New member of our family / Dog thread

pomi

pomi

New member
Finally, my childhood dream went fulfilled and I have a dog (first in my life).
Our puppy-boy is 8 weeks old, his name is Bodie and he's a hovawart (= when he's adult he's as big as a smaller cow :)).

Right now, I've read some clever articles and forums about the dog breeding and training once again and am worried (as always, actually). Lots of methods and approaches and everyone says that if you don't do it exactly that way he's writing, you get the dog wrong forever...blah blah blah. Gosh, who is the right and wrong dog? The wrong one is when he's sleeping in your bed? (our doesn't...just because the baby is sleeping there :):):)).

Share the pictures of your dogs with me! Bodie would love to meet his Sweet Shoppe friends! :) (yes, even those we've seen already... yes, even those we've seen already many times, Col! LOL)


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beautiful dog!! I love it. It almost looks like a rottweiler but is more furry and softer looking. Anyhow congrats on your new family member.
 
*giggles* I love that you called me out :p

For one, don't stress yourself about your training methods. Consistency is the greatest training tool there is.
2 - I'm not sure what breed that is (I agree he looks like a Rottie), but if they are a stubborn breed, or he turns out to have a dominant personality, be prepared to work on training FOREVER. Literally. Tigah-now is a dominant personality and she is ALWAYS testing her boundaries (I liken her to a toddler, always pushing just a little, just to see what they can get away with). We are constantly correcting and reinforcing the rules with her. She lost bed privileges for almost 2 weeks because she had been acting up!
3 - Find a training method you're comfortable with, and just stick with it. There are as many training methods and philosophies as there are breeds it seems, and someone will always be there to tell you you're wrong. Whatever works best for you and your dog is the right way to go.

HAVE FUN!! I LOVE having a dog in my house, and I don't think I will ever NOT have one. :) Of course, I haven't yet had a puppy of my own to house break yet :p

I will be back shortly to share some NEW pics of Tigah-now that I got the other night :) Not even scrapped yet!
 
Majda! he's gorgeous! kisses for him from here :hugs:

Col's hit it on the nose - just be consistent - and it looks like you will need a chew rope ASAP. Get one for puppies, then advance as those chompers get stronger - trust me your shoes will thank you.
 
OMG Bodie is ADORABLE!!!!!!

This is Remmy Dee! Our OE Bulldog we got 6 months ago!

Here she is the day we got her:
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and here she is now:
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aww, what cuties!! :wub: I'm hoping to get my puppy sometime this year. I've been working on my DH for years about getting one and he very sweetly said yes last year, but life has been giving us a bunch of curveballs lately. sigh. Once we figure out if/when we will be moving, then we will get a puppy. I love looking at doggy layouts so be sure to post in the gallery!
 
He is just adorable! I love him! I have no advice on the training. Mine are chihuahuas and I just spoil them rotten. They probably aren't real well behaved according to the norm but, I just let them be who they are going to be and they are so little that they don't bother me much when they are a bit naughty. They have never chewed on furniture, etc. so I got lucky on that. LOL

And Remmy Dee....she is just gorgeous!
 
What a cutie! As you probably already know it is a guard dog. As such I agree with all the others, consistancy is the key. Make sure the dog learns from day 1 that your whole family is above him in the pack order, even the little ones (don't allow him to take toys away from the kids, but he would have to allow the kids to take away his toy, for example). Don't accept playful biting, ever. Personally I tend to lean towards positive training, however, the dog has to learn his boundaries and limitations.

Being guard dogs they can become dominant and become aggressive towards other dogs - Can, not will ;) They need long walks and something to "work", check out the dog sports available. Personal experience has shown me that a lot of dog owners think that if they absolved a puppy training course they have done everything they can to teach him. How many times people tell me, their dog is just plain stupid, doesn't learn new tricks, never listens, is stubborn, etc. Yes, some dogs learn better than others but people need to send clear messages, the same all the time, do a little training every day - yes, be consistant ;)

Have fun with this little, soon to be big darling!
 
Oh Majda, he's just gorgeous!!

No pics from me...we're currently pet-less. Unless you count the guppies (fish) we have. We started with 5 and there are now close to 100 of them!
 
I knew you were to comfort me, girls! :)

Col, Nettie, Nathalie - thank you so much for your advice! You named exactly the things that I also think are the most important ones.
I'm going to attend a puppy training with him and then as we are quite a sporty family, I think he'll just join us on various walks and hikes and trips and almost daily runs with me and DH. OK, I'm not in my best shape right now and probably NeeNee's chihuahuas could hold my pace, but times are going to be better. :) He's also one of the calmest puppies in the litter. I was thinking a lot when it is the best time to get the puppy, right now there is a 3yo and 8mo in my house which isn't easy with the puppy, but on the other hand, I'm going to be SAHM for other 2 years (maybe a little bit more) and therefore can spend a lot of time with the dog.

Megan - she's a cutie! :)

Beckie - I'd count the guppies, too. :)
 
See, all my friends think I'm INSANE because I plan to get a puppy when I've got a newborn in the house. Yes, you read that right, LOL! I figure if I have to be up all hours of the night with the baby, I might as well put the dog outside the be house broken while I'm at it, lol.

Realistically, it might not happen. But still. I want to get a puppy when I'm a SAHM/WAHM so I can really train him/her.

I misplaced my card reader, and then LR needed some updates last night. I'll post pictures soon :)
 
That's exactly the point, Col!
The nights aren't bringing any addition to the tireness that's already there; our baby sleeps far worse than the puppy, so after one or two nursing rounds during the night I just go down and let the dog out. I can say it's not much more work with the puppy here, the tricky thing is to co-ordinate the routines somehow.
I am being told that I'm insane from the vast majority of people and unfortunately, I doubt about myself then. :( Even when I see that it actually goes quite well and smooth here, I am stressed inside. :(
 
He is SOOO sweet - I have huge puppy love!!!!



Here is my old lady - she is 6 at my feet as always -
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She is a golden retriever
 
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Awww, don't be stressed hon! It'll work out just fine! You can tell all those people that THEY dont' have to get up with the dog or the baby, so it shouldn't make a difference to them what you do. AND you get snuggly baby kisses, AND snuggly puppy kisses as a reward for all the hard work.

If you're doing well, there's nothing to stress about! :)
 
he's cute!! here are out two annoying dogs, lol.

Yogi is a Golden Retriever. he's mainly my husbands dog. he is a big baby and gets on my nerves, lol. but he's a good dog. i think he's two? i forget, lol
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and here is Sadie, our Beagle. she'll be one next month. she can be annoying as well, with her bark and wanting in and out constantly and running off. but she's a sweetie.
bad un edited pic, sorry.
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Now, i want a cat again. i miss having cats. we've had them before. i just want one. we need a mouser anyway.
 
Thanks so much, Col! (Hugs)! :)

Nonnie, Corey, the goldens are adorable.

And Corey, Sadie is a sweetie. :) I'd like to have a cat, too. After Bodie is settled down. :)
 
Anytime! As the owner of a pit bull, I get all sorts of judgement passed on me all the time. I've learned to let it roll off my back (at least in the doggy department of my life, not so easy with other aspects, lol!).
 
Such cute pix!!

Ditto to Col's advice about consistency. It's important that every human, kids, husband, everyone, follow the same rules with the dog: if getting on the couch is forbidden, for example, the rule must be reinforced by everyone, kids included. He must also understand that the humans come first (are dominant) and that he must respect them, no matter if they are babies or grown ups. If you manage to make him understand this, it will be really fun and stressless!

I've always have dogs, and I remember being about 18 months old and lying on our doggy Praline, playing with her ears. She growled at me sometimes (when I really really got on her nerves after playing with her ears for way too long) but never bit me. She understood I was fragile and that she was the "grown up" there and had to take care of me, so when I got her upset she simply walked away... Wise dog! LOL
 
After one week at home I can see that everything goes much smoother than I expected. The rules are set up and the routines and schedules are settling down.

Nathalie, thank you for your advice not let him do that playful biting! I thought the same thing, but you know what, everyone is just always "awww, but he's just playing". So the rule here is "no biting in any body" :) (I don't care about the wooden furniture though, so I think it's a pretty good deal, right? :)).

He also is calmer now and not nervous at all, so he can spend more and more time in the garden alone (like one hour 3-4 times a day), which again makes it easier for all of us (including the puppy :)).

And he sleeps all night! May he teach that my younger DD... :)

I can also see there is the same method as with the kids - try to make him tired LOL. He's small, so 30 mins walk twice a day does the job. :)

Chloé, that's wonderful with Praline. :) That's what I'd like my kids to remember - the dog as their great friend.
 
Majda, I know it is hard but you shouldn't allow him to chew the furniture. Maybe you don't care about this furniture but you might get new furniture in the future and you would not want him to chew that, right? Of course, puppies do chew and need to but get dog/puppy appropriate things to chew on like chew ropes, kongs, etc. Praise him with an excited voice when he chews on that, should he choose the furniture a loud, deep "uh" should do the trick, distract him with the kong or rope directly afterwards, if he goes for the kong/rope, again praise!

This might not always work - well, as with children, how many times you tell them not to and they do it anyway :p We had a lot of chewed objects :huh: In most cases they grow out of their chewing habits though. Nevertheless I would nip it in the butt from the beginning.
 
Nathalie, thank you again! OK, you're right. :) He has a big amount of chewing toys and things and ropes and whatever, but like the kids - he's most interested in chewing everything others. I have heard they grown out of the chewing when their teeth are changed.
 
Tiger is 5.5 years old, and she is still a BIG chewer. Some dogs just like to chew things, lol. I'm lucky in that she never (well, rarely) chewed anything that wasn't hers when I first got her. And whatever she did chew, was my fault for leaving out for her to get to.

But yea. When you catch him chewing on the furniture, or something he shouldn't (like a shoe), tell him no, take it away, and replace it a chew toy of his own. Eventually he'll "get" it. :) If he likes shoes, make sure all shoes are put away in closets so that he can't get to them. If you leave it out for him to get, then it's your own fault if he chews it since right now he doesn't know better.
 
Ah, that reminds me: having a baby pet at home (dog or cat, BTW) is often the best motivator to put everything away and keep your house in perfect order! That's not why we got our cat, but that's a nice benefit! LOL

And since you asked for pix, here are two LOs about my doggie and my cat:


 
As you can read, some dogs stay chewers forever. Some just need to chew a lot, some do it out of boredom.

Don't give him all the toys at once - if the toys are around all the time they get boring, nothing exciting anymore, kwim? Only give him 2-3 toys at a time, store the others away and exchange the toys every 2-3 weeks. If you notice that he ignores the toys after a couple of days, replace them after a week.

And if he is chewing on something he isn;t allowed, don't pull it out of his mouth, because then you make it an exciting game ;) Try to make him drop it, or stop chewing it by saying a calm, deep "uh!", squeek with another toy. As soon as he drops it, get closer and claim the object as yours, cup your hands over it, stand/kneel in front of it and don't let him touch it again. And as I said before, if he takes his toy instead, reward, reward, reward!

Use a bridge word that you use to mark the event. It has to come as soon as he does something good - like you would take a photo right in that moment. Use yes, ok, good, for example or make up a word.

Sorry for rambling - as you can see I am very passionate about this :p
 
chloe said:
Ah, that reminds me: having a baby pet at home (dog or cat, BTW) is often the best motivator to put everything away and keep your house in perfect order! That's not why we got our cat, but that's a nice benefit! LOL
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That's true, Chloé. :) We put a lot of things away because of our crawling baby and the rest went away when the puppy came in. :) No shoes etc. :) I also take it as my own fault when he gets to something to chew.

Nathalie, love your rambling! Is that a reason for you not to apologize and to carry on? LOL. My DH greets you - I told him that you wrote here that it's better to let the puppy not chew anything that's not his and he said he was so glad because he wasn't able to remember what Bodie is allowed to chew and what not. He said you're a smart girl! :)
Could you please add on some rambling about puppies and kids? :) You mentioned that toy thing which we practice, he isn't allowed to play with kids' toys. Do you have any other tips?

Unfortunately, I've read and heard either things and info, that are too general or their authors are like "awww, poor little one, you don't let him chew the kids' toys? what did you expect when you got him? it's a tiny little puppy!" etc. etc.
 
pomi said:
Unfortunately, I've read and heard either things and info, that are too general or their authors are like "awww, poor little one, you don't let him chew the kids' toys? what did you expect when you got him? it's a tiny little puppy!" etc. etc.
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And those are the people that have out of control/rude/play biting dogs. :glare:

When you provide toys for the dog, you give him options. When the dog chooses to chew on something of YOURS and not his own toys, it's a sign of disrespect. Yes, he's only a puppy, so in the beginning he doesn't know any better. But as he gets older, he WILL know, so it's important to send the right message right from the start. What's mine is mine, and what's yours is yours.

For example, Tiger is an indestructible force when it comes toys. I had read on some boards that old jeans can make for a strong toy, so I tore a pair up and tied the pieces into big tough knots. She LOVES to pull things apart and undo them, it's like a puzzle for her. But, she knew that that pair of jeans were HERS, and all other jeans were mine. You could put that pair in a pile of my regular jeans, and she wouldn't touch the other ones because they were MINE. Respect.

Sometimes it helps to think of other people's dogs, and what you enjoy about them. What behaviors you would like your own to do as well, that would make you happy and bring peace to your home. Such as dogs that don't jump on visitors, dogs that don't pull on leashes, dogs that don't run like crazy inside the house. If you start teaching him these things now, when he's young, and are CONSISTENT with him in the future, he won't know that other dogs jump, or other dogs pull, etc. He will know what brings him positive reinforcement, which is the greatest thing in the world to a dog (next to a treat - but the 2 can often go hand in hand :)).
 
I love what you are writing, Col! I'm going to note it down for me. :) Similar to that, I've already started asking myself "Do I want him to do that when he's adult?".

I know I may overthink the whole thing. But I just want to have - like you wrote - "peace in my home". :)

Chloé, I love your pages!
 
It's much easier to train a puppy not to do something, than to change an adult dog from something he's been doing for years. Tiger is a very dominant, very difficult dog to train. But because we're consistent, she's also one of the best behaved dogs people have ever met. Does she still act up? Of course she does. But you know what? She KNOWS when she's doing something bad, because she'll put herself in punishment! Lol! Like I said, I liken her to a toddler. Always pushing her boundaries, seeing what she can get away with (even when she knows it's wrong).

I wouldn't trade her for the world though :)
 
Oh cute furbabies :wub:

I have a puppy called Haggis. He is a West Highland Terrier and is full of mischief, he was one year old just before Christmas and he is our baby.

I totally love him to pieces :wub:

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Haggis is a cuuutie! :) :) :)

Col, is Tiger your first dog? Or have you had dogs since you remember? :)
 
I love Haggis :) SO cute!!

I've had dogs all my life. We had a black lab (who had to be rehomed due to an aggression issue), an Old English Sheepdog (who was wonderful, but also had a personality like Tiger's, we did a lot of obedience training with him when I was in 3rd and 4th grade), and then my parents rescued 2 greyhounds. But Tiger is my first that I have owned myself. I got her a few months after I graduated college, after I broke up with my bf and got a place of my own. She was in a shelter for 6 months before I found her on petfinder, and she was 1.5 years old when I brought her home. She was a DEVIL DOG for the first few months as I found my way through things. But then I got really determined, found some dog groups on myspace (where I made some lifelong friends), and watched a TON of The Dog Whisperer, lol. Cesar Milan isn't for everyone, but I think he's wonderful. Calm assertive energy, people being the pack leaders, all of that really helped put Tiger in her place. Before, she wouldn't show her belly to ANYONE, EVER. She was too dominant and that was too submissive a position for her. Now? We jokingly call her our lil s-l-u-t because she'll flop on her back for anyone. Why the change? She feels comfortable enough, and she trusts that as her pack leader I won't let anything happen to her if she submits like that.

I don't know everything there is to know about dog training, but I'm passionate about it and have done a LOT of research on the subject. I felt it was necessary considering I own what the majority of America consider to be a "dangerous breed". Pit bulls get a bad rap, and I do everything in my power to make Tiger the best dog out there, to be a good ambassador for the breed.
 
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