PoppyDog

Poppy is 9 months old and I thought teething would be well and truly over??? But when I was looking in her mouth last night, as I randomly do, I noticed that on her bottom jaw the two teeth on the side look like they are coming through??? Is this normal???

I have been reading this thread with interest trying to understand the whole thing but I have a few questions. Please don't bite my head off. I am genuinly interested in learning. I googled "Labradoodles" and found the website for them. The one that points people in the direction of breeders that are registered with the Labradoodle Association of Aust. They speak about all the genetic testing they do and what to look for in a registered breeder as opposed to a BYB or a non registered breder. So then I was confused because I thought that cross-breeding was bad because it was almost always done by BYB's or puppy farms. And this doesn't seem to be done like that at all. So my question is...are people still against "Labradoodles" because they believe that there is no need to cross these two breeds? Because they believe that each breed has its own merits and it just perfect the way they are? Is that why some still frown upon it? Even though it is done responsibly (genetic testing etc)?

First off Barney is SOOOO cute! We have a 9 month old Cav X Cavoodle (Cav X Mini Poodle) and she does some of the things that you have described. She is completely toilet trained and has been for about 4 or 5 months. I did feel like she was hard to house train but if I'm honest I don't have a reference point of how easy or hard it is to house train a puppy because she is our first. We trained her by taking her outside every half hour (or as often as you need) and when we saw her wee'ing or poo'ing we would say our cue word "quick quick" (you can use any word you like). Then praise her like it was the best thing she had ever done and give her a treat. The idea was that she would eventually associate that word with going toilet. And she does now. But we found that she would do a wee, we would use the cue word, praise her, give her a treat then go inside. 10 - 15 mins later she would poo on the floor. So we had to try really hard to catch her poo'ing outside too so that she understood the cue word was for BOTH poo's and wee's. Our rug in the tiled open plan living area became a favourite spot but we just lifted it for a few months. We NEVER scolded her or yelled at her when she did something inside because ultimately it was our fault for not taking her out and missing her cues. Poppy does the scratch on the door thing too. We never leave just the screen door shut because she also broke the screen when she was little. We plan to replace it with the tougher screen that you cannot sratch and break but until then the glass doors are closed. In saying that I believe that it is in her breed/temprement that she is an inside/people dog. She LOVES to be with us and so the back door is always open 30cm or so for her to go in or out and when we are home she is mostly in with us. Which we like and are happy with. We didn't get a dog to have her outside all the time. When we do put her out to mop or if we have people around that are not dog people (very rare) she is put out and we taught her not th scratch by a) ignoring her and b) saying "No" and "Down". When I went to let her in again I wouldn't do it until she was sitting nicely. If I walked to the door and she jumped up and scratched I would walk away and wait until she was sitting then repeat. Poppy also does the digging thing. And again this in my opinion is our fault! I know she does it because she is bored so I'm looking into getting her a clam shell to dig in and also try to rotate her toys/give her bones/hide treats for her when we have to leave her home while we are at work. She also eats crap but I think this is just a puppy thing and I do notice that she does it less than she used to. Poppy follows me if I'm home alone. If OH is here she doesn't do it so much. I don't mind it because again we got her as a companion dog, mainly for me, because OH works really unsociable long hours. The only time this annoyed me was in the kitchen. Because I was scared I would step on her and hurt her and/or me. So I simply taught her that she wasn't allowed in the kitchen. With the jumping up we would simply say "Down" and gently push her down. She still jumps up when I get home and she is super dooper excited but if I say "down" she doesn't. All these things are just things that need patience and persistance. I would highly reccomend obedience school. We did Puppy Preschool then continued our training at home but I am now looking into obedience school as something fun for Poppy and I. ;)

Sorry, couldn't really let this go without saying something. On the 'other' forum, not only were you warned off BYB and pet shops, you were also advised to seek out a responsible breeder, to expect to meet the puppy's parents and to steer clear of designer cross breeds. People did, understandably, get a little upset when you then announced you had got a Cavalier X Cavoodle from a lady and didn't get to see any parents and really didn't appear to really know where the pup had come from. With regard to members saying she was full of worms and had anal gland problems, these were replies based on your posts about Poppy scooting her bottom alot. They were just ideas of what could be wrong with her. I, sadly, bought my Jenna from what I suspect is a puppy farm, before I knew better. I was not given a hard time on the other forum when I introduced her as people do understand not everyone knows what a puppy farm is. The problem was, you asked for advice and then proceeded to ignore it. I'm not going to bother arguing with you. People on "that" forum also warned me not to come here because of the "culture" of this forum yet to date the experience I have had here is far more positive that the one I had on "that" forum!

Thanks everyone. I was talking to OH this afternoon and I think the end of the year *MAY* be the right time for us. My work closes of xmas/new year for 2 weeks and we plan to be at home for those 2 weeks so that would be the perfect time to settle in a puppy! Plus Poppy will be 1 on the 6th of Dec so we feel thats a nice age gap.

Ooops! Should of searched! Thanks Megan... Do you have a link? ;)

So its easy to find a registered breeder... But HOW do you go about finding a REPUTABLE breeder? Do you shop around? Email a few different breeders? What questions do you ask them? How far in advance can you contact breeders? Thanks in advance.

It's definitely not wrong. But just a warning, my girl acts like an absolute idiot when we come home from work too, even though she has our boy as company. Sometimes she wags her bum so hard she falls over She launches herself at the gate, makes noises like she's dying and we joke that she seems like her head is going to explode... We didn't think our boy needed the company, but thought he would enjoy it. He does, and he loves his little sister, but I think he would have been just as content to lay in the sun all day without being bugged by a puppy You just described Poppy! She DOES fall over her wiggly bum! It's crazy but oh so cute! I know I was definately missed by her!

Not at all. We got Thomas to go alongside Aubrey when she was 1. Fortunately he was a re-home from the breeder and was also 1, so they were at the same age and fit in to our structure perfectly. Getting a second dog to keep Aubrey amused whilst we were at work was one of the driving forces behind getting a second dog and whilst she still misses us when we are at work, she has more company to keep her amused (and out of trouble). Whilst I understand that at 4-5 years is probably better, you will know when is a good time, but you will need to spend twice as long training the two of them whilst they are both young. Double the expense is also a bit of a hit, especially when it comes to food and vet bills. Our two are the best of friends, but they do compete for our attention when we come home! See, this appeals to me too. Getting an older CKCS so that s/he can just slot right in. But then I think about the puppy stage and I really do want to experience that again. Because I feel like I would be so much better at it this time around. I don't even know if that makes sense. But I feel like I would actually ENJOY the puppy stage with dog #2 whereas with Poppy I was one big ball of stress and anxiety just waiting for something bad to happen! See, I read "house training" and think ahhh....that! I don't know if Poppy was hard to train or if we were just crap at it but she took MONTHS to get it completely down pat! I could definately handle the training though! And would love to go to Puppy Preschool again! Poppy snoozes a lot too! And I wonder if thats what she does when we are away from home. But her little performance she puts on when we get home each day just pulls at my heart strings! We plan to get married in Aug next year so I think that we would need to commit to a puppy at the end of this year/early next year OR wait until we got back from our honeymoon. How many people took leave to settle in a new puppy? We didn't with Poppy but I will admit she was a bit of an impulse buy (even though we have been thinking of getting a puppy for AGES) and we didn't know that taking time off was a good idea???

Thanks everyone for the feedback! I don't think I could wait 4 or 5 years. Mainly because I feel Poppy NEEDS the company. If I'm honest this is what makes me think of getting number two. While my OH and a I are home 3 - 4 days a week with Poppy she is happy and content but when I go home and she has been at home for 7 or 8 hours alone she does this crazy excited whining noise while running back and forth and literally trying to cuddle me! She puts her paws on my knees when I sit down then tilts her head to the side and snuggles my arm! She is so obviously saying "OH MY GAWD I MISSED YOU SO MUCH" Of course we would also love another doggy but one of the main reasons I think about it so often is for Poppy to have someone?? Is that wrong???

How did you know it was the right time for YOU to get another dog??? We have a 9 month old CKCS X. I would LOVE a purebred CKCS from a reputable breeder. I want to experience the puppy thing again without being a crazy women stressing over every move. I know SO much more now and I feel like getting a puppy second time around would be a completely different experience. We want Poppy to have a little fur sibling to keep her company too. We have looked at Rescue dogs but I am really drawn to another puppy. But a little part of me says not yet. I worry that Poppy will miss out on love and attention if we get #2. I worry about the costs associated with #2. So how did you know that the time was right for you? AND if you want to go with a reputable breeder how early do you need to be in contact with breeders? I know some only breed once of twice a year?

Hmm, I wonder if we found the same "breeder"? Ours also claimed that the X breeds were better and she has also been very supportive and friendly. She genuinely LOVES the litter that we got our Poppy from and even kept one for herself. She also gets so excited when we sent update emails every few months. What X is Oliver? Poppy is a Cavalier X Cavoodle.

We have glass sliding doors that go out into our backyard. We usually leave them open about 30cm so Poppy can come in and out as she needs. Thing is, with Spring just about here we are getting lots of mozzies inside AND some flies! I've found a doggy door that fits into the tracks of a sliding door. It's exxy but since we're in a rental and could take it with us when we leave it might be worth it. I've also found a cheap one on Ebay that I've watching... But in the pictures I see that it sits on one side of the frame...against the wall and the the door closes onto it...BUT our glass slinding doors (there are two) close together in the middle so I'm wondering if it will work for us??? Any ideas???

So is the one at Tivoli the Agility Club of QLD??? - Nevermind...I just looked at the website again... it is! I would use her flat colour. Have never used a check chain. Poppy is VERY food orientated!!! She will do anything for a treat!

I get the impression that will then lead onto agility later on to the skills class (i'm starting the skills class this weekend, VERY excited!!!!!), so if you do end up there, keep your eyes open for me and my blue merle aussie . I've heard it's a really good a club...... But I haven't been there before, so just going on what i've heard!! Good luck!!!! Oooh! That is exciting! I think Agility is something Poppy would enjoy but tbh I don't know a lot about it. Might have to do some research! The only thing that concerns me about their 8 week course is they mention using a halti lead and I've had mixed reviews on those so am not sure it's something I want to use on Poppy. I wonder if I could just politely decline... Hmmm! Will let you know if I end up there! Would love to meet you and your doggy!

Thanks GreyTmate. :D So are you suggesting that somewhere else would be better for us? What is the name of the club at Tivoli? I want to google it! Have found Agility Dog Club of QLD. It has a 8 week obendience course for $85. ???

Hi Everyone, I would like to get Poppy into some dog obedience classes/course/group. We did Puppy Preschool with our local vet and she LOVED it as did I. But I know she would love to do something more. For the stimulation and social aspect. Does anyone have any reccomendations of places to go? She is almost 9 months old, desexed and has basic obedience but could do with more training in this area. I work fulltime so would prefer a weekend or evening class. Thanks in advance!

I didn't know you were allowed on School ovals? Do you have to get permission? I work at a school so might just ask them about it...would have to apply for after hours access if I wanted to go on the weekend though... Hmmm...it would be a great place to let her run AND practice!

Thanks everyone. We do have a fenced dog park close to us. We have only been there once but we could practice recall there. I'm just not sure how favourably I would be looked upon with other users if I rocker up with her on a long line though. I just don't know if I would feel comfortable. BUT I would be happy doing this at the dog beach! Friends of our used a horse lead with their border collie pup last time we were at the beach! Might have to invest in one of those. I didn't realise that I needed to have her on a line to correct her if she didn't come back to ensure that she WAS learning recall and not just come when I feel like it. Thanks for all the great ideas.

***Posted this in the training section but haven't had any response...so posting here again*** So I've read about people saying that their dog/s have 100% recall. As in they ALWAYS come when called. Last Summer we took Poppy to the dog beach a few times and we never let her off the leash even though it was an "off leash" area. She was only 4 - 5 months old and we didn't feel comfortable. I was scared she wouldn't come back when called. Since then we have been working on recall at home and I was thinking today that she now ALWAYS comes when called! When I go out the front to check the mail, sometimes she comes with me. The front of our house isn't fenced and I always watch her like a hawk and she always stays close. If she strays to close to the road I call her back to me and she ALWAYS comes back. Our road is VERY quiet so please don't think I'm playing with fire...I'm really not! With the weather warming up again we will probably be taking her back to the beach. I'm just not sure that she would be 100% with her recall in a public place like that, with LOTS of other doggies and people. But then how do I know unless I try!? Any advice?

*Shameless Self Bump*

So I've read about people saying that their dog/s have 100% recall. As in they ALWAYS come when called. Last Summer we took Poppy to the dog beach a few times and we never let her off the leash even though it was an "off leash" area. She was only 4 - 5 months old and we didn't feel comfortable. I was scared she wouldn't come back when called. Since then we have been working on recall at home and I was thinking today that she now ALWAYS comes when called! When I go out the front to check the mail, sometimes she comes with me. The front of our house isn't fenced and I always watch her like a hawk and she always stays close. If she strays to close to the road I call her back to me and she ALWAYS comes back. Our road is VERY quiet so please don't think I'm playing with fire...I'm really not! With the weather warming up again we will probably be taking her back to the beach. I'm just not sure that she would be 100% with her recall in a public place like that, with LOTS of other doggies and people. But then how do I know unless I try!? Any advice on how to tackle this issue?

Yes, clearly! I think having a wet dog would be annoying too especially if she was dirty too as she sleeps on our bed! I was thinking Bunnings for sand but I really don't know... Are you close to Ipswich too?

This is effing hilarious! I'm the biggest dog training novice out but even I know that this CANNOT be right! Watch Cesar Milan much? I think your taking it too seriously!

Well she sure was spoilt! SO cute!!! VIP Pet Foods makes these cute doggy ice creams in the shape of paws! I think I'll get some of them! The Pet Cafe near us also makes these little tart looking treats made with carob...I might grab some of those too! It's still 3 months away but I'm excited already!