SupaDupa Mini Cooper

I don't like giving bad feedback and on the whole the food has been fine, but since I have been switching Cooper over onto BH his poops and pop-offs have been really BAD smelling. The only difference has been the food (lamb and rice puppy formula) and I thought maybe it was the lamb as his previous food has been chicken. Has anyone else noticed this?

Yes, but as others have said, only in private (I don't think I could bring myself to call "come to mum" at the beach) although it comes more naturally to refer to my hubby as "daddy" than calling myself "mum" even though that is what I class myself as. We have real kids too - the responsibility is no different except the furry one makes less washing and less dishes. I would class Cooper as a "kid" but species dictates that he doesn't get the same rights as the others (he eats from the floor, we eat from the table; we sleep in beds, he sleeps in a crate, etc). Yes, he is a dog and is treated as such, but we love him as much as the reals (almost - at least he'll snuggle up on the couch :laugh: ). We're a pack here. Edit - spelling.

Did she cry when you put her outside? What did you give her to keep her entertained or was she content to just sleep? Maybe I'm just too soft I can't stand hearing him cry At least I know if he's in the crate he won't cry... or be cold... or be too hot... or get sunburnt... or get wet... :laugh:

A doggie door isn't an option yet (we'll need a sliding door one), but I have to say he is getting better at staying outside (he's almost 5 months now). He's only been left outside while I've gone out a few times and cried the whole time (or at least he was still crying when I returned 15-20 mins later), so he is crated inside when we are out. He doesn't seem to mind it too much, and he sleeps most of the day anyway so as long as he's happy, I'm happy. He does take himself outside during the day and will stay out for up to 30mins of his own accord - I usually find him out on the lawn chewing some bark or his bone. I've just been leaving the sliding door open for him to come and go as he pleases, but obviously I don't leave it open if I'm not home for safety reasons. Once he is past the puppy stage I have no issues with leaving him inside when we are out, but I didn't want to set him up to fail in terms of toilet training or being destructive while we aren't there to supervise.

I voted startled, then ran to look, although there was no startle. Cooper walked to the door and looked outside, but it was not the same as other stronger reactions he's had when I've been looking at dog videos that have barking in them.

I've found yelping like a puppy useful for bite inhibition - I only yelp when it hurts so he knows how hard is too hard, but a "No Biting!" in a deep growly tone is better to stop the biting all together. This combined with a soft grab of his scruff or on his back (like a mother dog's mouth) has worked and he is biting a lot less.

Thanks for all the responses about the long line. I will be ordering one shortly. One last question, do you hold it in your hand like a leash, tie it to your waist or an anchor point (fence, peg, etc)? I'd like to run around with him and play ball games but I think holding a line will interfere (and get tangled).

How long is a "long line"?

I have become a bit of an obsessed and over-protective "mum" and we've only ever had Cooper on his leash when out (now 4 1/2 mths old). I know there are a few off-leash areas close to our home (none that I know of are fully fenced) and I would love to let Cooper just run free... especially at the beach, but I'm scared that if I did he wouldn't come if I called him back. I know people have talked about improving recall, and for the most part he is really good at coming when I call (Hubby doesn't get much reaction when he calls him :laugh: ) but unless you let them off, how do you know they will recall? I don't think he would run away, but he would certainly love to explore and may follow his nose into danger.

I totally agree with the above posters. I am totally new to all things "dog", but having recently read Cesar Millan's "Be the pack leader" I learnt about methods of controlling dogs - including choke chains, and after reading his advice I think it would be useful in controlling particular large breed dogs once the handler is trained in how to use it (same as pinch collars). When we decided on a food, I compared the one I am currently using to a "premium" food and found very little difference except the price was double. Just because it calls itself premium doesn't mean much to me, and after learning that dogs can't digest grains/vegetables easily there is no way I would buy a puppy food that has the main ingredient as corn (RC)instead of meat. I am looking into holistic options though, because I don't think what I am using is the best, but that doesn't mean I will ever find the best either... you're the owner, you decide what food you should feed. As a first time dog (puppy) owner, I would worry about feeding raw or BARF only because I don't have the understanding of what needs to be fed and quantities - the same as I wouldn't just become vegetarian because I don't understand the balances I would need to consume to get a well rounded diet. It's all personal choice. As for crate training, it wasn't until about 1 week before we got our puppy that I knew what that even was! It made sense to me, and we have implemented it from his first day home and we have had no issues. We use it for overnight and when we are out, not for when we are home and he is locked up while we are doing things - but it is a personal choice, if it works for you, great. If not, then try something else. I don't consider myself cruel for putting my puppy in a safe place where he cannot cause harm to either the house or himself while I am not around to supervise. I also don't consider myself cruel for not giving access to food or water while in the crate, because I know he can go a few hours during the day without both, and he sleeps peacefully at night so has no need for either. It's your dog, living with you, so you need to decide what's best for it.

I am taking Cooper to one such store class, which is held in a special side room (the puppy preschool room). They did have to photocopy a vaccination certificate before we could start (even though some were not fully vaccinated, but I guess you could liken this to human babies... do you stay house-bound until they get their 3rd vaccine at 6mths?). As far as the class goes, a lot of it is information to the owners about how to care for the puppies, and the information they give is good (lots of handouts and they refer to specific information for each of our dog breeds). As to the play side, I have a shy puppy also - the first week Cooper wouldn't come out from under my chair, the second week wasn't much better. They had the big dogs off-leash together then the small dogs off-leash together (there were 3 of each) which worked ok. This last week (after 2 weeks break for xmas/new year) the regular instructor wasn't there and I don't think the fill-in was qualified. She tried to get Cooper to walk down the middle of the 3 big dogs while they were held on leash to the sides which didn't work very well. Also, because the other 2 small dogs were absent, Cooper was the only small dog so he didn't have anyone his size to interact with, so he spent 90% of the time on my lap (despite the regular instructor telling us at the beginning we weren't allowed to hold any dogs) because one of the big dogs kept trying to nip at him. It has taught me that the instruction side is useful, the play side is not-so-great. I will continue with the last 2 sessions (and hope the other little dogs are there too), but I wouldn't bother with a puppy preschool again.

We are first time dog owners and have our first puppy (4mths). It is definitely a challenging time and I even said to my hubby that I'm more worried about screwing up this puppy than our own children... it was said in jest but it is partly true. Puppies mature so much quicker than our own children and it seems like (from what I've read/heard) any negative experiences during their puppy development can make it a fearful dog for the rest of it's life. So then you get someone like me who will try to do their best at avoiding any negative experiences, make sure they are well cared for, trained right, etc, trying to decipher what I need to do, and nowadays that is easiest by jumping online. I am so grateful that experienced dog owners/breeders are online in places like this forum so that when I have a query I can get some advice. Like anything you read online, you need to view advice with a critical mind - does it make sense? what proof is there? etc, etc. We did consider adopting an older dog, however when we met this dog he was rather boisterous and my 2 daughters were fearful of him - his full adult Cavalier size (so not big by any means) jumping and scratching them... he was jumping up and craving our attention and this was in his "home environment" and we were "visitors" - not something we wanted him to do at our house. I'm almost positive we could have corrected his untrained behaviours, but we didn't want to take that chance. If it were just me and hubby it would be a totally different story. So for us a puppy was about the kids getting confident with him (handling, training, feeing, etc) and learning with him. My husband and I are fairly common sense type people, but if there are experts willing to lend a hand it seems a bit silly not to listen. What you then do with that information is up to you. Yes, there is too much contradicting advice, yes it seems everyone has an opinion on what you should do to raise it successfully, but at the end of the day it is living in my home, with my family and we need to do what is best in our situation. A lot of the time it seems that there are high expectations that the puppy should be doing this and shouldn't be doing that and should be toilet trained the moment they come home... but then again there can be perhaps unjust expectations on the owners that they should know everything before the puppy comes home, and know as if instinctively what is wrong and how to "fix it". Just my 2c worth.

If you are going to print it onto a canvas, if you have any photo editing software you might be able to lighten the dark areas in the photo (like the right side of his face). I voted #2 because of the background too.

Me too!!!

I don't have a solution, but I am not game to leave our 17 week old CKCS puppy alone in the house. He's had about 3 accidents in the last 2 weeks so not bad - I think it's mainly when he gets excited, much like a small child who gets carried away with what they're doing and only at the last minute do they realise they are busting. If we go out or are going to bed he gets put into his crate (which at this stage is a plastic pet carrier). He's never messed in his crate. One weekend we were out all day and we placed his crate in the laundry with toys, food, water and a make-shift potty area (a litter tray with fake grass in it), but he held on all day - 8hrs - not that we expected him to, but he did. I was really shocked at this, as I'm sure if he was left to roam the house (he also is in the kitchen/dining/family area) he would have messed somewhere. I'm not suggesting that the answer is to crate all day while at work, but maybe you could establish a smaller area inside so that she is encouraged not to mess her area where she sleeps/eats and is more likely to go outside. Other than that, maybe you could set up a video camera to see at what point she is weeing - when you leave or when she hears you coming back. Cooper did a few "excited to see you" wees in the first days/weeks we had him but the less fuss we make the better he seems to be. Also, you only said you left her for 30 seconds and 1 minute... does that mean she has never left your side? Sounds like separation anxiety if that's the case.

I think I'm going to need to block off the vegie/fruit part of our garden - my dad kindly brought over some citrus food (mix of slow release balls and manure pallets) the other day and put it around our lemon tree... Cooper is at it at every opportunity! I've had to make him spit it out at least 10 times in the last 2 days and every time he gets let outside it is the first spot he wants to get to . It will also come in handy if I need to put out snail pallets in the future too. With the compost cage, does anyone know the dimensions? Is it 4 or 5 panels? I will need to block a space between the house and the fence that is about 2.5m wide (but will still need to be able to go through it at times). I have a non-jumping Cavalier puppy (he is only just beginning to make the jump up onto the couch) so as long as it's at least 60cm high it should keep him out.

Glad to hear you've got your puppy safe and sound Cooper does the same thing - he hadn't worn a collar until we got him and he scratched at it non stop (well, it seemed it to us) for the first week or more. He is slowly getting used to it, but still occasionally has a scratch. We have a Kramar puppy collar for him and it hasn't worn much with the scratching (a few frayed threads is all where his nails got under them). Cooper also does the bum drag too! I was worried that it might be worms, but he had the Advocate puppy dose last week (@ 13 weeks), and the breeder had given him a worming tablet before we picked him up @11 weeks. I had emailed the Bayer (Advocate) manufacturer and asked if it was safe to use because he had already had a monthly tablet (but no fleas or heartworm treatment, which was a major influence in choosing this treatment) and their vet said the tablets act as a flush and are out of their system within 48hrs, so it would be safe to begin the Advocate straight away and not have to wait until the month was up. I know Advocate doesn't treat tapeworm (which is spread by fleas) so I will give an additional tablet every 6mths or so (as advised) to ensure there is no tapeworm but keeping the fleas at bay should prevent that aspect. Having said all that, I'm pretty sure it's not worms, and I highly doubt it is blocked or full anal glands, so my best guess is just an itchy bottom. I don't mind when he does it outside on the concrete or grass, but inside on the tiles is a bit gross. I did a google search and found another forum where a Cavalier puppy was doing the same thing and someone said it can be common in this breed... I will just have to put up with the "he has worms" comments.

I put equal, because there are cats I dislike and dogs I dislike - it all comes down to the temperament. I am a quiet person and dislike boisterous animals - jumping, barking, biting, etc. I grew up with my beloved cat Tiger (was the only pet I was allowed, and at that it was a stray kitten that found us) and I thought I was definitely a cat person. I was also attacked when I was about 7 by a GSD who broke off his chain, and after that I feared dogs although small ones posed less of a threat. To this day large dogs still scare me. It has been about 4 years since Tiger had to be put to sleep and with 2 children we decided we would enjoy a pet and it would be good for the kids too. We live quite close to a highway and had visions of a squished cat, so we decided it had to be an animal that could be contained to our yard but could also explore the world with us (in a controlled way). I think it is in a cat's nature to want to roam, so I couldn't keep a cat locked up 24/7 and we don't have a large enough yard to allow a cat run of a decent size as well as room for the kids to play. We are totally new to being dog people, but the last 3 weeks have seen us fall head over heals for our puppy. I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship

We got him at 12 weeks old, he's now 13.5 weeks so the photos are in the last week or so. What colour are you getting Cavstar?

That sounds almost too simple to work! Will definitely try it

Hi all, We got our Cavalier puppy Cooper a week and a half ago. He is the first dog we have owned so we are totally new to everything. He is just adorable and has fitted in so well - especially since he grew up outdoors on a farm and we have him indoors most of the time. He seems to already be toilet trained as long as we notice his signals or encourage him outside after food/crating. He had his final vaccine mid last week, so the vet said it would be fine to go out after a week. He has been out a couple of times for short walks (5 mins) to get used to walking on a leash but he seems to have fits and starts - wanting to bound ahead then just stopping (and us almost tripping or stepping on him). I guess it will come in time with a bit more practice. The only issue we are having is when he gets wound up he starts "attacking" our 2.5yr old. He sometimes nips at her feet and has grabbed and wrestled with her pants a few times. We bark "no" at him but he is reluctant to let go unless we prize open his jaws. He hasn't done this with anyone else (myself, husband or 6yr old) and we think it is probably that she is more his size and he's trying to display some sort of dominance. Any tips? Rachel. Sorry, I'm not sure how to make the photos smaller...

Should we build up gradually (10 - 20 mins then 30, then 1hr, etc) or should we just expect a full 2 hours in one go?

Hi DOLers, We have a Cavalier pup - 13wks old, which is the first dog we have ever owned so we are new to everything. Cooper is for the most part a good puppy and is crated at night inside. We are happy for him to be inside most of the time but at the times he is a bit feral (aka burning off energy) we are trying to encourage him to go outside to play as opposed to attacking the furniture. The problem is he will only stay outside for more than about 5 minutes if one of us is outside too (which is not always practical) and then he comes and cries at the door. We wait until he stops crying and is sitting quietly at the door before he gets let in but he's normally still wound up and tears around inside. We don't want to leave him cry outside but should we just get tough and not let him in, or is what he's doing perfectly normal? We'd like to build him up to being outside for a few hours if need be (school pickups, grocery run, etc) because otherwise he's crated when we are out and I think being outside would be far more interesting and healthy for him. He has a couple of different balls (rope and rubber) and loves to cart and chew our thongs too but as soon as we go back inside and he notices we aren't there he comes crying at the door... would more toys help or is it just a case of needing his people? Rachel.