Finding Kayla a new home

Rayven199

Hey Everyone,

I got my dog Kayla back in October as a puppy, and she is about 1 year old now. I love her to bits but after a long think (with my boyfriend, as she is his too) we decided that it would be better for all involved if we found her a new home.

There are many reasons for it, mainly that we both work long days (so she is alone pretty much all day,we thought that would have been different when we got her but circumstances changed) we do walk her in the evenings and weekends and have her inside with us but its just not enough.

She is a rottie cross and is about a medium sized dog,extremely cute looking too! But we just dont have the time to invest in her and because of that she has all this pent up energy and walking with her or even having her inside is becomming more of a nightmare because she is so frustrated. (Even running the shi*e out of her for 2 hours doesnt tire her out)
The back garden just isnt big enough for her.

Anyway, we have come to this decision (not too lightly either) but I am hoping to find her a new home to go to as I dont want to give her into a shelter.
Basically I am looking for a bit of advice on how to go about doing that, like where to advertise etc.
Thanks everyone!

peasant

you could start with the "homes wanted" thread at the top of the page

Rayven199

Didnt see that!!:o

Im such a clown, will do that! Thanks a million!!

Tabitharose

in the mean time I'd suggest looking at the option of a dog walker - this is something that may solve your issues with her (in the short term if not the long term)

kerrysgold

Maybe try hiring a dog walker as suggested and also taking her to training classes. you could also try and take up a sport which is fun for dogs e.g. agility.
at this stage now, re homing her would probably be more traumatic than trying to improve her activity level.

Glowing

Yep, if you really love that dog and would like to keep her if at all possible, there are plenty of ways that you could work around the issues you're having at the moment. Get up early and bring her out for 20 mins every morning before work, hire someone to take her out at lunch time, and then another walk in the evening.

Spend time properly training her, mental activities will also tire her out!
Kerry's idea of agility training would be great too ....

Rayven199

Thanks guys, the more we think about it the more we want to keep her!
We did bring her to training classes and we have trained her to do things as well, she is extremely intelligent and she learns really quickley, but that isnt always a good thing as she can fihure how to get around things and not do what she is supposed to!

Hiring a dog walker would be a good help, but realistically I am too stretched financially to even consider taking on anything at the minute, and I dont know how well someone would handle her, she is extremely strong and particlarly on the lead-she actually hurts my boyfriend when we walk her on the lead! And I cant walk her as she is too strong. A normal walk for her isnt enough, she literally needs to be out on a greyhound track for about 3 hours running and then maybe you could walk her on the lead without her pulling the arm off ye!!

We will think a lot more about it before we make a final decision, but I think you guys are right, there is always a solution and we do love her!

If anyone could recommend a dog walker & good kennels (as we will be going on holidays in the next few months) in the Kildare area that would be great!

Thanks everyone!:D

tracy1002

If you are looking for a boarding kennel, check these out

http://www.caninecountryclub.ie/

Boarded cat there for 2 weeks and she did not want to come home. Highly recommend the place... friendly staff, lovely facilities

Rayven199

Thanks a million! That place looks fantastic! And its not too far away from us either! Will deffo check it out!

kerrysgold

hopefully you'll find a solution without having to give her away.
maybe focus on the lead training and then it will be easier to have a stranger walk her? if she is OK with strangers anyway then it's just the lead training to work on.

have you tried using an extendable lead? I use a flexi 3 on my dog that pulls sometimes and it makes walking him a breeze as can just let him off and he trots off in front without me having to follow him lol. It's fine as long as you have a footpath or a country road to walk on, on the actual main roads I have to "reel" my fella in for safety.
a harness or halti collar instead of a normal neck collar also seem to help with pullers.

Rayven199

Thanks again for all your advice guys!

We had a chat about it last night and have decided to keep Kayla! We are going to really put in the effort and hopefully it will all work out!

We havent tried a harness or halti with her as we were warned against both (The harnes because it would actually give her more power, and the halti because someone we know with a german shepard said it did nothing for their dog, he kept pulling and actually got cuts on his nose from his pulling!)

We did have an extendable lead (2 actually) both which she broke(and they were the heavy duty ones)! So We decided not to get another one!

We are going to try a pinch collar (i know) but we are going to try it out and see how it goes as another woman we know with a german shepard said it did wonders for her dog!

So basically we are going to pull the finger out and really put in a major effort with her and Im sure in time it will pay off!

Thanks again everyone for all your comments and advice, id pop a pic of her up here but cant figure out how to do it!! (I know there is the little button at the top of this box but it seems only to allow a URL to be entered!)

Discostuy

Glad to hear you are going to give her another try.

On the subject of harnesses, i use one for one of my dogs. The thing was, the first one i tried, the lead clipped onto the dogs back where the harness was.

I was told this gives the dog the impression its being asked to "pull". Like a sleigh dog. And thats all she did...

Since then, i got a different one, where the lead clips on the dogs chest.
This has made a huge difference. If she pulls, she gets drawn back. She is a very strong dog but it totally works, so maybe give it a try?.

After that, you should just try basic heel walking. Have a heap of treats in one hand, and when she walks alongside you and doesnt pull, keep the treats coming.

When she pulls, just stop. Dont walk again until the lead is relaxed.
You might feel silly doing this, but soon she'll get the point.
It takes time and patience but dont give up..it will be worth it

Rayven199

Hey Discostuy,

Thanks a million, I will try the harness that clips onto the chest and see how we get on with that so!

We actually have brought her to training when she was a little younger, it included tips for lead walking and we tried two different methods for ages (including the heel way with the treats), and they worked for the first day or two and then she went back to her old ways!

Shes a little fecker!! Shes gas though, never a dull moment when shes around! We are hoping that she will calm down once she gets a bit older, but if we can control her a bit better before then then that would be great!!

LisaO

Would strongly recommend the type of harness recommended by Discostuy before you resort to a pinch collar.

I use same type of harness for my lab - called a Gentle Leader Easywalk (got mine from Dog Training Ireland). He had me off my feet a couple of times when using a conventional harness or collar (trying to get to another dog) but with this harness I can stand my ground no matter how hard he pulls and am able to control him much more kindly & effectively.

AFAIK a pinch collar achieves submission through pain & fear - not exactly conducive to building a good relationship with your dog. Not even sure if they are legal here but have seen them used in France.

peasant

Rayven199 wrote: »

We havent tried a harness or halti with her as we were warned against both (The harnes because it would actually give her more power, and the halti because someone we know with a german shepard said it did nothing for their dog, he kept pulling and actually got cuts on his nose from his pulling!)


We are going to try a pinch collar (i know) but we are going to try it out and see how it goes as another woman we know with a german shepard said it did wonders for her dog!

So basically we are going to pull the finger out and really put in a major effort with her and Im sure in time it will pay off!

Rayven199 wrote: »

Hey Discostuy,

Thanks a million, I will try the harness that clips onto the chest and see how we get on with that so!

We actually have brought her to training when she was a little younger, it included tips for lead walking and we tried two different methods for ages (including the heel way with the treats), and they worked for the first day or two and then she went back to her old ways!

What your dog doesn't need is a collection of harnesses or collars (some more, some less cruel) or some half hearted attempts at training classes.

What it DOES need is lots of your time and focus ...for years to come.

Are you really sure you can give her that ...if not, your inital idea may not have been too far out.

Rayven199

peasant wrote: »

What your dog doesn't need is a collection of harnesses or collars (some more, some less cruel) or some half hearted attempts at training classes.

What it DOES need is lots of your time and focus ...for years to come.

Are you really sure you can give her that ...if not, your inital idea may not have been too far out.

You are absolutly right, thats why we have decided to keep her.
We are going to walk her at least 5 times a week, if not more, and last week so far she has been out every evening for a good run (off the lead, and we play football with her for a good 35-40 minutes) and then we walk her down for about 10 minutes.

And we are going to stick to this and work with her so we can keep her happy and in turn we will be happy!

Glowing

5 times a week? No wonder she is going mad

Rayven199

Glowing wrote: »

5 times a week? No wonder she is going mad

I live in Kildare, work in Dublin 9-5, travel from about 7.45 in the morning, get home at 6 at the earliest, have to make dinner,clean the house, study etc. so Yes, amazingly I only have the time to walk the dog once a day.

I am also in college two evenings a week until 9, in town so obviously go straight from work, get home at 9.45 both of those evenings so forgive me for being exhausted and fit for the bed.

Hence the above dilema on whether or not to give her up.

In a perfect world she would have an acre to run around on with kids to play with all day but she doesnt. And I do my very best for her.

Glowing

Sure, we're all busy. And I don't doubt you love her and want to do your best for her.

I'm not getting at you - I just don't see how her issues with frustration and all her pent up energy are going to change if you can't (for whatever reason) bring her out for a walk every day. Surely that's why you were considering finding her a new home in the first place?

Rayven199

That was the main reason we were considering re-homing her (There were other reasons also,some to do with her, some to do with us) but when she is walked every day - I mean ran every day, we bring her out for about 40 minutes and she is off the lead for 95% of that time, we bring a football and/or frisbee and literally fun her for the full 40 minutes, thats the kind of exercise she needs, ideally if she got that twice a day she would be perfect, but we are doing our best with her.

Sometimes it is just not feasible to walk her everyday, my boyfriend does take her out during the day if he is off work which is handy, but thats only the odd time.
As I have said, we are going to really put in a major effort with her and if we are getting no where then we will have to re-consider re-homing her