Cuchulain

Just our usual 10 minutes round the block this morning. It's been too hot to do anything this afternoon. I am also dealing with some intense pain from an infection where I had an emergency root canal treatment done just before Christmas and I'm not coping with the pain AND the heat. I'd possible cope with one but not both!

If one more person tells me Max is a beautiful Weimaraner I'm going to cry! Of course what throws them is that while he is a Rhodesian Ridgeback, he doesn't have a ridge! He's totally the wrong colour and shape for a Weimaraner though so I'm not quite sure how so many people keep ending up there! Cheryl of Gondwana Rhodesian Ridgebacks is one of the few breeders who do not euth. ridgeless ups but goes to great lengths to find suitable pet homes. I am very glad Max is ridgeless because if he had a ridge he wouldn't have come to live with me! The best was a lady with a stunning adult male RR stopped us on the beach last week and asked what he was. When I told her she promptly said "Oh, well he's obviously not got a pedigree then." I was so pleased to be able tell her that Max's dad is the KUSA National Ridgeback Champion 2nd year running and that Max himself is KUSA registered with a no breeding restriction. She was stunned to say the least.

Not even I get roast chicken Poodlefan! OK, I can see that having Max is going to change my eating habits too and that I'm going to have to learn to cook!

I use a training collar (at least that is what they are called over here). It is a webbing strip joined with a short section of chain and the lead is attached to the chain. It looks like a modified choker chain. It was sent down with him from the breeder and is what she uses on her adult dogs. This is puppy version and he has just about out-grown it. Kim didn't really say how to handle the "no-ears, only want to play" thing but she did suggest changing direction when he pulls. Focus/watch me...I have been working on this at home. I normally reward him for looking at me when I say his name. I have been working on holding the eye contact for longer and longer periods and at home we can get 10 or 12 seconds but not where there are other dogs. I use a variety of rewards. Most commonly I have in my pocket Montego/Beeno/Eukanuba treats which I break into small pieces and I try to reward every time he does something correctly. At dog school I use vienna sausage or dried sausage (droe wors) or even biltong (jerky) but I find the last 2 cause problems for the other dog owners as then I have all the pups in class disctracted Max comes to work with me and our day is fairly structured. We walk before work, 10 minutes around the block with a little training on the walk. During the course of the day, between calls and work in the workshop I will try and fit in 10 or 15 minutes of training in 3 or 4 minute sessions, focusing on sit, down, and stay. In the afternoon, after work, we either go down to the beach or if that isn't an option we go down to the vet and walk around their block as it is a safe place with no loose dogs Thanks for all the suggestions, I will be stricter on our morning walks and will change direction immediately he pulls. I'll keep you posted on our progress. EFS

Max, my 4 month-old Ridgeback has been coming along well I thought. When we are on our own, with no other dogs present, he is obedient and mostly well-behaved. He walks around the block (about 10 minutes) mostly on a loose lead - the first minute or 2 he is very bouncy and sometimes pulls but he soon settles down and walks nicely. (Until there's an irresistable smell that simply has to be investigated ) He will sit and down. He does TOT for his food and we have made almost a minute now before I release him. However, when he sees another dog he become impossible, he pulls on the lead and seems to become deaf. His entire being is focused on the other dog/s and nothing else matters. Today at dog school I was so embarrassed because it was like I had done no work with him at all over the holidays, he just wanted to play. When we are out walking and he sees another dog and begins to pull - what should I be doing? How do I deal with this issue? He is only 4 months old and he could pull me off my feet if he really tried. (I have a Menierre's disease and my sense of balance is not what it should be which doesn't help the situation.) It has been mentioned in another thread that puppy schools where off-lead play is encouraged can cause this and other problems - at the puppy school we attended off-lead play was a big thing and a lot of our time was spent with the puppies off-lead playing. They said it was socialisation and it was very important so that the dogs didn't become dog-aggressive. I'm now having my doubts about this. What am I doing wrong? What have I done wrong in the past? But most of all how do I fix this?

It was so hot today that dog school wasn't fun. I ended up using my water to pour over Max to try and keep him cool. The humidity was almost unbearable and I was just glad I wasn't participating in the agility competition on the other side of town today where a lot of the instructors were. We had a new instructor today, Kim, she is the daughter of our usual instructor (Marcia) who was at the agility competition with her Border Collies. If the weather had been nicer it would have been a very enjoyable class. I am having issues with Max but I'm going to post in the training thread for advice, because today was like I'd never done any work with him at all - he just wanted to play with the other dogs.

Hi Daisy, Max is a Rhodesian Ridgeback and the best thing that ever happened to me. I'll admit it's been a steep learning curve since I only know cats. Thanks for starting this thread, although I'm very new to the dog world I think it's wonderful to have a group of people motivating each other like this.

Wow, Marty's a lovely boy! Good lord, I've never seen tan and white! Although I've never seen a brindle Boerboel I asked my dad and he says he's seen one or two a long time ago on the mines where he grew up (he's nearly 80 now so it WAS a long time ago!)

We went down to the beach again this morning at 06:30. A little early for my dad but the weather was stunning and the beach full of people. There were a lot of dogs off-lead so I didn't enjoy it quite as much as I might have but we had no trouble and Max was infinitely better behaved this morning than he was last night. It is now hotter than hell out and I probably won't take him for a walk tonight. We have obedience classes in Port Elizabeth tomorrow (about 80km one way) so he'll probably not go for a walk tomorrow either.

Now you guys have got me thinking...Max's puppy school encouraged off-lead play. Usually when all of us had managed to complete a specific task. Since our class was only 3 (a springer spaniel, my ridgie and toy pom) there was a fair amount of play. I also thought this was "good" socialisation however, having read SK's posts I'm now wondering if my issues with Max at the beach are linked? He also just wants to rush over and play with anything furry on four legs. I'm struggling to control him sometimes.

:D Don't leave the bog roll on the holder - put it where the dog can't get to it...that has to be my biggest lesson so far I think. After 20 or more years of only being a slave to cats, none of whom ever showed the slightest inclination to trash toilet paper, my illusions have been shattered! Secondly don't ever leave the toilet door open, especially if you intend trying to use said bog roll (now residing up on the window sill!) Thirdly - I didn't expect to have to buy a bigger bed BUT let's face it, me (and I'm not small) 2 cats and a growing Ridgie just don't fit on a three-quarter bed and I think that is only going to get worse by the week! I think the best thing I have learned since Max's arrival is the meaning of unconditional love! He doesn't care what's happening in my life - he just loves me! It has truly been the most wonderful thing! I wish I'd been able to get a dog sooner in my life and not waited until I was nearly 47. I'm sorry that none of this is profound wisdom but I found it interesting when contemplating your question over breakfast this morning that these are what came to mind. When I came back to this thread after work this afternoon I decided to post anyway (I did have some doubts this morning!) Sheesh, my spelling sucks today - EFS

:D Max and I did the 10 minute morning stroll around the block with a little bit of training. Then this afternoon my dad came with us to the beach which meant we could stay longer and walk further. THANKS DAD!! Also it was low tide so there was stacks of interesting stuff to investigate and miles of hard sand to walk on. We were there about an hour but it was spoiled for me by a golden retriever with no owner running riot up and down the beach. It was very difficult to keep Max under control as he kept wanting to run off after this <insert expletive of choice> dog. It also meant no off-lead time at all on the beach and I was a bit disappointed by that since Max enjoys it so BUT with him acting like a total tit there was no way I was going to take a chance and let him off. Oh well, perhaps my dad will feel like another walk tomorrow and we can try again Fixed my spelling, sorry

I have a Royal Canin bucket supplied by the rep. which just nicely holds a 15kg bag of Eukanuba :D :laugh: It has a lovely hinged lid which keeps Max out and I think when he's fully grown it will be the right height to double as a stand for his dish

10 minutes this morning (round the block at the workshop) with some sniffing and we had a riot on the beach this afternoon. We met a nice lady with an adult Ridgie and a SWF. Max and the Ridgie (called Neptune) had a whale of a time playing off-lead for about 10 minutes before we saw some other dogs heading our way and we had to put the guys back on lead. She then headed off to finish her walk (she does Supertubes to the Main Beach and back twice a day! and she was only half way when we distracted her) and we ambled back to the car, sniffing all the exposed rocks (low tide) and all the beached seaweed - it was fun!

Yes please, sign me up! Although I can't walk Max long as he is still too young I do need the motivation to get my bum into gear and do it at least once a day. The weather here has been really foul since before Christmas. It's either blazing hot at 05:00 or there's a howling gale! Thanks for the motivation, I think it's a great idea.

Only ever having had cats for 20 or more years, feeding and sterilizing the feral colonies in town out of my own pocket - I've been Jeffreys Bay's CCL for all the time I've lived here! (Just worked it out, that's 15 years - How time flies!) Now I'm getting strange looks and "I thought you were a cat person!" from every single person I know, and several I don't know. My family are the worst. The only support I've had is from my vet and the staff there, the PE Kennel Club obedience trainers and here. I am getting tired of comments about Max's size, the absence of a ridge (how can he be a ridgeback - he doesn't have ridge!) but the one that gets up my nose most is: "What do you want a dog for?" Sigh! I'm now a grumpy CCL with a dog!

:) O...M...G! You people have just scared me sh!tless! :D :D Here was I congratulating myself because I thought I was perhaps getting a handle on Max's need to chew on people. In the last 2 days he has only chewed me once and my dad once the day before yesterday (compared to 4 or 5 times a day!) Please excuse any typos- cut my finger on the garden clippers this afternoon and it won't stop bleeding.

In spite of my homework, sas, I've had several of those! Only my pup is large and getting bigger by the minute! I knew it wasn't always going to go right and I put the mistakes we both make behind us and move on. After all, we are both learning here, I think the big thing is attitude - if you know it isn't going to be perfect you don't have all those expectations to be shattered. I can't believe that she now wants another kind of dog. Puppies are puppies. They require the same amount of effort and commitment no matter their size.

Sigh! Really! Some people should be suffocated at birth! What do you think a pup is going to do/be? A model dog from day one? With no training or input from you? Let's not discuss leaving it alone for most of day... Honestly, I'm a first time owner, I spent years (no exaggeration, 2.5 at least) researching which breed would be most suitable for my lifestyle and situation. I went to puppy school without a dog to see different breeds and how they turn out. I even went to the local kennel club to check out different breeds and watch the obedience and agility classes offered there. Doing a lot of computer work for my vet I've followed some pups for 2 or more years - watching and learning! While I realise I am not normal, surely people do some research (or at least THINK) before going out and getting an animal, You don't buy a dog on impulse, do you?

Joined and sent out as many invitations as I had available.

Sigh, our lot started before dark and continued until about 02:00. I'm so chuffed that my furry bunch appear to be totally unfazed by the whole episode - Max slept through most of them while the cats sat on the windowsill watching the pretty lights It was only me who was pissy about it...I've been missing my sleep - the noise and parties have been ongoing for more than a week and unike the holiday makers, I'm still working (miserable git that I am!)

Oh joy! My neighbours from up country (Vaalies for all those ex-pats lucky enough to be living in Oz!), bless them, have not only brought their vicious dogs with them to an unfenced holiday property, they have been discharging fireworks for about 10 days. Fireworks are illegal here and permits are not given to individuals. However calling the cops is a waste of a phone call! I am very lucky in that neither of the cats nor Max appear to take any notice of the noise or lights. Horus, I can but live in hope that there is a God, and that he/she is an animal lover!

Oh yes...I'll second that. Most of the dogs I know are better behaved than any of the kids around here, especially those belonging to my family! Mind you, I'd never just pitch with my dog, I'd always ask first. As he comes to work with me I am careful about making assumptions that he will always be welcome on-site with me. Some customers are disappointed if I pitch without him but others would probably have a heart attack if I brought him with me. I also say to people that I'll not be offended if they say that they don't want him - not everybody is keen on dogs and not all situations are suitable to take your dog.

Sending all the good vibes we can muster for Grover. Thinking of you and praying for you all

It hasn't happened again but they are fed at the same time in difference places. Open plan housing can be such a PITA sometimes!