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    dog tips?

    So as of this evening, we started fostering a puppy (who we are 99% probably going to adopt at the end of the month). I don't know a dang thing about dogs, other than they like to go for walks, you gotta reward them when they do good things, and they bark a lot.

    Do you dog owner-type-people have any suggestions, tips, ideas, etc on how to raise a well behaved puppy?

    (also, I've had him for four hours and I'm now convinced that I definitely don't want children. Puppies are too much work!)


    Mostly art.

    #2
    Re: dog tips?

    I have a million things to say here and not the time to say them 'cos I'm on lunch. So if you want my puppy consult/puppy school spiel rolled into one I'll be happy to give it... but it will be long and detailed.

    Also... I'm more than happy to chip in to any problems or specific questions that crop up (and they will). Just post 'em up or pm me.

    Also... PIC PLEASE

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      #3
      Re: dog tips?

      We just got our new pit puppy. She's a spit fire for sure! She likes to nip and lick at our toes. So we now walk around pretty much ignoring her and not acting all excited in front of her. She comes to my toes in the kitchen. I push her with my leg out of the way. And I don't engage her. So now she just sorta chills. Lesson learned? Don't talk baby high squeel voice to a puppy. They get super excited!
      Satan is my spirit animal

      Comment


        #4
        Re: dog tips?

        Originally posted by Rae'ya View Post
        I have a million things to say here and not the time to say them 'cos I'm on lunch. So if you want my puppy consult/puppy school spiel rolled into one I'll be happy to give it... but it will be long and detailed.

        Also... I'm more than happy to chip in to any problems or specific questions that crop up (and they will). Just post 'em up or pm me.

        Also... PIC PLEASE
        I promise to read all of it!

        Also, because you asked...
        Attached Files


        Mostly art.

        Comment


          #5
          Re: dog tips?

          Chews. Chews. More chews. Antler chews. Seriously. Find antlers. Give to dog. Let them chew. And when they're chewed out, take them walking, running, biking, etc.
          We are what we are. Nothing more, nothing less. There is good and evil among every kind of people. It's the evil among us who rule now. -Anne Bishop, Daughter of the Blood

          I wondered if he could ever understand that it was a blessing, not a sin, to be graced with more than one love.
          It could be complicated; of course it could be complicated. And it opened one up to the possibility of more pain and loss.
          Still, it was a blessing I would never relinquish. Love, genuine love, was always a cause for joy.
          -Jacqueline Carey, Naamah's Curse

          Service to your fellows is the root of peace.

          Comment


            #6
            Re: dog tips?

            Originally posted by volcaniclastic View Post
            I promise to read all of it!

            Also, because you asked...
            Your dog is awesome, V!!! It's very cute!
            "Fair means that everybody gets what they need. And the only way to get that is to make it happen yourself."



            Since I adore cats, I might write something strange or unusual in my comment.Cats are awesome!!! ^_^

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              #7
              Re: dog tips?

              Originally posted by Medusa View Post
              We just got our new pit puppy. She's a spit fire for sure! She likes to nip and lick at our toes. So we now walk around pretty much ignoring her and not acting all excited in front of her. She comes to my toes in the kitchen. I push her with my leg out of the way. And I don't engage her. So now she just sorta chills. Lesson learned? Don't talk baby high squeel voice to a puppy. They get super excited!
              Medusa you have no idea how happy I am to see you say this. It takes me WEEKS to get this through to new puppy owners in Puppy PreSchool! Everyone wants to wave their arms around and yell and push the dog away and tell it 'no'. Yeah... doesn't work that way, people.

              Originally posted by volcaniclastic View Post
              I promise to read all of it!
              Awwwww he's so damn cute. I have a soft spot for Shepherd and Shepherd mixes. He is gorgeous!

              And just to remind you... I warned you... and you asked for it... :devil:

              Food
              Large breed puppy food is an absolute necessity for a big dog. Growing dogs need special nutrients... most of us know this. What a lot of people don't realise is that large breed dogs (anything over 25kg at adult weight... erm 55lbs) actually need even more special nutrition. They have specific needs for calcium and phosporous and actually need less calories, because we want to control their growth so as to look after their joints. There are three factors that cause elbow and hip dysplasia... 1) genetics, which we can't do anything about. 2) nutrition, which controls things like growth rate, bone density etc and 3) exercise, which I'll get to in a minute. So you need a puppy food that is designed for large breed dogs (hopefully you can get it... most brands do one, even that cheaper brands). I also tell people to get the best quality they can afford. Because lets face it... we can't all afford the expensive vet stuff. So whatever you have access to and can manage in the budget. You do not need to add anything to it, and I prefer that people don't for puppies, especially large breed puppies. Adding extra meat dilutes the nutrients from the food and changes the calciumhosphorous ratio. DO NOT add calcium to puppy food. Ever.

              Now it IS possible to do a home prepared diet for puppies, but honestly, it's hard. And it's inexact. And generally I rather that people use a commercial food while they're growing, and switch to home prepared when they are fully grown if that's what you wish to do. Doing home prepared for puppies requires not just the correct meat:carb ratio (which most people get wrong) but you have to add calcium, vitamins, iodine, omega 3 and 6, and a few other things, all in the correct volumes and rations. It usually ends up expensive and most people don't do it properly. And the incorrect nutrients early in life can lead to issues later in life (like elbow or hip dysplasia, which is ridiculously common in German Shepherds), and too much of some nutrients is just as bad as too little.

              Vaccinations, parasite control etc
              This is completely dependent on where you live and what you need to cover for. I have no idea what is required in Canada, let alone your corner of Canada. Your local vet should be able to tell you. I can tell you what I recommend to my clients... but that wouldn't be overly helpful lol. It is fairly universal to start vaccination programs at about 6-8 weeks of age though. And intestinal worming can start as early as 2 weeks of age. You didn't say how old he is but he looks about 10-12 weeks, so he proabbly should have started his programs already.

              - - - Updated - - -

              Oops... hit 'Post' instead of 'Go Advanced'... much more to come...

              Comment


                #8
                Re: dog tips?

                A shepherd mix? Coolness.
                life itself was a lightsaber in his hands; even in the face of treachery and death and hopes gone cold, he burned like a candle in the darkness. Like a star shining in the black eternity of space.

                Yoda: Dark Rendezvous

                "But those men who know anything at all about the Light also know that there is a fierceness to its power, like the bare sword of the law, or the white burning of the sun." Suddenly his voice sounded to Will very strong, and very Welsh. "At the very heart, that is. Other things, like humanity, and mercy, and charity, that most good men hold more precious than all else, they do not come first for the Light. Oh, sometimes they are there; often, indeed. But in the very long run the concern of you people is with the absolute good, ahead of all else..."

                John Rowlands, The Grey King by Susan Cooper

                "You come from the Lord Adam and the Lady Eve", said Aslan. "And that is both honour enough to erect the head of the poorest beggar, and shame enough to bow the shoulders of the greatest emperor on earth; be content."

                Aslan, Prince Caspian by CS Lewis


                Comment


                  #9
                  Re: dog tips?

                  Chewing
                  Chewing is natural in puppies, but they don't necessarily grow out of it. Make sure he has things to chew, and try to make the unique and obvious things. Giving them old shoes or stuffed toys can confuse them easily... you are best to stick with dog things. Try to get interesting things that are different shapes and textures, or interactive toys that make noise or that you can put treats inside. Always supervise him, especially at first, and stop using any toy that he destroys or breaks bits off. You can use some chew food things like rawhide or pigs ears but be aware of bones at this age as their teeth aren't really equipped to deal with bones just yet. Save those for after 6 months of age (they get their adult teeth around 5-6mths). I don't actually know if antlers are suitable for young puppies as we don't use those here in Australia. If they are as hard as bone it's probably best to save them until he has his adult teeth, but if they are more like a rawhide then they're probably fine. Once he's got his adult teeth then bones can be good for dental health as well, but please don't use marrow bones. They are fatty (the marrow), can trigger pancreatitis (painful, expensive and life threatening) and are strong enough to break teeth. I tell my clients a shank or a brisket bone for big dogs, but I'm not sure what you'd have access to there. Ours are usually beef or lamb. Never ever cooked bones, and I don't really like the smoked bones, either (I don't imagine you have smoked kangaroo tails there but it's a big thing over here lol). The reason for that is that cooked bones are brittle and don't digest easily, so they can damage the stomach and intestines and get stuck. Lots of dogs get away with it. Lots of dogs don't. Chicken necks or turkey necks are okay for puppies only if they chew them properly... a lot of puppies will gulp them and they are just the right size and shape to get stuck on the way down!

                  When you catch him chewing on something you don't want him to chew on, trade it off. Don't just take it away, and don't run and yell and chase him around. That will just excite him further (Medusa has it absolutely right in this respect). Stay calm, offer him his toy or a treat instead, and take away the other thing. Giving him a toy that he CAN chew on is usually the best thing, because then he leans that when he wants to chew, he chews his toy. Remember that he needs chew toys AND chew treats... he needs access to something he's allowed to chew on all the time. Otherwise he'll find things to chew, and that usually means your furniture or shoes or whatever. You can use bittering agents on the furniture if he starts on those... you can get commercial bitter sprays for puppies or you can use a bit of tobasco or wasabi (though use your head about smearing it on your furniture, obviously lol). They are all just deterrents... they make it taste bad and therefore it's less attractive and fulfilling to chew. But be aware that some dogs actually like the flavour so obviously that doesn't work for them.

                  Treats
                  Be careful about how many treats, bones or edible chews he gets as these all contribute to calories and nutrition. Getting them every day can change the nutritional value of his food, especially things like chicken necks (which are meat and bone, which means calories and calcium). I would say chicken necks no more than once a week. Rawhide etc can be a few times a week. Training treats can be daily, but break them up small so that he's not getting too many over the course of the day. I like the dehydrated liver, but you can use anything really. As long as it's not something like ham (can trigger pancreatitis) or cheese or sausage or something... go for dog treats preferably, or little tiny bits of chicken or beef. And he just needs enough to have a taste of it... not the whole thing! Remember that it's the concept of the reward rather than the size of it that matters. He doesn't care if he gets a whole dog biscuit or a quarter of one... just that he gets it. My absolute favourite training treat is actually just part of their daily ration of dog food... keep a handful aside to use as treats. That's what I use in Puppy PreSchool and most of them don't know the difference.

                  Training
                  Positive reinforcement is the technique I recommend, which means rewarding them for desired behaviours, and ignoring the undesired ones. If you're really keen you can try clicker training, but a lot of new dog owners find that a bit complex to start with. If you want to then go for it... it's the absolute best technique and it is essentially the same as basic positive reinforcement that I use with the addition of the clicker (or whistle or bridging word) as a bridge for the behaviour. It doesn't make much of a difference for the simple things, but it makes complex training a lot easier. Remember that he doesn't understand our words, so don't ask him to sit and expect him to know what you mean. Lead him into the action first (using a treat can be helpful... if you're struggling with anything in particular I can give you instructions) then as soon as he is in the correct position say the word (ie 'sit') and give him the treat. Keep doing that over and over again and after a week or so you can start saying the word first and seeing if he'll do it. If he doesn't do it the first time, lead him into position and keep going for a week. Then drop the treats back to every second time and say 'good boy' instead. Then every third time. Then intermittently. If he slips backwards then go back to the previous step and try again. Repetition and consistency is what works here. And make sure that everyone in the house is doing and saying the same thing.

                  I also recommend mat training and crate training. Mat training is where you teach him to sit/drop/lay on his bed or blanket or 'mat'. Lead him onto the mat, say 'on your mat', get him to sit/drop, give him a treat, give him a chew or toy etc and leave him there. You can put the mat at your feet when you're watching telly and put him on the lead, then sit him on his mat. If he gets up or moves off just gently bring him back, sit him down and repeat 'on your mat'. It's best to do this when he's sleepy or quiet and is inclined to sit still anyway... don't try it close to playtime! Crate training is where you have a crate for him and put his bed in there, and his food and water. The crate becomes a safe space for him and is filled with positive things. Don't lock him in there... leave it open but get him in the habit of eating and sleeping in there. Most dogs will inadvertently do this if they are kenneled anyway, but using a transportable crate then means that you can take it camping with you. Then you can work up to locking him in there for a few minutes at a time so that he is comfortable being confined if you ever have to confine him in there. It usually works better than just chaining them up. Remember, locking him in there is only for if you have to... you've gone away, if he's at the vet (our cages usually resemble crates and crate trained dogs are always less stressed in hospital than dogs who have never been crated) and things like that. Otherwise the crate is open, free access and somewhere that is a safe and positive place for him to be.

                  Boundaries
                  Set boundaries as soon as possible, but I don't mean telling him off or things like that. Boundaries are house-rules. Where to sleep, where to eat, how to act when you come home, what to do when you're eating... all that sort of thing. It's the code of conduct and housemates contract lol. Set the rules then make sure that everyone in the house uses the same boundaries. Keep them stable, try not to change them around or shift them, and think about difference circumstances... if he's not allowed on the bed when you have a partner over then don't let him on the bed when you're alone. Changing the rules confuses then and can lead to boundary pushing and things like anxiety and stress. It's also usually the culprit for destructive behaviour. He doesn't understand that he's being locked out of the bedroom because you're having a good time... he just knows that it's his bed too and you forgot to let him in, so he's gonna scratch at the door and bark to let you know you forgot him. We are so wrapped up with thinking like rational humans that we forget to look at things from the dogs' perspective. lol.

                  Teaching them the boundaries is actually about teaching them what you DO want them to do, not what you don't want them to do. Sometimes that means finding an acceptable alternative... something that occupies his need and fits into your household. So if you don't want him to go in the bedrooms, then teach him to sit at the door. Or when he comes to the door tell him to go to his mat. Give him something else to do instead. Don't want him to jump on the couch? Gently lead him off the couch and teach him to drop on the floor (or go to his mat... this is where all that mat training comes in handy). Don't want him to jump at you when you get home? Teach him to sit first.

                  Jumping up, ankle chasing, general attention seeking behaviour
                  The answer to all these is pretty much the same... what Medusa said. What he's looking for in these instances is attention. Any attention. And as far as a puppy is concerned, being pushed away, looked at or yelled at counts as 'attention'. Every time you tell him to get down, yell at him, wave your arms around or stamp your feet, you are rewarding the behaviour and making it even more fun to jump up on you. So ignore him. Cross your arms and turn your back if you have to. Essentially give no indication that you've noticed him at all. You can gently push him with your arm or leg if necessary, but try not to look at him when you do it and make it a wooden sort of disengaged movement rather than a direct reaction to him. That's really hard to explain rather than demonstrate but hopefully you get what I mean. When he backs off for that moment of 'hmmm, that didn't work, now what', then look at him, ask him to sit and then pat him or give him a treat. He only gets attention when he sits for it. Eventually they learn that jumping etc gets them nothing, but sitting gets them all the attention they want... so they choose to sit for attention instead. Of course, then you have to remember to GIVE him attention when he approaches you quietly and sits... ignoring him for sitting quietly will have the opposite effect. Dogs are like kids, they learn VERY early on that noisy bratty behaviour gets our attention like nothing else.

                  Nipping and mouthing
                  This is natural play behaviour and is appropriate when they play with other puppies (ever seen two puppies playing? they aren't gentle) but not when playing with people (we're far too soft lol). The hardest thing about this one is getting everyone on the same page... often partners are in conflict with this. There's often one partner who wants to play and razz them up and get them all worked up and mouthy, while one that doesn't want it. I recommend not playing like that as it encourages mouthing behaviour that they will continue doing as an adult. So I say that if teeth touch your skin, irrespective of if it hurts, play stops. Stand up. Ignore him. Give him a chew toy instead if you have to. But the lesson here is 'I'm not going to play if you're going to be rough'. Let them calm down a second then play again. Every time teeth touch you, play stops. You might find that you are up and down like a yo-yo, but it eventually gets through. As with everything else... repetition and consistency. When playing keep your voice low and calm and try to avoid all the hyped up, high pitched, arm waving excited stuff... you'll get him all excited and boisterous and make it harder to play calmly. You can do this sort of play outside with a toy or something if you WANT to be able to play like this, but avoid it indoors and try to make it play with a toy or ball and not directly with you and/or your hands. Especially if you ever have kids over. Big dog who plays rough + kids = angry parents who wont accept that their kids were probably at fault in the first place.

                  Exercise
                  Too much exercise is bad for growing joints. So even though he is a big dog, don't take him out for long walks just yet. Too much stress on the joints can lead to joint growth problems... this is high impact things like running, jumping, twisting, turning as well as extended periods of low impact exercise (like long walks). Usually I say no more than 10-15 minutes walk at a time until they are 6 months old, then up to 20-30, but wait until fully grown (over 12 mths) before doing long walks. You can do two or even three walks a day, just not too long. And minimise sudden stopping and twisting and turning, which makes fetch and ball games not so great for growing large breed puppies. Exercise if one of the factors for hip and elbow dysplasia... you can actually cause these if you overexercise them early on. You can't stop what he does when he plays... so don't stress about all the jumping and running he does on his own, just avoid adding to it.

                  Toilet Training
                  How hard this will be depends on whether he's indoors or outdoors or a combination of the two. Basically when he's indoors, make sure you take him out regularly. The minimum should be when he gets up, when he' had a nap, when he's eaten, last thing before bed, and any time you realise he's not been outside for four hours. Watch for his signals... they'll often get restless, sniff or circle when they need to pee. When he goes to the toilet outside heap the praise on him and give him a reward. Tell him how fabulous he is... make it a positive and motivating experience. You'll feel silly but it works lol. If he has an accident indoors don't get angry, yell, or bother rubbing his nose in it... it usually doesn't work that well and can actually create anxiety around toileting. As well as this, he'll only associate the consequence with the action if they happen within about 10 seconds of each other. So if you find an accident he did earlier and start yelling, he has no idea it's because of the accident. Clean accidents up with enzyme based cleaners, NOT ammonia based cleaners. Ammonia is a waste product of the body and can actually encourage them to pee in the same spot again. If you're having regular accidents, revisit your routine and whether you're taking him out often enough. If he goes out, does nothing then pees when you come in... if he doesn't pee outside then go inside, wait two minutes and take him back out again, rinse and repeat. Also make him walk to the door himself (he's probably too big to carry but some people pick them up to take them out). That way he'll learn to go to the door when he needs to pee and means that accidents often happen at the door instead of in the lounge room. Puppy pads and things like that aren't necessary unless he is indoors by himself for long periods of time. They are NOT a short cut and actually increase your workload with toilet training. I only recommend them if they are indoors while you're at work... they are invaluable in that circumstance, but useless if he is not inside unsupervised.

                  I think that's mostly it... I've probably forgotten something though. It takes me 5 weeks to teach all this to my Puppy PreSchoolers. Which brings me to Puppy PreSchool... if you have it where you are I do recommend it. But don't stress if you don't have access to it. Same with obedience training... but ONLY if your local training organisation uses the same techniques I'm recommending. You can actually do damage by using old school techniques and I've never seen a genuinely calm and well behaved dog come from those places. Anxious and highly obedient dogs, yes. But not calm and well behaved. There's a difference. You want to form a trusting and mutually respectful working relationship with him, not break his spirit and make him afraid to do the wrong thing.

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                    #10
                    Re: dog tips?

                    Regarding antlers. They are extremely dense and for my big pup they're the only thing I've found that she doesn't chew through in hours. Probably not good for a young pup then.
                    We are what we are. Nothing more, nothing less. There is good and evil among every kind of people. It's the evil among us who rule now. -Anne Bishop, Daughter of the Blood

                    I wondered if he could ever understand that it was a blessing, not a sin, to be graced with more than one love.
                    It could be complicated; of course it could be complicated. And it opened one up to the possibility of more pain and loss.
                    Still, it was a blessing I would never relinquish. Love, genuine love, was always a cause for joy.
                    -Jacqueline Carey, Naamah's Curse

                    Service to your fellows is the root of peace.

                    Comment


                      #11
                      Re: dog tips?

                      A couple of leashes-one 4' and another 15' for training is what I would also suggest. How old is the puppy? It appears to be about 5 months old? At 6 months, you should start leash training, voice commands, hand commands, etc... Here's a great place to meet other GS breeders: http://www.germanshepherds.com/forum...chutzhund.html

                      Comment


                        #12
                        Re: dog tips?

                        That's all really great advice, Rae'ya. I have one really big problem, though. I live 40 minutes from work (aka a return trip is an hour and a half of JUST driving) and can't come home on my lunch break (which is only an hour). On Tuesday, I brought him to work with me, but my boss has forbade it from happening again because Tyrion cried whenever I wasn't around, and I mean REALLY cried. For almost the entire shift. On Wednesday, I stayed home from work, and we worked on training. But yesterday, I left him at home crated...for 11 hours. Which apparently is like a huge doggy no-no. He didn't pee in his crate at all, and I took him for two walks yesterday evening. BUT, he was a monster yesterday. And now he's started digging the carpet (of our furnished aka not our stuff house). Last night, I decided to leave him out of the crate and just move all puppy-chewable things into other rooms and shut the doors, which seemed fine, but he peed on the floor. So, definitely crated at night.

                        But I can't crate at night AND crate in the day. And no, I don't have neighbours to check on him. But the shortest amount of time I'm gone from the house on a work day is 8:30-7:00, and that's only if I leave work RIGHT AWAY which I'm never able to do. Today we're going to try chilling out on our covered patio, but I'm worried his cries will bother my two neighbours (who hate dogs - one of them told my landlord if his dog comes on her property, she'll shoot him).

                        And to be honest, he's a lot of work. As in, everynight I've called my SO and told him how I want to give the dog back. I don't like human babies, have no mothering urges, and it's making my skin crawl to constantly be touched by a puppy. I just have to give him so much attention! I don't have to do that for cats at all. It's really stressing me out. I cried on the drive home last night because I didn't want to come home and have to deal with the puppy.


                        Mostly art.

                        Comment


                          #13
                          Re: dog tips?

                          Originally posted by volcaniclastic View Post
                          That's all really great advice, Rae'ya. I have one really big problem, though. I live 40 minutes from work (aka a return trip is an hour and a half of JUST driving) and can't come home on my lunch break (which is only an hour). On Tuesday, I brought him to work with me, but my boss has forbade it from happening again because Tyrion cried whenever I wasn't around, and I mean REALLY cried. For almost the entire shift. On Wednesday, I stayed home from work, and we worked on training. But yesterday, I left him at home crated...for 11 hours. Which apparently is like a huge doggy no-no. He didn't pee in his crate at all, and I took him for two walks yesterday evening. BUT, he was a monster yesterday. And now he's started digging the carpet (of our furnished aka not our stuff house). Last night, I decided to leave him out of the crate and just move all puppy-chewable things into other rooms and shut the doors, which seemed fine, but he peed on the floor. So, definitely crated at night.

                          But I can't crate at night AND crate in the day. And no, I don't have neighbours to check on him. But the shortest amount of time I'm gone from the house on a work day is 8:30-7:00, and that's only if I leave work RIGHT AWAY which I'm never able to do. Today we're going to try chilling out on our covered patio, but I'm worried his cries will bother my two neighbours (who hate dogs - one of them told my landlord if his dog comes on her property, she'll shoot him).

                          And to be honest, he's a lot of work. As in, everynight I've called my SO and told him how I want to give the dog back. I don't like human babies, have no mothering urges, and it's making my skin crawl to constantly be touched by a puppy. I just have to give him so much attention! I don't have to do that for cats at all. It's really stressing me out. I cried on the drive home last night because I didn't want to come home and have to deal with the puppy.
                          Honestly, V, how attached are you to the idea of having a puppy?

                          Your situation makes it really difficult, especially if you don't have a fenced area that he can stay in during the day. It's not fair to crate him during the day and during the night, but you know that. The crying and whining will probably settle down, but you (and your neighbours) will have to make it through a few weeks of it. Peeing on the floor during the day... you can train him to use puppy pads or something similar for during the day, if you have the inclination to do so. They are definitely helpful for puppies inside on their own for long periods, and take no more work than normal toilet training. But you'll inevitably have a few accidents, just as you will with any puppy who you aren't with all day every day.

                          Puppies are hard work, but they are not supposed to be a burden or something that makes you miserable. If you aren't enjoying him, it might not be worth having a puppy. It's not fair to you, and it's not fair to him. I think you need to think really hard about whether this is what you want. If it is, then we can work through it (PM me if you prefer). But if not then maybe you need to rethink whether or not you keep him. It's okay if this doesn't work.

                          Comment


                            #14
                            Re: dog tips?

                            Originally posted by volcaniclastic View Post

                            And to be honest, he's a lot of work. As in, everynight I've called my SO and told him how I want to give the dog back. I don't like human babies, have no mothering urges, and it's making my skin crawl to constantly be touched by a puppy. I just have to give him so much attention! I don't have to do that for cats at all. It's really stressing me out. I cried on the drive home last night because I didn't want to come home and have to deal with the puppy.
                            Dogs are social creatures. They thrive on interaction, and even the most solitary ... aren't. German Shepherd / mixes are highly interactive with their people. They NEED interaction. They NEED to bond. They also tend to be highly intelligent and need activity.

                            If the thought of the puppy touching you makes your skin crawl, and you leaving it alone more than half the day, it is neither fair to yourself or the animal to continue keeping it.

                            You mentioned that you are only fostering ... I would suggest, personally, contacting the people whom you are fostering for and letting them know it is not working out. And that is OK. Perfectly OK. It is GREAT, in fact, that you recognize things now and arrange for the puppy to go a better situation.

                            Comment


                              #15
                              Re: dog tips?

                              I met a lady yesterday who said she adopted a dog a little while ago, and she hated him for the first month and a half she had him. After that, she said he was alright, and now they seem fine.

                              And if I lived alone, I would definitely consider giving him back. But I don't - my partner and I live together, but he's out of town right now, and he's the one who REALLY wants the puppy. When we discussed giving him back, he got really upset, because he hasn't had a chance to hang out with the little dude yet.

                              The puppy's alright, I suppose. Although he did cry from 2am-7am the other morning, and that was definitely not alright with me. My main concern is just that A) I haven't seen my cat in days, and actually have to carry him down the stairs and put him outside, because otherwise he stays hiding in the bedroom and never moves. After two days of not eating, I had to move his food upstairs. I love my cat more than I love my partner - ergo, this bothers me. B) I already have only a few hours a day to myself. I spend two hours driving to work/back, 9 hours at work, I only ever get about 6 hours of sleep, and the rest of the days hours are grocery shopping, watering my community garden, volunteering at the shelter, etc. So really, I only have about an hour in the morning and maybe 3 in the evening to give to this puppy. I'm not going to bed until midnight anymore, because I get home from work at 7-8pm, start dinner, eat by maybe 9-10pm, and then have to walk a puppy.

                              I don't even have time to clean my house (which the puppy is quickly turning into a warzone).

                              I just had no idea dogs were this much work. I thought they'd be like big cats. You know, let's go for a walk, let's go for a drive, let's go camping, oh, we're home, here's some food and a chew toy, go chill out for the rest of the day and let me cuddle the cat.

                              So I feel really torn. I mean, sometimes, having a puppy is alright. Like when we're walking and he's chasing dragonflies and butterflies and trying to eat them. Or yesterday, when I got him to 'roll over' for the first time on command. But when he's crying, chewing, peeing on the deck (admittedly only twice), running up the stairs after I've showed him a hundred times DO NOT GO UP THE STAIRS, pulling used tampons out of my bathroom garbage bin, being locked up on the patio at home so that I can't ever do anything after work without driving 40 minutes home and then 40 minutes back into town...well, then I want to give him back. And when I think about having a dog living in my house and making it dirty and smelling like dog for the next 15 years, I want to give him back. And I feel the WORST because we've talked about getting a dog for a long time, and it was ME who volunteers at the SPCA and found this guy and introduced him to my partner, but it's my partner that fell in love with the puppy, and he's the one who isn't home right now, and who probably won't be home for the rest of the summer, except for a week here, and a week there. So I can't give him back at least until my partner comes home and meets the doggy and sees how much work a puppy is. And we have to move in two weeks, which will make some things easier (the commute) and I did just find a doggy day care that we're talking about sending him to once a week for puppy socialization time, but we haven't found a place to live yet because nowhere allows dogs, and the cheapest place we've found that does is $2400/month. Which is $600/month more than where we are now (where I am not affording to live). But I suppose we could find roommates, since there is more than one bedroom.

                              So I've got at least another week of not sleeping, and not having time to do anything before he gets home and can finally share puppy responsibilities.


                              Mostly art.

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