lefty's random dog thread.

Originally Posted by JLibourel

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I thought you already had a Staffordshire Bull Terrier. Sure the two will get along?

They seem to be doing fine. The Staffie is a female, and is about 2 years old, so tolerates the Rottie's bullshit for now. They may very well have it out at some point where one will establish dominance over the other, and things will settle down to a new norm. They may never have it out, with the puppy always assuming it's bottom rung of the ladder. We shall see.

Good luck. I just hope they don't get into it when the puppy is an adult and he seriously injures or kills the Staffie Bull. However, it may never come to that.

One bit of advice based on experience: Keep rawhide away from them. I don't know what it is about that stuff, but it can sure make otherwise friendly dogs have at each other. Otherwise, monitor toys and treats closely.

Here he is, managed to keep him still long enough to snap this:

Yes - loads of exercise (approx 3 hours daily). We start with a 30 minute walk at 6am, before work.
Mid afternoon for 90 minutes and then a run in the evening. He is going through 'Bastard' mode presently, with lots of teething and challenging us as he gains confidence.
On the plus side he does not chew furniture or shoes and has his own space on the ground floor. We have one of those childproof gates to separate him from our upstairs space.
We are struggling with the 'lunge jumping', where he will take a running jump and typically get me in the nuts. Any tips?

Originally Posted by JLibourel

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Good luck. I just hope they don't get into it when the puppy is an adult and he seriously injures or kills the Staffie Bull. However, it may never come to that.

One bit of advice based on experience: Keep rawhide away from them. I don't know what it is about that stuff, but it can sure make otherwise friendly dogs have at each other. Otherwise, monitor toys and treats closely.

Never say never, but I've owned Rotties my entire life, so I have a good bit of experience with how to properly socialize and set limits. But your advice is good, and I hear you.

^Cute little fellow, your pup, but then aren't just about all puppies?

Out of curiosity, is his tail docked, or is it being left natural? The latter option seems to becoming more common, following the lead of Europe.

Originally Posted by JLibourel

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^Cute little fellow, your pup, but then aren't just about all puppies?

Out of curiosity, is his tail docked, or is it being left natural? The latter option seems to becoming more common, following the lead of Europe.

Yes, he's a great little dog. I'd forgotten how clumsy they look at this age with their huge paws, he'll grow into his in a few months I am sure.

This one is docked, and yes, I've seen more and more natural Rotties around these days. I tend to prefer the look of the docked tail, but not being a dog myself, I am unsure of the discomfort of the procedure. Can't be any worse than circumcision..

I am excited about this guy, he comes from some very solid lines, and brings back fond memories of puppyhood with my last one. Broke my heart to see him suffer and die with cancer. Still keep pictures of him on my desk at work..

Originally Posted by earthdragon

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Yes - loads of exercise (approx 3 hours daily). We start with a 30 minute walk at 6am, before work.
Mid afternoon for 90 minutes and then a run in the evening. He is going through 'Bastard' mode presently, with lots of teething and challenging us as he gains confidence.
On the plus side he does not chew furniture or shoes and has his own space on the ground floor. We have one of those childproof gates to separate him from our upstairs space.
We are struggling with the 'lunge jumping', where he will take a running jump and typically get me in the nuts. Any tips?

Oh sweet memories!
My did chew shoes a short period, 1 or 2 months during teething(lost three shoe trees!)

Is he "lunge jumping" when you arrive home or during exercise?

If it's during exercise usually a break in playing should help stopping that, you know when he gets you in the nuts stop everything, put the ball or toy in your pocket and ignore him for about 5 min, this helped with Winston, he had the same behaviour.

If when you arrive home you must teach him that you going and coming during the day is a usual thing, usually you do the follow you simply leave the house no farewell etc, you simply leave without noticing him, and when you arrive you do the same, you come home take off your coat and shoes, store your purchases (you get the picture) and after all that you first notice the dog, but not overly cheery just plain normal.
This you can practise easily when you take out the trash or go to the mailbox

Great Tips - thanks

In regards to crate training and separation anxiety, will the anxiety automatically improve with time? I I leave jake alone in his crate for an hour he pretty much howls the whole time. That being said, I haven't been very consistent in training him. If it were to become a daily routine could I expect better results? Ideally I'd like to be able to leave him in his crate for up to 4-5 hours and not have him be anxious about it.

He should get better.

Try all the usual stuff:
get him used to the crate by putting him in for short periods when you are home
ignore his pleas and don't acknowledge that there is anything different to crate time than any other time of his day - release him when he is calm.
feed him before you go
put a cheese-stuffed bone inside the crate
exhaust him prior to crating

lefty

Originally Posted by lefty

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He should get better.

Try all the usual stuff:
get him used to the crate by putting him in for short periods when you are home
ignore his pleas and don't acknowledge that there is anything different to crate time than any other time of his day - release him when he is calm.
feed him before you go
put a cheese-stuffed bone inside the crate
exhaust him prior to crating

lefty

Good stuff here. I always found the first week of crate training was the worst, but follow the above advice, and it gets better very quickly.

Crate = cage?

Is the risk in letting the puppy roam free while you're at work that it'll tear up the house?

Originally Posted by Rambo

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Crate = cage?

Is the risk in letting the puppy roam free while you're at work that it'll tear up the house?

This, and also, the crate (which is essentially a cage, yes) helps in housetraining, since most puppies will be uncomfortable with the notion of pissing or taking a dump in their "nest". I've heard breeders say that this behavior is learned through correction carried out by mama dog when the puppies are young and mess up the litter. Not sure if it's true but makes sense to me.

I had a Rottie once that chewed a basketball sized hole in the drywall of my apartment when I first starting letting him roam free. Also turned many pairs of boots into shoes by chewing the uppers until I learned my lesson..

I would never leave a puppy unattended. Stazy has a Basenji. A very smart easily bored breed that can wreak havoc when left alone.

lefty