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Genuinely until this post I thought running fastcat just meant zooming around like a cat with the zoomies.
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Jul 4, 2022 02:33
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Organza Quiz posted:Genuinely until this post I thought running fastcat just meant zooming around like a cat with the zoomies. scout is magnificent and powerful
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Jul 4, 2022 09:37
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Oops! Fastcat is a timed 100 yard dash where dogs chase a bag on a string going really fast and you get a point per mph they go. You get a title and rosette at 150 points (bcat), 500 points (dcat), and 1000 points (fcat). It’s fastcat as opposed to CAT or CABT, a coursing ability test which is 600 yards with turns that the dog has to follow. It’s pass/fail and you get a pass as long as your dog stays engaged with the lure the entire time. You get titles after 3 passes (CA), 10 passes (CAA) and 25 passes (CAX). I’ve yet to see a herding dog not lose their poo poo over coursing once they realize the game. You don’t need your dog to be registered or purebred to play, you just need to sign up for the akc canine partners or PAL problem if you want your points recorded. A+ fun game for dogs and beginner friendly for folks new to dog sports. https://youtu.be/_WImTDfc3IU Scout is Buzzards You’ll Be Bright CA BCAT DJ (DJ is a dock diving title, Buzzard is her breeder). I’m hoping by the end of the year we’ll add a CH, CAA, and a DS to her alphabet soup.
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Jul 4, 2022 15:15
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Holly had a playdate with one of her littermates today. I bumped into her brother (Lumiere  ) and his human outside puppy kindy yesterday and turns out we live not too far from each other.I think it went well, but I need to learn to be a bit less precious. Since it's been years since my family had our old dog, I've forgotten a lot of the differences in barks, growls, and body language when it comes to play fighting vs "need to separate those two right now", so I got extremely nervous.  ... This is all the while recognising that Holly probably needs a bit of rough play with other dogs in her life to moderate some of her more rambunctious behaviour.
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Jul 4, 2022 16:02
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I don't know if this is the right thread for this, but I'll post anyway. I've been thinking about getting a dog for a while and have finally decided to get a dog. I just want to make sure my plan is sound, and also try to get some recommendations on books etc. on owning a dog/getting a puppy. I've read the extremely good and helpful OP of this thread and am reading through the 'before you get a puppy' book. My situation: Single 30 something guy, self-employed, set my own hours, a dog fits in my budget well. I've got a ~1200 sq. foot house and large for a city backyard. Grew up with 3 dogs-a terrible jack russell, a Very Good husky/shepherd mix, and a pretty good, very independent knee-high and black dog that definitely had some sort of herding dog in her. This would be the first dog I have had on my own. The plan: I'd like to take my dog to work with me most days, at least for part of the day. I usually come home for lunch and could pick up/drop off dog then. They would probably be crated when I wasn't home. My parents live around the corner from me and my dad works from home-I know they miss having a dog and I'm sure they would love for a dog to come hang out sometimes, though maybe not as a puppy. The dog: I will probably get a puppy from a breeder. As time to actually get dog comes closer, I'll look around more at local shelters, but most all the shelter dogs here are some mix of pitbull or hound/cur and I don't think I could handle that energy level. I'm currently leaning towards a Golden Retriever, maybe a lab. My aunt always had goldens and they were always sweet dogs. The internet tells me they are a little lazier and more chill than labs-is that indeed the case? I basically want a friendly, healthy, handsome companion that can learn to do some stuff maybe. I've looked around at breeders and there seem to be a few good options semi-locally, but if anyone has breeder recommendations for Goldens or Labaradors on the gulf coast/deep south, I would be very interested. Any other breed opinions are also welcome. Potential problems: While I would like to take the dog to work, I use alot of loud machinery in my work. Planers, routers, saws, etc. There is an office area the dog could hang out in, but I'd hate if the noise made the dog anxious or scared. At my old job, my boss had two dogs who weren't at all bothered by the machinery. I guess this is a question of desensitization? I'm also a bit of a goony hermit. I want to make sure the dog is well socialized, but I don't have that many friends locally for the dog to hang out with. What's the best way to socialize the dog? Just go hang out at the dog park? I do take walks around the neighborhood and would certainly do that with the dog-does that all count as good socialization or is it important for that socialization to happen in the dog's home so it gets used to other people in its space? I'd also like to make sure the dog is good around children, but again, don't really have any friends/family with children locally for the dog to meet. Anyway, if any of that jumps out as an insurmountable problem, please let me know-I overthink and am just trying to get a sanity check. Any training/'how to'/whatever youtube/book recommendations are very appreciated! Pics of the knee-high and black dog Casey, who is sadly missed: Showin off the goods:  Pleading for her dinner 40 minutes before dinnertime:  Growling at me and demanding something: 
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Jul 6, 2022 01:20
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When I first got Brisket (2017) My wife could come home and let him out at lunch time, and early in his life he was crated then when she was at work, and he did fine. I'm saying this because I definitely don't think you should bring a puppy (who will be bored) with you to work around heavy machinery, and it sounds like you have enough time/space for a puppy. I would work early with helping your pup with separation anxiety because as a goony hermit it sounds like your dog is also not going to have any friends, and the best way to find other dogs to regularly play with is puppy obedience classes. With Brisket is was half learning commands and then half supervised play. Once your dog is old enough: yes, take to parks take to people, basically keep making your dog meet people and pups. Also good luck because those early bits are going to be rough before the dog gets a routine and you have no one to share the workload with. Expect to clean out that crate daily for the first few weeks, and your floors for the first few months.
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Jul 6, 2022 02:04
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Kaiser Schnitzel posted:The dog: I will probably get a puppy from a breeder. As time to actually get dog comes closer, I'll look around more at local shelters, but most all the shelter dogs here are some mix of pitbull or hound/cur and I don't think I could handle that energy level. I'm currently leaning towards a Golden Retriever, maybe a lab. My aunt always had goldens and they were always sweet dogs. The internet tells me they are a little lazier and more chill than labs-is that indeed the case? I basically want a friendly, healthy, handsome companion that can learn to do some stuff maybe. I've looked around at breeders and there seem to be a few good options semi-locally, but if anyone has breeder recommendations for Goldens or Labaradors on the gulf coast/deep south, I would be very interested. Any other breed opinions are also welcome. Depending on the lines some labs/goldens can be very sporty and high energy. If you want a chill bud finding a breeder that doesn't focus on hunting would be a safer bet and some may even have adults that are done breeding/showing that now need a good home. The breed parent clubs should have a breeder referral list. The thing to worry about with goldens is that they are highly prone to cancer. Both breeds can have hip and elbow issues, as well as some genetic problems so make sure any breeder you go with has done all the health testing recommended by the breed parent club and can give you proof with OFA links or copies of their results. You can also look into breed specific rescues if your local open admission shelters are mostly pitties and things like mine is. Especially with people heading back to work after covid rescues are overrun with young dogs that would love a person they can spend that much time with. As long as they aren't noise phobic I think that a lot of dogs would get used to shop noises with some time and positive reinforcement. Making sure they have an extra special chew or food toy is probably plenty for getting a food loving lab or golden to love going to work. Kaiser Schnitzel posted:I'm also a bit of a goony hermit. I want to make sure the dog is well socialized, but I don't have that many friends locally for the dog to hang out with. What's the best way to socialize the dog? Just go hang out at the dog park? I do take walks around the neighborhood and would certainly do that with the dog-does that all count as good socialization or is it important for that socialization to happen in the dog's home so it gets used to other people in its space? I'd also like to make sure the dog is good around children, but again, don't really have any friends/family with children locally for the dog to meet. Dog parks generally aren't good for socializing any dogs, but especially puppies. Most of them are wild thunderdomes with poorly controlled, unsupervised dogs. You want a puppy to learn that the world is safe and good, that they can trust their person when weird things are happening, and that new stuff is fun! Actually playing with other dogs and being handled by other people is just a small part of it. Socialization can mean hanging out in the car with a chew and watching the world. It can mean digging for tasty treats in a box full of bottles or metal utensils. It can mean walking and climbing on all sorts of weird textured surfaces. I'd highly recommend a positive reinforcement based puppy class (or adult class if you get an adult) with a trainer that will help you and your puppy navigate through the socialization window. They usually are good at providing lots of safe experiences for a pup and it can be such a relief to be with other new dog owners and hear that everyone is in the same boat when their dogs are being monsters. I really like the book Civil, Social, and Savvy for some really good insights on puppy socialization. Other book recommendations: The Power of Positive Dog Training Control Unleashed: The Puppy Program (or any control unleashed book, they're all great) The Puppy Primer Perfect Puppy in 7 Days The Other End of the Leash Love Has No Age Limit (targeted towards getting an adult dog) Cooperative Care: Seven Steps to Stress-Free Husbandry Youtube reccomendations: Zak George (he's kind of obnoxious but the training is generally good)https://www.youtube.com/c/zakgeorge Kikopup https://www.youtube.com/user/kikopup Training Positive https://www.youtube.com/c/TrainingPositive It sounds like you've put a ton of thought into it and I can't wait to see your dog when you get one! Feel free to ask any more questions you have. HootTheOwl posted:I would work early with helping your pup with separation anxiety because as a goony hermit it sounds like your dog is also not going to have any friends Separation anxiety prevention is a great idea I didn't think of! More books: I'll be Home Soon: How to Prevent and Treat Separation Anxiety Don't Leave Me! Step-by-Step Help for Your Dog's Separation Anxiety Also none of my dogs have ever messed their crates so ymmv. Routine and schedule really is key.
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Jul 6, 2022 02:41
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Instant Jellyfish posted:Also none of my dogs have ever messed their crates so ymmv. Routine and schedule really is key. That said the crate is currently Brisket's Favorite-Place-To-Vomit
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Jul 6, 2022 12:40
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Hi, my 10 month old female labrador puppy did something out of character this morning. She is a good girl but can be full of beans in the morning even after a walk, being fed and played with etc but usually settles after a while. She has been good enough I can usually trust her to be out of the same room as me for short periods, if I go to the bathroom for instance. This morning I went to the bathroom and when I returned she had chewed a hole in the plaster of a wall! She is through teething, the only causes I can speculate are she is due on season (not had one yet) or her vet mandated diet is enough for her? The vet said she needed to lose a kilo for to improve body condition and told us to feed her 880 calories per day. Any other ideas? Didn't expect to be going back to monitoring her so closely when she has been so well behaved before this.
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Jul 8, 2022 11:20
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Owning a teenage puppy is a roller coaster. They don't just have a straight progression to Good Dog, they have good decision days and they have bad decision days. 10 months is prime teenage shithead time so she probably just had a teen moment and, being a lab, decided eating a wall was a good idea. They also have a secondary teething phase where they suddenly start to chew everything with their big strong adult jaws so make sure you have tons of appropriate chews for her everywhere. Prepare to treat her with baby puppy boundaries for at least 8 more months as she works through adolescence. It might also be coming into heat because that can make them do weird things but my guess is she's just a teen.
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Jul 8, 2022 15:01
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Dogs tend to start acting out again at very roughly 1 year old, even if they were well-behaved previously. So it could be a combination of things -- feeling neglected because you weren't around for 30 seconds, feeling hungry, testing boundaries, wanting to chew something, all could be factors. I wouldn't personally take this as a sign that there's something seriously wrong. Just keep an eye on her to see if she keeps trying to eat things that aren't food.
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Jul 8, 2022 15:02
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Dog, you did a wee outside literally 10 minutes ago and I'd already taken you out a couple of times in the past hour, why did you do a wee and a gigantic poo inside the moment my back was turned??? (On the upside... She did do it right by the laundry door?)
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Jul 8, 2022 17:09
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Since it's been a decade that I've been a dog owner, where's a cheap place to get heartworm meds? I've got the Frontline flea/tick droppers from Costco for pretty cheap, but I just can't remember where I used to get heartworm pills. Also, Stanley has been a cool dog since we got him, but he's chilled out even more in the 3 months we've had him and is a really good boy. He is no longer an rear end in a top hat when we’re in the pool and now loves to launch himself in and grab his toys. 
Henrik Zetterberg fucked around with this message at 17:18 on Jul 8, 2022 |
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Jul 8, 2022 17:13
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last saturday, right on sunset, i offered to take iris out for a wee and she politely declined. then she immediately wandered up the hallway to my mother's bedroom and took a long, leisurely piss on the carpet. we both reacted, she was banished, we cleaned up the piss. i went outside, walked her around, and she completed the interrupted wee. we came back inside, and she went to my bedroom and did another piss on the carpet. at that point i lost my poo poo and started bellowing incomprehensibly like homer simpson. she actually hasn't pissed inside once since then, so i don't know what it means
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Jul 9, 2022 09:11
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Thanks for the advice, possibly just a bad day as suggested.
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Jul 9, 2022 09:57
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Anyone have a recommendation for a hot spot spray that actually works? I've tried so, so many things for Tater over the past decade. Meloxicam helps a little but he just chews himself obsessively. He's had dozens of vet visits for it over the years and they're out of answers.
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Jul 9, 2022 19:37
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I used to have a dog that got periodic hot spots (Kitty, i posted a pic of her a page or two back) and i don't remember the exact brand but it was a cooling aloe spray, which combined with buzzing down her fur in the summers seemed to help. Does your dog have long fur you could buzz down around the spot maybe?
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Jul 9, 2022 19:44
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Yeah he was groomed yesterday. Not terribly close shaved so it's probably not razor burn, but it's the other crap he has.
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Jul 9, 2022 19:48
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Shaving the area and putting on gold bond powder until it dries up works for my Pyr. She gets them every time she blows her coat.
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Jul 9, 2022 20:18
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I've been thinking of dry powder as I hadn't tried that before, and have some gold bond around the house. He's wearing diapers in the house at the moment (because of the exudate I've posted about earlier) so now would be a good time to try. Thanks.
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Jul 10, 2022 04:24
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Finally got smartypants house trained, using the dog door, all is well, several weeks of no messes. We went on vacation for a week and had to leave the dog behind with my mom (which they both loved), and their house does not have a dog door so it was a learning period for him to figure out how to signal he wanted to go out. Then just a few days after we get back, he's got his neutering appointment. In addition to the post anesthesia spacy-ness, he also couldn't fit through the dog door with his cone and we were cleaning up several messes a day. Now he's off the cone and back to otherwise normal life. The next couple weeks were rough as he was adapting to this brand new totally unfair "no pooping in the house" rule. We had to literally start over, taking him out every hour, generously treating, and teach him to trust the dog door again. It was exhausting, I do not recommend that sequence of events as dog training best practices
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Jul 10, 2022 06:03
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cradling the sleepy pup, thinking about how amazing she is and how well she's going, and suddenly she bites me on the boob
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Jul 10, 2022 21:56
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mahershalalhashbaz posted:cradling the sleepy pup, thinking about how amazing she is and how well she's going, and suddenly she bites me on the boob are you me Enfys fucked around with this message at 10:15 on Aug 30, 2023 |
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Jul 11, 2022 13:32
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Enfys posted:are you me because the exact same thing happened to me this morning  my sympathies, i hope you haven't done too much damage to your back. the things we do for our animals and they don't even know! i sympathise totally with gazing at a sleeping puppy and trying to savour every precious second of peace. at least it's been easier to do bite training with iris than my little dogs. when a terrier puppy nips with their microscopic needle teeth, it's hard to pretend that they've really hurt you. with iris, i don't have to pretend!
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Jul 12, 2022 09:53
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mahershalalhashbaz posted:
luckily it wasn't as bad as i was worried at first - after some rest, ice and nsaids, i'm just a bit stiff rather than unable to function last night while playing with a toy, she managed to catch my finger in a way that her tooth cut down and underneath the side of my fingernail and it hurts more than the time i broke it  behold, the platonic form of chaos: 
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Jul 12, 2022 11:42
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Y'all are making me want another puppy (I always want another puppy). Those awful little bite gremlins Here's Scout at our last dock competition. Regular access to professional photos is one of my favorite parts of competing. 
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Jul 12, 2022 15:53
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We’re fostering a little man right now  E: the benebone isn’t his, it’s one of our other dog’s
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Jul 12, 2022 15:59
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so in the five days since i was finally allowed to take her out, iris has had three encounters with over-the-top aggressive dogs and is starting to get reactive  one of those was a big dog on a leash who was barking and lunging and baring his teeth at her, i was trying to get away (narrow sidewalk) but the stupid old man walking him homed right in on us and got his roaring shithound right up into her face so he could get a better look at the puppy! in the tiny waiting room at the vet clinic there was a loving miniature dachshund with the voice of a demon that spent a solid five minutes just screaming at her non-stop while its owner talked to the receptionist and paid the bill, not even acknowledging that their dog was raising hell. barking has been a big trigger for her from the start, now she starts whimpering the moment she sees another dog and i have a problem to solve.on the other hand, she's had only good one-on-one experiences with humans and now gets excited rather than scared when she sees a stranger. progress Instant Jellyfish posted:Here's Scout at our last dock competition. Regular access to professional photos is one of my favorite parts of competing. mahershalalhashbaz fucked around with this message at 23:52 on Jul 12, 2022 |
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Jul 12, 2022 23:43
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after a couple of good walks and nice encounters, iris is back on track to thinking other dogs are cool and fun  Enfys posted:behold, the platonic form of chaos: 
mahershalalhashbaz fucked around with this message at 12:32 on May 6, 2024 |
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Jul 13, 2022 22:55
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mahershalalhashbaz posted:which does kind of capture the general experience I was about to say, that's just a normal cattle dog puppy picture. I love her 
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Jul 14, 2022 00:04
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I have my dog back from being bred, and while her pregnancy won't be confirmed for another couple of weeks with an ultrasound, she's sleeping 90% of the day at the moment so I'm pretty confident she's got some puppies brewing. I'm very excited! edit: vvv I love her eye patch! She's such a gorgeous pup.
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Jul 14, 2022 01:11
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mahershalalhashbaz fucked around with this message at 12:33 on May 6, 2024 |
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Jul 14, 2022 01:13
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We adopted a dog about a month ago and my partner started facing allergy symptoms around the same time. We thought she was allergic to the dog dander but the tests found that she is just allergic to grass and mold, which presumably the dog is tracking in. Does anyone have a good solution to this kinda thing? Is it just a matter of bathing the dog regularly? We’re extremely relieved it’s not the dog that she’s allergic to… but if the dog’s gonna stick her nose in grass all the time then we kinda want to know how to mitigate that problem.
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Jul 14, 2022 19:50
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Vegetable posted:We adopted a dog about a month ago and my partner started facing allergy symptoms around the same time. We thought she was allergic to the dog dander but the tests found that she is just allergic to grass and mold, which presumably the dog is tracking in. As long as you are using a high quality dog shampoo and conditioner you can bathe your pup up to weekly. I'd probably get some hypoallergenic pet wipes (I think earth bath is the ones I've heard recommended most often) and just wipe off the dog's paws and maybe face whenever she comes in from running around the grass and see if that helps.
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Jul 14, 2022 21:51
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Vegetable posted:We adopted a dog about a month ago and my partner started facing allergy symptoms around the same time. We thought she was allergic to the dog dander but the tests found that she is just allergic to grass and mold, which presumably the dog is tracking in. Brush brush brush
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Jul 14, 2022 21:54
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My dog has some issues with fear of strangers and leash reactivity, but he's getting a little better. Yay! One problem that he never had before was knowing that bed time is quiet time, but now he has started bothering us for treats after lights out, which is really something I have to resolve as soon as possible. The routine used to go like this: around 9:00 or so, he gets a pre-bedtime chew. He follows me or my girlfriend to the bedroom, where we keep the chews. He gets one, and either eats it there or follows us back downstairs to eat it. Around 9:30 or 10, we go to bed. He sleeps in the bedroom with us, usually. Then, he started asking for a second chew when we were getting in bed and turning off the lights. Maybe we should have known where this was going, but we started giving him the second chew. Now, after lights out, once he's finished his second chew, he gets up and starts whining, then barking, to get another one. We've tried distracting him, by walking around the house and giving him some other treats. It kinda works, but that still means we're getting out of bed after getting yelled at by the dog. We're going to start keeping the chews downstairs; that way he can't go over to the base of the dresser to bark for one. There's also a chance that he's just hungry (though he's been on the same diet for a long time) so we'll start serving him a bigger dinner. Any other suggestions for heading off demand for treats? He's never had this kind of problem before, so this has been a very unpleasant surprise.
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Jul 15, 2022 21:07
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He successfully trained you to give him more treats at bedtime. I would immediately start ignoring any begging for extra treats, he'll whine and bark for a while but after a week or two he'll get used to the new (old) program, but it'll take discipline on your part. Others itt might have other/better methods but imo it's more effective to just stop the enabling behavior and enforce the new one. If he gets insistent you can give him a firm no and tell him to lay down, or take him to his bed, but the key is to not give in to the begging.
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Jul 15, 2022 21:15
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Son of Thunderbeast posted:He successfully trained you to give him more treats at bedtime. Yeah, I figured that the solution was going to involve suffering for a while until he learns that barking isn't going to get him anything. In the moment it's just so hard to say no, though. The trainers I've consulted (on other matters) are all in agreement that the way to stop an undesired behavior is to reward an incompatible alternative behavior. It's just hard to think of what the incompatible behavior to demanding a treat is.
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Jul 15, 2022 21:45
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I 100% get it, it's hard to say no to a good pup who deserves treats lol And yeah rewarding a separate incompatible behavior is usually the quickest way, but if you go that route you have to decide how you're going to reward him, because if you reward him with a treat, you're just prolonging the behavior and cementing the expectation of extra bedtime treats. I don't have any easy answers for that aside from what I already gave, i.e. setting up a new routine (back to only one bedtime treat) and not deviating from it. I am interested to hear other suggestions if anyone has them though.
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Jul 15, 2022 21:49
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Yeah I never bought that "only positive reinforcement" stuff. It's preferred sure, i try and do it where possible but sometimes the best option is to give them the ignore treatment. Personally I'd put them out of the room for a few minutes. Let them back in. And if they beg put them out again. Repeat. If they cry outside the door. wait for a break in the crying, and then open it. So they associate being quite with the reward of your attention again and being allowed in the bedroom. I'd remove rewards from the bedroom completely so there is no confusion as well. Mega Comrade fucked around with this message at 22:46 on Jul 15, 2022 |
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Jul 15, 2022 22:37
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