Elbie, Hoover, Dodge & Friends!

[Ons]

awww what an absolute cutie!

[badboyz]

Clearly a well loved little man. He is adorable. Keep up the excellent work with training him and you will have a lot of fun with Elbie.

[Primedogs]

Elbie is absoloutly adorable, with his looks and wonky ears and he is so clever too

[Cat]

aw love the pics. he is so cute with such expressive eyes.

[OMD²]

Awww very very very cute doggie He is clearly loved very much

[Tokkie]

Elbie is beautiful..... , I like his little bed.

[koalathebear]

Latest photo of Elbie. We've been trying to teach him to do the "are you shy?" gesture from this thread. His fur is too short to attach a clothes peg so we tried peanut butter. Unfortunately he didn't even notice the peanut butter on his face and we just ended up with a puppy with peanut butter on his face

We tried tape on the side of his face fell off but we found

so we're having more success now putting rolled up sticky tape ABOVE his nose. We're hoping he'll be able to do the trick properly soon.

Things he can do so far - all learned from youtube videos because we won't start obedience classes until 20 June.

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. He can do a more sedate spin but I love his athletic, crazy dog spin here

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Here is Elbie-Cam - what Elbie gets up to when left alone.

Edited August 1, 2010 by koalathebear

[koalathebear]

I mentioned above that Elbie loves his hot water bottle. The routine when we make it has become very settled but it's no less funny.

As soon as he hears the kettle he comes trotting out of his crate to supervise. We made some video clips last night.

Because of filming, it took longer to make than usual so he sounded and behaved even more impatient than usual. Usually he'll just sit there and make some plaintive honking sounds. I have no idea if anyone else's dog honks like Elbie.

What's even funnier is that the hot water bottle is a motivator - last night, I made him sit, drop and 'are you shy' in exchange for his hot water bottle.

My OH: For basic warmth you made our puppy do tricks???

I know these are videos not photos but I didn't want to annoy people by creating too many Elbie threads

Edited May 30, 2010 by koalathebear

[leighw]

He's such a clever little Boy and very very cute.

[koalathebear]

He's such a clever little Boy and very very cute.

Thanks leighw - we think so :p We're very happy with Elbie's progress. He's a very loving and affectionate dog. He's about to face his first Canberra winter, though ;) As I see you're also in Canberra, I'm sure you know what I mean when I say brrrrrrr!

[dandybrush]

he is adorable :p you got the same bed for him i have for our boy he loves his bed, puts himself to bed if we stay up to late for him lol and thats in out bedroom

[leighw]

He's such a clever little Boy and very very cute.

Thanks leighw - we think so :p We're very happy with Elbie's progress. He's a very loving and affectionate dog. He's about to face his first Canberra winter, though ;) As I see you're also in Canberra, I'm sure you know what I mean when I say brrrrrrr!

Yes I do, that's for sure. I currently go home at lunchtime and walk my dogs when it's not so cold, but that will all change as in the next two weeks we're moving office and it's too far away to go home and too dark in the mornings.

[goldee]

He is so adorable - those ears and eyes are to die for!

Where did you get that type of bed from (the black/red one - in the pictures and you tube clip?)

[koalathebear]

He is so adorable - those ears and eyes are to die for! Where did you get that type of bed from (the black/red one - in the pictures and you tube clip?)

What a shame you're so far away! I'm sure our puppies would LOVE to play together Wouldn't they look so cute and lovable???

We bought the dog bed from Pet Barn. Alas, they don't seem to have a Pet Barn in South Australia but don't worry, I'm sure you can buy them in any pet store. It's called a Bona Fido Stay Dry Basket and comes in a bunch of sizes. We got the largest one we could find for Elbie - even though it's a bit big for him now, he's very comfy in it and curls up in the corners or sprawls. Sometimes he lounges back in the corner as if it's a fancy lounge suite

Also, what's awesome about it is that so far it's chew-resistant :p We do tell him "no biting" if we catch him gnawing on the straps or sides but so far it's stood up to his teeth and claws very well. The cushion on the inside also clips in so he can't drag it out. He loves it because he uses his crate for sleeping in at night and if he's feeling a bit scared e.g. last night when I was using the electric mixer he ran to his crate - but otherwise, he likes the dog bed because we put it near our computers and he can hang out near us. He'll sleep in it and also just lie there playing with his chew toys for ages.

Hope all is going well with your little puppy girl She looked so beautiful in the photos you shared in the puppy thread.

he is adorable you got the same bed for him i have for our boy he loves his bed, puts himself to bed if we stay up to late for him lol and thats in out bedroom

dandybrush: it's a great bed and so far has proved very puppy proof!!! The sides are great for him to lean against, he looks very cute when he leaps in and the cushion and base have withstood attempts at biting. We do exile him if he bites on the straps though. Elbie loves it so much and will spend hours sleeping/playing in the bed - one of our best puppy purchases so far!

Edited June 1, 2010 by koalathebear

[koalathebear]

Elbie learning how to crawl. Unlike little dogs, if you put the food in front of his nose he just tries to gobble it. If you move it further away, he jumps to his feet and chases after it. Thus we're trying to teach him to crawl under stools first and then later remove the stool.

It does look a bit as though he's learning to be a commando

Edited June 1, 2010 by koalathebear

[koalathebear]

Elbie's crack commando training (i.e. learning how to crawl continues

Also, I have no idea if anyone else's dog does it but our puppy honks when he's feeling sooky. He used to honk when he wanted to be picked up, these days he honks for his hot water bottle and also for attention generally. I think it makes him sound like a squeaky balloon

[goldee]

He is so adorable - those ears and eyes are to die for! Where did you get that type of bed from (the black/red one - in the pictures and you tube clip?)

What a shame you're so far away! I'm sure our puppies would LOVE to play together Wouldn't they look so cute and lovable???

We bought the dog bed from Pet Barn. Alas, they don't seem to have a Pet Barn in South Australia but don't worry, I'm sure you can buy them in any pet store. It's called a Bona Fido Stay Dry Basket and comes in a bunch of sizes. We got the largest one we could find for Elbie - even though it's a bit big for him now, he's very comfy in it and curls up in the corners or sprawls. Sometimes he lounges back in the corner as if it's a fancy lounge suite

Also, what's awesome about it is that so far it's chew-resistant We do tell him "no biting" if we catch him gnawing on the straps or sides but so far it's stood up to his teeth and claws very well. The cushion on the inside also clips in so he can't drag it out. He loves it because he uses his crate for sleeping in at night and if he's feeling a bit scared e.g. last night when I was using the electric mixer he ran to his crate - but otherwise, he likes the dog bed because we put it near our computers and he can hang out near us. He'll sleep in it and also just lie there playing with his chew toys for ages.

Hope all is going well with your little puppy girl She looked so beautiful in the photos you shared in the puppy thread.

They really would! Although i think she'd give Elbie a run for his money - (as in she's younger but VERY game!).

It'll be interesting to see what she's like when i take her to puppy school. Did you take Elbie to one?

Thanks! Those beds look pretty good. I've seen ones in PetStock that a material round, and the largest ones are SO expensive. We just have a dog bed from cheap as chips - its a good soft comfy one but she tends to roll off it and sleep half on it and half off it!.

Thats adorable. Ava didn't like her crate. Barely used it since i bought it! It seemed like she felt 'caged in'. She LOVES the outdoors so maybe at the breeders she was kept outside in open areas, as oposed to being closed in a small space.

[koalathebear]

It'll be interesting to see what she's like when i take her to puppy school. Did you take Elbie to one?

Ava's a lovely name - named after Ava Gardner?

Elbie's going to puppy school. He attends puppy class with:

- a gorgeous but grumpy bull terrier named Winston who is built like a block of wood and won't sit no matter what anyone tells him to do

- a huge, boisterous six month old boxer puppy named Lloyd who can sit but not drop, does happy wees and begs for food shamelessly

- a HUGE rhodesian ridgeback/rottweiler cross named Geoffrey who is beautiful

- a terrified little cavalier king charles named Alfie who spends all of the playtime hiding between the legs of my OH

- a schnauzer with anxiety issues and a very blingy collar

He enjoys it a lot although he doesn't really play that much with the other puppies. The big ones chase him around and he evades them with ease. When the three biggies gang up on him they pin him to the ground easily. Most of the time he just runs around and hoovers up the treats that the others ignore. I think puppy classes are a good idea, though. He'll start formal obedience later this month though which is excellent - we're very excited about that because he's very keen to learn and so far we've been teaching him off youtube videos and our technique is probably really crap.

Thanks! Those beds look pretty good. I've seen ones in PetStock that a material round, and the largest ones are SO expensive. We just have a dog bed from cheap as chips - its a good soft comfy one but she tends to roll off it and sleep half on it and half off it!.

Elbie had a cushion he used to fall off as well.

That's why the pet basket's so ideal with its sides. I'd stick with your current bed for now until Ava gets too big for it/chews it to bits - then upgrade to a bigger bed.

Ava didn't like her crate. Barely used it since i bought it! It seemed like she felt 'caged in'. She LOVES the outdoors so maybe at the breeders she was kept outside in open areas, as oposed to being closed in a small space.

Not all dogs take to crates - Elbie doesn't like his outdoor kennel much. We put food and kongs in the back and he goes in there to get them and brings them outside to eat You'll have to start an Ava thread here so we can enjoy her progress!

Edited June 1, 2010 by koalathebear

[goldee]

It'll be interesting to see what she's like when i take her to puppy school. Did you take Elbie to one?

Ava's a lovely name - named after Ava Gardner?

Elbie's going to puppy school. He attends puppy class with:

- a gorgeous but grumpy bull terrier named Winston who is built like a block of wood and won't sit no matter what anyone tells him to do

- a huge, boisterous six month old boxer puppy named Lloyd who can sit but not drop, does happy wees and begs for food shamelessly

- a HUGE rhodesian ridgeback/rottweiler cross named Geoffrey who is beautiful

- a terrified little cavalier king charles named Alfie who spends all of the playtime hiding between the legs of my OH

- a schnauzer with anxiety issues and a very blingy collar

He enjoys it a lot although he doesn't really play that much with the other puppies. The big ones chase him around and he evades them with ease. When the three biggies gang up on him they pin him to the ground easily. Most of the time he just runs around and hoovers up the treats that the others ignore. I think puppy classes are a good idea, though. He'll start formal obedience later this month though which is excellent - we're very excited about that because he's very keen to learn and so far we've been teaching him off youtube videos and our technique is probably really crap.

Elbie had a cushion he used to fall off as well.

That's why the pet basket's so ideal with its sides. I'd stick with your current bed for now until Ava gets too big for it/chews it to bits - then upgrade to a bigger bed.

Not all dogs take to crates - Elbie doesn't like his outdoor kennel much. We put food and kongs in the back and he goes in there to get them and brings them outside to eat You'll have to start an Ava thread here so we can enjoy her progress!

Haha, na not named after Ava Gardner, searching dog names/baby names and that was one that stood out! I wanted one that wasn't too common.

I love the way you described all the puppies at the school! Its so cute how they all have their own little personalities. Im going to ring a few up soon - my vet does one at 5 weeks (first week you dont bring pup) for $100, but theres a dog Obidence School which does it for 4 weeks at $40. Plus they do all the other obidence training too. It'll be interesting to see how she goes with other pups. She hasn't been timid so far with anything, so hopefully she'll be fine. Na you seem to have trained him to do some good stuff in those videos! I think we would be able to train Ava, she seems clever but all she does is want to play, jump and bite!

Those photos are just so cute. He looks so tiny! Yeah good idea, she seems to be chewing everything at the moment - including us!

[koalathebear]

Haha, na not named after Ava Gardner, searching dog names/baby names and that was one that stood out! I wanted one that wasn't too common.

I love the way you described all the puppies at the school! Its so cute how they all have their own little personalities. Im going to ring a few up soon - my vet does one at 5 weeks (first week you dont bring pup) for $100, but theres a dog Obidence School which does it for 4 weeks at $40. Plus they do all the other obidence training too. It'll be interesting to see how she goes with other pups. She hasn't been timid so far with anything, so hopefully she'll be fine. Na you seem to have trained him to do some good stuff in those videos! I think we would be able to train Ava, she seems clever but all she does is want to play, jump and bite!

Those photos are just so cute. He looks so tiny! Yeah good idea, she seems to be chewing everything at the moment - including us!

Wuffles - one of the other forum members also has a puppy named Ava - not a golden retriever though :D It's a lovely name.

The puppies at our puppy class are awesome - and we don't know the names of any of their owners, just the puppies

Ava's still very young. When Elbie came to us, he already sat very nicely. Every time we turned around he was sitting there looking up at us with puppy dog eyes. We watched a lot of the youtube videos and found the techniques that seemed easiest to us and fitted them into our routine with Elbie. The thing is, puppies have a very short attention span so you can only train for a few minutes and you have to stop if they get frustrated. Elbie loves the obedience work though and you can really see him pondering things.

You should probably just be worrying about sit, drop and wait/stay at this point for Ava. If she's food motivated, then a good time to train her is around meal times. Elbie is SUPER SUPER eager to please at meal times. Good luck! :D Can't wait to see more photos. She is soooooo cute.