huski

Hey everyone! Only four more days till my baby beagle comes home! YAY. Anyway we have been trying to get organised for when Daisy gets home, and we have been thinking about where we are going to put her when we go out. We do not want to leave her with the older dogs until she is used to them and a bit bigger. Luckily we are all on holidays and I will not be going back to uni until end of Feb, so Daisy will not be left alone for a long period of time at all, probably no longer than an hour at a time. We have a big wrap around deck - one part is older and one part is a new extension that leads into the backyard, so they are easily seperated. They are both enclosed and undercover and very clean etc. We are thinking of leaving the pup on the old part of the deck and the older dogs on the new part so they have access to the backyard. Would it be okay for them to be able to see the puppy but not be able to access her? Or should we make it so they can't see her, but will obviously still know she is there through smell etc? We can't leave her directly inside as our house is open plan and we don't have a laundry, our breeder also recommended she is put outside when we aren't home as Beagles can be quite destructive. This set up will not be a permanant thing and it will not be often that someone isn't home. We just don't want to leave the new pup with the older dogs until she is more used to them. We are also wanted to be really prepared in case we do have to go out for some reason (although as I said I doubt she will be left alone at home for at least the first week or so). Daisy will be really used to the part of the deck she will be staying on too. We will open the back doors when we are home so she has constant access to it. I just want to know if we should let the older dogs see her or if we should completely block them off?

My friend's schnauzer cross pup had a humping problem too, I don't think it was sexual at all, but cos they have an 8 yo they were calling it "hugging". I can't tell you how many times I went over there and heard, "Ohhhh, he's hugging you!" from their kid

Perhaps she worked for a chiropractic vet? Personally I agree with the vet nurse and there is evidence to support her views. You'd be better of using a prong IMHO. If your dog pulls on the halti it COULD end up with serious problems - and most dogs do. I know now (four years after puppy school) a prong would be another option, but at the time I had never heard of it so we tried the halti. We don't use it anymore, we were able to teach my boy not to pull without the halti etc on so now it's not an issue I would have loved to see the look on the woman's face if we had asked her about prongs in puppy school! She was really a bit strange, she didn't like my husky and always made comments about how it was really hot in QLD and basically insinuated it was an inappropriate breed to have here (like we were cruel) and pretty much ignored us and our boy throughout the class. Hopefully our next puppy school experience will be a bit more boring

Hi Sheree-Lee I would strongly recommend doing puppy preschool. For me (we have just bought a new puppy, our third dog) puppy school is all about socialisation. I could teach my new pup to sit, stay etc without the help of puppy school but I want to take her to classes so she can be around other dogs. Puppy school is also handy as most teach you things about paralysis tick etc, general obedience, the importance of socialisation etc. Even if you feel you know about these things I would still take your pup to puppy school - I bet she would really enjoy being with other dogs her own age. What area are you living? Your vet clinic may be able to recommend a puppy school or may run one themselves. There are many training schools around that also do puppy preschool. Even my local Pet Hypermarket does it!

I hate when people put down training tools etc in a way that really freak out the owner... A little bit different than your prong collar story but we were told in puppy preschool by the vet nurse who took the class never ever ever ever ever to use a Halti, she made a big show of it by only putting it on a stuffed toy instead of a real dog and said "I am only showing you this because I have to" and went on about how our dogs could be seriously injured if we ever used it. She made us feel really bad for even considering using it on our husky. However, months later when he was pulling on the lead so badly that my sister (who was 12 at the time) wasn't strong enough to walk him we used one and found if used properly it was great Now it's time to take our new pup to puppy school we won't be going to the same place Edited cos I can't type properly DUH

Buy another Beagle?

All I did with my husky was shorten the lead, so he HAD to walk beside me. I wouldn't give him enough lead to walk in front of me, so he had to heal. He was older when I did this so I'm not sure how it will work on a pup but once he realised that was where he had to walk he stopped pulling that day. Maybe you could try a halti? It worked wonders on my husky until he got hold of it and chewed it till it broke ;)

I agree with you, that's what I found with Cesar Milan (who's book I loved). It was more of a guide, a way to understand your dog, not specific how tos. However he did state at the start of his book that it isn't a training book, which I was fine with. There are plenty of "how to" training books out there. There are a lot of trainers/dog behaviorists out there and it is hard to find one who's techniques are suited to you, it's a bit like with kids I think (some people like Supernanny, some don't).

With respect, I completely disagree. Requiring a dog to sit and wait asserts leadership within the 'pack'. For me, it is akin to teaching manners to a child as they have similar disciplinary needs. Both children & dogs need to be loved and gently reminded of how they should behave. The owner should not be pussyfooting around & not demanding certain well established and maintained boundaries. Chaos is established within the heirarchy if leadership isn't routinely asserted. JMO of course. I have to agree Golden Girl We failed to properly assert ourselves as 'pack leaders' when we got our Tibbie 8 years ago and she is now very food possessive, she would rather bite me then let me have her bone, we never made her sit for food or anything. We were never rough with her, we were always very gentle, but we were not assertive (I think she was spoilt with love and attention LOL, but had no discipline). When we got our husky we did the sit and stay for food technique and all the other tricks like not letting him walk through the door before us, we made sure that he knew we were the boss of him. We never forced him to do anything, we taught him manners. He happily sits for his food. He is perfectly behaved four years on He will bring his bone to me to get me to play with it with him, he has never growled at us etc. He is definately not fearful, he is a very happy young boy JM experience though...

Maybe in the morning you could feed her after her walk, instead of before? I read somewhere that it's better to feed them after exercise, although I could be imagining it

I was wondering the same thing funnily enough! Would it depend on how active they are during the day? Ours don't get walked to late evening, and have their dinner as soon as they get home. We give them 1/2 and 1/2. They have dry food in the morning and only ever have meat at night.

Hi DOL'ers. Sorry if this topic has been done but I am quite curious, what do you feed your dog? Do you believe in an all natural/no presevative etc diet or will you feed your dog can food? Do you use BARF? We tend to cook mince we give to our dogs, is this bad (ie is raw mince better)? Has anyone had bad experiences with particular brands of dog food? We use an all natural etc diet for all our animals (cat and dogs). We gave my husky tinned food (My Dog) once as an emergency and he vommited it up, and he has also eaten PAL meaty bites a couple of times and always eat around the red ones Our breeders recommended VIP and Scottys dog rolls as bought food, but we do a big "cook up" of mince and vegies, garlic and pasta/rice for them or feed them chicken necks/wings. They also eat dry food every day. My Tibbie was eating canned food for years before we got my husky, who's breeders informed us about the benefit of an all natural diet needless to say her health changed - her breath didn't smell as much, her coat was better etc. I am asking because people having varying opinions as to what is good for dogs and what good nutrition/diet is. And I'm also curious ETA: I had a vet tell me once to stay away from pigs ears as they are full of preservatives, what does everyone think about this? We only give our pups the dried liver treats.

I agree with other posters about not using the spray when the dog is interacting with other dogs, that is if he is just being boisterious (he can't help he's bigger )... I have seen a pup reprimanded in a negative fashion when playing with other dogs and he turned really aggressive (mind you, the person reprimanded the dog by kicking it : so it isn't quite the same but still...)

What we did when my dog was a pup was make him sit and stay for his food, and then we gave him a command to eat it. While he was eating I would pat him etc - now I can put my hand in his bowl while he is eating and take food out, he doesn't even blink. He is not remotely food possessive or possessive over anything at all (including bones) four years later. I never pretended to eat his food. Just get her to sit for the food and don't let her eat it until you give her the command. If she gets up/barks etc make her sit again. Reward her for her good behaviour (i.e. when she is calm and sitting) by letting her eat the food. I agree with what sas said - being the leader is a 24/7 job that means you have to be consistent in everything you do with your pup (such as Shekhina mentioned).

Surely if someone 'intends' on getting a dog, then the proper research should go into it prior to bringing it home....watching it be a 'cute' small puppy, THEN deciding it's too big! If a dog is an inconveniece to people, then they should look at getting one that will suit their lifestyle better. All it takes is a bit of time and effort to find what will suit you the most. This is true, but there are many occassions where a persons situation changes and it is easier for the dog to be outside or it has to be outside (such as moving to a rental, or a smaller house). Like I said, how can someone who gets a cross or a mongrel truly know what the dog will be like when it gets older? You can do all the research you want but there is no way a person can know what the dog is going to be like until it gets home. You may buy a puppy that is a breed that is generally quiet and passive but then the puppy you get is the total opposite of this. It's not that the dog is an inconvenience, it's just better suited to being outside. I really can't see how it is cruel to get a dog and then put it outside. If the owner isn't happy with the dog inside, surely it's better to put the dog outside? It's hard to have a happy dog when you don't have a happy owner. If a dog is an inconveniece to people, then they should look at getting one that will suit their lifestyle better. So, if you get a puppy, let it inside for a couple of months, then find out its better suited to the pup to be outside, you should get a new one and start again, instead of just putting it outside? :p Dogs are very adjustable animals, if you decide after a few months of having a pup you want it outside then it will adjust to it. He won't be lying outside thinking "they don't love me because they put me outside"... thats the way people think, not dogs.

I have my animals on an all natural, no preservatives etc diet. We had to feed my boy canned food once and he vomited it and refused to eat any more! He got fed pal meaty bites once... he ate around all the red ones! We cook premium mince with grated carrot, garlic, egg, pasta or rice or potato and anything else suitable (sometimes even weet-bix) and serve them that. Spoilt!

A dog can be a companion even if its outside. Some people get a dog intented for it to be inside but then the dog gets too big, or too rambunctious (more so than the owners realised it would) and it is easier to have it outside. Not everyone can predict how the dog will go inside (especially when the dog is a cross as it is difficult to tell how big it will be or what its energy level will be). If you find that the dog is better off outside and it suits you better and the dog is looked after well than I can't see how there could be a problem. If you find that once the pup gets some training he is better behaved inside and you and your partner can come to an agreement, maybe you can let him inside again (or he could be like my dog, who was inside and is now outside only, and chooses to sleep outside, even if given the choice).

Re: Ebony growling at Oscar over the bone, she is doing this because she is the older dog and is warning Oscar to get away from her possession (the bone). Being the older dog in the household she is placed higher in the pack than Oscar. If he is approaching her when she is chewing on her bone, she may be seeing this as a challenge i.e. he is trying to take away her position in the pack. If you can, try reading Cesar Millan's book "Cesar's Way" or any of the other dog behaviour books recommended here at DOL.

We were lucky as both our dogs arrived at our house to meet our cat Puss. I always think your lucky if you have the cat first, as some dogs can't be around cats if they weren't brought up with them. Puss lived till he was 18 yo and would box our husky in the face... he had no fear... Then we got our current cat who we had since she was a kitten and since she has grown up with our dogs, can't stand other cats! I seriously think she thinks she is a dog. We tried getting another cat but even after more than a year they couldn't get along. We had to rehome the second cat (luckily a friend of ours took her) but our current cat now has sealed her position as the only cat of the house!

Hi Lucy If you don't want your dog sleeping inside at night time don't feel like you have just cos your housemate lets his dog sleep inside! We have two dogs and one is too large to be inside so he is outside and one is elderly and tiny so she sleeps inside. It should be fine leaving Devo outside to sleep, especially if this is what he is used to, as long as you leave sufficient bedding, water etc for him. Maybe put an old tshirt of yours in his bed so he has your smell around him.

Wow... I remember the six months age... Full of life is a nice, censored way to refer to it! From the owner's pic the dog looks like it might have cattle dog in it? Maybe the owner could try agility to tire it out? Would a dog that's six months old still be pining/missing its litter mates at night time? I would have thought that it would have adjusted to sleeping on its own by this age???

I agree! I think adult dogs can adjust a little easier, because puppies are often quite needy/don't understand boundaries yet. I think with puppies you have to be really strictly consistent. Like I said, the best advice I've been given re: puppies and their beds is to put a tshirt of yours in the bed so they have their smell with them. Did the owner mention hold old the pup is?

I think the pup will adjust. When you set up his bed, put an old tshirt or piece of clothing of yours in it so he is surrounded by your smell. IMHO I don't think the dog will be sitting outside thinking "they don't love me, I'm outside and abandoned, I have no-one"... He is a dog! Dogs live in the now, and most importantly they don't think the same way people do: they don't sit around thinking about us not loving them etc - for example, a dog who hates the post man doesn't sit around all day thinking "I'm going to bark when that postman gets here!" They only react as soon as they hear the postman coming. I promise you, if you decide you want your dog to be outside, he will be FINE. Persephone is right about puppy school, your pup sounds like he needs an outlet for all his energy! ETA: If you decide to have the pup outside, be consistent. Until he gets used to it don't let him inside - this is what will confuse him. He probably doesn't understand why he is allowed inside one minute and then not the next.

My dog was an inside dog but he became an outside dog and LOVES IT. Not everyone can predict whether or not the dog will be inside or outside its entire life. Some people may move from a house they own, to a house they rent and can't help it - they have to have the dog outside per agreement with the owner. Or, like us, moved to a much smaller house and it was too difficult having a big, 12 month old husky dropping heaps of fur inside a very small house. We also found that it just suited the dog better and he now prefers being outside to in. There is nothing, IMHO, cruel about having a dog inside and then putting him out. Dogs are very resilent, adjustable animals. Trust me, the dog won't think that you love him any less. As long as you are still giving him lots of affection and treating him the same way he should be fine. However, you have to make sure that the dog has sufficient shelter, food, water, bedding etc or then it THATS just not on. JMHO, as I have had experience having an dog that was inside and is now out (and as someone who was opposed to having an outside dog, I think I will always have outside dogs from now on).

She may be trying to play with them but she is a dog and they (even though they are young) are people. Even though she may be playing she could be playing too roughly for a toddler. You need to make sure that the puppy knows that the kids are her leaders, not her littermates. Kids are ranked higher in the pack than the puppy! If you can, get Cesar Millan's book "Cesar's Way" it's really helpful about how kids should act around dogs etc.