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Enfys posted:I guarantee that if you leave him unsupervised outside like this, at the bare minimum he will find and chew on (and almost certainly eat) all manner of things you don't want him to. We've had stints where...in the name of functioning I had to put him outside so I could do something, but I always kept a close eye on him through windows and stuff to make sure he was doing okay. So far his behaviour when I'm outside with him and when he's outside by himself is pretty much the same? As in once he stops whimpering, he calmly sniffs and wanders around and play-jumps on his toys (which ALWAYS makes me smirk) There's not much outside that he can legitimately destroy? Or stuff that I would be unhappy if he destroyed? All the plants are dog safe (and I don't really care if he destroys them), there's no high ledges, it's very secure and I'm in suburbia where there's no real wildlife threats. It's not the first time somebody told me unsupervised puppy in backyard is unsafe, but now that I've had him for more than a week and I've been supervising him...I mean I don't know what dangers are here? Yeah he's gonna eat the odd stick and leaf and bug but he's a DOG and he's gonna dog. What should I worry about?
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Jan 3, 2023 02:54
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He's only ten weeks old, he's still in his fear period. That is that the whole world is still more scary than his curiosity. In two weeks your puppy is going to be eating everything and you won't be there to tell him no. Like your backyard has dirt in it right? That's already something that can get him sick and be destructive. Please please listen to us when we say not to leave your infant dog unsupervised.
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Jan 3, 2023 03:00
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HootTheOwl posted:He's only ten weeks old, he's still in his fear period. That is that the whole world is still more scary than his curiosity. In two weeks your puppy is going to be eating everything and you won't be there to tell him no. Like your backyard has dirt in it right? That's already something that can get him sick and be destructive. I mean I'm giving you guys the benefit of the doubt for the time being, but it'd help if somebody could be specific about what I should be preventing him from doing? I don't use pesticides or weed killers. The plants I put in the garden were decided on based on what was\was not toxic to dogs, the mulch isn't cocoa, there is concrete underneath all the fencing so he can't dig under the fences... Like, obviously there are good things for him to eat and things that aren't going to be good for him to eat, but what specific things should I be worried about, and what specific harm can they cause?
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Jan 3, 2023 03:18
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Dogs have no qualms eating themselves sick. Even if it isn't toxic they'll just keep dog it. The poster above me mentioned dry wall. E: the specific things are that everything that the dog can put their little mouths on and then they're throwing up on your floors, making GBS threads everywhere. HootTheOwl fucked around with this message at 03:30 on Jan 3, 2023 |
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Jan 3, 2023 03:26
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H13 posted:I mean I'm giving you guys the benefit of the doubt for the time being, but it'd help if somebody could be specific about what I should be preventing him from doing? The point is that even if you don't care about the things he is destroying and the things he is destroying are harmless, he is learning that destroying things is a fun way to pass the time when dad isn't paying attention and eventually he will destroy something something that is either dangerous or you care about because you taught him that destroying things when you're bored is A-okay and dad thinks it's cute. That's bad, and it's much harder to correct the bad behavior than it is to never give him the opportunity to learn it in the first place. If you need some you time (and of course you do!) put him in his crate with a Kong or other chew toy filled with food or peanut butter or w/e so that he learns non-destructive ways to deal with aloneness. If keeping him in his crate feels too small, get a fenced playpen or gate off a 'safe' room where there is nothing in it he can learn to destroy. For me, that was my kitchen because it had a tile floor and no plugs or cords or rugs and I could put his bed, water and toys in there and he had some space to move around. As pitiful as it is to hear him whine when he's in his crate alone, and it's much less pitiful than having to give the dog up to a shelter because he barks for hours when you leave him in his crate or destroys things. He needs to learn to be confined alone and be happy doing that-it's better for him AND YOU in the long run, even if it is hard right now.
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Jan 3, 2023 03:27
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H13 posted:be specific about what I should be preventing him from doing? Is "preventing him from being outside unsupervised" not specific enough
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Jan 3, 2023 03:31
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If you really want him outside, put him in an x-pen that’s roughly in view of a window. That’ll at least limit what he can get into and the damage he can do to like digging holes and eating grass. Also not good things, but at least it’s some risk mitigation. I have a chill adult dog and she wasn’t allowed outside for more than 5 minutes without some at least indirect supervision until she was 2. She still gets zoomies and does occasional barking and stuff but I know that the worst destructive stuff just doesn’t occur to her anymore. For example - she super super SUPER wanted to dig holes in my yard as a puppy. Because I was there with her I turned it into a command that she does when I ask, and never something she does on her own. She loved doing it a lot and a yard full of holes was not something I wanted, so I’m glad I spent the time redirecting the behavior into something we could all live with.
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Jan 3, 2023 04:17
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Why are you so fixated on the dog being outside anyway? What's wrong with him being somewhere inside while you take your break from dealing with puppy?
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Jan 3, 2023 04:49
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The big issue will be digging, especially if he can dig out. My dogs spend a lot of time in the yard but I made sure there were bricks lining the base of all the fencing.
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Jan 3, 2023 05:56
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Kaiser Schnitzel posted:
Yeah this x1000 Or like someone else said a pen for outside. The crate is your friend. Learn to love the crate it’s worth it in the long run.
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Jan 3, 2023 06:30
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H13 posted:
Ok so I and other posters have covered the behaviour aspects, but you don't seem to recognise the risk to his health. Bowel obstruction and rupture is a serious risk for puppies. In about two weeks or so, his baby teeth will gradually start being replaced with adult teeth. He will find things that you would never think of to chew on and potentially eat: rocks, hard plastic, bits of discarded string/twine, paint he's chewed and stripped off the side of your house, whatever material the exterior of your house is made of... The possibilities include literally everything he can get his mouth on. I don't know how else to emphasise that he's going to find so many things to chew on that you wouldn't expect, some of which will be dangerous. Bowel obstruction is not a joke; intestinal surgery is expensive and not always successful. My friend lost a puppy when the small piece of a toy he had (unbeknownst to anyone) chewed up and swallowed ruptured part of his intestines. Teething puppies love small rocks. They seriously love to find, chew on, and sometimes eat rocks. Do you have a garden hose? He will chew it into small bits of hard plastic. Is there no hose but a pipe or attachment point for one? He will see if it's fun to chew on at some point. Did the workers who built your house dump a bunch of random materials in the yard before it was finished? He will find out for you! (my last puppy discovered how many broken shards of roofing tiles are in my garden because they are like rocks but better and every time I would blink she would somehow have another) He is going to explore his entire world with his mouth, which is one reason why puppies need to have their world limited (socialisation aside) and supervised. Right now, the outside world is new and scary. That won't last. I truly do understand why you need a break sometimes. Puppies are hard, and you need to decompress. Putting him outside unsupervised is not a good solution though for so many reasons, including the behavioural aspects, but please don't discount the risk to his health either.
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Jan 3, 2023 10:50
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H13 posted:We've had stints where...in the name of functioning I had to put him outside so I could do something, but I always kept a close eye on him through windows and stuff to make sure he was doing okay. Hey so I addressed some of this a little while back, so I'm going to quote myself and bold the bits you may find relevant. Note that I have been through a lot of this within the past year and good lord had I realised what a hazard our relatively innocuous back yard was at the start, I would have only allowed her outside on a leash until she was a year old. froglet posted:And even if a puppy can hold it's bladder for 3 hours, it may not be the most comfortable experience for them. With our girl, I preferred to err on the side of caution and took her out fairly often. Tl;dr even if there's just dirt outside, your yard may have old construction rubble, broken glass, etc an inch or two beneath the surface, all of which a puppy can and will try to eat. Also, imagine a situation where you have to leave your dog with a friend for a few weeks. Would they want to look after puppy again if he dug a bunch of holes and destroyed their reticulation? Wrt: long term confinement, I went to Kmart and got the 3-in-1 playpen. I attach it to the crate with zip ties. It meant I could go to appointments and not worry about her chewing on electrical cables, the skirting boards, shoes, etc, and should I need to leave her and get delayed, I don't need to worry about either finding the puddle of wee by slipping on it, or her losing housetraining progress coz she's had an accident inside her crate.
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Jan 3, 2023 16:21
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https://www.amazon.com/MidWest-Foldable-Metal-Exercise-Playpen/dp/B000H8YTJI?th=1 This is what we got Brisket. It clips to the side of his crate, but also has stakes to be taken outside. We only had a balcony at the time so we had one for inside and his crate and another to basically create a mesh on the balcony so he didn't lean too far forward.
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Jan 3, 2023 17:18
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froglet posted:
You reminded me of the time my now senior collie was a puppy and managed to unearth a piece of broken glass. I did not realise what she had until she was drooling blood while continuing to chew on the piece of glass as I frantically tried to get it out of her mouth without her swallowing it  she was fine after a trip to the vet, but I nearly died from panic. My garden isn't some kind of horrible junkyard either, but between chickens and dogs I have discovered that perfectly innocuous looking dirt is full of all kinds of weird things.Never underestimate what a puppy will find to chew on. Enfys fucked around with this message at 19:59 on Jan 7, 2023 |
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Jan 3, 2023 17:32
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HootTheOwl posted:https://www.amazon.com/MidWest-Foldable-Metal-Exercise-Playpen/dp/B000H8YTJI?th=1 Yup. That with a pee proof rug under it was my puppies hangout zone in my office during the workday. He was sufficiently potty trained by 5 months that we could start experimenting with more freedoms after that. You can't just leave your puppy alone when you feel like it, you have to make sure they're somewhere they can't hurt themselves or develop bad habits. If you need a break, they need to go in a crate or playpen with some toys. The more attention you pay earlier on, the quicker you can get to leaving them on their own. My very high energy guy had free run of the house at about 9 months old, but that only happened after he slowly gained freedoms, inch by inch.
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Jan 3, 2023 23:09
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 where's iris
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Jan 3, 2023 23:49
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My dog found a knife while digging in our back garden once. It was just a butter knife but it was still a surprise to see him walk in the back door with that in his mouth.
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Jan 4, 2023 00:13
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My dog is an animal pee and poop seeking terminator. If it's out there and nobody's around to stop him, he will find it, and he absolutely will not stop until he has licked all of it
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Jan 4, 2023 00:18
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The vast majority of stolen dogs happen when they are in a yard unattended too. My dog is almost 3 and I still trust her 0% unless I am looking directly at her, but she's also a cattle dog so.
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Jan 4, 2023 00:28
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Okay so to summarise: - He'll find SOMETHING to chew on or swallow - He'll learn bad boredom coping mechanisms + Crating is a better option. See...I've kinda just been using crating as a nap place. I've been careful not to put him in his crate except for naps because I don't want it to be puppy jail. Evidently I haven't been using the crate to its full potential. Dot point list of how else I can use the crate?
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Jan 4, 2023 10:42
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Multiple people just told you you can rig up a playpen to the crate to expand the puppy’s little fenced in world as a starting point man, c’mon.
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Jan 4, 2023 10:47
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it is ok to leave him outside on his own, just an hour is way too long at this age. at this age, puppies only understand when they've done something wrong if you catch them in the act. if he's dug a big hole and you only discover it forty minutes later, he won't understand that's what you're angry about. it's just how their brains work. so you have to keep checking on him frequently so if he's done something wrong, you can scold him for it straight away and he'll connect the two events. remember, right now he's basically a toddler, he wants to learn about the world and unfortunately puppies learn how things are made by destroying them. if over the next few weeks you can train him up to ten minutes outside without getting into trouble, and he does that consistently and you can trust him, you're both doing well. that's when he'll be teething, which is when the real destruction begins. your job right now is to teach him what he is and isn't allowed to do outside before he starts growing to a size where he can do some real damage.
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Jan 4, 2023 10:56
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a strange fowl posted:it is ok to leave him outside on his own, just an hour is way too long at this age. at this age, puppies only understand when they've done something wrong if you catch them in the act. if he's dug a big hole and you only discover it forty minutes later, he won't understand that's what you're angry about. Replace "forty minutes" with "ten seconds" and you have all dogs, regardless of age.
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Jan 4, 2023 13:53
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My dog has arthritis but she goes a bit too hard when playing. Does anyone have any tips on how to get her to slow down? She still jumps and dives like she was three years old again even though she’s an old lady and I’m afraid she’ll get hurt
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Jan 5, 2023 03:03
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Is there a good source for buying stuffed toys in bulk? I'm looking to get 10 or 25 at once. My puppy Ranger is about 65 pounds and he murders them quick. Is there a known place to buy ones that squeak and are non toxic? 
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Jan 5, 2023 06:02
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Vim Fuego posted:Is there a good source for buying stuffed toys in bulk? I'm looking to get 10 or 25 at once. My puppy Ranger is about 65 pounds and he murders them quick. Is there a known place to buy ones that squeak and are non toxic? Not a place in particular, but, I've been getting no-stuffing toys. You don't have to immediately chuck them if they get opened up and they're usually mate with better stitching it seems.
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Jan 5, 2023 19:20
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Vim Fuego posted:Is there a good source for buying stuffed toys in bulk? I'm looking to get 10 or 25 at once. My puppy Ranger is about 65 pounds and he murders them quick. Is there a known place to buy ones that squeak and are non toxic? neighborhood garage sales
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Jan 5, 2023 23:43
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I gave up on stuffed toys for my dogs. My terrier gets obsessed with gutting them for the squeaker, and then my lab hoovers up all the stuffing. It's just not worth it. I realised recently that of all the toys I've bought for my various guide dog puppies, the only ones that have lasted through multiple dogs are the rubber kong toys. No one else makes em quite like kong.
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Jan 6, 2023 02:10
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Can teething cause puppies to lose their appetite? My 5 Month old golden has had frequent loose stools since last night and only ate 3/4 of his dinner and really wasn’t very excited about it when that’s usually his favourite part of the day. I gave him a Costco greenie toothbrush thing last night which I think his stomach may not agree with, but the not eating all his food is very unlike him. I’ll switch to chicken and white rice in the morning I guess. E: he threw up too so I guess it’s more than just teething! Kaiser Schnitzel fucked around with this message at 02:36 on Jan 8, 2023 |
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Jan 8, 2023 00:56
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FYI chicken is a pretty common allergen for dogs especially pure breeds. It can cause all kinds of digestion issues and I’ve had to completely eliminate it from my puppy’s diet. Pure pumpkin is really good for when your dog has some stool issues. You can get the cans pretty cheap at the store but just make sure it’s pure pumpkin (like 90% of them are). MarcusSA fucked around with this message at 05:07 on Jan 8, 2023 |
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Jan 8, 2023 05:05
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His normal kibble is chicken based and he does fine with it. I’m actually wondering if it might be salmon he has a problem with? I’ve been giving him some salmon-based treats lately for the first time in a while. I definitely think he ate something when we were visiting a friend earlier today. Nothin more pitiful than a sick puppy.
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Jan 8, 2023 05:13
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i've figured out the reason iris's teenage defiance is so singularly aggravating is because she laughs like a person, it's one thing to have a dog pointedly disobeying commands but another thing when she looks at you and goes "LMAO owned"
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Jan 9, 2023 00:25
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No dog can give a middle finger quite like a cattle dog. We started herding lessons last week and convincing Scout that it can be done at less than 50 mph with no biting necessary is going to be something. I'm planning on going weekly until I start lambing at least though and maybe we can get her some beginner titles this summer.
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Jan 9, 2023 02:52
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Instant Jellyfish posted:We started herding lessons last week and convincing Scout that it can be done at less than 50 mph with no biting necessary is going to be something. I'm planning on going weekly until I start lambing at least though and maybe we can get her some beginner titles this summer.  iris now herds our four chickens into the coop at the end of the day, which is helpful. she just taught herself to do it once she figured out that she's still allowed to chase them as long as she doesn't catch them
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Jan 9, 2023 03:22
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Right now it mostly involves me spinning in circles with sheep knocking into me while I yell at Scout to get back and bounce a rattle paddle off her head. By the end of our lesson she had some moments of actual calm work that were beautiful but because I've used her on my rams who like to fight she thinks the job involves a lot more fighting sheep than it really should. The trainer I'm working with is all about just letting the dog loose to figure it out themselves in a controlled environment while correcting them when they go too far. It feels better to be balanced and in contol so most dogs with herding instinct figure it out. I went to a different trainer when Scout was just a pup who was awful and made me feel like my dog was already a failure. I'm sorry this 5 month old puppy I've had for 3 weeks doesn't have a minute sit stay around sheep at our first lesson??? The lessons there are mostly steering dogs around on a long line and controlling their every movement. She straight up told me to expect to cry after every lesson. New trainer said she's just like that because she doesn't like training anything but border collies and is rude as hell so people won't come back and make her work. Instant Jellyfish fucked around with this message at 05:20 on Jan 9, 2023 |
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Jan 9, 2023 04:17
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Currently feeling incredibly guilty for completely losing all sense of patience or composure with Holly the other day. She was playing nicely off-lead with another dog, then saw something and bolted off into the distance. Then while I was trying to get her back some guy growled at me about it. Yes, yes, I know, we are working on it, but shouting at me while I am actively trying to get her back doesn't fix the current issue at hand, mate!  When I finally got her back she was overexcited and despite a few timeouts on the oval she wouldn't calm down and kept trying to pull the lead out of my hands to flit to the next new shiney thing she saw and I... Just lost it and shouted at her. She was more confused than frightened, but I now feel like the worst dog owner in the world and only went out with her this morning because my partner was with me. So yeah. No more off-lead play, no more dog parks until she doesn't go into overexcited goblin mode where she forgets every command she's been taught. Which is going to make exercising her a loving nightmare coz it's been putridly hot and the oval I usually walk her on at night is being used for sports. Dog! 
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Jan 9, 2023 06:59
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Honestly dog parks really aren't that great to start with. Besides the increased risk of catching something (kennel cough etc) a lot of dog owners are poo poo (not calling you out) and take dogs that have no business being there. Its not worth it IMO
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Jan 9, 2023 07:02
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MarcusSA posted:Honestly dog parks really aren't that great to start with. Previously I'd only walk her, however she's been playing too rough with the other dogs with the dogwalker we send her with and the dog walker suggested we take her to more dog parks to practice. So I've been taking her and only letting her off lead with dogs her size when their owner says it's okay, so she can practice playing nicely, bringing her in when she's being too much, etc. She was playing so nicely, then ran off  Editing to add it's definitely not Holly's fault and what we're doing to fix this: My partner and I took her out this morning and did a bunch of recall practice at that park with a long line and some bits of chicken and liver, and she responded really well (chicken and liver does that, heh). She does know how to do it (I started training her in recall when she was 9 weeks old and it's one of the few things I've consistently tried to teach her), it's just the distraction level at the park is so variable I probably got complacent. Also, it's super hard training recall in the environment you want to be recalling them in on a long line when it's a public park. You can't control someone's overly friendly dog coming to say hello and I nearly had my arm lurched out of my socket once or twice before I started scanning the horizon for Holly's favourite distractions. I think I'll take her to my cousin's hobby farm when I'm back from holidays to train her in recall some more. At least that environment is super distracting, but there won't be other dogs around (and my cousin's kids probably would enjoy helping me train her). froglet fucked around with this message at 07:32 on Jan 9, 2023 |
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Jan 9, 2023 07:21
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People and dogs both make mistakes. You care, you're open to criticism and you're putting in the effort. You're a good dog owner. It's ok.
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Jan 9, 2023 21:15
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Harvey Mantaco posted:People and dogs both make mistakes. You care, you're open to criticism and you're putting in the effort. I know, I just got really stuck in a shame spiral the other day coz I had originally decided against taking her to dog parks coz I was scared I couldn't get her back. Then exactly that happens and bystanders aren't the least bit understanding, which was one of the things I was worried about (alongside the worry about her running onto the road and getting hit by a car or being attacked by another dog). I'm not so worried about her with other people coz I've done so much training to keep her from jumping for attention. Hell, before Christmas, a little girl fell over at the fenced off dog park and started crying, so my ridiculously friendly and apparently empathetic dog stopped playing and ran up to her all concerned, and immediately sat nicely and let the little girl hug her/pet her while her mum caught up to her... Then came back to me when her mum was with her. ... Meanwhile today she was not in the least bit interested in recall training at the park.  This dog, gah!
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Jan 10, 2023 04:17
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