Magstar

Yes, the same instructor takes the other classes. I think there is a class (different instructor) starting tomorrow night at another vet clinic. Maybe if I'm lucky they will have a spot left. I don't like my chances though!

Well I don't know about normal ...but she is definately friendly! I'm worried that she is a little too tolerant though. I've been thinking maybe we could ask the instructor if we could possibly change to a different class with different bunch of pups. My OH thinks we should give it one more week and see how it goes., but I don't know if that is wise.

I'm located in the Macarthur region (near Camden). As far As I know there aren't any obedience clubs around here that do classes for puppies. If somebody knows otherwise then I would love to find out!

We had our first puppy preschool class with Oscar yesterday, and now I know why there are some people who are against puppy preschools.. I think we just had a lot of bad luck with the range of puppies that were in the class. There were 5 puppies in total. One puppy turned out to be quite aggressive towrads any puppy that went anywhere near it, one puppy just wanted to chase the other puppies, one puppy was from a very bad background and was extremely timid and scared of people and the other puppies, and the final puppy was a cute little pug that was the size of a guinea pig. The aggressive puppy was the first dog that Oscar had an intereaction with. He growled and snapped at Oscar, which made him scared and uneasy for the rest of the class. He was then also chased by the other puppy which made things worse. The poor pug got hammered by those 2 as well, but was a real trooper! The only puppy that was approachable was the pug...but he was a bit small for Oscar! The only reason we were attending puppy preschool was for the socialisation aspect, but I feel that it actually would have made things worse for him rather than better! We still have 3 more weeks to go and I'm wondering if it would be worth going back! I feel like it should have been a lot more controlled. The problem is that I don't really know any other dogs to socialise Oscar with that I trust to be a good influence on him. My friend's dogs are all a bit wild,and my only family member that has a dog is an ex puppy farm dog and has issues, so I am really stuck on trying to socialise him! He has our older dog to play with, but I know that's not enough. I feel like I am failing him. At least the pug was friendly!

Before Oscar could hold on during the night we had him penned in the bedroom with a plastic sheet underneath the penned area, with newspaper on top. The only problem was that it was noisy when he walked around on it! A crate would have been much easier to use I think!

I have never minded people feeding my dog leftover bits of meat.... My girl has always been more on the skinny side so it has never been a problem. I do prefer that they ask me first though. What I absolutely hate is when people give her junk food like chips and biscuits and other sorts of people food! That really annoys me and I usually let them know I'm not happy about my dog eating junk food. I don't let anyone give my new puppy anything other than his own treats or food.

Our puppy slept in our bedroom from day one and he didn't cry at all except when he needed to go out. If thats an option for you then I would recomend it.

HAHAHA Sorry but I have to laugh at Mindy's cockroach attempt. She looks like she is all hips and no body! She's beautiful though I just had a "yay!" moment with Oscar. I couldn't see him in the yard so I called his name (not expecting any sort of response) and he came running from one of the garden beds. That's a first! I don't care what other tricks/commands that he know...I would just love for him to come when called! We have a big yard which makes life difficult with him sometimes.

I got frustrated just reading that so I can't imagine how frustrated you must be feeling! Some people will never learn....and its most probably because they don't WANT to learn.

Sounds like everyone's pups are going really well! Oscar is now 11 weeks old and only has the occasional accidents inside. So far he knows - "sit" which he mastered almost from day 1, "leave it", which I use for him to wait for his dinner. I don't have to hold him back anymore. It also occasionally works for things that I don't want him to chew. "come", which he will only obey when he is inside (outside there is too many distractions!) "stay", but once again only in a no distraction situation. We are working on "drop" at the moment. Most importantly he hasn't chewed any of the furniture in a week or 2 yay! He also knows to sit for pats and he rarely bites anymore. Oh and he sleeps through the night without any accidents He can be a terror at times, but he is usually pretty good.

My cousin recently got a puppy that was only 5 weeks old. It was a cross-breed probably from a BYB. I was so shocked/upset when I found out how young it was! The poor puppy died a week later from parvo

Is there any one on here who can recommend a good puppy pre-school class in the Picton/Camden area? Thanks!

AWww borderfan he is sooo cute! How exciting for you!

nicolatu - Thanks, I will have to try some eucalyptus oil. Borderfan - Thats great that you might be getting a puppy!! Goldee - She is so beautiful! Oscar broke his perfect record tonight and did a wee in the house :D. I'm so annoyed at myself because I should have taken him outside sooner.

Goldee I think we need to see some photos of your beautiful girl

Oscar had a much better night last night. We changed his sleeping arrangements so that he had free access to half the house (we thought he deserved this because he hasn't done any wees in the house). He was much happier not being in a pen. He slept most of the night next to our bed. He came and woke me up at about 5.30 to go outside for a wee. I was very impressed that he actually figured out that he had to come and wake me! It's something I expect of my adult dog but not a puppy! He jsut keeps amazing me. His one downfall is that he loves to chew the wooden furniture (especially knobs). We tried putting mustard on them...which he licked off, then we tried a commercial spray....which he licked off. Nothing stops him. The strange thing is that he only seems to do it when we are right there with him.

borderfan, that must be so awful not knowing and having to wait! I hope you find out soon.

We had a bad night with Oscar last night. He did not want to settle, just wanted to play. I think it was because he had had a big sleep pretty late in the afternoon. We will have to make sure we keep him awake all afternoon/evening so that he sleeps at night! It's raining here today so We have a very wet and dirty puppy. The rain doesnt bother him at all. My older dog, Maggie, is a lot more comfortable with Oscar. She loves playing with him, but will walk away when she's had enough. A few times she has been the one who wanted to start the playing which is good. She never gets grouchy at him or anything, she's just very good at finding a quiet spot away from him when she isn't in the mood. She mostly walks away because he keeps trying to bite her tail! When they are playing she looks so happy though, which makes it all worth while. I've got some photos of the 2 playing together so I will post them shortly. Just a quick brag - Day 4 and still no accidents in the house!

Oscar!

Our older dog was a bit unsure at first, but has relaxed now. They've had a good couple of plays together outside which was fun to watch. Shes very gentle with him. I'm hoping that they will continue to bond with time. I think its going to take a little longer for her to get to that happy place, but she's not unhappy at the moment...just adjusting. The toilet training has still be going really well. Day 3 and still not a single accident inside!

We got our wonderful Oscar yesterday. He has been so good so far. He has not had a single accident inside! He goes to the door when he really needs to go, but we also have made sure that we take him out often enough as well. He already understands "sit". And I also showed him once to sit at the door before I will open it for him, and now he does that every time without being told. I've also been teaching him to come which he is responding to very well. I am so amazed at how well he has settled into our home. He whined for about 30 secs when we put him to bed and thats been the only noise he has made. I thought that because he came from a large litter he would feel lonely without all of his brother and sisters, but he seems very happy. I will try to upload some photos later.

Yvette - How exciting! I love GSDs. Thats great that you got first pick of the litter. Was the choice an easy one? We get our boy on Saturday! I can't wait. The breeder gave us the option of getting him today, but hubby's been having some really long days at work, so we thought it best to wait for the weekend so that we can enjoy him together :D

Nushie - I love your new boy. He is so cute!

Hi, Can anyone please tell me whether or not foxes can get parvo and pass it onto dogs? I've heard that dogs can get distemper from foxes, but have never heard about that with parvo. Thanks

I just found out which puppy we are getting! Feels more real now. It was our second choice (which I actually think was my hubby's favourite). I actually had a dream last night that we got that one. I must be psychic!