Dog Owner Chat V. 5

[ᴍᴀᴏᴄɪғᴇʀ]

@EzraSol
Happy belated birthday to your lad; such a handsome boy! Glad he enjoyed his cake.

My girl also had her birthday late march, she turned 14 and got a peanut butter and carrot cake too (no blueberries though, but I bet she would've enjoyed it much more if it did - always next year!)

[drift.]

the dumpster muppet is 19 weeks old 🥹
I’m excited to see him mature but he’s doing it too fast

[EzraSol]

the dumpster muppet is 19 weeks old 🥹
I’m excited to see him mature but he’s doing it too fast

I love his lighter brown markings, especially on his head, it looks like he has highlights

[drift.]

I love his lighter brown markings, especially on his head, it looks like he has highlights

ur right. he looks like a scene kid lol. especially with the dark rims around his eyes that I like to call his eyeliner

[chase.]

hi all!

I’m looking for a bit of advice! My mother bought my younger brother a puppy, (Working English springer spaniel), we lost our last spaniel in December of old age, and so she decided to get another (my old dog’s grandson funnily enough) but long story short, she expects me to help since I’m supposedly the person with the “dog knowledge” in the family, but with my last four dogs the youngest I got at nine months - so I don’t know what to prioritise when it comes to puppy desensitisation.

The list I’ve currently made is basically:
- pet friendly stores, esp. hardware stores / pet stores because of the noises and smells
- water
- being touched, ears, teeth, paws, etc.. basically everything for a vet visit and just general health checks
- traffic/car journeys/loud noises
- gunshots (we live in the middle of nowhere, and there’s lots of pheasant shooting)
- dogs ( any advice on this would be appreciated! I don’t want him to become reactive by letting him say hi to every dog, but I also don’t want him feel the need to cling to me like my boy (rough collie) does out of shyness because his previous owners never let him interact with animals.
- people (all ages, hats, etc.. - I’m planning on bringing him to my rock climbing group since there’s a bunch of diverse people there that would be willing to give me a hand)

Is there anything major (or minor) I’ve missed? All of my dogs have had problems due to not being desensitised properly before I got them, so now they’ve got a puppy, I’d like to set my brother up with the best possible chance of having a solid, bombproof companion.
I had a look around google incase, but I’d love to hear people’s personal experiences and opinions! Any help is appreciated <3

The puppy in question:

His grandmother (my old spaniel) and my dog (the collie <3)

And my collie just becuase I love him very much

[fablefury]

hi all!

I’m looking for a bit of advice! My mother bought my younger brother a puppy, (Working English springer spaniel), we lost our last spaniel in December of old age, and so she decided to get another (my old dog’s grandson funnily enough) but long story short, she expects me to help since I’m supposedly the person with the “dog knowledge” in the family, but with my last four dogs the youngest I got at nine months - so I don’t know what to prioritise when it comes to puppy desensitisation.

The list I’ve currently made is basically:
- pet friendly stores, esp. hardware stores / pet stores because of the noises and smells
- water
- being touched, ears, teeth, paws, etc.. basically everything for a vet visit and just general health checks
- traffic/car journeys/loud noises
- gunshots (we live in the middle of nowhere, and there’s lots of pheasant shooting)
- dogs ( any advice on this would be appreciated! I don’t want him to become reactive by letting him say hi to every dog, but I also don’t want him feel the need to cling to me like my boy (rough collie) does out of shyness because his previous owners never let him interact with animals.
- people (all ages, hats, etc.. - I’m planning on bringing him to my rock climbing group since there’s a bunch of diverse people there that would be willing to give me a hand)

Is there anything major (or minor) I’ve missed? All of my dogs have had problems due to not being descent used properly before I got them, so now they’ve got a puppy, I’d like to set my brother up with the best possible chance of having a solid, bombproof companion.
I had a look around google incase, but I’d love to hear people’s personal experiences and opinions! Any help is appreciated <3

(I’ll update this with a picture of him in a few minutes)

Don't forget potty training!!! Dogs are so easy to understand if you're actually watching them. Puppies will usually sniff the ground and walk in circles before they use the restroom inside. It's also usually going to be in a bedroom or corner of a room they don't go in often, because dogs do not want to use the bathroom where they live.

A puppy is a huge deal and your whole family needs to be committed in order for this to work. If you're teaching one thing and your family is teaching something different then it won't work. Spaniels are smart and need lots of brain activities, not just walks. I suggest feeding the pup in a slow feeder.

I wouldn't recommend bringing your puppy outside of your house/backyard until two weeks after they've had all of their shots. I usually don't recommend bringing them out if they're under 4 months old because there have been cases where puppies younger than four months, with all of their shots, have gotten parvo/distemper. You can still take them in the back yard if you have one, that way they can still experience the smells and sounds. I would also recommend working on recall early. It doesn't have to be the best recall, but teaching them that when their name is called and they come back to you, they get a treat, that way if something happens later, you'll have something to fall back on.

While desensitizing puppies to other dogs is important, don't force it. If you teach your puppy that they're going to meet every dog they see, it's going to cause reactivity later in life. You can invite fully vaccinated dogs over that your friends/family have as long as they play well to get started. DO NOT go to dog parks. I know people want to defend them but too many dogs have had to go to the hospital from dog parks or they've passed away from being attacked there. Some doggie daycares are okay, most are not. Most of doggie daycares don't hire employees with dog experience and then have 20-100 dogs out at one time. It's not safe.

Most importantly, have fun with the puppy!

[Angelx3]

hi all!

I’m looking for a bit of advice! My mother bought my younger brother a puppy,
-snip-
- so I don’t know what to prioritise when it comes to puppy desensitisation.
-snip-

You definitly got a good list going
For noises i would recommend a noise CD or YouTube Stream with household noises, gunshot, Fireworks, construction Site noises.

For The Meeting people i would add costumes to The Mix as Well, one of our old dogs was absolutly distrustful of full Body costumes where she couldnt Tell The "human shape" any more ( If that makes Sense?)

For The dogs i think every one is unique so a Generally rule ist pretty useless. But definitly make Sure they meet puppies, adults, big and small in equal measure and Not Just one Type.

For The doctor Sensibility i would also add certain smells or ask If you can visit your doctor Office without an appointment. Just going There for 10 min and leaving again so they get used to It without The Stress of a medical examination.

Also super cute Pictures <3

[chase.]

@inkfauna
thanks! I’m as fine with house training and overall obedience/care of a dog, especially working breeds. It’s simply exposure I have very little idea over haha. And the family is committed! And we’ve had working spaniels before, so the enrichment isn’t a problem. I think scent work is the most likely activity my brother will take up, though he’s also mentioned field trials. I personally did obedience and agility, but I’m happy to support my brother if he wants to try something different! We also have dock diving down the road, so I might look into that since spaniels have an affinity for water xD. I work from home, and I’m currently off work with a wrist injury so I’ll be the main person looking after him for awhile, (whilst my brother is at school). So the next four weeks is kind of a “checklist of taking puppy places whilst he’s still curious” situation xD

Completely understand the jab thing! The one thing I do remember from the times way way before when I had puppies xD I’m not planning on letting him walk anywhere outside our property until he’s finished his course of vaccines. We have plenty of space here anyways, since we have sheep/horses/birds, so I’m sure there’s enough for him to do before he’s allowed to leave for walks with the others.

Oh no worries! I’m not a fan of dog parks either, I used to be on an agility team with my collie and that was enough dogs in one area for me xD they’re not really common in England as they seem to be in other places, but regardless all I see is bad news for them - so no worries there!

I’ve got three other dogs in the house he can interact with, I just want him to be able to remain “chill” around other, strange dogs, since my brother is still quite young, a full grown springer would absolutely be able to drag him across a field to say hi xD it’s just finding a balance, I’ve got two dogs that despise other dogs, one dog who is indifferent, and my collie is indifferent but can be shy. So I just want to see if I can set the puppy (ted) up to be confident around other dogs, but not rip someone’s limb off to say hi xD

@Angelx3
Hi! I completely forgot about construction work noises, I’ll add that thank you! I’ll find a good video put it on in the background for him.
I’ll try for costumes! Again there’s not really anyone wearing costumes over here aside from Halloween (maybe another british thing) but I’ll see what I can find!
Ah, makes sense! I’ll see what I can do then c:

And the smells is a good shout! I’ll see about taking him to hang out with the vet tech for a little while c:

Thank you both for your advice!

[Blu Malinois]

hi all!

I’m looking for a bit of advice! My mother bought my younger brother a puppy, (Working English springer spaniel), we lost our last spaniel in December of old age, and so she decided to get another (my old dog’s grandson funnily enough) but long story short, she expects me to help since I’m supposedly the person with the “dog knowledge” in the family, but with my last four dogs the youngest I got at nine months - so I don’t know what to prioritise when it comes to puppy desensitisation.

The list I’ve currently made is basically:
- pet friendly stores, esp. hardware stores / pet stores because of the noises and smells
- water
- being touched, ears, teeth, paws, etc.. basically everything for a vet visit and just general health checks
- traffic/car journeys/loud noises
- gunshots (we live in the middle of nowhere, and there’s lots of pheasant shooting)
- dogs ( any advice on this would be appreciated! I don’t want him to become reactive by letting him say hi to every dog, but I also don’t want him feel the need to cling to me like my boy (rough collie) does out of shyness because his previous owners never let him interact with animals.
- people (all ages, hats, etc.. - I’m planning on bringing him to my rock climbing group since there’s a bunch of diverse people there that would be willing to give me a hand)

Is there anything major (or minor) I’ve missed? All of my dogs have had problems due to not being desensitised properly before I got them, so now they’ve got a puppy, I’d like to set my brother up with the best possible chance of having a solid, bombproof companion.
I had a look around google incase, but I’d love to hear people’s personal experiences and opinions! Any help is appreciated <3

For dog interactions, I like to take my puppies outside of dog parks and train and play with them without ever going inside. I only do this when they are fully vaccinated, just in case. This teaches the puppy that even though you will see and hear dogs running around, playing, fighting, etc, it is a lot more fun to engage with me instead. For social interactions, I only allow my puppies to interact with dogs I know and trust, such as my friend's dogs. I make it very clear when playtime is over by saying my chosen phrase "All done" and putting the other dog away so the puppy can either go take a nap in their crate or I will then play/train with them a little myself. I also do a toooonnn of engagement work with my puppies.

[i<3 wolves678]

Sorry, this is going to be a bit of a depressing post. I advise not to read if you’re not comfortable with the discussions of euthanasia.

I’ve posted on here a couple times before about my family’s senior dog who was struggling with dementia. Things got a lot better after I initially posted here, we took him to the vets and had it confirmed, tried a couple of medications they gave us to keep him calm that didn’t work before we eventually settled on medicating with cbd. His mood picked up significantly, and it helped to significantly stall his deterioration. He’s lived about a year longer than we initially thought he would, but unfortunately the medications are no longer helping, and he has gone down hill very fast the past couple of months.

Our family has made the decision this week to have him put down this Wednesday. While he lived an entire, happy and mostly healthy year longer than anticipated, we had to keep upping the dosage until it just stopped working entirely. He has good days, but they’re becoming further and further between, and it just hurts to see him suffering. He gets so confused and scared, and he’s started becoming uncharacteristically aggressive, including lashing out at our other dog. It’s not fair on her, and it’s not fair on him either.

We’ve been living around him for months, he goes ballistic when anyone leaves the house and has started to think everyone is leaving at all times even when they have no intention to. We can’t have guests in the house, my mother and I can barely talk without him getting extremely agitated, and it’s just difficult for everyone involved.

We’re making sure his last few days are as good as they can possibly be. He’s been having tons of really long walks, constant attention and lots of treats. Thankfully so far the dementia hasn’t caused him too much distress this week either.

If anyone here has any advice for the grieving process going forward, I would greatly appreciate it, it’s been an extremely difficult time for our whole family, and it’s taken us much longer than it should have to finally make the decision. He’s been part of our family for over 10 years now, so it’s going to be hard to move on. Also if anyone has any advice on helping our other dog through this, that would be very helpful. We are planning on letting her see the body, as I hear that is supposed to help give them closure, I hope this is the right thing to do.