Dog Owner Chat V. 5

[ru.]

-snip-


Hi everyone!! This is my puppy who I will be picking up tomorrow. His name is Timber and he's a siberian husky. As you can tell he's bi-eyed, which I actually didn't know when I picked him out. His eyes were still too dark to tell the difference between at that point, but as he grew, one remained dark while the other turned light blue. I think it's a cool detail about him <:

Wow! What a pretty boy! :') I can't wait to see more photos and read your stories about him as he grows!
(I don't have puppy fever what are you talking about)

Sibes are such gorgeous dogs. Probably one of the prettiest in my opinion!
But alas - they just don't fit my lifestyle/what I want in a dog and so I'll never have one. ): Oh well! I can watch other people enjoy them and be envious hahah

[General Chaos]

Duke:

Gender: M
Breed: German Shepherd, Black lab, Husky, Pomeranian mix
Age: Just over a year (Picture was taken on his 1st bday)

FB_IMG_1502560703421.jpg (44.61 KiB) Viewed 129 times

This is my dog Duke, and I can fully say he is my world.

My friend had a dog that had puppies, it was at a farm so she had them under a car. After pulling a few from under the car to put them in a safe place with the mother I pulled the runt out. He was adorable, and I fell for him imidiently.

I went and saw him every day, until day 3, when his mother rejected him. I couldn't let my little guy die, so I brought him home at 3 days old and raised him, fed him, and loved him. I was told there was a possibility he wouldn't live, because he had lost his mother. But a year later this little guy sees me as mom.

He's the sweetest guy, and I'm so glad he pulled though and made it, I couldn't imagine a life without him.

[Suiki]

Have you tried training another behavior, like getting him to sit when he sees people? Since he can't pull and sit at the same time one cancels the other out.

Also what you consider the "best treats" and what he considers rewarding may be two different things. What have you tried so far, cooked meat, cheese, hot dogs, whipped cream? Also some dogs prefer other rewards such as toys, and you can also use greeting people as a reward. Start with using someone the dog knows and likes. Have them approach on a walk and ignore the dog, if he pulls keep walking (have you tried training "Let's Go"?) go a distance away then turn around (have the person do the same) and continue to repeat the process, eventually he should get bored and stop trying to pull towards the person. Praise him calmly and take him to greet the person. Eventually he should learn that not pulling = meeting new people and pulling = nothing.

I'm not sure what a half choke is, are you referring to a martingale? Personally I don't like attaching leashes to collars in general either. If his pulling is so severe you're having trouble controlling him you may want to try a front clip harness while you're training You can always switch back to a back clip later if you want.

I'd go back to working on attention games, in calmer places like indoors, your yard, part of a park that isn't overpopulated by people, etc. Even indoors practice with him leashed up, dogs don't generalize well so this could help realize that he has to pay attention when out on leash. Also if you can't get his attention try stopping, wait for attention, then start again. Try going different routes and for differences. For example if you always walk three blocks just walk on then turn around an back track for a little then turn around again. If you're unperdictable it will encourage him to pay attention more.[/quote]
I have tried cheese, hot dogs, liver, meatballs, chicken and fish. He loves cheese but it's not good for his stomach. I have heard about the "Look at that" game that I'll try out, but I don't think he'll even respond to the marker word. He's still good at offering contact in our yard but not on walks.

Also, I know it's normal for puppies to eat poop and he used to do that when he was younger, but only for a short period. Now he's obsessed with poop again from other animals (not other dogs). We also have a pen for him outdoors and he sometimes poops there and tries to eat it. He seems hungry all the time too. Maybe he's missing some nutrients?

[Imzadi83]

Have you tried training another behavior, like getting him to sit when he sees people? Since he can't pull and sit at the same time one cancels the other out.

Also what you consider the "best treats" and what he considers rewarding may be two different things. What have you tried so far, cooked meat, cheese, hot dogs, whipped cream? Also some dogs prefer other rewards such as toys, and you can also use greeting people as a reward. Start with using someone the dog knows and likes. Have them approach on a walk and ignore the dog, if he pulls keep walking (have you tried training "Let's Go"?) go a distance away then turn around (have the person do the same) and continue to repeat the process, eventually he should get bored and stop trying to pull towards the person. Praise him calmly and take him to greet the person. Eventually he should learn that not pulling = meeting new people and pulling = nothing.

I'm not sure what a half choke is, are you referring to a martingale? Personally I don't like attaching leashes to collars in general either. If his pulling is so severe you're having trouble controlling him you may want to try a front clip harness while you're training You can always switch back to a back clip later if you want.

I'd go back to working on attention games, in calmer places like indoors, your yard, part of a park that isn't overpopulated by people, etc. Even indoors practice with him leashed up, dogs don't generalize well so this could help realize that he has to pay attention when out on leash. Also if you can't get his attention try stopping, wait for attention, then start again. Try going different routes and for differences. For example if you always walk three blocks just walk on then turn around an back track for a little then turn around again. If you're unperdictable it will encourage him to pay attention more.

I have tried cheese, hot dogs, liver, meatballs, chicken and fish. He loves cheese but it's not good for his stomach. I have heard about the "Look at that" game that I'll try out, but I don't think he'll even respond to the marker word. He's still good at offering contact in our yard but not on walks.

Also, I know it's normal for puppies to eat poop and he used to do that when he was younger, but only for a short period. Now he's obsessed with poop again from other animals (not other dogs). We also have a pen for him outdoors and he sometimes poops there and tries to eat it. He seems hungry all the time too. Maybe he's missing some nutrients?

Possibly, but it could also simply be a learned behavior as well as other causes.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vQtfYV4p2uk

The best way to solve it is to
A) manage the situation buy always cleaning up his poop and paying attention to and avoiding other poop on the ground
B) Teach him to "leave it"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pEeS2dPpPtA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7My9gMIEyiE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zNAOe1djDyc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D9gTe0jPJbU


It sounds like there are still a lot of foods out there for you to try. If he likes cheese, have you tried goat cheese? It's easier to digest then cheese made from cows milk for humans and might be worth trying. Try peanut butter, baby food, turkey, blueberries, strawberries, popcorn, carrots, wet dog food, kibble? (obviously check ingredients to make sure everything is dog safe) Keep trying things, don't give up. And remember to try other non-food rewards as well. Make a list of things your dog likes, everything from fetch, tug, and belly rubs can be a reward.

Also it's possible the marker word was not "charged" correctly. So I'd go back and try that again. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rL6Xi4J1QdM Make sure you use a word that you don't use other wise or the marker word will lose it's power. That's one of the reasons I prefer a clicker to a marker word personally. Also I've noticed my clicker timing is better then my marker word timing.

If he can offer attention in your yard can he do it to the mail box? Or even one step outside your yard? You may have to break it down into parts that small to begin with. It may seem slow and silly but to him it can be a big difference.

[cosmic-quark]

It turns out my pictures didn't upload properly last time, so here's a few more! Charlie is surprisingly photogenic when he's not trying to chew through his bed or break the sound barrier ^^

[maninkari]

If a breeder's dogs had really long nails, would it throw you off? Even if everything else is good?

[Imzadi83]

If a breeder's dogs had really long nails, would it throw you off? Even if everything else is good?

Depends on how long, if they'd just got long enough to click maybe not, but if they were long enough they were starting to curl under/cause dog to have problems walking then yeah it would.

Different people have different opinions on how short nails should be kept. Some breeds may have different standards as well. And an individual dog may dictate how short you can trim as well. I'd question the breeder on the nails if you're concerned. But it should never be so bad as to obvious neglect, that would automatically turn me off.

[maninkari]

If a breeder's dogs had really long nails, would it throw you off? Even if everything else is good?

Depends on how long, if they'd just got long enough to click maybe not, but if they were long enough they were starting to curl under/cause dog to have problems walking then yeah it would.

Different people have different opinions on how short nails should be kept. Some breeds may have different standards as well. And an individual dog may dictate how short you can trim as well. I'd question the breeder on the nails if you're concerned. But it should never be so bad as to obvious neglect, that would automatically turn me off.

I'll ask her when I can. They're obviously not neglected. They're all clean, fit, and very well trained and regularly go to shows. It's just... nails. Here's a pic of one of her dogs.

[everendering]

Anybody have tips on potty training a puppy??
We just picked up a 9 week old Aussie doodle that is the sweetest thing alive. We take him out very often and he goes potty every time he is out side. But sometimes he pees out side them comes inside and does it again.

[tea!]

Anybody have tips on potty training a puppy??
We just picked up a 9 week old Aussie doodle that is the sweetest thing alive. We take him out very often and he goes potty every time he is out side. But sometimes he pees out side them comes inside and does it again.



when he goes potty outside, give him lots of treats and praise.
Show him it's an awesome thing and make it seem lots of fun !

If he uses the potty inside, don't punish him, but dont reward.
Once he realizes he gets no treats for going inside, he'll prefer
going outside since he knows its good and he gets treats and praise !