distressed puppy

peasant

slumped wrote: »

Raising a pup is like raising a child. Everyone has their own opinions on how its done, but at the same time everyone else needs to respect other opinions

That's where I would differ.
Even with raising a child, there are certain immovable truths that apply to all children and certain things that you just don't do ..it's not a free for all and just do what you think is best kind of thing.

With dogs the band for differing approaches is even narrower. Dogs are dogs and as such very limited in their behavioral spectrum and their ability to understand and process what is happening to them. You can't sit them down and explain things to them, neither do they understand the concept of "compromise". Raising a dog to be a perfectly adapted member of a family and the society around it is a very black and white affair. There are things you have to do and there are things you mustn't do and very little wriggle room inbetween.

Raising a dog has nothing to do with anyones "opinion" on the matter but everything with understanding the capabilities and limitations of dogs.

Dogs are very uncompromising creatures with very few grey areas. You "input" one certain way of treating/training that dog and it "outputs" a certain (limited) behaviour. Input the wrong thing and the dog ends up displaying unwanted behaviour.

To complicate the matter, the foundation for most future behaviour has to be laid very early on, during puppyhood. Vital mistakes made then will be very hard to impossible to correct later.

Raising a dog is not a matter of democracy or majority rule, differing opinions don't come into it. Basically there is one approach to doing it correctly (with minor variations on the detail) and losts of others that don't work.

And ticking clocks don't raise dogs

~Thalia~

slumped wrote: »

Only a brief entry into this thread for me, but your cocky, arrogant and 'i'm right, you're all wrong' attitude is an absolute disgrace.

Especially from a Mod. who should be open to various opinions and ideas.

Shame on you.

S

Spot on.

And it's a pity as Peasant is clearly VERY knowledgeable with regard to dogs and their behaviour but honestly it's becoming very hard to read some of the responses given to people asking for advice. The advice is good but the condescension peppered throughout it not.

With respect to the original query, I think the OP has been given plenty of good advice on this thread. I would second Peasant's advice about taking some time off to ease the pup into it's basic routine. I did this when my dog was a pup and I found it very valuable.

jenpup

peasant wrote: »

I give up ...I really do ...

What's wrong with Pigs Ears? once of twice a week, keep the dog occupied for hours.

My puppy got one as a present when he graduated from his puppy class.

My puppy never even notices I'm leaving - doesn't cry when I'm gone (he's been videoed before you ask) because he is so occupied with Kongs and toys and an occasional pigs ear

whitser

what the fcuk is a kong?

jenpup

whitser wrote: »

what the fcuk is a kong?

It's made from durable rubber and you stuff it with treats and fillings etc (peanut butter, frozen strawberry and banana mush etc) and they spend ages trying to get it out. Dogs love them!!

stevoman

jenpup wrote: »

It's made from durable rubber and you stuff it with treats and fillings etc (peanut butter, frozen strawberry and banana mush etc) and they spend ages trying to get it out. Dogs love them!!

like a bone with maro i presume?

peasant

jenpup wrote: »

What's wrong with Pigs Ears? once of twice a week, keep the dog occupied for hours.

Several things wrong with pigs ears:

They can be questionable from a health point of view, they are not the most hygienic of products and there were cases of pigs ears treated with all sorts of nasty chemicals and preservatives that caused allergic reactions and/or tummy upsets ...thats' the general bit.

More specifically in relation to pups: pigs ears (and anything else that swells up when chewed or breaks into bits when bitten off) should only ever been given to pups under supervision. The danger that they could choke or hurt themselves when unsupervised is very big.

And lastly: puppy teeth are not really suited to nawing and chewing hard stuff like a pigs ear. A tooth could get caught, broken or even pushed out of alignment, leading to complications when the real teeth start growing. Later on, when they are older and start teething and the new teeth are alredy pushing through, it is quite ok to give them something soft-ish to chew on ...at an early age chewing/nawing is best discouraged.

stevoman

peasant wrote: »

Several things wrong with pigs ears:

They can be questionable from a health point of view, they are not the most hygienic of products and there were cases of pigs ears treated with all sorts of nasty chemicals and preservatives that caused allergic reactions and/or tummy upsets ...thats' the general bit.

More specifically in relation to pups: pigs ears (and anything else that swells up when chewed or breaks into bits when bitten off) should only ever been given to pups under supervision. The danger that they could choke or hurt themselves when unsupervised is very big.

Sorry peasent but there's nothing wrong with them at all.

1 - they are sold in shops so they must pass safety standards.

2 - interestingly enough just when i have been looking on the net about pig ears the office vet has just asked me what im up to. i just told her that im doing some research and on them seeing are they safe and she has just said of course they are. she in fact said that they are far safer than bones and she gives them to her dogs. i would tend to take a vets advice who i know is spot on and extremly professional.


I think you have the wrong idea about this forum to be honest. we are all here to give advice to people, but from what i can read from what you post, is that you ridicule other peoples advice and give yours like its the gospel. IMO that is the wrong attidue for this forum.

bigpinkelephant

peasant wrote: »

Raising a dog to be a perfectly adapted member of a family and the society around it is a very black and white affair. There are things you have to do and there are things you mustn't do and very little wriggle room inbetween.

Dogs are very uncompromising creatures with very few grey areas. You "input" one certain way of treating/training that dog and it "outputs" a certain (limited) behaviour. Input the wrong thing and the dog ends up displaying unwanted behaviour.

They are dogs, not robots.
Every dog is different, and their behaviour is not 100% down to how they are trained. They are born different. Like us, some dogs are more friendly, more outgoing, more anything than others. What works with one dog may not work with another.
Likewise, all owners are different, and while there are certain things that should NEVER be done to a dog, there are often different ways of doing things that work equally well. My spaniel is given her wormer in a piece of butter, as she will not eat it with her dry food or swallow it if I put it in her mouth. However, my collie eats anything put in front of him and will eat his with his dry food, no questions asked. If you think that wormer should only be put with the dog's regular meal, or put into their mouths, am I wrong for giving it to my spaniel with a piece of butter? I don't think so.

Peasant I appreciate that your heart is in the right place but I am honestly getting really sick of the way you talk down to people.
The OP seems to genuinely love her new puppy and has taken every suggestion with gratitude and grace. There are far too many dog owners who come on here looking for advice yet only hear what they want to hear and in general leave you wondering why they came looking for advice in the first place. I know of plenty dogs who have had purely outdoor lives since they were pups and had no trouble.

fits

stevoman wrote: »

Sorry peasent but there's nothing wrong with them at all.

1 - they are sold in shops so they must pass safety standards.

so everything sold in shops is safe for dogs?
I wouldnt take anything as 'safe' just because its sold in a shop.

2 - interestingly enough just when i have been looking on the net about pig ears the office vet has just asked me what im up to. i just told her that im doing some research and on them seeing are they safe and she has just said of course they are. she in fact said that they are far safer than bones and she gives them to her dogs. i would tend to take a vets advice who i know is spot on and extremly professional.
.

Personally speaking, I would never give a pigs ear to my dog when they're not supervised (yes I do give them occasionally). The reason being that it would be possible that they choke on it. Its a common enough occurrence that some gets stuck in their throat, and deaths have occurred from rawhide chews (not sure about pigs ears).

I would never give pigs ears to a pup.

Kongs are the best bet if you're looking to occupy them while you're out.

peasant

bigpinkelephant wrote: »

Peasant I appreciate that your heart is in the right place but I am honestly getting really sick of the way you talk down to people.
The OP seems to genuinely love her new puppy and has taken every suggestion with gratitude and grace. There are far too many dog owners who come on here looking for advice yet only hear what they want to hear and in general leave you wondering why they came looking for advice in the first place. I know of plenty dogs who have had purely outdoor lives since they were pups and had no trouble.

May I point out at this time that not once in this thread have "talked down" to the OP or citicised, scalded or otherwise offended him/her?

The advice I have given was technically correct and sound and I have not attacked anyone personally.

On this forum I happen to worry more about the animals than the people behind them and don't really have the time to sugarcoat my answers to make more palpable to the general audience.

From now on I will try to be less gruff and curt.

bigpinkelephant

peasant wrote: »

May I point out at this time that not once in this thread have "talked down" to the OP or citicised, scalded or otherwise offended him/her?

Peasant you have a habit of picking posts apart and you really give the impression that it's your way or the highway. You are not seeing the bigger picture. The OP came on here looking for advice on how to keep her puppy happy. She is playing on the same team as you, but you are against her because she plays with her left foot where you use your right. There is more than one way of doing things...

peasant wrote: »

On this forum I happen to worry more about the animals than the people behind them and don't really have the time to sugarcoat my answers to make more palpable to the general audience.

We are not expecting you to leap into song and dance when you are replying to someone but there is such thing as manners.

BlackCat2008

Op you sound to be doing a fine job already and I think you should use the advise giving to suit your situation, I have raised all my pups/kittens the way I quoted for 18yrs and they adjust very quickly and learn I'm there to take care of them so they don't have to fret. Even when they are about to do some thing wrong and they know it, they nearly hand me what ever it is they were going to chew on to see if I'll give it back, instead I give them a treat for it.(I do think they play up on this some times but I go along with it any way) What I'm told after I rehome them is they are very calm and loving and have such a great manner about them so I know I've done right by them.

I do really think if the pup works it self up into a right frenzy at night he should be checked, young animals like babies who work them selfs up can cause them selfs to vomit and choke, it does no harm to reassure your pup you are around and not to fret. Right now he's still wondering whats happing to him and were his mam and siblings are and you must now be family to him and show him he's not alone and has some one to fall back on when he's blue. Always remember keep every thing low key and they will be a calmer dog for it.

Take what you need from every one's advise and use it as you need time will help and a lot of Patients too.

Oh and would love to see pic's as well.

bigpinkelephant

yeah post some pics of the new puppy!!!!!!! Pweese?

peasant

stevoman wrote: »

Sorry peasent but there's nothing wrong with them at all.

1 - they are sold in shops so they must pass safety standards.

2 - interestingly enough just when i have been looking on the net about pig ears the office vet has just asked me what im up to. i just told her that im doing some research and on them seeing are they safe and she has just said of course they are. she in fact said that they are far safer than bones and she gives them to her dogs. i would tend to take a vets advice who i know is spot on and extremly professional.

sorry for going off topic ...but this is important.

Please read this re pigs ears and other chewy products
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055364561

jenpup

peasant wrote: »

sorry for going off topic ...but this is important.

Please read this re pigs ears and other chewy products
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055364561

Thanks for that Peasant. I hadn't realised. Just went off the advice of my vet who had actually physically handed my puppy a pigs ear and the trainer/nurse who told me that they were great for keeping a puppy occupied.

If you can't trust your (award winning) vet when it comes to your animals, who can you trust?

BTW a better way for putting this forward would have been to say - "actually Jenpup, are you aware that pigs ears are dangerous for a puppy?" instead of quoting me and saying you give up.

There are nicer ways of putting things. I am a member of a number of dog forums and if you think someone is giving the wrong advice, you just say it to them, you don't ridicule them, which I have noticed you do an awful lot.

Just some friendly advice. You make some good points, but I think peeps would respond better if you changed the way you get them across. The way you go about it gets ppls backs up and the point you have made gets lost and no matter how many time you reiterate it, it'll never be heard.

bigpinkelephant

Well said Jenpup,

There is a saying "You catch more flies with honey than with vinegar"....is quite appropriate!

lostinnappies

just jumping in here, dont know if anyone has sujested this yet? Have you tried giving her an item of your cloths to sleep with. It does sound like seperation anxiety and if you let it get too bad then she will start barking all day long when you leave. Also some puppies are more scared of open spaces then anything else .. try giving her a sleeping box like a little dog carrier or cage. Dont lock her in just some place she can hide and feel safe.

Hope this helped

MissyN

Hi Crescent
It would be a great idea if you could get even a week off work to give your pup some time to settle in. I definitely wouldn't get a pup without getting at least 2-3 weeks off work. You have to be willing to do this at this stage for the little pup. Also there's a plug in diffuser called DAP and it gives off a relaxing scent for the dog. Its supposed to be the scent that a bitch exudes when she has pups. I'm sure it works as I use it at home for my dog around Halloween to help her relax. You can get them from the vet which can be expensive. I get mine from www.doggiesolutions.co.uk and its much better value. There's more info about the product on that website. Best of luck with puppy !!!