Who is this unkind woman that calls herself my mom? Please help.

[FuFu]

Mara! An absolute angel! How''d you do it.

lol.. j/p I know, patience.. Thank you for the pic! Very comforting... Hopefully this day comes soon! But of course I will enjoy the puppy stages other than the howling. The poor pup has lost his voice since yesterday. So he''s not doing too much damage. Everytime he goes in the crate he''ll go at it for about 20 minutes... and he''ll eventually decide to go to sleep. I was wondering, how long before Portia would stay in her pen or crate and not cry at all?

 

[Rosie]

Hi there,

Just a bit more help to you...we have had our now 4 month old rottweiler pup since he was 6 weeks old and aside from all the media on the irresponsible owners of the breed they are an amazing smart and intelligent breed and very protective of its master and children. Anyways, one thing is about the putting blanket in the crate..we also have the complete wire crate instead of a plastic kennel, however dont let people tell you that dogs wont pee where they sleep because when a blanket is put in a crate unless the bed is the same size as the dog, he/or she will potentially pee on the blanket. Not sure if you were ever told also when you take your pup out of the crate always put him right outside as they will associate with coming out of the crate and having to go pee, even if he was just out and you put him in and take him out again. Some great advice and hints for stopping the whinning is...well i have been working with a one on one personal trainner and what I was told and worked well for the crate as well as scratching at the front door is by taking a tylenol bottle or pop/beer can putting a few pennies in it and whenever the pup whines or barks is toss the can at the crate or front door for the scratching and then say" oh what was that? good boy!" ours has never barked but now and again would whine. With proper trainning and patience he will do wonderful. For our guy to stop him from bolting out of the crate when we open the door is when he started to come out i would shut the door and the 3rd time it hit off his nose and i always said "wait" and good boy!!! now he sits in the crate till i say "Bronx lets go" he walks by my side on the road and when i stop he stops in a sit beside me, he doesnt take food out of a persons hand until we say ok take it and all of us including the 4 kids can feed him without any snarls or growls and by June he will be walking with me off lead. The trainning will never end and will be ongoing for us as he could possible reach the size of 160 pounds so we will be walking him instead of him walking us..lol...Well good luck with your pup and try the can or tylenol bottle cause its worth it.

Rosie

 

[Mara]

Fufu...for Portia it took a long time before she ENTIRELY never made a sound in the crate/exercise pen area...probably about a month or two...BUT from the beginning days of howling, it did get better quickly once she started to feel more secure in the house...and around us and with us--that happened within about 2 weeks. i know sometimes dogs stop crying right away, or within a few days, but she just took a bit longer...i have read both the long and short stories.

we would put her in the crate/exercise pen area with treat, praise, sleepytime mentions and then turn off all lights except for dim one for her and then go upstairs and be QUIET and go to sleep. when she heard us talking or doing something upstairs she would cry on and off. sometimes i would go down to her, but 99% of the time i would call down ''sleepytime portia, good girl'' and over time she learned to listen to that ''final'' comment from me. now she sleeps with us on the weekends and in the crate during the week and she seems fine with that, she''s a pretty accepting dog--thank goodness for us!Though there were times when she would seem to regress and/or cry out in the middle of the night or 20 minutes after we went to bed...but if that happens don''t freak out and think she is going backwards...she stopped doing that as well.

It took alot of repetition and consistency and ALOT of patience...honestly it showed me how impatient I was to get a puppy..she has taught me alot. Can''t make them eat when they don''t want to, go to the bathroom when they don''t want to, etc. I have had to learn ''puppy psychology''...hehe. alot of treats, praise, and also learning what triggers good and bad behaviors etc.

In terms of what Rosie mentioned about training...we constantly are training Portia. Not just new stuff but old stuff to keep it fresh in her mind. aka Leave It so she won''t touch a treat or food until we give it to her; Come; Stay; Sit...she''s not a barker at all, and she listens very well, especially when she knows I''m upset..hee hee. Recently I taught her to Roll Over; Paw (Shake) and I am very slowly teaching her to fetch..Westies are not fetching type animals, they prefer to run and chase things rather than bring a ball back...but sometimes on good days we can play for about 15 minutes before she gets bored. Her favorite thing to do in the park though is chase other dogs... and be chased herself! She loves to run.

She loves to train with treats, though she will listen even if I don''t have them which is great...she adores Liver Biscotti which is a great small training treat..and it''s hilarious to listen to her crunching them up all quickly to get onto the next thing.

I will also say that this last year has been so interesting is that as you watch the puppy grow, and not just stop doing the bad things...but learning the good things and also you begin to see much more of their actual personality emerge. See what is going on behind their eyes. See what they are thinking, want to do before they do it. Also, sometimes she would pick up some random bad habit and/or good habit from nowhere and we would think, where did that come from? aka all of a sudden around month 9 she started barking at people walking past the house. never did it before, but suddenly she was a chronic barker and I was quickly getting irritated with her. It took many stern NO''s and the distraction technique of clapping hands or something to get her out of her focus...but now she hardly barks again and I don''t know what caused it or what really ended it...but that was somewhat interesting. I also have learned different techniques like snapping my fingers loudly near her to break her out of a focus (aka on another dog or person or a food item or toy etc) which I think are different for each person and dog, that just works for me. Also she hears me snapping fingers even in the park and most of the time can get that attention from her which is something I was worried about when she was a puppy, she was SOOO easily distracted.

Anyway, I could talk about her forever, but just keep with the positive training...we joke around how sluggish she is most of the time now and say she gets it from us..she loves to sleep and bask in the sun most of the time but take her out to play and she is a running demon! A far far cry from that howling, biting, squirming puppy...!

Oh and recently Greg has been making noises about getting another puppy, he wants a Scottie (black version of Portia but slightly larger)...I said ANOTHER PUPPY?! No way!!

 

[Rosie]

Lotsa great advice that it must be overwhelming. I know I had lotsa advice and a few people saying are you crazy having a rottie with 4 kids...i shake my head and laugh. It''s sad that the dogs are blamed and not the owners for not properly trainning or raising a macho dog for guarding. Very sad!!! Because of the size of our pup that he will be..we use the correction collar(not spike collar) and the only treats he gets are for doing fun things like shaking a paw and jumping through a hoola hoop. Sounds funny, but these are things at just 4 months that he is doing. We with the trainner and a few other people with different breeds are going into a big even held in the summer here in alberta to show how trainning works and i''m hoping it will really help to promote the breed and what they are capable of doing and not how alot them are being raised. Any other rottie owners out there?? anyways good luck all with your pups and love em''

 

[Momoftwo]

I''ve known several rotweilers and as long as they are properly raised and disciplined, like any dog, they are great pets. The reality is that any dog can bite, but it''s partially how they are raised to behave that decides whether they are biters. They just tend to do more damage when they do because their jaws are so much larger. There are the exceptions, the alpha animals are dominating and are not good with children due to the fact they tend to jump and push to knock their "inferiors" down. That goes back to the wild dog instincts. There was always an alpha in each pack. There''s the opposite also, the dog that immediately turns over and exposes his belly to you is a passive dog. We have friends whose dog is so passive if you talk in a high voice or an angry one he pees. It''s kind of funny, but it''s his way of allowing dominance by who he perceives as the alpha dog. That said, 90% of obedience training is teaching the owner how to work with and discipline the dog. Dog trainers usually say they''re not training the animal, but teaching the owner how to get what they want from their pet.

 

[fire&ice]

My Therapy Dog International group requires separate insurance for Rotties, Dobies and a few more breeds, though we have quite a few that are therapy dogs. It''s not so much the bad rep. It''s more along the line of damage a poor temperment dog can cause. These types of dogs go for the jugular; whereas, Standard Schnauzers, for example, tend to take people down & hold them. Unfortunate that few will perpetuate the negative traits of a breed. Irresponsible.

 

[FuFu]

Again, thanks for some wonderful advice. I’m always so grateful when people offer me any kind of advice, because I know they don’t “just know” these thing. Someone had to either pay for them, found out the hard way, through practice and patience, and so much more… And having it handed to me just like that is saving me from needing to go through all that in order to gain basic knowledge that otherwise would have caused a lot of pain, trial and error to learn. So, thanks again. All this bits and pieces of information are amazing and simply so encouraging. I’m so worn-out everyday, up three to four times a night because he has called me to go potty or just wants to play, but it is all so worth it when I see he’s learning and making so much progress. Normally I can sleep through a war going on next to me or take a team of drill sergeants to get me out of bed, and I still might not budge. But with one small whine from Samurai, even at 3:30 in the morning, I’m on my feet before he’s even had time to blink, throwing anything on me as long as I can walk out and take him potty. Then I stand there and wait for him to sniff, sniff, sniff what seems like the ENTIRE lawn before he picks a place and decides to do his business.

Mara, Portia looks just angelic, curled up in a ball lying on your bed like that! It’s so hard for me to envision how freaky and spine chilling she could possibly be when she was a baby. And being SO small too! But from reading all this useful information you’ve been giving me, it’s obviously taken A LOT of time and patience. And also it’s just a big learning process for me too. I mean, see how well Samurai has ME trained? One little whine, I’m on my feet faster than he can blink again while he sits and just looks at me, probably very amused too. lol…

Rosie, at 4 months old, Bronx sounds amazing! He will walk by your side and stop when YOU stop? My little monster just pulls and pulls till he’s making this wheezing sound that makes him sound like he’s about to PASS OUT any second. But he still keeps going at it! Now, about the blanket in his crate. haha…I have tossed out 2 towels from his poop. And washed enough towels to know he WILL pee on the towel and just try to cover it up. So, yes, Rosie, you are absolutely right about the blanket thing. How long was the personal trainer hired? And how much per session, how many times a week? Is it something I should try?

As I am typing this post, Samurai is lying next to my feet, with his eyes moving back and forth. Probably dreaming about how to escape his crate. lol…

Thanks everyone, taking time away from diamonds and such to help me! Deeply appreciated! I’ll be updating… for now, back to Samurai and reading some other people’s “diamond-related” topics on Pricescope.

 

[Rosie]

I agree with you both and its unfortunate for the people that have raised their rotties, pitbulls, sheppherds as wonderful dogs that have to pay the price of higher insurance due to the neglectful ownership of alot of those unresponsible people out there. Although here in alberta there are no major laws or on breeds yet however due believe there are some restrictions on the pitbull. So for all those people out there that are doing a great job raising there dogs its up to us to show others whom have now disrespected the breed that they can all be nice dogs. Finding the right vet that actually knows what they are talking about also helps..i went through a couple that used the alpha roll and my response was "you never use that with a dominent dog as it will make things progress alot worse down the road". I have now found a wonderful vet and is one of the highest recommended ones in Canada and is going wonderful. Our pup was the dominent pup in the pack and sure was showing that in the beginning but now he lays right down for people to pet his belly, but is still on guard on watching who comes and goes. He sits and end of walk when people arrive and sits there again when they leave. A friend of mine and our personal dog trainner is awaiting a part wolf pup and is really excited about this, but this is a person who can take her dogs downtown in the middle of rush hour and have her dogs walking with no lead. This is the type of trainner a person wants, not a trainner or outfit that continuously uses treats for good behavour. Dogs have to learn like kids that things are just meant to be done but not always to receive a treat but lots of praise for the good work they are doing. My trainner uses flight, fight and avoidance meaning the dog that is quiet and passive is good however if the dog runs and hides from strange sounds and noises and people, it can actually be more of a dog to turn into fight. Its been great talking to everyone on a different subject other then diamonds...lol... Good luck!

 

[fire&ice]

FuFu, both of mine will go pee & poop on command. It''s quite easy to teach them. Take the pup to the same spot each time. When he just starts to squat, say "do your business" good doggie. Pretty soon he will squat when you say "do your business" (or whatever phase/word you want - my breeder uses "push push". It''s great if you are under a time crunch or it''s raining/snowing outside. I don''t always ask for them to do their business. Maybe once or twice a week to keep them in practice.

You can teach a dog to do anything with successive approximation. Some dogs are more treat driven than others. I like to mix the rewards up, using my voice as praise. The key is the quickness of the reward to the exact time of task. Just to show you even the stupid things you can teach your dog. We are in the middle of March Madness. We are NCAA Basketball Tourney freaks. And, support of team the "Wolfpack" to rabid obsession. We taught our dog to "Woof" when we say "Pack". Now, if I can only figure out how to make money on this? Maybe David Letterman''s stupid pet tricks. Honestly, figure out the steps that lead to a completion of task & teach them the baby steps. Both of mine are in an Agility club - something I really recommend to anyone. It''s great exercise & such a bond builder with the dog. Mine clearly love it.

Never lose sight of the FACT that a dog is most happy when it works, epecially the "working dog" breeds. Working, sleeping, cuddleing, and eating pretty much rounds out their personality. One of mine works as a clown. She is constantly thinking of ways to entertain.

You really should check the two books I mention out. I like the two because they have differnent approaches. That way I can tailor their training to their personality. What works for one dog isn''t going to work for another. And, if you plan on having children or other pets, you must establish yourself as "head bitch"

It''s the only way to keep the peace all the time - by being a benevolent Alpha.

Also, make sure that when the pup has all his shots, you socialize, socialize, socialize & then socialize again. And, get the pup used to all sorts of noises and situations - ladders, vaccum cleaners, even the computer saying "goodbye". Just to show how conditioned dogs can become on their own, my new gal comes running when my computer says "goodbye". I guess good things happen when I sign off the computer.

I knew I wanted my male to be a Therapy Dog; so, I even got him socialized around wheelchairs, cruthes, walkers & taught him to lay down when a small child came towards him ( I used the command "baby") It is amazing what these wonderful creatures can learn. Another thing, when young take their food up, stir the bowl - when they are eating. Take things out of their mouths as well. At this point, people forget that someday they will be big! You need for them to get used to the fact that you can do anything. Oh, and don''t forget to take them for a ride in the car - the first time to someplace GREAT - I used the drive through bank - they always had a treat for my pup.

Anything you can think of that is particular to your lifestyle now or in the future, get them used to it in a positive way at this young and impressionable blank slate time.

Sorry to be so long winded. I was the trainer for a no kill rescue group for years before we traveled between houses so much. I''ve seen so many dogs turned into the pound/us because the puppy didn''t get the proper foundation early on. So, it goes to issue of my heart to try to educate new puppy owners. Not everything I say may apply to your pup. But, it''s important to know some of it.

 

[Libster]

Sounds like you are doing a wonderful job with Samuari!!! I promise all your training effort will pay off in the end with a wonderful dog

Fire & Ice, I see you mention the Standard Schnauzer breed, do you have one? We had a Miniature Schnauzer, Dieter, who was the light of our life. We had to have him put to sleep this past September. He was 14 1/2 and had liver cancer. We still mourn for him. I''ve read many of your posts regarding dogs and have a couple of questions for you. When Dieter was 4 we adopted a female shih tzu as a companion for him and they really enjoyed their life together. We now have just her, she is 14, and wonder about adding another dog to the family. The problem is that she is not fond of other dogs, though she loved Dieter. We took her to an adoption day and she was really stressed by the other dogs and they suggested we allow her to be an only for the remainder of her life. Reading this thread started me thinking about adding a dog again. In my heart I just believe she would enjoy having a dog companion again. She has really missed Dieter, too. My husband and I definitely would like another schnauzer and possibly a standard. I loved the story about how your male taught the female to lie down during your dinner and there would be a treat at the end. I know Chelsea could help a new dog learn the ropes around here. Any thoughts? Also, any suggestions on finding a standard schnauzer?

 

[fire&ice]

Yes, we have two Standard Schnauzers - always have! Growing up, we always had mini''s. I am alergic to dogs. To this day, I sneeze my head off when around hounds (the worst)! Schnauzers and a few other terrier type breeds are hypoallergenic.

Let me tell you, having been in the company of both breeds, they are COMPLETELY different. While very active, Standards are far more laid back. They have more of a big dog mentality. I would not recommend the breed for the couch potatoe faint of heart (not that I''m saying you are - just in general). They aren''t a back yard dog. They are happiest being in the center of things. I have called even my males - Yenta''s. Always gots to be in the know & offering their opinion. They can be quite the handful. I have quite a few nicknames - obno-dog & indestructo-dog. I have seen them body slam a tree only to get back up and continue chase. They need a firm handeler - and one that is a more experienced dog handeler - given the opportunity they will rule the roost. That being said, I wouldn''t own any other breed. Of course everyone says this about their breed, but - Standards have been referred for years as the "dogs with human brains". I believe it.

I would do a bit of reading on the breed. Here''s the home site for SS''s www.standardschnauzer.org They are not the most readily available dogs. If you choose to persue, be prepared to insane scrutiny. Breeders are very selective to where they place there pups. Standard going rate is about $1500.00. Where are you located? If you want to PM me, I can suggest an area breeder if available.

All that being said, I would tend to wait if other dogs stress your 14 year old. Some dogs are meant to have just one partner. But, follow your heart. You could always try fostering a pup temporarily to see how it goes. Also, how you introduce the dogs is important. It''s a good idea to introduce on a more neutral ground. Outside your house, on your street, etc.

Good luck! Sorry about the loss of your mini. Pups become such a part of your family.

 

[Libster]

Fire & Ice,
Thanks so much for your reply, I appreciate your knowledge. We have read up on the Standard as a breed and really want to make sure we are up for the challenge. They are truly amazing dogs!

We will continue to decide what is best for Chelsea. My gut tells me to let her be the queen until her final day and not to upset the balance around here. We just really miss having that "schnauzer" personality around. Again, thank you for your advice and offer of helping to find a breeder if we decide to try to add a Standard to our household.

 

[FuFu]

Hello. A little update on Samurai… Firstly, the wailing has stopped. Completely. After the last post of this thread, I applied everything I learned and was consistent. It was hard… the crying, barking, yelping had continued for about almost another three weeks before he finally calmed down a bit. And even then he would still bark non-stop maybe to see if I would let him out of his crate. Now he is great about being in his little home. No whining or anything of that sort. Honestly, after all the help I got from everyone here, I was still pretty freaked out every time he would act up. Just like Mara said, I almost thought he would have separation anxiety for LIFE. So, really.. from the bottom of my heart, thank you for all the support I got here. It was really comforting and I truly needed it at that time.

So, let’s see.. a little more update on everything he’s learned…. He’s great about being in the crate and also sleeping in there at night. He has does not go potty inside the home now, and when he wants to go outside he will ring a big bell that’s hanging on the knob of the font door. He has learned to heel, instead of trying to yank my arm off…. Will wait till the okay is given to eat, drink, get out of the car, cross the street, go down the stairs. Also, he knows the first thing we do when we get back into the house is wipe down his 4 dirty little paws with baby wipe, so he will lay down on his side with his 4 paws extended all on his own and wait to be wiped, then once the okay is given only then will he take off into the rooms.

So, that’s what we’ve been up to…. Turns out he’s alright……

 

[Matata]

Excellent news! Congratulations on your progress as a poochie parent. Now where are the pictures of the little darllin''? We get kinda surly around here when folks don''t post pics

 

[AChiOAlumna]

When we had a puppy, we would put a clock that actually "tick tocks" deep under a blanket. It supposedly reminds the puppy of their mother''s heartbeat....it helped until the puppy acclimated...

I LOVE huskies!!! They''re so cute!!! Good luck with yours!

 

[JessesGrl]

Ok...this thread really helps because I too am having puppy issues.
We got a shih tzu puppy on saturday, she is now 11 weeks old. She poops and pee pee''s outside, and will pee on the paper if she is inside. I take her out many times during the day and lastly at around 10:30, 11

0 at night. I have been tracking her pee and poo, she poo''s about 4 times per day and pee''s about 10 times a day. She will sleep for about 7 hours, wakes up at 5;30 am and pee''s. Today she pooed in her crate b/c I took her out, she only peed and I took her back in and put her in the crate. She was crying..I assumed b.c she wanted out of the crate but poor thing needed to poo.
Anyways: I never IMAGINED a puppy would be this MUCH work, however that is not the problem. My problem is that I have 3 1/2 weeks off before I start my new job. I am fine now b/c I am home with her but I am worried about leaving her when we go to work. We both work full time, and far enough away that lunch time visits are not an option.
I will be gone from 7:30-4:30, fiance will be gone from 8:30- 5:30. So she will be alone from 8:30 until 4:30 each day...8 full hours. I am trying to arrange if my FMIL can take her out around 2 pm...which still leaves her 6 hours alone.
What is the most humane way to leave her- crated, or in the bathroom w/ a gate up and a bathroom "area" and bed "area"...or one of the puppy play pens?
I feel so guilty- does anyone else leave their dog all day long? Once she is older, I will leave her "free" in the house..but she will only be 4 months when I go to work so that is NOT an option- advice?????

 

[fire&ice]

glad things are settling down for you and the pup!

 

[MissAva]

Congrats! It sounds like you have done an idela job of training your puppy!