dididog

One time I went to the beach to actually swim and Didi followed me out to the deep end (I couldn't even touch the bottom) and decided I was a good option to climb on top of! She was only about 18kg at the time but still almost bloody drowned me silly puppy :laugh: I now stick to knee or thigh height water around her...

Nothing wears Didi out like the beach. She will literally just swim around you in circles for an hour if you let her and today we finally cracked the concept of fetch so now she can go far into the water without us getting wet

Its like sleeping with a chainsaw sometimes and I cant sleep. She normally just readjusts into a position that doesn't make her snore.

As I type Didi has been sound asleep for 3 hours... I should probably take advantage of this and sleep too but meh. The doona cover I have now is mostly satiny (has a pattern) but her fur is really short and sharp and just stabs through everything ! I think she was just being a sooky puppy and the bed isn't that bad, she has the exact same one outside that she likes to sleep on and that doesn't have all the soft blankies and doona on it like her indoor bed does. Another problem I am encountering is when she is snoring her head off I can't reach over and give her a nudge to wake her up and get her to stop :laugh:

Does the squishing sound of the beans get annoying? Didi's quite the fidget bum and I can only imagine the amount of noise she'd make all night. If she gets used to sleeping on a bed I'll save up and buy a nice one, but I've just bought her the trampoline bed so its hard to justify buying another one a few day's later... I really need a job!

I opened that link because for a moment I forgot Grover was dead... I'm addicted to buying the perfect dog bed; he had seven (and he had one like that). eta Sorry Terri S, I hope you don't mind me talking about him; I didn't mean to derail your thread :) Not at all it's fine, sorry you're missing your little guy! Those little force of habbit things really get you the most.

sorry a bit OT but on the note of check chains in untrained hands... I was calling Didi away from a little Cairn Terrier puppy today at the reserve and they both came running straight at me when the terrier which was running in front of Didi tripped and Didi ran over it because they were going so fast and she couldn't stop. Poor little thing screamed and when it got up it had its little paw stuck in the check chain its owner had left dangling around its neck which is what tripped it The owner still ignored me and walked away as if it were Didi's fault her puppy got hurt but hopefully the little guy's okay/its owner realised why check chains are never to be left on the dog when not training.

Oh those beds look so nice! Jobless Uni student budget doesn't quite stretch that far though Our water bill has probably gone up a crazzzyyy amount since getting Didi, there are two big sheets protecting the couch from her dogginess as well as a throw for that couch that get washed twice a week, my bed sheets get washed every week when usually I'd do it every two weeks. There's also washing her bowls every day and filling her indoor and outdoor bowl up twice a day, hosing down her outdoor bed and the deck after she's rubbed her gross bones everywhere otherwise it smells and we get flies/birds, hosing those gross un-pick-up-able poos into the grass on occasion and washing her down after she rolls in mud or gets sandy from the beach... may as well just add another sheet needing to be washed into the mix :laugh: I think I'll try making the bed a bit more comfy and pursue that for a bit longer before trying things to make my bed a better option as my mum is extremely anti dog on the bed and keeps saying she's going to ruin it so I might just save on the bed for sleep in cuddles She is allowed on the couch though (as long as I wash and vacuum it twice a week) so that's a plus.

If only a bone would solve this one!

Well last night started off good... then she woke up and paced and whined for a good half hour but I stayed strong and ignored her and she put herself back to bed but then my brother decided to be really helpful and open his door across the hall and start walking around so guess who woke up again... Thanks T, I think I might end up just squishing the bed next to mine for a bit and slowly each night moving it back to where it fits nicely in the corner. We were meant to go to obedience at 9 this morning but no way was I getting up on no sleep :laugh: See look how sad she looks

Hey guys, I'd really like to come to this one although I can't guarantee 100% quite yet. I'll get back to you with a definite answer as soon as possible but for if we come, I'll be bringing 1 silly puppy (Didi) and probably something sweet like apple and cinnamon rolls or some sort of slice and maybe some fruit like watermelon.

Wow he's gotten big! Our pups are the exact same age! Didi's quite similar she's got an XL car harness and that is going to be too tight soon, she's 26kg(maybe more now) and her head comes to about mid thigh at 5 and a half months. Out of nowhere she's turned from cute flabby puppy to a fit and muscly athlete, when she runs you can see all her muscles ripple and her hind legs are crazy!I must get a good photo of her standing up sometime soon.

it is the BEST arrangement if you & your dog like it that way ....another thought - with the weather getting cooler .... TRY THIS I really want to buy her some jammies ^.^ a member on DOL makes them for Danes so I am quite tempted to buy one, hopefully she doesn't outgrow them halfway through winter...

I was worried it would make her think she ruled the roost so I made sure she never got up without being told to first, I normally just pat the bed and say 'on the bed' and she rarely jumps up otherwise but I'll start training a reliable 'off the bed'. I don't think it's too hot as she's just sleeping on top of a blanket and the bed's off the ground so has a bit of air flow but yes I doubt the trampoline bed is as comfortable as my $1000 mattress :laugh:

I do my own washing and don't really care much about the smell but my mum really hates things being dirty(even though its my room not hers!) I brush her more or less everyday she just has SO MUCH HAIR! That's a good point actually, she can't see my from her bed and when she paces she normally flops down on the floor beside where I sleep and when she was in her crate she could always see me... looks like I'll have to start sleeping on the other side of the bed for a bit. That sounds like a good idea pers, at the moment she has a huge fleecy blanket on her bed which is normally on my bed but maybe she needs something more substantial, there's an old doona in the garage that will do the job. It is so hard to stay strong, she's so persistent and sounds so sad... I cracked a little and let her on my bed this morning after her early morning wee and we cuddled while I had a sleep in. I want her on my bed as much she wants to be on it, she always sleeps beside me with her head on my pillow and she keeps me nice and warm but I know it isn't the best arrangement...

When we first got Didi we crate trained her for the first few weeks but then she outgrew it (didn't know she was part dane until we bought her wooops) and because all the good beds are pricey I just let her sleep on my bed since I planned on doing this anyway. There are no problems with her sleeping on the bed but she's started shedding A LOT more recently and mum doesn't want her on my bed anymore as it's brand new and her hair and doggy smell is slowly seeping into my doona and mattress protector. Sooo Didi has been relegated to a cheap but comfy trampoline bed with a comfy blankie in the corner of my room which she will sleep on for most of the night/whenever I'm in my room and on my bed but then she'll wake up in the middle of the night and pace around my room whining and putting her front paws on the bed and this will go on for what seems like hours. Any ideas how to make her settle for the night and not keep me up? Im trying to make it seem more appealing by creating a 'bed time' cue and getting her to lie down and giving her a bikkie or something special but it's not the initial going on the bed that's the problem but her waking up a few hours later and whining. Any suggestions? Also should I not let her on the bed at all? I don't mind her coming up every now and then for a cuddle or sitting at the end of the bed as it's just the sleeping on it every night which gets the bed manky but I don't know if that will confuse her? She's never had free run of the bed and only gets up on it when I invite her to. Also before I get any crate suggestions, it is just not spatially feasible in my room or any other room in my house to have a crate that big unless i dismantled it every morning which is extremely inconvenient.

Hehe puppies and their silly sleeping... Didi is a chronic silly sleeper I found a few cute ones Little froggy legs ^.^

Considering the breeds purposes are involved largely with guarding and companionship I thought they would suit, as Raineth pointed out there are problems within the breed that you need to be careful for (anxiety and health) but I don't see why a well researched, healthy AND even tempered Dane would not suit the situation? (I admit I am no expert though) I just found myself relating to the OP's friend alot in that I am a young female who is often alone and I don't feel comfortable in a lot of social situations and get worked up and paranoid easily(not quite social anxiety but at times and situations I can be quite bad) and I find my dog quite a good fit for me. I feel safe with her around, her energy needs are easy to manage, I don't have to put too much effort into grooming and most importantly she is the best companion, she loves to cuddle and stick by you and her presence is very soothing.

It makes me so sad and confused that people buy a dog just so they can stick it in the yard and leave it there. My across the road neighbours have a dog and it is outside 24/7 and lies by the gate on the concrete all day waiting for them to come home. It never gets walked and I never hear them play with it in fact I only hear them tell the dog to stop barking and that's it for interaction Its such a tricky situation to resolve properly... But I think the best thing you could do is at least try and talk to them about it and see where that gets you. There are plenty dodgy (and tempting) ways to get her out of the situation but unfortunately she isn't your dog and ultimately you have to let them do what theyre going to do

If you want something that looks and sounds intimidating a Dane certainly fits the bill, even a puppy bark is scary. A well bred and raised one is generally calm and stable and though I am only speaking from lots of research and experience with a part Dane they are very sensitive and intuitive and enjoy being companions. The amount of exercise described would be plenty but if getting a puppy you need to really manage and limit their exercise/growth. They are really big though and may perhaps be inconvenient but if you are prepared to live with the size then they may be one to consider.

In terms of correction collars, I quite like a good quality martingale if no more is required and the dog responds and learns from its proper use. But a martingale needs to be fitted properly too. I see a lot of people using martingales that have them fitted too loosely and as a result, in effect they might as well be working off a flat collar. The martingale should be fitted higher on the dog's neck than a general flat collar would sit and should fit snugly. Many people suggest training collars fit very high on the dog's neck (directly behind the dog's ears). Personally I don't prefer this wherever possible this can be avoided, as this is the area where the dog's wind-pipe is the most exposed. BUT I agree that if a dog has excessive loose skin, a martingale may not have to fit as tightly as a flat collar for the mere purpose of not being able to slip it as the martingale (if fitted properly) will tighten, helping to prevent being slipped. Hope that makes sense. ETA: If using the check as you would a "half-halt" with horses works, then that's good. Less is more, in my books. But you do need to be looking for the dog not only responding to those so-to-speak "half-halt" checks at the time they are delivered, but also for the dog to be putting tension on the leash less and less frequently - otherwise the dog is not really learning to walk on a loose leash but is learning to respond off the "half-halt" cues you're giving. Of course, as you've mentioned, positive rewards play a huge part in training. I prefer to think slightly in reverse of what is commonly stated : Give the dog positive reward when he's giving the loose lead and check via the leash when he's not. (i.e. rather than thinking in the opposite order.) Although to many that might seem and mean the same either way, I find it quite amazing how the order of things we think in subconsciously affects the emphasis we place on what. I also make mental note in each session of how much positive reward the dog has received compared to how much correction the dog has received. If each could be weighed up in terms of pounds/kilograms, the positive should ideally far outweigh the corrections, and the mores the better. Thanks Erny, it's nice to have a bit of confirmation from people who know more than I do about this. I am taking the fact that Didi is beginning to stop herself when she reaches the end of the lead/feels pressure as a sign she is working out that loose=good. I mix it up with the checks as well by calling her name/using the look command and when she looks at me/comes to my side gets rewarded but at the moment this only works when there is nothing distracting around and she is just walking a bit ahead of me and I'd like her attention and to be walking closer. For when the distraction is a bit higher (eg a bird, someone walking past) and I know asking for the look command is unreasonable I prefer a check as I know this will get through to her. Training your first dog is literally the most daunting thing ever and fraught with constant self doubt and there are SO many conflicting opinions on literally everything and people can be quite belittling that sometimes I am nervous to stick to my guns but so far Didi isn't a monumental screw up so I think I'm doing alright :laugh:

Hmm I really think I'm going to pick up a martingale this week. The way I've trained Didi to walk (may or may not be right but it is doing the job) is to do a few checks (i used to ride horses so just do what I would do with a half halt)paired with an "uh-uh" before she would really start to pull or hit the end her lead and when she comes back to my side and the lead relaxes she gets a treat and praise. We don't have to do this much anymore but I still treat and praise her when she's just walking nice in general. She's worked out that pressure on the lead is not what I want and most of the time if I miss the right correction time and she hits the end of her lead she will slow down anyway. I don't like using the flat collar doing this though as it just pulls on the front of her throat and I is not a good collar for my technique but I am scared to use a check chain and use it wrong so I've done lots of reading and it seems like a limited slip/martingale would work well for us on walks, especially as I plan to up our distractions gradually now that she has low level distraction walking down pretty well. Another thing swaying me towards the martingale is that Didi has so much excess skin on her neck and a droopy dewlap (i think that's what it's called??) and if I do the collar up tight enough that it's doing the job right, it indents her skin/digs into her rolls but if I have it at a tightness that doesn't interfere with her loose skin, then it is not tight enough for walking and she could slip out. Am I going down the right path here?

I can imagine kids getting a kick out of her floppy ears and squishy face! I really want to be able to do something similar with my puppy at some point down the track but definitely going to have to wait a while until she's a bit more sedate.

Then don't. For the life of me I do not understand WHY people want to put this gear on their dogs when TRAINING is what is required to stop a dog pulling. Most front attach harnesses cross a dog's chest, restricting their front end movement. Why you'd want walk a dog that cannot fully extend its frontl legs beats me. I'm kind of just wondering if there's something about the harnesses I am missing/if my perception of them is wrong but that's how I feel about training aids being prescribed to everyone. I could understand perhaps if your dog is completely unmanageable and you've tried training for a while but Didi's pulling isn't super concerning for me and I'd rather see it through with training first.

Just a bit of an update.... I have gone to two obedience classes now and it has resparked my interest in training! I've pretty much gotten rid of formal training seesions at home and just do little things around the house, on a walk, in the car etc. and if we do an actual training session I keep it short with play to break it up a bit! I really like my obedience club, it's well run and you can tell they enjoy doing what they do... one of the the trainers we had to day was making a few annoying absolutist comments like dogs don't like being patted on the head (she was referring to an owner patting her dog on the head, not a stranger) and that all dogs love hard chew toys and have to chew for 3 hours a day or they are bored. I'm just taking that sort of stuff with a grain of salt and paying attention to the actual training stuff. Also the trainer (or assistant trainer??? not really sure what her position was) said I should get a front attatching harness for her pulling. I have some reservations about this because 1) Didi is not a puller on walks, sure if she sees something interesting she might pull toward it but she doesn't then pull you down the street toward what ever it is, she walks beside me nicely (I'd say at least 80% of walk an a very relaxed loose lead)with management and corrections and I wouldnt expect anything more from a puppy her age, as we get better at distraction training the occasional pulling toward interesting things will subside. The pulling that the trainer saw was the trainer walking up to Didi and saying hello and giving her a treat for sitting nicely and then walking away and Didi tried to follow her and sometimes if the dog next to us tried to approach Didi, she'd pull on the lead to go over to the dog but she was not towing me across the field to get at other dogs or straining at the lead constantly. 2) The club sells the harnesses so I don't know if there might be some ulterior motive as pretty much every dog that pulled a few times (to be expected in a beginners class) was told they should get a harness 3) Since she walks nicely on lead and only really pulls in big open spaces around other dogs (at obedience club pretty much) I feel like she won't get the idea and that it will just become a band aid solution. Personally if I wanted to use a training aid I'd like to use a check chain or martingale as for when things really aren't getting through to Didi she responds better to a negative/aversive (not sure if that's the right word) response but our club doesn't allow them and even though I am fairly sure I understand how to use them, I'd much rather someone showing me than relying on the internet/reading. If you can sell me on the harness idea then maybe I'll consider it but at the moment I really don't want to use one.