasn't got much dog experience I think he wants as much predictability as possible so he's really only keen on a purebred from a reputable breeder. Yes, I know an adult dog from a foster is probably more predictable than any puppy, and no, this logic has not gotten through.You're going to laugh though when you hear the breeds we're considering, because they're so different. White Swiss shepherd (dream dog) or a Japanese Spitz (also awesome, compromise dog though, maybe more appropriate for us as first time owners). We have leads on good breeders for both, only the shepherd breeders have let us come over and meet/ have a play with the adult dogs so far. We're going to a dog show next weekend - the Shep breeders will be there and we hope to see some spitzes too to get an idea of personality/size. So, after this long-rear end spergy post, do you guys think we're suitable prospective dog owners? I need some guidance or validation or something. I just don't want to make this leap if I might end up letting down the dog, even though I reallyreallywantadog.
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Sep 27, 2014 23:17
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Rescue an adult shepherd or staffy from the shelter instead or a local rescue instead. If you think you're gonna get predictability by buying a puppy from a breeder I think you're in for bad news. Adult dogs can do fine at home all day while humans work full time, a puppy is another matter entirely and is going to be much more difficult if your husband has never had a dog before, frankly. Just wait a bit if you're that picky, look at all your local nonprofits and shelters and rescue groups, you will find your match. Pure breeds come through those all the time too, if you're that concerned about not having a mutt.
pizzadog fucked around with this message at 02:46 on Sep 28, 2014 |
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Sep 28, 2014 02:40
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Get a puppy. Not everyone wants an adult pit mix and that's okay!! You sound as ready as anyone. Daycare + dog walking is a good plan.
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Sep 28, 2014 05:10
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Invalid Octopus posted:Get a puppy. Not everyone wants an adult pit mix and that's okay!! You sound as ready as anyone. Daycare + dog walking is a good plan. This is true. If you want a puppy, get a puppy. If you want to adopt, adopt. You guys sound just fine. Plenty of people have made do with less and their dogs have turned out just fine. I feel that house size matters almost nothing when it comes to dogs. They get their exercise outside and inside is for chilling. I had my high energy herder + chihuahua in an apartment and it was just fine.
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Sep 28, 2014 13:26
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Yeah, house/yard size doesn't really matter. If your husband insists, you can point out that dogs don't usually really exercise themselves so you can have a huge yard and it'll still be getting its exercise from walks/play with you guys/training. I have a really big yard and multiple dogs and they still barely use it. If you get your pup at 8-12 weeks you'll probably need to plan on a walker at first because any decent daycare won't take puppies until they've finished their vaccination series (about 16 weeks, IIRC) and some have slightly higher age requirements. The one that boards some dogs from the shelter I volunteer with won't take anything younger than 6 months into daycare. So that's just something to consider and plan for if you haven't, but it should only be an issue for the first few months at the most. I am not a parent but I agree with you that raising a puppy and a baby at the same time sounds like a complete nightmare. Puppies are really time consuming and you can't really slack off or you risk missing socialization windows. Get a puppy now while you have time for it and make sure you socialize it with kids so when you do have your own you will hopefully have a nice, calm, well-trained adult dog that you don't have to worry about much.
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Sep 29, 2014 00:30
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A lot of dog walking services will also do puppy visits on dogs too young to be able to taken out on walks with the rest – a 15-30 visit for a potty break and a little human attention.
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Sep 29, 2014 00:50
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I've been in touch with the daycare facility and what you guys said is correct - they don't take pups until they're at least 16 weeks and done with all vaccinations. The dog walking place I've been looking at has a puppy service so I guess we'll be using them in the meantime when either of us can't be home  I think at 16 weeks I'll enrol the pup in the daycare's puppy headstart program: http://www.completecaninecare.co.nz/puppy-headstart-program/ and continue with the puppy visits on the days they aren't there. On Tuesdays the daycare does an optional (additional cost) 'class trip' out for a play at the dog beach  I'd definitely like to treat pup to that every now and then when he/she is old enough: http://www.completecaninecare.co.nz/beach-trips/. Sound good? Our wee backyard for reference + kitties. Lawn has since been mowed and the trees are all in blossom, we were just coming out of a rainy early spring at the time of taking. The next place we buy will be min 1 hectare, but city living is good for our jobs at the moment. 
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Sep 29, 2014 01:50
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That's your "small" backyard? Haha! I think you'll be totally fine with that, that's more than enough space to eliminate and stretch some legs. And beach trip sounds like a good time for the pooch. Do keep everyone updated once you've arranged puppy
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Sep 29, 2014 02:44
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Moto Punch posted:You're going to laugh though when you hear the breeds we're considering, because they're so different. White Swiss shepherd (dream dog) or a Japanese Spitz (also awesome, compromise dog though, maybe more appropriate for us as first time owners). We have leads on good breeders for both, only the shepherd breeders have let us come over and meet/ have a play with the adult dogs so far. We're going to a dog show next weekend - the Shep breeders will be there and we hope to see some spitzes too to get an idea of personality/size. Moto, I can only speak anecdotally, but I've got two Japanese Spitzes. We live in a smallish 3br townhouse with a tiny courtyard as a backyard and they're fine. We do make sure to give them a walk every day, and a run at the park 3-4 times a week. I don't know if it's just ours, or the breed, but mine seem equally content sitting on the couch cuddling all day as well as running around at the park for hours on end. Both my partner and I work full time as well, and the dogs sleep most of the day (I've videoed them and audio record them because I'm a bit sensitive to neighbour complaints after a dodgy neighbour once). They're an amazing breed and I can't recommend them enough. If you end up with a Japanese Spitz though, be prepared to constantly smile through jokes about bleaching them, and get used to people commenting about how gorgeous they are (and then feeling awkward when you can't bring yourself to say the same thing about their dog) Obligatory picture of my babies. 
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Sep 29, 2014 02:53
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Moto Punch posted:I've been in touch with the daycare facility and what you guys said is correct - they don't take pups until they're at least 16 weeks and done with all vaccinations. The dog walking place I've been looking at has a puppy service so I guess we'll be using them in the meantime when either of us can't be home Haha I THOUGHT you were from NZ based on that first post. So am I, and your plan of attack for the incoming puppy sounds almost identical to our plan for the sheltie pup we are 90% likely to pick up in about seven weeks. For the comment on shelter dawgs - we really don't get much in the way of breed differentiation in our shelters and I would not be kidding or exaggerating saying 99.5% of all shelter/rescue dogs are pit mixes here. If you're lucky you MIGHT find a GSD that needs a lot of work, or a retired racing greyhound.
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Sep 29, 2014 06:48
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Book recommendations for fearful / reactive dogs?
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Sep 29, 2014 19:15
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Copy/pasting from the dog training megathread: Aggression/Fear Scaredy Dog by Ali Brown Fight! A Practical Guide to Dog Dog Aggression by Jean Donaldson FearfulDogs.com (website) Feisty Fido - Help for the leash reactive dog by Patricia McConnell Click to Calm: Healing the Aggressive Dog by Emma Parsons Focus Not Fear by Ali Brown The Cautious Canine by Patricia McConnell Aggression in Dogs by Brenda Aloff The whole thread is here. We've chatted about reactivity in the past. http://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3364451 There was also a snazzy reactive dog support group thread in the forums, but it may have slipped into the archives. Can anyone look it up?
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Sep 29, 2014 19:54
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Thank you so much! My rescue is still super new to me and has every reason to be anxious and stressed in any situation due to her past. It's proving to be nearly impossible to get the kind of trainer that I want where I live, as well (pure positive). I'm working with Abuitu to do what I can for her and we think that it's good but I really want to be able to do more for her than I am right now. dis KoshyBear (Kosh) 
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Sep 30, 2014 03:14
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My pup (soon to be old enough to just be a dog) loves toys. Specifically, he loves destroying them and leaving fluff all around the house. I even bought him a supposedly tough toy that lasted an afternoon. Any suggestions on toys (preferably a squeeker) to sate his destructive desires?
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Oct 1, 2014 22:04
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| # ? May 29, 2024 16:28 |
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ThatPazuzu posted:My pup (soon to be old enough to just be a dog) loves toys. Specifically, he loves destroying them and leaving fluff all around the house. I even bought him a supposedly tough toy that lasted an afternoon. Any suggestions on toys (preferably a squeeker) to sate his destructive desires? Honestly, try an empty water bottle (take off the wrappers and plastic.) They love the crunching sound and they are pretty durable and cheap. Once they start to tear at the cap section and get little bits of plastic just replace it. Just be warned they will stare at any pop bottles from then until the end of time.
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Oct 1, 2014 22:07
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