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fuckin' long post warning So it looks like in December I'm picking up my first puppy... He\She's gonna be a Golden Retriever. I was the first to find out about the litter so the registered breeder is letting me meet all the puppies and giving me first dibs. Fpr YEARS people have been asking me when am I finally gonna get a dog and it looks like...December! I'm super excited 'cos I like dogs more than people. I've dog-sat for my mates before and had a drat good time and then always been sad when the dog had to go home. Oddly enough, I missed the...mild harassment of having something low-key bumping into my legs while I'm doing something like making a cup of coffee. I walked the good dog every day and have been erroneously accused of spoiling the good dogs when they stay with me. I claim I did not spoil the good dogs, I gave them the respect and hugs they deserved. One was a Border Collie pup at around 9 months old, one was a Lab pup who was roughly the same age, and then my mates good old dog who just slept in his bed all day unless he wanted a pat (at which point...he got a pat and assurances of goodness) HOWEVER. I have...mild OCD tendencies. Routines are a big deal for me and I'm very aware that all my routines are about to disappear. I'm also aware that my currently very tidy house is going to be covered with dog fur and a few chew marks. I also thoroughly enjoy living alone 'cos I get to do my own thing whenever the hell I like. That's gonna change a fair bit too (however it is changing in order to make a puppy's tail wag). These are going to be challenges for me, however at the end of the day I get to give a Golden Retriever hugs every drat day and I get to assure the Golden Retriever that he is indeed a good dog and not a day will go by where he isn't told he a good dog. So I'm very excited, but also pretty nervous. I would feel better if I could better imagine what things will "look like" a bit when the good dog is here. So I've got a few questions. Some of which I know are dumb loving questions. In fact, I am deliberately asking all the guilt-inducing, worst-case scenario irresponsible questions but I'd rather leave no stone unturned before I bring a tiny fluffy moron into my house. - Picking him up at the start of my 6 week holiday. For the first 6 weeks I'm gonna be "available" 24\7 for the good dog. In these 6 weeks, I would like train my good dog so that he is house-trained, isn't worried when I leave the house and has a reasonable grasp of Sit. Is this reasonable? - My house has a small-time recording studio in one of the rooms where I occasionally record very-loving-loud guitar amps (as in...legit concert volume). Obviously the good dog will never be IN the room when it's THAT loud (Neither am I), but I would like to acclimate the good dog to the noise so that he doesn't get worried when I've got some death metal guitar blasting out of that room (which has some sound-proofing). Also one of my hobbies is guitar playing and when I'm playing, I play at a volume which is JUST a bit too loud to talk on top of. How can I get my good dog used to this? (Note: You better believe that studio door is gonna be closed whenever I'm not in it! So many tasty cables...) - I am aware that while in the freaking tiny, adorable puppy stage, said puppy needs fairly constant supervision. But I'm also aware that they have a terrible battery life and spend an awful lot of time sleeping. During those first 6 weeks, how much time do I get to myself? (NOTE: If the answer is basically 0, that's fine as long as I'm aware of that going in! Knowing me, I'll be obsessing over the good dog anyway...) - While I'm at work, my retired parents have volunteered to come 'round and walk the puppy for me during the day (Dad's pretending like he isn't super excited to do this). My puppy will be in the backyard whenever I'm not able to be at home to supervise the good dog. This means I want the backyard to be a happy place for the dog and not seen as a punishment place. How do I make the backyard as engaging and fun as possible for a puppy when I'm not there? There's a under-cover deck area, there's a garden bed, but aside from that, it's a green square of grass that will inevitably have holes dug into it. How do I make that area fun for the good dog? My dog will be an inside dog WITH me whenever I'm home (I mean that's the whole point of having a dog isn't it?!) and I'm sure I can entertain him suitably when I'm with him. - I take night-time vocal lessons and boxing lessons (not at the same time obviously). 1 hour classes, once per week at about 7:30. Would it be okay for me to leave the house from 7-9PM to do those classes while still a puppy? Happy to "pause" those classes, but when would be suitable for me to continue them? - When are suitable bedtimes\wake-up times for a puppy? I'd like my good dog to sleep in the laundry (easy cleanup in case of accidents), but the laundry is on the opposite end of the house that I'm going to be. Do I need to train him to be okay with overnight sleeping in said laundry? - What is one thing you wish all new puppy owners knew about having their first puppy? If you read all of that, you're a goddamn champion and I owe you a beer and a hug from my good dog.
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Oct 28, 2022 14:17
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Thanks for your responses so far  For the record, backyard has been dog-proofed and is pretty drat secure. 6 foot high fence the whole way round including a gate that only locks from the inside. I'll be letting the dog in\out of the backyard via the laundry door. One of the reasons why I was so keen to dog-sit for my friends was to road-test the backyard. As best we can tell, there are no issues. Yet fools are so ingenious... Puppy is coming with all vaccinations, registrations and micro-chipped from the breeder Also: I will be doing puppy school and obedience training. I'm very aware that this is generally training the owner more than the dog, but I am okay with this. I have been informed that there are some times where you need to look at that gormless fluffy idiot right in the face and say: "No." Currently I cannot imagine a situation where this would be appropriate. HootTheOwl posted:House trained? Nope, but you'll have a good idea of the tells by then. Sit? Sure. It's very easy. quote:No idea. Constant petting and treating when it happens? if it's that bad you might want to find somewhere else to put the dog. They have more sensitive ears than you and it sounds uncomfortable for you. quote:Neigh zero. It has to go outside every half hour to pee, at minium. quote:I have yet to find a dog who didn't think the yard was the place to be. But I would be very sure your dog can't escape before doing this. Dogs are diggers, and jumpers, and very curious. You might need to tie the little pup down (I also just wouldn't leave the pup alone in the yard, even if it was the goodest most well behaved dog because of thieves and accidents. If you don't trust the dog, this is what crates are for) quote:Yes, depending on how much he wants to be with you those first few nights are going to be the dog crying in the laundry room wondering why you left him alone. You monster. Why? Do not give in, or your bed will also be their bed. Also, again...what time is appropriate "bedtime" and "wakeup" time? Each time I've dogsit, the dogs just wanted to stay up all night playing with me (and as if I was gonna say "No" when dog was happy) and I feel like I kept the dog awake too long due to his joy\enthusiasm. quote:Socialize with people and pups early and often. Both outside AND inside your house. quote:I'll send you my venmo/address.
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Oct 28, 2022 15:13
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Okay so I think I'll feel more confident if I had a routine planned for the puppy. Note: Very aware that puppies are chaotic, adorable "geniuses" and that this routine probably won't go according to plan, but if I've got a rough framework for what a day with a puppy looks like, I reckon I'll figure things out along the way. Step 1) Take puppy outside to do it's business. Upon puppy doing it's business, celebrate, praise and treat like the good puppy that he is. Step 2) Spend 15-30 minutes outside with puppy playing and training things like sit or...anything else. Step 3) As puppy gets tired, spend half an hour inside and do "my" things (chores etc.) with an adorable fluffy puppy following me around and getting used to my activities, the house etc. Keep a close eye on puppy entire time. Step 4) Previous step ends when puppy goes outside again for it's business. Repeat celebration. Step 5) Bring puppy and put in crate for nap. Therefore crate training, and giving puppy sleep time upon which thousands of photos will be taken. Step 6) When puppy wakes up, repeat Step 1. Does this sound like a reasonable sort of routine\idea about daily life with a pup?
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Oct 29, 2022 02:00
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You guys have been awesome and I really appreciate the advice so far. I'm also aware I'm taking up a huge chunk of real-estate in this thread so again, I appreciate your patience. Based on the ideas so far, puppy will appreciate daily routines (like me!) and once he has figured out the routines, life becomes easier for all of us, so I'll stick as close to the daily routine as I can. Is this a reasonable routine for the first 6 weeks? - Wake up at 6:30 (Work wake-up time, hopefully then when I go back to work after 6 weeks, puppy's life isn't as confusing) - Immediately take outside to do business. Praise puppy and give good morning belly rubs. - Come inside and make breakfast\coffee. Give puppy his breakfast outside while I eat mine. I can see the yard from my table so I can keep an eye on him. Hopefully he learns that backyard is great and his and is a bit of a starter for separation anxiety. Go outside, play with puppy until he dumps out breakfast, immediate praise and assurances that puppy is indeed good. - Bring puppy in at 7:30. Put him in child-gate\pen area where his crate\toys are. Should have empty bladder\bowels and has had a busy morning so hopefully will be chill and happy to gnaw on random chew toy while I shower etc. - 8:00 nap time in crate. - 10:00AM wake up. Take outside, praise, play, training. - When starting to mellow, inside with me while I do my stuff with a fluffy doofus following me around. Get him used to things like vacuum cleaner, dishwasher, washing machine, guitars, how to behave on the couch etc. Keep a close eye on the puppy so I can figure out what his "tells" are, which bits of the house he is prone to destroy and basically to teach inside manners. - 11:30 lunch for puppy. Take outside. Praise, play training - 12:00 bring inside, nap time in crate. I have my lunch during nap time. - 2:00 - 4:00 (See 10AM routine) - 4:00 nap time - 6:00, Take outside, praise, play, training - 6:30, bring inside. Put in pen while I cook dinner. - 7:00 Dinner for puppy outside, I have my dinner. - 7:30 Outside, play with puppy until he dumps food. Celebrate a successful day - 8:00 Inside, practice inside manners. Hugs time and quiet time. - 8:30 Sleep time. - 11:00 Wake up puppy to pee? - 11:30ish, I go to bed
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Oct 30, 2022 01:13
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Puppy is a Golden Retriever. Picking up at about 8 weeks old. cailleask posted:I wouldn’t get too attached to any specific schedule or plan because every dog is an individual in the end. I had one dog that took ages to potty train, literally months, as a puppy. The next puppy was a totally different creature who potty trained in a week. Personality will matter a lot! It’s good to have a plan, but uh prepare to be flexible. Absolutely. I assume this routine will be modified by puppy. However this idea is good for me to not feel anxious or nervous about looking after another living being for the first time in my life. It helps me mentally adjust to the change in my lifestyle, feel like I'm at least somewhat prepared for the inevitable chaos. I'm at least gonna feel a BIT like I know what I'm doing to make sure puppy is happy, healthy and learning to be an even better good dog.
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Oct 30, 2022 02:52
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Raskolnikov2089 posted:Another benefit of puppy jail is, you have an excellent training tool, which is you being inside puppy jail with them, and leaving when they do bad behavior. When we were training out biting, we'd play until hands were bitten, at which point I'd say the no no word, and get up and leave puppy jail. You would think I was murdering the dog, the way he screamed. But wouldn't you know it, when I came back 5 minutes later, we were able to go a bit longer before hands were bitten. Wash, rinse, repeat. This is a very excellent point. quote:Your nighttime schedule is missing "let puppy sleep on your chest while you watch TV". You don't get that for long. This is an even better point. I will be training my dog to hug. I assume it's genetically ingrained into most Golden Retrievers ANYWAY but it will be emphasised. Yes I will be covered with dog fur, especially when shedding, but that's okay because I got to hug a Golden Retriever. I'm okay with that. As I said earlier, these schedules are making me feel better\more confident about what I'm doing with the good dog to help him be an even gooder dog. In terms of "easing off" that schedule into a more "people friendly" lifestyle what I'm hoping for: First 6 Weeks - The schedule as posted above. Next 10 Weeks - I'm back at work as a teacher. 10 week term. My Dad has suggested he might be okay (read: loving thrilled) to go over to my house at lunch time to feed the puppy, take him for a walk (and spoil rotten) and do a "shift" for me so the puppy will only be alone for 1 of those blocks in the previous schedule. On Weekends, I'll do my usual routine of getting up at 9 instead of 6:30 so that puppy can learn that routine. After that, he'll be 6 months old. SHOULD be house-trained by 6 months yeah? Plus he would probably be okay with being left home in the backyard while I'm at work for the day? Dad would likely still go over and walk him on occasion because he's as bad as I am, but the folks do travel so it can't be a depended-on thing. Would hire a dog-walker if I needed to. Does this sound like a reasonable timeline of happy puppy fitting in with the lifestyle of a single bachelor who has a full-time job?
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Oct 31, 2022 06:48
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History Comes Inside! posted:At 6 months old it’s still a baby and leaving it outdoors by itself unsupervised is a very risky move, even disregarding the potential for someone to just come along and take the dog out of the yard. Fair enough. How likely is he to have good indoor manners at that stage so that he could be in the house by himself? Note: I assume all of this will be much more obvious when I have the good dog because I'll be able to see his progress and make a judgement call, but I'm just trying to make a rough plan for the sake of my brain.
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Oct 31, 2022 09:46
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Volcano posted:I wouldn't leave him outside alone but I wouldn't give him free roam of the whole house either. Fair enough. I think at this point, I'm probably overcomplicating things for myself a little bit. Puppy was born a few days ago, I haven't even chosen my puppy yet and I'm already trying to predict what he'll do in 6 months time. - I've figured out what my day looks like for the first six weeks. - Breeder will tell me what food to give the good dog and how much. - I'll buy a crate, toys, bed, leash, gates, clicker and a pen - I'll start that routine for myself now so at least I'm not struggling with the routine at the same time as the puppy And I'll try to settle in, make it as chill as possible 'cos if I'm sitting there nervous the whole time, the puppy's gonna be nervous the whole time... Like, I know it's gonna be an awful lot of work. There's gonna be at least a period of time where I go: "What the gently caress have I done to my life" But...I think I'm as prepared as I can be for the first experience of owning a puppy. Obviously there'll be things for me to discover along the way that I'll go: "gently caress I wish I knew that" but I don't want to be freaking out the whole time, I want to enjoy having a puppy, so...I'll try to calm my stress and anxiety and focus on the positive. And the positive is that after 2 years of being on loving wait lists, I'm finally getting my good dog. This is a good thing, this as an exciting thing and boy is he gonna get hugs.
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Oct 31, 2022 12:29
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   He's here! And he's amazing. He had one accident inside which was absolutely my fault 'cos I was trying to figure out how to open the bag of dog food and didn't get him outside quick enough. He spent the hour and a half drive home sitting in my lap and getting hugs the entire time. He has since decided that I'm okay. He slept the whole night (until 6AM which is clearly puppy wake-up time). Took him outside straight away and within 5 minutes he had done his businesses upon which he got treats, praise, pats and belly rubs for being a loving amazing good dog. The only issue (so far) with him is that he has decided he LIKES two spots in my house. He likes the Crate (AWESOME), and he likes another spot out the backyard. If I am with him in either of those spots, he is perfectly happy and will be an puppy. Chasing flies, pouncing on dead leaves, rolling around with a chew toy and growling at it all tough. If I walk away from those places, he won't follow, he'll sit there and whimper until I come back. ...upon which he rushes me, climbs in my lap, nuzzles me, demands hugs and is loving amazing. So he's a bit too scared to explore yet, but he's perfectly happy in two places (one is a crate) and he is a big fan of me, and he won't toilet in the crate. We're off to a good start. I just need to get him to get some confidence to explore the house and the backyard some more so that he will follow me around and "help" with my day to day things so I can introduce some more variety into his life and tire him out quicker so he gets sleepier and wants more hugs 'cos holy poo poo hugs with this puppy is like the best thing ever. Also, he doesn't understand balls yet. I don't understand a Golden Retriever who doesn't understand balls. How do I teach him to play fetch? (Or usually in a Goldie's case, I'll throw the ball for you...you go get the ball and never even consider returning it)
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Dec 22, 2022 22:49
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His name is Whiskey. I'm sure in a few days I'll be saying: "Hey, remember when you DIDN'T follow me around everywhere? Yeah. That was nice" It's just tricky 'cos at the moment when he's awake, I'm anchored to his crate or one spot in the backyard. But he's been in this house less than 24 hours. My folks are coming over for Chrismas Eve\Christmas, so I'm getting them to drop by today to have a proper hug and meet and greet so that there's ONE less new thing for him to deal with in the next 2 days.
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Dec 23, 2022 00:45
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Kaiser Schnitzel posted:My golden definitely didn’t see completely well at 12 weeks either. Took him a week or two to start to really see things far away. He was always very interested in chasing sudden movement though and he’s always liked balls. And sticks. And leaves. Nothing could possibly be more interesting to him than a leaf for the first 2 weeks I had him. All of this is very true. Today he started playing with a tennis ball that had a squeaker in it. I'm pretty sure the squeak is "gently caress you" in puppy language. After I've thrown it, (close) he will pounce on it, roll around with it and then hurry back to me for congratulations of a job well done. ... He did do a good job. His pounce is the best loving thing.
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Dec 23, 2022 06:59
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Poldarn posted:I'm so emotionally invested in this dog now. Try being in the same room with him and have him look up at you. QUESTION: (Again, I'm aware it's like...first ACTUAL full day. So whatever I deal with today will likely be different tomorrow.) However, the breeder gave me a blanket that he used to sleep in with his littermates. It's the only thing which he seems to actively attack. Growls, yelps the works. When I take it out of his crate he settles (or possibly sulks) very quickly. Chew Toys which he massacres have a very different growl. Is this...normal? It makes sense to me that the blanket would be solid gold for the little guy, but it seems to piss him off. As an aside, he's got a towel in there with him which he sat on for the whole drive home with me. THAT he seems to like. He chews and gnaws at it a little, but not in an actual "gently caress you" sorta way. For now, I've put his puppy blanket on top of his crate so hopefully he still gets the smells without having access to the blanket. ... But for a bit of "he is a good boy" whenever he's getting tired from running around in the backyard, he comes up to me for hugs. I'm usually sitting on the steps of the back deck (2 steps, he can already go up and down 'cos he's amazing) and he'll sit under my legs. Or he'll sit up and put his tiny little amazing loving face on my leg and look up at me. He might not quite be okay with everything yet, but I feel like he's okay with me.
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Dec 23, 2022 12:21
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 Adorable right? Don't believe that face for a second. I'm mostly joking, but Christmas Night was rough for us. We both were making mistakes. Basically, Christmas destroyed the routine he just got used to. Mum and Dad came 'round for Christmas which hosed with him 'cos he had just got comfy in the house and suddenly there's MORE people? What's the pecking order here?! Plus Melbourne has a heat wave. He's never had a hot day. I don't think he's a fan of them. At loving all. So he slept through lunch. He had dinner and I assumed he'd be okay. But at night basically all of the above came out at once. He was hangry. He had to pee at unusual times which confused him (and me). He had shitloads of energy 'cos he spent the whole day sleeping and he had no idea what to do with it. He was threatned 'cos he thought he had the pack order sorted and then suddenly there are these two new people telling him what to do? What bullshit is this? Poor guy had too many emotions and didn't know what to do with them all. He had a SUUPER sleepy face. So I was trying to put him down in his crate. He WAS tired...but he had a shitload of energy. He DIDN'T WANNA. Plus he was hangry and confused. So he would literally barge past me out of the crate and into the living room. In which he had a great time doing things he never has done before and kinda knows not to because the breeder has been an amazing trainer. He chewed furniture, climbed on things, couldn't be re-directed, he didn't want to be physically moved anywhere else...he pissed once or twice... And he was acting angry to me. Basically he was saying: "I HAVE ALL THESE EMOTIONS AND YOU'RE THE ONE LOOKING AFTER ME SO IT'S YOUR FAULT I'M BEING LIKE THIS" But all of this is in hindsight. All I saw was a puppy going mental with glee, but then act angry to me. So I couldn't figure out what was bothering him 'cos he was happy as long as I wasn't interacting with him, but he was being so destructive, I had to? At one point he KINDA snapped at me as well. Puppy jail time. Locked him in his crate, walked away so he couldn't see me and waited for him to calm down. He cried and oh my god I didn't realise puppy crying was a thing. What a loving heartbreaking noise. AND SO GODDAMN LOUD. I assumed it was just a whimper but no, it's legit a cry and it's the most soul-destroying, guilt-trip noise I've ever heard. I was caving but he stopped AS I was caving and let him out when he was quiet. He ran past me and ignored me but was...better-ish. He then moved to the back door. When outside he was chewing on his empty food bowl. So I fed him and that settled him down a lot. I tried to bring him in but he was still super hyper. So I just sat outside with him until like...midnight, waiting for him to burn off crazy frustrated energy. After he snored for 5 minutes, I bought him in, he was too tired to resist then. I put him in his crate and...things kinda went back to normal. He had a bunch of sulky attitude with me this morning, but then later on in the day he fell asleep on me giving hugs. So I think we okay again. In hindsight, trying to make him settle when he had all those emotions triggered an alpha response. He was trying to out-alpha me. He lives with me, and I'd spent the past few days doting on him and giving him everything and spoiling him rotten (YOU say "No" to that face. Go on) so that was the time he decided to shoot his shot. I won with puppy jail but nobody likes to lose in an alpha competition. His energy skyrocketed again tonight 'cos it was another hot day and he spent most of the day sleeping. But rather than try to fight him, we just went outside and I let him run himself stupid. Waited until he had been snoring for 5 minutes...bought him in...and we fine. So I know how to handle it now when he gets like that. But I also hope he learns to make his needs more obvious besides just being a shithead to me. He probably won't though. GET A PUPPY THEY SAID. IT'S SO NICE THEY SAID. ...he just stretched in his sleep. Fuckin...okay yeah he's okay.
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Dec 26, 2022 14:29
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Hellblazer187 posted:I don't think I could deal with a puppy. I'm 40 I vibe with older dog energy. I so get where you're coming from. Whiskey has decided that he is okay with his crate if he's already asleep, but doesn't want to GO to sleep in his crate. So currently at his 3AM toilet break, he will take a leak, then I need to wait half an hour for him to be snoring before picking him up and putting him in his crate. He'll grumble, then roll over and snore again. But you wanna see what the little poo poo did last night at 3AM?  ...fine. Just manipulate the gently caress out of me. See if I care. I'll just sit here while you snore. No it's fine. I"ll scratch your little head too.
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Dec 27, 2022 00:36
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HootTheOwl posted:You're going to be back in three weeks asking us to train your dog and every reply is going to be "sorry man that dog trained you" I resemble this accusation. Look, I think the poor guy is hating this heatwave. He isn't rejecting his crate, but I don't think I can make it cool enough for him to be proper comfortable. He still runs into his crate every now and then for a toy. Or to take a toy in there and attack it. But I think his bed and his blanket are too warm at the moment. He can cope if he's already asleep, but not if he's trying to get to sleep. ... That being said, I'm currently arranging for a dog trainer to do a house visit and show me some things. I've nearly taught him "Sit" which is exciting for me! Still having trouble re-directing him from some things. I was always keen on puppy school, but due to holidays, nothing local to me starts classes until he's already 12 weeks old which is a bit poo poo. I'll still do it if only for the socialisation, but even I can recognise that I'm treating him like royalty (cos he is) and need some help treating him more accurately (which in my mind, is still like royalty)
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Dec 27, 2022 00:49
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HootTheOwl posted:Where did it say this was bad and not what happens to everyone? Wonderful. This is great to hear. Look I spent HOURS and HOURS of research to get ideas about what to do. So far puppy is happy, affectionate and kinda well behaved (I would suggest as well behaved as you could expect an 8 week old puppy to be). But he's my first dog! I don't REALLY feel like I know what I'm doing so it always does me good to hear that somebody else did the same thing.
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Dec 27, 2022 01:35
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Okay good news in general. Today was bullshit hot. 35 degrees (95 degrees in dumbass) and 5 degrees hotter than the other days. It got hot around 10, and stayed hot until...I dunno 10. So today was gonna be the difficult day. ...and overall it went fine. He woke up early and didn't go back to sleep so when the alarm went off we got up then. I think he was already uncomfortable. He fell asleep quickly after breakfast and I got his day organised while he was asleep. Around lunch he became a little bit goblin, but I figured out the "NO" to use. It's very James Hetfield. He went to chew on a power cable so I went from 0-100 and a very loud "metal" NO. He froze, looked a bit confused, came and sat next to me and considered his life choices up to that point. Didn't engage in any play or anything for a minute, he just needed to process what the gently caress that was. After that...he was puppy hyper but not psycho hyper. We've been working on sit and I THINK he's got it now! I got him to sit a couple of times without treats, just giving him praise and love. So around 6PM when he DOES get kinda psycho, he was refusing to go outside to burn off 'cos it was absolute bullshit outside and I don't blame him. So inside when he started getting a bit rowdy, I'd call him over, we'd practice sit, and he would sorta reset his energy after that. It worked well (albeit I was accepting some negative chewing on things on the basis that he was forced to deal with goblin energy inside instead of out) until I couldn't re-direct him from the fireplace. He got another big NO. Same result as before. He sat next to me, contemplated his life choices for a bit, but then when he went back to play he ONLY played with his toys. After like an hour inside, he asked to go outside. We went out and he burned off energy for about another hour and a half outside. When he fell asleep leaning on me (which...even when he's been a goblin will always work on me) I bought him inside and laid him on the cool floor instead of the crate. He fussed for like 5 minuets until he got comfy bu was out like a light. Meanwhile, in that Goblin session, I had to go get more treats twice because I was rewarding positive behaviour. Toilet outside? Treat and praise. If he got too goblin? We'd practice sit for treat and praise. Sitting down quietly and being a good boy for a few minutes? Treat and praise. It was hard work but I feel like it might've been super constructive? HOWEVER. During one of his naps today I tried to find a puppy school to go to. None of them start until Jan 21\22 when he will be 12 weeks old. A fair few puppy schools won't take him because that's too late for puppy school in their books. So...on Dec 30, I've got a pro trainer coming to my house for a 3 hour session with me and Whiskey. It's one-on-one, in my house, my backyard with my good boy. I'll get to raise specific concerns about the house, his behaviour, he can show me where issues are and blahblahblah. Considering I've had him less than a week and he's KINDA got "Sit" learned in 2 days of training, he comes to me for cuddles and food and love, he's eating his food, and toileting outside (for the most part. He was NOT willing to pee outside in this heat, but was willing to dump. I feel like he's making toilet decisions so I think he IS toilet trained by the breeder and once his bladder is controllable, he'll be good to go), not really damaged anything in the house or anything and except for one rough night (which was the both of us not understanding what was going wrong), he seems happy, healthy, he's learning every day and is affectionate towards me. I've also been learning from MY mistakes with him too so LOGICALLY I think it's going great. However I spent 2 years on waitlists meaning I've had 2 years of overthinking and I don't feel like I know what I'm doing and I'm still pretty anxious about having a good boy with me (Totally been hiding it well though. These page long posts are for fun! Not an expression of anxiety). Having a pro trainer validate me will do wonders for my anxiety, plus he can tweak what I am doing and show me the next steps from here so Whiskey can be an even gooder dog. Then when puppy schools near me re-open, I'll take him to one for the dog socialisation. And to make sure that the trainer and I didn't over-specialise his training.
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Dec 27, 2022 12:59
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 The trainer came. Confirmed. He's a very good boy. Confirmed. I needed to learn how to speak puppy. 2 days later, we both are doing much better and are much happier and even getting MORE hugs. Grudgingly Confirmed: Sometimes I need to say "No" to that face. That fuckin' face puts up an amazing counter-argument though.
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Jan 1, 2023 02:08
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Okey dokey Whiskey is nearly 10 weeks old. We've had the 3 nights of screaming crate training and survived. It's had a knock-on effect to everything else and now he is significantly more okay with NOT being attached to my hip 24\7. I would like to start doing the following: He goes outside for mealtimes and has an hour outside to himself. I will be inside, cooking, eating and having a breather. We did 30 minutes at breakfast this morning but with 2 brief cry sessions. Is this feasible for a good boy his age? Or am I reaching a little?
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Jan 3, 2023 01:03
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Enfys posted:I guarantee that if you leave him unsupervised outside like this, at the bare minimum he will find and chew on (and almost certainly eat) all manner of things you don't want him to. We've had stints where...in the name of functioning I had to put him outside so I could do something, but I always kept a close eye on him through windows and stuff to make sure he was doing okay. So far his behaviour when I'm outside with him and when he's outside by himself is pretty much the same? As in once he stops whimpering, he calmly sniffs and wanders around and play-jumps on his toys (which ALWAYS makes me smirk) There's not much outside that he can legitimately destroy? Or stuff that I would be unhappy if he destroyed? All the plants are dog safe (and I don't really care if he destroys them), there's no high ledges, it's very secure and I'm in suburbia where there's no real wildlife threats. It's not the first time somebody told me unsupervised puppy in backyard is unsafe, but now that I've had him for more than a week and I've been supervising him...I mean I don't know what dangers are here? Yeah he's gonna eat the odd stick and leaf and bug but he's a DOG and he's gonna dog. What should I worry about?
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Jan 3, 2023 02:54
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HootTheOwl posted:He's only ten weeks old, he's still in his fear period. That is that the whole world is still more scary than his curiosity. In two weeks your puppy is going to be eating everything and you won't be there to tell him no. Like your backyard has dirt in it right? That's already something that can get him sick and be destructive. I mean I'm giving you guys the benefit of the doubt for the time being, but it'd help if somebody could be specific about what I should be preventing him from doing? I don't use pesticides or weed killers. The plants I put in the garden were decided on based on what was\was not toxic to dogs, the mulch isn't cocoa, there is concrete underneath all the fencing so he can't dig under the fences... Like, obviously there are good things for him to eat and things that aren't going to be good for him to eat, but what specific things should I be worried about, and what specific harm can they cause?
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Jan 3, 2023 03:18
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Okay so to summarise: - He'll find SOMETHING to chew on or swallow - He'll learn bad boredom coping mechanisms + Crating is a better option. See...I've kinda just been using crating as a nap place. I've been careful not to put him in his crate except for naps because I don't want it to be puppy jail. Evidently I haven't been using the crate to its full potential. Dot point list of how else I can use the crate?
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Jan 4, 2023 10:42
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Soooooooooo Whiskey was doing great. We had a few established routines. He was always a bit dramatic about bedtime, but aside from a few grumbles and whimpers, he would settle and snore the night away. But he's recently turned about 5 months old. ... And I think we have hit the rear end in a top hat stage. He's stopped doing all the things he was good at and is generally being a shithead. Nipping and biting used to be re-directable, but now you can see him actively choosing NOT to do that and to be a shithead instead. He used to "help" me cook meals in the kitchen before I would give him his meal by laying down on his bed and happily gnawing on a toy and watching me. These days when I tell him to get on his bed, he will walk up to his bed, then turn and grin at me without actually getting in it (Note: He does love his bed. Will go in it whenever I don't tell him to go in his bed). During the day he has no problems with napping in his crate. He's painfully adorable and lovely to everybody he meets. If he meets a small child, he immediately lays on his tummy, and lets them pat him. He only noses in response. Everybody compliments me on how polite and lovely he is. WHICH HE IS. Except to me. Unless he's deciding to be lovely to me. Then he's goddamn amazing. Best hugs. Gentle licks and nuzzles and him staring up at me with them big brown eyes. So I don't think Whiskey is an rear end in a top hat. I think he's actively deciding: "Okay, I know what I SHOULD do, but what happens if I DON'T do that?" and therefore behaving like an rear end in a top hat. Which makes me a sad panda because there's less time playing with the puppy and hugging the puppy and more time walking away from the puppy, correcting the puppy and not being nice to the puppy because he's being an rear end in a top hat. And generally, if I get strict with the puppy he then is much nicer the next day. So basically, I'm after some validation here. Is it common for puppies to turn into assholes at around 5 months whereby you have to almost re-train them? How long does the rear end in a top hat stage last?
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Mar 15, 2023 08:56
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Whiskey Updates: - Ditched the crate 'cos he was destroying a dog bed daily in the crate. He was only in the crate at night for sleep (after he had fallen asleep somewhere else I would crate him). He never HATED the crate, but he never took to it either. He would wander in and out of it, sometimes nap in it, but it was never his thing. Nowadays he sleeps on the couches in the living room and it improved his behaviour overall. He was never destructive to the furniture and that trend has continued. For the past 3 months I have woken up to a Golden Retriever curled up on the couch, the tail happily thumps the couch as I approach and then when I'm in petting rage, he lays on his back, spreads out and he gets all the pats.He has a dog bed where his crate used to be and he hasn't ever chewed it and he likes the bed. Still prefers to sleep on the couches but the most amount of damage he's done to the couch or a cushion is fart on it (which can be damaging as gently caress to be fair) - He pulled like a Mac truck and dove off everywhere on his walks. I was recommended to try a slip leash with him (he was 7 months old). After 6 weeks on that, we're back on his normal leash and he now understands what I've been trying to tell him this whole time. We now have loose leash walking, hell he's often walking NEXT to me, and if he wants to investigate something (tree, bush, person, random inanimate object) he sits down and waits to be told he can first (most of the time! Sometimes things are just too drat exciting, but he's trying and he's learning!) - Lives in the backyard when I'm at work, always has. Never done damage to the house outside. We have a slight digging issue, but he doesn't dig near the fence line and the holes he digs aren't big enough for him anyway. I've been putting loose bricks in the holes and that stops him from digging the holes further. His digging has been slowing down so he's growing out of it slowly. Since I prevent his "art" from progressing I think he's figuring it's a bit pointless so he's not trying as much. The current issue I have which I'm not getting progress on and...have no idea how to fix is: We have a neighbour who...I highly suspect is a very irresponsible cat owner. Every 9 months or so I start getting random kittens in my backyard. They hang around for a few months and then eventually they start to disappear and about 6-9 months later I start seeing kittens again. It hasn't PARTICULARLY bothered me 'cos...kittens are cute. I never let them into my house, fed them or pet them, but I never bothered them either. Whiskey on the other hand is very vocal to the cats. The cats in turn are assholes. They will sit on the fence looking down at Whiskey who will literally bark non-stop at the cats until they go away. Meanwhile, the cats are enjoying the show Whiskey is putting on for them so the cats give 0 shits and don't go anywhere. While I acknowledge the cats are a problem and I'm considering reporting the neighbour, I also think I need to train Whiskey to not bark at cats and possums and other assorted wildlife. So the suggestions that I've seen have been to wait until he stops and then reward when he's quiet. The tricky part is that he literally DOESN'T stop. He stops when the cat fucks off. However, I don't want to reward him when he goes quiet when the cat goes away 'cos I'm sure that'll translate in his brain as: "YES I SCARED KITTY AWAY AND GOT A TREAT FOR SCARING KITTY AWAY 'COS I'M GOOD" rather than: "I GET REWARDS FOR QUIET? YAY!" Aside from barking at wildlife, he doesn't bark. So I don't have many opportunities to reward him for being quiet either. It's just these goddamn cats that set him off. Suggestions?
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Aug 10, 2023 12:45
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Does anybody else get paranoid about their dog and whether or not they're okay? My head is loving with me. Whiskey is...digesting everything properly. He still gets zoomies and is playful and wants hugs and treats and pats. He's a delight to everybody he meets. He often sits on the couch looking me in the eye while I give him chest rubs. If I lean close he'll gently lick my nose. He sometimes curls up on top of me and snores for a good 5-10 minutes before he decides my legs\chest\whatever isn't a good pillow, then he'll go curl up somewhere else and get proper comfy and snore (he legit snores). He will bring me toys to either "show" me or ask me to throw them so he can chase them. His behaviour is improving on walks and he enjoys them. Tail wags are common as are smiley faces. ... But there's a few things bothering me and I'm 95% sure there isn't a problem and my brain is loving with me. - I took him to a DIY dog wash on Sunday. He was not a fan. He was panicking a little. Did the whole wash in 10 minutes but he wasn't cool with it. I'll stick with bathing him at home. He was "off" for the rest of the day and slept earlier than usual. - He used to eat his meals in one gulp. Now he eats half at first, then the other half about an hour later. STILL EATING EVERYTHING and all the treats and stuff, so he's not eating less but he isn't demolishing everything either. This started the day after the above dog-wash. - He's shedding like crazy. No exposed skin or anything and his coat is still fluffy and lovely and great for hugs. This is my first dog AND my first Goldie so I wouldn't be shocked if the first time my dog sheds I think there's something wrong due to being unprepared for exactly how much a Golden Retriever sheds. So...fellow Aussies, is now the right time for a dog to shed? (Also, he's 8.5 months old so if he's shedding his puppy coat, that's cool too). This again started after the dog wash, so maybe this is a result of the dog wash? - General feeling of things not being right. It feels like he's deliberately on his ABSOLUTE BEST BEHAVIOUR around me, almost like he's scared or shy or timid? This is resulting in me playing with him more often with his toys, giving him more treats and pets and rewards and assuring him he's good. If he was scared of me, I'm sure he wouldn't be coming up for playtime or hugs? Like I wouldn't be shocked if I'm over-reacting to all of this (which is resulting in the "general feeling" I described). But I dunno. Even though he still comes to me for hugs and treats and play, and I get tail wags, and he's eating everything (eventually) and drinking and digesting and getting the odd zoomy...it's just not quite feeling right. I'm taking him to the Vet tomorrow for a checkup where I am sure he will tell me Whiskey is 100% fine and lovely which will probably help me feel better and get my head sorted but yeah. Does anybody else get these head games from time to time?
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Aug 15, 2023 09:13
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Yeah this is also effectively kinda puberty for him yeah? I teach high school. So...I'm well aware that anybody going through puberty can be an entirely different personality on a daily basis. As I said, I'm 95% sure my paranoia is entirely in my head, which the vet will probably confirm. And since I'm...aware enough that said it's my head loving with me, just thought I'd see if other people's heads gently caress with them in regards to their good boys. (Note: Whisky and I just had a play wrestle. He was ABSURDLY good. When playing with his paws, he would make biting motions, but VERY OBVIOUSLY AND CLEARLY intentionally missing my hands. He would bite in the general direction, but clearly intending to miss my hands so he was more playing along than anything else. He had big doggy smiles and the tail was thumping the floor. So again...I'm sure my head is loving with me)
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Aug 15, 2023 09:55
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 He doesn't look like he's struggling.
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Aug 15, 2023 12:22
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UPDATE: He's fine. I can explain my concern now. Whiskey is usually a big smiley doofus. He wasn't smiling. Last night he started smiling again and magically I feel better and like he's fine. He was probably still a little stressed from the dog wash and now he's over it and he's all smiles and hugs and relatively sort of controlled chaos. He good.
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Aug 17, 2023 00:08
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 For the record, here is the smiley boy just so you know what I mean.
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Aug 17, 2023 10:49
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Remember how I said my puppy was a very smiley puppy? He good.
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Aug 21, 2023 12:01
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I had Whiskey on a slip leash for a while and it was fantastic. BEAR IN MIND: He was already 30ish kg when we first used it. I absolutely wouldn't use one on a small puppy. But the slip leash only gets tight when we're on a walk and he dives off without warning. He does it a few times, but then after that very patiently walks beside me, loose leash and sits down to "ask" to sniff any interesting things. So it's only "mean" when he's misbehaving. And since he's a 30+kg good boy, it's not hurting him in any significant way. He doesn't notice that he's doing the wrong thing on a normal leash, but with the slip leash he understands. So 98% of the time, it's a normal leash. The 2% of the time he charges off at something, which we really really don't want him to do? He finally is getting corrected in a way which he understands. I don't like the idea of prongs myself, but if you've got a big boy, I think a slip leash isn't a terrible idea.
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Aug 23, 2023 08:33
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Whiskey turned 1 yesterday. People keep trying to tell me that he is not a tiny fluffy puppy, rather he is a large dog. So I put together a photo album showing his utter lack of growth of when I first got him when he was 8kg, to yesterday where he weighs 40kg but is miraculously, still the same tiny fluffy puppy If you want to see my tiny fluffy puppy grow into a tiny fluffy puppy, here's a link: https://imgur.com/gallery/GRslFM9 But he got steak dinner, new toys, a new walk and EXTRA hugs yesterday 'cos he's the fuckin' best.
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Oct 27, 2023 01:56
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HootTheOwl posted:That's a big happy doggo Excuse me. As I clearly stated. He is a tiny fluffy puppy.
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Oct 27, 2023 08:09
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Kaiser Schnitzel posted:I feel this too. People are always saying 'omg pickwick is so big now!' when to me he has always been the same size, even tho he's 60lb now (and fairly small for a golden retriever) Whiskey loves tyres\frisbees\toys of a disc shape. And he has always carried every single one like that. Even when he has multiple toys. He happily trots around the backyard with a frisbee over his face. 'Cos he's the absolute best idiot in the world.
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Oct 27, 2023 22:36
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I am sorry\not sorry for the spam. But he's having a good day. 
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Oct 28, 2023 02:28
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So I just found out that desexing your puppy involves 10 days in the cone of shame. ... So I'm gonna have 10 days of my tiny good boy walking around the house looking sad with the cone of shame on his head. And I'm expected to cope with this? Good boy is gonna get so many goddamn hugs and treats.
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Nov 3, 2023 02:40
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RIGHT. So my good boy is now old enough that I can get him the snip He is a 1 year old Golden Retriever good boy. Now I've been told a million times over that getting your dog to get the snip is the responsible thing to do. Ergo: I'm willing to do it ... But before I sign my tiny (42kg) fluffy good boy up for elective surgery to cut bits off him, I thought I should do some research and find out why. Also as a dude...like it feels mean to do that to another guy. SO. What are the benefits to desexing a male dog? What are the disadvantages? Why is it the responsible and good thing to do? (NOTE: Please don't read this post as combative. I don't intend to come in here and swing hammers and start shitfights, I just want to make sure I'm doing the beset thing for my good boy)
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Dec 27, 2023 05:04
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So do puppies have another shithead stage after 1 year old? My good boy turned 1 in October and for the past week and a bit he's been...difficult. Started pulling more on his walks, would start playing a bit rougher than usual, he's needy but can't decide if he wants play, hugs, walk, food, toilet, or all of the above, so he gets sooky at me, but won't be receptive to anything I offer to fix whatever's bothering him... He's sleeping the same amount, he's eating and pooping well so I feel like he's perfectly healthy, he's just...difficult all of a sudden.
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Jan 24, 2024 11:43
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Organza Quiz posted:Congrats, you have a teenager! Ahhhhhhhhhh bugger. I thought the teenager phase was right before they turn 1. Glorious. How long are they a teenager for? (Note: For epmhasis, he's still the most beautiful best fluffy good boy)
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Jan 24, 2024 12:52
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| # ¿ May 18, 2024 03:42 |
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HootTheOwl posted:Forever We're not talking about my levels of maturity here, we're talking about the good boy...
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Jan 24, 2024 20:50
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