poodlefan

Young pups and submissive dogs can be wary of weeing in unfamiliar territory. If you want weeing, I find it better to stop and let him sniff around for a while near trees and longer grass rather than expecting him to squat anywhere. If 1 km, takes 20 minutes, then 2km is taking 40. My guess is that the pace is set by you, not him. That is a very very long distance for a small breed puppy. Your dog, your choice. I think it's way too far. It seems he might too. Pups tire easily. Jerking him along is only going to teach him to resist the lead when the first lesson you want to teach him is never to pull on it.

I think if you go into a pet shop to buy equipment, a responsible staff member will refer to a trainer if that's a more appropriate solution than buying a quick fix device. People walk into pet shops wanting miracle cures. Staff with a dog's welfare in mind will refer to trainers if that's what is needed. Case in point today. Owner of one year old "spoodle" (as yet not successfully toilet trained :D ) who wanted a citronella collar because her dog barks at people walking past the window. Dog has never attended training, chews everything and mouths the 4 year old. Does the dog need a collar or does the owner need education?

Many people including me do not walk their young pups onlead except to train them to accept it. Pavement pounding is very very hard on growing bones and 2km is far too big a distance for a baby IMO. My guess is that he's telling you in the only way he knows that you are asking too much of him. He may be sore. Sounds to me like he's learning that walks are to be endured, not enjoyed. Time to ease back. Keep the walks limited to no more than 10 minutes, preferably not on concrete until he's at least 6 months old and give him off lead play. Why does he need to wee on walks - is he an apartment dog?

I don't have any experience with dog trainers. I've never been to one. I have no idea who or what constitutes a good one but I'd be quite happy to attend a seminar if there were any in my area (I can promise you there aren't), but on the whole my doggie and I are quite happy doing it by ourselves. I'll just buy a few more books and go to the obedience club and we'll figure the rest of it out ourselves. Where are you Gayle? There is also a very good Obedience chat group on Yahoo but it is focussed primarily on training for obedience trialling. I too attend an obedience club. I count club instructors in my definition of "dog trainers". You can get good and bad training from a volunteer or a professional. I pay for private agility lessons in addition to club training and I'd pay for private obedience lessons if I could find a good trainer in my area. We are lucky to have some very talented trainers at our club but there's nothing quite like a lesson that focusses entirely on your needs rather than having to cater for a group.

GayleK: My knowledge and my experience has been gained largely by personal instruction Gayle. I was taught how to teach my dog and then how to teach others to teach their dogs. I attend seminars to extend that knowledge. The best advice I can ever give a handler seeking instruction is to get it in person from a decent trainer. An experienced trainer can teach you more in an hour than you will learn here in days. I appreciate that you want to go it alone but frankly I find it frustrating to see people put more and more gear on their dogs when frankly a single one on one lesson can establish the basics of loose lead walking. The internet can't teach you timing, it can't see what you are doing and it can't demonstrate technique. It sounds like you've had poor experiences with dog trainers. I'd encourage you to search further afield. I think the training forum here is a wonderful place to share ideas, and great for people who don't have access to training. You may be different from me in your learning style. I learn best by doing - the written word doesn't translate so well into action for me.

I've seen a dog pull on every "anti-pulling" device on the market. There is no magic bullet - only training cures this problem. The sporn harnesses would be the kindest in untrained hands. IMO haltis should not be sold to anyone who has a small dog.. too much leverage, too much potential for damage. They should NEVER be used by children.

Staffords: Interceptor or Interceptor Spectrum Staffords?? Reason I asked was that someone once told me that dogs with a worm burden tend to have foul breath. Just thought I'd eliminate that as a possible cause.

How about OH whip you up a wooden shoe box with a lid with a catch. If he's not into woodwork, a largish metal box (eg. from Supercheap Auto) would do the trick.. anything she can't open is good. You don't need to spend up on dog toys.. for a dog like yours, old bike (or motor bike) tyres on a rope, a few tough balls, stuff they can drag around, mouth and not destroy or shred and eat easily is the go. But you do need to spend time with her, walking and training.

This may seem like a silly question, but when was the last time she was wormed?

Yes, and some dogs don't wait for you to give them the empties. Leave the door to the loo ajar iin my house and Darcy (who at age 4 you think would know better) will take the roll off the hanger and create a snow storm. I reckon he'll still be trying to sneak in there when he's 15. :rolleyes: The GSD next door gets the odd whitegoods box to demolish.. it's an impressive sight to see him go at them! Glad wrap or toweling paper innards, the soccer ball (kiddie size), tugging and fetching games are highly valued in my house. However, without regular exercise, my dogs do get fractious. I play some stupid games with my dogs.. "Mum's A Scarey Monster" is a favourite.. I act like something out of a creature flick and stalk and chase them around.. They react with what can only be described as glee... and bolt around hiding or teasing me

Bones are great boredom busters. There are a range of other one's around too. Anything by Aussie Dog Toys would be worth a look - they sell their stuff to zoos these days. For a dog that likes to jump and grab stuff the one you tie onto a tree or similar might be worth a go. Chloebear try looking at life from your pup's perspective. I suggest you time precisely how long each day you interact with her and I think you'll be horrified at how little it is. If she's kept outside, your OH shows no interest and your son's allergic to her, I'm guessing it's as little as 1-2 hours max? Dogs are social animals. In the absence of company or stimulation she'll find her own. Give her things she CAN play with.. an old soccer ball, bones, a big cardboard box (lots of dogs love those). Take her out for a 5 minute look at the world a few times a day. Little and often can be more achievable in a busy day than a long play time but the main thing is to boost interaction with her.

How much mental and physical stimulation are you giving this pup Chloebear? What training does she do? What play/exercise does she get? All dog owners need to "puppy proof" their homes to some degree. If she's still getting access to things like shoes, you need to lock them away.

FHRP, I thought you were going to start Flynnie in BBQ tracking next year (this is done at all trials with veterans.. you put them on lead and see how long they take to find the BBQ). Big Ted started trialling in BBQ tracking this year. He has his Novice BBQ Dog (NBD) and a few passes for excellent (NBDX). By the end of next year I reckon we'll make Masters and probably be on the road to BD CH

What's wrong with his knees Kowai?

Just checking Warls.. I seem to recall reading something about the capacity to inhale food in the Pug standard. I wonder if Lil has any Pug in her.

It's not one of the Pugs is it?

Yup.. from memory I got up at around 1.00 am and 5.00 am... I thought I'd blocked that out of my memory.

Is the raw cold when you give it Warls? If so, letting it heat to room temp or warming with hot water may help.

I'd like Darce's JDM and ADM next year. If I get my shite together, we might get going in obedience. I also hope to successfully resist the urge to choke the living shit out of those handlers who whine and bitch about every damn thing at trials and never lift a finger to help at their clubs or anyone elses. I don't know if I can resist much longer.

Doesn't one of the dog food companies do a duck and rice kibble too? I know theres a salmon and rice one.. read about it here.

:) :) You shouldn't laugh Laffi - that dog's going to get me a visit from the RSPCA. You go to find him for his bath and carry this cringing quivering wreck to the laundry. Darce on the other hand is an innocent. He watches all the grooming gear go out (the other two have made themselves scarce) watches you put the apron on and when you go to pick him up, he goes "ooh shit, it's me!!" I still reckon JAG dropped him on his head a few times as a pup. ;)

Big Ted has a violent allergy to baths! The setting up of the grooming table/dryer and me donning the bathing apron produces disappearing acts. Bad news for Ted tonight. I think he wants to be the first ever low maintenance poodle.

Where will the crate be? If it's close by the bed and you're a light sleeper, I'd be waiting until he stirs. If it's not, I'd be setting the alarm clock. Darcy has never cried to be let out of anything to toilet.. he just goes.

Insurance? If I had a 65kg dog and could use a prong, I'd consider it even if it walked beautifully on a loose lead. I'd have the owner of the GSD doing NILIF and TOT ASAP!!

What's the relationship with the dog like at home? I'm smelling leadership issues?????