Odin-Genie

That's exactly what Odin's trainer suggested when we brought him home as a puppy. We would leave him alone for about 10-20 minutes, come back, give him loads of pats and cuddles. Once he was used to this (within a few days), it was ok to leave him alone for a few hours. After about 10 days of this (we got him during the Christmas holidays) he was ok to be on his own when we went to work. We checked with the neighbours if he was barking, and they said 'no'.

December. I'll ask them to watch out for patches.

I just have to share my story. When Odin was a tiny pup, he was the only dog in the house. He used to stay at the lower level of the house which had a dog door leading to the back yard. We had blocked off access to the top level with a baby door at the bottom of the stairs. One day, we came back home and heard scratching at the front door. When we opened the door, there was Odin (he had apparently pushed open the baby gate), etremely excited by his accomplishments of the day, proudly showing us how he had pulled a bag full of potting mix from the adjacent garage and spread it all over our cream coloured living room carpet, tore a few books to pieces, pulled down a few CDs on the floor and basically had a highly productive day Of course the baby gate was soon replaced with a permanent gate!!!

I saw a lab do that at the dog park when I emptied the large water bucket and filled fresh water. Looked really cute. Then he ran up to my Elkhound to play and Odin wouldn't even touch him since he was soaking wet Odin hates all things wet!!!

How long should I ask them to wait before getting the check? Would two weeks be ok?

Yup His owners keep commenting on Odin's thick coat. But the part of the house Odin has access to is at the lower level and even when it's hot outside, a throw blanket feels good there.

No, he didn't. His coat has always been lighter than Odin's.

Thanks. I'll let my friend know there's nothing to worry about. By the way, your dogs look stunning. Particularly the puppy I always wanted a Malamute but don't have a massive yard.

Hi, A friend has my Elkhound's littermate. Yesterday she showed me how much her dog was shedding and if it was normal. I told her that what she brushed out of her dog in a day is the quantity that I would get through brushing in a month, even in summer. Also, every time I petted him, a lot of undercoat seemed to stick to my hand. The only difference bwteen the two dogs is that while my dogs have access to the yard through a dog door, they have access to part of the house all the time and tend to stay inside when they are not playing. Whereas this other dog is an outside dog and stays inside only when the owners are home. Stays out during the night too. Sleeps in the balcony. But seems healthy and active. Any advice/suggestions on the difference in their shedding volume?

I use Advantix every fortnight throughout the year. Never had any fleas. So I'll recommend that. I also brush and comb them almost everyday.

My elkhound had the same thing. I consulted the vet, who wasn't sure. then I consulted the breeders who said that some dogs from a particular line have this issue, and the sometimes the ears take about a year to fully go up. But it's not a problem. I didn't tape my dog's ears. They went up by themselves at about 5 months.

Use a car harness with a short lead (they can be adjusted) which lock into the seat belt buckle. That way the dogs can reach the window but can't jump out. Also, I don't put the windown all the way down.

I think so. My dogs are excellent car travellers, even though the retriever as a small puppy (15 weeks) used to whimper each time I would put her in the car and threw up once. The Elkhound loved it from day 1. I started taking the retriever on short drives (to the park, to puppy school) and now she likes it so much that she waits outside the car door to be let in. But in spite of their apparant enjoyment, I always feed them light, and at least 1 hour before car travel. Keeping the windows down is a good idea, except in peak summer when I tend to run the AC full blast.

As I said before, I've found the harness to be really great with my dogs. I've been using these since they were 16 weeks old. Unlike a crate, it helped me pet them (not when I was the driver :nahnah: ) if they got upset. There was one incident of car sickness with the retriever when she was very young, but since then, none at all. Now they simply love car travel and sit quiety in the back seat (as you can see from my avatar photo ). If you do decide to use a harness later, try getting them used to it every once in a while from a young age.

That's right. Initially I was using car harnesses to walk my dogs and they just found it easier to pull. This is where I find the Lupi more convenient. Like Halti, Lupi is also meant to stop dogs from pulling. However, it's near impossible for a dog to get out of the Lupi, so I find it safer.

Are you using any sprays like Urine Off to clean the surface where she pees? Normal cleaning sprays don't take the smell off and the dog thinks it's ok to go there.

My retriever digs up stones from the backyard and eats them. I sometimes find stones in her poo. I can't keep her confined inside all the time. She has lots of chew toys. Do you know if this is caused by any kind of deficiency in her system? Odin is with her all the time but he doesn't eat stones.

My dogs used to be on Eukanuba puppy food. I have recently changed their diet to Hills Science puppy food. Their coat definitely seems better. But Odin would never eat dry food alone!! So I always mix the dry food with some soft food or mince.

My dogs have always travelled with a harness on the back seat since they were little puppies. I put a dog hammock (you can get it from pet shops) which covers the car seats and keeps them comfortable. The leads that connect to the harness are usually short, so no scope of tangling. I usually keep it just long enough so that they can comfortably stand if required. It's worked really well for me and they travel well in the car. I initially got a medium harness for my retriever pup and adjusted the width. It's only alst month that she graduated to a large size!!

I am glad things are working out. Every puppy is difficult in its own way. When i got my first puppy last christmas (Odin, the Elkhound), the breeders warned me he may not eat for two days and may cry the whole night. Well, he had a full meal that night and slept like an angel. But he drove us crazy with his toilet training. He just would not go out even though I have a dog door leading to teh back yard. Every day during the Christmas holidays I would get up at 4.00 am and take him out. And he screamed each time we left him alone. So, he was quite a high maintenance puppy. There were times when all i wanted was to be able to sleep peacefully for a few hours. Not to mention that we loved him to bits so probably he was a bit spoilt!! But things improved when he was about four months old. And getting our golden retriver (Genie) helped. So, I am sure Honey will adjust soon!!

My elkhound used to do the same thing when he was a pup. He would sit down and refuse to move and look like the cutest pup ever!!! Not even freshly roasted chicken could move him (his trainer tried that). And he's not a timid dog at all. Just extremely stubborn like all spitz breeds. But soon he realised walking is more fun. Now he pulls!!!

My puppies have been going through one bed a week!!! Two months back I bought super strong 'almost chew proof' bean bags. They put holes in them within two days. Now I have bought trampoline beds for them and they have lasted two months. And they seem to enjoy the beds too.

I never crated any of my puppies. They sleep in regular dog beds (trampoline beds now). However, I had a lot of trouble toilet training my first puppy (elkhound). He would refuse to go out when it was too hot or too wet. One thing that really worked well for me was 'Urine Off' spray. Puppies (dogs as well) think that it is ok to go where they can smell their previous pee. So, teh first step is to take the smell off completely. Urine Off does this very well. I had tried every kind of household cleaning spray. Nothing worked except urine off.

My elkhound has a sensitive stomach so raw food doesn't go down too well. I have changed their diet from Eukanuba to Hills Science, and it seems to work well for my golden retriever's coat.

Hi, I'm new to this forum. But thought I'd share my experience. My first puppy (a Norwegian Elkhound, who is now almost a year old) used to pull a lot. Our trainer suggested a 'Lupi' harness which is gentle for the spine but stops dogs from pulling. This seems to work like a miracle. My other puppy (a seven month old Golden Retriever) doesn't pull, and walks like an angel!!!