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Wow, thank you for all the information! I had no idea about how bad some of these products were until I was talking to my friends yesterday. One of the comments that scared me was that the puppy chewed up the cabinets. Is there anyway to prevent this? We will be crate training but once that is over, he will be in the kitchen when we aren't home so he has more room.
Do you mean they carry medicine that's used only in cats and dogs? I do have a pharmacy rewards card.
I believe it's the human stuff. What it is, is they'll fill a prescription from veterinarians, not only MD's. But they do fill only certain medications. Get the brochure for their Pet Rx program, it has a list of all meds they fill. I have used their services for various animals for various meds.
Wow, thank you for all the information! I had no idea about how bad some of these products were until I was talking to my friends yesterday. One of the comments that scared me was that the puppy chewed up the cabinets. Is there anyway to prevent this? We will be crate training but once that is over, he will be in the kitchen when we aren't home so he has more room.
This is a lot more of a problem with some dogs than others. One thing you can do is give him a lot of playtime and walks, so the puppy will be more relaxed when alone. Don't make a big fuss over him/her when you leave the house and come back as this can encourage separation anxiety, which causes most really major chewing problems. You want to foster the idea that your leaving is no big deal. A kong toy stuffed with peanut butter and then frozen will keep the puppy busy for a good long time, along with an assortment of other chew toys. In spite of all this, most puppies will tend to chew things they shouldn't at times. Watch out for electrical cords in the room! Don't leave any where the puppy can get at them when you aren't around. There are spray products like bitter apple that deter chewing, although it works better for some dogs than others. Around age 2 is when dogs typically outgrow the chewing phase. I had a pup who was an extreme chewer, but he never went for big things like cabinets, fortunately, so you just don't know what a dog's habits will be.
Wow, thank you for all the information! I had no idea about how bad some of these products were until I was talking to my friends yesterday. One of the comments that scared me was that the puppy chewed up the cabinets. Is there anyway to prevent this? We will be crate training but once that is over, he will be in the kitchen when we aren't home so he has more room.
You can get products to discourage chewing your valuables and furniture at Petco or Petsmart. One of them is bitter apple spray. Sometimes it works; sometimes not. I confess, I had to resort to Tabasco on the edge of a coffee table that was becoming our puppy's favorite chew toy.
Getting your pup enough healthy/safe things to chew on is really the best thing you can do. Give him things of his own. Avoid bones when he's very young because his teeth won't be strong enough and might break. Some chews get ingested and you'd be surprised how fast a dog can end up eating them. I avoid those. Just watch him when he chews on things in the beginning, so you can get a sense for how much he likes to chew versus how much he likes to shread and eat things.
When and if he ever gets tall enough to surf your kitchen counters, there's a whole other list of advice we can give!
Crate... pure and simple to stop puppy chewing when not being supervised! It will become his bed, his place to get away and take a nap, to take his toys... to feel quiet and safe.
And please... you are not his parent, he is a dog, it's his god given right to be a dog, he will think like a dog, act like a dog, and do dog things. Allow him to be a dog... he is not a kid in a fur suit.
It's just that when I hear new puppy owners call themselves their dogs parent.... they always seem to end up having unrealistic expectations of what that puppy will be. Enjoy him, snuggle with him, love him to bits.... just always remember he is a dog. And he will be a pretty big dog at that!
And please... you are not his parent, he is a dog, it's his god given right to be a dog, he will think like a dog, act like a dog, and do dog things. Allow him to be a dog... he is not a kid in a fur suit.
It's just that when I hear new puppy owners call themselves their dogs parent.... !
I was a dog's 'human' once. My roommate adopted it from the pound, but was never around. I started feeding it, walking it after work and training it. The dog chose me as it's master, and there was no changing his mind.
of course he should be given treats, you will need to give a "paycheck " for potty training, coming on
command etc.
Not really.
Dogs get other dogs to do what they want without food all the time. You don't see a mother dog treating her offspring just for being a dog or "behaving".
Paying for behaviors with food is a personal human choice and a feel good human thing...but not necessary, just easier for the human who doesn't understand how to influence the dog by their own energy and body language. OR if the dog has neurotic issues and you need food to turn them around. And that's rare.
I love watching these popular "trainers" who have to use food for simple things like sitting still. LOL. Last week I took on a 2 Boxer job that I was considering declining. I watched the former sitter showing me how she walks them get dragged all over the neighborhood like a rookie. So I met with the owner and said let's walk them. ON the way out the door I said to the owner (while the Boxers were jumping up on both of us like maniacs).."OK wait - go stand over there, this is how I do it.
So I walked towards the door, and of course they were crowding/charging me...turned to them and said "Shhhht. Matter of factly. And pointed at them walking towards them two steps away from the door and they backed up. The more hyper of the two took a foot off the floor I said "hey" and pointed at the foot. One foot UP in the air means the brain is in gear to charge ahead.
Then waited, watching expecting a challenge. HAHAHA they even sat down which I never asked for...like statutes staring at me for the next "direction" and I slowly opened the door still facing them and they still didn't move. The guy was floored. Now, admittedly I had to buy Sporn Halters for them because there's years of pulling behaviors to undoo...but I took the job. They're very workable. I'm not a trainer I get paid for WALKS! http://sporn.com/training/sporn-halter/
It's not that complicated. I OWN THAT DOORWAY not the dogs. I didn't need FOOD to prove it or temporarily distract them or change the subject. And what are you going to do when the dog hits a "red zone"? They do NOT smell food when they're rearing up targeting a senior citizen innocently walking into her own car in her own driveway. (yesterday's Boxer adventure).
I don't use treats at all for behaviors except to bribe a dog when I'm under the gun and the owner is paying for a half hour visit and they're not moving and I'm in a hurry with a NEW client. Like when they decide to lay down on the grass instead of walk. But I NEVER FEED the treat out there I use it to entice them with the smell and don't give it until we get to the front door. For existing repeat clients, I spend longer time out there and without food get them to do what I want, and after a short period of time the treats aren't necessary because they know me and there's a trust between us.
I want the dog to do what I want because of OUR RELATIONSHIP not because of FOOD. And for that you need to be the calm assertive leader, not the ATM machine!
Humans set precedents to treat for everything even for just "being there". IMO it's kind of the lazy way out to always do FOOD instead of work on our own behaviors to be the leader in the house. Then again some people don't know how or won't watch Cesar Millan to understand what that means for whatever reason including "hearing things" misrepresenting his ways.
Simple praise for things like potty training is all that's necessary if the dog is NORMAL. And this puppy is going to be a blank slate (not including behaviors that come from the breeder's behaviors).
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Is there anyway to prevent this? We will be crate training but once that is over, he will be in the kitchen when we aren't home so he has more room.
With the right level of exercise, especially BEFORE you leave for work, you have the best chance of having a well balanced dog when you leave. And providing chew toys. AND not making a fuss or using soft energy like a high voice, and acting all dramatic about leaving. That's [sounds like] anxiety in YOU transferred to HIM. You can gate him in an exercise pen unless he'll climb out but he can do that over most gates in a kitchen once he's big. So use your judgement on that. Like this one for example- they come in plastic or metal or even wood. Some of them can be formed in random designs and add on panels like if your kitchen is too small for a square pen you can make it different shapes. My son used one for his pugs in the middle of the kitchen - it was really nice compared to a crate:
All the OP has to do to have a "perfect dog" is watch 7 years of Cesar Millan to learn about how to be a leader and watch their own energy! A high strung person is likely to have a high strung dog and whatever traits describe the household will probably describe the dog eventually.
Here's a DVD set and also other choices of books down the bottom:
P.S. Those two Boxers? Perfect angels. UNLESS I talk to them in a playful high voice and act excited - like if they're holding a rope toy - they both jump up on me like I'm a punching bag. Take the note. LOL.
And to the OP, remember - the dog has no clue you're so invested in doing things right. He's looking to YOU to be his calm leader and not introduce anxiety so don't let him see you sweat! Just relaxe, breathe and remember: he wants to follow your lead because you're all he has. And YOU OWN EVERYTHING and he gets to be included when you want, if you want. In a very nice way - you don't even have to talk much. And sometimes talking is worse. You can see this lady in the video just COULD NOT CONTAIN HERSELF from saying "good boy" in a high voice when Cesar Millan merely stepped in front of a ball and the dog left it. He wasn't being a "GOOD BOY" he was being a DOG. A perfectly NORMAL dog!
Don't be TENSE. And always use a LOOSE leash only put tension on it to convey something like steering him. Then let up. Use a leather or cotton weave leash. I tie knots in the middle on the canvas one for places I can grab. And on my think leather one.
Last edited by runswithscissors; 08-29-2013 at 06:43 AM..
Crate... pure and simple to stop puppy chewing when not being supervised! It will become his bed, his place to get away and take a nap, to take his toys... to feel quiet and safe.
And please... you are not his parent, he is a dog, it's his god given right to be a dog, he will think like a dog, act like a dog, and do dog things. Allow him to be a dog... he is not a kid in a fur suit.
It's just that when I hear new puppy owners call themselves their dogs parent.... they always seem to end up having unrealistic expectations of what that puppy will be. Enjoy him, snuggle with him, love him to bits.... just always remember he is a dog. And he will be a pretty big dog at that!
Exactly. Watch how dogs have meetings. Quote Cesar at the end of this episode:
"Keeping him as a human is not gonna keep him in balance. Even though he's a great dog, he's not a human. He's happy being Teddy: the dog, the poodle, the animal. He's happy."
(there are FOUR PARTS to this episode - look on the side of the guy's channel next to the screen and they're listed.
Last edited by runswithscissors; 08-29-2013 at 06:03 AM..
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