Here's the key to outside training. When you take the dog outside to do his bidness, say "hurry up" in a calm, slow voice. (I know kind of an oxymoron, "hurry up", slowly...) Anyway, just keep saying it over and over until they go, then when they do, praise them like crazy. High pitched but comforting "Good boy, good boy!" like its going out of style. My bro in law did this and the dog is so well trained it will wait to go outside on the grass, hasn't had an accident as long as I can remember. Doesn't even need a crate anymore. Could also be b/c that dog is the smartest in the world. Yay Bevo!
congrats on getting your new puppy. Owning a dog is alot of work its almost like being a parent. There are good parents and bad and what kind of dog he turns into usually depends on you and how you raise him. I agree w/ many of the other posters and think you should take him to a vet asap and make sure he is healthy. You can look into getting some puppy food I prefer dry because its more convenient, cheaper and better for their teeth. I would look into obedience school as soon as its allowed, remember this class is not really for the dog but more for the owner. hehe It teaches you how to raise your dog and train him properly. Right now since he's a puppy everythings cute and hunky dory but when they get big and unruly you have a bad situation. You want certain behaviors corrected as soon as possible. Other than that I cant think of anything else.. for serving size look on the back of the bag and it should give you an idea how much and often to feed your dog. Dont try to fatten him up as that is once of the worst things you can do to your dog. It makes them uncomfortable and unhealthy. J
I think Manny was stating his case in context of an owner buying a pure breed off someone off the side of the road. But you're right...adopting is really a good way to get an awesome dog!
Yes, that is correct. I should have clarified it by saying "pure breeds". Plus getting a puppy from a man on the street is completely different from getting one at the pound, IMO. But yea mutts are great dogs to get at the pound and they (usually) make better pets than purebreeds.
How about we run some experiments. I'd be interested in the following things: A. Send your dog outside dressed up like a cat. And then see how the other dogs treat him. As a control, do this on halloween as well. B. Train him to sleep in a basket. Then tie the basket to a hot air balloon, let it rise to the ceiling, and see if he can figure how to get down. I want to see if dogs have intelligence. And if they are ready for flight. C. Put a chocolate bar on the kitchen table, leave the dog on the floor, and then put a cat on the kitchen table. Lets see if the cat knocks the chocolate bar onto the floor for the dog to eat. I want to see if cats are willing to kill if given the opportunity.
Out of curiosity ... what happens to all of the dogs that are "for sale" that do not get sold? Wouldn't they end up in the same place as Stray dogs eventually or is there some other pipeline that they go through?
No offense, synergy, but I think your nuts. You get a dog on a whim and know nothing about how to raise it. You did no research, no preparation, and don't seem to understand the responsibility involved. I think you made the same mistake a lot of people make. They don't think but just fall in love with the adorable puppy. Then, the puppy ends up homeless or worse because the person who acted on a whim doesn't want to deal with it any longer. So, drive it down some road and drop it off. Out of sight...out of mind. Please tell me you would never do that. I also know first-hand about raising puppies from puppyhood. It's no picnic and I would compare it to having kids. Their always there needing something. "Let me outside!" "I'm hungry...feed me!" "I need to go to the bathroom!" "Pet me!" "I'm bored!" "Walk me!" "Here...have some dirt on the carpet!" "Excuse me while I yack up my eaten food on your sofa!" "Is that a wood floor? Excuse me while I scratch it up for you!" "It's 4 am. Get up and let me out! Wait...I wanna come back in now." "I'm gonna jump up and down like a crazed bull until I get my way!" "What's this I'm chewing on...an electrical cord! Look out!" "Sorry about your coffee table...I chewed up all the legs!" "I bobbed my head in the water bowl, spilling it everywhere, and now I'm walking in it tracking it through the house! So, sue me!" "Is this mud on my feet? I'm coming in so screw you!" "I'm in...I'm out...I'm in...I'm out!" "Eat some grass....come inside and foam at the mouth before I puke!" "Is that a door I can scratch up?" "Did I just knock your glass over with my tail?" "I've got a intestinal track problem...look liquid poo!" "I've got a urinary tract infection!" "My anal gland is infected...wipe my butt until it heals!" "I don't care who the Rockets are playing...I'm going to the park biotch! I'm going to run around jumping everywhere till I get my way!"
Hey! I (we) have two Beagles as well. We have Cody (inherited from my wife's parents) and Carly (just adopted from Houston Beagle Rescue). My wife wanted to get a puppy after our last Beagle died (last September at 17 1/2 years - very, very sad day in our house). I talked her into a rescue dog and we are both glad that I did. Carly has so much energy as a two-year old (we think) that she runs us ragged sometimes. There's no way we could have lived through a puppy and all it's energy. My Beagles
I'll try to answer your question with the limited knowledge I have. Anyone can correct me for all I know. In regards to pure breeds, there are generally 3 types of breeders: the reputable breeder (good), the casual breeder and the puppy farm breeders (very bad). The reputable breeders keep track of all the lineage of their litters and register their dogs in this huge registry of some sort. One of the main purposes of a reputable breeder is to help weed out any genetic predispositioned issues that breed may have; for example, the breeder that we have made us sign a contract stating that we would report any genetic predispositioned problems with our dog, thus keeping track of these problems. One of their other goals as well is to try and breed another competitive dog out of a litter. I believe that they always have an eye out to see if one of the puppies has the potential to enter tournaments and stuff like that. Reputable breeders also make sure that they find good homes for their puppies. We litterally had to go through a informal interview in order for us to even get a puppy with our breeder. Additionally, our breeder made sure that each and every puppy found a good home. Good breeders will insist that you fix your dog! To me, these are the good qualites of a good breeder. They don't make it easy for you to get one of their puppies, because they generally care for their dogs. After about a year and half, we still keep in contact with our breeder. Now puppie farms, as they call them, are simply bad IMO. Think about it this way, litterally a puppy farm. Puppies are churned out and these puppies typically end in pet stores (not as shelter or rescue pets mind you). These pups do not have the lineage documentation and according to my buddies father, a seasoned vet, they are always the ones that seem to have the most problems. The only thing that these breeders really care about here is money. Give them money and you get a puppy, simple as that. I don't even want to imagine what happens when they have a "surplus". Before I ever researched into this stuff, I actually visted a puppy farm without knowing what it was. I went with a buddy (and I think he got the info from like a penny saver magazine or something), and dude it was kinda sad. b****es and Studs everywhere in their kennels...it just made me feel uncomfortable. In regards to the casual breeder, I don't really have experience with them. So I really can't say. With purebreeds, no matter what, you'll always be taking chances with predispositioned problems, no matter how good the breeder trys to weed out the genetic problems. But if someone insisted on a pure breed, then I would insist on a reputable breeder. Otherwise, really a pound puppy / rescue dog is the way to go.
As someone who has reached his patience with his neighbors and their dogs, I insist that you follow these 4 simple rules: 1. Never let him out without a leash. 2. Never let him poop on someone else's yard (unless you pick up the poop when he's done). 3. Have it spayed/neutered. and most of all... 4. Don't torture your neighbors with your dog's barking! Never leave him barking outside! Please...for the luv o' God.... I'm begging you... I'm on my hands and knees in front of my computer... Please please please do not leave him barking outside! Don't get me wrong - I'm not a dog-hater. I'm a irresponsible-pet-owner hater. (note: I live next door to the loudest German Shepherd in the City of Houston) -- droxford
No offense taken. My friends said the same thing when I told them I just decided to buy the puppy without thinking about the consequences. I do believe I have the responsibility and maturity to take care of the dog. I would never let go of Wiggles, after I have already fallen in love with it after 4 days. My question now to all is: I have an oppurtunity to buy another lab puppy from the same litter, and from the same guy who sold me the first dog. Is it good to get the Wiggles, another dog to play with in the times when I dont have the time to devote to it? (by that I mean, when it is night time and alone in the garage) I take it out for walks/runs for about 30 minutes each day, and I feel guilty the times I have to leave him in the garage, when I have to go to work, store, etc..... Should I get the second puppy or would that be too much work? I'm thinking since I already have one, how much harder can it be to handle two. Finally, I want to thank you guys for all the help. I've learned more from reading the posts then from all the internet searching I've done. Wiggles and I thank you once again.
It's good to hear you seem committed. I believe I can help you with your latest question, synergy. I was in the same boat. I did get two puppies(both female Ridgebacks) from the same litter because I had the same concerns you do. I mean I'm not home a lot of the time and one dog would be completely bored/miserable. So, I decided to buy two seven week old puppies. Yes, you can consider it to be more work but I wouldn't say double the work. Your still having to go through the same motions for one dog anyway. You just extend that to two dogs. Of course, you can essentially double the costs involved for vet visits, food, and monthly meds(heartworm preventitive). But, it's been 6+ years and do I regret it? I don't regret it in the least...not one bit. Unless your lone dog is going to have a lot of canine companionship or someone will be around a lot(e.g. homemaker wife), then I would get two and I would do it again had I to do it all over again. I'm sure there are benefits to just having one dog. Owner(s) and dog probably have a stronger bond in a one dog household. That dog gets all the attention in the household. In a two dog scenario, you can probably expect some spats between the two as they establish their place in the pack. Even now, my dogs still battle to establish their place and territory. They cross each other and arguments do ensue but it's funny more than anything else as it's just a growl showdown. They get jealous if you give attention more to the other and all that. Overall, they give each other companionship and that is priceless. I'm sure you could make do in a one dog scenario if you put in the time with that dog but your dog will be happier all around with another dog in the mix. Surf
Yeah...surfguy made some good points. If you get two dogs, those two dogs will basically create a strong bond with each other, while if you get only one dog, the stronger bond will between the owner and the single dog. It depends on you at this point, but the before I would commit to another dog, I would have Wiggles get examined by a vet ( same thing with the second pup if you decide to get him/her afterwards ).
A playmate for Wiggles would be a very good idea, but maybe not right now... It's going to be double the expenses, double the cleaning, double the training, etc... If you really think you can take all this on, then go for it. But keep in mind, that dogs are like children - when one misbehaves, it's fairly easy to get it to sit out and to punish it... But when two misbehave, it gets a lot harder because they are still going to want to play with each other and they have a harder time realizing what they did wrong because they'll pin it on the other.... At least, that's what happened to my dogs when we got our third "play buddy".
no do it now. NOW!!! I'm telling you! There won't be any pups left from that same litter so your sibling rivalry is not going to materialize. Ah...I don't care what you do. Yes, you have two dogs to train...yada yada yada. I personally did double crate training so if one misbehaved either one or both went into their own crates...they got time out from me and each other. Another question you have to ask yourself is how much time are you wanting to put into training and how well trained do you expect your dogs to be? Some of the basic training is relatively easy to teach dogs with treat reinforcement. Other training is not so easy. If your going to walk both dogs...are you going to walk them by yourself? If so, are you going to use two leashes or a single leash with a splitter? I walk both my dogs on a single leash with a splitter and if you do not lay down THE LAW with them...they will walk all over you, drag you, etc. . It's so much easier to train and walk a single dog than two dogs but both my dogs want to be walked at the same time so. But, I lay down the F-ING HURT now if they mess with me on the walk. When they were younger, it was kind of a nightmare as they always wanted to go two different directions at once. Now, their like a couple of F-16s flying in formation. If they deviate, then they crash and burn. Whatever...do what you want.
