How strong is his retrieval drive for fetch? The trick with separation anxiety is wearing them out and then distracting them so you leaving isn't traumatic, he doesn't even notice it. I had the same issue with Oz when I got him. He was shell-shocked after I got him from the shelter and was struggling with being left alone. Hated his crate. But his fetch drive is off the chart, so I would take him to the park and run him with a chuck-it and a tennis ball until his tongue was dragging and he was ready to drop dead. Then take him back home and I would take a big beef shin bone and/or a Kong and pack it full of peanut butter and treats. Then I would let him see it, smell it, then toss it in his crate and shut the door so he couldn't have it. Then go about getting ready for work - he would pace back and forth between me and the delicious peanut butter packed goodness in his bed. Eventually he would start whining and pawing at his crate and when I opened the door he would book in and start licking the peanut butter. Slowly close the crate and then quietly leave. You might have to try short time periods at first - the goal is to get back home before he freaks out, so try this on a weekend. Go outside to get the mail, come back a few times but don't say anything when you come in. Just sit down on the couch or whatever and then casually go open the crate to let him out - but don't let him take the treat outside his crate, and as soon as he gets distracted by anything and neglects it, take it away. This will help him focus on it because he will realize if he doesn't get every last morsel out before he leaves it alone, he won't get it until the next day. Stretch out the time period little by little, lots of rewards when you come home and he has made it without freaking out.
Recently bought a house and the wifey is freaking out that our boxer mix is scratching up our floors somewhat. We've been talking about getting another dog for a bit but now she drops it on me that she'd prefer to get a cat for ease of care and no scratching. I'm not digging that. Odd thing is her family has owned some bigass dogs; rottweilers, great dane, labs, dalmation. For those that own smaller dogs (~25-35lbs), any breed recommendations that aren't super girly and are fun for those who are used to bigger dogs? I've looked in to shibas in the past, but damn that is a weird breed. Great looking dog though.
Look at "low rider" dogs. Ours is a corgi/dachshund/cocker mix. He looks like a puppy because he's low to the ground, but pretty sturdy at 25 lbs.
A) just keep the nails short and scratching shouldnt be a problem. Unless he's just digging into the floor. B) If you get a Shiba, might as well get a cat C) American Eskimo imo
ned's head Boston Terriers are awesome. Got one for the 1st time that is about 9 months now and I couldn't be happier with her or the breed.
Good advice all the way around. I've done a shit job at trimming my dog's nails in the past and am currently in the process of making the quick recede enough to get her nails properly short. American Eskimo is in the list. They are fluffy as hell. Do they shed a ridiculous amount?
my dog is a maniac when it comes to frogs. He's been killing every single frog he sees in the backyard. I walked out last night to him playing soccer with a dead frog. Spoiler
This is a young dog correct? What we did was slowly move up the amount of time he had alone in the crate until he was comfortable with it. We'd start by being in the room with him and him in the crate, and then him alone in the crate. Obviously never take him out of the crate while he's whining or barking. You also don't want to make a long goodbye or crazy greeting when you're putting him in the crate and taking him out. Just act like its a normal thing. Also does he like to chew or play with certain toys? You could throw the toys he likes in there while hes in the crate to help. And if he's just a puppy there is just a certain amount of getting used to that he will have to do with the crate and being alone.
Jack Russell Terrorists require an owner that will actually put effort into training them. They are either the best dog ever or the worst dog ever, no in-between with those little bastards
Yeah it's an idiot and it controls her and her mom's life. It's not bad, it's just sooooooooo stupid and they've raised it to require attention at all times.
paige is not the brightest bulb. she'll just look at you with a blank look if you try to discipline her. she just wants to love everyone and every animal and is really dumb but always happy so it works for me.
Ah nvm. I was on Providence and Fairview. Probably the same management company. My living room looked almost identical to yours
we discussed this earlier this year. i lived in camden at the corner of providence and fairview. you were like right across the street
Not really. He is 4.5. I only really crate him when I have to leave the house, so usually just when I'm at work. He doesn't really fight me going in there and I always give him a kong stuffed with PB and kibble that I freeze first. I basically put him in there with the treat and don't really say anything, close the door and leave immediately. I also feed him all of his meals in there but leave the door open. I'm noticing him going in there a lot more at random times and sniffing around. I may need to try the stuffed kong and then lock it in there so he wants in to get it. He has destroyed every toy I've given him except for the kong. He's a staffie so a very strong chewer. He had gotten through most of a nylabone in a couple hours and I had to take it away because he was tearing off big chunks of plastic.
So my fiance and I used to work together on an 8 to 5 shift so we could let the dog out at lunch. Now we will be working 12 hour days at differnece stores but same shifts. What is a realistic amount of time we can leave our dog in kennel before she is hurting. She was in the kennel 10 hour the other day due car issues on planned for 6 hours. She didn't soil her kennel but I felt horrible. Realiaticlly we can get my fiance sister to let her out after school but that would mean dropping her off at there place every few days. Then the dog daycare places aren't open at 10 at night to pick her up. Dog walker? I know she can hold it because she does through the night and being lazy before want go out is easily 14 hours but that can't be good for her all the time.
Murphy returns to this thread after a hiatus on his 4th birthday, mound of chews/treats has him wiped out:
I let my dog run off a leash a lot and I just got an email from HomeAgain saying I need to renew homeagain membership for $20. Does anyone else use this? My dog is microchiped and I don't want that to go away. She is a runner and that's probably why I was able to get her from the pound because she ran away and wasn't able to find her way back.
Does her chip have GPS on it or something? My dog is chipped but there isnt a fee that goes with it. If someone finds him, they just scan the chip and my contact info comes up. Then they call me, I go pick him up then kill him for running away. Although that would never happen because he loves me too much to run away.
Wyatt had some service like that - maybe they help with the return of your animal? I didn't subscribe when his free trial ran out. He came with 24petwatch.com.
I think Homeagain is like a secondary database that you pay monthly for. allows you to put a profile/pictures/etc I think the standard chip will get your pet recovered as long as your phone number/address etc are in there correctly.
So, we've been taking lily to a different doggy day care these past two weeks (closer to home) and she got a puncture wound right below her eye. She's been going to another place for months and we never had an issue. Went to the vet, and the total bill was over $250. dogs will be dogs. But 3 days a week for 3 months at the other place and no issues. What a bummer. P.s. It's not possible for something to hate something as much as she does her cone.
She proceeded to take this to my bed and get yellow and black frosting all over my comforter, but obviously I can't be upset at that face.
Haven't posted in awhile. Here is a recent Redford and some puppies we are considering. Probably wont do it quite yet, but getting close.
Had a scare last night with Ava. I came home from work and I walk into a literal shit storm. She had shit alllll over her crate, straight diarrhea. It was everywhere, the floor, her bed, the sides of the crate, on her. We took her out and gave her a batch. The lady friend took her outside while I put on my hazmat suit and cleaned down the place. For the next 90 minutes she was constantly using the bathroom which at this point was straight water. After about 50 minutes we noticed there was blood in her stool and eventually it was all blood. At this point, the obvious solution is to take her to the emergency room. She is up to date on all her shots so that knocked parvo out of the equation. She had about 75% normal energy, but by no means looked like she felt bad other than the diarrhea. Vet eventually told us they didn't believe anything was seriously wrong and that this was just a bug of some sort that she had to pass. Gave her pain injections as well as three different types to help with stomach issues. She didn't sleep at all last night and I was taking her out every hour. However, she is doing much better now. Still a little lethargic and her stool isn't quite solid, but she has used the bathroom twice today. First legit scare with the puppy and I have to say I hope it is the last. Spoiler: POOP
Home again sends emails out when your dog goes missing and othe support. I think it also offers a reward at some membership levels. I've got it.
Did they give you Diawin or an antibiotic? Layla used to get the shits (not that bad, but legit liquid) every time she boarded, so I've got some experience in the weak poop game.
I do not believe so. They gave me sucralfate and two other meds that I am too lazy to go look at. One was a probiotic that is supposed to help if there is an infection as well as balance the nutrients in her stomach. The other was like a pepto bismol, but much stronger, started with an 'M'.
Metronidazole. Will clear it up in like 2 days. God's gift to man. Probiotic could be Fortiflora. Also a good medicine.