Tugg Speedman

I don't think setting up the crate without an actual dog in it will make too much difference to the cats. It's the dog that they might have the issue with, not the crate IMHO. We have a little white cat at home and he got on with our pup from the moment we brought her home. While he loves the dog - he is constantly moving to higher ground (tables, chairs etc) in order to get some rest from the constant head biting that he is subject to! It might be a good idea to introduce them with a glass or flyscreen door between them at first. That way the cats can become familiar with the puppy without the threat of physical contact. The fact that your cats are already used to living with a dog is good, and should help them to become accustomed to the puppy a lot more quickly. Just make sure that after being fully introduced that the cats have some surfaces that they can jump up on if they need a break!

Hi Nicola, Some places I used: Puppy Food: http://k9katzkitchen.com.au/ - I found this to be the cheapest source for the food i chose for my dog (Artemis Fresh Mix). Collar and Lead: http://www.worldforpets.com.au/ - Great selection and it supports the RSPCA. Dog ID Tags: http://www.pettagembossing.com.au/ - Probably not for "pretty" dogs, as you can find fancier ones elsewhere, but if you're looking for something that will last a long time then these tags are great! Toys, snacks, accessories: Mainly from my local store: http://www.bestfriendspets.com.au/ but World for Pets is also a great source. I hope i was able to be of some assistance.

Some great advice from all of you. Thanks! So far this week she has been much better - but i guess the problem has never been the weekdays but the weekends. During the week i get up at 6:15am to walk her for about 30 minutes so she's usually OK. It's on the w/ends when I might try and sleep in to around 9am or so that the drama begins! For a young pup, she gets heaps of exercise (30 minute walk morning and night) - at first i was worried that i might be over exercising her, but being a Springer she has ENDLESS energy! Often we'll come back from a 30 minute walk and some off lead fun in the park and instead of resting when we get home she'll start running around chasing the cat (in a friendly way)! I'm also very careful to monitor her energy levels too - I obviously wouldn't push her beyond what she feels comfortable with. As a result, i don't think that her early waking is a result of unspent energy - but then again she is a Springer! She starts obedience this weekend, so hopefully that will provide her with some additional mental stimulation as well as provide me with some more pointers on how best to handle her! The plan at this stage is to do the following when i hear her whining in the morning: 1. Wait until she stops, then escort her outside to do her business. 2. Once she is finished I'll then lead her back into the laundry along with a toy or two for her to play with should she not wish to go back to sleep. 3. Go back to bed and try to ignore (or possibly correct - a Cesar Millan style "Shhh") any barking/whining etc that she may do in order to get my attention. Hopefully, this will only persist for a few days. 4. Upon waking I will then feed her/let her out/play with her etc. Thoughts?

Easier said than done I'm afraid! It's like sleeping through an alarm with the volume all the way up! Speaking of which, i once lived with a friend who used to do that all the time! Not the radio mind you, the actual buzzing siren tone! It was so loud you could hear it from the street, and yet he still slept!

I suspect that her first reaction would be to scream the house down, and then there is always the chance that i may not hear her when she needs to go to the toilet. We've already had a few relapses of her using the house as a public toilet! At 5 months, she still wouldn't have 100% control of her bladder and i don't want to distress her by inadvertently causing her to soil her sleeping area. This would be if you had a dog door Tugg. Ok, i think we're on the same page now - you mean that if i got a doggy door installed and then closed the laundry door - our vampire cat couldn't escape into the sunlight?! That might actually work, however, it would involve a daily migration of kitty litter trays and cat food from the laundry to another area so that the cat can eat and drink while that door is closed. Unfortunately, we do not really have another suitable permanent location for the cat's things - I'd have to dump everything in the bathroom or corridor That reminds me - the pup has been eating cat shizzle straight out of the kitty litter! Aside from this being pretty gross - can she get any diseases/illnesses from doing this?

I suspect that her first reaction would be to scream the house down, and then there is always the chance that i may not hear her when she needs to go to the toilet. We've already had a few relapses of her using the house as a public toilet! At 5 months, she still wouldn't have 100% control of her bladder and i don't want to distress her by inadvertently causing her to soil her sleeping area.

I think that's preferable to her screaming the neighbourhood down. Have you thought about putting a dog door from the laundry outside and giving her access to the laundry during the day? That way you don't have to get up when she needs to go out. I wanted to do that, however, we have a white cat who isn't allowed outside during the day. His pink nose and ears put him at a high risk of contracting skin cancer and so a doggy door would also double as a kitty escape hatch!

Hi Everyone, I've been following the forums for quite some time now, and I thought it was about time I became a member. During my explorations I've found the content of the forums to be an invaluable source of advice and knowledge for all things canine. Even though I can't remember every post I’ve read, or the authors that wrote them - there's a good chance that each and every one of you have already helped me in some way or another, so thank you!!! Aside from introducing myself, the main purpose of this post was to ask for some advice on the behavior of our cheeky little English Springer Spaniel. We've had her from 8 weeks old, and she is now close to 5 months old. Overall, she's a great pup and despite the usual adjustment and growing pains associated with bringing up any young animal we think that she is developing quite well. In saying that, a pattern has emerged of late, that initially just annoyed our household, but after the weekend has managed to spread to our neighbors too! We put her to bed at around 10pm every night, and she sleeps on her bed in the laundry with a baby gate across the doorway. The location of the laundry happens to be almost directly opposite our bedroom, so she can actually see us from through the bars of the baby gate. Anyway, she usually goes to sleep without too much fuss; however, she has a habit of waking between 5am and 6am every morning! She lets us know she's awake through a building crescendo of whines and half-barks. Thinking she has to relieve herself, I get up and let her outside and then go back to bed. If it is still dark - I leave the light on for her until the sun comes up. Up until about two weeks ago this routine worked well - she could do her business outside and play in the yard and I got to go back to sleep! She is not allowed in the house unless we are home, so she is used to the yard and normally has no issue with it, however now when she wakes up and I try to let her out she won't go - well not without a lot of coaxing! When she finally does go outside, it's obvious that she wants to play, but I don't give her that attention because I don't want her to link crying with playing etc. So I leave her outside and go back to bed, but after a few minutes she starts to cry. Initially, I just ignored it in the hope that she would eventually give up. Most of the time this worked, however on Sunday morning, after waking at 6am she proceeded to cry all morning outside the door until I heard a neighbor yell out "Quieten Down!" at about 7:30am. Now, I'm really paranoid about annoying the neighbors so I’m not sure what to do. Should I supervise her toilet break and then usher her back into the laundry and put up with her crying from inside the house? At least that way the neighbors won't hear her. Has anyone had any similar experiences and if so how did you resolve them? Also, how does one find that balance between not reinforcing negative behavior and at the same time not annoying the neighbors through excessive noise? I look forward to your responses!