aussielover

I won't be able to have my own dog for at least 2-3years, but I have been thinking a lot about what breed it will be. I have a shortlist but it is soo hard to decide! Obviously it will depends on my situation at the time, but my shortlist for now is: 1. Aussie (obviously!) 2. Labrador (mindy inspired!) 3. GSP 4. Bernese Mountian Dog I also really want to get a rescue from the pound or rescue group! I'm not too bothered with shedding and grooming, but I am finding Mindy's coat quite easy, especially good for wet weather, swimming etc. I found her to be a bit more full on as a puppy, but very trainable. She already has more tricks and commands than my two previous dogs combined! I'm not an experienced trainer but I have owned dogs before. I am quite active and I like to take my dogs for at least 2 x 1hr walks daily I have a small/medium backyard at the moment but a large house. I may move during the next couple of years though and I will hopefully have a house with a large backyard (my dream anyway) I work fulltime, but am able to take my dog to work. There would also be the possibility of more than one dog (so company if alone) After Clover passed away, I was sure it would be another aussie. I am not sure any dog will ever be able to replace Clover though and I don't know if another Aussie would remind me of her too much Now I have Mindy, I am quite taken by labs... I love both breeds, but for different reasons. I know labs and aussies work for me and are suitable for my lifestyle and training abilities. But I also think GSP's and Berners could work as well... I also like those kelpie cross type dogs found quite commonly in pounds, but I know there is no guarantee with temperament, health (although I've often found them to be quite hardy) and suitability for my lifestyle. How do people decide on the breed? Especially if there are 3 or 4 that may be suitable? Do you just get one of each Seriously though, I would consider getting more than one dog for sure, but I know temperament matching is important. I'd be interested to hear what others think would be most suitable for me though (from a more objective and non biased point of view). I'm also interested to know how others have narrowed down their shortlist of dogs to one...

My prevoius dog didn't start using the kennel until it was a really cold and rainy day and there was no where else for him to be. After that, there was no problem with getting him to use it. Probably not the best way to get your dog to like the kennel though!

If she is already sleeping in a kennel, there should be no problem with the crate. But if she is house trained and doesn't destroy things when not supervised, perhaps a crate isn't neccesary? It is handy for when you visit other people though.

It is comforting to know other people are having the same problems and issues as me! I must say Mindy is great now though and I am really starting to enjoy her (rather than her draining all my energy!). But the first couple of weeks were pretty hard, I kept saying omg I am never getting a labrador puppy again, but now I think I would be able to have another lab puppy. I think the hardest part is not knowing how long it will go on for, I kept thinking it would be forever, many people had told me their labs were terrible until 5/6 years old which did not help. It has been about a week and half since she started to settle down a lot and I could really love her and enjoy her. to the OP, I hope you can see you are not the only one feeling this way! And you must know it does get better within a matter of WEEKS (not months or years)

Thankyou for your suggestions. I have decided to perservere with the crate in the laundary as she has been good for the last 3 nights and no barking or accidents. It has been actually over a week now since she has had an accident overnight. I think she may be settling down a bit now, she seems a lot calmer overall.

Yeah I'm not a fan of getting up to my puppy either. Thankfully she has pretty much been able to hold on all night from 8 weeks. She has had a few accidents overnight if she gets worked up barking though.I spoke to someone today who stills gets up for their 18 month old lab 3 times a night! I agree with Saxonpup that you can still toilet train your pup even if you are using puppy pads/newspaper overnight or during the day while you are away. We haven't had any accidents for a week now (my pup is 12 weeks old) in the house, at work/uni or overnight and I used the puppy pads overnight for the first few weeks.

If you want to keep feeding him dry food, just keep taking the bowl away after 20 mintues. He will soon get that he has to eat all the food in the time allocated or go hungry. It is not unhealthy or cruel. If you want to feed him raw food, there is lots of good info on this forum, just search BARF or raw diet etc.

Are you crate training her? If you leave her in the crate she is more likely to try to hold on through the night. You should get up to her every 4 hrs if she is consistently having these accidents. Does she cry to let you know she needs ot go out?

Thanks everyone! I only bathed her because the vet recommended it. Before yesterday she hadn't been bathed for a month. Where would you get sardine oil? will fish oil have the same effect? Also, what brush is best for her? I was given a bristle brush but it doesn't seem to be that effective at removing dirt or the dandruff

Hey, RPMgirl you should head over to the lab forum and post some pics of your girl! You seem to have started off really well! Labs are really smart aren't they, and quite easily trained (if you take the time and effort). Can you fence off the area in the garden she is to be allowed in? Or you could put a puppy playpen in the garden where she can't destroy anything. Unfortunately my lab puppy leanred at 10 weeks how to escape from the play pen... I don't think five hours is too long to leave in the laundary as long as you don't expect her to hold on for that long. Leave some puppy pads or newspaper on the floor in case. You could even put some soil in a tray or some turf.

Mindy has dandruff. The vet recommended Aloveen shampoo. I have tried this and it didn't help (maybe even made it a bit worse). I was careful to wash it all out as instructed. Can anyone recommend anything else? Thanks By the way mindy is a labrador puppy

By the way, i would say the pooing at night is either illness or stress related as most puppies of that age can hold on all night (poo at least).

Hey, I totally understand how you are feeling. I am the owner of a 12 week old labrador and totally felt that way for the first two weeks. I was kind of thinking "what have I done?". They really do get better once they settle down and get into the routine of the home. When you can't watch your puppy put him in the puppy playpen or crate and give him some toys. You can also give him a stuffed kong or some other type of chew. Leave your puppy purposely for at least one hour a day. Go and do some shopping or something completely non dog related. Your puppy is fully vaccinated? You can start taking him for walks and perhaps to a park where he can be on a long lead and run around for a bit. I do about five, 15 minute play sessions with my pup I also do a 10 minute walk twice a day and around five 5 minute training sessions. The rest of the time the puppy sleeps. Re the diarhhoea, it can last up to a week if it is just stress. What food are you feeding him? As CW EW suggested, chicken and rice is good to settle tummies. If you couldn;t be bothered to make this, you can get a product from the vet called Hills i/d cans which are essentially chicken and rice in a can. If the problem persists longer than a week or the puppy becomes more unwell with vomiting and is lethargic, take him to the vet as somehting else may be going on. Good luck, but I am sure he will settle, you've only had him for 3 days after all. It took around a month for me to actually begin to really enjoy my puppy and really love her (that sounds bad doesn't it?). But it can be a really stressful time, especially if you haven;t had a dog before or for a while, or your previous dog was perfect! Now she is pretty good and a pleasure to have around and I really love her.

I also think mini schnauzer or mini poodle. A greyhound ticks all the boxes except size. Even the smallest greyhound could barely be called a medium sized dog let alone small.

Ok I spoke to guide dogs and they said it would be ok to temporarily have her in the bedroom. If I do crate her in my bedroom, will this create issues with her not being allowed upstairs? Will she start to think she is allowed upstairs? At the moment she is quite good about not going up and has never tried. I am worried that once she knows that there is "stuff" up there she will want to go up?

Thankyou Corvus that was exactly what I was trying to express

Yep to the kong- but it makes her hyper and more likely to bark.

Most kids are actually pretty willing to listen to you when you do tell them how to approach a dog, stroke it etc... But sometimes the parents are not.

Well, at least you have managed to put them off for a year or two Hopefully they will be able to think about what a committment a dog is during this time. Perhaps when the kids are older, they may be in a better situation to think about getting a dog.

I don't like the idea of pulling on my dogs neck, which can happen, even by accident. No, but what if the tool works for them and they never have problems using it? Perhaps you could enlighten me as to whether the average owner with a problem dog can train their dog in one day to walk on a flat collar and lead? I personally have not been able to achieve this, though I am willing to accept that perhaps I have not been shown a good method to achieve this or that I am not doing the method i have been shown correctly (though I think i am), depsite attending a puppy school and being in regular contact with puppy trainers from guide dogs. In my experience it takes time and effort on the owners part to train the dog, especially if it has the bad habits already. I absolutely agree with you that training is the best option but in the meantime while you are training the dog, it still needs to be exercised. Also, how do you know when you need a trainer? How long should you try by yourself? What age can you expect a dog to achieve walking on a lead?

Mindy doesn't whine, she full on howls and barks! She has been good for the last two nights though. After her last toilet break I have let her become sleepy in the TV room and then relocated her to the crate. She has slept for about 8 hrs and not had an accident. I'd like her to sleep on my bed but sadly this is not allowed Thanks for your suggestions, hopefully she will settle down soon.

Now that is a straight out LIE!!! Puppies have that gorgeous, GORGEOUS puppy breath :rolleyes: :rolleyes: Nothing beats a Lab puppy breath :rofl: Erm I don't think Mindy smells... PerhapsI have become desenstized then I didn't mean she smells (bad) Your Mindy didn't come to you with that gorgeous sweet smelling puppy breath?!?! I miss puppy breath so much Well, I suppose her breath is a bit smelly... But I like it! I also love her doggy smell, I much prefer it to those really strong perfumes (which I think i'm allergic to!). And I love her the way her paws smell, which is weird! I doubt Guide Dogs would give her a puppy unless she changed some of her criteria (like being allowed inside) and attitude. I thought they might be willing to change their mind if it was only for one year though. Our dogs usually sleep outside, but we have allowed Mindy to be inside because it will just be for the year. Sadly, I think she will still be able to get a registered choc lab with papers despite her obvious shortcomings as a potential owner. Just because breeders are registered doesn't automatically make them responsible...

I quite like the smell of trigene sort of reminds me of apples or something, its a very good disinfectant as well and effective against parvo as well

Mindy is the opposite, she wants to rush up and say hi, her bum goes all wiggly, its very cute. But not as cute if the kid doesn't like dogs or is scared of dogs. I have to try get her to ignore the kids though. She's very good with them and doesn't do any mouthing which is strange as she does this to adults. I do get annoyed though when they rush over and start hugging her. At least I can say she is a guide dog puppy, so she needs training, that usually makes them listen and back off a bit.

Now that is a straight out LIE!!! Puppies have that gorgeous, GORGEOUS puppy breath Nothing beats a Lab puppy breath Erm I don't think Mindy smells... PerhapsI have become desenstized then