The Puppy & Dog Owner Thread: Dog owning for dipshits

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

Baron Von Pigeon posted:

Is there anything I should be doing to help smooth over their relationship? Is this normal or is it an indication of emotional or behavioral problems that need to be worked through?

This is normal. BCs can be pretty particular about their toys and if they do get to decide all toys are their toys. TyTy came to me at 7mos and tried this #�% with Healy and still tries it on occasion / does it with dogs that are visiting. Then again Healy did (and still does) try the same thing as far as attention from me and even Naru goes. Both I handle with telling them to go away as needed, but a bit of antics I'll actually allow. Healy keeping other dogs away from Naru is often even beneficial to keeping the peace. But as it's not their place to decide who gets my attention or who gets to carry toys around, I'll intervene if I feel they are being unfair. And the method, as mentioned, is telling them to go away, since often they just want my attention and to hang around with everybody and the toys, and when they go away they lose both benefits.

I did speculate I might have to ban toys with TyTy the BC in the house, but it was more about a worry she might play constantly and not rest with toys available and as this is not the case, we still have toys. I might actually pick all of them up, if I deemed it necessary to keep the peace while we have dogs visiting.

# ¿ Mar 12, 2013 05:53

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# ¿ May 15, 2024 01:20

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

LeeMajors posted:

I looked into puppy socialization classes around here, but most wouldn't accept pups before 12weeks--at which point I'd be beyond her vaccs and able to socialize with the many dogs at my disposal. I'm working on that now.

If you have many dogs at your disposal, you can possibly find one that is safe at this point. I don't really emphasize puppy - puppy socialization (but do arrange some), but prefer having puppies socializing with adult dogs as much as possible as I know what I'm getting from each dog I have at my disposal. I know what I need to ask around here to make sure the dogs are safe (health wise) to interact w/ the puppy.

My Naru is a pretty awesome pal (sometimes a bit too awesome) for pups: http://youtu.be/gslBbbdxf8g

soap. posted:

My Aussie, Helo, is just under a year and we just had him neutered five days ago. He can't exercise until the wound is closed (its glued, so no stitch removal) and he is going stir crazy.

I'm no vet and it has been a while, so take this with many grains of salt. I'm pretty sure you can take him on a long walk on leash, if the wound looks ok as it is probably less harmful for the healing process than going stir crazy indoors. I'm quite certain I did that with my spayed girl less than a week from surgery. Running, playing etc. were on the no list for 12-14 days as per the vet. Her wound was also glued and everything went smoothly.

Riiseli fucked around with this message at 08:12 on Apr 17, 2013

# ¿ Apr 17, 2013 07:38

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

Fraction posted:

I was wondering if she'd be able to go out on the ground in places that are very low dog-traffic? There's a whole lot of countryside within easy walking distance that I've visited loads and never even seen one other dog. If that would still be too high risk though (letting her explore/play on the grass), she won't be able to be on grass until she's about thirteen weeks old, which seems really late to me. Nobody I know has a yard with grass.

Can't speak for UK, but over here I'd definitely do this. I don't even worry about the amount of dog-traffic a place gets, unless there is a lot of parvo going around. My puppies (the ones I've bred) used to go for a walk or two in our neighborhood and their yard was actually this communal grass area next to a playground. I'd say all non toybreed puppies (and most toy pups too) are walked at least in their own neighborhood, when they move to their new homes at the age of 7-8 weeks. I know some breeders vaccinate against parvo at six weeks, but most puppies receive their first vaccination at 12 weeks, the second at 16 weeks and rabies either at 16 weeks or 18 weeks.

# ¿ Apr 26, 2013 17:27

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

Triangulum posted:

Boy's underwear with a pad stuck inside might be slightly less creepy as well as cheaper.

This. Girls work too, but boys have better waistbands. My 30 pounders use about size 90cms, which typically fits about 1,5 - 2-year old kids. My Healy, who is in heat atm, has a yellow pair with elephants and giraffes on them. TyTy should start her heat any moment now, so I might have to cut her another pair. I try to buy these from flee markets as it's cheaper that way and I don't really care whether they've been used by somebody before. And as far as the dog specific stuff goes, this type is quite ok also: LINK

# ¿ Apr 30, 2013 05:03

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

Away all Goats posted:

Is there something I can do or should I just live with it?

If you are able to choose who he plays with it is possible for him to learn better manners. For example my Aura had enough moxie, that my friend's GSD wouldn't dare behave badly. While she would slam into the side of her other GSD, she actually had an 'oh no'-expression on her face, when she realized she was barreling down a deep slope toward Aura and not Naru. She managed to avoid crashing into her at the last moment. I believe had she been interacting a lot with an Aura like dog(s) (and possibly with no other kinds), she might have never developed this slamming habit. Nowadays my Naru is the manner police as far as playing nice go. She's actually the nicest dog puppy can interact with, but if a puppy plays too rough, they'll know and tend to not repeat it very many times.

But no matter what you should prevent the bullying. For the sake of other dogs.

# ¿ May 10, 2013 06:23

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

Fraction posted:

When do people usually start giving puppies a little freedom from their tether?

Never.

edit: My default is no tether/leash. Only if it is absolutely necessary for safety concerns. I have very light leashes and if we are in a potentially dangerous situation they drag those around. In the woods we don't even have that. (Of course we practice leash walking on occasion and they wear proper leashes for that. Also when I say take them on a bus or train, but the default is no leash/tether.)

Riiseli fucked around with this message at 18:33 on May 17, 2013

# ¿ May 17, 2013 17:49

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

Fraction posted:

I mean tether as in the puppy being connected to me in the house, not the puppy being off leash outside of the house.

I covered both. I've tethered a dog indoors (not mine, 7 months old at the time) once in 12 yrs.

# ¿ May 17, 2013 19:53

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

TShields posted:

Did we win the puppy lottery?

It is possible. My first puppy was actually fool proof at seven weeks. She just didn't want to do her business on anything other than grass or gravel and would scratch the door, day or night, to rouse me and take her out.

# ¿ May 29, 2013 15:30

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

If night time is not an issue, consider crating him on weekends for a couple of hours while you sleep after taking him out for the first time.

# ¿ Jun 9, 2013 17:59

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

Dr. Freeman posted:

It seems every article/blog post/piece of advise says DO NOT GET TWO PUPPIES AT THE SAME TIME.

My friend and his hubby got two collie pups at the same time. They had two people care and train the puppies and would not do that again. And these are experienced people with older well behaved dogs setting an example and these two puppies grew up to be titled in obedience. It was still not an enjoyable experience in comparison to raising a single puppy. And these were well bred collies, which are generally more attuned towards people than Great Pyrenees. I also would not recommend a livestock guardian breed to somebody living in an apartment anyways. Those dogs deserve their own private stomping grounds and have an occasion behaved aggressively when living in less than ideal surroundings. I realize the puppies you are considering are not necessarily even part Great Pyrenees, but the possibility is apparently there.

The general rule of thumb here is two and preferably three years between puppies. This ensures the older dog should be well mannered and most often keeps fights from happening even when the dogs are unaltered and of the same gender.

# ¿ Jun 11, 2013 05:27

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

Nyarai posted:

Her issue is solely with going up. I will try to be more patient and find some better treats to entice her.

Carry her to the last step and when she is comfortable with taking one on her own, the second to last and so fort. Might work even without treats, but they might still be required and never hurt anybody anyways.

# ¿ Jun 16, 2013 08:48

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

m.hache posted:

We have a pool in our backyard so I will not be letting him/her out to do their business that way.

Why not? Not that it is important. Your plan should work just fine.

# ¿ Jun 20, 2013 20:48

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

TShields posted:

I'm noticing a disturbing trend- our puppy's "oh my god, wake up and feed me" whinefest is starting earlier and earlier every day. Normally we just take him out to pee when he does it, and he always goes.. I should note that this is NOT our catalyst to feed him- we feed at the same time every day, 7 days a week. We feed at 7 a.m., and he's starting to whine before 6 a.m. now.

This is why I don't have a set meal time for the dogs and they actually even skip a meal sometimes. My friends who've had problems with pre feeding whinefests all fed at the same time every day. Some dogs never start whining even with a set time, but I'm not going to risk it.

# ¿ Jun 25, 2013 19:21

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

m.hache posted:

We wake the pup up and take her out. We're up to 3 hour intervals now and I'll be upping it to 3:30 in a week.

I hoping by end of august we can wake up every 4 hours to take her out.

It's quite common for puppies even w/o a crate to sleep happily for 7 hrs at three months of age. Restricting movement via crate nearly guarantees there will be no accidents (if the puppy is not tiny). Besides most dogs (puppy or not) will raise a ruckus if they need to go and are in an area (be it a crate, room or a house) they consider a place not to be soiled. And the smaller the area the higher the likelihood of this happening and you waking up. I've certainly never had an overnight accident after the dogs have been house trained.

# ¿ Jul 15, 2013 20:46

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

>m.cache See I don't mind barking, if there's a real reason for it. (Not that my dogs have to be that loud for me to wake up.) Never had a problem with asking to go out, if it wasn't really required. Mind you I don't crate outside of dog sports and occasional over night visits (usually not then either). But waking up with a clock is definitely a good idea. I just think you can get by with getting up once already. And vary the time. I think somebody did the same thing you are doing and had issues with the puppy barking just before the time it was used to getting out. Same (varying the time) goes for feeding or you can easily get a dog that gets all antsy, whiny and pacey at exactly the same time of night. These things don't apply to all dogs, but probably better safe than sorry, if you happen to find behaviors like these annoying.

TShields posted:

This doesn't work for us. Our dog will happily pee in his crate and wallow in it all day while we're gone. It's usually while we're at work, but the other day it happened while we were only gone for 3-4 hours. That's one of the reasons the 'welcome home' spaz-outs I asked for help with a little ways up are even more of a pain when he's covered in puppy pee and jumping all over you. He's 6 months old, probably too old to be doing that sort of thing, but how the hell can you even curb it? Just have to let him outgrow it I guess.

You left your dog alone in the crate for too long during the day too early. Couldn't possibly hold it and learned to soil the crate. This is why I would never (if I crated) leave a puppy in the crate alone for more than 3 hrs at a time to make sure they don't have to soil their nest, because that is an awful thing to force your dog to do. And no. Night and day are not comparable. A puppy is more likely to sleep during the night and sleeping means slower metabolism (plus smaller water intake) and these should result in a puppy that'll hold it for longer during the night.

# ¿ Jul 15, 2013 21:13

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

m.hache posted:

As for the puppy learning when we're about to take it out I have been incrementing the timer (started at 2 hours, up to 3). So as far as she knows we may wake her up at any point during the night.

Sounds like you are doing quite famously

I must admit I need at least eight and preferably nine hours of sleep a night and getting up more than once a night would be terrible for me. So I just wanted to mention you could most likely (if the puppy is not tiny) get a bit more uninterrupted sleep already, if you wanted. But if you don't need it, the puppy must be satisfied by the arrangement you've got. And I didn't think you would have a problem with anticipation at this time, just wanted to give you a heads up so you can avoid it in the future as well.

# ¿ Jul 15, 2013 21:31

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

TShields posted:

We have no choice. We work for a living. Not really sure what other options we have at this point.

Get somebody to let him out during the day or arrange a larger, safe area for the puppy to stay in during the day, where he can relieve himself away from his bed, crate and water.

# ¿ Jul 15, 2013 22:08

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

TShields posted:

Let's assume this price is good for the entire country. This service is $15 a day to walk my dog? So it's like $4,000 a year for my dog to not pee in his kennel?

Had you not left him alone in his kennel when he was physically unable to hold it for as long as he would've needed it would have required a lot less time to housebreak him. Less time -> lesser cost. Not peeing during the owner's eight hour work day usually happen around 5-9 months old depending on the puppy and the situation. I would not require it from a puppy in a crate prior to eight months of age as they have no options, if they suddenly need to go. I've written about how puppies are managed here in the land of illegal crating and no suitable pet sitter services, while owners are at work 8-9 hrs a day from day one... You can find a short description here: http://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3471773&userid=175216&perpage=40&pagenumber=1#post401767055

# ¿ Jul 15, 2013 23:26

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

MrFurious posted:

Also, if he really peed 3 times in 20 minutes, then he's not actually relieving himself, he's marking, which means you need to stay out there with him longer until he's out of ammo.

If a puppy is about to burst (which is to be expected after some 8hrs in a kennel) it can definitely have and generate enough pee to go thrice in 20 minutes without really marking. Especially if food and play are involved as was the case here.

Take him for a fifteen minute walk when you get home or after you have fed him (and go out to the yard on a leash the other time). This gives him more time and a better opportunity to really empty himself. He might mark along the way a bit, but that's completely acceptable. Also get him a bigger enclosure than the crate for now.

# ¿ Jul 16, 2013 15:04

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

TShields posted:

He's under 20 pounds and his poops are bigger than our 60 pound lab mix.

And I don't know if a leash would help honestly, unless I am to drag him down the back stairs mid-stream.

How is the consistency of his stool? You might do well to switch his food to something other than he is eating now.

If he is distracted by things and not doing his business due to the distractions it can help. And do carry him to grass for now when you first get home.

TShields posted:

I always heard that a bigger crate was just asking for trouble with.. well, what I'm already going through. Pee pads left in his crate aren't an option- he'd shred them in minutes.

And forcing him to soil his own "nest" is just cruel and unusual. If you leave him for too long you'll have to deal with the mess anyways. It'll also be easier for him to learn, if he isn't forced to unlearn the don't soil your bed rule. So for now it'd be better to allow for a designated spot.

edit:
My dogs would became hysterical and scream so, so loud, if they were left crated for so long they'd be forced to pee in the crate. And as I've mentioned Healy will jump over gates to get as far as possible from our bedroom, if she gets the runs while I'm gone. After she has done her business in the furthest corner possible, she'll jump back to get away from the mess. And this is inherent behavior, not something I've taught my dogs for sure and I've never crated any of them.

Riiseli fucked around with this message at 15:23 on Jul 16, 2013

# ¿ Jul 16, 2013 15:13

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

TShields posted:

I can't afford thousands a year to get a walker, I can't skip out on an hour of work every single day to walk him, and I can't make his bladder bigger.

I'm not asking you to do any of those things, but could you please arrange for a bigger area (a play pen for instance) w/ a designated toilet area? I know this is not something you want, but I promise you it's better than having him pee in his crate. I linked you a description on how people house train their dogs here and it works even though people are away for eight, nine hours a day from the time the puppy is seven to twelve weeks old. Quite often the puppy is housebroken at seven to eight months of age w/o using a crate and even though it is allowed (by virtue of not crating the puppy) to eliminate indoors while people are at work.

I stress hopefully for the final time, that one reason dogs learn to not eliminate indoors is their inherent tendency of not wanting to soil their den and if you force them to pee in their crate this inherent tendency may weaken, which in turn makes a dog more prone to eliminating indoors for longer. One more personal observation is that puppies can be fool proof about going on paper indoors at five weeks of age (I train this for the litters I raise) and a puppy that has been taught this while at the breeder will almost always be fool proof at its new home. Naturally my puppies learn to eliminate outdoors as well, but their preference for newspaper is so strong by the time they leave for their own homes at seven to eight weeks, that they'll choose newspaper over an area rug for instance. Part of training this behavior is to have designated areas for sleeping, playing and eliminating. Any accidents are cleaned up asap, but the toilet area needs to smell a bit especially in the beginning. I start puppies by the age of three weeks.

edit:

ButWhatIf posted:

Hey, quit dogpiling. It's 2013, the economy is poo poo, people have to work. I've housetrained clients' dogs who were far less invested and they turned out fine, even if it was less than ideal at the time. I definitely think an indoor long-term confinement place is the best option here, with a doggy litterbox type scenario.

Strongly agree. I'd just like to hear that TShields will actually be doing this. I have zero issues with not having somebody come over during the day to let the puppy out. However I have an issue with forcing it to pee in a small crate as it is uncomfortable for the dog and can actually cause longer lasting problems in their housetraining, which nobody will appreciate.

Riiseli fucked around with this message at 21:30 on Jul 16, 2013

# ¿ Jul 16, 2013 21:24

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

MariusLecter posted:

Thought Purina was a good brand, oh well. Thanks!

Let the food soak (in water or milk replacement) so that you can make mash out of it with a fork. I wouldn't mix something (canned food or ground beef) into it for every meal, but say twice a day. The puppy looks so young that it could very well still be nursing were it with the dam, so formula can be used. I typically start my puppies eating solids with ground beef and the next day or the day after that with curd cream, egg yolks and ground beef. By four weeks of age they eat soaked kibble with curd cream (plus ground beef and egg yolks on occasion) and at around five weeks some of the meals consist of only soaked kibble. I use water as my dams have nursed until the pups are seven to nine weeks old.

# ¿ Aug 25, 2013 18:37

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

SachielDVangel posted:

Careful with raw beef + kibble; you can throw off their growth. Happened with our last litter. I would go with kibble soaked in water, maybe milk.

Indeed. I never said anything about amounts, but one shouldn't feed meat a whole lot. I've never had problems, but I use meat in small quantities and not daily through out their puppy hood. I've raised seven litters roughly along these instructions with no problems. Not all grew up to have perfect hip scores, but that wasn't to be expected per their pedigree.

# ¿ Aug 27, 2013 05:25

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

Rixatrix posted:

Also you breed middle sized dogs so I guess the pups are less prone to develop problems maybe? At least compared to large breeds.

This is true. However I think the amount of "extras" I feed should be a no issue with any breed. Would have to consider the kibble choice more carefully though.

# ¿ Aug 28, 2013 02:19

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

Superconsndar posted:

I always cover my dogs kibble with water

Me too. I don't soak the kibble, but add water just prior to letting the girls eat. It slows them down enough to satisfy me. But eight weeks is a pretty good guideline to go by as far as feeding dry kibble to a puppy goes. Of course individuals vary and one might delay a few weeks with toy breeds, maybe.

# ¿ Aug 28, 2013 05:05

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

SachielDVangel posted:

They would gum the meat off her kibble.

Speaking of gumming. This is how my latest litter began to experiment with food https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=77FXGM63Ar4. Typically I've gone with ground beef, but then realized them Lapphund puppies will be interested enough in meat to get their first taste this way. The vinyl floor can be a bit slippery when one is really small and really enthusiastic. I typically rotate small area rugs in their playroom and have newspaper for the toilet, but the rugs were just out of the washer when I filmed these.

# ¿ Aug 28, 2013 15:47

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

SachielDVangel posted:

The other thing I've noticed with this litter is with more adult dog exposure, they are less mouthy without much human intervention or instruction. We put these puppies out with the adults earlier at about 8 weeks, and with all of the adults including the grumpy ones, and they are far less likely to put mouths on you and hesitant to bite play even when played with. When puppies go home at 8 weeks, they have almost none of the structured bite inhibition they'd get from adult dogs, so it's all up to you to teach it. Also, the adult interaction has taught them incredible strange-dog manners, always approaching calmly, cautiously and sensibly. I see ridiculous numbers of puppies in class who facehugger-launch themselves on other dogs and figure that puppy was probably raised in solitary confinement from the other adults they own. Firm but fair is the best approach imo.

I've only had two other adults tops, when I've had a litter. Within my pack they get to interact at the age of (2,5)3-4 weeks and I think it was around 4 weeks, when I had a breeding placement give birth at my home. Of course it helps that I've almost exclusively had experienced moms at home, so they've known how to handle such young puppies. Naru especially is excellent with puppies and actually nursed Healy's puppies, when she had her false pregnancy at the same time with Healy's first litter. I've no hesitation about letting her interact with puppies of any age, since she was willing to adopt (absolutely no questions asked) a litter of orphaned newborns. But definitely adult dogs help. Plenty. I don't think I did anything about Naru's bite inhibition, when she was a puppy. She was allowed to bite me, but redirected to toys very quickly and exhausted any additional energy by biting my older dogs. Her bite inhibition is at an astounding level given her character. (She's very quick to react and has a tendency to do so aggressively.)

# ¿ Sep 5, 2013 05:47

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

^ Is not usually an issue with puppies. But if the dog has been in such surroundings for even years.

Serella posted:

I would also say start regulating her water intake. We very strictly regulate the water my fiance's dog gets because she's a smallish dog (25 pounds) and so her bladder isn't big enough to hold it for as long as larger dogs can.

My fifteen pound sheltie could hold no problem and I'd definitely expect everything above 20 pounds to manage nine hours comfortably without one having to withhold water.

# ¿ Oct 6, 2013 19:24

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

6-Ethyl Bearcat posted:

I think the issue is more, as other posters have mentioned, if the puppies haven't had regular interaction with humans. You may also find that they haven't been socialised to stuff that goes on in the house like slippery floors, vacuum cleaners etc., and may not have started housebreaking.

This. If the puppies have experienced indoors and things going on there, while simultaneously staying mostly outdoors I don't thinks it'll be a problem. If not consider more or at least ask to see the puppy indoors, when you go to look at them before making a decision. If a puppy is socialized to other dogs and you have older dogs that are reasonable with puppies, the transition is probably not a problem. My first Finnish Lapphund had spent a few weeks almost 24/7 outdoors. She well acquainted with indoors, but was very averse to relieving herself indoors. Had I been willing to wake up with her during the night she would've been housebroken from the moment she came at seven weeks old. She was so darn vocal about her need to go she was able to wake me up while I was asleep.

# ¿ Oct 13, 2013 07:50

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

Elderbean posted:

Are dogs generally a terrible idea for apartment dwellers? Are there any suitable breeds?

No they aren't. I'm back to an apartment with my Finnish Lapphund, Lapponian Herder and Border Collie (a working bred one). IMO almost any breed goes. I'd stay away from big livestock guardians and possibly some hunting spitzes.

# ¿ Oct 18, 2013 19:26

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

Toriori posted:

It's 7:15AM and she hasn't used the bathroom or made any indicator that she needs to, what the heck? She's not in pain or uncomfortable, she's not lethargic and has been moderately active, what is the deal here?

Is she on a leash outdoors or off? I once had a youngster over, who wasn't about to go with a leash on. She was housebroken at home, but I figured she might opt to rather going without a leash indoors than with a leash outdoors and therefore I tethered her to me. It took some fifteen hours for her to be willing to do her business outdoors and on leash.

edit: And those are most likely GSD ears. Could've come from a GSD or some closely related breed. I'd say def not from only terrier, bc and husky heritage.

Riiseli fucked around with this message at 12:46 on Oct 20, 2013

# ¿ Oct 20, 2013 12:44

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

Boris Galerkin posted:

Are we all overreacting and the dog is gonna turn out fine, or how do I convince her to get rid of it for the dog's sake?

It can work out fine. Does for most people with herding dogs around here. Almost none of the issues with young herding dogs are directly due to the living situation. Whether an apartment or a house in the countryside.

# ¿ Oct 23, 2013 08:58

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

lazerwolf posted:

We've tried to treat her at heel position periodically during a slow walk but this ends up with her disinterested in actually walking and more interested in trying to get into our pocket where the kibble is.

How much exercise does she get? And what kind and where? Do you go to a dog park or does she get to play with other dogs regularly elsewhere?

# ¿ Oct 29, 2013 08:44

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

ButWhatIf posted:

I'd let the demand behaviors extinguish before trying to ask for an alternative one, personally - most people don't like going that route though because the extinction burst is an annoying process, but a behavior that has gone through that process is much less likely to resurface later.

This. Also make sure the puppy is getting enough exercise.

# ¿ Dec 3, 2013 17:05

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

Weltlich! A coat for the pup is a good idea. Also if it appears the ground is too cold for the puppy, you might even consider taking a pee pad from inside with you when you take him out and let him relieve himself on the pad outdoors. Otherwise winter overalls are my friends. I even use them with the adults while they'd easily wait for me to put other clothes on.

# ¿ Dec 16, 2013 22:17

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

LooksLikeABabyRat posted:

She's a trendy mini!

She's cute. Are you treating her watery eye? If not yet boiled and cooled water is a good home remedy.

# ¿ Dec 22, 2013 11:51

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

LooksLikeABabyRat posted:

I've been so overwhelmed I haven't thought about her eye. I'll look that up.

Per the posts you've been doing well

. I'd actually expect the breeder to inform and advice you on the care before giving you the puppy.

# ¿ Dec 22, 2013 15:44

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

LooksLikeABabyRat posted:

I couldn't find any mention of this online. Could you post a link or describe the process? Thanks!

You can also use non-prescription eye solution meant for pets. You can possibly find some from a pharmacy. Other option is using saline (I have this as I use it to clean any wounds my dogs have). Or to bring water to boil in a clean pot, let it cool to room temp and use that to clean the eye. In any case I recommend using a syringe to drop the liquid onto the eye and wipe the excess of with a ball of cotton. My eldest just had her first ever eye infection (she's 9,5yrs). It wasn't very severe and cleared up using just the saline.

There are plenty of possible causes for watery eyes in dogs, so no matter what you do monitor the situation. If the condition persists and a vet doesn't find a distinct cause consider switching the food. I'm sure the breeder can recommend some brands to you.

# ¿ Dec 22, 2013 22:16

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

lazerwolf posted:

Any suggestions on a more durable rubber ball that behaves like a tennis ball?

Something like this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JsEHsXEOd5o There are many similar products (sizes vary) out there and you can probably find one without the string or even cut it before giving the ball to your dog. They aren't exactly tennis balls, but do bounce rather well and are durable.

# ¿ Dec 26, 2013 05:40

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# ¿ May 15, 2024 01:20

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

anaaki posted:

The vet guessed she might have a UTI so she gave us antibiotics and hopefully we will see some improvements soon.

This would be my guess as well. The vet didn't sent a sample for a culture? Or even use urine test strips or microscope to check the urine for infection or bacteria? Just gave you antibiotics?

# ¿ Jan 12, 2014 03:05

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

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