New puppy

fatmammycat

Oh my gosh, what a cutie, best of luck with him Gimmick, he's going to be dynamite!

Zulu

He's deadly looking Gimmick!

PS: I give that remote control 1 week. 5:1 it lasts longer!

gimmick

Nah, that was only used for scale purposes. Most things are kept well out of his reach.

Someone said it is a dog version of me - panned out asleep on the couch in front of the telly with no pants on.

weirdtodamoon

gimmick wrote: »

Okay, we get it, you are a better person than us because you go to shelters and do what you do. Give yourself a nice pat on the back and hopefully that will give you a smug sense of self satisfaction that you banged me to rights. Kudos sir/madam, kudos.

Am I to assume by your post that you feel people should not want a specific type of dog? And am I to assume that you know how ready/unready we are to house a cocker? I asked questions in order to make sure I do not make any mistakes. Not that I need to explain myself to someone as pompous as yourself.

:mad:

How dare you!!

You think just because you are a mod you can get away with speaking like that to me! I was offering advice for people who may be considering buying a puppy that they would be better off rescuing a dog from a pound instead of it being DESTROYED!! Your attitude stinks and I don't appreciate you making this personal. I have reported your post.

PS: I have nothing against your new dog. He looks loverly.

fatmammycat

weirdtodamoon wrote: »

:mad:

How dare you!!

I was offering advice for people who may be considering buying a puppy that they would be better off rescuing a dog from a pound instead of it being DESTROYED!! .

On a thread that was nothing to do with pounds or rescues. Why don't you start a new thread if that's what you want to do?

Cherry Blossom

weirdtodamoon, please read the forum charter in the stickies. Pushing a rescue agenda where it is not asked for is not welcome in this forum.

Also - do not post in this thread again.

mirekb

Hi, what a cutie pie Rufus is!

I have an 11 week old border collie and she is absolutely refusing to toilet outside. No matter how long I stand there she holds it and holds it and then goes on the floor within 3 mins of coming back in. Does anyone have any advice? I'm hoping this sorts itself out once she's vaccinated and can go for walks.

Also, she's not really into the kongs and so am feeling guilty every time she goes in the crate!

She's smart as a whip though - we got her on Friday and are training 10/15 mins a day and she does sit, lie down, sit up, stand and play-dead:)

My two terriers are in shock!

Here's Rosie

ShaShaBear

I absolutely adore those baby collie ears. My fella lost his at about 10 months, and now he's mostly grown up looking

mirekb

ShaShaBear wrote: »

I absolutely adore those baby collie ears. My fella lost his at about 10 months, and now he's mostly grown up looking

And she's so soft too! When do they lose the baby coat?

ShaShaBear

Shadow's coat feels much the same as a pup, although it lost most of its poof when he grew into his paws, at about a year old!

mirekb

Love them paws!

ShaShaBear

He's crossed with a Bernese, so he had really, really big paws

suomi

When my dog was a puppy she sometimes bit us accidentally when we were playing with her. One simple trick that really helped was making a loud, sharp yelp when she bit, the same kind of noise that dogs make when they get hurt. That quickly stopped the biting, it's like saying "Ow, don't do that!" in dog language.

Your puppy is adorable, btw!

Zulu

suomi wrote: »

When my dog was a puppy she sometimes bit us accidentally when we were playing with her. One simple trick that really helped was making a loud, sharp yelp when she bit, the same kind of noise that dogs make when they get hurt. That quickly stopped the biting, it's like saying "Ow, don't do that!" in dog language.

Your puppy is adorable, btw!

We did this coupled with standing up & folding our arms & turning away.
She'd run around trying to make eye contact, but we'd keep turning away. She very quickly put 2 & 2 together - sore bite=no more play. It only took her a few days to pick it up.

She's older now and we play fight all the time. I grab her nose & she grabs my hand. Apparently this really isn't recommended, most everyone has told us not to play like this (Vets, socialisation, trainer) so I probably shouldn't be doing it.
That said, she's never even so much as scraped me with her teeth, and she loves it, so I wasn't able to stop. What it has done is thought her to be very gentle with her mouth. And thankfully she only plays that game with me! My wife doesn't entertain it, and she (the dog) seems to know it's not for little kids.

tl;dr: as above, yelp & stop play quickly sorts out nipping puppies.

maggiepip

mirekb wrote: »

Hi, what a cutie pie Rufus is!

I have an 11 week old border collie and she is absolutely refusing to toilet outside. No matter how long I stand there she holds it and holds it and then goes on the floor within 3 mins of coming back in. Does anyone have any advice? I'm hoping this sorts itself out once she's vaccinated and can go for walks.

Also, she's not really into the kongs and so am feeling guilty every time she goes in the crate!

She's smart as a whip though - we got her on Friday and are training 10/15 mins a day and she does sit, lie down, sit up, stand and play-dead:)

My two terriers are in shock!

Here's Rosie

She might look like this when she grows up!!! Your doggys facial markings are extremely similar to my dogs!!!!!:D
002.JPG

007.JPG

mirekb

They really are similar! And yours have the floppy ears

gimmick

Well we have Rufus 10 days now. He is a really nice little dog with what seems like a decent personality.

Few things - I have tried the crate with him, but he cries the whole time in it. He seems to be decent enough toilet wise anyway, so it is not a huge issue.

He is extremely bitey, but I assume this is him just being a puppy.

I have put the lead on him in the house, but all he does is eat it. When I try to walk him on it he just cries and sits down. Must get this sorted.

He is ok at fetch. But not with balls. He will return the stick or toy, but not the tennis ball for whatever reason.

This is him passed out after a beer the other day

cocker5

Gimmick,

What a sweet, sweet little man super cute!

The biting thing will continue for months, but just make sure ever time he bites , you make a loud noise like "eeekk" or something, its letting him know its hurts and he will learn not to, it will take a awhile for him to learn though. its prefectly normal for pups / siblings to nip eachother during play, so its normal behaviour, it just takes time for him to learn the rules.

with regard to his lead, dont put it on him unless you intend to bring him out wakling (around the garden until he's clear from all his shots)... he will associate this with something negative if he eats it etc... the crying and lying down is normal, it will take him a few days to get the hang of things, plus its probably the first time he has had a collar on him, so these are all new things for him toadjust to, so be patient :rolleyes:

When you put his lead on... enourgae him to come with ou for a walk, tell him good boy etc.... after a few days he will enjoy it.

Teaching hm fetch etc, will take months of repetative training.... just becareful of him putting small items in his mouth, he could easily swallow them etc.

Best of luck he's a fab wee fella :pac:

PS if he starts the chewing let me know and ill give you some good tips

JustAThought

gimmick wrote: »

Well we have Rufus 10 days now. He is a really nice little dog with what seems like a decent personality.

Few things - I have tried the crate with him, but he cries the whole time in it. He seems to be decent enough toilet wise anyway, so it is not a huge issue.

He is extremely bitey, but I assume this is him just being a puppy.

I have put the lead on him in the house, but all he does is eat it. When I try to walk him on it he just cries and sits down. Must get this sorted.

He is ok at fetch. But not with balls. He will return the stick or toy, but not the tennis ball for whatever reason.

This is him passed out after a beer the other day

Aaaaw; isn't he just cocker cool!! He's georgous!!! Love the passed out with a beer shot: one for the 21st cake!!!!

Re the crate. To get mine to Like it & use it voluntarary I used to have a fab furry fleecy rug that I only put in it ; it was left there all the time so if mine wanted the 5* rug luxury she knew where to visit! Mine also ( then) wasn't allowed up on the couch for the first months ( afraid of wee's on couch or worse & didn't want to have to replace it!) so the crate was the top luxury spot for her. ( one half of crate always was paper thou in case of accidents) . I'd also move it to where the main action was so she wouldn't feel left out if she wanted an impromptu snooze. When she went into it by herself I typically didn't close the door behind her so she didn't feel cheated/tricked!!! ( am I mad!!)
When she wasn't watching I would sometimes put a few yum tiny treats in there so that when she went it she would be surprised & find something nice for herself! So she was more likely to " drop by!!!" during the day.

When the floor was being washed ( q smelly detergents she didn't like) I'd put her in the crate with a big treat & close & lock the door ; when the job was done-out shed come; she got the picture.

At night we always closed & "locked" the door that was just the way we did it. Big fuss of her when she went in & then lights out, & we'd typically be gone except to bring her out to the toilet later & more hugs/fuss when she went back in.
O the drama & psychology!!!

Anyway : that's what we did. I have to say for the car & for ths ( several) times she cut her leg/foot/was sick & not alliwed to walk tbd crate training was s GODSEND so persevere. Dont exclude little Rufus from from the Craic ; he looks kinda like a party dog ; maybe if you have his crate where the action is he might be more likely to use it & still feel involved/part of the gang!!?

Re the lead is this also when you put a collar on? Or does the collar get a bit tight with all the tugging & jumping & maybe hurt him? Might be worth having a look or for inside only loosening the collar for the lead practice?
I used to lure mine about the house with a treat every few steps; worked a treat for the start up!!! Of course by the time we got out everything else was do exciting the treat was far less important!!! Might be worth a try!
He's just FABULOUS!!!!! More pics please!!!?

gimmick

So he got his final shots done on Tuesday so we are able to take him out and about with us now for short little walks. He is a major hit with the neighbourhood kids anyway who just follow us before meekly asking can they pet him. I allow them one at a time so as not to crowd and fluster him.

Lead training will be difficult I'd say. He isn't pulling, but he is crossing and stopping right in front of my foot. I am shortening the lead as much as I can to try and sort this. He has only had 4 walks so its very early days yet.

His house training seems to be going backwards lately. He was very good at the start, but now he just goes in the hosue willy nilly. Even after being outside for a good while, he seems to wait to come back in before going. I am not sure what we have done wrong here, as we priase and praise when he does go outdoors and we say "NO" when we see him go indoors. Just have to keep at it.

Ill fire up a few photos again once my laptop is better (need a new charger )

Whispered

Hurry up with more pics!! :P

gimmick wrote: »

Lead training will be difficult I'd say. He isn't pulling, but he is crossing and stopping right in front of my foot. I am shortening the lead as much as I can to try and sort this. He has only had 4 walks so its very early days yet.

I wouldn't shorten the lead myself, I'd just go back to basics, like walking along and dropping food beside your leg so he learns that beside you is where he wants to be. You always want to have slack on the lead so your puppy never "learns" that the lead should cause a pull on his collar.

Toilet training can go backwards, just keep consistent and it should sort itself. Try to time when he needs to go and stay outside with him until he does.

Zulu

re the toilet training. Have you the basics covered?
Is someone cleaning the floor/accident areas with bleach? (The smell of ammonia in the bleach smells like pee, so the dog will pee there again)

westies4ever

Zulu wrote: »

re the toilet training. Have you the basics covered?
Is someone cleaning the floor/accident areas with bleach? (The smell of ammonia in the bleach smells like pee, so the dog will pee there again)

zulu im having a pain in the bum with my male westie marking in the house at the minute; hes neutered and normally fine so im hoping its just a bit of a phase! i had been cleaning with bleach though! i didnt know about the ammonia thing. what do you recommend to use instead? is dettol or something like that a better option?

mirekb

Zulu wrote: »

re the toilet training. Have you the basics covered?
Is someone cleaning the floor/accident areas with bleach? (The smell of ammonia in the bleach smells like pee, so the dog will pee there again)

I don't think bleach has ammonia in it? I thought you couldn't mix bleach and ammonia because of the fumes.

I feel your pain re the house training!

Zulu

westies4ever wrote: »

zulu im having a pain in the bum with my male westie marking in the house at the minute; hes neutered and normally fine so im hoping its just a bit of a phase! i had been cleaning with bleach though! i didnt know about the ammonia thing. what do you recommend to use instead? is dettol or something like that a better option?

Well first off, where are you? Is this puppy training a few weeks old, or is this a dog that knows better but is breaking the rules? If it's the latter, come down hard and fast. If he does it, catch him at it: "bad dog!", & out the back garden with him for 10/15 mins with no interaction.

If he's only learning though, then patience! Supposedly, the dog smells the ammonia and thinks it's either ok to go there, or it's some other dogs pee & so they remark their territory.

We were advised to use: hot water with biological washing powder. The emzines in the bio powder break down any "waste", and are an effective cleaner.

If you are going to use bleach (or if you've used it in the past) follow up with surgical spirits (bought from the pharmacy). Apparently this is the only thing that kills the amonia scent. This is a little pricey, and the pharmacy (may) need to special order in 1 ltr bottles.

If I was you, I'd give the the pharmacy a call and get yourself 2 X 1ltrs (~€10). Then give the floor one good scrub, and another good going over with the spirits. Then for the next few months only use hot water and bio powder.

If you give them a few months to get the rules sorted & established you should be fine.

Zulu

mirekb wrote: »

I don't think bleach has ammonia in it?

Well I'm no chemist; if it's not ammonia, it's another agent in the bleach. Point is, the dog smells something that encourages it toilet there.

mirekb

Zulu wrote: »

Well I'm no chemist; if it's not ammonia, it's another agent in the bleach. Point is, the dog smells something that encourages it toilet there.

Oh, I heard the same thing re the ammonia - but never thought it could be bleach too! So, you may have just explained my house training issue:D

And thanks for washing powder tip, I'll try that. My other two dogs have regressed since getting the puppy, so am awash with pee. Thanks God for hard floors!

ABajaninCork

Trigene is pretty good as well. Bloody expensive though!!

westies4ever

Zulu wrote: »

Well first off, where are you? Is this puppy training a few weeks old, or is this a dog that knows better but is breaking the rules? If it's the latter, come down hard and fast. If he does it, catch him at it: "bad dog!", & out the back garden with him for 10/15 mins with no interaction.

If he's only learning though, then patience! Supposedly, the dog smells the ammonia and thinks it's either ok to go there, or it's some other dogs pee & so they remark their territory.

We were advised to use: hot water with biological washing powder. The emzines in the bio powder break down any "waste", and are an effective cleaner.

If you are going to use bleach (or if you've used it in the past) follow up with surgical spirits (bought from the pharmacy). Apparently this is the only thing that kills the amonia scent. This is a little pricey, and the pharmacy (may) need to special order in 1 ltr bottles.

If I was you, I'd give the the pharmacy a call and get yourself 2 X 1ltrs (~€10). Then give the floor one good scrub, and another good going over with the spirits. Then for the next few months only use hot water and bio powder.

If you give them a few months to get the rules sorted & established you should be fine.

Thanks Zulu - he's two and a half and is well toilet trained! its very small puddles so im sure hes just marking. I caught him once and shouted 'no! bad dog' and sent him straight outside. he was very remorseful and I had hoped that was it. however, i've found another couple of puddles at strategic places since but havent caught him in the act again. hes a bit of a sensitive boy (the slightest change in routine can knock him off his way of going) and can be possessive of me.

I've had visitors lately and the routine hasnt been 100% normal. there has been a bit of crying at night as well. But he never pee's at night indoors so I'm happy its not a medical issue. Its generally when I'm at work (iget home for lunch).

I'll try the surgical spirits and washing powder. we're going on holiday to kerry this weekend and bringing the dogs with us so im hoping that all the extra attention etc will settle him back down. sorry if im derailing OP's thread.

gimmick

Zulu wrote: »

re the toilet training. Have you the basics covered?
Is someone cleaning the floor/accident areas with bleach? (The smell of ammonia in the bleach smells like pee, so the dog will pee there again)

I actually did not know that and have been cleaning with Domestos. Will change that immediately.

Meanwhile, he is growing