Erny

I acknowledge that there is no knowing/guarantee of when storms will rage. I guess I was lucky. Firstly, I had built up the drive in my pup so when I needed to use it, it was there. Secondly, the first storm my pup encountered, I was home and able to rush out with a quick "Ready to work!!", grabbing the tug on the way and straight into the game. (Incidentally, I was in my PJ's, dressing gown and slippers at the time. :D). He went from a pup with tail tucked parallel to his tummy, straight out to a confident, full-on and happy pup in drive. I've only done this once or twice (I'm not home for every storm either, nor do we have as many as you) and whilst he will show a bit of mild concern when the noise of the rain first begins to pound loudly on the decking roof, he isn't a scared trembling mess and is happy enough to snooze through in his kennel. I know you're concerned about your other dogs' behaviours rubbing off on your pup and I agree that can happen, but maybe you'd be able to get your pup's behaviour (and that of yours, if the others are watching you and pup having fun) to rub off on them. If you build the drive and have it there, you'll know you'll be able to use it if the time permits the onset of a storm when you're home. Maybe even on a weekend assuming they are not confined to Monday-Friday's . Sorry - but it is hard to give you tips about what to do to help make your pup confident if you're not there to do anything and don't know when a storm is coming.

Don't know it but would be interested in seeing the picture when they provide it to you.

Train in drive !! You need to build drive first if there isn't much/enough there - do this when there are no storms. With an 'addiction' to drive training, you'll then be able to bounce straight into your drive training at the very first hint of inclement weather, making this type of weather 'fun' rather than something to be feared. With rain ..... do the same. Don't be afraid to get wet - you won't shrink. I promise :D.

A bit OT and perhaps intended for clarity to anyone who reads - but the point is that our Aussie testing is likely to show "normal" in thyroid tests, especially IF thyroid was an issue but is in early stages. Aussie testing shows up when thyroid issues are more advanced. USA testing can reveal issues much earlier in the peace. But I do hope that it's only a matter of your boy putting on too much weight without any medically based cause for it. If you are feeding too much (especially dry food) this will increase your boy's thirst.

My boy was also like that when he was a pup - manically concerned that he'd lose this prized possession to me. I would give him a bone and leave him to it. But I'd work in the garden in the yard where he was. By doing this I was completely focussed elsewhere and walking around the yard - sometimes closer to him, sometimes away. When I got closer to him, I still ignored him chewing his bone. As he became more comfortable over a few sessions of this (my garden was very up to date ), I'd pause on my way past and give him a pat, then move on. Once fine with this, I'd include a touch of the bone with my hand in my 'pat'. During all this time I had taught him 'relinquish' with other items of value - but lesser value than the bone. Before too long, he accepted the relinquish of the bone. I hardly ever bother with it now and quite often he will bring his bone up to me for me to look at. I take it, tell him it's a lovely bone and offer it back to him. It makes me laugh because he's so proud of himself when he does this. One thing to avoid IMO is to not seek the relinquish of a bone too often. Not saying you do, but I think people place too much store in it and practice it too often and if I were a dog, this would bug me and I would be likely to prefer to stay away so I could feel as though I could eat in peace too.

Free running is ok IMO. Limit the walks as you do. But what you could do is fill in heaps of time taking him out on socialisation trips, gently/carefully introducing him to new and novel things that he is likely/potentially going to encounter at some stage during his lifetime. These trips don't have to involve lots of walking. I built my boy up to being able to cope with a good variety of things (public travel; traffic noise; airport noise; shopping centre activity; railway stations; etc etc) and by the age of 16 weeks, we'd been on buses; trains; to airports; cafe's; and the list continues. The thing is that this style of mental stimulation had him happily exhausted and he'd often be clonked out asleep in his crate in the car even before we had returned home and anyone would have thought he must have run miles and miles, yet most of the time he was actually just with me without very much walking or held in my arms (ummm, yep - by 4 months old that was becoming more awkward and I remember my arms getting just a tad tired). I also remember being flat out busy putting aside the time needed for all his activities in that period too. So you can exercise him HEAPS, but it doesn't need to be tonnes of physical exercise. Mental exercise poops them out much quicker . ETA: Pro-K9 is going to start up some Puppy Socialisation/Habituation Groups very shortly - this won't be so much about pup/pup socialisation (although that will occur simply by being in proximity of each other's company) as it will be socialisation/habituation to a variety of the things that I've mentioned above. It's not to replace puppy school, but it will be something that can be in addition to it and it won't matter which puppy school anyone's been or going to. Just need to finalise the finer details of the plans .

My thoughts too. A dozen times inside one hour? That's not right. That's a pee every 5 minutes. I'd get him Vet checked.

from me too.

Good news, Tilly. I'm so glad that your boy has come back from the brink. Good wishes for speedy recovery to full health.

It still means to the dog that its response is not the one you want.

It is the method that you use which is the difference. Not the NRM.

Unless I have mis-read (yes, it's been a long day and I confess to weariness), no I don't. You're still telling the dog "wrong and you don't receive a reward for that", whether you are shaping or using some other training method. It is a marker that signifies there is no reward.

Either way, it is feedback. The only difference is the training method you use, and that has nothing to do with the NRM having any different meaning, use or bearing.

I use NRM's ..... it is feedback for the dog, just as "good" is my feedback for "you're doing right but exercise not over". I don't think NRM's are or need to be punishing. I will use a NRM to mark a 'mistake' by my dog, then guide him back to the place he was (eg a broken sit/stay) and recommand. "Good" will follow when he is holding the sit/stay. My boy responds well to both of these forms of 'feedback'. I think dogs find them helpful if we've been consistent with them and they know what they mean. I think it would be more stressful on a dog not to receive 'feedback' so he doesn't know WHY he's not receiving an anticipated reward. I also don't think it is necessary to use a NRM and leave the dog to guess at what he's supposed to do, unless you are purposely using the shaping method of training for some specific reason.

I don't know the "Zoom Groom" well, but I'm imagining that it has longer bristles albeit that they are rubber? I presume that the picture is of the upside of the brush. A grooming mitt has small 'bumples' ( sorry .... don't know how else to describe) and I find these get down into the coat and skin more than the longer bristle types. ;) But hey - what the heck. I'm not a groomer so definitely no expert. Only know what I know for my own dogs.

If you really do 'feel' that something is amiss, you might consider running a blood test to measure for thyroid levels. If you're going to do this, I wouldn't muck around with the tests that we have out here in Aussie land - especially as your dog is so young, our tests are not as thorough and not likely to pick up thyroid issue so early. Our tests here only show up if thyroid levels are abnormal once 70% of the thyroid tissue is destroyed ..... that's usually considerably later in the dog's life and is also when much of the typical and obvious symptoms (eg. lethargy; coat loss; etc) show up. So if you do go ahead with this, go through Dr. Jean Dodds in the USA. Organising it isn't that difficult - the worst of it for me was the FedEx paperwork (also required for customs purposes). Let me know if you want some help with where to start. I believe Rotties are on the 'popular' list for thyroid conditions, so it might be worth thinking about. I can't remember if thirst is a symptom of hypothyroidism (I need to refresh my memory by looking through Dr. Jean's notes on it) but I think it can be.

Tilly .... Here's a link to a report by a person whose dog suffered vestibular disease - in this case claimed to have been caused by the use of a head collar. I don't know if that's what you use on your dog, but even if you do not, that's not the point of my posting the report. My point is to give you knowledge of the experiences of others. Cervical Vertibrae.pdf I don't know if this is of any help to you and your boy or not. I hope it is.

I use a rubber grooming mit. Excellent for bony dogs such as RR's and for their fine coat and I tend to find it really helps the dead hair shed quickly. Nice on the skin, too. ETA: There's a number of different although similar styles for sale on e-bay. Grooming Mit

Although I don't personally know her work, she has come highly recommended by a few reliable sources .................... Kathy Kopellis McLeod

I guess that's a point, PugRescue. No harm in going to the Vet to have it checked, but if Canine Cough is diagnosed and antibiotics are prescribed I'd be asking "why .... is there an infection present?" Many Vets seem too quick to prescribe antibiotics IMO. Perhaps it is because too many people wouldn't keep a close eye on their dogs and detect changes for the worse, so they prescribe "just in case"??

Agree with Puggy Puggy. Get some Active Manuka Honey from your health food store. Needs to have a UMF 20+ or higher. (Don't bother with supermarket stock as they are generally UMF 5+ .... won't help much if any). 250g jar will cost you around $50, but it is great stuff and will help sooth the throat as well as boost the immune system. Keep your dog quiet, warm and out of drafts - just as you would if you had children down with a cold.

It is a big brag, Huski. You've worked hard and done well. I know exactly how you feel and you deserve to swell with pride. Keep up the great work .

Have you consulted with a good chiro? I'd at least give that a chance before I looked at making "hard decisions". I'm hoping for a good turn about for Tilly and yourself.

I accept Titre Tests in lieu of vaccinations. Haven't had a Titre Test presented though. I also accept C3 as minimum cover, rather than insisting on C5.

This must be so awful for you to watch, Tilly. If it is vestibular syndrome I understand it can resolve itself in a few weeks. However, I'd be inclined to consult with a top notch canine chiropractor and/or acupunturist or physio-therapist to have this checked. Do you know if there's been any zoomies that could have ended up with neck injury? What's your boy like when on lead (ie pre-symptoms)? I have no first hand experience or any great knowledge of this condition, however I have read bits and pieces. As they say though, a little bit of knowledge is dangerous so I say here clearly that I am no expert in the subject.