LuvMyCav

Every now and then Charlie gets all uncomfortable, moving around and not settling so I put him outside because I can tell his stomach is bothering him. He goes straight to his pet grass and munches away, vomits and is fine again. Other times he just nibbles on it because he likes it and will stop and nibble on some nice lush grass when we're out on a walk. Here's a pic of Charlie testing out the new lot before it's planted:

"More" Poochmad. Eventually as your pup becomes more reliable at letting you know when he needs to toilet and he's not having any accidents in the house, you can gradually leave it a little longer. If you find that accidents are occurring, you may need to go out more often than every hour and you may need to lessen the area that the pup has access to so that you can watch him more closely. Some puppies are toilet trained within weeks, others take months. The best chance of early success is to stay on the ball and be very watchfull. No reprimands, lots of praise for good toileting outside and always stay with your pup outside so that you can see that he really has toileted before going back in and so that you're there to praise him. It's also best to clean up any indoor accidents when pup is outside so he's not watching and to use a cleaning product that does not contain ammonia (similar smell to urine). Edited to add: Congratulations on your soon-to-be-home puppy. Hope you have a great life together.

Hi Bellatrix, just start adding a little Advance at a time. Maybe start with about 1/5 bics and 4/5 normal chicken mince, then a bit more bics and less mince the next day. Build it up over about a week until she could be on all Advance with maybe 2-3 days a week having chicken mince as well or whatever combination you want to feed her. The Advance is a complete meal but I think it's nice to give them a bit of variation. Mine loves rice but I don't give it too often. Boiled chicken and rice is very good when they have an upset stomach though. I feed sardines once a week and sometimes add a little egg or yoghurt to the food. Avoid anything cooked with onions and don't feed grapes. Charlie has a raw chicken neck each day too.

The PTODC is pretty good. Instructors are all friendly but some are definitely better than others, group numbers vary depending on weather, time of year etc. so if numbers are low they might only run two groups, otherwise there are usually 3-4 groups ranging from beginners to advanced.

We've had that happen too Cavmad. Usually it's not a problem but on one occasion Charlie was trying to catch all the waves, literally, in his mouth. Well, when we got home it all just came shooting out like someone turned a tap on full and it went for quite a while. I was worried because it was just water, no colour, flying out the back end but after that he was back to normal. I would take him out of the water I think if he were swallowing too much in the future. Lucknow's advice sounds good.

Oh, good news karriLab!

Hi KarriLab, I wouldn't set an alarm as long as you can hear when pup needs to go out, just put her out when she's calling. Don't put water in the crate at night so that she's less likely to need too many wees. Our first few weeks we got up no more than twice a night and very soon we were down to one. It wasn't long before there were no more night wees. Our boy is five now (sleeps in a crate beside the bed) and occasionally he'll make a tiny scratch on the crate during the night. I tell him to lie down and go back to sleep and nine times out of ten he does just that. If he continues to scratch, I know he means business and we go outside (but this is very rare - usually if he has a tummy ache). Best of luck.

My dog hasn't had it although I've contracted it a couple of times over the years, working with cats. I believe it would eventually go away on it's own but will go more quickly if treated topically for something like 6-8 weeks. Apparently dogs usually pick it up from cats.

I'm not keen on the free feeding idea either. Luigi is your gorgeous puppy isn't he? I'm pretty sure he is so definitely I'd have him on puppy food as it has higher calories and is designed for growth.

It's a bit hard to picture your set up but I would strongly encourage you to puppy proof your balcony and garden, then they are safe areas and you have no need to worry. I don't mean safe from spiders because all gardens have spiders etc. They are not usually a danger to dogs. I just mean to make sure there are no escape routes - block any gaps. I don't think you should be passing your puppy down over the balcony (if that's what you mean) because I think this would encourage him to jump himself. I also don't think toileting outside is going to be effective if you're not out there with your pup. You need to see him to praise him when he toilets and to bring him back inside so that he doesn't stay outside and have a play/explore when he's supposed to be going straight back to bed. Even if you use the balcony to toilet him, he still needs to learn to toilet outside in the garden as well. It's natural for dogs to toilet outside, inside toileting is only if the outside is unavailable (ie nobody is home to let him out and you don't have a doggy door). Can you give us some idea of how long you plan to leave him crated during the day when you're out? The whole idea of crate training is to have them in the crate when you're not watching them. Assuming you're home, you take them out of the crate each hour to toilet outside. They don't have to go back into the crate straight away if you're free to watch them but as soon as you're busy, toilet them again outside and then back in the crate. You don't leave them in the crate for hours and hours unattended because they will be forced to toilet in the crate and that will slow the learning down. Your dog should not toilet in his crate at night. Their mother teaches them as a tiny puppy to soil at the far end of the whelping box, never where they sleep so it's natural for him to avoid toileting where he sleeps. This is why the inside of the crate should be a small enough area for pup to stand up in and turn around but not big enough to toilet down one end and sleep down the other. If the crate is too big, partition it with a divider - (I used a piece of plywood). He'll let you know when he needs to go to toilet by making a noise and you get up and take him outside. After he toilets and you praise him, you put him back in the crate without talking or making any fuss. As long as he hasn't had water during the night you'll probably only need to get up a couple of times a night, soon only once a night and then he'll learn to hold on all night. Why not get your family to do some research on crate training (there's loads of info on the net). They'll see how it works and shouldn't have a problem with pup staying in your room. Most obedience instructors will recommend this method. Best of luck, and let us know how you go.

Good luck with the toilet training, I agree with the advice you've been given. It's also worth remembering not to put any water in the crate at night to lessen the need for toileting during the night. I agree that you should keep the crate near you at night so that you can hear if your pup needs to go outside. The "aggression" you spoke of is more than likely puppy mouthing. You have to teach your puppy that it is not acceptable for them to put their teeth on your skin so any time pup does that, make a loud yelp (even if it didn't really hurt at all) and stand up, turn away from them and stop the play until they are calm. You have to do this every time and they come to realise that teeth on a person means no more play. Anybody else who interracts with the pup should do this too. It's takes time but you'll get there in the end. Also, in answer to your question, there's no rule about how much you should play with your pup. No doubt he will still be sleeping a lot but play is an important part of his day too when he's awake and you can use it to teach him good manners as well (eg no play biting). And as he's too young to take out for a walk he needs something to burn up his energy. Obviously he needs to know that he can't have your undivided attention every minute of the day but when you're toilet training, you're pretty much keeping a very close eye on them at all times anyway. I agree that it's good to teach your pup to toilet outside so I would start that ASAP. That way you can put him outside after every meal, as soon as he wakes up, after a play and generally every hour and wait with your pup outside (no play until the business is done) then use the phrase you've chosen (good wees or whatever) and plenty of praise. It's a bit hard to do any of that using the mat because it can walk away from the mat but when you go outside he can't go anywhere. I've never put any flea stuff in my garden. Unless there's a particular flea problem out there, you don't need to treat the garden, just the dog. Hope it all goes well. :rolleyes: Enjoy your pup.

Wonderful to hear. Good for you (and Conan).

That's good news babyluvdachie (I'm sure your pup will be happier now too) . I hope that things improve in all areas of the relationship - remember you deserve to be treated as his equal, on all levels.

Ha ha, love the photo of the dogs and the apple tree. Melbournecritters, my dog eats all types of fruit (don't let him have grapes though). There isn't a single fruit he doesn't enjoy. I think mango is his favourite. I love how your dog and rabbit get on so well. Good luck with the new puppy, hope it's not too hard to get it to play nicely with bunny.

Your neighbours vet sounds a bit out of touch. I also use "one of those strange American ideas" (with no water in it) beside my bed and for the first several nights we got up usually only once in the night. I would hold off going to bed 'till at least 10.30 and very soon he was holding on all night, no problem. Every two hours does sound excessive. I'd say either their puppy is drinking a lot at night or it's looking for some attention.

Have to say I don't think you and your partner are on an even footing here. Sounds like he calls the shots and you just have to fit in with him. If you're okay with this, then there's no problem. If you're not, I'd suggest that you let him know because, as a couple, you have every right to be equal. You also have to come to agreements together about what your puppy is and isn't allowed to do. If you want him on the couch/bed/whatever, make sure you let him know and together decide what's acceptable in your shared home. Don't let him make all the rules - it's not his dog (he's made sure of that by not contributing financially) and it's not just his home. Maybe it's time to have a think about the way he is in general. Is he always so controlling? Can you count on him when you need him? Why have you had to help him out financially and yet he's not willing to do the same for you? Bottom line is, it's your dog. And even if you persuade your OH to pay for some dog things, it isn't going to change the fact that he doesn't want to.

I'm embarrassed to admit that our doggy door is permanently held open with globs of blu-tac because Charlie won't go through it if the perspex touches any part of his body. It's been left open for over 3 years!! Can't see him wanting to play "slap the flap" with your dogs valby. :D

Mine will eat grass quite often (I buy pet grass specifically and grow it in a planter for him to nibble on when the fancy takes him). However, when he is unsettled (ie can't get comfortable, keeps getting up and trying a new position etc.) he goes outside, eats the grass and vomits. He comes back in after this and is normal again. Here he was nibbling on his new lot before I'd planted it.

I have one of each. Wire for summer (but I still cover one end to make it den-like) and plastic for winter. Wire is collapsible which is handy for travelling, plastic is usefull if you ever need to fly puppy anywhere (assuming it's suitable for flying). Bigger pet shops sell them. Good luck getting your new puppy. :rolleyes:

Bomber have you ever punished her for toileting inside? If so, this doesn't teach your dog not to toilet inside, it teaches them not to toilet inisde infront of you. You also mention taking her out to the toilet every couple of hours when you're home. You might need to go back to basics and make it at least every hour and each time after eating, playing and sleeping. You'll need to stay outside with her every time she goes out to the toilet so you can make sure she eliminated and be there to praise her as soon as she does. Until she improves you might want to consider limiting her access to certain areas of the house so that she doesn't have full run of the house (where it's much harder for you to see what she's up to). If any accidents do occur, be sure to put her straight outside and clean up while she can't see you, using non-ammonia cleaning products (ammonia is a urine-like smell to dogs who like to go back to urine-smelling spots to toilet). Best of luck

Hi daccydog, regarding the rescue remedy, you might like to look at this site: http://www.bachflower.com/Rescue_Remedy.htm The ingredients are all natural so there's no danger of overdosing or anything like that. It can be used on people and animals alike. A few drops in the water bowl or straight into the dog's mouth is fine.

Definitely get her used to the bathroom when you are home, giving her time on her own in there. Make it a nice place to be with her bed, chew toys, some nice treats etc. You might want to leave a radio on for some background noise too. Presumably you're using newspaper for toileting? Is this where she is to sleep at nights? (IE even when you aren't on night shift?) Where will she be when you sleep during the day? I agree that she's not being taken out often enough for the toilet at the moment and that you need to stay with her when she toilets outside and immediately praise her so she understands that eliminating outside is a great thing to do. And no, never punish her for toileting inside - if she does that, it's your fault for not putting her outside in time. If you do punish her after the event, she'll have no idea what she's done wrong and if you punish her as she's doing it, she'll just learn that it's bad to do it in front of you and will sneak off to do it. If you still find that she's having lots of accidents, you may need to lessen the areas that she has access to inside the house and gradually increase them again as she gets better. Good luck :D

Chugo101, congratulations!! Daphne is beautiful. It sounds like you're doing well to me (although I'm also a crate advocate,lol). Re: eating the stones, how many stony areas do you have? Could you remove access to the stones? Maybe she is digging them out of the dirt, in which case I don't have an answer except to try to distract her and offer better things - toys, treats etc. Charlie used to scrape his teeth along concrete blocks at the bottom of our garden fence and I was so worried that he'd wear his teeth down and not be able to eat properly,lol. They do eventually stop doing all the stupid stuff but of course you worry when it's something that could be potentially dangerous. Daphne is probably following you because she doesn't know if you're going to come back when you disappear somewhere. She'll soon become more independent (you'll be running around looking for her soon ) I think you're doing a great job - good luck with the toilet training. It takes a while but you'll get there in the end - just remember not to scold her when she has an accident and well done for not letting her see you clean it up. Also make sure you are not using ammonia based cleaning products.

I was told by an animal trainer not to put water in the crate at night to aid in toilet training. I never did and when he needed to go out to toilet in the night, we passed his water bowl but he never seemed to be thirsty.

>I see a gleam in those innocent eyes.. I reckon he'll give you a few moments of hell along the way. < Don't worry Labmummy, perhaps it's just the reflection from the window. ;)