Member Ed
MemberForum Replies Created
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I’ll take a shot
1) The challenge with kids playing is that she may see them as mates. That creates problems in that human skin is not as tough as a dogs, and we are not as quick. So it really depends on your kids, and what kind of tolerance you and your partner have for them being bitten all over, with the occasional skin break, including in the face. There is also the possibility some kids do not know how to behave around a dog that is not a Labrador, and may put the dog in a position where he/she reacts negatively. It is probably not a good idea for most families.
2) Yes and no. The restriction on toys is a tool to overcome relationship challenges and establishing boundaries that otherwise the handler would have trouble implementing. Whether that tool is needed depends on the dog/handler combination. On rope toys and anything that can be swallowed or get entangled the is the question of safety when the dog is left alone with it.
3) Many people feed puppies 3 times a day. I always fed all my dogs twice a day. Food down, they eat or don’t eat, you remove the bowl. There is no grazing. Most dogs will engorge themselves. It is an evolutionary mechanism. As predators they never know when they will be able to eat again, so they will eat as much as they can as long food is available. Obesity, and most dogs are obese, is a huge stress on the pups joints, particularly for a n active jumpy dog.
4) My preference, is that the dog is always with the family in the middle of the action — in a create or not. That I think makes for a better bonding, and I also think that it makes for a more mentally stable dog. 42″ is way too large for a puppy. For potty training the crate needs to be so that the dog can not poop on one corner and sleep in the other. I have always kept puppies crated in my bedroom at night on level with the bed next to it. I want them to bond with me. Like people, dogs are gregarious creatures, I think they do better when they are in a social setting, rather than isolated. In my opinion isolation is punishment for a dog.
5) I think the question is why did you get a dog? If you got a dog to be a companion, then have it make you company. He/she will (eventually) be perfectly satisfied to be in a crate next to you as you work. The more fun you have with your pup the best will be his life and yours. I play/interact with mine throughout the day, like when I get up to get a glass of water or go to the bathroom… nothing planned. Then we have a solid slice of time in the beginning of the day, about 20-30 mins and an hour or two at the end of the day. I have 3 dogs and they play amongst themselves a few times a day, but nothing beat playing, or being around daddy… except for food 🙂
Hope it helps, and good luck!!! Puppyhood goes by too fast.
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Don’t have a fence either 🙂
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The fee is an interesting question. I have not seen any data on that, that is, if a dog from a shelter that charges more is less likely to return. There is probably anecdotal accounts one way or another, but I’m not sure how significant they are. The amount of vetting shelters do on prospective parents is sometimes also a bit over the top. A good home is better than a perfect home — some of it, I suspect, may be because of specific volunteers doing some virtue signaling and stuff. It gets complicated.
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Seems that it was too much pressure for him. My female Rottie in a few occasions has gone for people, specially when she was young. No barking, no nothing, just lunge with a big open mouth. You have to read them. She got a lot better with time and training.
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Does she cook? Dogs are often great fans of whoever is cooking 🙂
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I would use yes to reward and release a sit, down, stand, and to reward any tricks. I would use free to let him out into the yard, to release him from a place command, to release him from the crate, to release him from a platform where we had been training, to release him at the end of the training session, to release him from an invisible boundary, etc. The yes comes with a mental image of a cookie (reward). The free tells the dog he is done and he is free to do and go as he pleases. When in doubt I would go for yes.
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Not quite a sequence, but more like language… “yes” is “you did a good job congrats”, “good” is “that is great keep doing what you are doing”, “free” or “break” is “hey bubba, you are free to do whatever you want”. So you kind of use them as it makes sense. When you say “you did a good job congrats” it is implied that the job is over. When you say “that is great keep doing what you are doing” it is implied that the job is not done, yet and the dog is not released. And so forth. Hope it makes sense.
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Correct. Yes is a reward word and a release word all combined. Free or break are just release words. Young pups will not have the ability to hold a position. So you kind of release them immediately. His butt hits the ground and we go “yes” + treat. Fun fun fun
BTW, you use “yes” for the entire life of the dog. You just hold off and introduce the “good” bridge word (keep doing what you are doing) and then “Yes” at the end to reward + release.
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Correct. Yes is a reward word and a release word all combined. Free or break are just release words. Young pups will not have the ability to hold a position. So you kind of release them immediately. His butt hits the ground and we go “yes” + treat. Fun fun fun
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Well, there are issues with too much love. A dog needs to know that it is being taken care off and that whoever is in charge “got this”. If he/she thinks that no one is running the show the dog will volunteer to do it as someone needs to be driving this bus. So while love itself is not the problem a lack of leadership or respect would be.
Separate from that, for people that compete with dogs, they want the dog to be in a permanent “affection deficit” so they will give 110% in training and when competing.
There are probably more thoughts on this