dididog

Well today I found out that the flea/worming combination prescribed and sold to us by my vet when we took Didi as a 10 week old puppy has not been covering her for heart worm this whole time. The wormer was Drontil and when we bought it off the vet it just came separately in the capsule and had no box or anything so it's not like I could've read that and realised it didn't cover heart worm and I feel like I should've been able to rely on my vet not to mislead me. Pretty pissed off as now I'll have to get her tested before I can start her on a wormer that does cover it when the vet could've at least told me the wormer did not cover heart worm. This stuff up on top of the fact that every time we have been we have gotten a different locum vet makes me want to find another. It's a literal 30 second walk from my house but I'd rather drive somewhere to get better service so anybody got a good vet recommendation, preferably in the Melbourne inner city/western region. Familiar with large breeds would also be appreciated!

I'm glad my girl sleeps most of the time, if she had the energy and mental stimulation needs of a working breed I probably would've gone crazy trying to keep her contained but content. At nearly 6 months old she still sleeps as much as when we got her, must be all that growing she's doing but nothing is more terrifying than an extremely big and uncoordinated puppy trying to do zoomies in a little inner city house but luckily those moments are few and far between :laugh:

If they had signed a contract wouldn't that apply? When I got my dog from rescue we had to sign a contract saying stuff like if we encountered any problems during the 4 week trial we had to notify them and if they suspected mistreatment of the dog they could take it back. It also said that if for any reason we could no longer look after the dog it must be given back to them (not sold or privately rehomed). Personally the last one makes me feel a bit weird as I'd like to have a say in where my dog ends up (not that I ever intend to rehome my puppy) and I'm not sure how much weight the contract has to it but rescues do seem to put a lot of stipulations and conditions around adopting dogs these days which I suppose they have good reason for but still seems a bit much.

It's a very soft diet... hopefully it gets something to chew on regularly for its teeth but if she is that over protective of her dog she probably has a doggy toothbrush but still. I find that even if I give my dog a whole, large carrot it gets munched pretty quick as opposed to the long drawn out chewing process of a bone. I do think tuna everyday for the rest of its life is a bit harmful though, it's recommended humans only have fish a few times a week, and tuna is a particularly high mercury fish at that :/

Thanks guys, I definitely think I've fallen into the trap of trying so hard to get my first puppy 'right' that I've missed out on some of the fun stuff . As far as trick training goes she is really good at giving her paw (shake) and we tried roll over but she would just get really excited and flop around on her back like a fish. At the obedience club intro they asked us to work on introducing a bridge word (yes) which we've been doing so I'm looking forward to teaching her some tricks as with the bridge word it'll be easier to pinpoint small parts of the trick rather than trying to introduce the trick as a whole, I was thinking picking up all of her toys and putting them away would be useful... And thanks agility dogs, I never really thought about using play to get her better at listening in distracting environments but I do think she doesn't see me as the best thing ever in some situations.

Hi all, my puppy's 5 months now and we've reached a point where we've finally covered to a satisfactory level all of the basics. Toilet trained, housetrained (unless there are tissues lying around), socialised/used to different types of dogs, people, places, catching trains, sitting outside cafes etc she's pretty unphased by most things. She's used to being by herself for extended periods and while not perfect her loose lead walking is better than most adult dogs I know, plus is good with manners like no jumping, waiting, and settling down after zoomies/in the car. Her basic commands are really good too and are done less often for treats, except down where she will still only do it with a lure (yet she can hold a down stay in a distracting environment for like a minute which I would not think she'd be capable of at this age??) Basically what I am getting at is the last 3 months I've spent all of our training getting to this stage and now other than keeping up all of the things we've already learnt I am a bit unsure where I should go from here! We joined an obedience club but because of the public holiday only have our first class next sunday which I'm sure will help us with polishing up what we already know and giving us new things to do but I guess I'm just kind of bored and uninspired especially since I just started uni. So again sorry for the rambling but does anybody have any suggestions of fun/new things I can do with my pup to build on the basics? She's food/toy/praise driven and I'm open to most suggestions, i don't know just small fun things we can do that don't really fall under the obedience umbrella but are still beneficial to her training or other aspects of dog life. At the moment I've lost that sort of joy for training and don't want to go into obedience with that mindset :/

To clarify when I say 'as lean as possible' I mean as lean as you can get within a healthy weight range and fit, not underfed. Perhaps it is less of an issue with finer boned dogs like Dobermans but I know with Danes and heavy set giant breeds there is no need to have a chubby puppy. Having an underfed puppy that is malnourished and finds it hard to then gain weight is just as problematic though.

I would assume deaf people are are lot more aware of their surroundings though and pay attention to what is happening, look around a lot more especially in open spaces. This is not in response to who is at fault but the problem I have with this lady wearing headphones (and I assume listening to music) is that she was walking her dog in an area around other unknown dogs, how would she know if another dog was approaching her? People who go to dog parks and expect everyone else to follow the rules and not let their dogs run up to others are bound to run into trouble especially if they are then preventing their ability to foresee these dangers. Once and only once have I walked my puppy with headphones in listening to music and it was extremely disconcerting and I stopped after 1 song. I couldn't hear cars, people about to walk around corners, possible children near by, trams or buses in the distance or the presence of other dogs. If a tram or bus was coming up from behind and I could hear it I would know to hold the leash a bit tighter in case my puppy spooked and tried to bolt away from it (this was during a fear period). With headphones on if my puppy had gotten spooked I wouldn't be expecting it and maybe drop the leash/get pulled over. Our eyes can only be looking at so much, our ears are there to help us sense what we can't see and I think anybody who has walked a dog before knows you need eyes in the back of your head sometimes to notice every potential danger before it reaches you.

How exciting! I replied in your other thread about exercise but I didn't realise you were getting your puppy tomorrow! Can't offer much advice other than make sure she has toiletted right before bed and limit water before bed because my puppy was pretty fine with bed time, fell right to sleep with only a bit of whining. Once she has fallen asleep treat any whining through the night as a probable need to toilet, make sure she has stopped whining before you take her out of the crate though so she doesn't learn to whine for attention all the time and that she goes right back to the crate after toileting. She may not whine though so just set yourself a few alarms just in case. I think with my pup we went to bed at 11, woke up at 2 to go outside and then 5.30 for another toilet trip and then woke up at about 8. You're lucky since she's a bigger dog you won't have to take her out as often as a smaller dog. Hopefully you'll get an easy puppy like mine that started sleeping through the night after the 3rd day :) have a great day tomorrow with your new puppy! (and post some pictures!)

Gentle play and small walks that are age appropriate are fine and even better if you can stick to grass/sand and make sure you avoid lots of jumping off couches/out of cars etc. On top of not exercising too strenuously make sure you keep your puppy as lean as possible as you want to avoid your puppy carrying anymore weight than necessary on its growing joints. I have a giant breed puppy who's 5 months old now, it was a bit frustrating at first because she had crazy amounts of energy and it was tempting to just let her run around till she was tired but you have to keep it all in perspective, the more work you put into tiring your puppy out with regular mental stimulation, play and limited exercise the better off your puppy's health will be when it's grown. It's probably the thing I worry about the most and even though she's nearing 25kg I still try and lift her up and down off most things, when she jumps off the couch it makes me cringe! I'm sure your breeder will talk to you in depth before you take you puppy home but don't overlook it's importance.

I'd be questioning the owner deliberately reducing her senses and ability to foresee danger while in a dog park with her dog, so many other things could have happened, you need your full whits about you when encountering unknown animals. It is a shared space where both dogs and people have to co exist, it is unreasonable to expect the dogs (the ones incapable of judging situations and acting accordingly) to be the ones purely responsible in an accident. If I was walking on a shared bike path with headphones in and moved into the path of cyclists who could not stop in time because I did not hear their bell and the cyclist broke my foot I would class that as an accident. I would also acknowledge that if I had actually been paying any attention to my surroundings which I know are shared with potential danger I probably would've heard the bike and not been in its way.

Pack of one :) but more than enough for me at the moment. Maybe when she's older I'll start fostering to see if I can handle two dogs and decide which of the 50 billion breeds I am in love with I should actually add to the family.

Most clubs won't let dogs under 18 months go over jumps but they can still get introduced to ground work and I would certainly say obedience is for any dog that you are willing to persist with, sure the more biddable and receptive breeds may advance through quicker but anyone can do it. I just joined one and I have a big bouncy dane cross boofa puppy but she really likes to learn so I don't think you should restrict yourself on breed alone :) at the end of the day you'll strengthen the bond with your dog while improving training techniques.

Yikes that sounds like a very bad experience, I'm glad you're both okay! My puppy is only a bit older than yours and I too worry at our reserve even though it is very nice and big and most people are courteous/are just their to throw a ball not play. I've only had one run in in the 2 months I've been taking her almost every day. We were with a group of owners and dogs all playing nicely when this guy with a maybe 6 month old boxer puppy sat down 50 metres away and let it charge over to our group and I thought oh it's just an excited, poorly controlled puppy but then despite being smaller than Didi it pinned her to the ground and started playing really aggressively and Didi looked extremely unhappy so I ripped the boxer off of her and when it came back for more Didi growled and told it off and it left. But after that Didi was kind of upset and not keen to play so we started leaving and again the boxer tried to harrass Didi as we left so I told it to leave and shoved it in the direction of its owner. Even though my puppy is well behaved I would never let her run across a park up to a large group of unknown dogs for the puppy's safety alone! This is the only run in and she was fine apart from a nick on her ear but I seriously don't get some people's thought process and just assume every dog wants to play with every other dog.

Unfortunately uni doesn't have labour day off and my dad wasn't keen to drive on his day off so it looks like ill have to withdraw maybe at another meet up!

I sympathise with you on the powerful thing, Didi could easily pull me over if she wanted to so when she throws her weight into it and really pulls I really struggle to hold on! She's good on pavements and streets but in open spaces she's crazy. Hoping obedience can help sort her out :/

Im also tackling that issue at the moment with my 5 month old great dane cross puppy. I found taking her dinner kibble or treats on a walk helped. When she was walking nicely I would say her name so she looked at me and then give her a treat. After a while if she was walk a bit to far infront but not full on pulling I would say her name and if she returned to my side she'd get a treat. If she just kept full on pulling I'd stand still and wait till she stopped, get her to sit next to me then keep walking. We are starting.obedience club next week so I can start teaching her to actually heel but this was just how I managed it while we were waiting to start and it worked alright. Have you asked your obedience instructor how to manage it? Im sure its just a matter of persevering and being consistent with something that worked. Was she responsive to any of the techniques you tries?

Hey this sounds really nice, mind if I tag along? I don't know if I can fully commit since I'm starting uni this week and have no idea what my workload will be but it sounds like a nice day out and I'd like to meet more doggy people :) I have a big bouncy puppy but she is good with the littlelies. If I come I'd probably bring some sort of baked good, savoury isn't really my thing!

I never had a family dog, I had cats, horses and rats but never a dog because our living situation was never ideal. Didi is my first dog and while we live with my family and they do the odd thing for her I am the one that oversees all of her care and training and I will take her with me when I move out. We were never looking for a huge dog, only something lab size which is how big the mother was. Too bad Id already fallen madly in love with Didi before it was revealed her dad was a Great Dane. She's taught me so much already and I've surprised myself with the commitment and dedication I've had these past few months. While all of my friends have been out partying and sleeping in till 1pm to celebrate completing year 12 Ive spent my summer picking up poo and waking up at 7 but Inhale no regrets and wouldn't change a thing and hope Didi is the first of many dogs to come.

Woops ! Worded that pretty badly but yes definitely think that all options should be exhausted before pts. Good to hear the owner's are committing to helping there puppy.

It's a bit concerning that they allow their dog to just roam. It sounds like some of the barking may come from a bit more than just being left alone. If it isn't walked or mentally stimulated with regular training and then tied up all day (does it get things like kongs or puzzle balls to keep it occupied?) then I'm not surprised it barks all day. Hopefully they take on board what the trainer has said, it seems like they need a bit of a lifestyle change where it comes to their dog not just fixing the separation problems. Your description sounds hopeful for rehoming though but there is no telling if the dog is better off after training and exercise if the owners don't do it that much. It's also a bit concerning that after being met with the news there isn't much wrong with their dog and given professional advice to help the situation their reaction was pts Also my anecdote was not trying to make it sound like you were outstepping your bounds or upsetting them or anything, it just reminded of a similar situation. The dog would probably be better of with you than roaming the street or being hurt by angry neighbours!

Your mice are so cute! What are mice like as pets? I had rats before getting my puppy, and my baby Sunny will probably always be one of the best pet I've ever owned, she was literally a dog in a little rat body. I imagine mice are quite different personality wise though.

accidental triple post

accidental triple post

Well it sounds like OP is friendly with her neighbours and that they have been taking on her advice if they used the trainer. I imagine as a person with a lot of dog experience you would find it patronising if somebody tried to give you their help. It sounds like OP is coming from a good place though and it is probably a little bit of her business if she has to put up with the dog howling and barking all day. This reminds me of a situation with family friends of ours. They had a pom x foxie that would bark and bark and bark when left alone and one day the neighbour brought it over. They then had a bit of an agreement that if the dog was barking too much that the neighbours would look after it which started all sorts of complications when the neighbours would take the dog to their house, then leave the dog alone at their house while they went out. My friend regularly came home to her dog locked in the neighbours house barking her head off with my friend unable to go get her dog. When my friend suggested the neighbours stop taking the dog they got all nasty and said my friend didn't deserve the dog and would regularly take it and keep it at their house without them knowing. They were probably right about my friend not deserving their dog, in the 6 or 7 years I knew them they went through 4 dogs. They would buy a puppy, raise it badly, get rid of it when it was a few years old and behaved badly then buy a new puppy, raise it badly and continue the vicious cycle. Anyway OP I agree with Ams in that you taking the dog won't be helping in the long run but neither is whatever the owner may or may not be doing at the moment and it is probably hard not to snap when it has been barking non stop for ages. You can try suggesting a rescue and see how it goes as ultimately it is their decision. I personally believe rehoming could be worth a shot in the event that perhaps the owners haven't tried many methods or aren't prepared to try working with a behaviorist because a responsible rescue probably wouldn't let a dog with unmanageable behaviors be rehomed past the foster stage.