bbjai

Cool thanks I think I'm taking a three pronged approach to this:

Buy a more expensive ball (he seems to only go for the orange ones from chuck it)

Train Leave It and Drop it

Train Recall with a lead (not long lead)

If he has a good drive for balls, have you thought about using one as a reward to build his recall? A ball on a rope toy is awesome for recall games.

Hi Huski

I have tried this, we bought him a new ball recently and he stuck to that ball like glue. But as soon as a new ball comes along he will drop his own ball and pick up the new ball. I'm not sure what to do. He was quite attached to his new ball but this morning someone threw a new ball out and he latched onto it straight away, literally stealing it out of a dog's mouth. I'm getting really concerned now, he use to never do this when he was younger. He broke the ball so I gave his own ball to the other dog.

It doesn't seem to matter what ball as long as it's being thrown he will want to take it.

IF a long lead is not safe then how do people practice recall with distractions at a park with balls? Are we essentially saying he shouldn't go to the dog park then?

Right so we have to use a long lead? we tried that for a while and whilst he comes back to us normally he will completely ignore us if there is a ball. I suppose that means we haven't done it properly.

thanks most people are ok with him stealing it so ill endevaour to keep him on a long lead from now on

Hi guys

I've had my lovely french bulldog for over a 10 months and he has just turned 1. I've always had this problem but not thought much of it until recently. My french bulldog has a very bad habit of going to the park and stealing ANYONEs ball and just holding it. He will run for other balls and take it into his mouth. Usually he has only done this on free balls but quite recently he has started grabbing it out of other dog's mouths or started fights when the dogs both go for the ball at the same time.

I am concerned because he did this to a very nice German Shepherd (who kindly gave up his ball). But if the German Shepherd isn't so nice poor Mac would be in alot of hurt.

What are some ways I can train him to only play with his own ball, or at least not grab the ball of other dogs?

I use to feed my dogs lamb bones, but then he started bringing them in to the carpet. Now the wife has banned bones altogether

we gave our pup goats milk yoghurt and yakult and he has not done a sloopy poo since

well we put his bowls on it and he stopped peeing on it, and then we just moved it last night and first thing he did was pee on it. So we've moved it into his crate to see what he does to it now.

good idea, I've cleaned it with urine off and will see if his peed on it after work again. If he has ill pop it on top of his bed and see what he does

no just an indoor toliet. He hasn't had an accident prior to this for about 4 months

Hi Guys

I've got a unique problem with my 10 month old frenchie. Due to the heat I recently bought one of those cooling mats (Canine cooler)for him so that he can be cool when we aren't at home and the apartment heats up a little bit (air con is on most hot days but some days we don't turn it on if its only 25). Now he obviously uses it because after a hard walk or play he will lie on it to cool down. His preference is not to sleep on it by the looks of it becuase he still prefers the floor and the rug.

His now started to pee on it? for no apparent reason at all. No where else but just on that mat. Granted it does kind of feel like a squishy dirt! I've cleaned it up 4 times now and put his bowl and water bowl on it to try and prevent him peeing on it. He goes to his own indoor toliet fine so I don't know why his suddenly decided to do this?

Anyone got any ideas?

He knows the wee wee command that's what we use indoors, we try it outside too but we only praise him when he pees on grass. I am thinking about getting him vet checked to make sure. He peed tonight again as he was playing the bottle. No warning but just did it. I will bring treats and all on walks and do your suggestion about taking him to the kerb. The funny thing is his ever pooed in the wrong place

He doesn't really give many signs! He basically sometimes pees as he walks??? Today for example he was playing with his ball and then stopped and peed! I picked him up and he finished at the indoor toliet but I would have thought this behaviour should have stopped by now! It might be because my wife lost her temper at him once when he did have an accident. We haven't had a consistent result since then

Mac has had over 5 accidents this week yet I bring him back to the loo all the time and he knows to go there!! He never has an accident in the pen so I'm getting really frustrated!! Could the problem be when his in the streets for a walk he just goes anywhere and we should discourage such behaviour?? This is really driving me nuts at the moment! We've ordered the dodgy insert to move the toliet to the balcony but it will take 10-15 working days

hi guys just a quick update, Mac is now 5 months old and has gone slightly backwards on his tolieting training. He was going back into the pen to pee for a while but now his taken to peeing anywhere again. We've been bringing him back to the toliet every hour or so but sometimes he goes sometimes he'll walk around and not go. I think one thing we've failed is that when he does have an accident we don't bring him to the toliet again straight away. Is this our current issue? Sometimes his done it for over 10 seconds and already walked off before we notice. For example yesterday I was preparing his food and he was sniffing around and then decided to relieve himself. This only applies to peeing, his pooping his done 100% on the toliet/outdoors and never indoors

Where is the training thread? I've tried to find it not sure which forums its in

yeh the play pen is directly attached to the crate so two exits one to the play pen and one to the outside!

all I need now is a doggy door attached to the balcony door and he will have access to most things

Hi awm

that's exactly how I am doing it! Except my little frenchie is still in his pen because he can't be trusted to pee on the indoor loo with any consistency yet (was going well until he went backwards last week). I am looking to get that sliding door insert mentioned above so he can have access to outside and pee which he seems to prefer anyway.

How long before you know your dog is ready to be out of the pen permanently?

Hi Guys

I would like to take my little French Bulldog to the dog park at least twice during the working week. But I don't get home till 6pm most days and by then it's quite dark. Are there any dog parks with lights that people frequent on the lower north shore? I don't mind driving there as long as there are lights (it's actually a nice time for me and the missus). Or do people generally just take them for walks. I note that there are dog groups in Waverton who head to the park around 4:30 to 5:30pm but usually that's too early for me!

Positive Puppies had alot of follow up material, home work that kind of things. To be honest this is my first puppy but I was happy with their classes so I can't say what I liked specifically. I just felt like I learned alot about having a new puppy and my puppy enjoyed the class

We went to positive puppies at North Shore Vet at St Leonard's and they were good

is there any downside to antlers? how come dogs like them so much? I would have assumed they taste like nothing?

Has anyone ever had the problem with the pup doing an around the world poop? Mac loves walking all around his toliet pooping sometimes off the toliet!!! Half of it is on half of it is off

Our indoor loo has fake grass too so his fairly comfortable with it. His slowly getting it now however he doesn't do his business outside on walks and waits to get home

Another pet loo would be quite expensive but ill consider it

Thanks guys that's all I needed some encouragement! Yesterday took him back to loo regularly and no accidents!!!