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In this Discussion
- Alianne December 2019
- kgstable December 2019
- Kryptonics December 2019
- OopsDotCom July 2020
- SandyCreekAcres December 2019
- Sugarbread December 2019
- Vella July 2020
Who's Online (1)
- Fiddler 1:56PM
Puffin the puppy
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In what may have been a monumental lapse in judgement, we have added a 2-month-old puppy to our household (which contained me, my husband, our almost-three-year-old son, and two grumpy older cats).
She's super-adorable, and the combined "hey stop thats" of her and the kid are about to drive us to drink lol.
Here's Puffin:
Wish my hubby luck, as he's stuck at home with the non-housebroken (and super-nippy!) pup, the non-potty-trained (and equal parts enamored of and terrified by the pup) kid, and the two crotchety cats (who just want to be left alone, but also refuse to stay away from the commotion)!ID 252818 | Breeding for TE livers, with satin hopefully -
Cute puppy. Good luck with getting everyone settled in and settled down.
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Oh my gosh, cute! I love puppies, they are so fun, most of the time! Lol! Congrats, keep us updated with pics as she grows up! I love her name. What breed is she?
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It's so FLUFFY! I love her! She's so cute, I've been trying to convince my parents they need another dog running around the house, the one they have now loves others and I think would love another little puppy to play with.
You should definitely keep us updated as she grows! -
Oh my goodness how cute! I sense a long friendship between a little boy and his bestfriend.
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Update: Puffin went to PetSmart with me today (I put her in the cart, cuz she doesn't have all her shots yet), and she was a really good girl - she barked at the dog that barked at her, and only nibbled all her fans a little! She was very popular. The employees theorize that she's probably at least part Great Pyrenees, due to her fluffiness and the double hind-declaws she has.
Both the vet-people and the internet (there are charts!) seem to think she'll wind up in the 80-100 lb range... Bigger than I anticipated based on her mother's 45lb size!
She and the kid are coming to terms with each other, and the cats just want her food.
If anyone has any excellent dog advice........... :)ID 252818 | Breeding for TE livers, with satin hopefully -
I have lots of advice! I'm super tired from work so it'll probably be a jumbled mess but here goes!
Nipping- Freeze EVERYTHING! Teething hurts for puppies, cold feels wonderful. Redirect to a toy/cold treat every. single. time. she nips. Every time. Consistency is key with dogs. If she starts to get too wild when you need her to stop nipping/using you as a chew toy, leave the room abruptly for a second. This ensures that she connects chewing on you = you not playing with her anymore.
Potty training - Remind yourself she's a baby every time and it'll be tons more easier because babies don't have the muscle control that let them know 'hey, i gotta go!' they kind of just.. go. Most of the time, it's a surprise to them too LOL.
When they're super young and untrained, I take them out every 30minutes and praise to high heaven for even the littlest pee outside. If an accident happens inside, I make no reaction and just head outside ASAP. There's no actual proof that they learn from their nose being rubbed in it.
As they get older, and learn that outside is for potty, you can use the "one hour for every month of age rule" to gauge when they'll have to go. First thing in the morning; outside for potty. Right before bed; outside to potty. If you use a kennel; outside to potty right after letting them out. A potty bell on the doorknob works wonders for people. Ring it every time you take her out and she'll connect that ringing bell = potty time. Try to also use the same door every time. Consistency!
Cue phrases like 'go potty!' or 'go peepee/poop!' said in a very excited voice and high value treats (unseasoned chicken/hot dogs/cheese/etc) right when she potties outside and she'll pick it right up. You can even direct her to a certain area of the outside that you want her to poop/pee and throw a little excited party/shower her in treats for convenient cleaning up! ;)
EDIT: Use a cleaner that contains enzymes specific to urine, other cleaners will just 'set' the smell and encourage further peeing in that spot. Nature's Miracle is good but I'm sure there are others.
Kids - This is sometimes a toughie as it takes just as much training the kids as it does the puppy. If they let her get away with things that you don't, she'll just end up confused. Everyone must be on the same page about what is allowed and what isn't. This goes for spouses, visiting relatives/friends, people in public, etc. Consistency, again. =))
Cats - Since they're older, they likely know how to take care of themselves. Lots of available routes for them to escape when they get tired of her antics will ease many worries.
That's about all I can cudgel out of my sluggish brain for now but if you have any questions feel free to PM me any time! Good luck! She's absolutely adorable. :xPost edited by Alianne at 2019-12-23 21:53:07I breed Drafts and star horses :D
Silver Wings Tavern Farms
HJ1 Barn ID# 220099 -
Thank you! I might have to go get a bell... She seems to understand that she's supposed to go outside, but she also is very affected by the crisp weather, and once we're out she sometimes just starts going wild and forgets what we're there for!
She has, conveniently, selected one "dump area," and it's nice and out of the way, so I try to just take her over there as a reminder lol.
I did get an enzyme cleaner thing at PetSmart, and I have a couple of freezable chewies, so I'll have to make use of those!
Training the child is truly the hard part of that situation, and the cats have definitely got their escape routes down - it helps that we hated off the back half of the house, which is their preferred area anyhow. :)
We're working on getting her accustomed to her kennel - she eats in there, and has learned that the kid isn't allowed to bother her if she's in it, so sometimes will take a chew toy into the kennel for a break! Buuuut, she has definitely not gotten to where she's ok being closed in. We're aiming for a few minutes at a time, with us right nearby, and only letting her back out when she's calm and quiet, but it's slow going! :-??ID 252818 | Breeding for TE livers, with satin hopefully -
Puffin the puppy is now about 8 months old, up to around 60 pounds, still very rambunctious, still trying to convince the cats to play with her, and very best friends with the kiddo. :)ID 252818 | Breeding for TE livers, with satin hopefully
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I feed mine in their travel crates too, and somewhere I read dogs usually have to go potty about half an hour after they eat, so when they're done their meal it's immediate out, now they've learned that, as soon as they come out of the crate they immediately head to the door. As for rubbing noses in their mess, my opinion is the only thing that will teach them is don't get caught. I adopted my two dogs as adults, and despite a few years having passed, I still threaten to change the female's name to GetOuttaThat. The male is a certified kleptomanic (whenever I can't find something, the first place I look is in his kennel - he even had my wall phone in there once) .Post edited by OopsDotCom at 2020-07-20 17:56:21