The Puppy & Dog Owner Thread: Dog owning for dipshits

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a life less: Jul 12, 2009; We are healthy only to the extent that our ideas are humane.

Verman posted:

Stanley is going to be getting neutered this week. Doggy daycare said that he's been mounting a lot lately and he's 8 months ( 2 past the 6 month old threshold for what they allow dogs to be intact). We debated breeding him but I don't think either of us wants to go through it. As much as I would love to have one of his puppies later on down the road, I think its going to be better in the long run to get him fixed.

Sorry Stan the man, but I guess if you never got to fully use your bits you wont understand what you're missing right? RIP testicles.

Probably for the best. There are so many really, really awesome dogs out there. You'll find a great future puppy from one of these awesome dogs if you look. People who breed (at least people who breed well) put so much time, effort and money into breeding -- it's best to go to people like that if you're not able to put in that sort of effort yourself. (And few are. It can get sort of crazy.)

# ¿ Mar 24, 2016 00:58

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# ¿ May 15, 2024 02:41

a life less: Jul 12, 2009; We are healthy only to the extent that our ideas are humane.

To avoid step one, you need to utilize management and a bit of foresight to redirect prior to the bad thing happening. Or you need to train an incompatible behaviour. For instance, don't want dog on couch? Make it worth her while to hang out in a nearby dog bed with a bajillion treats doled out frequently while she's there.

# ¿ Mar 27, 2016 13:28

a life less: Jul 12, 2009; We are healthy only to the extent that our ideas are humane.

It's a risk/reward type of situation. Ideally, you want your pup exposed to millions of new sights and sounds early on in their lives (and continuing throughout, but it's more important early on) so they learn to take the world in stride. However, when they're young they're at risk of contracting some pretty serious illnesses. So best case scenario is only to let your pup explore areas that haven't been visited by strange, unvaccinated dogs; only meet dogs that you know to be healthy; etc. Pick the pup up if you're in an area with lots of dog traffic (even if there aren't any dogs in the vicinity since viruses etc can linger in the environment).

Luckily in my area, we have a pretty healthy animal population so I'd be pretty interested in getting the pup out and socialized as much as possible. It's possible you may not be so fortunate in your area. Try to understand the risks & rewards and decide yourself.

The advice you've been given is pretty overkill, IMO, unless your area is a serious vector for disease.

# ¿ Mar 28, 2016 20:13

a life less: Jul 12, 2009; We are healthy only to the extent that our ideas are humane.

Warbird posted:

So it turns out I was triple wrong and Belle had a UTI all along. I've had her on antibiotics for close to a week, but she's still peeing in her crate in small amounts. Hopefully that will sort itself out soon, but I'm likely going to have to follow up with the vet.

On an unrelated note, can anyone recommend a good dog life vest? She's taken to kayaking with me, but better safe than drowned.

I like Hurtta's life jacket, if you can afford it. But the company is kind of ridiculously $$$. Outward Hound makes one too. Honestly, anything should keep your dog undrowned. Some many just be more comfortable than others.

In other news, I love my dog.

# ¿ Mar 30, 2016 16:04

a life less: Jul 12, 2009; We are healthy only to the extent that our ideas are humane.

I had a similar concern when mine was younger. Turns out she had a UTI. Despite being able to hold it all night. Antibiotics solved our housebreaking woes overnight.

# ¿ Apr 10, 2016 22:41

a life less: Jul 12, 2009; We are healthy only to the extent that our ideas are humane.

Bunny hopping is a classic symptom of luxating patellas.

It's not a huge thing, but talk to your vet about it. The best thing you can do for your pups is ensure that they're a healthy weight and that they're active and well muscled. Surgery is an option for really severe cases, but most of the time isn't necessary.

# ¿ Apr 11, 2016 14:13

a life less: Jul 12, 2009; We are healthy only to the extent that our ideas are humane.

She doesn't sound dumb. She just sounds untrained. Break down the behaviours you're asking for more. You're lumping things together, which results in her failing more often than succeeding. If your dog isn't right at least 80% of the time while working with it, you're doing something wrong. (The best dog training allows for the dog to be correct 90-100% of the time.)

# ¿ Apr 12, 2016 16:01

a life less: Jul 12, 2009; We are healthy only to the extent that our ideas are humane.

In further dog training news (and because we lack a random nonsense thread so I'm posting it here), I did a thing with my dog. Good dog, Cohen.

This video is gonna play in theatres before the trailers. <3 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=axQhpQWzfIM

# ¿ Apr 12, 2016 16:03

a life less: Jul 12, 2009; We are healthy only to the extent that our ideas are humane.

FogHelmut posted:

Is there a list of standard things I should be teaching my dog? She can sit, stay, lay down, come, doesn't grab food from my hand, doesn't eat the furniture, etc.

Not really. Aside from your list (which is good and covers the basics) you'll probably want a leave it cue, as well as a drop (for when your leave-it isn't fast enough). A "go to your bed" will be helpful to get him out of your way (bed can be a bed or a crate or whatever). Leash manners and really, really solid recall are important once you get outside. Solid name recognition is good (say name, give treat, say name, give treat). "Go pee/poo" is super helpful too.

A solid stand is good if your dog needs to be groomed. Backing up is good if you have a big dog in a tight space. Fetching things for you is a useful trick. But these are sort of flavour behaviuors, not key ones.

# ¿ Apr 15, 2016 15:03

a life less: Jul 12, 2009; We are healthy only to the extent that our ideas are humane.

Tsyni posted:

Ok I thought of a question. My GSD listens to me perfectly when we're outside alone, or if we're outside and there are people not too close. If I'm outside with someone else from my household and I give her a command she'll often look at the other person and kind of hesitate and wait. Usually I move between her and the person and she reluctantly sits or does whatever. Should I just keep practicing commands when other people are around, or what's the best way to make her better at this?

Maybe go check out the dog training megathread? Basically outside is really, really interesting and has an assortment of things which your dog really wants. It's easy (or easier) to gain compliance indoors when it's boring and you're the best thing your dog has got going on, but outside your words and desires come significantly lower on the totem pole.

To combat, understand what your dog wants and use them to your advantage. Cookies, toys, playing, sniffing pee spots, greeting strangers, etc. Then figure out a way to provide these things to your dog as a reward for good behaviour. Be aware of your environment and how distracting it is. Practicing obedience in a dog park may be too much for your dog. You may have better luck practicing the basics on your front lawn, or your porch. Don't ask for too much too fast, 'cause your dog won't likely comply and they'll get used to not complying, which is a precedent you really don't want to set.

Sometimes it's like giving a child some math problems to do. They're okay performing said problems in a quiet room, but will likely have issues and get distracted if asked to do the same at a rock concert. The more you practice, the better your dog will get, but you have to go at their own pace.

# ¿ Apr 15, 2016 21:14

a life less: Jul 12, 2009; We are healthy only to the extent that our ideas are humane.

FogHelmut posted:

Here's another one thats actually starting to embarrass me: when we encounter another dog on the street, she gets submissive. Lays down and exposes her belly to the other dog. Mainly male dogs.

I kinda got it when it would be like a 120 lb yellow lab. But tonight it was a freakin 5 lb chihuahua. It was shameful.

I don't know what to do here.

If it legit bothers you, pull off to the side and let the other dog pass. Dogs (and puppies) don't need to greet every single thing that walks down the sidewalk. Use food, toys and other highly rewarding games to keep her attention on you while you do so. You don't want her feeling like it's a punishment. It's just polite to keep your dog to yourself in most situations. I mean, almost everyone likes saying hi to puppies, but as your dog ages the puppy privilege will wear off.

Some dogs (like mine) dislike puppies in particular (they're rude and can be pushed around easily), so as a puppy owner I would check with the other owner before letting your dog approach. And even then, a lot of owners are clueless; if in doubt, avoid.

It's important for your puppy to have successful social interactions with other dogs -- avoiding them completely isn't good -- but it's better to have a few good ones than lots of risky ones where something can go wrong easily.

# ¿ Apr 28, 2016 15:20

a life less: Jul 12, 2009; We are healthy only to the extent that our ideas are humane.

I think you should ask a vet. You can do damage if you don't know what you're doing. At least have a vet show you the proper way to do it before trying it at home the next time. Have them do it, and watch while they walk you through it.

And for the love of god, wear gloves.

# ¿ May 19, 2016 16:06

a life less: Jul 12, 2009; We are healthy only to the extent that our ideas are humane.

My dogs' stool gets loose when I'm overfeeding them. Maybe that's the issue here too? Don't bother with the guidelines on the bag, but reduce by 10-15% and track body weight to determine a healthy rate of weight loss (1-2% body weight/week).

# ¿ Jun 1, 2016 13:10

a life less: Jul 12, 2009; We are healthy only to the extent that our ideas are humane.

Phenotype posted:

So little Harley didn't go in the house at all over the weekend - kept her in my sight 24/7 and went for a walk every hour or so. Then I come back from work today to hear that she pooped in the 3 hours between me leaving and my roommate getting up, even though she'd been doing very well during the day, and then after he let her out and she came back in, she peed in his room during the two minutes he was in the bathroom. Just now, too -- she had dinner and went for a short walk, during which she peed, and then she somehow wandered off and pooped in his bedroom within 10 minutes of coming inside.

I didn't yell at her this time, just showed her the poop, said "go out", and took her and the poop into the backyard for a bit and showed her the poop outside. Then I sprayed the area down really good with Nature's Miracle -- I've gone through almost a full bottle just going over these sites and some of her past poop spots. (No More Marking, right?)

What gets me, though, is that she never had any accidents at the vet or with the lady who kept her for a few days, they said she seemed perfectly housebroken. Here, though, it's like she doesn't even bother asking to go out, just poops or pees whenever she feels the urge. Last week I fixed her dinner, turned around for literally a couple minutes to clean up the counter, and she had already wolfed down her food, peed on the rug, and was sitting next to it looking up at me expectantly. I just don't understand why there would be such a change. We're going to have to get a crate for her during the day, but even if we use it for a while and all of her business is done outside, I don't see how that teaches her not to just poop inside whenever she feels like it - it seems like part of the training has to be to come tell us to let her out when she has to go, right?

Good for you for getting a crate. Part of housebreaking is developing a preference for voiding outside (which is where treats and praise for peeing outdoors comes in), and part of it is having the pup un-learn bad habits. Right now your dog is simply in the habit of voiding in the house. If the habit has become ingrained over a few months, it will likely take that long for the habit to be broken too. I generally advise for people to go full maintenance (crating, tethering or 100% supervision) until you've had zero accidents for a month. Once you've hit that month marker, you can slowly begin to relax your management. If you find an accident during that month, poo poo, bad owner, reset that month-long clock and start over from square one. It's tedious, but it's also a billion times better than having a dog that will piss and poo poo in your room.

# ¿ Jun 8, 2016 14:04

a life less: Jul 12, 2009; We are healthy only to the extent that our ideas are humane.

Blakles posted:

Help! My potty-trained puppy is having accidents in the house!

She is a 10 month old Toy Australian Shepherd. She's been housebroken since she was about 4 months old. All the sudden lately she will pee in the house when we're not looking.

This will be after having just come inside within about 30 min to 1 hour. It doesn't seem to be a medical issue as the accidents are very infrequent and no other signs of illness.

What I really don't get is that she used to cry and scratch at the bedroom door if she needed to go out. Now I'll be laying in the bed, no sounds, then I look up and there's pee on the floor.

Any advice?

UTIs can be common and difficult to spot sometimes. So, vet check may be in order.

Otherwise, back to housebreaking 101 for your dog. Crates, gates, scheduled bathroom breaks, 100% supervision, etc for 30 days straight while you break her of bad habits. If she has an accident, step up your management and restart the 30 day counter.

# ¿ Jun 9, 2016 13:26

a life less: Jul 12, 2009; We are healthy only to the extent that our ideas are humane.

Just like with people, aim for 1-2% of total body mass lost each week. I know you said weighing her isn't easy, but if you have a vet nearby they may be happy to help.

# ¿ Jun 14, 2016 19:20

a life less: Jul 12, 2009; We are healthy only to the extent that our ideas are humane.

Just more freedom to wander, more room to recall, more room to train, etc. It more closely resembles what off-leash freedom would feel like, should that ever be your goal.

# ¿ Jun 27, 2016 15:59

a life less: Jul 12, 2009; We are healthy only to the extent that our ideas are humane.

I doubt it. It might have started as a response to pain or discomfort after the surgery, but now it's less about the surgery and now it's about a pattern of problem behaviour, and it's escalating.

I would consult a behaviourist ASAP. In the interim, I would be keeping the female separate from the other dogs to stop her trying to start fights with the other dogs. Crates, gates or pens will be your friend for the next little while.

The behaviourist will show you how to reintroduce the dogs slowly, carefully, with systematic desensitization and with an eye to addressing the resource guarding.

# ¿ Jul 3, 2016 20:02

a life less: Jul 12, 2009; We are healthy only to the extent that our ideas are humane.

Ausrotten posted:

Increased DA, guarding behavior, and reactivity are fairly well documented and studied behavioral effects of spaying females prior to the age of 12 months. It could be a pain response but those behaviors are linked to pediatric spays.
See :
https://drsophiayin.com/blog/entry/can_spaying_make_dog_behavior_worse/
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1748-5827.1990.tb00701.x/abstract
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9227747
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16772140

You're right. Though I don't think that increased aggression in a 6-month old dog is related to hormones, or lack thereof, as the dog would be "prepubescent" whether it had had the surgery or not. BUT IANAV.

Edit: Err, 9 months. Maybe more sexually mature? I dunno. Dogs, man.

# ¿ Jul 5, 2016 16:59

a life less: Jul 12, 2009; We are healthy only to the extent that our ideas are humane.

Sodacan posted:

Y'all failed me on the last long-rear end post, but that's fine, it was long as poo poo.

Some weeks later, I'll keep this one short.

New 3.5 year old rescue murderdag is a sweetheart, but absolutely obsessed with all the small critters she can see out our second-story apartment window. She's good enough that we don't need to crate her at all during the day, but whenever she's not sleeping, she's spending her time alternating between one of three windows making eyes at Shitcat, Fuckhog, Bastard Rabbit, and all her other friends my girlfriend and I have so named.

She definitely works herself up when she does this: she's a really quiet murderdag, and only ever makes a sound when she's growping/whining at something in the yard. What I'm wondering is: how much could this realistically be bleeding into some of the anxiety/nerves/less-than-ideal behaviors we've been trying to work with her on fixing? I'm considering crating her for some or all of the day as an experiment to see if removing her from the stimulus changes anything in her mood, but maybe that's a dumb idea and you should tell me so before I try it.

It'd just also be nicer if she was allowed to romp around the apartment as she liked, but at this point, doing what she likes hasn't necessarily translated into calmdog behavior.

Stress releases chemicals into the body, making the body more susceptible to being re-stressed (laymen's explanation, please pardon me). So, yes, working herself up by watching critters may be feeding into your other issues, depending on the severity. Maybe.

Check out some of the most recent posts in the dog training megathread about Karen Overall's Relaxation Protocol. Also, consider buying that plastic stuff you can put on your windows to disperse light, and put it anywhere she's looking out. It may be able to obscure the outdoors enough that she'll not obsess over it so much.

# ¿ Jul 6, 2016 19:50

a life less: Jul 12, 2009; We are healthy only to the extent that our ideas are humane.

It's likely a non-issue. You maaay be setting your puppy up to be overly reliant on your other dog for companionship, but honestly, that may not be an issue for most people. Do whatever you like, really. I might recommend making sure your pup gets lots of time to explore, work and bond with you one-on-one, to encourage his independence.

Be wary of potential fights, of course, and that they have sufficient space.

# ¿ Jul 7, 2016 13:25

a life less: Jul 12, 2009; We are healthy only to the extent that our ideas are humane.

CaptainScraps posted:

My dog is licking his paws and junk a lot. More than other dogs I've had. Allergies?

Yeah, those are common signs for allergies.

# ¿ Jul 8, 2016 17:20

a life less: Jul 12, 2009; We are healthy only to the extent that our ideas are humane.

Tools will give you an edge, but they will not solve your leash walking issues without being used in conjunction with training. To me, use whatever tool you want, but use it with the intention of eventually fading it to a flat buckle collar.

# ¿ Jul 13, 2016 16:57

a life less: Jul 12, 2009; We are healthy only to the extent that our ideas are humane.

Carmant posted:

My dog is back from the vet from getting spayed and they didnt give her one of those weird cones, should I go buy one.

Probably. You can get ones that are a bit more comfortable for dogs, if you're buying your own. There are soft ones, or inflatable doughnuts, that you can get that dogs seem to have easier times with.

# ¿ Jul 21, 2016 16:26

a life less: Jul 12, 2009; We are healthy only to the extent that our ideas are humane.

Increased water consumption can be linked to some diseases like diabetes. I'd listen to your vet and just watch it for a bit, then schedule another visit.

http://www.petmd.com/dog/conditions/urinary/c_multi_polydipsia_polyuria

# ¿ Jul 22, 2016 15:41

a life less: Jul 12, 2009; We are healthy only to the extent that our ideas are humane.

If nothing changes, I wouldn't be concerned. But as your vet noted, keep tabs on energy, food consumption and stool for the next week or two (or however long they advised).

# ¿ Jul 26, 2016 17:43

a life less: Jul 12, 2009; We are healthy only to the extent that our ideas are humane.

Try playing some crate games. Here's one video. There's a slew of others on Youtube if you search though. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L8HNO79bZMY

Take down the divider while playing, so you have more space to work. Put it back up when you're done the session.

What you describe sounds pretty normal. The pain in the butt part is the urination you describe. Make sure you're cleaning the whole thing down thoroughly, and if he's peeing in there while loose in a room, keep the crate door closed. That's not a habit you want him getting in to.

# ¿ Jul 27, 2016 15:08

a life less: Jul 12, 2009; We are healthy only to the extent that our ideas are humane.

I would advise the opposite - the purpose of crate training is to ease housebreaking. If you're risking housebreaking accidents, it's not the right decision, IMO.

I'd probably keep the crate in the area you're in most frequently, or get another one, or set up a pen or something near the common area that will serve to corral the puppy during the day when you're not directly supervising.

# ¿ Jul 27, 2016 15:56

a life less: Jul 12, 2009; We are healthy only to the extent that our ideas are humane.

Don't know about the owl. But with housetraining regression, go back to basics. Treat your dog like a puppy. Use crates, gates, exercise pens, etc to control its access to your house. Provide regular potty breaks on leash so you can track pees & poos. Reward for proper elimination outside. For puppies, I recommend using hardcore management for a month. For an adult dog who has gotten into the habit of soiling the tub, it may take longer since you have some bad habits to overcome. Start a 30 day counter of managing your dog. If you slip up and your dog soils indoors on day 28, whoops, bad owner, reset the 30 day clock and start again.

# ¿ Aug 12, 2016 14:25

a life less: Jul 12, 2009; We are healthy only to the extent that our ideas are humane.

If she's not breaking skin, that to me further indicates play behaviour. Just really, really inappropriate play behaviour. When she gets like that, redirect to a toy and play that way. (Ideally, redirect BEFORE she gets like that.) If she ignores the toy, play time is over, and a time out in a quiet room or crate or tether station may be required to help her chill out. Offer chews etc while she cools down.

# ¿ Aug 17, 2016 14:07

a life less: Jul 12, 2009; We are healthy only to the extent that our ideas are humane.

How's her food drive?

Go check out the Dog Training Megathread for plenty of talk on this. In short, she's anxious about the presence of other dogs. At first, she likely tried to avoid (and was probably a bit shut down due to stress of being in a new home). Now, since avoiding other dogs didn't likely work (as there are still dogs around, and maybe approaching her when she's signaling for them not to), she's escalated to a more obvious "stay the hell away" display in order to protect her bubble. It's a fear-based reaction.

So you can address it by respecting what she's asking for, and giving her plenty of space from other dogs. Then begin to classically condition her to associate the presence of (far off) dogs with oodles of food. The presence of tasty food should be much more powerful than the anxiety of a dog at a distance, otherwise it won't work. It doesn't matter if she's barking or not paying attention to you, just work hard to create the dogs = food association.

Working with a trainer (who opts to use food, not punishment, to control behaviour) will likely make this process easier on you, so I'd recommend giving one a call.

# ¿ Sep 1, 2016 15:28

a life less: Jul 12, 2009; We are healthy only to the extent that our ideas are humane.

The clicker is used in conjunction with food most of the time. It doesn't replace it.

Here's an article and a bunch of links to get you started, if you're interested: http://www.clickertraining.com/whatis

Clicker training is awesome.

# ¿ Sep 14, 2016 14:41

a life less: Jul 12, 2009; We are healthy only to the extent that our ideas are humane.

Yep. Ideally you want a dog who will work for both toys and food. I think food is an easier point of entry, since it's easier to control. But the click is simply a precise marker to communicate to your dog "yes, that think you just did has earned you a reward".

Clicker training:

Dog hadoken. Hadogeken.

# ¿ Sep 14, 2016 16:38

a life less: Jul 12, 2009; We are healthy only to the extent that our ideas are humane.

It depends on the actual chocolate content, and the size of the dog. Dark chocolate is more dangerous than milk chocolate, too. Crumbs of cake wouldn't make me worry. A square of a dark chocolate bar might warrant contacting a vet.

# ¿ Sep 15, 2016 12:39

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# ¿ May 15, 2024 02:41

a life less: Jul 12, 2009; We are healthy only to the extent that our ideas are humane.

GoodBee posted:

I am a dipshit who adopted an adult shelter dog today.

She's spayed, up to date on shots, walks well on a leash, other cool stuff. I've got her wellness exam scheduled. We're signed up for the next obedience class that starts in about a week and a half, with the trainer recommended by the shelter.

I've got two cats so the shelter did a cat test where they brought her into the room with a whole bunch of cats wandering around. She paid absolutely no attention to any of the cats in that room, even when one swatted her tail.

She was doing a pretty good job ignoring my cats for a while after we got home, until I fed her dinner and my orange rear end in a top hat cat shoved his stupid face in her bowl, then she barked at him. She was doing well rocking out on the couch next to me and watching the cats, but my black cat wanted to jump up next to her and hiss, then smack her in the face when she got barked at. I don't think she barked again after the smack but she did growl at the black cat when the cat sat in the middle of the room and glared.

Dog's got her own bedroom so that's where she is now. There has been a little bit of intermittent quiet whining. It took about a minute of putting her to bed before cats reclaimed the rest of the house and my lap.

She spent a little while in her room while I took a shower and she did fine but she seemed ridiculously happy to see me after only being by herself for 15 minutes or so.

I gave her a bath and she wasn't thrilled with it but was tolerant. I don't I did a very good job though so we might try again tomorrow.

I think I've got the situation under a reasonable amount of control but I am a dipshit who has never owned a dog before. I don't really have any questions but if I say something incredibly stupid, please let me know.

I think the biggest thing I want to avoid is advice from people with dogs that I think are terrible or annoying.

Go up to the OP and read the portion about introducing a new dog to a house with an existing dog. Then work to adapt that situation to your dog and cats. I'd be concerned that you're moving too fast and possibly setting your new dog up to fail by allowing too much interaction with the cats while it's still trying to adjust to its new home. I might set up a pen in a common area so you're not isolating your dog, but there's a barrier between it and your cats. Feed separately, and make sure everyone has lots and lots of room while the stress of the relocation wears itself out. This may take some weeks or months, even, for your dog to fully show its personality in its new home.

# ¿ Oct 17, 2016 15:14

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Pet Island > The Puppy & Dog Owner Thread: Dog owning for dipshits

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