luvsdogs

All my previous dogs were routinely done at 6 mths as was the usual b4 early desexing came in with rescue/pound dogs. Before getting Tilba I read about the benefits of waiting especially with large breeds. http://www.caninesports.com/SpayNeuter.html

Tilba was 11 weeks 5 days old when we brought her home. Resident dog, female, was 7.5 y/o at the time. I had spoken to another owner of a dog from the same breeder that said I'd be happy that she was that bit older as her dog was. I started her in puppy preschool a week later & took her every week to my obedience club but didn't let her on the ground until after her 3rd vaccinations. She had had 2 with the breeder. She was a jumpy puppy happy to meet people & not phased by other dogs. At 5 weeks old the litter was taken to Canberra for 3 weeks while the breeder went overseas, so no problems with her travelling in the car in a crate. There was no problems with her being a biter but she did eat things she shouldn't as puppies do. The only problem I had, that I didn't have with previous 2 pups who were under 6 weeks when I got them [long story], was toilet training. She'd hold on in the crate but wouldn't settlle in it at night, so when she was allowed to sleep in her room at the back door she would wee near the door. She now woofs to be let out but if I don't hear her, even now about every 3-4 mths, she will occasionally still do so. I too would have preferred a male when I was thinking of getting another dog when April was about 4-5 y/o but my son came home with Sooty. Once she was a little bigger & older they were the best of mates. Same thing now with Sooty & Tilba, only have feed them separately as Sooty will snap if another animal or bird goes near her bowl after she's eaten. Another thing to think of is when you would have him neutered if you intend doing agility. Research says to wait until a bitch has had her 1st heat & a male 12-18 mths, giving the growth plates a chance to close.

I have never used them. If you intend for your pup to toilet outside as an adult, that's where you should take him. After eating, drinking, waking up & play. Every hour at other times. Is he in or outside when your not home?

Gypsy is gorgeous, glad to hear she is feeling better.

I kept Tilba on puppy food until she was around 11 mths old. She's always been very lean & I felt she needed the extras that puppy food supplies.

I'm lucky that my mum lives next door, so I use her line. How can they resist clothes blowing in the wind, either keep him inside while the clothes are on the line or fence off the line.

When I used to take my 1st bc to dog training the instructor at the time always insisted we work off lead. If anyone was doing jump/dumbell work with their dogs she'd take off towards them. I used to worry about it until I realised that she would get about a foot away from them & come back. She also had a strong dislike of some people & I had to always be aware of who was around us. My present bc watches any dog that's running around/jumping at dog training & would like to take off after them if I let her. I've always thought of them being excited by the fast movement. Follow the above advice & watch her & learn her body language so you can tell when she will go off.

Elbie is one cute pup. Well done to you for teaching all those tricks. Have you thought of doing DWD with him?

quote 5 minutes for each month of age. quote That's what I had read too. According to Dr Ian Billinghurst, author of the Barf Diet. the only exercise a puppy needs is play & chewing on raw meaty bones. Grow your pups slowly.

Agree with the others. It will take time. Leave him outside for a minute & go back to show him he's not been abandoned. Importantly though don't go out if he's crying or he'll soon learn that that will get your attention. For the 1st months you'll have to keep an eye on him, you'll be surprised what they can get into even if you think you've puppy proofed your yard. As for chewing the furniture, I wouldn't give access to the whole house until he is toilet trained. If his own toys don't stop him you can get something like bitter apple to spray onto the furniture, test for staining 1st though. New puppies are so much fun & a lot of work but worth it in the end. Forgot to say, for the 1st few months I don't like to leave a puppy in the backyard while I'm not home, so easily stolen if your yard is not locked. When I 1st got Tilba & had to go out I would leave her in her crate, which she was already used to. I would not leave her for more than an hour or 2 at the most if there was no one else at home. Otherwise I would only go to places I could take her with me.

I also find this to be true. e.g. when ppl reward with a treat for stand above the nose the dog sits. I you reward a stand below the nose they stay standing.

I've always used the, we don't go anywhere while the lead is tight, method. I have a damaged shoulder from my previous dog yanking on the end of the lead when she saw other dogs that were running around loose. No amount of lead pops on a choker collar stopped her from doing it & I was taught the correct way of using it. Even though Tilba is nearly 3 she doesn't pull me down the street & if she tries I stop & remind her that we don't go anywhere if she pulls me. Dogs are opportunists & will at least give it a try on at times. Here's another method you could try.

I can't offer much more, that has not been said already. I have one cat & from day one she tormented the pup to chase her & over 2 years down the track Tilba still likes to chase Blossom. But then Blossom has been with us from 3 weeks old, long story, & always thought she was a dog being brought up with 2 of them. One thing with cats, when they don't want to be bothered with a dog they can just get up high away from trouble. Keep up the good work, it will always take a lot of dedication on your part.

http://www.dogstardaily.com/training/more-...ts-so-important

It would be a good idea to wait until your boy is at least 18 mths-2 yrs old b4 getting another puppy. Then I would see how he is with other dogs to make sure he tolerates them. I knew a woman at my obedience club who brought a 6 mth old pup into her household. She had terrible fights between her resident border collie & the border collie cross pup from when she was about 1 yr old, & I mean fights with blood all over the place, they even broke through new pool fencing she has put up to separate them while she was at work. She eventually had the pup pts. I'm thinking of getting another pup but my girl is over 2 1/2 yrs old.

Do you mean front, rear or both. When I 1st went to see April at her breeders he told me he had forgot to take the rear dew claws off at birth & would do then b4 picking her up. I thought this was a regular thing & thought nothing of it. When we picked her up he said he still hadn't taken them off. At that time, 1993, I had not seen many dogs that had rear dew claws, didn't like the look of them & had April's removed when she was desexed at 6 mths. It was messy & looked awful, took longer to heal than the spay wound. After the hair grew back I never noticed any scars. I have since also seen other breeds that have had the front ones removed as well. In the years since, I have been lead to believe that many puppies are born without their rear dew claws, is this true? I have seen very few dogs with their rear dew claws.

That's very expensive. I made my own out of an old lead, cut it to size & put a knot in the end.

I didn't have to sign a contract, just the microchip papers & Dogs NSW forms for transfer of ownership., I also got copies of the parents health tests, a diet sheet some food, a toy. My girl was nearly 12 weeks old when we picked her up & had a 6.5 hr drive home, she was wonderful slept the whole way except for stops & lunch, as she had already travelled well as a pup & was used to being in a crate.

Give her a place of her own to dig, with treats & toys buried in the sand. Those plastic kiddy clam shells are quite often used.

When my son brought home Sooty as a puppy we used to have a lorikeet in a birdcage in the back yard. Sooty used to go down a few times a day & bark & prance around the cage at the bird. As she got older her & the bird were friends & when the bird was loose in the house there was no problems with her chasing the bird. Same now with my cat & our present lorikeet. The cat was a 3 week foundling when my son found her, so she has always known the birds. As to sleeping in the bed, I don't have my dog sleep with us, she has her own bed in her 'own room' & is happy to sleep there. When I 1st got her she slept happily in her crate but after a month she started performing every night for hours on end. We tried ignoring her but the workers in the house would go out to her so I eventually I let her sleep on her dog bed & she is happy to sleep there. There's a difference to having the dog sleep outside, to inside the house. The cat's a different kettle of fish, she sleeps with us most nights. As to having babies, when I had my 1st I used to get up for night feeds, by the time I had my 2nd I was so tired I took him to bed for feeds. Six yrs later when I had my 3rd son I'd bring him to bed for feeds, fall asleep, so he spent some nights sleeping with us. So I think no place for dogs. I think of what the breeder of my 1st border collie told me, their male bc used to sleep with them until he started to growl at the husband when he came into the bedroom & finally wouldn't let him in the bed, so not all dogs should sleep in ppls beds. There are also the cases of dogs that are so jealous of a new baby that they have killed it. Another reason not to sleep with your dog if you intend having babies, unless you de-sensitise the dog in the months prior to birth.

Same thing here, when we 1st got Sooty, she & April used to always play tug & growl at the same time.It was all such fun to watch.

Here, here!

I'm the opposite, I like them a little tubby when babies, so they have some reserves if they are ill, they soon loose it as they grow. Not a good thing for large/giant breed puppies. It puts too much strain on their growing bones & joints. As Dr Ian Billinghurst says, 'grow your pups slowly'.

This is an excellent link for biting puppies. The pic is also appropriate. lol http://www.dogstardaily.com/training/puppy-biting

Totally agree if you can guarantee that she won't get pregnant while on heat. http://www.caninesports.com/SpayNeuter.html http://www.naiaonline.org/pdfs/LongTermHea...euterInDogs.pdf The 1st article was enough for me to let Tilba have one heat b4 spaying. When she was spayed she had to have the bucket on her head until the stitches dissolved because she wouldn't leave them alone. I had to watch her all the time, she spent a lot of time either in her crate or on her inside bed. Didn't want to risk any complications.