The Puppy & Dog Owner Thread: Dog owning for dipshits

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

Riiseli: Apr 10, 2011; I'm not a BYB because I live in an apartment.

ButWhatIf posted:

I'm really skeptical about the addition of the Volhard Puppy Aptitude Test in the OP. There's no actual science behind it and it uses all manner of outdated concepts ("elevation dominance" = does puppy struggle when lifted off the ground, lol) to gauge which puppies are supposedly right for which families. The testers don't even use the same methods as one another, and they assume a whole ton about things like "obedience," which they gauge by seeing if a puppy has a natural retrieve drive. It's largely a waste of time and makes way too many assumptions about the individual puppies on one single occasion.

Agreed. A devoted breeder will see so much more from the puppies than a test ever could tell, that I'd just recommend finding a good breeder and listening to their advice. I personally pick the puppies for each family at six weeks. Nobody has complained about a bad selection even though not all have gotten the puppy they've wanted originally. I've also tried the test, but I don't think it contributed much to my selection process, so I don't do that anymore.

# ¿ Mar 20, 2012 15:49

Adbot: ADBOT LOVES YOU

# ¿ Apr 29, 2024 07:44

Riiseli: Apr 10, 2011; I'm not a BYB because I live in an apartment.

MrFurious posted:

It's almost as if we were familiar with all of these concepts when we wrote the document. If you'll go back and read again, you'll note that we put in heavy disclaimers regarding the long term accuracy and suggested that it is only applicable to young puppy-hood at best. In addition we've armed readers with more information on what's out there and what's being used, as well as how best to interpret that information for their own best interests.

I didn't realize discussion about one's personal experiences was prohibited. I also don't think I indicated that I hate the test. And with an indecisive and uninformed breeder I might even ask for one to be done, but I'd recommend picking a devoted breeder and trusting their judgement as a better alternative. If one is looking for a pet, it can certainly be done. I'm not always able to do so as I'm choosing based solely on the combination (parents and pedigree) as I'm looking to breed from the puppy, if it turns out ok.

For any Euros with their stupid laws I want to re-post this (with minor revisions) little bit of information on how a puppy can be handled without a crate. This is in no way a comprehensive guide and you should seek for additional advice (from the breeder preferably), when dealing with a puppy.

quote:

I've been asked about how it works without a crate and with people spending 9 hours a day away from the home...

A puppy is brought home at 7-8-9(-12) weeks and has usually learned (at least somewhat) to eliminate on paper (or more rarely on a pee pad) and outdoors. Before the puppy arrives people puppy proof the area where the puppy will spend most of it's time. Depending on the situation it is the whole apartment/house to a portion of a larger room. Wire compost bins are usually used to help make a place puppy proof. Area rugs are removed, unless the floor is slippery and the puppy is from a bigger breed. Hardwood floors can be protected at the designated potty area w/ a piece of vinyl flooring. I'd get some from a hardware store. This will be an even cheaper solution, if you can get a roll end.

Quite a few people allow their dogs to sleep in the same room as them and some allow the dogs to sleep in the bed with them (I do as my dogs don't really do that). If they don't want the puppy in the bedroom, it's the mattress treatment for a few nights ie. people sleep on a mattress with the puppy in the room the puppy is supposed to sleep alone. Most puppies are ok to sleep in a separate room after that. People start training separation from the get go. Leave the room for a moment, exit through the front door and enter soon etc. If they are working up to 8hrs a day (+ travel), the puppies are left alone in a puppy proof area from the get go during that time. Most trouble due to boredom can be observed around the five-eight month mark. A younger puppy just doesn't have the energy to destroy stuff or to be that vocal. Some dogs never have issues, some people have to get even a new couch as their young dog decided to remodel the old one right out of the blue.

The puppies eliminate indoors, if nobody is there to take them out or if you don't get there in time. Most stop eliminating at night around the age of four months and all together around six-seven-eight months of age, which is when papers or pee pads are removed. Some take until they are a year old. But they too do stop. Usually the papers or pee pads are placed close to a door, so ideally you'll be able to tell when the puppy start gravitating towards the designated potty place. Dogs really don't want to soil their nest. So much so that they learn without crating. Some are even so particular about their nests, that they won't eliminate in the back yard after they've grown up.

Currently I have three intact bitches w/ 8+ hr bladders that have not really been taught to indicate their need to go in any special way. They just get really anxious, pace around, whine and even scratch the door, if they have to get out extra. If one of my dogs has an upset stomach while I'm away and really needs to go, she'll jump over the pet gate that separates our dining room from the rest of the apartment and takes care of her business there. It's farthest from her sleeping area she can get to at that time. I don't think I'd be jumping fences with an upset tummy, so I think that sort of illustrates how strong their desire to not soil the nest really is.

edit:

MrFurious posted:

In Europe, crate training is illegal and frowned upon because of the association of crates and puppy mills.

Crating being illegal and being frowned upon has nothing to do with puppy mills as the law and practice are older concepts than puppy mills in Europe.

Riiseli fucked around with this message at 09:15 on Mar 21, 2012

# ¿ Mar 21, 2012 08:50

Riiseli: Apr 10, 2011; I'm not a BYB because I live in an apartment.

MrFurious posted:

Have I misunderstood?

If you have something more complete and informative to add on crating in Europe I'd be happy to consider adding it, but I'm not going to engage in any nitpicking.

I was lazy with my first quote, which is probably why you misunderstood me in the first place. I don't mind it being in the OP just agree that it is largely a waste of time etc. I wanted to offer my own input as I have some experience on it from a breeder standpoint.

I could possibly write something about crating in Europe, but that would be ethical "discussion", as crating is banned due to ethical reasons, and you didn't want that. Therefore I only hope you correct the misinformation in the OP concerning crating being illegal & frowned upon in Europe due to an association with puppy mills.

Riiseli fucked around with this message at 18:42 on Mar 21, 2012

# ¿ Mar 21, 2012 18:40

Riiseli: Apr 10, 2011; I'm not a BYB because I live in an apartment.

Should be sleeping posted:

What can I do to help stop this behavior?

I'd probably wake him from a distance and cue him to come to you. If it works it seems like an easy solution and you'll get to to practice come at the same time. And definitely lay off the NO in these situations.

# ¿ Mar 28, 2012 11:25

Riiseli: Apr 10, 2011; I'm not a BYB because I live in an apartment.

Crooked Booty posted:

One more question: Do most people leave water in the crate with a puppy overnight?

At that age it should be more than fine. If your puppy amuses itself by drinking then I'd restrict the amount of water available during the night. But in general a puppy of that size can hold it over night with water available at four - five months even without a crate.

And crating isn't illegal in Europe due to its association with puppy mills.

# ¿ Apr 9, 2012 10:46

Riiseli: Apr 10, 2011; I'm not a BYB because I live in an apartment.

MrFurious posted:

Keep in mind that dogs really don't need to be bathed that often, so if you're doing it once a week, it's definitely overkill.

Once a week wouldn't be terrible overkill for say a coton de tulear puppy. At a certain age it is almost a must, if one wants to keep such a puppy in show coat.

I personally wash my dogs completely with shampoo maybe once in every two years. They do swim in the summer and I rinse their paws every now and then and wash their butts as needed.

# ¿ Apr 22, 2012 20:37

Riiseli: Apr 10, 2011; I'm not a BYB because I live in an apartment.

Koth posted:

I have a question about house-training. My ultimate goal is to have our puppy pee and poo outside in the back yard, but I'm a little confused as to how I go from having the puppy know to pee and poo on a pad in his long-term confined area to having him bark at the door when he needs to go out.

When you are at home (and the puppy isn't confined) you take him out after he has eaten, after he wakes up from a nap and after an involved play session or on a set schedule (mixing is probably the best idea). You may also want to watch for behavioral cues and some puppies gravitate towards their designated potty area, when they need to go, which is an easy cue to read. As he grows older he can hold it for longer periods of time and eventually (somewhere around the five-seven month mark) you'll notice, that there are very few accidents and the pee pad isn't used nearly every day. At that time you might want to remove the pad, but it might be a good idea to put one down, if the puppy has to be alone for an extended period of time.

edit: Crating isn't illegal in Europe due to its association with puppy mills.

Riiseli fucked around with this message at 15:00 on Apr 24, 2012

# ¿ Apr 24, 2012 09:36

Riiseli: Apr 10, 2011; I'm not a BYB because I live in an apartment.

dog days are over posted:

I don't really understand where the idea of puppy pee pads came from. I don't understand why it wouldn't always be better to teach a dog right from the off that outside = toilet, and inside = no toilet at all ever. I mean I know the training is a pain in the rear end (I won't forget two weeks of getting up four times every night in a hurry) but it was just two weeks of inconvenience, whereas pee pads might affect a dog's toilet training for a drat long time.

I'd say the idea is from nine-to-five jobs (here it's actually eight-to-four) as no eight week old puppy can hold for 8hrs plus. If one were not working it would definitely be better to teach a puppy to only eliminate outdoors. As crating is illegal here some accidents are usually prone to happen, but those don't end up costing too much.

My first puppy was actually fool proof at seven weeks old and actually scratched the door every time she needed to get out. But I was working at a farm (she came with me and spent her days with other dogs in the yard, so my working schedule was a non-issue) and wasn't able to do a full days of work with a disturbed sleeping schedule, so she had to learn to go on paper again. It took a couple of months to get her fully potty trained with nine hour nights, but for my general health this was a better solution at the time.

You'll want to know that pretty much nobody has carpet flooring and area rugs are almost always removed until a dog is fully housetrained. So the only option for a bare floor is the newspaper (or rarely a pee pad) provided. And puppies prefer a more absorbent material, which is less slippery than the floor. Ergo they learn to relieve themselves on paper (this usually happens at the breeders home already). I have actually been able to teach two of my latest litters to be foolproof about going either on paper or outdoors that some of the owners never needed to remove their area rugs. When there are no accidents on paper they are removed and you have a housetrained dog. One might want to keep the area rugs away for maybe even a month after that.

Crating isn't illegal in Europe due to its association with puppy mills.

(USER WAS PUT ON PROBATION FOR THIS POST)

# ¿ Apr 27, 2012 12:03

Riiseli: Apr 10, 2011; I'm not a BYB because I live in an apartment.

Kerfuffle posted:

What happens if you take the newspaper away entirely? It might be that she just isn't holding it because she doesn't feel she has to since there is a pee spot? (Not sure if I'm giving dogs too much credit here)

This happens.

# ¿ Apr 27, 2012 12:23

Riiseli: Apr 10, 2011; I'm not a BYB because I live in an apartment.

Fraction posted:

If I take it away she just pees in that area anyway

E:
Well, she used to. I'll have to try giving her no newspaper soon, the next time I'm gone for a while.

And maybe put something there instead. A chair, a piece of wire mesh, a (closed) crate, so that specific spot isn't available.

# ¿ Apr 27, 2012 13:52

Riiseli: Apr 10, 2011; I'm not a BYB because I live in an apartment.

Rixatrix posted:

It is absolutely normal dog behavior. In some situations it's rude dog behavior, but still completely normal. If a dog is using humping as a way to elicit attention, then it's really rude to most other dogs (but still not abnormal).

Yup. Five week old puppies sometimes hump and I'd wager it isn't, because they've been poorly socialized. Plus humping is really pretty essential behavior for the species. Being I've never had a litter born without it

# ¿ May 5, 2012 07:56

Riiseli: Apr 10, 2011; I'm not a BYB because I live in an apartment.

soap. posted:

He never peed outside at the breeder's, so I don't know if its just such an ingrained habit that he's having trouble understanding. Could it have to do with him being an intact male? Should I try using higher value treats for his housetraining (I'm using liver treats right now, which he likes, but he goes crazy for little bits of cheese)? Any suggestions?

No it couldn't. Maybe you could use higher value play time as a reward? Or put him in the crate to settle down for a while after you come in. I don't housetrain on a clock, but on sleep, play and eat. So I take a puppy out, when he/she wakes up, after they eat and after they've played for a while. A combination of these practices might well work best. I've used a timer when I helped my friend get her to put finishing touches on her tollers housetraining.

Also how come he never peed outside at the breeder's? That seems odd to me.

# ¿ Jun 30, 2012 09:14

Riiseli: Apr 10, 2011; I'm not a BYB because I live in an apartment.

uptown posted:

I'm really not clear on this either - Should I, or should I not, be giving him water in his crate?

If I were to get up during the night for a puppy I'd probably do so maybe four hours after their final meal of the day. And then at about 12-14 weeks, I'd probably feed the puppy 2hrs before going to sleep and let them sleep for seven hours, so no more midnight potty breaks. I'd also most likely leave a bit of water in a heavy bowl as it is usually not a problem as long as the puppy doesn't start drinking for amusement. But because such behavior occurs I'd limit the amount of water on offer in the beginning. That being said I don't wake up nor do I crate or limit the water intake of my puppies and they've all been accident free over night at 3mos of age. But I would limit nighttime water access, if I got an amusement drinker.

# ¿ Jul 13, 2012 11:33

Riiseli: Apr 10, 2011; I'm not a BYB because I live in an apartment.

Topoisomerase posted:

If my dog gets a bowl of water in the crate, she tips it over and plays in it. Even heavy bowls. Steps on the front with all her retard strength and flings the water. She used to do this with bowls outside of the crate too when she was done drinking out of them.

One of my ex placed under breeding terms girls dug the water out of the bowl as a puppy. She had lots of fun doing so. But even she was fine with a tiny amount as it didn't cause too much harm, if she dug it out instead of drinking.

# ¿ Jul 14, 2012 06:53

Riiseli: Apr 10, 2011; I'm not a BYB because I live in an apartment.

MrFurious posted:

My personal feeling is that it's more cost effective to treat it yourself and try to keep your pet healthy, but this requires that you have some savings put away for things like this (and if you don't you're not being a responsible owner -- all the excuses in the world don't matter, it's part of the job).

I've never (well I did when I got my first puppy) had savings for things like this. Being a full time student I wasn't able to hang on to that money, it went toward our living expenses. That being said I always had at least two people on my speed dial, who could've loaned me any amount in case of emergency. Although I wouldn't go for any expensive treatments for something, where the dog would be guaranteed to have (even quite minor) permanent damage after the recovery.

I've had an insurance on my dogs and not had one. Having multiple dogs of quite healthy breeds there has been exactly three instances where I could have gotten reimbursements from the insurance company. In -06 Naru (2 yrs at the time) had a UTI, which cost me 200 euros. (That's more than is usual, since the first antibiotic didn't quite work. At first she seemed fine, but then the symptoms came back and I took her for an ultrasound since it was plausible it could've been a pyometra, but nope. This time around they drew a urine sample during the ultrasound straight from her bladder. There were bacteria present, so we got another antibiotic. It didn't work at all, so I called my original vet (she doesn't have ultrasound equipment) and she called one more description for antibiotics to my local pharmacy. That finally took care of the UTI and we've not had any since (or before). Things would have been easier if the **** bacteria would've grown in the lab, so they could have made sure it was sensitive to the antibiotics they prescribed, but it wouldn't on either occasion. Even the very fresh and 'clean sample, where bacteria were observed under the microscope, didn't grow...) In -08 Naru broke off the tip of her canine and fixing that cost me 500 euros. In -11 Healy had such a bad cut in her paw, she needed stitches, that was 120 euros. Healy has had an eye infection once (-09), but that was so inexpensive to treat the insurance company wouldn't have reimbursed me anything. Other than these my girls have been quite healthy, so six yrs of Aura (I did spay her, but that wouldn't have been covered by an insurance), eight yrs of Naru, five yrs of Healy and 7mos of TyTy and that's all there's been to do. My first dog, sheltie Lucky (we had him for 8yrs), did need to have his teeth cleaned under sedation and he also developed some prostate issues in his old age, which lead to him being castrated, but those wouldn't have fallen under any coverage either, since the costs were low and he was quite old by the time of his castration. He had broken his paw before he came to us and that required some medical management, but the yearly costs of that were again below any coverage. Currently Healy and TyTy are insured. I'll drop Healy's insurance, when the year is up, since she was only insured as a precaution, when I leased her for a litter this spring. TyTy will remain insured for now as she's a walking accident hazard. (For example she fell through the ice thrice this past winter. None of those situations (twice right by the shore, once in a shallow ditch) were life threatening in any way, such I could've prevented, but nonetheless they did illustrate the possibilities.)

uptown posted:

Okay, so we've got crate training down. We get up every 2 or so hours for a pee, and luckily he gives nary a gently caress about thunderstorms, because we had a crazy storm last night and had to keep going out in the lightening/thunder/pouring rain.

I'm just wondering when he'll know to give me a sign of any sort before he needs to go? I have read the housetraining guide linked in the OP as to teaching him to ring a bell after several weeks of no accidents, but the housetraining guide also states to slip a leash on the dog to take him out. Shanti doesn't understand the leash yet, and won't move when I hold it and it's on. We're working on getting him desensitized to it by me playing with him when he's leashed, distracting him from chewing it using toys, etc etc. I am right now, picking Shanti up if it seems like an emergency (I know his "poo walk") and taking him outside, since I don't want him to get averse to the leash. Otherwise, during the day (not at night when we rush out and rush in so he doesn't get too alert) I make a trail with small bits of treats or kibble to get him to walk to the door. Is this a mistake? If so, what should I do? Drag him with the leash?

Every two hours over night sounds excessive especially, if you are crating her.

My adult dogs don't give signs, or they do, but never during normal operation. Three to four times is enough at all times, if all is well. However if they do have the runs for example, they'll get extremely pacey and whiny, when they need to go, so that's good enough for me.

Picking her up and carrying her out is fine as is letting her follow you out unleashed. Once you are outdoors I'd rather have her drag her leash, if she refuses to move with it on, than to lure her with treats. So walk around with her on a leash for a bit and follow her everywhere she wants to go (two outings like this should be enough). Then you can start walking her along safe paths and if she refuses to follow you, you should be able to just drop her leash and keep going. If she's a typical puppy, she'll follow you when you got a short distance away. This has been my favorite method by far. She wears her collar all the time, I hope. And I recommend a relatively long and light leash for all puppies. That way they'll be quite ok dragging it around when necessary. (I've had countless puppy buyers show up with heavy leashes well fit for a grown dog, which is why I'm quite happy to purchase a suitable, cheap leash and collar for each puppy to give to their new owners.)

# ¿ Jul 16, 2012 05:59

Riiseli: Apr 10, 2011; I'm not a BYB because I live in an apartment.

MrFurious posted:

My complaints are directed largely at younger owners, but other folks who fit this role as well. Young twenty-somethings who are just out on their own and living paycheck to paycheck but who really want a dog. That's great, but realistically, they can't afford one. They have zero money to spare for basic preventative care let alone training. So they just adopt a stance of denial and get the dog anyways, or worse, they view the animal as relatively disposable.

Without derailing the thread too much more, I think we can all agree that if you can't afford to sock away a small portion of your paycheck for minor emergency money, regardless of the amount, you are being a crappy owner. You should be doing it for other things too, not just for your dog.

I got my first dog at nineteen and my second (a puppy) after graduation at twenty. The old fella (sheltie) got his dental cleanings and his vaccinations in schedule, we did SAR, competitive obedience and agility with the puppy, she had her hips, elbows and knees as well as eyes (for the first time) checked at 1,5yrs of age. She also participated in a couple of conformation shows besides obedience trials. At first we lived on my student aid and loans without being able to socking any money. Aura was also insured to begin with, but when Naru came along in -04 I dropped the coverage, since I felt my yearly payments would be more than my eventual costs anything unforeseen not withstanding (I was very right about this) and since I had a safety network, if said unforeseen event would've taken place we would've been fine. I did have to dispose of Aura a year after I ponied up the cash to have her spayed as she and Naru stopped getting along at that point. Aura left, because she was easier to re home permanently. Even though I'm normally against having the older dog leave.

Of course a lot of training is covered by membership fees as was Aura's first obedience class (we didn't do much else as I was able to train her myself), our SAR practises as well as part of our agility classes over the years. As far as non-pet emergencies go we do have pretty comprehensive social security system, so my own emergency situations are pretty well covered by the state i.e. one doesn't need emergency money for themselves. I've also always had my contents insured at all times, so had something happened to all my stuff in my rented home I would've still been good to go.

# ¿ Jul 16, 2012 16:44

Riiseli: Apr 10, 2011; I'm not a BYB because I live in an apartment.

Racing enthusiasts will keep full husky litters at a time, so having two wouldn't be an issue, if the living conditions are appropriate. They can grow into functional sled dogs even when trained with other young dogs. Of course old leaders are helpful and speed up the process a lot, so less "individual" training is required.

# ¿ Jul 19, 2012 18:33

Riiseli: Apr 10, 2011; I'm not a BYB because I live in an apartment.

TVs Ian posted:

This person is most likely not going to be actively sledding with those dogs. I don't think keeping a full litter for working purposes applies here

We have had over 8 adult dogs in our house at one time and even I wouldn't want to be raising more than one puppy at once. *shudder*

I didn't think so either. It's a possibility, though, and one were having more than one puppy is quite manageable. So I thought it was worth mentioning amidst all this no more than one puppy at a time discussion. Which is very valid in most situations, but not all.

I have to admit around here most huskies reside with sledding enthusiasts. Of course some are kept as pet dogs, but those are few and far in between as a husky is not the most suitable option for that role. If one wants a northern breed our own Finnish Lapphund and Lapponian Herder quite often suffice and are better suited to life as family pets. Although quite a few enthusiasts have their beginnings in owning single huskies, they may have acquired as an adult not suitable (i.e. most often not fast enough) for a racing team.

# ¿ Jul 19, 2012 19:20

Riiseli: Apr 10, 2011; I'm not a BYB because I live in an apartment.

TVs Ian posted:

As far as it being a possibility, someone who was serious about such a high intensity dog sport probably wouldn't be looking at dogs of questionable breeding and conformation from a shady BYB source, though.

Are the huskies you're thinking of just generic sledding huskies ie Alaskan husky type mixes that are more suited to be workers or pets vs the AKC Siberians (which are by and large just pets here in the US)? Because I can see how one would be less suited for a household than the other for sure.

Not necessarily a possibility in this case, but more of a possibility in general.

FCI registered Siberian huskies like the ones we get here:
http://www.piilopolku.net/index.php?p=2&t=3
The bottom three are (from the bottom) a Lapponian Herder, a Alaskan husky and a Alaskan husky, the rest are Siberians. Unfortunately there's been a influx of show type Siberians, which I don't really appreciate. Of course quite a few enthusiastic racers have Alaskans or at least some Alaskans, but there are competitions for purebred Siberian huskies and they are bred for sledding, not for shows or pets.

# ¿ Jul 19, 2012 20:55

Riiseli: Apr 10, 2011; I'm not a BYB because I live in an apartment.

guarded by bees posted:

Is there anything I should bring with me to make the three hour drive to my house easier on him? I have the carrier set up in the car, a variety of cookies for him, some stuff to chew on, a blanket to cover the crate if needed, and water containers. I've also got pee-pads, a wet-bag for trash, poop bags, and calm CDs in the car. I have two cats, should I bring something that smells like them along with me?

How do the puppies travel in a car? If they haven't practiced (a lot) with the breeder or still show symptoms of motion sickness, you won't probably be using cookies. It's better to travel with an empty stomach as a fuller one will cause a puppy to barf. I might even just lay a pee pad in the carrier, so if he drools excessively there's something to absorb at least some of the moisture under him. It'll be easier to clean as well (you can just swap in another one, if he actually vomits. Leash and a collar are pretty good to have along just in case and the drive is long enough a pee break may well be in order.

# ¿ Jul 20, 2012 08:22

Riiseli: Apr 10, 2011; I'm not a BYB because I live in an apartment.

nesbit37 posted:

Our vet is urging us to spay before first heat because the risk of mammary cancer goes up a fair bit if you wait until after, apparently. I don't know if there are other risks involved with neutering/spaying by a certain date, but we were also concerned about growth problems if doing it too early.

Spaying after the first heat is a viable option. It reduces the risk a fair bit. Not to the level of spaying before the first heat, but by a lot still.

TVs Ian posted:

Frankly, a bitch in heat is ten times more nightmarish than an intact male, in my experience.

They definitely get pretty annoying for maybe a week, but that is followed with around 6 months of calm and quiet on that front. They don't annoy me too much though since having multiple bitches means they can keep each other entertained. I know some males are downright terrible, but most times those get neutered pretty quickly.

Crooked Booty posted:

1) A dog can get a bitch pregnant in the blink of an eye, so that's a year of never being off leash at dog parks, the lake, hiking, etc. I've known people whose dogs have knocked up a bitch while both animals were on leashes, just because the owners were distracted talking.

ETA: Oh yeah, almost forgot I saw a 2 year old dog with testicular cancer the other day.

They can. Shouldn't prevent off leash time though. It's the responsibility of all dog owners to control their own dogs, so no letting the dog loose and having it disappear for minutes at a time on crowded trails and areas (a hunting dog in the back country is another matter). One just shouldn't let their intact dog interact with strange dogs before some communication with their owner. If no owner is in sight prevent interaction. If you failed and it was a bitch in heat shame on the owners, for not controlling their animal better. I, and people around here in general too, view it as a responsibility of owners of intact bitches to a) know when their bitch is in heat and b) to take precautions while this happens. They do exercise on the same trails, but often they are kept on leash throughout the heat or at least, when they are likely to get pregnant (I for instance am quite lax for the very first week w/ Naru and Healy as they are not anywhere close to be willing to mate, based on her first heat TyTy is another matter though...) Healy and TyTy get to be off leash on open areas through their heats as they follow my cues at those times, too. Naru on the other hand would probably ditch me, if I gave her the opportunity to do so during her estrus.

It happens. My first dog an intact male did develop a non-malignant testicular tumor after turning ten. He was neutered at the age of eleven with no complications and lived pn for two more years at which point he was put down due to arthritis in his once broken paw.

# ¿ Jul 25, 2012 11:38

Riiseli: Apr 10, 2011; I'm not a BYB because I live in an apartment.

TVs Ian posted:

Riiseli- It is less the behavioral end of it (we can handle the 'love addled' brainlessness etc) but more the mess control. Tonka went in to heat about 2 weeks before her spay was scheduled and dog panties are a thing I would like to forget forever....

Oh, ok. I suppose I've always thought "the mess" was a part of owning a female dog. I have to say I'm fond of using children's underwear and panty liners instead of anything made for dogs. The fit is a bit better and the color options are a lot more varied at a cheaper price.

# ¿ Jul 25, 2012 23:14

Riiseli: Apr 10, 2011; I'm not a BYB because I live in an apartment.

guarded by bees posted:

I've got him signed up for Puppy Kindergarten for socialization. It starts in 2 weeks, so as long as his cough is gone by then he should be good to go. If not I'll pop him into the next class.

For kennel cough you'll want to stay away from any classes for two weeks after the symptoms are gone. It's annoying, but you don't want to possibly ruin other participants' socialization. TyTy flew to Finland, got a cough (I'm glad my two other dogs didn't show any symptoms) in January and after that we had to lay low for a couple more weeks as Healy was pregnant. After the precautionary period was over we did resume our occasional walks with our trusted friends.

# ¿ Jul 27, 2012 06:53

Riiseli: Apr 10, 2011; I'm not a BYB because I live in an apartment.

Yuncemil posted:

I'd recommend tethering him to you, if it's been awhile since he has eliminated and he has maybe even already refused to go outdoors. It's quite possible he'd rather do his business alone and without a leash and the only time he gets a chance to do so is when you come indoors. Removing this change via tethering can make a big difference. I once had a 9 month old farm puppy hold it for 15hrs, because she refused to go on a leash, when she finally did there was no issues after that as she was already housebroken.

You also want to remember he's recovering from a surgery, sure it's a minor surgery, but it can affect his behavior as can an e collar, if he's wearing one.

I got a 7 month old (so her behavior wasn't based on years of repetition) house trained in a week and a half in December. I have a small apartment, which helps as there's nowhere to hide, and I did actually scold her for peeing indoors, which did help. She's a BC and wants to please me, so she'd rather do something that makes me happy instead of something that makes me unhappy with her. It was definitely the fastest way to her what I wanted and didn't want. I won't recommend this method to just about anyone as it requires a young and impressionable mind and relatively small living quarters.

# ¿ Jul 29, 2012 06:45

Riiseli: Apr 10, 2011; I'm not a BYB because I live in an apartment.

Tiny Faye posted:

The pup is just having its first bout of separation anxiety and the pet sitters probably aren't giving the dog enough attention to take the dog's mind of missing its owners. You don't do your pup any favors by being around then every possible second for the first year of their life.

I'm not certain where you got separation anxiety from, sure it could be that, but I think it's probable the two young dogs just want to play endlessly indoors, which would cause a lot of loud noises and barking and also peeing everywhere brought on by the over excitement constant playing produces.

My middle one does actually display symptoms of separation anxiety, if she's in a familiar place without me, but she's the only one of my dogs that has done that. A not so familiar place = less angst, but if I can arrange for her (and the rest of the gang) to be taken care of at home, I will. Even if it means less human interaction for a day, I still think it's easier for Healy that way. Now if I'm gone more than 16hrs I really have to think about it, but I do have three places lined up for those times, one for each dog and it works quite ok.

# ¿ Aug 6, 2012 09:26

Riiseli: Apr 10, 2011; I'm not a BYB because I live in an apartment.

buttslave posted:

Maybe she's frustrated in not finding a mate/in heat? I feel like the biggest dumbass for not asking about this earlier.

It could be false pregnancy, but this most often has bitches digging instead of biting, even adopting toys as puppies and some lactate, too. If she were in heat she'd be bleeding or cleaning herself noticeably often. It's easiest to determine with a simple paper towel test after she gets up from sleeping and before she has a chance to clean herself. She'd be trying to get her pack mates to mate her, if that was a source of her frustration and that would most likely mean she'd be humping them.

# ¿ Aug 6, 2012 18:50

Riiseli: Apr 10, 2011; I'm not a BYB because I live in an apartment.

buttslave posted:

She does disproportionately annoy our male dog and he has been seen trying to hump her face (he's neutered but even if he wasn't he apparently doesn't know what goes where).

Paper towel...

# ¿ Aug 7, 2012 08:41

Riiseli: Apr 10, 2011; I'm not a BYB because I live in an apartment.

A beagle could be fine with just a cup or cup and a half of kibble a day, so I'd guess he may well get enough food. It is one of the breeds I associate with a very healthy appetite, so if it weren't ravenous I'd think it was probably hugely overfed and overweight.

# ¿ Aug 13, 2012 06:08

Riiseli: Apr 10, 2011; I'm not a BYB because I live in an apartment.

Snowmankilla posted:

The thing that sucks is we cannot reward going outside, or going into the crate without a food she likes.

Give her time in general. I never (and I'm by no means alone in this) treat for either of those things. I praise generously, but very calmly for taking care of the business outdoors (not every single time nowadays) and crating is just a thing that happens unless I were to play crate games. Nevertheless all my gals have grown to love the crate and will go happily in, if I tell them to. Mind you I don't crate my dogs that often. I have no crate set up at home for instance.

Cuatal posted:

They've only been eating the food for the week we've had them, and the food is crap, it wouldn't be better to just give them new food?

Nope. I don't think the crap food or even crap eating is necessarily the cause. I won't say it is parvo, though it certainly could be, but puppies get upset tummies without no discernible cause sometimes. I always (well almost always) have some lactobacillus supplement at home, which isn't an aggressive treatment for diarrhea, but it helps a bit and can be used for instance when you're switching from one food to the next, if you have a dog with sensitive stomach. One of the drugs we get, that has a bit more punch, is one with pectin and attapulgite.

# ¿ Sep 3, 2012 05:44

Riiseli: Apr 10, 2011; I'm not a BYB because I live in an apartment.

Cuatal posted:

Are those drugs all specifically for dogs or is the human stuff? The diarrhea isn't particularly serious, she's not pooping like hundreds of times, it's probably been about an hour now since she's pooped.

Those are for pets. Or the other (lactobacillus supplement) was originally meant for farm animals, but used to have dosage for pets in the label as well. Nowadays it is packaged for pets in smaller quantities. But I bet google could be your friend. Or your local pharmacy, if they sell pet products.

# ¿ Sep 3, 2012 06:10

Riiseli: Apr 10, 2011; I'm not a BYB because I live in an apartment.

soap. posted:

What do you guys think? Call the vet? Give him another day? Warm compresses? I'm worried about the little guy even if it doesn't seem to bother him at all

Call a vet at least. It could be something time will heal, it could be simple panosteitis, but a vet will and should help you determine what it is.

# ¿ Nov 1, 2012 17:17

Riiseli: Apr 10, 2011; I'm not a BYB because I live in an apartment.

MrFurious posted:

Martingales are not correction collars. The only reason they exist is because some dogs are ridiculous and have necks as big as their heads and this makes it easy for them to slip their collars.

They are also great for lazy people like me... My dogs only wear collars, when they are leashed and a martingale is easier to put on and take off every time I go outdoors with the dogs and while we are there and I'm letting them run free. Our martingales are on the bigger side as my dogs aren't the type, personality or structure wise, to slip their heads from collars. I made our current everyday martingales from paracord and so far I've been very happy with them.

I have a choke chain on my dogs during obedience per rules, but I don't normally even have a leash attached. Healy starts jumping around me excitedly every time she sees me pull out a choke, because that means work, which leads to praise, play and treats.

This is Healy with one of my favorite collars (hand made out of incredibly soft leather):

# ¿ Nov 20, 2012 18:43

Riiseli: Apr 10, 2011; I'm not a BYB because I live in an apartment.

MrFurious posted:

I regard them as relatively ineffective. They might work in the very short term, but they do not work in the long term. Same is true for the citronella collars.

I know of only a couple of dogs, which have quit barking due to a sonic device. However citronella collars very often provide a long time solution. My Naru has barked with a citronella collar maybe twice about seven year ago. I can still get her to quiet by showing her the collar (I rarely do this, but it works). Healy on the other hand has emptied one of these collars by bark bark barking as a youngster. Luckily she grew up and doesn't a collar anymore.

I will always recommend using the odorless spray instead of the citronella spray. I don't think it's fair for a dog that considers the spray a punishment to end up smelling like the spray for a long time. Besides I prefer not to have my apartment smell like the spray either.

# ¿ Dec 7, 2012 06:53

Riiseli: Apr 10, 2011; I'm not a BYB because I live in an apartment.

WASDF posted:

I have a harness for her but when she wears it she doesn't move, she doesn't do anything.

Keep the harness on her indoors for a while. If it fits her I promise she'll get used to it like any puppy will.

# ¿ Dec 9, 2012 04:22

Riiseli: Apr 10, 2011; I'm not a BYB because I live in an apartment.

Triangulum posted:

I'll get him x-rayed when he goes in for his next round of shots.

Definitely recommend this after the age of 5mos. Get hips, stifles, shoulders, elbows and (lumbar) spine (lateral view) x-rayed. FCI doesn't approve these x-rays either (well in Finland, if the dog has truly awful hips at this stage and has to be put down due to them they will/can actually grade them at the Kennel Club, which in turn affects relatives' indexes etc.), but they are pretty good for questimating the end result and allow dog owners to adjust accordingly, if something is indeed wrong. TyTy had prelims, as BCs are prone to OCD, done, which is why I haven't gotten official x-rays of her yet.

# ¿ Dec 28, 2012 04:27

Riiseli: Apr 10, 2011; I'm not a BYB because I live in an apartment.

TShields posted:

How do we even begin to curb this? Our old dog was our first, but she came potty-trained. We're trying to go by the book, praising him like he just cured cancer when he does what he's supposed to, but we can't catch him in the act in the house to scold him when he does bad.

Take him for a proper walk. He'll mark all the pee and exercise will expedite bowel movements. Also tether the dog to you indoors. You'll probably notice when he needs to go in time to do something (ie. take him out) about it and when you've managed this praise and treat for doing his business where it is permitted.

Also if the weather really bothers him, get him a (rain)coat and get him used to it.

# ¿ Dec 29, 2012 14:36

Riiseli: Apr 10, 2011; I'm not a BYB because I live in an apartment.

Triangulum posted:

You can also just pick up a yard or two of fleece for a couple bucks and make your own tugs. It's super easy and costs next to nothing to make two or three. Here are instructions how to make the kind Rixatrix linked or you can just use a traditional braid, though it won't be as sturdy.

And for a possibly clearer idea of what is going on: here's a link to pick, where yarn is used, so it's even easier to distinguish the different strands: http://www.kaspaikka.fi/helsinki/myweb4/images/kruunu1.JPG

# ¿ Dec 30, 2012 12:45

Riiseli: Apr 10, 2011; I'm not a BYB because I live in an apartment.

LeeMajors posted:

It came to our attention that a friend of a friend has a littler of standard poodle pups available. We are in the process of contacting them with myriad questions, but I have some other concerns and could use some advice.

I work 24/48 shift work in EMS, and she is 9-5/M-F. I am worried about those first couple of weeks. We have decided to crate train, and I am contemplating taking 2 or 3 shifts off (between 8 and 11 days off) to be with the pup and begin to lay the groundwork for crate training. I am worried that sufficient comfort will not be attained in that time period before we must crate her for 8 hours or so on my duty days. Are there any ways to remedy this? I suppose I could have a friend come by for restroom breaks during the day, but I'm beyond nervous.

Only situation where breeding two family pets together for the first litter they are breeding would be ok by me was, if said dogs were from good breeder(s) and said breeder(s) were involved with making sure the parents are a suitable match to each other both in person and on paper. I speculate this is not the case here.

I would not crate a ~3 month old puppy for 8hrs a day with no bathroom breaks. As long as you allow the puppy to eliminate during the day your schedule is fine. You can either have a friend come over on lunch break or use a bigger pen with a pee pad of some sort. I know this (penning and pads) is not a popular option here, but I've never heard of a standard poodle that wasn't housebroken in decent time over here and "nobody" here crates (illegal due to ethical reasons), so it clearly can be done.

And as far as picking the specific puppy a life less had excellent advice.

# ¿ Feb 14, 2013 08:54

Riiseli: Apr 10, 2011; I'm not a BYB because I live in an apartment.

Japanese Dating Sim posted:

Can people that work full-time jobs and can't afford dog day-care ever be successful in helping a dog recover from separation/isolation anxiety?

Yes. Now whether or not you can help your dog recover is something I couldn't answer.

(USER WAS PUT ON PROBATION FOR THIS POST)

# ¿ Feb 26, 2013 06:04

Adbot: ADBOT LOVES YOU

# ¿ Apr 29, 2024 07:44

Riiseli: Apr 10, 2011; I'm not a BYB because I live in an apartment.

Japanese Dating Sim posted:

I actually didn't begrudge him for this response, I was honestly wondering if it's even possible with the limitations we have.

I'm glad. I was after all simply trying to convey that yes, it has happened and can happen, but whether it is possible in your case is another matter altogether and I couldn't possibly make a prediction over the internet.

I'll also make an actual suggestion use Audacity, Scanrec or something similar to record the dog while you are away.

# ¿ Mar 4, 2013 18:27

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

«‹›3 »