Azreal

Hey thanks guys, I am in mount anon & i will look into these options. I appreciate the advice, it helps a lot.

Ok, once again I need some expert advice. I am feeling a bit confused about the sleeping arrangements for my puppy. I can see from the other foru, topics that most people recommend a crate for their puppy - I need so,e advice on what type of crate & any good suppliers in Sydney as i need to get one today so we can try & sort out some of the issues we are having with the puppy during the night. Can anyone recommend whereto buy a crate & if it is easy to get crate dividers so we can get a bigger size as she is a Newfoundland & it would be better if we could get one that she can grow into as well. Also, does anyone have any advice on blocking power points to prevent the dog from going near them when inside, I get a little bit worried about her getting shock if she bites at them. Thanks all.

Thanks kirty, I'll keep the short intros up& make sure the cats are seen as higher ranking as much as I can.

Thanks Aussielover, I will look into that. I try to avoid holding the cats usually when they are stressed otherwise i end up with some nice patterns all over my arms but I will look into the clicker training.

Thanks for this information, I will be very careful about the swiping. I think that one of my cats did have a swipe at the puppy once when she tried to reach her on the top step because i heard her cry ( I didn't realize she could reach the stair where the cat was sitting through the grate)but I haven't seen any marks & I never ever leave them alone together. My cats are indoor cats, they aren't allowed outside as there are some stray cats in the area & I don't want them getting into fights, so the cats have been pretty much livingr in the laundry & cellar which can be shut off from the rest of downstairs but I feel sorry for them being stuck down there in the cold. The dog is going to live inside mainly but also outside so it's really important that they can all share the house together. At least the cats can come upstairs from some time away from the dog but they can only come up if the baby gate is open which is used to keep the puppy from hurting herself on the stairs. Thanks so much for all your info.

Hi everybody, My new puppy has sort of taken over the downstairs area where my cats normally spend most of their time & I am trying to introduce them slowly so nobody gets hurt if you know what I mean. One of my cats is quite dominant & she has been ok so far, a hiss here & there to let the puppy know she isn't happy etc but so far nothing else & we watch any interaction very carfefully so no one gets hurt. My other cat is less dominant & tries to run when the puppy goes near him. I understand we should keep their interactions limited until they have established their relationship but I am trying to work out the best way to do this. I saw a link yesterday that somebody posted which had some info on doing the introduction of puppy to the cats using a crate & lead. My question is really in two parts; 1) do you use crates in puppy training & if so, considering I have a Newfoundland what size would you recommend & type of crate & does it matter that we have had her already for two weeks with no crate & she sort of has a secure area she hides in between our lounges? 2) can anybody share how they have introduced a puppy to the cats in their family with success. Thanks in advance. My cats will appreciate any help you can offer. Azreal

Staffygirl, I know how hard it can be but as the others have said your puppy is just a baby & the patience & hard work you put in now will pay off when the puppy grows up. Just like the patience you had with your son when he was a newborn waking you up for a feed & nappy change you need to have with this puppy. I have never heard of buying a toilet trained puppy as I would imagine they need to learn what is expected in your home which would be completely different to what is expected at the breeders home. You sound like your just exhausted from the work involved in caring for a pup & (like me) you have the added pressure of looking after your child which is a massive job in itself. But please be patient with your other baby, he needs to learn from you right now & you have the dog you want but you need to learn how to bring him out by training him on what is acceptable & what is not. At the top of this forum there are some good links on training a puppy & how things can go wrong, the basic message which I am leArning myself is consistency & patience. She is a baby, but she s also an animal & needs to learn from you & this will take time. I am no expert & still needing lots of advice from the members here, but i am leArning how important patience & consistency is alongside with not expecting too much from him just yet. Read the pinned links above the puppy forum, I found these really helpful as well as all the advice from the dog lovers on this site Hang in there & remember he is looking to you for guidance & patience no matter how frustrating it gets. Good luck

Hey thanks so much everyone these tips are great & I feel soooo much better knowing i am not alone with the crying issues. Koalathebear, what are the safety issues around the kong,I would be interested to know if you are able to tell me, stuffing the toy with food sounds like a great idea so as long as the toy is consiered safe I'll start that today. I am definitely going to do all of these things starting today, I am so glad I found this forum - you are all making things a lot easier for me

Hi everybody, My little 9 week old newfoundland puppy hates being left on her own & I hate leaving her. Even though i am a stay at home mum, I can't be with her at all times as I need to be upstairs feeding & putting my 4 month old baby to bed as generally spending time with her in between sleeps etc. I started doing those things downstairs with her & the pup but the puppy is actually quite big & i don't want to risk her jumping up on the baby etc as she hasn't learned to stop jumping & biting yet. Problem I am having is the constant crying & yelling hen i go upstairs & it continues for such a long time that i often have to come back down which i know you are not supposed to do when they are whining but it sounds so desperate I hate to leave her down there. Can anyone offer some advice re is it ok to let her cry a bit & apart from not making a big deal when you leave & come back are there any other tactics that people have found works when leaving their pup for an hour here & there. My biggest concern is that I don't want her to be a nervous dog when she grows up so I want to do this the right way & I thought maybe some of you could share how you have achieved this with your own puppy. Thanks in advance. Azreal

thanks for these sites - i will have a read over them. This is the first time i have had a pure breed & so i am still getting my head around the right thing to feed her & there sure is alot of information out there but it's hard to know which to go with so hopefully i can learn a bit more from these sites. It seems as if the two options are either the complete dog food from pet shops or go raw - the pet shops advised against mixing vitamins or the like (such as kelp) with a complete dog food as it can throw the balance of their diet out? They even said that i shouldnt mix yoghurt because of lactose intolerance & not to add to many additional things like raw meat, eggs etc as the proplan has everything in it - not sure wether to believe that or not as the breeder suggested adding vitamin c & e & kelp. As another poster mentioned its hard to trust what some professionals recommend because they could be promoting a product etc. At least I have a better idea of what others are doing & where to get some of the items from etc - thanks for the info everyone.

Pennant Hills Vet Clinic is great for the Giants and they own a Newfy themselves. I take my Danes there. http://www.pennanthillsvet.com.au/ thanks for this i will look into this vet - i appreciate the info as i want to make sure we have a vet who understands her breed well.

i feel your pain - i am doing the exact same thing with my puppy & is really tough. to add to this we have a glass sliding door & my husband forgot to close the screen door ontop of it twice now & the poor puppy has banged on it slightly - i nearly killed him for forgetting as i worried about the poor thing hurting her little head on the glass door while trying to get back in. We are doing the same thing re not making a big deal about it & going out to let her know we are still here & let her back in at different intervals so she doesnt panic so much, but we have the same issues with crying & barking & it tends to go on & on until we let her back in. I think it will just take time before she gets used to it. I hope it works out for both of us...fingers crossed.

thanks tsarsmum, i actually did this yesterday & it worked really well. I just wanted to see if this type of stuff is ok, as some sites say to just use positive reinforcement & i am being a bit too sensitive about it all maybe. I think i will combine the advice you give above with the advice sas has given as i am comfortable doing both depending on the situation. Yep, i def am aware about the dominace thing & how hard it will be in a few weeks to get her to do anything.....i guess she needs to learn her place in the pack & what is appropriate. I will have to remember that she is a puppy & not a human baby but it is hard sometimes with those fluffy cute looks. Thanks again guys.

thanks sas, yes i do try to redivert sometimes & it does work - i will keep doing this as well as letting her know biting is not ok. We have an obedience trainer comming to the house in a few weeks & then we will also send to her to the group classes as well.

Hi everyone, my little baby tinkerbell is a wonderful little puppy but she is very strong minded & she constantly bites my ankles & pants or skirt as i walk. yesterday she almost pulled it off & as i was holding my baby i couldnt really do much to stop her So my question to all you dog lovers is a pretty broad one - what is the best way to teach her not to do this without being too scary or overwhelming for her. I don't want to make her scared of me & being a female its harder to discipline her with my voice, please can someone advise on any tips that i can use to teach her she is not in charge without being too forceful. Because of her breed i dont like pushing her away too much when she does it because she lands on the tiles & i worry she will hurt her bones etc as she is quite heavy for a puppy. I want to get it right before she gets too big to teach her & i need to make sure she respects me as i need her to listen especially when i need her to get down if i am holding my baby etc. Any advice would be much appreciated - there is some stuff online & we do have a private trainer booked in a couple of weeks but i want to start things now before its too late. Please help. Thanks in advance.