A Follow On Thread For Those Who Now Have Their Puppy

[aliwake]

He's doing ok thanks. He was pretty unsettled all weekend, but my husband was away at a bucks, and I think that had a lot to do with it. Seems he's greedy and needs both of us there to relax properly! :)

His cough was getting a bit worse, but yesterday he improved a little I think. Not much coughing during the day at all, but he did still wake up coughing during the night several times. If he races around too much he gets a bit wheezy too.

It's so weird - a week of reduced running around and he doesn't look all hard an muscley anymore Hopefully he gets better soon so we can go out and about again.

[Guest hankodie]

Oh no, hope you sort it out Lisa! And hopefully it's just the regular kind of worms, still icky though. Poor Nova.

Aliwake sorry to hear Nixon is still coughing, same thing happened with my other dog when she had kennel cough, she would run around and have a little coughing fit. It sounds like he's bouncing back though!

[tikira]

Lisa, I hope Nova gets sorted out quickly and effectively, I am sure he will soon be fine.

Hankodie, welcome to DOL, your dogs are gorgeous.

What I am going to say now will probably worry you even more, and I truely don't mean to scare you to death, but as much forewarning as possible may just help to save you from the grief I am still feeling.We lost Tip, our Jack Russell to snakebite in March.

My advice to all dog owners is:

Read as much as you can about snake habits and habitats and act accordingly to discourage them.

They do like spots to shelter, water and a food source (mice/frogs etc, so think about that. Clean everything you can from your yard. I don't have any water in the yard at all, we have only two pine trees in the dog yard, canopies starting at 5 feet high,the yard is fenced with close fitting palings sitting on a bed of cement. The lawn is kept very short. We live out of town on 5 acres, and slash around the dogs paling fence as well. We are in Armidale NSW and we have a high snake population around us.

I have heard if a pencil can fit through a gap, so can a snake.

We actually have a small area fenced off around the dog door that we can close off, so we can easily check that for snakes before letting them out to toilet if I feel there is any threat (Tip would start to sniff the fenceline and scratch at it.

If you are home most of the time that is your biggest advantage, get to know their bark pitch- a "snake bark" is often very different (it was with Tip).Their whole body language will probably change too if they sense a threat.

Read up on the symptoms of snakebite, and don't hesitate if you feel something is wrong- and if the worst happens, it helps to know the species of snake (it was the first thing the vet asked), and please don't try to get in between the snake and and the dog, they lose concentration and it puts them in more danger,and yourself as well.

Have your vet number and emergency vet numbers in a prominent place.

Not all dogs go after snakes, my border Collie and our nephew's dog have never attempted to attack a snake, yet (touch wood)I do accept that was because Tip found the threat first, though.

However, please try not to worry too much,snakes really do not appear that often (Tip had lived for nine years and I now feel his eyesight may have clouded a little without us noticing). Just arm yourself with the facts, and invest in a snake bandage (for human use) and learn how to use it correctly , (they really do save lives)

Forewarned is forearmed, and good luck to everyone during the snake season.

I know I have scared a lot of people reading this, as we had done all this and it still happened to us. It was a freak thing, Tip made no sound that day, the other dogs did not leave my side to investigate. Nature can be cruel and it was no-one's fault. I just hope and pray that my advice, and that of others may help to avert a similar tragedy.

Regards Di

[Lollipup]

I've gotten to the point where I'm not going to take that shit from people. My last dog had severe stomach allergies and you would be shocked at the amount of people that think it is perfectly ok to feed strange dogs!

Thank you :) Nova is a Blue Merle Australian Shepherd, the merle is the pale patterning, with 'blue' meaning black base. You can also get red merles . They are very pretty dogs, probably why he keeps being mistaken for a girl. But people look at him and go on about how much they want one, when they don't even know what he is until I tell them, so I try to put into peoples mind that they are a working dog and need a lot of training and exercise. i don't want people going out and buying them just because they are pretty

If you look into the Aussie pics thread you will be able to see some more, they come in different colours and the merles all have unique patterns, all with varying degrees of tan and white (or none). Nova has lots of Tan and not as much white as some.

The pattern is also seen in other breeds like Collies, Border collies, Shelties, Dachshund (called dapple), great danes, Cardigan corgis...and I'm sure theres more!

Dory thats sad people are still so judgemental towards rotties. My partner still gets it with his ACD, apparently they are all vicious dogs.

I had some random woman come up to Envy and me and tell her to sit, she didn't know that word at the time and so the woman grabbed the skin on her butt and grabbed her neck and pushed her into a sit. I was like "EXCUSE ME! DON'T DO THAT!" She just said oh, ok. LIke I am the crazy one. Then she proceeded to tell me that Envy must have some "German in her" because of the dark features she has. Yes you see that darkness in her face, that is German.

Thank you for telling me what my dog is.

A few weeks ago when staying at the in-laws my bro in law's GF (who is not a dog person at all) met Envy and within about 30 seconds she was saying she wants one of this breed. And she didn't even know what the breed was. Ummmm, no you don't. I think she thankfully changed her mind when Envy started mouthing her hard.

[aliwake]

Does anyone know if KC could be passed to a cat? I'm slightly paranoid because we have a tiny new kitten next door, and he tried to come visit unannounced yesterday - I would hate for Nixon to make him sick

[LisaCC]

Well I'm pissed off about the Drontal Puppy suspension, it should have prevented this! Vets confirmed, no fleas, but I have to flea treat him anyway incase he's just eaten some off another dog or something. We got some stronger wormer, and I now have to go back to early puppy schedule of every two weeks.

He's due for his next injection on Friday but he couldn't have it 4 days early! So back to the vets on Friday morning.

He's now sitting in the rain loving life.

[LisaCC]

I had some random woman come up to Envy and me and tell her to sit, she didn't know that word at the time and so the woman grabbed the skin on her butt and grabbed her neck and pushed her into a sit. I was like "EXCUSE ME! DON'T DO THAT!" She just said oh, ok. LIke I am the crazy one. Then she proceeded to tell me that Envy must have some "German in her" because of the dark features she has. Yes you see that darkness in her face, that is German.

Thank you for telling me what my dog is.

A few weeks ago when staying at the in-laws my bro in law's GF (who is not a dog person at all) met Envy and within about 30 seconds she was saying she wants one of this breed. And she didn't even know what the breed was. Ummmm, no you don't. I think she thankfully changed her mind when Envy started mouthing her hard.

What the hell? What a rude woman!

I don't understand how people think it's perfectly ok to do things like that!

[aliwake]

That's so annoying they wouldn't give you his vaccination early!

I wonder where Nova managed to pick them up?! It has to have been since his last worming I guess.

Hopefully your new wormer will do the trick. Which one did the vet suggest?

I have to admit, we've still been worming fortnightly (and Nixon is almost 6 months old now), mainly cos I worry about how much possum poo he eats The vet said there's no negative to doing it, other than the cost. When he had Giardia and had tests done etc, apparently they found some hookworm eggs (despite constant worming), so I'm pretty paranoid!

[LisaCC]

Well his last worming was just under 2 weeks ago, for the tapeworm to have been dropping out it must of been in there minimum of two weeks, so that wormer SHOULD have killed anything in him. Even the vets were a bit surprised, as that is supposed to be the good stuff.

We've been given Fenpral so hopefully that will work.

Poor Nixon has had a hard time hasn't he

[Guest hankodie]

Forewarned is forearmed, and good luck to everyone during the snake season.

I know I have scared a lot of people reading this, as we had done all this and it still happened to us. It was a freak thing, Tip made no sound that day, the other dogs did not leave my side to investigate. Nature can be cruel and it was no-one's fault. I just hope and pray that my advice, and that of others may help to avert a similar tragedy.

Regards Di

Tikira, truly sorry to hear about Tip that is heartbreaking. Thanks for sharing your story. It has definitely motivated me to continue tidying up the yard today and book someone in for the fences.

[aliwake]

It definitely sounds like the drontal should have worked - that's really worrying! Maybe he got infected immediately after his last dose. Hopefully the Fenpral will take care of it!! Must feel pretty gross for poor Nova.

Yeah, Nixon has definitely been through the works. It's been a tough few months, but totally worth it :) I just keep thinking the drama is done with and something else happens! Hopefully desexing will be the next, and last vet visit (for a while at least).

[LisaCC]

Nova doesn't seem to be bothered at all, he's not scooting, not trying to reach his butt at all. He loves the rain so is currently out there laying in it.

Yes I hope Nixon doesn't have anymore dramas!

[Guest hankodie]

Lollipup that woman sounds horrible! I would've reacted the same way Also I've known far too many people who buy dogs purely because they like the way they look. Especially people who buy working breeds and then wonder why the dog becomes destructive when it's not exercised or trained

Does anyone have any ideas on where else I can take Hank before the 12 week mark? I know the next couple of weeks are crucial in terms of socialisation which is why I want to be vigilant about taking him new places. So far we have been to the following places:

• Down by the beach on the weekend when it was quite busy (sat in the back of my car with the hatchback open) watching kids/people run around, skaters/people on bikes/people on scooters, dogs on lead)
  
• Outside the grocery store - watching the road in heavy traffic with lots of cars zooming by (again with the hatchback open sitting in the back)
  
• Sitting at the cafe in the morning - watching other dogs/people
  
• Neighbours houses & around the neighbourhood block
  
• Park/grassy area (again in the car) watching people jogging and walking their dogs (lots of dogs barking and playing)
  
• Also had a "puppy day" where we invited some friends over to say hello
  

I really want to find a market to take him to but there are none on in the next couple of weeks, unless we make the drive to Sydney (we live on the coast). I'm struggling to think of ideas. When Odie was a pup we lived in Sydney fairly close to the city so exposing her to crowds/lots of situations was a bit easier but now our lifestyle has changed into a fairly quiet one, I just worry that i'm not doing enough for Hank in terms of socialisation Any suggestions?

[aliwake]

We mainly encouraged people to come visit, and had a couple of bbqs etc. If you have any friends with kids, that can be really handy too. We had a bbq for my birthday when Nixon was about 12 weeks old, and there were lots of kids running around. he played so beautifully for hours, and then when he'd had enough he took himself off to the laundry to have a lie down in peace and quiet - I was so proud of him!!

I also took him to work to meet everyone on a couple of occasions - just a quick visit, but he got to meet a lot of different people, Lots of men and people with different accents etc - was very handy. One guy then brought his family with small kids around to play, which was great.

[LisaCC]

I loved sports grounds, carrying Nova around and through the people. Lots of screaming kids, and overenthusiastic parents, and most are so distracted they won't come hassle your puppy!

Edited August 12, 2013 by LisaCC

[Lollipup]

Lollipup that woman sounds horrible! I would've reacted the same way Also I've known far too many people who buy dogs purely because they like the way they look. Especially people who buy working breeds and then wonder why the dog becomes destructive when it's not exercised or trained

Does anyone have any ideas on where else I can take Hank before the 12 week mark? I know the next couple of weeks are crucial in terms of socialisation which is why I want to be vigilant about taking him new places. So far we have been to the following places:

• Down by the beach on the weekend when it was quite busy (sat in the back of my car with the hatchback open) watching kids/people run around, skaters/people on bikes/people on scooters, dogs on lead)
• Outside the grocery store - watching the road in heavy traffic with lots of cars zooming by (again with the hatchback open sitting in the back)
• Sitting at the cafe in the morning - watching other dogs/people
• Neighbours houses & around the neighbourhood block
• Park/grassy area (again in the car) watching people jogging and walking their dogs (lots of dogs barking and playing)
• Also had a "puppy day" where we invited some friends over to say hello

I really want to find a market to take him to but there are none on in the next couple of weeks, unless we make the drive to Sydney (we live on the coast). I'm struggling to think of ideas. When Odie was a pup we lived in Sydney fairly close to the city so exposing her to crowds/lots of situations was a bit easier but now our lifestyle has changed into a fairly quiet one, I just worry that i'm not doing enough for Hank in terms of socialisation Any suggestions?

I have stacks of ideas! Socialising is my passion! I have a three page list. So it depends how much you want to see but to break it down into general ideas:

Loud noises - thunder (you can play an audio track), party poppers, dropping tin pans & loud kitchen sounds

Machinery - lawnmowers, chainsaws, whipper snippers, motorbikes

Passing things- cars, bikes, skateboards, scooters, skates (could go to a skate park)

Old people, small children, walking sticks, wheel chairs, glasses, hats, coats, boots, teenagers

Lots of new environments but make you the most rewaring thing in any environment or situation.

Hope this helps :)

[Lollipup]

Lisa, I hope Nova's worms are all sorted soon. I'm sure they'll clear up now. That's a worry about the drontal not working. I remember when Lola was a puppy the morning after we got her all these worms came out, maybe because they wormed her the day we picked her up and this was probably the first time they had actually done it. I remember I was so worried, freaked out she was going to die and took her to the vet! She was of course, fine.

[aliwake]

don't forget vacuum cleaners and hair dryers!!

[Guest hankodie]

Thanks Aliwake - how old is Nixon now? Unfortunately we don't know very many people with kids (all our nephews/nieces live overseas!) I can tell he loves kids though, I've introduced him to the kids in my neighbourhood and the breeder also sent lots of photos of the puppies interacting with her grandkids so I know he's good around them but I'd just like to continue this. LisaCC a sports oval is a great idea, there are a few around here so I might give that a go.

Taking him to work is a great idea except for the fact that I work for myself so there are no co-workers to meet! :laugh: Same with my husband - he runs a family business so most of the people working there Hank has already met :laugh: starting to realise that we are the most boring 20-something year olds on the planet!

Great list Lollipup thank you - I've done a fair few of those already (vacuumed around his puppy pen and rewarded him for lying down/staying calm, had him sit and watch from the deck while my husband used the lawnmower/whipper snipper). The beach down where I live is a good place to go because there are lots of different people of all ages there. We've been aiming to take him out at least once a day somewhere new - short 20-30 minute trips where I usually sit with him and reward him for looking at me and carry him through the environment calmly. Do you think this is enough or should we be taking him out more?

[aliwake]

Nixon will be 6 months on Friday! Time flies... I weighed him this morning and he's 19.3kgs! It's just crazy how fast they grow...

Our nieces and nephews are overseas or interstate too, but luckily we have a couple of friends with kids, and nice neighbouring kids on both sides that love to talk to Nixon through the fence. Just make it really clear to your neighbours that you'd love Hank to play with the kids next time you see them. They'll probably all be stoked :)

It sounds like you're doing an amazing job with Hank! What a lucky puppy! It's sounds like he already goes out and about a lot more than Nixon did at that age, so I'm sure he'll be just fine!