raineth

You sound so dedicated so I'm sure everything will work out in time One thing you can consider when you are busy and he gets up to mischief (and as he's not fully crate trained yet) is to tether him to you (usually easy if you are wearing a belt). This means he is right there with you and you know exactly what he's doing. I did this with my Dane puppy and a foster puppy and it worked well with both of them. Stick some treats in your pocket and you can easily take a moment to teach him the behaviour you want.

Well the guide dogs have the access rights as they are performing a job for their owner, the puppy isn't performing a job yet. We see heaps of guide dog puppies accessing supermarkets etc here. They have to go to these places so they can be used to them.

Very sorry for your loss Farewell Strolchie. Remember that what matters the most is the years of happiness you gave him, and he gave you.

I'm sorry to hear this Wuffles. I have a soft spot for Satchmo as he often reminds me of Digby when you write about him. I wish you and him the best of luck and happy times together.

Yes I think Burn Out sounds about right. This week has been a bad week carpet wise. We hafe a two week holiday cming up next month and she is staying with friends who work from home and have a rescue dog of their own who plays well with our dog. It's the best place for our dog but I am feeling very guilty about the mess they have to clean up when they need to go go out too. I'm glad to hear that :) Friends are gold aren't they? Don't let yourself feel guilty, just make sure they know how much you appreciate it (as I'm sure you would anyway) :)

PaddoPup, I'm sorry to hear about the troubles you and your dog are going through. I think you might be suffering from a bit of Burn Out which happens when you try very hard for a long time and the things you've done haven't improved the situation. I do believe there are more things you can try, be it medication or a behavioural therapy. But if you're feeling burnt out you probably don't have the energy to take on the challenges of trying new things. I wonder if you can find a way to recoup for a little bit. Maybe this could be done by having someone else mind her for you during the times you are not home? Just for a week or something, for you to feel a little less burnt out and feel like you have regained some of your energy. Then you could re-examine the situation with and make a decision from there. I could of course be way off the mark, you'll know yourself if I am :) . I just think that because behaviour modification is up to us humans to implement it can be important to think about how we are feeling and coping with the process, as we are the other half of the equation. It sounds like you have already committed so much to her, and you are very fond of her :) . I can only imagine how exhausting and stressful it must be.

Oh he is just lovely!

I would take him to the pound. Or you might be able to get them to come and pick him up, but I can never get our local pound to do this. IF he goes to the pound he will have a chance of finding a better home :)

Rude

I'm not sure how many people you work with, but I do think having a lot of dogs together could be be a bit fraught. And as you yourself have mentioned it could really get quite tricky working out the practicalities of it all such as determining who has a suitable dog to bring to work. Maybe you could make it 'bring your dog to work week' and people have a day where they bring their dog in, so there is just one or two dogs there on any given day? I do think dogs can be wonderfully relaxing to have around. But I don't really imagine that having many dogs, who have never met each other before, all together, in one space designed for working and not for dogs, would be a very relaxing experience for many people, or for many of the dogs. So if you just let veryone have a turn on a separate day it might work out a bit better maybe :)

hard to pick one, but my top three would be: fulfilling life (social and mental needs met). Being physically fit. Having access to a place that they feel safe enough and comfortable enough to fully relax and go to sleep.

He's just sssooooo lovely!

I don't think its unethical to rehome, its the way rehoming is done that is important. However, I do wonder whether maybe you are over-thinking things a bit; for instance the dogs ate your guinea pig, so its pretty understandable that you feel quite upset about that, and it might take you a while to come to terms with that. Maybe you could just find a way to enjoy your dogs for there doggy-selves, maybe they don't have to have a very close bond with you in order for you to all enjoy each others' company. Don't worry about whether you made the right decision to get the younger one, it's already happened. I guess I'm just wondering if you could reposition you relationship with these dogs and whether it still has value and is worth sticking with even if its not perfect? Only you will know for sure whether what I've written is way off the mark or worth considering :) Goodluck with whatever you decide to do.

The oth thing to remember is that if a citronella collar is used the poor Dane would be punished every time the Grey barks as they are in a small room together. Putting a dog in a situation in which they have no control over a punishing stimulus is not healthy. I thinks it's bettere for both dogs if a non - punishing method is used.

Out current behaviourist taught me to praise and reward Justice any time he does an action designed to bring his stress levels down, including shake offs, as it encourages him to deal with his stress in a healthy way rather than using reactive behaviours to cope. :) oh that is brilliant Snook thanks for sharing it :)

oh how lovely! Congratulations! I'm glad you're going with Koda, because it probably wouldn't be great if pup grew into the name Loki and became a God of Mischief

Isn't that great Mantis :) What a responsible big brother :) I have a lot of kids approach my dogs and I always make sure I give the ones who do it properly a lot of praise; hopefully they'll remember to do it next time. The ones who don't I teach them how to do it. Sometimes parents do teach their kids the right way to approach dogs but it has been forgotten. Often with some kids they need lots of practice to remember the right way to do it.

Did anyone see any Italian Spinone?

Although I haven't had much to do with these dogs, I imagine that a Lapphund or a Schipperke could work. I think the best thing to do when you're a bit overwhelmed with making a choice is to narrow it down to 2 or 3 breeds that have the right attributes for your lifestyle and then go to a show where you can meet them. You might find that when you see them in real life and get to interact with them that you will really be attracted to one breed more than the others :)

OMG! They have a Spinoni stall there!!! That would make me go in a heartbeat. Except I can't because my folks are visiting this weekend

On the breed issue, I was wondering whether an Aussie Terrier would suit. They have a non-shedding coat but it wouldn't get things like burrs stuck in badly like I imagine a shih-tzu would for example. The one we fostered, his coat would pick up things, but then they would just easily slide out without getting knotted. I'm like you, I like to start thinking of a breed well in advance :)

Welcome :) Sorry for your loss My feeling would be to wait until your little ones are older. This is mainly because you really forget how much work a puppy can be! They can be just as much work as a toddler in that first 12 months; and if you've already got kids in that age bracket then it can leave you a bit burnt out. Possibly you could get a dog (not a puppy) although you may need to look hard for a dog that suits what you want, and is socialised to babies, toddlers and horses.

Oh it's lovely to see how happy and relaxed they are :) Do you know if there were any Spinone there?

I can understand the breeder sending you that email. From your post it really comes across as though money is a major concern for you and the driving force behind your decisions. That may not at all be the case in reality; but that is definitely the way you are coming across. The fact that you have researched a lot about price, yet don't know that a pup generally comes with one vaccination, also does not come across well because it seems evidence that you're more interested in saving money than learning about what you need to know to take care of your puppy. Again, I want to reiterate that you may not be like that at al, but it is the impression that comes across. I know from your other thread that you are obviously quite considerate and concerned with choosing the right breed and the welfare of your gf's pet, so I am pretty sure that you are different to how you are coming across in your posts in this thread. So just talk to the breeder. As people have said getting a puppy is not a time to question every little cost and to try to find bargains. The money you pay for the pup and its transportation to you will be but a drop in the ocean to the ongoing costs of maintaining the puppy; so concentrate your efforts on making good value for money decisions about the everyday costs of puppy raising and having a dog and just pay the breeder the money she has asked for - it is obviously a reasonable amount or you wouldn't have gone with it in the first place.

gosh. that poor dog i'm glad you found out what he was like in time MUP!