New Puppy Mummies Part 2

[SallyBear]

Just thought I'd start the new thread!

Toby (foxy coloured yellow Labrador) is now 13 weeks old. Long, lean and lanky. Still wonderfully tempered and is sleeping through and no longer messing in the house.

Hi please could I join? I have read your thread over the last couple of days and have a few things you lovely ladies might be able to help me with!

We have a nearly 15 week old Chihuahua who although only tiny is a bundle of energy! We also have a 15 year old Yorkshire terrier so a long time since doing puppy training and I can't remember anything!!

He is doing really well with most things, he sleeps in his tiny crate at night and is dry all night and will wee and poo outside when taken out through the day BUT how do I teach him to tell me when he wants to go out as he will still wee in random places in the house if he needs to go! Our yorkie doesn't tell us she needs to go out she just holds it until we let her out (let her out regularly and door is left open in good weather) so he can't learn from her to tell me he needs a wee!!

Also I have started clicker training him but he isn't that interested in food so treats he will enjoy the first couple then looses interest, so I'm struggling with keeping his interest so he wants to learn, I need to teach him to leave or 'drop it' as he loves running off with anything he can carry (socks, dc's toys, teddies, even the Sellotape this morning!!) and I wait until he puts them down as if try to take them it becomes a game of tug!!!

Sorry for the long first post but any advice would be very much appreciated, as I say its a long time since I had a puppy and this time I have 3 dc too!!

Hi Mummy2, your puppy must be adorable! Sorry I'm not much help for either of your questions but I'm sure someone else will be along soon to help.

Sweetkitty - what's your plan for walking Nala? She's a giant breed or large? We have a large breed and are currently sticking to 10mins walk twice a day as he's not quite 12 weeks. The vet said the 5mins per month of life rule was to be treated as a guide only and we should stick to 20mins at a time and build up from there but not to include standing chatting time. She also said soft ground doesn't count as much, but still to be cautious and bring him in for a sleep after 20 mins running around.

I think RRs are classed as large breeds, we're going for 2 20 min walks a day but not religiously, that's what her breeder said as well. We don't restrict free play but as she's a hound she already very lazy indoors.

Forgot to say welcome mummy2B

I've decided I'd rather use a harness with Fitz - walking to heel is going really well in the garden but I don't like the thought that I might inadvertently pull on his neck if he suddenly darts off while he's on the lead while loose leash walking is still in its infancy ...

anyway - what kind of harness do you think would work best and presumably I'll have to get one to fit him now and another later when he's bigger

We have the perfect fit harness for Pip, for similar reasons to you, particularly when he's on a long-line for recall purposes. Sighthounds go at such breakneck speed that they can seriously injure themselves if they reach the end of a lead and don't pull up fast enough.

It's pricey, but you can buy the components individually to get the ideal fit for your dog and even better, just replace pieces as they grow, rather than having to buy a whole new harness.

I bought the front piece with a D ring attached, as this can really help with leadwork. As the dog pulls they simply get turned to face you by their own bodyweight, so effectively impede their own forward motion. It doesn't take long for them to realise the best way to get ahead is to walk on a loose lead and there's never a need to pull back or jerk them as a result.

Have you tried a Halti harness Moose? They don't look great on dogs at all but our breeder strongly recommended we get one as old english sheepdogs as a herding breed are apparently nearly impossible to train to walk on a loose lead as they have such a strong herding instinct.

The one you linked to looks much better for the dog but I'm wondering if it does enough of a restraint job.

We used a Halti for my mum's old dog. She was a dreadful puller, but that was more down to mum's poor training I think. I'm not sure that I like them, but it works on a pull tight around the muzzle when they strain at the lead. I think that a harness is good. My friend used one of these here

Wish I had seen the perfect fit harness before, we searched high and low for a harness small enough for a chihauhau puppy and couldn't get one anywhere! He is currently using a kitten harness, not ideal but obviously he doesn't have a strong pull so it does the job for now!!

We have 1 RR in our area and although his is tallish and longish he is slimish. Similar to a golden retriever but with short hair. He has a slight frown wrinkles in between his eyebrows. He is 7 and very good natured.

I've never met a dog yet that was happy on a halti headcollar. We had one for Oldgirl when she was younger and she fought it every step of the way and could remove it in seconds.

I haven't used any other headcollars myself, but understand that the two most popular ones are The Canny Collar which attaches behind the head, so doesn't ride up over their eyes and the Gencon, which needs to be fitted very carefully, as if it's fitted incorrectly it will tighten and choke the neck.

Another example of a good harness is the Mekuti - again one that has both back and front rings.

Personally, I would only use a headcollar as a last resort and never on a pup. I'd go for a harness with front/chest and back ring, like the Perfect Fit or Mekutic and a use double ended lead to clip to both rings.

Ugh and

I have recently bought a soft, slightly stretch harness for my 5 kilo dog. She is very fussy but it doesn't affect her.
Sorry, can't do links
www.zooplus.co.uk. " Feel Free dog Harness". There are reviews and 20 photos of various dogs wearing it. The XS size is only £3.99 in the sale.
Very easy to put on and take off.

No it won't make him ill, lots of dogs do it - it's quite a popular delicacy! We are currently enjoying the first time in almost 25 years that we don't have a dog that does it. Our first girl was a seriously starved rescue GSD, who had obviously survived by doing it, she taught our next dog and since then all our dogs have passed the skill down to the next generation. Aren't dogs delightful?

Have you checked out the Kikopup videos for leave - here?

He's very young for stay yet. I'd recommend extending the amount of time you keep him in position before releasing him to a reasonable length of time before starting to build up to stepping away from him, but there's a video at the top of Kikopup's channel's homepage that explains how to teach the sit/stay really well. Bear in mind that it's a condensed version for instruction purposes only and the actually training process will take a lot longer.

Hanks so much Moose, I cannot stress enough how thrilled I am that you have a puppy and are on these boards - you know so much!!! You have my sympathy on the poo eating 25 years!?! Once we realised what he'd done we were all

I will check out her leave it, we don't clicker train (mainly because I fear we'd do it half arsed) but I followed her 'interrupter' noise which works well.

Thanks again for the advice

Dharma - you are very welcome, but honestly, I've said it before and I'll say it again ... I'm just ancient!

Seriously though, most of of what I know, I've learned from making mistakes with one or other of my dogs along the way. My dog's aren't perfectly trained saints and I haven't been active in the world of dogs since I had my first dc 11 years ago. I try to keep up to date with recent research and new techniques, but no longer being 'involved' in the world of dog training means I'm always playing catch up.

There are lots of much better trainers on MN Doghouse than me. I'm always learning off people like Idirdog for example.

You don't need to clicker train to follow Kikopup, you can follow the same process using a word to mark the behaviour you want (she actually explains that a little bit in the sit/stay video)

Oh - and the worst dog we ever had for poo eating, used to eat other dogs' poo - as it was being dispensed so-to-speak, sort of like a self-service hot meal you might say.

I'm not going to get a halti - but I'm going to phone the perfect fit harness people tomorrow and get one of those with a D ring. Zebo manages to walk close to my leg in the garden for treats most of the time, sometimes manages it at the start of a walk but on the way home he pulls like mad desperate to get home!

Is there anything that can be given for teething? Zebo seems desperate with his teeth, chomping down onto corners of pine coffee table, biting bars of stair gate (it's open) not in a playful way but in a pained-needing relief sort of way. I have a carrot chilling in the freezer for later, don't want to give him rawhide chews as he seems to go extra manic on them but wondered if there's a Calpol equivalent?

.

My sister said a frozen kong (filled) works well. I've just found this which may work.

We have a green ribbed rubber thing (actually looks like it's from Anne Summers!) which is good for teething puppies apparently, but I couldn't find it on the site to link it.

Omg Moose, that sounds grim I hope it was just a one off

Oh moosemama at the dog eating it from the dispenser.

I really hope I don't have to go down the route of harnesses although little miss is a sight and scent hound.

So today was the big day she had her first walk, she did well, didn't know what to make of the swans in the park. I let her loose in the playing field behind our school (not the schools field) but a playing field with a wooded area, she loved it but stayed close to me and did a few recalls but think she was scared and I know once she's braver she might not be as good.

I think she's going to be tall and slender too and she has got the RR wrinkled forehead as well. I promise I'll get a photo up soon, can't believe how much she's grown in the 3 weeks she's been with us.

Thanks Digerd that harness is a bargain and looks like it might fit now he has grown a bit, will be ordering that today

My adjustable car harness (which is padded) can be used as a walking harness I discovered when taking Toby out.

My baby dog has lost three teeth already!

I had no idea until I we were playing and he was rolling around on his back with his mouth open. They're all little ones from the centre/front at the top.

Self service hot meal

Jarvis had his first beach off lead walk today on his 4 month birthday and he was so funny. The tide had left lots of pools in the sand but as it was foggy you couldnt see them well and when he ran into one up to his knees he was terrified. Just stood there shaking. When he plucked up courage to come to me and the ham he was visibly relieved, poor thing. Soon got used to it though. His recall is brilliant now but I am just waiting for his teenage years for it to go all wrong.

Are you all walking off lead? I was terrified the first time but it's turned out well and I'm obviously careful where we go.

My mum's 10yr old black lab butch is here today. Poor Ella had quite forgotten that there was an excitable puppy living here! Toby is in his element and keeps trying to get her to play or is just shadowing her constantly.