dogsonly

Strange, my vets check it each time I come in... at least they did for my other dog. I quite like them going without collars for a while - they seem calmer when inside if they don't have a collar. They are also getting used to our routine which is helping them settle down with us.

Will do... was last visit a week ago. Thanks... will check each time.

If you havent' already done so, I'd suggest you enrol in formal obedience training. Exercises aside, a good school will also teach you about HOW to train. You can do two things: reward her for the loose lead and teach her that a tight lead doesn't profit her. Take her out on her own. When she goes to the end of the lead and it tightens, you stop. The moment she loosens the lead (she will) you mark the good behaviour (say "yes" or use your clicker) and continue on. You can also do this by changing direction when she tightens the lead, marking when it becomes loose again. However, if you ever let her walk on a tight lead, you'll undo all your work. It takes a bit of perseverence but its definitely achievable. As a two dog owner, you need to be able to walk them both together on loose leads. Thank you - will continue with this practice and also use a clicker. She is not a food orientated dog but loves attention so will mark the good behaviour appropriately. She has been through Puppy school and is booked in for Obedience training. I do this with all my dogs... it cannot be missed. I will make sure my husband does the same things as he has never done puppy school or obedience training with them and will need to be reminded of how this works but repetition and same commands.

:D Thanks for the advice guys. No collar it is for either dog overnight or when put into their run.

They are never too young to start Bikle. Sometimes we have to remember they are puppies so we need train in very short bursts and give lots of time out but they can start the day we get them. :D Dogsonly: Puppies can learn to play games with US! Learning how to play with your dog is a very important step in learning what motivates them and in building a relationship with them. Go to any visiting dogs sports professional's seminar and one of the most common things you hear is " you people don't play with your dogs enough". Nip it in the bud Dogsonly or 6 months from now that pup will be pulling your arms out. You need to take her out on her own and teach her that she does not go anywhere while that lead is tight. Have you clicker trained her - most clicker trained dogs get the idea of the loose lead in minutes. How do I start changing this. I was putting her into a sit every time she did it but she just goes on doing it. What do you suggest as first steps.

This last sentence speaks volumes. A good breeder will ALWAYS have time for emails and phone calls from puppy people, no matter HOW many other litters they might have on the way and no matter how long after the sale of the puppy! I just wanted to clarify that I am not speaking of the breeders of my current dogs... both have been available... just some breeders of my past dogs.

Well sorry I tuned out for a while - family commitments. Great views on this subject. I presume anyone bothering to be a part of this forum is interested in the welfare of their pets. Some breeders and some owners are really going to differ on what they do.... However, I just wanted to say that there indeed is a difference between breeders and buyers in that we the buyer tend not to have a dog or two about for the pup to play with and indeed this is different from walking them on or off lead. Since I bought a second puppy some 8 weeks younger than the other and a different breed - I have noticed some important differences. They romp together - get tired and rest. They get terribly excited when going outside even the moggy gets excited when going to our front garden. My Welsh Springer Spaniel is a ground sniffing dog ie., when I try to walk her leisurely she instead likes to lead as fast as she can following trails. My moggy is not a ground sniffing dog and trots along happily at my side when we practice inside my yard....unless he decides he wants to romp with her - then he races up to her & bites to get her to play. I am trying to make my WSS go slow - I've even from time to time reverted to dolly steps to slow her down but she is keen to be out there and has a powerful pull. I am not walking this puppy - she is walking me. I love it when she stops and smells a flower & looks back at me as though to say - well there it is - so special. Love your dogs and thank you to all the breeders who bothered to answer this question it has given us food for thought. :D

Yes, no easy answers... No collar, no identification other than microchip then potential huge costs and council not happy with you if dog found outside. If collar, risk of hurt from catching on something. Given she is able to have collar removed my guess is less risk of hurt from catching on something. I took their collars off when they were sleeping inside as it was risky on the crate etc. But they have lots of room to move around outside and no real catching areas for their collars. Now I'm feeling guilty even saying this but I would like to continue using their collars and identification tags unless someone can come up with a magical cuffed collar that is invisible - maybe something for CSIRO or the scientists amongst this community!

Please help us as buyers. Everyone seems to have differing advice. Can breeders please answer these questions for us and maybe forum leaders. Just saying don't overexercise is not taking care of your puppies that you on-sell. We need specifics as some people love to jog, others a brisk exercise each day and unwittingly take their puppies with them. I take gentle walks from age of last injections in the meantime play with them gently - lots of tummy rubbing and getting to know you exercises. Lead is trailed around until they get used to being attached to it. Often good breeders are too busy to email again and again with questions as they have another litter on the way.

My puppies stop to smell the flowers Thanks for all the advice poodlefan I will go get Dr Ian Billinghurst's book.

Anyone who follows Dr Ian Billinghurst's advice for puppy raising does. Where do we find Dr Ian Billinghurst's advice for puppy raising???

wow! Any Northern breed like my samoyed going without a walk for 6 months would go nuts. Surely its ok to take them for a walk around the block after about 12-14 weeks? There are other ways to exercise a pup - offlead being the obvious one. "No onlead walking" doesn't mean no walking, and no time on the lead - you just don't use pavement pounding as the primary method of exercise. The problem with "a walk around the block" is all those growing bones and ligaments on concrete. Do you know what an appropriate pace for a pup is? Can you tell when the pup is tired and has had enough? This is helpful advice but I walk my puppy around the block using the green areas for them as to me the whole point of the exercise is training., toilet training, lead training and obedience. I teach it as I go not to pull on the lead (at least try to!). I teach it to sit when asked to. I teach it to drop and to come on command. I also am teaching it to toilet outside the house. The exercise is minimal and it is also a social event... saying hello to others as we go around the block. It is also out in fresh air becoming socialised.

General rule of thumb is no onlead exercise until the pup is at least 6 months old. Very rough play, particularly with larger adults, should also be discouraged. The size and breed of dog can also influence growth rate and development - smaller dogs mature faster and tend to have less bone development issues. I am not being critical of your advice but I need to understand why to explain...... No onlead exercise until 6 months old - wow... I don't think any buyer knows this. I see lots of puppies being taken around the block in urban areas under 6 months... I think the dogs would go banana's couped up in suburban back yards. My neighbours dog was out as soon as the 2nd injection time period was over as was my puppy and I have a large backyard. Onlead as we are not allowed to go off lead in suburban Melbourne else we will be fined if caught. Yes large dogs can be rough but I have found a newfoundland and a golden who are gentle with babies and we visit them. They lay down and the puppies jump all over them.

I have bought puppies from registered and unregistered breeders. I received advice sheets that say Don't over exercise your puppy. What does this mean to the buyer? Obviously the breeder community know but we don't. For instance how far at what age should the puppy be walking for say small, medium and large breeds. Is it OK to walk a 14 week medium breed puppy around the block? Is it Ok for a 16 week puppy to romp at the park? Is a 20 minute walk too much.... What about a 1 & 1/2 hour walk? It is most confusing for the buyer please clarify this issue for me.