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I don't have any tips but I was horribly anxious after I adopted my very first dog back in October. I wondered if I made a terrible mistake for a couple of weeks. My buddy got a puppy a couple weeks after I got my dog and he felt the same. I guess it's fairly common and perfectly normal. I didn't have a crate at first. I decided later to get one and waited for it to ship. I did start working on our routine immediately though. I picked when I wanted to feed and walk her and stuck to it. She did have a couple of accidents before she figured out her schedule. I asked for advice from the shelter and I bothered this thread with all sorts of inane questions. I didn't feel any of the same anxiety when I adopted her a friend a month and a half ago.
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Sep 16, 2017 22:42
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GoodBee posted:I don't have any tips but I was horribly anxious after I adopted my very first dog back in October. I wondered if I made a terrible mistake for a couple of weeks. My buddy got a puppy a couple weeks after I got my dog and he felt the same. I guess it's fairly common and perfectly normal. Thank you. Hearing that it's relatively normal does help - I've been googling around, and it's just.... broken anxious brain hates change, and Apollo is a big furry bundle of change. Submarine Sandpaper, I'm afraid I don't have access to Xanax or weed :P but I did get some hot chocolate since that post and had a long bath and I feel better. Have a dumb dog story that taught me some things this morning: So I keep some caramel creme candies in my room on a bookcase for occasional treats for myself. Someone found them last night and stole a few so discreetly that I didn't notice until we found wrappers on the floor this afternoon. The bag was up pretty high on the bookcase, but someone is pretty tall when he stretches himself, and I found distinctive marks of doggie paws up there. Someone also threw up this morning outside. I submit a picture of my primary suspect for the jury to inspect:  (The candies are gone, and the only human food Apollo gets is hotdog bits for training purposes and carrots for chewing purposes!)
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Sep 16, 2017 22:58
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StrixNebulosa posted:I submit a picture of my primary suspect for the jury to inspect: After reviewing the evidence, the jury finds the defendant to be a good dog
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Sep 16, 2017 23:13
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StrixNebulosa posted:Do you guys have any advice for dog owner's remorse/anxiety re: the massive change in my life? Positive stress is still stress. Destress in whatever way works for you, but don't let the stress turn you away from positive changes. Also, pet the dog.
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Sep 16, 2017 23:21
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StrixNebulosa posted:Thank you. Hearing that it's relatively normal does help - I've been googling around, and it's just.... broken anxious brain hates change, and Apollo is a big furry bundle of change. It helps that dogs like routines. Just pick out what you want the routine to be and stick with it. You'll both settle in. I knew I wanted a dog *some day* so I had been reading a bunch but I wasn't prepared when I brought home my first dog. I saw her goofy adoption pic and knew that was my idiot fuzzball. I made sure to bring a friend with me to meet her and I told the shelter all about my living situation and routine and they thought we were a good match. Bringing home my second dog was much more relaxed. The two dogs met each other and played together, then I had to wait until they could fit her in to be spayed before I could bring her home. I had a much better idea of what to expect and had a couple of days to get my poo poo together.
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Sep 16, 2017 23:32
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Petting status: Apollo has been petted, belly-rubbed, and loved. I am finally turning in for bed and I feel a lot better. Thank you, thread.
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Sep 17, 2017 01:11
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Whatever you do, DO NOT agree to dogsit a husky. Trust me.
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Sep 17, 2017 01:57
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Warbird posted:Whatever you do, DO NOT agree to dogsit a husky. Trust me. In your house, their house, or either?
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Sep 17, 2017 02:22
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Either, but collateral is minimized is the bastard is kept at a place that's isn't yours. In other news, Fuckface may be evacuating down to Casa Del Burd if Jose takes a liking to the East coast. Yay.
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Sep 17, 2017 02:40
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Huskys' reputation as a noisy dog who likes to climb on everything is something that makes me think I would love having a Husky. I had a huge Siamese mix cat that had tons of hair, climbed on everything and talked all the time. A Husky would be that times 50. I would love it! I pretty much live in an underwater oven though and would feel terrible for the pup. Exactly two dogs sounds like the right amount though. But I would also like a greyhound someday...
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Sep 17, 2017 03:13
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StrixNebulosa posted:Do you guys have any advice for dog owner's remorse/anxiety re: the massive change in my life? It gets a little easier, but you're gonna have to get used to having responsibilities that have to be dealt with every single day no matter how tired or sick you are. Just as you adapt to the dog's lifestyle, though, he'll adapt to yours, so he'll meet you in the middle on some things eventually.
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Sep 17, 2017 03:58
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Main Paineframe posted:It gets a little easier, but you're gonna have to get used to having responsibilities that have to be dealt with every single day no matter how tired or sick you are. Just as you adapt to the dog's lifestyle, though, he'll adapt to yours, so he'll meet you in the middle on some things eventually. We're already getting used to the whole shower thing / I can't walk him 24/7 so sometimes he just needs to be bored in the house. I have an inane question for the thread, though! What advice do you have for handling separation anxiety? I have a dental appointment Wednesday, he's not crate trained yet, and he, well, hasn't left my side since I got him. On the first night, when I was an idiot and tricked him into the crate and closed it, he freaked out - I even left the room and he freaked out more. (I let him out ASAP) That was the stupidest thing I've done for this dog and I swear it will never happen again. ...Which leaves me needing to do slow, proper crate training to show him that it's okay, and I also have to figure out how to, well, leave him at home alone.
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Sep 17, 2017 14:19
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https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-qnqaajTk6bfs3UZuue6IQ -Kikopup https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMgKNPC0O91FgvS94YMgIag - Simpawtico https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCRyHBkIJ90SZNRyq1iVda5g - Training Positive https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZzFRKsgVMhGTxffpzgTJlQ - Zak George These are the 4 channels I was recommended by others in this thread when I got my new puppy a month ago. They were all really helpful, and each one has a video on seperation anxiety, so you have a lot of options to try. Plus access to all the other general training questions we get as new owners. I had your same anxiety for about a week before it passes and you realize having a dog is the greatest thing ever.
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Sep 18, 2017 03:07
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Dennis McClaren posted:https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-qnqaajTk6bfs3UZuue6IQ -Kikopup I now own a clicker, and I've been watching a bunch of these. Thank you! ...Also, oh my goodness, I've had Apollo for a week. I'm feeling more confident, and I'm sure I'll get even better once I've got clicker training up and rolling.
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Sep 19, 2017 18:41
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So i was pointed to this thread by another thread, since my wife and I just adopted a dog, and i'm just... I don't know what the gently caress to do with him. Or about him. All the way through the adoption process, my wife and I agreed we didn't want anything bigger than a corgi because of our circumstances. I particularly didn't want anything too high energy or agressive. We both wanted a dog we could take for walks and cuddle up with on the sofa. Most importantly, we said no to any scent hound breeds because they can't come off the lead, or who's obsessed with small animals and we have a guinea pig. It's worth mentioning that we applied to blue cross, the RSPCA, Battersea Windsor, and a couple of smaller places, but they kept saying they didn't have anything suitable for first time owners. We saw a dog we loved at one of the smaller places, but the sister in law went to see it and we got a call saying that she didn't seem happy, so they didn't want to go ahead with it. We went to Dogs Trust in Salisbury with my sister in law, having seen a cocker spamiel they had. Somehow, despite everything my wife and I had discussed, we ended up adopting a staffie cross (crossed with what, I don't know). There were a few dogs I liked, but we were told they had problems. I tried to say something while we were looking at options before the adoption, but was outvoted. I tried to be OK with it, tried to be positive since it took us so long to get to that point, and it's hard to tell sometimes when my negativity is from anxiety, and when it's a genuine worry. I just don't like Staffies. I know that's probably dog racist, but i've tried, and that staffie grin that people fall in love with is just a mass of teeth to me. His energy is just agression to me. And people in the park avoid me because of him. He's 1 (the ad said two, but when they went through his file it said they found him as a stray puppy last year) and already pretty tall for a staffie, but judging from his head and feet he's still got more growing to do. He's been here since Friday, and is really high energy, and every time I try to play, he either gets overexcited and agressive, or it doesn't interest him at all. If i try to pet him, there's no tail wagging and his ears are back the whole time. He's decided he's sleeping on the bed, and if I try to tell him to get down, he doesn't listen, and growls when I try to physically remove him. And he's strong enough to resist. I feel like poo poo about it because he's here now, and if he has to go back it'll be very bad for him, my sister in law will be pissed, and my wife will be gutted. But I just don't like him, and I think he can tell. I work from home currently because of anxiety and depression, so i'm the person he'll be around most. I tried taking him out into the garden (we have a huge garden) with some treats, play ball etc, but he just doesn't seem interested in me. He chases the ball alright, but growls when I try to take it from him, so it's kind of a one time deal. And i've spent most of my day not working, but keeping an eye on him around the guinea pig, who he is fixated on (and not in a friendly way, he was drooling when he first saw it). Bear in mind that this was a trait we were trying to avoid. Either that, or he goes nuts every time a person goes past or a car pulls up. I know any dog does this at first, but he just isn't responding to me at all, except with agression if I try to force him to behave. The real issue here i suppose is that I should have stood up to the sister in law, I should have put my foot down and said no. I wanted to be fair and give him a chance, but I just can't get over it. And I can't help but feel that having him is going to prevent us from having the kind of dog I thought my wife and I had agreed on. So yeah. I have a dog, I am not getting on with it at all, and I feel loving awful about it.
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Sep 25, 2017 14:51
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your guinea pig will probably be killed, staffies are not social and you won't be able to take him off lead due to aggression IMO, but regardless he's resource guarding so try to trade wrt the ball, treats to get him off the bed etc etc. This will also make him like you more. /e- I hate staffies as well, they've as a whole been the most aggressive bully breed when I took my basset to the park and I leave asap when someone shows up with one. Submarine Sandpaper fucked around with this message at 15:12 on Sep 25, 2017 |
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Sep 25, 2017 15:08
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Bobby Deluxe, it sounds like either you need to get to training him ASAP or send him back. You're going to be stuck with him for at least 5+ years if not longer, and this sounds like a recipe for disaster, especially given that you're going to be his primary person. e: I know you feel awful about it, but you need to have a sit down with your wife and seriously lay out your problems here. Please protect yourself and your space before something goes terribly wrong. StrixNebulosa fucked around with this message at 15:28 on Sep 25, 2017 |
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Sep 25, 2017 15:25
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I know i've done about the worst thing you can do, i.e adopt a dog i'm not able to handle, but i'm hoping I can talk to the missus and we can do something about it. Just took him out for a walk, bit it doesn't seem to tire him out, just worked up for more play. But then I try to play and he just goes straight to agressive play. So he got frustrated, destroyed his chew toy and is now sulking on the sister in law's chair. I know some people find that kind of energy adorable and I can't help but feel he'd be better off with that kind of person. The guinea pig is in an indoor cage on a table (like the whole table, it's frigging huge) and is too old to go outside (just over 6, cagemate died last month). The bars are pretty sturdy, but he's constantly going over to it, jumping at it whenever he hears the pig move. He's not showing any signs of losing interest either. We lock him out of the room at night, but as soon as he's in there, he's checking it.
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Sep 25, 2017 16:25
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At his age is when dogs are the biggest assholes. I got my scent hound at 13 months and he would run miles with me with no shortage of energy even in the rain. Two years later and I can't even get him to go outside if it's not comfortable out. Your walks need to be miles/hours if you want him to be passing out.
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Sep 25, 2017 16:32
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Just get rid of him and keep to guinea pigs
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Sep 25, 2017 17:37
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It's not a bad thing to acknowledge that a dog is a bad fit for your home. It's also okay to try a few things before returning the dog. It's also a good time to consider what is negotiable and non-negotiable about a dog that will living with you and everyone needs to agree. It's also okay to not like certain breeds of dogs. I'm not a huge fan of a lot of breeds.
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Sep 25, 2017 17:49
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staffie guy that isnt a good first time dog. It is both high energy AND can be aggressive to boot. My pitbully is around 2 and still needs at least a full hour of high energy play a day in order to chill and not be the destroyer of worlds. Not sure about the moving treat you seem to have in a cage either. You have a decent amount of outside space the dog can get up to a full sprint in?
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Sep 25, 2017 18:06
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We have a 120ish foot long garden, but he seems more interested in scents when he's out there. Same as when he's out walking, his nose is straight to the ground, and he went mental when he saw a game bird come out of a hedge on a country walk when we were test walking him at the shelter. I'm concerned that when he was a stray he probably ate small animals, so it's not just that he thinks it might be delicious, he knows it is.
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Sep 25, 2017 18:25
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It might sound callous but just return the dog. You seem to have valid reasoning for not wanting a pitbull and I don't blame you. I think most pitbulls get a bad reputation and are great dogs but I would never own one personally. They are too much dog for me and I see how people view them as murderdogs in public. My biggest thing is that even if they are well behaved dogs, they are incredibly strong and could overpower me if they decided to. It sounds like you guys were looking for a decent amount of time and ended up just settling on a dog after looking for so long. If you're even reluctant on a dog and are particular about having a good lap dog, a rescue pitbull is probably not the dog for you.
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Sep 25, 2017 18:25
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I would never go out of my way to get any bully type dog, they are a liability and require a healthy respect at all times until you are their people. even when they do decide you are their people, you have to take into account all other animals and people around you as well. If you are determined to give that dog a shot, get a nice durable ball and go out to your garden and play fetch until the dog cant run anymore. You might have to do this every single day. but i would definitely re evaluate having a tasty treat in a cage with that type of dog for sure. Best course would be just go get a nice lil terrier or microdog or just a bunch more pigs and make them a playpalace. Then you can breeze along and not have to worry about loving up around a dog that can take your arm off.
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Sep 25, 2017 18:41
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sneakyfrog posted:Best course would be just go get a nice lil terrier or microdog or just a bunch more pigs and make them a playpalace. Then you can breeze along and not have to worry about loving up around a dog that can take your arm off. I'd argue that a lab or golden retriever would be a better beginner dog for them. Far more friendly, and easier to train, and usually not made 100% of muscle.
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Sep 25, 2017 18:43
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StrixNebulosa posted:I'd argue that a lab or golden retriever would be a better beginner dog for them. Far more friendly, and easier to train, and usually not made 100% of muscle. but goldens are dumber than rocks  cant say i have ever had a lab either, I dont pick dogs though they just show up. I like my ripped fit dogs, they look like they lift and poo poo
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Sep 25, 2017 18:46
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sneakyfrog posted:but goldens are dumber than rocks We had a pair of black labs 10+~ years ago and they were sweet, lazy creatures who liked several walks a day and not much else. Very easy to care for, and they were great around visitors. I have to say, going from them to Apollo - a husky/german shepard mix - has been a shock, but we're getting along a lot better now that I'm used to his walks and fetch and my god he loves clicker training. 
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Sep 25, 2017 18:50
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Greyhounds are the the easiest beginner dogs. They are silly noodles yet still have enormous muscles.
bamhand fucked around with this message at 18:57 on Sep 25, 2017 |
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Sep 25, 2017 18:50
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I don't see why you wrote off scent hounds due to no-lead and then got a breed with innate DA. If you don't have a fence then yeah, no scent hounds.
Submarine Sandpaper fucked around with this message at 19:12 on Sep 25, 2017 |
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Sep 25, 2017 18:55
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StrixNebulosa posted:I have to say, going from them to Apollo - a husky/german shepard mix - has been a shock, but we're getting along a lot better now that I'm used to his walks and fetch and my god he loves clicker training. Thats a pretty intense dog, make sure you get soft mouth down, we had some folks in here that did a lot of work with GSDs (I think ausrotten) but haven seen her in here for a while.
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Sep 25, 2017 19:04
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Submarine Sandpaper posted:I don't see why you wrote off sent hounds due to no-lead and then got a breed with innate DA. If you don't have a fence then yeah, no sent hounds. (Garden has a 6ft fence one side, 7ft conifers other sides) Bobby Deluxe fucked around with this message at 19:12 on Sep 25, 2017 |
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Sep 25, 2017 19:09
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sneakyfrog posted:Thats a pretty intense dog, make sure you get soft mouth down, we had some folks in here that did a lot of work with GSDs (I think ausrotten) but haven seen her in here for a while. He's one year and a half~ old, and very gentle. When he's excited and wants to play he'll mouth at my hand, but it's all mouth open, no attempts to nip or anything. His previous owners apparently taught him to be good at that, and the commands sit/drop/down/shake, so they did a good job before dropping him off at the shelter. I'm fortunate in that I'm at home all day, so he gets plenty of walks, has toys, and I'm getting used to having him here... which means sooner or later I'll be ready to use clicker training on more than reinforcing what's already there and some light "stop pulling at the leash" click/treats. My one complaint with him at the moment is that he's managed to decide that it's okay to poo in the music room, and that's.. not okay.....  So I'm limiting the time he spends in there a ton, but man it's aggravating to come out and realize that yep he's made another mess.
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Sep 25, 2017 19:11
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StrixNebulosa posted:He's one year and a half~ old, and very gentle. When he's excited and wants to play he'll mouth at my hand, but it's all mouth open, no attempts to nip or anything. His previous owners apparently taught him to be good at that, and the commands sit/drop/down/shake, so they did a good job before dropping him off at the shelter. oh nice, seems you avoided the husky crackhead hyper genes then Bobby Deluxe posted:I don't either. Frankly there are a lot of reasons we shouldn't have this dog, and I kind of feel like they're being glossed over as me just being anxious. I think the most important thing is that you are not comfortable with the dog, that fact just by itself isnt going to do you or the dog any favors. Hounds are great right up until they see an animal or decide to sing the epic ballad of their people.
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Sep 25, 2017 19:21
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sneakyfrog posted:Hounds are great right up until they see an animal or decide to sing the epic ballad of their people. My hound is broken. She mostly doesn't notice other animals and she ignores most of the ones she does notice. If she does notice a squirrel or something, she's more interested in sniffing where it was sitting than chasing it. She will try to pull my arm off though if she sees one of her friends. She doesn't sing much either but I love it when she does. That might be why she ended up homeless instead of having a job, the bum.
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Sep 25, 2017 19:45
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GoodBee posted:My hound is broken. She mostly doesn't notice other animals and she ignores most of the ones she does notice. If she does notice a squirrel or something, she's more interested in sniffing where it was sitting than chasing it. She will try to pull my arm off though if she sees one of her friends. mine is a redbone coonhound, he tries to tree anything smaller than him and then does the baowroorooroo thing until i come tell him he is a very good boy
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Sep 25, 2017 19:47
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Mine runs away in fear of anything other than a squirrel and doesn't even chase after them unless they surprise eachother :3
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Sep 25, 2017 19:54
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get rid of the sister in law first imo
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Sep 25, 2017 20:02
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Fluffy Bunnies posted:Just get rid of him and keep to guinea pigs I usually don't agree with Fluffy here, but in this case, yep. We had a bird that ended up going to live with my mother because our most recent dog was obsessing. Our first dog we had gotten very young and he had grown up with the bird so he was *mostly* trustworthy. I still never left them unattended, but I knew it was only a matter of time, and made the choice to send Fawkes to mom's. (Where he's adored and gets scritches and almonds). You're going to come home one day to a missing Guinea pig. If you do decide to keep the dog, you need to get on training and luring/buying his love with treats ASAP before this goes horribly wrong. BAGS FLY AT NOON fucked around with this message at 20:11 on Sep 25, 2017 |
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Sep 25, 2017 20:09
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My dogs are being still assholes when they see my black cat in the house. They've started barking at her. She mostly hangs out in the bedroom but sometimes she'll come up to the gate by the kitchen to taunt them. I guess she's being an rear end in a top hat too. They mostly don't care about the orange cat though. He sleeps on the bed with them, or the couch or their dog bed or in one of the kennels, but not in the kennel with either of them. He even lets the smaller dog lick him. That's particularly funny because the cat looks like he's totally into it but the dog only licks him a couple of times before looking like "Oh, you're gross". Sometimes they'll run up to the orange cat before they decide he's not interesting. He doesn't like that.
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Sep 25, 2017 20:20
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