Nushie

Thanks for the replies guys. Our little guy will be 100% an inside dog (as we only have a small balcony - which is where his toilet will be). At the moment, when left alone in his play pen, he cries. But if he is out and i need to duck downstairs to put the washing in the drier (all of 2minutes out of the room) he just chews on his toilet roll happily. He doesnt seem too interested in chewing anything other than his toys (and us). He is only 9 weeks so it is definatly a long way off before i will be comfortable leaving him and trusting him. When he does graduate to being allowed out, it will be hard to confine him to a room, as the entire upstairs (lounge, dining and kitchen are all open plan) and it is a pretty big area for him to get into trouble (mainly electricals)

I know it is awhile off before i can leave Jager unattended in the house out of his play pen. But i was just wondering around what age people are starting to do it. Or what are the signs that would indicate that it would be okay? Obviously they would have to be 100% toilet trained, but how do you know that THEY are ready and can be (hopefully) trusted to have a whole room to themselves?

Just wanted to update everyone on Jager cause i love reading everyone elses updates. He has been doing so well at nights. We head to bed around 10.30ish. Doesn't cry just curls up and chews on his ducky for about 5minutes and then off to sleep. He wakes me up about twice a night, we go upstairs to the toilet and then back to bed without any issues, no crying at all. He wakes up just before 6am (i get up at 6 anyway) and we play for a bit before i get ready for work. Leaving him alone is hard as he cries and it breaks my heart. Fingers crossed he gets used to it soon. Over the weekend we had a bit of a sleep in. He woke me up at 6 as normal and we went to the toilet and then i put him back in his crate. Didnt phase him at all either day, he just chewed on his duck until i fell asleep and then we got up at 8 on Saturday and 9 on Sunday. Toilet training is going well - 9 out of 10 times he takes himself back to the pen to go to the toilet (thats where his toilet is). I still haven't worked out his cues for when he needs to wee. So that is a big bonus for me as all weekend he didnt make a single mistake. We are learning sit at the moment. He sits when he is being let out of his pen, he sits when he wants to come up on the lounge, both of which usually involved jumping all over the place. So thats great. He gets under foot alot. He runs between you legs if you are wearing jeans so you have to walk with your feet flicking out to the sides so you don't send him flying. We are still working on that one. Cat still hasnt warmed to him at all. She is still interesting in the situation and comes and sits in the lounge room with us at night etc. and will approach him to sniff. But he has taken to lunging at her, which puts her off so she hisses and growls at him until he goes away. I wish she would just have the guts to slap him once or twice to show him his place, but she is just too timid. I am probably going insane, but at different times today (first full day back at work) i can smell him. His sweet little puppy smell. Dont know if it is in my hair or somehting, but it makes me miss him so much more. 9 weeks old today.

Just to be sure i have everything that he needs. Please tell me if i have forgotten to leave something with him during the day. In his play pen: Crate - Towel as bed, hot water bottle, duck that he also has in his create at night and usually an old shirt, but he pee'd on it yesterday) Water bowl Toilet Toys - cardboard center of a toilet roll (he loves it) and kong with some food in it. is there any thing else that i can put in there to entertain him. Also what can i put in his kong that will take a little longer for him to get through? Thanks

A few more

A few more pics of the little baby. He didnt cry at all last night when in his crate and put to bed, but he did have another big day, meeting new people (my mum and dad). We both curled up for a sleep on the lounge around 6pm. Toileting is a bit hit and miss at the moment. He doesnt seem to circle and cause he is always sniffing around checking things out still, it is hard to catch him when he needs to wee. One minute he is trotting along across the lounge room, he stops, pees and then keeps going. So we have missed a few. But he will get it in time. Poo's on the other hand, he pooed in his bed yesterday, so that got a good clean out. And last night after dinner, i could see he was thinking about it, and just as my boyfriend jumped up to take him to the paper, Jager walked back into him pen, sniffed in a circle and pooed on the paper! We were so thrilled! (Cant tell that story at work, people just look at me funny for getting excited about it. But i know you all will understand). I am sure it was just a fluke, but at least it was a fluke in the right direction. Anyways enough of my jabbering. Onto the photos.

Thanks for the suggestions. He was an angel last night, we put a hot water bottle in the crate with him and he didnt cry at all until he needed to go to the toilet at 2am. Afterwards i put him back in and he went straight back to sleep. So proud of my little guy - much improved on the previous night where he cried for about 20 minutes. This morning he cried and screamed when i got ready for work. Not to the frenzy like yesterday morning, so that is at least a step in the right direction. We have put a tshirt that i have worn in his crate so that he has our smell, i have also put in the hot water bottle today (only at the back of the crate so he can snuggle if he wants but can still sleep without it also). Fingers crossed tomorrow is even better.

JAGER IS IN DA HOUSE!!!! We picked him yesterday and he is huge! He is sister and brother that were still there, were only about half his size. Breeder did say he was born big He slept all the way home in the car. Played all afternoon and after a few mishaps with toileting (he goes into his crate to pee). He has a set of lungs on him, please see my thread about getting him to settle down. But otherwise he is the cutest little bundle of fur. The cat is a little standoff-ish but better than i thought she would be, she spent the afternoon in the lounge room checking everything out and coming up for a sniff or two when she was ready. If he approached her then she would hiss and take a step back, he just looks at her for a moment and then turns around and goes to check something else out. I am a little on edge, even though he slept well in his crate all night, i slept really lightly and woke up to everything, be it him moving around, the cat scratching or the boyfriend snoring. So thank god this week is only half days at work. I need to catch up on some shut eye. Just thought i would post a few quick snaps of him. They aren't fantastic as he just does not sit still. But at least you can see his adorable little face.

Hey guys, So we picked up our little Jager yesterday and all was going well. He slept like an angel in the car home. Played with some toys and only cried for 10minutes when we put him to bed (in his crate next to our bed). But this morning, i gave him some breakfast in his kong while i went to have a shower and ger ready for work (only working half days) and he screamed! Screamed to the point where i thought he had hurt himself. I ignored him as best as i couldm, still wondering in and out of the room when i needed to in order to get ready. But even when i was in the room, he continued to scream. He wouldnt eat his breakfast, wouldn't play with him toys. Just cried and screamed for the full 30 minutes it took me to get ready. What can i do to get him to settle when i am not around? When we put him in his play pen yesterday during the day he would whimper a little but this morning was just heart breaking for me and probably a pain in the butt for the neighbours. Any advice would be appreciated. Edited to add: photo of very sleepy puppy

Thanks Bridie and Leannek, I will mainly be using it for the carpets and bedding and see how we go from there. Do you think it is alright to put some in the wash with the dog bedding as well?

Emery - she is gorgeous!

I am practically jumping out of my skin! I wish i could go to sleep and just sleep through the next days so i can wake up on Sunday morning. Its going to be like Christmas!

Only 3 more sleeps! Just a quick one regarding socialisation. Both my mum and my aunt have dogs, would it be alright for my little man (probably around 9-10 weeks when they meet) to meet up with them and play? Both my mums and my aunts dogs are vaccinated. Or is it best to wait until my pup has his 12 week vaccination before socialising with them? It would be at one of their houses, not a public place.

Are pigs ears okay to give to pups? How big / small should the ears be? Are they alright to give them to chew on in the morning when i go to work or do they need to be supervised with them? Thanks

Hey guys, Just wondering how much people are diluting it down? I am thinking of starting off with the 500ml and seeing how that goes. Should i dilute it 3:1 (water:odourgo)? More?? Less?? Thanks

At what age can you start feeding chicken necks or wings?

Sorry to butt in but i have a quick question regarding toileting at night. I get my little guy on Sunday and he will be 8weeks old. I intend to have him crated in our bedroom, but was wondering how long i should leave it between toilet breaks? Should i wake up every 3 hours to take him out? Every 2hours? Every 6 hours? I know they say 30-60 minutes during the day and after waking, eating and playing. But i am not sure of how long they can hold on for at night? Thanks PS: he is a pug.

I used to rough up my mums dally. He would love it! Doing zoomies and helicopters all over the place. I used to come home with scratches all over me from his nails and it never bothered me, one day he copped me a good paw to the face. I thought my nose was broken it hurt like buggery. Didnt think much of it until the next day when i found i had a nice black eye. Try explaining to all the people at work that your dog gave it to you, i got some weird looks. I dont think anyone believed i got punched in the face by a lovable mutt.

Hi Emery, What type of pup are you getting?

Zoe is adorable! Look at those eyes!

If you don't have time in the morning for a walk, then do a couple of 10 minute obedience training sessions with her. Tiring out her mind will work just as well as a walk in the mornings. The more she has to think, the more tired she will be so you need to vary the training once she has mastered a task. Marrow bones are very hard and not good for the teeth if given too often, they will actually wear the teeth down more quickly than any other bone. Ask your butcher to saw a marrow bone into 8 pieces (half, half and half again, all lengthwise) which make a marrow bone go further without too much wear on the teeth at any one time (my theory anyway!) Chicken carcasses are great for teeth because the bones are rubbery and bend around the dogs teeth as they chew. Smear some peanut butter well inside a kong, sprinkle in just a few bits of kibble, then stuff half a banana into the Kong and freeze it. Or just fill a kong with some natural yoghurt and freeze it. You might have to plug one end with a piece of cheese or something. Treat balls with their kibble breakfast inside would be good (although my Goldie broke his treat ball open with his teeth rather than work for the kibble) A cardboard box to shred is great. Once they work out they can rip it or chew it, they have a lot of fun. Cheap and effective but you need to clean up the mess afterwards (and it's real messy!) Large soft toys from the Salvos cost a couple of dollars each, often cheaper. These are great if you are happy for your puppy to suck or chew on them. You need to make sure there's only dacron filling and no beads or anything that the puppy can ingest which may cause problems. You would also need to cut off the eyes and nose if they are plastic as these are the first bit a dog would go for. I would suggest a plastic coke bottle or milk bottle with some kibble in it however I never do this myself as the plastic when chewed can become quite sharp. But some puppies are happy to just play and try to get the kibble out. Is there anyway you can hide little treats to be found in the run? Is there a nice comfy bed in the run? One last thought is doggy daycare once or twice a week? Just wanted to say thanks for this. Great tips for me!

Thanks Nic - he will be in a playpen in the living area while we are at work so that he cant get into trouble I have seen the Kong despensers for sale and thought they would be a great idea. Does anyone the difference between normal Kongs and the Puppy Kongs? Are they a softer plastic to not damage their teeth or are they just smaller? I have also seen some treats that are suppose to last for hours, does anyone know if these would be appropriate? They can be used on their own or in a container type toy. Do you think they will be too hard for little puppy teeth? http://www.boredombusters.net.au/epages/bb.../Products/E9907

Sorry for so many questions people, but what can i do to keep my little guy entertained while i am at work. Unfortunately i cant take the week off, but am pushing to work half days for the first week. But when i am not there even after the first week. What do people recommend? Kongs with food stuffed in them? If so, what do you put in them? I am just worried that he will cry or make noise if he is bored. I have check out a few websites and all the boredom type toys all sound the same. Any recommendations would be great. I also intend to get up 30 minutes earlier initially and play with him a bit so that hopefully it will make him tired and he can sleep for a bit. Eventually once he is older he will be walked in the mornings as well. PS: We have narrowed the names down to Jager, Remy and Moet. But thats as far as we have got, i think once we get him home a name that suits him will jump out. Cheers guys.

Hi nicolatu, i have read the dogstardaily.com books, i have both the 'before you get a puppy' and the 'after you get a puppy' documents on my computer at work and every time i get some free time i read them, over and over. Mainly to re-read sessions so that they are drilled into my memory. Cosmolo - a toilet diary hey? thats a great idea, just have to remember to use it.....

Thanks for the reply. I feel really inexperienced when it comes to toilet training. We have always had adult dogs which we have adopted and they have all been toilet trained. So this is all new to me. Thanks for putting up with all the random questions.