Our eight-year-old border collie mix had TPLO surgeries on both knees about three months apart. Quite the blow to the wallet. The lifehack is to get a credit card that rewards you with an absurd amount of points after spending X dollars in three months or whatever. The points from those two surgeries paid for a vacation for us. Rehabing a dog is like rehabing a human. The more committed to it you are, the better the results will be. No licking the incision, ice, range of motion exercises, good as new in six months. Our vet was super impressed with her recovery, and she was a regular on their Facebook page.
Hoping the specialist can get us in soon, because my wife is due in early October. Recovering dog plus newborn will be a handful. We have a consultation with them first week of August, it was earliest they could get us in.
Anyone have tips on a puppy nipping at your hands? I’ve read a lot of articles but everything becomes temporary fixes. I want it to stop before it starts without having to redirect the behavior
With jumping and nipping, I immediately stopped doing whatever we were doing and turned my back on him/ignored him until he stopped. I thought it was dumb and it felt ridiculous, especially in public while on walks, but it worked pretty well once he realized what was happening. It got to the point where I could tell he was about to do it, and turned my back until he sat down and he didn’t even attempt it.
Thanks. I’m assuming you did something similar when sitting down? We will be petting him and he’s behaving then he’ll nip at my hand. I don’t always have a toy handy to redirect so I have to get up and walk away. I’m not sure he’s connecting why I’m walking away tho
Yeah. Just would give a stern no and turn away the best we could. Even if it’s just looking away and not giving him eye contact. The other thing that worked pretty well was having spray bottles around the house. He’s start nipping and we’d light his ass up lol. That was kind of fun but also not practical to have spray bottles at an arms distance all over the condo. But when he got the look in his eye, all you had to do is reach for the bottle and he’d stop and do something else.
Oh I’ve heard of using spray bottle but wasn’t sure if that was something to use. We should prob try that
Sabo's histogram profile thing came back and the vet called yesterday. It showed that they did in fact get all of the cancer out so he won't need any further surgery or chemo or radiation. He goes back to Columbus next Friday to get checked out and have his cone removed. That's a great thing because a) he keeps knocking shit over and b) the thing is really starting to smell. I know I can take it off and clean it but I'll probably just let it go until Friday. I was worried he would look deformed since they had to remove a portion of his upper jaw but that's not the case at all. It's a little "droopy" on that side now but he strangely looks cuter with the snaggletooth he occasionally has. They said the next steps will be getting a chest x-ray done every six months or so at the local vet just to make sure there's nothing weird going on. Also the estimate was $4500-5500 and it ended up being about 3500 so I guess that's a small win too.
Another thing I like to do is have a toy nearby and if they nip, tell them no, then give them the toy or whatever you want them to chew on, and praise them when they play with it
I’ve had good luck with: Step A —> Yelp and turn away whimpering, basically pretend like the pup hurt you Step B —> If Step A won’t calm the pup down, put it on its back, snarl, gather some neck scruff, and bite it (not hard enough to bleed but enough that it feels the pressure) You’ll look like a total lunatic but it seems to work well (and quickly)
Not sure I could bite him but I read that them getting bit by other dogs at the puppy park really helps. But with his health and Covid we haven’t been able to do this yet
Very rarely, only as a puppy when practicing bite inhibition training after all else fails, and it’s not a hard bite as much as it is holding onto their scruff with your teeth. Some people prefer to use their hand instead of their mouth. Basically you’re simulating what the mother or sibling would do if the pup didn’t respond to visual and auditory clues: roll them over and control their neck.
Also I let the puppy mouth my hand as much as they want provided they’re doing it light; I only take corrective action if they lose control of their bite. That way you’re teaching them that it’s not the licking or mouthing that’s the problem, it’s the force/bite.
We have this really new fun routine Every time he goes out to use the restroom, he comes back with an exciting new toy (bundle of leaves, stick, mulch, etc) and I spend the next 5 minutes chasing him around the house trying to get it! Today we have a stick
The good thing about exposing him to other dogs/puppies is he'll learn how hard he can/can't play. I also recommend yelping when he bites and acting like he hurt you, so he learns that's too far. Definitely use the turn away when he jumps, as well.
Took my bulldog to his favorite dog park for his 1st birthday party, kid could not have been happier. But this image still has me dying, wish the other dog wasnt in the way so I could make a smiley out of it.
those are tables with umbrellas ...but yea Full booze bar in that converted old school silver camper thing.
Man this spray bottle worked better than I ever could have imagined It took one spray back to back days for him to get the hint. He hasn’t nipped at my hand since day 2 which was on Monday when he was nipping every day previously. This puppy learns things so quickly
Cinder is back with us; adoptive family apparently had 6 people living in the house and a bunch of people coming in and out (we're guessing swingers) (and also future covid hot spot) and it was stressing her out to the point she was snapping at people. She's been sleeping a LOT since she got back so I think she's decompressing.
sucks man, happens quite a bit with rescue no matter how hard you work on the front end vetting people and trying to make sure it's a good home. Glad you got her back in short order, staying in situations like that is never good.
My buddy had to put his dog down last night after a bad seizure. 13 years old. We grew up with that dog. He was the best.
Kaiser had either a stroke or seizure and dropped dead today. I came home at noon for lunch, left, and my wife called me about 20 minutes later to tell me he just fell over and died. He was spry as ever when I last saw him.