SalTheGal

My first boy was from a Pet shop- when I was 18 and didn't know any different. He was sold as a Boxer x Shepherd.... after a year or two was clearly a Bull Mastiff x Shepherd (well thats what all the vets I took him to agreed on).... and didn't have an ounce of boxer in him! He also suffered to the tune of several thousand $$$$ of treatments/operations with skin allergies, ear infections. But his temperament was fantastic- and I wouldn't swap him for the world, I <3 my big boy, and miss him dearly. This time round we bought Penny from a registered breeder- who has shown her dogs in the past, but doesn't anymore, but I trust implicitly.

We got our puppy through a breeder that happens to be husbands best mates mother. Interestingly enough we had met them several times and the fact they were breeders never really came up.... our mate just happened to mention his mum had a litter at the exact time we had decided we would start looking for a new pup for our family (I like the fact she didn't seem pushy about getting her dogs out there- the right owners will come to her without her needing to advertise it loud and wide). We hadn't decided on a breed at that stage- though Cockers were on our list as they were the right size.... we did some research and were really happy with what we found- and what we found from the breeder. Because we know her I trust her, and I hardly think she would be comfortable selling us a dog that was not of good standard when we see her son often... she advertises litters here at DOL too I do believe if they are not presold.

OMG I had never even heard of Lappies till I joined this forum 2wks ago.... now I am Lappie OBSESSED!!!!! They are just adorable, and I want one so badly!!!! Great Pics!!

Naw Yay Poppy!!!!

Those pics are gold!!!!

corvus, your post makes a LOT of sense!!! I must say I have had what I deem to be a huge amount of success just by changing my attitude!!! I am rewarding soooo much, and trying to really focus on the positive behaviour, just in this one day she is now sitting on command, and seems soooo much calmer just in general- I honestly think we were winding each other up and my frustration was wearing off on her. I spent ages with her this afternoon on the lead with bub, and by the end of although she is still drawn to bub- if I call her away she responds to me straight away (well almost every time! ) We've gone backward a bit in the toileting, because I think I was so focussed on other aspects today that I probably let my attentiveness slip towards her toilet needs, but I know that's my fault not hers- and even when I got back on top of it this arvo she improved! Its hard to keep on top of everything all at once when you've got young family to tend to aswell!!! BUT I am SO appreciative of everyone's advice and suggestions, I am feeling 1000x happier now than I did yesterday... and feel like our journey has the potential to be more positive than I perhaps thought it would be after the last week or two!!

Thanks for the encouragement!!! SBT am going to implement that blanket idea, thanks! Megan- Have added in the marker now- thanks for that suggestion. Couple of pics for anyone interested.... THe first day we brought her home: THIS was taken 30mins ago whilst she was SITTING on my command- waiting for her treat!!! :yay:

:hug:Thankyou all for the advice!! I feel so much more positive about things now.... babysteps I think!! I am going to turn my processes around and really try to focus on the good behaviour- I have already been trying this so far this morning, and can see it will have good effect, I have kept her on a lead with me (new challenge in itself!) and am just focusing on getting her to stay calm, and sit on command.... then I will work on her over the next few days a lot with bub around still on the lead. Stupidly I realised the advice on ignore/stand still is the exact thing I have taught my 3.5yr old to do when she jumps/nips him.... why did I not think to do this myself?!? I think I was thinking its my responsibility to reprimand- where I don't want my son to do that, maybe I should just take some of my own advice!! One quick question- if I am using a lot of treats that isn't liver treat (such as cheese/chicken/meat) I subtract that from her meals yeah? ..... OK I started writing this post an hour ago! Children, breakfast, puppy etc has gotten in the way.... BUT I am pleased to say within the last couple of hours of intensive rewarding good behaviour whilst she is on lead with me- she is sitting on command- and I only have to look at her for her to be calm!!!!! Thanks everyone!!!

Oh and VJB I take on board your thoughts re the spray bottle- I certianly don't want to incite any more aggresive behaviour around my children. I do give treats as soon as she behaves the right way- thus why I feel a bit like jekyll and hyde!!! She misbehaves, I scold, she desists, I reward, I turn my back, she misbehaves again!!!

She is 11wks old, I am getting her 12wk vax done next week, then we are off to puppy school- so I am hoping we will sort some stuff out then. The only problem with ignoring the bad behaviour is when it involves my bub! I can't just let that slide or I end up with a screaming bub!!! And I don't want to have to separate them all the time... we have an open plan living space and I don't want the puppy to be confined to a pen all the time- I really want her to learn that she has to leave the baby alone!

Thanks for the replies.... VJB I think she is getting enough exercise- obviously we aren't taking her out walking yet- she isn't fully vaxxed, and hasn't had enough training- but I have a VERY energetic 3.5yr old who loves to get out in the back yard weather permitting and they run ragged together- or they tear up the house inside. She has ample opportunity to race around, and we have lots of toys that we all chip in and play with her with. Mumof3, thanks so much for your advice! You have given me some really useful suggestions- Love the idea of a spray bottle, will start that one tomorrow.... and off to check out that website. I also think you made a a really valid point: this makes a lot of sense- and I will try to keep this in mind. thanks!

I'm really hoping I can get some reassurance from DOLers- or some alternatives to what we are doing if it is wrong! We've had our CS puppy Penny for 3wks now, and I feel like we are getting nowhere, and she is turning into a real little brat! In terms of training, when she does something we want to discourage, such as jump up on my 1yr old crawler, nip the kids (or us), jump up on the bin searching for scraps, jump up on the edge of the couch to get to us I give a gruff sharp NO... she does seem to be learning that this means stop that activity, but its not seeming to stop her from doing said activity full stop in the first place. When she does the right thing we are trying to go nuts with praise and affection! For eg- she is sitting her on the floor in front of us now, and keeps jumping up on the edge of the couch- we say DOWN, and gently push her down. If she stays down we give her a treat/pat, if she jumps up again we repeat the process.... we've been doing this for the whole time we've had her- and it doesn't seem to be sinking in that she can't jump on the couch. When and only when she is calm and not jumping up we will then lift her up to sit with us.... is this the wrong thing to do? Are we confusing her by doing this? We do want her to be allowed on the couch for a cuddle in the evenings- but we want her to know she has to be invited up. Also it is a similar thing with my baby- having a puppy and a crawler does pose its problems- but we really want them to co-exist! My son doesn't pay any attention to the puppy- but alas the puppy likes to pay plenty of attention to my son- she seems to think he is the perfect play toy! Whenever she goes to lick/nip/mouth/jump on him I again use a gruff sharp NO and she desists immediately... but will go in again literally straight away, until I have to physically remove him(often in tears). Again I've been doing this for the 3wks she has been here now- how long should it take before she knows she can't do this? She knows she is doing the wrong thing- she has a sheepish look the minute I get cross- but it doesn't stop her from going in again within seconds! I must add that I carry liver treats in my pockets at all times, and try to reward good behaviour constantly- I often feel like Jekyll and Hide!.... I will scold- then as soon as she responds I go all gooey happy and give her a treat- then I turn my back and she does xyz behaviour again- I scold, she responds, I reward etc etc.... I feel like she is learning that if she is naughty- then good she gets a treat... could this happen? I have been trying to teach her to sit- but she literally goes NUTS at the sight or smell of food, and if she sees a treat in my fingers she will go jumpy crazy, and I have NO hope of training her in the traditional way to sit by encouraging the motion with a treat.... same with the drop command..... any suggestions? The other thing we are getting nowhere with is toilet training- I am religious with taking her out at the appropriate times, but she is showing no signs of telling us when she needs to go out- and no signs that she is learning to understand that outside is for toileting.... she often wets inside (though does not poo) and will go anywhere any time.... several times I have gone outside with her and stood for 5-10mins to no avail, only to come inside and find her doing it within minutes. And alas due to the fact I have 1 and 3.5yr old boys left inside I simply cannot stand outside with her for long periods of time and leave my children inside unsupervised! We will be taking her to Puppy school, but I was really hoping to get a jump on her training before that happens- I just feel like I am going about it all wrong, and feel like I spend most of my waking hours scolding her atm- it is really starting to make me resent her, and I am getting quite frustrated!!! She is a gorgeous little girl, and I know we are going to have many years of joy from her- I just really want to get off to a good start- my last dog was such a well behaved boy, and really easy to train, I was so proud of him, but I feel like it is so much harder this time round! Thanks in advance for any advice!!

Wow Go Elbie!! I love the one where it finally clicked and he started herding the sheep- especially when he rounded up the couple who had separated from the group.... he looked like a pro there!!!

Just thought I'd add an update here for anyone reading along at home!!! Have stopped soaking the kibble- and within the same day his stools have firmed up considerably, also dropped the portions a bit, and we aren't having so many poos either!!!! So all in all a success! Thanks for the advice!

What a gorgeous girl! RIP Bonnie.

Thank you all so much for your advice!! OK based on the comments here I am going to stop soaking it, and will cut back the portions and see if this makes a difference... she has been scoffing it down so quickly, I think I have slightly upped the portions thinking the poor thing must be *so* hungry!! I gave it to her dry this morning, and atleast it took her a bit longer to eat! I am going back to work 3days a week next week- so she will have to start missing the midday meal anyway, so as of this week we will be cutting down to two meals, I will porbably leave her kong stuffed with some extra treats for the day time. If this doesn't improve things I will switch brands, I will need to buy a new bag later this week anyway! She is off to the vet for vax next fri too, so if its still sloppy I will mention to them then. Gosh all this puppy business is hard!!!

We have a 10wk old CS puppy who has been having quite runny consistency poo..... I wouldn't say its diarrhea, not quite that sloppy- but definitely not the firm stool that I would presume is desirable... its messy to pick up at any rate!! And it can vary through the day in its consistency. She is also doing a LOT of bowel motions- eg she has already done 3 this morning since 5am (which have gottten progressively sloppier), and has had one meal at 8am. I have been feeding her rehydrated kibble (Advance brand), 3 times a day. She was on Eukanaba with the breeder, but I wasn't able to get that when I needed to- so I had to find an alternative- I did the change over gradually the week we got her- she has been in the Advance brand for well over a week now. She does SCOFF her meals- they are gone within seconds, and I am probably feeding her *slightly* more than recommended (she was quite small when we collected her), but not a heap more. I am wondering if I should stop rehydrating it (or atleast lessen the amount of water I am adding)? Any other suggestions of what could be causing it- or if it is even cause for concern? Thanks!

This thread is really interesting... I wondering what the purpose is of giving the meals in a Kong? Is it as I assume, to slow down the rate they eat at?? My 10wk old CS literally SCOFFS her food in seconds- I often have to go check cause I can't believe she has eaten in that quickly..... would it therefore be worth trying some in a kong? I have a tiny little puppy one- and have put some of her kibble in it- she has grasped the concept... its just so cold here atm that I haven't really persisted that much with it for outside play. I was planning to replace her lunchtime with a chicken wing soon so that she can stretch that meal out.... but perhaps this might be the way to go too!

Oooh very spooky!!! Gorgeous pup though!! I love Maremmas

Oh WOW!!!! I have a 9wk old puppy here myself.... but I am soooo clucky!! Your dogs are just gorgeous.... Fable is pure perfection! Love love love the one of her poking her tongue out at Zero, and the family shot is just fantastic!

Oh how heartbreaking. :hugs: to all involved.

What a lovely tribute, to what sounds like a very special dog. RIP Ray.

We have 12mnth old and 3.5yr old boys, and just brought home a cocker pup a week ago.... we feel like we are right back at the newborn baby stage again! But as I was already getting up several times through the night to bad sleepers, another one thrown into the mix has been fine! Our pup has already learnt to respond to a stern 'no' when she gets too excited with our crawler... and he in turn has learnt to gently push her away. Plus her bed is out of bounds to the boys- and so far its a bit crazy but we are having a great time!!!!

lol Me too (with my old boy Toby).... I tried to teach him to come when called.... we just never seemed to get anywhere, and I had no idea what the term recall meant till I joined this forum a week ago!!

Oh yeah I hear you on this one! I had a Bullmastiff x shepherd, and like you I always kept him on the lead as he is so big.... and the number of times I had people with dogs off leads approach us and not put their dogs back on lead- it was soooo frustrating, especially as my boy was unpredictable with other male dogs, and I was trying to do the right thing.