Odin-Genie

He's still a baby. He isn't doing it intentionally. As Di said, get a good doggy odour remover. Urine Off worked really well for me when I was toilet training my dogs. If the odour stays (and household cleaners don't remove the odour), he will keep going at the same spot.

As huski suggested, try Eagle Pack or Artemis. My dogs didn't touch their kibble either when they were on Eukanuba and later Hills Science. These have loads of fillers and perhaps don't taste as good. I had to keep mixing mince etc to make them eat. But now they gobble up Artemis without any problem.

probably- but you can explain it to me Hamlet eats tomato every day--- it's about the only veg he eats.. he will steal them! What is in them to cause problems? Yep. Tomatoes are members of the nightshade family. From Google: Ripe ones are better than green ones but I'd still not recommend feeding it on a daily basis. Plants and stems are a definite no go. A lot of premium quality kibble contain tomato pumice. Is that bad as well?

I have been reading about grass allergies and it looks like my goldie has it: The fur on her paws turn reddish after it rains The reddish colour goes away when the rains stop However, it doesn't look like there is any itchiness. She doesn't bite her paws or seem in anyway concerned with them. Do I need to use antihistamines, or just let it be? Is it likely to get worse if I don't do anything? She is due for her annual check up this month so I'll ask the vet as well. She didn't have this issue last year during rains. Could that be because she was a puppy? Or could it be caused by the grass type (we recently returfed the lawn)? Not sure what type of grass we had before.

I got my second puppy when the first was 6 months old. We had time to train him, spend time with him and get him to bond with us. When the new puppy came, training was a lot easier since she followed Odin's lead. It wasn't a big age difference, so we had and continue to have loads of fun watching them play.

I used this method with my goldie who was food aggressive as a pup. Worked wonders. When I take away half eaten bones, I give them yummy treats instead. I also handfeed them every once in a while, pet them while they are eating. Don't have any food aggression issues at all.

Just wanted to add that I still handfeed my dogs every once in a while (love to do it) :rolleyes: That doesn't stop them from gobbling down their food when they are fed in a bowl.

Have you tried a different brand of dry food? My dogs wouldn't touch Hills Science unless I mixed something in it. But after I changed their food, they can barely wait to get their Artemis dry food (they drool if they have to wait too long :rolleyes: )

I thought large/giant breeds were more at risk, not less.

Agree. I have a golden retriever and an elkhound, both high energy. But there are no power cords in teh area they have access to, or anything else that can harm them. Of course they put a few holes in the wall when they were puppies , but I'd much rather have them safe inside than outside.

If you are not renting, get a dog door, and let the puppy have access to the bathroom and the hallway (provided they are cleared of all destructable things). That's what I did and gradually they learnt that they can't run away with various items in the house. I always wanted my dogs to be inside dogs who would stay with me when I cook, watch tv with me. So I wanted to train them to know how to behave inside. But even now, they don't have full access to the house when we are at work. Only the lower level of the house.

When I got my golden retriever, I told the breeder about Odin's temperament, living arrangements etc and she selected two pups I could choose from. That worked well for me.

I feed both mine (13 months and 16 months) 2 meals a day and would continue to do so. I was told by the vet that giving two small meals a day instead of one large meal reduces the chances of bloat.

There is nothing wrong with finding one's puppy cute. As long as that is not the only basis of getting one. I have a spitz/hound who was extremely cute as a puppy. But at the same time, he has exactly the kind of temperament I wanted in a dog. That doesn't stop me from gushing about how cute he was and still is.

Read the toilet training threads in the Puppy problems section. There are some good tips there.

or that horrible dead seagull they found at the beach last week! Or the yummy piece of cardboard... ...the super delicious melting fat off the grill... ..the lip smacking rotten tree bark... ..with an ice cold bowl of beer!!!

I used to give my pups a massage to settle them and then brushed them. Worked really well. Now they enjoy being brushed and groomed.

Both my dogs were extreme pullers. I tried the halti and my elkhound hated it. He kept clawing at his face and no amount of food could distract him (I was using fresh roasted chicken for treats!!). I couldn't use a flat collar either since he kept pulling and would end up rasping and puking. His trainer suggested that I use Lupi harness. It goes around the shoulders and checks forward motion. Now both my dogs walk with a loose leash and walking with them is actually fun.

I'm surprised that the vet suggested sedating the dog for such routine stuff. My dogs get their vaccines and nasal drops without any issues. And continue to love the vet

No it doesn't. And sometimes it is not as easy as it sounds either as with some dogs there can be a bit of initial resistance until they understand what it is you're trying to achieve. But that still doesn't mean that the 'guide show place' method is about jerking the dog hard to the ground. Not directing this at you or anyone - merely making a general comment. I worked with a dog a few days ago - he's about 2 yo and never been taught the drop. Lure .... not interested in it enough to bother. Resisted the GSP method on the first go, although did acquiesce in a reasonably short space of time. It was a bit mucky on the first go, but each repetition was better. After 3 reps the dog was doing it with no resistance and almost on command. Not all credit to the method by itself .... he's a great little dog, this guy. An Amstaff, btw . :p :D My elkhound was the teacher's pet in his puppy class since he did everything perfectly (it's a different matter that when he was home he would try to be stubborn and just not do it!!) So food treats worked well for me. My issue is with limited understanding of certain methods, ie the alpha roll. I am not a trainer, but I wouldn't let anybody do that to my dogs. That being said, it's not like I use only positive methods. The water spray can be quite handy

That probably is true for many things. It doesn't sound as shocking when it is described as 'guide', 'show' and 'place'. However, a trainer who practiced what the OP mentioned would be completely unacceptable to me. I think the best advice my dogs' trainer gave me was that there are different methods of training, so go with your gut instinct. Don't do what you are not comfortable with.

:p :p My elkhound learnt the drop in just five tries using treats. He was doing it without treats after that.

Get a pee post from a pet shop and put it outside. Then wait for her to pee. If she's become used to peeing inside, she may not like the surface outside and hold her pee. Dogs usually prefer a particular surface to do their stuff on. So wait till she actually does it outside and praise her. Saying 'no' when she does it inside won't work. She won't know if you are reprimanding her for peeing or for peeing inside.

I'm curious. What's wrong with letting dogs play in the dog park, except for the risk factor regarding unknown dogs? Is there anything negative about too much socialising?

He is not doing it deliberately. Probably he can still smell his poo/pee which makes him think it's ok to go at the same spot, particularly when it's very hot outside. My dog was the same as a puppy, he hated going out when it was hot or it rained. He is perfectly toilet trained now. What you should do is get some Urine Off spray, or any other pet specific sprays that take off the smell. Normal household cleaners won't work. I had tried vinegar as well, but that didn't work either. Spray it generously in the area he has had accidents at. then encourage him to go outside, and when he does his stuff outside, say "good boy" and give him a treat. It takes patience, and lots of cleaning. But it works in the end. I can now have my dogs sleep on the bedroom carpet without worrying about any accidents.