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Antlers are really hard, my dog never took to them but I know a lot of dogs enjoy antlers. He likes the smell and licks them but never chewed on them. He prefers something like beef cheek rolls that start hard but soften up over time. We used to do rawhides and bully sticks but they gave him terrible gas. I usually buy big ones that take a while to chew down. Once they get to small/chokeable pieces, I usually take them away. Basically just look for a mix of chewing stuff. Sometimes your dog might want something soft like a stuffed animal. Sometimes it might want to chew on a towel or rope. Other times it might want a harder bone. Keeping a few different toys around helps curb the chewing.
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Jun 22, 2020 23:10
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| # ? May 25, 2024 20:48 |
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My dog fucks with antlers. Nylabones he kind of likes to chew, but they scrape up his tongue and can irritate it so we’ve been moving away from toys like that.
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Jun 23, 2020 02:49
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My hound dog chewed on her antler until she started bleeding from the mouth. I didn't figure out what she did but I took away her antler and haven't gotten her another one. She also just eats rawhide, bully sticks, pigs ears, rawhide-looking chew made from some other part of the animal. I haven't found a chew that she doesn't disappear. Should I give the antler another go? I don't want to get her a natural bone because I don't want one just hanging out in my house and she'd probably splinter it. Same with a hoof.
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Jun 23, 2020 15:22
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My younger hound will go after rocky hard stale bread and those always gently caress up his gums. It's a bloodbath. Idk why he likes it but he keeps going for brmmany we find on the walks.
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Jun 23, 2020 16:06
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Chew toys are such an individual thing and come down to what your dog is safe with. My dog always got beef bones but was safe and careful with him until he was on exercise restrictions. Then he chewed too aggressively and got a slab fracture of a molar which needed to be removed in pieces. Just what I needed after already spending $400 sewing his foot back together! A lot of vets recommend not giving toys that you can't indent with a fingernail to reduce risk of tooth fractures, especially with aggressive or determined chewers.
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Jun 23, 2020 16:33
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We do Yak Chews, which are made from yak's milk and God knows what else. They feel hard as rock to me but tend to slowly dissolve rather than getting brittle, so our world-destroying superchewer can gnaw on them for a really long time before they get too small.
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Jun 23, 2020 20:15
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We've done yak chews and Himalaya bars in the past. They all start out hard, some chew down well, others snapped off in big sharp chunks, it seemed to depend on which brand we bought. The nice thing with those is once they get small, you can put them into the microwave where they puff up into a hard foam like consistency. Let them cool and your dog can eat the rest of it without worrying about choking or obstructing a bowel with a hard chunk.
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Jun 23, 2020 20:34
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I love all the "chews" that I've been recommended for German Shepherd because even the "long lasting" ones are disintegrated literally in minutes. She's a monster.
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Jun 24, 2020 02:23
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We've had a golden retriever puppy for about a month now and honestly he's a great dog and I love him so much already. He's 12 weeks old now, picked up housetraining like a champ, and is smart as a whip. And will work his little fluffy butt off for even a whiff of food. His name's Bucky! 
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Jun 24, 2020 02:30
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Kerafyrm posted:nd will work his little fluffy butt off for even a whiff of food. Food motivation is a blessing and a curse. My hound will literally open my fridge and eat my food if I forget to lock it when I go to work. Bucky is definitely super cute though. Is that a Captain America shield with a paw on it?
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Jun 24, 2020 22:04
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Sab669 posted:Bucky is definitely super cute though. Is that a Captain America shield with a paw on it? It is! We kind of went all out on our Cap theme here.
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Jun 26, 2020 17:06
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Trip report on the yak milk chews. They lasted all evening until they got too short and I took them away. Now my house is covered in dog drool and tiny chewed off bits of yak milk chew. They didn't seem to splinter. I'm going to try microwaving the ends and see what happens. Then I'll clean everything.
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Jun 26, 2020 17:33
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My wife and I adopted a new puppy (born mid-March) since I'm working from home for the time being and we've long talked about getting a little sister for her enormous and even-tempered 8 year old lab she's had since she was in college.   Mom was allegedly a St. Bernard/Pyrenees/lab mystery mix, dad was unknown, but every day we think she looks more like some kind of beagle/coonhound variant. Anyway I'm just posting to bookmark this thread, since most of the time she is a sweet cuddly angel, but when she's in puppy mode she's a loving nightmare-- biting, leaping, vocalizing, and completely indifferent to any sort of disciplinary or rewarding action. Her big brother was apparently nowhere near this difficult and it's causing me a good deal of stress while I'm trying to work.
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Jun 29, 2020 19:09
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Good lord she’s adorable 
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Jun 29, 2020 19:11
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Oh wow, thank you  . We think so too. She was roughly Cornish game hen-sized when we got her and she's grown giraffe-like to about the size of a turkey.  We've been following all the standard training and housebreaking steps but she's just incredibly stubborn, so I'm gonna pore through the OP and see what the goon knowledge base has to say.
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Jun 29, 2020 19:32
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I have a lab/hound puppy who likes to eat those stupid little spinny helicopter things that fall off trees.
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Jun 30, 2020 12:41
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Does someone have a recommendation for a decently nice harness? Now that Nova is slowing down her growth, I’d like to get her something maybe from a small business? She’s 28” chest girth and 18” neck- I expect she will grow more, but probably not out of the general L size band. What are recommendations for cool places to order from? Having a chest leash hook is a nice to have bonus.
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Jul 2, 2020 17:47
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Personally I've always liked ruffwear stuff. They're a pretty cool company and I've known them to take old stuff and fix/replace it if/when it wears out. Their most popular harness has chest and back clips.
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Jul 2, 2020 20:59
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I've also got Ruffwear harnesses for my dogs. I'd read some reviews on styles of harnesses and see if you can find ones reviewing it on a dog with a similar body shape to yours. I seem to recall the Ruffwear ones having good reviews for different shaped dogs.
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Jul 2, 2020 21:33
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My pup likes her ruffwear
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Jul 2, 2020 23:23
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Ears clean, reporting for snuggles.
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Jul 3, 2020 10:04
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Got a puppy. It is dumb and wonderful https://vimeo.com/435207480 https://vimeo.com/435207595
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Jul 4, 2020 00:27
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Took my 2 for our longest hike yet, today! 10.6 miles and 4,000 ft of elevation change Couldn't pass up stopping at this cooling station 
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Jul 4, 2020 01:15
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Sab669 posted:Took my 2 for our longest hike yet, today! 10.6 miles and 4,000 ft of elevation change Cute
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Jul 4, 2020 15:08
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Our dog, Nova, recently started being afraid of night time. We live in a relatively dense part of the city, and fireworks have been a constant for at least a few weeks at this point, but last night (the 4th) finally seemed to do him in. When we take him out front in the yard, he looks around nervously and will do anything to get back to the door. Walks are about the same, he can be tricked into walking a bit, but once he hears any sound (fireworks or otherwise), he becomes immediately alert and turns around for home. It's to the point where he won't even go to the bathroom, just refuses to do anything. Has anyone else had this experience, and had luck handling it? I don't want to force him to be outside if it's just going to heighten and cement his anxieties, but I also don't want him to get a bladder infection from holding his urine.
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Jul 6, 2020 05:21
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Positive reinforcement. Limited exposure at first and slowly build up to it. Taken them outside before it gets dark, start by only going a few feet from the door and give them a big reward (chicken, treats, peanut butter whatever) and praise. Slowly build up on distance from home and time of night. Only stay outside if your dog seems to tolerate through the noise/fear to get the treat. Anytime your dog hears a boom, treat and praise. Continue if they seem into it. It might not always work. If they don't respond to the treat and want to go inside, take them inside. You don't want to lose their trust by forcing them to stay outside. I hunt with my dog and he doesn't even flinch to gunshots when we're hunting, he gets really excited and starts looking for birds. Gunshots have never been an issue. Fireworks? Scared shitless. He didn't pee last night from 6pm until 3am when the fireworks finally stopped long enough for him to feel comfortable enough to go. We have started to do cbd drops occasionally for stressful situations. They mostly make him sleep which is better than being terrified the whole time. We also play music and turn fans on to drown out the exterior noise. I've heard some people love thunder shirts.
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Jul 6, 2020 08:27
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Cross-post from the hiking/backpacking thread: Just got back from our first backpacking trip in a couple years. We had planned a 3 day trip around a couple alpine lakes with our dog. The first day was beautiful and the pup did great. Unfortunately, the campsite we pitched at had a bunch of sap on the ground that we didn't notice until it got stuck all over Tater's body and between his paws. He ended up chewing his feet almost raw that night. We turned back the next morning. I cut most of the sap out and am about to peanut butter his paws to get the rest. Any one have tips on keeping dogs sap-free and happy while backpacking?
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Jul 6, 2020 19:16
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Finally got Ziggy into surgery for his cherry eye. We were going to ask them about scheduling a neuter while we were there... they ended up just offering to do it today. I pick him up in 2 hours and I get to see him in all his Elizabethan collar glory.
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Jul 6, 2020 20:32
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MistressMeeps posted:Any one have tips on keeping dogs sap-free and happy while backpacking? No, but I'd be interested to hear a solution as I want to get more into camping / backpacking this year.
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Jul 6, 2020 20:37
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So I know public places are to be avoided until your pup is vaccinated against parvo, so in order to socialize them you're supposed to only bring them around dogs you know and trust. But what if you're new to an area and don't know many people yet?
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Jul 7, 2020 01:48
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Verman posted:Positive reinforcement. Limited exposure at first and slowly build up to it. Taken them outside before it gets dark, start by only going a few feet from the door and give them a big reward (chicken, treats, peanut butter whatever) and praise. Slowly build up on distance from home and time of night. Only stay outside if your dog seems to tolerate through the noise/fear to get the treat. Good tips, thank you!
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Jul 7, 2020 02:20
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Any tips for getting a doggo used to using a doggy door? I assume being on the opposite side of it and using treats is the way to go.
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Jul 7, 2020 03:11
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Hold it open and lure the dog through the door with treats, then gradually lower the extent to which it's open until dog is pushing through on its own.
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Jul 7, 2020 03:41
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TooMuchAbstraction posted:Hold it open and lure the dog through the door with treats, then gradually lower the extent to which it's open until dog is pushing through on its own. Sounds good, thank you!
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Jul 7, 2020 04:31
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What are my options if neither an inflatable E collar or the regular one I got from the vet are preventing my pup from licking his neuter incision?
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Jul 7, 2020 14:18
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Dog pants?
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Jul 7, 2020 14:27
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I guess that will have to do. We have to keep the collar on him anyway to prevent him from fussing with his eye, too. But at least it’s just like 2 weeks of this and he’s good for basically the rest of his life.
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Jul 7, 2020 15:52
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Hello fellow dog aficionados! I have a four year old Black Lab mix named Lando, who my wife and I adopted when he was a year and a half old in late 2017. It was clear that although he is a smart dog, he was probably poorly socialized and neglected when he was a pup. He had some pretty significant issues with leash reactivity and also acting out poorly when overstimulated, namely by getting mouthy with his mom and I and chomping down on our forearms or coats- never hard enough to break the skin, but generally kind of alarming to experience. It was like getting the zoomies but with teeth, hence us calling it the Biteys, and he would usually calm down very quickly if we left the room and left him alone for less than 30 seconds. We have since addressed these issues by working with a behaviorist and a private trainer in early 2019, and he’s been on a daily dose of Reconcile (fluoxetine hcl), with clonidine as needed for acutely stressful events that could push him “over threshold” and cause him to act out. The Reconcile, in conjunction with the training, has worked really well for him. His leash reactivity is probably about 5% of what it used to be, and he hasn’t had an episode of the Biteys for well over a year. Because of his initial unpredictability and acting out when overstimulated, we’ve avoided taking him to the outdoor dog park by our home during peak times. When we first got him, he went to the park a few times and behaved OK, although there were a few instances where we had to separate him from other dogs because he was playing too rough. Since then, we’ve instead brought him for the occasional game of late night fetch when there are no other dogs around, and have continued this practice even after we sought intervention from the behaviorist. Lately, he’s shown a renewed interest in going into the dog park when there are other dogs in there, and I’m wondering about the possibility of trying to gradually and safely reintroduce him to outdoor play with other dogs. When he goes to his indoor doggy day care (maybe once every two weeks or so), the staff have continually reported that he does well and has never acted out with other dogs, and his on-leash greetings with other dogs have been mostly polite. He’s also behaved well when we brought him on an on-leash hike with another friend’s dog, even if she was initially reactive toward him. Heretofore Lando’s main form of exercise and mental stimulation has been going for a few long walks a day with me and games of tug, but as the weather has gotten brutally hotter, he’s shown less of an interest in going for long walks. I’m wondering if any of you have had similar situations, and if so, how you’ve managed it. I’ve thought of giving him a low dosage of his Clonidine an hour before bringing him to the dog park as an option, and also thought of trying to arrange a backyard play date with a coworker-friend who has two one year old Labs as a way to begin to reacclimatize him to outdoor play. I plan on asking his behaviorist for her take on the matter as well, and again, my absolute number one priority is safety, both his and that of other dogs. TL; DR- have any of you successfully and safely reintroduced a dog with largely mitigated reactivity and behavioral issues back to outdoor play with other dogs? Here’s a pic of King Dingus: 
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Jul 8, 2020 13:46
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Due to some unfortunate circumstances in the owner’s life, I have been caring for a large husky puppy for the week. I’ve never owned a dog, though I’ve been learning and considering taking the plunge seriously for about two years. Caring for this husky has helped me understand a couple of things that I needed to experience first hand to clarify. Dog energy is a significant factor (huskies are hopefully an extreme example of this), size matters when you live in an apartment, and dog trauma is real. There have also been a lot of affirming aspects of caring for this dog: I enjoy the responsibility of caring for the dog, exercising 3-4 times per day is realistic and enjoyable for me, and the presence of the dog brings me a lot of joy. My takeaway here is that I want a puppy, the dog will be medium sized and low energy, and I am confident that I can succeed in the task at hand. Timing is still a bit of a question mark. Fake edit: another comforting thing has been the intuitive element of dog care. They really let you know what they need, and it’s very easy to communicate back what you need. There’s a funny story from last night’s hike that I might write up later too.
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Jul 9, 2020 16:47
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What about one of them there Shiba inus? Or is it the Akira? One of them is mid sized, and lower energy, I think. Fake edit: Akita.
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Jul 9, 2020 20:47
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