She has arrived. Mamma had a litter of 8, 3 silvers and 5 Chocolates, of which only 2 were females so picking was already narrowed down for us. See pic in the R&R thread. I don't want to post it to every thread. Wait, YES I DO! But I won't. So excited! Future pics will go here.
More pups, more problems. Y'all ever deal with dog paraphimosis? Super fun times. Also, meet Hemmy-- a half Aussie half border collie.
What a cute pup up there! We are going to crate train Ruca. Anyone have any tips on good ones? We'll need a huge wire one for at home and then another for my office and/or travel. Also any tips are welcome. We have not crate trained before. Also, I was told to get her a puzzle bowl so she does not inhale her food in 3.2 seconds. Thoughts?
We have an Elitefield soft crate for Otto. http://www.elitefieldpet.com/?mod=products_detail&id=21&tid=11 Its super lightweight and it's good for at home and traveling. He doesn't try to escape it or anything. I have a wire cage too, but it is so heavy. At the end of the day, I think the dog just needs to FEEL confined instead of actual imprisonment. But that could just be Otto. I don't have any tips on food bowls though. I do have an elevated setup because Otto is 100 lbs and its easier for him to eat when the food is closer to head-level.
Thank you. I just ordered $181 worth of dog stuff on Amazon. Must. Stay. Away. And her dog food is 50 bucks for a 27lb bag. Holy fuck! We're gonna go broke.
Yea dog food isn't exactly dog food anymore. Sometimes I think my pup back in SD eats healthier than I do
Check out chewy.com. Some things are cheaper there and free 2 day shipping for orders over $49 and flat rate $5 shipping for the rest I believe. You can get some toys cheaper that way for sure. I dunno if you've ordered one but Midwest iCrates have been good for me. Crate training sucks balls but is totally worth it. I'm not sure there is a good way to do it and it sort of depends on the dog. My older dog didn't have nearly as many issues as the pup above. In retrospect, I would have taken more time introducing him to it and giving him a lot more positive associations with it. I.e tossing treats in, letting him wander in an out some, sitting by it and playing with him while he is in it until he falls asleep, putting him in it for shorter stretches at a time first. It should be first priority when you get her home I think. What has helped was having a stuffed toy that is crate only and a kong (they make one that looks like a pacifier that is perfect for puppies to chomp on). Anything to get them to just settle down initially helps. I relied too much on a "he will get over it" attitude as he was crying his head off. Some of that is necessary but it shouldn't be overwhelming. I would hold off on a puzzle bowl unless your breeder is telling you that's her habit. Mine eat too slowly now. It's annoying as hell.
Thanks you guys. Yeah Chewy was where I got that price. And the 27lb bag is the biggest I can find. We'll hold off on many things until we can gauge her temperament. The other crate I got is wire and will sit in a permanent spot at home. It's huge but has a divider for puppydays. Thank you Gravy for the crating info. I think that will be our biggest challenge. Any info on that is appreciated.
My dog loves his crate. He will just hang out in there for fun when he's just chilling. I've never used it for punishment, so he sees it as a place of refuge. I put the big wire one in the garage permanently. It was just so heavy. You should also get a big fluffy dog bed too. Costco has them for less than $30.
Now now Pops, let's be positive. The crate is not for punishment, like you said it'll be her safe space. And a big dog bed is on the (god damn long) list of things we have to get in prep.
Ive always used crates as a purely potty training tool. You get one small enough they can't move to another side of if they do go the bathroom. Only take the dog out of the cage when you are feeding, playing with, or taking them outside to go to the bathroom until it is house broken.
Whatever bed/crate you get them, be sure it's big enough for them to use once they are fully grown. They will imprint on whatever that toy/spot is, and if they outgrow it, they will be sad. And on that point, if/when they do have a favourite toy, go buy 10 of them, because at some point it'll fall apart or get lost and they will miss it, and then you'll spend all your fucking time hunting for that stupid fucking toy that you bought 4 years ago and can't find it and why the FUCK did they think that stopping making it was a good fucking idea... well.... you get the idea. Ask me how I know this. Or not.
I got the biggest one they had. It's 47"L x 30"W x 32"H so she'll have it forever. She'll hang out in it (hopefully). She'll sleep in it (hopefully). And eventually it will be where she is when we're at work (hopefully). They are already 80% potty trained when they come home according to my GF they has the 6 mo old silver. The breeder allows first visits at 7 weeks, then at 8 they can go to their forever homes but, she'll keep them up to 9 weeks. We are going to try to hold out to 9 weeks.
YES this. Piggy is obsessed with this ball specifically: https://www.petsuppliesplus.com/categories/dog/toys and apparel/play and chew toys/Caitec-Chase-N-Chomp-Amazing-Squeaker-Ball-Dog-Toy/6327 We have other balls around, too, but she treats this thing like gollum with the ring. She won't let it leave her side and will play endlessly with it. We currently have 3 of them floating around somewhere. We can go over to my parents' house with the dogs and she will babysit herself on the perimeter of the talking circle on the porch or in a corner with the ball, because she will always be alert with one eye on it to be sure it is close. Get duplicates of the most loved toys and stash them away for the sad day when she loses or breaks the original.
We sort of crate trained with our second dog, but it probably didn't stick because Buddy doesn't use the crate and she is smart and aware of that. We used it for bed time and any time we were not home--more of a potty training tool--because she had a lot of accidents at first. She is a very alert dog and always wants to see what is going on and in the thick of things. Needing a quiet space to herself isn't really something she seems to care about.
Wondered why the birds in the tree outside my office window were so loud... I think I figured it out.