Dog Owner Chat V. 5

[pizzas and scream]

what are your thoughts on those people who act like "if you have a 9-5 job, don't get a dog" when you don't have time for a dog. when that "no time" means "I need to work more than 4 hours a day, 5 days a week". On facebook i saw the people posting such. one has their family life make sure the dogs never are left alone. someone is always home for the dogs. they work in shifts, and sacrifice any social life. for the dog.(and allegedly some countries make it illegal to leave your dog home alone for more than 4 hours)

[Temper]

hi everyone!
My border collie is just over a year and a half and he’s been great until recently. The issue I’m having is when he’s off lead, he’ll come close when called but runs out of reach when i go to put the lead on him 🫠 he never used to do this so I guess he’s deciding that he just doesn’t want the fun to end. I’ve been using a long line to try solidify his recall and he’s always great with that on but the second I take it off he’s back to keeping a meter away from me. He’ll come perfectly fine off lead in the garden, i think it’s just being out and not wanting to go home yet, even if he is tired (and me lol). He’s also not very food driven at all

What should I do here? The long line is fine but it’s a hassle and i know he’s capable of going without!

Thanks in advance!

Seems like your smart dog is anticipating that the fun will end when you grab him! It sounds like you've done a great job teaching him to recall, but might need more practice with the lead coming on part.
Definitely keep doing what you're doing by practicing at home and in different places, but also start doing it in many different scenarios, for example when you're playing with him have the lead out and randomly call his name. When he comes, reward him and clip the lead on, then automatically let him go again. He'll start learning that you grabbing him and the lead coming on doesn't always stop the fun, he gets to resume his activities.
If he is not food motivated, try rewarding him with a tug! A lot of dogs vastly prefer play for their reward. I also reccomend keeping a very high value toy only for traning scanarios, so he only gets it when, for example, you're doing recall exercises and he'll be more motivated to work when you pull that out. Hope this helps!

[Siven]

hi everyone!
My border collie is just over a year and a half and he’s been great until recently. The issue I’m having is when he’s off lead, he’ll come close when called but runs out of reach when i go to put the lead on him 🫠 he never used to do this so I guess he’s deciding that he just doesn’t want the fun to end. I’ve been using a long line to try solidify his recall and he’s always great with that on but the second I take it off he’s back to keeping a meter away from me. He’ll come perfectly fine off lead in the garden, i think it’s just being out and not wanting to go home yet, even if he is tired (and me lol). He’s also not very food driven at all

What should I do here? The long line is fine but it’s a hassle and i know he’s capable of going without!

Thanks in advance!

Like mentioned above, sometimes if a dog realizes consistently that leash = fun over, you have to trick them into not being able to predict it. Recall, clip the leash, and immediately unclip the leash. Another thing can be bringing a high-value toy, clipping the leash on, and playing with the leash clipped on so he's still has fun even once leashed and isn't seeing the leash as an enemy.

[lisica,]

thanks for the suggestions guys sounds good! Never would’ve thought of that. I’m out the country right now lol but looking forward to getting started with him once I’m home!

Thanks again I appreciate it :-) I’m sure I’ll be back with positive updates soon

[Purgatory K9]

Well, the puppy I was going to get ended up having a falling through. I won’t go into too much detail but I decided that the breeder just wasn’t a reputable one. Now I’m on the hunt for a puppy again. :,) Haha

[koala89silly]

I'm so glad we got Cooper! He is such a sweet dog and he is amazing with kids. He just turned 1 in July. He loves driving in the car, hiking, walking, and going for runs!


Towards the end of a 6 hour drive.


Going on a hike.


After a run.

There is just one thing, we have been having a hard time teaching him to come. He does an amazing stay and waits by the front door until we say "ok", but he doesn't want to come. He is not food motivated at all, no matter what types of treats we get, and he doesn't want to come for a toy either. Any suggestions?

[PrinceOfTheAliens]

I have a puppy boi. his name is echo, and he is a demon. he likes destroying things.

[Purgatory K9]

Best tick protection for a young Labrador?
Collars don't help :(

I use Nexgard on my dogs and it works wonders! Talk to your vet about getting your dog on it. :)

[ᴍᴀᴏᴄɪғᴇʀ]

Hey all, asking for a bit of training advice:
My grandma recently fostered a 3yo german spitz klein (looks like an ever-so-slightly larger pomeranian with a longer muzzle), Jack, and after a friend showed interest in adopting him, my grandma adopted him on their behalf but after everything was done and she was ready to give Jack to them, they decided they didn't want him anymore, so my grandma is kind of stuck with him now as she doesn't want to take him back to the shelter.
He's lovely and very cute but a bit of a devil; he belonged to an elderly lady in ill health before and seems very much the pampered lapdog sort. He has little to no recall, seems utterly confused by other dogs, shreds my grandma's post, dashes out the door at any opportunity, isn't housetrained, chases cats, acts like he doesn't know the meaning of the word 'No' and doesn't know a single command (although it could just be that he only understands Welsh, so we give him the benefit of the doubt).
I do feel bad for him since at his age it's clear he's a pandemic puppy who probably never got much stimulation and since he'd just settled in to my grandma's house with very few accidents and now he's visiting a new environment the toileting and marking (despite being neutered) on the carpet has been a bit more forgivable - especially with the stress of being trapped in a house with my grumpy old lady who is rather intimidating to young dogs. But having to chase him down the highstreet in my dressing gown with no shoes on yesterday wasn't particularly endearing (funny in hindsight, very stressful at the time seeing him dart across a main road)
He did go out yesterday and was very weary of another dog clearly trying to engaging in play, seemed absolutely lost as to what this other dog wanted, and later we came across a group of 3 dogs stopped in the middle of the path, owners chatting away, and that seemed too much for Jack, he froze up and had to be carried past. BUT he went to my aunts today with 4 new dogs and did very well, terrified at first but relaxed a lot toward the end; her elderly jack russell was completely besotted with him although Jack found her quite scary, the dachshund wanted to be his friend but Jack wasn't interested, and surprisngly he really tested his boundaries with the boxadors: kept trying to sniff them while they'd warning growl him and got reminded of manners by a snap when he outstayed his welcome around them. At least he's not aggressive or reactive in his fear, just tends to freeze or run away as he simply doesn't understand what they want or why everyone keeps trying to sniff his behind, poor lad.

ANYWAY, what I'd love is just some advice on how to help with the aforementioned problems (recall, not chasing cats, not immediately racing out the door if it's open, learning the meaning of 'No', and really just any tips/tricks that you think might help him + videos for teaching basic commands)
Anything I can pass on to my grandma to help her out would be fantastic :)

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Best tick protection for a young Labrador?
Collars don't help :(

Ask your vet if you're unsure ^^
I use Advocate, and I know our vet uses (like @bat teeth suggested) NexGard for dogs that don't react well to spot-on treatment -- although where I am both of those are vet-prescribed only and can't be obtained over-counter.

[payno.]

For my dogs I use K9 Advantix II or capstar.
Cats I use strictly nextstar which is capstars liquid (neck shoulders area) version.
Not sure if they have nextstar for the doggos though.