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Dog Age - Official Man's Best Friend Thread

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BertramCooper

Banned
Thanks for the encouragement! It's much appreciated. I know that being firm and consistent is key, and that as long as I do that, everything should eventually work itself out. Still, it's so easy to get discouraged by every little setback. (And I don't think the poor sleep is helping my overall state of mind!)
 
B

BertramCooper

Banned
One quick question: Is it pretty common for a puppy to flip the fuck out whenever you leave the room?

I've been keeping the little guy on a leash most of the time he's in my apartment to help teach him that he can't just run wild everywhere (and also to help him get used to being on a leash). Whenever I have to take a shower or use the toilet and exit the room for a few minutes, he starts whining, often quite loudly. Like the other times he whines, I try to ignore it without completely neglecting him.

I'm guessing this is pretty common and that he'll eventually grow out of it, but I figured I'd check. I'm guessing his little puppy brain has a hard time grasping that I'm still there even when he can't see me.
 
S

Socreges

Banned
BertramCooper said:
One quick question: Is it pretty common for a puppy to flip the fuck out whenever you leave the room?

I've been keeping the little guy on a leash most of the time he's in my apartment to help teach him that he can't just run wild everywhere (and also to help him get used to being on a leash). Whenever I have to take a shower or use the toilet and exit the room for a few minutes, he starts whining, often quite loudly. Like the other times he whines, I try to ignore it without completely neglecting him.

I'm guessing this is pretty common and that he'll eventually grow out of it, but I figured I'd check. I'm guessing his little puppy brain has a hard time grasping that I'm still there even when he can't see me.
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Pretty common. It's an evolutionary mechanism, remember. Just like babies crying. It's in their favour to have that instinct to whine, as annoying as it is. Of course now they're in perfectly reliable conditions with human parents that will care for them regardless, but they don't know that.

Some puppies will whine more than others. Yours might be more persistent and needy. Just be strong. They'll be conditioned to understand A) whining gets them no where, and B) you end up returning irrespective of what they do

Our puppy got better over time but he'd still whine a bit if I went into the washroom and left him alone. I made sure that, within reason, I only opened the door when he'd stopped so that he never draws the connection that whining = results.

Bertram, it's been less than a week. This is nothing. Just continue to be strong and look after his actual needs. Sometimes whining DOES mean 'I desperately need to go poop' but you should be able to tell the difference. If he's whining for the sake of a broken heart, ignore him and he'll get stronger and more independent.

You're doing very well by ignoring his cries at night. So many puppy owners end up responding to them which just perpetuate the problem. Our puppy (now 1.5 yrs) went from whining in his kennel every night to now, as someone else mentioned, going in there himself every night because he knows that's where he gets his peace.

Enjoy!
 
B

BertramCooper

Banned
Socreges said:
Pretty common. It's an evolutionary mechanism, remember. Just like babies crying. It's in their favour to have that instinct to whine, as annoying as it is. Of course now they're in perfectly reliable conditions with human parents that will care for them regardless, but they don't know that.

Some puppies will whine more than others. Yours might be more persistent and needy. Just be strong. They'll be conditioned to understand A) whining gets them no where, and B) you end up returning irrespective of what they do

Our puppy got better over time but he'd still whine a bit if I went into the washroom and left him alone. I made sure that, within reason, I only opened the door when he'd stopped so that he never draws the connection that whining = results.

Bertram, it's been less than a week. This is nothing. Just continue to be strong and look after his actual needs. Sometimes whining DOES mean 'I desperately need to go poop' but you should be able to tell the difference. If he's whining for the sake of a broken heart, ignore him and he'll get stronger and more independent.

You're doing very well by ignoring his cries at night. So many puppy owners end up responding to them which just perpetuate the problem. Our puppy (now 1.5 yrs) went from whining in his kennel every night to now, as someone else mentioned, going in there himself every night because he knows that's where he gets his peace.

Enjoy!
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Awesome advice. Thanks so much.

I sound like a first-time dog owner, which is funny, because he's my third dog. The big difference is that the first two were on my family's dairy farm, where the dogs were outside constantly and there was always someone there to look after them because my mom and dad both worked on the farm. Crate training probably would have been beneficial for those two dogs, but it wasn't absolutely necessary like it is for this one.
 
T

Teggy

Member
BertramCooper said:
I've been keeping the little guy on a leash most of the time he's in my apartment to help teach him that he can't just run wild everywhere (and also to help him get used to being on a leash). Whenever I have to take a shower or use the toilet and exit the room for a few minutes, he starts whining, often quite loudly. Like the other times he whines, I try to ignore it without completely neglecting him.
Click to expand...

Instead of leashing him inside I'd recommend getting a pen like this
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000H904WS/?tag=neogaf0e-20

Unless you are holding the leash at all times (which would be quite annoying) that sounds kind of dangerous.

And yes totally normal to get worked up when you are out of sight. My golden is 2 years old and he will still occasionally bark if we go into the bathroom and close the door :/

Having a puppy is super tiring, unfortunately, although it gets better once they sleep through the night. I work from home so I took care of our boy pretty much 24/7 and that definitely soured me on puppies for a good while lol. But he's a good boy now most of the time and I love him a lot. Our next dog is going to be his mom who is retiring from breeding and we'll be getting towards the end of the year. Looking forward to having another dog around without the puppy hassle. I'm sure I'll do it again some day, but there will be a nice break before then.
 
S

Socreges

Banned
Teggy said:
Instead of leashing him inside I'd recommend getting a pen like this
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000H904WS/?tag=neogaf0e-20
Click to expand...
Alternatively you can go to a local hardware store and get some random large planks of wood (shouldn't cost too much). We bought two and put them at either end of the kitchen. That accomplished two things: he had boundaries and would have to get used to us not being accessible, and he also was on tiled floors so if he peed there wasn't much of a clean-up. He was housebroken pretty quickly, though. Soon after it was just where we penned him up when we left him at home, until we felt comfortable giving him the reign of the house.
 
B

BertramCooper

Banned
We're doing some targeted exercises to cut down on the whining today.

I'm sitting down in a chair at my dining table facing away from him. He inevitably starts whining, and once he stops (for about ten seconds), I go over and praise him.

He's catching on pretty quickly, and it's amusing to hear him fighting his natural urge to scream at me.

He's a really smart pup. I knew he probably would be, considering poodles and goldens are both among the smartest dog breeds, but I'm still very impressed. We made some really good progress on clicker training yesterday. It took him a couple of days of settling in before I could get him to concentrate, but he's now very eager to learn.
 
T

teruterubozu

Member
He's a lucky pup to have an attentive owner. I like Cesar's formula - it helped me out tremendously during the puppy phase:

50% exercise + 25% instruction/discipline + 25% affection = balanced dog

People balk at the "25% affection" part but exercise is also a huge part of that affection and also affection is earned in training/instruction. Basically a tired pup is a good pup (although your pup is a little too young for intense exercise yet).
 
R

RoninChaos

Member
BertramCooper said:
After two days of substantial progress, the pup had a very rough morning.

Last night I took him out every 2-3 hours as usual, but when I woke up in the morning, I found a turd in his crate. I took him outside immediately and then came back in to thoroughly clean and deodorize the crate and its contents. He then pooped on the rug in my living room, and about two hours later, peed on the rug.

Oof. He's only eight-and-a-half weeks old so I know stuff like this will happen, but it's still a bummer. I just need to get him settled down (he has been a rambunctious mess all morning) and push forward with his training.
Click to expand...

When we house trained our dog we would take her out about 45 minutes AFTER she ate, and put her directly on the grass. Not let her walk down the stairs (She couldn't at the time anyway) nothing, just right on the grass. The idea was that sensation of contact apparently gave her the notion that when she's out there, she's supposed to go. When she went, we gave her treats and encouragement. She's only used the bathroom in the house once since, and that was because my wife apparently didn't let her out one day.
 
E

EatChildren

Currently polling second in Australia's federal election (first in the Gold Coast), this feral may one day be your Bogan King.
Family's dog has grown up fast.

277qojff.jpeg
 
E

EverythingShiny

Member
I'm having a similar-ish, if not louder, problem as Bertram with my 10 month old pup. I've been (willfully) unemployed the 3 months we've had him so he's very, very attached to me since we spend a lot of time together. Problem is, if I try to do anything on my desktop computer, he whines and then barks because I'm not paying attention to him and he can't get close to me. He'll sit in my boyfriend's chair right next to me and bark and bark and bark.

I've been ignoring him - not looking at him, not talking to him, not playing with him - when he barks at me like that, but he can be very stubborn and so far, he's still barking. A lot of this is probably exercise-related, because when he's tired he'll go lie down in his crate or on a dog bed next to me and be quiet. But for the sake of my eardrums, does anyone have any other advice?
 
B

BertramCooper

Banned
My pup is now refusing to eat his meals in his crate.

And he was extremely loud during his time in there today - far louder than yesterday or last night. I have no clue why.

I can't catch a break with this pup.

EDIT: Okay, he's finally starting to eat. So that's something.
 
K

Krejlooc

Banned
So, because my place burned down and I was living out of my parent's old guest bedroom for a week, and they're not dog people, and I obviously had my dog with me, I wound up not coming in to work for a week while I stayed with my dog to make sure separation anxiety or something didn't kick in and he'd destroy their room.

So, for the first time in several years, my dog and I basically spent every moment of a week together. Seriously, not out of each other's eye sight for almost an entire week.

It was awesome. I haven't spent so much quality time with my dog since he was a brand new puppy. Talk about bonding. It's like we both rediscovered that we really enjoy each other's company.

Gosh I love my dog :)
 
C

Celegus

Member
Krejlooc said:
So, because my place burned down and I was living out of my parent's old guest bedroom for a week, and they're not dog people, and I obviously had my dog with me, I wound up not coming in to work for a week while I stayed with my dog to make sure separation anxiety or something didn't kick in and he'd destroy their room.

So, for the first time in several years, my dog and I basically spent every moment of a week together. Seriously, not out of each other's eye sight for almost an entire week.

It was awesome. I haven't spent so much quality time with my dog since he was a brand new puppy. Talk about bonding. It's like we both rediscovered that we really enjoy each other's company.

Gosh I love my dog :)
Click to expand...

What a lucky pup! My dog would love that, he gets so sad in the mornings when we leave for work and resigns himself to the couch. Sorry about your house though, that's gotta be rough.
 
K

Krejlooc

Banned
Celegus said:
What a lucky pup! My dog would love that, he gets so sad in the mornings when we leave for work and resigns himself to the couch. Sorry about your house though, that's gotta be rough.
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My dog actually saved me, I was asleep when the fire started. He came and pawed at my face while crying and I awoke to a room filled with smoke.

Having my dog around has made the stay outside my place not that bad. My dog is terrific at cheering me up when I'm sad. Typically, he sleeps at my hip but lately he's been putting his head on my belly while we sleep which is pretty adorable. He's also been giving me the puppy eyes lately, I get the feeling he enjoyed being around me all day long as much I as I did with him.
 
M

Mr. Luchador

Member
I went to the local dog shelter and spent time with a few dogs. Out of all the dogs a Rottweiler totally won me over. He was so calm and relaxing. Walked by your side on the lead, and just wanted strokes.
 
DonMigs85

DonMigs85

Member
Near the end of December my uncle gave me a 7-month old Jack Russell/Dachshund cross (from his "oops" litter). We love her and she's very affectionate but she does get pretty severe separation anxiety and barks a lot and destroys stuff when she's left alone.
Will this subside with time? I've had to bombard the house with bitter no-chew spray.
 
A

Alric

Member
Some new snow day pics of my asshole dog Sif. I love her even if she gives me that look sometimes that tells me to put her in the oven.

10942996_10204253199744203_91164515537835675_o.jpg
10849012_10204253199624200_2512054283725933822_o.jpg
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10842263_10204253199784204_3620086283051220739_o.jpg
10339487_10204253199704202_8353128844683657644_o.jpg
 
S

scamander

Banned
Here are some pics of my dog, Mowgli. He turns 15 this year and is still living with my mom and step dad. Since I moved out to study in another city I only see him two to three times per year and every time I fear it might have been the last time. :/

10998524_428177000691381_346548414_o.jpg


11009053_428177114024703_1688653386_n.jpg
 
S

SnakeXs

about the same metal capacity as a cucumber
I'd like to introduce everyone to Winnie. A cousin of mine had a dog who was present and this adorable cutie pie was the runt of the litter. She's about 3 months old. Her mom was half griffon and half cocker spaniel and her dad is a kokoni, which is a dog native to Greece.

She's pretty perfect.

File%20Aug%2010%2C%2014%2033%2053.jpeg
 
K

keezy

Member
Rescued this guy at a Humane Society adoption event at the Detroit Zoo this past weekend. He was abandoned in a shopping cart and left out in a parking lot.

He's a shepard/boxer mix. Always had a dog growing up but since I've moved in to my own house it's the first time I've raised a puppy by myself. Quite the experience so far... :p

10421295_10207557645320079_3834589621680067993_n.jpg


12032173_10207545907386638_8102199985457426205_n.jpg
 
M

Mr. Luchador

Member
keezy said:
Rescued this guy at a Humane Society adoption event at the Detroit Zoo this past weekend. He was abandoned in a shopping cart and left out in a parking lot.

He's a shepard/boxer mix. Always had a dog growing up but since I've moved in to my own house it's the first time I've raised a puppy by myself. Quite the experience so far... :p

10421295_10207557645320079_3834589621680067993_n.jpg


12032173_10207545907386638_8102199985457426205_n.jpg
Click to expand...

How is your new best friend?
 
M

Mr. Luchador

Member
Our little pup turned one this week, he's our first pet and he's been amazing. I can't get over how unselfish dogs are, they just want to please. The bond that develops is insane too, it's something I never understood until I got a dog. I'm not saying I speak dog, but it's strange how you start to understand them, and they totally understand you.

Dogs really do reflect their owner, at least from the 9 months we've had this little pup. Getting a dog was the best thing we've done as a family, I mean I love my wife, but I love my dog on a totally different level (I'll be in the dog house now)! I was going through some tough times the last 12 months, but ever since we got little Crazy Joe, I've just found a reason to be chill. We've got a kid on the way now, and I'm so happy with our family right now.
 
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