KoopahTroopahThe koopas, the troopas.Philadelphia, PARegistered Userregular
edited March 2019
I don't have any advice, I just wanted to say congratulations on what looks like a beautiful golden retriever puppy. Mad jealous as I can't get a puppy myself and I've been dying for one since I moved out on my own two years ago.
Descendant XSkyrim is my god now.Outpost 31Registered Userregular
Thanks Koopah! Sorry I haven't been around Steam chat much.
We're only three days away from Puppy Acquisition Day on the 9th. Both of us are getting pretty excited, and I think we're pretty much prepared at this point. I wish I could thank all of you in person for the assistance and advice you've given, but you're going to have to live with a forum post telling you how great and helpful you all have been!
Garry: I know you gentlemen have been through a lot, but when you find the time I'd rather not spend the rest of the winter TIED TO THIS FUCKING COUCH!
re: tug of war. This depends on the breed a bit actually. Different breeds do have mildly different play habits and for one dog tug of war might be a dominance contest but for others its just what they do for fun.
Either way its definitely not something you want to let them do with just any thing. Our old boston terrier had a series of interlocked rubber rings that were the toy she'd bring to you if she wanted to play that game and only that toy.
Be prepared for more pee and shit on your floors than you would typically find ideal.
As other people have mentioned, be consistent with everything. That's the basis for any other training or expectations. Dogs are pattern seekers, so you have to make the patterns clear.
Styrofoam Sammich on
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Descendant XSkyrim is my god now.Outpost 31Registered Userregular
We’ve got three cats. As long as he keeps it on the floor he’ll be doing better than our cat Murphy, who pissed on our brand new couch two or three times last year (in his defence, this was after stomach surgery to remove the drawstring from a pair of scrubs from his stomach) and used to like to piss in the laundry basket when he was younger.
Garry: I know you gentlemen have been through a lot, but when you find the time I'd rather not spend the rest of the winter TIED TO THIS FUCKING COUCH!
oh I'm sure they will increase their effort to stay on top
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Descendant XSkyrim is my god now.Outpost 31Registered Userregular
Everyone, meet Rico!
We brought him home about 45 minutes ago and he’s all tuckered out from playing. Two of the cats have met him and were not too keen on the idea, but we’ll keep an eye on them.
Garry: I know you gentlemen have been through a lot, but when you find the time I'd rather not spend the rest of the winter TIED TO THIS FUCKING COUCH!
Most cats will lose interest in the puppy after a while as long as the puppy isn't overbearing. As long as your cats aren't overly neurotic(insert cat joke here) you should be fine as long as you try to avoid letting the puppy invade their personal spaces.
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Descendant XSkyrim is my god now.Outpost 31Registered Userregular
What do you folks think of using music to calm a dog? We’re having to crate now during the day for an hour or so, and we’d like Rico to be as chill as possible when he’s crated.
Garry: I know you gentlemen have been through a lot, but when you find the time I'd rather not spend the rest of the winter TIED TO THIS FUCKING COUCH!
What do you folks think of using music to calm a dog? We’re having to crate now during the day for an hour or so, and we’d like Rico to be as chill as possible when he’s crated.
we used to play music when we left our pup
that said, he is probably fine for an hour. sometimes making a big production out of leaving makes things worse.
that also said while great for many dogs, crate training is not for every dog. our old dog lost her shit when she was in a crate. we gated her off in a safe room and was fine.
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Descendant XSkyrim is my god now.Outpost 31Registered Userregular
Yeah, we’re not making a show of leaving the house. It’s more about just helping Rico chill out when we leave him alone. He’ll probably get used to it eventually.
Garry: I know you gentlemen have been through a lot, but when you find the time I'd rather not spend the rest of the winter TIED TO THIS FUCKING COUCH!
Yeah, we’re not making a show of leaving the house. It’s more about just helping Rico chill out when we leave him alone. He’ll probably get used to it eventually.
Oh not saying you are purposely doing it
but imagine this. you go and grab all your stuff, you try to find things to put in the crate, you thn try to get rico into the crate. you then turn on the radio, grab all you stuff that you put down, then try to leave.
it can happen if you are not thinking about it.
what I would recommend, go buy some appropriate kongs. These
stuff them with things like peanut butter banana or treats. freeze .
When you are ready to leave, have him go into his crate. then give it to rico as a treat for going into his crate.
turn on radio and leave.
if he is any sort of food motivated he will spend his time working on that kong and forget about you.
there is an art to packing a kong.
also the radio can have the opposite effect you are going for. he could think he is locked away while people are in a different room and make him cry more.
again, he is probably chilling out more than you think. If you have a spare camera/monitor etc. set it up and check it when you are gone. my bet is he is settled down fine.
What do you folks think of using music to calm a dog? We’re having to crate now during the day for an hour or so, and we’d like Rico to be as chill as possible when he’s crated.
If they find the music calming then no reason not to use it. The association building is key - if the music is associated with a calm, chill time then it will probably help. If being crated makes them anxious and the music is only associated with the crate, this could cause problems. So I would play the same music at other times when things are calm and it's time for a snooze - late at night, for example.
It's been taken down now, but for a while YouTube had a 15 minute recording of David Tennant reading a dog version of Wuthering Heights (Woofering Heights), with beta-wave enhancing mood music in the background. When Usch was a puppy he would get overtired and refuse to settle, but this would conk him out totally in about five minutes.
Yeah, we’re not making a show of leaving the house. It’s more about just helping Rico chill out when we leave him alone. He’ll probably get used to it eventually.
Oh not saying you are purposely doing it
but imagine this. you go and grab all your stuff, you try to find things to put in the crate, you thn try to get rico into the crate. you then turn on the radio, grab all you stuff that you put down, then try to leave.
it can happen if you are not thinking about it.
what I would recommend, go buy some appropriate kongs. These
stuff them with things like peanut butter banana or treats. freeze .
When you are ready to leave, have him go into his crate. then give it to rico as a treat for going into his crate.
turn on radio and leave.
if he is any sort of food motivated he will spend his time working on that kong and forget about you.
there is an art to packing a kong.
also the radio can have the opposite effect you are going for. he could think he is locked away while people are in a different room and make him cry more.
again, he is probably chilling out more than you think. If you have a spare camera/monitor etc. set it up and check it when you are gone. my bet is he is settled down fine.
I see what you mean. That's a really good point that I hadn't thought of, obviously.
We've got a Kong; I'll get Mrs. Facepunch to give this a go when she leaves for work this afternoon. As for the music, I was playing it yesterday evening and he was pretty chill, but I think that has more to do with my own chill energy more than it does with the music. I'll just watch TV or play games this evening after he's done playing and see how that affects his behaviour. He was pretty chill on Monday, and we spent most of the day watching The Grand Tour and playing Nier Automata when we didn't have visitors because he was sleeping most of the time.
I think this may become a long thread...
Descendant X on
Garry: I know you gentlemen have been through a lot, but when you find the time I'd rather not spend the rest of the winter TIED TO THIS FUCKING COUCH!
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Descendant XSkyrim is my god now.Outpost 31Registered Userregular
What do you folks think of using music to calm a dog? We’re having to crate now during the day for an hour or so, and we’d like Rico to be as chill as possible when he’s crated.
If they find the music calming then no reason not to use it. The association building is key - if the music is associated with a calm, chill time then it will probably help. If being crated makes them anxious and the music is only associated with the crate, this could cause problems. So I would play the same music at other times when things are calm and it's time for a snooze - late at night, for example.
It's been taken down now, but for a while YouTube had a 15 minute recording of David Tennant reading a dog version of Wuthering Heights (Woofering Heights), with beta-wave enhancing mood music in the background. When Usch was a puppy he would get overtired and refuse to settle, but this would conk him out totally in about five minutes.
We've actually not played music while he's in the crate yet; I only thought about calming music yesterday afternoon after I finished pushing Rico's head back through the small hole he made in the crate, which is a soft crate that we'll use until he gets a bit bigger. We've since started putting his food bowl in the crate and he hasn't refused to eat, so it was probably more anxiety from being left alone than anything else.
Indeed, when I got home he was initially quiet even though his head was sticking out of the side of the crate. Once he realized that I was taking off my boots in the mudroom he started making a racket.
Garry: I know you gentlemen have been through a lot, but when you find the time I'd rather not spend the rest of the winter TIED TO THIS FUCKING COUCH!
yeah the only way crates work is if they see it as "their space", so some eating (non messy stuff!) and having their toys in it helps.
A good way to tell if they see it as a safe and comforting environment is if they go in at odd times during the day without being told, or run there when they're scared. So doing whatever you can to make it a safe environment they have some sense of ownership over is a good move.
You might want to get a big crate with an adjustable divider. If he gets out of the crate it's over
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Descendant XSkyrim is my god now.Outpost 31Registered Userregular
Yeah, I may just pop by the pet store in the way home and pick one up instead of waiting for him to get bigger to replace it.
Garry: I know you gentlemen have been through a lot, but when you find the time I'd rather not spend the rest of the winter TIED TO THIS FUCKING COUCH!
An all metal wire crate with a plastic pan and a movable wall is what you want. The size of his parents is probably a good indicator of his adult size. Get one that size.
Chewy is usually pretty good on price. I would also grab a second Kong so you can cycle them
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Descendant XSkyrim is my god now.Outpost 31Registered Userregular
edited March 2019
Got a wire crate with a movable barrier. I know I was going to have to buy it anyway, but the little guy was very well behaved in the crate today and there was no crate destruction or stuck puppies when I got home.
We’ll get him another Kong this weekend.
That brings up a question - how does you folks generally use your Kongs? Is it a regular toy or more of a treat?
Descendant X on
Garry: I know you gentlemen have been through a lot, but when you find the time I'd rather not spend the rest of the winter TIED TO THIS FUCKING COUCH!
Both because pet thread protocol, but also because puppies sprout so quick you'll want some.
dispatch.o on
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Descendant XSkyrim is my god now.Outpost 31Registered Userregular
Oh, we are taking pictures daily. For instance, here is another one.
Garry: I know you gentlemen have been through a lot, but when you find the time I'd rather not spend the rest of the winter TIED TO THIS FUCKING COUCH!
we used ours for distraction. mainly because our girl had zero interest in it otherwise.
alternatively, the kong wubbas are amazing fetch toys as is a lot of their stuff. good quality
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Descendant XSkyrim is my god now.Outpost 31Registered Userregular
I don’t want to jinx anything, but we went from 11 last night to 6 without going outside!
Garry: I know you gentlemen have been through a lot, but when you find the time I'd rather not spend the rest of the winter TIED TO THIS FUCKING COUCH!
Descendant XSkyrim is my god now.Outpost 31Registered Userregular
Well, Rico is taking very well to the crate, which is great. I also realized that I could put him in the crate for a half hour or so to get some shit done the other day, so we’re taking advantage of that we when need a second.
We’re going to try and have him sleep in the crate tonight rather than beside the bed. We’ll see what happens.
Garry: I know you gentlemen have been through a lot, but when you find the time I'd rather not spend the rest of the winter TIED TO THIS FUCKING COUCH!
Well, Rico is taking very well to the crate, which is great. I also realized that I could put him in the crate for a half hour or so to get some shit done the other day, so we’re taking advantage of that we when need a second.
We’re going to try and have him sleep in the crate tonight rather than beside the bed. We’ll see what happens.
Not sure if it's too late for that, but I put the crate beside the bed at first in the spot where he would naturally lie down, and then gradually moved it away into the corner of the room. They're pack animals so they want to be close to you when they're sleeping. First night I stuck my hand through the bars and sang to him until he fell asleep, second night just sang, third night he went in on his own and curled up. Fourth night I moved it across the room.
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Descendant XSkyrim is my god now.Outpost 31Registered Userregular
Thanks for the info, but it turned out well. He’s slept through the night in the crate since Saturday night and has been spending time in his crate without us putting him in it, so it seems that he’s taken to it just fine.
He’s also getting to be a bit more energetic for some reason, which is a bit difficult to cope with as we’re pretty chill. Nothing terrible though, and he’s beginning to learn some basic commands.
Garry: I know you gentlemen have been through a lot, but when you find the time I'd rather not spend the rest of the winter TIED TO THIS FUCKING COUCH!
As he gets bigger he can handle more so basic playing is not going to be enough. You can give puzzle type stuff if he needs some stimulation. Training is good. Working the mind can knock them out as well as a awalk oftdn
Thanks for the info, but it turned out well. He’s slept through the night in the crate since Saturday night and has been spending time in his crate without us putting him in it, so it seems that he’s taken to it just fine.
He’s also getting to be a bit more energetic for some reason, which is a bit difficult to cope with as we’re pretty chill. Nothing terrible though, and he’s beginning to learn some basic commands.
Lab
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Descendant XSkyrim is my god now.Outpost 31Registered Userregular
Ah. Gotcha. Yeah, he’s definitely getting that Lab look in his neck. It’s starting to wrinkle up on him.
Garry: I know you gentlemen have been through a lot, but when you find the time I'd rather not spend the rest of the winter TIED TO THIS FUCKING COUCH!
That brings up a question - how does you folks generally use your Kongs? Is it a regular toy or more of a treat?
So this is funny since I said we only used it as a treat thing. our new pup actually is playing with her kong. She is chewing on it and throwing it around /chasing it down the stairs
Coincidentally, we also have a new puppy coming (last week of March)
here is Pancake:
she explores:
she sits:
she sleeps:
so far so good; we're working out which sound means "I need to go out and pee/poo" and which noise means "come and snuggle with me", or at least we think we are. We've got a crate which is divided roughly in half and a great big playpen sort of thing so that we can keep Pancake and our existing cat away from each other for the first little while -- things seem to be going okay on that front but I think the separation helps a lot.
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Descendant XSkyrim is my god now.Outpost 31Registered Userregular
I normally don’t like labradoodles, but that is a cute goddamn dog.
Garry: I know you gentlemen have been through a lot, but when you find the time I'd rather not spend the rest of the winter TIED TO THIS FUCKING COUCH!
I took her to work with me and she just chilled the whole time on my couch getting mad at students who had the gall to not stop and say hello to her.
then we took her down to my parents where she made everyone fall in love with her
our dog trainer thought that we had taken her to the dog park before her training session since she was so mellow.
She is begrugingly accepting that the cats in fact do not want to play with her and she has graduated to not sleeping in her crate. today she got penned in the kitchen so hopefully that is good for her.
Also as soon as I get back from my conference next week I am going to DNA test her to see what breeds she might be.
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Twitch: KoopahTroopah - Steam: Koopah
We're only three days away from Puppy Acquisition Day on the 9th. Both of us are getting pretty excited, and I think we're pretty much prepared at this point. I wish I could thank all of you in person for the assistance and advice you've given, but you're going to have to live with a forum post telling you how great and helpful you all have been!
Either way its definitely not something you want to let them do with just any thing. Our old boston terrier had a series of interlocked rubber rings that were the toy she'd bring to you if she wanted to play that game and only that toy.
Be prepared for more pee and shit on your floors than you would typically find ideal.
As other people have mentioned, be consistent with everything. That's the basis for any other training or expectations. Dogs are pattern seekers, so you have to make the patterns clear.
We brought him home about 45 minutes ago and he’s all tuckered out from playing. Two of the cats have met him and were not too keen on the idea, but we’ll keep an eye on them.
we used to play music when we left our pup
that said, he is probably fine for an hour. sometimes making a big production out of leaving makes things worse.
that also said while great for many dogs, crate training is not for every dog. our old dog lost her shit when she was in a crate. we gated her off in a safe room and was fine.
Not sure to what degree it helps, but we like.to think so
3DS Friend Code: 0216-0898-6512
Switch Friend Code: SW-7437-1538-7786
Oh not saying you are purposely doing it
but imagine this. you go and grab all your stuff, you try to find things to put in the crate, you thn try to get rico into the crate. you then turn on the radio, grab all you stuff that you put down, then try to leave.
it can happen if you are not thinking about it.
what I would recommend, go buy some appropriate kongs. These
stuff them with things like peanut butter banana or treats. freeze .
When you are ready to leave, have him go into his crate. then give it to rico as a treat for going into his crate.
turn on radio and leave.
if he is any sort of food motivated he will spend his time working on that kong and forget about you.
there is an art to packing a kong.
also the radio can have the opposite effect you are going for. he could think he is locked away while people are in a different room and make him cry more.
again, he is probably chilling out more than you think. If you have a spare camera/monitor etc. set it up and check it when you are gone. my bet is he is settled down fine.
If they find the music calming then no reason not to use it. The association building is key - if the music is associated with a calm, chill time then it will probably help. If being crated makes them anxious and the music is only associated with the crate, this could cause problems. So I would play the same music at other times when things are calm and it's time for a snooze - late at night, for example.
It's been taken down now, but for a while YouTube had a 15 minute recording of David Tennant reading a dog version of Wuthering Heights (Woofering Heights), with beta-wave enhancing mood music in the background. When Usch was a puppy he would get overtired and refuse to settle, but this would conk him out totally in about five minutes.
I see what you mean. That's a really good point that I hadn't thought of, obviously.
We've got a Kong; I'll get Mrs. Facepunch to give this a go when she leaves for work this afternoon. As for the music, I was playing it yesterday evening and he was pretty chill, but I think that has more to do with my own chill energy more than it does with the music. I'll just watch TV or play games this evening after he's done playing and see how that affects his behaviour. He was pretty chill on Monday, and we spent most of the day watching The Grand Tour and playing Nier Automata when we didn't have visitors because he was sleeping most of the time.
I think this may become a long thread...
We've actually not played music while he's in the crate yet; I only thought about calming music yesterday afternoon after I finished pushing Rico's head back through the small hole he made in the crate, which is a soft crate that we'll use until he gets a bit bigger. We've since started putting his food bowl in the crate and he hasn't refused to eat, so it was probably more anxiety from being left alone than anything else.
Indeed, when I got home he was initially quiet even though his head was sticking out of the side of the crate. Once he realized that I was taking off my boots in the mudroom he started making a racket.
A good way to tell if they see it as a safe and comforting environment is if they go in at odd times during the day without being told, or run there when they're scared. So doing whatever you can to make it a safe environment they have some sense of ownership over is a good move.
Chewy is usually pretty good on price. I would also grab a second Kong so you can cycle them
We’ll get him another Kong this weekend.
That brings up a question - how does you folks generally use your Kongs? Is it a regular toy or more of a treat?
Take more pictures.
Both because pet thread protocol, but also because puppies sprout so quick you'll want some.
alternatively, the kong wubbas are amazing fetch toys as is a lot of their stuff. good quality
We’re going to try and have him sleep in the crate tonight rather than beside the bed. We’ll see what happens.
Not sure if it's too late for that, but I put the crate beside the bed at first in the spot where he would naturally lie down, and then gradually moved it away into the corner of the room. They're pack animals so they want to be close to you when they're sleeping. First night I stuck my hand through the bars and sang to him until he fell asleep, second night just sang, third night he went in on his own and curled up. Fourth night I moved it across the room.
He’s also getting to be a bit more energetic for some reason, which is a bit difficult to cope with as we’re pretty chill. Nothing terrible though, and he’s beginning to learn some basic commands.
So this is funny since I said we only used it as a treat thing. our new pup actually is playing with her kong. She is chewing on it and throwing it around /chasing it down the stairs
here is Pancake:
she explores:
she sits:
she sleeps:
so far so good; we're working out which sound means "I need to go out and pee/poo" and which noise means "come and snuggle with me", or at least we think we are. We've got a crate which is divided roughly in half and a great big playpen sort of thing so that we can keep Pancake and our existing cat away from each other for the first little while -- things seem to be going okay on that front but I think the separation helps a lot.
3DS Friend Code: 0216-0898-6512
Switch Friend Code: SW-7437-1538-7786
Panko?
Stack
Cake
we
like
her
too
I took her to work with me and she just chilled the whole time on my couch getting mad at students who had the gall to not stop and say hello to her.
then we took her down to my parents where she made everyone fall in love with her
our dog trainer thought that we had taken her to the dog park before her training session since she was so mellow.
She is begrugingly accepting that the cats in fact do not want to play with her and she has graduated to not sleeping in her crate. today she got penned in the kitchen so hopefully that is good for her.
Also as soon as I get back from my conference next week I am going to DNA test her to see what breeds she might be.
any bets?
A++ would adopt her again