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So, I'm back to getting a dog...
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Join Date:Posts: 29920
I havent thought about a breed beyond not wanting something huge (for practical purposes) or something handbaggie cos I dont think I would bond with him. Other then that, a loveable mutt is just fine by meThought about a Boxer Dev??
(And i thought we'd got past the stage of you signing your name to every post :P
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Also, it stilllllll feels strange not to sign my posts and sometimes I sign the serious ones about my actual real life with T..... its so weird not to for some reason. 0 -
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Join Date:Posts: 29920
Its this evening at 7. To be honest, from what they say, I'm a dream foster home. I work from home so I'm here most days. Have a high walled garden which is big, hard wood floors for cleaning , plenty to time to exercise the dog, no kids, dog can sleep inside etc etc. I'll put cash behind toys and bedding and all that, the dog will only suffer from spoiling
I didnt realise I'd get to pick the dog, I presumed I'd get whichever dog they needed homed next. That will be nice!
(Anniehoo, yes it is, they've been very efficient and nice).0 -
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So excited for ya hun (and a little jealous too!). Fostering is really the best way to go about getting a new pet, you end up finding a dog that really suits you and in the mean time you get to help out other dogs that are in need (that's assuming you don't just fall head over heels for the first furry mutt that you foster :P)
Keep us up to date, can't wait to see pics!!
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Join Date:Posts: 29920
So, slight change of plans... I had planned to foster but the dog I like the look of is in a pound and seems perfect in all other regards so I'm taking a deep breath, and taking the plunge to rehome him tomorrow. Otherwise it isnt clear that this would be the dog I would get and I probably couldn't bring myself to return another dog just because "I didnt like him enough". So, since I mean this to be the real deal, I'm just going to put my best foot forward and hope.
This is my new companion all else being equal.
He looks part Beagle and I dunno what else. I'm guessing a bit over one year old? I go to the pound tomorrow, to bring him home, so... I'm a bit anxious about the new responsibility and the complete unknown I'm getting myself in for but let see how it goes...
Anyone know much about Beagles? How big will he get? (I'm presuming not all that big...)0 -
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Ooooh... I saw this guy on the rescue's thread. Thought he was lovely - my guess he is a bit older than one but that only me guessing and its hard to guage from one photo. Beagles arent that big a dog - about knee high. Though I suppose it depends on how tall you are Good luck with him 0
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Ah would ya look at him
I saw him up on the rescue webpage too, he does have a Foxhound-y look to him as well as Beagle, but if he's a year old, he's prety much as tall as he's going to get... the only direction her can grow now is outwards
The very best of luck with him, he's lovely 0 -
Join Date:Posts: 29920
So, he's home now. He was shaking like a leaf in the car on the way home but still was very well behaved. Half way home he decided that instead of completely ignoring me in the backseat with him, he wanted to lick my hands all over and then sniff everything in the car, including under the seats. Then he went very calm and put his head on my lap and after a while took an overwhelming interest in everything going by outside.
So, I've had him home maybe 3 hours now and he doesnt like being left alone so I've moved the computer downstairs to work near him. Of course, now he cant be arsed being near me but if I dare move, he's on me like a shot. Thats ok, I guess he needs reassurance. Wouldnt we all!
He was pretty damned keen to be out of the kennel so I dont think he particularly gives a monkeys where he is and he seems very happy. He only barks when I leave him alone.
Already he's chewed one door stopper and a fist sized hole in the (quite expensive) blanket I bought him. He also made off with one of my shoes which lead to 10 laps of my kitchen table. I'm tellin' ya, this is tough work!
He goes mental every now and then sniffing and running around and chewing things and then seems to absolutely chill the ^$%£ out and just sits at my feet and likes getting rubbed all over. He seems to want to play a game of "get part of Tom's body into my mouth"... its not biting or nipping, but he has gone a bit mental doing it at times. Right now he's lying down peacefully on his blanket, which I have to say is a relief... lol
I'm worried about leaving him alone for the night in the kitchen, I dunno what disaster I'm going to get up to in the morning or if he will settle at all... lets see. This is going to be a bit more work than I expected in terms of time taken up and hopefully he chills out fairly fast because I cant be with him every minute of the day but for the next few weeks I'll be here probably 95% of the time.
Will post pics in a while... 0 -
So, he's home now. He was shaking like a leaf in the car on the way home but still was very well behaved. Half way home he decided that instead of completely ignoring me in the backseat with him, he wanted to lick my hands all over and then sniff everything in the car, including under the seats. Then he went very calm and put his head on my lap and after a while took an overwhelming interest in everything going by outside.
So, I've had him home maybe 3 hours now and he doesnt like being left alone so I've moved the computer downstairs to work near him. Of course, now he cant be arsed being near me but if I dare move, he's on me like a shot. Thats ok, I guess he needs reassurance. Wouldnt we all!
He was pretty damned keen to be out of the kennel so I dont think he particularly gives a monkeys where he is and he seems very happy. He only barks when I leave him alone.
Already he's chewed one door stopper and a fist sized hole in the (quite expensive) blanket I bought him. He also made off with one of my shoes which lead to 10 laps of my kitchen table. I'm tellin' ya, this is tough work!
He goes mental every now and then sniffing and running around and chewing things and then seems to absolutely chill the ^$%£ out and just sits at my feet and likes getting rubbed all over. He seems to want to play a game of "get part of Tom's body into my mouth"... its not biting or nipping, but he has gone a bit mental doing it at times. Right now he's lying down peacefully on his blanket, which I have to say is a relief... lol
I'm worried about leaving him alone for the night in the kitchen, I dunno what disaster I'm going to get up to in the morning or if he will settle at all... lets see. This is going to be a bit more work than I expected in terms of time taken up and hopefully he chills out fairly fast because I cant be with him every minute of the day but for the next few weeks I'll be here probably 95% of the time.
Will post pics in a while...
Dont panic - he will settle in a few days i'd say, it's just all very strange for him. Best of luck.0 -
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I'm worried about leaving him alone for the night in the kitchen, I dunno what disaster I'm going to get up to in the morning or if he will settle at all... lets see. This is going to be a bit more work than I expected in terms of time taken up and hopefully he chills out fairly fast because I cant be with him every minute of the day but for the next few weeks I'll be here probably 95% of the time.
Have you looked into crate training? It'd certainly do a lot to put your mind at rest at night time especially.
He's a great little lad, fair play to you for taking him 0 -
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Wow! Congratulations on making the leap and rescuing a pound dog. Scary and exciting stuff i know. Its Day 1...remember that, EVERYTHING is NEW for both of you nowSo, he's home now. He was shaking like a leaf in the car on the way home but still was very well behaved.He only barks when I leave him alone.
Hounds bark, they're "talkers"....generally! But, he's come from an environment where all of his neighbours barked (the pound can be soooo loud). I know you've made a leap of faith and i hope you get on great, but you're genuinely in for a MASSIVE learning curve right now. I'm VERY surprised the forum has been so easygoing on you tbh as i think newbies would've been ignored/shotdown adopting a dog on impulse.
Welcome to the frustratingly brilliant "wreck the head" world of pet ownership. My beautiful cream leather couches that cost a small fortune are now giant scratching posts, i've muddy tail wags on my cream walls & pee stains on my expensive curtains. Does it drive me bananas...YEP, would i change it...NOPE!!!Already he's chewed one door stopper and a fist sized hole in the (quite expensive) blanket I bought him. He also made off with one of my shoes which lead to 10 laps of my kitchen table. I'm tellin' ya, this is tough work!
Best of luck with "Josh"..class name. But,my no.1 tip is stay consistent. He's mega excited to be in a cool gaff....BUT he will run AMOK in no time if you don't set boundaries from day 1.
No pet owner can be, the same way a parent needs to establish a secure relationship with their child. You are starting at ZERO now. He has NO reason to trust, like or respect you right now.Everything about YOU now needs to be positive, consistent and safe.This is going to be a bit more work than I expected in terms of time taken up and hopefully he chills out fairly fast because I cant be with him every minute of the day
Owners make the mistake all the time confusing their wants for their pets wants. "Ohhhh im soooo tired, id love a cuddle"...yet their pet has been bored off their tree all day for 9 hours and going demented. You can't expect a high energy dog to snuggle up on the sofa for 3 hrs in the evening after a waddle around for a few minutes in the back garden during the day.
It's a huge decision....HUGE, and i think you need to take this forum with a "pinch of salt" and don't ask too many questions unless you're really worried.I had a dog for 14 years, i got her by accident, we made it up as we went along, i made so many mistakes i regret...but wouldn't have changed one single thing.0 -
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Join Date:Posts: 29920
So, overnight seems to have gone well... I missed that I had left a box of "stuff" under a side table in the kitchen... Josh didnt miss it though and now I have a floor of shredded cardboard. I don't mind but what worried me is that the things he shredded most were the little boxes around three halogen lightbulbs. He thankfully left the lightbulbs alone (I checked each!). Mind you he did a military job off destroying the boxes into little bits!
Glad to say he's housetrained. Had to clean up last nights mess in the garden though and maaaaan dog poo stinks! I'm feeding him top quality dry food (which he seems to really like) so hopefully the, ahem, consistency improves over time...
He was soooo happy to see me this morning, lots of pats and rubbing himself against my legs. There is still a "settling in" period for me too as I'm quite definitely not a morning person and I like my quiet life but I cant say that wasnt nice.
So, I think today we'll venture for our first, short walk. I'm cautious that as a poundie he might be a bit strange outside but he cant stay couped up here all day (plus I want to get him a few more toys... the crunchy "bone" thing I got him was a big hit for a while but now seems to have been demoted to below chewing the blanket...)
He likes to play tug-o-war with things so maybe I'll get some toy that we can play that with.... as opposed to the cushions on the sofa I tried to rescue yesterday. 0 -
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So, overnight seems to have gone well... I missed that I had left a box of "stuff" under a side table in the kitchen... Josh didnt miss it though and now I have a floor of shredded cardboard. I don't mind but what worried me is that the things he shredded most were the little boxes around three halogen lightbulbs. He thankfully left the lightbulbs alone (I checked each!). Mind you he did a military job off destroying the boxes into little bits!
Glad to say he's housetrained. Had to clean up last nights mess in the garden though and maaaaan dog poo stinks! I'm feeding him top quality dry food (which he seems to really like) so hopefully the, ahem, consistency improves over time...
He was soooo happy to see me this morning, lots of pats and rubbing himself against my legs. There is still a "settling in" period for me too as I'm quite definitely not a morning person and I like my quiet life but I cant say that wasnt nice.
So, I think today we'll venture for our first, short walk. I'm cautious that as a poundie he might be a bit strange outside but he cant stay couped up here all day (plus I want to get him a few more toys... the crunchy "bone" thing I got him was a big hit for a while but now seems to have been demoted to below chewing the blanket...)
He likes to play tug-o-war with things so maybe I'll get some toy that we can play that with.... as opposed to the cushions on the sofa I tried to rescue yesterday.
I would get a crate asap, it can be his space with his bed rather than a prison cell. It will save you from destruction and chewing of unwanted stuff. Today it might be cardboard but tomorrow it might be a table leg or the sofa or worse still something that might harm him (like the lightbulbs) It gives you peace of mind at night or if you have to leave for a few hours that he's safe from harm.
He may not like it at first but leave the gate open so he can pop in and explore at his leisure. Give him a treat every time you're going to bed or leaving him in it and he'll soon associate that when he goes in he gets rewarded. Also if he loves chewing, a kong toy (hard rubber toy that can be stuffed with food) is a great passer of time in a crate for a dog.0 -
only advice i'd give is, as there are 2 of you to him thats a pack and he will want to be leader, that should be you, so with the likes of tug o' war games make sure you always win and enjoy he'll be your best friend in no time.
This is a myth! Have fun and play tug as much as you want - its doesn't cause any problems if the dog wins. Watch any agility trials and lots of the dogs are rewarded with a game of tug after their run to stretch out their muscles. Just be careful if you buy a rope/tug with a handle - if the dog shakes it you could end up with a smack of it to your shins!!
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Join Date:Posts: 29920
So I seem to be psychic because I bought a big Kong for him and some toys (I unavoidably have to go out today for about 7 hours so I'm loading him up with things to play with). We discovered in the pet store today that he's absolutely batsh*t insane for frozen yogurt.
I took him for a walk, perhaps the other way around, but I used a short leather leash for him. I have a retractable one for later but thought it best to keep him on this one first. So me and Inspector Josh from CSI-Wee went for our first walk and he was very well behaved. Sniffed absolutely everything for minutes at a time but was fine and happy with being outside, wanted to investigate everything and was ok with people, even folks in the shop. Took a treat from the shop owner very nicely and generally was in doggie heaven.
I live facing a main road and in an estate so there are a lot of cars about and I was a little concerned about that but when we came to cross the road he was quite careful and stopped at the kerb.
He seems to eat whenever he feels like it. This is kinda contrary to what I had been told to expect but all the same it seems like so long as he has food in this dish he takes what he wants. While thats very handy for me at the moment, I'm going to start to get him on to timed meals to control what he eats and a bit of structure for his day.
As for the dominance thing, its very clear that he looks to me for leadership. At least as far as it seems to me. He might be a bit "deaf" at times but he does let me dictate what is going on. He doesnt snarl or pull away or "argue" in any way, and I'm not inclined to start letting him.
He's extremely affectionate, particularly today, with lots of rubbing himself on me and sitting for rubs. He's clearly still quite puppyish too, while being a young adult he's not quite mature imho.
Two questions:
1. While we have been playing, he sometimes gets very excited and changes from "the belly rub game" to the "lets get some of Tom's body between my jaws" game. Forearms, shins, boots... its not a bite or a nip, its kinda like "gotcha". I have scolded him and don't encourage it and it stops. No idea why he does it, its probably just "play" in his mind but he gets very eager to do it.
2. He sometimes goes a bit mad licking my hands from top to bottom. started yesterday in the car on the way home and this morning when I came into the kitchen first. But he's done it to a less intense degree at other times...
Right now he's playing with his Kong and he's not at all sure what to make of it. I've got a sort of torpedo thing too for playing "throw and bring back...". he likes the throw bit, he hasnt quite managed to connect it to the "bring back" bit and seems to prefer to do doggie drive-by's with it and loves for me to try to grab him as he passes.
So, lets see how he gets along with the first real time I'm not around and he's awake.0
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