Puppy training thread.

Vieux Talonneur · Mar 7, 2024

Mine slid on some mud yesterday into a wire fence and severed his front driver's side paw - top literally hanging on by a thread. The vet has patched him up and we're hopeful there's no deeper damage to nerves etc but we won't fully know that for a while. Signs are encouraging, but even if comparatively straightforward it will still be 'months' before he's fully healed and bouncing around again.

He was out with the dog walker when it happened - she's brilliant and no blame there. Our vet is also excellent, so he's in good hands. Back home with a major dressing and looking a bit sorry for himself. No long walks for a while.

£1,000 later reminded us why we pay a small fortune to Petplan each month. They're pricey but settle quickly and without quibble.

You mention chasing sticks @Quel Carreleur. Chucking into water's probably OK but otherwise please don't throw for them - 2 family members' dogs have had really nasty injuries from sticks bouncing up at unexpected angles. One involved significant blood loss and would have been life threatening if there had been a delay in getting her to the vet.

Which Tyler · Mar 7, 2024

Vieux Talonneur said:
You mention chasing sticks @Quel Carreleur. Chucking into water's probably OK but otherwise please don't throw for them - 2 family members' dogs have had really nasty injuries from sticks bouncing up at unexpected angles. One involved significant blood loss and would have been life threatening if there had been a delay in getting her to the vet.

Oh, I don't - water is the only place I will throw sticks for dogs; generally, I'm far more likely to confiscate them - but your point is well made, and definitely worth making for others.

Really hope your boy makes a good recovery.

Saintjay · Mar 7, 2024

Vieux Talonneur said:
Mine slid on some mud yesterday into a wire fence and severed his front driver's side paw - top literally hanging on by a thread. The vet has patched him up and we're hopeful there's no deeper damage to nerves etc but we won't fully know that for a while. Signs are encouraging, but even if comparatively straightforward it will still be 'months' before he's fully healed and bouncing around again.

He was out with the dog walker when it happened - she's brilliant and no blame there. Our vet is also excellent, so he's in good hands. Back home with a major dressing and looking a bit sorry for himself. No long walks for a while.

£1,000 later reminded us why we pay a small fortune to Petplan each month. They're pricey but settle quickly and without quibble.

You mention chasing sticks @Quel Carreleur. Chucking into water's probably OK but otherwise please don't throw for them - 2 family members' dogs have had really nasty injuries from sticks bouncing up at unexpected angles. One involved significant blood loss and would have been life threatening if there had been a delay in getting her to the vet.

Fingers crossed for the wee fella and wishing him a speedy recovery.

Yeah pet insurance has been a god send for me. Lesson learnt having a previous border collie who broke his leg (no insurance). I tell everyone to get it now. it amazes me how many people don't.

As for sticks yep previous experience don't throw sticks. Again with the same dog, one stick equaled a deep cut in mouth. I Should have called him Lucky. I sound like a bloody terrible dog owner, all lessons learnt the hard way.

Which Tyler · Mar 9, 2024

Cat, not dog, but...
Someone is recovered from his neutering, but nowhere near as recovered as he thinks.

Do you hear the kittens sing?
Singing the song of angry gods?
It is the yowling of the people
Who will not be caged again!
When the beating of your heart
Echoes the beating of the drums
There is a life about to start
When the door opens!

Bada-Bing! · Mar 12, 2024

Warning pet owners could be overpaying for medicine

The competition watchdog said that customers struggle to access information such as price lists.

www.bbc.co.uk

Which Tyler · Mar 12, 2024

Bada-Bing! said:
Warning pet owners could be overpaying for medicine

The competition watchdog said that customers struggle to access information such as price lists.

www.bbc.co.uk

You mean, vets are increasingly motivated by profit?
No shit sherlock

Bada-Bing! · Mar 12, 2024

Quel Carreleur said:
You mean, vets are increasingly motivated by profit?
No shit sherlock

yes. But it means regulators have to get involved. How many pet owners are getting fleeced or not getting their pet treated because of the cost of living crisis?

Which Tyler · Mar 12, 2024

That's the 7TB hard-drive, with all our films, photos, music, files etc on it - she's unplugged the power cable from the wall, and the USB cable from the TV - both of which are destroyed (hopefully she hasn't destroyed the USB input).
One of the dumbbell weights is destroyed as well.

4th dog, 10th if you include childhood. I've never known one this destructive. Every single time they're left alone in the house, something is destroyed, however hard we try to protect stuff.

I refuse to crate her, especially with Beli's past. Any other suggestions?

Bada-Bing! · Mar 13, 2024

Which Tyler · Mar 13, 2024

Quel Carreleur said:
That's the 7TB hard-drive, with all our films, photos, music, files etc on it - she's unplugged the power cable from the wall, and the USB cable from the TV - both of which are destroyed (hopefully she hasn't destroyed the USB input).
One of the dumbbell weights is destroyed as well.

4th dog, 10th if you include childhood. I've never known one this destructive. Every single time they're left alone in the house, something is destroyed, however hard we try to protect stuff.

I refuse to crate her, especially with Beli's past. Any other suggestions?

Right, got a couple of suggestions.
A] When I'm tiring her out before leaving her alone, DON'T take Beli (3 yr old) with me - theory being that maybe when she gets bored, if he's tired he won't want to play and occupy her.
Feel mean though, but it's doable.

B] Extend (and double down on) the "stay" training. Pair it with "Settle" not just "Sit". Extend it to being behind a closed door, not just round a corner, and for being out of sight for lots of seconds, then minutes; not just out of sight for a few seconds.
Basically training her not to worry about not knowing where we are, rather than not crossing the road when I'm checking behind a parked car.

C] Set up some CCTV system at home, so that we can get a better idea of her behaviour leading up to the destruction - or maybe a face-time so that she can hear our voice (potentially shouting at her) as well.
Seems extreme, but then, so does removing everything she might possibly destroy.

B] Makes the most sense to me, and she is the worst we've had at training to "stay" by this age.
In fairness, she's probably the worst we've been with in terms of devoting the hours of training on it - because she's also the first we haven't taken through puppy school (having done it 3 times, and the school moving further away), so we've been lazier with her than the others - which is 100% our fault.

Saintjay · Mar 13, 2024

Quel Carreleur said:
Right, got a couple of suggestions.
A] When I'm tiring her out before leaving her alone, DON'T take Beli (3 yr old) with me - theory being that maybe when she gets bored, if he's tired he won't want to play and occupy her.
Feel mean though, but it's doable.

B] Extend (and double down on) the "stay" training. Pair it with "Settle" not just "Sit". Extend it to being behind a closed door, not just round a corner, and for being out of sight for lots of seconds, then minutes; not just out of sight for a few seconds.
Basically training her not to worry about not knowing where we are, rather than not crossing the road when I'm checking behind a parked car.

C] Set up some CCTV system at home, so that we can get a better idea of her behaviour leading up to the destruction - or maybe a face-time so that she can hear our voice (potentially shouting at her) as well.
Seems extreme, but then, so does removing everything she might possibly destroy.

B] Makes the most sense to me, and she is the worst we've had at training to "stay" by this age.
In fairness, she's probably the worst we've been with in terms of devoting the hours of training on it - because she's also the first we haven't taken through puppy school (having done it 3 times, and the school moving further away), so we've been lazier with her than the others - which is 100% our fault.

We built up time alone/away with Rascal really slowly. Ten mins, thirty etc, etc. He seemed to like the radio on and we confined him to one room with a baby gate before slowly allowing him access to the rest of the house. We also used off spray on things when he was teething as he had a taste for the corners of skirting boards. Some dogs aren't bothered about it at all from what I've been told.

We also got a inexpensive wi-fi cctv camera off of amazon. You can move if and talk tbrough it via your phone. It did seem to reassure him but annoy him as well. He'd have this confused look of 'where the hell is that voice coming from' Still a good bit of kit for the price.

Vieux Talonneur · Mar 13, 2024

Quel Carreleur said:
You mean, vets are increasingly motivated by profit?
No shit sherlock

Yep, but you can understand why costs are high - as with human medicine the combination of tech, years of training and pharma is never going to be cheap. But that doesn't mean there shouldn't be transparency or value for money.

We've always taken the view that we'd do whatever it takes for our animals, even when things were a lot financially tighter than they are now - as we see it that's the minimum we owe our pets.

But you can see how people totally underestimate the costs - buying the pup in the first place isn't cheap, food, treats, harnesses leads and collars, toys, flea and worming treatment, vaccinations, dog walking / sitting fees & insurance *. That's just off the top of my head before anything goes wrong…....as it has for us recently - as I said that was £1,000 on the day and he's currently having to have his dressings changed every other day at £65 a pop.

As they get older more treatments are needed - one of our cats has a drug to help some arthritic joints at £70 per month (our last dog had the canine version) and he previously needed emergency eye surgery which cost £3K. Stuff does happen. Pet ownership shouldn't just be for the comfortably off but there are some financial realities too. I'd rather not have pets than have them but be unable to look after them in the way I'd want to.

* EDIT + training, doggy bags etc etc