# Parents of teenage pups



## Bentley's Mom

Every time I mention Bentley's "issues" to our trainer, he tells me to get him tired first. How exactly am I supposed to do that if he misbehaves every walk, won't play without going into crazy puppy mode and is so stubborn that he would rather miss a meal than eat from a Kong. :no: Our trainer is lucky I haven't taken out my frustration on him. :


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## ozzy'smom

I often think it's a good think my neighbors don't videotape me on walks with Ozzy. It's ridiculous sometimes! He does the jumping and biting at me and the leash thing too.

And now I have to keep my covered garbage can (one of the stainless ones with the foot pedal that you step on to open) up on my counter because Ozzy has figured out how to open it.


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## Lucky Penny

I woke up this morning to a murder scene in my bedroom. There was stuffed animal stuffing everywhere! AHH!!!


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## Stef_Walsh

Ace was a right terror at obedience class on Thursday. He was jumping/biting at the leash and me while we were working on heeling, wouldn't listen to any of my commands, and kept pulling to get at Mason, a 5 months old Bouvier in the class. I was so frustrated! Normally he does quite well in class!


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## Deber

I take Kye to class early to throw a ball, work on simple stuff but mainly to try to tire her a bit out, but we cannot make a full class yet. As soon as we walk in class, Kye wants to keep going and is bored with the walk, stop, walk stop. She will sniff the dog in front of her, want to cut across to the one on the opposite side. When we line up 9 times out of 10 before our trainer can get to her she is trying to reverse and be looking the other way at the poor dog behind her. I have learned when she hits this, I step outside the ring and we walk, run, makes turns, she jumps a few times and whirls her butt around in a happy dance. When all feet are on the ground and she looks "done" we re-enter and continue. Most people claim she is a "sweet handful", others say "Bless your Heart"....I try to nod and smile. 

But I am that gal you see before class way back in the pasture running, with a dog who is 1/2 pulling, 1/2 jumping and having a definately good time, whether her human is or not. While cooking breakfast this AM either Kye or Coop brought in a stick that was so long I don't know how they got it through the doggie door. Then proceeded to shread it and stick pieces all in the couch cushions. Looked around the corner to see my couch had grown spikes!!! But can say something good, Kye is getting really good on our walks after she tires a bit, will turn on a dime either way (if I don't get my clumsey feet in the way). This is just happening and so glad, but we have to walk fast, and I talk to her as we walk to alert her to a change. Good, but I can't walk this fast all the time...if we walk slow, Kye will pull me down the street, so short lead and faster. So we are seeing some kind of progress.

Notice how when they jump they have grown so much they can almost jump taller than we are??? Oh My!!!

Cooper Pooper Scooper is doing so well, but totally opposite of Kye. He likes to stroll, to sit on my foot at "sit". We can walk and he must learn to move more away from my leg as he bumps into me a lot while he is looking around. He will find a bug, stop and spend a full minute watching it, no matter what I do to get him moving. He likes to walk, but I bet if I took his lead off he would stick right at my side. At class I have to say Coop Heal or he would continue to sit! During the talking part of class Coop sleeps, while Kye at her class will try to sneak on her belly to another dog. I sit on the floor with Kye and scratch her and pray a lot this will be enough.

Don't get me wrong, Kye makes life exciting, so easy to train and into everything, but geez Coop is a blessing!


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## elly

Deber said:


> I take Kye to class early to throw a ball, work on simple stuff but mainly to try to tire her a bit out, but we cannot make a full class yet. As soon as we walk in class, Kye wants to keep going and is bored with the walk, stop, walk stop. She will sniff the dog in front of her, want to cut across to the one on the opposite side. When we line up 9 times out of 10 before our trainer can get to her she is trying to reverse and be looking the other way at the poor dog behind her. I have learned when she hits this, I step outside the ring and we walk, run, makes turns, she jumps a few times and whirls her butt around in a happy dance. When all feet are on the ground and she looks "done" we re-enter and continue. Most people claim she is a "sweet handful", others say "Bless your Heart"....I try to nod and smile
> !


Oh my goodness..I am sorry but you have had me in hysterics here, tears streaming down my cheeks! I am not being very supportive am I?! I do mean to be but you have such a great way of writing! Have you considered writing as a hobby or career or do you already!!? Its wonderful, just too funny. I have just read it out to my other half and hes laughing too. We have been to some of the places you have been so we do really understand but could NEVER explain to others as well as you have! Thank you for entertaining me this evening! I hope those dogs start behaving for their Mum! Teenagers eh. Chesters a bless his heart dog at times too!! All 83 pounds of him...and thats not a lot of fun either! Especially when hes feeling 'hormonal' and has a firm grip around one of my daughters waists!  
Boys and their bits! Its at times like that I remember why I had a girl last time!! :uhoh:


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## ozzy'smom

Ozzy has had trouble with class at times too. He WANTS the treats and wants them NOW. I have to keep working quietly with him when the instructor is explaining things or he'll start barking at me.


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## mayapaya

ozzy'smom said:


> And now I have to keep my covered garbage can (one of the stainless ones with the foot pedal that you step on to open) up on my counter because Ozzy has figured out how to open it.


Too funny, Ozzy's mom! Did you invest like I did in one of those inpenetrable "simple human" garbage cans?????? I can't BELEIVE he figured out how to open it. My lovely Maya ate the cord and plug off our subwoofer yesterday. I PURPOSELY unplugged it the other day (THANK GOD) because I was thinking, hmmmm, this is something she hasn't chewed yet, and it's the only "exposed" cord remaining in our gated kitchen and family room area. She is laying down and chewing on a nice marrow bone, and I start peeling potatos, and when I turn around she gotten the cord pulled out into middle of the family room, in several pieces, and the plug is in her mouth. No more surround sound system in our house. She is going to send me to an early grave.....


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## Pammie

Baumgartml16, thank you, thank you, THANK YOU for starting this thread!!

There have been so many times when I felt like I had no where to turn to vent about all the stuff Bryley does. I am sure my friends have had enough of my whining. My office mate always asks on Monday mornings "what did Bryely _do_ this weekend?". This thread will be a great place to come unload.


> Notice how when they jump they have grown so much they can almost jump taller than we are??? Oh My!!!


Can we talk about the vertical leaps during walks? They come from out of no where, don't they? My friend who often walks with us calls Byrley a "fart in a frying pan"!!!

He has been such a hard dog to raise, way way harder than the other 3 goldens I have had. I swear he looks for trouble!
Today I dropped the round sandpapery thing that goes on the tip of the Dremel tool. He swallowed it. He had no interest in trading it for a treat. I was panicking and ever time I got close to him he ran away. It took me a good long time to calm down. I was close to tears. It is small and will pass, but, you never know.

OK, my vent it over...until next time!!!!


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## luvbuzz

Buzz does great on his walks until he knows we are near the car. I leash him when getting close to home. What he now does is lie down...flat. It looks like I am trying to choke him. He will not move. People have approached us...they ask, "Is he OK???"

He is OK...he just wants to play longer. They should be asking are you OK...I am the one to lift his heavy body into the car!!!


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## ozzy'smom

luvbuzz said:


> Buzz does great on his walks until he knows we are near the car. I leash him when getting close to home. What he now does is lie down...flat. It looks like I am trying to choke him. He will not move. People have approached us...they ask, "Is he OK???"
> 
> He is OK...he just wants to play longer. They should be asking are you OK...I am the one to lift his heavy body into the car!!!


Thank goodness they are so cute, huh?


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## quilter

luvbuzz said:


> He is OK...he just wants to play longer. They should be asking are you OK...I am the one to lift his heavy body into the car!!!


Oh, that's us! My neighbors are, I'm sure, wondering why I make my dog sit for what seems like hours in the front yard. They don't know that the dog is refusing to go back in the house. That I'm wondering how long it will be before my husband starts to worry about me.

And trying to get him back to the car at the park is the same thing. Once we are in sight of it, he refuses to move. Dragging a 45-pound dog is not a good option. And the dog knows it.

But no longer am I lifting him! We got a ramp and we just trained him to get into the car with it this evening. Actually, I was surprised he didn't balk since he hates the car due to minor carsickness. We will see how it goes at the park tomorrow. I think I will need salami.


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## mrssp

Ohhhh boy. I have never had many really enjoyable walks with Baxter (despite desperately wanting to!) He's so much better behaved for DH, but every time that I take him lately is just a HUGE struggle.

His latest thing, because we have a ton of snow crusted over with ice, is to just go out and eat the chunks of snow/ice in the backyard. He's totally forgotten that outside is the time to go, and will just stand there for-EVER and do nothing. 

I stood in the backyard the other night for 20 minutes in my PJs and parka, with my snow boots on, in snow up to my knees waiting for him to go!

ETA: He is more snuggly now though and when he does finally calm down, we've had some wonderful quiet moments together that make all the frustration worth it!


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## FlyingQuizini

mrssp said:


> I stood in the backyard the other night for 20 minutes in my PJs and parka, with my snow boots on, in snow up to my knees waiting for him to go!


Try going out on leash ... calmly walk around giving your potty cue. Spend 5 mins. If nothing, go back in, but keep him leashed and life is boring. Repeat the process every 10 mins until he goes, at which point you come back in, the leash comes off and gets his freedom.


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## rhondas

@mrssp

I have a 16 week old who until 3 weeks ago would take forever to go potty before going to bed and I did what FlyingQuizini did until I found something better - a new potty treat!
I was praising and giving his kibble as the treat. I changed to Fresh Bites Liver treats and surprise he goes out and does his business in record time every single time. I only use the treat for when he goes potty.

Not sure if it will work on an older dog but so far it's been a lifesaver for me.


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## jluke

*Snow and Ice Trick...*

Oh, mssrp, I feel your pain. Maisie enjoyed her first ever snow and ice today and it was great fun for a while. Snuffling, breaking up the icy coating on the top and munching it -- non-stop. But then she wanted to run and slide on it and dig in it -- she was just spayed last Tuesday so she's not supposed to run and jump (and I don't let her dig). When I called her to go in she went on strike, down on her belly and incisions (luckily small) in the snow. I had to get the leash and coax and tug. She rang her bells to go out all day and evening long -- almost all false alarms, and we've been past that stage for a long time. She's only 7+ months old, not the 8 and 9 month teen-agers that you all are writing about, so I'm sure I have more to look forward to!


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## Deber

Sorry, know this is long!! Thank you for starting a thread we can all talk about our good and bad days!

We had a Good Day yesterday! My sister and her daughter were driving in for the Fort Worth Rodeo and with all the construction, got lost. The called us and we were just leaving the field I found where the pups can run, so we met them south of town and led them into the right gate. We were allowed in with the car after a brief explanation, so found ourselves amoung dozens of horse trailers, horses, cows in paddocks, moo'ing, smells, so many new things. DH wanted to help family unload horses and I didn't want to miss the fun, so both dogs were let out with the long leashes we had (didn't bring short leads). Even Kye was a bit overwhelmed with so many new animals, smells. I tied Coop to my waist and held Kye's leash and surprisingly both were so good. Kye wanted to greet every animal and thank goodness all the cowboys/girls went out of their way to come hug, pet and talk to the pups. When they would leave, Kye would want to march away with them all. (Traitor!!!). Coop was a bit overwhelmed with the horses, but we found a pen of mini horses and Coop was allowed to smell a baby, tail started wagging and think he thought it was another dog! Both dogs had so much "new" stuff they both did well. Kye wasn't bouncing off the walls and even remembered to sit. Coop was so happy he actually was prancing (never did that before). They found horse poop was very tasty and I spent a good amount of time pulling huge rolls with grain, hay all wrapped around it from their mouths - Uck. 

Only catastrophe we had was when DH called the pups to load and forgot that Coop was tied to me. Coop starts running, while Kye and I were looking into a pen at a horse. All of a sudden, my waist was drug one way, the top part of me the other, then his leash came to its end, my back feels like it popped from base to top - Ouch. We had two really tired pups last night and didn't even go on evening walk. 

I really appreciated the hours, cause the pups had a really Good experience, the people there must be animal/dog people and felt no fear coming and petting the dogs. While I am not one for letting strangers walk up and pet the kids, Coop really needs this, his confidence in new things is growing, he needed to see more people and these were the perfect kind of people to do this with. My sisters horses are raised with their dogs and had no fear when we let Kye then Coop come and smell, one even tried to eat Coops fur on his back! Coop thought that was cool! Not scared at all. 

Really a positive day for the pups and hope we gained more points in confidence for Coop. Kye so surprised me, perhaps it was because all was new, but she remembered her manners, was so good and I got lots of praise on her behavior (from Kye?????) Good Day! Probably our first good day in all of these months.


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## Deber

We should ask the Mod's if they would make this into a Sticky! Then we could come and post whenever and not have to hunt for the individual post. 

What do you think??


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## Deber

Elly, amazing how different these goldens can be in personality. Coop fits right in with his class, he learns at the same level, never stands out with problems, just plods around doing what he should. Hard to keep his attention to learn, but he "studies" and when it sinks in, stays. Kye is eager for life, learns fast and proceeds to forget just as quickly. She is always looking for the next door in life, life is a happy day, the Everyone loves me kind of gal. Handful, but a lot of fun. Walks are never enough, so we have found a field south of town where she can run on long leash. This is about the only way to tire her out. I don't know what I would do if she was Chester's size! She is prob. about 60 ish pounds now and more than I can lift. If she flattened, we would have to wait it out since I can't lift her anymore, but no way, she is never flat but more likely bouncing up and down like a tennis ball. She has bounced halfway down the walk at the park. She has also eatten the laminate off the kitchen floor, drug in most of a tree into the den, dug in her water bowl and flooded the kitchen, eatten shoes, raided clean clothes from the clothes basket. The joys of having a high-strung golden.


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## Noey

quilter said:


> Oh, that's us! My neighbors are, I'm sure, wondering why I make my dog sit for what seems like hours in the front yard. They don't know that the dog is refusing to go back in the house. That I'm wondering how long it will be before my husband starts to worry about me.
> 
> And trying to get him back to the car at the park is the same thing. Once we are in sight of it, he refuses to move. Dragging a 45-pound dog is not a good option. And the dog knows it.
> 
> But no longer am I lifting him! We got a ramp and we just trained him to get into the car with it this evening. Actually, I was surprised he didn't balk since he hates the car due to minor carsickness. We will see how it goes at the park tomorrow. I think I will need salami.


I have one of these. His "new thing" is to act like he really has to go out, runs to the middle of the yard, faces the door and sits. If you start to walk out...he backs-up. Nothing more annoying when your trying to leave for work and have to waste time. The other "new thing" is if I try to get him to go out for the morning bathroom break, he wont go...if I walk toward him he rolls on his back and starts a happy roll. He will only come down for my husband. This is all new stuff. I know he hates to see us goto work...and I think he knows this keeps us around longer. My other Golden just sits beside me looking at him like "I'm so good I dont do that"


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## elly

Noey said:


> I have one of these. His "new thing" is to act like he really has to go out, runs to the middle of the yard, faces the door and sits. If you start to walk out...he backs-up.


Oh my goodness! This could be Chester you are describing!!  I get so mad! He then starts wandering around chewing a bit of grass here and there like a cow. He raises his head a bit now and then to glance at me..as if to say..'make a move towards me Mum..go on I dare you..cos I am going to dart away faster than you can blink as soon as you do'! Then he will suddenly start scratching the grass up right in the CENTRE of the garden to dig a hole. Not the edge or behind a tree...always the CENTRE! So I have to lunge towards him and then he growls and runs whilst wagging his tail but at least it saves my lawn! Finally I have to call him from the kitchen door with the biscuit barrell in my hand remembering the rule 'whats in it for him?' and he comes running. Oh Chester..dont you know its just easier to come in for a biscuit first without all this palava?!


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## elly

jluke said:


> She's only 7+ months old, not the 8 and 9 month teen-agers that you all are writing about, so I'm sure I have more to look forward to!



Oh boy, do you have more to look forward to!!? 7, 8, 9. months?! Mine is nearly 20 months!! You are all just novices so far! Haha! And yes hes trained, hes even been shown and won, but when he wants to be a teenager..its paaaarty time!! :wavey:
There are times when I just think 'why!?'  when hes doing something for the 2000th time that hes been told not to, been trained not to and knows he shouldnt do. At that point I just give him time out because I dont know what else to do...and I am exhausted 
Then there are times I look at him and my eyes well with tears...he is so handsome, so big, so admired when we go out and such a baby. As much as he exhausts me, hes the apple of my eye


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## baumgartml16

So glad you all like this idea and I think it would be a great sticky as it can continue on as you transition out of this phase (it will end, right?).

Today was a much better day here. We had freezing rain so not even going to attempt the walk as we would both probably end up hurt. Lol. We had a play date where she was the one coming when called and playing gently. She got a lot of playtime with DH outside which is her favorite but as soon as it was time to come in I had to giggle as he thinks its always so easy and there she was laying flat on her side pretending to sleep and made herself dead weight. He looked at me with his hands in the air like he had no idea what to do! He can lift her up better than me so he managed to get her in but I totally understand where you are coming from with the protesting.

She also melted my heart last night when I fell asleep on the floor I woke up to her nestled into me with her head right by mine sleeping peacefully. She isn't the snuggliest of dogs so that was VERY special to me!!


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## Deber

Bad afternoon! Sunday we went to our Rodeo, so took the kids on morning walk, came home, threw balls and all dogs were asleep when we left. Came home about 4:00 to a den covered, literally consumed in shreaded newspaper. Yep, apparently DH left the Sunday paper where the pups could reach, they were probably bored, so commenced to have a Ticker-Tape Parade in the house. Not a bit of floor/couch not covered in paper. Big Sigh! 

Knew them being good was not going to last.


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## Tucker's mommy

We had the grandparents over Saturday night to watch our three little ones along with 8 month old Tucker, and we came home to perfection! We were so happy, as we hadn't been out on a "date" in almost three months. It wasn't until the next evening (last night) that all hell broke loose after dinner. The grandparents had apparently spoiled Tucker rotten in the course of the three hours they were there, and he had picked up EVERY bad habit we'd been working on all over again - getting into the garbage, drinking old stinky milk out of the dishwasher tub, eating off the table... you name it, he was doing it. God love'em, but UGH! I'll be spending the day "de-briefing" our dog.


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## Tucker's mommy

By the way - great idea for this thread, Koda's mom!


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## mrmooseman

yesterday we took moose for a playdate with our friends golden, me and my boyfriend took him and he listens soo well with kyle, he doesn't pull on the leash, he listens when he yells, he is just soo well behaved when he is around him. they played soo well. 

so today i decided that since it was just us home today and i had a ton of house work followed by the monsterious sinus headache, i would take moose on another play date with another dog to tire him out. as i was walking down the steps with him to the car he got super excited and of course ran towards it. i was yelling and pulling on the leash, but he just won't listen to me at all! and of course, i slipped on the ice and fell in the drive way & scraped my knee :doh:. as i layed there for a momentm\, moose layed beside me and looked at me as if saying "whatcha doing down there mommy?" ugh! i was soo mad.

i know he is going through his teenage years, but i don't get why he listens to kyle and never to me! it drives me nuts! i even tried deepening my voice (i figured kyle has a deep man voice and mine is a little female one so why not?) and moose would just look at me.. like i had 4 heads, with treats for eyes or something. so now he went to his play date, i know i shouldnt of taken him but i have a lot to do and they were waiting, and he is sleeping so peacefully. of course.


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## baumgartml16

Koda is the same way in listening better to DH. I don't know what it is, maybe the tone of their voice. I can't get that serious tone when yelling at her..the eyes win me over every time. 

When we go anywhere without him it is a totally different dog. We go to the pet store and she walks beside him, I go and she is pulling me through the store..I get so frustrated!


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## goldensrbest

I have tried for months, with cambridge, her and spirit ,together at times are fine, but much of the time, the playing turns into fighting, my nerves are fried, with this and my husbands cancer,i am at wits end, thinking of giving her up.


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## Goldens R Great

goldensrbest said:


> I have tried for months, with cambridge, her and spirit ,together at times are fine, but much of the time, the playing turns into fighting, my nerves are fried, with this and my husbands cancer,i am at wits end, thinking of giving her up.


I believe in another thread you alluded to this. Would you be able to take her back to the breeder? Is there a golden rescue organization near you? Yankee Golden Retriever Rescue perhaps? I am so sorry to hear about your husband's cancer.


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## goldensrbest

goldens r great said:


> i believe in another thread you alluded to this. Would you be able to take her back to the breeder? Is there a golden rescue organization near you? Yankee golden retriever rescue perhaps? I am so sorry to hear about your husband's cancer.


yes,i would go with rescue, she is sweet, cute, but the tough play that erupts between her and spirit, is getting harder to control, actually, i can't get it to stop, trying to figure out what to do, never have i given up a dog before. I WOULD LET THE BREEDER KNOW, BUT I CAN'T AFFORD TO SEND HER TO HIM, IF I KNEW SOME ONE WOULD LOVE HER, TAKE CARE OF HER, I MIGHT CONSIDER A PERSON, JUST DON'T KNOW.


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## Nyahsmommy

baumgartml16 said:


> Koda is the same way in listening better to DH. I don't know what it is, maybe the tone of their voice. I can't get that serious tone when yelling at her..the eyes win me over every time.
> 
> When we go anywhere without him it is a totally different dog. We go to the pet store and she walks beside him, I go and she is pulling me through the store..I get so frustrated!


 
I have the same problem, maybe because I feel bad and give in most of the time. :

I'm also having the problem where it is taking her forever to go to the washroom in the backyard. We live in an apartment so whenever we go over to bf's parents house she goes nuts in the backyard... runs like crazy, grabs and chews stuff she shouldn't and most importantly ignores anyone when they call her. Here are a few pics of her from yesterday there grabbing the planter and *not* giving it back. she had that thing in her mouth for 40 minutes as I was trying to get it from her... she was so proud that I couldn't get it from her... look how high her tail was. :uhoh:


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## Faith82

Yesterday we had Griffey's puppy class graduation and he peed on the floor 3 times while we were there (this has never happened before)! He has been potty trained for 4 months and no longer has accidents in the house. I know he isn't sick because it never happened once we left there. I think he was just marking his terriotory (inside the building) but I was totally emarrassed and mortified!


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## Lucky Penny

Pammie said:


> Baumgartml16, thank you, thank you, THANK YOU for starting this thread!!
> 
> There have been so many times when I felt like I had no where to turn to vent about all the stuff Bryley does. I am sure my friends have had enough of my whining. My office mate always asks on Monday mornings "what did Bryely _do_ this weekend?". This thread will be a great place to come unload.
> Can we talk about the vertical leaps during walks? They come from out of no where, don't they? My friend who often walks with us calls Byrley a "fart in a frying pan"!!!
> 
> He has been such a hard dog to raise, way way harder than the other 3 goldens I have had. I swear he looks for trouble!
> Today I dropped the round sandpapery thing that goes on the tip of the Dremel tool. He swallowed it. He had no interest in trading it for a treat. I was panicking and ever time I got close to him he ran away. It took me a good long time to calm down. I was close to tears. It is small and will pass, but, you never know.
> 
> OK, my vent it over...until next time!!!!


Haha, this seems like a fun game for them. Grab something they know they should not have, look at you wagging their tail and then run away when you try and grab it. I usaully grab the treats and run the other way, that usually does the trick. Not feeding into that game!


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## Lucky Penny

rhondas said:


> @mrssp
> 
> I have a 16 week old who until 3 weeks ago would take forever to go potty before going to bed and I did what FlyingQuizini did until I found something better - a new potty treat!
> I was praising and giving his kibble as the treat. I changed to Fresh Bites Liver treats and surprise he goes out and does his business in record time every single time. I only use the treat for when he goes potty.
> 
> Not sure if it will work on an older dog but so far it's been a lifesaver for me.


This works for any dog. I did this with my pup, and my older 8 year old dog learned this is what happens. (and she takes forever out there) So now they both go to the bathroom and then run to me for a treat. It is so nice!


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## Deber

I swear Baum, this is the best of best threads for us. I have come home and laughed and laughed. Some of your days make my Ticker-Tape Parade seem silly. Whoohooooo!

Way to go Griffey! Haaa! Faith82 I know you were probably so embarassed, but geez that is funny. We have a pug puppy in Coops class that will try to hump the dog in front of him, when owner pulls him off, he squats and pees. She keeps kleenex stuffed all over her just for this. Now everytime he does this I will think of Griffey! 

Nyah could be my little girl, she thinks this is the Best game. Wonderful pictures!! 

Goldensbest, My heart crys for you cause I know how much care a cancer patient can take, and having a teenage pup around isn't helping. I pray things settle down for you but if you must place her, put her here in the forum. We have many Maine folks here, but keeping my fingers crossed you figure a way. All my love and take care of that wonderful guy.


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## mayapaya

oh, MAYA, MAYA, MAYA....I know one day I will get to post of a "good" day, maybe that will be tomorrow...this evening she grabs my Crystal Light flavored water packet off the counter....raspberry, thank you very much. We work hard on the trade, but it is much more fun to shred the packet all over the living room carpet (which is beige, yes, I have a golden and know better). The tiny granules leave pink spots everywhere, so I drag out the carpet cleaner and the pink seems to spread eveywhere...as I am cleaning the carpet, the neighbor drops by. Maya is so excited to see him, she jumps and get's into her mouthy thing--I am unable to contain her, as I am holding the carpet cleaner...she rips a hole in the neighbors leather coat. So--
New Carpet needed for living room = $1000
New Leather Coat for Neighbor = $250
Her face when I am giving her the stink eye, and looking VERY angry, so she licks my face = priceless!


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## mayapaya

it appears the raspberry had been removed! Yeah for me! I shall now go to sleep and wait to see what tomorrow, and my sweet Maya, will bring!


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## mayapaya

guilt, next to carpet cleaner.....


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## jluke

*The Worst Hour+ Ever...*

I took Maisie to her first real obedience class tonight. (She's been to low-key puppy kindergarten.) She was a demon. Who was this puppy? Part of it, I think, is that it was her first real outing since her spaying a week ago, but the rest -- ?? She acted like she'd never worn a collar and been on a leash before. At times, I couldn't even get her to sit at my side in heal position and she's done this for months.

When we took our loose-leash walk, she lunged at all the other dogs (who sat pretty calmly by their people's sides) -- she almost pulled me over at one point and I'm (unfortunately) not petite. She was so willful and she usually wants to please. She's not quite 60 pounds, not overweight and not done growing.

The trainer had some suggestions, including some collar recommendations. I'm starting a new thread about them since I want broader input. 

Anyway, it was a discouraging evening. My husband watched -- partly amused and partly aghast. I was embarassed, then tried to swallow my pride and just learn from it all.


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## Deber

Grrr, Kye has NO loyalty at all in class! We are in intermediate puppy 6-10 mo. and she is the only golden and honestly learns the fastest. We are practicing calming (ha what a joke) and leads are removed as we sit and massage the dog. They need to do this at the end of the class not in the middle, cause Kye is still ready to run and play. Yesterday dogs all calmly sitting staring at the owners. Kye tilts her head (I know we are in for trouble), gives me the eye and stands and walks over to a Lab boy and as I call her she LAYS down on the poor boy and rolls over to her tummy, flattening the Lab! Trainer takes my lead and Kye follows her like a lap dog to the center where she puts her through a series of sits, down, stays then takes lead off and walks back to me, Kye proceeds to look at us both, jumps, whirls around and goes to a man with a GS dog, lays beside the dog and puts her face on the man's shoulder.

Traitor! She could have at least acted like her Momma was special and loved. Couldn't she have run back to me after the trainer released her?? Honestly I laughed, cause she already is the class clown and I am probably the Crazy Woman owner. Swear she has no loyalty and would go home with anyone. Where are the scared stages, the "I want to glue myself to Momma" times? 

We have a lot more recall work to do and don't know how to do this at class cause Kye knows everyone loves her and they let her get away with murder. Treats only work while on lead, but work well when we work alone. 

#2 Dog - Coop's class is tonight and for the first time last night he started grabbing his leash with his teeth, sure hope this doesn't happen at class. In Coop's class I am considered Normal. Be still my heart - can I survive 2 teenagers and keep my wits?


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## bowdense

This is a great thread as I feel like I am not alone! Remington will be 8 months on the 3rd and although he hasn't done anything horrible, he is definitely becoming more challenging and strong willed. My biggest problem is sticks! He eats and eats and eats them. First it was grass/sod and my husband and I prayed for the ground to freeze. But, I guess be careful what you wish for, sticks are worse! His poop is full of small stick pieces. I am scared to death of a blockage. On our walk, he constantly eats sticks, pine cones, anything he can pick up. I don't mind him carrying the big sticks, I understand his need to have something in his mouth and it's kind of cute but it's the ingesting I am worried about, I am constantly pulling stuff out of his mouth.. Today, on our walk, it was ********...Yuk!! We live in a rural part of Maine, our backyard is woods. The walk is populated but woodsy. There's no getting away from it. Also, this is where the challenging part comes in, he goes out into our fenced backyard. Digs in the snow until he finds a delicious stick and forgets that he knows what "come" means...until, of course, he chews and swallows (as fast as he can) the stick then comes running for a treat!

Thanks, just needed to vent. He, otherwise, is wonderful. I am frightened a bit that this might last a while. I believe we are just getting into the teenage years, right?


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## baumgartml16

bowdense said:


> Thanks, just needed to vent. He, otherwise, is wonderful. I am frightened a bit that this might last a while. I believe we are just getting into the teenage years, right?


That is what this thread is for. Vent all that you need to! 

NyahsMom - again our girls are twins...that exact posture, bratty behavior happens all the time at our house. I refuse to chase her, my husband still does occasionally when he is fed up. That only makes it worse as I try to state to him. His patience is much thinner than mine for this sort of thing.

Maya's mom - I feel for you as well, I am waiting for the day that the constant jumping, biting is going to cost me money to clothe the indivdual she does this to.

We had class last night and since my DH won't make it next week he did the training. Yikes, not a good idea. The first half of class she wanted nothing to do with learning. She was in her crate a lot of the day as we were at work and we didn't have a ton of time to exercise her beforehand (we will make sure we do now). She was jumping on him, biting the leash, barking at him for treats. O how embarressing. I had to calm him down so he could calm her down. He doesn't take well to embarressment. He took her outside, let her potty and jump around a bit. They came back in and our angel had appeared. She was so much better the second half and the trainer came up and commented on what a good job we were doing with her!  YAY! I don't think she was paying attention to Koda much the first half LOL. 

We took her on a walk when we got home and she was soooooo good!  We didn't go very far as we didn't want to push our luck but it was a relief. We need to work a lot more on her pulling and wanting to forge ahead of us. So she is short leashed on walks for now until she understands what it means to be near us. She will learn, I know. 

Hope everyone is having a good Tuesday with their teenagers!!


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## Miaya's mom

the constant jumping, BITING, and the new BARKING while we are sitting down to eat:bowl:, BARKING while we are watching TV:bowl:, BARKING at the bathroom door while, well you know We know its her way to get our attention, but it is driving us crazy. Miaya get a lot of attention, but latley she wants constant attention until she drops. Hopefully she will out grow this soon:crossfing


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## Tucker's mommy

To Remington's Mom - we are having the exact same problem with Tucker and sticks. I've mentioned in other posts that his poop could definitely be used for firewood! It's so frustrating, as there is absolutely NO WAY we can grab every stick from his mouth. He'll be couped up inside for the next week or so as we just had him neutered today. Ugh - a whole new nightmare this week will bring, for sure!!!:no: I feel so bad for the little conehead. I just hope the cone stays ON his head! 

Again, I have to say - I just love this thread! :wave:


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## bowdense

Tucker's mommy said:


> To Remington's Mom - we are having the exact same problem with Tucker and sticks. I've mentioned in other posts that his poop could definitely be used for firewood! It's so frustrating, as there is absolutely NO WAY we can grab every stick from his mouth. He'll be couped up inside for the next week or so as we just had him neutered today. Ugh - a whole new nightmare this week will bring, for sure!!!:no: I feel so bad for the little conehead. I just hope the cone stays ON his head!
> 
> Again, I have to say - I just love this thread! :wave:


Thanks. Does he like grass/sod, too? So hard because I don't want him to get sick. I think maybe I'll try getting him to carry a toy on his walks so he can't pick up every stick, pine cone, etc. along the way. Maybe this will work???

Good luck with Tucker's recovery. Remington's neuter is scheduled for February 17th, we'll be in the same boat!


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## Deber

Miaya's Mom we have the Barking issues too! Our girl was always quiet only barked if something really strange happened, now she barks at everything, can't let her out in the night in the yard unless I stand over her to hush her so people can sleep. She barks at her reflection in the glass door, and when she sees herself in the fireplace screen. Bark, bark, bark. I am hoping Coop doesn't pick this up and start too. Hope this is part of the teen times, cause this constant barking could be a problem in a neighborhood.


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## abowman

This thread is wonderful, thanks for starting it! I think the descriptions are hysterical and was so happy that I WASN'T experiencing it. However, it is true, somehow Finn at 8 months is acting as though I have not spent time teaching him anything.When I ask him to come in after he completes his morning pooh, it does not even respond just "sways" slowly sniffing as tho I have not spoke. Getting him in the car is almost frightening. He never seems to get enough to eat, lays with his head in the food dish, sighing rolling his brows just like my teenage daughter used to. I had bragged about how lucky we were to get the gift of this well behaved dog. Well, I still love him and am glad to have him!


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## Deber

abowman welcome to our club! Many have said and I holeheartedly agree this was a needed thread to start. All of our pups have been so good, learning so well, so proud of them, then someone turned the light switch off and we have different dogs. Still wonderfully sweet, but defiant, headstrong, pushing their boundries and basic skills are CHOSEN to be forgotten. But we love them just the same and good to have a place to talk about this stage. Hopefully all our kids will grow out of it about the same time and we can someday start a thread about how good they are again!

I watch the thread everyday, really helps and I laugh so hard. Thank everyone for contributing.


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## baumgartml16

So glad you are all enjoying this thread!  

We had the barking issue for a few weeks but it has subsided. She was barking at everything through the windows - a leave moving, a car pulling up across the street, her reflection or the reflection of the tv in the window. We kept hushing her and saying "what do you see", "there is nothing there" and moving on. Do your best to distract them when they start this behaviour - I know it is easier said than done with experience. Pull out the training treats and get their mind off of it. 

We are having issues with the grass/sod/sticks..anything on the ground trying to be eaten. She is either on her lead or her normal 6 ft leash so we usually reel her in with enough time to get the stick out of her mouth but I am sick of doing it for sure. We had a good amount of snow and so for a while we didn't have to worry about it but this week the snow has been melting and therefore leaving us with the same problem yet again.

She tends to play and after she chases the ball she lays with it like she is chewing the ball but we soon realize she is chewing up the ground and trying to hide it (too smart). Then it becomes a game of chase because she doesn't want us to take it away. If i know it is just a little grass and dirt I am starting to just let her have it as then maybe she will get bored with taking it. I think right now it is a game as she knows we want to get it from her.

She did this with shoes for a long time. I always put mine up because I know she is going to take them, my husband doesn't and therefore gets his shoes stolen all the time. She doesn't hide it either, she wants you to know she has it so she comes to find us and show us and then proceeds to run away. I ignore her and keep doing what I am doing and a couple times now she has actually put it back (LOL) but my husband will still try to get it and its an endless game. I just laugh now because he knows what he needs to do but proceeds to feed into it. 

Anyways...that is my Wednesday rant! Glad to say the walking has been MUCH better this week without the snow covered roads. She just gets toooo excited when there is snow everywhere that she forgets what a walk means!


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## mayapaya

Thanks to everyone--this post is the highlight of my day! Yesterday was a GREAT day for us--well, sortof. In the light of day, the pink spots from the crystal light packet resurfaced. Seeing as it is food coloring, I have come to realize this battle is lost. Luckily new carpeting was probably in our future in the sort term anyway--it's just now become a bigger priority. Anyways, on to our GREAT day! Maya went to doggy day care for 6 hours yesterday. We are only doing this two days a week, and it's only been 2 weeks so far, but she seems to love it! As soon as we pull into the parking lot she gets excited, and I can barely hang onto the leash while she pulls me towards the door! Came home after day care, and worked on some training, and she was soooo cooperative. No mouthing at clothes, ignoring me, etc. Then she had her homemade frosty paw for dessert and cuddled on the couch. Maya is not much of a cuddler in the evening, because she is usually running around like a lunatic, and practicing her hurdles over the furniture. I knew one of these days would come eventually!


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## Tucker's mommy

So we just got back from an unplanned trip to the vet. Tucker is regaining is energy post-neutering, and banged his conehead so hard into the wall trying to round a corner that he cracked the cone. They gave us a new one free of charge. Let's see how long this one lasts. Between this hyper pup and my toddler here at home, I just might go crazy today...:bowl:


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## Deber

Maya, so glad you enjoyed your puppy playday and came home as a calmer pup. Yea!

Tucker'sMom - sorry to hear he broke his cone and had to get a new one! Those "Cones of Shame" are so hard for them to get around with. 

Coop had a Vet's appointment last night. He doesn't like the car so flattens and I admit at 6 mo he is so heavy and hard to lift into the car. We went early so he could walk a bit outside. Inside was a female Cow Dog (blue merle/spots) and as soon as we entered she jumped up and bit Coop on the ankle! Coop screams, owner pulled his dog back. Coop was a nervous wreck (no bite, just a herding nip). Wouldn't walk and I sat on floor with him glued to me. Made him nervous with the Vet and he wouldn't leave the exam room when he saw that female in the hall checking out. Made a ucky experience for him..our first bad one while out and about. Hope this doesn't set him back!

Coop weighed 55.4 lbs!!! OMG! No wonder it is breaking my back to lift him.


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## jluke

*Getting into the Car*

Deber -- I'm making the obvious suggestion, but it worked with Maisie after our trainer suggested it to us. Maisie also hated to get into the car. We made a trail of treats, her favorite ones, up to and into the car with lots of the treats on the seat (very messy) and she followed them. At first she wouldn't hop onto the seat, we had to boost her in, but after a while, she jumped in by herself. It was a real pain to do this over and over (and even in the rain) and my husband was losing patience with the process, but after about 2 or 3 weeks, the problem was solved.


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## jluke

*Battle of Wills*

This afternoon Maisie and I were headed out for a walk. She broke out of a sit-stay at the kitchen door, luckily into the fenced side yard. She's never done this before. We live in a city and even though it's a suburban-ish neighborhood there's traffic so we've reinforced over and over that she can't run out until she's been released. When I called her back -- she barked and barked at me and ran back and forth on the deck, not coming. I put her leash back inside so she didn't think we were going walking (maybe giving her teenage brain too much credit!). I called her again -- she did her barking and coming part-way and running away game. I didn't chase her. Eventually she came back to the outside of the door. I called her inside, had her sit and stay and released her, then praised her. She still seemed pretty sad. Then we went on our walk.

Anyway -- I've been taught that you shouldn't let a puppy "get away" with an undesirable behavior like Maisie breaking her sit-stay. Correct? When you make her "do it right" how do you avoid breaking her will?


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## mrmooseman

We have a rug in the livingroom, and Moose will lay on it to play with his toys.. but I swear he knows when I vacuum all his hair off it, because instead of laying on the couch like he always does, he will lay on the rug and stretch out and roll all over it. He must not be happy unless his hair is all over EVERYTHING!


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## Pammie

Bryley was a pretty good boy today! 
He did not eat anything he should not have (except for his _regular _supplements of straw and leaves!), he did not get overly mouthy, was semi-nice to the cats, went in his crate during the day without hesitation, and we had 15 minutes of bonding whilst I held a bully stick, he chewed and I got to watch American Idol!!! It was nice cuz he was so close and his warm little(big!) paw was on my hand. It was a nice moment.

Are any of your pups crazy for gloves? When I am getting ready to take Bryley out and am not ready to actually wear the gloves, I have to stuff them in a pocket, or up my shirt or someplace else that he can not get to. He will LUNGE at them. Freakin' LAUNCH!! He also routinely takes my husbands work gloves. When he gets a hold of gloves he is so happy and proud and just prances around with his prize!! How can something so annoying be so cute? :

I would love it if everyone posted a pic of their teenager pup!
I will post one tomorrow as I have not taken anything new for a couple weeks!


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## Pammie

jluke said:


> Anyway -- I've been taught that you shouldn't let a puppy "get away" with an undesirable behavior like Maisie breaking her sit-stay. Correct? When you make her "do it right" how do you avoid breaking her will?


I always wonder what I should do when during play time I ask Bryley to sit/wait until I get into position to throw the object d'affection. My back is turned walking away from him and at about 10 feet away he decides to follow me. I usually take him back to the position and start over, but sometimes he looses interest and just wanders off and starts sniffing around or whatever. OR.... I am getting in the fridge (he may or may not have on occasion pull stuff off the shelves or licked the condiment and wine bottles ~BLEH!  and he is asked to sit and wait away from the door and he just won't sit. In most instances he performs these tasks really well.

What to do, what to do?


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## Deber

My name is Deb, and as my friends in crime, woud like to know your names too. Hopefully we will all be coming here a long time and nice to have a name to put with our user names.

Jluke, you might pose your question in the training section and let the experts help you out. This could be life threatening if she became deaf and dumb in the front yard. Mine too are not near ready for any off leash in town. For Kye she not only has her regular lead, but I keep my 100 ft lead hooked to her and to myself. She is not trustworthy and may or may not listen. I don't want her running into the street!!!

Pammie my girl Kye is also one who thinks her toys and anything she can hold in her mouth is a BIG prize! It is so cute but she has no loyalty to any one thing. Everything she can hold or steal to run around with is fair game to her.

Pictures - great Idea and admit I haven't taken any of the kids for many months. In another thread we are talking about Body Types, so I ran home last night and let the dogs out in the backyard and snapped a few. We just had 5" of rain, backyard has standing water, and of course Coop and Kye immediately started zooming around and rolling in the mud. I got a funny one of Kye sitting in her outside water bowl and Coop trying to figure out how to get in their too!! We sure need a pool.


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## wmag

Kasey has been bratty but this is the worst so far! I know this is going to make people laugh and I know I will laugh too in a lot of years. I took her out this morning and she heard my neighbors well she decided to take off with me attached to the leash! Of course we had a ton of snow with rain on top of it so the back yard is like a giant puddle. She pulled me across the yard and I landed on my rear! That did not stop her and she kept dragging me! It is 6am dark, raining, cold and my rear is soaked so I bring her inside so I could change and she poops on my kitchen floor! It is supposed to stop raining but get really windy so I can see my day only getting worse! I hope others have a better day than me!


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## mrmooseman

Deber said:


> My name is Deb, and as my friends in crime, woud like to know your names too. Hopefully we will all be coming here a long time and nice to have a name to put with our user names.


My name is Megan, it's good to be on a first name basis lol, i love the picture you added lol too cute!

and i agree.. i hardly take pictures of moose on my camera, i always snap pictures on my phone because it's always with me. but they arn't the best quality lol


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## Deber

Wmag, how old is Kasey? Kye knocked me on my rear last week when she came barreling around the door, lucky she didn't break my knees since they don't bend that direction. I swear right now she gets brainless at times, yet others, she is so good. Will be so glad when the Good times out weigh the Bad ones.

Megan, so glad to finally have a name! You know I adore Mr. Mooseman, he is just about the cutiest fellow and have laughed at his antics so much. I was embarassed that the only pictures I could get of the kids happens on a day we finally had blessed rain. The ground is so hard and brittle the rain made a mud layer. Don't know why I thought I could get them outside in this and think he would stand still and get good pictures...I am an idiot! But at class the Men (we have 4 men with their dogs) kept saying how "Blocky" Coop was, how big and square his head was. To me he is a bit short, but my love bug. Just got me wondering what they meant. I am unfamiliar with that term except in Giant Breeds. Posted there to ask more knowledgeable people what they considered the correct words for Coops body style. He is sure no lanky pup any more and Square is the best word I know to say! I see so much of my kids in Moose and not only in color. Same facial expressions, so much the same. How much fun to watch these kids grow to the beautiful adults I know they will become.


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## CarolinaCasey

Teller is 5 months old and is a dreamy puppy (sorry, I know this is the "bad" teenager thread. I am sure his time will come!)

He's such a lover... loves to lay beside you and likes to learn. Our older boy is JEALOUS and can't stand to not be getting the attention. We're dealing with it but it is hard. I'm taking them to separate training classes so they each get their "mommy time." Tell is entirely housebroken. He hasn't had an accident all month. Thank goodness!


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## mrmooseman

Moose has learned a new game.. it's called "I'm going to play with my ball and them put it under the couch and see how many times mommy & daddy will get it for me!" .. he enjoys it, us?.. not soo much lol.

Deb, I find Moose short too. I don't know what it is, but I just figured that he would be taller? but I love how Kye is just sitting in the dish. hahaha like she doesn't have a care in the world! He doesn't start classes until Feb. We had him in puppy classes and he did awesome. The instructor was so impressed with what he knew before he got there (we trained him at a early age) but that all went to hell when he turned 6 months lol. But he's not even a pet anymore, he's my baby!


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## baumgartml16

My name is Michelle. I like that we are putting first names out there, more personable! 

Koda loves to take my DH's things and prance with them. He leaves his tshirts on the floor from the day before and every morning she goes to get it and comes prancing out to find me and show me what she has! I find it adoarble. Same with his shoes, although I think she is sort of catching on to those aren't toys. I let her though because he keeps leaving them out. He knows better...

jluke - Koda is also no where near being off leash. Even on the tie out I have to keep her close by as she turns her hearing off and sniff, sniff, sniff...lately she won't even go to the bathroom easily anymore, she just wants to sniff - I dont know where this came from. It is getting frustrating cuz she will woof like she has to go potty and we take her out and it takes a couple minutes to go...urghh!!

Deb - I love the picture of Kye in the waterbowl - so cute! She is looking at you like "What, this isn't what it is meant for?"

Attached are two more recent pictures on my phone - not best quality but still works! 

















Happy Friday everyone!


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## Nyahsmommy

mrmooseman said:


> Moose has learned a new game.. it's called "I'm going to play with my ball and them put it under the couch and see how many times mommy & daddy will get it for me!" .. he enjoys it, us?.. not soo much lol.


Nyah has learned to play this at a young age... infact she is play it with me now wih her tennis ball... keeps rolling it under my desk. And when I get it she bounces on my lap and tries to put the ball in my mouth. :bowl:

Nyah has been very frustrating lately. She has always been a horrible walker and terrified of loud outside noises but has gotten better since we got her the gental leader. A few days ago she went back to her old behaviour out of the blue... I now have to drag a 60 pound dog on the ground... I'm not even going to attempt to lift her as I don't feel like pulling out my back/slipping on snow. : I just don't get it, she was great then one day she decided she didn't want to walk again. Plus she has been hyper as anything because she doesn't want to walk. Ahhhhh.


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## baumgartml16

Megan - we had the same thing. Koda was the star of her puppy classes because she knew a lot of what we learned before we got there. Now that we are in obedience classes with older dogs - not so much. She is the one who can't stay focused LOL!  Totally agree, Koda is my baby! I always tell her she will always be my first baby!  They make all of this stuff worth it, hey!?


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## mrmooseman

Moose use to be soo good to walk. We had a "correction collar" from puppy training classes.. but it doesn't quite fit over his head anymore so he was fine just walking with his collar and leash. But just one day he decided he was going to be a rebel and not walk with me nice anymore, I don't drag him.. he drags me! what is this gental leader everyone is talking about? lol and my bf leave his socks and shirts on the floor too, and right in front of the hamper? I swear sometimes I think Moose is smarter then him . He steals his socks, but I agree with you Michelle, I let him, he should be putting them in the hamper! Moose is my first child. We don't have any kids so I feel like I basically gave birth to him lol. He does make everything worth it!


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## Nyahsmommy

P.S. my name is Kim


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## baumgartml16

Koda had been pulling, something has seemed to click this week. We have been working with her inside on her heeling and walking in there so maybe that helped!? I dont know...she seems to correct herself at this point on walks with the training collar. She still gets her times of curiosity when she pulls us into a snow bank or a persons yard to sniff something out but for the most part the pulling has stopped - I probably just jinxed myself lol. 

We used the easy walk harness which I think is a variation of the gentle leader (correct me if I am wrong). I think the gentle leader is a form of a harness. It worked for a while but she just didn't seem comfortable in it so we switched to the training collar instead and she is more comfortable with that.

No kids here either - only 25 years old so my first child. My family gives me a hard time because of how much I am like a "mom" to Koda. I love it though!


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## Nyahsmommy

mrmooseman said:


> Moose use to be soo good to walk. We had a "correction collar" from puppy training classes.. but it doesn't quite fit over his head anymore so he was fine just walking with his collar and leash. But just one day he decided he was going to be a rebel and not walk with me nice anymore, I don't drag him.. he drags me! what is this gental leader everyone is talking about? lol and my bf leave his socks and shirts on the floor too, and right in front of the hamper? I swear sometimes I think Moose is smarter then him . He steals his socks, but I agree with you Michelle, I let him, he should be putting them in the hamper! Moose is my first child. We don't have any kids so I feel like I basically gave birth to him lol. He does make everything worth it!


 
This is the gental leader. It's great for pulling... it doesn't work if you have to drag them but if moose is dragging you, then I totally recommend it... he won't be able to pull you because it hooks around their neck and their head pulls down when they try to pull. I also agree about being the first child... we don't have any children either but I'm pretty sure Nyah is spoiled more than most human kids. lol :


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## wmag

Deber said:


> Wmag, how old is Kasey? Kye knocked me on my rear last week when she came barreling around the door, lucky she didn't break my knees since they don't bend that direction. I swear right now she gets brainless at times, yet others, she is so good. Will be so glad when the Good times out weigh the Bad ones.
> 
> Kasey will be 9 months old tomorrow. I really hope we are close to being out of this bratty stage!


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## baumgartml16

They say it is 6-12 months I believe. I have seen improvement over the last few weeks with just staying on top of her with things..I feel there is an end in sight but let's be honest..we are owners of GR's. There is always bound to be an adventure around the corner! They are made as cute as they are so they can get away with just about anything!


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## Deber

It is great to learn first names makes this more personal in a good way. Great of you to join the group CarolinaCasey! I think Teller is one of the best names. It really fits our breed and yes, though the OP thread was started with teenager pups in mind I think it fits for a place for all of us to put our good days and bad and know others understand. Please keep posting as this is so much fun!

Still think this should be put as a sticky!!

Michelle - Koda is BEAUTIFUL!! She has grown so much since the last pictures. Really amazing if you think when all of us first joined, our kids were so tiny and now they are almost adults. Cool!

I have the martingale harness for Kye too though Coop seems to do better with the Easy Harness. It is about the only thing I have found to stop her if she gets out of hand on her walks. She doesn't pull so much, but bounces up and down, Boing, Boing! The martingale pulls her head down so usually only a few tries and she will settle back down. 

The picture I posted with Kye in her now dirty water dish was just before the zoomies resumed, she ran around in the mud, then would jump in that little tub, only to repeat again. We put the kiddie pool up when weather got cooler, but might need to bring it back out.

And to me -l. I am almost retirement age, 2 daughters grown, with 2 beautiful grandkids, 9 & 6. Been there with children raising, loved it but would rather raise dogs!!


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## jluke

*Gentle Leader and Collar Types...*

I saw the post asking about use of the Gentle Leader. You may want to check out the thread I started on corrective collars which talks about use of various types of collars including the Gentle Leader and Haltis -- both types of head halters. I used one for years with pur first GR, a rescued adult who really pulled before I changed to a Gentle Leader. But there's now a school of thought that head halters are not a good choice for many dogs. I'm not expert on this -- there are links to some articles on the subject in the thread.

It also has a lot of back-and-forth on slip (aka "choke") collars and prong collars both of which are often used for a period in training pups who pull before transitioning them back to a flat collar -- either a standard buckle collar or a martingale type. 

I began the thread to get opinions on the subject because Maisie is pulling so hard and has become so unruly walking on a loose leash that I'm trying a light-weight martingale-style prong collar for a week in combination with positive reinforcement on the advice of her trainer.


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## Deber

Jluke, keep us up on how the prong collar works. Our trainer has suggested this for us too, but I don't know how to put one on correctly and the ones at the store look intimidating cause I don't know which to buy. Let us know please how it goes.

Kim it is nice to have your name! It is fun to get to know each other.


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## mrmooseman

We had a "choke" collar, one that was half chain half collar material (not too sure what it is called) and we used that for training when he was smaller. We didn't find a whole lot of difference. He still tried to pull and choke himself. Towards the end when it started getting too small for him, my boyfriend said it was starting to make the difference. I had yet to see that actually happen. But since Moose no longer listens to me while walking or on a leash, I want to be able to control him. I have mixed feelings about the pinch ones. It worked for my brothers dog (mixed lab and german shephard) but I don't know if I want to attempt it on Moose man.


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## Deber

Take Moose to a good pet store and see if they don't have walking halters there to actually see and try on. Our PetsMart and Petco both carry them in stock. We used the easy walk halter on Kye and really stopped all her pulling and dragging me down the street. A Godsend for sure, but she moved from pulling to jumping. She jumps up and down to get what she wants. I moved to the Gentle Walk (think this is the name) which has a martingale just like a horses one to keep their heads down. When she jumps it pulls her head down, uncomfortable, so she stops the jumping! 

But these halters really work for the pulling. You might need a seperate clamp in the front to attach the halter to his flat collar (trainer told us this). Sometimes the halter can be pulled so the latch isn't center with their chest. Locking it to the collar stops this. I actually can walk Kye now without being a video waiting to happen!


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## dkt

I don't know if it's just us but the Easy Walk Harness just doesn't seem to have any effect on Oliver's pulling. He's really getting so much worse in the last few weeks (he just turned 7 months). He's great until he sees someone and then all bets are off, he's determined to get to them. Lots of treats works to distract him for a bit, but not when they get close. My shoulder/arm/hand are really taking a beating and this has to stop! I am a bit intimidated by the prong collars, too--not knowing which is the right one. But the harness isn't doing it for us! Other than this, he's the perfect boy, though--he's wonderful in the house, never touches anything he shouldn't anymore, just likes to hang out with us, following from room to room, plopping down where ever we are.


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## dexter0125

I'm so glad I found this thread. Good to know I'm not alone.


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## baumgartml16

Deb - we use the prong and I was scared of it at first too but the pet store fitted it for us and showed us how to use it. We marked one of the prongs so we always use the same one and it gets easier to get on and off. Koda definitely responds to it. She has her moments but it works. Our training class requires we use it!


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## Deber

Ill take Kye and go by the petstore tonight. Usually less people there at nighttime and hopefully someone there to help me fit the right one.

DKT, you might try the Gentle leader instead of the Easy Walk. The martingale really does put a damper on the dragging down the street.


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## Laurie

This is the first time I've come to this thread because I no longer have teenage pups. I just want to thank you guys for the good laughs....sorry!!!! I spent most of the time reading and nodding my head.....been there, done that! We've raised 2 puppies at the same time twice now. Honestly, with my first set, Reno and Phoenix, I can't even recall any bratty stages....perhaps it's because I'm older now and just can't remember.

With Austin and Lincoln...totally different story!! Thank goodness we had one relatively calm one (Austin) as Lincoln was enough!!! It wasn't easy but could have been far more difficult with 2 puppies.

Our guys still have their moments but they are so few and far between now. They are perfectly behaved in the house, much better on their walks and only need a certain look from me to know that they are expected to do something.

After reading this thread, I'm thinking I must have rocks in my head to be even considering another puppy!:bowl:

Hang in there.......it DOES get so much better!!!!! :wave:


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## jluke

*Arg!! And Collar Update*

Maisie is really, really, really trying my patience. I'm on my last bit of puppy patience. part of it is that we're coming to the end of the 2 weeks of her post-surgery restriction so she hasn't been able to go to the dog park and let off steam, but part of it is the teen-age thing. She now feels great and wants to run. Just came in from a 30 minute walk -- longer than the doc says she should be taking and she finished by running away from me and digging and digging in the yard, dashing away from me. Then back outside after she jingled her bells non-stop. Invited the kids from up the hill down for a visit which was great and showed off her new trick (just High Five) which they loved. Then she ran around like a demon, wouldn't come up on the deck. I finally got her up there where we sat out for about half an hour in 45 degree weather so she could sniff the air and be entertained. When I moved to bring her in she whooshed down into the yard, started to dig and wouldn't come. I had to haul her up on her leash, dirty dog. Now she's jingling the bells -- again...

On collars: the martingale-style prong collar is definitely helping with walking. As several of you mentioned, it is important that it be fitted and used correctly. Maisie's trainer says that the leash should be attached at the side near you although it's not absolutely critical. The collar should rest mid-neck, not up behind the ears like a nylon (or chain) slip (aka choke) collar. I tried a nylon slip collar for several months and never got good at giving a "leash pop" as a correction. Maisie would also "hang" herself on the slip collar - she really didn't mind choking herself. I used all the techniques I was taught with it -- being a tree, doing U-turns, etc., and I didn't make much progress with her pulling. Before starting with the slip collar, I had every intention of using only positive reinforcement for training Maisie, but just couldn't get through on loose leash walking. I did a lot of reading, started the Corrective Collars thread on this board, worked with our trainer -- it convinced me that a prong collar combined with positive reinforcement is safer for Maisie, easier for me to use and more effective than a slip collar. My plan is to use it for a training period only (and brush-ups as required), then to switch to a standard martingale collar. But there are lots of opinions that differ with this and many of them are posted on the Corrective Collar thread in the Puppies section here. Also, Susan Clothier's article, Training with the Prong Collar is really helpful. She is now a positive reinforcement only trainer and only very, very rarely (essentially never) uses a prong collar. The article is from about 1990, but it is very thorough and helpful. So sorry for this long post... some of it a vent and some repetitive.


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## Deber

Jluke hearing of Maisie's night, makes me glad we have two! The best and sometimes only good thing about going through this with two pups is that after I walk Coop I take Kye. When we get home, she turns into a hyper-dog and zooms out into the yard. Thankfully Coop is right behind her and they run and run around the yard then collide and swear I don't know why the Earth doesn't shake. They rear up, bitey faces and hit the ground tumbling and up to run again. By the time they are finished and come back in, both are worn out and usually get on their mats to sleep the night away. So glad it isn't ME they are pounding on!

We are going to the Petstore to try to fit Kye for a prong collar. Hopefully this will just need to be used in class, but must get her brains to settle or she is too much of a distraction to the other dogs there. Hope someone can help us, because I have never worked with one before and don't know the way to correctly fit it.


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## mrmooseman

Times like this I wish I never ever gave him tennis balls :/ He is driving me nuts! I have to put blankets and pillows around the bottoms of the chairs and couch so he can't get the balls stuck under them. I mean, I can't get to too mad, he is playing alone . He has a stuffie in his mouth and keeps moving the ball around the floor with his nose and then he put both in his mouth. He doesn't want us to play with him but just constly going under the couch and chairs! I'm still feeling pretty sick and just doesn't have the energy to keep chasing after the ball. That is my rant for today.


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## Deber

Laurie, Thank you for coming and reading of our times with our kids. Koda's Mom gave us a place that sure makes us feel our pups arent odd. It is good to vent and talk with others during this time. Think we were all prepared for puppyhood, but teenages have their whole new set of things. Love this thread and hope others pick up where we leave with their teenagers. 

MooseMan's Mom - Hang in there girlfriend! I still giggle with the picture you posted of Moose with the two tennis balls in his mouth. Sends me into hysterics. That is one to frame to remember these times. I am so proud to be a GR owner - honestly no matter these puppy/teenage times. These kids bring such joy and keep us hopping. 


Today is a Bark day for us. The city came by and dug up 1/2 of the street beside us. Lots of big machines and a half dozen men. Coop and I have spent a large part of the day sitting and watching, Kye is butt wiggling, whinning and Bark, Bark, barking trying to get the men to come to the fence and pet her. Between the machines and Kye's barking...I am deaf.


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## mrmooseman

Hahaha I must admit I laughed when he had the 2 balls in his mouth. I had to take a picture and only had my phone but I got to capture the moment. Today he had his stuffed hippo and ball in his mouth. I never realized how big his mouth was until all the snow melted yesterday and I saw how many pieces of toys he had snuck outside, and my poor yard! I'll never be able to plant anything.. not that I was going to but still. hehe.

After posting my rant I watched him play with his snowman and his ball and I got teary eyed because I felt I said such mean things about him. Ugh this stupid sickness lol.


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## Pammie

Hi girls!!! sounds like everyone is busy loving on their pups and keeping them out of mischief!

Megan, I love how Moose had 2 balls in his mouth! So cute! Bryley does not love balls so he has not even tried to do that. Maybe Moose will work up to 3 (or more) balls!!








And please don't feel sad about your rant. Our pups know we love them more than anything. We have to be able to express our emotions here so that we don't express them out-loud to the tender ears and hearts of our beautiful pups!

Deb I found the perfect biscuits for Kye!









jluke I also use a prong collar for walking Bryley. He started wearing it when he was a wee little lad! He walks well on the leash, not exactly loose, but he does not charge ahead, yank or zig zag. 

Bryley and I went on a lovely 1 hour walk today with 2 of my friends. Such a beautiful day here in N. California! It was sunny and 60 degrees. 
He was really good except for 2 instances of b-o-i-n-g b-o-i-n-g! and he stole 3 Kleenexes out of my friends pocket and ate them!! :yuck: :doh:
He is such a rascal! This photo is from 2 months ago.


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## jluke

*Oh Well...*

My husband and I walked Maisie this evening. So glad nobody was watching -- she leapt and pawed and twisted and grabbed the leash and tugged. We're going backwards right now. Discouraging... I'm thinking that in addition to class we're going to need an individual training session if this keeps up.

Like we keep saying, it's a good thing they're cute. When she wasn't digging, she sat, wanting to go for more walks than she's allowed right now. "Take me for a walk, Mommy! Please..."


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## ashleylp

Today we had our first teenage moment with Remy. After obedience class he got after one of the other puppies... and he is normally SO submissive it's funny. He just growled and got in his face but no snaps... still it scared me quite a bit and left me very angry with him! I did make sure he knew what he did was wrong.

And tonight he humped another dog for the first time, too! Looks like we have the testosterone running high! :/


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## Deber

Pammie, Bryley is absolutely beautiful! What a well put together boy. I bet he Loved his walk today.

Ashley - Glad to have you and yes, Remy is doing the first of what we saw and I think why the thread was started. Like we woke up one day and our well behaved baby turned into a more willful dog. Going deaf to our words, forgetting the basics they have known for months. Crazy - and at class, embarrassment! Uck. Found out these are called Teenage times. We are so glad to have a place to talk and not have others think our dogs are brats. In different ways each of us are going through some really odd behavior. You have a place here if needed to talk.

Jluke, don't know why, but I never realized Maisie was light as she looks darker in your siggie. Coop is this light too but ears are a shade darker, Kye is all over cream and looks light until standing by Coop. At the Int'l show I was at a few months ago there were quite a few of the lighter goldens there. One breeder/handler had her 5 mo old female pup with her and she looked so much like your picture of Maisie but younger. Goodness she is beautiful! Do you have people ask what breed she is? Apparently we don't have many light goldens in my area of Texas so people naturally assume they are Pyreenese. Funny cause pyr. are much much larger with huge bodies and nothing like a golden head, but they go by their color.


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## Deber

Yea! We are now a Sticky! Will be so much easier to find the thread now. Thank you AllanK for allowing this. Hopefully it will help others when their pups go through this time.


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## sweetmollymalone

*teenage trials and tribulations*

Thank you for this thread to post our frustration with these teenagers of ours!!! I thought I was alone until I read all of your posts and realized that my Amy is really pretty normal. The question I have is this: when will they get over it and calm down and start being the good goldens we expected? I had a wonderful golden for 14 years and so can't even remember when she was a teenager ... and when she calmed down. I just know she was wonderful when she got older! Anybody got any encouraging advice?


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## SeaMonster

Gracie has been having a great teenage phase. AS LONG AS she gets her daily hour of free run in the woods. If she doesn't..........lets just hope that day never comes


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## Deber

SweetMollyMalone - The wise ones say this starts about 6 mo until about 12-14 mo. Hope we all survive. I too had goldens many years ago and for the life of me don't remember this time with them! But again, like the Land Shark times, I am sure we will all survive. Just good to have a place to talk about good and bad with others that understand. 

Pammie, had time to go back and see the sign you put up. OMG that is Kye!!! Need it blown up and frame it. Haaaaa! Miss Wiggle Butt!

SeaMonster - I would Love to have a 3 hour run with the kids and bet Gracie LOVES this, only we can't do that in town. On weekends we have our farm way out in the boonies and there we can really tire the kids out. Wish it was better in town, but dogs have to do with regular walks, class and found a pasture south of town I can take the leads off. That is about all we can do after work and not near enough to wear the kids out. 

Good to have you both here. When times are difficult there is a place now we can come and vent, talk of our good days and bad. Really been a Godsend for me and have met a whole new set of friends. By the way, my name is Deb.


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## Tucker's mommy

Hi - I'm Tucker's Mom - actually my name is Katie. We've had a rough week here as we just had our 8 month Tucker neutered last week and couldn't allow for any exercise. Wow - I'm glad we're nearing the end of this stretch! I took him for a short walk today, and I don't know who was happier to finally get out - me or him! 

He's been so barky and snarly with me these past few days - it's like clockwork - as soon as meal time arrives, he sits or stands in front of me and just BARKs BARKs BARKs! It lasted 20 minutes the worst episode. If anyone has any advice on this, I'd appreciate it! I crate him for a few minutes, and he's usually calm again when I let him out, with a defeated kind of air about him, and he collapses on the floor to wait out the last few minutes. If it wasn't so annoying, it'd be funny. I'm sure that this, too, will pass! Once he's able fully run ( a couple more days) I think we'll have a much happier camper. Then I'm sure some other challenge will arise! :bowl:


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## Deber

Katie, wish I had wonderful words of wisdom for you. Kye too went from a quiet dog to a barker at about 8 mo. We are trying to use "hush" and treat, I also go with her to look out the window to see what she is barking at..nothing, but we talk about it. We are now into the 2nd mo of this and hope it ends. Treats are working but only for a very short time. Problem is now Coop is starting to pick up on this and will bark. Thankfully nothing like Kye, but sure don't want this to start. Hopeing it is part of the teen times and will pass. Good luck and if you find something that works let us know.


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## mrmooseman

Moose hardly ever barked! The odd time he would stand in the patio doors and bark at the neighbours dog is she was barking (man does she ever bark a lot!) but it wasn't all the time and he NEVER barked outside. But yesterday.. for some odd reason, he just started barking outside. I went to see what he was barking at, and it was someone walking on the sidewalk! He has never done that. He usually sits there and watches the people walk. He doesn't make a sound, just creepishly watches them. I was in shock! Now when the cops has someone pulled over in front of the house, I was scared he would start again (I swear I don't know when his bark got soo deep!) but he just sat there, watching the cops.


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## Deber

Megan you are lucky, I am always in constant fear Kye will be turned in by a neighbor, so really monitor the time she is allowed out. We get up at 2:00AM and I go outside with her to stop the Barking. Know I wouldn't want to be woke up to this, but Coop has always been really quiet and hopefully he doesn't pick up on this as much. He is a coward and when Kye barks, he comes running and glues himself to my leg. What a clown.


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## baumgartml16

Happy Monday everyone!  

I have a hard time keeping up with the forum over the weekends so after all my catching up...

Barking - we had this happen as well around the 8 month mark. She is getting better. We did what Deb was saying - go to the window to see what they are barking at (nothing). I then pet her and say "there's nothing out there, let's play" and if I can get myself more interesting than the nothing outside she will come play and forget about it. We try to stop it at the first bark so it doesn't continue. I couldn't even get her to go to the bathroom this morning because she swore there is was something out there and she barked and barked and barked. I brought her in to help her forget it and then we went out again!

Deb - Koda has the wiggle butt as well. Her AKC name is McWiggles because of how much she wiggles that butt - I love it! 

Our biggest problem is that our snow is melting therefore uncovering the smell good, easy to pick things up ground. We had about an inch on Friday night so we took her out Saturday morning while we shoveled the back patio to let her run around...she found the sticks again, the woodchips and went to town digging for them. We find it hard to play outside at all right now. She will chase her toy and once she gets to it just pick up a clump of grass and take off running from us. URghhhh...soooooo frustrating! I don't mind her having grass but I hate that she runs away ALL the time!!! We are supposed to be in the 40s this week (unusual) so all snow will be gone shortly! GREAT! LOL

Yesterday we tuckered her out good! Took her to the closed in baseball field to play with my sisters GSD who is one year older than her! They had SO much fun. She gets dirty playing with him and slobbery so we give her a bath after they are done. She is not a fan of those and yesterday she was particualy unhappy with it. So we worked fast! After we were done though this is the scene for a good couple hours...









You can see she is still wet - too cute to take her off the couch though! 

And yay for being a sticky! I am glad everyone enjoys this thread as much as me!  

Have a good day everyone! Love your babies to the fullest!!


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## baumgartml16

I just found out how to upload videos to youtube from my phone. Hopefully I will be able to post more now. This is an example of what happens when we are playing...no listening. Ignore my gross voice LOL

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tuKIebXor64


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## Tucker's mommy

Love the video clip, Michelle - that could be our Tucker! My hubby thinks I'm a crazy freak, but for the past few days, I've been working on teaching Tucker to bring things back to me for a treat once he's snagged something that he shouldn't have (like towels, shoes, slippers, my toddler's beloved "lovey"lamb, etc.). It's working, but not consistently yet, and I think I may have created a monster - because now he seems to be even MORE into grabbing stuff, because he knows he'll get a treat when he brings it back! Duhhh! What was I THINKING!?!?!


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## baumgartml16

LOL. That's what I was afraid of. I do it for things that I know she won't give back without it. Otherwise, like you saw I let her have some things. Although, she wasn't afraid I was going to take it away from her since she didn't take off running with it LOL.


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## elly

Deber said:


> SweetMollyMalone - The wise ones say this starts about 6 mo until about 12-14 mo. Hope we all survive.


Really?! Only 12-14months?! Hmmm...Really?!!!!!!  :no: :crossfing for you all but I know many on the board and elsewhere who will testify otherwise despite good training! Especially testosterone led teens! Just when you think its over.......


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## dkt

Michele, this is such a great idea, I want to add my thanks to everyone else's for starting this thread! Love the video, and yes, that looks very familiar with Koda ignoring your talking to her! This is like a mini support group--every morning I get my tea and settle in to read how I'm not alone, my boy is just like the rest, it's all part of the adventure we're on! 
Challenging walks lately with Oliver (my name is Diane, by the way)--he's getting big and too strong for me! It's frustrating because I've been working with him since he was a small pup, it seems like things should be progressing instead of regressing at this point!! We'll get there eventually. I love the description Susannah Charleson wrote in Scent of the Missing (great book about her training her search and rescue golden for anyone who hasn't read it) about walking her adolescent golden "often feels like a cross between street fighting and deep-sea fishing". Exactly!!


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## Nyahsmommy

baumgartml16 said:


> I just found out how to upload videos to youtube from my phone. Hopefully I will be able to post more now. This is an example of what happens when we are playing...no listening. Ignore my gross voice LOL
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tuKIebXor64


 
great video! I thought I was watching a clip of Nyah for a second. :. We have been having warmer weather here also. Saturday it was raining and everything was completely muddy. Unfortunately Nyah was super restless so we took her on a hike in the rain.... we tried her harness instead of the gentel leader and wow what a mistake that was! My boyfriend had to walk her and still she managed to drag him the whole hike which isn't easy since he's a big guy, ugh. Yesterday while I was at work my bf took her to the dog park, then in the afternoon we took her to her mom's to run around and then took her for an hour walk in the evening. That sure made her tired.


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## mrmooseman

Took moose on a play date today.. he didn't drag me down onto the drive away today :crossfing soo that was a good start! He has a blast! There was another golden there and him and his cousin Milo chased the other dog and the other dog chased them! They all had soo much fun. I had to run some errands before heading home so he waited in the car.. but of course he got soo muddy and I put his car seat cover on his seat so he wouldn't destroy my car, and he did really well.. until I came out of the grocery store.. of course he was in my seat! I can't get too mad, everytime I leave him alone in the car he always sits in my seat. Thats fine, but now to get home and get him in the tub. ugh. What a nightmare! He of course got on the couch all dirty once I turned my back. But he knew he was going in the tub. I tried to coach him.. he wasn't having any of it. I tried to coach him with treats.. umm.. no go. Finally after a lot of coaching, I got him in the washroom and dragged the poor boy in the tub. He did well.. he just stares at me as if saying "mom why you do this to me?" and i got him all clean! I was finishing rinsing off his tail.. and he made the great escape! I never realized how much water his tail held. Until it was in a huge puddle on the floor. Then I had to chase him around the house to try and towel dry him.. guess I'm washing my floors again.. lol now he's curled up on the couch (still wet) but having a nap. I can't be bothered to move him because he will just go back on the couch.. or the bed. lol


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## baumgartml16

Wow Megan, that sounds just like our Sunday and from the picture I posted earlier you probably have a similar couch scene!? LOL


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## mayapaya

Deber said:


> My name is Deb, and as my friends in crime, woud like to know your names too. Hopefully we will all be coming here a long time and nice to have a name to put with our user names.
> 
> .


Well, I've been away for just a few days, and I see lots of action here. Nice to have some names to put to "screen names"--I am Chris, mom to Maya, a.k.a., Mayapaya, Magpie, and some days we just call her "Marley"! We are heading out for a walk shortly--45 degrees in January in Chicago! Must capitize on the good weather. I have used the harness collar for Maya on walks, and it works fairly well. Hope you are all having a great Monday with your teenagers!


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## mrmooseman

baumgartml16 said:


> Wow Megan, that sounds just like our Sunday and from the picture I posted earlier you probably have a similar couch scene!? LOL


Haha why yes I do. You swear getting a bath meant I was going to harm him the scene he makes. He use to never be like that, and he use to LOVE when I would blow dry him. Now he just runs away so he always looks like he has bed head. I have to hold him down just to brush him!


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## baumgartml16

Ugh that is us too. It is a two person job to groom her in any way. I actually just got off the phone with the groomer, we are thinking of taking her in to do it there. Maybe she makes a fuss for us because she knows she can. I am sooooo nervous to take her there though. I don't want her to be mad at us or be terrified while she is there. We are going to take her up there this weekend and have her meet the groomer and get some treats from her so she is excited to see her. I am already a panicked mommy over here thinking of leaving her there alone...


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## dkt

Taking Koda to a groomer is a great idea--we did that with our basset years ago and she learned to be soo good for bathing/nail trims, etc. They have so much experience and usually are full of fun for the dogs--and yes, they know they can't get away with the stuff they can with us, so they just seem to behave better for them!


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## Pammie

Deber said:


> Pammie, Bryley is absolutely beautiful! What a well put together boy..


Well, thank you so much! I like that term _well put together_!
Deb, did you make it over to Petco yet to look at training collars?

How I give Bryley a bath is to hook a hose up to the kitchen sink (his royal highness must have warm water, right?) and then run the hose outside. Works well unless it is freezing out- he doesn't care but I do! Anyway, my thought was maybe the pups are feeling more trapped or confined if you are bathing them in your bath/shower enclosure and that is why they balk at bath time? Bryley does not LOVE bath time but he tolerates it and doesn't run away. Added bonus to this method is all the post-bath shaking and rubbing is done outside!:squintdan ..along with the crazy-fun zoooooomies!:burnout:

We have so many great women that are posting on our sticky (did you notice it's all women?) and with the exchange of real names I had to make myself a cheat sheet! My memory sucks!:


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## mrmooseman

Thats where I'm at with Moose. We know we are planning on taking him to the groomers, but just when is the right time, and I don't even want to think about leaving him alone.


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## abowman

Finnegan takes a shower with my daughter. It is fairly funny he sits pitiful in there while she washes and rinses him. The bathroom looks as though a water bomb went off as he zooms out to run to his crate! Then comes the hair dryer, which makes him whimper, followed by a good brushing. It would be so much easier to go to the groomers, however, I do not want to leave him there ....yet.
Yesterday when I came home from work he was just full of it. He did not go for his morning walk so had energy to spare. His land shark techniques were in full swing and he felt biting my rear end all the way up the stair case was his born given right! I finally gave in and went out to throw th ball for awhile....it was cold and I was tired.Then he decided to pull my fuzzy throw all over the house and finally ended up wrapping up in it to take a nap. It was like being with a biting toddler! Tomorrow's a new day.....


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## Deber

Pam - Yes, the store man helped me fit her with a lighter one and glad he did, cause when open it looked like the Jaws of Death! Wouldn't have had a clue how to correctly fit and which gauge to get. We settled on a lighter (not lightest) one and I used it to walk her to the car. Worked better, but no way to really judge cause when out and about in stores she is always so good. Monday morning too dark and I wanted to see her reactions, so yesterday when I got home was our first. She did much better, but I must learn how to use it correctly and am going to check the internet for tips. There is a thread going now about collars that Jluke started, I need to learn to "pop" it instead of slow. Think it will be like a choke chain, but not sure. Hopefully I am not too uncoordinated to do this??!!


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## baumgartml16

Ugh, I was near tears last night. Her class was a nightmare. I did the training last night as my hubby has done it the last two weeks. She is in her crate all day but let out around noon for play time and a long walk. I get home around 5:15 and we leave for class by 5:45. I do my best to get right to playing, running around, etc before we leave for class so she is at least a little tired. The last two weeks she was a little hyper the first 15 minutes but settled down. For me - O no. She was jumping all over me, biting the leash, not listening at all. I felt kinda bad cuz she just wanted to play, she wasn't ready to listen yet. But o my it was embarressing. I couldn't even listen to what the instructor was telling us to do. I took Koda outside to walk around a bit and refocus (not only her but me). I didn't want her feeding off my energy - I am a shy person and so having my dog act up that way and realizing everyone is probably staring at me makes me very nervous. 

The instructors kept coming up and giving me tips. It would work for a second. She listened better the second half but still not good. She is so distracted there and it is the only place. That is why it is so frustrating. We do these things at home, at other peoples homes, outside...and she is an angel and listens so well. I am trying not to get to upset as I know that she knows it all and will do it any other time. It's just in that class with all those people and dogs she is over stimulated. My hubby is contemplating withdrawing from class until she is older but I want to stick with it. An hour each week to learn the stuff has got to be manageable. That way we can learn everything we need to know and then practice, practice, practice in our controlled environment. Plus, he will be doing the training now in class as she does have more respect for him so in that situation it is better that she is with him. 

I needed to get that out, I was so high strung last night from it all. In hindsight I am not overly mad at her as I can only imagine being crated all day and then trying to pay attention in a room full of dogs and people. It would be hard to do at 9 months old. She is one of the youngest ones there. The other young pup is a corgi and also acts up in class but a corgi is easier to manage because of its size than my 70 lb GR matched with little me. 

We might try bringing the spray bottle next class and see if that helps. 

abowman - sounds like you had an interesting Monday as well!! There are always those days that get us down but they are always there to bring the moods back up when they are ready to behave or sleep!!


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## mrmooseman

After Moose's playdate yesterday and the bathing feascal, he was dead to the world from about 7 lastnight until this morning. Oh how I love those quiet moments. Today he started bright and early with the in and out in and out game.. we had snow lastnight so he is currently out rolling around in it. Which is fine. But he will come in the house and 5 mins later wants out. It's going to be one of those days I see. I'm still feeling a bit under the weather but feeling so much better but have a lot of neglected house work to tend to today. So I am not looking forward to this day already. Once Kyle comes home he will take him for his walk but its going to be a long day..


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## mayapaya

baumgartml16 said:


> Ugh, I was near tears last night. Her class was a nightmare. I did the training last night as my hubby has done it the last two weeks. She is in her crate all day but let out around noon for play time and a long walk. I get home around 5:15 and we leave for class by 5:45. I do my best to get right to playing, running around, etc before we leave for class so she is at least a little tired. The last two weeks she was a little hyper the first 15 minutes but settled down. For me - O no. She was jumping all over me, biting the leash, not listening at all. I felt kinda bad cuz she just wanted to play, she wasn't ready to listen yet. But o my it was embarressing. I couldn't even listen to what the instructor was telling us to do. I took Koda outside to walk around a bit and refocus (not only her but me). I didn't want her feeding off my energy - I am a shy person and so having my dog act up that way and realizing everyone is probably staring at me makes me very nervous.
> 
> The instructors kept coming up and giving me tips. It would work for a second. She listened better the second half but still not good. She is so distracted there and it is the only place. That is why it is so frustrating. We do these things at home, at other peoples homes, outside...and she is an angel and listens so well. I am trying not to get to upset as I know that she knows it all and will do it any other time. It's just in that class with all those people and dogs she is over stimulated. My hubby is contemplating withdrawing from class until she is older but I want to stick with it. An hour each week to learn the stuff has got to be manageable. That way we can learn everything we need to know and then practice, practice, practice in our controlled environment. Plus, he will be doing the training now in class as she does have more respect for him so in that situation it is better that she is with him.
> 
> I needed to get that out, I was so high strung last night from it all. In hindsight I am not overly mad at her as I can only imagine being crated all day and then trying to pay attention in a room full of dogs and people. It would be hard to do at 9 months old. She is one of the youngest ones there. The other young pup is a corgi and also acts up in class but a corgi is easier to manage because of its size than my 70 lb GR matched with little me.
> 
> We might try bringing the spray bottle next class and see if that helps.
> 
> abowman - sounds like you had an interesting Monday as well!! There are always those days that get us down but they are always there to bring the moods back up when they are ready to behave or sleep!!


Michelle, I had similar issues with Maya when we did a weekday evening class. her first puppy class was on Saturday's and that seemed to work better because we were able to get quite a bit of exercise in before the training. Then we took an intermediate class at 5:30 on weekdays and it was a nightmare. My hands were raw from pulling back on the leash, and Maya was a maniac. Not listening, jumping, trying to play with the other dogs.....sigh...I can recall the embarassment. We decided to keep working on the training at home, and then enroll in another class in the spring--she'll be about a year old then. And, what is it with these pups and male voices????? I can speak commands until I am blue in the face, and then my husband walks up and says a command and she responds immediately. And, I'm the one doing most of the training!!! Grrrrrrrrr!!!!


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## baumgartml16

Chris - so you withdrew and re-enrolled in spring? I am considering seeing when they offer this one next? And if they have it on weekends at all? I just can't handle it. If my husband thinks he can make the majority of them we will stick it out but I can't do it anymore and especially not by myself, she will have to miss those classes. I just can't go through that again...I was so embarressed and in pain - the hand for sure! My finger was throbbing all night after we did work on the long leads. We need to get a different one for next time but we have the wire tie outs and trying to hold her back with that - wow that was torture. I learned a lot last night about how little she respects me. I am not good at the scolding thing though..Brian is always asking me to get tougher with her and I try but that look on her face makes me cave every time. Too sweet of a baby to yell at. 

At least I know I am not alone!  That's what we are for, right!?


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## baumgartml16

I actually may have just thought of a solution..my brother is still in high school so maybe I will see if he can come over around 4:30 and take Koda for a walk and play time in the backyard to get her energy out before class. That way maybe she will behave better. I just got a glimmer of hope that we will be able to make this work! 

Also, today we are attempting her first day out of the crate. We have put a baby gate at the end of the hallway with her crate in our bedroom door. Now she has some room to run around and play with her toys. She can see out the big window in the front yard and can see to the backyard as well which I think will make her happy!  My MIL will be over at about noon for her walk/playtime so hopefully she is good till then!!


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## tahill

I am in the same boat as you. Chloe is starting to challenge me more and more. I know our GR are the same age. I keep coming home to torn up newspapers, books, etc.


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## baumgartml16

I just saw your other thread you started and was going to tell you to come and find this thread! You will need it!  LOL. 

Chloe is in her teenage years and is testing everything! Read through this thread and you will soon see you are not alone! We are in this together here. Feel free to use this place as somewhere you can vent about anything that happens!! 

Tell us your name too! We want this thread to be personable and let everyone know that we are here for each other! It is a phase though and they will get through it (as the veterans tell us). 

One of the instructors at class last night has a golden that she brings in for demonstration and my goodness, I envy her. Last night she told me she went through the exact same thing with her Callie and that it does pass. She was giving me pointers on what to do with the jumping on me in class. If this happens to any of you she said to walk into them when they jump and say off. The first time Koda didn't care, she danced with me and just walked back holding on to me. The next time though she caught on. It didn't last long but it was a good pointer! I was glad the instructor had a golden so she understood where that was coming from...


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## tahill

My name is Teri and this is such a good forum. I just saw it after I posted. This is great. Chloe is CONSTANTLY biting me. She will not stop. I have read books that said to put your finger in her mouth gently in the back of her mouth so this associates with discomfort every time she bites you. I personally don't want to stick my finger down a dogs mouth, but i was desperate and tried it, and she loved it. She thought it was a game. So needless to say that is a wash. lol


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## tahill

baumgartml16 said:


> I just saw your other thread you started and was going to tell you to come and find this thread! You will need it!  LOL.
> 
> Chloe is in her teenage years and is testing everything! Read through this thread and you will soon see you are not alone! We are in this together here. Feel free to use this place as somewhere you can vent about anything that happens!!
> 
> Tell us your name too! We want this thread to be personable and let everyone know that we are here for each other! It is a phase though and they will get through it (as the veterans tell us).
> 
> One of the instructors at class last night has a golden that she brings in for demonstration and my goodness, I envy her. Last night she told me she went through the exact same thing with her Callie and that it does pass. She was giving me pointers on what to do with the jumping on me in class. If this happens to any of you she said to walk into them when they jump and say off. The first time Koda didn't care, she danced with me and just walked back holding on to me. The next time though she caught on. It didn't last long but it was a good pointer! I was glad the instructor had a golden so she understood where that was coming from...


I read in one of your answers that you realized how much Koda doesn't respect you? How did you figure that out? Any advice would be great. I too want to know if she respects me and if she does't how to make her respect her mommy. lol PS. What is your name?


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## baumgartml16

LOL, i have found that with a lot of things. Koda thinks its fun when I am trying to stop her from doing something. Do you find that she bits more when she is playing or all the time?

Koda gets especially mouthy when she is over excited and we are playing. She thinks hands are toys...my hubby will hold his arm out and she will paw it to grab and then start play growling and play bowing at it. We have tried so many things. We don't let her play with it though. If she starts with that we stand up and walk away from her. That is the only thing we can think to do at this point.


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## tahill

Hello my name is Teri and I am too going through the TERRIBLE TEENS!!


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## baumgartml16

In class last night she just didn't listen to a word I said and the instructor pointed out she has no respect. She didn't care what I wanted or what I was doing and she was always ahead of me showing that she thinks she is dominant. The instructor said I needed to be tougher with her and more of an enforcer and not always the one comforting her, playing, soothing. I am a push over when it comes to her and you can see it. When we play she is all over me trying to be dominant of me. She doens't dare step all over my hubby cuz she knows he is alpha. I knew it in the back of my mind but never had someone tell me that.

I am Michelle.


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## tahill

That's all I am doing as well. She bites especially when she is playing. She will bring me her toy to play, and all she wants to do it play tug of war, or have me throw it and she gets it, but when we are playing those games she is CONSTANTLY biting me in the process. Even when I am trying to pet her trying to keep her calm she tries ever so sneaky to get a light nibble on me. It seems like the only time I can actually pet her is when she is exhausted. That's when I can get my lovens from her.


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## tahill

baumgartml16 said:


> In class last night she just didn't listen to a word I said and the instructor pointed out she has no respect. She didn't care what I wanted or what I was doing and she was always ahead of me showing that she thinks she is dominant. The instructor said I needed to be tougher with her and more of an enforcer and not always the one comforting her, playing, soothing. I am a push over when it comes to her and you can see it. When we play she is all over me trying to be dominant of me. She doens't dare step all over my hubby cuz she knows he is alpha. I knew it in the back of my mind but never had someone tell me that.
> 
> I am Michelle.


 
Hi Michelle. I too am the pushover. I am divorced and live by myself with Chole of course. Whenever I go to my parents house Chloe is a different dog. She is scared to death of my dad. I think it is his voice. She listens to whatever he says to do. If she had a shoe in her mouth and he says drop it she drops it. Amazing. I've asked my dad if he can just come over my house at night and just sit there. lol. I guess I have to get more firm with her, but she is so darn cute.


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## tahill

My name is Teri and I am going through the TERRIBLE TEENS with Chloe


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## tahill

*My name is Teri*

Hello Everyone. My name is Teri and I am going through the TERRIBLE TEENS with Chloe.This is a great forum Michelle started. Thank you


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## baumgartml16

Yea, the biting is the exact same for us. We have been trying to teach her "manners" meaning she has to be nice before she gets the toy back. If she starts lunging for the toy we pull it away. It works a good chunk of the time but sometimes she is too excited. We will hide the toy behind our backs and make her sit before we throw it again though. She will sometimes go through a jumping fit at this point but we won't throw it until she is sitting.

There is something about the male voice, I think a lot of people here agree. Try lowering your voice when you are being firm with her, maybe the deeper tone will help.


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## mrmooseman

Moose hasn't gotten to the biting phase yet. Hopefully he wont! he wasn't much of a biter when he was young.. its the jumping and pulling and not listening thats getting to me. Today my bfs mom was here and she was sitting in the chair and he jumped onto her lap and him and her almost went flying because the chair almost tipped back! Thinking about it.. I would kind of giggled.. but he's never done this before!. Usually when someone is here and sitting down, he will jump up on them with his front paws and just keep his back paws on the floor.. noone needs a 70 pound pup on their lap. But after about 10 mins, he settles down, but he just wont listen to me at all when I tell him to stop and to settle down. He might for a second, but that is that. ugh.


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## Tucker's mommy

Energy energy energy! I'm just getting ready to take Tucker outside to play some fetch, but my two year old daughter is jumping flips in her crib instead of napping. Joy. This morning, I was able to get them out for a 30 minute walk together. When we came back, Tucker was so hyper, he ran into my poor girl, knocking her over, and she started crying so hard/coughing that she threw up. I put the crazy pooch into his crate for a timeout until he settled, which he did rather quickly, coming out as if nothing happened, to chew on one of his nylabones. I had him come to me for a "sit" apology, even though I know my little lady was partly to blame! I tell ya, one of our biggest challenges now is teaching our all-of-a-sudden very energetic daughter how to be calmer around Tucker. I know they will both grow a bit older and these issues will just disappear. Tucker is amazing with my 6 and 7 year old boys, so I know this too will pass. But OH, WHAT A MORNING! :bowl:


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## Tucker's mommy

Michelle - I just have to pipe up that our Tucker is a "beastly beast" (as we like to call it) when he first comes outside with us to play, constantly biting our hands and arms instead of the toys until he calms down. It usually only takes a couple of minutes, and the more exercise he's been getting, the less aggressively playful he is. But it's one of the biggest issues we cannot wait to overcome because of our three young kids. I worry so much about their safety, should they accidently get caught up in the frey. We are EXTREMELY controlled when we allow the dog outside for his wild run/fetch time in the yard. I do it when my two year old is "napping" and my boys are in school in the afternoon. I cannot wait till some of his energy dissipates with age. I sure hope these goldens don't stay that way! We do everything we're supposed to in order to keep this behavior in check, but isn't it frustrating?????? :uhoh:


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## baumgartml16

So frustrating. I can't imagine adding three kids to the mix. Big kudos to you Tuckers Mommy!! Yea the biting arms and hands usually happens right away in the beginning of play. By the end she is too tired to worry about what our hands/arms are doing! She just wants the toy. Sometimes she gets over excited about the toy though and gets our arm by accident. She lets go immediately and knows that it was a mistake. Usually offers a sit for us when she does that! They are learning, little by little, the gremlins will leave their bodies and leave us with amazing loving goldens!


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## OutWest

baumgartml16 said:


> In class last night she just didn't listen to a word I said and the instructor pointed out she has no respect. She didn't care what I wanted or what I was doing and she was always ahead of me showing that she thinks she is dominant. The instructor said I needed to be tougher with her and more of an enforcer and not always the one comforting her, playing, soothing. I am a push over when it comes to her and you can see it. When we play she is all over me trying to be dominant of me. She doens't dare step all over my hubby cuz she knows he is alpha. I knew it in the back of my mind but never had someone tell me that.
> 
> I am Michelle.


Hi--see if you can get your husband to help you out. Step in as the enforcer while he remains silent. And don't do any comforting or petting unless Koda comes and asks for it. If you are letting your husband set the tone in the house with Koda, she has figured that out. Good luck--a friend of mine went through this in her house with a rescued cattle dog. He only listened to Daddy until they really worked at it together.


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## OutWest

*My teenage rant*

Well, Tucker has been a pretty good guy regarding training but he has entered his teens for sure. Unfortunately this has coincided with my injuring my knee. 

Over the weekend, he started refusing to go into the car. He was all tired out--had been to the dog park and to a people park to walk around--but did not cooperate. I need him to climb up into the back seat (we have a Prius--not very high up). He weighs somewhere between 60-65 lbs. right now. He's started doing this at the dog park also. Yesterday I asked someone there to help me put him into the car. 

I've tried treats. Put them on the seat, gave them to him when he got in, etc. Not sure what to do next. I need him to get himself into the car if we are to go anywhere around town. I won't be able to lift him up much longer... 

Any ideas anyone???


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## jluke

*Grab Bag Response*

This'll be a long post responding to several things that have come up while I've been off busy with my visiting college daughter and dealing with my dervish teen-age Maisie puppy! Sorry...

Going to the groomer: Maisie went for the first time at about 6 months old just before Christmas. Our groomer is great and she does a shorter routine for puppies on their first few visits and charges less, too. Maybe you could arrange the same? Maisie was just there for about an hour -- nails, bath and hair dry.

Using a prong collar: Deb, I think you mentioned giving a "pop" like with a slip (or choke) collar. I don't think that's the technique. Better, I think, to let your pup "find" the end of the leash -- we're using a 6 foot -- feel the collar and then back off him/herself. When s/he moves back to you, you can praise him/her. I'm not an expert, but this is how I've been coached. It's really working quite well -- Maisie's hardly pulling at all. We haven't had the acid test since we haven't been back to the dog park yet. (I'm hoping to get the "all clear" at the vet tomorrow.)

On the way home on walks, she's gone back to jumping up and playing tug-of-war with her leash very aggressively. I did some reading on this. I'd been correcting her pretty loudly. Now (if I'm patient enough), I'm trying to calmly get her to sit and leave the leash. We sit until she's seems to be calm -- sometimes she's been so wound up she's almost quivering and she's usually a pretty calm dog. Then, we walk again. Sometimes I've been having to do this three and four times to get home. Ugh! (Deb -- you asked about Maisie's color. She's very light, sort of like French vanilla frosted with gold. Until she got her feathers, people thought she was a Lab. Some are still surprised that a GR can be so light. We didn't set out to get a "cream-colored" one, just happened that way.)

Michelle, I know what you mean about being in class with Koda when she's misbehaving -- that's just how Maisie was last week. But I don't think anyone is watching you because they're all so busy with their own dogs, really! And for what it's worth, after an awful day of walks with Maisie yesterday, she was the star in class last night -- heeling like a champ. (I know, I'm bragging...) It's a big class and a few of the dogs are over-excited. The trainer had an interesting tool last night that you might want to consider instead of a water bottle. It's a spray can that just releases air under pressure. It makes a sort of "whooshing" sound that gets all the dog's attention. Even the really out-of-control ones settle and stop barking. She said that you can even get a small can that fits on your belt and that she likes it because "there's no emotion attached to it, it just disrupts the dog's behavior when it's out-of-control."

Oh -- and after all this blathering -- I'm Jill.


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## Deber

Jill, it is so good to finally have a name to put with you and Maisie.  

You are correct about the collar. We walked this afternoon and since I don't know how to use it I just "held" it. When Kye got to the end she slowed and almost caught up with me. I didn't do anything! Wow. This was a short walk today because Coop has his class, but good one. Can't wait to try again. 

Along with all these teenage rebellious times, anyone noticing how much our kids are growing and changing? Think the first 4-5 mo though they grew, I could still see the puppy in them. Now I am starting to see the adults they might become. It is happening so fast. Weight pouring on, longer coat, more deeper stop and face is definately starting to look more adult. Don't know if this makes me happy or sad! Are your kids changing a lot right now? 

Outwest - We have this with both our golden kids. We can get them to the car, and they will put their front feet in, but that is it. I have to haul their butts in! We are a joke at class when other dogs jump in their cars or crates, and here I am pushing their fat butts with my brute strength. Jill said to put treats in the car and see if that will tempt them to jump in. So far no luck, cause we have a Kia Soul and Kye can stand with feet on the seat and reach really far and get the treats from the other side. Gonna try chicken or a higher value treat and see if this will work.

We did hit a good mark. We have gone 2 wks with nothing eatten, destroyed or swallowed in the house. YEA!!!


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## Pammie

Hi Jill! :wave:


Deber said:


> Along with all these teenage rebellious times, anyone noticing how much our kids are growing and changing?


 I sure have! Bryley is approaching his 1 year birthday arty: in February and he no longer has any puppiness left to his look. :no: I miss my fat little rolly-polly furball! His coat is full and his feathers look great and his head is so much more blocky. 



> Jill said to put treats in the car and see if that will tempt them to jump in. Gonna try chicken or a higher value treat and see if this will work.


My magic treat is jerky. He would stand on his head for jerky!

We have had a good day today. Bryley has been unusually calm, docile and non demanding! Of course I immediately think something is wrong but I think maybe he is finally picking up on body language better and my sickly demeanor!







I have a dang cold and stayed home from work both yesterday and today and so I appreciate him being a big boy and being soooo good!:heartbeat


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## tobyzmom

Thank you thank you thank you for creating this thread. I used to brag that Toby was good about not destroying stuff. Guess I spoke WAY to soon. Today he was horrible when I took him to the girls school to pick them up. Its been an unseasonably warm winter for us and since he hadn't had his walk yet I decided that would be the perfect opportunity but when we got there he decided the kids coming out of school were fair game to go up to and attempt to jump on them. He nearly knocked one little boy over whose mom was mortified at Toby's action and I was not quite prepared for his quick lunge.:no: Shorted up the leash to the point of actually holding more collar than leash and that was the point where I realized he'd gotten so big that I could do that while I was fully standing. 
At home we have to do a full clear out of his area downstairs before leaving to go anywhere or he'll find it and a way to destroy it. We or should I actually say I installed a doggie door in the patio door last week and that is making it way better than the bazillion times he was scratching, barking and whining at the door to go out. It gets locked for nighttime though. Other than the cold air getting in a bit, its well worth it. Toby goes to get his neuter next week so I guess that is gonna be our next challenge to get through. Not looking forward to the cone. ;(>()~~
Karen mom to teenager Toby


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## mrmooseman

Deb, I'm noticing the more adult look in Moose's face, especially in his eyes. He is starting to stretch again because he has gotten a little thinner and I noticed his nose is getting a little longer too because that seemed thinner as well. I was worried at first but he is eating and pooping like a champ, so I know he is just changing again. His tail now has filled out with lots of long hair that doesn't look like it's missing hair in places anymore (because in some sections it would wrap arond his tail?). I was worried about him not looking like an adult dog, but now when he looks at me.. there it is. I kind of got a little emotional tonight over it lol. My babies growing up!


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## jluke

*Getting in the Car*

With Maisie, we actually had to make a trail of treats up to the car and then put a whole lot of treats in a big rectangular spot on the seat from the edge to the middle. She wears a seat belt harness. At first she would just put her paws and fore-legs on the back seat and I had to help boost her in using the harness and my arms under her haunches all the while she snuffled and gobbled treats. After maybe two weeks or so of this -- and as she was growing -- I eliminated the treat trail and reduced the treats on the seat. Now she gets into the car by herself. We also started taking her to a lot more places and most of them were fun spots like the pet store and the dog park -- she even likes to go to the vet!

And Deb, you're right -- she's does look much more grown up, so much so, that I've been wondering if her heads a bit small for her body or if that's just me getting used to her new size and shape!


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## ElvisnHenry'sMom55

Oh my goodness...Henry is so close to having a real teenager. He has got the backtalk down to a "T". He has turned into the most demanding, obnoxious little you know what, ever. He barks incessantly when he wants attention or is not getting his way. He's relentless!!! How much more rotten teenagerhood do I really have to go? Really!!!!


Thank goodness walks have gotten better, except for the occasional I'm going to jump on you and bite the leash. He's also still barking and jumping up and down at the neighbors, if they walk to close or are carrying some "Henry foreign" object, eg. trash bags, suitcases on rollers, etc. (Yes, he's nuts!)

He's also become a plushie serial killer. He's just about out of stuffed toys.

I can deal with most, but that ATTITUDE has got to GO!!!!


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## Pammie

Welcome to Teenage Landia! Hope you stay awhile!



ElvisnHenry'sMom55 said:


> He's also become a plushie serial killer.!


:lol: mine too! he only gets them now under direct supervision!


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## Deber

Welcome Karen and TobyzMom to our Teen Doggie Anonomous group! Great place to talk of the realities of having teenage pups and the good and bad things they do. 


Kye has gotten into this kill the stuffy toy thing too! Out of the blue, but she has destroyed most of her soft toys and the rest I keep in a box on top of the computer stand. I can see it is when she is bored, but honestly think it is because we walk earlier than we did when we had more sunshine, so now she has more down time until bedtime than she used to have. Can't walk her any later (after dark), cause my neighborhood sometimes lets their fighting breeds outside at night (against city ordinance), but don't want to run into a pack of pits on our walk! Perhaps I can come up with some mind games to tire her out instead of more activity. 

Think I started a bad thing with our two now trying to see what to do to correct. We have allowed the kids to stand and put their paws in our laps when we sit in a chair. Ok when small and only their front paws reached but now they think this is OK and are the size of small horses. Now when they do this their head is level with your own, and while I still think this is cute, like a hug, it is NOT cute to people who visit! I can put them on a sit stay but this only lasts until I sit down, then they go to the New person and will stand and think nothing is wrong with this. Hard to talk to a person around a Dog's head and people get tired of a ton of weight across their legs as they talk "around" Coop or Kye's face! I have tried a down stay on their mat, but at their age they are only good for this for about a minute. When it is just the two of us we have worked up to a 15 min. down stay..but this goes out the door when guests are there. I hate to move them to another room, because visitors are rare, but need to keep really inforcing the down stay and pray it becomes more of a habit. This is the time I wish we hadn't put the crates away, just no room for 2 large crates, so their mats are all I have. So this is going to be my work plan, to see if we can get more reliable down stays in the kids. Know age will help, but need to have a plan and goal to work towards.


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## abowman

Deber, we have done the same thing. We never allowed Finn to jump but did allow the paw in the lap. We are working on the same thing! It is always comforting to know others have the same issues.

Lately, during "trick" time, Finn has shown some "shyness" for a lack of a better word. When tring to work with roll over and treats he will run 3-4 feet away , sit and look at you as if to say" I feel very uncomfortable and somewhat nervous about this". So, we have not pushed him but I am curious about behaviour. Anyone experience this?


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## Deber

Wonder if Flinn is maturing and since rolling over and exposing his tummy is the ultimate in submissiveness, he is suddenly uncomfortable with this? I never could get my lunk-heads to roll over for me, they spun their heads and grabbed the treat without going all the way over (anyone but me think Poltergiest?). 

We are finally seeing some success with Kye and praying she is starting to get her brains. She will sit for everything, especially when she knows it is not something allowed, but butt to the floor and if I raise my voice to her, she goes to her mat and sulks. We are getting out of the jumping up on me and doing something wrong and just standing there looking at me..What'ed I do wrong? look. We train so much in bits and pieces all day. Been praying we would see some of her hard work start to register and she know to do this things without being asked. Hope it is permanent and not just a fluke. Coop - well he is just entering the puppy teens. He is such a laid back guy, am hoping his set of problems are not the ones we had with Kye. Right now he is just stubborn, not willful and never agressive in actions, on the contrary he just sits. He sits and stares at you if he wants something, sits at a toy if he wants you to throw it, in fact think I could throw a blanket over him and use him for a couch! Haaa! He has his times, runs around, zoomies, loves his long walks and long leash time, but sure is a calm, boy. When he doesn't want to do something, unlike his sister that will hang from the wall, he plops down and without a bulldozer you won't get him to move. Like the Sphinx...! Haa! Love these kids, but they couldn't be more different in personalities. Fun to try to outguess Kye and push Coop.


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## tobyzmom

Toby is totally into the talking back. Especially when I'm giving him a sit or down command. I hold fast and ignore his barking and eventually he figures I'm not gonna give in and does what he's supposed to. As for staying in down for any length of time its as if they have add. Doesn't last long unless I'm focusing on him and him alone and keep repeating 'stay'. Today I took him out back and ran him ragged with fetching his fav ball and some tag where I chase him. I think its super important to burn off all that puppy energy they have in there big boy/girl body's. I wish we had a fenced dog park nearby but the closest one is about 30-40 minutes away. They are supposed to be building 2 here in our city but who knows when.


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## baumgartml16

Happy Wednesday! 

Last night was a very good night! We had my parents over for my mom's bday and Koda was so well behaved. My dad has always played rough with her and used to let her bite his hands (against my rules) so she still does it now. He told her no bite and she turned her head away like "oops"...it was so cute!!

She has had consecutive great walks for over a week, even for the dog walker and her grandmas that come over during the day!  Anytime we ask for a heal she is right there. Makes me very happy mommy!!!

Koda is definitely growing up and looking it but I can still see her puppiness in her. She has feathers on her tail and butt and some on her legs but her sides are still extremely soft and shorter. I was looking at pictures of her mom though and she doesn't seem to have the long feathers either so maybe she won't get them..? IDK, either way I will love her!!  But her face has definitely matured.

No suggestions to help with getting in the car, Koda has always gotten right in. My sister has a GSD and for the longest time she was still boosting him up. We brought Koda home and the first week Koda was doing her best to climb in herself. She couldn't do it right away but she was a determined little girl!  It was adorable. So now if we say "wanna go for a ride" she will run out and wait by the door so she can hop on up! 

Stuffies are basically non-existent in our house right now. We bring one home and within 10 - 15 minutes there is a hole and that is the only thing she focuses on. She will chase it if we throw it but won't bring it back. Instead she lays down and continues to destroy where the hole was. She doesn't take stuffing out and leave it either, she eats EVERYTHING! I wish all I had to worry about was some stuffing laying around the house, I would love that actually! Worrying about her eating and swallowing everythign that breaks off a toy or comes out of a toy is horrible! I hate it. So for now, stuffies are out unless they are very durable and even then she is always in our sight with them!


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## Tucker's mommy

Tucker can't have stuffed animals either, because we know things would end very badly. What makes this super hard is my toddler and her favorite "lovey" - which Tucker has gotten ahold of on many an occasion - one of these days that poor Lambie (or "Ma" as my little Izzie would say) is going to have it's head bitten off. 

Glad to hear things are going well for you, Michelle - Tucker has been a huge brat the past couple of days, but I'm pretty sure it's mostly because of him coming off from his no-exercise week post-neutering. He just has so much pent-up energy. I'm finally starting to see the draining today - but he still went after me like a fiend outside when I was trying to play with him. He settled for me after a couple minutes of sitting and staying off and on, but I just wish he wouldn't use his mouth on me AT ALL. Hopefully he'll grow out of it! I know he understands what I want, because once I get him settled, I test him with my hands for licks, and he treats me extremely gently. I have a feeling most of what we're seeing is that whole teenage brat thing. 

I haven't seen this mentioned by anyone yet - but is anybody out there as sick of mud as me??? Here in PA we have had VERY little snow this winter, but a TON of rain. Every time I take Tuck out with me, he needs a foot-bath when he comes in - sometimes almost a full bath. Our lawn is a torn-up mess, between him and all the deer! But I just can't keep his outside time from him - I don't know who loves it more - him or me! It's just too much fun tearing around the yard with him, playing "go find it".

Oh - my name's Katie by the way! :wavey:


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## Tucker's mommy

To Henry's Mom - I'm with ya on the whole attitude thing. I am so sick and tired of being barked at when I sit down to catch my breath after my kids get home from school! Shoving him in his crate for a couple minutes always does the trick, but MY GOD! What a rude little brat he can be at times! I sure hope all those veterans out there are right when they say this stage will pass. Cause I just don't know sometimes...:uhoh:

And plushie serial killer - I LOVE that - our Tucker is the same. Do you have young kids in the house? Boy is it hard keeping their stinky favorites from him!!!


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## tobyzmom

Arrrggghhh, just came home to a wreck, and I was only gone an hour from picking up girls from school and orthodontist appointment. Toby got into my oldest daughters room and took a gift bag of nailpolish, body puff and body wash out side and proceeded to shred the bag into a million peices. How is it some people have no problem with dogs having full reign of the house and I can't even leave Toby with 2 rooms. Is it a seperation anxiety thing. I'm thinking of starting to use his crate again for when I have to be out but somewhere in my head I still think its sad to keep him in such a confined space. I know its like a den to them and all but....

Katie I know what you mean about the mud, Toby is tearing up the backyard with his running back and forth and coming into the house with muddy paws. We are in NH so we are having a similarly unseasonably warm winter. Almost 60 degrees today, huh?


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## jluke

*A Good Wednesday!*

Hurray! The vet cleared Maisie for all normal activity at her two week post spaying exam. No dog park for two more weeks since it's so rough and tumble, but more exercise will be good for everybody.

Of course, Maisie hardly acted up at all(!) in our one-on-one lesson with our trainer this afternoon -- just a few jumps and a little leash tugging, nothing like the crazy whirling dervish I've been dealing with. Still, there was enough that I got a few good pointers and some reinforcement that she's doing very well in general. Somehow the feeling is just like a positive parent-teacher conference!

Deb and the other poster from Maine -- Finn's person (sorry) -- on the putting the paws into your lap problem, I wonder if you could substitute a different behavior for this one you don't want anymore. Like, could you teach the pups to "Sit Pretty" -- you know, sit up on their back legs? This was an easy trick to teach and people always ooh and aah over it. It's sort of similar to putting paws in the lap -- ?? The other thought I had goes back to the exercise we're doing in Basic Manners class, sitting for 30 minutes every day with our pups on a leash by our side, not talking to them, not giving treats or petting, not giving them a toy, just letting them learn to be there. It's helped Maisie learn to chill out. The difference between her behavior in the first class -- agitated and barking off and on with the other dogs around and pulling to go to them -- and the second class when she sat or laid next to me was really noticeable. Anyway, just a thought.


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## ElvisnHenry'sMom55

Tucker's mommy said:


> To Henry's Mom - I'm with ya on the whole attitude thing. I am so sick and tired of being barked at when I sit down to catch my breath after my kids get home from school! Shoving him in his crate for a couple minutes always does the trick, but MY GOD! What a rude little brat he can be at times! I sure hope all those veterans out there are right when they say this stage will pass. Cause I just don't know sometimes...:uhoh:
> 
> And plushie serial killer - I LOVE that - our Tucker is the same. Do you have young kids in the house? Boy is it hard keeping their stinky favorites from him!!!


No kids in the house...just Henry. Yes, putting him in his crate for a time out does usually help, but he fights tooth and nail about going in his crate (Unfortunately, someone is spoiled and will no longer work for food. a.k.a. go in his crate.) unless I'm leaving for work. He grabs his baby (the only one left) and runs right into his crate in the morning. 

He's a back-talking pain in the butt sometimes, but I love his cute little mug, most of the time! As they say, this too shall pass. Now, if I can just get him to quit acting like cujo instead of a golden retriever in front of the neighbors...

Almost forgot: Elvis was a plushie serial killer too. I still have my headless dolphin to prove it. lol Oh boy...


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## Tilly's Mom

Hi everybody, I have been reading all your teenage puppy stories and I am wondering if all puppies get that crazy? Tilly is 11 month old now and she didn't do any of those things you are all talking about. Did I get lucky or is she a late bloomer?


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## Pammie

Hi Tillys Mom- Count your lucky stars, girl!!! 

Karen and others, I am envious you can leave your dogs uncrated! I have never (yet) left Bryley alone with free reign in the house. I think he might do OK for a short period of time but to be honest I am afraid to find out. He is an eater and if he would chew something he would swallow it too. So, he gets crated when no one is home. I have a 4 hour maximum rule, so that really restricts some activities.

I am so impressed that Maise can lay at your side for such a long time. She does this at class with all the stimulation around her? good girl!


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## ElvisnHenry'sMom55

Tilly's Mom said:


> Hi everybody, I have been reading all your teenage puppy stories and I am wondering if all puppies get that crazy? Tilly is 11 month old now and she didn't do any of those things you are all talking about. Did I get lucky or is she a late bloomer?


You are lucky lucky lucky!!!!!! Elvis was pretty easy too, but Henry, he's going to be the death of me. He was definitely assigned a bad puppy handbook. Just as soon I conquer one behavior problem, he learns three more. I spend a lot of time praying for patience and thank goodness Henry's cute!!!


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## Maddie'sMom2011

Maddie was a beast, seriously, we called her "The Kracken". Hey, but it does get better. We haven't had a golden puppy since 1990 & have had so much fun with her. She's very high energy, been quite challenging & so very worth it. She's calmed down lots the last couple of months. She's always been nippy with me, but now she just nudges me. She wants me to love on her & asks for it. But you never know when the Kracken may return. Just remember, this too shall pass...


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## jluke

*1. Lying Quietly and 2. Uncrating Alone*

Pammie, thanks for the compliment! Maisie and I need them after the couple of weeks of dervish dog walking. It took seven straight days of having her sit next to me on her leash for half an hour before she was pretty calm (just a few wistful yips) in class on Monday. This week, one of the assignments is to do the same sitting for 30 minutes but without a leash. She'd easily do this if I was on the floor with her, but I have to be in a chair. We'll see...

I'm curious about what you're doing with you're teen-age pups when you go out. Are they still crated? How about overnight? Maisie is for both. We've gotten her used to a dog bed in our bedroom and are just about to start having her sleep in our room in her bed overnight -- at least we hope so. If that goes well, my plan is to start leaving her out of her crate in the kitchen for short periods and then to expand from there. So far, she hasn't chewed anything that wasn't "hers", so I'm hoping this will go OK. What are you doing? Thanks.


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## Pammie

I sure hope that someday Bryley can sleep out of his crate, but I have my doubts. :uhoh: The big problem is any time I am on the bed he just gets so nutty and wacky! 
Jumping and walking on me and mouthing and no settling at all. I know it is my fault that I let him on the bed as a pup and played with him there. Even sitting on the bed triggers the frenzy! :doh: It has to be fixed though, before he gets 'fixed' because obviously a cone and a crate do not go together!


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## Deber

We had to move the pups crates to our country home since just no room for them in town, but installed tall gates in the den. I was worried too, but the dogs do amazingly well. They only destroy if we leave something out (better housekeeper now). 

Tilly's Mom - Coop so far,has been like your girl. He was never mouthy, he is not a high energy pup, much more content to Smell the Roses than to Eat the Garden guy. Think if we had gotten him first, I would worry about Kye more. Instead we had a high energy pup first and so Coop seems so laid back. 

Jill - I am going to start checking facilities for a Behavior Class as they don't offer anything like this at ours. From all you are learning, this sounds like something that offers to help us get into their mind, not just the basics. Thank you for sharing what you are learning, has really made me think in a different way. 

Michelle - So glad to hear such great reports about Koda! Yea! Keep up hope that our kids will soon be leaving this stage.

Kye is doing better right now too. Still high strung, but she is showing more calm times than before. We are using the Nothing in Life is free thinking with her. She must do something or we do nothing. I have discovered this is more for me, as it is ME that needs to get the right mind set. I promote bad behavior by not enforcing good behavior correctly and this means not only in treating. I stopped giving treats for everything, instead a pat or if she did something very well, then treat or a great big hug. Kye knows things and does them well in class, but we come home, most is forgotten. I have started keeping her leashed to me at night after walks for a while and when I stop she is expected to sit, when I walk she either stays on my left or I step all over her. She is learning to watch me more and I constantly praise her when she does it right. She is a smart cookie and knows on walks she can still misbehave but even on walks she is getting better. Slow...but honestly think we are seeing a big difference and some maturity starting to peak through. 

Thank God for this forum and all the threads to go back and read. Feel Coop/Kye are getting a better quality of life through what I am learning and teaching the kids and am missing some of the pittfalls due to ignorance. Can't thank everyone here enough for their insights into their specific dog problems and good things. Helps all of us see a bit differently and hopefully gives us clues to get passed it. This thread has been invaluable to me!


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## mrmooseman

We never crated Moose. We just always had baby gates up. It started that he was only allowed in the hall with all the bedroom and bathroom doors closed then as he got older he had the hall and the kitchen. Now he has free run of the whole house. Except the basement.. we are in the middle of gutting it so he is gated off from there. He only destroys his toys, once in a while he would take the bag the paper money went in and destroy that too, but we left it on the ledge in the pourch and since he could reach it.. it was fair game lol. But he is really good to be left alone all day. Usually, when we are both working, someone will come up to let him out. If we go over night, we usually have someone pet sit him. I only work one week a month so during the days he is with me, but if I go anywhere, I just leave the tv on for him and he usually just goes to bed.


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## elly

Chester always had a crate and loved it, still does and when we have our kitchen refitted the crate will have to go and I am dreading it. Yesterday was a bad day, Chester flipped out for some strange reason. He saw me take a scarf off my head and went crazy! We are wondering if he thought I had taken part of my head off even though it didnt look like my head but he certainly saw it as a threat! His behaviour then continued badly for the rest of the day, REALLY badly and out of control! He was completely deaf to everyone and everything, in our faces and had time out more than time in! It was one of those days when I really wondered..teenager until 15 months?!! I dont think so! This was brattiness at its best! Or worst!  Its so exhausting.


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## baumgartml16

Deb - glad to hear things are feeling like they are coming along. They have to get better at some point! I really like the idea of keeping them leashed to you at night. I think I might have to try that with Koda to get her to be more aware of where I am and what I am doing. Do you find it helps you bond with them too? 

Jill - I also am very interested in finding a class like you are in. I think that is exactly what Koda needs. The class she is in is great but I feel like it might be overwhelming to her right now and just not quite ready for it. But a behaviors class might be just what she needs. I will have to look into something like that around me.

Crate - we have started leaving Koda out of her crate at night just this week! It has gone 10x better than it did last time we tried at 6 months. She has a bed next to my hubby and one next to me and then the crate is still at the foot of the bed for her. She has always napped on my husbands side of the bed by the bathroom door so this is where she seems to be at night. But she doesn't sleep on the bed, she chooses the floor LOL. The first night she came over by me and put her head on the bed wanting up but I just pet her while she laid down next to me and she was good. She has been outstanding with it! She doesn't want to get up in the morning anymore..another plus. I think she is going to sleep later now that she isn't stuck in her crate. Anytime after 6 we welcome her up in bed with us to keep sleeping. She loves that, usually only on the weekends though as we get up at 530 during the week for work. 

During the day her crate blocks our bedroom door so she can still go in there but she has the whole hallway this week as well. Eventually we will move her to hallway and kitchen and then the whole house. She has done great so far, we aren't sure how long to keep it at just the hallway though...? Megan - how long in between rooms did you do that for?

Hope everyone has a great day!


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## Nyahsmommy

We use to leave Nyah in the kitchen and put her crate at the doorway of it but we have taken that away so now she has access to the kitchen/bedroom/hallway. We had the spare room open for her to go into but she chewed up a basket full of my purses so now that room is off limits. :doh:

Nyah has been full of energy lately and driving me nuts. She litterally won't stay still. Due to our schedule this week she has been at home by herself longer than normal but she still gets her normal walks and stuff. Guess thats not enough, she has been going nuts. Guess a long hike in the forest is in order for the weekend. That usually makes her crash. The weather has been so crappy here, everything is all mud so she hasn't ran around/been to dog park in a long time. Can't wait until summer!


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## mrmooseman

We left him in the hallway blocked off until we realized he was too big to have such a small place then we opened him to the kitchen. With blocking him off from the rooms, we started leading the bedroom door opened because his toys and his bed were in there so he could lay down on the bed if he wanted to nap and we did that before we gav him access to the kitchen, when he was about.. 4 months maybe ? Then slowly we would forget to close a door and leave, and we never had a problem with him chewing anything in these rooms. As for the livingroom.. that took a while. We tried to give him access to it, and for about 2 weeks it was great! No problems, and then he went and destroyed a plant. So that stopped, but once the plant was gone he really never bothered with anything in the livingroom (we think he really hates plants). He has had free run of the entire house for about 3 months now, and even before then all the rooms were opened. We have a spareroom filled with random things from the move that we still haven't gone through, and thats where we keep the vacuum, we realized the door is really easy to open if you just nudge the door, but because the vacuum is in there and he is so scared of it he will walk in and walk out, so we keep the door opened now. He never really bothered much with the washroom, just to stare at you while using it or in the shower. His bed and toys are in our room, even though their suppose to be in his basket in the livingroom and he doesn't bother with the guest room. Its feels like he has had free run of the entire house for ever now.. hard to believe we only lived in this house for 3 months lol


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## Nyahsmommy

*Furious!!!*

I am sooooooooo angry right now!!!! I don't work until the late afternoon for a half shift so I figured I'd clean and get stuff done. That was impossible because Nyah was extremely hyper and restless. So stupid me brought her to the dog park for a quick run. :doh:. There was maybe two other dogs there, both extremely well behaved. We get there and nyah takes off like a greyhound which was fine. Buuut.... at the other side of the park there is this little forest area. Completely full of water/mud. No other dog was there. Nyah spots it and bolts to it. Does not listen to my commands to stop or come to me. Jumps in and splashes away. The two other people there gasp. Their dogs try to go for it but they call them and they listen. I was soooo embarrassed. She would not get out of the mud. Then she finds a stick and doesn't come when called as I was trying to leash her.

So I bring her home full of mud, car is black inside now. I take her to the bath, the tub is black. I had to run to get her towel half way through. She jumps out half muddy/half soapy and runs for the bedroom first then living room. I am sooooooo angry. It took 40 minutes to get her clean and there is still dirt on her. I put her in the crate, took her bed out and everything while she dries. I let her out now and she seems to be tired. 

I am not getting another puppy for a long, looooooong time.! :uhoh::doh::bowl:

P.s. She was muddier than the pics look... her whole underneath was black.


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## mayapaya

baumgartml16 said:


> Chris - so you withdrew and re-enrolled in spring? I am considering seeing when they offer this one next? And if they have it on weekends at all? I just can't handle it. If my husband thinks he can make the majority of them we will stick it out but I can't do it anymore and especially not by myself, she will have to miss those classes. I just can't go through that again...I was so embarressed and in pain - the hand for sure! My finger was throbbing all night after we did work on the long leads. We need to get a different one for next time but we have the wire tie outs and trying to hold her back with that - wow that was torture. I learned a lot last night about how little she respects me. I am not good at the scolding thing though..Brian is always asking me to get tougher with her and I try but that look on her face makes me cave every time. Too sweet of a baby to yell at.
> 
> At least I know I am not alone!  That's what we are for, right!?


 Michelle, actually, we finished the intermediate class (painful as it was), and they said Maya "graduated", although I think the instructor just wanted to make sure she'd never have her back again!!! :doh: I'm looking at a new trainer/class for the spring session, that is actually affiliated with the doggie day care I've been taking Maya to twice a week. I had a long conversation with her at pick up time Tuesday and she actually told me I'm doing alot of things wrong, and wants me to take a beginner class again. She said Maya needs correction, and we need to start working on positive reinforcement, but training without treats. I am rewarding her with treats when she stops doing something negative, but it's obvious she is associating the negative behavior with a treat. Like she steals a paper towel off the counter to shred it, and when I say drop it, and she does, she gets a treat. Her new thing lately is to completely IGNORE me. "Maya, come!" and she just stares at me. Then, all I have to do is disappear out of her sight, and she comes running! Over the last few days I've had to call my husband to get her to come in from outside. Beyond frustrating! Good thing I love her so much!!! I know others have asked about crating, but for us I would not even risk leaving Maya out when we are gone. She manages to get into trouble when I am standing in the same room. She is a chewer, for sure, and I can't imagine what I'd come home to if I left her out, even for ten minutes. We still crate her at night, for at least one 3-4 hour session during the say while we are home, because our home offices on not on the level where she is gated, so we can't watch her 100% of the time. Anyways, I guess I have ranted long enough in this post. But I'll pose a question to others here--how do your pups do on car rides? Maya has spent alot of time in the car, but the rides have always been short (less than 10 minutes), but her doggie day care is about 25 minutes away, and she has thrown up in the car twice already on these longer trips--maybe she get's carsick???? All of my other goldens loved a car ride. Maya starts drooling incessantly, and seems uncomfortable on longer rides. Any tips?


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## mayapaya

By the way, Deb, How's the collar working for you? The instructor at Maya's day care recommended the slip collar when we start the traning class. I've been wondering abour the prong collar that Jill mentioned.


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## mrmooseman

Moose and Myah must be talking when we're not home.. he does the exact same thing!


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## goldensrbest

I guess i have two teenagers, spirit is going to be two,in june,love that boy,but he is a jumper, cambridge is 10 months, love her, but she needs more than the normal, so going to enroll her into tracking,to get that mind tired out, I HOPE, sothat is my up-date on two of my dogs.


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## Tilly's Mom

Thank you everybody, I will keep my fingers crossed that she won't turn into a little devil and hope that all your crazy puppies will start to calm down very soon. Sorry if I was bragging about Tilly being good.
Oh and my name is Eve.


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## baumgartml16

Brag away Eve!  You should be happy happy happy you have an angel!! We love to hear good and bad! 

Megan - I have the same room that has yet to be unpacked from our move in June..door is closed but putting the vacuum in there is a brilliant idea! Koda would for sure leave that thing alone! LOL

O Nyah - you silly little girl!  She knew where the most fun was, that's for sure..fun for her that is! Sorry to hear about your bad day, always know that tomorrow will be a new one!!

I just got word from my MIL that it appears Koda is chewing the bottom of the baby gate, working on her great escape! Urgh, she sprayed some bitter apple but looks like a trip to the store is in order tonight to get her a metal one. That girl, her expenses never end!  I count my blessings though, my DH's childhood golden that he picked out dug a hole through the drywall one day that they left her when she was about this age. At least I haven't had that happen yet! Yikes! His dad wanted to return her after that incident (they didn't of course).


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## Faith82

I need to vent...for my husband! He has the worst walks/potty breaks with our 9 month old. Every time my husband takes him outside he comes back in looking defeated and covered in muddy paw prints from Griffey jumping all over him. Griffey's other favorite games are "tug of war" with his leash and "how many times can I bump his hand with my nose before he acknowledges me?"


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## mayapaya

baumgartml16 said:


> That girl, her expenses never end!  I count my blessings though, my DH's childhood golden that he picked out dug a hole through the drywall one day that they left her when she was about this age. At least I haven't had that happen yet! Yikes! His dad wanted to return her after that incident (they didn't of course).


Nyahs pictures are priceless--I can imagine your frustration though--nothing like trying to de-mud a golden without ending up with many more areas left to clean....and Michelle, I can unfortunately consider myself a member of the drywall destruction club, thanks to a recent Maya remodeling project.:doh:


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## mrmooseman

I always thought Moose hated baby gates.. we have one blocking the stairs to the basement.. and I came home this afternoon to his standing behind the gate.. on the stairs. That bugger! I had to run down stairs to make sure nothing was chewed. When we started to gut the basement, we found rat poison, and everything is just in a big pile in the floor.. I know there were 2 packs.. ugh I'm in panic mode.. but they wern't touched! Hopefully he wasn't down there long.. everything seemed to be ok (the basement is a diaster so its hard to tell if he destroyed anything or not) but i was just worried about the poison.. but were good. THEN I let him out and instead of going down the step to use the washoom.. he walked over to where the window was.. sat in front of the window and peed! I wouldn't of noticed if not for the yellow snow. THEN.. as I was shoveling the step, he rolled in it! oh my life!


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## Faith82

jluke said:


> Pammie, thanks for the compliment! Maisie and I need them after the couple of weeks of dervish dog walking. It took seven straight days of having her sit next to me on her leash for half an hour before she was pretty calm (just a few wistful yips) in class on Monday. This week, one of the assignments is to do the same sitting for 30 minutes but without a leash. She'd easily do this if I was on the floor with her, but I have to be in a chair. We'll see...
> 
> I'm curious about what you're doing with you're teen-age pups when you go out. Are they still crated? How about overnight? Maisie is for both. We've gotten her used to a dog bed in our bedroom and are just about to start having her sleep in our room in her bed overnight -- at least we hope so. If that goes well, my plan is to start leaving her out of her crate in the kitchen for short periods and then to expand from there. So far, she hasn't chewed anything that wasn't "hers", so I'm hoping this will go OK. What are you doing? Thanks.


 
For the past month we have been leaving our 9 month old blocked off in our bedroom (with a lot of puppy proofing). He isn't ready to have full rein of the house, we'll wait untill he's about a year for that. He does well in the bedroom though.


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## jluke

*Thanks, Vent and More*

Thanks for all the coaching on how you're leaving you're teenager pups out in your homes when you're not there. We're starting our "experiment" with Maisie soon.

Deber -- interesting that you mentioned the Nothing in Life is Free approach. I've been using it, too -- not my husband so much since he's a softie -- and our trainer sent a link out to it with our homework this week. I think it definitely helps.

Several of you mentioned the class Maisie and I are taking. It's called Basic Manners and is mostly obedience with learning of commands (stand and heel the first two weeks), but the instructor does put a lot of time into exercises that help the young dogs in class settle themselves.

Nyahsmommy -- so sorry about your dog park outing. So frustrating! I've been there with Maisie. But it's just about the most stimulating place you can take Nyah, so it's probably really hard for her to listen. I know it is for Maisie -- she won't come when I call -- I can barely get her to sit. And she gets completely muddy every time we go since she's so blond. For what it's worth, I let the mud dry, then comb most of it out, then rinse her off since if I shampooed her, her skin would be so-o-o dry from the every other day baths!

Michelle -- when we took Maisie on her first long car ride, her trainer recommended something called Bach Rescue Remedy for both car sickness and just feeling uneasy. It's all natural and has been available for people for years. There's a version for pets now. It comes in liquid form and you put the drops on a dog biscuit. Maisie didn't end up needing it, but other people have told me it works very well. Around here you can get it at Whole Foods, I don't know about pet stores. You have to be careful not to use the people version.

Faith82 -- I'm struggling with my whirling dervish dog like your husband. Maisie will be walking along nicely and then if I don't let her visit with another dog, she jumps on me and twists and plays tug-of-war, growling while she does like a she-devil. My husband won't even walk her right now. We took a one-on-one lesson with our trainer yesterday (and, of course, she was much better). But the trainer suggested I keep as much emotion as possible out of my voice, respond as quickly as possible and say something assertive like, "What do you think you're doing?!!" Then tell Maisie to sit and let her chill for a few minutes. I've been having to repeat the process a few times in a row. Very frustrating... 

Sorry for my long grab bag post...


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## baumgartml16

Chris - so sorry about the remodel project, I can imagine the design is not what you were going for!? 

Megan - these little buggers are smarter than we give them credit for. My fear is to come home and her be on the wrong side of the gate as well...i have no idea the things she would do and don't want to know. I am glad to hear that she did not get into the poison..that would have given me a panic attack as well though..

Jill - I can't recall who asked about the car sickness but it wasn't me...I hope whoever asked see's the response, it is a great one!!!


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## mrmooseman

I never heard of "gravol" for dogs. Moose only got car sick once, while out plowing with the bf. We haven't taken him on many long rides in the car before so I don't know how he would be.


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## ElvisnHenry'sMom55

Nyahsmommy said:


> I am sooooooooo angry right now!!!! I don't work until the late afternoon for a half shift so I figured I'd clean and get stuff done. That was impossible because Nyah was extremely hyper and restless. So stupid me brought her to the dog park for a quick run. :doh:. There was maybe two other dogs there, both extremely well behaved. We get there and nyah takes off like a greyhound which was fine. Buuut.... at the other side of the park there is this little forest area. Completely full of water/mud. No other dog was there. Nyah spots it and bolts to it. Does not listen to my commands to stop or come to me. Jumps in and splashes away. The two other people there gasp. Their dogs try to go for it but they call them and they listen. I was soooo embarrassed. She would not get out of the mud. Then she finds a stick and doesn't come when called as I was trying to leash her.
> 
> So I bring her home full of mud, car is black inside now. I take her to the bath, the tub is black. I had to run to get her towel half way through. She jumps out half muddy/half soapy and runs for the bedroom first then living room. I am sooooooo angry. It took 40 minutes to get her clean and there is still dirt on her. I put her in the crate, took her bed out and everything while she dries. I let her out now and she seems to be tired.
> 
> I am not getting another puppy for a long, looooooong time.! :uhoh::doh::bowl:
> 
> P.s. She was muddier than the pics look... her whole underneath was black.


I'm sorry I laughed at your post, but I've so been there. Henry made me a mud swimming pool, this past Mother's day. I think he was trying to find China. I wasn't happy in the least.


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## Pammie

What a thoughtful, extravagant gift Henry was planning for you...international travel to China!!! 

Gotta love 'em!


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## mrmooseman

I must say.. I love how even in their most horrible moments, we always grab pictures! hahaha! No matter how mad at them we can get, most times , it's still pretty funny.


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## baumgartml16

I was just going to say that Megan!!! We obviously know these moments will be funny later otherwise we wouldn't take pictures to document. Then we can laugh later.


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## ElvisnHenry'sMom55

Yes, I couldn't help but laugh and want to cry all at the same time. He was digging for all his worth, so happily so. I so did not appreciate his idea of gift giving though....not at all.


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## mrmooseman

Haha too cute! I wonder what goes through their little puppy heads sometimes lol


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## jluke

*Mud Puppies!*

Henry and the Trip to China -- I can see a new children's picture book!

If it makes anybody feel better, this is what Maisie looks like just about every time we come home from the dog park. (And you can only see the top -- her belly is solid mud!) My husband gets sort of annoyed, but I just shrug and smile because she has so much fun. She's in that position because she's so tired and I asked her to sit(!) so I can put her leash on.


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## lyssie

my little teenage puppy likes to remove stuffing out of EVERYTHING ! beds included ! he also likes to hide in the cushions on the couch, collect things and place them in a pile, play in the mud and then lie in the mud and cool down after being so cheeky.


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## Deber

Lysse - Boy does that look familiar! We have come home so many times to this and sometimes Kye shreads her toy as we are there! So right now all stuffed toys are banned. Now she is into sticks and if you don't watch our den will look like a forest. Yikes.

Michelle - I am amazed how well Kye does being leashed to me. It takes a bit to feel natural, but I have stepped on her so much, she is watching me much more, listens a lot better. I am using this to have both of us more attuned to each other and yes, it makes me see her thoughts and body movements much better. It is weird how we can do an hour of long leash free for all and about the same at home leashed to me and both tire her out about the same. She snuggles more and getting better about staying on her bed while we eat. I think she is keying more on us than herself? Hope so and going to keep this up for a while. 

The prong collar is working really well at class and the walks we do in town. I am still not comfortable with how to correctly use, but Kye feels the pinch and slows immediately. I use her flat collar on long leash as I don't want her running to the end and hurt herself.

After all the good, we came home to a mess last night. Apparently our cable (TV and computer) is a burried line. I thought it was above with the phone and electricity. The dogs found a place to dig and unburried the cable. Of course they spent the time eatting it and it is hanging by just a few cords. Our TV is sputtering and cutting out, but amazingly I have the computer! Now have to call the cable people and ask for a new line. Wonder how much that is going to be?? I am going to see if they will run it above on the telephone pole and not underground! Will get a picture of this and post today in the sunlight. Uck! What else can happen??


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## Deber

I am embarrased to admit we have 5 doggie gates in our house. I have gotten all from Dr's Foster/Smith (tallest, metal ones). I have a toy breed also and while I show that means unspayed/neutered dogs, and I am not in for breeding! So I had to come up with a way to seperate girls in heat from the boys. Because we had an old RB birddog I wanted gates tall enough to deter her too, so gates were the way. It works perfectly when we got our goldens. As they mature and I feel I can trust, they are allowed more access. Our den, dinning room & kitchen are all one long room so goldens stay there when we are at work (with doggie door). Two of my Biewers are very small and might get trampled by the pups, so they are gated to my bedroom, bath and hall. On weekends if needed, I can open the gate to the livingroom. So we have gotten into habit of opening gates all through the house and feel it is normal. 
Best is that keeping the dogs to the den, we are able to open the front door, put purse and groceries down, then go greet the dogs. Mine jump all over you and this allows me to have my hands free. Our gates cost about $74 per gate and we just added one as needed. But have lasted for years and high enough the goldens haven't even tried to jump over.


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## mrmooseman

Moose also likes to greet you when you come in the house. But if I have groceries, he will back off and sit in the middle of the floor until I have none and walk to him to hugs and kisses. 

He has just stared being vocal sometimes when someone enters, for a dog who was scared of everything, he sure is getting brave. Yesterday morning we were in the bedroom and a friend walked into the house, and boy did Moose ever start barking and growling! He never does that. Then later on something tipped over in the cupboard, and he went nuts! I don't know what this is all about. But I did bake cupcakes lastnight, and he made sure to lay in front of the counter making sure noone took any!


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## baumgartml16

Deber - Sounds like your kids were hard at work on those cables! What do they find appetizing about the things they eat? I never understand it..I just look at Koda and say "that must not taste good..." yet she looks at me like "i dont care, its something to eat"...

Yup, our wooden gate is no longer in use. She did a good number on the bottom of it trying to escape! Every time she tries to outsmart us we are able to one up her LOL. We got a metal gate with a swinging door but it is going back after we use it today. It is too short for my husbands liking and is terrified she will jump over it. We found a taller metal one that will work much better that we will pick up this weekend. The wood one is still up in front of the metal one for today as precaution. 

Megan - did someone startle him when they came in at some point that he is all of a sudden so skiddish? Koda will still jump when she hears a loud noise, but so do I, LOL so i dont think anything of it. But if he is barking and growling I wonder if something made him insecure. I love that he is the cupcake guard dog! 

So thankful today is Friday!  I love my weekends with Koda! And we don't really have anything planned except a visit to the groomers to have koda meet the lady that will take care of her and get acquainted with the facility. I will probably force myself to sit through the Superbowl only to watch the commercials. I am still extremely bitter about the way the Packers season ended and I haven't been in the mood to watch football since they were knocked out. So I will definitely have to cheer for the Pats to take down those stinking Giants!


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## Deber

I honestly don't care who wins the SuperBowl this year, but love the cooking. We always just have a day of muching out. I try new dips, new crockpot things, and just eat my way through the day. Love veggie snack trays and like being able to just walk by and grab something. Only day we do this and LOVE the food. Who cares about the game when snacky food is around?? I will probably watch all the Harry Potter films again in the living room and let DH scream at the game.


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## mrmooseman

I don't know if someone scared him, he use to be scared of everything. Usually he will hear car door close and run to the door and wait for someone at the door. I wonder if he was just upset because they were interfering with our morning snuggle time. haha


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## SeaMonster

>


priceless! The other dog is blaming you for this. you brought this thing into my life, its youre fault


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## Nyahsmommy

ElvisnHenry'sMom55 said:


> I'm sorry I laughed at your post, but I've so been there. Henry made me a mud swimming pool, this past Mother's day. I think he was trying to find China. I wasn't happy in the least.


 
Lol, Priceless! It's great to know I'm not alone... What is it with a golden's obession with trying to get the muddiest as possible?? I think thats when they are enjoying themselves the most.


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## Mom of Maizie

*Good Manners*

Hi, 

My Maizie is almost six months old and I feel like she has been a teenager for awhile now!!! LOL! 

For the last week I've been making a huge effort to tire her out and she has walked on a loose leash the best ever. I've started the day with feeding almost all her breakfast in her puzzle toys (Nina Ottosson's Brick and the Casino). I've taken her on a couple really long walks every day - off leash through a field near our house and so far she keeps running back to me every couple of minutes for a treat. Then I follow each long off-leash walk with a much shorter loose leash walk, trying to vary the route so she doesn't know what to expect. I live in the country so we don't meet many cars and rarely a person or dog. But I've been giving her treats by holding it in my hand, palm backwards just at my side, without bending over or slowing down in my walk and she's getting better at trying to watch when a treat might appear. I try to get it into my hand without her seeing. We've also taken her for a drive each of these days, sometimes just a short ten-minute drive and other times to a fenced ball-field about 15-minutes away. On top of all this, I'm trying to remember to brush her daily and I've been introducing a Dremel slowly to do her nails. 

So, it always astounds me how much time all this takes and I feel blessed to have the time available to do it all. I work at home and I'll just have to catch up on those duties some other time. 

So, with all this, she is jumping much less in the house and no zoomies inside. 



> *The other thought I had goes back to the exercise we're doing in Basic Manners class, sitting for 30 minutes every day with our pups on a leash by our side, not talking to them, not giving treats or petting, not giving them a toy, just letting them learn to be there. It's helped Maisie learn to chill out.*


I'm sorry I'm not good at understanding how to post some things in the forum, I copied the above quote and now I can't find who wrote it (but think her puppy is Maisie), but I'm wondering how this sitting for 30 minutes a day on leash works. I can't imagine Maizie not wanting to play, take off, or argue about staying still unless she has a bone or Kong or something -- but if I could get started doing it it might make an amazing difference!! Do you have them sit and stay or down/stay? or just keep telling them to settle or what???

I'm soooo glad to have the forum, and this thread in particular, for help with some of these things!

Mom of Maizie

P.S. My name is Jill


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## Tucker's mommy

We've been working on the sitting/staying for longer periods since Tucker was a pup. It's hard to do - and there are days when he just doesn't want it. This might be different than others have taught it, but we had Tucker start with small tasks, like sitting and staying while we clean up the dinner dishes so he's not plowing into the dishwasher (up to five minutes, I guess). Then another fun game we've built up that seems to REALLY help his stay is "go find it". While we're outside with him, we have him sit and stay in the front yard while we run to the backyard and hide a treat (can take a couple minutes to do - we have an invisible fence for him). Then we call "go find it!" and he has freedom to seek out the treat. It's a great reward for the longer stay. We do this inside the house on yucky weather days, too. So with building up the sit/stay doing fun things like that, he seems more willing to do it on command when we want to chill. Although, we are nowhere NEAR thirty minutes! Kudos to Maisie's Mom for succeeding in this!!! :wavey:


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## jluke

*For Mom of Maizie*

Hi! I'm the Mom of a Maisie and I'm Jill, too! Some coincidence... Maybe we'll all meet someday!

You asked about the "chilling out" exercise that our trainer calls "Sit on it" -- a weird name, I know, but she calls it that because you start by having your pup on a 6 foot leash by your left side as you sit in a chair with the leash underneath you. If your dog is squirmy or pulling, you hold the leash in your right hand (if if she really pulls like Maisie did in class the first night, you hold it in your left hand across your lap so you have a really firm grip). You don't give your dog any commands because then you have to "enforce" the command -- making her sit back down if she breaks out of a sit, for example and part of the idea is that you aren't interacting with your dog. You're supposed to let your dog just "get bored" and settle down naturally. Some/many/most dogs can't do this for very long to start -- maybe 5 or 10 minutes. Then you work up over time to 30 minutes. While your dog is sitting or lying there, you do something quiet -- reading or watching TV, but you basically ignore your dog.

This week we have an extension of the assignment to start with the dog on the leash, let her settle for 5 minutes and then unclasp the leash. So far, this isn't going as well -- Masie is getting up, so I have to start again.


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## Deber

Jill, can you suggest how I might start this in a multi dog home? Do you do this calming exercise with other dogs doing it too? Basic training, I can seperate the dog I am working with or go to a field, but indoors with Coop and the Biewers she is more likely to ignore me. I tried last night just by first brushing her (she loves this) and got her calm. Then moved a dinningroom chair out and with leash had her on left side and said nothing. She tried to walk off, but leash held her. She was happy to sit for awhile, then squrim, then up and trying to walk off. I didn't use any command and think she didn't know why we wern't doing something. Is this right and how do you handle if another dog walks up? 

Thank you for helping us, again I wish I could find a class like this!

Mom to Maizie - Jill, wonderful to have you here. Sounds like your Maizie is coming along very well. Hopefully she will continue and you will bypass a lot of the teen times we have seen. I know when we are at our country place on weekends, my dogs are so much better. I work outside the home and know most of our trouble is because I can't keep their minds stimulated, boredom breeds trouble. We try to make up for this at night and weekends, but envy you living in the countryside. Jilll (Mom of Maisie) is attending a really great class and has been helping us with what she is learning. This is helping me a lot with my kids! Kye is at the age she knows what is acceptable, but given the choice she will barge ahead with something different. Helping her learn to calm and watch us more, well we are seeing a difference, like brain cells starting to work! Thank you, Jill for sharing!


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## Stressedgoldenmom

We've had an interesting week with the Wrigster ... I was dropping the kids off at school on tuesday and at 8am (I get back home by 8:10-ish), my husband calls "YOU HAVE TO GET HOME RIGHT NOW!!!" Wrigley fouled up his crate like I've never seen a fouled up crate in my life. Poor guy, he was standing all the way on the side so as not to step in the foulness of it all. And the smell! It hit me as soon as I walked in the door and his crate is in our bedroom! Oh this poor dog ... it was EVERYWHERE! On his blanket we use to cover his crate, in the crate tray, on the crate wiring, in our carpet ... we are talking BLOWOUT! I felt so bad for him. We took him outside and ugh ... more! This boy obviously was having some major tummy trouble. We didn't feed him at all for the rest of the day or night.  He was drinking like a champ and never vomitted, which made me not worry too much ... called the vet and got him an appointment the next day ... they diagnosed large bowel diarrhea. Really? No <insert word for poop>. They gave us prescription food, an antibiotic and some probiotic treats. Mind you, this is the dog who WILL NOT EAT!!! Takes him a full day to eat his full meal ... drives us NUTS!!! 

Brought him home, put 2 cans of the script food ... NOPE!!!! Don't even think about it lady! I ended up hand feeding it to him to get something on his belly and firm up those bowels. 

Worked like a charm! That's been my week!


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## Mom of Maizie

*Work in Progress*



> Sounds like your Maizie is coming along very well. Hopefully she will continue and you will bypass a lot of the teen times we have seen.


To Deb - Maizie is certainly a work in progress. For a minute this morning I was wishing someone had us on video camera, she was walking so nicely with a loose leash :wavey: -- that was after her long walk through the field off leash where she was finding lots of deer poo to eat!!! And after her walk I left her outside to herself for just a few minutes and she began digging her way to China!! :doh: Muddy, muddy, muddy!! We've had so much rain!!!



> *You asked about the "chilling out" exercise that our trainer calls "Sit on it" *


And to the other Jill with Maisie -- I'm definitely starting this today! My hope is that Maizie will be able to chill out with us after we wear her out. We used an X-Pen until just a couple weeks ago and took it down, so she is settling some now that she has more freedom in our basement where we spend most of our time. She's crated when we can't be with her 100%, but I'm going to start the Sit on It exercises, maybe just for 5-10 minutes or whatever she can tolerate in the beginning. I'm guilty of ALWAYS trying to entertain her with a bone, Kong, toy, game, talk, rub on the belly, or scratch behind the ears.  I know those are all good in their place and time but what I'm hoping for is a dog that will relax sometimes.

So thanks for your detailed description of how to do the Sit on It exercise.  I'll start just after I get her cleaned up! LOL!

Mom of Maizie (Jill)


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## Tucker's mommy

To Stressed golden mom - I know, poor dog - but I can't resist saying it - POOR YOU! What an ordeal for you to have to go through that. These dogs are a handful, aren't they. Truly like having another child - especially when they get sick like that. We had a horrible bout of the runs with Tucker when he was much smaller. It took a week for things to get normal. So stressful. Hang in there. I hope your next week is better!


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## Mom of Maizie

To Stressedgoldenmom - I feel Sooo bad for you AND your puppy!!! Hang in there!!! Having such a sick puppy would be really worrisome since he can't tell you how he feels. 
Hope he's all better soon,
Mom of Maizie (Jill)


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## OutWest

So today we took Tucker and Tess to the Pet Expo one county south of us. Dogs were invited and we thought it sounded like fun. We took them to the dog park beforehand, mostly to tire Tucker out and make attending this highly stimulating event more pleasant for all of us. Well, that didn't really work out. :uhoh: He was sooooo excited by all the sounds, smells, dogs, and people that all his leash training went straight out the window. I did finally get him in hand by having him sit about every 10 feet or so and giving him a treat, then just having him calm down for a couple minutes. I had the leash wrapped around my back and anchored in my left hand so I could "put the brakes on." Needless to say, our progress through the event hall was really slow! :doh: We were all exhausted when we got back.

So, daughter and I decided our next step is re-training, and more re-training, on leash walking. We need to practice with him more and build up to highly stimulating environments. I give him credit though--he didn't completely lose his manners. He just so badly wanted to dash around the exhibit hall and greet every dog and human. 

The event itself was fun mostly because of all the dogs that came. We saw so many breeds, and every possible size, from a teacup Chihuahua and teacup Yorkie to a 250 lb. mastiff. And some very pretty Cavalier spaniels and Goldens (our personal favorites  ).


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## Deber

Outwest - That Expo sounds wonderful and wish they would have something like this in Dallas. Though it was exhausting, Tucker was exposed to so much he never had been before and think for his first time he did better than expected - Woo-Hoo for Tuck! The Rodeo we took Kye/Coop was honestly the best day I think we have had. Kye was so excited, but a bit scared too of so many horses, trailers, cows and the cow dogs, she was happy to stay closer to me. Coop who is much more shy (one I worried about) was happy with the animals and didn't view as threats, and the cowboys/cowgirls all took time to walk over and get down on their level and pet. I was a bit worried that the dogs would jump up and knock them down, but surprisingly they never did! I was a nervous wreck, but surprised us all with the great way the kids did. Wish I could do this every month because it seemed to bring Coop out much more and helped his self confidence. 

StressedGoldenMom - You might try a bit of boiled hamburger & rice to see if that temps him to eat again along with the prescription food (my dogs don't like). I hate when they have those Blow-outs, so stressful for your pup! Hope a few days of bland food will settle his little tummy.


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## Stressedgoldenmom

he's back to his normal dorky self ... with one little addition ... for the first time EVER, he laid his head in my lap ... 

I think we may keep him


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## Deber

Awww your comment made my heart swell. Love these little boogers don't we?


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## Pammie

I love the head in lap thing they do!... and then when they look up at you and the whites of their eyes show! *melts* :heartbeat:heartbeat:heartbeat

Bryley was not a very nice Super Bowl ambassador to our 1 guest we had over!  Everything started out well, his greeting was calm- it was so good I was surprised and proud! But, it all went downhill from there. He was nosing the drinks on the coffee table and getting too close to our plates of food. So, I leashed him and he was not pleased..he started to bark at us! :doh: That made me not pleased!
Part of the problem is that we really don't eat in the living room so food in there was a novelty and all, but he obviously needs training in leaving stuff alone and settling.
These pups are a full time job!

I loved Madonna's halftime performance!


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## Deber

I thought Madonna's halftime was great too. For once we didn't have to worry about a costume failure!!! 

Pammie - I too have problems with greeting and food we kept on the table! The pups were all over the new people until they got all their pats and hugs in. Not bad, but Kye/Coop were both deaf to my telling them to sit or go to their mats. I know I walked both to their mats 100 times. Glad they finally settled, but wonder if this jumping all over people will ever end? We don't have visitors often, so understandable, but they were all over each person at first. Wish we had people to come over often so we could practice greeting. Also asked, but not heeded that people not feed the dogs, but know everyone did! Hope the dogs don't get diarrhea because of it! 

What a game though...really had to fight for this win.


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## mrmooseman

Moose is all over everyone when they first come in.. he will settle in about 5 mins but still needs to be around them.. then in about 30mins he just ignores them and sleeps. But that first 5 mins where he chooses not to listen feels like forever!


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## baumgartml16

Can't believe its Monday already, these weekends fly by! 

To Jill (Maisie's mom) - when you do this calming exercise and they are sitting next to you, can you pet them or is there to be no contact?

Jill (Maizie's mom) - I am with you on the guilty of constantly occupying Koda. I feel bad that she is home alone all day with the exception of a one hour walk/playtime. I play, pet, walk, play, feed, give kong...my husband keeps telling me to leave her alone but I just feel so guilty leaving her home all day that I feel it is my duty to occupy her all night. Hopefully as she gets older it won't be as big of a deal and she will be more content to just be with us and not need so much attention.

Outwest - we had a similar experience but in bits and pieces this weekend. We took Koda up to the pet store which we try to do fairly regularly but ever time we get out of the car she drags us all the way up to the door...I look like a goon!!! I don't understand why they think it is okay to do that when we are places like that and walk like an angel when they are on their walks...? Frustrates me for sure. 

Koda has started to sit while being greeted by people now and has been staying sitting. She used to start with the jumping and always end up rolling around on the ground getting pets...now she sits and soaks it up! She was so cute. A little girl wanted to pet her and was nervous to come by Koda. I think Koda sensed it and layed down and then rolled on her back so the girl felt more comfortable. It was too cute! 

She has gotten very stubborn though. We take her down in the basement to play hard because there is more room to run and chase the ball/toy. Getting her upstairs when we are done is the most challenging thing. She now runs and hides so we don't try to bring her up. I feel so bad and at night I stay down till she goes up herself but in the mornings we are on a time schedule to get to work and that makes it hard to stay down till she is done as it would be a half hour if she could. 

That's my big Monday update...I think we are going to skip class tonight as my hubby can't make it and I am not brave enough to do it alone after last weeks episode.


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## tahill

Nyahsmommy said:


> I am sooooooooo angry right now!!!! I don't work until the late afternoon for a half shift so I figured I'd clean and get stuff done. That was impossible because Nyah was extremely hyper and restless. So stupid me brought her to the dog park for a quick run. :doh:. There was maybe two other dogs there, both extremely well behaved. We get there and nyah takes off like a greyhound which was fine. Buuut.... at the other side of the park there is this little forest area. Completely full of water/mud. No other dog was there. Nyah spots it and bolts to it. Does not listen to my commands to stop or come to me. Jumps in and splashes away. The two other people there gasp. Their dogs try to go for it but they call them and they listen. I was soooo embarrassed. She would not get out of the mud. Then she finds a stick and doesn't come when called as I was trying to leash her.
> 
> So I bring her home full of mud, car is black inside now. I take her to the bath, the tub is black. I had to run to get her towel half way through. She jumps out half muddy/half soapy and runs for the bedroom first then living room. I am sooooooo angry. It took 40 minutes to get her clean and there is still dirt on her. I put her in the crate, took her bed out and everything while she dries. I let her out now and she seems to be tired.
> 
> I am not getting another puppy for a long, looooooong time.! :uhoh::doh::bowl:
> 
> P.s. She was muddier than the pics look... her whole underneath was black.


 
LOL!! Sorry! She looks so cute in the cage. She's like "What"? I have been in your place. You will look back on this someday (not for awhile) and laugh!:smooch:


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## Tucker's mommy

Happy Monday everyone. Not much to complain about today - Tucker's been a real doll the past few days. We went through a really rough few days last week as he was coming off of his no-exercise period after his neutering. Once he was back into his normal activity routine for a few days, he's really settled in. Do any of you seem to notice that your pups seem to go through good phases of several weeks, followed by bad phases of similar lengths? I'm just waiting for this good phase to end before the crazies set back in again! :bowl:

One thing I've noticed since his neutering that I think is directly related to the surgery is his IMMEDIATE change on walks in one regard. He used to get VERY excited when we passed other dogs - almost anxious - especially when they would come barking at us from behind fences and such. Well, I've noticed this past week that his crazies in that regard are far less crazy. Yesterday, for the first time, he settled rather quickly after two HUGE bernese mountain dogs charged him from behind a fence. What a relief to see him relax a little more that way. It's never been an aggression issue with him, just sort of a manic crazy "I want to play with that dog" kind of thing. Very very annoying. Even at training class on Saturday, he was far calmer around the other dogs - much better at focusing on me. It was a real nice change. 

That's all for me. My human kids are giving me far bigger headaches lately than the pooch  - on that note, I've gotta run!


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## baumgartml16

I definitely agree wtih good weeks, followed by bad ones. Right now we are on the good ones as well...she has her moments but nothing like what we were going through.

I never had the maniac when dogs did that she just gets startled and lays down. It is so hard to get her to get up too. Even when they pass, she just lays down. This week when we see another dog up ahead we constantly give her the "let's go" command and just keep her going, feeding treats to keep her up. She did good this morning. Althougth once the dog passed we couldn't get her focus back, she wanted to go see it and keep an eye on it.

I dont know if I asked this before but do any of you have dual working households where you are gone during the day? I feel guilty every day I leave for work. Lately she has been restless much later into the night. We give her constant attention when we get home but she is much harder to settle down at night. She used to come up on our bed while we got ready for bed and then we would put her down once we actually went to bed. She doesn't ever want to stay on the bed, she walks around and paces. I feel so bad but we have to get some sleep too and can't stay up just for the sake of staying up. Sometimes my hubby will stay up later than me and she gets a little more time out in the living room but for some reason she is more anxious when we put her up in bed...?


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## tahill

Chloe is somwhat similiar to the way Koda acts at night. Fortunately my mom watches Chloe for me while I am at work and drops her off at my house in the afternoon. I am so blessed to have that. 

Anyway, Chloe too gets anxious when it is time to go to bed. It's just me so I try to play with her as much as possible when I get home from work. I walk her, play frisbee, etc. I too feel that I am not giving her enough attention, but in reality I hope I am.  What I started doing is laying down and try to have her lay near me and just settle down. I turn off the TV and just have quiet, and that seems to calm her down and get a little more relaxed and sleepy. Hope it gets better for you. P.S. I'm sure you are giving Koda plenty of love.


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## baumgartml16

Thanks, its nice to hear that. Weekends she is spoiled rotten..LOL..I struggle to keep her awake sometimes. She was a little restless those nights too so I don't know if it is a tired thing or if something else is bothering her..

Last night she was standing on the bed when I came out of the bathroom which is unusual so I calmly sat down and asked her to sit, which she did, I then calmly pet her and talked in a calming voice. She then laid down and I continued doing the same thing. When my hubby came in to go to bed she sat up again like she was startled. We put her down in her bed and she laid down fine. I guess we will just have to work with her that way and calm her down like you suggested! 

Glad she isn't the only one..they just want to stay up all night and party!


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## tahill

Well I am on my 5th tv remote, 6 if you count her eating my parents remote while she was visiting. Has anyone else been through this?? She has also eaten my phone as well. It's funny when she can turn on the TV. I don't know how she does this, but she does. I know it is my fault with her getting to them, trust me I have them hidden from her. :crossfing


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## tahill

That's good. It seems like you are doing the same thing as I am trying to do. I agree with you, they want to party all the time. I'm like mommy needs a break from all of this partying. lol


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## OutWest

Baumgarten, it sounds like Koda just needs a bit more exercise. Since that's not always possible, maybe the last hour or so that you are all up should be veeeery quiet and calm. 

It takes Tucker a while to settle. We usually all go into my daughter's room for about a half hour (We sometimes have two humans and two dogs on the bed!). I turn off all the lights and lay down on the bed and we chat. Tess usually goes to sleep immediately (you can tell because she snores so loudly!) but Tucker will prowl around, looking for something to chew on or fuss with. Lately he seems to have gotten the idea that this is "quiet time" and is calming down faster. When I get up to leave, he goes straight into his crate with a Kong and I don't hear a peep out of him again.


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## baumgartml16

I dont know how much more exercise she can get in a night. She walks three times a day (one being at night), we run around th basement at least twice a night, play upstairs...we usually give her a kong towards the end of the night to settle her down. Sometimes she even falls asleep in the living room or kitchen but its when we bring her into the bedroom for bedtime that she is restless....like something about the room maybe?


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## Nyahsmommy

Well over the past few days Nyah has been a very good girl. Not as crazy hyper but still wanting lots of attention. She has been very good on walks (for the most part) as well as listening when I tell her no jumping/trying to avoid other dogs, etc.




baumgartml16 said:


> . Lately she has been restless much later into the night. We give her constant attention when we get home but she is much harder to settle down at night.


Nyah has been very restless in the evening too. I don't work full days everyday but the days I do she is just a bundle of energy all night. It's getting to the point where anytime I have to do anything (cook, clean, medicate my kitten, etc.) I have to crate her. I also feel guilty but I also need time to sit and relax.


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## mrmooseman

Moose is the same way. He's starting to get some restless at night and when we're getting ready to go to sleep he walks all around the bed seeing if any of us are up! He's been getting pretty hyper at night to, and we take him to runs and walks to the park everyday. It must be apart of this phase.


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## baumgartml16

Megan, that makes me feel better. I was so good about keeping her busy all night last night. We went on a longer walk, played in the basement twice, played upstairs throughout the night, did training, gave her a kong...at 10 we were starting to wind down and consider going to bed and it was like she knew. I went to take her out like I always do and she wouldn't come over to go outside. She hid under the table. I was so confused. Couldn't get her out, we tried treats and toys and opening the door..nothing. Finally we ignored her and she came out by us and we went outside. When I brought her in she hid under the table again. EVERY night she always comes in from outside and walks down the hall to our room to get up on the bed. I can handle a little restelssness but now I am getting worried as to why she keeps hiding..is it just her way of saying "I don't wnat to do this"? She does it for other things too like if we want to bring her upstairs after playing...I feel so horribly guilty and don't know why this is happening. 

She also tore the stuffing out of her "baby" yesterday while we were gone. He has been with her since we brought her home and while he is beaten up from 6 months of playing with him I never want him to be a toy we have to get rid of. She sucks on his nose in the morning and at night...it is a comfort thing to her. This is the first day I had to leave her without having her "baby" with her and I am so upset. This may sound strange to some of you but I am just worried she will be uncomfortable without it. She didn't appear to eat any of the stuffing yesterday, thank goodness, but I couldn't risk it again. I sewed him up last night but I didn't want to tempt it today since she went right for trying to ruin my sewing job last night.

I am just feeling extremely guilty right now that we leave her during the day and I don't know what else to do to make her happy...


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## Nyahsmommy

baumgartml16 said:


> She also tore the stuffing out of her "baby" yesterday while we were gone. He has been with her since we brought her home and while he is beaten up from 6 months of playing with him I never want him to be a toy we have to get rid of. She sucks on his nose in the morning and at night...it is a comfort thing to her. This is the first day I had to leave her without having her "baby" with her and I am so upset. This may sound strange to some of you but I am just worried she will be uncomfortable without it. She didn't appear to eat any of the stuffing yesterday, thank goodness, but I couldn't risk it again. I sewed him up last night but I didn't want to tempt it today since she went right for trying to ruin my sewing job last night.
> 
> I am just feeling extremely guilty right now that we leave her during the day and I don't know what else to do to make her happy...


Nyah has a baby as well (a big plush pink dog that I bought her the day of her spay) and that is one stuffy she has yet to destroy. I know what you mean about feeling guilty but I wouldn't worry. I think she is just at that age when she has extra energy. The days that I am off during the week, Nyah is still the same way but all day. She is super restless and I can't do anything(including type this) without Nyah emptying her toy box with bringing me every toy. It is impossible to keep her busy every second of the day, I even feel guiltu about running errands but I usually give her a treat when I get back then play with her. Hopefully this hyper stage is over soon (for all of us!


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## mrmooseman

Moose has started this new thing where if I'm getting ready to go do some errands, he will lay on the bed and just wimper noises. He thinks that everytime we step out the door we should take him with us and he is starting to run towards the door when we are trying to leave. This is new. It makes me feel guilty leaving him when I should be taking him with me, but sometimes if I know I'm going to be going into a lot of places, I don't want to leave him in the car. I hope this phase passes.

Michelle, Moose had his "hippo" since we brought him home. It is like his baby too. It is the only toy that he hasn't destroyed. He is a soft animal, but only has stuffing in the head, his body has none and only has a little hole in it. But lately he hasn't bothered with it. I think with all the toys he got for christmas, he forgot about it. But the odd time he will still make it squeak (I don't know what it is, he LOVES toys that squeak and he will keep hitting the squeaker over and over and over and over and over..). He never really ate the stuffing, he would just pull it out and then of course it would be everywhere.. but lately, he's been eating it. The other night he was chewing on a toy and he stopped and just looked at us with this look in his eyes, as if saying "I have something in my mouth, but I'm going to pretend I don't.." and we figured he's been eating the fluff after checking his poop. Awesome. So now we have started a collection of toys that I got to sew for him. He doesn't hide though, not yet anyways. But who knows that could start to happen at anytime.


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## Mom of Maizie

*Unpredictable*

I'm sure I'm not saying anything that hasn't already been said, but these months of adolescence are unpredictable!!

Maizie has been good on walks lately, but when I try the "sit on it" exercise to help her settle some inside, she has taken to jumping up on me until I just have to quit trying it. It only worked the first time to keep her settled, and now she's found a way out of it and I don't know how to deal with the jumping and trying not to pay attention to her. I get so frustrated sometimes!!!

Today she is getting spayed and I feel so bad for her, but she acted like a complete dork at the vet's office this morning. They have a very laid back and calm adult dog that lays in the office there and you could tell it was trying to calm Maizie down, but she kept jumping and being so whacko and out of control that she got the older dog all wound up!! I'm feeling really guilty for not getting her out among people/dogs more than I have. 

I guess the up side of all her behavior is that she will settle in her crate at night and sleep all night long. I feel bad for those who have a restless puppy at bedtime. I expect it might happen in our house sooner or later, though. LOL!

Mom of Maizie (Jill)


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## baumgartml16

Jill - I think part of my problem with her restlessness is that we changed up her bedtime to being out of the crate now. I am starting to think she wasn't ready and was actually more comfortable being in her crate...

Megan - this is Koda to a T...she used to make it obvious she had something in her mouth, now when she gets something she does the exact same thing. She will look at us like "crap did they see" and then she will act like no big deal and she just casually walks away...but that is when she goes under the table and we know she has something...getting it from her is a task. We have started trying the treat thing and trading. It works 90% of the time, if she got something good though...it's hard to coax her out. Then it takes two people to trap her. Sometimes we can play the come get me game where we go running and she comes after and then we trap her. LOL...these dogs!  Koda is the same way with squeakers, once she finds it, she just keeps squeaking it. She will look right at you and just squeak, squeak, squeak...I think its hilarious!  We have a shelf of stuffies taht need "surgery"...started working on them this week. She always finds the spot I sewed though and goes right back for it! Urgh! LOL


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## tahill

Michelle, 

Don't be too upset. I know its the first toy that Koda had, but it sounds like you fixed it. Chloe ate and destroyed all of her baby toys when I first got her. Yesterday while i was making dinner, she decided to shred the newpaper all over the floor.


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## baumgartml16

Yea I know. I am more concerned for her as she uses it as a comfort thing when she sucks on its nose. She has done that since we brought her home and I just wonder what she will do without that. She lays on it and it is her comfort toy so I hate that I couldn't put it in there with her today. I guess she is growing up and her destroying it meant she didn't need it anymore...ugh I am such a sap! What will I do when I have kids and have to take their baby things away..nooks, blankies...o no!


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## OutWest

baumgartml16 said:


> Megan, that makes me feel better. I was so good about keeping her busy all night last night. We went on a longer walk, played in the basement twice, played upstairs throughout the night, did training, gave her a kong...at 10 we were starting to wind down and consider going to bed and it was like she knew. I went to take her out like I always do and she wouldn't come over to go outside. She hid under the table. I was so confused. Couldn't get her out, we tried treats and toys and opening the door..nothing. Finally we ignored her and she came out by us and we went outside. When I brought her in she hid under the table again. EVERY night she always comes in from outside and walks down the hall to our room to get up on the bed. I can handle a little restelssness but now I am getting worried as to why she keeps hiding..is it just her way of saying "I don't wnat to do this"? She does it for other things too like if we want to bring her upstairs after playing...I feel so horribly guilty and don't know why this is happening.
> 
> She also tore the stuffing out of her "baby" yesterday while we were gone. He has been with her since we brought her home and while he is beaten up from 6 months of playing with him I never want him to be a toy we have to get rid of. She sucks on his nose in the morning and at night...it is a comfort thing to her. This is the first day I had to leave her without having her "baby" with her and I am so upset. This may sound strange to some of you but I am just worried she will be uncomfortable without it. She didn't appear to eat any of the stuffing yesterday, thank goodness, but I couldn't risk it again. I sewed him up last night but I didn't want to tempt it today since she went right for trying to ruin my sewing job last night.
> 
> I am just feeling extremely guilty right now that we leave her during the day and I don't know what else to do to make her happy...


Methinks you worry too much. And methinks you think about it all too much.  

You're obviously a really good doggy mom. She's loved, fed, and exercised well. Don't let it eat you up. You can't build your WHOLE life and schedule around her. Although all of us on here probably try to do that to a large extent.  I wonder--do dogs sense guilt and know how to play on it? Children sure do. My daughter is really good at that! Would be a good discussion to have on here... LOL


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## baumgartml16

You are right, I do worry too much. I always have, I overanalyze every situation. I have never had a pet before so I don't know what is normal and what isn't and how to tell if my dog is satisfied. 

Thank you all for your comments and suggestions.


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## mrmooseman

Michelle, I'm the same way. I'm a worry wart and over thing EVERYTHING and every detail. Oh my life.

So far today, it was a good day. I took Moose to the park to play with his cousin Milo, and there was a st. bernard and some little dog there. Moose did so well playing with them all. He wasn't sure how to take the little dog, but she got mad and barked and chased Moose for a second and he learned to back off! But before we got to the park when we were leaving the house, he pulled on his leash like he always does and I accidently let go! Oh no! He's going to take off. But I said "Moose! Stop!" and he stopped. He never listens. Then I said "we're going in the car" he stopped by the driver side and I then said "no Moose, your not driving today, other side.." and he walked over to the other side and just stood there waiting for me to open the door.. Umm.. did I take a stroke or something? Is he actually listening to me?!? We got in the car and went to the park, and I just left him off his leash and like he usually does, he runs towards the other dogs so I don't have to worry about that. After words we let them out of the field (it's fenced in) and Milo took off and Moose chased him. Milo normally doesn't, and of course I was calling his name but he kept following Milo. So I opened the car door and Moose stopped and I said "Moose, Come! Car time" and he ran and jumped right into the car! Like is this even my dog?!! Someone must of switched them when he was outside before because there is no way this is Moose. He listened soo well! But I'm thinking it was just a fluke.. tomorrow will be totally different.


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## baumgartml16

Yay Moose!! That is all great. He has been listening, just choosing not to show his skills till now. Shows that if we say the same thing when we do actions they do pick up on it. Does Moose love car rides? I am sure if he does that helps with the desire to listen to those things. Koda loves them, we say wanna go for a ride and she runs and waits at the door! I love that!


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## mrmooseman

Oh does he ever. But he perfers the truck over my car. My boyfriend had just bought a new truck and it has a full backseat that has seats that fold down so he has all that space, I only have a 2 door car so he's pretty limited to the space. My boyfriends old truck is for sale in the yard and he always wants to run to that truck, but he does so well in the vehicles. Just sits there and smiles.


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## ashleylp

I posted in the main forum about aggression in my teenager.. have any of you guys seen any slight aggression? He was so submissive as a pup but I think he's starting to come into himself and is feeling more manly. I know his testosterone is up but I'm worried it's something more... anyone experience this in particularly males?


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## Deber

Ashley - I attended a Animal Behav. class for the shelter. He talked a bit about how dogs act overly aggressive or submissive upon meeting another dog in a kennel/shelter situation. Said all dogs must have a level in any pack. Dogs raised with other dogs work this out naturally and pack leader is set. Single dogs meeting a new dog unleashed will either fight or flight depending on the situation. He stressed the importance of always letting dogs meet in controlled situations on leash where their meetings can be handled. His point was that to put a dog with others without this is setting them up for failure. Don't think this was actual aggression for Remy, just he didn't know where he fit! I don't take my dogs to places others let their dogs go unleashed. Kye is an alpha and would probably fight, Coop is submissive and would get mauled. Mine do great meeting other dogs on leash though and we do this a lot. 

Michelle - Been thinking a lot about Koda hiding under the table. It is not you, you are doing all and more than most ever think about doing with their dog! Think because we love our dogs so much, we put human qualities into them that just arent there! We give them abilities they don't have. A dogs world is pretty black or white, good or bad. They can't reason like a human child can, though I swear they reason more than we give them credit for. Dogs do best with routines that don't change. Quit feeling guilty for going to work each day and leaving her! This is life! Because you work you are able to give Koda a warm, loving home to live in, toys to destroy and love...lots and lots of love! Dogs don't understand time as we do, they don't wear watches. They know you leave, they know you return. As the routine settles, they do wonderfully with this. Let the guilt leave you...it is groundless. I show another breed and have spoken to hundreds of die-hard breeders/trainers. All work at something that takes them out of the house and away from their beloved dogs, and each will tell you the same as I have. It is not the quantity of time, but the quality of time you have and what you do with your time with your dog that matters. You are doing fantastic and Koda will grow to be the best, I am sure of this! 

For nightime set a routine and stick to it. Example: here is ours and has worked for us. Remember we go to bed while still daylight and get up in the middle of the night.
At 7:00 we come in from last long walk, dogs worked on basics with treats, we play, romp, ball throwing, general rough-housing zoomie time. Then we go to the den, as I do the dishes the dogs chill, lights on. When kitchen clean, lights all go out and slowly I close the curtains so den is dark. Then comes brushing time and good body massage as I watch TV. By then the dogs are down and sleeping. We leave the TV on, but turn the volumn down, get up (yorkies sleep with us) and leave the goldens snooring in the den. Our routine never changes. Dogs don't even lift their heads as we go to bed. Done
My two are crazy about getting brushed. If Koda likes this too, you might show her the brush and see if she will join you upstairs for her final bed brushtime. Think she just needs a calming routine like a child for bedtime. You might figure out a calming routine for Koda that she loves, but puts her to sleep or ready to join you in your room. But YOU, my friend are doing everything right, more than that, you Love her, honestly and fully. This will always be enough and more!


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## Tucker's mommy

Ashley - regarding the aggression issue. I worry about this a little bit with Tucker. He's only 8 and a half months. We had him neutered two weeks ago. Before the neuter, he seemed to get VERY excited on leash when dogs would fence charge him or bark at him from their yards. He would jump on me, biting at me and the leash, all excited. Not truly an aggression thing, but frustrating nonetheless. After his surgery, we really did notice a change - he just didn't seem to care as much. Until last night, that is! He did his leash-crazies for the first time in over a month. It really bothered me. I thought we were through it. I worry that this could turn into aggression if I don't figure out how to calm him or prevent him from getting wound up when we see other dogs. He is fantastic with other dogs in controlled settings, and at training class. He also doesn't show any aggression toward our neighbor dogs when they run into our yard on occasion. But it does concern me, too. If any others worry about this or experience it, I'd love to hear more.


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## Tucker's mommy

To Deb - thanks for the useful info regarding aggression issues. Your info seems to suggest that dog parks are a bad idea? I've never taken Tucker, and I never will, because I always worry about the unexpected/unplanned happening at those places where I'd have little to no control over the other dog if such a confrontation were to occur.


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## baumgartml16

Thank you so much Deb for all your advice and kind words. They really helped put me in a better place! She was better last night but probably a little thrown off cuz I went to bed before she did and my husband isn't as cuddly as I am. She slept in the living room with him and then hid under the table when he went to bring her to bed. Once he got her down the hallway she saw me in bed and came up to snuggle! She was normal then! I am thinking we might need to keep her in the crate at night though, I am not sure she likes the freedom of being out of it. 

You are all so excellent, thanks for all of this.

Ashley - sorry you are going through this. My sister had a similar experience with her gsd before he got neutered. Once he was neutered the behavior stopped and now he is submissive around dogs actually. I don't have much advice though as I don't have a male dog. 

Katie - I am with you on the dog park issue. I am not a fan. My sister takes her gsd there all the time but at the same time even though he is submissive he is 96 lbs and can hold his own if he had to. He is a VERY well behaved dog though and is well trained. Those are the ones you want to run into, unfortunately they aren't all that way and goes along with your unpredictable comment - you just never know. I won't be taking Koda there because her recall isn't stellar yet and I don't trust other owners to have their dog trained well enough either.


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## Deber

Katie - I would do anything to take my dogs to our new City Dog park, but the few times I went to just sit and watch, the breeds were mainly fighting breeds. While I honestly believe ANY dog can be a good or bad ones, I don't like packs (7-8+) of fighting breeds together and putting a golden in the middle. The Dog park has an attendant but once a fight breaks out the damage is done. In my city they are thinking of limiting fighting breeds to only 1 or 2 at a time in the dog area to help stop this, but mainly other breeds just don't go. I love my kids so much and won't risk it until laws are changed. I pray other areas don't have this, but sadly we do.


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## tahill

I don't take Chloe to dog parks. When I was in one of my training classes and one of the dogs that was in my class was extremely afraid of other dogs. It was so bad. When the dog would come in contact with other dogs it would bark non stop. We all had to turn our backs including our dogs when this dog tried to do one of the activities. What happened to this dog was it was in a dog park as a puppy and was attacked by another dog. So with that being said Chloe will never know a dog park. We walk by and just go on another trail. She doesn't seem at all interested in going in the dog park. Also, she is such a sweet little girl I think she would get taken advantage of!


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## Nyahsmommy

Now I am the one having issues at night. I'm glas that Koda is improving slowly. One step at a time. 

Nyah doesn't have problems getting to bed and up until a week ago, she slept through the night with no problems. She hasn't woken us up for potty since she was 3 months old. Within the past week she has started to toss and turn in the middle of the night.. after an hour of tossing she will wake us up, we assumed to pee, so my boyfriend took her down(we live in an apartment so this is a pain in the rear). When she went outside she peed very little and could have held it till morning.

Last night she started her usual tossing but this time it was much earlier... 2 am. She woke us up and bf took her down. She barely peed at all. Back to bed and she woke us up again at 4 am. She was wiiiide awake. I'm thinking she just keeps waking us up becuase she wants to play. I have no idea what started this but she used to sleep through the night without issue. I guess we will just have to ignore her and hopefully she doesn't have to use the potty for real.


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## baumgartml16

Kim, yea she might be catching on to the restlessness means I get to get out and go outside. Try ignoring her and seeing if she calms herself back down. If she really had to go she would find a way to make it known. 

Does she go a lot more during the day as well now? If so, maybe she has a UTI?


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## Tucker's mommy

So, Tucker has been very keyed up today - I'm looking for some mental stimulation. Have any of you successfully taught the "roll over" command to your pup? Let me know how you did it! He just doesn't seem to want to get it! We've got all the basics down. I thought this would be a fun addition. But he clearly doesn't want to roll over!


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## Mom of Maizie

Maizie never wants to roll over either. I'll be interested to read some advice on this.

Mom of Maizie


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## baumgartml16

I put Koda in a down position. Then I hold the treat by her face and put it basically behind her head so she has to kinda roll to her side to see it, at that point I keep moving it so her body follows. The video explains it better.


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## Nyahsmommy

baumgartml16 said:


> Kim, yea she might be catching on to the restlessness means I get to get out and go outside. Try ignoring her and seeing if she calms herself back down. If she really had to go she would find a way to make it known.
> 
> Does she go a lot more during the day as well now? If so, maybe she has a UTI?


No she doesn't go more during the day, she's been holding it 5-6 hours sometimes more, so I doubt it's a UTI. I think it's because when she is home alone she pretty much sleeps the entire time so I guess she isn't as tired anymore overnight.


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## mrmooseman

Another good off leash expierence today!! I am so thrilled, but I don't want to get too excited incase it's just a fluke. :crossfing fingers crossed it isn't. He had a blast at the park today, he really knows his bounderies when it come to other dogs. There was a new dog there today, a small toy type dog, and he just over stepped his bounderies once and the little dog snapped back, that was it, Moose knew not to do that anymore and he stayed away. He tried to play, but the little dog was scared, and I don't blame her, can you imagine being like 10 pounds and this huge 80 pound thing is running after you! Even today when 2 dogs at the park were fighting (one dog wouldn't leave the little dog alone, and they were snapping at each other), he paid no attention and just wanted to play fetch! He didn't even stop to go assess the situation. Pround mama . My only complaint.. when play fetch, he will get the ball but LOVES when you run after him to get the ball because he won't drop it, and 2, he's a ball hog. He thinks every ball is his. Yesterday he stole the 2 tennis balls and had them both in his mouth, and today he had a tennis ball and one of those big soft balls in there. I'm scared to think of the things he can fit in there. 

Oh and he doesn't even chase or bother with the dogs that are outside of the fence. Hopefully its all up hill from here!


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## Deber

Kim, still wonder if she has a UTI. Kye started needing to pee during class, never had before and only during class. I chalked it up to excitement, but it happened a few days later on the trail. She pees in the beginning of our walk but never after this. I went ahead and ran a sample into the vet, yep showed increased white cell count. They treated her for UTI. So must not be like when we have one and have to go all the time. At least you can rule this out.

I am starting to worry that Kye might be coming into heat. She is 9 1/2 mo. so not unexpected and I want her spayed, but was sure wanting to see what she looked like after 1 yr and how she might do in a show or two first. I promised her breeder I would show her in the Int'l shows at least to title her, and I have (she has her puppy 3-6 mo titles) but they are not really titles, more that she fit the standard for this age and made it around the ring and stood for exam. Really wanted at least one title on her if possible, but now, if she is coming in, must move either she or Coop for 3 wks! Uck! We have a friend who will take Coop, but gosh I hate to think of not getting to see him but minutes a week. Probably better to go ahead with the spay, but not really fair to breeder and Kye! I feel torn between my love of both dogs and the need to follow through with a promise. This was not written into my contract. What would you guys do in my situation? What is right for my beautiful little girl and the lady who produced her? I just don't like the idea of Coop being gone so long. He is my baby too and Kye does have and International and National puppy title, so I have done what I said. What is right??

I could go ahead and neuter Coop, but our last golden male was fixed early and his growth plates in his rear legs never closed. He developed arthritis at a young age. Vet has told us that he wants us to wait at least until he is 1 1/2 or 2 if we at all possibly can. Would like to give Coop this time. He is not from a great breeder, just a family litter with few clearances.


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## elly

Deb is it impossible to keep them apart? It would be a shame to spoil your plans for showing or to not give Coop his best chance for growth, I know many exhibitors and breeders who keep their dogs and bitches apart safely for that time. If not then although I know it will be hard to not see Coop for that time but its a very low price to pay compared to that of neutering him early when he would benefit from a later date or spaying Kye when it wasnt your plan yet. The time will pass quickly, he will be loved and care for and theres no health repercussions compared to the other options possibly. Just my thoughts


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## mrmooseman

We too have decided to wait til Moose is about a 1 1/2 to 2 years old to get him fixed. My biggest fear is that he will get scent of a female in heat and become aggressive.


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## Deber

Megan, don't know about Moose, but my yorkies go crazy when one of the girls are in heat. They walk around crying, they decide they hate each other (the other boys) and refuse to eat. It is like living in a crazy house and all these are under 6 lbs! Can't imagine how Coop would be (tearing the walls down??). But after all I have read and have spoken to others with Golden males, they all tell me to hold off neutering our goldens until the bones fuse. So this is what we will do. Just can't afford to board for a week.

Elly - Thank you and know you have shown your boy (GREAT). Coop would only be 2 hours away and can see him on weekends. Know that in the grand scheme of things this isn't really much. Hopefully just one heat then Kye can be spayed and end of the problem. Heck if I can't get her to stop jumping as she walks we may never enter another ring with her! Haa, she is sure a bundle of energy. 

How was everyone's day? So glad to hear you are having success with Moose and dang people are teaching tricks?? Mine only have one trick they never forget and that is they can find their feed bowl no matter where you stash it.


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## mrmooseman

Deb, I fell for ya! Hopefully Moose won't get a whif and we will be set! When my parents dog Molly went in heat, she would rub all against the other dogs, they didn't want nothing to do with her, granted they were fixed, but she would cry and cry and everytime we opened the fridge, she would rub against it. I think thats why we opted for a male the first time around lol. Just plug Coop's nose, maybe he won't smell Kye. Lol. 

But if she already got 2 titles, it sounds like that was the agreement with the breeder, are you set to get her fixed ?


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## mrmooseman

I'm hoping the success with Moose is permanet, and Moose can do the basic tricks, I haven't introduced new ones right now, I'm pretty much retraining him the basic ones now that he seems to have "forgotten". ugh.


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## LeslieBuscher

Hello everyone! I'm not sure how you feel about Cesar Millan but I can honestly say that I owe it to him that my dogs are so well behaved. I have a two year old golden and a 4 month old golden/black lab puppy- both males. Yes, they have the golden retriever energy but I started training them from the day I got them. If your dogs are crazy on the leash, don't walk until they are calm. Stand in the driveway and wait for them to settle down. I also put my older pup on the treadmill when the weather is bad... he loves it. I just started training the puppy with it too. I know all dogs are different but most goldens are pretty active dogs and require stimulation or they get into lots of trouble... as I see from your posts. I buy baked knuckle bones for my dogs to chew on and so far, neither of them have ever chewed on things they aren't supposed to. Also, you just have to make sure you don't leave anything around that you don't want them to bother. To see my back yard, you'd think I was running a daycare center. There are balls and chew toys everywhere. I even hung a Jolly Ball from a tree for them to play with. I take my dogs to the dog park whenever I can and some days we walk around the indoor dog park (aka Petsmart). It really is true that dogs need exercise, discipline and affection in that order. Most of us can't help but love on our dogs but it isn't doing them any favors if we reward them for bad behavior. Since I hadn't had dogs in a while, I really thought that I just got lucky with our first golden so when I decided it was time to get a buddy for Bo, I figured it was going to show whether it was luck or whether I had done something right. With Bo, we did a puppy obedience class, then an adult obedience class (they let him in at just 7 months old) and he passed his CGC. Before he was 2, he passed his therapy dog test with the Delta Society. It remains to be seen how Luke will do but so far, he's proving to be a pretty smart little guy. I don't know if this helps anyone and know that every dog is different ...ok, maybe I did just get lucky <laugh>


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## Tucker's mommy

Didn't mean to freak anyone out when I brought up the rolling-over trick! Trust me - we are NOWHERE near there. Michelle - I tried using the technique you posted - but my little furry monster decides to mouth my arm every time I try to position the treat behind his head. He'd rather mouth me than roll over for cheese! Can you believe it!?!?!?! :uhoh: I sure did wear him out though trying this trick with him! Crazy pup. The one nice thing is that he knows the down command beautifully now after all of my failed attempts at teaching him to roll from that position! Oh well. Tomorrow's another day.


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## Deber

Leslie, thank you for posting and gosh you have had wonderful results. Congratulations on the CGC and Therapy work. Wonderful!! Koda's Mom started this wonderful thread because there were a number of us with dogs the same age who woke up one day and had forgotten all their training, like someone switched dogs on us overnight! So frustrating since we had such promising dogs before this. Teenagers! She pulled us together and gave us a place to tell of our good days and bad and try to figure out together. It is embarrassing to ask some questions to the board, because so many dogs seem so perfect. Here we can talk as friends. 

If you can help any of us, please do! We love hearing from others who lived through these times and give us hope we will make it too.


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## tahill

*Biting*

Is anyone experimenting with non stop biting? Chloe will not stop biting. I know it's a Golden thing, but why????? Any suggestions on how to help control this situation would be extremely grateful. Thanks again, Teri:uhoh:


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## Tucker's mommy

Hi, Teri - my name is Katie (Tucker's Mommy). I was JUST outside with Tucker playing to burn off some steam, and yet again, he came after my arm for some fun instead of his many toys in the yard. (He's 8 and a half months old). This time I had a squishy dead ball in my hand I was able to shove in his mouth to nip the behavior in the bud - this time, it worked. I'm learning with Tuck that I need to shove something in there IMMEDIATELY when the crazies start, and it snaps him out of it. Inside the house, I show him our water bottle to stop the crazies. That seems to work well. But only recently! We've been turning a corner with the biting, finally, but it has taken a very long time of this frustrating, consistent, repetitive practice! :bowl: And I know we'll have slip-ups along the way, too. How old is your pup? I swear that this past month for us has been one of small positive changes in several areas - I hope you see the same as yours gets older. Frustrating, isn't it? And I have a house full of young kids, which makes some of the issues a bit more urgent to remedy (like the mouthiness!) Good luck! Please let me know what you've tried so far.


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## Tucker's mommy

Teri - one more thing that we've increased this past month that might have a direct relation to the lessening in the biting is a treat toy we've been using more. It's like a kong, but it's a big, heavy, hard purple ball with a very narrow treat opening - VERY VERY hard for him to work the treats out. For treats, I use half of a milkbone biscuit coated with a tiny bit of peanut butter, just as a lubricant to get the biscuit into the tight opening. He'll work at that thing for twenty to thirty minutes, and I swear it gets rid of some of that energy he used to take out on us. Maybe you could try something like that? I really do feel for you - of all the problems we've had with Tucker, the mouthing has by far been the worst.


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## solinvictus

" She pulled us together and gave us a place to tell of our good days and bad and try to figure out together."

I don't have a teenager at this time. I think this is an awesome thread filled with loving owners and it really seems to be a great support system.

You all rock!!!!


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## mrmooseman

We never really had a problem with biting from Moose, only because when he was younger we would put our thumb under his tongue and the rest of our hand under his chin, he seemed to catch on quickly that if he was biting, he would get that not so enjoyable thing. Sometimes now though if we're playing and we go near his snout, he opens his mouth and will just put our hands or fingers in his mouth, but not bite down. I'm not sure if that is good training, but like I said, we never had a problem since with biting.. granted he is very unpredictable, and who knows, next week he could be doing that. 

We have been having such a good last few days with him, he's listening and doing good with off leash training.. THAT BEING SAID.. I put him outside this morning to use the washroom and I went to grab a cup of tea, came back into the room and looked out the window, and I was ready to murder him. 

When we first moved in, we had 2 lilac bushes and some weird bush in the yard. They were pretty and gave the yard a little something, and I love the smell of lilac. I don't know what the other plant was, but it was pet friendly. Anways, when we started renovating the outside, where we use to put him to use the washroom, becamr filled with building materials, so we had to move him to the front yard until we were done and had his pen put up. He does so well in the front yard, until one day I came home and half the small plant was dug up. Great. I would try to clean it up, but it seemed everytime I would let him out, and with in minutes, more of the plant was gone. Moose really doesn't like plants. He destroyed one we had on a planter pot in the house.

Anways, today I came in from getting tea and looked out the window.. and the little bugger was pulling branches from the bottom on my lilac tree! It's winter so there's no leaves, but now when it grows, it will look funny on the one side, because apparently, he's been doing it for a while. How I never noticed, I don't know. Ugh. i guess he doesn't like how it blocks his view of the road..


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## mrmooseman

On a funny note, he came in and grabbed one of his toys and sat on the couch, but he was trying to get his toy but he was sitting on it, it was such a struggle and then he fell off the couch. Is it bad I sort of giggled ? lol He was so confused about why he just couldn't get it!


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## baumgartml16

Deb - I think Coop would be fine at your friends if you are not ready to spay Kye yet. It does sound like you did what you wanted to do though so if you don't want to leave Coop that long then go for it with spaying Kye. 

Teri and Katie - the biting, o the biting! I am with you. She only does it when we are playing or if I grab her collar to bring her upstairs (she will try to bite my hand off her collar lol). We have used the spray bottle and it helps but sometimes gets her more fired up. Otherwise when she starts I stick my arm straight out and make it "boring". I say "No bite" and she bounces around my arm frustrated that she shouldn't bite it. When she does get me I yell a high pitch ouch and she backs off. She comes back at times but it is starting to click.

Koda has an issue chasing her tail - anyone else? I get so annoyed cuz it is hard to get her to stop. We spray her for this or do something that can get her attention - i dont want it to turn into an OCD thing though.

Last night was BAD! We went to my parents for dinner and she was SO good there. We came home, went for a walk, played in the basement...she didn't lay down until 10. We decided this was a good time to try to set a routine so instead of having her fall asleep in the kitchen or living room we took her in the bedroom (she was tired, for sure). She paced, she was up on the bed pacing and wanting out of the room. I am starting to think she doesn't like the door being closed...IDK. Anyways..she was not settling down so we thought maybe this was a mistake and we had to go back to the crate. We put her in the crate - she would not lay down. We tried ignoring her but we could hear her doing circles in there and panting like crazy, she was scared! I felt so bad...so now I guess the crate is ineffective for her anymore...we let her out and she went and laid down panting and fell asleep on the floor. 

I am just beyond frustrated with it. She doesn't like being out of the crate in the bedroom but now she doesn't like to be in the crate either..idk what to do. I feel so bad cuz I can tell she is anxious about something and I dont know what to do. We can't let her roam the house...we are going to let her fall asleep in the living room tonight and then wake her up when we go to bed and just take her to the bedroom without going out to potty...maybe she will do better with this. 

I am so tired because we spend an extra hour each night trying to get her to go to bed. I hate seeing her stressed though too...she loves to be up on the bed in the morning. She woke up early this morning at about 5:15 so I brought her up and she slept till our alarm went off and continued to lay there getting her belly rubs and everything..so its not the bed or room entirely..just when she goes to bed.

Sorry for the rant, I am so confused as to what is going on with her. I should point out that my hubby had to guide her down the hall to our bedroom last night too...she used to happily come down by herself.


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## baumgartml16

Megan - thanks for the funny story, I needed that!  Koda does that all the time. She will have one foot on the frisbee and try to pick it up and she can't figure out why she can't get it. We eventually help her out but we get a little giggle first!


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## mrmooseman

Michelle, do you sleep with a tv on or anything ? Maybe she doesn't like the sound of "quiet" we learned with Moose that if we leave the tv on and put the sleep timer on that he settles a lot quicker and will lay down when we go to bed. We have the volume down really low, but I like the sound of the voices on the tv too, it puts me to sleep. I noticed it first in the mornings when we would go back to sleep, my bf would usually turn the tv on but one day he forgot and I didn't bother, he was so restless and just wouldnt go back to sleep, so I started putting it on when he would leave for work and Moose would just jump on the bed and sleep. This morning it wasn't on and he did the same thing, he was so restless. Now he's sound asleep on the couch because I have the tv on. 

As for chasing her tail, Moose did that all the time, he woukd just stop and chase his tail for minutes straight. When he had kennel cough, we thought maybe from shedding and him always chasing his tail, the hair might be getting caught in his throat and it wasn't helping him to get better. So we just discouraged him for chasing it, that was about 2 months ago (?) and he hasn't chased it since then.


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## tahill

Tucker's mommy said:


> Teri - one more thing that we've increased this past month that might have a direct relation to the lessening in the biting is a treat toy we've been using more. It's like a kong, but it's a big, heavy, hard purple ball with a very narrow treat opening - VERY VERY hard for him to work the treats out. For treats, I use half of a milkbone biscuit coated with a tiny bit of peanut butter, just as a lubricant to get the biscuit into the tight opening. He'll work at that thing for twenty to thirty minutes, and I swear it gets rid of some of that energy he used to take out on us. Maybe you could try something like that? I really do feel for you - of all the problems we've had with Tucker, the mouthing has by far been the worst.


 
Katie, 

Thank you very much for your advice. I bought a book by the Monk of Newgete (not sure if I'm spelling that correctly) and one of them said at the last resort to try putting your index finger in the back of the throat so that they associate biting with getting a finger in their throat. Well I tried it and she LOVED it!  So needless to say I stopped that. I tried ignoring her, turning my back on her. Where did you get that ball from? Did you get it at PetSmart? If you can give me the name I will be picking one of those up immediately. I have the regular Kong, but she is done with that in like 5minutes. I also rely on the bully sticks. She loves them, but they are super expensive. I think she gets enough exercise. She stays with my parents at their house while I am at work. They both take her for a walk, and I pick her up and take her for a walk at my house. Then we play frisbee in the backyard and play ball. It's just not getting any better. I'm beginning to think she doesn't like her mommy


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## tahill

baumgartml16 said:


> Deb - I think Coop would be fine at your friends if you are not ready to spay Kye yet. It does sound like you did what you wanted to do though so if you don't want to leave Coop that long then go for it with spaying Kye.
> 
> Teri and Katie - the biting, o the biting! I am with you. She only does it when we are playing or if I grab her collar to bring her upstairs (she will try to bite my hand off her collar lol). We have used the spray bottle and it helps but sometimes gets her more fired up. Otherwise when she starts I stick my arm straight out and make it "boring". I say "No bite" and she bounces around my arm frustrated that she shouldn't bite it. When she does get me I yell a high pitch ouch and she backs off. She comes back at times but it is starting to click.
> 
> Koda has an issue chasing her tail - anyone else? I get so annoyed cuz it is hard to get her to stop. We spray her for this or do something that can get her attention - i dont want it to turn into an OCD thing though.
> 
> Last night was BAD! We went to my parents for dinner and she was SO good there. We came home, went for a walk, played in the basement...she didn't lay down until 10. We decided this was a good time to try to set a routine so instead of having her fall asleep in the kitchen or living room we took her in the bedroom (she was tired, for sure). She paced, she was up on the bed pacing and wanting out of the room. I am starting to think she doesn't like the door being closed...IDK. Anyways..she was not settling down so we thought maybe this was a mistake and we had to go back to the crate. We put her in the crate - she would not lay down. We tried ignoring her but we could hear her doing circles in there and panting like crazy, she was scared! I felt so bad...so now I guess the crate is ineffective for her anymore...we let her out and she went and laid down panting and fell asleep on the floor.
> 
> I am just beyond frustrated with it. She doesn't like being out of the crate in the bedroom but now she doesn't like to be in the crate either..idk what to do. I feel so bad cuz I can tell she is anxious about something and I dont know what to do. We can't let her roam the house...we are going to let her fall asleep in the living room tonight and then wake her up when we go to bed and just take her to the bedroom without going out to potty...maybe she will do better with this.
> 
> I am so tired because we spend an extra hour each night trying to get her to go to bed. I hate seeing her stressed though too...she loves to be up on the bed in the morning. She woke up early this morning at about 5:15 so I brought her up and she slept till our alarm went off and continued to lay there getting her belly rubs and everything..so its not the bed or room entirely..just when she goes to bed.
> 
> Sorry for the rant, I am so confused as to what is going on with her. I should point out that my hubby had to guide her down the hall to our bedroom last night too...she used to happily come down by herself.


 
Michelle~ Chloe too chases her tail. It is too funny, but I figure she is at least burning some energy by running around in circles. Now back to the annoying biting. I have tried to act like she hurt me by crying, but this gets her excited and comes back for more :doh:. I now (i know this is not the proper way) have to gently smack her nose. This is the only technique she listens to when i smack her nose when she has my hand in her mouth. I hate doing this, but really have no other choice, do i?? I feel awful doing this, but she will not STOP BITING ME!! I feel like an awful mother, but what can I do? I try ignoring her, turn my back, cry like she is hurting me, etc. You name it I think I've tried it.


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## Tucker's mommy

I think I'm going to stop handing out any advice - seems like I've totally jynxed myself in the biting area today. Tucker has been an absolute nightmare. He will NOT stop biting me today! It's driving me crazy. I go inside, go into another room, leave him like I'm suppposed to when he gets this way, and then he stops, looks sad, and finds something positive to amuse himself with. But the minute I come back into the room again, or if I need to take him out to go potty while on his leash, the crazies start up again immediately. It's never been this bad. I'm ready to scream. He's had close to an hour of HARD ball throwing, fetch, and seeking out hidden treats outside with me. It's not like I'm not exercising him enough! If anyone has had a day like this, please tell me. It'll make me feel better. I am just so mad at my dog right now. You'd think at 8 1/2 months he'd finally be over this!!!


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## Tucker's mommy

Teri- how old is your Chloe? Seems like whatever's in her water has now reached Tucker's bowl... I so feel your pain today...

Oh - I've looked EVERYWHERE for info regarding that purple ball I bought at petsmart - I cannot find the product anywhere! I'll take a picture and post it for you when I have the chance. But I'm going to say maybe it's not worth trying - it's obviously not working for Tucker and me today! :uhoh:


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## baumgartml16

So I posted this in the main forum but thought I would hear to as it is eating away at me. Today when Koda went on her walk with the dog walker a man was walking down the same side of the street. Koda was sniffing grass off the road and when she saw the man approach the walker told her to sit which she did. She then low growled and as the man got closer she growled louder and lunged at him. I asked the walker if it seemed more vicious or scared and she said vicious. I am close to tears...this is really bothering me. I don't know why she would do this. She is always skeptical of people walking by but never ever has she ever growled or lunged at anyone. She usually just gets closer to us. Someone said it could be the second fear period which happens but I don't want this to stay this way. I don't have any idea how to deal with this as she has always been such a sweetheart and adored meeting people. I am not saying this will happen everytime but I don't like that it happened at all. 

Do any of yours get nervous with people approaching, what do you do?


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## OutWest

mrmooseman said:


> Michelle, I'm the same way. I'm a worry wart and over thing EVERYTHING and every detail. Oh my life.
> 
> So far today, it was a good day. I took Moose to the park to play with his cousin Milo, and there was a st. bernard and some little dog there. Moose did so well playing with them all. He wasn't sure how to take the little dog, but she got mad and barked and chased Moose for a second and he learned to back off! But before we got to the park when we were leaving the house, he pulled on his leash like he always does and I accidently let go! Oh no! He's going to take off. But I said "Moose! Stop!" and he stopped. He never listens. Then I said "we're going in the car" he stopped by the driver side and I then said "no Moose, your not driving today, other side.." and he walked over to the other side and just stood there waiting for me to open the door.. Umm.. did I take a stroke or something? Is he actually listening to me?!? We got in the car and went to the park, and I just left him off his leash and like he usually does, he runs towards the other dogs so I don't have to worry about that. After words we let them out of the field (it's fenced in) and Milo took off and Moose chased him. Milo normally doesn't, and of course I was calling his name but he kept following Milo. So I opened the car door and Moose stopped and I said "Moose, Come! Car time" and he ran and jumped right into the car! Like is this even my dog?!! Someone must of switched them when he was outside before because there is no way this is Moose. He listened soo well! But I'm thinking it was just a fluke.. tomorrow will be totally different.


This is great. I think this means Moose has it all in his head, he's just selective about when he takes it out and uses it! LOL. I hope Tucker has it all in his head too....sometimes I wonder.


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## mrmooseman

Another successful day! Today he didn't even pull or tug me on his leash, he even let me walk down the steps before him.. I'm liking this. Hopefully it stays!


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## OutWest

Tucker's mommy said:


> So, Tucker has been very keyed up today - I'm looking for some mental stimulation. Have any of you successfully taught the "roll over" command to your pup? Let me know how you did it! He just doesn't seem to want to get it! We've got all the basics down. I thought this would be a fun addition. But he clearly doesn't want to roll over!


We got "our" Tucker to do the roll-over and now it's hard to keep him from doing it. We say "down" and goes down and starts to roll! LOL.

The thing that worked for both my dogs was to have them using the down command consistently, and then showing them a treat and slowly moving it behind an ear and over their shoulder. As the dog twists their nose to track the treat, it will automatically roll over. It took a few times but once they've done it and been rewarded, they catch on very fast. Good luck!


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## OutWest

baumgartml16 said:


> Deb - I think Coop would be fine at your friends if you are not ready to spay Kye yet. It does sound like you did what you wanted to do though so if you don't want to leave Coop that long then go for it with spaying Kye.
> 
> Teri and Katie - the biting, o the biting! I am with you. She only does it when we are playing or if I grab her collar to bring her upstairs (she will try to bite my hand off her collar lol). We have used the spray bottle and it helps but sometimes gets her more fired up. Otherwise when she starts I stick my arm straight out and make it "boring". I say "No bite" and she bounces around my arm frustrated that she shouldn't bite it. When she does get me I yell a high pitch ouch and she backs off. She comes back at times but it is starting to click.
> 
> Koda has an issue chasing her tail - anyone else? I get so annoyed cuz it is hard to get her to stop. We spray her for this or do something that can get her attention - i dont want it to turn into an OCD thing though.
> 
> Last night was BAD! We went to my parents for dinner and she was SO good there. We came home, went for a walk, played in the basement...she didn't lay down until 10. We decided this was a good time to try to set a routine so instead of having her fall asleep in the kitchen or living room we took her in the bedroom (she was tired, for sure). She paced, she was up on the bed pacing and wanting out of the room. I am starting to think she doesn't like the door being closed...IDK. Anyways..she was not settling down so we thought maybe this was a mistake and we had to go back to the crate. We put her in the crate - she would not lay down. We tried ignoring her but we could hear her doing circles in there and panting like crazy, she was scared! I felt so bad...so now I guess the crate is ineffective for her anymore...we let her out and she went and laid down panting and fell asleep on the floor.
> 
> I am just beyond frustrated with it. She doesn't like being out of the crate in the bedroom but now she doesn't like to be in the crate either..idk what to do. I feel so bad cuz I can tell she is anxious about something and I dont know what to do. We can't let her roam the house...we are going to let her fall asleep in the living room tonight and then wake her up when we go to bed and just take her to the bedroom without going out to potty...maybe she will do better with this.
> 
> I am so tired because we spend an extra hour each night trying to get her to go to bed. I hate seeing her stressed though too...she loves to be up on the bed in the morning. She woke up early this morning at about 5:15 so I brought her up and she slept till our alarm went off and continued to lay there getting her belly rubs and everything..so its not the bed or room entirely..just when she goes to bed.
> 
> Sorry for the rant, I am so confused as to what is going on with her. I should point out that my hubby had to guide her down the hall to our bedroom last night too...she used to happily come down by herself.


Hi, Michelle, have you tried giving Koda something to calm him down? You could probably get something from the vet, but I was thinking more like something natural. I used to give Tucker a mixture of warm goat's milk with a capful of melatonin in it right before before bed. It seemed to help him a lot. Haven't used it in a long time though.


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## Deber

Michelle, I answered on the thread, but honestly I feel it is two things. One is her harmones are kicking in, Kye's are too and I am seeing my "in your face" girl becoming more quiet, more unsure. I am at a bit of a loss and want to talk to our teacher at class about it, but feel it is a stage she is going into. Secondly, not all trainers train like I approve of for my dogs. Koda was being asked to walk and follow commands from a semi-stranger. I like the trainers who "gear up my dogs" they give treats, let them jump around acting crazy and when at the peak, they say "come" and walk off, the dog is hyped up and ready to go. I would never put my dogs in a situation where the dog is scared or telling me they don't like something and make them sit and emotionally deal with it with a stranger. When we walk and meet something that alerts the dog, then I make a turn to the right (cause we walk along a field) and march off into the grass. If it is on a sidewalk then my reaction to the upcoming people or dogs tell me to either keep walking or cross the street. Sometimes signals are given we can't perseve and I trust my dogs! I think Koda found herself unsure, without you to give her courage. So "Fight or Flight" became her only option. Honestly feel your trainer should have picked up on her emotions and made a turn out of the way, put Koda on a sit THEN and rewarded her. As time builds and trust in the trainer comes, think Koda would do good following her comands, but the trainer hasn't proven her trust to her yet. Dogs should always succeed as we train. A trainer should know and read that this was uncomfortable for Koda and taken steps to not put her in this fight or flight! Think your trainer botched this and bet you find Koda doesn't do this with you. I would talk to the Trainer, Koda is not an agressive dog and should be handled with more brains than this. Trainer needs to think of ways to reward not make her sit and face something that scares her, she should know this. Don't believe there is a mean bone in Koda's body, just poor handling to me!


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## Deber

Michelle, more I think on this the madder I get at your Trainer! Its so easy for a "Trainer" to say a dog is agressive and may cover that they screwed up themselves (always easier to blame something that cannot defend themselves!) I am going to call a few professional obedience trainers I know well and talk to them over the weekend and will let you know what they say. My gut tells me this was handled wrong by your trainer and her words are not true about Koda showing agression to people. I think Koda's reaction was more to the situation than to the stranger! But know you don't want her to think this is the way to handle herself when with others. There must be a better answer! Let me see what some of the pro's have to say.

Whew, will get off my soapbox. But until I got into the dog world I so looked up to trainers, now, well most have their certificate from an online study course! They get more knowledgeable as the years go, but this does not set them up as All Knowing about MY dog! I follow the leads they give me, but may train very differently than shown in class. In conformation, there are some pretty scarey trainers out there and I would suspect the same in obedience.


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## Deber

For you guys with mouthy pups, yep Coop is turning into this too, we need to remember they know that everything "good" comes from humans hands and arms. How happy they are to grab (ouch). Start taking our hands out of the equasion. I toss treats instead of handing them to the dogs now, I will kick a ball instead of throwing. I have bowls set all over the house and stuff a toy in Coops mouth when he gets near, so he can't grab my arm. My skin is old and tears easily, hate when he mouths me cause leaves a red mark. Coop watches my hands really well, trying to refocus on something, anything else! Sure seems to be helping.

Michelle, is Koda allowed free range in your house? For bedtime, you might just let her wander (if you can trust her). She may just not be ready for bed the same time as you. If she is not destructive, you might leave the bedroom door open and let her wander around. Mine do this when at the farm and usually they are on their mats soon or on the couch sound asleep. Cross my fingers, since mine can get so destructive at times, but at night they just sleep! Amazing, cause I can't trust them in our small city house where they are confined to the den. Just not ready to let them have free rein of the house there and the yorkies need a place to sleep at night without being stepped on by the bigger dogs. Might work...won't know until you try!


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## Deber

Ok now embarrassed I let my temper flare (rare for me). I had a really bad experience with "trainers" in conformation I just cannot seem to get over, really mad at myself. I have a little Biewer yorkie going to a show, he needed a lot of work to have ready. My mother was dieing and I was sharing care of her and just no time, so I took my boy to a trainer who was recommended for the week. It cost a fortune, but last show for my boy and I wanted memories good of his showing years. When I picked him up and got him ready for the show I found some small scabs on his tummy. They were almost healed, so didn't think much. At the show he finished and great weekend. After the show was talking to a bunch of gals and told them about the trainer and her work with Baynon the prev. week. They were agast that I had taken him to her! When I asked they said many rumors had come over the years about some of her techniques. I thought of Baynons scabs and showed them. One lady nodded and said she uses a halter with prongs under the belly and puts them on a grooming table to Stand for Exam practice for 15 min twice a day. If the dog trys to lay, the prongs dig into their belly and makes them stand!! To me this was horrible....my boy is tiny and the Stand is only a couple of minutes, never, ever 15 min! To think I let this heavy handed gal hurt my boy just made me physically ill. It took the fun of his win, the fun of the shows to heck and back. Was really ill thinking on what else she had done to him over the week. After this I started speaking to others to trainers and hearing their ways. I will never, ever allow my dogs time with some trainer unless I know and document their methods...Ever! There are some wonderful, knowledgeable trainers out there who I would trust my child with, but many others are just people with book knowledge or man-handle dogs into submitting. If they fail they say it is the dog! Will never allow this again. I failed my dog by not verifying the trainer and allowed him to be hurt. Now I trust my belief in my dog first then will listen to others, but my instinct is still the one I go with.


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## tahill

Tucker's mommy said:


> Teri- how old is your Chloe? Seems like whatever's in her water has now reached Tucker's bowl... I so feel your pain today...
> 
> Oh - I've looked EVERYWHERE for info regarding that purple ball I bought at petsmart - I cannot find the product anywhere! I'll take a picture and post it for you when I have the chance. But I'm going to say maybe it's not worth trying - it's obviously not working for Tucker and me today! :uhoh:


Katie, Chloe is 9 months old. She is still biting. I have now had to gently tap her nose and say "No Bite" she seems to get that for only a little bit then it is back to the biting. You are not alone, this has been going on for months. I have bite nibble marks on my legs when she decides to just nibble on me and then take a bite. Oh it just hurts.


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## tahill

baumgartml16 said:


> So I posted this in the main forum but thought I would hear to as it is eating away at me. Today when Koda went on her walk with the dog walker a man was walking down the same side of the street. Koda was sniffing grass off the road and when she saw the man approach the walker told her to sit which she did. She then low growled and as the man got closer she growled louder and lunged at him. I asked the walker if it seemed more vicious or scared and she said vicious. I am close to tears...this is really bothering me. I don't know why she would do this. She is always skeptical of people walking by but never ever has she ever growled or lunged at anyone. She usually just gets closer to us. Someone said it could be the second fear period which happens but I don't want this to stay this way. I don't have any idea how to deal with this as she has always been such a sweetheart and adored meeting people. I am not saying this will happen everytime but I don't like that it happened at all.
> 
> Do any of yours get nervous with people approaching, what do you do?


 
Michelle, 

I wouldn't be too concerned. Chloe is at the second fear stage. Koda was probably wanting to play and she just reacted. We have to remember that they are dogs and maybe she didn't like this person. Dogs usually have a good feeling about people. You really never know. I have to sometime remind myself that Chloe is a dog and these are natural instincts. I wouldnt' let this get to you too much. (I know it will though):wave:


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## baumgartml16

Deb - you are so nice! Thank you for showing your concern for my little girl and taking the time to talk to your trainer friends. I too get angrier and angrier the more I hear of the story and the more I think about it. Turns out the trainer all along has been telling her to stop and sit as people pass...I don't know why she would do this!!!! Koda clearly does not trust her and I think that was the main issue, this lady is not taking the time to form a bond with Koda. Turns out Koda has been trying to run away from every person that passes them on walks, other side of the street or not. This is NOT Koda! Now I know that it is the trainer and not Koda entriely. Koda shouldn't react that way but I know she wouldn't with us or our mothers that walk her. We talked to my mother in law last night and she said Koda has never shown fear of people with her and usually has people approach and pet her. Koda is a loving dog and I shouldn't have questioned it. 

I emailed the owner of the walking business to request our old walker again...we gave the current dog walker tips for walking Koda if she does come again. We told her to keep walking, give treats as the people pass and TALK to Koda. If Koda does sit and doesn't budge we told the walker to put herself between Koda and the people so Koda isn't just sitting and staring and to start working on some downs or eye contact stuff with her. Our old walker would train Koda at home too which I think helped form the bond they had! I am so mad at myself for not addressing this earlier (although I didn't know Koda was so scared of people with her till now) but I had an uncomfortable feeling with this lady from the start that she just wasn't going to bond with Koda. Anyways...I feel much better. We are still going to take Koda to the grocery store to sit outside and socialize with people this weekend but all in all I don't think this will be a constant issue.

Deb - that is a terrible story about that trainer...poor boy of yours! I am sure you made up for it with tons of love and kisses. What kind of person could do that to a dog, that lady should not be in that business! 

For the mouthing - I like Deb's technique of taking the hands out of it. We will definitely have to start doing that at our home as Koda loves to mouth when we play. 

Teri - Koda has been doing that for months too. We put our hands behind our back and get up and walk away if she isn't stopping for anythign else. she may not connect the dots but we don't let her mouth us anymore..hope things get better!


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## Deber

Ha ha - Though I have never met anyone here, I feel I know you and your dogs! Because we are beginners in this, we sometimes have doubts and believe what is said, but my gut tells me this whole deal was not Koda, but the lady, Koda just reacted. I am glad you have instructed her and looking to get your old walker back! Lady is a jerk, your girl..is Good, she got wrong signals!

Have fun over the weekend everyone. We are off to the farm (no computer) after work. Looks to be a cold windy day so hopefully can bathe all the critters and keep a fire going.


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## tahill

baumgartml16 said:


> Deb - you are so nice! Thank you for showing your concern for my little girl and taking the time to talk to your trainer friends. I too get angrier and angrier the more I hear of the story and the more I think about it. Turns out the trainer all along has been telling her to stop and sit as people pass...I don't know why she would do this!!!! Koda clearly does not trust her and I think that was the main issue, this lady is not taking the time to form a bond with Koda. Turns out Koda has been trying to run away from every person that passes them on walks, other side of the street or not. This is NOT Koda! Now I know that it is the trainer and not Koda entriely. Koda shouldn't react that way but I know she wouldn't with us or our mothers that walk her. We talked to my mother in law last night and she said Koda has never shown fear of people with her and usually has people approach and pet her. Koda is a loving dog and I shouldn't have questioned it.
> 
> I emailed the owner of the walking business to request our old walker again...we gave the current dog walker tips for walking Koda if she does come again. We told her to keep walking, give treats as the people pass and TALK to Koda. If Koda does sit and doesn't budge we told the walker to put herself between Koda and the people so Koda isn't just sitting and staring and to start working on some downs or eye contact stuff with her. Our old walker would train Koda at home too which I think helped form the bond they had! I am so mad at myself for not addressing this earlier (although I didn't know Koda was so scared of people with her till now) but I had an uncomfortable feeling with this lady from the start that she just wasn't going to bond with Koda. Anyways...I feel much better. We are still going to take Koda to the grocery store to sit outside and socialize with people this weekend but all in all I don't think this will be a constant issue.
> 
> Deb - that is a terrible story about that trainer...poor boy of yours! I am sure you made up for it with tons of love and kisses. What kind of person could do that to a dog, that lady should not be in that business!
> 
> For the mouthing - I like Deb's technique of taking the hands out of it. We will definitely have to start doing that at our home as Koda loves to mouth when we play.
> 
> Teri - Koda has been doing that for months too. We put our hands behind our back and get up and walk away if she isn't stopping for anythign else. she may not connect the dots but we don't let her mouth us anymore..hope things get better!


Michelle, That's good news (in a way) Good that you figured out what the issue was, bad that this lady was not walking/doing the correct way with Koda. Hopefully you will be able to get your old walker back and Koda will be back to normal. :crossfing Hope you have a successful weekend!


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## jluke

*Back from Vacation & Grab Bag...*

Hi All!

Marty and I were away in St. Lucia for 6 days and puppyless -- both hard and relaxing at the same time. Maisie did great with her favorite dog/house-sitter and dog walkers.

Deb and Koda's Momma, you both asked about the "sit on it" exercise. I was taught to do it with no interaction with Maisie, including no petting. We do the exercise at the start of class (or when other dogs are working on a command and the rest of us are watching), so, yes, Deb, we do it with 10 other dogs around, but each dog has a handler. So I guess if you're doing it at home with the other dogs there, they would need to be gated out of the room you're in. I usually work on this with Maisie in the late afternoon or early evening in front of the TV or while reading a book. This week, we're doing this with our dogs on leash and letting them off after 5 minutes -- that's still not going so well; Maisie is getting up so I have to start all over again. Somebody commented about how hard it was to get her pup to settle down at the vet -- that's one of the reasons the trainer thinks this is a good exercise: to teach our dogs to settle in different places.

Oh the biting... I've been venting about Maisie going wild walking on a loose leash -- jumping and playing leash tug-of-war. She's caught me with her teeth a few times and crying out, "Ouch!" really loud works with her. She was really good with the dog walkers while we were away, but gave me a hard time waling today -- I think she was punishing me for going away!

She's also gotten ornery about coming when she's called when I take her out for potty time. Koda's Momma, it reminded me of your post about Koda hiding under the table around bedtime. I wonder if this is just part of the "teenagers" wanting to get their way?


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## OutWest

Tucker's always been pretty good on recall, but I've been waiting for the teen thing to kick in. Yesterday we were at a really big dog park, and he hooked up with a set of three goldens for boogey-time. When I was ready to go, he looked at me as if to say "Do I know you?". The man with the GRs was great, he walked over to me, his dogs followed, and so did mine. Even having a liver treat in my pocket didn't matter. (Until the distraction of the other dogs was gone of course and then it became the most important thing in the world. LOL)

He's still making it hard to get him into the car. I've tried lacing the seat with treats, but my other dog just gets in and eats them all before I have T-man half-way into the car. Sigh.


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## Deber

Outwest we are too having a problem with Coop getting into the car. Kye has finally decided riding is fun, but all of Coops 55 lbs must be hauled in. Thankfully DH can still lift him, but I can't. We just keep working but if I am going alone, then Coop is having to stay home. Just can't get somewhere and he decide he doesn't want to ride. As soon as he sees the car, he plops down. This is when I miss when he only weighed 20 lbs! We are going to work more on this over the week and see how it goes.


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## OutWest

Deber said:


> Outwest we are too having a problem with Coop getting into the car. Kye has finally decided riding is fun, but all of Coops 55 lbs must be hauled in. Thankfully DH can still lift him, but I can't. We just keep working but if I am going alone, then Coop is having to stay home. Just can't get somewhere and he decide he doesn't want to ride. As soon as he sees the car, he plops down. This is when I miss when he only weighed 20 lbs! We are going to work more on this over the week and see how it goes.


The weight is an issue for me, too. It's certainly easier to get him in and out if my daughter is there. So far I've managed, but at some point soon I think it won't be a good idea for me to try to lift him in. It's really a drag because once we're arrived somewhere, he has a great time. I want to take him places with me.


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## lyssie

''...uhh.. yeh mum... dat was me... my bad''


the puppy phases are cute, the teenage times are terrible. bring on the adult years now !!!


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## Deber

Oh Lyssie that is too funny (but not when you must clean it all up)!. 

I actually have a good weekend to report at least with Kye. We were at our country place and I took Kye alone (with one of my bigger Biewers) on a long walk. She was doing well and not running too far off (in pastures) I took her long lead off! This was her first try without being leashed. I took Baynon with me because he has excellent recall and hoped she would stay close to him. She did! They played, Kye found all sorts of muddy areas to get dirty in, but came each time I called. It was a good walk and the first of many I pray we can do.

God must be watching, cause it seems Kye is getting so much better about the time Coop is getting worse. Hoping this is permanent, cause 2 teenages will probably kill me!


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## baumgartml16

Deb - that is great that Kye did so well. I think it will be years before I consider trusting Koda off leash LOL.

For those that are having a hard time getting their dogs in the car, have you tried using a doggy ramp? Maybe they will find that fun for them and not be so scared to get in?

We had a so-so weekend. For the most part it was great and we got Koda nice and tired out. We took her to the baseball field and let her RUN..and she sure did. But the good part was that she listened SO well at the park! We were so happy. We brought hot dogs thinking a high value treat would help keep her attention on us. It worked! We threw the frisbee and she would come running back with it and drop it! She usually isn't a fan of dropping things LOL. Then she was off again. We practiced recalls between my husband and I as well and she did great! She would stop mid run if we called her! It was awesome!!!

The only problem we are having is her eating in the morning. She doesn' want her food anymore. At night she has been gobbling it up. She always ate out of a kibble ball and now she won't use it. I think it is the food and not the ball so once we get the food thing figured out we will work the ball back in I think. We aren't sure if she doesn't like the food or what. I posted about it this weekend and someone suggested that she is self regulating. So we are cutting her food back starting today and seeing how it goes. This morning we decided to take her on a walk first play first and then fed before we left, we will see how that goes. I feel bad though, she is almost afraid when I bring her food out. She sometimes goes under the table and other times she just goes and lays down (again, only in the morning). It is so unusual. I want her to be excited to eat again...now it seems like she does it just because she is hungry. She still wants all her treats and anythign else we give her so I am starting to think it is the food.

Anyone ever have these problems? I tell you, if it isn't this, it's that! URgh!


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## OutWest

baumgartml16 said:


> Deb - that is great that Kye did so well. I think it will be years before I consider trusting Koda off leash LOL.
> 
> For those that are having a hard time getting their dogs in the car, have you tried using a doggy ramp? Maybe they will find that fun for them and not be so scared to get in?
> 
> We had a so-so weekend. For the most part it was great and we got Koda nice and tired out. We took her to the baseball field and let her RUN..and she sure did. But the good part was that she listened SO well at the park! We were so happy. We brought hot dogs thinking a high value treat would help keep her attention on us. It worked! We threw the frisbee and she would come running back with it and drop it! She usually isn't a fan of dropping things LOL. Then she was off again. We practiced recalls between my husband and I as well and she did great! She would stop mid run if we called her! It was awesome!!!
> 
> The only problem we are having is her eating in the morning. She doesn' want her food anymore. At night she has been gobbling it up. She always ate out of a kibble ball and now she won't use it. I think it is the food and not the ball so once we get the food thing figured out we will work the ball back in I think. We aren't sure if she doesn't like the food or what. I posted about it this weekend and someone suggested that she is self regulating. So we are cutting her food back starting today and seeing how it goes. This morning we decided to take her on a walk first play first and then fed before we left, we will see how that goes. I feel bad though, she is almost afraid when I bring her food out. She sometimes goes under the table and other times she just goes and lays down (again, only in the morning). It is so unusual. I want her to be excited to eat again...now it seems like she does it just because she is hungry. She still wants all her treats and anythign else we give her so I am starting to think it is the food.
> 
> Anyone ever have these problems? I tell you, if it isn't this, it's that! URgh!


I don't have trouble getting T-man to eat, but I met a GR owner the other day who feeds his three once a day, in the evening. His opinion was that it helped them sleep through the night. It's quite possible she is self-regulating and that she's the rare retriever who's not obsessed with food!


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## Claire's Friend

*I now use this thread*

To threaten Jordan with . If she's being naughty, I say "Don't make me post about you in the Teenage Puppy thread"  And she usually stops


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## baumgartml16

Haha Claire's Friend...i should try that. 

Outwest - that is what others have suggested but she always has been food obsessed so that is why it is odd to me and making me stress. Our vet thought she just isn't happy with her new adult food. Like a kid who got lots of goodies with her high fat puppy food and now eating veggies in her adult food. They suggested going to our pet store and getting sample bags of food to see which one she will be happy with. She definitely is more hungry at night which is why she is more willing to eat then but I am not comfortable with moving her to one a day feedings.


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## jluke

*Hi Again!*

Deb -- So glad you had a great weekend with Kye. It must be going around because Maisie settled down with her leash walking the past few days since we got home. (Maybe she's afraid we'll go away again... poor pupppy!) She's just gone into dervish devil dog once or twice and it's really so much fun to enjoy walking her again.

Koda's Momma (I'm sorry that I forgot your name while away...) -- how old is Koda again? The idea of trying sample foods sounds like a good one. (Have you been mixing her puppy food with the adult food during the cross over? Probably a silly question -- sorry.) I'm stepping Maisie down on her food intake this week since she'll reach 8 months and wondering how she'll react to that since she's a "greedy gus". When did Koda's vet recommend switching to adult food? I didn't know I needed to think about that now...

Class tonight and we missed last week's which was on heeling fast and slow and down, although Maisie "knows" those and we've practiced. We'll see how she does in the midst of all the distractions. For the first time, she finally stayed still last evening when we did the chill out exercise and I dropped her leash after 5 mintues -- wow! But I think she wanted to watch the Labs on Downton Abbey with me .

And if it doesn't rain too much, we finally get to go back to the dog park this week.


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## baumgartml16

Name is Michelle!! 

Koda is 9.5 months old. The vet told us around 8-9 months we could switch. We mixed it the whole time and she was good with it. Just recently hasn't been interested. I think we found a different one we are going to try. Vet said the transition between the two adult foods doesn't need to be as lengthy though so hopefully we can get her switched and eating properly again. 

We have yet to practice that chill out exercise. Maybe this weekend we can get on that. We have class tonight after missing last weeks. My brother is with Koda now buring her energy out so that hopefully she listens better in class tonight. Not sure if it will make a difference but we thought it was worth a shot! Fingers crossed!!!


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## jluke

*Thanks!*

Thanks, Michelle. (Sorry about forgetting your name -- I think I knew it before going away... it's my aging brain :doh:.) I'll check with Maisie's vet about when we should switch from puppy food based on your comment.

Hope your class with Koda went well. Maisie was really good again, even after missing last week. Whew! Worked more on heeling fast and slow, and then went on to recalls which we sure can use more work on. She's always happy afterwards because she loves a chocolate Lab in the class who she gets to play with for a bit. The two of them look like Easter candy -- dark and white chocolate side-by-side.


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## Deber

Kye too started leaving food at about 8 mo. Don't know why cause she used to be a chow hound, but now though I put down her regular 1 1/2 cu she leaves about 3/4 cu in her bowl but eats well at night. Good thing is I don't think she has gained a pound since 8 mo and yet growing so now she looks more lean and better. Same food, though so don't know what it is. I still think she may be starting to come into heat, though she has no signs yet of this, but can't explain it. Figure she is eatting enough to feel full, so not too worried. Now keeping Coop from eatting his and trying to eat Kye's leftovers is the worry. I just stand over Kye and when she is done I move the bowl. Poor Coop, though not quite as tall as Kye, he is a bear and doesn't need any more calories! 

I see so many posts about people asking about getting two puppies or adding a pup when their pup is still young. Wish I could have them come spend 1 wk with us at our house. Know that would cure them from wanting two until the other one is older and mature. What a lot of work two puppies are! 

Claire's Friend - Jordan is not only beautiful (wow is she ever) but sounds like you have missed a lot of what we are going through. Congratulations!! Hopefully some of us will move out of this stage, dye all the gray hair these teen times have given us and join the over 1 year group. We are really working hard!


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## baumgartml16

Koda's class was sooooo good! We were so proud of her. Having my brother come over beforehand and run her around really helped. We are going to continue that! She still has no intention of giving us her focus when we are working on heeling and slow/fast...but she does that well outside of class. Too many distractions. If we hold the treat down she is better and perhaps if we use a higher value treat for that part it would work better too...I think that might be something we do next week. But she finally got comments from the instructors that were good..she was even used as an example for our sit stays examples. We had to put them in a stay and then walk around them both ways, walk in front and then behind, do jumping jacks in front of them, stomp our feet and Koda just sat there. She was soo good! We also worked more on stand for exam which she isn't usually good at but she was getting it right away and we even used it on our walk today and she got it!  So proud of her!! We need to work more on her heels, it is just that most other places we can grab her attention and she knows what it means she is just selective on when to use it that little bugger!!

The dog walker struck again. We are in the process of finding a new one but in the meantime we had to keep her this week as we aren't ready to leave Koda all day. But we told her to avoid people on the walk but turning around if she seems one. They didn't encounter any yesterday so no way to judge. But they were playing with Koda's baby downstairs and the head ripped open (sad day for me..). Koda tried to get the stuffing but the sitter is pretty sure she got all of it against Koda's will LOL. But she then decided to put it back in with her all tore up...well it appears Koda ate the nose off of it now. I am not very happy about this and feel it was pretty negligent but I didn't specify. She didn't tell me till after she was gone and I was not too happy...It isn't a very big piece and so far no signs of trouble. She has pooped fine, ate fine, and played every chance she gets. We are watching out for anything out of the ordinary though just in case.

Also we went to the pet store last night and got samples of a new food. They suggested we go wtih Fromm..anyone use this? They are manufactured in WI so it is home grown for us which is nice. Plus they have lots of different flavors we can switch up every 6 months or so. We put a half cup of that with her food last night and this morning and she gobbled it right up!  Things are getting back to normal. We have a new night routine and she is adjusting well to that, no more hiding!  We have been trying to be pretty easy going with her right now as it appeared she was going through a fear period so I think that has helped! 

Whew, I don't think I know how to write a short post...

Deb - a lot of people told me dogs can self regulate so that is probably what Kye is doing. She is a lady afterall and probably wants that nice slender figure!  Coop is a man - they eat and eat and eat...don't care about looks! So typical!!  

Jill - that is awesome about Maisies class..I wish they let our dogs play but they don't allow it in these two classes we are taking! Boo...Koda wants to play so bad and so do the others!!


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## jluke

*Play Time at Class*

Wow, Koda's Momma -- such a great class! That's terrific! We did sit-stays and down-stays in class for the first time and Maisie did well, too. We've worked on this at home a lot since she's been little, though, and she'll stay all the way across the house when I'm out of sight for about 2 minutes -- of course, there aren't any distractions and she knows she'll get lots of praise and/or a treat or play time with a toy when she comes to me, so it's not the same as class. We haven't done more than a stay and move to in front of our dogs, so it'll be interesting to see what happens when I'm doing jumping jacks!

Glad that Koda's eating again, too -- such a relief.

I'll be glad -- with you -- when your dog walker situation changes. Maisie doesn't destroy stuffed toys too quickly, but she always chews off the noses or ears (or starts to and I have to cut them off). For what it's worth, she hasn't had any ill-effects from what she's eaten in the past, like the did when she ate the nose off her stuffed Doxie Dog. Then, I have to take all the stuffing and squeakers out of the toys and give them back. My friends gave her this great 3 foot long stuffed alligator (?!) that she finally opened up and it was completely flat with no stuffing -- then she started to shred it, so after 4 months, out it went, sad to say, after a good long life...


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## Deber

Right now, stuffed toys are banned at our house. Really sad cause they love their toys, but all they do is shread them. Hope this stops cause they are too expensive to keep replacing. At least they have stopped eatting the corners of their doggie beds. I was threatening to just put down a towel if they didn't stop. Again, hope this is part of the stage because neither pup ever ate their beds until lately. 

Michelle, so glad you are getting another walker/trainer. Think this lady would be ok, but know there are better ones out there and ones who will work WITH Koda instead of underminding your previous training. 

I have got to find a new training school. The class that Kye has is nothing but advanced basics. No behavior, no long sit/stays, just an hour of walking, heeling, sits really. I think the class is too large too, bet we have 25 dogs there and our teacher seems to be helping some and others are totally left out. I need to find a smaller class that will take us forwards and include some behavior things like Jill found. Coop is doing fine, but Kye really wants to do more, but must do the same thing over and over. She is more of a problem when she gets bored. Wish I had the money to have a private training session with someone to set me up new goals. Might quit formal classes after this and see if I can't find one. Just seems like we are not learning anything new or broading our lessons.


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## baumgartml16

Do you guys ever have problems keeping your dogs in a heel position for an extended period of time. We are working with koda for part of our walks on heeling now and if we say "Koda heel" she will come back to our side and look at us but 5 seconds later she wants to get ahead of us again. I can't figure out how to keep her back by us for a longer period. 

That is one thing we need to work on more at home is staying in a heel, slow, fast...all of that stuff.

Also, Koda passed the nose of the stuffie. No more stuffies will ever be put back in though. It was so sad, last night she was searching for her baby to play with or suck on I am not sure but she couldn't find it. I felt soooo bad! She has had that since the day she came home so for it to be gone she is confused. We have the exact same toy just not all ratted but I afraid it won't be the same to her and she won't treat it the same as the old one. I am going to give it to her when she is tired and see if she will suck on this one like she did the last!


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## Pammie

Hi ladies! Everyone sure has had a lot going on. I have enjoyed reading about all your trials and triumphs!

Michelle, I am so happy for you that Koda pooped out the stuffie nose! I am a worry wart like you, and any time Bryley has eaten anything he should not have I worry worry worry that something bad will happen. Once, under my husbands watch, he tore open a stuffie and ate a good amount of stuffing. Luckily he pooped it out (green stuffing!) a day later, but believe me we were on poop watch! 
I was thinking about Kodas favorite baby that just got ruined... what if you took the rest of the stuffing out and then sewed up the nose area? That is what I did to Bryleys favorite floppy dog stuffie.
Bryley loves stuffies, but only gets gets under direct supervision. They are kept in a separate toy box up and away from him. The Kong Wubba is in there, too as he will chew on the tails. His toys he has free reign to are nylabone, chuckit ball, antler, tennis balls and a dumbell looking thing. All pretty boring except for the antlers!

Deb, I hear ya on the large training class! The last class we went too was a drop in class and at times there were 20 plus peeps/dogs. Plus the acoustics in the building were terrible, so it did not make for a good experience, especially for my unfocused wildchild! I think he was 9 months or so and this class had many dogs who did rally and obedience, so Bryleys antics were especially noticeable and embarrassing! I did quit that class as I really felt neither of were getting anything out of it at the time. I plan to go again in the spring. 
The class that Jill and Maisie are taking does sound like a dream class for our golden nutballs!

Several of you have been discussing getting the pups in and out of the car... the last couple months B has been wonderful, but this past weekend he was a PITA! LOL! Our routine is I throw a tiny piece of dog jerky in, he gets it and immediately turns around and lays on the seat so I can easily attach his seatbelt to his harness. He is calm and patient. Well, last weekend he got into the car here at home all perfect and all, but after the walk when he jumped into the car to get the treat he turned around and then proceeded to try to get out of the car again! Then he was licking and mouthing :nono: my face cuz I was close to him trying to wrestle/latch the seatbelt on him. He tried to get my glassed even! OMG! The only thing I can think of is that in addition to my one friend who walks with us, another friend came too. And we walked for 1 1/2 hours instead of 1? I dunno, could just be he is wacky!! Plus his vertical jumps on the walk were out of control! Probably 10 times compared to 3 last weekend!
Also last week Bryley went to the vet because he had been licking his feet btwn the pads. Turns our he has fungus feet! We were given a spray on medication and he has noticeably stopped licking them as much. He also got weighed and he is 68 pounds!

Bryley's birthday is Saturday! arty:arty2::headbang2:yipee::woot2::banana:


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## jweisman54

Those teenage times do go away, so I am told. Izzy is almost 2 and has calmed down quite a bit since last year but she still gets zoomies, still chases a leaf blowing in the wind, still counter surfs and I know she tries to walk nicely on the leash if there were no one and nothing around. The vet assures me that after the age of 3 she might calm down, LOL!


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## Claire's Friend

Well, I certainly don't consider us out of the woods yet.:uhoh: Part of the thing that helps so much with Jordan is that we are together all the time. She doesn't really have a chance to be naughty and if she is, I can redirect her right away. And we really "get" each other. I can tell by the way she is walking or whining or just looking at me, what she wants. She knows by the tone of my voice or the way I look when I really mean business. And she really cares, the worst thing for her is when I get upset, esp, if it is with her. She loves to please me and tries really hard to understand what I want from her. I am not very happy with the training class we are in right now (only one more class to go, yay!) because they have me put her in situations where she is not comfortable. I will try 2 or 3 times, but if I see she is struggling, I back off for a bit. This is the trust we have built up,
I refuse to undo it. She is far from perfect and can be a real stinker sometimes, but I would gladly take 6 more months of puppyhood with her if she could have stayed a puppy. She is my 4th puppy. It took the first 3 (and 35 years) to teach me how much there is to a dog. To understand what a complete relationship you can have with them if you give them the chance. I get better and better with each dog. I try and enjoy every little thing she does, good or bad. I figure it will all make for great stories on here someday. Hang in there, all of you, they get a bit older each day.


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## Deber

Thank you Claire's Friend, know you are right. With working, it is harder to build the trust you two have. Know from experience that on weekends, when we are together 24/7 by Monday we progress so far, much more than we do during the week, though we work every day. Also working with two pups is much harder than I ever knew, but saving Coop, well I would do it again tomorrow. Know we will get past these stages and hopefully all of us working so hard in class and at home will see the benefits in our dogs as they mature.

Got to say one thing, I can't imagine my life without these two precious babes and yes wish I could have kept them babies for much longer. Mine are quickly turning into adults and I miss that puppy time we are leaving. Know all the gals feel the same.

Megan, where are you and Moose? I hope someplace warm with a drink that includes a cute umbrella in it!


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## jluke

*Back to the Park and First Night...*

Hurray -- it was back to the dog park day for Maisie, 4 weeks after her spay surgery! She had such fun, but only for half an hour since she was getting pretty tired by then. The prong collar definitely helped me manage her pulling on the 15 minute walk to the dog park which is the toughest test since she's so eager to get there. She's still tired, so we decided that tonight's the night to try her first night in our bedroom out of her crate and, hopefully, in her dog bed. We'll see how it goes...

Michelle, glad that everything "came out all right in the end" with the stuffie nose that Koda ate. I confess that I feel like a negligent Mom. Maisie has chewed off a nose and some ears on stuffed toys and I haven't worried much so far -- I guess I should pay more attention. She only gets to play with her soft toys, even the rope ones, when she's supervised. In her crate, I give her stuffed Kongs and her elk antler and, now, sometimes nothing.

Deb -- 25 dogs in a class sounds very large to me, but you're much more experienced with this than I am. There are 10 of us with our dogs in Maisie's Basic Manners class (plus family observers some nights). I'm expected about the same when we start advanced obedience mid-April, assuming that Maisie's 
good to go for it.

Pammie -- boy, Bryley is a BIG guy! Happy Birthday to him. Maisie's 8 month "birthday" is Friday. 

Michelle, you commented about keeping Koda's attention while heeling. The trainer we're working with has encouraged us to give voice reminders to our dogs. (Deb, I don't know if you think this is a good technique?) So, I'm frequently saying things to Maisie like, "With me," "Right here," "That's it," or "Faster," and "Slower." If she gets way ahead or behind, I give a small and quick leash correction, but very short since she's wearing a prong collar.

Life here has gotten much happier since my whirling dervish dog has stopped jumping and barking and playing leash tug-of-war on walks. Now if she'd just come when I call her in from the yard... Teen-age hearing problems!


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## OutWest

*argh. counter surfing...*

Just heard Tucker coughing in the kitchen... sounds like he had inhaled something...went in there and found a cupcake tin that used to have about 10 cupcakes in it...all gone, wrappers and all. neatly removed and disappeared. tin wasn't even on the floor. :doh::doh::doh: suspect he'll have a very healthy poop tomorrow!:yuck::crossfing not chocolate thank goodness...


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## OutWest

baumgartml16 said:


> Do you guys ever have problems keeping your dogs in a heel position for an extended period of time. We are working with koda for part of our walks on heeling now and if we say "Koda heel" she will come back to our side and look at us but 5 seconds later she wants to get ahead of us again. I can't figure out how to keep her back by us for a longer period.
> 
> That is one thing we need to work on more at home is staying in a heel, slow, fast...all of that stuff.
> 
> Also, Koda passed the nose of the stuffie. No more stuffies will ever be put back in though. It was so sad, last night she was searching for her baby to play with or suck on I am not sure but she couldn't find it. I felt soooo bad! She has had that since the day she came home so for it to be gone she is confused. We have the exact same toy just not all ratted but I afraid it won't be the same to her and she won't treat it the same as the old one. I am going to give it to her when she is tired and see if she will suck on this one like she did the last!


try rubbing the old one on the new one..maybe the scent will transfer over?


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## quilter

baumgartml16 said:


> Do you guys ever have problems keeping your dogs in a heel position for an extended period of time. We are working with koda for part of our walks on heeling now and if we say "Koda heel" she will come back to our side and look at us but 5 seconds later she wants to get ahead of us again. I can't figure out how to keep her back by us for a longer period.


We have this problem, too! Casper is slightly different, he goes out and back, out and back. We're doing clicker training, and I think he's just coming back when he wants a treat. I found something in a book last week. It said that I was giving rewards too regularly. So now I treat more randomly. It keeps him guessing and he pays attention a little longer, hoping for a treat. After a few days, I've seen a bit of progress. The other thing is that you can only expect a little bit of heeling at a time. My book says about 56 steps at a time for "level 1", and that's about 10 treats worth of heeling! We're going for more of a loose lead than heeling, and that wears Casper out in half an hour. There are lots of sniff breaks in that half an hour.


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## quilter

Deber said:


> Outwest we are too having a problem with Coop getting into the car. Kye has finally decided riding is fun, but all of Coops 55 lbs must be hauled in. Thankfully DH can still lift him, but I can't. We just keep working but if I am going alone, then Coop is having to stay home. Just can't get somewhere and he decide he doesn't want to ride. As soon as he sees the car, he plops down. This is when I miss when he only weighed 20 lbs! We are going to work more on this over the week and see how it goes.


We started feeding Casper his breakfast in the car last week. On the third day he jumped in the car. On Tuesday night, it only took one liver treat to get him in the car to go to dog school. This morning he dragged me to the car.

I still have trouble getting him into the car to go back home. After dog school, he sat in the doorway of the dog school and refused to budge. I pretty much dragged him to the car (about 15 feet). Fortunately, I'd brought his dinner bowl with canned food in it. When we finally got close enough to the car for me to get the bowl and show it to him, he went right in. It's a little tricky, because I have to put the ramp up, but we were out of there in 5 minutes instead of 15.


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## Deber

Outwest - Gonna have to try this with Coop. He gets in fine, even without treats, but anywhere we go, when he sees the car he plops his fat butt down and refuses to move. If you try to lift him, he flattens (honestly funny, but have to get him moving). Think I will try bringing a bit of canned food to the next class and see if that helps. Thanks for the suggestion.

Jill - I am a total novice in obedience! But in conformation I talk to my little ones the whole time! They seem to move better, keep eye contact with me much better, and I want this to be fun! If not fun for them then what is the use? I am not a die-hard anything and old enough to figure if it isn't fun for both of us, just won't do it. I am taking the same approach to obedience. If I didn't have a huge sense of humor I know I would have quit long before now. I listen to our instructor and we practice in class, but I know my dogs better and some things, at home, we work on differently but hopefully the results are the same. In the end, though I want this to be a really fun time for the dogs. If I find I am upset or want to yell, I just step out of the ring and we go into the pasture for some romping and fun. If Kye settles, we re-enter, if not then I keep her close enough to watch, but out of the way from distracting others. She has been really good this past two weeks, scarey and wonder if she is just getting it, or figuring out a way to do something spectacular to throw me off guard, but what a nice couple of weeks we have had!

Coop is becomming more headstrong, more deaf. Glad he is a more calm babe, but he is larger and more powerful than Kye. Hope he doesn't hit the teenage times as she did, cause I will need to get a lot more muscle!


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## baumgartml16

Jill - We do use the cue words and she knows them for the most part. On our regular walks we have been getting her attention and today we had an amazing walk! Last night even, my DH would count to 10 out loud and she had to stay in the heel and watch him the whole time or we started over. She did it on the first try..it was so cute..she's like "what are you counting for, dad?" It was cute!! BUT in class, totally different story - she just has no drive to look at us, everything else is so much more interesting. We are going to try bringing hot dog (very high value for her) to her next class and see if that holds her attention better.

The leash biting has stopped here for the most part. She gets overly excited when snow is on the road we are walking on but with this extrememly mild winter (thank goodness) we haven't had to deal with it on too many walks! 

We still have issues with "come". We have went back to basics and started playing in the house where my DH and I go into a different room and call her to come back and forth but we go to a different spot each time we call so she has to follow our voice. She LOVES this. She will start going back to the person before we call her back lol.

Outwest - I forgot your name? Sorry. Cupcakes!? Let us know how he is today!! Hope he doesn't have too many problems with all that...I am sure he was in heaven though as he devoured them! Notice how they get so quiet when they are taking/eating things they shouldn't. When it gets silent I worry LOL.

Thanks for all the suggestions about Koda's baby. We did rub the old one on the new one everytime before we washed the old one. The old one is in the garbage - it was beyond repair this time. We gave her the new one when she was tired to see if she would suck on it and she didn't suck but she also didn't tear it apart. She loves it already!!!

Our biggest problem is mouthing while playing! Urgh...my arms can't handle it. Teri, I remember you have problems with this, did it get better? Right now we are walking away from her and leaving the room and she stops then but she is such an overly excited player it just gets the best of her. When we ignore her she chases her tail! We are thinking if this doesn't work we might try the spray bottle of water when she mouths.

Hope everyone has a happy Thursday!!


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## jluke

*A Good Night...*

Maisie (and her humans) had a pretty good first night with her in the bedroom and not in her crate in the kitchen. She woke me up just once, nose-to-nose, at about 2 AM, and moved around off her bed and onto the carpet a few times, but our adult GRs didn't spend all night on their beds either. A success, I'd say!

Outwest -- I bet those cupcakes tasted really good... How did he get them out so neatly, I wonder?

Michelle -- I love your idea of calling Koda back-and-forth between you. I hope my husband will do that. (He doesn't want to train Maisie, just wants her to be trained!) I can put her in a stay and go to another part of the house, wait a minute or sometimes two, and then call her and reward her when she comes. She loves that, but it's not as fun as your "game". And the training isn't as good either.

On Koda's mouthing while playing, would you consider using one of those whooshing air canisters instead of a water bottle? Our trainer had one in class a few weeks ago and it really got the dogs' attention. An advantage it has is it doesn't get anything on the dog (or the furniture), just disrupts her undesirable behavior. Our trainer said they have small and large sizes at Petco and places like that.

Deb -- thanks for the encouragement. I tried to send you a "Thanks", but the site did something weird.


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## baumgartml16

Jill - yay for a great first night!  Koda moves around too at night and usually gives me one kiss through the night! I love it, nice thing to wake up to!  Just their way of saying "hi mom, love you!" Hopefully she can be with you now!! And yes the game is tons of fun for them! It doens't take too much work from your husband. Brian wasn't that into it at first but he sees how happy she is when playing so he deals. We only do it for a few minutes at a time too! 

I will have to look for that air spray. That sounds like a great idea!


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## OutWest

*very, very frustrating night (long vent)*

So last night, Tucker was just WEIRD. Can't describe it any other way. He was so wired--I've never seen him that way before. My daughter was baking a cake for my sis's birthday party and we put the gate up to keep him out of the kitchen (he's been doing a lot of counter surfing..). He sat on the other side and barked and whined. He's never behaved like that before. He just wouldn't settle down. He was chewing on everything and trying to eat anything. Gave him a fresh hoof to chew on, he did for about five minutes and then was back in our faces. 

He ate a batch of cupcakes the day before (the afore-mentioned counter-surfing :doh. I was hoping he'd pass the excess yesterday, along with the paper wrappers, but I don't think he did. 

When we were ready for bed last night, I went into my DD's room to chat, and he had conked out on the floor. Barely moved a muscle when I walked by. So had clearly expended a lot of energy by being so agitated.

I put him into his crate in my bedroom, and about 4 am I could hear him breathing and panting. He sounded unhappy, so I took him outside and he seemed to poop but it was dark and he was on the far side of the yard. After that, he had a drink of water and went back into his crate and back to sleep. 

This morning, so far, he seems his normal self. Puppy-ish and goofy happy, but not agitated or excitable. Right now he's snoozing on the floor next to me. 

What do you all think? Do you think last night was a delayed result from eating all the cupcakes? Was it an attack of the dreaded "teen disorder"? What? Seiously, if I'd been armed with dog valium, I would have used it... :bowl:


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## jluke

*Indoor Training Ideas*

Don't know if you all see the on-line AKC Newsletter, but it had a short article with a few good ideas for inside training when the weather is bad. The gist of the article was to train come and stay while catching your dog in the midst of another activity, not from a stationary position -- more like real life such as you'd need it if you'd dropped the oj carton or a glass vase. It suggested getting an empty vitamin bottle and putting in a few pieces of kibble to simulate the noise of the vitamins, dropping it and with your dog on a leash, giving a sit and stay. Or to do a come when your dog is just casually across the room from you, distracted, not in a sit-stay or down-stay. (It said that you might have to create the distractions by throwing a toy or pillow.) Anyway, I'm planning to try some of this since I'm always looking for good training ideas when it's wet and raining here.

Our "sit on it" exercise this week has evolved to having Maisie sit or lay on her bed about 3 to 6 feet from me, starting on-leash, but after just 1 minute, I drop the leash. She's supposed to stay there for a half hour. So far she's made it 15 minutes. More work to do...

I posted on the Westminster Dog Show thread that we watched the show and I mean "we" -- after one of the show dogs barked, Maisie sat about 5 feet from the TV, completely rapt for about 10 minutes. I swear she wondered why "those dogs" weren't coming out to play with her. Eventually, she put her nose against the screen and whined -- ?? Very weird and cute.

Another great overnight -- no crate and a very settled puppy. Everybody slept! I think we have our new routine which means my happy hubby is getting to sleep an extra half hour in the AM since he was getting up for the early shift.


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## baumgartml16

I need to work on those things with Koda for sure. She knows come when we are in training mode and she knows treats are involved but if she is just walking around the house and has no motivation to come she doesn't. I need to start keeping treats on me and when I randomly call her and she does come I can treat her!


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## baumgartml16

Outwest - I am not sure why he would have been that way. His stomach might have been irritated from all that he ate that day and just making him fussy.

Is he still acting normal now that you are in the middle of the day? Did you ever go look at his poop from last night to see if any of it passed? 

I would just keep an eye on him today and see if he still seems restless, might have an upset tummy!


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## mrmooseman

Another busy work week is finished! With a busy weekend and a busy week I haven't been following the forum much :/ I feel so behind haha. The boyfriend went away for 3 days on an audit and I was worried leaving Moose alone since I would be working 12 hours during the day. Of course someone would let him out, but it was just a long time without me lol. He did great through! My mom came up and watched him for a bit and he helped her bake cookies.. erm well.. ate whatever she dropped. (she makes all natural baking that is safe for Moose as well as us.. maybe she is feeding us dog treats?) The only problem I had was he ate a piece of his toy..it's a reindeer with a scarf.. he ate half the scarf. I panicked and was outside lastnight with a flashlight looking for it in his poop. My neighbours definitely thought I was crazy. But I found it, peeking up at me in some fresh poop. Awesome! lol. So glad this week if over!!!


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## abowman

Finnegan decided that peanut butter frosting is an essential food group. He found the left over plate! He seems crazy over sweets and we have to watch him carefully. He would eat a pan of cupcakes if given a chance. I have been forgetful with this thread and today found it again. I really enjoy reading the entries.


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## Pammie

I think we all need miner's hats for all the times we are excavating poop in the wee hours of the night!! Glad you found what you were looking for Megan!

I went shopping today to buy birthday gifts for Bryley!! Fun fun fun! My husband wanted to give him his presents today. NO no no! Have to wait until the officeal day. But I did give him some of the treats I bought. 
(I also got myself some nail polish in gunmetal and a necklace!)
This is what Bryley will get tomorrow on his Birthday!! arty:arty:arty:


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## Tucker's mommy

To Tucker's Mom (Outwest) - we had a weird evening with OUR Tucker too a few nights back. I really wonder if it's an age/hormone thing. He was VERY panty and wouldn't leave my two year old daughter alone. But like you, he woke up the next day back to his normal self. I really think these dogs do have their good days and bad, their "moody" days and "not so moody" days. And I've mentioned before that we'll have long stretches of good followed by what seem like eternal stretches of bad, and then the phase repeats. 

Michelle - our biggest problem as well is the mouthiness while playing. Teri and I shared a few threads on this one. It is so frustrating. EVERY time we start a game with him outside, we have to endure several minutes of extremely mouthy, jumpy behaviour. What I've been doing the past few days is just walking away and going back in or up top our deck when he gets this way. It is so obvious he's upset when I leave. After several attempts doing this, I'll come down one last time, and if he does it again, usually a loud, screaming "no" from me will snap him out of it and then he's fine the rest of the day. We have one episode of this a day. I really hope my consistancy pays off eventually, because it's such a pain (literally) when he does this!

On a positive note - Tucker passed his basic puppy obedience today. I was so proud of him. For once, he didn't act like a complete tool in class!


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## mrmooseman

I'm actually starting to think we're through the worse of the "teenage phase". Since Moose is starting to listen to me now, and I use the word "listen" loosely, I have been able to take him to more places by myself and letting him off leash so he can go running around as much as he wants AND when he is called, he will listen. He still has this selective hearing. He might not always come when first called, but he will come after a few times. I'm really hoping this is the end of this phase.


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## mrmooseman

Moose has also started to drool a lot while we're eating.. he doesn't beg.. he will sit lay in the other room and make sure he can see us (which he always does whether we're eating or not) and drool.


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## Nyahsmommy

*Recall*

How are all of your pups doing with recall and staying? Nyah has absolutely 0 recall. Especially at the dog park when we are trying to keep her out of the mud, she looks at us, ignores us and runs right for the mud. It's super embarrassing. She will only come to us when nothing is distracting her and/or she feels like it.

Another thing is staying. She will sit and stay perfectly inside and with treats but as soon as we are away from home, same thing, she completely ignores us all together and bee-lines for whatever she is after(people, dogs, etc). It is very embarrassing and extremely frustrating. We tried treats, ect but nothing works when she is focused. :uhoh:


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## jluke

*Recall, Stay and Eating Stuff!*

Nyah's Mom -- Maisie is good with stay both inside and out, except at the dog park which is still just too stimulating. She's solid on come -- inside. She was good outside, too, until the selective teen hearing hit. Now she sometimes runs the other way. At home, I've started using our exercise from obedience class of having her on leash (a long leash at home) and calling "Come!" and immediately reeling her in to me, having her sit in front of me and giving her a treat right away. She's completely hopeless on come at the dog park.

Since I work from home part-time, my plan this week is to take her there and work on both commands when there are only a few dogs there. After letting her play and run for a while so she's tired, I plan to put her on leash and work on them. We'll se how it goes. If it doesn't go so well, then I'll do the same thing, except do the training just outside the dog park fence with the distracting dogs on the other side.

And she had a play date with a neighbor dog and the dog's great children this afternoon -- a great time except that Maisie ate half of a rubber ball. We'll see how that comes out...


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## OutWest

Nyah's mom--Tucker is not perfect on recall and when distracted is more likely to ignore us, especially in past few weeks. I've taken to bringing treats with me and just giving him one whenever he trots up to check in. I've also made good use of his separation anxiety. I walk slowly to the gate and he comes over fairly quickly to make sure he's not left behind. I try to avoid using "come" because I don't want him to blow me off. 

Perhaps you could try practicing more at home and gradually introduce distractions? I have to say that recall is probably every dog owners biggest challenge so you are not alone.


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## Deber

OMG - Had to hunt to find out thread! Sure didn't want it going away!

Jill, I too use a long leash (100ft) for Coop and Kye, and honestly Kye is getting much better at coming back when called. Coop has entered his teens and is deaf (not really but acts like it). Kye on the other hand has settled down so much this past month. Don't know if it is all the work the both of us have done, but she has been so good at class and actually can make a whole class now without jumping around so much and distracting all. I keep thinking she is starting to mature (almost 10 mo) but afraid to find out, so we just keep working each day and praying it stays good.

Coop - Wow, didn't know how hard it would be to do something with a 60+ lb boy. He still thinks he is a baby and wants to jump into your lap. Whooph - the wind can be knocked out of you in a heartbeat. He is big enough it is impossible to get his bottom into the car, so working hard to get him to get ALL the way in. 

Both kids actually let me cut nails and use the dremmel this weekend. I am not good, but good enough and hope will get better with practice. I had DH brush and when they flopped on the floor (half asleep) I just quickly cut then used the dremmel when all were trimmed. Again, not good at this, but at least the kids didn't run for the hills.


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## Tucker's mommy

Good morning, everybody! Regarding the recall issue - I worry about this with our Tucker. He does fantastic at home, in our invisible-fenced-in yard, but if he were away from his familiar surroundings, I always wonder. Up until just two weeks ago, we had a long lead on him at all times, even outside under our controlled invisible fence conditions. Now he's at the point when he comes to us from anywhere in the yard ( we have about one acre fenced in). BUT - and this is a big BUT - I want to know he'll be reliable other places. We're going to start training him more with a long lead out at my mom-in-law's house, where they have several acres, one side bordered by a highway  and another by a steep ravine   - so obviously we are concerned for his safety when he's there! 

We'll see how everything works out. I'd love to give him more freedom at their house someday, but that highway scares me TO DEATH.


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## Tucker's mommy

Forgot to mention - Nyahsmommy - regarding the "stay" command - Tucker is finally starting to be able to handle the command in various environments. Just yesterday, out on our walk, we somehow got right in the middle of two groups of dogs passing us on either side - very crazy. Two of the dogs were being real brats. I was able to get Tucker down in his sit/stay stance and keep him focused on me for the most part with the "look" command (and plenty of treats!!!) while the craziness around us subsided. He did a pretty good job. It was a great test for distractions. He's about nine months now, and we are definitely seeing improvement in some of his training areas. 

Now if I could just keep him consistent with not playing so rough with us outside! The past few days have been really good for that, too - but we've been able to exercise him a TON, which seems to help with his playing style. Amazing how exercise helps with everything, isn't it?


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## mrmooseman

Deb, Moose has settled abit this month as well. He is like a totally different dog then last month. He is actually starting to listen when I call him name if we are at the park, and he is coming. It is getting better with every day that passes! I'm scared that it's all going to stop  lol. 

With stay, he does great with it inside, but like Nyahsmommy said, at the park he just isn't having it. We haven't really been in the situation outside of the house to try, beside the park, but now it's a must! 

PS: stupid question.. but what does DH mean?


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## baumgartml16

Koda has definitely calmed down the last month. There were two weeks there that were just torture for us. It was one thing after another...I was really stressed out. And then it all snapped into place. She has been listening so much better..even at the park she comes to me everytime I call her and lets us put the leash on and everything! I am very happy with the progress but I am with you Megan - terrified it is all going to stop. 

Koda's stays are so-so outside. We worked with her in the backyard a lot when we first started doing stays so she is good outside but her environment makes a difference. We started doing it at the park and this last weekend she stayed while my hubby ran across the field so that was great!! Just keep at em, put a long line when at the park for a while and just work on the stays. Then off to play!!

DH means Dear Husband. I had to ask a while back when I had been seeing it a lot!


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## Tucker's mommy

Sounds like all our babies are making some progress, eh? Let's pray that it doesn't stop!!!!


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## OutWest

A question for you all: What word or phrase do you use when releasing your dog from a stay? How does your dog know it's OK to move?


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## baumgartml16

I say OK. If I want her to come to me as the next step I say "Koda come". But if I am just releasing her without expecting her to come to me, just "ok"


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## Nyahsmommy

OutWest said:


> Nyah's mom--Tucker is not perfect on recall and when distracted is more likely to ignore us, especially in past few weeks. I've taken to bringing treats with me and just giving him one whenever he trots up to check in. I've also made good use of his separation anxiety. I walk slowly to the gate and he comes over fairly quickly to make sure he's not left behind. I try to avoid using "come" because I don't want him to blow me off.
> 
> Perhaps you could try practicing more at home and gradually introduce distractions? I have to say that recall is probably every dog owners biggest challenge so you are not alone.


 
I think I need to start using more treats. I didn't really want to use many because I was afraid that she would only listen if I gave her a treat, but no treats isn't working so I will give less treats for the heck of it and save them for training.

I definately should try bringing treats at the DP(dog park, I always call it dp lol). She comes to us on her own when she can't see us and she does come to us when we call her if she isn't being bad, but as soon as she is doing something she shouldn't be, she will not come to us.

When she is distracted, she gets so focused on that thing that nothing snaps her out of it, more treats I guess.

Also I like that idea of a long leash in the house, gonna go look for one.


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## mrmooseman

I say "Moose, Come!" or sometimes if he is in trouble it is a stern, "Moose, come here!" he listens to both. When we were teaching his stay with the treat on the floor bit, we could say, "ok" as well. But I sometimes think that I could say anything, if there's a treat involved, he will go get it.


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## Tucker's mommy

We use the "OK" command to release from a stay, too.


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## OutWest

Nyahsmommy said:


> I think I need to start using more treats. I didn't really want to use many because I was afraid that she would only listen if I gave her a treat, but no treats isn't working so I will give less treats for the heck of it and save them for training.
> 
> I definately should try bringing treats at the DP(dog park, I always call it dp lol). She comes to us on her own when she can't see us and she does come to us when we call her if she isn't being bad, but as soon as she is doing something she shouldn't be, she will not come to us.
> 
> When she is distracted, she gets so focused on that thing that nothing snaps her out of it, more treats I guess.
> 
> Also I like that idea of a long leash in the house, gonna go look for one.


Just make sure to bring the non-smelly treats to the DP. Or you'll have all the dogs crawling over you and into your pocket! Learned that lesson the hard way.  I try to bring milkbone-type cookies, not liver treats.


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## jluke

*Lessons...*

Maisie and I had a great obedience class last night (except for doing downs which she's known since she was 3 months old -- don't know what gets into her sometimes other than teenage attitude. I think she may have been intimidated by the really intense Border Collie next to us last night -- ?? But she heeled well and sat automatically every time I stopped.)

For practicing recalls with distractions, the instructor suggested doing the practice first at the dog park rather than letting Maisie play first. Her idea was to get in some work, then fun. I tried it today. On the way to the park, we walked in heel the whole 15 minutes -- this actually works better than having her on a loose leash. She pulls some on the loose leash, but heels with just a few reminders, even when we get close to the DP gate. Every so often, I stopped, had her stay and moved in front of her and called come, reeling her in if needed. She got more distracted as we got closer, but stayed perfectly. The recalls were uneven, but since she was on a leash, I could reel her in. There were only three other dogs at the park, so we practice for just 5 minutes -- good on stays, not as good on come. When we got down to just Maisie and a Lab, it turned out the Lab was a dog who'd been in training to be a service dog, but didn't make the cut. She was very well-behaved, so she helped us practice again, this time on a long line. It went really well. We'll just keep doing it.

After all this rambling on, I forget who asked, but I use OK to release Maisie from stay when she's completely free to to relax or another command (come, down, etc.), if she's to do another action.


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## jluke

*Almost Forgot*

Even though we have two more Basic Manners classes, Maisie and I got the go ahead from the trainer last evening to start Advanced Obedience in April. Hurray! We must be making some progress, teenager or not...


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## ashleylp

For releasing we use his name. Someone in my hunt group said that we should get in the habit of doing that because you use the dog's name to release them to retrieve during hunt tests. We WERE using "release!" but now we use "Remy!". It's said in a certain tone and he understands it well.


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## Pammie

baumgartml16 said:


> I say OK. If I want her to come to me as the next step I say "Koda come". But if I am just releasing her without expecting her to come to me, just "ok"


Exactly what I say. ^^^

Bryley has no brain and no recall if the cats are around. 

Maisie - You are a star! Good job to you and your mommy!


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## Deber

Ok is what I use for anything I release the pups from in training. Picked it up when releasing a dog from Stand for Exam, and it just stuck! I use their name when I want them to know I am getting ready to ask for something to get their attention. For looking at me I click my tounge a few times. This is a softer sound and sounds better to me than hollering out my dogs name every time I want them to look. Prob. a lot like clicker training, but I click and reward for looking at me. 

I am having to move more to Coop now than Kye. Kye is seeming to be better now and except for recall (on and off good) she is progressing much better now, but Coop, my calm good boy has become a bit of a hellion these past weeks, especially on walks. He was so good, just ignored other dogs unless one came up to him, always stayed close to me. Now another dog has taken over. He is outgoing, running full hilt into other dogs (and he is the size of a horse!). He is so much stronger than I, so he is walked in a halter instead of a leash, but still a monster. Instead of being a bit scared, he is out to love every single person he sees and literally drags me over to them! Kye at 7 mo was still lean and I was able to hold on to her, but Coop is prob. 60 lbs of muscle and go, go, go. When on walks, and he starts gearing up to run, we turn right, so seems to me like we look like drunks with all the zig-zagging we do, but it keeps him under control. With Kye I could give her a toy to carry when she started getting crazy to settle her, but Coop doesn't retrieve so toys really mean nothing as do sticks. Got to find something he will want to settle with on our walks. Right now Hubby and I always play argue on who is going to walk him! It is like deciding to drive a tank to Walmart! To be a short guy he is so strong and huge. Where did my skinny little baby boy go???


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## mrmooseman

Thats how Moose walks. Erm well, walked ? I had to use off leash with him, which makes him listen so much better, but it took a while to get there. And I only use it if we are heading for a drive, at the park, and over friends for play dates. He is just too strong. Now, he has been listening to me while on the leash, but he still wants to sniff and explore everything and everyone and I get dragged. It's been getting better but it's hard when he is so much stronger then me.


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## OutWest

Deber said:


> Ok is what I use for anything I release the pups from in training. Picked it up when releasing a dog from Stand for Exam, and it just stuck! I use their name when I want them to know I am getting ready to ask for something to get their attention. For looking at me I click my tounge a few times. This is a softer sound and sounds better to me than hollering out my dogs name every time I want them to look. Prob. a lot like clicker training, but I click and reward for looking at me.
> 
> I am having to move more to Coop now than Kye. Kye is seeming to be better now and except for recall (on and off good) she is progressing much better now, but Coop, my calm good boy has become a bit of a hellion these past weeks, especially on walks. He was so good, just ignored other dogs unless one came up to him, always stayed close to me. Now another dog has taken over. He is outgoing, running full hilt into other dogs (and he is the size of a horse!). He is so much stronger than I, so he is walked in a halter instead of a leash, but still a monster. Instead of being a bit scared, he is out to love every single person he sees and literally drags me over to them! Kye at 7 mo was still lean and I was able to hold on to her, but Coop is prob. 60 lbs of muscle and go, go, go. When on walks, and he starts gearing up to run, we turn right, so seems to me like we look like drunks with all the zig-zagging we do, but it keeps him under control. With Kye I could give her a toy to carry when she started getting crazy to settle her, but Coop doesn't retrieve so toys really mean nothing as do sticks. Got to find something he will want to settle with on our walks. Right now Hubby and I always play argue on who is going to walk him! It is like deciding to drive a tank to Walmart! To be a short guy he is so strong and huge. Where did my skinny little baby boy go???


I have to smile at your description. He does sound like a handful. Or two or three. LOL.

I haven't done this myself, but some people swear by putting backpacks on their dogs. Said it makes them feel like they are working and have a purpose. When it works for a dog, it changes their on-leash behavior. Most people I've seen do this just put full water bottles in the pockets and let the dog carry them around.


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## Pammie

I have read the same thing about the backpacks. I checked out packs online and read here on GRF others peeps experiences with them. I haven't done it yet either, but I think it would help curb Bryley's walking faux pas of verticle leaps!
It gets soooooo expensive trying out all these different methods to help our pups achieve being nice walkers- head halter, backpack, different special treats, etc... good thing I am made of money$$ HAHA! :no:


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## canine_mommy

Do the backpacks really work? Austin tries to tear off any clothes I put on him. So I wasn't sure about the backpack, what if he destroys it. I should try it sometime though.

As far as teenage tantrums go, Austin is pretty good, except for 1 big thing. If he doesn't want to go a certain direction, or realizes we are going home when he still wants to walk, he will just lie down. Then if I say let's go or heel or anything, he will flop on his side. No amount of coaxing, treats, toys, excited sounds or running will work. The thing that worked was to tie him up to something and pretend to leave, hide out of sight. But that too, he has figured out is fake. So I have to leave him for longer periods. But that option is not always available, since sometimes there is nothing to tie him to or it is just unsafe to leave him tied also. 

The only other thing that works is me "lying" to him. If I pretend that his friend "Duke" is nearby and call out Duke pointing in some direction or say "Do you want to play with Duke?", then he will immediately bounce up. But I am essentially lying to him. And he is beginning to figure that out. And I don't like this either, since it will teach him not to trust me. And he might even start ignoring the word "Duke". But there are times when I am so desperate like when he is lying down in the middle of the parking lot and cars approach, that I have to lie. 

I don't know what to do. I know I need to train more. But as I said, sometimes when his mind is made up, no amount of treats or my excited calling work. Anyone else with this problem? What worked for you?


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## jluke

*Wearing Anything and Blue Poop!*

The suggestion about a backpack is interesting. I'll tuck it away for now since Maisie has settled down a lot on walks -- no tug-of-war or jumping recently, even today after encountering an Australian Shepherd behind an invisible fence. Maisie wanted to visit and play so badly, but when I walked her away, she pulled a bit, but didn't do her crazy whirling dervish dance.

Deb, I'm sorry that Coop is being so challenging. I know what you mean about being so strong. Maisie is approaching 60 pounds -- on this afternoon's walk, she found and picked up 3 lost balls, 2 tennis, 1 lacrosse. I let her keep 1 and put the other 2 in my pockets, but she kept dropping it and when it rolled, I had to keep her from dragging me. And she'd been so good about not pulling... But the neighborhood is hilly. She finds a "new" ball on almost every walk -- I swear she has "ball-dar".

I posted a few days ago that she'd chewed and swallowed about half of a blue rubber ball while on a play date with a neighbor dog. Well, it's all coming out in the end -- very colorfully. Needless to say, no more soft balls.


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## Deber

Pammie, Thank You for the suggestion about the backpacks. I had forgotten this. I will look online and see if there is one I can make (or ask hubby to do) or see how much they are. I know it is all in the mind set for a dog. Perhaps this would work!

I am honestly amazed at the difference in the pups now. Kye is still energetic and a handful, but she is more easily handled, easy to find things to make her brain work. Coop, (Bless his Heart) is squareish, solid muscle. When he pulls his head inwards to his chest and pulls he could move a building. Amazing how he will zero in on something and nothing will stop.

Anusha, Kye went through this stage too. When she was asked to go someplace she didn't want to she flattened...totally! Embarassing to be talking, begging a big dog to Please Get UP!!! In class, when she was supposeto be laying by me listening to our trainer she would flatten and belly crawl over to the next dog, or to the dog across the circle. Funny and know her classmates always thought of her as the class clown. What worked for us is I just gave up and sat down with her! Felt like a fool, but no more of a fool than trying to beg a dog to get up. No matter where we were shen she flattened we both just sat there until her brain caught up and she decided to move again. It didn't last long until she figured out this wasn't getting her anywhere, so when she stood, we walked away from the car, then turn walk, turn and back facing the car and usually she would get in (with me pushing her butt). Still can't get the pups to load without heaving their rears in, but better!

Did you guys see the thread where someone asked if we would miss the puppy stage? It took all I could do not to scream NO!!!!!!!! Tiny pup I will miss, but not much else. Everyday I look for signs that all this work we are doing will pay off and they will settle and become the dogs I know they will, but it won't come too soon for me! Uck - this teenage times mainly suck!


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## baumgartml16

Koda has been definitely improving more and more as the days go by! Her walks are fun again, haven't had a jumping/biting leash episode in quite a while now. We go through our routine at night and she is content a lot of times now to just sit and look out our big front window. She will sit there and put her paw up waiting for someone to come pet her! She is so cute, I always cave for her! 

Koda is a whopping 72.6 lbs now! Talk about pulling..my goodness...I can't pull back many times anymore. I am just over 100 lbs and short so she isn't that far behind me..I have to wrap the leash pretty tight and brace myself when I know she is going to pull for something. My hubby is always saying "Don't let her pull you" and I just laugh like I am not trying to let her..she just physically is! LOL but that doesn't happen too often...going to the pet store is my biggest challenge. From the car to the door of the store she is on a mission...doesn't here me telling her to wait, slow down, heel...nothing! So I pretty much run up to the door LOL...once inside we are much better. I try not to be the one taking her there as often cuz if she wants to meet someone she will find a way with me.

Anyways...I might have to look into the backpack idea! Koda hates when we put things on her though so I don't know if it will work or not.

Last night my DH was saying we need to stop having the dog walker come at some point in the near future and start leaving her for the day. I broke down and actually cried. I felt so bad at the thought of her sitting there all day..but I know a lot of people do it and I need to get past it. We are waiting till she is at least 1 year old. And even then it will only be a few days a week that she will be in all day cuz his mom, my brother and my mom will each take one day to come walk her and hang out with her. We plan to increase the length of her walk in the morning too and give her two walks at night instead of one. So it will be a long day but we are going to try to make up for it other ways. The cost is just eating away at us, we figured out if we continued with what we were paying it would be $3,000 a year in dog walking costs. That is a lot of money! Yikes...


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## tahill

baumgartml16 said:


> Koda has been definitely improving more and more as the days go by! Her walks are fun again, haven't had a jumping/biting leash episode in quite a while now. We go through our routine at night and she is content a lot of times now to just sit and look out our big front window. She will sit there and put her paw up waiting for someone to come pet her! She is so cute, I always cave for her!
> 
> Koda is a whopping 72.6 lbs now! Talk about pulling..my goodness...I can't pull back many times anymore. I am just over 100 lbs and short so she isn't that far behind me..I have to wrap the leash pretty tight and brace myself when I know she is going to pull for something. My hubby is always saying "Don't let her pull you" and I just laugh like I am not trying to let her..she just physically is! LOL but that doesn't happen too often...going to the pet store is my biggest challenge. From the car to the door of the store she is on a mission...doesn't here me telling her to wait, slow down, heel...nothing! So I pretty much run up to the door LOL...once inside we are much better. I try not to be the one taking her there as often cuz if she wants to meet someone she will find a way with me.
> 
> Anyways...I might have to look into the backpack idea! Koda hates when we put things on her though so I don't know if it will work or not.
> 
> Last night my DH was saying we need to stop having the dog walker come at some point in the near future and start leaving her for the day. I broke down and actually cried. I felt so bad at the thought of her sitting there all day..but I know a lot of people do it and I need to get past it. We are waiting till she is at least 1 year old. And even then it will only be a few days a week that she will be in all day cuz his mom, my brother and my mom will each take one day to come walk her and hang out with her. We plan to increase the length of her walk in the morning too and give her two walks at night instead of one. So it will be a long day but we are going to try to make up for it other ways. The cost is just eating away at us, we figured out if we continued with what we were paying it would be $3,000 a year in dog walking costs. That is a lot of money! Yikes...


 
Michelle- Yikes that is a lot of money!! Chloe is a whopping 73lbs. I am taking her to the vet to see if she it too fat. Are you still feeding Koda 3x a day? I'm not sure if I am feeding her too much. :uhoh:


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## baumgartml16

We feed her twice a day now. 1.5 cups at each feeding since we switched her to adult food. I am a little concerned she is too big but at the same time I still think she is normal size and will probably grow more yet too...

Here are two pictures, do you think she is too big?


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## Deber

From the side picture I don't think she looks fat, you can see her tuck very easily. OMG, where did Baby Koda go?? It can't be that long since you last posted a picture of her, but geez she looks like an adult! Can't believe both your girls are now in the 70 lb range. I will have to weigh Kye, but think she is in the 60's. Her Mom was 65 and bet this is about where she will be. Coop, will have to see. When at the Vet last month he was 55 lbs, but I wouldn't be surprised to see him in the mid 60's now. 
I know how you feel Michelle, it is one thing holding back a bouncing 40 lb pup full of energy, but how can we ever hold one back that weighs not much less than we do?? Still, seeing such a change in Kye and she has become a joy to walk, but still can't trust her in town off leash and leave this for the countryside. Coop, he walks so well, until he sees something he wants to go to, then every muscle comes into gear and he literally hauls you down the street. I know if I saw a white dog barrelling at me I would run for my car! Gonna look at the backpacks during my lunch hour and see if I can't find one. Hopefully anything to make him calm more. Will let you know what I find.


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## baumgartml16

Thanks Deb for the input! I feel like the back is a little misleading as I couldn't get right over the top of her but I definitely feel from the side you can see it go up in the back still. We are monitoring her and figuring she still might have a little more growing to do...maybe! Her mom is 65 and her dad is 75. I have noticed she takes after her dad a lot more than her mom so I guess it makes sense! Crazy though!

And I know, where did my baby go! I feel like it happened in the last two months that she has really "grown" up in looks. It is sad but I signed up for dog not a puppy their whole life so it had to happen! But still miss my little nugget! I have baby pictures of her at my desk that I look at all the time...always holding her! I don't remember the last time i picked her up..probably never will again! 

LOL Koda is like Coop, if she sees something she WILL check it out..at least with me. My hubby can hold her back and stop her, not I!  LOL..

I wouldn't trust Koda off leash yet either...that is reserved for the park. That is nice you have the countryside to go to for them to run!


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## tahill

baumgartml16 said:


> We feed her twice a day now. 1.5 cups at each feeding since we switched her to adult food. I am a little concerned she is too big but at the same time I still think she is normal size and will probably grow more yet too...
> 
> Here are two pictures, do you think she is too big?
> 
> View attachment 110480
> 
> 
> View attachment 110481


Michelle, She looks EXACTLY like Chloe's weight. I will post some pictures of her tonight. I don't think she looks too big. She is going to the vet today to find out if she is too big, plus get her nails clipped. I will let you know what I find out. :wave:


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## baumgartml16

Thanks Teri! I will be interested to hear what the vet says. We had Koda in about a month ago I would say now and they said she looks good but probably not too much more weight...she hasn't grown but a pound or two since then.


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## Wendy427

Pammie said:


> I think we all need miner's hats for all the times we are excavating poop in the wee hours of the night!!


This is the first time I've read through this board. What a kick! Well, I have just the solution for a "miner's hat":

Trailblazer Headlamp: Headlamps | Free Shipping at L.L.Bean

I LOVE having mine when I walk Lacey when it's dark.


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## Deber

Oh Wendy, Thank you for visiting and hope you didn't laugh at us too much! This has been the best of places to come with our teenagers. Without the group I honestly don't know if we could have made it through these times. Can honestly say we are all working so hard and hopefully, someday we will be the ones looking back on this thread with such fond memories....but not right now. Now it is a challenge and sure need each other through out this.

Feel free to jump in with suggestions.


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## OutWest

Michele--Koda looks good to me as well. If you can feel her ribs easily when you press on her side, she's probably just right. Especially since she's getting a lot of exercise.

It worries me that you are having trouble with her pulling you around on the leash, though. You've probably said and I don't remember, but do you have a prong collar, walking halter, or any other aid? There's a huge GSD that comes to my DP. He's a love and the man can handle him easily, but I notice that when his wife brings him he has on a prong collar. Tucker does the same pulling bit (especially at PetSmart!) when on a regular collar, and I can only handle him because of the walking halter. I really want him to learn to walk loose leash, but for now I'm content with the halter because it means I can take him more places. Be sure that you're safe! If she pulled you over you (and she) could get badly hurt. My sister and her dog both ended up in their respective ERs that way.


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## jluke

*Koda -- Wow!*

Michelle, I, too, think Koda looks just great -- not too plump at all. But she's a big girl! And you're so petite -- no wonder she's a challenge to handle when she's pulling.

I also wondered what kind of collar you're using. Without using a lightweight prong Martingale on Maisie, I would have trouble managing her and I'm (unfortunately) not little like you are and Maisie is "only" about 60 pounds, but of the English style -- stockier with a broad chest and a bit lower to the ground, so if she gets it in her mind to pull, she can really destabilize me. Luckily, she's doing much better with this, but the collar makes a big difference when she tries to pull (like yesterday when she wanted to chase the balls she found, then dropped when we were out walking). The other thing that helps me when she starts to pull like when we're walking to the DP -- such a big temptation -- is to get her to heel. I don't know why she can obey this and not walk well on a loose leash, but she does.


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## mrmooseman

I would bet Koda is taller then Moose. She seems to have such long legs. Moose has what I call short stubby legs. I find him short.


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## baumgartml16

We do use the prong collar on her. And she isn't pulling all the time. It is the random time something is blowing past her on our walk or something unfamiliar that I didn't notice that she wants to get to. Most of the time I can tell she is going to do it and I am able to give her a pop before she really pulls. The pet store I am also braced for so I will pop and have her sit, pop and have her sit...she doesn't get it though! She is so crazy to get in those doors. That is when I just run to the door. She will stop and sit as many times as I ask she just doesn't get she should stay by me.

I probably overdramatized the pulling a bit, it isn't very often. There have only been a few times I was caught off guard.

The one bad one that I did worry about was when there was a deer in the trees behind our house and I didn't see it (early morning, not bright but not dark). She sure saw it and I opened the door and away we went lol. I kept hold of the leash thankfully but I was taken back to the trees before I could get control of her. She now has learned the sit and wait command and is not allowed to blow out the door without us. Hasn't happened since.


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## Nyahsmommy

baumgartml16 said:


> Koda has been definitely improving more and more as the days go by! Her walks are fun again, haven't had a jumping/biting leash episode in quite a while now. We go through our routine at night and she is content a lot of times now to just sit and look out our big front window. She will sit there and put her paw up waiting for someone to come pet her! She is so cute, I always cave for her!
> 
> Koda is a whopping 72.6 lbs now! Talk about pulling..my goodness...I can't pull back many times anymore. I am just over 100 lbs and short so she isn't that far behind me..I have to wrap the leash pretty tight and brace myself when I know she is going to pull for something. My hubby is always saying "Don't let her pull you" and I just laugh like I am not trying to let her..she just physically is! LOL but that doesn't happen too often...going to the pet store is my biggest challenge. From the car to the door of the store she is on a mission...doesn't here me telling her to wait, slow down, heel...nothing! So I pretty much run up to the door LOL...once inside we are much better. I try not to be the one taking her there as often cuz if she wants to meet someone she will find a way with me.
> 
> Anyways...I might have to look into the backpack idea! Koda hates when we put things on her though so I don't know if it will work or not.
> 
> Last night my DH was saying we need to stop having the dog walker come at some point in the near future and start leaving her for the day. I broke down and actually cried. I felt so bad at the thought of her sitting there all day..but I know a lot of people do it and I need to get past it. We are waiting till she is at least 1 year old. And even then it will only be a few days a week that she will be in all day cuz his mom, my brother and my mom will each take one day to come walk her and hang out with her. We plan to increase the length of her walk in the morning too and give her two walks at night instead of one. So it will be a long day but we are going to try to make up for it other ways. The cost is just eating away at us, we figured out if we continued with what we were paying it would be $3,000 a year in dog walking costs. That is a lot of money! Yikes...


 
They grow up so fast, don't they??? We haven't gotten Nyah weighed since her spay but I am guessing she is 70-75lbs :doh:. She looks like the exact same size as Koda, but within the past week her feathers are really starting to come in more so I think she is starting to look even heavier than she actually is.

Wow that is a lot of cost in dog walker fees. I'm sure that Koda will be fine to be left alone all day. Just keep a lot of puppy-proof toys around... she will probably nap the whole day anyways.

We use the gental leader on Nyah to stop the pulling.. it use to work great but now that she is bigger, her neck muscles are stronger and she is starting to pull again. Not as much, but when she sees a squirrel or something of interested she drags me along and it is quite the scene. :


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## mrmooseman

I had my first case of over protected mother today. We were at the park and Moose was playing with 3 other dogs. Moose is soo gentle when it comes to other dogs, it's like he knows when a dog is too small to play rough and he will play super gentle with them, or rough-ish if the dog will play like that. He just seems to know his limits. Anyways, another dog came to play today, he was a mixed breed, and they played fine at first. Now Moose isn't a fast dog, he will run, but he sometimes can't keep up with his cousin Milo, but this other dog and Milo were chasing each other, and Moose was just off with us playing catch with his ball. Now Moose LOVES playing catch. He will catch the ball, but doesn't always drop them (we're working on that) and he just loves to chase them, and he is soo good with finding them if their lost in the snow. Now we were just playing and this dog charged after him out of no where! We figured he tried to play, because he played with Moose before and they played great, but he clearly didn't want to play, or he wanted to play really rough. He pretty much tackled Moose, he rolled to the ground and let a cry out and got up and ran towards me. Of course I gave him pets and hugs and he seemed fine. The owner of this other dog just said "oh well he must be jealous cause I petted him before".. so that was that and the other dog and Milo went running and Moose just wanted to play with his ball. Then the dog charged after him again and this time was trying to grab his ears! I was getting mad, the owner didn't say anything or do anything. We had to kind of get him to stop, she just stood there! Then he ran towards Moose again and like t-boned him and made Moose cry again! ugh ! I had enough and took Moose by me and kept yelling at the dog to leave him alone! The owner again just did nothing, then said, "oh he is getting tired I think we will go" and left! Everytime the dog would run where Moose was, Moose would take off towards me and hide behind me. I'm so mad! Atleast if Moose is aggravating another dog, I correct him. And if he is and the dog snaps at him he will settle down, like I said, it's like he knows his limits. Poor Moose man, he just wanted to play with his ball!


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## baumgartml16

Awww that makes me so sad for Moose. He meant no harm at all...that lady needs to figure it out! I probably would have snapped on her by the end of it telling her to get her dog away! That would make me so angry too!!! It does just reading about it lol.

At least Moose knew he was safe to come back to you and you wouldn't let anything hurt him! He is a very smart dog. Goldens are great at that...when Koda met a 11 week old puppy she was so gentle, kept rolling on her back and just kind of bouncing around him but not ever ON him..they are well aware of the situations.

I hope if you see that dog again it leaves Moose alone and if it doesn't it might be time to say something to the owner. That is uncalled for and no way should there be such rough play that it makes Moose cry.

Hugs and love to Moose!!


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## mrmooseman

I'm sooking him so much right now. Moose is the biggest dog that plays during that time at the park, but he doesn't go on like that! That was the first time I met her, the lasttime she was there my boyfriends cousin took him when we were away, and she said they all played great! 

When Moose met Sadie, he tried to play tug of war with her, I was so nervous that he would fling her because he's so strong when we play, but once she latched onto the toy he very slowly walked around with her on it! It melted my heart. He was soo gentle with her. He only accidently jumped on her once because he would hop around her, but other then that he hasn't hurt her. Now that she's older he will let her just bit him and everything and he won't bite her. Even when she had those razor blades for teeth, he just let her and he would put her paw in his mouth but never bite down. My baby.

If the dog is there the next time we go and he does the same thing I will say something, I think I was just so taken back by the fact she didn't say anything.


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## Nyahsmommy

mrmooseman said:


> I'm sooking him so much right now. Moose is the biggest dog that plays during that time at the park, but he doesn't go on like that! That was the first time I met her, the lasttime she was there my boyfriends cousin took him when we were away, and she said they all played great!
> 
> When Moose met Sadie, he tried to play tug of war with her, I was so nervous that he would fling her because he's so strong when we play, but once she latched onto the toy he very slowly walked around with her on it! It melted my heart. He was soo gentle with her. He only accidently jumped on her once because he would hop around her, but other then that he hasn't hurt her. Now that she's older he will let her just bit him and everything and he won't bite her. Even when she had those razor blades for teeth, he just let her and he would put her paw in his mouth but never bite down. My baby.
> 
> If the dog is there the next time we go and he does the same thing I will say something, I think I was just so taken back by the fact she didn't say anything.


 
This happened with Nyah a few times, which if why I avoid certain dog parks because some owners are just careless/clueless. Usually Nyah will "fight back" but there have been a few occasions where a dog kept pulling on her ear hard(just like with moose) and making her crying all the while growling. The owner's just say "oh they are just playing" and I'm like, well if your dog is making my dog cry then it isn't playing. Stupid people. I usually pack up and leave then.


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## mrmooseman

It makes me so mad that some people just let their dogs do whatever! It just boggled my mind that nothing was said


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## canine_mommy

Deber said:


> Anusha, Kye went through this stage too. When she was asked to go someplace she didn't want to she flattened...totally! Embarassing to be talking, begging a big dog to Please Get UP!!! In class, when she was supposeto be laying by me listening to our trainer she would flatten and belly crawl over to the next dog, or to the dog across the circle. Funny and know her classmates always thought of her as the class clown. What worked for us is I just gave up and sat down with her! Felt like a fool, but no more of a fool than trying to beg a dog to get up. No matter where we were shen she flattened we both just sat there until her brain caught up and she decided to move again. It didn't last long until she figured out this wasn't getting her anywhere, so when she stood, we walked away from the car, then turn walk, turn and back facing the car and usually she would get in (with me pushing her butt). Still can't get the pups to load without heaving their rears in, but better!


Thanks Deber. Hmmm, I should try that. Sit with him and see how long he wants to keep up the "I won't go anywhere" charade. The "belly-crawl" incident had me laughing. Austin used to do that too. They probably think they are very sly and can steal a sniff/kiss before we look.



> Still, seeing such a change in Kye and she has become a joy to walk, but still can't trust her in town off leash and leave this for the countryside.


Since you are from the Dallas area and you mentioned countryside, I was wondering if you could tell me where you take the dogs off-leash. I have not been able to find any suitable place. He loves to run, but I live just south of 635, no place to run off-leash.


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## canine_mommy

baumgartml16 said:


> We feed her twice a day now. 1.5 cups at each feeding since we switched her to adult food. I am a little concerned she is too big but at the same time I still think she is normal size and will probably grow more yet too...


Koda doesn't look overweight. But best way to make sure is to run your fingers over her side and you should be able to feel the ribs without having to poke. And she should have a good slim waist, which she seems to from the photo. Also, feel for the Pro-Sternum, i.e. the chest bone on the front. You should be able to feel the knobby thing without pressing too much. That's one of the places that pockets of fat can accumulate. 

Austin weighs 72lbs at 14 months. I am trying to keep him between 65-70lb. He is a big boy and but his breeder told me to make sure I don't let him cross 70lb.


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## canine_mommy

mrmooseman said:


> If the dog is there the next time we go and he does the same thing I will say something, I think I was just so taken back by the fact she didn't say anything.


I think you should say something. I have been in similar situations and it is very frustrating. I have tried being polite and let the other owner handle their dog, but some of them just don't see it. So in the end, it's just our own dog getting hurt or frightened and on top of it a lot of tension and regret on our part that we didn't speak up. Not worth it...


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## mrmooseman

Yep something for sure is being said. I want to address this before something worse happens. I could see if Moose did something to provoke the other dog, but he didn't. He just was playing with me on the other end of the park! He seems so sad now, maybe he's just sleepy, but I feel like he's sad. Even though he has prob. put it all behind him haha.


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## baumgartml16

He has forgotten all about it! They don't have memories like us. I would probably be thinking the same thing with Koda though. Extra love to Moose tonight!


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## Pammie

I would be so concerned about these type of situations too because what if the encounter got really bad? I have read posts here at GRF where after an attack the dog was never the same and always extremely fearful. 

A smooch to Moose!

and Bryley weighs 68 lbs., but I think the vets scale is off. He sure_ feels_ like he weighs more!


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## mrmooseman

I'm telling my boyfriend about it, I keep saying how bad I feel for him. And how sad he is, while he's laying on the floor licking himself.. lol I just so upset about it. Cause he's my baby! It's like someone bullying my child. lol.


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## baumgartml16

I totally feel for you Megan. I feel the same way about Koda and stress so much about situations like these. We had one dog over (friends of ours) and it just had no interest in playing with koda. It would steal her toy and then hide under the table where she couldn't get to it. It was such a bully..then it would start coming out and koda would wag her tail and it would bail back under the table. Koda seemed so upset! I was so sad for the rest of the night and gave her so much extra play time and love. I kept pulling her away from the situation and giving her treats and tyring to play but she coulnd't figure out why this other dog would bark at her and not play with her. She was younger then, probably 5-6 months at most. 

I haven't let that dog back..if you are coming to my house with your dog it better play nice with my dog or they aren't invited back.


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## mrmooseman

That is such a sad situation  I can picture her so excited and wagging her tail and then not being played with by the dog. And then having that dog steal her toys. I agree, if your taking your dog to my house, they better play nice. It's like with people, I always say, I have a puppy, he thinks everyone comes to the house to visit him. He is gentle and just want your pets and attention for a bit, don't yell at him or tell us to keep him outside.


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## abowman

Moose and Koda's moms,
I just went thru a similiar situation the the beach last week. This one dog, who was MUCH smaller than Finn, was so agressive and after each moment of pure attack he would proceed to humping. Now , Finn is a big guy but certainly a gentle boy. I was quite mad and almost came unglued, my husband was ready to drop kick the dog into the ocean.. The owner just did nothing, just smiled with this total uncaring and vacant look. People like her are the reasons dogs get kicked off beaches! Wow I guess I am not over it.....


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## mrmooseman

I love the "my husband was ready to drop kick the dog into the ocean". I agree, it's people like that who ruin it for other people. I just don't get how people and just stand there and do or say nothing about their dogs! What if it was a child ? I bet something would of been said then. Moose was also the biggest, but he's the youngest. He's a gentle giant, unless he feels to be a lap dog and lay on my chest, he think's he's lighter then he actually is!


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## abowman

You are totally correct about people just standing there. The unfortunate thing is allowing dogs/people to use the beach together relies on rresponsible adults. We with the dogs will lose due to a few irresponsible dog owners.
Moose sounds like a lover as Finn is, happy LARGE lap dogs.


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## Deber

Anusha, I am close to SixFlags. I found a field about 35 min. south of Arl. towards Waxahache. It was a paved road I just saw and turned on then goes down to an old oil field road (rock/shell). Someone mowed it last year, but no fences. This is where I have been taking the pups out to run on a 100 ft leads. Our off lead is left to our country place in E. Texas, No. of Tyler. We have only 15 acres, but two ranches border our property and each are over 1,000 acres! Since the original owners deaths I got permission from their kids to take my crew of dogs out to run their hearts out and many ponds to swim in. All my dogs love this (even the Biewer yorkies). 

Im going to have to weigh Kye. She has not been weighed for months, and I thought she was prob. in the 60 ish pound range, but after hearing your girls weights it makes me wonder. She is thinner than Coop but will know his true weight when he visits the Vets next week and might take Kye in too for a good weight if I can talk Hubby into coming with me. Don't think I can manage 2 young dogs with all the other dogs at the Vets alone. Scary thought!

Megan, I am appauled at the lack of manners of most Human owners of animals and have wondered over and over if they treat their pets well at home. How can you be blind to what was done to MooseMan? She was rude and wonder if she is the one who takes her young children to the store and lets them go crazy? A Judge once told a group of us that she watches the behavior of the breeds and their handlers as they act outside the ring. She said many times she picked a dog who when benched, was loved on and cared for over an equally nice dog who's trainer stuffed him in a hot crate for the hours between shows. She said the love and care would tell her the dog to pick. I have never forgotten this, that our love of our pets should be complete, and we should train them to have manners to better fit in society. It is our responsibility to not only our dogs but to the public. This is why I love this forum for we look at our dogs as our children too. The love is there and easy to see.


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## mrmooseman

He is haha. And yes I agree. We introduced Moose to the beach last year after we got him. We always made sure he was on the leash. Some people there had their dogs off leash and they would only stay near their owners, that's what I want Moose to be like this year. Then you'd get the random dog who just ran away and ran up to everyone and everything and their owners wern't in sight. People get scared and then complain. It's scary, you don't know what a dog would do.


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## mrmooseman

Deb, I agree 100%. I can only imagine if she had children what they were like. If they got away with everything. Even though we don't plan on kids, I still treat Moose like he is one. I want him to be able to play nice with other dogs and be nice to people and not jump all over them. That is why we corrected him at a young age and continue to do so if he does something he isn't suppose to. I mean, I want to take him places and people not be scared of him. I use to be scared of big dogs. I know that feeling of having a loose dog chase after me. I don't want him to be THAT dog. If he was a child, I wouldn't want them to act that way either.


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## jluke

*Poor Moose!*

Megan -- I feel sorry for Moose, too, and am glad he wasn't hurt. As you know, I regularly take Maisie to our DP since it's the only local place she can run off-leash. (Our community doesn't allow us to fence our front and side yards so we just have a very small fenced backyard.) I'm really watchful (even hovering) at our 2 acre park because I want to be close by in case there's a big problem. And since we're in the city, our DP is on the city-county line. A lot of the dogs are rescued pit bull mixes -- most are well-trained and well-socialized, but a few are a problem -- and as you've said, it's not really the dogs, it's the owners who aren't attentive or aren't concerned about behavior that's "over the limit".

I've learned a "just in case" technique I want to pass along. If you dog is ever really attacked, our vet recommends grabbing the attacking dog by both of his/her rear legs and pulling the dog away from yours. Since you've got the back legs, the dog can't turn around to bite you. (I don't think I've ever shared with you all that our second rescued adult GR attacked by DH last April. It was a terrible attack and a terrible, sad situation. The dear, wonderful, playful GR had been with us for 2 months and we'd grown to love him already. Out of the blue, he just snapped. DH ended up with 37 stitches and a broken finger. Anyway, it was in the context of this situation that our vet talked with us about what to do in case of a dog attack.)

One more thing -- at the DP yesterday, the situation was reversed. Maisie was playing with an adorable 45 pound 4 and a half month old Bernese Mountain Dog puppy. Maisie was a being a little too rough, so I settled her down. Then they started puppy playing again, catching each other around the neck and tussling and wrestling -- no yelping or crying by either one, but Maisie accidentally caught the BMD's collar, so the other owner and I separated them. When we did, Maisie had small smears of bright blood on her head and flank and chest and leg -- uh oh! Fortunately, the BMD puppy had just lost a puppy tooth while playing with Maisie. But I still offered my phone number to her owner. And we'll be careful the next time they play.


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## mrmooseman

That's a good technique. I'll remember that if the situation (and I hope it doesn't) ever occurs. 

It is a scary situation when you see blood on your pup. Moose was playing with our friends GR and he had a bit of blood on his face, we searched and searched and realized she had just lost a tooth. This happened a few times. I always panic.

I'm a firm believer that how a dog acts is how he was raised. It's not the dogs fault, it's the owners that don't do anything to correct the problem. How is the dog suppose to learn whats good and bad?


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## Serawyn

Hi everyone! I just finished reading through most of the thread and I am so glad someone pointed me to this post! 

My name is Molly and I am so discouraged and sad. Ellie is our first dog ever and we had high hopes for her to be the "family" dog. I am pregnant, due in April, and my biggest worry is that I will somehow have to give her up. 

Michelle, thank you for creating this post for those of us going through our dog's adolescent years. When I read through the posts, I feel like I've had it pretty good. Especially about the getting into trouble. Ellie has never chewed anything we didn't want her to chew on. She likes to be with us and loves to cuddle. We can leave her out in our back bedroom. No separation anxiety and she gets along great with people and other dogs. She always sits when she sees someone approaching and she doesn't jump on people when they come to the door. She really is a wonderful dog. However, if you continue to read on, you will understand my concerns...

Over the last couple of months, we've had so many ups and downs. My sweet girl went from being cuddly to being unexpectedly annoyed at me. She snaps, shows teeth, or just turns away when I do something for her that she normally likes (pet on the head, treat in hand, brushing, etc.) She used to LOVE getting petted on the head. Now, there are times when she loves it, but there are times when I see her body tenses up and I know she wants me to stop. This morning, she even showed teeth and it wasn't a playful showing of teeth. She looked like she would lung at me if I had continue to reach for her. Then again, tonight, she was on the floor. I got down on the floor with her toys, ready to pet her. She laid down, rolled over to show me her belly. I reached over like normal to pet her and she showed her teeth in a not so playful way. She then gave me a side look as if to warn me that she would bite. I gave her a firm "No" and walked away. Petting session over. She also started licking obsessively at the carpet and when I told her "tsk, No" she lowered her head and looked at me from the side. Her body tensed up and I know she didn't like what I said. I had to throw a treat in another direction and tell her "Go find it!" to distract her. 

I feel like I am constantly living in fear that my dog will lash out at me and it's not a happy way to live. Of course, there are wonderful days when I don't feel like this at all. But every time something like this happens, it takes me a while to recover and I get so upset at myself. I have no idea what I am doing wrong in raising her. I am trying to do what 3 dog behaviorists have advised us to do. Playing the trade game. Hand feeding. Not giving her any raw hides or bully sticks. Providing lots and lots of chew toys. Three 1 hour walks a day with lots of training in between to tire her out. 

We really wanted to get a golden retriever because we expected them to be more docile than most other breeds. We also asked our breeder to match us with a golden who is mellow and gentle. Ellie IS mellow and gentle, but she is also displaying so many aggressive behaviors. 

In reading people's posts, this might just be stubborn teenage years and Ellie is testing her boundaries. But I don't know. I've never owned a dog before. Some people even said that whatever training they did none of their goldens were resource guarders. That is not true for us at all because we did what they and our dog behaviorists suggested. Did we get an aggressive dog? Is this something we just live with for the rest of her life?


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## Deber

Molly, first want to welcome you to our little bit of heaven here. As you have read, we have all experienced about the full gammet of problems during these teenage times and needed a place to talk freely. How old is Ellie?

You might consider taking a sample of her urine into the Vets to check for an infection. Females get these easily and can go unnoticed for a long time. It is very painful to the dog and can easily cause behavior changes. Unlike a male who gets an infection and pees much more our females may show no signs at all. If she is near a year I would suggest getting a thyroid level done. A Golden should have a solid normal "Normal", even a low side of normal is NOT normal for goldens. Thyroid changes effect the dogs personality greatly and one of the first things to rule out. Though young, if you read in the health section, many of our goldens are on thyroid med. by a yr old. Aggression in any dog who was not aggressive before, points me more to a medical dirrection to rule out first. 

Just have a hard time thinking this is true aggression when she hasn't shown this before. Is she spayed yet? I ask this because I am seeing a change in Kye as well (not spayed yet) and mine is opposite. She went from truly clinging to the ceiling to more relaxed and more brain cells working. I think she is preparing to come into heat, but nothing yet. 

Working with a behavorial trainer is great, but would want to rule out any medical reason first. I would suggest a heart to heart talk with your Vet and tell him of your concerns.


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## baumgartml16

Lots of catching up to do from last night and this morning!

Deb - Well said about the love of our dogs! It is so true. Koda is my first baby and always will be, we treat her just like a child and therefore want her to behave where we can be a proud mommy and daddy!!

Abowman - that is sad about Finn getting picked on! Our sweet babies are doing nothing to provoke this yet they are so gentle and forgiving they let it happen!

Megan - 100% agree with making sure they are safe before letting them off leash. I too was afraid of dogs all my life until I met my hubby at about 14 and couldn't go to his house unless I accepted his dog (wonderful Golden Retriever). I am sure that is where my bias for Goldens began. But I was terrified of dogs off leash and the fear they would come running at me so I would never want to put someone else in that situation with my dog! Unfortunately that means Koda will likely be on a leash for quite a while as she is unpredictable to say the least! She knows her comes and heel but she will test it still. I don't know when we will start to trust her more. Right now I know she isn't ready! 

Jill - So sorry to hear about your husband and the GR. Was the dog abused before you got it? Was it sick or something? Just wondering if you ever found out what triggered the snap as it sounds so random.

Molly - Welcome to the thread! You found the right place!!! I agree with Deb 100% on this though that you should definitely take the urine sample in and have a thyroid test done. Since she has been such a gentle, loving dog thus far and has shown no signs of aggression in the past I would worry there is something health related going on. Especially that she is snapping at you. Please keep us updated on her behaviour and what the vet says. We are here to help you through it! 

Hope everyone has a great Friday and a wonderful weekend! DH and I are taking a break for a night and getting away. Koda will be with his parents tomorrow afternoon through Sunday midday (short trip). I know this will be good for us to get a break but man will I miss her and worry a little. I just don't want her upset that we are gone but hopefully his parents will give her the love and attention she needs and we will be home before she can be upset we are gone! I haven't been away from her for over 6 months so it will be a little tough on me! But it will all be fine and we will all be better for it!

Happy Friday!


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## Deber

Michelle, enjoy your time away, I know we get so little of this. Going to be a beautiful weekend here so we will head to the country. Really looking forwards to walking in this great weather but hard to come back sunday to the city. Dogs really enjoy the change but I really think they wish we lived out there than in town.


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## LindsSull

SO glad I found this thread!!! My golden is 14 months. I seriously need help with a dominance issue!! Background: My dog is around other dogs a lot, and had never had any problems at all with other dogs until about two months ago. He grew up with my parent's dog, a 6 year old pointer. They had always gotten along just fine, playing, sleeping, and even eating together. However, two months ago I took him to my parents house, where he spends a lot of time (I'm a college student, so whenever I go home I bring him). As soon as he interacted with my parent's dog, they got in a huge fight. My parent's dog started the fight, but now every time they are together my dog Chase attempts to dominate my parent's dog. Chase is a very dominant dog, but he has never shown any aggression/attempted to dominate any other dog, even since having the issues with my parent's dog. I will be moving back home for 6 months after graduation in May, and am looking for a solution other than complete seperation of them. Does anyone have advice on how to get them to be friends again? The change literally happened over the span of six days, and we have no idea what could have started the change in behavior.


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## mrmooseman

Michelle, yes! enjoy your time away. I worried about Moose when we left for the weekend, but he had a blast and it was like he never noticed we were gone :/ I think I was more stressed about the situation then him. Sure he was excited when we got home, but if we are gone for long periods of time (a few hours) its the same excitement, so maybe he just figured we were gone a few hours. 

We're getting another snow storm tonight (yay..) and right now I'm taking a break from cleaning, so I was hoping if we missed the park today (still not feeling it since what happened yesterday) we would get a fun filled day tomorrow.. um guess not. haha. Maybe it will calm down a bit tomorrow and he will be able to go in the afternoon. I'm so over this snow!!!!


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## baumgartml16

We just got hit with a bunch of snow this morning. Koda went nuts..she loves it so much. We gave her a good 20 minutes of play time out in it this morning before work! 

Here she is after she burried her bottom half in the snow. She will stay out in it forever!


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## mrmooseman

Haha she is enjoying it! the snow is great for tiring them out too! After out in it yesterday, Moose slept from the time we got home til this morning (he was up a bit when Kyle came home, and to go out twice) but he was exhaused! It's great.


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## baumgartml16

My hubby has been telling me we need to let her be more. How do you guys know if the dog is bored/pouting versus actually tired. If we ignore Koda she will go lay down on the kitchen floor (cooler) but I never know if she is actually tired or if she is just bored and figuring there is nothing else to do.

I am always so concerned about her happiness and if she is getting enough attention but I don't want to spoil her to the point that she can't be content without us "doing" something with her. How do you know if they are just content to be in the room with you - like when I am cooking dinner, she will lay in the middle of the kitchen floor with her chin on the ground. I heard somewhere that chin on the ground means they are disappointed/upset...is this true? If so, she is upset a lot!


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## Serawyn

Oh, I wish Ellie can go out in the snow. We live in CA and Tahoe is too far for us. Plus, there is hardly any snow this winter! 

Koda looks beautiful in the snow... Ellie must be jealous! 

I hope you will enjoy your weekend away from your "kid", Michelle! We will be training and training some more with Ellie. I finally got her to sign up for another session so hopefully, I can get more insights into this whole thing. 

Deb, thank you so much for the heads up about thyroid. Ellie is 10 months. She got spayed last month after her first heat cycle, and the vet did a slew of tests on her before the spay surgery. I will have to go look and see if thyroid was something they looked at. If not, we will get that checked out. 

I suspect if Ellie ever bit us, it would be out of fear aggression, which I heard is the most common kind of biting. She's very loving and a total cuddle bug so I am so, so, so stressed about her unpredictable ups and downs.


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## Serawyn

baumgartml16 said:


> My hubby has been telling me we need to let her be more. How do you guys know if the dog is bored/pouting versus actually tired. If we ignore Koda she will go lay down on the kitchen floor (cooler) but I never know if she is actually tired or if she is just bored and figuring there is nothing else to do.
> 
> I am always so concerned about her happiness and if she is getting enough attention but I don't want to spoil her to the point that she can't be content without us "doing" something with her. How do you know if they are just content to be in the room with you - like when I am cooking dinner, she will lay in the middle of the kitchen floor with her chin on the ground. I heard somewhere that chin on the ground means they are disappointed/upset...is this true? If so, she is upset a lot!


I've heard that giving a dog time to be alone is very important for their independence. When I am home all day, I still leave Ellie alone and not engage with her every moment I can. Sometimes, she'd be on the floor in her "froggy" position for up to 2 hours!...eyes opened just staring at her toys. She'd have her head/chin down and look at me too, but when I come near her, she still stays that way. I think it's okay to leave them alone. As long as Koda gets walked everyday and has some mental stimulation from training, I don't think you have to worry about her being bored. 

I'm not an expert, but that's what I've heard!


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## mrmooseman

Moose has started this new thing where if he's bored he sit in front of me and makes noises. Or if I'm in the bedroom, lays on the bed and makes crying/whimpering noises and does heavy signs. That's how we can tell he's cranky. When he's content and just wants to sleep, he will take a stuffed toy and either lay on the couch with it in his paws (he holds his stuffies, and always has to have one in bed) or he will just lay in the bedroom alone, or on the couch. Right now he wants to go to the park, and we are taking him in about an hour or so, and he's huffing and puffing on the floor under my feet. He's like a child taking a hissy fit.

He has been becoming very vocal lately. Not barking (although he has been barking when someone is knocking at the door or if we are outside with out him) but just making noises as to say "look at me!! Lets play!!"


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## baumgartml16

Yea when we are gone during the day I give her a ton more attention and try not to make her just sit there by herself (making dinner is the only time). 

Koda will do the huffing sometimes too. She will lay down and just let out a huge sigh. Sometimes I think it just a like a human ("phew, i need a break") and other times its her being like "omg guys, Im bored...". 

I was off on Monday and I didn't know if I should give her all the attention in the world or just let her sit there. I ended up playing with her quite a bit in the morning and then leaving her for a little bit to herself, then play, then sleep, then she was up for the rest of the night. I just don't want to have an overly spoiled dog that can't just be content by themselves.


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## tahill

baumgartml16 said:


> We just got hit with a bunch of snow this morning. Koda went nuts..she loves it so much. We gave her a good 20 minutes of play time out in it this morning before work!
> 
> Here she is after she burried her bottom half in the snow. She will stay out in it forever!
> 
> View attachment 110509


Michelle, 

You are sooo lucky. I will post our "snow" of Chloe in it. If we got that much snow, I don't know if I would ever get Chloe back in. lol. I am in the same spot with you in regards to leaving Chloe. I love to be around her. I am going to the movies tonight with my boyfriend and asked my parents if they would watch her and they said to get a grip. lol. My mom said she watches her all day so No!! lol. I guess they are correct, but just wanted you to know I feel the same way.


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## jluke

*Attention and More...*

Gee... your posts make me feel like Maisie is a bit neglected. She doesn't get constant attention, I have to say. Right now she's resting (maybe sleeping) by my side on the cool kitchen floor. I suspect she'd rather be playing with a toy or out on the deck with me chewing on a stick (since we're in the city we don't leave her out unattended even though we're in a nice neighborhood -- too many dogs are stolen) or walking, but I feel like sometimes she has to chill out. But I may be wrong. We have lots of play sessions, go to the DP most days, take 3 or 4 walks each day (not that many on DP days), etc. I can tell she's bored when she rings her bells to go out incessantly or grumbles at me. Then, Ii warp up what I'm doing and we take a walk or play. I just hope I'm striking a good balance.

I love the photo of Koda in the snow! The three times we've gotten just a little snow Maisie loved it -- snuffling and eating it and chasing snow balls -- and I've been hoping for more.

Michelle -- have a great mini-vacation and don't worry too much although it's natural to worry a bit.

Thanks for asking about Taz, our second rescued adult GR, the big guy who attacked my DH. Of course, we had our vet examine him right away (after DH was treated at the ER which took 10 hours), hoping that Taz had a problem in his mouth -- an absessed tooth or cut or something. The vet gave him a complete physical and blood work. There was nothing wrong physically. It was terribly sad. He'd been given up to a county shelter with no information, was 8 years old, had been with the rescue group's foster family for months while his allergies were diagnosed. We'd given him allergy shots, taken things out of his mouth routinely (toys, treats, sticks, etc.) without any problem, treated him like ours, which he was. One afternoon, he just snapped. I have to assume that he had been abused and that DH accidentally and innocently did something that reminded him of the abuser. They were in the hall outside my home office and DH was already on the floor with Taz on top of him. I don't know what I would have done if Taz hadn't stopped when I called him. But he did -- changed back into our pet in an instant, went right down stairs when I told him to. DH was terrified of him, so we couldn't keep him -- of course, and I'm not sure I could have. The rescue group couldn't re-home him -- understandably. They were going to send someone from their board to be with him when he was euthanized, but that would have been a stranger to Taz. So I was with him instead. It was very, very sad. If he had been our dog from a puppy where we knew the entire background, we would have work with a trainer and behaviorist, but with no knowledge of his background we felt we couldn't take the risk. If the attack had been on a child, the outcome could have been much worse. Sorry for the long response.


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## tahill

*Chloe in "NJ" Snow lol*


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## tahill

*Chloe NJ "Snow" 2nd pic*


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## baumgartml16

Thanks Teri for the reassurance that I am not alone! LOL Great pics of Chloe! She is a cutie for sure! 

Jill - you are't neglecting, I think I am over doing it honestly. I am likely creating a monster that thinks she should get constant attention and it will bite me in the arse one day! Especially when kids enter the picture. Hopefully by then the energy will be lower and we don't have to worry about doing as much all the time.

Thanks for sharing your story, I am so sorry you had to go through that but it sounds like there was no other option and nothing you did that would have changed it! Just an unlucky situation but now he is off running around having a wonderful time with no fears or pain!  Glad he let up with your call as well...so random though! I am sure it was one tough experience to go through!


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## baumgartml16

I just found out that my mother in law was over to take care of Koda at noon (walk/play/cuddle) and they went outside to play. Well she decided to build a snowman. She said Koda kept plowing through the balls she made and biting the arms off (sticks)...it is apparently on our back patio but not pretty after Koda had her way with the snowman! I can't wait to get home and see it...hopefully it doesnt melt and I can get a picture of Koda's masterpiece! LOL


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## tahill

Michelle, 

Take pictures!!


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## canine_mommy

Deber said:


> Anusha, I am close to SixFlags. I found a field about 35 min. south of Arl. towards Waxahache. It was a paved road I just saw and turned on then goes down to an old oil field road (rock/shell). Someone mowed it last year, but no fences. This is where I have been taking the pups out to run on a 100 ft leads. Our off lead is left to our country place in E. Texas, No. of Tyler. We have only 15 acres, but two ranches border our property and each are over 1,000 acres! Since the original owners deaths I got permission from their kids to take my crew of dogs out to run their hearts out and many ponds to swim in. All my dogs love this (even the Biewer yorkies).


Thanks Deber. I am a bit too far up north I guess. But if I go down towards Arlington, I will try to check out the place. I usually take Austin on hikes to Arbor Hills and even been to Cedar Ridge Preserve, but it's always on-leash. Cedar Ridge is great, except for the ticks :yuck: Anyway, hoping I will find some good place to let the little guy run off-leash.



baumgartml16 said:


> Here she is after she burried her bottom half in the snow. She will stay out in it forever!
> View attachment 110509


Love Koda's snap. 

I wish we had got some snow here in Texas. We did last year and it was beautiful, just a couple of days. I was hoping for some snow for Austin; it would be his first time playing out in it. Maybe next year...


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## canine_mommy

LindsSull said:


> SO glad I found this thread!!! My golden is 14 months. I seriously need help with a dominance issue!! Background: My dog is around other dogs a lot, and had never had any problems at all with other dogs until about two months ago. He grew up with my parent's dog, a 6 year old pointer. They had always gotten along just fine, playing, sleeping, and even eating together. However, two months ago I took him to my parents house, where he spends a lot of time (I'm a college student, so whenever I go home I bring him). As soon as he interacted with my parent's dog, they got in a huge fight. My parent's dog started the fight, but now every time they are together my dog Chase attempts to dominate my parent's dog. Chase is a very dominant dog, but he has never shown any aggression/attempted to dominate any other dog, even since having the issues with my parent's dog. I will be moving back home for 6 months after graduation in May, and am looking for a solution other than complete seperation of them. Does anyone have advice on how to get them to be friends again? The change literally happened over the span of six days, and we have no idea what could have started the change in behavior.


I don't have any advice. But could the reason for the fight be because Chase is not neutered? Austin (not neutered yet) got attacked by a Black Lab who used to be really good friends with him. Just around 10months I think. I guess that's the time they are maturing and send off all these hormones and stuff. The other dog came up to Austin as usual, playfully, then sniffed a little and started snarling out of the blue, snapping and biting. I got Austin away real quick, thankfully! But since he is the neighbor's dog, the solution was easy for me - just don't let the 2 near each other. 

Hope someone can give you good advice on what to do in your situation.


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## mrmooseman

I tried making a snow man with Moose once. I didn't get very far. He kept stealing the balls as I was trying to roll them. lol


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## Deber

Lindssull I agree with Anusha on this. The males have harmones galore, even after neutering. The scent of the fight is in him and he remembers, so trys to dominate. I would ask your question to the Forum in the Behavior section. There are some wonderful trainers there who can give you really sound advice. I haven't hit this yet (God forbid since my boys except Coop) are tiny. The biggest is 8 lbs and if a fight broke out, the results would not be good. 
Go ask the forum family your questions and bet they help.


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## Pammie

Welcome to LindaSull, Molly and Anusha! :wavey:



Deber said:


> Go ask the *forum family* your questions and bet they help.


^^ Deb, I just want to say how much I like what you said here! ^^

Bryley was a bad boy! Bad, but also a weirdo of sorts! LOL! he has not counter surfed for months, but today there was a raw chicken breast and a paper towel on the stove- and guess what? He stole the paper towel!!!!:doh: I got most of it back from the little weenie!!


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## mrmooseman

Moose never counter surfed.. I really hope he doesn't start


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## jluke

*Poor Snowman!*

Michelle -- love the snowman story! I can just picture Koda attacking the arms/sticks. No sticks are safe from Maisie -- I honestly think that she's part beaver! The bigger the better. She still picks them up and carries them when we walk. Yesterday, first it was a 6 foot long branch with multiple forks. After she dropped that, she picked up an evergreen branch.

And thanks for your understanding of my sad story about Taz. It was truly awful for everybody. His poor brain must have been cross-wired and I hate to think how badly abused her must have been. We would have taken on another rescued GR if we could have gotten a young dog, but since we can't fence our yard, we aren't an attractive candidate to the two local rescue groups for young ones. That's how Maisie came into our lives -- a puppy! After we sent our only daughter off to college... silly me. (But that's why I compromise with DH and travel some and am glad that we have really great dog sitting and walking for Maisie.)


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## Deber

Jill - I am so sorry about Taz and what happened to your husband. After an indicent about the same many years ago with a foster I quit taking in any large breeds and definately non with fighting breed parentage in. When mixed pittbulls became favored we had many come in that were post fighting dogs. Quickly I found I had not the training to handle these dogs who were wired to fight. I have always had family dogs too and just couldn't seperate my sweet dogs from them. So quit allowing any to stay at my house even for a few days. Bad, but my dogs had to come first. Puppies are different, but I was only offered mature adults. We too were refused by 3 Rescues for adopting an older Golden (what we wanted). Our reason was at 60 we were considered at the borderline of age to receive a dog. One place put us on the list but was honest enough to say we would prob. not be picked. So pups are what we have! Though I never considered 2 pups at once and though glad we have them now would advise everyone against 2 puppies at once. Really a handful and glad we are young enough to get them past these puppy stages. 

Michelle, I will be so excited to see pictures of Koda and her Snowman! Wish my two had the chance to play in the snow this year,but sadly we have not had any winter at all. Thankfully we Have had rain, so hopefully all the ponds are about full and streams are starting to run again. Leaving now for the country and hope to have a good pond to show the pups. They are getting close to a year old now and have never had the fun of water yet. The ponds were so smelly and low I didn't want them in there. Can't wait to see if the pups will like water! 

Megan - Coop has never counter surfed either, he is smart and why we call him the Professor. He will watch Kye surf and whatever she finds and pulls down, he gets 1/2 of. Smart cookie!!


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## jluke

*Thanks, Thanks...*

Deb -- I hope you're having a wonderful country weekend. We have a small place on the Delaware shore where we're having some off-season work done. I can't wait to introduce Maisie to the beach! And I'm looking forward to it warming up here so the water access at the DP re-opens and it's swimming season for her again.

And thanks, Deb, (and Michelle, again), for your understanding about Taz. I just realized that it's just past the anniversary of when he came to live with us -- that must be a part of why he's so much on my mind. Despite the tragedy with him, I remember the good parts and think of him often, running around the house with a stuffed Canada goose in his mouth like a big 80 pound goof.


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## jluke

*And...*

Deb, sorry I forgot -- so sorry that you suffered through something similar. It's such a horrifying experience. We never, ever expected it with a GR. And really sorry that it resulted in you ending your rescue work. But the chain of events is really understandable.


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## OutWest

jluke said:


> Gee... your posts make me feel like Maisie is a bit neglected. She doesn't get constant attention, I have to say. Right now she's resting (maybe sleeping) by my side on the cool kitchen floor. I suspect she'd rather be playing with a toy or out on the deck with me chewing on a stick (since we're in the city we don't leave her out unattended even though we're in a nice neighborhood -- too many dogs are stolen) or walking, but I feel like sometimes she has to chill out. But I may be wrong. We have lots of play sessions, go to the DP most days, take 3 or 4 walks each day (not that many on DP days), etc. I can tell she's bored when she rings her bells to go out incessantly or grumbles at me. Then, Ii warp up what I'm doing and we take a walk or play. I just hope I'm striking a good balance.
> 
> I love the photo of Koda in the snow! The three times we've gotten just a little snow Maisie loved it -- snuffling and eating it and chasing snow balls -- and I've been hoping for more.
> 
> Michelle -- have a great mini-vacation and don't worry too much although it's natural to worry a bit.
> 
> Thanks for asking about Taz, our second rescued adult GR, the big guy who attacked my DH. Of course, we had our vet examine him right away (after DH was treated at the ER which took 10 hours), hoping that Taz had a problem in his mouth -- an absessed tooth or cut or something. The vet gave him a complete physical and blood work. There was nothing wrong physically. It was terribly sad. He'd been given up to a county shelter with no information, was 8 years old, had been with the rescue group's foster family for months while his allergies were diagnosed. We'd given him allergy shots, taken things out of his mouth routinely (toys, treats, sticks, etc.) without any problem, treated him like ours, which he was. One afternoon, he just snapped. I have to assume that he had been abused and that DH accidentally and innocently did something that reminded him of the abuser. They were in the hall outside my home office and DH was already on the floor with Taz on top of him. I don't know what I would have done if Taz hadn't stopped when I called him. But he did -- changed back into our pet in an instant, went right down stairs when I told him to. DH was terrified of him, so we couldn't keep him -- of course, and I'm not sure I could have. The rescue group couldn't re-home him -- understandably. They were going to send someone from their board to be with him when he was euthanized, but that would have been a stranger to Taz. So I was with him instead. It was very, very sad. If he had been our dog from a puppy where we knew the entire background, we would have work with a trainer and behaviorist, but with no knowledge of his background we felt we couldn't take the risk. If the attack had been on a child, the outcome could have been much worse. Sorry for the long response.


You have my sympathies about Taz. We went through a similar situation last summer with a foster from the humane society. She was aggressive with my daughter and our small dog to the point that we had to return her. After their trainers worked with her for weeks, she chewed up another dog she was kenneled with. They decided she couldn't be placed in another home. So I went down and sat with her when they put her down. Still saddens me. I told my daughter I felt we'd let her down and she wisely commented that the person who'd let her down was the back yard breeder who'd brought her into the world.


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## jluke

*Thanks*

Dear Outwest -- thanks so much. Sorry that I don't remember your name. (I think I'm having a senior moment.) Was your foster dog a GR? One of the things that makes this even harder for my husband and me is that when people hear our story and learn that Taz was a GR, they think we must have done something wrong since GRs never, ever do something, anything like this. I just have to shrug and say that this one did, knowing that the poor guy was completely unprovoked. You were very kind to be with yours at the end of his time -- such a sad thing. 

Anyway - the terrible situation eventually led us to consider other rescued GRs and then to bringing Maisie the bouncy puppy into our family. My DH is out on a walk with the pup right now!


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## OutWest

jluke said:


> Dear Outwest -- thanks so much. Sorry that I don't remember your name. (I think I'm having a senior moment.) Was your foster dog a GR? One of the things that makes this even harder for my husband and me is that when people hear our story and learn that Taz was a GR, they think we must have done something wrong since GRs never, ever do something, anything like this. I just have to shrug and say that this one did, knowing that the poor guy was completely unprovoked. You were very kind to be with yours at the end of his time -- such a sad thing.
> 
> Anyway - the terrible situation eventually led us to consider other rescued GRs and then to bringing Maisie the bouncy puppy into our family. My DH is out on a walk with the pup right now!


No Bella was a Lab/Pit mix. We had fostered her with a plan to keep her. There were five puppies fostered. The other four were placed in homes. The behaviorists after working with her for several weeks decided she was genetically predisposed to dog aggression. It is still hard for me to talk about. She was a sweetheart in most ways. Because she was a puppy, I felt and feel somewhat guilty It's hard to tIhink a puppy can't be saved. I keep reminding myself that, after a bad start, she received excellent care and multiple chances. Still makes me very sad. 

However, when I decided she wouldn't work for our family, like you, it opened up a spot for Tucker. I had promised my daughter a big dog so looked for one quickly to fill the hole left by Bella. We were very lucky to find our big boy Tucker. And now I get to hang out on GRF!

Kathleen


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## Deber

Jill in every breed sadly there are some who are just not right be they goldens or whatever. Whatever the wiring was in their brains, it was just not right. You and Kathleen did what you had to and it led you to your wonderful dogs you have now. We do the best we can, but for some dogs, it isn't enough to cover the mental problems. Through this I learned I am not of the strong mind set to help fighting breeds. Doesn't mean I can't help others, but just my personality is geared to more loving breeds. 

Had a wonderful weekend in the country. Middle 60's, sun shining. Makes me so ready for spring to officially start. We didn't make it to any ponds, but did rake a pile of leaves and burned them (dogs loved jumping into my freshly raked piles). Coop dug so many holes we spend most of Sunday recovering them.

For the absolute first time - Both dogs loaded both ways without us having to haul them in!!! YEA! Jill think your idea of treats tossed in then we tell the dogs to Load...worked!! I hope this is the last of this as I struggle to haul Coops fat butt into the car. 

Only 2 more weeks to go until Kye's adv. intermediate classes are over. Coop still has one more class. Really have to made a decision whether to continue or not. The next class is more 1st class for agility and since we will be moving to the country in a year or so, just don't know if we want to do this. I could repete the class we just left or wait a few months to decide. Coop will start the class Kye just finished then the same will apply. Just hard to believe we have made it and now looking at the possible end of classes. Thought I would talk to our class teacher before I decide.
Are you guys going to keep formal classes up and what do you go into after the puppy, intermediate puppy, advanced puppy class?? For the adult class the pups at our school are usually over 12 mo.


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## baumgartml16

Hey all,

Hope you all had great weekends! We had a great time getting away but missed our little bugger like crazy! Had a great afternoon yesterday with her to make up for it though!

I unfortunately was unable to get the snowman picture as it had mostly melted by the time I got home. That is the thing about Wisconsin, it snows one day and is 40 some degrees the next LOL...so maybe it will snow again and I can get one for you all to see!

Someone mentioned swimming for the dogs...we took Koda up north with us last year when she was only 11 weeks old and introduced her to the lake. She was hesitant at first and really only played in there for 5 minutes at a time but she did like it. We are planning to take her again this summer but we want her to be excited about water this time so we are actually taking her to indoor swimming sessions starting next Friday. I am excited to take her. They have a personal trainer that goes in with her (we don't go in at all) and they have calming techniques for dogs that appear scared. I am so excited to take her! After the first one or two my sister is bringing her GSD and it is only $5 more for two dogs so they can swim together! It will be lots of fun!

Koda hasn't really ever counter surfed. This weekend we had one of our gloves on the edge of the table and she got it...I think this was a bad thing. I heard once they get something that is how it starts. She kept jumping up on the table yesterday. I made sure EVERYTHING was out of reach so hopefully she will realize quickly it is pointless and she just got lucky the one time! 

Just an overall sympathy note to all of you who had problems with your rescues! You did a great thing for those dogs giving them a home and a second chance. Like someone said, the wiring is sometimes off though and there is nothing you can do. What you all did was special though! 

Koda has her last beginner 1 class. It is actually an adult dog class and is the first step in the adult dog classes. She is the youngest in her class, most are a couple years old. At least it gives us an excuse lol. After tonight we instantly start up beginner 2. Not sure how much difference there is but I think it is just more advanced stuff. We change instructors though, thank goodness, not a fan of the one we have now. We plan to continue on with classes but are going to wait a few months to enroll in the next one so she can mature a little more before we attempt this again. They don't offer the adult classes on weekends which we would prefer. We are able to tire her out much better on weekends (the puppy classes are on weekends). We have to do our trick tonight for the class!  Hopefully she does it right! She is a very smart 10 month old for sure!

Last thing - i know super long post! Koda has gotten unruly when we play now. We bring her blue ball downstairs to play and run cuz there is more room. We throw the ball, she chases it, we take it and she proceeds to jump all over us and tries biting our arms and anything else she can grab. She got my ponytail yesterday (ooo was I mad). We tell her to sit sternly and she starts chasing her tail, we try to stop her chasing her tail and she jumps at us again..I might post about this in the behavioural section because it is just getting too much. I don't know what else to do. We have been walking away and stopping play, turning our back..etc. it only happens when we play so i know it is not even close to being aggressive she is just a rough player. We can't have this though, especially to people coming to let her out or in the future when we have kids...I am at my wits end with this. This is the biggest hurdle we want to get over right now and our main focus.


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## dkt

Michelle--where are you taking Koda for the swimming (we're in WI too, don't know if it's anywhere near where you guys are)? 
Oliver is getting a bit rowdy at playtime now also, and the turning away isn't working as well as when he was younger. No aggression, just like Koda, he is just a rough and tumble youngster! I'm hoping this will subside as he matures, we've just been saying playtime is over and ignoring him when he gets out of control.


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## baumgartml16

We are taking her to the Feed Bag in Mequon. If you search them in Google you will find their website and there is a seperate tab on the side par for swimming!  

Where are you from in WI?


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## Tucker's mommy

Hey, everybody! What a gorgeous day it is here in the south hills of Pittsburgh! Don't know what I've been doing right with Tucker today, but for the first day in a while, he's not getting extra rowdy when we play. Michelle - I think Tucker and Koda are 2 peas in a pod, with the way they play. I, too, hope the rowdiness settles with age. I am so sick of having to wash mud off my jacket on an almost daily basis! 

Here's a random question for everyone - is anyone out there considering agility for their pups? The next training class I can sign Tucker up for, aside from repeating another round of obedience, is a beginning agilility class. Any thoughts from you all? We had a mini session at one of our classes, and he did amazing with it, really enjoying it. It's a huge time commitment to go that route - I'm also considering buying some cheap knockoffs for the equipment and just playing with him and my kids as home with our own made up "course". Let me know if any of you have considered agility. 

Have a great day everyone!

katie


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## mayapaya

Hi everyone--it's been forever since I've been out here--had to do some digging to find the sticky! It will take me awhile to catch up with all the past posts, but I hope everyone as well as their pups are doing well. I've spent quite a bit of time traveling this month, so have been a bit remiss on keeping up with our training and the forum. We start a beginner class that is a correction/reward type training class (but no treats). I'm a little torn on this--would love it if Maya responded to all positive reinfrocement, but honestly, even though she is very food motivated, it's only on "her" terms, and praise--well it seems like she could take it or leave it. While it seems Miss Maya is settling down a bit, we've had yet another dry wall "dining" experience last week. And, I have to start working on the excessive greeting disorder she's developed--she is an ABSOLUTE MANIAC--I try holding her by the collar (which is just a regular nylon collar), and I think she would choke herself to death with the pulling--UGH!!!!! And it is usually accompanied by the bitey, mouthy thing--which is the mode she gets into when she is really excited and playing. Anyways, thanks for letting me vent today...I'll spend the next few days catching up--and I'll probably find out that all the teenage pups (except mine) have developed into perfect angels!


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## Tucker's mommy

To Maya's mom - you are just too funny! No worries here regarding Tucker turning into an angel! I just left him alone outside for - I kid you not - 15 seconds - and came back to find yet another large hole in my front lawn. I think he's trying to find China. :bowl:

Anyhoo, welcome back!


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## baumgartml16

Welcome back Maya's mom! Hope you had good travels!! No worries here either, still hanging on to those fun times with my teenager, haha!


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## mayapaya

Tucker's mommy said:


> To Maya's mom - you are just too funny! No worries here regarding Tucker turning into an angel! I just left him alone outside for - I kid you not - 15 seconds - and came back to find yet another large hole in my front lawn. I think he's trying to find China. :bowl:
> 
> Anyhoo, welcome back!


ooooh, Katie--I should take some pictures of my yard. I have to watch my step on poop patrol duties, lest my foot drops into one of the MANY holes dug by sweet Maya, and I sprain an ankle!!!! Maya has a new found attraction to rocks, which she used to find randomly in the yard, or on one of her many "mining" excursions. Now she has found our built in firepit contains the motherlode of rocks, and she brings me a new one on each visit to the yard. Sometimes she offers them up freely, other times it's more fun to have a game of chase :doh: Have missed you all, and could use some laughs, so I'll have to catch up on all of the recent antics! Chris


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## dkt

Michelle--the swimming sounds wonderful--I can't wait to hear how it goes! We're just outside Waukesha in WI (30 mi or so W of Milwaukee), so Mequon is about an hour away. But I think I might look into the swimming there anyway--it sounds like so much fun! 
Katie--we've kind of thought about agility, although Oliver isn't really very...agile (still loses his balance when he tries to lift his leg to pee once in awhile. I think it's great for getting them used to being around other dogs and definitely would use up some of that energy!
Mayapaya...not leaving the teen attitude any time soon here, for sure! Angel is not a word in our vocabulary lately! 
And, the landscaping is definitely getting interesting with the freeze/thaw stuff going on--lots of mud and rocks to be moved around (I'm not impressed so far with his design ideas).


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## baumgartml16

dkt - sorry if i missed your name somewhere? We are actually in Menomonee Falls so not that far from Waukesha. There is another dog swimming place in New Berlin, might be a closer drive for you. It is called K-9 splash. The link is below. It is a lot like Feed Bag but probably closer drive for you! 

Think Pawsitive Home page

Katie - haven't really thought about agility at this point. Not sure what direction we will go. We want to keep her in classes just as something for her to do but not sure what we will actually focus on or where we will go next. We will take a few months off after this to let Koda mature and for us to work on the things from these two classes we are in now.

Chris - our yard is the same way. We had snow there for a while and apparently she was digging through the snow that we didn't notice because now that the snow has melted we are seeing more holes than there were before the snow! Koda prefers sticks and she knows which part of the yard has them and where we dont want her to go. We had been trying to send her out on her tie out when she has to go to the bathroom but as soon as she realizes we aren't with her she goes to those two areas. We come walking out and she runs like the wind with whatever she mangages to grab off the ground! Too smart of a dog!


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## OutWest

Katie--We did an evaluation for agility with Tucker. I would like to do that with him, with my daughter as the handler. There is a huge focus on "focus" in agility which I liked a lot. Good for the dog and for the teenager! LOL

I'm of the opinion that you can train your dog to do almost anything if he is focused on you, and almost nothing if he is not. We are just waiting for my DD's basketball coaching gig to be over. Then we will start up with agility. 

I asked a bunch of question s about agility on the agility forum on GRF and got a lot of good information about puppies and agility, FYI.


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## mrmooseman

Moose has decided that lastnight, he was going to start digging another hole in the yard. Cause clearly the other 5 just arn't good enough. He had gotten a bath yesterday because the bf had him in the garage and he got really dirty. That was fine. He was due for a bath anyways. But everytime he would come in from otside, he would have more and more dirt on him. Then the last time he came in he had a ring of dirt around his face. What a guy. Today I took him to the park. It was cold and nothing was really muddy, so I figured if he stayed on the grass he would be fine. He is, however, starting to drive me nuts when it comes to lunch time. We usually try to take him to the park around then, and it's like he knows. Today he stood in front of me and whined, then when I put him out side, he stood on the step and barked at me through the door. He's getting saucy. Anyways, he did good at the park today, him and Milo stayed on the grass and didn't go near the mud. Then a st. bernard showed up. The SB is an awesome dog. She is so friendly and so funny. They play great together. But she broke through some ice, and there was a mud puddle, and they all had a turn in it! So he had to get another bath. I only rinsed him off and just washed the bottom of his feet and his tail. He was NOT impressed. He is currently sleeping on the couch (he is dried) and he has been there since after his bath. Well him being muddy and dragging it all over the bathroom, forced me to wash down the whole bathroom, which was my plan, but I was putting it off. Oh well.. another room done!

That lady brang her dog there again today (the one that went after Moose) and she left early because he kept going after the SB. I don't know if the owner of the SB said anything or not, Moose and I were at the other end of the park, but she didn't take him off his leash and then just left. 

Hope everyone had a good monday!


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## Deber

My two have gone nuts again with the jumping all over me and Hubby. They act like they haven't seen a human before. This weekend we had the same neighbors who always come over and we have all learned to expect both the pups to jump up, but this time they not only jumped, but grabbed for hands or anything they could get their mouth around. Thankfuly both had their collars on, so I grabbed and pulled them down, but they are so tall now they almost knocked our neighbor off her feet. So embarrased. Where did this come from?? So glad to hear Tucker and Koda have done it too...just don't know how to stop this since we don't know when people are coming. Really threw me off, cause both dogs know this is not allowed but went brainless! 

We have more holes in our yard at the farm than I can count. The dirt is a sandy loam, just made for digging! I keep hoping this will pass as they age, but tiresome to have to load the dogs in the car, then run to the yard to quickly fill in the holes. 
Coop had dug one so large it honestly looked like a Koi pond! Wonder if I could get him to dig me a swimming pool???


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## mrmooseman

Deb, that's our plan for Moose. I always wanted a swimming pool. Moose is the same way when people come over. Once my bfs mother was sitting in the rocking chair and he jumped on her and they both almost flipped over! He has done this with my mom as well. He just doesn't realize he is 80 pounds and can't quite fit on your lap anymore..


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## Mr. Bojangles

So glad I found this thread. Our dear Bentley is about 5 1/2 months and becoming a major brat. It's like someone dognapped my sweet little boy and replaced him with an evil twin. Pulling, chewing, counter surfing, ignoring commands. He is definitely becoming a teenager.


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## mrmooseman

Welcome Mr. Bojangles!


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## baumgartml16

Welcome Mr. Bojangles. We have all been through it and are still going through it to an extent! Feel free to browse the other 44 pages of our troubles or present us with your own!!!

Kathleen - The focus is our biggest obstacle. She just does not want to give us her attention in class, at least not unless there is a treat in her face. I don't know what we need to do to get more focus on us..any suggestions?

We went through the time of jumping on everyone coming in the door, thankfully that part of the jumping is under control more now. She will occasionally make a halfway jump but we pull her down and correct her right away. We tell any new people entering the house to ignore her and turn their back if she attempts to jump at them and that will stop her. We started out always putting a leash on her when people came over and then popping her when she tried to jump. She caught on fast that sitting equals attention!! Once in a while she will jump up on the couch with people, mostly to get pets or lick their face. Some tolerate it and others need us to get her off the couch for them. She doesn't jump on them though, thank goodness!!

Koda had her last class of beginner 1 last night, now we move right on to beginner 2 with different instructors though. She was the best she has ever been in class!!! It was so much fun watching her with DH. The first heel exercise she was outstanding, hubby didn't even hold the treat to her face. She did turns, halts, pivots all to a T! It was so awesome. Then we did long sits/stay and down/stays. The sit/stay she was perfect, the downs she was so/so..she just wasn't in the mood to lay down for an extended period. The sit for exam she was the best she ever was, we were impressed. Didn't go to greet the person at all, just sat and waited!! 

Then we did the trick, hers was so cute! We did the one where we put the treat on her paw and she has to wait for it. There were lots of awws and then applause at how good she did! After that they did one more sit/stay and one more down/stay with distractions like crazy. They would run past the dogs, walk around them in a close cirle, slam the doors, have other dogs walk into the building and walk right past. Koda didn't move a muscle! I was one proud mama last night!! 

Now we move on to Beginner 2 next Thursday, I am excited!  Okay I will get off my proud moment!! 

Hope you all had a great Monday and good luck today! LOL


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## tahill

*Digging Solution*

Hello everyone! I have finally found a solution to Chloe digging in the backyard. I put her poop in the hole and she stops it instantly. I know it's not the most plesant way, but hey I will take anything. :doh:


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## dkt

Hmmm...such decisions as to how to stop the digging...shall we go with the swimming pool (excavated by Oliver) idea or try the poop in the hole idea...that's an interesting idea!
Deb and everyone with jumping dogs--no advice, but thanks for having dogs like mine! Oliver just started the jumping (he's 8 months)--the one part of his exuberant greeting that was nice was that he didn't jump--he likes to weave back and forth, rubbing against people in greeting (which can still almost knock you down!), and absolutely gets waaayyy too excited, but hadn't been jumping. Just started this past week with that new trick...sigh.


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## mrmooseman

So today was a horrible day with Moose. 

First, we got hit with a snow storm and the roads were horrible, so I couldn't take him to the dog park. I guess he has been to use to going everyday, now he has been starting to whine and get vocal if we don't go! Yesterday we went and we didn't leave until an hour after we normally do and I swear he was taking a hissy fit. Today he took a fit too. I tried playing with him and he just didn't want to. He would lay beside me where ever I went, and he just huffed and puffed. He was so cranky! I took him out to the yard and he just sat by the door. What a brat!

Before all that though, we got up and I made breakfast. I was eating it an got up for like 2 seconds. His face can reach the top of the table, but he has never EVER tried to take food, or put his face up to us at the table unless we are just sitting there and sneek in to get a kiss.. WELL he walked up and stole my egg! Right off my plate. I was in shock. He has never done that. Well I mean when he was younger, he stole kyle's peanutbutter and jelly sandwich off the bedside table and mine off the coffee table, but other then that, he hasn't done it since. I was so proud that he has never counter surfed, but clearly I spoke too soon..


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## OutWest

baumgartml16 said:


> Welcome Mr. Bojangles. We have all been through it and are still going through it to an extent! Feel free to browse the other 44 pages of our troubles or present us with your own!!!
> 
> Kathleen - The focus is our biggest obstacle. She just does not want to give us her attention in class, at least not unless there is a treat in her face. I don't know what we need to do to get more focus on us..any suggestions?
> 
> We went through the time of jumping on everyone coming in the door, thankfully that part of the jumping is under control more now. She will occasionally make a halfway jump but we pull her down and correct her right away. We tell any new people entering the house to ignore her and turn their back if she attempts to jump at them and that will stop her. We started out always putting a leash on her when people came over and then popping her when she tried to jump. She caught on fast that sitting equals attention!! Once in a while she will jump up on the couch with people, mostly to get pets or lick their face. Some tolerate it and others need us to get her off the couch for them. She doesn't jump on them though, thank goodness!!
> 
> Koda had her last class of beginner 1 last night, now we move right on to beginner 2 with different instructors though. She was the best she has ever been in class!!! It was so much fun watching her with DH. The first heel exercise she was outstanding, hubby didn't even hold the treat to her face. She did turns, halts, pivots all to a T! It was so awesome. Then we did long sits/stay and down/stays. The sit/stay she was perfect, the downs she was so/so..she just wasn't in the mood to lay down for an extended period. The sit for exam she was the best she ever was, we were impressed. Didn't go to greet the person at all, just sat and waited!!
> 
> Then we did the trick, hers was so cute! We did the one where we put the treat on her paw and she has to wait for it. There were lots of awws and then applause at how good she did! After that they did one more sit/stay and one more down/stay with distractions like crazy. They would run past the dogs, walk around them in a close cirle, slam the doors, have other dogs walk into the building and walk right past. Koda didn't move a muscle! I was one proud mama last night!!
> 
> Now we move on to Beginner 2 next Thursday, I am excited!  Okay I will get off my proud moment!!
> 
> Hope you all had a great Monday and good luck today! LOL


The thing I learned from the agility evaluation that Tucker did was that you have to keep the dog's focus on you at all times (easier for a competition than daily life!  ). Perhaps if you could get Koda to focus on you using treats, and continue with the distractions happening around her, she will do better...? Kind of like what she achieved in class. Perhaps put a note on the door asking people to call your phone number from their cell phone before they ring the doorbell. Message could say "Puppy with too much enthusiasm lives here! Please call XXXXXXX so we can get her ready to receive you!" Then you could put her in a sit/stay facing you with treats in hand, etc., while someone else answers the door...? The trainer in the agility class said she has no problem with owners doing whatever possible to get dogs to focus--if treats are the path, then use it. Maybe Koda just needs lots of repetition... Not sure.  Hope this rambling has helped in some small measure!


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## baumgartml16

It did help Kathleen, thank you! We will continue to work on her focus!


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## dkt

Megan--sorry about your bad day, but it sure made me laugh! I can just picture him sneaking the egg!


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## Phoebe's mom

We recently adopted a teenage goldendoodle (10 months) and now our 4 month old golden retriever is picking up some of his bad habits!!! We have 2 teenage puppies!!!!!! It isn't bad except for when they are wrestling off leash, nothing I can do will get there attention. Eventually I can get Phoebe's and she breaks from the wrestle and comes but Captain will hang back and watch me leash Phoebe or give her a treat. His freedom is worth more. But if I crouch down and over exagerate my praise for Phoebe he comes trotting over, but I do not like to trick him. 
I train them seperately because it would just be a disaster if I did it together. Unfortunately that is the time they do not listen, they are perfect when seperate. 
Any advice or will it just take time? 
On leash it is perfect, they don't bother each other, walk right by my side. No problems. But we like to take them on one trail walk everyday which is obviously off leash.


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## Tucker's mommy

Megan - we had the exact same bizarre moment with our Tucker - it happened once and only once, and the moment was such a chaotic one -three young kids screaming and crying, running around the kitchen table having a fit over the pbandj sandwich inhaled by Tucker seconds earlier- we just had to laugh. It hasn't happened since. I think my kids' crazy reactions just kind of put him off. But I'm sure it'll happen again when we have our guards down! We've learned that Friday nights are Crazy Night here. We order pizza most Friday nights, and Tucker throws a FIT when the pizza guy rings the bell - the smell of the food is just too much for him to keep it together. That's what happened the night he inhaled the sandwich. Thank God it wasn't the pizza he inhaled! :


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## mrmooseman

Haha I personally think if something has peanutbutter in it, to the dog it must mean its theirs! I watched him steal it, he was looking at me the whole time, and he was so slow and sly at it. I could of stopped him but I just watched him and how he was taking it. It's funny because I cooked eggs the weekend and messed one up and we gave it to Moose, we put it in his dish and he didn't want anything to do with it! maybe because mine this morning has cheese on it. All I can do now is laugh. The look on his face when he was doing it was priceless.


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## Bentley's Mom

So I made the mistake of saying Bentley was doing so much better. Yes, I actually said it out loud :doh: Tonight he has proven me very wrong. We have been dealing with leash reactivity, fear aggression and resource guarding for what feels like forever!!! And when I say dealing with it I mean paying no less than $700 a month for training and no less than 2 hours per day working on that training. This on top of a 2 hour commute daily and 7-9 hours per day at work.Then tonight he growls and snarls at my husband because he wants me to get him out of the car, runs straight to the back yard to bark at nothing and jumped on me non stop when I walked anywhere near where his food lives. I'm tired, broke and completely frustrated. Thanks for letting me vent.


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## jluke

*Greeting Suggestion*

This sort of echoes an earlier post. Since Maisie's been little, I've insisted she sit to greet people -- whether she is meeting them when we are out for a walk or if they are coming into our house . No sit, no interaction. When someone comes to the house, there's a spot in the living room just inside the foyer where she always sits and stays now while I open the front door and until the person comes in. Again, unless she sits, she doesn't get to say hello. This was sort of a necessity for us since my dad uses a cane and is unsteady. I didn't want to take the risk that Maisie would knock him down.

Maisie can join the swimming pool digging brigade even though she's not supposed to dig. She does it mostly when she hasn't spent enough time at the DP -- like the past several days. (I've had a migraine.)

Michelle -- I think Koda will love the indoor swimming. Maisie did. She had to start by wearing a life jacket and was a bit skittish, but then loved it!


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## baumgartml16

Megan - I love the thief story, that is hilarious. I find it even funnier that you watched him and he watched you watching him. What a goof!!! They try to act so innocent.

Katie - your thief story cracked me up. I am sure it is stressful with three kids and a puppy but i have to smile a little at the sight of all of that going down. 

Koda hasn't really countersurfed for food yet...I am not going to say she won't cuz that would be a mistake! But she has started jumping up on the table and grabbing our gloves or ear covers off the table when we leave them there after a walk. I will be in the other room and I will hear a chair move (she isn't too good at being quiet)..I will walk in to the kitchen and she is like a deer in headlights. Either she grabs what she was going for quick and run off or she jumps down if she can't get to it and acts like it was no big deal and just casually walks past me back into the living room. She is hilarious. I just laugh.

Koda is now obsessed wtih grabbing a shoe (usually hubby's) out of our laundry room on the way to the basement. We leave them in the laundry room because then she can't get to them but we keep forgetting as soon as we open the door that leads to the basement that they are there for her to grab!! She then takes it down there and runs and runs and runs with it throwing her head back. It is her favorite game, not ours! LOL...We don't chase her, just wait for her to stop running adn then get it! Such a little sneak!

Bentley's Mom - I am sorry for your troubles. Is he jumping on you to keep you away from the food? Sounds like a very stressful situation and while I don't necessarily have any advice you are always welcome to come here to vent your frustrations.

Phoebe's Mom - No experience with two dogs at one (esp two teenage dogs) but I would suggest maybe working on focus with both dogs at once. Bring some high value treats that will get them to sit for you at the same time and make them see that they can be around each other and not ignoring you! 

Happy Leap Day Everyone!


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## OutWest

*the not so very good day... :-(*

must be because of leap day..if it is, maybe it'll never happen again... I can only hope.

Very rainy here today so dogs couldn't go to the dog park in a.m., as per usual. Had scheduled visit to a friend's house for lunch. Plan was for her dogs and mine to play a bit together. Tucker was REALLY restless this morning, understandable tdue to lack of exercise. We got into the car, and he started complaining and talking--all the way down the freeway. Unusual for him. Got to friend's house and all was well for a bit. He went outside, ran around a bit, and came right back in. About 10 minutes later, he pooped on the towel by the back door. :doh: Delivered profuse apologies...ya da ya da. About 10 minutes later, we discovered a small pile of poop in the dining room. Didn't see it happen but due to small size, believe it was Tess. More profuse apologies, etc. :doh::doh::doh: Thinking all the "mistakes" had happened, we relaxed in the kitchen. Then my friend jumped up and pointed at Tucker as he peed all over a piece of furniture. :doh::doh::doh::doh::doh: So we put him outside with friend's younger dog and they finally started chasing each other, running around. Then Tucker got frantic 'cause he couldn't get into the house to be near me. Listened to him barking at the door for about 20 minutes. Finally brought him in, put him on leash and had him stay beside me until we left.

I think his frantic-ness in the car was because he needed to go, and I just didn't understand (He'd been outside a couple times before we left and I thought all was OK.). But I can tell you I will NEVER take them to another person's house without a good thorough romp beforehand.

Of course, right now he's being throughly charming and sweet. ARGGGGHHH.


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## Deber

Michelle, I am working with both dogs to get them to focus on me better too. Think I have tried everything since they came into our lives, but just not getting the results I would like, but chalked it up to being babies. They aren't now and I can't keep using this as an excuse! So last week I spent many hours reading as many of the threads as I could find on this and we started. I have seen many prof. handlers use treats in their mouth to keep the dog looking at them, but frankly something about putting dog food in my mouth makes me want to throw-up! Tried chicken, but you want to swallow (yikes no food for dog), so finally decided to try with jerky. It is hard, taste good and doesn't disappear in your mouth. I started showing it to Kye cause she is older and then plopped into my mouth. As we heel keeping tight turns I mumble something (mouth is full) and push a piece out of my mouth..if she looks at my face (mouth) then I give it too her. Took a few outings, but now she is watching my face much better as she is always wanting the tiny piece of jerky. Coop is my hard one cause he is slower, walks slower and wants to scope out the scenery. He hasn't learned that there is work time and just daydreaming time, but we are working on it with both everyday. 
Good thing is that it made a HUGE difference in class. Kye is quite beautiful when she is alert and watching me, makes me proud...but very rare for her to do this in class. She watched me much more this time. We had to walk a long part of the parking lot, with barriers and such so lots of weaving, some dead-ends, we had to go to the end, turn and come back. She did very good since for the first time she was watching me, not the birds in the sky! The last part is a series of poles we must weave. I was asked to take Kye (since she was listening) through the whole course at a faster trot, not meander as we usually do with me pulling her. Started the course by letting her have a piece of jerky and watch me...took a breath and started! After the turn's I gave her another piece from my mouth then we took the dreaded poles. Other than I missed one, she did wonderfully!!! YEA!!!! The whole class clapped for us! The class clown may have finally earned her wings & made me proud of her. Next week is our final class..I think Kye is ready except for the 5 min down (she still crawls). We are working hard every day..if I can just keep her attention for the final, think we will do well. Coop, honestly dread this class for him. This is more pre-agility and Coop will never be a good candidate for this! Wonder if they have a class for bug watching? He is a pro at this!

Megan I about spit coffee all over my laptop with your Moose stealing the egg off your plate story! Haaaaa! I am sorry, but that is just the most funny thing. 

Outwest your Tucker and Tess...sound so like my kids! All of my dogs except one are totally house trained. Yet let someone come over and mine might do the same. Always throws me totally offguard because they never do this!! I have one male that must wear a belly band cause he still wants to mark (neutered) but the rest never potty in the house, but let a stranger come and I have decided that housetrained means just for that moment. I have been so embarrassed to see one poop or pee right in front of a guest. Uck! Thankfully it is always one of the yorkies, and not the goldens, cause if they decide to take a poop it would be HUGE! 

Bentley's Mom - Are you hessitant around Bentley? Could he be picking up on your fear? I havent had this problem, but did have to watch having Goldens with our tiny yorkies. Knew if a conflict came up the yorkie would lose. So worked hard to gentle the pups from day one and slowly let them find their pecking order. Kye knows she is under our alpha female and accepts this. Both Coop and Kye know everyone is below our alpha male. Since both came to us as pups, the boundries and order is firmly in their minds. Funny to see a 65 lb golden cringe if she has done something our male doesn't find acceptable. He gets right in her face and emits a low growl...she totally becomes submissive. Wonder if you and your husband need to work more on establishing a pecking order? I keep reading that a dog must have this, though I haven't a clue how this is done. Just wondering if Bentley is trying hard to be the pack leader? I know I try to love and care for my dogs like they were my children, which has caused me to be a horrible trainer. I have worked hard to step past this and constantly tell myself that "I" am the master and they "will" do what I tell them to do to fit into society. Hard cause I tend to baby them, but see my results lacking...so have read all I can find and trying to change MYSELF to better be the Mom they need me to be. Sorry for the ramble, just feel so sorry for what you are going through, as this should be this way!!!


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## mrmooseman

Moose is housetrained as well, but for some reason, when ever he is up our friends and in the garage he will pee on the floor. He has only pooped once. I blame the bf for ignoring him when he needs to go out, even though he insists he doesn't :uhoh:. We figure maybe it's because they have cut up wood in the garage and maybe he thinks hes outside? YET we have wood in our basement, and when he use to go down there, he never did that. I feel soo bad.. he's not suppose to do that!


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## Bentley's Mom

Thank you all so much for your support. Bentley's resource guarding started when he was recovering from Parvo. Of course he snarled and growled and we backed up, instant reinforcement. The leash reactivity, anxiety and fear issues are probably manifesting due to a lack of socialization at the key period when he had the Parvo (according to my trainer and behaviorist) I am definitely the "alpha" in my household where EVERYONE is concerned but I have a feeing he is testing right now based on his age. The issues are improving greatly but the work involved is exhausting some days. He was jumping on me because he wanted food, needless to say he went without that evening  I'm sure once we all get past this stage our bonds with our babies will be unbreakable. Again, I can't begin to express my appreciation for all the support.


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## Deber

Dawn, all I can honestly and truthfully say is that we are here for you. We all know how hard and frustrating these teen times are. Everyone of us has come here and were at our wits end. Our dogs work so hard, and we with them, but many times we see we fall short, so the dog just doesn't respond. I think most of us will agree it is our lack of training, but got to give us all 100 points for working and trying. I know with my two, I wanted good mannered pets, but knew they wouldn't know anything if I didn't get in there and work hard with them. I still wake up thinking about problems and trying to get solutions, see failures but see progress too. But somedays it is just too much! That is why Michelle started this, for each of us to have a place to vent and talk to others. We are here for you..


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## Serawyn

Bentley'smom, I feel for you with the resource guarding! We go through this on and off and some days, I tell myself, "Ellie is just showing attitude, she would never bite me." But then there are days I feel she *might* and I don't want to risk it. We are constantly training her to drop it or leave it and we NEVER take anything away without her giving it to us. If she has something we didn't want her to have, I've learned to act like I don't even care. As soon as I show any interest in wanting her to leave the object, she thinks it must be the most important thing in the world, even grass! If I walk away, she follows me and leaves the objects behind. So, unless it's a nail or something that will immediately harm her, I walk away. Luckily, she's only chewed things like sticks, tan bark, dirt, trash, etc. 

She was resource guarding her food for a while and it was not fun. We started hand feeding half of her meals and only giving her toys that do not have treats inside them. No bully sticks, no pigs ears, no filled kong; not until she willingly brings them to us and gives them to us. 

About the jumping. I am reading a book by Patricia McConnell, a dog behaviorist, that seems very effective. Patricia mentions most people will turn away or stand still when a dog jumps on them. I used to do this when Ellie wanted to play with me. It did stop her, but I found something to be even more effective after reading Patricia's tips. According to Patricia, when a dog jumps into your space, it is trying to claim the space. You can stand still, which shows you won't give it up OR you can make an X with your arms across your chest, and take a small step toward the dog. You're not being threatening or mean to the dog. You're not hurting the dog. All you are doing is claiming that space as yours. It lets the dog know that s/he was being impolite. I tried this with Ellie for 2 days. Every time I thought she too a step toward me without my calling her or asking her to, I stepped forward to make her move a tiny bit back. She has completely stop jumping on me or approaching me in a rough manner. She brings me toys or comes when I call her, but she doesn't "butt head" into me anymore. 

We also bought her every Nylabone, West Paw Design, and Chuck it toys we could get our hands on. Our house is FILLED with toys so that she doesn't see them as resources and we can easily grab any toy out of her mouth. 

I hope your Bentley will improve. You are doing so much with him and it sounds very stressful.  Have you thought about doggy daycare? If you haven't already put Bentley in daycare, I find that it helps tremendously with guarding behavior and socialization.


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## jluke

*Hi Again and...*

Sorry to be AWOL -- terrible migraine for over a week. DH has had primary puppy duty.

First, hang in there Bentley's Mom. I don't have much to add on the resource guarding. We've been lucky on this -- and have worked with Maisie, who's easy in this area all along. I do think that trading Bentley high value treats for things he values and then returning his valued items is a good practice. Every evening when I sit on the floor with Maisie and she's munching on her antler, I get her to "Leave it" for me and return it to her a few times. So times she's not so happy to give it up, but I just keep doing it. Sometimes she even likes me to hold it for her while she chews on it -- I guess I'm a full-service mommy. 

Deb -- hurray for you and Kye! I'm going to have to try the beef jerky.

Our final Basic Manners class is tomorrow. Then a few weeks off before we start Advanced Obedience which is a lot of off-leash work which Maisie and I really need.

We've had a lot of rain which has limited the trips to the DP. I have one stir-crazy pup. Maisie's gotten big enough now that she's wearing a Lands End coat that belonged to my first rescued GR Sadie who was about 60 pounds when she joined the family. I've been surprised that Maisie isn't trying to shake or pull it off, but she almost seems to like it.


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## Deber

Just had a beautiful weekend here in the Star state. Temps in the middle 70's and lots of sunshine. Was able to get out into the yard at the country place and finally burn the last of the million sweet gum balls & leaves left from winter. Yard is ready now for spring. I tried the trick of putting poop in the holes the pups have dug and seemed to work, but they moved to another area to dig. Not enough poop to fill all the holes, but hopefully they will get the idea and stop. 

Both dogs decided to start shedding this weekend. Didn't know you could lose so much fur so quickly! Finally hosed Coop down (he has the tickest coat) and blew him dry with my blowdryer hooked to a long extension cord. Got so much loose hair the yard is white! Hoping the birds pick it up and use for their nests or next weekend I will have a lot of pickup to do. If they keep this up I don't know how they won't both be bald. 

Hoping to get the dogs to a lake for their first taste of water. Hard to imagine they are both getting close to a year and have never had any experience with this. Just waiting for the air to warm up a bit first, but hopefully it will be soon.


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## mrmooseman

Happy Monday All!!

Not the best weekend here, friday was just cold. Took Moose to the DP, and he was being the ball hog again. He will chase after the balls, he just won't give them back and he knows how to play fetch. I think he's just scared the other dogs might have fun with them too.. Anyways, spent most of friday at the DP chasing him around with 2 balls in his mouth. He has a HUGE mouth. Saturday was just a weird day. We started to sand he drywall off of the kitchen walls and he felt the need to lay in the dust. We would put him out, and he would get saucy and stand on the step and bark and bark and bark, which is a new thing he does now btw. If he doesn't want to be outside, he does this. I had no choice but to block him off in the livingroom using his nemisis, the vacuume! He was not impressed. Then by the time I cleaned it was late and starting to rain so no DP which he didn't mind. It rained and rained and rained a lot saturday night so the park was not an option yesterday. Wayy too muddy. But he didn't mind. 

I find tha during the week when BF isn't home he neeedsss to go to the park. He puts up such a fuss over it, but the weekends he doesn't even care. He loves the bf. He makes a fuss when he leaves he house too. He cries and barks at the door. He doesn't do that when I go lol. Lastnight we were watching tv and he laying by the potatoe bin (no potatoes, but a decorative piece) and he wouldn't move. He was scratching at it and everything. I was convinced here was a mouse in there for some reason so I made BF check. He lifted up the lid and we found about 6 tennis balls. Kyle's brother told us when he was babysitting Moose about 3 weeks ago now, he kept putting them under the couch and making him get them. He got annoyed and then took all the balls and put them in there on poor Moose. Meanie. ANYWAYS, I guess Moose just remembered lastnight and he wanted them! What a smart dog. So today he has be rolling around on our blanket that he keeps stealing off our bed to sleep on, with 2 balls. He is also trying to get the dog in the mirror to play as well.


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## baumgartml16

So jealous of your weather Deb. We had snow this weekend, althogh Saturday and Sunday weren't really that cold..upper 30's. Better than some days around here. 70's sound glorious though, who knows when we will see that again. Although we are supposed to be getting 50's this week (can't wait!)

Koda went through a little shedding spell when it warmed up around here for a week..now that it got cold again the shedding slowed down.

Megan - sorry to hear about the rough weekend. These dogs sure do know their routines though! We are planning to put drywall up in our living room either this summer or fall and I am not looking forward to dealing with Koda during this time...I can't just send her outside because she goes straight for the mulch aroudn the trees or the sticks if she knows we are not out there with her..it is ridiculous!

Jill - Sorry about the migraine, my dad has always suffered wtih those and they sound terrible! Good luck on your last class. We start our beginner 2 class on Thursday!

We had a very good weekend with Koda, we were very impressed with her. She had her grooming appointment and it went pretty well, she got two hours of play time with the other dogs so she was pooped after that. We had a bunch of friends over Saturday night and she was an angel, she would just walk around, get love from everyone and they lay down with us content to just be part of the party!  

Sunday we actually met up with another forum pup - Ozzy (Ozzy's Mom). They had so much fun together, they probably would have kept going all day if we let them! Lots of fun. It was so cute because we brought her frisbee and Koda would chase it down, Ozzy would follow, when Ozzy caught up Koda would drop it for him and Ozzy would bring it back! It was the cutest little thing they did! I will post pictures later! 

Koda and I took a good nap together that afternoon and went to my parents for dinner where she was so good, just played and sniffed, usually she is a gremlin there with the scents of the cat but she didn't act up this time! Overall a great weekend! Hoping the week ahead follows suit. We have Koda's first swimming session this next weekend, hoping that goes well for us!! 

Happy Monday everyone!


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## mrmooseman

How fun for Koda and Ozzy! We only have one other DR Moose plays with, I'd love to find some more and see how he gets along with them!

Moose is the same way now when we have company, for the first 10-15 mins and with everyone who comes in he has to get love from everyone before he will just lay down, usually in the middle of the floor.. lol but he has stopped all the crazy'ness. He just needs those first few moments.


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## OutWest

*our weekend...*

was great (thank goodness). I posted about it in the Main Discussion. (I should learn to just post here instead! LOL) 

http://www.goldenretrieverforum.com...discussion/111299-yesterday-nice-day-pix.html

When I gave Tucker the marrow bone (see other post), I sent him outside so Tess could work on hers without him trying to take it away. He walked over to the grass and plopped down and contentedly chewed away. Very pretty sight--a freshly washed GR puppy with a bone.


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## Serawyn

Hi everyone, 

We had the best weekend ever! On Saturday, we had to run some errands so we took Ellie to Lowe's instead of her normal morning walk around the neighborhood. She wore her backpack with two small water bottles. Everyone LOVED her and she behaved like a guide dog would have.... I am not kidding! She walked, waited, sat down when we stopped, it was like magic. We didn't do anything new, but figured there was so much mental stimulation that she had to focus on us. We were there for a total of 1 hour and we had SO, SO, SO much fun. When we got home, Ellie went straight down for a nap. She woke up and ran around the backyard for an hour just playing and rolling in the grass. My husband and I even took a quick 30 minute nap on our hammock in the warm 75 degree weather. Life could not have been any better! 

On Sunday, we thought about taking her to Lowe's again, and same thing. Ellie was well behaved. She slept the entire day and woke up around 5pm for her second walk. I noticed she was much less distracted and was able to walk by our side much better. When we came home for dinner, she barely lifted her head to eat the food. LOL. 

My husband and I joke that we will take her to Lowe's for the rest of our lives. She got to interact with some girls selling girl scout cookies. She got to socialized with all types of people. It was seriously better than doggy daycare or the dog park....and FREE!


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## jluke

*Last Class and Grab Bag...*

Hi all... As I said, Maisie and I had and enjoyed(!) our last Basic class tonight, including zig-zagging through a short course at heel with all 9 other dogs at the same time. She did really well. So, I'm the fond Mommy, but I think she's the best in the class!

Megan -- I'm sorry you had a tough weekend. What's with the barking? Maisie has found her voice, too, after hardly barking at all. Now, if she hears a car or noise in front or behind the house or something startles her awake, she really barks loudly. I've started thanking her for the first few barks, then telling her, "OK -- be quiet now." I don't know if this is right or not, but if I don't do something, she'll go on and on and it hurts my head (especially with this blasted migraine. Thanks for the good thoughts BTW.)

I saw the comments about putting poop in dug up holes. I wondered the same thing Deb did. Won't Maisie just dig more, different holes? I'd appreciate any help here since we just had our annual spring yard clean-up done and the people re-did her small potty place with mulch which is where she digs where she gets rowdy. Also, she's taken to not listening sometimes when I take her out there to pee/poop and won't come back to me -- she gets the zoomies or just runs away over and over again. Recently DH and I have been taking her out on a flexible leash (and haven't ever needed to do that), calling come and reeling her in if she doesn't. Any and all ideas are appreciated.

OK -- one last thing and, please forgive the fond mom story. When DH was walking Maisie this AM, a car stopped on the neighborhood street to ask what kind of dog she is (an English Setter, maybe?). Marty explained about English-style GRs. The man in the car sat there praising Maisie and talking while two other cars waited behind him. Now, I think she's cute, but this is kind of silly... DH says that now I can say she stops traffic!


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## Pammie

@Serawyn:wave: I am so happy for you that you the hubs and Ellie had such a nice afternoon together! We all need to have positive happy times with our pups to help cancel out the not so good times, right?! Was it the backpack that made the difference, is that new for her? Maybe she was blissed out because she just loves to shop!!! LOL!

One year old must be our magic number because since Bryley had his birthday he is calmer and just more fun and less work!! The biggest difference is his ability to just hang-out and not having to constantly be on the move! He also gives up stolen goods w/o a fuss and has totally stopped trying to swallow said stolen goods...except for the coveted tissue & papertowel!

It Does Get Better.


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## Deber

Michelle - Loved seeing Koda and Ozzy together and think it is so cute that he would bring the frisbee back for Koda! Also loved your snow, but you can keep it & know the dogs sure enjoyed it. Bet the kids were completely worn out when you got home. How much fun!!

Serawyn - I haven't gone to Lowe's before, but took Kye to Home Depot and had such a good walk too. Hubby was getting lumber and Kye had so much to look at and people to greet, she was good and tired when she got home. I am so glad Ellie liked her trip and know it is soooo good for her to get all that socialization. I want to see if there are other places I can take the dogs to, but don't think there are many. Sad. I would take Ellie every week to help her and get her out. As you say it is free and a great family outing.

Jill - I too just haven't the trust in my two for off leash yet. Sometimes they listen, sometimes they don't. So we use the 100 ft lead. I hate it because it is a lot of lead to have to keep, but works. Also found if I take my male Biewer yorkie (excellent recall) with us way out where no one is, both pups will follow his lead. I can call Baynon and as he races back to me, the goldens follow. I just can't trust this in town yet (perhaps never!). Also had to laugh at the car stopping and asking about Maisie. Yes our lighter goldens really seem to cause a scene don't they? My two as pups were called labs, then pyreneese mix, now people just stop and ask me what they are! To me, even though they are light, they look so very golden but obviously others don't think so. I get a chuckle because people never believe me when I say they are just goldens with lighter colored coats. Here in Texas I just don't ever see the lighter ones as the Golds and deep Red's are the norm. Have fun knowing your girl is BEAUTIFUL and a traffic stopper for sure!

Don't know how we will stop the digging (do they ever stop?) Here in town the ground is hard so few holes are dug thankfully, but at the farm, the sandy loam is prime for digging, also will grow anything, so in less than a year the pups have dug huge holes everywhere! I have moved most of my bulbs to the front, but keep hoping they will outgrow this. One of the threads said that poop in a hole will deter them and seems to be true, but heck they just moved to another spot! Hate to not pick up the poop in the yard...so honestly don't know what or how to stop this unless I stand in the yard with them every time they go out. I am worried that one may dig too close to the fence and get out though so far the holes are all in the middle of the yard, but a worry.

Outwest - will have to check out the thread on Tucker and Tess. I haven't bought any of the marrow bones yet..and need to! Also need to bathe the two, but would like to get past most of the major shedding before I do. Really hard to imagine the amount of hair I am getting off them. I know I could easily knit another dog! I am brushing them twice a day from head to foot and staying on top of most of it, but funny to brush, sweep and still see a golden dust bunnie roll across the floor. OMG what a mess.


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## Deber

Congratulations Bryley upon reaching Man-Hood! Yea! Glad to hear it honestly does get better. Whew I am tired. 

Jill - forgot to ask if Maisie liked her backpack? I am thinking of getting on for the dogs too. Think Coop would like the comfort of carrying something on his back and hope it would settle Kye down a bit? How is it working?


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## Pammie

Whoops! itouch plus latenight plus correction attempt on previous post equal double post!


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## mrmooseman

I wish there was more places to take Moose. We only have 2 pet stores and they welcome the pets, but Moose being.. well very "moose like" would more then likely knock everything over. We did take him to one pet store when he was a puppy and the girl tha worked there just looked at him with a bad look on her face and then ignored. I was thinking why didn't she comment on how cute he was! She was not friendly so we don't take him there anymore. We haven't tried home depot. I'd like to take him there since we have been spending a lot of our weekends there. My luck he would use the washroom in there. 

We have been starting to swap out some of his old toys for new ones. Some of his toys are so gross looking. I have read a lot about elk antlers, but I cannot find them here anywhere! Our petstore don't sell them, or at least never have them when I go in to get one. Any good websites that ship to Canada that might have them ??


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## Deber

Megan I took would like to get some antlers. Know there was a thread a few months back and a lot of people put links to where they get them. Some were in Canada! Got so google the search and see if I can dig up that old thread. I agree with you some of Coop/Kye's toys are so ucky. Even washing them is doing little difference. They need to be tossed, but need something to replace them with.


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## baumgartml16

Jill and Deb - I am with you guys on the holes. I dont know what to do...and she doesn't even get far because we are out there with her when she is outside but there are still dirt spots all over our yard. It is more of a game for her though, she just wants to eat the grass and dirt. So she will chase her frisbee and instaed of picking it up she will start to dig and grab a huge chunk of dirt and grass..and then run away...and not return...

It is extrememly frustrating and my hubby is not happy with the looks of our yard..but I dont know what else to do.

Koda doesn't listen outside nearly as well either..unless she knows there are treats or we are definitely going to continue playing she won't come when called...she is too afraid we will drag her in. She rarely ever comes inside willingly..it usually involves us reeling her in with her fighting us the entire way...or she lays down and becomes impossible to move..I am at my wits end with this and don't know what to do..any suggestions?

Serawyn - your weekend sounds fantastic! I need to call our Home Depot and see if they allow dogs, that would be such a fun adventure but I think it would be just that - an adventure. She will probably pull us the entire way into the store and then proceed to try to get to everythign else in the store..I dont think we would get her focus. She does not focus on us AT ALL....I need to get that Control Unleashed book everyone talks about and work on some focus stuff. I am just so afraid it is too late and she won't ever get it because we didn't enforce it early enough...

Bryley - what a good boy you have become. I hope there is a magic switch on Koda in a few months that will turn her into a great doggie like you!


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## OutWest

Tucker's "Enthusiastic Greeting Disorder" seems to be improving. 

My daughter's tutor comes over twice a week, and I have my DD put him into a sit, and have asked the tutor to ignore him for about 5 minutes then greet him when he's calm. So far it's working. 

I think the challenge will be (always) with unexpected people at the door. But that's not all bad, either. Strangers will definitely know that a large barky dog lives at this house!

I think I need to try out the back-pack idea. Am wondering if I can rig up something that won't cost a fortune to see if it's effective with Tucker.... Hmmmm. 

Sunny here today, but COLD and windy. 

Kathleen


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## MarsNPluto

What a great thread! I wish I had known about this sooner, but now I have a lot of reading material to catch up on... what's my next project to procrastinate on? 

Pluto is now 8 months old, so I know what you are all going through! He has his good days, and he also has his very naughty days. He did have major leash problems a couple months ago with jumping on me and biting the leash, but that has been fine for the most part as of recent (though sometimes he seems to forget how to loose leash walk, and we stop walking about every 2 steps ).

Lately, he has been trying his hardest to climb up on my bed (I do not allow him on furniture), and a few days ago when I wasn't looking, he climbed up on the couch, sniffing around for a place to lay. He knows he is not allowed, and to that day he has not even tried to get up there, but alas, there he was.

Just yesterday, when my boyfriend left the room, he was eating a cardboard box that he pulled out from the closet. My boyfriend corrected him, hid the cardboard box elsewhere in the closet, then later that day left the room again to tend to something. As soon as he got back, he caught Pluto eating the box again! Right when he walked through that door, Pluto did run away and hide under the chair because he KNEW what he was doing was wrong... Needless to say, Pluto will be in his crate when unattended, though most days he is pretty trustworthy out of it, if only for a few minutes.

This morning, when I brought him to my boyfriend's house and my boyfriend was lying in bed, Pluto kept trying to jump on him/his bed to greet him. I corrected him, Pluto sat, stared at me and gave me a low disappointed growl... then proceeded to scratch himself.:doh:

He is getting better with recall, though not completely. We took him to a dog friendly beach a couple days ago, and even though we had chicken readily available (his favorite), after a while he got bored coming to my boyfriend and I, and he preferred to greet and jump on other people instead. We are STILL having THE hardest time with the jumping thing. Needless to say, that off lead experiment was short lived. I do hope it gets better, though, because I do enjoy having him off lead. I will be investing in a 25' lead soon, however. :bowl: He also regressed in housetraining (peeing in the house) a month ago, but luckily we solved that... I hope...

So great to have a support group... Teenage pups are the most endearing and most annoying things ever. Amazing how they can be both at the same time!


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## Tucker's mommy

Hi, everybody - I have a question for you all that I haven't seen addressed here, at least I don't think. How "affectionate" are your pups? Tucker is getting near the 10 month mark, and I swear there are days he couldn't give a rat's you-know-what about us. But then there are those brief special moments that he puts his head in our laps with that slow tail wag, and I know he loves us. But I was expecting more. Do these pups tend to show more affection as they get older? It's so frustrating, because every time I try to give him some love, after just a few seconds his blasted mouth and teeth need to show their presence on my arm. He just can't seem to do anything lately without getting excited. I'd love to know what all of your experiences are with this. So, enough rambling. How affectionate are your dogs?


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## OutWest

Tucker's mommy said:


> Hi, everybody - I have a question for you all that I haven't seen addressed here, at least I don't think. How "affectionate" are your pups? Tucker is getting near the 10 month mark, and I swear there are days he couldn't give a rat's you-know-what about us. But then there are those brief special moments that he puts his head in our laps with that slow tail wag, and I know he loves us. But I was expecting more. Do these pups tend to show more affection as they get older? It's so frustrating, because every time I try to give him some love, after just a few seconds his blasted mouth and teeth need to show their presence on my arm. He just can't seem to do anything lately without getting excited. I'd love to know what all of your experiences are with this. So, enough rambling. How affectionate are your dogs?


My Tucker is quite affectionate, but has never been a lap dog. He loves hugs (we slap our bellies to give him permission to jump up) and often comes up and just lays his head on my thigh and gazes up at me. Other things he loves ... getting groomed with a hairbrush (not the kind that pulls on the hair--tho he's OK with those too). He acts like he's getting petted or massaged. Loves it. He rolls over on his back for it and lays there with all four in the air. Grunts. When we're at the dog park and he spies me from across the way, sometimes he'll stop everything and run-run-run to me with his tail wagging. I open my arms wide and we do a big hug. My other dog is very affectionate but in a different way. She likes to snuggle and will park herself as close as possible to her humans at all times. But she was bred for that--her genetic wiring is to be a companion animal.

From your description, I think the mouthiness IS his way of being affectionate. Just needs channelling perhaps? I'm guessing as he matures and mellows, the affection will become more what you might expect.


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## Pammie

I think that as the dogs mature their level of affection increases, so hang in there Tuckers mommy! He is showing you affection and I bet that happens when he is thoroughly exercised and not all wired! Bryley is the most affectionate when he is tired, or first part of the morning or after exercised. He always rests his head on my feet and follows me from room to room and I always kiss his face and he just seems to enjoy it, I know I do!! The lap gaze thing makes my heart melt.


Deber said:


> Megan I took would like to get some antlers. Know there was a thread a few months back and a lot of people put links to where they get them. Some were in Canada!.


I get Bryley antlers from PetExpertise Dog Chew Toys and Treat Dispensing Toys (I checked and they do not ship antlers to Canada. Sorry Megan!) Just got a giant one last week, the XXLarge size and it cost $32 with shipping.
Sanity in a box!

Pluto sounds like a typical teenager! Glad you found this thread- lots of good info and a great support!

My _it gets better _post above...well, he is _better_ but believe me he can still be a major s#@% head! Like today when I got home from work he immediately jumped to take my insulated lunch bag and was mouthing my hand. I turned and stood in the corner of the cabinets doing the ignore ignore ignore and he just moved on to playing with a toy! I could tell my husband had not put much effort into getting B's excess energy expelled so outside we went. His shenanigans continued- first he took my gloves and then after I traded a toy for a treat he grabbed the toy back out of my hands with those wild white eyes we have all seen! Stopped play immediately and I sat at the patio table with my elbows on the table and no eye contact doing ignore ignore ignore. He just does not seem to care, he just shifted his attention to the cat and whatever, kind of like who cares whatever!! AArrrgggghhhhhh I hate it that he can get my goat.
Now we are back in the house, he is snoozing by my feet fueling up for more fun later this evening! 
I still find him irresistible!:heartbeat


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## baumgartml16

Koda is a lot like your tucker and she is 10 months too. There are days she can take it or leave it and will get mouthy at times. I used to stress about her affection but I attribute it partly to her energy level and that she just isn't a cuddly dog and that is fine. She shows it other ways. After exercise I lay by her and she loves her pets. In the morning she is mega cuddly, I bring her up in bed and she rolls on her back between us and soaks up the love. I say all this with her cuddled up by me on the blanket. Ahe wont come on the couch to cuddle but if I go and lay on the floor she will.come cuddle with me at night. Not every night though...depends how tired she is. Some dogs are more independent. Don't stress, he loves you to pieces! 
Do u work during the day or are you home?


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## jluke

*Responses -- Lots (Affection, Coming, Welcome, Backpack...)*

Tucker's Mom, on your question about how affectionate Maisie is, I'd have to say, very. She's younger though -- not quite 9 months -- and has always been pretty mellow except when the crazies hit every so often and is sometimes a bit shy rather than bold. She likes me to sit on the floor with her any time of the day and will curl up in between my legs -- I say "in my nest" and lap up pets for as long as I'll give them. Her favorite part of the day is waking up DH (he takes the AM duty since he's a morning person) and having him crawl onto the floor with her -- she goes wild wiggling with joy that one of her people is up. On the other hand, she's not very independent -- really likes to stay close by most of the time.

Welcome Pluto's Mom.

Backpacks -- Deb, it's not Maisie who has one (someone else posted on this). Maisie did inherit a coat that I use when it rains hard or when we have a wet snow. So Outwest, that made me wonder whether you might be able to borrow a doggie coat and rig it up as a temporary backpack (maybe to just carry two water bottles?) to try it out before you invest in a real backpack.

Michelle, you mentioned that Koda, like Maisie, goes into the yard and won't come, sometimes lays down and then you have to drag her. I had the same thing happen today. I hit on getting Maisie to sit and from there was able to put on her leash and get her to heel with me into the house. Maybe that would work with Koda?

Deb and Michelle -- I'm so glad that Maisie isn't the only pup who digs to eat! Today she was after the new mulch we just had put down, eating it and rolling in it and getting it all over her. She looked like she was covered with chocolate sprinkles! But she was having so much fun, I had to laugh.

Megan -- you commented about taking Moose to pet stores. Would he heel? I've noticed that Maisie pulls a fair amount when we walk to the DP, but if I have her heel, she does much better. The instructor at our class said that's very common with teen-age pups -- that they do better with structure. For what it's worth.

Deb -- ah yes, light GRs. Now that Maisie has all her feathers, she clearly looks like a GR, but people still can't believe a GR can be the color of French vanilla ice cream... Some days I want to hang a sign around her neck that says, "I'm a GR from European lines and, yes, we can be this color."


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## mrmooseman

Moose is such a snuggly pup. When he was smaller though, he didn't care for the snuggles and thats all I wanted to do. I was upset because I read online that male dogs are more affectionate then females, which tend to be more independent. Now that he is older though, he is soo cuddly! He loves his snuggles on the couch and his kisse I ask for a kiss in return he gives me little kisses. He constly needs to be petted, unless he's sleeping or busy, he just always wants to be petted. He loves his morning snuggles with us, he will lay between us on the bed, body under the blanket and head on the pillow, and just soak up the hugs and kisses and pets. My bf will even pick him up and he will snuggle right into him on his lap (him doing that has me convinced that is why he still thinks he's a small puppy) and he also does the whole chin on the lap and look up bit. Right now he is snuggled into me on the bed. But this all started about 2-3 months ago. 

As with heeling, he suprises me sometimes. He will heal and sit when we tell him to, but he will pull before that. At the dp I just let him out of my car off leash and he goes right to the gate to get in, it's the same as when we're leaving. I will open the door and let him go out and tell him "to the car" and he stops right infront of the door and waits for me. After the park its the same thing. I have been trying him off leash because he is just to strong for me and it is working. But it isn't going to happen all the time. But he is just so big and goofy. He thinks he is smaller then he is I'm sure of it and he just tries to fit into places he clearly can't fit into. And his tail! That thing hurts when he hits you with it when he is wagging it. We had to stop putting breakables on our tv stand because his tail has sweapt some stuff off.

I called the petstore and asked if they were getting the antlers in anytime soon, the guy said they were but they tend to sell out quick because we live in such a small area, they don't get that many in, but he said he will thold one for me. It can be a gift from the easter bunny. There is something wrong with me if I am planning easter gifts for a dog.. hahah.


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## OutWest

*Bad mommy! Bad, bad mommy!*

Yesterday, the day ran pretty smoothly. I took pooches to dog park, we came home. I worked on the computer, read the paper, ate my lunch. About 4 pm as I got ready to go get my daughter, I went to make kongs for the dogs (their favorite crate treat). Then it hit me. I HAD FORGOTTEN TO FEED THEM! :doh: I couldn't take the time to do it right then--had to get to the school--so gave them really stuffed Kongs and fed them when I got home. 

Anyone else ever do this? I thought Tucker had been unusually affectionate while I was eating my soup, and now I know why! LOL. 

No big harm done. Both are well fed dogs. But it was so weird. How could I forget to feed Tucker and Tess? They were right in front of me all day.


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## mrmooseman

I'm glad spring is finally starting to show, it was 10 degrees here today (10 degrees F) and the sun was shining! Beautiful. I started my day with putting pulled pork into the slow cooker then getting ready and off to a job interview.. Moose's say started off with him being extra cranky because we woke him up too early. Once I came home I decided to take him to the park, I love when spring starts to show but I HATE when it melts everything and the ground is pure mud. Ugh. Moose was dirty! Of course I had to bath him. I really only rinsed him off but he was soo dirty! First he tried to escape out of the tub, then once I got him cleaned, he made his great escape. He was soo mad that he jumped on our bed, I tried to stop him but he was too fast. Finally got him off the bed and he escaped into the livingroom. When I went in he was laying on the floor licking the water off his paws, In went to the basement to put the towels into the washer, came up stairs and he was on the couch.. out cold. He just wasn't moving so I left him there. We have a blanket on the couch for him anyways so the couch didn't get wet. Right now he is currently laying on the floor now that he is all dried. Of course he is, always the way.


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## Deber

Outwest - I too did that once, when hubby called and I met him after work for a quiet dinner at our favorite place. Usually I go home first and feed the dogs, but this time just went straight from work. We usually feed them 1/2 of dinner about 4:30 then training, walks and back home for rest of dinner and bedtime, this time they were left without food, no walk..until much later. I felt so bad, how could I forget them??? Glad they don't wear watches!

I have GOT to get my two to settle more when we or visitors come. They still want to jump up for greetings even if ignored or if you turn your back. They knocked the milk jug out of my DH hands last night as he brought groceries in. A full gallon of milk all over the den floor. Needless to say all the dogs went wild gulping it up as we tried to grab towles and mops. Don't know what milk will do to their bowel movements but they all drank way more than they should have. Uck! It is not bad if one of us is there to put them on sit/stay, but it is when we enter for the first time and no one is there to stop or hold them. Got to figure out how we can enter without being mauled. 

Pluto's Mom - Welcome, I am Debbie or Deb and this is the place we come to try to understand our teenagers. Jump right on in here with us. Having two pups I guess we are blessed in affection. Kye our female is much more independent and though she is very light colored I swear from her personality she is field line bred (really comes from show lines). Coop is 180 degrees the opposite, very mellow, huge and a big baby. Coop is clingy and would sit glued to your side all day if you allowed it. You can do anything with him..ie cut nails, brush, dig in his ears, look at teeth and he will close his eyes and loves any contact. He is truly Velcro. Kye, well she doesn't need us for much. Loves us, but not very openly affectionate except at certain times, which we treasure. I know this is more the way of all breeds, as females are usually more independent/boys more clingy and runs very true in ours. But Kye is so smart and learns so quickly, really a fun dog to work with. Coop honestly doesn't seem to care to learn and is so good it is easy to forget to work hard with him too. Other than jumping (he learned this from Kye) he is honestly so good. But teaching him other than the basics is truly a failure and I figure he will always be more of a couch potato, but boy is he a lover! He is good for Kye to balance out her utter craziness. 

Megan - Had to laugh at the MooseMan! Kye has also done this. Nothing like a dripping wet dog running through the house. Hubby now moves our gates at bathtime so they only have the bathroom and hall, then gates stop them from our bedroom or heading the other direction to the spare bedrooms. This way they have no real place to go and I can at least blow-dry them enough to get them only slightly damp before putting them back in the den. Amazing I can bathe 7 yorkies with no problem (I put them immediately on the grooming table in a noose) but it takes me forever to do the goldens! Wish I could have room for a ramp to the grooming table! It is hard to blow them dry while bending almost on the floor. Glad it will soon be warm weather then we will go back to bathing them outside. I have a ring I clip the leash on and can bathe and towel dry outside, then march back into the bathroom for blowdrying at least most of the water off. Lot less mess to clean than baths in the house.


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## mrmooseman

Moose is scared of everything! I use to blow dry him as a pup and he loved it. He would just lay there and let us do it. Now if I come at him with a blow dryer, you would swear I use to beat him with it! He takes off and hides (not well I must add) and it takes the 2 of us to hold him. Same wih cleaning his ears.


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## Deber

Ever notice how funny they are when they are trying to hide? Coop still flattens when he sees the car, but now he flattens right outside our training facility and puts his nose and eyes inbetween two planters. He thinks he is invisible, but there is 3/4 dog sticking out! He will also try to hide a toy from Kye and puts his nose (and toy) under the couch. Like Kye won't see a 60 lbs body sticking out in the middle of the room! Soooo funny!

But both of mine don't mind the blowdryer at all. Wonder if it is because I have to groom the yorkies every weekend, so they are very use to the sound?? So far, the only problem we have is brushing their tail (they sit) and clipping nails. I am up to 2 or 3 nails at a time but did find the dremmel will do it in 1/2 the time. Would like to progress to doing all at once. Working on this.


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## baumgartml16

Megan - thanks for the laugh although I am sure you weren't laughing that much as it was happening. That sounds like Koda though, we put her in the water and she is doing her best to fight us and jump on out of there. Hence the reason we are taking her to the groomers now. It is actually pretty cheap to do and worth it. Now we just have to worry about those times she needs a rinse off. Koda tries to hide from stuff too and it is hilarious watching her try to find somewhere we won't see. She often ends up like Coop and sticking half her body out of somewhere.

She will sometimes hide under the kitchen table and we walk around saying "where's Koda"...when we say that she pops her head out and looks at us like "right here"..then we proceed to keep doing this. It is a little game for her! 

And what is this 10 degree F is spring for you!? Wow..we had 60 yesterday and it was glorious! Took Koda on a extra long walk!  

Deb - we had the same jumping problems you have but putting the leash on and popping her when she went to jump helped A LOT. Now she just bounces lightly in front of people like "I want to jump, I want to jump ..." but she won't do it!  Eventually she sits and huffs at people or makes little growly noises if you dno't pet her fast enough..so cute! 

We start Koda's next class tonight, hoping it goes well!! Need to impress the new teachers in the first class so they excuse her normal behaviour the rest of the classes LOL. 

I wonder if being a female from a field line has anything to do with Koda's affection levels..I know females in general are just less affectionate but maybe the field line has something to do with it too. My hubby's past goldens (all girls) were not very affectionate either with the exception of the last one which was a rescue and the biggest lover ever! But I think she was just very appreciative of her wonderful life she got so she repaid it with love!!


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## mrmooseman

Ok so I messed up haha it was 10°C. Which is 48°F. That sounds better. It's the same today, although we are having a weird wind warning. It is so beautiful out right now, I think today is a good day to try Moose with just walking. I dread the thoughts of him pulling, but we have to atleast start. He's being doing so good with off leash. It was way to muddy out to take him to the park today. I don't think he would enjoy another bath haha. 

He hides under the table too. His best hiding place is under the coffee table. How he even still fits under there I have no idea. He LOVES to lay under there and just chew on his toys. He also likes to hide beside the bed and put his head down, because you know, I clearly can't see his back haha. It's too cute. Reminds me of when I was playing hide and seek with my little cousin years ago and she put her legs under the arm chair and covered her eyes and said "you can't see me" hahaha


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## mrmooseman

So.. walking was a bust. He is just so use to going and running free I swear he forgets how to walk on the leash. He was a nightmare today trying to walk down the road. He was pulling soo much. I'm going to try my brothers prong collar and see how he does with that so if it works wonderful I will get one. It was so beautiful out and I hated wasting it indoors when he wanted to be out. I got some cleaning done and some laundry and Moose was out on the step. This weather excites me, the mud ? not soo much. ugh.


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## jluke

*Blow Drier? And...*

So first, Deb, Megan and all, how did you get your pups used to blow driers? Maisie hates them! So, I just towel dry her, but it takes lots of towels and swimming season is coming up fast --

70 degrees here today and back to the dog park where there was a GR convention with 6 or the 8 dogs being GRs mid-day. Quite a scene. Maisie, of course, rolled and tumbled in all the new mulch that had been put down and looked like a rag-a-muffin next to the gorgeous adult dogs!

Deb, you mentioned that Coop and Kye sit on their tails when you're drying them. We taught our dogs "Stand" in class -- it makes lots of things easier as I'm sure you know from your little guys. Now I don't have to deal with a squirming Maisie when I'm trying to put her seat belt on among other things.

I just learned that my trainer offers an outdoor "Beyond Basics" drop-in class on Saturday mornings right here in our neighborhood. Maisie and I can walk 5 blocks to the school where it is held. I'm planning to try it this weekend -- I figure it will keep us in practice until the advanced class starts and I don't like the DP on the weekend as much since it gets pretty crowded. (The owners seem more distracted, too.)


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## mrmooseman

When we are able to blow dry him, it takes the 2 of us and a lot of kind words and treats haha. Same with cleaning his ears, we praise him as were doing it and tell him he's a good boy and doing a good job. I tend to give him kisses on his noise and he seems content when I do that.


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## Mom of Maizie

*ringing in my ears*

Hi everyone!

Maizie just turned 7 months old and she was doing great with using the bells by the door to let us know she had to potty. I could tell she really got it. We've only had one accident in the last month when we didn't pay attention to her signals and were lax in taking her out after she had a long nap. Our fault, not hers. 

Well, now she's figured out that the bells get attention. She rings them way too much, for instance every time we sit down at the dinner table. For awhile I continued to try to take her out every time, but she got so she'd hang back about 10 feet from the door, watching me put on my jacket and shoes, then play hard to get by just watching me instead of coming to the door. I'd no sooner get my jacket and shoes off until the bell would ring again, unless she got distracted by something else. When it happened to DH, he tried luring her into her harness with a treat and then taking her out. Bless her heart, she'll squeeze out a teaspoon of pee about every time!!! Now she is playing the game of ring the bell...hang back... wait for a treat to get into the harness. We are going WAY too far down the wrong road here!!! Is there something someone can suggest that I'm not seeing??? I'm dealing with a GR that is obviously smarter than me and DH put together!!!


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## mrmooseman

What a great start to friday so far..

I was eating cheerios this morning, put them down on the bedside table (have myself some breakfast in bed while Moose slept) and went to the kitchen for a moment. I stopped what I was doing cause I could hear something.. "clink clink clink" That was my spoon off the bowl. Mr Moose man decided to help himself.. ugh. I snapped a quick picture. Don't mind the bedding, we are in the middle of re doing the rooms since we bought the house.

So I put him outside.. went to get him and was greeted with a little muddle face. He is still working hard on our pool..

Happy Friday!


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## Tucker's mommy

I LOVE the mud face, Megan! 

Tucker is working on a very interesting pool design of his own - he finished the shallow end and is now working on the deep end. When my two year old walks in our yard, she falls in the holes. He just HAD to pick the middle of our front yard to build his pool. And to think he's only ten months old. Come summer, we will have no yard left.


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## OutWest

The pool diggers are just trying to upgrade your properties. 

While eating my lunch today, I left the back door open. It's quite warm here. When I finished, I found a little giftie from Tucker. :doh: it was an old and rotten stick--I didn't even hear him chewing. He was quite proud of himself. I recently had some ivy removed that had taken over an old flower bed, and he has been bringing in treasures for days that were covered by the ivy. 

Took him and Tess to TWO dog parks this morning and let them get really tired out. I had to be at a store when it opened at 10, so we did a little DP tour. They are both crashed out now.


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## baumgartml16

Can't wait for our beautiful weather this weekend and hopefully getting to enjoy it. Near 60's Sat and Sun but maybe some rain on Sunday. 

We have two people wanting play dates and Koda's swimming lesson on Sunday. Should be fun. My hubby works tomorrow for at least part of the day (his busy season) so it will be me and Kodes. I plan to spend the majority of the time outside but I am a little hesitent to be in the backyard that long. She still eats everything and I hate chasing her down the whole time pulling everything out of her mouth. My plan is to walk around the yard and pick up as many sticks I can find, big and small, and she will probably follow behind. We want to keep it as stick free as possible so we don't have to stress as much...


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## jluke

*Re-directing the Bell Ringer*

Hi Maizie's Mom. We had the same issue with the "potty bells" with Maisie that you're describing with Maizie. Our trainer suggested re-focusing her request to go out -- now that she clearly understood what she was asking -- on us by asking her, "Do you need to go out?" in a high-pitched, engaging voice. It took a while, but that mostly works now. Sometimes she still jingles the bells just to go out if she's bored, but I usually say, "Do you really need to go out?" And she looks at me like she knows what I mean. But it took about 2 months, I'd say -- she's almost 9 months now.


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## jluke

*Scary Situation for My Stick Muncher*

Maisie has always loved to munch and crunch sticks. She came in after walking with DH this afternoon and at first seemed fine, but then I noticed she was breathing shallowly and fast. She didn't take a big drink like she does after most walks. Then, she started to bow down and paw at her month insistently. When I got on the floor with her, she crawled into my lap like she was asking for help. I looked into her mouth, but couldn't find anything, probed around with my fingers and didn't feel anything. Her gums and tongue were pink, so I knew she was getting oxygen, but something was definitely wrong. I called the vet -- they were completely booked, but promised to work us in. While I was sitting and putting on my shoes, Maisie tried to crawl up onto my lap -- something she never does -- it was like, "Help me, Mom!" And she kept pawing and pawing at her mouth.

She drooled and discharged lots of clear fluid from her nose on the ride -- neither typical of her - and continued to breath shallowly while panting, so I was pretty worried. DH was doing the driving.

The vet's office did a great job of seeing us quickly. The vet tech examined Maisie's mouth. (I was so glad that we'd handled her mouth and teeth a lot because she didn't put up any fuss.) Pretty quickly, the tech pulled a 3 inch piece of stick from against Maisie's palate (I guess you call it) way back between Maisie's upper teeth. I guess I couldn't see it since the stick was dark brown and the roof of Maisie's mouth is black. Then, she was fine.

So -- I guess sticks are going to be a thing of the part for her -- ?? She loves to chew. Inside the house she has an antler. I have to find something to give her in the yard/on the deck -- and somehow keep her from picking up every stick she sees on walks...

(Oh -- she's up to 63 pounds -- 9 months old next week. And the vet says her "figure" is still great.)


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## OutWest

jluke said:


> Maisie has always loved to munch and crunch sticks. She came in after walking with DH this afternoon and at first seemed fine, but then I noticed she was breathing shallowly and fast. She didn't take a big drink like she does after most walks. Then, she started to bow down and paw at her month insistently. When I got on the floor with her, she crawled into my lap like she was asking for help. I looked into her mouth, but couldn't find anything, probed around with my fingers and didn't feel anything. Her gums and tongue were pink, so I knew she was getting oxygen, but something was definitely wrong. I called the vet -- they were completely booked, but promised to work us in. While I was sitting and putting on my shoes, Maisie tried to crawl up onto my lap -- something she never does -- it was like, "Help me, Mom!" And she kept pawing and pawing at her mouth.
> 
> She drooled and discharged lots of clear fluid from her nose on the ride -- neither typical of her - and continued to breath shallowly while panting, so I was pretty worried. DH was doing the driving.
> 
> The vet's office did a great job of seeing us quickly. The vet tech examined Maisie's mouth. (I was so glad that we'd handled her mouth and teeth a lot because she didn't put up any fuss.) Pretty quickly, the tech pulled a 3 inch piece of stick from against Maisie's palate (I guess you call it) way back between Maisie's upper teeth. I guess I couldn't see it since the stick was dark brown and the roof of Maisie's mouth is black. Then, she was fine.
> 
> So -- I guess sticks are going to be a thing of the part for her -- ?? She loves to chew. Inside the house she has an antler. I have to find something to give her in the yard/on the deck -- and somehow keep her from picking up every stick she sees on walks...
> 
> (Oh -- she's up to 63 pounds -- 9 months old next week. And the vet says her "figure" is still great.)


Wow. Very scary indeed. Glad she's OK. Tucker has been bringing in sticks from yard but they are old and soft. Will have to pay more attention.


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## baumgartml16

Jeez, very scary. Glad everything and everyone is okay. Stopping them from eating sticks is a full time job. 

Just to koda to a park to work on her comes with the long lead and a 2 yr old golden and their owner showed up. I had to drop the leash so they could play and I was scared. She did awesome though, came everytime i called. i was one proud mama. She was a dirt ball though with all the snow had melted. My husband is working today so it was up to me to get her cleaned up. O boy, I worked up a seeat. I let her out of the bathroom and realized I left the door to thr basement open. She grabbed my boot and headed downstairs which led to another 10 min Chase to get that back. O boy...what an afternoon but all worth it with her happy face!!


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## Nyahsmommy

Well I have been MIA recently because the bf and I have had a very bad case of the flu(thought I was dying! lol). Not sure what you guys do with the pups when your sick but nyah was stuck doing nothing all week. No walks, no play, nothing. She was good for the most part sleeping and such but we took her twice (once this morning) to bfs moms house to run around and lets just say she wont be welcomed back for a good while. :no:

She has been very very bad. She no longer listens outside at all. It's very embarrassing when the neighbours are watching and such. Sticks are still a huge problem but recently she has been pulling out the pot lights in their backyard. She will not give it up. Infact she broke two, she chewed through one completely eating lots of hard sharp plastic and almost piercing a battery. We can't even exercise her more because she won't go for walks(still refuses) and we dont have a yard of our own yet. We are seriously at wits end and running out of ideas and patience fast. :doh:


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## mrmooseman

NyahMommy I feel your pain. There were times I was just so upset when he wouldn't listen and I tried and tried. It did get better. But since we haven't taken him for walks much this winter (mainly because he pulled me once and I slipped and fell on the ice, so we just took him to the DP) he seems to have forgotten how to go on walks. ugh. I tried the other day and we didn't make it far because we had to turn around. Moose's thing is holes, no matter how much we try to stop it, he just continues to dig. My poor yard.. Today the BF let him chew on a piece of 2x4 (sometimes I wonder what goes through a guys head) and he ended up throwing up a bunch of pieces of wood. He use to just chew on wood or whatever and never swallow the pieces. So now we got to watch him super carfully because I don't want this to happen again. Ugh

As for when I'm sick, he will be good for the first day, after that he just gets annoying. But that was his teenage days and hopefully if it happens again he will be more sympathic.


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## morbidangel

* ll just copy paste this 1 .. 
& guys please any adive would be more then welcomed cause i need somthing to work with .. it's my first time being a parent 

Nishka is now around 8 months old & has just become a devil  is she into her adolescence stage now ?  it's like she just had a brainwash ..:doh: all my commands have to repeated like 10 times before she thinks that i even exist ..

All my pillows have gone to the dogs , she grabs at any think possible around the house & starts to either chew on it or start running all over the house with it ..:no: 2 days back i left her off leash thinking i might get her tired & boy how wrong was i , she kept running away from me .. kept pickin up trash off the ground .. ate some cat poop (crying) sob sob ..

trying to calm her down is like (mission impossible ) shes has become quite boisterous too .. doesn't like being said no starts barking  walks are okay until i keep walking , if i even take a mins halt to buy some grocery , she goes nuts sniffing everything picking up everything won't stand in a place :no::doh:

last & final thing , she just doesn't show any interest in the training i clicker train her & the moment she sees the clicker in my hands , she either wants to bolt out of that place or lies down & keeps looking at me & goes off to take a nap .. the food luring kinda training is out of the question  
*


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## elly

Aww Nishka! Tut tut! You are definately a teenage girl arent you!!?! Okay..first question..why is food training out of the question..allergies or????. Secondly...no matter whether you have to repeat commands 10 or 12 or 15 times.. do NOT give in. Consistency is the answer. *Vital*. If she sees you relent once have NO doubt...she WILL remember!!!  
A very big rule when dealing with teenagers is do not set her up to fail. Its so easy to do without realising. Even when you are trying not to you will realise you have when you look back over your day! How is she getting access to the cushions? Are these loose cushions on your chairs that could be put away until this phase hopefully passes and she is better trained? are your bedroom doors open allowing her free access to the pillows on your bed when you could keep those doors shut? Look how much nicer the day could be already without those temptations that lead to battles and destruction! Its time now to find a new voice tone for your 'no', I did the same for 'no' and 'give', I sound like a mix between a deep voiced man and a loud monotone robot but he knows I mean it and acts on it wheich he had stopped doing to my old tone and everyone elses. Its a sudden sharp NO, no drawl or up and down in tone..just deep, meaninfful and sudden...the same with 'give'. 
No more off leash. Long line only so YOU have the control. 
With the clicker training..have you tried combining it with a small squeeky toy in your pocket? Its a good tip I was given by a very experienced exhibitor and breeder that she uses when training some of her dogs.
Chester isnt a foody dog so if we use food it has to be VERY high value treats and it does work vut he gets a little over zealous. 
The other thing we have had to use and it seems extreme to some but its very quick and effective is a can of compressed air. You must have it at hand and as soon as she starts an unwanted behaviour you give it a quick press..NOT at the dog..its the SOUND thats effective and she WILL stop in her tracks and look at you with a 'MUM wheres the big snake' look! Its painless, quick, effective and to me its been the most helpful for issues like major leaping up and pulling things up in the garden if someone left the gate open and hes got out. I think a can should come with every puppy! I have always kept it hidden so he doesnt know its me, he suspects its coming from my direction but he wont come past in case that naughty snake hisses again!
Good luck..it will be fine..you just have to stick with it..but pleqse go to the pet store and buy your can now!!


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## Mom of Maizie

jluke said:


> Hi Maizie's Mom. We had the same issue with the "potty bells" with Maisie that you're describing with Maizie. Our trainer suggested re-focusing her request to go out -- now that she clearly understood what she was asking -- on us by asking her, "Do you need to go out?" in a high-pitched, engaging voice. It took a while, but that mostly works now. Sometimes she still jingles the bells just to go out if she's bored, but I usually say, "Do you really need to go out?" And she looks at me like she knows what I mean. But it took about 2 months, I'd say -- she's almost 9 months now.


Thanks for the encouragement. I guess this will take it to a new level of communication...beyond potty bells, huh?


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## Mom of Maizie

jluke said:


> Maisie has always loved to munch and crunch sticks. She came in after walking with DH this afternoon and at first seemed fine, but then I noticed she was breathing shallowly and fast. She didn't take a big drink like she does after most walks. Then, she started to bow down and paw at her month insistently. When I got on the floor with her, she crawled into my lap like she was asking for help. I looked into her mouth, but couldn't find anything, probed around with my fingers and didn't feel anything. Her gums and tongue were pink, so I knew she was getting oxygen, but something was definitely wrong. I called the vet -- they were completely booked, but promised to work us in. While I was sitting and putting on my shoes, Maisie tried to crawl up onto my lap -- something she never does -- it was like, "Help me, Mom!" And she kept pawing and pawing at her mouth.
> 
> She drooled and discharged lots of clear fluid from her nose on the ride -- neither typical of her - and continued to breath shallowly while panting, so I was pretty worried. DH was doing the driving.
> 
> The vet's office did a great job of seeing us quickly. The vet tech examined Maisie's mouth. (I was so glad that we'd handled her mouth and teeth a lot because she didn't put up any fuss.) Pretty quickly, the tech pulled a 3 inch piece of stick from against Maisie's palate (I guess you call it) way back between Maisie's upper teeth. I guess I couldn't see it since the stick was dark brown and the roof of Maisie's mouth is black. Then, she was fine.
> 
> So -- I guess sticks are going to be a thing of the part for her -- ?? She loves to chew. Inside the house she has an antler. I have to find something to give her in the yard/on the deck -- and somehow keep her from picking up every stick she sees on walks...
> 
> (Oh -- she's up to 63 pounds -- 9 months old next week. And the vet says her "figure" is still great.)


I was just reading this and having second thought about sticks!! 

My Maizie liked to play with some dried weeds in a field near our house. One day she started gagging while doing it and just kept gagging. I'm like you...very thankful she's always good about letting us look in her mouth. I looked in repeatedly not seeing anything and was beginning to panic when I looked up from a low angle and saw she had the hard dried stems of the weeds stuck sideways on the roof of her mouth between her back teeth. I pulled them out and we both were soooo relieved. 

I know you must've been in a panic all the way to the vet's. I'm so glad you're Maisie is okay!!!


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## jluke

*Teenage Nishka in Far-away India*

Oh, Nishka's "Mom", you've come to the right place -- this is where we compare notes about our teenage puppies! My Maisie isn't clicker-trained, so I can't comment on that specifically, but I have read that it's possible to combine clicker training with high-value food treats, so I wonder if Nishka would respond to something special like bits of chicken -- ??

I agree wholeheartedly that consistency in essential with dogs at this age. And, responding just as quickly as possible to an undesired behavior. (My Maisie wants to dig in our yard - a definite no-no for us. So, she doesn't go out without one of us right by her side and if she starts to dig, she hears a sharp clap, a "No dig!" and goes right on her leash and comes inside. The fun ends right away. If she runs away, I tell her to sit (her one nearly perfect command), then put on the leash. It's just an example, but think it's really important to follow through with a correction right away.

I also agree that an action which disrupts the undesired behavior works very well -- a sharp clap of the hands, but even better, the compressed air mentioned in the earlier post seems almost magic. The trainer who led our basic obedience class brought a can to our class which had 10 dogs, 5 of them very barky and unsettled. She'd give a burst of air, they'd immediately stop barking and look around. If you can't get one locally, they're available on amazon.com.

One last thing -- for me, having a command or two that Maisie always succeeds with has been really important both because I can rely on her and because I can get her to do it -- a sit or down -- and then praise her. At frustrating times I can also feel good that she (and I) have accomplished something and know that we'll accomplish more if we stick to it. Hang in there!


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## jluke

*My Usual Grab Bag...*

Nyah's Mom -- glad you and BF are feeling better. I empathize because I've had a migraine off-and-on for a week+. DH took over much of Maisie's care, but since I'm the lead "dog person", she didn't get nearly the exercise and none of the training that's usual. And, she's now more "his girl" than mine! I swear that she's glued to his side -- it's sort of cute. But it's been a few days and she's back on track as far as walking properly again.

Thanks Michelle, OutWest, Maizie's Mom and all -- we did have a few scary hours Friday afternoon, but only DH and I remember. Maisie still wants to munch sticks...

I took her to the outdoor Beyond Basics class yesterday morning and it was quite a challenge. Just 5 other dogs, but all of them adults who aren't well-socialized so Maisie, who thinks every dog is her best buddy, couldn't interact with them and was quite confused. On top of that, the Puppy Kindergarten that she used to go to was meeting in the adjacent fenced area and she was pining to join the pups! There were so many distractions built in to the situation and the class is set up to add to them with dogs in motion as others are in stay. It was very good work for us. Maisie was most definitely NOT the star! But she learned a lot and I did, too.


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## mrmooseman

I'm so glad to hear Maisie is doing great! That would be a scary situation. We had our own yesterday. The BF let Moose chew on a 2x4 and Moose threw up a lot of wood lastnight. But all is well and everything else is fine. Except he has a problem if I leave my plate unattended. Only my plate. He is stealing my food right off my plate! The bf tried it with his plate and Moose sniffed and just laid down. I'm getting very discouraged with this new thing. Today he played with Sadie and he is so worn out right now. He was soo muddy (I hate spring) and had to get bathed. He was falling asleep in the tub! Now he is asleep on his dog bed having little puppy dreams.


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## Nyahsmommy

Glad it's not only me with these problems. She has been really good today though I must say. I was at work so bf took her to the DP for a good run. He also trained her on recall while other dogs were playing with her and she apparently did really well. We also took her to his mom's again this evening and she played good and came when called. I think she just needed some much needed exercise. It's so much easier when it's nice out.

I know when you mean about them pulling you. We had to get the gentle leader because she was litterally dragging me down the street. She still pulls but not nearly as bad. Nyah also digs... she hasn't really much since last summer but I'm sure she will soon. I'm worried for when we get our own yard... I'm convinced I can never have a garden, ugh. Nyah loves to eat wood(and just about anything else too) her big thing is sticks right now. She has been waking us up in the middle of the night to throw up sticks she managed to eat when we weren't looking. :doh:



mrmooseman said:


> NyahMommy I feel your pain. There were times I was just so upset when he wouldn't listen and I tried and tried. It did get better. But since we haven't taken him for walks much this winter (mainly because he pulled me once and I slipped and fell on the ice, so we just took him to the DP) he seems to have forgotten how to go on walks. ugh. I tried the other day and we didn't make it far because we had to turn around. Moose's thing is holes, no matter how much we try to stop it, he just continues to dig. My poor yard.. Today the BF let him chew on a piece of 2x4 (sometimes I wonder what goes through a guys head) and he ended up throwing up a bunch of pieces of wood. He use to just chew on wood or whatever and never swallow the pieces. So now we got to watch him super carfully because I don't want this to happen again. Ugh
> 
> As for when I'm sick, he will be good for the first day, after that he just gets annoying. But that was his teenage days and hopefully if it happens again he will be more sympathic.


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## mrmooseman

I'll never own a garden. Moose hates plants. When we first moved in we had one in the front yard.. its no longer there. The yard is a mess now that the snow had melted. Soo many holes!


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## OutWest

Tucker's newest adolescent issue is the humping. And he is getting a bit more aggressive I think due to hormones. He has always been submissive and easy-going. I had hoped to wait till he was at least a year old to neuter him so he could grow a bit more. But the testosterone is really changing his behavior and is attracting dominant male dogs who want to put him in his place. So I think we'll probably have it done around nine months. 

What I find interesting is the people who blame the dog who is picked on because he's intact. They don't seem to think there's a behavior problem with their dog--as if the neutered dogs have a completely understandable right to be annoyed about the presence of an intact dog. I find that strange. I feel accountable all my dogs' behaviors, no matter how "understandable" they are or not.


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## morbidangel

*lol yup Nishka seems to love the humping part these days TOO ....
a few days when i gave Nishka a bath , i was wiping her off & boom out of no were Nishka grabs my hands & starts humping ....me & my mom were like *** :O lol cudn stop laughing for an hour  *


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## Mom of Maizie

Does anyone else's teenager moan and groan when they don't like something? 

If we have to crate Maizie and she's really thinks she ought to be allowed out, she will moan and groan and -- whoo! -- you can just imagine what she'd like to say if she had words to add to that!!! She eventually gives a big sign and plops herself down and won't look at us. So disgusted sounding, Just like a teenager trying to get their way! 

Sometimes she'll argue when we tell her no about something, kind of like she's giving us some back-talk. It's another sound all its own. She can really get her point across "verbally" in so many ways, but she doesn't sing like the dogs on TV. Or say I love you. 

We just try to ignore it and roll our eyes at each other, but she is soooo funny!!!


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## Mom of Maizie

Whoops! I need to proofread better...she gives a big sigh, not "sign"


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## baumgartml16

Okay, this has potential to be a long post so bear wtih me..

Kim - so sorry to hear about you both being sick for a week, must have been terrible! And Nyah - i am sorry i forgot but did something happen on walks that she is afraid of them now? Have you thought about trying to take her swimming. We went to a indoor pool this weekend and Koda passed out the rest of the afternoon it tires them out so good. Also for her not coming in the yard - do you have a long line you can put her on so you are able to reel her in or go out with her on a leash so she has no choice but to come with you? 

Megan - same problem wtih the digging holes. We started this weekend bringing our spray bottle of water out with us and sprayed her every time she picked up a stick or attempted to dig and she did not like it! So she has gotten much better as the weekend went on. Moose sure is a smart one with only eating off your plate - they never forget. he knows he got the egg from you the ONE time and he won't forget it now! Little stinker!

Nishka - sorry you have entered this dreaded teenage phase! YOu will get through it though! Koda likes to take things like our clothes when we are in the shower or things like that. I dont get mad or try to get it from her though...she knows now it isn't something to treasure and I am not going to take it from her so she gives it up more easliy if i ask. I let her have it for a few minutes and then take it back. She is fine with it..at first she would run away with it but I would have her chase me like it was a toy and she follows me with it now. She always has to come show me she has something now instaed of running away from me with her "treasure". Training - elly had a good point about using the squeaker. If she isn't food driven, maybe she is toy driven? Use whatever is more important to her and yes consistency and making the behaviour happen is most importnat!


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## baumgartml16

Our weeked was actually pretty close to perfect! Saturday morning Koda and I went to the pet store, went for a long walk where we met another golden and had a little impromptu playtime in the park. It was great, she was muddy though. I finally had one of those moments you all speak of where you come home with a muddy, wet golden! I had to give her a rinse off which I have never done alone - let's just say I broke a sweat from that! Haha. Then we played downstairs and outside A LOT when it warmed up. It was in the 60's this weekend which is shorts weather in WI haha. We took Koda to a different park later to meet a little 3 month old golden! We thought the park was enclosed but there were actually areas they could get out so the baby golden had to stay on leash the whole time. Koda had fun though, we have been working with her off leash and I am so proud of the way she is with that now. Every time I called her she came right back to me! It was tons of fun! 

Koda actually slipped out of her collar Saturday morning when my husband took her out. She was being stubborn and didn't want to come in so she laid down as they were walking in and whoop went the collar. She realized she was free right away and thank goodness it was my husband out there and not me. He just played it off like it was play time and started throwing the frisbee. She played keep away but she never even made an attempt to leave the yard which we were so thankful for! She laid down with the frisbee and he was able to get her back! 

Sunday was a glorious day! Koda didn't agree with the daylight savings idea though so we didn't get much sleep...but we went to the park by our house again and brought our flexi leash with so she could have more freedom to just walk and sniff around. We ran up and down the hills there which helped tire her out! She loves it so much! After that we came home and spent an hour playing in our backyard and just hanging out. This is where we worked on her no digging/eating stuff. She caught on. We have a swingset in the backyard from the previous owners and we used the swings, Koda wasn't a fan. She couldn't figure them out and kept coming right up in front of us...it was cute though. I actually swung with her on my lap as a puppy so perhaps she just wanted to swing too!  

Then we went to her indoor swimming lesson - see pics below. At first she was not a fan. They had to kind of lift her into the pool and she did the panic swim where she was flopping her feet out of the water and trying to get out at all sides of the pool...kind of sad. But then she got the hang of it and would give the toy to the lady and go swim for it! She had a blast. We even got her to jump into the water and not just walk in. I did not think that would happen! It was so great to see!!! Her first few jumps were not too graceful but by the end she was jumping like a true golden. We are going to keep taking her to keep getting her used to the water! I think she is just hesitant to go in but she really does love it! 

































And this was the scene the rest of the afternoon:









Happy March Madness week to everyone!


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## mayapaya

Love your pictures, Michelle! Well, I have really gone and done it now--went to visit Maya's breeder over the weekend, for a "play" date with her mom, and came home with a puppy. Yep, I think I have lost my mind. Posted another thread in the puppy up to one year forum, because I guess I'll be sticking around for awhile, not to mention that as all of you fade away from the teeenage pup stage, I will be going through it yet AGAIN!!!! :doh: Help multiple golden familys!!!! Can I do this?????? Maya is just starting to settle down a bit. We are still having issues with the jumping, and occasional counter surfing. Mostly the jumping is out of countrol when people come over. We start another training class this Saturday, and the instructor said we are going to need to work with a correction collar for Maya to get this beahvior under control. And, we still have the occasional rebellious moments, when she completely ignores my commands. But, I am seeing some improvement. Now I am going to go through this again???? God help me....Deb, I think I asked you once how you could possible handle two pups at the same time--well, I guess I am about to find out!


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## Tucker's mommy

We had a wonderful weekend here, too. We couldn't have asked for better weather! A relative (my twin sis) stayed with us for the weekend for the first time since Tucker was a pup - and he handled it well, aside from the initial craziness that I don't think any 10 month old pup could avoid. I think I'm finally starting to see some control with Tucker outside, too. We were out a TON this weekend, as it was 60 and sunny here, too, so each time he jumped at me, I dragged him in for a timeout in his crate. He seemed to catch on, because by yesterday afternoon, we had no issues, and the yard was FULL of distractions - my two boys(6 and 7) and all of their crazy toys. :bowl: 

We went for several walks this weekend, too, on the recreational trail near our house. Tucker was amazing. We must have passed 50 people - on bikes, with dogs, running, etc, and I was able to keep him at my side with a "heel" while holding a treat in my left hand every time. 

Definitely a good weekend for us! BUT, now, it's Monday, the rains have returned, Tucker's been stuck inside most of the day, and I'm sure the monster is just lurking under all that tan fur...


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## Tucker's mommy

To jluke - your stick story has me scared to death. Tucker is a stick eater. We do all we can to stop him - trading constantly, doing "drop-its" in the yard - and he's great, but we can never get every little piece. I just know we're going to have an incident of our own one of these days. Tucker is very good about me probing around in his mouth, too, and I've already had to dig chunks of stick out from between his gums and mouth when he's shown discomfort. I'm at my wits end with this, because aside from not allowing him outside, there is no way we can avoid the sticks, as our yard is COVERED with large, beautiful trees in the back. I sure hope he grows out of it!!!


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## mayapaya

Tucker's mommy said:


> To jluke - your stick story has me scared to death. Tucker is a stick eater. We do all we can to stop him - trading constantly, doing "drop-its" in the yard - and he's great, but we can never get every little piece. I just know we're going to have an incident of our own one of these days. Tucker is very good about me probing around in his mouth, too, and I've already had to dig chunks of stick out from between his gums and mouth when he's shown discomfort. I'm at my wits end with this, because aside from not allowing him outside, there is no way we can avoid the sticks, as our yard is COVERED with large, beautiful trees in the back. I sure hope he grows out of it!!!


Maya is also a stick/wood eater. We had some high winds here lately, and the yard is full of tree branches. Maya came running up to the door with a big one in her mouth, and wound up getting tossed backwards because it wouldn't clear the doorway! I'm hoping Maya outgrows it as well--I just can't keep up--she had stick locating radar! It seems she just chews them up and doesn't eat much, but I'm worried about something lodging in her throat or intestines, god forbid!


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## baumgartml16

How much do you guys feed your kids a day? Are they getting puppy food still or adult food? 

Also, if you get a chance check out the video I posted in the video section of Koda and the broom...haha. Do any of you have a hard time cleaning because your pups think the cleaning tools are toys? She does the same thing with the duster that she does in this video!


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## oakleysmommy

i feed 3 cups total a day to my pups..and they get adult now..


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## jluke

*Oopsie Daisy Maisie and Mom!*

Glad everyone (mostly) had a great weekend and loved the pix of Koda swimming.

We were having a wonderful walk in the sun yesterday afternoon with Maisie trotting along, no pulling. Then, she sighed, I zagged, the sidewalk was uneven and I went down face first. I lost her leash and we were on a busy street, but she stayed right next to me while I grabbed it up. And three groups of people stopped to try to help while I waited for DH to rescue us. So I learned something about Maisie's steadiness and people's kindness.

After a trip to the ER -- 6 stitches on my chin and 4 inside my mouth, sprained wrist and ankle, lots of scrapes and sore everywhere. I look a bit like Frankenstein. Thank goodness for pain killers... And Maisie wasn't misbehaving.


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## jluke

*Two Ideas*

Wondered if you could use our trainer's trick of a can of compressed air for some of the undesirable behaviors mentioned -- swiping food from plates by Moose and digging (which I'm going to try with Maisie).

Michelle -- I was really worried when I read about Koda slipping her collar. You all will probably think I'm really paranoid, but our trainer advised us to have Maisie wear a regular flat nylon. Olaf with her tags and a second collar we attach the leash to. That way. at least she has visible ID if she slips her walking collar. And since prong collars are known to spring open sometimes, DH made a strap to connect it to her flat collar. I guess we're completely paranoid.


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## Deber

Jill - my gosh are you alright? What a fall! It hurts to even read about it. 

Sorry, our Router on the computer went out and just got the new one delivered from the cable company can"t believe I have been computerless for almost a week

The way I got the Goldens to not be afraid of the blowdryer was I took let one golden into the bathroom with one of the yorkies. Bathed the york and set him up on the bathroom counter instead of bringing him into the den with the grooming table. The golden pups were young. I just blew dry the yorkie and occ. let the warm air hit the golden's back or legs (never the face). At first they were afraid of the noise, but when the other dog didn't mind, they kept jumping up to see what was going on. Finally put the 3/4 dry yorkie on the bathroom floor and finished blowing getting air on the golden too. I brush the pups every night so they love being brushed and adding the warm air was not a problem. We did this over and over week after week until I could stand the golden and start brushing, then add the air (cool). They almost go to sleep, but they do sit. My two flunked the stand, but will do it in the yard and for class, just can't get them to stand for grooming. To do the nails, after the bath and the crazy zoomie times, they are tuckered out. When really asleep I start to brush them and gently lift one foot and cut a nail or two. Usually I can get both front feet done. Now working on the dremmel, but it tickles so usually only get one or two nails done each try. Hopefully over time they will let me use the dremmel for it all. 

But right now mine look like two little dirty pigs. With the rain the yard is mud and just tired of rinsing them off just to get dirty again. So glad we have tile in the den. Just keep on moping and hoping the yard dries. Then we can do a good bath, cause uck they stink!


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## Nyahsmommy

> If we have to crate Maizie and she's really thinks she ought to be allowed out, she will moan and groan and -- whoo! -- you can just imagine what she'd like to say if she had words to add to that!!! She eventually gives a big sign and plops herself down and won't look at us. So disgusted sounding, Just like a teenager trying to get their way!


Yes! Nyah does this too!! When she is bad and we send her to her crate she goes to her "room" willingly but she spins and plops down in a little ball facing the wall away from us with a big "sigh". She won't look at us even when we open the door. She eventually comes out and avoids us for a half hour or so. It's too funny.




baumgartml16 said:


> Kim - so sorry to hear about you both being sick for a week, must have been terrible! And Nyah - i am sorry i forgot but did something happen on walks that she is afraid of them now? Have you thought about trying to take her swimming. We went to a indoor pool this weekend and Koda passed out the rest of the afternoon it tires them out so good. Also for her not coming in the yard - do you have a long line you can put her on so you are able to reel her in or go out with her on a leash so she has no choice but to come with you?


Well she has always been "afraid" of walks.. not so much afraid but she is terrified of the train and seeing how we live beside a very busy main line train track, this poses a problem. When we walk her anywhere else (she is also scared of heavy traffic from main roads) that is quiet she is fine. The problem is that mist days we don't have time to drive and take her for a quiet walk, other than weekends, days off, etc.

Yes swimming does wonders. It has just recently gotten warmer here so we haven't got a chance to take her yet but that will be here main source of exercise this summer, she is like a doggy fish! lol Ya we are going to try the long leash training thing asap, we just gotta go out and get one. Hopefully that works.


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## mrmooseman

Mom of Maizie said:


> Does anyone else's teenager moan and groan when they don't like something?
> 
> 
> 
> O-M-G !! YESS! Moose is so vocal with his huffing and puffing. He doesn't bark.. much (I don't even know where this new found barking came from). He just huffs and puffs and sighs and will make a deep exhale like I do when I'm cranky. He's such a cranky man sometimes.
> 
> Jluke - what is the can of compressed air thing ?? I need to try something because it's getting frustraiting. I'm tired of always having to be the bad guy when I'm suppose to be the good guy haha.
> 
> We free feed Moose. But he doesn't over eat or anything. He eats when he is hungry which is maybe 2-3 times a day. He doesn't eat a whole bowl full either. We just always want it accesible for when we work.
> 
> Moose LOVED swimming lastyear and he caught on soo quickley. I wonder what will happen this year.. I hope he isn't still scared of waves .. He is going for his first grooming friday! I'm nervous haha. Kyle's mom is taking him because we both have work. I just want to be with him! haha
Click to expand...


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## jluke

*Compressed Air Corrector*

Megan -- I found an example of the compressed air corrector on the Petco site as the Company of Dogs Compressed Air Pet Corrector. Sorry not to embed the link, but I'm using my phone (still in bed for now). You just push the button like on any aerosol can and it let's out an abrupt hiss of air that startles the dog, disrupting him/her.


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## jluke

*Oops*

Wrong name -- Company of Animals Pet Corrector.


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## mayapaya

jluke said:


> Glad everyone (mostly) had a great weekend and loved the pix of Koda swimming.
> 
> We were having a wonderful walk in the sun yesterday afternoon with Maisie trotting along, no pulling. Then, she sighed, I zagged, the sidewalk was uneven and I went down face first. I lost her leash and we were on a busy street, but she stayed right next to me while I grabbed it up. And three groups of people stopped to try to help while I waited for DH to rescue us. So I learned something about Maisie's steadiness and people's kindness.
> 
> After a trip to the ER -- 6 stitches on my chin and 4 inside my mouth, sprained wrist and ankle, lots of scrapes and sore everywhere. I look a bit like Frankenstein. Thank goodness for pain killers... And Maisie wasn't misbehaving.


Oh Jill, that sounds so scary!!! Hope Maisie gives you a bit of a reprieve from any mischief while you recover!!


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## mayapaya

baumgartml16 said:


> How much do you guys feed your kids a day? Are they getting puppy food still or adult food?


Maya's been on adult food since about 7 months--following her spay surgery, the vet said we could move her to an adult formula. She's getting about 2 1/2 cups - 3 total per day--I go with 2 1/2 cups on the days we do alot of training where treats are involved.


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## OutWest

Jill--so sorry about your tumble. I worry about that stuff a lot. My left knee got banged in the dog park (very large, friendly yellow lab who couldn't stop in time) and has been giving me a lot of trouble, including causing unsteadiness. Getting better but I start PT on Thursday. Really want to get my "land legs" back. I hope you heal quickly. Best advice I ever got from an ER doc after a fall was to take the pain med steadily--don't wait until you start hurting. He said to take every few hours for the first 2-3 days, then taper off. 

Michelle--I'm still feeding Tucker puppy food. Plan to keep him on it until he's about a year. He gets 4.5 cups a day. He's very lean. I monitor his ribs, waist and weight a lot to make sure wheat he's eating is just right. So far, so good. 

It's raining here. Will need to exercise Tucker indoors I think, due to the knee. Leashing walking him is a problem and I think the dog park will be a large puddle.


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## jluke

*Feeding and...*

Michelle, Maisie is eating about 3 cups of Aanemate adult food (no grain, chicken formula. She just "crossed over" to all adult this week and I just reduced the amount to 3 or 3 and 1/4 cups from 3 and 1/2 now that her 9 month birthday is approaching. Also because this food is somewhat more "calorie dense". Since she's been spayed and is of a stockier build, I'm being careful about her weight although she's just fine so far -- also, lots of training treats...

Outwest -- take care of your knee. I hope the physical therapy is a help. I'm into day two of recovery here and am really aching. Thanks for the reminder about taking pain meds consistently since they are helping. Maisie is doing more bonding with DH (who would rather not be!). She comes over to the bedside where I have my ankle and wrist propped up every so often and looks at me like "Why won't you come out and play?" She's also seems annoyed that I won't let her lick my face -- can't get doggie on the stitches...


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## Tucker's mommy

Hang in there, injured folks! I feel for you guys - I've been there too many times to count, and it is so not fun when you have either kids or pets to care for! 

As for feeding - Tucker has been on adult pro plan since he was around 4 months old - the vet suggested switching early because he was growing at a ridiculous pace. We feed him 3 cups most days, but on days he seems to be getting a ton of exercise, or when we just need to keep him occupied and he's incredibly frisky, we'll put an extra half cup in his wobbler. He is a very stocky built golden, but he's definitely healthy, as we can clearly feel his ribs and see all the muscle definition in the abdominal region. Funny - when we had him neutered at around 9 months and couldn't exercise him for that week, he put on a little weight - it came right off after we started the exercise, but it was a good lesson for us in the importance of keeping these pups active!


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## Deber

We too are starting to watch more of what Kye and Coop eat. Kye being more high strung is lean and though fed 1 1/2 cu. x 2 daily she leaves some at night. Just doesn't seem to want as much food as when she was growing so much. Coop has gotten so big in the last 2 mo. Not a lot taller, but broader and bigger. To me he is carrying a few pounds too much, but Vet says the 3 cu. is correct (we feed all stage TOTW Lamb). I am going to give him a few more months, but then we might have to decrease food. He is a more couch hound and looks like food is going to be a problem with him. He gets plenty of exercise, but just not motivated to be a goofball like Kye. Think he will always have to be monitored or he will turn into a rolly-polly boy. Who would have guessed that skinny, boney pup would turn into such a big guy?? 

Michelle - I wish we had a swimming place here for the pups. I have checked our town and while we have a wonderful dog physical therapy place with pool, they only take patients. I am hoping that either Dallas or FTW have something and just need time to check them out. Hopefully I can take the pups swimming in all our lakes & ponds this year (last year, no water), but the water can get stale during the hot months, so would love to find a place that has clean water like the one you found. Your pictures are great of Koda and you are building her a love of water that all goldens should have. Great job.

Jill - I hope you can stay down for a while as you heal. Know the house and family will do fine, but worried about you and hope you take it easy for however long it takes. You took a really bad fall...I am so sorry and hope the aching stops soon. uck!

Outwest - How is Tess? Since losing my wonderful Millie at Christmas, I keep looking for pictures of your girl, since they were almost the same breed, same coloring (Millie was an Eng. Toy - with a bit of a nose). Miss my old girl so much and lately just can't seem to quit thinking about her. She was probably the best dog we have ever had. Didn't realize the hole she would leave in our hearts and family in her passing. Miss my baby a lot though she lived to be almost 15 yrs.


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## baumgartml16

For all of you taking tumbles lately - hope you all feel better soon! So sorry you are going through that as I am sure it is putting a damper on things in your households! 

Thanks everyone for getting back to me on the food issue. We are feeding Koda 3 cups (1.5 morning and night) and were getting worried. We increased her exercise this week and replaced a 1/2 cup of her kibble at night with green beans and we are already seeing the results. She is looking better. It is hard for me to tell if she is just muscular or fat. She has always been stocky so I just don't know. Either way a few more pounds and I will be happy. I think she is hungry though. Before we give her the banana Kong for the night she takes her other littel kong and carries it around dropping it hoping something will fall out. She comes and plops it in our lap, in our hands, on the floor...for about 30 minutes she will do this. I feel so bad but she can't eat all the time..she seriously would not stop if we didn't regulate her! Hope I am not starving my baby!


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## baumgartml16

Deb - did you say you work during the day? How long are the pups home alone until someone comes home?


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## Deber

Yes, sadly I have worked all my life. Started working part time at 13..and just never could afford to quit. Sure looking forward to retirement now.

We had a sitter who came twice a day until Kye was 7 months and Coop 4 mo. She went back to school, so no one now. We are lucky in that we have a side yard which is between our house and neighbors with a gate that leads to the backyard. I close this so the goldens and yorkies can go outside to potty at one end and toys at the other (it is about 30 ft X 10 ft). We live on a corner so don't want the dogs in the backyard without us with them, so during the day they have the den, doggie door to garage, another doggie door to the run area. Honestly it is working a well as anything. Gates in the tiled den keep them confined to this area of the house only. Not the best plan but only thing we could do. Now that the pups are older it is easier and easier, but couldn't have done this without the help of our walker/sitter in the beginning. If a lot of rain, I can put piddle pads down in the garage for the little ones but the goldens don't care about rain and thankfully still go outside to potty. Again working. We also go to work very early and DH is home about 1:30Pm and I get home around 4:00, so still lots of daylight left to take the dogs for walks/training.


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## baumgartml16

Thanks. We are trying to figure something out for when she is 1 year old. Right now we still have someone coming at the lunch hour to walk her/play with her.

It is getting expensive like I said earlier but I am not comfortable leaving her until she has roam of the house as I don't want to confine her too much. Unfortunately this will mean being gone up to 9 hours at a time. I feel horrible about this but right now she is doing 8 (broken up) and is fine.


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## jluke

*Run of the House?*

Michelle, we weren't planning to give Maisie any access to the house when we weren't here until she was 1 -- like you with Koda, but since I've was knocked out earlier this week, DH left her for a few times. She was just in the kitchen for about 30 minutes at a time. He left her antler and a soft toy. All went AOK. We'll probably start stretching the time out when I'm up and around (and going out in public -- still have a Franken-face!)


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## baumgartml16

Jill - sorry again about your injury! We have her blocked off in the hallway right now, she has access to the bathroom cuz she likes to go stand in the shower (idk why lol). The next step would be the kitchen which I am considering trying soon. Just a little nervous. She has chewed the gate while she is in the hallway and we dont want that to turn into her chewing the table/chairs in the kitchen (she never has while we are there). She would love the kitchen though cuz she can lay by the patio door and watch everything outside. We need to find something to gate her off from the living room though...a baby gate won't be big enough..


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## Deber

Michelle, we have the tall metal dog gates you get from Drs Foster/Smith. We have the den which consists of the den, dinning & kitchen all gated (3 gates). Though Kye has tried she can't jump over them. Think they are the 48" gates. They were pricey at $74 per gate but now we have 5 gates total. This allows me to keep the dogs from the formal living room and can control their access from the den to our bedroom. In the den/dining/kitchen we put our nice furniture in storage, one because then the pups couldn't destroy but secondly so we could repaint the rooms, pulled carpet up and laid tiles down. I went to the salvation army and purchased a used couch. The dogs have left all the furniture alone! Yea! I was very worried, but has gone great. Still not ready to bring my nice furniture back yet, but feel in a few more months we can try with a few pieces at a time and see what happens.

I wouldn't let any of our dogs alone unless you could gate them, even if you get an x-pen and streatch it across the room to have a doggie area! I still wouldn't leave Kye alone in the rest of the house, cause she would probably eat everything. Hopefully as I am seeing her settle much more we can try another room but not now.


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## Nyahsmommy

I think I missed something... has Koda gained weight? She looks great to me. Nyah hasn't been weighed since her spay so not sure her exact weight but I was thinking she was getting a bit hefty too... so yesterday I took her to the lake for a swim and she looked super skinny(she has gotten really fluffy - getting her groomed for the first time saturday). Not sure how this happened since we feed her 3 cups per day as well and either stuff a kong full of peanut butter and banana or wet grain free dog food. Plus we feed her an excessive amount of treats. I might increase her food amount since summer is coming up and she is going to be very active.




baumgartml16 said:


> For all of you taking tumbles lately - hope you all feel better soon! So sorry you are going through that as I am sure it is putting a damper on things in your households!
> 
> Thanks everyone for getting back to me on the food issue. We are feeding Koda 3 cups (1.5 morning and night) and were getting worried. We increased her exercise this week and replaced a 1/2 cup of her kibble at night with green beans and we are already seeing the results. She is looking better. It is hard for me to tell if she is just muscular or fat. She has always been stocky so I just don't know. Either way a few more pounds and I will be happy. I think she is hungry though. Before we give her the banana Kong for the night she takes her other littel kong and carries it around dropping it hoping something will fall out. She comes and plops it in our lap, in our hands, on the floor...for about 30 minutes she will do this. I feel so bad but she can't eat all the time..she seriously would not stop if we didn't regulate her! Hope I am not starving my baby!


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## OutWest

Deb--Tess is doing great, thanks. She turns 9 in a couple days! Am going to have a little party for her. Will post pix. She's been on a diet. Vet says she's good now but I'd like her to drop another pound. She's in my lap as I type on my phone. Just brought in a notecard from daughters room. Loves to eat paper! 

I'm so sorry you lost your Millie. I dread the day we lose Tess. Amazing that dogs so small can loom so large in our lives. 

Everyone--now I'm thinking I'm over feeding Tucker!  but he does feel lean not plump. I'm keeping cLose eye on his weight. He runs a lot. He's going in for neutering soon. Am going to take him to SPCA not vet's. About $350 difference in price. Vet was fine with switching. It's pouring rain here and he's bored and antsy. In the kitchen with a marrow bone. Doesn't understand why he cant be in living room with the bone. Took a funny pic of him but don't know how to upload straight from phone to GRF so will do later from computer.


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## mayapaya

The whole access thing is very hard to make decisions about, because the number one concern is their safety (and secondly, the safety of your posessions!) Our first floor is all an open floor plan, (living, dining, kitchen, family room), so it's very hard to gate off. I had two gates for awhile and was able to limit access to the family room and kitchen, but this is in the back of the house, and Maya loves to be in the living roon because our front windows are very low, and she can sit in the chair and look out the window all day. Right now Maya is still in her crate at night, and when we leave the house. I tried bringing her upstairs to sleep in the bedrooms, but she gets very ansty and paces, so I took her back downstairs, and she went right into her crate and fell asleep. We are fortunate in that my husband and I work from home, so we can use our lunch times or breaks to take care of the pups (I can't beleive I am using this in the plural sense). So, I gave up nice leasurely sit down lunches or quick shopping trips at lunch in favor of being with my "girls"  We have been giving Maya the run of the first floor when we are working (I am upstairs, and hubbys office is in the basement), but I keep an ear out and check on her often. So far, so good, but sometimes she gets ahold of the craziest things. I just don't trust her yet. Too bad we aren't neighbors, Michelle--I'd be happy to have Koda join the lunch date with my girls! Speaking of neighbors, do you have any that could help out even a few days a week? Are you close enough to home to come home at lunch time maybe the other few days? Anyways, happy Wednesday to all--hope the recouperation continues, Jill! Had a great walk with Maya today at lunch--the weather in Chicago is amazing for March --70 degrees today. Oh, one last thing for Deb--how do feedings or treats go at your house with the two pups? Maya was always a food inhaler, but I am feeding them at the same time, and since Payton has less to eat, they are finishing around the same time--when Maya goes running over to eat Payton's, she's already finished. Last night I gave Maya a frosty paw, and cut off just a little piece for Payton, and put them in bowl--Maya literally inhaled hers--SHE never does this--I was certain she'd have a brain freeze going. Then this morning I gave Maya a duck wrapped pork hide bone that will usually take her a while to eat, and again SHE inhaled it--I was sure she would choke! Maybe she is guarding food and treats more because of the new pup. Should I give treats in seperate rooms for awhile and seperate them??? How do Kye and Coop do???? Sorry for the longwinded post everyone!!! Probably rambling from lack of sleep!!!


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## OutWest

Mayapapa--I think dogs do eat faster if there is "competition". I separate mine and don't let them near each other until both are done. Then they dash to each others food place to see if anything is left! As if! . Kathleen


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## mayapaya

OutWest said:


> Mayapapa--I think dogs do eat faster if there is "competition". I separate mine and don't let them near each other until both are done. Then they dash to each others food place to see if anything is left! As if! . Kathleen


ha! thanks, Kathleen--that is good to know--I do keep their food bowls in seperate areas on with side of the kitchen counter, so they really don't see the other while they are eating, but I've already noticed that Miss Payton has already figured out where Maya's food bowl is and is is funny to watch them run to each other's bowls, only to find them empty! :doh: 

Chris, aka Mayapaya--just thought that I really don't have to change my screen name--I cam up with Mayapaya, because that was out nickname for Maya, but now I have Maya, and "Pay", so the screen name still works!


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## baumgartml16

Kim - koda isn't necessarily overweight just bigger than we wanted. Although when we took her swimming we were amazed at how itty bitty she was. LOL. It is funny to see them with their fur not all fluffy. Good luck with the grooming! Let us know how it goes! The activity level is kicking up here too so perhaps that will help a lot with her weight! 

Koda would love to play with Maya...just 2 hours too far lol. You guys aren't that far from us though! We too are enjoying this magnificant weather today. Took a walk with the co workers at lunch today! It was wonderful! Can't wait to get home and spend the whole night outside with Koda, gonna throw on some shorts even!! 

I can go home a few days which is what we are starting now so that we only are paying for 2 days tops of sitting. The majority of our neighbors are elderly folks that I dont want to hassle with walking my little girl in fear she would attempt to pull them somewhere and something bad would happen. There was one lady I was going to ask because we have seen her walking her daughters golden and Koda actually loves her but she just developed some heart issues and is no longer able to do that. We were all bummed. 

It will all work out...


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## jluke

*Koda Care...*

Michelle -- just wondering if there's a responsible 12 year old (or so) Girl or Boy Scout who might be doing a badge on pet care that might make a good dog person for Koda. Way back when, I did one which is what made me think of it. A child probably that age probably wouldn't be a good choice as a walker, but could be responsible enough to take her into the yard for some play time or a visit. Just a thought...


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## Deber

Chris, Maya and Payton are doing exactly what Kye and Coop did. When we got Coop, Kye started eatting really fast then would leave her bowl and push Coop away from his bowl and try to eat his too. She was a food freak during those times. If I moved Coops bowl, he wouldn't eat. I was worried he would starve and Kye would blow up from too much food. Thankfully Kye had given up lunch, so Coop could eat well at that meal, but he too gave up lunch about 4 mo old. We have an open house plan too, but I was able to put Coops dish in the den, and fed Kye around the breakfast bar in the kitchen, which worked for a while too. About 9 mo Kye really cut back on her eatting. She is fed 3 cu daily, but leaves some in the mornings and honestly only eats a little at night. She is lean, and I guess she is naturally cutting back. Not Coop! He is a hair shorter than Kye but solid and large boned. His appetite is huge. Now he is finishing his meals and goes to the yorkies bowls to eat what he can out of theirs. He is still fine, but can tell he is going to want to be a porker as an adult. I have started not feeding the yorkies until almost bedtime and feed them in our bedroom where they can eat in peace. This gives time to still give them an outside potty break then to bed & keeps Coop from eatting their food too. 

Daily training is our hardest problem. It is easy to work on daily training when you have only one dog, but with two, one is always pushing the other away. I learned to leave one in the house, and train the other outside, then reverse. Got to be honest with you that having two puppies is honestly the best and worst thing I have done. The good is now they have each other to occupy the "down" times, but the bad I could list in pages! Nothing really bad, but the wear and tear on you with the training and work is exhausting. I wouldn't change it for the world, but glad they are entering a maturity they are more laid back than when younger. Honestly every second of our time was spent with the dogs, never a single moment to get things done. Now at least I can walk, train then come in and work on the house and the things I have left undone all these months. The results are that both have the basics down, even though they must be reminded all the time. We will retire next year and my goal was to have the basics there and manners set. Know we will always have to work on it, but wanted the baby work done. Honestly don't know what we would do if we progressed into advanced training or agility...don't think they even have any places out in the sticks where we will be, but know we are working hard to get the start good for them. Hopefully they will be good country dogs for us. 

I wish I could say Coop when wet was smaller, but he isn't! He is very solid and muscular, and still has his nip in waist, but I think he would be better loosing a few pounds. Hate to talk to the Vet, cause for some reason everyone thinks Goldens should be mildly plump. I know it is because most goldens are overweight, but really wish my Vet would help me with this instead of always saying he is fine. I would bet he is getting close to 70 lbs. Kye has leveled off about 64 lbs and has been this the last two times she was in for her checkups.


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## mayapaya

Thanks, Deb! I am getting an instant education on the dynamics of having two dogs at one time, and the tip about training seperately is a good one. Last night I was trying to work in the yard with Maya, and Payton kept running up, and jumping on Maya so then training quickly turned into a wrestling match! I was a bit concerned about their play--Maya is so much bigger than Payton, and I don't want her to get hurt, but after observing them for awhile it seems like Maya is just putting Payton in her place--mouthing her around the neck as if to say, "enough already"! I pulled Payton away a few times, because I was starting to think Maya had enough, but then Maya ran right over and started wrestling again, with tail wagging. Instigator! 

Michelle, Jill's idea sounds like a great one! Good luck!

Well, all--it's another glorious day in the midwest, looking forward to my walk with Maya at lunch. Poor Payton hasn't seen anything but our backyard yet--she's only had one set of shots, and with all the parvo cases on these boards, I'm paranoid to take her anywhere. Question, ladies--did you wait until the final set of shots to take your pups on walks, or enroll in a puppy class? I really wasn't aware of the parvo risks when we first got Maya, because our last puppy was quite awhile ago, and I had her out everywhere!


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## baumgartml16

Chris, we didn't know anything about parvo when we got Koda as she was our first puppy so no we didn't wait. We were at an apartment complex too so I am counting my blessings that we didn't go through that. We started walking her, taking her to the pet store and did class before that. But with class all the pups had to be up to date on their shots so that didn't concern me as much. Boy, looking back I realize we were really tempting fate!

It is absolutely beautiful here as well. I am taking the afternoon off today and going to spend it with Koda outside and watching a little baseketball in there too!  Can't wait to get off at noon!!!


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## mayapaya

Enjoy your afternoon off, Michelle! I know what you mean about tempting fate. After reading about some of the cases of parvo on these boards, I was mortified that I had put my baby at risk!!!! Payton had her first set at 7 weeks, so it will be 10 and then 13 weeks for the last set. I'm struggling a bit with ensuring she is socialized properly during this time, but weighing the risks of taking her out and about too early.....


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## Nyahsmommy

baumgartml16 said:


> Kim - koda isn't necessarily overweight just bigger than we wanted. Although when we took her swimming we were amazed at how itty bitty she was. LOL. It is funny to see them with their fur not all fluffy. Good luck with the grooming! Let us know how it goes! The activity level is kicking up here too so perhaps that will help a lot with her weight!


 
I know, that's what I thought... you don't realize how fluffy they are until they are wet! Ya now that the weather is getting nice everywhere it'll be easy to keep them active. I'm slightly worried about the groomers now, I have a feeling she will be terrified of the blow dryer. Ugh. I'm also worried they are going to butcher her. 

Has anyone planned/plan on giving their pups flea pills? The vet gave us some last year that was in a pill form called sentinal. They problem is you can only get it at the vet and I don't want to call and ask because I have a feeling they will want to give her an exam and charge us just for walking in the door. I was looking up the liquid stuff you get in stores and they all have horrible reviews so I am torn.


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## mayapaya

Nyahsmommy said:


> I know, that's what I thought... you don't realize how fluffy they are until they are wet! Ya now that the weather is getting nice everywhere it'll be easy to keep them active. I'm slightly worried about the groomers now, I have a feeling she will be terrified of the blow dryer. Ugh. I'm also worried they are going to butcher her.
> 
> Has anyone planned/plan on giving their pups flea pills? The vet gave us some last year that was in a pill form called sentinal. They problem is you can only get it at the vet and I don't want to call and ask because I have a feeling they will want to give her an exam and charge us just for walking in the door. I was looking up the liquid stuff you get in stores and they all have horrible reviews so I am torn.


I get the Frontline, liquid flea and tick, and I do it year round for Maya. Last thing I want to worry about is de-fleaing my house and we have ticks in our area. I get mine from the vet, although I'm certain you can probably get it online for cheaper (now that I have two, I'm going to look into it!!!!) I can just go in and request it from my vet--no appointment required. Also, I found a great online website to order food for my girls who are both on Fromm's --it's called www.mrchewy.com - I found the prices cheaper than in the stores in my area, shipping was free and I got a 15% discount for signing up for auto ship--no more lugging food bags from two different petstores for me!!!!!


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## Nyahsmommy

:


mayapaya said:


> I get the Frontline, liquid flea and tick, and I do it year round for Maya. Last thing I want to worry about is de-fleaing my house and we have ticks in our area. I get mine from the vet, although I'm certain you can probably get it online for cheaper (now that I have two, I'm going to look into it!!!!) I can just go in and request it from my vet--no appointment required. Also, I found a great online website to order food for my girls who are both on Fromm's --it's called www.mrchewy.com - I found the prices cheaper than in the stores in my area, shipping was free and I got a 15% discount for signing up for auto ship--no more lugging food bags from two different petstores for me!!!!!


 
The thing that I liked about the sentinal pill is that it is heartworm/roundworm + flea/tick all in one. Ya I heard about frontline as well but I have only seen it online and it looks more expensive than the pills. *sigh* We will probably end up calling the vet anyways, I'm just worried they will want to weigh/check up her before she gives us anything.... That's what she did last time. She gave us enough for 2 months so we would have to bring her in again. Very sneaky. I may just call or pop in and see if they can just give me some. She's in the 60+ pound weight range so I don't see why they couldn't give it to me.

P.S. Great website... I'll have to see if they ship to Canada A lot of those pet food websites are a rip off in shipping... I tried to order a few cases of cat food off of petfooddirect and they wanted to charge me $90 just for shipping!!! :doh: I hung up on the guy, he was rude anyways, lol. :


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## mayapaya

Hmm, I'm sure if the heartworm is combined, they can refrain giving it to you without a current test/check-up. Bummer. I hadn't heard of sentinal until you mentioned it. Not a fan of the frontline liquid (it's oily) but the lesser of two evils. I saved about $10 per bag on the food on this website--they shipped fed ex ground, and I had it in 48 hours.


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## jluke

*Flea and Tick, etc.*

Nyahsmommy -- Maisie gets Vectra for flea and tick protection and Interceptor for heartworm protection. Her breeder had been giving Sentinel, but for some reason (that unfortunately I don't remember), Maisie's vet didn't recommend it -- something about length of coverage, I think -- ??

I don't know if they'll do it at Nyah's vet, but for Maisie, we can just call and stop in to pick up meds as mentioned. Also, if they just need to weigh her, a vet tech does it and they don't charge. Maybe you could ask about this -- ?? (I think it's because they charge enough for the rest of their services! Actually, I don't really have any complaints -- when we had our little emergency last week, they were terrific. They took care of our two adult GRs, too.)


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## mrmooseman

Oh these 12 hour shifts kill me!! Moose is going to the groomers for the first time tomorrow!! My boys first hair cut and I'll be slaving away to sedated patients. But I will get to see him hopefully after supper sometime. I really want to be the one taking him, but Kyle's mom is going to get it done for us as a birthday gift for Kyle. But it's really a gift for Moose haha. Can't wait to see him all groomed~


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## OutWest

mayapaya said:


> Enjoy your afternoon off, Michelle! I know what you mean about tempting fate. After reading about some of the cases of parvo on these boards, I was mortified that I had put my baby at risk!!!! Payton had her first set at 7 weeks, so it will be 10 and then 13 weeks for the last set. I'm struggling a bit with ensuring she is socialized properly during this time, but weighing the risks of taking her out and about too early.....


You have an in-house socializer! 

Insofar as taking Payton outside the yard and house what I've heard is concrete walkways exposed to rain, sun , etc. are pretty safe. Pet stores not so good unless pup is in the cart. Mostly stay out of places heavily visited by dogs. 

I used to take Tucker to puppy socials. They were great and cost about $10-15.


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## mayapaya

OutWest said:


> You have an in-house socializer!
> 
> Insofar as taking Payton outside the yard and house what I've heard is concrete walkways exposed to rain, sun , etc. are pretty safe. Pet stores not so good unless pup is in the cart. Mostly stay out of places heavily visited by dogs.
> 
> I used to take Tucker to puppy socials. They were great and cost about $10-15.


thanks==you should see my posts in the general forum about how well my socialization is going!!! :doh: Anyways, this is good to know--we have alot of dogs in our neighborhood, but maybe a walk down the street would be okay? off the grass? --they are predicting 70 degrees plus for the next week--un heard of in illinois this time of year!!


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## mayapaya

mrmooseman said:


> Oh these 12 hour shifts kill me!! Moose is going to the groomers for the first time tomorrow!! My boys first hair cut and I'll be slaving away to sedated patients. But I will get to see him hopefully after supper sometime. I really want to be the one taking him, but Kyle's mom is going to get it done for us as a birthday gift for Kyle. But it's really a gift for Moose haha. Can't wait to see him all groomed~


Megan, you have to post a picture!!! He will be so handsome and smell so sweet!!! Just make sure you tell them what you want done so he doesn't get a buzz cut-Maya's groomings are always awesome...I give them very specific instructions as to what I want cut--which is pretty much nothing than a trimming around the the hind quarters and cleaning up the pads of her feet!


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## Deber

Chris, can't tell you strongly enough about the Parvo scare. It is fact not fiction! It is the #1 killer of puppies under 2 yrs old. Parvo likes warm shady places, so if you get Payton out stay away from shady areas around trees or under park tables. No place other dogs regularly go. Find somewhere away from the normal paths. Do not take her to places where you walk across a lot of bird droppings. Many birds carry the Parvo virus naturally and it is in their poop. Neither of my dogs were allowed out except in our own yard until 2 wks after the second shot. For the best protection hold off the last shot until close to the 16 wk mark. By 16 wks all the Mothers protection has worn off and shots will succeed in full protection. Coop's shots also started at 7 wks, we did a 10 wk, 13 wk then a 16 wk, so he had 4 boosters. Many breeders suggest this to make it past the 16 wk mark. Because there is no titer for parvo, with my dogs I order Parvo vaccine and all my dogs are revaccinated for Parvo yearly until 5 yrs old. We do the shots ourselves. I hold off on adult shots after 2 yrs and titer if I feel a need, but titers here cost $75 so don't titer many! Parvo is a virus and mutates, one of my great Biewer yorkies & I were at the opening of our first dog park in our town with our Shelter Group. Carley was put in an x-pen (not many have seen Biewers). We had a wonderful day. The next day I came home from work and she was not her happy self. Being the worry wart I am I took her to the Vet - Parvo! This on a 2 1/2 yr old fully vaccinated dog. Vet called the manufacturers and spoke to the lab. We had a week of critical care and a week of regular care (I got to bring her home each night). She had 2 IV's a day...the vertict was she had a new mutation called parvo 2c which came in from Mexico in the migrating birds. She lived, but was so depleted she could never be shown again, never again was the dog she was. We were lucky in that her bill (over $7000) was paid by Psifer (sp). Carley entered a test with the drug company where she had blood draws monthly for 4 mo and from this they changed the vaccine to cover. Proud of my girl (she is now homed with my neice). This is the worst disease and every precaution you can take...just take it! Sorry, but in showing I have seen/heard so much of the horrors of Parvo. It is all over the US now and can change. We all must never be easy on this..again it is the only shot my dogs get every year, no matter what! 


Megan can't wait to see how Moose looks after his grooming. I broke down and bought a good pair of thinning shears to start working on the hair around the dogs ears. They have so much hair around their ears I don't see how air can get through and have fought ear infections in my yorkies..don't want them to start up in the goldens. Know there is a video I watched (put on the forum) that took you to a website that shows really well how to groom. Got to learn to do this myself as again we will be far from any groomer when we move. So new scissors in hand we will try.


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## Nyahsmommy

mayapaya said:


> Hmm, I'm sure if the heartworm is combined, they can refrain giving it to you without a current test/check-up. Bummer. I hadn't heard of sentinal until you mentioned it. Not a fan of the frontline liquid (it's oily) but the lesser of two evils. I saved about $10 per bag on the food on this website--they shipped fed ex ground, and I had it in 48 hours.


 
Well yesterday my boyfriend stopped at the vet to try and get the pills. So apparantly Nyah has never been heart worm tested which is a once a year thing but she didn't do it last year since she was so little. The vet was willing to give him the sentinal but he would have to sign a disclaimer stating that he refused to get her heart worm tested. So instead he is taking her in this evening(while i'm at work) to get the blood test then give us the pills. She said we can go in and get the flea meds anytime otherwise. I knew it would be something, but I guess this is something we should do.


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## baumgartml16

Kim - I was wondering if the blood test was why they had her come in last time. Koda had to do the bloodtest before we could get a years worth of her heartworm pills. I am assuming that would be why they would ask her to come in otherwise after that you should be able to get the pills yearly. 

Kim and Megan - can't wait to pictures of the two groomed!  Soak up the smell afterwards - its addicting. Brian was laughing at me cuz I would just lay by her to smell her!  LOL 

Kim - don't worry too much about the blow dryer. Koda was afraid of EVERYTHING at home and not nearly as bad at the groomers. Just let them know ahead of time that she is skiddish with certain things and then they won't be caught off guard and can prepare for it. Koda came home with a wet butt because she was done with the blow dryer and jumped off. They said they didn't want to force her and scare her off so they just let her air dry LOL.

Chris - I will have to check out that food website. Koda is on Fromm too now. I am a little hesitant cuz the pet store we get it from gets it shipped direcly from the plant (since it is made here in WI) so I dont know where I am getting it from when I order off this site but we will check it out for sure. O and this weather - we are just outside of Milwaukee so not far from you in Chicago. I can't believe the weather here. The next 6 day forcast does not have a day under 70. I was in shock..a little worried about what this all means. I feel it is too good to be true and something horrible is going to come take it away. If it doens't we could be looking at 80 degree temps by May!


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## Nyahsmommy

baumgartml16 said:


> Kim - I was wondering if the blood test was why they had her come in last time. Koda had to do the bloodtest before we could get a years worth of her heartworm pills. I am assuming that would be why they would ask her to come in otherwise after that you should be able to get the pills yearly.
> 
> Kim and Megan - can't wait to pictures of the two groomed!  Soak up the smell afterwards - its addicting. Brian was laughing at me cuz I would just lay by her to smell her!  LOL
> 
> Kim - don't worry too much about the blow dryer. Koda was afraid of EVERYTHING at home and not nearly as bad at the groomers. Just let them know ahead of time that she is skiddish with certain things and then they won't be caught off guard and can prepare for it. Koda came home with a wet butt because she was done with the blow dryer and jumped off. They said they didn't want to force her and scare her off so they just let her air dry LOL.
> 
> Chris - I will have to check out that food website. Koda is on Fromm too now. I am a little hesitant cuz the pet store we get it from gets it shipped direcly from the plant (since it is made here in WI) so I dont know where I am getting it from when I order off this site but we will check it out for sure. O and this weather - we are just outside of Milwaukee so not far from you in Chicago. I can't believe the weather here. The next 6 day forcast does not have a day under 70. I was in shock..a little worried about what this all means. I feel it is too good to be true and something horrible is going to come take it away. If it doens't we could be looking at 80 degree temps by May!


 
Ya I'm sure they heart worm tested Koda before the pills. Last year our vet gave us 2 months worth of pills when we got her last set of shots... she said that she didn't need to be on flea prevention over the winter because of the cold. I'm worried about her getting something now because she rolls in the dirt so much. I guess I will find out how much she weighs too... I'm curious because she is so heavy but doesn't look fat.

Hahaha Ya I will definately take pictures after. She needs is sooo bad! Her butt feathers are so long, they get soaked everytime she goes pee :yuck:. lol. Haha, ya my bf is the one dropping her off and I'm picking her up so I'll let him know to mention it to them. I have a feeling she won't stay still... she gets super excited around new people, but she is good anytime we bathe her at home, so it will be an interesting experience for everyone. lol.

The temperature here in Ontario has been really warm as well, we had a few really warm days then it got a bit cool, but it's suppose to be hot over the weekend, so fingers crossed to no freak snow storms. :crossfing


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## mayapaya

Deb, I know after reading the horror stories on the boards that Parvo is a real threat these days. Your story just sealed it for me. When I think of where I took Maya when she was a pup at eight weeks (walks in the neighborhood, Petsmart, even took a puppy class after she had the second set of shots). Very scary. But i just didn't know then what I know now. I'm honestly even worried about her being in our yard--you know pups--it's everything in the mouth, and there's plenty of wildlife where we live (birds, rabbits--even had a raccoon visit our garage this week!) UGH!

Michelle, I got my first bag delivered yesterday from the website--looked okay to me. Maya is on the chicken ala veg Fromms 4 star, but Payton is on the puppy large breed gold. Hopefully a fairly easy switchover to have them both on the same food. i like with the Fromms line that you can change up the flavors with no transition period. I was getting Maya's from Krisers, which is a rather upscale pet store in our area, but they didn't carry the puppy, so I would have had to order it anyway!


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## OutWest

Well it is pouring rain here but I took both dogs to the dog park this morning. Tucker was jumping out of his skin last night after a day with no running. Played tug of war and messed around with him, but nothing replaces a flat out run for a big puppy.  This morning there were a fair number of dogs there--probably everyone had antsy dogs like me. LOL Tucker had an excellent romp with a boxer, a husky (his two best friends) and a Newfie (new friend). Then I toweled him off and brought him home, toweled him off again, fed him, and now he's konked out at my feet. One tired pup.

Deb--is there are agency that is tracking incidences of parvo around the country? It would be good to know where there are break-outs. Did you have to convince your vet about the annual vaccs? Since I rely so heavily on dog parks to exercise the dogs, this could be a big problem for us.

Kathleen


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## mrmooseman

so the MIL (thats what I call kyle's mom) took Moose to the groomers today and he looks so handsome! She took a ton of picture .. I'll post them in the picture section since there a ton! He was such a good boy. He looks like he's smiling in the pictures, and he never looks that happy to be bathed hahaha.

My onlyn concern now is that both of the whites in his eyes are red. In both eyes. He isn't leaking from his eyes and he seems fine. I'm in panic mode!


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## Nyahsmommy

mrmooseman said:


> so the MIL (thats what I call kyle's mom) took Moose to the groomers today and he looks so handsome! She took a ton of picture .. I'll post them in the picture section since there a ton! He was such a good boy. He looks like he's smiling in the pictures, and he never looks that happy to be bathed hahaha.
> 
> My onlyn concern now is that both of the whites in his eyes are red. In both eyes. He isn't leaking from his eyes and he seems fine. I'm in panic mode!


 
I wouldn't worry. They are probably just irritated from all the water/soap. They should go back to normal in a day or so.

So Nyah had her vet visit today. She weighs 56 pounds . I swear she was closer to 70.... must be all that extra fur. The vet said she is small but the weight is good for her size. I am shocked because when she was a baby she had massive paws and everyone said she'd be a 75 pounder. She had lots of extra treats today. : So they did the blood test and we will find out wednesday, although the vet said she doesn't look like she has heartworm. They gave us 6 month supply of sentinel but said not to start until next month. I can't believe how expensive it is. It's $20 per pill.


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## Deber

Kathleen - There are no agencies posting anything I can tell. My area has been fighting Parvo for over 10 yrs and Vet was more than willing to order the vaccine or I order it from DrsFoster/Smith. I just order the Parvo only and the needles. The shot is sub-q so very easy to give ourselves. I give my yorkes under 15 lbs 1/2 dose and anything over 15 lbs a full dose. My cousin is a Vet (now retired) outside the LA area and he says it is really bad there too. He gives his adult dogs a parvo shot each year too, but holds off on the other shots for every 3 yrs as recommended. Parvo is bad along the East Coast per the talk when I was there in January for a show (NC then GA). I think it is less in the colder states, but in Texas it is our worst nightmare. I have cringed each time someone comes on the forum from Texas with a sick pup, cause it will prob be parvo. We didn't get Kye untill she was 18 wks and had full shots (but our Vet gave her one more just to be safe), but little Coop at 8 wks was kept mainly inside until I was sure. We took him everywhere, but always held him. I know it was overkill, but I just was/am so scared of this. 

I will have to go look at Mr. Mooseman and see how pretty he is!


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## Nyahsmommy

Ugh I am so scared about the groomers right now. I should have researched them, bf just called me and said Nyah freaked out when he dropped her off. She was the only dog there so far and they tried to put her in the crate but she kept looking back at bf crying so groomer guy had to lift her and put her in. She is terrified and doesn't know what's going on. I hope she doesn't give them a hard time. This place apparently looks run down too. *sigh* I hope they don't screw it up.


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## OutWest

Nyahsmommy said:


> Ugh I am so scared about the groomers right now. I should have researched them, bf just called me and said Nyah freaked out when he dropped her off. She was the only dog there so far and they tried to put her in the crate but she kept looking back at bf crying so groomer guy had to lift her and put her in. She is terrified and doesn't know what's going on. I hope she doesn't give them a hard time. This place apparently looks run down too. *sigh* I hope they don't screw it up.


Probably a bit of separation anxiety that ended when your bf was out of eyesight. Don't worry too much. And I've found that the older grooming places are often (not always) the better ones. Not sure why. Bet she'll look smashing. Be sure to post pictures!


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## jluke

*Ear Fur Question...*

Nope -- not the fur on the inside of the ear, but the fur behind the ears. Maisie's is sort of crinkly and stays that way after being brushed. Is that weird? Her fur is fairly wavy on the back and chest, too, and like many English-style GRs, the top side of her tail is more "ropy" (for want of a better word). Just wondering if I should be doing something differently when I bathe or brush her.


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## Nyahsmommy

So Nyah's first grooming experience turned out to go really well! The groomer said she was extremely well behaved and easy to groom. She also looks really good and the price was cheaper than I expected so all and all I am very happy with it. Here are a few pics from after.


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## mrmooseman

She looks beautiful!! arn't they soo soft and fluffy afterwords! Moose was soo well behaved too.


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## Nyahsmommy

mrmooseman said:


> She looks beautiful!! arn't they soo soft and fluffy afterwords! Moose was soo well behaved too.


Yes I can't believe how fluffy she still is...she even went to the dp today and rollled around. She smelled soooo good yesterday, I couldn't stop sniffing her . She still smells pretty good. I saw moose's pics too, he looks very cute and fluffy too


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## jluke

*Nyah's...*

... just beautiful!


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## baumgartml16

Kim - Nyah looks great! They are so fun to cuddle after their bath. Like I said earlier, I couldn't stop sniffing Koda after hers. 

Megan - I will have to go check out Moose's pictures but I know he will look handsome!  

Glad you both had good experiences!

Jill - Kodas hair behind the ears gets that crinkly look too. We brush it but it stays that way. Not sure why. After her bath it straightens out for a few days but crinkles back up! I have seen that on other goldens too, must just be the hair type! ]

Hope everyone had great weekends. We got some landscaping done this weekend but spent most of it just playing outside and enjoying our beautiful weather. We had been going to a baseball field all winter to throw the frisbee for Koda. We might need to find an alternate plan now that summer is rolling around. People were there on Sunday when we tried to go and I think with the weather this might start happening more and more. O well...we will figure it out! I get to go home and walk/play with Koda two days this week! I am excited to get to see her in the middle of my day. I am not going to want to go back to work though... 

Hope everyone has a great week!


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## Tucker's mommy

Hi, everybody! What GORGEOUS weather we had here this weekend! We had a great weekend. The house was full of visitors - and aside from some initial excitement and his typical "feed-me" loud-mouthed brattiness at supper time, Tucker was a very good boy through it all. But, wow - does he get wound up when visitors try to pet him! :bowl: So, our rule for now is, ignore him for a GOOD LONG time when you come over, until he's ready for some calm! 

I know I've mentioned before to all of you how rough Tucker has been outside, jumping, biting at my arms when we play fetch with him - well, I think we've finally rounded a corner. Our solution, as much of a bummer as it is, I think, is, NO MORE INTENSE FETCHING! It's amazing. He rarely over-excites as long as we keep the playing level keyed a bit lower. Between keeping the fetching at shorter intervals, and dragging him in EVERY time he goes overboard, I've seen HUGE improvements in how he treats me. As nice as the weather was this weekend, he was out for hours with me and the kids (ages 2, 6 and 7) and he was amazing with them. We had the occasional small issues, but nothing unmanageable. He knocked little Izzie over on her tryke - but she was trying to climb up ONTO the porch while on her bike, so she was partly to blame for that one! It's a three ring circus here! 

So the game we've subsituted for fetching while lots of people are around, to prevent any rough incidents, is bubble play!!! Tucker LOVES bubbles! And what great exercise for him as he chases after them and jumps for them, snapping at them all the while. The kids had a blast - he was even gentle enough that my 2 year old could blow them for him! So, I think we're finally starting to see some outside improvement. I won't say we're out of the woods yet, but it sure feels good to know I can have him and all the kids outside safely when the situation's controlled. I'm not nervous for summer vacation anymore, when all the kids are home from school, wanting to play outside all day!

So, all in all, a good weekend. I'm not saying it was perfect. I won't even get into the story of his escape through the invisible fence (it was UGLY) but we handled it well, and we think that's under control - but we'll be watching him like a hawk for months now outside! 

Happy Monday, everyone! :wave:

Oh - forgot to mention - Tucker's fur is all crinkly behind his ears, too - must be a golden thing!


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## OutWest

*Tucker too/two's weekend*

My Tucker did pretty well on the excessive greeting disorder this weekend.  Had guests over both Sat and Sun. On Sat, I was in shower when friend arrived, daughter answered door and I _think_ Tucker jumped up on guest. But he calmed pretty quickly and then we just kept him away from her (she's allergic). 

On Sun, I asked guests to ignore him for a couple minutes, had him on a leash which I stood on, and the guests' entrance to house went smoothly. This time there was a little girl who wanted to play/tease him a bit but both parents stayed on top of her behavior. 

Biggest Tucker news is that he was throwing up all day Sun. I think he's snapping out of it now (see post in puppy section) but it's so strange to have a subdued puppy and not an energetic, life-filled one! This house feels empty! 

We've had really cold weather (by Calif standards) so I'm just as happy to have an indoor day. Happy Monday everybody. I'm typing this on my new iPad which arrived Friday. 
:artydude


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## baumgartml16

Tucker #1 - Koda loves bubbles too! It is so much fun to watch her chase them. She knows when they get too high and just looks at me like "go again mom, those are out of my reach!" LOL...it is too funny! Glad you could have a weekend outside and enjoyed by all! They will get there! It's just a matter of time and lots of patience and work on our end! Uh-oh about the invisible fence, glad everything is okay. They sure can give us a scare hey! 

Tucker #2 - Glad Tucker was able to greet guests better! They get the hang of it pretty quick if you consistently work on it. One jump will happen time to time!  Poor Tucker being sick, the house sure does feel differnet when the pup isn't feeling well. They always supply such life to a house that it makes it feel very quiet and different when they are out of it! Hope he is feeling better! Congrats on the ipad. i am jealous!


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## jluke

*Crinkling Thanks!*

Thanks for the comments on crinkling hair behind the ears. Now I know Maisie isn't the only puppy with this look.

And thanks for mentioning the bubbles -- I can't wait to try this. I think the kids next door who are 7, 5 and 3 would love to do this with Maisie. Recently, they've gotten into the habit of special delivering sticks for her(!) and I'd like to suggest something else that's fun for everyone.

Tuckersmommy -- I just noticed that you're in PA. If you don't mind saying, are you in the east or west? I grew up near Pittsburgh.

Glad everyone's been having fun and that there's lots of settling down. Maisie's been lots better, too, no more jumping or tug-of-war on walks which has been really good since DH has been doing the walking. (I'm still limping a bit.)

The shipment from PetSmart with the compressed air can just came so I'm going to try it to deter Maisie's digging. I'll let you know how it goes. I just want to interrupt her and not scare her...


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## mrmooseman

WELL our friday grooming didn't last long. Took Moose to the park today and of course he found the only small mud hole..ugh.

Anyways here is some Easter cheer for yahs!.. Moose, not soo much..haha


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## Nyahsmommy

So Nyah is now officially terrified of the DP and she won't go outside now because of it. Has anyone watched the Simpsons and remember the fan man?(Guy with big fan on his back who flies around). Well we were at the dog park playing with the whip it and at the park next to the DP this guy comes out with a giagantic fan, this flag and a parachute thing. He starts it up and Nyah goes nuts... starts barking like crazy. As soon as he took off in the air Nyah ran faster than I have ever seen her across the DP to the exit. We tried to get her to play again but she would not leave the exit. She kept getting us while crying. I don't get it... there was a mini poodle trying to chase it and here is big Nyah trembling from this fan man. :uhoh:. So we take her to the car and the guy comes back and lands. She goes nuts again and tries to crawl under the car because I didn't open the door fast enough. She now won't go outside to pee... have to drag her across the street. It's going to take a few days before she will walk again and I just hope she isn't scared of the DP for good now. Ugh why does this have to happen?? Bad timing.


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## OutWest

Oh that's too bad. You should try to get her to go back just to get her over the scare. You might want to try de-sensitizing her to loud machinery. Not sure how but I am sure someone somewhere has done it! LOL. Tucker got jumped by a leader-of-the-pack husky at the do a couple weeks ago. Was afraid he wouldn't want to go back but he is OK now. I took him back at a very quiet time with just dogs he already knew. Good luck!

Tucker update: have been feeding him small meals of boiled rice mixed with puréed chicken baby food today. So far, no more vomiting. He has literally slept all day so I know he was tired out. Was in kitchen with me when I made dinner and he wasn't even interested. Just konked out on the floor. Hoping tomorrow he'll be back to his normal Tigger-like self. 

Have a nice evening all.


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## Nyahsmommy

OutWest said:


> Oh that's too bad. You should try to get her to go back just to get her over the scare. You might want to try de-sensitizing her to loud machinery. Not sure how but I am sure someone somewhere has done it! LOL. Tucker got jumped by a leader-of-the-pack husky at the do a couple weeks ago. Was afraid he wouldn't want to go back but he is OK now. I took him back at a very quiet time with just dogs he already knew. Good luck!
> 
> Tucker update: have been feeding him small meals of boiled rice mixed with puréed chicken baby food today. So far, no more vomiting. He has literally slept all day so I know he was tired out. Was in kitchen with me when I made dinner and he wasn't even interested. Just konked out on the floor. Hoping tomorrow he'll be back to his normal Tigger-like self.
> 
> Have a nice evening all.


 
That's great that Tucker is doing better.  Well Nyah walked really nice this morning but this afternoon was a different story. She kept stopping and looking back towards home, very frustrating. We may take her to the DP again tonight to try and make her face her fears but I doubt that would go well.


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## mrmooseman

Today I am going to try Moose with a pinch collar. I'm kind of nervous of how he is going to react. I don't want to scare the poor guy but the weather is getting soo nice (59° today and 54° tomorrow) I want to get out and start walking again! The park is wayy to muddy and I can't keep the poor fella all cooped up any longer. He is driving me nuts!! So hopefully this will work, if not, we are onto the easy leads.

Hope everyone is enjoying their first day of Spring !!


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## baumgartml16

Good luck Megan, I really don't think he will mind it or react in any way. He might be surprised but typically they respond to the pressure and as soon as he stops pulling the pressure ends. He will catch on quick and won't even notice it is on. 

Kim - Good luck at the DP if you decide to go. I wouldn't push it this first time. Maybe walk around outsdie of the park on a leash and just get her to forget where she is and each day go a little further...unless she shows no hesitation when there, then go for it! 

Just had a wonderufl lunch break with my little girl! It is the best hour of my day but so bittersweet cuz I hate leaving her after that short of time. It is hot here today...upper 70's. So we went for a walk down to the park and we ran around a bit and came back. I tried to play outside with her too to completely wipe her out but the heat must have done that for me. We found a shady spot and she just laid on my feet and we cuddled before i headed back to work! I love those moments!


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## OutWest

mrmooseman said:


> Today I am going to try Moose with a pinch collar. I'm kind of nervous of how he is going to react. I don't want to scare the poor guy but the weather is getting soo nice (59° today and 54° tomorrow) I want to get out and start walking again! The park is wayy to muddy and I can't keep the poor fella all cooped up any longer. He is driving me nuts!! So hopefully this will work, if not, we are onto the easy leads.
> 
> Hope everyone is enjoying their first day of Spring !!


I bet he'll be fine with it. First time on Tucker he just sat there a second as if to say "this is different; guess I won't pull on it" and he was fine.


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## Tucker's mommy

Our Tucker was fine with the prong collar too. We only use it for training - but when he sees it, he gets sooper dooper excited, because he knows it's time for fun! Too funny! And to think about how "evil" they look!  They're obviously great tools. I've learned SOOOOO much with this dog of mine!


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## mrmooseman

O M G!! Why haven't I tried this sooner!! Moose did soo good with the prong collar. He pulled a bit at first but not as much as he does to the point where I go everywhere with him. He didn't cry with it on. He did soo well. We went for a walk down the road just to test it out and on the way back up he was walking in pace with me. To the point where I was moving because he was walking in front of me in my way. I just have to get him a bigger one though, it was easy to put on, kinda tight taking off. I will have to go and exchange it tomorrow. I am so excited haha. We can now go enjoy our walks like we did last year and I won't have to worry about him ripping my arm off. hahaha


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## Tucker's mommy

Megan, Yay! Glad to hear it worked for you!!! I feel soooooo bad for people who can't enjoy good walks with their pups. I grew up with a brittany who pulled so bad, even with a choke collar, that it was hell to walk him. No fun at all. I am so glad our dog now loves his walks. I hope the prong continues to work its magic for you!


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## Nyahsmommy

baumgartml16 said:


> Kim - Good luck at the DP if you decide to go. I wouldn't push it this first time. Maybe walk around outsdie of the park on a leash and just get her to forget where she is and each day go a little further...unless she shows no hesitation when there, then go for it!


 
Well we decided to take her and she pretty much forgot about yesterday, much to our surprise! We decided not to take the whip it in (we were playing that when the fan man took off), and she had a blast! One of her friend's who she hasn't seen since she was little(the dog is her age too) was there and they instantly remembered each other and had a great time. 

She's still not behaving on walks though. She keeps looking back towards the apartment until it is out of sight. If I take her anywhere else it's not as bad. I don't know what she's gonna do when we move, she will be totally confused.


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## OutWest

mrmooseman said:


> O M G!! Why haven't I tried this sooner!! Moose did soo good with the prong collar. He pulled a bit at first but not as much as he does to the point where I go everywhere with him. He didn't cry with it on. He did soo well. We went for a walk down the road just to test it out and on the way back up he was walking in pace with me. To the point where I was moving because he was walking in front of me in my way. I just have to get him a bigger one though, it was easy to put on, kinda tight taking off. I will have to go and exchange it tomorrow. I am so excited haha. We can now go enjoy our walks like we did last year and I won't have to worry about him ripping my arm off. hahaha


That's great--glad it works. If you need easier on/off, buy the quick release one. Helps a lot. Make sure to bring Moose with you and ask who knows to fit it in him. That helps too!


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## OutWest

*Tucker update*

Its official ... I have two sick dogs. Did talk to vets office; they think it's most likely flu. They said to continue as I have been and bring them in they get worse. Tucker _was_ doing really well today. Went to the dog park. Had a lively time. Then he threw up in the car on the way home. Tess was sick overnight so have been giving her light meals of rice with pumpkin. Shes hungry but not overly so. I froze some ice cubes of Gatorade and have been hand feeding them to both. Tucker likes them but not Tess. However she is drinking from the bowl. 

Wish me luck. Two sick vomiting dogs! :yuck:


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## baumgartml16

Megan - I had a hard time getting the prong collar on and off when we first got it but we duct taped one of the prongs so we knew which one to use and now we put it on and take it off on the same prong so it loosened up a bit and is easier to get on and off. Just a suggestion as I hated doing it before that.

Kathleen - so sorry to hear about your two dogs! That is not a fun time dealing with them being sick. Hope they recover and feel better very soon!!


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## jluke

*Prongs and...*

So sorry that Tucker and Tess are ailing and hope they'll feel better really soon.

Megan -- really glad that the prong collar is working well with Moose! You all know we've been using a martingale-style prong with quick-release with Maisie for a few months and it works great. Just a note -- it's started to release while walking her as a few people have warned us it might. We've put a tether between the leash and her regular flat collar as a "just in case" since prong collars are known to do this.

I'v started switching Maisie back and forth from the prong collar to a regular nylon martingale and she doesn't pull much on it now. I don't think the silly girl realizes -- so the training process seems to be working...

So sorry that Nyah got a big scare the other day. I'm glad you took her back to the scene. I bet when you move she'll settle into your new routine -- she probably just wants to be with her people. As far as getting her used to loud noises, I think there are some CDs you can use that might help.


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## mrmooseman

Another successful walk today. Since we haven't really taken Moose for a walk since moving into this house, I'm not really sure about what other dogs are around. The neighbour has a dog that they keep in a fenced yard when it is out. A poodle like thing that just barks and barks at Moose. Across the street, they have a older golden and if he seems Moose he lets out one big deep bark and then lays down. Must be to much for the old fella haha. There has been a lab roaming around and I am not too sure who owns him. He tends to bark at Moose and stare at him. I get wery when he is around. We went down the road today just to scope out the situation. The only problem with a dog we had was with a yorkie. It just yaped and yaped and tried to run after Moose, but it was on a leash. Moose just looked at it, then looked at me as if saying "*** is that mom?? is that a stuffie!!" and we went on our way. Moose didn't bark and he even walked pasted a tractor and a big truck doing some construction and wasn't even scared. The problem now is he feels the need to greet EVERYONE. Silly dog.

Michelle we're having the same problem with the park too. We usually took Moose to the ballfield because the other park was too sketchy and I was scared something would happen to him. Now that the weather is getting nicer (63° tomorrow!!!!!) We're going to loose access to it. Luckly Kyle's grandmother lives a few houses down the road and has a field in her yard we can take him too. I just can't wait til beach weather.


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## baumgartml16

Jill - prong collars have a tendancy to release while walking? i have never heard of this... i may need to rig something up if this is the case.


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## Tucker's mommy

We use the quick-release prong - and it is very easy to get on and off - definitely something to consider.


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## OutWest

baumgartml16 said:


> Jill - prong collars have a tendancy to release while walking? i have never heard of this... i may need to rig something up if this is the case.


I've been told that pretty much all collars can pop open. A lot of people have a tether they attach between a halter and the collar, or between the prong collar and the flat collar, just for safety, in case one comes off. I haven't done that with Tucker but might at some point. It sort of depends on how reactive your dog is in different circumstance--how likely it is he will lunge suddenly at something.


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## OutWest

OutWest said:


> Its official ... I have two sick dogs. Did talk to vets office; they think it's most likely flu. They said to continue as I have been and bring them in they get worse. Tucker _was_ doing really well today. Went to the dog park. Had a lively time. Then he threw up in the car on the way home. Tess was sick overnight so have been giving her light meals of rice with pumpkin. Shes hungry but not overly so. I froze some ice cubes of Gatorade and have been hand feeding them to both. Tucker likes them but not Tess. However she is drinking from the bowl.
> 
> Wish me luck. Two sick vomiting dogs! :yuck:


Tucker seems to be mending nicely. Took him (not Tess) to the dog park and had a good romp, but he tired himself out more quickly than usual. Tess did not throw up in her crate last night :appl:. I gave her a small breakfast of boiled rice mixed with pumpkin, baby food, and bit of kibble. So far it has all stayed down. Her ears needs grooming (they get into everything). 

Both are snoozing next to me at the moment.


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## mayapaya

Hi everyone, another hopping weekend around here--Kathleen, how are Tucker and Tess doing? Any better today??? Loved your story, Megan--particularly the "stuffie" reference! Took Maya to a training class on Saturday that was a disaster--not because of Maya--because of the trainer!!! had to start another thread on that one!!! UGH! Took Maya in for her heartworm check yesterday--vet says she needs to drop a few pounds and to drop her food to a cup at each serving...she's 62 pounds--vet says she should would like to see her about 56-58. She suggested mixing some green beans in to fill her up--anyone ever tried this? Have to take Payton on Friday for her second set of shots. Watching these two interact is interesting--have learned a few things already. Payton is constantly jumping on Maya, mouthing, nipping around the neck. Maya just gives it right back, but a few times Payton has started baring teeth amd making snarling noises, so then I've had to seperate them for a bit. But, Payton is right back at it. I swear they are purposly trying to antagonize each other. When Payton is laying nicely chewing on a bone, Maya will run up and steal it. Actually, she steals everything that Payton has! so then Payton go's running after her, biting, mouthing, and then the full blown wrestling match starts. And the cycle continues, over, and over, and over.....sigh.....actually, Maya seems to be doing quite well adjusting--she has only growled/snarled at Payton twice...once when Payton tried to take a "new" bone that I had given Maya, and once when Payton tried to grab Maya's Kong (even though Payton had one of her own, they love to just walk up and take anything that's in the other's mouth.). We all had a good laugh about the Kong stealing incident though. I gave Payton a tiny Kong, and gave Maya the bigger one stuffed with frozen banana. Maya immediately had to run over and "steal" Payton's, who then wound up with the large Kong, while Maya ended up with the little one--see what you get for being greedy????? HA! I can see now what items they seem to be okay with taking, and others that are just too high value to share. This morning I gave Maya a marrow bone and Payton a bully stick, and had to put Payton in her crate to keep the thievery at bay. Even then Maya was trying to stick her nose in Payton's crate to grab her bully stick! Wonder is this will get easier, or if I am destined to live in the middle of a boxing ring forever??????? Happy Wednesday, all!!!!


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## baumgartml16

We started putting about 1/2 cup of green beans in Koda's bowl in place of 1/2 cup of kibble at dinner. She still gets her 1.5 cups at breakfast but we just cut back wtih her dinner as she only had a little to lose. I think between that and more exercise she is shedding those few pounds easily. We said we might have to actually up her food if she keeps losing like this, most likely due to the exercise! She is so funny though...she will bring her little kong over to us and drop it and look at us like "what the heck, nothing is coming out, help please". It is sooo cute! She knows when green beans are in it that she needs to pick it up and drop it and they all fall out. When we give her the frozen kong she lays down and licks it. Soo smart!  But yes, sorry for the longwinded answer, the green beans seem to have helped.


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## jluke

*Prong Collars and Veggies*

Michelle -- prong collars can open up when walking, both the quick release type (which is what we use) and standard version. It's happened with Maisie when we've just been moving along at a regular pace with her on a flexi-lead. To be safe, our trainer really encouraged us to use a short tether to her flat collar. It didn't start to happen until we'd used the prong collar for a few months.

I haven't given Maisie green beans yet, but used to give them to our adult GRs. They loved carrots and apple chunks, too, but they have a higher calorie density.


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## Tucker's mommy

So, Tucker has been such a good boy these past few days, and I was so proud, thinking we'd finally rounded a corner. Then a friend of mine totally burst my bubble tonight when I saw her. She asked how Tucker was doing, I told her wonderful, and she laughed and said "isn't this hot weather wonderful- it really tires them out quicker". Darnit. I think she's right. It's been around 80 degrees in the south hills of pittburgh these past few days. I think it's TOTALLY the weather. The next cold spell we have, I'm sure the devil will resurface once again!!!!! :doh:

Anybody else out there with this recent warm weather noticing behaviour changes in their dogs?


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## baumgartml16

Yes - the warm weather has worn Koda out much easier. We were confused Sunday when we would try to play with her and she just sat in the shade like "are you kidding me, I'm roasting"...they definitely tire out faster in this weather and you dont want them to overheat...

We are expected to cool off again into the 60's tomorrow I believe so she will be back to her playful, excited self!


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## mrmooseman

We're in the 60's today. It's beautiful out! This is basically summer weather for us. But back to the high 20's low 30's tomorrow with some "wet snow". Mothe nature is teasing us. I'm going to take Moose to the beach today, hopefully all the ice clampers are gone so we can actually walk on the beach. He prob. won't go into the water, the atlantic tends to be super cold but it will give him a good run and get him use to the beach again.


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## mayapaya

I can't tell if Maya is tired from the heat or because Payton is wearing her out!!! But, I've also noticed the same thing. It's almost like she has morphed into the perfect angel. I know the REAL Maya is in there somewhere!!!


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## OutWest

Tucker seems to be all better. Just fed him an all-kibble meal. We'll see if it stays down, etc., but I think it will. Tess is also on the mend but still eating half rice/half kibble. They both still tire out faster than usual. 

Tucker has gone into a jumping phase and I'm not sure how to handle it with people at the dog park. If he's with me, on a leash, I have ways to manage it and he's getting the message. But he jumped on a woman today at the park, and I politely asked her, "If he does that again, please turn your back on him and ignore him. I'm trying to get him to stop." She sort of gave me the fish-eye, as if to say, "You want me to train your dog??" I know I can't expect the world to conform to my training regimen, but I'm not sure how to correct him in such a loose environment. He doesn't hurt anyone, he's just excited and wants to get in their faces to say hi. Any ideas anyone?


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## mrmooseman

I was quite suprised with how Moose was at the beach today. He went into the water, even though he was scared of his own splashes while he ran in the water, and when the ball went out alittle far (up to his chest) he was scared to go get it, but he did! I forgot how much the sand gets stuck in his fur though. Great weather today, andd back to the dreadful snow tomorrow :doh:..


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## mrmooseman

Outwest Moose does the same thing. We just taught him that when someone comes into the house, before the person even does, we say "no jumping!" very sternly. Even outside, and he doesn't jump. The odd time he will and we just say "Moose! Down!" and point at him and he gets submissive and lays on his back instead


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## jluke

*My Usual Mix...*

Megan -- great pix of Moose at the beach! Can't wait to take Maisie. We're having some work done at our place (we stay there and rent it, both). Hope to get there mid-April.

According to the reports, Maisie was an angel for our dog sitter and walkers last week. It was our college daughter's first spring break week, so we spent part of it almost skiing in VT -- some snow. It's cooler again now and as you suggested, Maisie is feistier and needs a bit of an obedience refresher. Rainy today, too, so shorter walks. I just got a book of dog tricks and started teaching her a few -- pretty silly...

Glad that Tucker and Tess are improving.

Tuckersmommy in the south hills of Pgh -- I grew up in Irwin, Exit 7 off the turnpike, east of the city. (Still a Steelers' fan, but don't tell anybody...)


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## Deber

So glad to be back! Computer is still on the blink, so brought our laptop back from the country and can at least get on at home and not just from work. 

Kye is in heat, finally, but would have been nice if she could have held off one more month then fixed before it came. Have taken Coop to where we go to class and they have nice boarding too, just pricey to me. Runs $500 for a month with us bringing food, but they add for everything else. I paid for 4 playtimes with others his age (2 in morning and 2 in the afternoon so he isn't lonely and an added $15 a week for this), but just to walk him they want $15 more a day! So I am going early and walking him and then again after work. I sure don't like this but the only way Kye can get through this. We are watching the pitbulls who run at night mainly, to see if any get out during the day and try to get to her, if so, then she will go to the boarding place (not happy with a girl in heat - but they ok'd) and bring Coop home. Keeping my fingers crossed cause next week she should come into breeding heat. This whole thing is stupid and I wish I had thought it through more. We will spend probably $600 for the month and it is only $250 to have her spayed! Should have don't this after 6 mo! Now looking at almost $900 for it all, but at least she won't be pregnant. Im so dumb!

Seems really weird in the house with only one large dog. Kye keeps looking for him but then settles. I have put back out her large crate but leaving the door open to see if she likes this and if so will lock her in during the night to start. If I can get her back used to her crate then hopefully when she gets to the last week (non breeding) we can bring Coop back and this will cut the expenses. We will see.

Megan - loved the pictures of Moose at the beach. I have been worried the water in the ponds is still too cold and haven't let mine in (shoot we have been in the 70-80's I am being over careful). If the Mooseman can get in that cold water up there then I need to take mine in! Can't wait for this heat issue to be over so we can start the summer. 

Mine too were/are settling much more in this warm weather. I hope it is a combination of the heat and maturity but don't believe in much luck. Still having problems with both jumping on people who surprise us at the farm and come into the house. If they are in collars I can hold them, but mostly not, so we have the few minutes of me grabbing dogs who are deaf. I am afraid they will scratch! We keep working, but my two don't get to see new people very often, so hard to practice. But we keep on plugging.


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## baumgartml16

We had a pretty good weekend overall! Saturday Koda has a play date with a puppy friend of hers! They had a good time at the park, she came back pooped which is always a good thing! 

Sunday we decided to get some work done on our yard. My husbands family came over to help. In the beginning we had Koda outside on her long line. She was being good but when we were moving the swingset over in our backyard we had to put her leash on the pole so she wouldn't get in the way. She did NOT like this...so much that at one point we didn't look at her for a while and she was on her way digging to China! OMG, my hubby was not happy at all...I dont know what to do to stop the digging. Usually we are right there by her so this doesn't happen but we were all too occupied to notice what she was doing! We have a lot of grass planting to do so it isn't the end of the world at this point. I feel like that incident was purely anxiety issues, she couldn't get to us so she dug instead...I dont wnat her to feel anxious on a leash like that.

Other than that we had a pretty good day. When we cut the tree down she had to be inside, too many things that could hurt her out there so my MIL and I went in and cooked...didn't matter..people were outside and Koda wasn't LOL...

Weekend went way to fast and here we are at Monday again...hope everyone had a good weekend!


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## OutWest

Michelle--swingset, huh? Is there another addition on the way...? 

We had an OK weekend. Very wet here most of the time. Sun came out for a bit yesterday and we dashed to the dog park. Tucker just about jumped out of his skin he was so happy. 

I spoke with the spay-neuter clinic this morning and they felt we should delay his surgery (scheduled for tomorrow). When I weighed him over the weekend, he had lost 4.5 pounds from being sick last week. He's eating fairly well, but I think he still gets tired easily. So we're going to wait two weeks.

I put this in an earlier post but I think most didn't see it so I'm putting it here too: _Tucker has gone into a jumping phase and I'm not sure how to handle it with people at the dog park. If he's with me, on a leash, I have ways to manage it and he's getting the message. But he jumped on a woman today at the park, and I politely asked her, "If he does that again, please turn your back on him and ignore him. I'm trying to get him to stop." She sort of gave me the fish-eye, as if to say, "You want me to train your dog??" I know I can't expect the world to conform to my training regimen, but I'm not sure how to correct him *in such a loose environment*. He doesn't hurt anyone, he's just excited and wants to get in their faces to say hi. Any ideas anyone?_

Thanks all. Kathleen.


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## mrmooseman

We had a very busy weekend. Friday we got a lot done inside in the way of cleaning. Got rid of some old paint cans we found hidden in the basement. Saturday the bf went on the quad with some friends for the day since it was his birthday, I figure I'd let him enjoy his day haha. I had a bit of running around to do anyways. Sunday we worked on the sofit and facia (finally !!) Got most of the house done, so getting soo excited about new siding and windows!! Moose was out with the boys, and I was going to help clean up the yard (which was a totaly waste of time). Moose was in everyones way and kept getting hiself stuck around the scaffolding, so I spent most of the day outside getting him untangled. I just decided since I wasn't clearly getting anything done I would take him inside. I never ventured back out, it got too cold and everytime I tried, he would bark and cry like a mad man! So we hung out and I had to open the blinds for the patio doors so he could lay on the floor and watch the guys work. And he did that all day until they were done. He had no use for me only unless I went outside. ugh.

Outwest : I posted what we do with Moose when he jumps, but I understand your frustration. We trained Moose at a young age that jumping wasn't allowed, but he still does it. It seems more and more the last like few weeks. I don't know why all of a sudden. But I our friend said when her dog use to jump while off leash at the park, she started keeping him on the leash and corrected him everytime he jumped. She did that the first few times, kind of showing he wasn't allowed to play with the other dogs until he stopped. I don't know if that helps. I usually just yell at Moose and he stops.


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## baumgartml16

Megan - I wish Koda would just sit and watch...when they were outside doing stuff she was standing at the door whining to get out there...she is such a freak about being outside! She got in the way too much, like Moose, so she was banned to the inside until they had cleaned up.

Kathleen - the swingset was there when we moved in last summer but we wanted to move it out of the middle of the yard so Koda has more room!  But an addition isn't too far away (hopefully). 

As far as jumping, I would continue to ask people to do that even if they don't want to "train" your dog for you. Otherwise they get jumped on..he has to learn somehow.


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## Tucker's mommy

Happy Monday, everyone! What a day yesterday was for us. The heat broke here, and it was much cooler, and boy, did Tucker notice. He was an absolute hellion outside yesterday. All over me. I hate it when he gets that way. But, after burning the energy off, he settled down. At least he didn't tackle the in-laws the way he tackled me! He stayed off the kids, too, which was really good. But I am so sick of being his punching bag! The mistake I made was letting him outside without his long line on - so I didn't have a way of pulling him down to a sit/stay before he went over the energy -edge. And oh, how quickly that edge is reached! I know now, we're not ready to take that line off - at least not on crisp, cool days! I love our invisible fence - it is awesome to be able to use our yard for his long fetch games, but it does get him wound up - thus, that long line attached to his collar is such a necessity - especially when the kids are out with me.

The past week has been a challenge, as my husband has been on travel a ton, off and on. He travels a bit, but it's really picked up lately. I'm proud of myself, that I can handle the dog alone with all the kids. It feels good. But - it EXHAUSTS me. I'm ready for Tucker to grow up a bit. My kids, too, for that matter!


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## jluke

*Swimming Today!*

The water access at the DP is open again for the season. Maisie sat at the gate, pining to go in even though there weren't any other dogs in, so I let her go. She ran down the rock steps, waded right in and started to swim! Last fall, she would have waded around and stood there. Today she swam all around the buoyed enclosure, then went over the buoys out into the lake -- uh oh! Of course, she didn't respond when I called. Another kind owner brought his dogs back in swimming and she joined them. But then she took the two of them into the out-of-bounds area. It's a bit scary since she can get out of sight quickly. I may not be able to let her go back in until I get her better on recall. I have a few swimming pictures to post later.

She's out of practice in general -- a week off with my fall and another week skiing with my college-age daughter on spring break. She's home for a second week and was at the DP today. Maisie's behavior was un-good enough that Claire called her "Demon Dog" -- but she hasn't seen any really bad behavior and did nicely mention that the tugging and jumping leash stuff is over.

Kathleen -- I'm sort of surprised about the reaction you've gotten at the DP. At ours, people usually tell a jumping dog "Off" or "Sit" and the owner never seems to mind. Is it possible that it was just the one woman? I'd be inclined to keep trying with other people.

Oh, Michelle -- an addition? Exciting...


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## MarsNPluto

Pluto and I had a good weekend... okay, not really. Most of the weekend was spent visiting my parents and younger siblings, so of course his manners were forgotten and he'd jump at people on the table, try to steal food, socks, napkins, etc. and even started nipping my cousin when she pushed him off of her at the dinner table because he wouldn't respond to the command "off". :bowl: I also attempted to play fetch with him at the park, and he decided that getting the ball then running in figure 8's around me was much more fun than that. 

Sunday we began our Advanced training course at Petsmart (where it teaches a dog how to be a good citizen). He was a star at all the commands... EXCEPT... he refused to sit when we practiced being pet by a stranger. :doh: He just cannot contain himself, especially with certain women (I guess he's some sort of playa). When the last person went around to pet the dogs, everyone was actually cheering him on, "Okay, Pluto, you can do this! Last chance!" We got him to sit for a 5 second petting. His trainer termed him "overly friendly." It was pretty embarrassing...


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## OutWest

MarsNPluto said:


> Pluto and I had a good weekend... okay, not really. Most of the weekend was spent visiting my parents and younger siblings, so of course his manners were forgotten and he'd jump at people on the table, try to steal food, socks, napkins, etc. and even started nipping my cousin when she pushed him off of her at the dinner table because he wouldn't respond to the command "off". :bowl: I also attempted to play fetch with him at the park, and he decided that getting the ball then running in figure 8's around me was much more fun than that.
> 
> Sunday we began our Advanced training course at Petsmart (where it teaches a dog how to be a good citizen). He was a star at all the commands... EXCEPT... he refused to sit when we practiced being pet by a stranger. :doh: He just cannot contain himself, especially with certain women (I guess he's some sort of playa). When the last person went around to pet the dogs, everyone was actually cheering him on, "Okay, Pluto, you can do this! Last chance!" We got him to sit for a 5 second petting. His trainer termed him "overly friendly." It was pretty embarrassing...


You had to admit though, if someone's going to level a criticism at your kid, "overly friendly" isn't the worst thing to hear!  LOL


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## MarsNPluto

OutWest said:


> You had to admit though, if someone's going to level a criticism at your kid, "overly friendly" isn't the worst thing to hear!  LOL


lol I suppose you are right! But it does seem like we don't train or practice, especially since most of the class will be based on manners and not tricks... manners are his weakness, so I have a feeling it's going to be a long 6 weeks! I'm considering asking his trainer if we should just do the trick class for now, then do the manners class when he is older and a tad more calm, but we'll see. I really would like him to learn his manners soon.

P.S. We do practice sit for petting, but he either can't control himself or the person I ask to help me says "nah, it's fine, I'm going to let him jump all over me I just love him so much ahhhh YOU'RE SUCH A CUTE PUPPY OH MY GOODNESSSSSSSS!"  I can't win with this one.


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## Deber

Mars we have this problem too. If I could stop the jumping I would be content. For mine it is greeting. Even in class they both think to meet someone it means they must jump up and Kye lays her head on their shoulder. Yes she loves them, but honestly having a 60+ lb dog jump up and lay her head on you is NOT what people want. After the initial jump they don't do it again! My problem is that in class at least they have their collars on and I can gain control, but at our country place people come over without notice and collars aren't on. I have no way to stop this other than bear hug and wrestle to the ground. They both go deaf and dumb during these times. I have tried leaving collars on with a short lead, but the lead can get caught in the rear stairs and the two play so rough with each other teeth get caught in collars - yikes, so no collars unless walking or training. Really at my wits end and our trainer has not been of a lot of help. She says to take the dogs where they can great people over and over and honestly there is no such place I can find. I need a boardwalk or something like this I could walk the dogs back and forth and let them see lots of people, but this would still not stop the greetings at our home. Wish I knew more people I could ask to come, but we just never know who or when someone will show up. But this jumping greeting must stop. 

Really hate having Coop away, it is like sending your kids to summer camp. Love seeing him each morning and enjoy our walks at the boarding place in the afternoons, but really miss my big ole love-bug at home. Tonight he has a class so will be with him until almost bedtime - good! One of the trainers there has taken pity on Coop and is taking him out with his golden for special walks and I hope a bit of training too. Coop needs this and the added plus of working with a stranger. 

Proud of myself. I took a pair of female diapers apart and used as a pattern and made a templete and almost finished my first diaper! Honestly easy and can do more once I have figured it out. I make my own belly bands for the yorkie boys so figured I could do the girl diaper thing too. Figure once finished it will cost about $2. Shouldn't need many, but lots of fun to make. Happy and saved a lot.


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## baumgartml16

Jill - perhaps put a long line on Maisie when you take her out swimming and that way you can reel her in when she goes too far? I think that is our plan this summer if Koda's recall still isn't reliable and we go up north for the week.

Those of you with the greeting disorder (we dealt with this as well) I would recommend taking them up to your local grocery store and sitting outside. Let people come up and pet them. Tell them if the dog jumps they should back up from the dog while you pull back and get them back in a sit...try again. My hubby goes and walks Koda when I am at the grocery store and then sits outside of it when they are done until I come out. She has gotten 10x better about jumping with doing this now. By the time I come out she usually laying down by hubby's feet just watching people go by! 

Deb - I can't imagine being without Coop for that long. I feel so sorry for you!! I would go insane not having Koda around for that long. But at least you get to see him twice a day if not more! And what a nice person to take the time out and give Coop extra attention - he is a golden afterall, they love attention any way they can get it!  Hopefully the time goes fast for you and you can both dogs back together under one household!

Good job on the doggie diapers!  I am sure that will make clean up much easier!

I am nervous for our class on Thursday, my husband has a fantasy baseball draft and so I am going alone! My mom is coming for moral support but I am in charge of training her. Usually my husband does the training in class cuz I do most of the training during the week. Last time I trained her in class she did not behave, she jumped on me the whole class....I am praying we don't have a repeat! She has made a big improvement in that area but I might tip her off...let's hope not!


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## mayapaya

Ahhh, the exuberant greeting disorder! We know it well at our house. Took Maya to a private traning session last night, where I got some tips to work on recall, (since she ignores me on a regular basis) down stays, and the jumping. I have the same problem you do, Deb. People are always popping by (neighbors, brother in law, etc.), and they all love Maya to death, so when she jumps they just pet and love on her, all the while I am yelling "off", and I don't want to leave the prong collar on all the time--especially with the new pup, and all the wrestling they do! We are just using it for walks, and reinforcing our down/stays during training. The instructor said to prepare her for success by getting her to settle a bit (walking by your side in a heel, open the door, let person come in, ignore her for a bit, and then introduce the pup slowly, while she's still on leash). We are going to try this, but I am going to have to have her collar and leash handy, and make people stay outside until I can prepare for their entrance! I know I've got to get Maya's manners in line before Payton get's into the tennage years, or I will have two out of control dogs.:uhoh: By the way, my sweet Maya girl is one year old today! I can;t believe how time flies! This morning I was recalling all the things she has eaten, (necklaces, dry wall) destroyed (hundreds of dollars worth of toys, shoes, holes in clothing, blankets), and I just had to smile. Just love my girl, even though she has been a real stinker sometimes!!!


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## OutWest

*Sick pup*

Tucker is sick again (or still). I'm really glad I postponed his surgery. He has been frantic to go outside. Mostly he's pooping or trying to poop. Woke me up in middle of night to go out. Hasn't done that in months. Then I heard him throw up in his crate. 

Took him to vet this morning who Xrayed for obstruction. Nothing there but he saw inflammation. So he's back on the rice diet for a while. I feel bad for him. He's a completely different dog when he doesn't feel well. 

Tess had the same bug last week but seems to be fine now. Hoping she doesn't relapse as well. 

Re: the jumping. One thing we've done with Tucker is give him permission to jump up once in a while but not if he hasn't been invited. We say "hugs" and he jumps up and puts his front arms around our waists then rests his head on our shoulder. When we say "off" he gets down. It's become part of his morning "greet the pack" ritual. But he has to be invited. The jumping up that he's doing in the DP started just recently. I'm going to keep asking people to turn their back on him and keep watching him like a hawk. I think he's improving. He's just soooooo happy to see everybody and they're sooooooo happy to see him! :doh:

I also think we need to get him back into training. I was waiting for daughters basketball team to wrap up. I'd like to enroll them in agility training. The emphasis on focus is great, and I can exercise two kids at one time!


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## baumgartml16

Chris - i need to find a private lesson to work on recalls with Koda! That is one of her downfalls, although she is getting slightly better. Happy 1 year to Maya pup! Can't believe she is a year old now!  They sure do take over our lives, in a good way, hey!?

Kathleen - poor Tucker!! Hope this one doesn't last long and he feels better soon! Loving thoughts to him!


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## mrmooseman

We also suffer from the "excited jumping puppy syndrome". But not as much as we use to. He is settling down a lot, even though when people come in his is soo excited! We started having to tell guests to tell him "down" if he jumps or to turn their backs to him. But of course, people don't do that, they just LOVE when he jumps all over them, and we look like the nuts yelling "down!" and of course he is also deaf to us at that point. But its working! And now he just wags his tail and shakes him bum. We also do let him jump up on us sometimes. Only if he's good, or I need a dancing partner :bowl: haha. 

Right now we are working on his insane excitingness when he sees other dogs. He goes NUTS! He thinks all dogs love him and want to play with him, because of course he loves all dogs and he wants to play with them. When we have him in his prong collar (have I mentioned how much I LOVE LOVE LOVE this?!?!) He can be corrected, BUT if we are at the park or the beach, he doesn't listen and jets off towards other dogs. I mean most dogs if they don't like him will snap at him and he knows better after that, I'm fearful that a bigger dog will take a bite out of him. Any advice??

Happy Birthday Maya!!!::wave:

Oh and PS : I was cleaning out the closet in the guest room today and I found my bfs old moose slippers (funny, he had these slippers years before we got the dog). They are camouflage with stuffed moose heads on them. I have been wearing them all day and everywhere I go, Moose is trying to bite them off my feet!


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## jluke

*My Usual Misc.*

Kathleen -- so sorry that Tucker's still feeling sick.

Happy Birthday, Maya!

Michelle -- thanks for your thought on a long-line for Maisie while swimming. I have to think about whether it might get tangled in the buoys which are pretty much like lane markers in swimming pools.

There's a pic of Maisie's swimming the other day below. It was so bright out and she's so light, it's not the best, but you can tell she's having fun! 

On the over-excited greetings and jumping up, we, too, take Maisie to the grocery store and I stand outside with her while DH shops. When she's stays in sit, she's gets to meet people and get treats. At home, we worked on the jumping problem by designating a spot just outside the foyer in the living room where she sits and stays, waiting for people to come in. It also means she doesn't charge out the door. I still have to keep an eye on her since I don't completely trust her stays, but the process has definitely helped stop the jumping. Now the only person she jumps on is my daughter, 19, and since she acts like another puppy with Maisie, that's how Maisie treats her. What can I do?!

Megan, I don't know why, but for some reason after we got Maisie to sit down to greet people, she started to do the same thing when dogs would approach. (I can't take much credit for this, just reinforced it when she started to do it.) She still gets excited, but is a bit more settled. If the other owner says the other dog can greet or play, Maisie does go wild, but at least she's not pulling like crazy from the first sight of the dog. Do you think there's any chance that Moose might sit and wait for the approaching dog?


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## mrmooseman

We're working on that now butttt it's a work in progress.. lol


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## Nyahsmommy

uggggh! Funny how the topic today is greeting disorder. Nyah has been baaaaaad today! She has always been excited around other dogs but lately has been bad. Anytime on our walk that we see another dog we have to cross the street or go a different route. When she sees a dog she stops what she is doing, starts wagging uncontrolably and lunging towards the other dog. She has a gental leader so the owner of the other dog always thinks she is vicious/aggressive and usually runs past or goes other way, which is fine. I am getting really mad at her. Today she pulled me so hard towards another dog that she dragged me to it and started jumping all over him. The guy gave me a dirty look and started yelling at me to control her when I physically can't. I had a few choice words that I told him then walked away. :doh: I don't know what her problem is lately but her walks are getting shorter and less frequent because I can't control her anymore.


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## Deber

I had a laugh this afternoon with Coop. Here we are all talking about the excessive greeting and as I was letting Coop out of his kennel a lady was being literally dragged while she ran and stumbled by a young rottie! This was not in fun, but the rottie wanted to see the puppys in the class and was trying to get to them. He was really DRAGGING her! I looked away but had to laugh, Been there, done that! 

My kids just become deaf when they see someone approach the sliding glass doors, I grab at them shouting off, they are happy wiggling and bouncing all over them. Only lasts a few seconds, but in the short amout of time they can do damage, not counting they could barrel over a small person. The only way I have been able to stop it is to leave them in their halters so I have something to grab. We are working daily on more control and I spoke to the trainer who is walking Coop about it and see if he can come up with something to work.

He assures me that they will get it as they mature and reminded me that all our dogs are still considered puppies! I forget this cause they are huge!

Happy happy Birthday Maya! Can't believe you are a year old! Want you to teach Payton to be better than you and our kids were as pups since you are so good now.


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## mrmooseman

Trying to get Moose to heal or sit when he sees another dog just isn't working right now. He is deaf to me. Today he went after another dog . I took him to the bfs cousin's house to play with her dog, which he has done ever since we brought him home and they have playdates basically everyday and he has been to her house. Well today they were playing with Milo's toys and everytime Milo had a toy, of course greedy cuts had to have that toy too. But when Milo went to grab the toy one time Moose like went after him! Of course I grabbed him and corrected him. Then everything was fine and he did it again! That was that. We left. He has NEVER done it. My bfs cousin was saying Milo was starting it, but Moose should never be doing that at all!. We are thinking we might be getting him neutered sooner then later..


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## Remington33

i mean my pup is no teen yet he is still a pup but he is a pain on his leash but is getting better


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## OutWest

Megan, I moved up Tucker's neuter date partly because he was getting more aggressive towards other dogs. I've always wanted him to be a bit pushier--he's very submissive. But he's almost lost it a couple times recently with dogs that try to hump him and the neutered dogs pick on him now. I think although they're "teens" they are giving off adult scents. :uhoh: I had to postpone it because he got sick. Now he's scheduled for early April. But I completely understand what you're talking about. They do change, a lot, when the hormones truly kick in. Tucker is still a sweetheart but he's a horny, randy (oh, same thing), agitated sweetheart who doesn't want to be messed with... :doh:

Got a call from the vet today about Tucker's fecal sample. He has giardia. They want to test Tess's poop now, too. This is truly a drag since in the past two weeks I've had a plumber and a fridge repairman at the house! Don't need to be spending extra $$$ right now... :no: He seems to be perking up however--I believe he's responding to all the medication. Really hope Tess is OK. When she gets sick, it seems she's REALLY sick. One thing leads to another to another. So I watch her like a hawk.


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## jluke

*Tucker, Aggression and Swimming...*

Kathleen -- sorry about Tucker's giardia, but I'm glad that you have a clear diagnosis for him. Not good about the timing of the $$, but now you know how to get him well.

Sorry to hear about the instances of aggression. I've noticed that even Maisie who's pretty laid-back (and used to be shy) now more than play growls when another dog at the DP wants to "share" a ball or stick with her. I've been correcting her when she gets too "in their faces".

We were back at the DP for another romp today. I wasn't planning to let Maisie swim after her out-of-bounds performance earlier in the week, but there were other dogs in the lake and she sat by the gate to the water pining to go in (even though a few other dogs were running happily around). So, in she went -- today, she was much better about staying in-bounds, just went out of the area once and came back when I called, partly, I think, because two Labs were playing in the area, too. But when she came back, I was all over her with praise even though I got soaked!


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## MarsNPluto

OutWest said:


> Megan, I moved up Tucker's neuter date partly because he was getting more aggressive towards other dogs. I've always wanted him to be a bit pushier--he's very submissive. But he's almost lost it a couple times recently with dogs that try to hump him and the neutered dogs pick on him now. I think although they're "teens" they are giving off adult scents. :uhoh: I had to postpone it because he got sick. Now he's scheduled for early April. But I completely understand what you're talking about. They do change, a lot, when the hormones truly kick in. Tucker is still a sweetheart but he's a horny, randy (oh, same thing), agitated sweetheart who doesn't want to be messed with... :doh:
> 
> Got a call from the vet today about Tucker's fecal sample. He has giardia. They want to test Tess's poop now, too. This is truly a drag since in the past two weeks I've had a plumber and a fridge repairman at the house! Don't need to be spending extra $$$ right now... :no: He seems to be perking up however--I believe he's responding to all the medication. Really hope Tess is OK. When she gets sick, it seems she's REALLY sick. One thing leads to another to another. So I watch her like a hawk.


Great thing you found out Tucker has Giardia before you went through with the neuter! I had a very scary and traumatizing experience with Pluto's neuter (he was diagnosed with giardia after the fact). The weekend right before, I noticed something was off with him, and there was blood in his stool the morning of the neuter. I brought that stool in, asked if it was a good idea that we should proceed to put him under and if we could reschedule... the vet techs assured me it would be fine. It was nowhere near fine!! I won't go into the gory details, but be thankful it's figured out and you can now properly treat it. You wouldn't want to go through what we went through... and good luck getting rid of that nasty bugger! Hope Tucker feels better soon and that Tess is unaffected by it.


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## Nyahsmommy

mrmooseman said:


> Trying to get Moose to heal or sit when he sees another dog just isn't working right now. He is deaf to me. Today he went after another dog . I took him to the bfs cousin's house to play with her dog, which he has done ever since we brought him home and they have playdates basically everyday and he has been to her house. Well today they were playing with Milo's toys and everytime Milo had a toy, of course greedy cuts had to have that toy too. But when Milo went to grab the toy one time Moose like went after him! Of course I grabbed him and corrected him. Then everything was fine and he did it again! That was that. We left. He has NEVER done it. My bfs cousin was saying Milo was starting it, but Moose should never be doing that at all!. We are thinking we might be getting him neutered sooner then later..


 
I'm in the same boat as you right now. I could hold a steak infront of her nose but she won't even notice it is she sees another dog. Ugh. I am getting very frustrated because she is getting stronger and even with the leader she is still dragging me to other dogs. One of these days she going to drag me to an aggressive dog and get attacked. I tell her to sit/stay, it's like I am not even there, she's just focused getting to that other dog to sniff/play.


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## jluke

*Left Maisie in the Kitchen*

DH, daughter and I ran a two hour plus errand yesterday afternoon and left Maisie gated in the kitchen by herself. She did great -- no problems at all. No she'd been to the DP and had a swim so she probably slept the whole time! She was so happy to see us when we got home, but not anxious or upset -- just fine. But maybe, just maybe, the time is coming when the crate can go... 

While we were away the compressed air can arrived, so I'm ready with it the next time Maisie starts to dig. She's dug with DH and my daughter, but they weren't ready with the air can so I don't have a report. (I was wondering if it might help with the problems with pulling and lunging when other dogs are approaching.) I let you know how it goes. The instructions say to give the command, "No dig!", squirt the air to distract Maisie and then praise and treat when she stops. We'll see...


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## mrmooseman

I was really hoping this teenage phase was over, it's not looking that way. He use to be soo well behaved! Now it looks like he has never ever been trained. At the DP today he kept running in and out of the mud. I yelled and yelled and corrected him, and he just kept doing it! No aggression today. But we decided that we are going to get him fixed in May. He will be one year May 20th. But I'm just so worried like Nyah, he is going to drag me to a dog who won't be soo friendly. The prong collar we had (tried out) was my brothers, and of course he took it back lol. I was so pumped to go and get one, but the pet store he bought it at has closed, and the other one I checked didn't have any. And they dont sell them!! I got to call stores to see if they have any, if not I will have to order online. And now I feel I have lost complete control over him.


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## baumgartml16

Remington33 - have you tried a gentle leader or prong collar for your pup? I know leash problems can be frustrating but there are some options to try and curb some of the problems. 

Kathleen - so sorry to hear about Giardia, but as others have said at least you now know what you are dealing with! 

Megan and Jill - sorry to hear about the aggression issues. I hope getting them neutered can put some of that energy at bay.

Jill - digging - o the digging! We may need an air compressor soon. She can be so bad at times and other days she is perfect! So frustrating. And good job Maisie handling the kitchen like a big girl! We have Koda in the hallway with access to the bathroom still. We opened up one bedroom and she managed to tear about the lining under the mattress in that room. She didn't eat any so that was good. We closed it but are considering opening the other room that doesn't have a bed in it. There is a futon but nothing she can tear apart. We will see...we want to give her the room before we open the kitchen to her.

Koda's stubbornness is getting worse. I am working with her on it now more than I did last time. She got better quick last time so I didn't stress but I am taking it seriously this time. The last two mornings it took me 10-15 minutes to take her out to potty and get her back inside. She doesn't want to go potty, just wants to hang out outside. So I tlel her to go potty and she lays down LOL. It is funny when I look back at it but in the moment I am so annoyed. Trying to get her up is impossible as she rolls onto her back. She thinks its all a game. So yesterday I got her inside, went and grabbed some ham and took her back out! It worked! Today my hubby offered to let her out for the last time before we left...i told him to take ham and he was too cocky and said he didn't need it. Sure enough she did it! I took ham out and made him hand her over cuz I could tell he was getting really annoyed. He doens't have the patience level I do! Now she was all wound up though so it took me longer to get her to focus on going to the bathroom...ugh.

Yesterday I took her to the park after work to get some energy out and had her on her flexi leash. We were about to head home and she parked herself. I wasn't sure if she was tired or just stubborn but if she was tired I didn't want to push it so I let her lay for a minute. Took me a little bit but I got her up since I had hot dog with me. 

I just wish she would want to come with me...and not need the food. I guess that is what I have to do though...any of your dogs get this stubborn? I have to remind myself to stay calm when she does this, esp in public as it looks ridiculous that I can't get my dog to walk with me.


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## Nyahsmommy

baumgartml16 said:


> Koda's stubbornness is getting worse. I am working with her on it now more than I did last time. She got better quick last time so I didn't stress but I am taking it seriously this time. The last two mornings it took me 10-15 minutes to take her out to potty and get her back inside. She doesn't want to go potty, just wants to hang out outside. So I tlel her to go potty and she lays down LOL. It is funny when I look back at it but in the moment I am so annoyed. Trying to get her up is impossible as she rolls onto her back. She thinks its all a game.


This sounds just like Nyah. I don't know what she's going to do when we move... She's so use to going potty on walks that she will not go potty off leash including the DP or in a yard. On the weekend she was out in bf's mom's yard for two hours and refused to go potty. We had to walk her and she went right away. She is so focused on playing that she won't go unless she is on a leash. We are out of here in a few months and want to start to look for a place that has a little yard or something but at this rate it looks like we will have to re-train her all over again. Ugh.

Oh and Nyah does that to when it's time to get up. She rolls on her back wanting a belly rub and won't get up. I either have to open and slam the cupboards and she comes running or I try and flip her around which is hard. lol


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## OutWest

Megan and Nyah's mommy (sorry--forgot your name...),

The pulling and out of control thing sounds like a real problem. They will probably grow out of it but you are right to be worried about the present. When I read your posts, it reminded me of something a trainer told me once, that in her opinion, dogs should work for every piece of food they get. They should be constantly reminded who's the boss (in a non-aggressive way) and who supplies the food. It sounds to me like both dogs are blowing you off big time, and I'm wondering if it would help to reinstate their dependance on you. I'm thinking things like making them work for their food and then hand-feeding, making them wait before you let them leave a room, having them focus only on you while leash-walking around the house and then moving to gradually more distracting environments, etc. Basically coming up with different ways to make them always look to you for permission to do ANYTHING. I know that in agility training, a lot of effort is put into training the dog and handler to focus on each other. Literally the dogs can sit like statues (well, may a little butt wag ...  ) until they're cued to do something. I watched a lot of dogs in a cacophonous room (love that word) sit and keep their eyes only on their handlers. It was amazing to see. 

My update: can't take Tucker to dog park so have had him in the back yard, tossing balls. He seems to be responding to the treatment. He's fairly lively but tires easily. I still don't know about Tess--haven't been able to get a poop sample! Funny, the one time I _want_ to pick it up she's not cooperating. LOL :yuck:


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## jluke

*All Good Things Come from...*

OutWest -- read your post with such good advice, what some call Nothing in Life is Free and others call All Good Things Come from Me (which I like better). I agree that the approach you describe is a big help in re-focusing my Maisie. She isn't allowed to go out a door to the outside or a car door without a sit and wait -- some of this is just to prevent charging out toward a street, some for reinforcing control. Also, sits for greeting people and dogs. It's not that she always does what she should, just that it gives the two of us a framework (and DH, when he remembers...). She had a hard time holding a sit yesterday at the gate into the water at the DP, but we worked on it.

Megan and Nyah's Mommy -- Maisie's had been doing the "backyard potty stall", too, and rolling over on her back when called. Then, she wouldn't get up for me, just like you described!. So, I started telling her to sit. At first she wouldn't do that, but I was able to grab her collar and "help" her into a sit, then attach her leash, say "come" and make her come back inside. Then, she went back out on leash to potty. Pretty soon she seemed to get that if she stalled or ran away or rolled over, she didn't get what she wanted. Now, I'm taking treats out with me and doing recalls after she potties and we play fetch for a while -- it's working pretty well. (DH doesn't have the patience for this routine -- he's taking her out on a long line.) It really tries the patience though, especially when you have to leave the house and your pup is upside down looking so silly.


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## Deber

Kathleen - Giardia I am an old hand at controlling. When you show, your dogs are usually in arena's that also hold AG shows, so cow, pigs, chickens etc have been there and giardia is rampant. Since there is no preventative sooner or later one or more of your dogs will come home with it. After lots of money for the metrodazole or panacur from my Vet I complained about the cost to her. She told me that metrodazole can be purchased on line in a form called "Fish Zole", same manufacturer, same % of medicine as she sold at almost 3 X the cost. I called my cousin (Vet) and asked him and he confirmed this and said I should always have it around. Looked on line and it is very cheap, so purchased a couple of bottles. Now if I suspect giardia (which 5 day dose should be repeated 10 days after 1st dose) I take a fecal in for verification by Vet then do the meds myself. Costs almost nothing. 
Metrondazole is good for lots of tummy upsets. You might discuss this with your Vet but for price, it is nothing.

Sorry for editing, but found my receipt for the Fish Zole, I got my last bottle in June and paid $2.95 for 100 tablets. When we got Kye her Mom had been diagnosed with giardia and breeder was treating her pups and sent the first dose home with us when we got her. I had a fecal done and it was clear but Vet had us repete the doze 10 days later. Because I purchased my own meds the only cost was honestly the Vet and fecal. Now I always keep some in the dog bag.


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## baumgartml16

So I have hit my max with patience and now I have to give more tough love. I posted about her stubborness in another thread in the main discussion and got a response on there about how much disrespect she is giving me and its right. Last night we had class and my hubby couldn't go. Usually he does the training at class and I train more at home, it works with our schedules this way. I was treated like crap from her and not happy at all. I was so near tears, if the instructor hadn't come over to work with me I probably would have cried. We were doing stand for exams where you are not right next to your dog. She was doing great, staying in her stand and all of a sudden it was play time. I am usually understanding to this and don't get mad. We just walk her around, get her focus back and she is usually good...not this time. She grabbed that leash and started tugging...not letting go. Then she proceeded to jump all over me, grabbing my hands and arms in her mouth. It was all play and not mean but she was getting rough. I was losing my patience. The instructor came over and told me to yank her wtih the leash (she has the prong on)..did it and nothing..she didn't care. She told me I can't let her bite me and I should bop her on the nose (i am not a big fan of this as i dont like my hands causing any sort of pain near her mouth). It wouldn't matter, there was no way I could bop her if i wanted, she was insane wtih movement. Eventually I must have yanked her in the right spot and her mind snapped back and she sat and looked at me like nothing happened..she is insane! After that she was much better but I was much more aware to catch her before it started. She did it one more time at the end of class. Luckily the instructor was extremely sympathetic as she has a golden puppy at about Koda's age who she said could be twins with their behaviour. She said her pup is responding to the bop on the nose but she said she puts some force into it...this is the first time they have ever said to hit the dog in any way...I am not comfortable with it though. We are going to bring out the bitter apple and spray her mouth when she starts mouthing us again. I was so upset leaving class...clearly she has zero respect for me when at class even though I work with her all the time. So frustrating...

Sorry for my rant, had to get it out....


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## jluke

*Ah, Koda...*

Michelle, I feel for you. They can be so frustrating. I remember back to the jumping and leash tug-of-war when I came home from Maisie's walks near tears. I'm with you on the subject of "bopping" -- I don't think hitting a dog (or a child) ever really works. In 19+ years, I gave my daughter one quick swap on the bottom and regretted it thereafter. Besides, I've seen people bop puppies this way and it seems to encourage the dog to paw back at them.

I know I've advocated a compressed air can from watching it used -- and haven't used it yet since Maisie hasn't dug in front of me yet! (Just DH and my daughter -- !!) What would the instructor in your class think of using it for distracting Koda when she "goes off"?

Anyway, hang in there...


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## baumgartml16

Yea, i think i either might get one of those or bring her spray bottle to class to get her to snap out of it. I think I will do that and keep up with it at home. 

I think she knew I was uncomfortable with it as she wasn't pushing me. It was weird for me to have her tell me that since all the classes at this training center were all "positive reinforcement" not hit your dog hard on the nose...I was disappointed.


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## Tucker's mommy

Michelle - this is the EXACT same behaviour issue I'm having with Tucker. And it is beyond frustrating. I have bruises on my arms where he has mouthed me so hard when we're outside. I am DREADING the warm weather if I can't get this under control - I know that mouthing will feel awful on bare skin. 

When it's gotten out of control, it's the same issue every time for me. I either make the mistake of thinking he's ready to go out without his dragging lead on, or I forget to put it on. Without something to pull him off of me with, the mouthing escalates to horrendous levels. BUT - if I remember to attach the line, I simply pull him off, get him into a sit (with a little force) and have him do a "stay" until I sense a calming from him. But I am just ready to throw in the towel myself, because I want the nipping to not be a problem at all. I sure hope he outgrows it. My hubby thinks he will. When he's having really bad days, I simply drag him inside and crate him for several minutes every time he initiates the rough play. Those days are becoming less frequent, but boy, it is just too frustrating for words. I'm going to try the can/pebbles trick. We used bitter apple for a while, and it worked, but now, not so much. I'm not sure what changed that for us. We thought we'd nipped it with that, but to no avail. Good luck!!!!!

One more thing - the problem for us is strictly an outside problem. We've never had the issues inside. It's as if he gets crazy excited by his outdoor freedom or something (we us an invisible fence, and he has a ton of room). I just don't know. I'm so close to calling in a behaviourist to see if it's something I've been doing wrong to encourage the behaviour outside with him. And - I'm the only one who seems to get to battle from him - my hubby and the kids don't have these issues at all. Sorry for the ramble. You can tell I'm stressed about this too!


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## Tucker's mommy

One more thing - I had a really bad episode with him going ballistic outside on me this past Sunday - and I didn't mean to, but was so caught up in my own frustration and stress over the situation that I did give him a little bop on the nose with my finger when he was going at me. It DID NOT work - it did the opposite - making things get far more out of control. For Tucker, the calmer I am, and the less force I use, the easier it is to get him under control. That is why I constantly have a lead on him, so I can pull him down into a sit WITHOUT grabbing his collar in any way, which really creates a stir in him, as it turns into a dodgem, bite mommy, jump away game. Ugh. Good luck.


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## baumgartml16

Tuckers mommy - I so feel all of your pain and yes I agree the more force or more yelling it gets worse and worse. I was trying to stay calm the whole time but she was in her own world. It literally was like she couldn't here a thing I said because once she sat she was looking at me like "hey, let's train" LOL..so bizarre.


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## Tucker's mommy

YES!!! Tucker does the same thing! It's definitely not anything near aggressive, because when he does snap to my attention, he's all ears-up, alert, ready for some training and fun. Very frustrating! I really wonder if he considers me too closely as a playmate, because I'm the one giving him all the one-on-one playing outside. It's as if he's trying to interact with me the way he would a dog. And obviously, I'm not a dog! 

Today and yesterday were much better days. I think Sunday's episode took us a few steps in the wrong direction. I need to remember to stay calm in these situations - I was definitely getting through to him before Sunday - but it was one of these situations on Sunday where there was WAY too much stimulation, and he went over the edge.

Please keep me posted on how Koda is doing. I really think they'll grow out of this. Tucker seems to have grown out of the leash issues, which were very much like these outside issues we're having now. Let's pray they both grow out of this soon!


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## baumgartml16

Yes, keep me posted on Tucker too. That is a good point that we had these same issues with the leash and she grew out of that...we can get through this!


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## jluke

*Tried the Compressed Air -- Finally*

So Maisie started to dig in front of me for the first time just now. I told her, "No dig!", squirted the air can right away and she stopped -- turned around looking for the noise and I distracted her with a tennis ball. A while later, she started to dig again, I repeated and it worked again. I'm hoping that the process will break her of the habit -- we'll see. But it definitely distracted her right away -- so maybe it might help with other teen-age pups.

Your comments about the bops on the nose winding up the pups seem right to me. When Maisie was doing worst with jumping-tugging-rumbling on walks, if I got upset instead of staying calm, she was much worse. It was so hard for me to be calm, but stern. She can be so frustrating some times -- I really feel for what you're going through.


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## mrmooseman

Tuckersmommy, Moose is the same way outside! Inside he listens and behaves, I mean we still have the odd jumping but when he tell him "stop!down!" he stops and he listens to our commands and everything. Outside, he is like the complete 180. He doesn't listen and when I say a command, it's like he just doesn't understand! We tried to re-enstate it with at the DP, going when there isn't a lot of dogs. But I just don't know what to do! He was soo good when we first started taking him there. I'm so frustrated about it.

I went to purchase a prong collar today and the guy at the petstore wouldn't let me buy the one he had? He said "I'm very against these and I don't believe the should be used, you are driving the prongs into his neck!!" I was so taken back. He suggested an easylead but I don't want to get one and him not respond to it. My friend is going to let me try hers. He never cried when the collar on when I borrowed my brothers, maybe once, but that was because he was trying to "greet" someone walking by and it wasn't even a big cry. I can control him. Don't deny me what I need! I am not strong enough to hold him on a regular collar. Then he tried to sell me this food because what I was feeding my dog "isn't healthy and is going to make him sick". I am NEVER going into that petstore again..

We do the bopping. I know I know.. but because we did at such a young age, when we do it he knows he's in the wrong. Because clearly yelling at him isn't working. We don't hit him forceful, just a little bop. I heard someone once say that someone hit their dog in the snout soo hard it busted blood vessels. But I think because he did it when he was younger (again not hard) he now associates that with being bad. But I won't do it outside because I don't want people to judge me.. but if he is going to keep being the way he is, I have to. 

I'm laying here venting about him, and he is all snuggled up next to me hugging his toy (he always brings a toy to bed and holds it under his paw) and I hate to think he makes me so mad sometimes. But its my fault. I let him give me those eyes and I always give in. He has more control over me then I do over him.


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## OutWest

I agree that one of the hardest things is to stay calm. Michelle, you're getting a chance to learn it before your babies are born.! I learned it first with my daughter. My biggest challenge now is to keep her calm--when she's upset with Tucker her voice gets louder and louder. I keep telling her she needs to stay calm. Why would he come to you when he knows you're angry? And when you speak to him like that often, he just ignores the tone of voice anyway. More later. Gotta go.


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## OutWest

OutWest said:


> I agree that one of the hardest things is to stay calm. Michelle, you're getting a chance to learn it before your babies are born! I learned it first with my daughter. My biggest challenge now is to keep _her_ calm--when she's upset with Tucker her voice gets louder and louder. I keep telling her she needs to stay calm. Why would he come to you when he knows you're angry? And when you speak to him like that all the time, he just ignores the tone of voice anyway. More later. Gotta go.


Had to leave before I finished. :doh: The hardest thing when I hear DDs voice get loud is that I realize she learned it from me. :uhoh: I try hard to stay calm now but I did use to raise my voice to penetrate. Had to learn first-hand that it rarely works. 

Tucker is bouncing back. The medicine seems to be working. Finally got Tess's sample to vet so should hear tomorrow if she is sick too. Tucker is very bored and antsy from being inside. Will walk him later but he'd rather run than walk. . He's not wild about the bland diet. The cottage cheese doesn't interest him. So I've gone back to my old stand-by, baby food. I get the meat versions and mix it in with the rice and chicken. It seems to have more flavor. In the meantime, the rice cooker has never been used so much! : Elena is home sick so I'm playing nurse for all.


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## OutWest

Michelle, I just finished reading the whole of the other thread you started on stubbornness. I'm going to put this here and not there because that one seems to have gone off the tracks...

I recently successfully got Tucker to consistently get into the car when I ask him to. He had been stalling, playing dead weight, etc. He never did lie down on the ground be did play dead weight. At any rate, out of sheer frustration one day I picked him up under his shoulders and planted his front feet onto the back seat, then moved in close behind him and put my knee in his butt, just under his tail, and pushed. He didn't have anywhere to go but into the car. As soon as his hind feet hit the seat I said "yes!!!!" in a loud happy voice. It took just a few times and he's now getting in by himself. I still say "yes!" to let him know he's done what I want. I guess this is kind of a version of what the other folks recommended when they said to grab Koda by the collar and pull her up. I've started saying "yes!" a lot, as instant reinforcement like a clicker. I think it helps communicate to him clearly when he's done what I want, and I find he's more likely to do it the next time he's asked. 

Sorry for the long post. Thought this info might prove useful.


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## jluke

*Marker Word*

Outwest (sorry -- another senior moment here, is it Kathleen?) -- I agree with the, "Yes" -- don't some people call it a marker word. I say "Good!" to Maisie when she's doing what I want -- walking the right way or stopping the digging or whatever. Sometimes she even perks up her ears when I say it.

I took note of what you wrote about staying calm. The other thing that's so important is tone of voice. This is probably obvious to everybody, but I'll mention it because I really noticed it with my 19 year old being home from college. She plays with Maisie more roughly than DH and I do and is much more "puppy-like" in her interactions with Maisie. Then DD gets annoyed when Maisie is mouthy or jumps on her or even tried to mount her tonight(!). When I told DD that she needed to tell Maisie, "Off!" or, "Sit!" DD first did it in a not very serious way. She was surprised and very pleased when she re-stated the command more strongly -- not loudly, just in an I mean business tone. DD still doesn't understand that she has to be consistent -- a master, not a puppy-person to Maisie, but...


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## Deber

I couldn't stand it anymore and went and picked up Coop at the boarders and took him to the country place with us and the rest. We kept Kye crated for the trip and then I put her in the PABS (chastity belt). Coop, being only 8 mo honestly wasn't even enterested in her (she is still in heat, just about 10 days to go to be safe). Took both kids to the pond and let them splash and play (first time), though neither one actually swam, they had a blast just playing and getting about chest high in the cool water. I think this will become a favorite passtime for them.

Did have a bit of problem with Kye just walking off. There are so many unneutered males in our area and couldn't believe she went deaf to my calling! So when I got her she was put back on her long leash! So much for her doing well at off leash! 
Took Coop back Sunday night and wanted to cry. He doesn't seem to mind the place but sure didn't want me leaving him. Just one more week and hopefully he can come home. Going to take Kye into the Vets this week so he can check her and see what he thinks if it is safe to bring Cooper back. Will be good to get him home and our family whole again. 

We only have 1 more class and Coop is done too unless we get him in the advance classes. I honestly don't think he nor Kye are mature enough to be working with adults yet so we may take a few months off and let the kids mature a bit. This would give me time to figure out what class I think they would like.


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## Tucker's mommy

Wow, what a weekend. Tucker is really trying my patience. He has had a few days of the most challenging, testing, obnoxious behaviour I have ever seen. Even my husband was shocked yesterday when he saw how snarly and snappy Tucker got with me outside. It's really getting tiring. I'm signing up for another obedience class asap. There's defninitely some respect issues going on when I'm with him outside. The crazy behaviour normally starts when he's wound up during/after play - usually the kind of play that involves alot of running, like long-distance fetching. I just can't take it anymore. I am so depressed today. The relationship I have with Tucker at the moment is NOT the relationship I was hoping for. I know he's only ten months old, but these issues he's having don't appear to be getting any better. And if I have to deal with potential mouthing/snapping/snarling when I play with him for the rest of my life, AAAAHHHHH!!!! I will go bonkers. :no:  :no:

I may have to start a new thread on this one in the behaviour section. I need the advice from people who have gone through this before, and I need to hear more than "it will get better" or "he'll grow out of it". Because I'm just not sure. He's such a good dog most of the time. That's why this behaviour is so disheartening. Not to mention I'm dreading swimsuit season if he keeps bruising me the way he's been!


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## mrmooseman

Today we had an "accident" in the house for the first time in months. Completely my fault, he was after playing with Milo and was drinking a lot and I went to shower and forgot to put him out and I stayed in the shower a bit longer because I am currently fighting a bad chest and head cold and just needed the steam. When I came out, there was a puddle on the floor and he just seemed to sad. He knew it was wrong, but clearly he can't open the door himself. Of course I had to tell him it was bad, but I felt sooo bad cause he couldn't help it. Then I gave him hugs and kisses. I'm such a softy when he looks at me with those eyes..

Milo destoryed his snowman toy today and he was super sad. I finally got a new phone that takes decent pictures so I have been snapping as many as I can! I will add a photo I tok of him once I got my phone, and another of him holding the hat to his snowman toy WHICH I fixed. haha.

Sunday he played with Sadie and afterwords he was so tired. I never seen him that tired after playing with another dog. She just got fixed a few weeks ago, so after being cooped up she must of been full of enegry and just wanted to get it all out! And boy did she ever haha. We have decided to get Moose fixed next month. He is getting to aggressive towards some male dogs and I'm worried that there must be a female in heat somewhere. He has started humping Milo and we were worried he might try and mount Sadie, but I think she has more of a chance mounting him haha.


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## jluke

*Advanced Obedience and Respect...*

Maisie and I went to our first session of the advanced obedience class tonight. It was just an introduction and review, so no off-leash work which we'll start next week, but there was lots of heeling and staying with the other dogs quite close -- within 18 inches for the stays. Maisie did well except for wanting to check out the dog behind her every so often when she was supposed to be at my heel. I'm really looking forward to off-leash work with the distraction of 8 dogs, a mix of teen puppies and adults. It will really challenge Maisie since one of the big rewards in class is a praisie and play break with a toy we've brought. Maisie doesn't want to play -- she wants to go visit and play with the other dogs!

Tuckersmommy -- I'm so sorry that Tucker is being such a challenge and that you're feeling down about it. It can be so discouraging. Is there any way to do a one-on-one session with a trainer you trust? When Maisie was at her very worst with jumping-tugging-whirling on leash and I was so frustrated, I did just one and it really made a difference. I was able to take a step back and see the situation less emotionally -- from the trainer's viewpoint -- and then use some of her techniques. It was an investment -- about $90, but worth it.


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## OutWest

We had a good day today. Tucker has bounced back and is showing lots of energy. He's done with most of the medicine. Today we let him swim in the lagoon and he was soooo happy. He's tired of eating rice, though and I started adding kibble to him meal tonight. 

Tess's stool sample tested negative so she's not on meds. But she threw up today so I'm keeping an eye on her. It's possible the test was a false negative. 

I've decided to get some help on the leash walking with Tucker. These past few days have been very hard. I've relied so much on the dog park to exercise him that I haven't needed to walk him in the neighborhood. But for the past few days, because he was sick and couldnt go to the dog park, I got a taste of just how bad he is on leash. Something's gotta change there. My arm is sore!


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## Deber

TuckersMom - wonder if their age could be part of it? Coop has started this too and for a calm pup/dog it is out of nowheres. I know boarding him is prob. not good, but honestly working with a trainer (not me) during the day has bumped up his training so much, but after play he decides out of no-where to jump, grab my arms and at 70 lbs he is a monster! He seems really hurt when I tell him "NO" and pull him down, like WHY?? I am going to talk to the trainers there and see if they have an insite on what I can do. Perhaps he just needs more running, more tired out? Don't know, but Kye's jumping on me has stopped and she saves it for new people coming in. Coop would sit and watch but now he seems to be in the middle of the jumping and it is me he has chosen to do it on. He is huge and could easily knock me down. Got to stop this and he is not always in a collar to grab. Hope one of the trainers has some ideas and will pass them on. But we are NOT their playtoys! Got to keep working on her long/off leash work. This weekend really surprised me how she ran off and around the pond. I am glad she finally came to me, cause hunting her in our rolling hills would have been hard, but shows me she is sure not ready to be off leash yet.

Kye is still doing very well, while in heat she has been much more quiet so training is progressing well. She stays more glued to me outside of our yard, but again I think her old independent ways will resurface once this heat is over.


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## OutWest

I posted too soon yesterday! Tucker was sooooo rambunctious last night I was ready to drop kick him out of the house. I was so surprised. He'd had so much exercise and I thought hed settle down and we could have a quiet evening but noooooooo. :no: He chewed everything he could find, legal and illegal, kept pestering us for attention, bothering Tess, etc. :doh:

Then when he went into his crate he started whining. I took him out back, he didn't need to pee, so I put him back into the crate and after a bit of fussing he settled down for the night. 

If I didn't know better, I'd have thought someone fed him coffee all day. I think he had excess energy--springtime?--and just couldn't get tired. Everyone else sure did though, LOL. 

I now completely understand why this is the age at which many Goldens are given up for re-homing!


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## Tucker's mommy

I love you guys. :wave: I always feel so much better after reading all these posts! We're all in this together, aren't we! 

I made a call to a professional trainer today to get her over to my house and assess Tucker's craziness with me when I have him outside. I'm so afraid, though, that he'll decide not to do the crazy stuff when she's here, and she'll be like, what's the problem? He only tends to get crazy once a day or so - but once a day is enough - especially when the mouthing is hard enough to give me bruises!!!!! 

Anyway, thanks for being such a great sounding board - and let's all just "hang in there" together! Outwest - I too can see why dogs at this age are so prevalent in rescues!!! I see enough of my Tucker's lovey dovey nature to know there's light at the end of our tunnel here, but boy oh boy! Ugh! :no:


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## Tucker's mommy

I'm in tears right now. It's been a really rough night. Tucker has been crazy outside all day. I've never seen him like this, at least, so much of the time. I'm really starting to worry. What set him off tonight was me putting things into the trunk of the car, him thinking we were going somewhere, and getting super excited. I told him, not tonight, buddy, and he just started jumping on me. No real bites, but his head (I think it was his open mouth) hit the corner of my elbow SOOOOOO hard, that my fingers went numb! I was in tears, too shaken up to really act fast, so things got really crazy. And after several minutes of timeout in his crate, he repeatedly jumped at me whenever I tried to bring him back out for some training after getting him out of his crate. I must have crated him several times, for just a few minutes each, and the problem never went away. He just kept right on jumping. And tonight, he was sooooo snarly, too - it just doesn't look nice at all. I wish I knew what was going through his head. 

Anyway, I feel so defeated. I don't know what to do. The trainer never called back today. I'm really starting to worry that he's going to hurt me. My husband has some vacation time later in the week, and we're going to work on this together. I just am too sad/depressed for words. Will this problem ever go away??? 

And am I making things worse by bringing him outside repeatedly to try to correct the problem? I feel as if I'm reinforcing this negative behaviour by doing so. But I don't want to keep him inside - he needs the fetching/exercise/training with me. What to do?


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## Pammie

Awww sweetie, I am so sorry you are having such a hard time right now. But I am here to tell you I went thru the exact same thing with Bryley.

I don't remember how old he was, I'm thinking around 7 - 8 months, when I felt the same defeat you are. I was so sad that the dog I had was not the dog I wanted. He is my 4th golden and I had never experienced anything like this. Where was my lovebug? Instead I had a dog who was curling his lip, showing teeth and snarling, jumping up and biting my arms and hands and then acting like nothing had happened bad. I have a scar on my arm where he got me bad. I remember standing in the corner of my kitchen with my arms up and crying because he was after me, same scenario on the back deck- in the corner of the railing trying to protect myself. How could the pup I loved so much and sacrificed so much for do this to me?!! :bawling:I always did have faith everything would work out, but my husband did not. Two different times he told me we needed to get rid of Bryley. I, of course, did nothing of the sort! Next he said I was choosing Bryley over him. Needless to say this span of time created some hard feeling btwn the 2 of us. 
The good news is it stopped!!!arty::banana: 
Because I could recognize (most of the time) what triggered him, and he is food motivated, I always had treats with me and when he started to escalate I would get him to sit, treat, down, treat. I remember this part I just typed but don't remember much more. I did consider neutering him early and called my vet for details but then came back on here and read and read and decided it would not change his behavior dramatically enough to do it so early. I also tried to keep my cool and stay in control. Kinda hard to do when you are crying, huh? And I did call my trainer, she came over, and even tho she did not see him in action she assured me he was not aggressive and that he had misplaced excitement (or something like that). 

I am glad you have contacted a trainer because there may be methods they recommend that will help this stop even faster than it naturally will. It will stop, I promise!!! Just hold on, stay consistent with training and exercise and stay away from doing things that set him off.
It.gets.better. (((hugs))) to you!


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## OutWest

Pammie, How was Bryley when the behavior stopped?


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## Tucker's mommy

Pammie - thanks so much for the pep talk. And yes - how old was he when it stopped? I'm so afraid if we don't start to see improvement at ten months that this will start to become a sort of outside "habit" with him. 

But I WILL stay away from the triggers as I better figure him out, I'll keep a leash line on him at all times for control, and I will use the treats, too, as he is also very food motivated. That is actually one thing I have NEVER tried during an episode, because I'm so afraid he'll see it as a reward for the behaviour. But as long as I'm throwing out commands and training, I guess he'll know why he's getting the treat, eh? 

Thanks again, everyone. I'm hoping today is a better day!


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## baumgartml16

Tuckers mommy - I am so sorry it is getting so hard for you. Things are already improving over here in the last month so there is hope! A month and a half ago I was standing with my back to her up against a wall, crying too, when she was doing this to me. It is miserable. Stick with him, though. We started using the treats as well and jump into training, this definitely got her focus back. It is just pure overexcitement and they don't know what to do with it all. Now when I can tell she is getting to that point and starting to get a bit feisty I pull the treats out and we do some work. Sometimes we will go back to playing because she seems to be ready for it, other times we come inside after training and let her relax and then go again. Koda has gotten 1 million times better inside (less stimulant). We do still have the occasional slip up outside but not anywhere near as bad. 

Start watching for signs he is going to start the jumping/biting act and immediately start the training. Get his focus off playing and bring the stimulation level down. 

These goldens can be very high strung and as puppies they dont know how to control themselves when the excitement gets to be too much. 

Hang in there, we are in this together! 

Call the trainer again today, don't give up on that idea. They may have some other tips for you.


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## Tucker's mommy

Michelle, I am so relieved that you, as well as Pammie, are having better behaviour outside with your pups now. Today I've been in a much better mental state myself, and it's amazing how my maintaining a calm way about things helps Tucker. And I now know his signal before he crosses over into that crazy state. It's the tiniest nip of my finger tips as he's walking along side me outside - and if I react with too much excitement, it's all over! Now, I stop, try to get him to sit. If he doesn't respond and begins to kick it up a notch, he comes in IMMEDIATELY for a 5 minute crate timeout. So far, so good! I have GOT to remember to be consistent about this, though. That's another problem I have, switching things up too soon and confusing the matter. 

Again, thank you, all! And my name's Katie by the way.


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## OutWest

Katie, How do you get him into the crate if he's overexcited? I've never done that. I mostly crate Tucker at night, or if we're out of the house for several hours, and I give him a Kong on his way in. Wouldn't want to give a Kong if he's misbehaving.


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## Tucker's mommy

Well, when he's outside, he's always on a long line because of the issues we've had with him getting overexcited out there. I drag him inside - he actually doesn't fight much at this point, because he knows he's in trouble, and I just walk him right into his crate with a gentle little shove on his butt - he knows he's in trouble. He stands there for a minute or two, then lays down, and actually even dozes off sometimes. I really believe some of the outside issues we have is that he's actually getting OVER tired - especially when the episodes are in the evening. 

But anyway, that's how I do it. Crating him has always been blessedly easy - one of the easier things for him, actually. It always takes nothing more than a piece of biscuit and the words "time to go to bed" to get him in there when we need to go somewhere for a couple hours, or if it's night time. I was kind of surprised at how well he adjusted to the crate so early on - considering how keyed up of a dog he can be! 

I was worried that crating him for these short timeouts would make him associate the crate with bad things, but so far, it doesn't phase him. He still goes in there willingly at times just to rest.


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## mayapaya

Well, I have been away for awhile and catching up now. Two pups is a handful!!!! I have to tell all of you who are experiencing training issues--if you can afford a personal trainer, even for one session--do it!!!! it was sooooo worth it for us-particularly if you can find the right person for you and your dog. It can be rather pricey, but in all honesty, I've probably spent at least that much on the multitude of toys and stuffies that Maya has destroyed!!! The trainer I used would even come to your home for the session, to guide you on how to react to certain situations in your own surroundings. I have noticed Maya being really STUBBORN and simply ignoring me lately. The trainer even observed in our training session that Maya was averting her head when she didn't want to do something, and would not look at me, and gave me a few tips to keep her focused on me. We are working exclusively with the prong collar for walks, on a long line for come, and when greeting guests. Progress is slow, but I'm seeing improvement. I'm really trying to focus alot of attention on Maya's training right now--so Payton's probably getting the short end of the stick! ugh, two dogs is probably not such a big deal, but two dogs in training??? Deb, you are my hero!


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## Nyahsmommy

Ugh Nyah was starting to do so good then all of a sudden Wham! Relapse again. Yesterday I just about lost it! She is still getting super excited in the elevator and it's hard because people are moving in and out all the time which leaves only one elevator free so everyone packs into it. Sometimes even with the leader I pysically cannot hold her back. So anyways yesterday we were in there and some frail old lady gets in. Within seconds she lunges at the old lady sending her flying into the wall hitting her head. I body checked Nyah into the wall and pretty much was laying on top of her until we got to our stop. The lady said she is going to sue but I haven't seen her and I didn't get her info. I am soooooo mad at Nyah!!! It's partially bf's fault because he doesn't like using the leader anymore and lets her jump on anyone she wishes. We get into fights daily about him being consistent but he is too lazy. I am at whits end. Anytime a dog passes us on the street I make her sit/sit and pysically pin her down if she doesn't obey. I don't know what else to do... she is going to either get us sued or end up being taken away from us. :no:


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## Nyahsmommy

Oh ya and I also forgot to mention that she has been recently "attacking" one of my cats... of course she has to pick on the timid skittish one. I don't know if she is trying to play extrememly rough or trying to kill her. Anytime the two cats plays she always runs over and attacks the one. She also randomly chases her and recently have been grabbing her leg with her mouth and flinging her accross the room. This morning she stepped on her neck and put her head in her mouth. This is terrifying, I can't trust to leave them alone together. She has been just starting this and I am thinking it is some sort of jelousy. Anytime I try and play with or pet that particular kitten nyah gets in between us and licks my face until I stop paying attention to the cat. *sigh* I don't know what has gotten into her lately.


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## Tucker's mommy

Nyah's Mom - how old is she? Anywhere near the 10-12 month mark? Just read my previous threads - we're in some rough times, too, and it is so not fun. And like you, my hubby just isn't as into the training as me, so I feel very much on my own with some of these major problems we've been having - it's not like he's not supportive, but his heart just isn't into it the same way I am. Good luck. I can't imagine how hard it must be getting into and out of elevators with a young golden. Yuck. Good luck, and I hope this resolves soon.


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## Pammie

Kim, the elevator incident...yikes! I always feel embarrassed when Bryley jumps up on someone, but they are always friends. It would freak me out if a stranger threatened a law suit. Hopefully it was an idle threat. *fingers crossed*
As you will see below I have a cat vs GR situation too! Yours are kittens? That is more worrisome. Mine are much older and seasoned, Bryley is their second pup they have lived thru! In fact I often wonder if they tolerate him because they have memories of such bonding and love with my bridge boy Bailey who was much much more gentle.



Tucker's mommy said:


> Pammie - thanks so much for the pep talk. And yes - how old was he when it stopped?


I sure wish I could remember! LOL! I guess we all tend to blackout unpleasantness. He is 14 months old now and I *think* he has been off the snarl-wagon about 4 months? I really don't remember...

Also, I am sorry to say that he is not perfect. If he gets to have an extended encounter with the cats he gets really jacked up and then tends to jump up on us and forget his manners. He views the cats as the ultimate toy. I have given up trying to stop the interactions btwn them. Swatting, hissing, even ears back and he just keeps on trying to grab their tail or the back of their neck. I have 2 cats and they both tolerate a lot of rough treatment- most of the time. I fear at some point Bryley may get a claw in the eye. He is not afraid of the cats at all when they do finally get mad. He loves it. Oh, and he gets really excited if the 2 cats get in a squabble.
And just this morning we had words. I was giving him a hug, all was calm and sweet, and then he decided he wanted my glasses! He had them in his mouth, was not giving them up, I had him by the collar on the ground, I got the glasses but still had him down on the ground by the collar and he was trying to bite my freakin' hand that was holding the collar!!! I have patience and just held him to the ground by that collar, no words being spoken at all until he started to calm. Then I was stroking his head and saying 'easy' (thats our word to settle). He calmed, I let go, all was good. But, geez louise, just stop it!!!!


> they dont know how to control themselves when the excitement gets to be too much.


^^^ what Michelle said here, I think, holds the key to all the nutball behavior! We all love it when they are being silly, running and bouncing around and then BOOM!!! chaos ensues. :no:


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## Nyahsmommy

Tucker's mommy said:


> Nyah's Mom - how old is she? Anywhere near the 10-12 month mark? Just read my previous threads - we're in some rough times, too, and it is so not fun. And like you, my hubby just isn't as into the training as me, so I feel very much on my own with some of these major problems we've been having - it's not like he's not supportive, but his heart just isn't into it the same way I am. Good luck. I can't imagine how hard it must be getting into and out of elevators with a young golden. Yuck. Good luck, and I hope this resolves soon.


Yep she has just hit 11 months. It's good to see that I'm not the only one going through this. It's very stressful and on top of all this we are trying to get a mortgage to get out of this crappy apartment so she will have a nice yard to run around in but it feels like I can't deal with all this anymore, i just want to scream sometimes. Arg!

Hopefully we only have to deal with elevators for a few more months(we have to be out of here by July 1) but in the mean time she is adding to my stress already. We are bringing her to bf's moms yard to run around in an hour and last time she was there she destroyed the yard so I have a feeling we will have a repeat of last time. :S *deep breath*


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## Tucker's mommy

I wonder how many owners of very young pups visit this thread. It has to totally freak them out. I know I would obsess over the potential issues when Tucker was small - I was definitely not naive about what we were getting ourselves into. But that doesn't make it any easier! 

I just had Tucker outside for a short play session - and he did fantastic. This morning I did need to cart him inside once because he got over the top. Exercising in the yard AFTER our long 3 mile walk definitely helps. But not all the time. As I mentioned earlier, sometimes if he's TOO tired, he can be just as bad! Guess I gotta find that "sweet spot" for his energy level, eh? 

My three kids are spending the day with their grandma - a MUCH needed break for me, as I desperately needed to focus on some of these training issues with Tucker.


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## Nyahsmommy

Pammie - Yes both are kittens (9 and 10 months). She loves the one who is 9 months... she was the first kitten we brought home and has bonded with her. She lets this kitten knead her for hours. Nyah also thinks that Anna has become a toy, this started a few months ago but it has gotten worse. The problem is that Anna doesn't defend herself against her. She only hisses at Nyah when she has had enough, but she puts up with a lot. Yep, Nyah too... when the kittens play fight I have to hold her by the collar or put her in the crate. She has just recently gotten bad with her. I don't know what to do anymore. I can't even hold her or pet her and nyah coming running.




Pammie said:


> Kim, the elevator incident...yikes! I always feel embarrassed when Bryley jumps up on someone, but they are always friends. It would freak me out if a stranger threatened a law suit. Hopefully it was an idle threat. *fingers crossed*
> As you will see below I have a cat vs GR situation too! Yours are kittens? That is more worrisome. Mine are much older and seasoned, Bryley is their second pup they have lived thru! In fact I often wonder if they tolerate him because they have memories of such bonding and love with my bridge boy Bailey who was much much more gentle.
> 
> 
> I sure wish I could remember! LOL! I guess we all tend to blackout unpleasantness. He is 14 months old now and I *think* he has been off the snarl-wagon about 4 months? I really don't remember...
> 
> Also, I am sorry to say that he is not perfect. If he gets to have an extended encounter with the cats he gets really jacked up and then tends to jump up on us and forget his manners. He views the cats as the ultimate toy. I have given up trying to stop the interactions btwn them. Swatting, hissing, even ears back and he just keeps on trying to grab their tail or the back of their neck. I have 2 cats and they both tolerate a lot of rough treatment- most of the time. I fear at some point Bryley may get a claw in the eye. He is not afraid of the cats at all when they do finally get mad. He loves it. Oh, and he gets really excited if the 2 cats get in a squabble.
> And just this morning we had words. I was giving him a hug, all was calm and sweet, and then he decided he wanted my glasses! He had them in his mouth, was not giving them up, I had him by the collar on the ground, I got the glasses but still had him down on the ground by the collar and he was trying to bite my freakin' hand that was holding the collar!!! I have patience and just held him to the ground by that collar, no words being spoken at all until he started to calm. Then I was stroking his head and saying 'easy' (thats our word to settle). He calmed, I let go, all was good. But, geez louise, just stop it!!!!
> ^^^ what Michelle said here, I think, holds the key to all the nutball behavior! We all love it when they are being silly, running and bouncing around and then BOOM!!! chaos ensues. :no:


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## Deber

Kim the elevator incident is scary! I am glad you are moving cause right now I know I couldn't trust either of mine in a closed in area with another person without them jumping on them! 

When I went to see Cooper tonight the trainer had taken a thin chain lead and wrapped black electrical tape on it (bunched it up) so it was thicker than a mans thumb and about 6 in long. When Coop tried to jump all over me, he grabed the "handle", said "off" and pulled him with a quick jerk down. It worked and Coop kept all 4 feet on the ground, but butt wags and licks. On our walk I kept my hand close to the handle in case I needed and even grabbed it a few times as we passed people to be ready, but Coop was watching the surroundings so never jumped. It seems it is mainly ME he jumps on. I hate the thought of manhandling him, but am willing and able to do it if it would teach Coop he can't do this. 

I am not having this problem with Kye, she seems content to wait until you sit down then tries to crawl into people's laps, but at least it is in a calm way, not the hyper crazy way Cooper is doing.

Maya - Haaaa! Yes, I have been telling you that working with and training 2 pups is the hardest thing I have ever done...IT IS!!! Harder than when both girls were teenagers for sure. I keep praying we are starting to turn the corner and things will get easier, but feel honestly that we probably will have another year to really see a lot of improvement.

Gosh my friends, the tornados yesterday were so scary, so much destruction! We were so lucky to have no damage. If I can give any advice, please get all your dogs paperwork together and copy and leave with a family member or scan and send it to someone you trust. So many animals are now being caught with no microchip so having to go to shelters until their families can find them. They are telling us to take a picture of your dog and ask your Vet to keep it in the file as proof. I havent done this and my dogs see two Vets in two towns so neither has full records or shot records! I am correcting this and will send both offices what the other has done so both have complete records. I also need to microchip both the Goldens (yorkies are chipped). I was waiting until neuter/spay time to have it done, but now, think I will go ahead with this. Just really a scary time and we should all have our stuff in order.


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## OutWest

Wow, the elevator incident sounds scary. I hope you don't get sued, or that Animal Control doesn't come looking for Nyah.... :no:

A word of advice to all whose BF or DH is not supporting them on the training issues (unsolicited I know) ... deal with that right away. Make it a big deal. Training a dog is no different than training/raising a kid. Dogs, like kids, know how to split up their parents. I watched my sister go to h**l and back because her husband undercut her and wouldn't work in tandem with her to discipline their kids or their dog. Their son ended up being sent out of state to a boarding school to get him back on track. He undercut her training of the dog so that it almost ran her over on the stairs once. Sorry, don't mean to sound preachy, but I get really angry when people don't back me up with how the dogs are to be trained. I get on my daughter's case all the time about it. In the long run, it's the dog that pays the price if the training and the discipline is inconsistent... 

Tucker was a good boy today but he didn't have a lot of choice! :doh: He spent most of the day in his crate. We went up to San Francisco for the afternoon so he was crated from 12 noon to 5 pm. He and Tess seems to have survived. We took them to the DP in the morning, and again when we got back. I hope he'll be able to go to sleep, because I sure want to!!!


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## Nyahsmommy

Outwest- I think it was an idle threat, I haven't seen that woman since so :crossfing nothing comes of it.

Last night bf and I were doing some recall training(bf actually did most of it which I was surprised) and nyah did excellent. I have a video that I'm trying to put on Youtube but it's taking forever to upload. It's still a work in progress but we are getting there... when it comes to recall that is.

We had another incident this morning in the elevator. She lunged at a woman in nice work cloths and got her dirty. I am so mad at her again. She also attacked Anna(one of the kittens) again. Arg! I am not dealing with this everyday!

I think part of it is pent of energy but we can no longer take her to the DP we normally do, as the crappy one with all the yappy dogs has closed and all the people take them to ours now. These people all stand around and act like the DP is starbucks and when your dog tries to play with theirs they get mad. Uh??  BF took her the other day and some guy had the nerve to say "My dog doesn't play". Um why are you at a DP then? People are so dumb.




OutWest said:


> Wow, the elevator incident sounds scary. I hope you don't get sued, or that Animal Control doesn't come looking for Nyah.... :no:
> 
> A word of advice to all whose BF or DH is not supporting them on the training issues (unsolicited I know) ... deal with that right away. Make it a big deal. Training a dog is no different than training/raising a kid. Dogs, like kids, know how to split up their parents. I watched my sister go to h**l and back because her husband undercut her and wouldn't work in tandem with her to discipline their kids or their dog. Their son ended up being sent out of state to a boarding school to get him back on track. He undercut her training of the dog so that it almost ran her over on the stairs once. Sorry, don't mean to sound preachy, but I get really angry when people don't back me up with how the dogs are to be trained. I get on my daughter's case all the time about it. In the long run, it's the dog that pays the price if the training and the discipline is inconsistent...
> 
> Tucker was a good boy today but he didn't have a lot of choice! :doh: He spent most of the day in his crate. We went up to San Francisco for the afternoon so he was crated from 12 noon to 5 pm. He and Tess seems to have survived. We took them to the DP in the morning, and again when we got back. I hope he'll be able to go to sleep, because I sure want to!!!


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## baumgartml16

Deb - so glad you are okay. Those stroms sounded pretty brutal. Prayiing for all the people that were affected. Tornadoes happen up here in WI, not something you mess around with for sure!

Well I think I jinxed myself in saying we were on a different track with Koda and the mouthing/jumping. I was near tears yesterday when we were on our way back on our walk. She has not done this since she was probably 6 months old but she started like she was going to run and then turns around and starts jumping all over me/biting the leash/biting my arms. I was trying to pull up on her choker collar but she didnt care less...obviously doesn't hurt them LOL. I was furious...of course a guy is running by while this is happening. O I was so mad. Then she did it again this morning, twice. One time in the front yard after her walk (this was to DH) and he got her calmed down and then we took her inside to play and get that energy out and then I took her out to go potty before we left for work and she did it again...that time it was completly random. I can't stop her. I came in the house and cried for a minute before I shook it off. I just don't know how to stop it, she is so big now that she knocks me over when she jumps on me like that. I can't let her chew her leash.

We have class again tonight and after last weeks class I am dreading it. My DH is back tonight and will be doing the training again but I am still nervous. 

I guess the spray bottle has to come with us literally EVERYWHERE now.


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## mrmooseman

Sorry to hear about Koda Michelle, I guess we can't say how good their doing now because it comes back and bites us in the bum!

I tried the gentle leader on Moose (decided to try it after my horrible expierence after the pet store) which I got from another pet store, and the worker there was much more helpful! She told me to try it, if it doesn't work for me to get the prong collar, she told me that the guy at the other petstore doesn't have a good rep because a few customers had stories about him, ANYWAYS.. Moose HATES it! At first I had it on wrong, I didn't get a dvd and had the paper instructions, which midus wel of been wrote in greek. Then in another post someone youtubed the video and I watched that, and had it on right but he was just not having it. Today we didn't even make it out of the driveway with it on, he just kept pawing at his face and wouldn't walk with even treats in front of his face. Then he layed down on the ground and just kept pawing at it. So thats going back and we are getting the prong collar. 

Moose's new thing now is jumping on people while their sitting in the livingroom on the chairs or couch. Which he use to do and we thought we had a handle on it. And of course he doesn't listen to me. And Begging! He never begged for food and now all of a sudden he is right there in our face and we're not feeding him scraps or anything to make him even think to beg. His aggressiveness has calmed down, but he is set to get fixed the end of May. We had an incident today when he was playing with Milo and he bit it lip and was bleeding. But he is fine now. It didn't even phase him, they just kept playing. Hard to believe he will be a year old next month! I was hoping this would be over with by now.. Today he is getting weighed so I'm scared to see how much he weighs, I think he's over weight. 

With being really sick the past 2 weeks, and wanting to "kill" him at times because he constantly wanted in and out, I'm glad to say I am on the mend and woke up to him this morning just being my snuggle buddy. How can I stay mad at him when he's looking at me like this first thing in the morning..


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## Deber

OMG Megan that is the most precious picture of Moose! (I just came here for a second while at lunch at work!).


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## OutWest

mrmooseman said:


> Sorry to hear about Koda Michelle, I guess we can't say how good their doing now because it comes back and bites us in the bum!
> 
> I tried the gentle leader on Moose (decided to try it after my horrible expierence after the pet store) which I got from another pet store, and the worker there was much more helpful! She told me to try it, if it doesn't work for me to get the prong collar, she told me that the guy at the other petstore doesn't have a good rep because a few customers had stories about him, ANYWAYS.. Moose HATES it! At first I had it on wrong, I didn't get a dvd and had the paper instructions, which midus wel of been wrote in greek. Then in another post someone youtubed the video and I watched that, and had it on right but he was just not having it. Today we didn't even make it out of the driveway with it on, he just kept pawing at his face and wouldn't walk with even treats in front of his face. Then he layed down on the ground and just kept pawing at it. So thats going back and we are getting the prong collar.
> 
> Moose's new thing now is jumping on people while their sitting in the livingroom on the chairs or couch. Which he use to do and we thought we had a handle on it. And of course he doesn't listen to me. And Begging! He never begged for food and now all of a sudden he is right there in our face and we're not feeding him scraps or anything to make him even think to beg. His aggressiveness has calmed down, but he is set to get fixed the end of May. We had an incident today when he was playing with Milo and he bit it lip and was bleeding. But he is fine now. It didn't even phase him, they just kept playing. Hard to believe he will be a year old next month! I was hoping this would be over with by now.. Today he is getting weighed so I'm scared to see how much he weighs, I think he's over weight.
> 
> With being really sick the past 2 weeks, and wanting to "kill" him at times because he constantly wanted in and out, I'm glad to say I am on the mend and woke up to him this morning just being my snuggle buddy. How can I stay mad at him when he's looking at me like this first thing in the morning..


What cute picture. I get that same look from Tucker. It is hard to resist. 

Tucker seems to have survived spending yesterday in the crate. I guess my guilt was misplaced!


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## mrmooseman

We had Moose to the vets today.. He is 90 lbs..


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## Tucker's mommy

Good morning, everyone. Nice slow day here, as it's the Easter holiday for the hubby and kids! How was class last night, Michelle? I hope Koda settled for you! 

My hubby and I were outside yesterday working with Tucker A TON in the yard on training, and we had an embarassing revelation, which could be a large part of our problem. The yard has never been a place where we've done any large amount of structured training, more playing fetch and offleash staying/recall. So we put the prong and leash on him in the yard yesterday and went through all the exercises he knows well. And he was confused! Especially when it came to looking at us in the eye on command, which he does FANTASTIC in the house and on walks. So we clearly have to do some real work with him outside, which may ultimately help with his behaviour out there over time. I haven't been jumped by him in two days - but we've been working hard to keep things well organized and structured outside, too. 

So the trainer is visiting this morning to assess the issues we have outside. Right now, my hubby is taking Tucker of a short walk to drain a little of the energy - but not all - I am hoping the trainer can see a little bit of the feisty side while she's here. We'll see. I'm so afraid she'll tell me something horrible about his temperament! I know that's a totally unfounded fear, as he's so good most of the time, but still. We'll see! I'll let you all know how it goes. 

And Megan - what a great pic of your Moose!!!!


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## baumgartml16

Megan - that pic of Moose is too cute, he looks pretty darn comfy!  90 lbs, wow! That's a big boy!!

Katie - thanks for asking, her class went very well last night. Starting yesterday we are taking a completely different approach with Koda and so far it is working great!  We have realized this jumping behaviour is her way of communicating that she has lots of energy, doesn't know what to do with it and just wants to play. It is not accepteable though. We brought the spray bottle to class and it worked like a charm, he never even sprayed her, just showed her and she stopped. When we are on a walk in the park it is a casual walk, not a training walk so if she gets crazy again we are just going to run it off and make a little play session out of it. Depending on how out of control she gets we may pull out the spray bottle. As far as the laying down bit, we aren't forcing her up, she is clearly defeated when she does that and I don't want a dog without confidence. So when she rolls on her back we just turn our back to her until she is back in position and then give her a little pop and say up..once she is up she gets a party! . We did the picking her up by the collar thing people suggested and she would just give in and be completely defeated, it was a horrible sight. So far this is working great!

Glad to hear the trainer got back to you. I know what you mean about you hoping he will do his act but 9 times out of 10 they decide to be angels when you want them to be naughty LOL. At least she can give you tips if it does happen. Good luck with it and let us know how it goes. I know the frustrations you are going through, believe me! 

Happy Good Friday everyone. It is Brewers opening day today so basically that means the entire state of WI grills out, tailgates and drinks beer..o and watch baseball!


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## Tucker's mommy

Okay. I'm overwhelmed now. I knew we'd learn alot from the trainer, and nothing she said surprised me, but it was still hard to hear. Our issues go a bit deeper than puppy teenage rebellion. He's showing some not-so-nice dominance issues with me, that are starting to escalate. The trainer told us we've been doing everything right so far, but that I definitely need to step things up a notch with my body language, voice, and training. So, here we are. I don't have a lot of time to get into things here now, but it was a great session, and I feel much better about things now, but I'm also overwhelmed. We're going to start clicker training, and we're going to try a product called "direct stop" outside with him if his behaviour escalates to the point which it did a few nights ago with me. It's a pressurized citronella spray bottle - much more of a whamo than a water bottle, but the same idea - I guess mailmen and runners use the product when they encounter a nuisance dog out and about - low aggression - not for high aggression issues. After reading up on the product, I ordered a couple bottles from amazon. The trainer swears it doesn't hurt the dog. And obviously, Tucker needs a bit more to learn his behavior with me has been unacceptable. 

Michelle - I really wish our issues were all in play, as with Koda. I am so sad over this. Unfortunately, some of the triggers for us haven't all been in play. He jumps at me as I'm coming from below him upstairs carrying my two year old. Not a safe situation, especially when those teeth come out. So we'll see how this all works out.

Anyone out there have success stories when dealing with dogs of relatively dominant nature? I think I'll get through this, but I'm so overwhelmed right now.

Sorry for any typing errors - I gotta run. Have a good weekend everyone!


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## baumgartml16

Wow, sounds like it was very beneficial to have had that trainer come out there! Doesn't it only happen when outside playing? If he is trying to show his dominance, why does it only happen outside? 

I'm sorry you have to go through this but at least you know what is going on now and can address it early, he is still so young!!


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## Tucker's mommy

Michelle, the dominance issues actually didn't show up outside today, but inside, while we were sitting at the kitchen table discussing how he did pretty well outside! Go figure! Then he came around to get my attention, nipped me, and I said "no bite" so he bit me harder and growled at me with the snarly face he gives me. After discussing the other times INSIDE that he shows this behaviour, along with the over-the-top issues we have outside, even I began to see there was a definite pattern. Amazing, isn't it, that I couldn't see all the signs until my husband, the trainer and me sat down to talk all the things through. 

The trainer loved the work my husband and I started with Tucker outside in the yard yesterday. We put the prong on him and walked him around the yard over and over, using the formal heel command with occasional sits, stays, and "look at us" commands. Our belief is that as he begins to realize he CAN NOT be the ruler of our yard, his behaviour will improve. This trainer also spoke wonders about clicker training, and how it can really help to build trust and respect between dog and owner, which I definitely need right now! 

I'll be signing Tucker up for CGC training with this trainer at classes in another month. I love her. I love it that she is incorporating both rewards- based training along with some of the "tougher love" training methods. I really think we'll need to use both for me to regain control of this situation that has slowly developed over the past few months.

I know that if we can work this out, we'll have a great dog on our hands, because Tucker's demeanor when he's not showing these issues with me is so gentle - with the whole family. The trainer was amazed at how calm he is in the house, while surrounded by all the chaos of our three kids! I'll keep you all posted as we progress through this issue. And I'll start another thread on these dominance issues we're having when I have more time. I'm hoping that some folks out there with experience dealing with dogs like this can lead me/keep us on the right path.


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## OutWest

Katie, I'm glad you think this trainer will be able to help you out. When you described some of the behavior directed at you, I thought there might be some dominance issues going on. i've heard stories like this from friends with many different types of dogs. It usually seems to be when there is a human couple, and a male dog. It's like the male dog is jockeying with the woman for the second slot in the pack. A friend of mine worked through this with her cattle dog, and I bet you can, too. My sister did likewise with her lab mix (although her husband--now ex--undermined some of what the trainer taught them). 

Tucker is very antsy right now. Living with a teenager and an adolescent dog. Argh. DD leaves stuff around--such as manicure kit I gave her for Xmas--that dog finds very tasty. Argh! :doh:


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## horsebnw

Tucker's mommy said:


> I wonder how many owners of very young pups visit this thread. It has to totally freak them out.


Yes, yes it does. We aren't getting our puppy until June. I haven't been around a puppy since I was in college and my parents got a Golden... I blocked memories of the bad behavior. I am beginning to wonder WHY we are getting a puppy!


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## Deber

You get a puppy cause they are so darn cute and we think we can train them if we are dedicated and work hard. This is all true, but the day to day problems are what we forget about in getting a pup. These dogs we read about that sound almost perfect were once rambuncious puppies too and probably full of spit and vinegar.

You learn to laugh a lot and work, work, work cause you know in the end you will have a dog of your dreams and one who is happy and well rounded. People just don't want to talk much of the little chug holes along the way. Here we lay it out and discuss how we can best handle. Each of us learns so much from the other and our dogs gain this knowledge. Wonderful!!!

Can't believe Moose is 90 lbs! Amazing how our little skinny puppies have changed in so few months. Coop, though still a hair shorter is also broading and becoming so much more muscular. Thankfully we have finished their heavy shed, course they both have lost so much hair. Good, cause for the first time in weeks I can brush them and get little hair, but goodness their winter coat was so beautiful and now all in the garbage. We are bringing Coop home tomorrow while we get some serious yard work done. With all the rain and tornado winds, our backyard looks like a jungle. Kye is about out of heat and past her breeding time (per the Vet) but to be safe he will stay until the middle of the week to complete a full 4 weeks. Will be good to get him perm. home and everything back to normal.

Katie - when you can I would be really interested in more of what you are doing and how it is working. Coop is sure showing a different attitude with me when I go visit and our class. I know it has upset his schedule being at the boarders, but want to get him back and settled and stop this more aggressive jumping too. Hopefully it will settle once he is back home, but want to be on top of this. He is huge now and no match for me when he gets really wild. Got to stop this.


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## mrmooseman

So apparently we are back to potty training :doh:. 2 accidents today! TWO! Last week we had a accident which was totally my fault. I corrected him even though it wasn't completely his fault but I figured I had too just so he knows it's still bad. Today he pooped in the house. I wasn't home just my boyfriend was but he got called into work so he had to grab a quick shower and leave so I'm guessing he just didn't bother to put him out (typical guy) so I had a lovely gift when I returned. So I cleaned up and he played with Milo and then Milo left. Now I'm not sure if because he is getting older and he is starting to cock his leg, but is he is starting to mark his territory? But I just put the bag outside came in to let him out and there was pee on the floor! Ugh. Last week when he did it was after playing with Milo and same with this time. Ugh I thought I was done with all this.:no:


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## jluke

*Lots Going On...*

Deb -- thought of you with the terrible storms and relieved to know that you and yours are fine.

Katie -- so glad that you've adopted a new approach that you have confidence in with Tucker. Even though there may be some fits and starts as you progress, you can feel so much better that you're on the right path.

Megan -- Moose is so cute! And so big!

Maisie and I have been busy with training and the DP and dealing with some old, bad habits that have re-surfaced. (It seems like the time for that for lots of us.) We started the advanced obedience class this week -- it's a good one with just 7 dogs, some puppies, some older. We worked on-leash in the first class, but in very close quarters in heels and stays and Maisie did well.

But, not so well going to the DP -- lots of pulling both on a loose leash and even in heel (which had gone away). And one of our assignments for class was to learn a new trick. I started by trying to teach her two tricks that were too hard and when she got frustrated, first she nipped and me and barked, then she went to her bed and barked some more. She got really revved up and bit at me -- hasn't done this for months. So, I chose an easier trick -- peek-a-boo through my legs and that's going better, but she's still revving up every so often and nipping, so I'm working on extinguishing this behavior again(!).

Friday at the DP, she was swimming -- in bounds, hurray! -- when a gaggle of geese started to swim by in the middle of the lake. Luckily DH saw them before Maisie, I called her and she came -- got a big jackpot for that, but it was what DH calls a "random success" since her recalls sure aren't solid yet. But we'll be working on them in class, so I hope with that and more effort at home, we'll make progress.

And we went back to the Saturday "beyond basic" drop-in class today since I avoid the DP on the weekend. It's good since there are lots of distractions -- it's outside, there's a puppy kindergarten and a basic class both going on in two separate areas.

Hang in there everybody -- we're all going to get through the challenges. Right now, Maisie is sleeping angelically by my side looking like she'd never nip at me -- no never!


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## baumgartml16

Katie - how are things going with Tucker!? What kind of things is the trainer having you do with him? Koda has gotten better but if there is anythign I can do to speed this phase along I would be so happy! 

horsebnw - you get a puppy for the exact reasons Deb described! While we use this thread to vent our problems with our pups we love them to pieces. I wouldn't trade my time with her for anything! There are plenty of wonderful happy puppy times amongst the tough times that may happen!

Deb - so glad to hear you get to have Coop back this week and got to spend a day with him this weekend! I am sure he was thrilled to be back with you again and will be even happier to know he will be home for good shortly. I applaud you for not being selfish and keeping him home during this as I would have had a hard time giving Koda up for that amount of time!!

Megan - potty training again does not sound fun. How long had it been since he last pooped? Maybe it was just pushing his limits and he had no choice. I dont know about marking as I have never had a boy dog. Sorry...hope it all sorts itself out.

Jill - good job Maisie staying in the boundaries and coming when called. We too work on a lot of recalls in class and I think it has made a big improvement with Koda. We just need to work on it when we have her on the flexi leash in the park..soooo many scents she tunes me out sometimes but she is getting better. I need to remember to bring some higher value treats for those walks! 

Koda has a pretty good weekend..I wasn't around as much this weekend so I feel a little jipped of my time with her. I had a shower to go to on Saturday and we were gone for part of the day yesterday for Easter. She got to go to my hubby's parents house so at least she wasn't alone. It was weird though, for the first time she actually seemed stressed at my in laws. She paced for a little while after we left so they took her outside and hung out which she did great with. Just put her on the long lead but didn't tie her up and she stayed in their yard which she doesn't know the boundaries of even when the neighbor dog came outside. They let the two play eventually but told Koda to stay and she didn't go!  After they came back in though they said she was looking around for us and wouldn't sleep..we were only gone a few hours so not a huge deal just hasn't done that before.

Other than that she was very good all weekend. We have been so proud of her and happy with her lately. She still plays pretty rough evidenced by my arms but those are pure accidents. Do yours have a problem when playing with toys not knowing where your hands are. We will be holding the toy and she goes to adjust and gets our arms or hand instead. Drives me nuts but she doesn't know she is hurting us...not sure what to do about that.

We had a weird incident last night - Koda and I were playing and she had just nipped my arm trying to grab the ball (one of the unintentional events) and so I pulled the toy away cuz my arm hurt and I wanted to pause play time. She swung at me with her paw to get my attention (she always puts her paw on me but missed my shoulder and scratched my eye - my actual eyeball. I thoguth my eye was going to be gushing blood LOL...luckily she got the white of my eye and didn't make it really bleed. I ended up on the couch with a compress on it to keep it closed...great sunday night! Haha...the things we deal with for these pups.


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## OutWest

Michelle--sorry to hear about your eye scratch. Be sure to wash it out once in a while with saline solution (you can make your own). If it starts to look infected, see a doctor right away. Dogs have very germy feet and nails! 

Re: the unintentional biting, scratching, IMO you need to continue with the "ouch" and turning your back on her when that happens. It sounds to me like she doesn't know the physical boundaries with you yet. If she knows she's connecting with you every single time it happens, she'll have a better idea of where she can put her teeth/paws. 

We had a pretty good weekend. Had company over. I asked them all to ignore Tucker until he settled down. And to turn their backs to him if he jumped. That went OK. Except for one person who thinks she knows all about dog training--watches Cesar Millan all the time--and tried doing the "off" command his way, with a hand gesture. I asked her to turn her back instead, and she said "But that's how you do it," and I said, "But that's not how we're doing it and it's confusing him." She was raising her hand to say "stop" and to Tucker it looked like she was asking for a "high five." Funny to see him trying to jump up and high five at the same time, but I get tired of everybody being an expert and having opinions about how our dog is trained. (Not you guys--I ASK for your input.) 

Only problem I had was when we walked them out to the car with Tucker on a leash. He almost pulled me over on the stairs. I realized he just had the leash attached to his regular collar--no walking harness or prong collar on. (I'd kept the leash on him through the evening.) He is so strong. I'm going to work on the loose leash walking this week. It's really overdue. 

We went to the dog park this morning and he and Tess are crashed out on the floor right now.


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## Dexter12

Dexter isn't a teenager yet but I shudder to think what he's going to be like. This morning we had a little no-so pleasant adventure in the woods. In the mornings when we're finished our walk, we end up at the top of our property, so I cross the street towards the property and then let him lose in the field. He was fine, he did his bathroom business and then we walk towards the house, except he finds this root that he previously had dug up and was occupied by tossing it up in the air repeatedly. I told him to come while showing him a treat and he was like "nah--uuh" and started walking away. He walked slowly walked across the field again towards the road, (which fortunately gets very little traffic) towards the woods which sent me into a panic. I walked after him telling him to come and he kept walking in front of me like ten feet making sure that I couldn't catch him and eventually he ran out of my sight. I kept walking and eventually reached our neighbour's back yard, and I realized that I wasn't very far from the house. I 
walked back to the house because last time we got separated he ran right back to the house. I walked back to the house on the road calling his name and as I almost got back to the drive way out he comes from the woods, covered in mud with the biggest [pardon me] ****-eating grin on his face. I could have killed him but I hugged him and walked him back to the house.


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## Tucker's mommy

What a night. Tucker is driving me absolutely crazy with his increased stubbornness and attitude since we've buckled down on the training these past few days. I tried to get him into a longer sit/down/stay tonight on the floor with me, and he lasted about three minutes before he stood up and walked a couple steps. I tried to reel him back in with a no/sit command, and he just started in on his barking/snapping/snarling bit. I tried physically pushing his butt into a sit position, and the snarling continued with a few nips thrown in. I gave him a couple sprays with the water bottle, and an all-out battle of wills began. 

What do you guys do in this situation? I don't want to walk away, because he'll think he won the battle. I was finally able to get him into a sit/stay for about a minute, and I gave lavish praise and treats, but I am just so frustrated. It's a constant battle of wills with us. The trainer warned me this would get worse before it got better, but my GOD. I'm not asking for much here! 

I guess tomorrow's another day. 

Michelle - I hope your eye is okay! 

And I'll write more tomorrow when I have more time regarding what we've actually done more of/buckled down on around here to tighten up the reigns a bit with Tucker. Most of it is outside on/leash stuff and changes in our body language inside. We need to give it time, I know. But boy am I exhausted.


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## jluke

*My Usually Misc...*

Michelle -- take care of your eye. My DD got a corneal scratch at Thanksgiving when romping with Maisie. The doc said saline rinses and ice and not to over use it. I no that someone (Katie?) also mentioned the rinses.

Dexter's person -- so sorry you had a scary situation today. I don't know if it helps, but our trainer would say not to let your pup run loose in an unfenced area until you can trust his/her recall. So of us use really long leads as an alternative. Maybe that would work for you -- ??

It's so hard when they get strong -- whew! Maisie can really pull me. Made the mistake of taking her out using her martingale collar this afternoon to see where we were with her training -- she's definitely not ready to be off the prong.

But then we played with the bubbles she got from the Easter Bunny -- she's such a goof chasing and biting them. The instructor in our advance class tonight mentioned that she has some for her dogs -- a GR and a flat coat -- that are bacon-flavored! have to look for those.

Maisie's digging seems to be almost over with -- I think the compressed air has really helped.

And in class tonight, we showed our tricks -- Maisie did her "peek-a-boo, I see you" looking up though my legs, easy, but cute. Then we worked on quick downs from heel. Then on to our first off-leash recalls, starting by working the dogs individually through a gated off "lane". Maisie did well, coming when called. Practice this week is recalls is all sorts of situations with distractions -- toys, treats, people and other dogs. I's going to be interesting.


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## mrmooseman

Happy Tuesday! Hope everyone had a good weekend. The eater bunny was good to Moose. He got a lot of tennis balls and was in his glory. I have forgotten about him constantly putting the ball under the couch and crying until we got it, maybe the bunny should of just forgot about the balls.. I hosted my first family turkey dinner, and even though because of being sick I can't taste anything, but Moose enjoyed the turkey I accidently dropped on the floor :doh: haha. 

Michelle, I hope your eye is feeling better. I swear it's like an unspoken thing with these dogs to take their huge paws and hit you around the face haha. Moose's pads are so rough and they scratch so I have had my fair share of scratches on my face. Luckily it's only ever in the mornings and I have my glasses on. Even though he has bent my glasses. I know how it feels to have scratches on the eyes. Always like there's something in there.

We have started to praise him again everytime he goes outside to use the washroom. He is asking again which lastweek he didn't seem to be doing at all. We have also been putting him out every hour as well. I really don't want more accidents. I'm not sure when he last pooped after last week's "situation", but he usually asks to go out, and my bf said he didn't. And it was the same when he peed. He just didn't ask at all. I'm hoping we're passed this. 

I have a dr appt today to hopefully get something for this horrible sickness I have had for over 2 weeks. My mom is coming up to help me bake some treats for Moose. I wanna start making homemade dog treats. I know how to make a few, and mom found a bunch of organic ones online. I think I feel better about giving my baby these treats because I know exactly what is in them lol. Although I'm sure he does't need them..

Anways I'm posting a picture the bf took this morning. I hope you get a good chuckle!


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## baumgartml16

Dexter12 - what a scary situation. I would have been panicked too. I would also suggest a long line on him like Jill said. That way you just have to get close enough to step on the leash when they won't listen. 

Katie - good job sticking with Tucker's training. It will be good for all of you in the long run even thogh it is tough now. I am not sure what to tell you..I would agree that walking away would lead him to believe he won. Is it that he wants to play when he does this or is he being snippy back at you for telling him to do something? I notice Koda does this sometimes when she would rather play than learn. 

Jill - these pups growing up sure has made them stronger! Wow! I dont dare try to walk Koda without the prong collar...who knows if that will ever happen. She is very driven. I love doing "peek a boo" with Koda!  That is one of my favorites.


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## baumgartml16

Megan - that is so cute. Koda refuses to pick up more than one, she doesn't get how to do it. She will pick up one, drop it, pick up the other, drop it, go back to the first one. She is so silly.


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## OutWest

Tucker is scheduled to be neutered tomorrow. I keep thinking of reasons to postpone or cancel. I think I'm personalizing this surgery too much! :doh: 

The weather is supposed to be rainy all week, which is probably good because T-man won't be doing any romping in the dog park. 

We had a reasonably good day yesterday. Tucker was very antsy in the evening. I was tired of the dogs, to be honest. Had been with them all day. I just wanted to hang out and do something quiet but he wanted to play, and he got Tess all excited too. Finally got daughter to chip in and play with them a bit. 

Anyone have ideas for things to do with Tucker while he's recuperating? Looking for things that will keep his mind occupied without much physical activity. ???


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## baumgartml16

Good luck to Tucker in case I forget to say it tomorrow! I will be thinking of him. 

We went through a lot of bully sticks and kongs that 2 weeks. I believe it is less time for a male so that is good. Play hide and seek with treats, work on training a little more than usual. Those are the things we did.

Good luck, he will be fine!


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## jluke

*Good Luck to Tucker and Ideas...*

Good luck with tomorrow's surgery. Here's my list of "quiet", indoor things we did with Maisie after her spay surgery in January. Many are probably on your list: hiding treats under tennis balls in a muffin tin and letting her find them, teaching easy tricks like "shake" and "paw" (for right and left -- it impresses people when they do different paws), and we just learned peek-a-boo which is easy and doesn't stress the body, learning the names of toys, putting tennis balls into a bucket, playing with a "top" toy that spills out treats when your pup noses or paws at it (different shape than a Kong but same idea), playing a Nina Ottosson dog brick puzzle (expensive, but worth it because we use it almost every time it rains and you can make it harder over time). There were a few other things because 2 weeks seemed to take forever to pass -- I'll try to remember. Hope these help. There's a great trick book -- 101 Dog Tricks with (person's name) and Chalcy (a Weimereiner).


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## Claire's Friend

*6 days from her first Birthday*

Jordan now belongs in this thread :no: I was hoping it was just an one time incident, but now I am not sure. I was taking Jordan next door, we walked in the door, I dropped her leash, she grabbed it and bolted out the door and ran all the way home. I really think she was just playing, nothing scared her, but that is not acceptable, she was in the road for while  Yesterday at class she was sooo good, but then when we got home she would not listen or come to me at all. So we are back to having her drag a leash and doubling up on training time. Hopefully this will be a short phase, but I am going to go back and read through this thread looking for some tips.:wave:


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## Deber

Susan Marie Welcome! I hope Jordan was just sowing some wild oats and this was a one time thing. Kye did the same with me and now I have her on a 100 ft line and we are practicing recall every day. I hope it eventually soaks into her head.

Coop is home (Sunday) and is a barrel of energy. We did a long walk/jog to try to wear him out some but when I got home with him he suddenly turned and jumped right up to my face (scratched my chest but no wounds). Thankfully it was in fun, no growling, just overjoyed jumping. I had it and grabbed him by his collar and forced him to the ground in one swoop. I have never done this (lost my cool) but this must stop! I put his lead on and we went outside in the backyard and worked on sits/stays/downs over and over then finished with a game of me throwing the stick. I don't think he seemed to mind me forcing him down, but by God he will not use me as a spring board. Again I stress this would not be good for a dog who shows agression and was done without words, just a straight fast pull until he was down then I told him to stay. Ha ha, Hubby spent the night calling me "Conan"! But enough is enough.

Michelle - I hope your eye is alright. I saw the thread with Amberbark and her black eye and thought about Outwest! OMG that must hurt!!! 

Megan - Glad to hear Moose has gotten back on track. I was a bit worried that the 3 wks Coop has been gone and around other males, he would start marking, but so far he only squats..yea! We are still hoping to make it until Cooper is older to neuter, but I have no problems doing it earlier if he starts to show agression or dominance. 

Right now, my two angels are sleeping on the floor at my feet. In fact I have my stocking feet on Coopers back. How can such wonderful dogs be such a trial at times??


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## mrmooseman

Moose is set to get fixed next month, not sure when, but depending on my work sch. either before or after his first birthday. He had been marking at the dp. I think. I think he is just cocking his leg and not actually marking but seeing the other dogs do it and copying them. He still squats though when using the washroom. I really wish we could hold out more, but I think its time.


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## baumgartml16

Welcome Jordan - also hoping it was a one time thing! Maybe just a bit of excess energy that day!! Koda is the opposite - she would rather play and not do as much in class but when we get home she listens so well...wish she would show off in front of her teachers some more! LOL

Deb - so glad Coop is home with you all again. He obviously showed his joy for being able to be home and stay home with you!  Sorry you had to be the one he used his overexcitement on haha. 

Thanks everyone for the concern over my eye. It ended up healing up nicely and very quickly. It still hurt a little Monday but by Tuesday it was back to normal. I obviously need to work with Koda on her rough play. Luckily it happened to me because I have more patience for that stuff than hubby does. 

Only two weeks and 1 day till my baby girl is 1 year old! I can't believe it. I am planning to make a video of her first year and I also received a free 8x10 photo book from shutterfly so I may go ahead a make a book too! Something tangible I can keep forever!


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## mrmooseman

EEp hard to believe she will be one so soon! I've been thinking about Moose turning 1 next month and I have started to print off pictures so start a scrapbook. Kyle's mom bought us a doggie book for christmas to write in it about Moose's life. When I start writing in it I always end up a sobbing mess thinking about not having him anymore, the bf just stares at me and says I'm crazy and that he isn't even a year yet haha.


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## Tucker's mommy

Gosh, I wish I felt the same depression over my "baby" growing up. I'm just so fed up with him now. I know I need to distance myself personally from the issues we're having with him right now, but it's so hard. My hubby keeps saying - baby steps, baby steps! I know he's right. Today has been rough. He has come back at me with his snarling, snapping, menacing challenge several times today. The trainer warned us that it would get worse before it gets better - and I've read the same thing in all the literature we have on these "dominance" issues. The first couple times he did it, I had to spray him to back him off (with vinegar solution). But this afternoon, I smarted up and put his leash on him in the house. It's amazing how much more responsive he is wearing the leash! I can get him into a sit/stay almost immediately. And he calms right down. And I can give him a treat for the positive behaviour instead of a spray in the nose for the snapping! It's a win win.  God, I'm sick of this. 

I know we're seeing progress in little ways - and I have to keep focused on that. All day long, I have been practicing the NILIF deal with him, and then some! The big change is outside, and I really think what did it was slapping that prong on him and walking him around the yard and practicing all of his obedience for awhile every day this past week. He was an angel with me outside today. We have taken away a good deal of his freedom, but it's necessary while we work on this. Part of the mistake we made early was in thinking that now that our invisible fence was up (back in November), he was a free boy outside. That is SO not the case. We should have been doing much more obedience work outside. 

I'm just so glad we determined the need for all this extra work now, and not when he was 15 months old and considered an adult. That puppy brain of his is hopefully soft enough at 10 months that we'll be able to help him!


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## Deber

TuckersMom - Gosh I am sooo glad you have had some progress! Know people are right when they say, consistant traning, over and over. I also have had 2 male goldens before and they turned into the best most loving dogs. Possibly I just blocked the puppy year away cause I don't remember this being so hard.

Michelle, when is Koda's birthday? Kye will be a year on April 23rd so she and Koda are almost the same age??!! I have been horrible with pictures and now regret I have no good ones when she was young. So hard to believe a year has passed. We got Kye when she was 15 wks old. Much older than most get their pup. Thankfully she was already started on training and was so easy for us to just pick up and go on. Coop was only a babe at almost 8 wks, so all his crazy ways I can blame myself!

Well Mooseman is right behind us. How old are the rest of our group. I know Maisie just hit a year, and Tucker is 10 mo so he and Moose are the same. Wow! Exciting to think we have made it and not killed them or they kill us! Yea for our team!


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## baumgartml16

Deb - Koda's bday is April 26th. 3 days apart!  I can't wait for her bday. We are having a cookout the Saturday after her bday since it falls on a Thursday. All her doggie friends are coming and both my family and my husbands family. I don't want to know the grand event I will have for my kids bday when I am already probably going overboard for my dogs bday! LOL


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## Deber

That sounds like a wonderful day for celebrating her birthday! Havent a clue what we will do but hope we are in the country where I can take her to the pond for a day of fun and swimming. Think she would love this. 

Kye seems to have turned towards the good for the past month or so. Perhaps it was coming into heat but her crazy mindless doings seems to have subsided, her attention span longer and she seems to remember her training much better without being on lead. I hold my breath as I type this cause I don't want to jinx it. If she continues this then will enroll her in the first adult class and think she might do well. I sure hope so, she has worked so hard, but gone through such crazy stages. Hope this is beginning to be the end of the worst of it. Coop, sorry to say is in the teen times full force. Half the time I want to murder him the other half he is my sweet baby boy. He is not as headstrong as Kye was, but just so much muscle and brute force...man he is a mess. He is not very treat motivated so am trying lots of love and steady reinforcement with him. He gets "Good Boy" and hugs instead of food and it seems to be good for him. Am walking him much more and don't put up with his nonsense. On walks when he wants to dash off, we make large turns and I know people must think I am crazy, but it keeps his mind working. I just can't get him to stop tearing things up while we are sleeping (his favorite pastime) which tells me he is bored. He might have to go back to a crate at night which we haven't done in many months. I did move everything not nailed down out of the den. Great cause now the den looks almost sterile, but if we leave even a slip of paper out, he will find it and shred. Ate our TV remote this week and it was on top of the computer (I thought too high for him). All I can do is pray he leaves the teen time quickly and keep working. Will never advocate for anyone to get two puppies almost the same age..just too much. If this happens again, will insist on the other dog being over a year or older before bringing in another.


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## OutWest

Deb, I haven't had Tucker sleep outside the crate yet. He did once, with my daughter, but she said he took up too much room in her bed!  so back into the crate he went. I'll be just fine if he sleeps in there for years....

We had heavy rain and thunderstorms today. Both dogs were disturbed and barked but I tried to keep my voice calm and not transfer any anxiety. Seemed to work well--both went outside readily before bedtime. It was raining and the lightening and thunder were still going on, but they went outside with no problem. 

I ended up canceling Tucker's surgery for yesterday. He was throwing up the day before and I was worried he wasn't over the giardia. Turned out he had stripped a tennis ball and eaten the cover. Threw up gobs of bilious yellow fabric gunk. :yuck: Will reschedule for next week.


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## baumgartml16

Glad to hear Kye is coming around. Besides Koda's random puppy energy she has definitely transformed into a wonderful dog! 

We had class last night (only two more left) and the trainer brought her just turned 1 year old golden and her 5 yr old golden to class with her. Koda was actually better behaved than her 1 year old which made me feel better knowing I wasn't completely off base with Koda's training since the head trainer's dog wasn't way ahead of Koda! She actually said Koda would be great for agility because she has a drive for this, she loves the play the game and is excited to be there. The other trainer has a poodle that just isn't into being trained. When she gets called to a front the dog just lazily takes its time getting to her. Koda runs as fast as she can to get to us and once she has done what we asked she enjoys the party too!  It was refershing to know we are on the right track with her and we can't expect her to be as good as the older dogs in our class.

We had to work on 1 minute sit/stays and 3 minute down/stays. Koda did okay, after a little while she would get up and sit in front of Brian like "okay dad I did it, treat now" LOL. The instructor told us to just go back every 15-30 seconds and tell her good job and leave her again...we need to work on this more at home though for sure. She just doesn't have the attention span to sit there that long doing nothing. There is so much more she can do with that time LOL.


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## Nyahsmommy

Wow all the pups on here are turning 1 around the same time... Nyah's 1st bday is May 7th. :no: Time flies... it really does. *sigh*

Nyah has been good lately in terms of listening and sitting/not jumping in the elevator. I find the trick is to pet her head the whole time and it calms her down. The issue we are having again is her sarn walks. Something must have scared her yet again because she suddenly doesnt want to walk again. She just sits and stares at the apartment. I dont know what we are going to do. Some noises scared her again.

We have been looking at houses and we found a really nice one on a main road in a different city. It is near a highway and right on a busy street. I don't know what Nyah is going to do... we can't get her to even walk towards a main street so if we got this place I don't think we could get her out the front door ever. *sigh*


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## mrmooseman

We live on a main busy street. Since we have been doing work to the outside of the house, Moose has to be on a leash outside in the front yard. I panicked the first time thinking he would try to run into the traffic and break his leash. He is actually great outside. Does his business, digs the odd hole (we look like we're digging for treasure with the holes in the yard) but he doesn't try to run and anything off his leash. He knows the limit of the leash and doesn't try to pull the leash or anything. But we decided to put a fence around the yard once we get everything settled outside.

Right now, he is trying to get a ball from under the chair. He keeps jumping at the chair, my poor hardwood floors. Anyone want him? hahah. He drives me nuts when he does this.


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## Claire's Friend

I think it's kind of interesting that most of the people in this thread all have pups around the same age. They must be a very special group, bound for greatness, if we don't kill them first !!! Jordan has been sleeping in bed with me for several months now, but I still crate her while I am gone and for those moments of craziness, when I need a break. She has been an angel since the incident, but she is a different dog when she is dragging the leash. It's like she knows I am in control and she doesn't push it.
Her newest thing is when I am on the computer and she wants to play , she barks at me 5 times, if I don't respond, she takes her head and shoves my keyboard tray back under so I can't type. Silly girl:
I hope you all saw our post about J's B-Day party http://www.goldenretrieverforum.com/golden-retrievers-main-discussion/112985-you-all-invited.html
We hope you all can make it !!!


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## Deber

Susan Marie I think you are brilliant for thinking of this for Jordan and the forum, what a great way to celebrate.

Now I am starting to feel a bit crapy about nothing planned for Kye's birthday. Koda's getting a party and so is Jordan. Are you doing something special for Nyah's birthday? I will put my thinking cap on and see what I can come up with.

We all need party hats and such so we can go to Jordan's cyber party - gonna be such fun!!

Megan - my backyard looks like a mine field you see in the movies. Holes everywhere!! I acted innocent and told a neighbor that we had gophers! Haaaaaa!


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## mrmooseman

Just let Kye out to her favorite place for the day and spoil her rotten! I am making Moose a cake for his birthday and inviting his friends over for cake and treats and play! Maybe if it's nice out though we can take them all to the beach! 

Since we have been getting nice weather, I have been taken Moose there more and more. We have a beach called the sand bar, it is basically a beach that has sand that goes out for miles and miles. You can walk so far out and be only up to your knees. It's great for teaching Moose last year how to swim. We took him the other day, and it's hard to believe the pup who was scared of waves lastyear is not afraid of them at all this year! He was a little skiddish at first, but then he got super brave and went in, and that was it haha. Hard to keep him out. He would keep going far out (he was only ever up half way to his belly in water) and I would yell and he would just ignore me. Should be a fun summer.. haha


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## Claire's Friend

Deb, anything you do for Kye will be just perfect in her eyes, it doesn't have to be a big deal. Take her shopping and let her pick out her own toy, then make a hamburger cake and frost with mashed potatoes. Give her lots of extra kisses, she'll love it all !


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## OutWest

*Re: birthdays*

My Tess just celebrated her ninth. I didn't do a lot but I did give her a thorough grooming, set her up on a chair with a blanket backdrop and good lighting, and took decent pictures of her. I would have liked to take her to a studio, bit didnt have the $$$. Mostly though we just petted her a lot and told her her how pretty she is!


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## OutWest

Are any of you finding new fears in your dog? Tuckers been acting skittish and barking more lately. He hears something outside and barks, or barks at strangers, etc. I Googled fear stages and found this: Developmental Stages

Good info, but doesn't give a lot of advice on managing it other than to not comfort the dog. Does anyone have any other tips on dealing with fear in adolescents?


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## mrmooseman

Moose has been barking more and more it seems, at the most random things. He now barks at people who knock on the door, but he seems to be growing out of his fear for big trucks and the vacuum! I never though he would ever like the vacuum, but he lays besides it as I do the rug in the livingroom. He even let me vacuum his tail today. But things still like if something falls or drops on th floor he's scared of.


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## baumgartml16

Deb - like others have said, anything you do for Kye will be great! She will be elated just to be with you!  

For those asking about a fear stage. Koda went through one right at about 10 months. She was so annoying barking at absolutely nothing. At night though she would swear there was something outside and she would woof and bark and howl LOL...sometimes I couldn't find a thing and sometimes it was a leaf blowing...such a weirdo. She would bark crazy when the neighbor put the garbage out (something was not normal to her). Scared me the first time she was barking at night like that..I was home alone LOL. We just pretty much for the most part ignored it. You dont' want to baby them or they think they should be scared but you don't want to completely ignore it either. We would humor her and look outside and then just walk away like no big deal. She stopped after a while. 

I am super excited for this weekend. Tomorrow we have another indoor swimming appointment but this time she is going with her best friend/cousin - my sisters german shepherd. We are so excited to take them together. Koda always has a fear of going in at first and Rogan doesn't so we are hoping he will help her with that and Rogan won't jump into the pool from the sides but Koda will so hopefully she can help him with that!  Should be a good time. I will report back on Monday!


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## quilter

Nyahsmommy said:


> Wow all the pups on here are turning 1 around the same time... Nyah's 1st bday is May 7th. :no: Time flies... it really does. *sigh*
> 
> Nyah has been good lately in terms of listening and sitting/not jumping in the elevator. I find the trick is to pet her head the whole time and it calms her down. The issue we are having again is her sarn walks. Something must have scared her yet again because she suddenly doesnt want to walk again. She just sits and stares at the apartment. I dont know what we are going to do. Some noises scared her again.
> 
> We have been looking at houses and we found a really nice one on a main road in a different city. It is near a highway and right on a busy street. I don't know what Nyah is going to do... we can't get her to even walk towards a main street so if we got this place I don't think we could get her out the front door ever. *sigh*


We moved our timid collie from the country to the suburbs when he was 6 years old. He was so timid that he was afraid of doorbells - across the street! I did not know how this was going to go. Ultimately, he was perfectly happy indoors and in our backyard. He was fine on the neighborhood streets during walks. He tolerated the busy road, but would have preferred never to see it again. We introduced him slowly and never rewarded his fear. We acted like everything was fine. We also kept a short leash on the busy road in case he tried to dart away. 

He got used to the suburb noise pretty quickly. In fact, I don't remember any issues with that. (Now, when we had the roof replaced, that was exhausting for him.) It was mostly the cars whizzing by that he had trouble with.


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## jluke

*Birthdays!*

Wow -- so many birthdays! And such fun plans, too. Deb, Kye will h ave fun with whatever you do, even a special dog treat. (My oldest friend just sent me a birthday present that had a few things for Maisie including an all natural chew made partially with yak's milk -- ??)

Someone mentioned that Maisie is 1 -- if so, that's not my Maisie. Her birthday is June 17, so we're coming up on 10 months -- 2 months left to plan a birthday celebration -- !

Michelle, I think you mentioned that your pup likes to chase bubbles, so Maisie got some bubble mix in her Easter basket and has been having great fun jumping and chasing them. She has a play date with the little kids next door to have bubble time.

We're headed into an interesting time with renovation and construction work starting on the house. We'll have to move Maisie's crate from the kitchen to the family room on the opposite side of the house. And, since we haven't been using the crate, but have been leaving her out in the kitchen, I have to get her re-introduced to the crate -- I don't want her to accidentally get out of the family room if DH and I aren't here and a worker leaves a door open.

Do any of you know anything about rally as an activity? I've been wondering whether that might be something to try.


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## baumgartml16

Jill - yes, Koda loves bubbles! Glad Maisie likes them too. They are so funny to watch them chase the bubbles all over and jump for them. Koda seems to know when they are out of her reach, she stops and looks at me like "what am I supposed to do now?" LOL.

Less than two weeks till her bday now. I am working on a slide show with pictures and videos from her first year. We were so excited when my husband was going through the videos on his phone and we actually have a video of her when we went to visit all the pups at 5 weeks old. We didn't know yet that she was ours but we did have a video with her. She is such a doll in it too!  I will be sure to post the video when I finihs it! 

We had an awesome weekend. We took Koda to the indoor pool again with her cousin but it turns out Koda is the brave one when it comes to water, not her cousin LOL. Much easier this time getting her in the water and then getting her out was hard work! Rogan (my sisters GSD) wasn't having it, he swam a few times but kept trying to get out to be by her. (He has severe seperation anxiety issues). Koda kept just moving past him so she could get out and jump in again. She would bark if you didn't throw the toy for her in time. She was a machine. I will see if i can get the video up for you all to see. Definitely going to start taking her at least once a month. Probably by herself now though, she didn't seem to care whether rogan was there or not and this way she can get all the attention. I don't think Rogan liked having her there. She was faster so she would get to the toys first and she was a hog taking all three toys at once!  She was so funny!

Hope everyone had a great weekend as well!!


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## jluke

*Hurray for Koda!*

Glad you had such a fun weekend with Koda, Michelle. It was quiet here because I did some thing to my back (probably putting Easter dinner together) and had to take a muscle relaxant that knocked me out. So DH had the Maisie duty. I did get to keep the bubble play date yesterday -- too silly! (I don't know if I posted -- forgive me if I did -- that our instructor says she has bacon flavored bubbles for her dogs! Maybe I can track them down as a birthday present in June.

When I ordered new glasses (after falling), the two men in the store asked DH and me to bring Maisie when we came to pick them up -- they're real dog lovers. So we took her today -- she was curious about all the display cases, but stayed in heel, didn't knock anything over(!) and got lots of attention from both of the men there. And she laid down between DH and me while I was getting my glasses fitted. I don't dare to say she's growing out of the crazies... 

If my back's up to it, we're off to advanced class tonight.


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## Tucker's mommy

Michelle - I wish I had water I could take Tucker to near here that was safe and not off limits for swimming! We have a lake not far from here that he loves to walk around on the trails with me, but he will only wade into the water up to his ankles. And I think dogs aren't allowed in the water anyway! 

To Maisie's mom - aren't those "good behaviour" moments wonderful! We've had quite a few of our own here lately. We've really been buckling down on the manners and play etiquette here at home, not to mention having more control over things outside. He is definitely picking up on the fact being in our yard does NOT mean "free for all!"

Although, with that said, one of our neighbors decided to come over and pet tucker after we just returned from a walk. Tucker was sooooo ramped up, he jumped up on the guy with his mouth wide open - I know he freaked the guy out. I wish we could stop Tucker from using his mouth when he greets people. He's getting soooooo much better with us, but with visitors, that's another story. I cannot wait until the new trainer comes for a visit - that is one of the MAIN issues I have with Tucker that we haven't been able to break him of - his EXTREME mouthiness - when playing, when greeting, etc. 

Anyway, have a good night, everybody!


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## Pammie

Bubbles are so much fun! I got Bryley some for Easter, too. I have a fun time blowing the bubbles and he has a great time snapping at them in the air! I love how such simple things can be so amusing. Mmmm....bacon!

The Monday after Easter I was putting away my Easter decorations. I dropped this small pink fuzzy easter chick that has super hard, pointy legs! OHHHH NOOOOOO! Bryley swoops in and swallows it. OK, I know I need to work on leave-it, give and all that...but why in the world would he want to swallow something that is dry-as-cotton ?! cra-cra! I made the decision not to hydrogen peroxide him,:vomit: husband thought we should, I am the boss of all things dog, so no. Then at about 11pm that night I start with major regrets. My dog is going to get an obstruction...my dog is going to get a bowel tear...I am an idiot. I had a big pity party! so now we are on poop watch. Every poop is dissected. The next day (Tues.) in the late afternoon, voila!! a poop with pink fuzz included, but no feets.  Now, the next day, Wed. is my birthday arty:and all I want for my birthday at this point is chicken feet in poop! LOL! I did not get that, instead my dog who is 14 months old and who has been perfectly housetrained since he was 5 months, PEED IN MY LIVING ROOM !!!! That was totally a ***  moment! 
Good news is that the next day the chicken feet came out!!! I was so happy and relieved! Glad that week is over.

Yesterday 2 friends and I went on a loooong dog walk at our beautiful fairgrounds. We go on this group walk every weekend, but because the weather was so spectacular (finally!) we walked extra long. My Bryley walked so good. I am just so proud of him, and proud of myself for all the hard work we have put in to make this happen! On the walk we ran into a female GR named Brandi and a male GR named Brody. Bryley did well meeting the other dogs and wanted to play so bad. He did bark, but only to say "Hey, guys, let's play! The very best part of the walk is the aftermath. He was totally tuckered out and was an angel the whole rest of the day. :bigangel:



jluke said:


> Do any of you know anything about rally as an activity? I've been wondering whether that might be something to try.


I think rally would be fun, too, and looked into it a bit! By that I mean I looked at youtubes on the computer! haha!  I remember looking at a vid of someone here at GRF of themselves doing a rally course. very impressive. It certainly would build a strong bond btwn you and Maisie, be great exercise and be so much fun! You should check it out!


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## OutWest

Hello all we are OK here. Had a difficult day yesterday though not Tucker's fault. My daughter (16) was hysterical after losing her new iPod touch. She was so proud of it and has no more $$$ to get another. When she gets THAT upset she takes it out on everyone around her. :doh: Immature, I know, but something we are working on. Anyway she was really hard on Tucker yesterday. Everything he did annoyed and angered her. I ran interference all day. I told her she'd be very sorry if she lost his trust. By the end of the day she had calmed down and was feeling very contrite. I'm going to discuss some more with her, but it's tiring and worrisome. Sigh. :no:

I also wrote to a trainer asking about loose leash work and recall work. 

Took Tucker and Tess to dog park as per usual routine today. Tucker is finally walking "nicely" from the car to the gate. It's taken quite a while!!! The weather is gorgeous here and dogs were usual goofy selves in the park. Tucker cast longing looks at the lagoon but swimming was not on todays schedule.


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## jluke

*Funny Class Moment*

Maisie and I did make it to our third advanced obedience class tonight. We did some fun and somewhat challenging things including putting the dogs in a down-stay, dropping their leashes and walking all around the room for 3 minutes. Maisie made it the whole time -- I was really pleased because her favorite thing is to visit and play with the other dogs. Then we had them sit and stay while the instructor let loose a mechanical toy that moved by itself -- it looked like a ball with a fake squirrel tail. Maisie stayed until it came right up to her feet -- then she broke. Oh, well... We did recalls with a jump over a barrier -- Maisie wasn't so sure about the jump her first time, but was fine after that. Then we did a zig-zag obstacle course of toys and treats in heel which everyone managed pretty well until the instructor added a nearly life-size stuffed dog to the mix. Some of the dogs barked at it and pursued it, some were afraid and Maisie wanted to play with it, of course. When each of the dogs were introduced individually to Buffy the stuffed dog, Maisie tried to puppy play with it, biting at its ears! A fun and interesting evening.

Tucker's mom -with his jumping up and too friendly greetings, I'm wondering if you might two ideas that have come up here. The first is leaving a very short lead on him (just one foot) -- I think Deb is/was doing this with Coop -- so you can correct him quickly. And then, if you have the short lead to get his attention, maybe you could get him to sit before he gets any attention -- ?? Just a thought.


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## baumgartml16

Pammie - happy belated birthday! Sorry it consisted of cleaning up pee accident. So glad to hear he passed the pink chicken just fine. They sure do make us worry. We are also working a lot more on drop it and leave it with koda. If we are right next to her she will drop the object but if she is a distance away or think she can keep it away from us she won't drop it. She grabs a shoe everytime she comes upstairs from playing and we have to get it back from her. We have now just stopped making a big deal out of it and wait for her to come in the living room and once she is there she is close enough that she will drop it on command. 

Kathleen - i am considering contacting a trainer for those same issues. We have talked to our class instructors but I haven't gotten very good feedback and I think it would help for someone to experience it first hand. Koda is a decent walker but she just always walks faster than we want to which leads to her pulling. She eases up when she get to the end and comes back but then she gets a treat for coming back and away she goes to pull and come back. It is an endless cycle. We have started keeping her on a shorter leash and reinforcing the heel more but she just doesn't get it. Recall is always a work in process and she is so on and off with it. I take her to a park everyday after work and one day she will come everytime I call and then like yesterday she was completely deaf to me. It was so frustrating. I really think it is the treat I have. If I have a hotdog she listens so much better than other times but I don't want to carry hot dogs with me everytime and everywhere. Idk what else to do...


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## OutWest

To all--if you find those bacon bubbles, let us all know. Gave Tucker some for Easter and he loves them but would he not be eating the regular soap ones, however small in quantity!

Michelle, I keep reminding myself there are two big challenges for Tucker in leash walking. One is impulse control. Tucker has little to none :bowl:--when he sees something he wants, he wants it NOW. (my mother once said that was true of all teenagers. LOL) The other is that we humans walk so differently from dogs. We go in a straight line at a steady pace and they do everything but that. I remind myself of all this when we work on leash walking, but I feel it's time for him to get with the human program. He just about pulled me over on Easter. I would really love to walk him around our neighborhood. It would be good for both of us, but instead we get into the car and head to dog park. That's good, too, but there's more to life than the DP.  

Oh well, it's nice that we can all compare notes about our teenagers! We have some really nice weather coming this week, so I'm hoping we can all get outdoors.


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## jluke

*Bacon Bubbles!*

I found the "bacon bubbles" on Amazon -- 8 ounces of bacon scented (not flavored) bubbles for about $6 plus shipping (so it adds up depending on what you order). This is really a refill for a bubble machine so it doesn't have the little wand, but I figure I'll just use one of the wands I have. The maker is Bubbletastic.


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## Nyahsmommy

Nyah's "walks" are getting so unbareable that I have been taking her out for a quick pee, no poo or anything. She won't even leave the building, I have to drag or carry her. It's construction season so now she won't go out because of all the loud noises (she was always scared or loud noises but the problem is escalating). In order to walk her I litterally have to drag her but she is too stong so I can't do it for more than a few feet then she pulls back home like crazy.

We are going to look at a nice big older house on the weekend, it isn't fully fenced, so if we get it we have to fully fence it in and then nyah will most likely get most of her exercise there. It's right beside the main street so she wouldn't even go out the front. *sigh* It sucks because lately she has been 100% excellent in every other way. She is so good with the new cat now... she knows shes scared and keeps her distance and goes away when I instruct her. It's just this stupid noise fear. we've tried everything and she's been this way since we had her at 11 weeks.


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## OutWest

Nyahsmommy said:


> Nyah's "walks" are getting so unbareable that I have been taking her out for a quick pee, no poo or anything. She won't even leave the building, I have to drag or carry her. It's construction season so now she won't go out because of all the loud noises (she was always scared or loud noises but the problem is escalating). In order to walk her I litterally have to drag her but she is too stong so I can't do it for more than a few feet then she pulls back home like crazy.
> 
> We are going to look at a nice big older house on the weekend, it isn't fully fenced, so if we get it we have to fully fence it in and then nyah will most likely get most of her exercise there. It's right beside the main street so she wouldn't even go out the front. *sigh* It sucks because lately she has been 100% excellent in every other way. She is so good with the new cat now... she knows shes scared and keeps her distance and goes away when I instruct her. It's just this stupid noise fear. we've tried everything and she's been this way since we had her at 11 weeks.


Not long ago I posted about apps for dog people. One of the training apps included various noise people can play to desensitize their dogs. Not sure it would work but thought I'd mention it. 

Daughter and I are waiting for car maintenance to be finished, with dogs. Dealership has a courtyard where we're sitting. Tucker has dug a hole in the dirt. :-( LOL. I practiced leash walking with on the prong collar and he did well. Needs a lot more. He still doesn't get that people walk in straight lines.  daughter is home from school because she aches all over. She got run down, literally, by a large husky at the dog park last night. Very weird event. She's quite slender with no padding and hit the ground hard. :-( 

Hope you all are having a good day.


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## jluke

*Loud Noises...*

Nyahsmommy -- I feel for you as far as Nyah's fear of loud noises goes. Maisie is afraid of the noises that metal objects make although she's a little better now. She is still shy of certain new things, too. Last week in class, I watched the instructor "introduce" a life-sized stuffed plush dog to each of the dogs in our class, including a GR puppy (6 months) who was very fearful of it. She and the owner sat on the floor with the puppy and the plush dog petting both of them and feeding/pretend feeding both treats. At first the puppy was too afraid to eat them, but gradually she ate a few. Every so often, they moved the plush dog closer. It took almost 10 minutes, but the puppy finally got almost comfortable within a foot of it. It makes me wonder if you could stage a set-up with a loud noise like, maybe your car horn, and do something similar with Nyah. Or maybe there's something that makes a range of sounds that you could start out at a medium level and ramp it up to loud -- ?? Also, and you've probably done this, have you posted this as a question on the puppy and behavior boards?


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## Nyahsmommy

jluke said:


> Nyahsmommy -- I feel for you as far as Nyah's fear of loud noises goes. Maisie is afraid of the noises that metal objects make although she's a little better now. She is still shy of certain new things, too. Last week in class, I watched the instructor "introduce" a life-sized stuffed plush dog to each of the dogs in our class, including a GR puppy (6 months) who was very fearful of it. She and the owner sat on the floor with the puppy and the plush dog petting both of them and feeding/pretend feeding both treats. At first the puppy was too afraid to eat them, but gradually she ate a few. Every so often, they moved the plush dog closer. It took almost 10 minutes, but the puppy finally got almost comfortable within a foot of it. It makes me wonder if you could stage a set-up with a loud noise like, maybe your car horn, and do something similar with Nyah. Or maybe there's something that makes a range of sounds that you could start out at a medium level and ramp it up to loud -- ?? Also, and you've probably done this, have you posted this as a question on the puppy and behavior boards?


 
Ya I did post a few times about this when Nyah was really young. I tried every suggestion and nothing works. I've done the loud noise on the computer thing and it doesn't bother her. It's funny because we keeo the windows open all the time(except for winter of course) so she hears all the same noises (train, traffic, construction) as we do outside and she is ok with it except when something bangs really loud, then she will hide. Once we are outside though, everything changes. She is in this extremely fearful state and nothing snaps her out of it. We tried sitting next to the train, running cars, ect. and that made her fear 10x worse. She won't accept any treats outside. She won't even look at them... she just stares at the building wanting to come home. 

It's not outside she is scared of because if we take her to a park, beach, hiking trail, then she is completely fine. It's the city noises that she doesn't like. She would be better suited to live out in the country but unfortunately that's not an option. I'm hoping that when we move a change of scenery might help.


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## baumgartml16

So sorry to hear about all of this Kim! I am sure it is beyond frustrating seeing her so scared and not knowing what to do about it. Sometimes I wish they could be human for a day so we could explain everything to them (or as much as you can in 24 hours) so they can understand what we are trying to tell them. LOL...I know that sounds silly but its true. Maybe its time to have a behaviorist or trainer come by and see her behavior and work with you one on one to help overcome this. You have tried all the suggestions here which are great ones and it still isn't helping so maybe someone needs to come and actually see the behaviour and come up with a plan from there.

Koda only has one more class after last nights excellent class! The trainer came up to us beforehand and told us to maybe take a break with Koda halfway through the hour class. We are asking a lot of her to listen and participate for an hour straight of training so she said to take her outside and walk around a little, let her refresh. It made a world of a difference. My husband did this halfway and she came back with a clear head and ready to work again! Koda is so smart and loves to learn she just loses the attention span after a while which is gonna happen with a puppy! We need to work more on our focus commands though. We do the exercise where you hold a treat out to your side and wait for eye contact, then reward. She does it perfectly out to the right but if we go left she starts to jump for the treat, really weird. She does have pretty darn good eye contact though.

One other thing we started working on is a focus exercise. You start with treats in a fist in your hand. Hold the fist down to them, they will sniff, lick, try to get the treat but as soon as they stop and pull away you praise. We did this last night and after three times Koda just sat and waited, didn't go after the treats in the hand. After that you open your hand up and hold it out not letting them get the treats. You might have to pull your hand back or say leave it and once they back away do it again. Then you put the treat on the floor. Do it again...Koda already knows to wait for treats on the floor but the open hand one is new for her and we will be working on that. It gets them to focus on you and learning to wait for the command before doing things. We need more things like this so we can work on her focusing on us.

It is amazing to see how far she has come with these last two classes. Very very proud of our little girl. We originally were going to take some time off and let her "grow up" some more but the trainer said to just keep going. Novice class is next and we were just worried she would be the doof of the class but the trainer said she is making such improvement, stopping the training now will just set her back instead of stay at the level she is. The trainers will give us a break with having a baby still!  Made me feel better about moving on. 

Enough of my rambling! Hope everyone has a GREAT friday!


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## mrmooseman

We have been accident free since the last time I posted! Woo "knock on wood". We figured it wasn't marking, but maybe he is just super excited about playing with other dogs, and he is just so use to doing it outside, he "forgets" to ask to go out. Even when we put him out he just sits and stares at us through the door. 

We had another beautiful day eariler this week where I could take him to the beach again. He is LOVING the water, which is soo much better then last year when he was scared of the waves. He just wanted me to throw rocks into the water so he could shove his head under the water and look for them. He would keep him nose in the water for a bit, I was worried he was going to get water up his nose, but he LOVED it! As we were walking back to the car, we met up with another lady and her dog. I'm not sure of what breed it was, kind of reminded me of a doberman, but it was 2 years old and smaller then what a doberman should be. He wasn't fixed and all he wanted to do was go to Moose. She would just keep pulling on his leash and he wouldn't listen to her. Moose was soo good! He just sat beside me and didn't try to go near him. I was a proud mama for sure! But he is still having a hard time with not drinking the salt water, and of course he had diarrhea on the beach.. how fun was that to clean up. ugh.

It is heavy garbage around here and a box blew into our yard and Moose just barked and barked and barked at it. I think maybe because it was stuck in the bushes. I think it scared him. He is still scared of some things, but he is getting way better. I have been working on the vacuum. I have been petting it and telling him "nice vacuum" and Moose has been smelling him and even lays on the rug next to it while I'm cleaning. But he is still kind of scared when I pick it up for some reason.. 

He is also starting to look more golden on his ears and around his face. So this must be his "big boy" coat coming in. So I guess it's safe to say he is going to be a lighter golden, but not as light as we thought!

Hope everyone is having a great Friday! The sun is shining and we are heading off to the dog park with Moose's new found favorite thing.. chasing bubbles! I read about them on here but I deprived him from them for too long!


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## Nyahsmommy

baumgartml16 said:


> So sorry to hear about all of this Kim! I am sure it is beyond frustrating seeing her so scared and not knowing what to do about it. Sometimes I wish they could be human for a day so we could explain everything to them (or as much as you can in 24 hours) so they can understand what we are trying to tell them. LOL...I know that sounds silly but its true. Maybe its time to have a behaviorist or trainer come by and see her behavior and work with you one on one to help overcome this. You have tried all the suggestions here which are great ones and it still isn't helping so maybe someone needs to come and actually see the behaviour and come up with a plan from there.


I actually did talk to a few behaviourist and everything they told me that they would do I tried myself and she just doesn't respond. Plus all the ones that I found are outrageously expensive and we don't have the money to spend on that and to have it not work. I really think it's just the area we are in right now... the tanker trains and express trains are running constantly, we are right by a busy intersection and they are building a new condo nearby. When we take her to our parents place she is still a bit timid but not nearly as bad. We will probably wait until we move to see if that makes a difference. If not then we will have to figure something out because right now this is not working.


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## baumgartml16

How was everyone's weekend!? Ours went way too fast! Koda actually had her first sleepover party with a friend. I was away at a bachelorette party so my husband had the husbands/boyfriends of us girls over at our place. The groom in the wedding brought their pup to stay over night at our house too! Sounds like it went pretty well. The other dog stayed in the basement with his owner and Koda was upstairs so not a true slumber party but it sounds like she was pleasently surprised to see her friend come up the stairs the next morning!! 

It's Koda's last week on the puppy forum. Well last few days! Thursday is the big 1 year birthday! I got her one year video almost completed! I have to admit I teared up a bit watching through it with the music I picked. She is such a little sweetheart now. She has been such a cuddler lately, makes me so happy!! 

Hope everyone has a good week. Going to be a long one for me since I didn't get much sleep Saturday night and am paying for it now. Koda doesn't care if you stayed up late or not, she is still just as energy filled and needs her exercise! LOL


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## Nyahsmommy

Happy early birthday Koda! Nyah's turn will be in a few weeks (May 7th ). Our weekend was ok. Saturday was spent house hunting online and sunday I worked all day. Trying to find a house on a timeline is so stressful. Ugh. We finally get to see a few places tonight so looking forward to that.

Nyah still won't walk. She seems to walk better when it's both me and bf walking her, but when it's just me so won't budge at all. So now she has all this pent up energy and is super restless and hyper when we don't have time for her at the moment so she is spending a lot of time in the crate barking. She acts like she wants to go outside so when I take her she won't walk. Arg.


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## Deber

Hi my friends, been a bit since I was here. Kye's birthday was kept low keel in ordinary terms, but DH & I took both pups to the big pond on a ranch nearby and both dogs had a blast. Neither actually swam, but Kye would go in until only her ears and head were seen, Coop only went in chest deep and barked at Kye. Had a lot of fun, loads of running in the pasture and totally tired out by the time we left. Then walked about 2 miles to our place, so two really tired dogs. Gave them their first full bath of the spring (figured I would get out any ticks they might have picked up). I bought Kye some toys I figure she will eat in a week (still loves to tear her toys up), but this was it. We sang Happy Birthday to her. She has come so far in the last few months.

I wonder too if stopping classes for a while is good? We still work everyday, but not the same as class. I was hoping to give both dogs a few months off to mature, but now not sure and may go see what looks like fun for our next class.

Coop still has his short leash I keep on him while in the house. When he jumps up (all the time) and you see a cavern full of teeth coming at you, we can grab the leash (taped so it is short) and pull him down. I keep vanilla wafers all over the house so you can grab and treat when all 4 feet are on the ground. But he still cannot understand why he can't stand all over you. We must figure how to stop this. Amazing how Kye for all her hyper self has never been a jumper on people. Who figures??

Both dogs are getting really good about staying straight when walking. When on walks I let them travel for the first part, let them sniff and we walk usually very slow, but after they get this out of their system, then I say 'heal" and pull the leash in closer and start walking much faster. When they stray, we make right turns. I do not treat during this time, but still keep jerkey close so when either I am walking really LOOK at me, then they are treated. As we start the trip back I sit on the ground and just rub the dog down and speak softly to them as they sit and usually watching the people around us. Then up we go and towards the house. When I see our street, I extend the leash and let them get ahead or to the side of me. Coop has to pee everytime at his certain place, though he still squats. So far, I still steel us away from people approaching if they have a dog. Mine still feel they should jump and play with all dogs and since most dogs are fighting breeds, I don't think they would like a big golden in their face, so we just cross the street or go another way. 

Still have a long way to go, but Kye really has turned the corner in about everything. Think she is maturing enough to try another class. Coop is still so much pup, but probably needs other pups in class to make him remember. 

Megan, since our big shed this last couple of months, both of our goldens have darkened. Coop is still very light almost white, but darker now on his back so looks a lot more cream. Kye was always cream, but now darker. Since we don't see light goldens here in Texas really liking that they are light, but still so golden looking for once people see they are goldens and not pyrenese as people always called them! 

Jill, I would definately check out rally or agility. Here in Tx. this is HUGE! There are many schools/teams and so many weekkend competitions. We went to one just a couple of weeks ago and got to watch 5 goldens run. WOW! They had so darn much fun and looked like the perfect job for them to be doing. Kye honestly loved her pre-agility class the best so far..got to think of doing this again, but perhaps with an agility facility.


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## baumgartml16

Welcome back Deb and Happy Belated Birthday to Kye!  All grown up!!! Sounds like a great day for a golden, thats for sure! 

Glad to hear things are going well for you Deb with the exception of Coop's jumping. I am sure it will click eventually. It is funny how literally one day they are doing the bad behaviour and the next day it just clicks like oops, not supposed to do this. 

We worked forever on drop it when playing with Koda with her toys and she never would get it. She got it if treats were involved but I dont always have a treat on me. Last week hubby was playing with her in the basement and she brought it back, he asked for a drop, and plop it went out of her mouth. There was a major party thrown LOL. Ever since she drops!  

We have started to back off a little on Koda with walks. We have always been so strict and tried keeping her in a heel for too long...we realized that is not fair to ask a puppy to do and started breaking up her walks in freedom/heels. She is so much more manageable on walks now. Perhaps all of this is sign she is finally growing up a bit! 

Had a little accident last night though...I took her on a walk after work like I normally do but I was going to be heading to the Brewer game so I didn't go into the park like I normally would thinking my husband can just play outside with her. Well...she wasn't happy with that LOL..she had energy to burn and started running full speed on our walk..I had the flexi leash on she could go a little ways and then she turned around and started sprinting back at me...she does this and usually stops in time but she couldn't stop herself and instead turned herself sideways and ran all 72 lbs of herself into my one leg which I used to brace myself so I didn't fall over. Ouch..my muscle is 100% bruised...and so painful. LOL...what are you going to do though! She tried to stop but was going SO fast she didn't know what to do. I should have turned my back or step out of the way but I didn't think fast enough. Such is life...


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## baumgartml16

Here is an updated picture of Koda! She looked so pretty here I had to share! 

You all should post updated pics of your babies!!!


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## mayapaya

Yikes! I too have been away from the site for what seems like weeks! Raising two pups at the same time is a handful, but like you Deb I am thinking this was the craziest, most wonderful thing I have ever done (or at least I feel this way most days!) Maya is really maturing and was getting so much better (except for the exuberant greeting syndrome, which is still a work in progress), but now that Payton has arrived, I think she is picking of some of her old bad habits! Payton pulled a pillow off the couch the other day, and they decided to jointly destuff it, and have a great game of tug of war!!!!! And it's definately a challenge to clean 8 muddy paws instead of just 4--Payton seems to find the holes that Maya has dug, and now they work on them together. Michelle, Koda is adorable! What a great picture--can't wait to see her slideshow! I too, should be working on Maya's, since her birthday was last month, but I just don't know when I'll manage to squeeze this into my jam packed schedule. Funny though, but Payton is definately the "second child"--I seem to stress less with her--with Maya I was always in a panic--and have definately taken fewer pictures. Hope everyone has a great week, and I am hoping this weekend to catch up on all the posts-Here's a shot of my two girls on one of their "good" days. I will definately print and frame this one, so I can look at it fondly and remember these sweet faces when they get into their next mischief session!!!


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## baumgartml16

OMG Maya and Payton are too much cuteness in one picture! AHH....makes me want a puppy so bad but this weekend I realized Koda is better off on her own. She got pretty stressed at times having the dog over and seemed much happier when she was gone.

But my goodness, they look like sisters, were they the same parents? Maya is so grown up! I love her!


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## mayapaya

baumgartml16 said:


> OMG Maya and Payton are too much cuteness in one picture! AHH....makes me want a puppy so bad but this weekend I realized Koda is better off on her own. She got pretty stressed at times having the dog over and seemed much happier when she was gone.
> 
> But my goodness, they look like sisters, were they the same parents? Maya is so grown up! I love her!


Yes, Michelle--actually they have different mothers, but the same father (who is named Marley BTW) I am hoping that the Marley-ish habits that Maya inherited have skipped little Payton!  It's interesting to see how the girls interact. I was a bit worried about Maya adjusting to the new pup, but my Maya is a social girl, and really seems to love her little sister (most of the time, LOL, or at least when they are not wrestling and mouthing each other!!!) Sometimes they will be resting on the floor and little Payton will walk over and lay on top of Maya's feet or her tail. Just makes my heart melt watching it. Koda may like being alone better--my last golden girl made it very clear that she didn't want any live in friends!


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## Nyahsmommy

baumgartml16 said:


> Here is an updated picture of Koda! She looked so pretty here I had to share!
> 
> You all should post updated pics of your babies!!!
> 
> View attachment 113066


I saw that pic on fb and bf was walking by and was like "where did you take that of Nyah?" lol 

Here's a new pic of Nyah at easter. I downloaded a new photo editing app for my phone and am addicted to it now. lol


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## baumgartml16

My goodness, they look alike. My husband has done that before when he sees pictures of Nyah! LOL

That is a precious picture of Nyah though!  So cute!


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## mayapaya

Nyahsmommy said:


> I saw that pic on fb and bf was walking by and was like "where did you take that of Nyah?" lol
> 
> Here's a new pic of Nyah at easter. I downloaded a new photo editing app for my phone and am addicted to it now. lol


 oh, she is beautiful! Is that a cookie resting on her feet???? If you didn't edit that cookie in, I am truly impressed


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## Tucker's mommy

Here's our latest Tucker photo. I haven't been on here to post anything in awhile - the little ones (of the human variety) have been keeping me pretty busy lately! Not to mention Tucker.... he's doing well - definitely seeing improvement with our impulse control issues, but it is just so time consuming keeping on top of things. The behaviourist comes on Saturday - I cannot wait to hear her take on things!


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## baumgartml16

Oh my goodness, Toby is gorgeous! He needs more pictures on this forum! He is sooo handsome. I better never let Koda around him or I will never get her back! LOL


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## Nyahsmommy

mayapaya said:


> oh, she is beautiful! Is that a cookie resting on her feet???? If you didn't edit that cookie in, I am truly impressed


Haha yep. She is good at leaving it when it comes to treats, but if it's a stick or garbage then forget it. Lol


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## Tucker's mommy

Here's a pic of my two babies. They are my partners in crime.  Tucker is sooper dooper happy in this pic because we just got back from a long trail walk. Izzie's happy, too for that matter, because she got to "run" a long stretch of it herself out of the stroller!  We've had a very good stretch here the past few weeks. We REALLY "upped the anty" around here with Tucker lately, having him do sits/stays/looks/kisses ALL THE TIME. And I really think it's paying off. He seems to view us in a much healthier role now. What's so very noticeable is the way he engages us in play. He is still very mouthy - that's work in progress. BUT - it's not the challenging, snappy mouthy he used to be. He is much more friendly and playful about how he tries to engage us. I just wonder if we had a bad stretch last month where he was really trying to challenge us and figure out his role here. There's no doubt we're making progress. 

Something I've been doing when he gets incredibly feisty with me (jumping up/biting at my arms) - I put my hand gently around his muzzle, talking soothingly telling him to settle. When he lays down, I give him a ton of praise, still holding onto his muzzle gently. Then, when I let go, I give him a treat when he "kisses" me on command with lots of praise. It's work in progress, but by golly, I think it's teaching him to be more gentle with me. I'm shocked that holding on to his mouth isn't getting him ramped up more. But I think the key is my attitude. I have to be SUPER calm, and it works. I have a feeling the behaviourist wont' like this, but hey, we'll find out more on Saturday when she comes!


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## OutWest

So here are a couple pix of my Tucker, at 9.5 months (he's 10 months today! Hard to believe). This is my first time uploading on the iPad--hope it works. Am a going to post a request for advice in the Main Discussion shortly. If you all have suggestions, please chime in. Hmm. Can't seem to upload from iPad. Not sure why.  Will have to do from computer. Later!!!!

A bit later, at the computer...  Here is my gorgeous guy. I get so many comments from strangers about what a good looking dog he is.    It makes me feel all proud, as if I were his breeder or something! :uhoh:

One picture is him with the dirt he dug up recently in a courtyard. He was quite proud of himself. The other is of him at the lagoon he swims in, with a pretty Golden girl who was there at the same time. Tucker is on the right (a bit redder than the other).


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## baumgartml16

So glad you are seeing results with Tucker! That is great to hear! Seeing your work pay off with these pups is always so rewarding! Glad things are coming together and you can start to enjoy the good parts of owning a dog!


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## baumgartml16

Koda apparently doesn't want to grow up today! It's her birthday so I refuse to get mad at her but she is tryiing her best to hold onto being a puppy! 

She has started her jumping fits again on walks...except now she is a BIG girl! They are different too...she will take off like she is going to full on sprint and then she turns around and you can see it is about to happen. Sometimes we can turn our back real quick and she will stop but if we aren't quick enough there she is jumping into us and trying to bite our arms. We try to remember to have the spray bottle on us and it helps...but usually she sees it and starts doing cirlces really fast around us....it is so frustrating and kind of scary. She did it while we were walking on a busy road last night..thank goodness my husband had her since she is so strong she can pull pretty good. Sounds like it is only with us so far, no other dog walkers...but I can't figure out what is triggering it....


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## OutWest

baumgartml16 said:


> Koda apparently doesn't want to grow up today! It's her birthday so I refuse to get mad at her but she is tryiing her best to hold onto being a puppy!
> 
> She has started her jumping fits again on walks...except now she is a BIG girl! They are different too...she will take off like she is going to full on sprint and then she turns around and you can see it is about to happen. Sometimes we can turn our back real quick and she will stop but if we aren't quick enough there she is jumping into us and trying to bite our arms. We try to remember to have the spray bottle on us and it helps...but usually she sees it and starts doing cirlces really fast around us....it is so frustrating and kind of scary. She did it while we were walking on a busy road last night..thank goodness my husband had her since she is so strong she can pull pretty good. Sounds like it is only with us so far, no other dog walkers...but I can't figure out what is triggering it....


Maybe she ate too much birthday cake--sugar high?


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## ashleylp

Haven't posted here in a while because Remy has actually done really well! It's so nice to see all of your growing pups, though! I love seeing how different they can look at similar ages!


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## Tucker's mommy

Tucker is REALLY trying my patience today. Yesterday too, for that matter. He is being SOOOO incredibly needy for attention! At first, it's cute and I can redirect him or work with him a little with training, but then, he just won't stop. Jumping, biting at my arms to get my attention.... I'm going crazy. I need to teach him the "enough" command so that I don't have to keep walking out of the room to redirect him.

Anyone - how DO you teach the "that's enough" command??????


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## baumgartml16

Kathleen - I missed those pics of Tucker you posted...he is absolutely gorgeous! Wow there are some nice looking dogs on this forum! I know what you mean though about being proud. I always wonder what to say when people tell me I have a beautiful dog....thanks? IDK. LOL

No sugar high yet for Koda, she gets her cake on Saturday with all her friends. She gets a yummy dinner tonight though...not quite sure what we are cooking up for her but it will be good, no doubt about that! 

Glad to hear Remy is doing well! 

Katie - sorry to hear he is testing the patience button. I have failed at teaching Koda that lesson or at least never intentionally taught her. She isn't very needy that way though so we never really had the problem. Hopefully someone can chime in with advice on that. For now, do you have a bully stick or kong you can give him to help occupy himself? sorry, i dont have good advice on this one...


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## OutWest

Katie, I do something with both my dogs that I learned from Victoria Stillwell. It's a deep-voiced sound, sort of "Ack!" or "Ah!" She said it was sort of the sound that the mother dog makes when correcting pups. When my dogs hear that they know that they're doing something wrong. Doesn't always STOP THEM, but it does give them pause. It's sort of like a clicker but the meaning is opposite! Not sure if that would help you, but thought I'd offer. 

Tomorrow is Tucker's surgery day. We've postponed it twice due to health matters. The last one was a false alarm--he had chewed up a tennis ball, and was vomiting up the bright yellow cover. :yuck: But he wasn't really sick. I had already cancelled when I realized. :doh: Please send good thought to him tomorrow during the day! He was 10 months old yesterday. 

Next week, since he needs to be inactive, I'm going to work on leash training. He's not very good at that, because he hasn't been trained on it for a long time. I always take him to the dog park for exercise, but it's time for him to learn. I'll keep you all posted on how it goes. I need to "practice patience" because it will be needed!


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## Deber

Kathlene, my thoughts and prayers will be with Tucker tomorrow and let us know how it goes. He is so beautiful and love that he has kept his zipper. I am still debating with when to spay Kye. She is due for all her shots in 4 months so figure we will sit and talk about it then. Coop, well if he doesn't quit jumping I may have the Vets chop his head off when they remove his testicles!! Haa! Honestly he is such a baby in so many ways, but learning 4 feet on the ground this past few months has been impossible. 

Katie, Tucker is absolutely so handsome. He is going to be one heck of a nice boy. Think all of us have just had teen's and surely we are almost ready to get done with this.

Michelle, I LOVED your video of Koda and have watched it twice. She is such a doll and watching her grow sure brought back memories of my two. Hard to realize how much they have changed since we see them daily. She is beautiful and has such kind eyes..so much love there. You and your Hubby make a beautiful couple and you look to be so tiny (are you even 5 ft tall??). I will forever regret I have few pictures of my two after the million ones I took when we first got them. Months are missing that I wish I could recapture. 

Ashley, still keeping my fingers crossed you get that new job (Thread in the Chat Section). Think being able to take Remy to work with you would be so great and give him socialization he would never get any other way. Let us know how it goes.


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## nala_bear

We left for about 20 min and somehow Nala found a roll of toilet paper. It looked like it had snowed in our kitchen, it was so nerv racking that we couldnt help but laugh it off and try to pick up the bizillion pieces of paper she had tore up. To sum it all up she had a look on her face that said "look what I found arnt you prooud of me?"


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## OutWest

nala_bear said:


> We left for about 20 min and somehow Nala found a roll of toilet paper. It looked like it had snowed in our kitchen, it was so nerv racking that we couldnt help but laugh it off and try to pick up the bizillion pieces of paper she had tore up. To sum it all up she had a look on her face that said "look what I found arnt you prooud of me?"


:worthless


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## Tucker's mommy

Kathlene - good luck with your Tucker tomorrow! Our Tucker handled his surgery incredibly well when he was 8 months. And we did the same thing during his recovery - lots and lots of training to keep him mind busy. It wasn't so bad. 

As for your advice - it was just too funny. My Tucker decided to jump at me for more play after coming back in from a potty break. I was so FED UP, as this was the 50th or so time today he'd come at me. So, I tried what you suggested. Just a loud, low, AGGHH! And he ran fifteen feet away from me like I'd shot an arrow in his little butt!!! : I laughed out loud. We'll see how long this trick works!!!! Too funny! 

What a day. I'm ready for bed. This teenage thing, unfortunately, looks to be with us for awhile! And to think I have this to look forward to with three little humans someday. Too much to wrap my brain around at the moment! :doh:


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## mrmooseman

Ahh what a busy stressfull work week! Only one more day til friday. 

Happy Birthday (sorry a day late) Koda!! Only another few weeks and Moose will be celebrating the big ONE year!

We decided to get his fixed next week instead of waiting another 2 weeks, due to work and we are going to go camping may long weekend and want to take him with us and don't want him to not be able to enjoy himself. Only problem is that the bf is away for work for 3 day and won't be home with me for either 1 or 2 days. That's no problem, just means he (the bf) won't have to sleep on the couch while me and Moose snuggle as he heals. How long will it take for him to be ok?? I'm nervous/worried, why? I don't know. I just don't want to leave him there. Lol ugh.

He's a recent pic of the moose man!


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## Tucker's mommy

I had an "aha" moment a little bit ago. I think I know why Tucker's been so needy the past couple of days. We had to drop him off at my in-laws for almost three days this weekend because we took a trip with our kids (to psu, my graduate alma mater!) but I think he's just re-adjusting to being back with us in his old routine, as he was there for almost three days. He had VERY little excercise while there. Makes sense, doesn't it? I can't believe I didn't consider this before. No wonder he's been a little needy these past few days!


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## baumgartml16

Kathleen - thinking of Tucker today and sending postiive thoughts and prayers his way!  He will be fine!! Good idea with the training. Training/kong/bully sticks - those were our lifesavers during Koda's spay.

Deb - thank you so much. I can't believe how much she has grown either! She will always be my little baby! I am 5'3". LOL...my husband is 6'2" so anytime I am next to him I look even smaller. But thank you for all your compliments! 

Nala Bear - welcome to the teenage thread!  Sounds like your little one fits right in! I can only imagine the sight you came home to yesterday..I would have had to laugh at that as well. Especially when they look so proud, they think they did a good thing!  LOL

Megan - I think males heal faster than females so I would guess no activity for a week maybe? Your vet will tell you when you pick him up. Don't be nervous, think of how many thousands and thousands of pups go through this! Enjoy the down time with him. Especially that first night..Koda was so out of it, I had the cuddliest pup on the planet! It was so nice.

Katie - I would say that could definitely explain it. He wants to make sure you know he is back and he doens't want to go away from you again LOL. Just looking for love and attention, especially if he didn't get much exercise while you were away.

We have to leave Koda next weekend with my parents to go to Ohio for my sister in laws graduation. I am so sad/nervous to be leaving her. My parents absolutely adore her and will give her the utmost attention but I still will miss her like crazy. My dad LOVES walks so he told her they would be going on LOTS of long walks..that made me happy!  They never have had a dog though so there are the little things I worry about..like her eating things she shouldn't. I am going to leave them a detailed list of her schedule and things to look out for.

Koda graduated her beginner 2 class last night!  Now we are onto novice class which we just become members of the club and we can go anytime. The class goes year round on sundays and Thursdays and you just keep going until your dog has grasped those concepts! That will be nice, we can go to class two days a week if we want to! I am excited, Koda loves class and I think it will be great for her to start to learn some more advanced stuff.

Happy Friday everyone! Thanks for all the birthday wishes to Koda!


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## Dexter12

Last night we had steak for dinner and we cook them in a Forman Grill. Recently Dex has been a real pain with counter surfing, and last night he licked the fat tray clean. It's so disgusting.


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## Deber

Welcome to our teenage thread Dexter12 & Nala Bear. Come here to vent and try to work out problems we face, but hard to put on the forum. How old are your dogs?

Megan- Males when neutered bounce back incredibly fast. When I got my last yorkie boy done he was up and playing the next day. I kept the NO JUMPING rule for a few days, but honestly for males, it is almost nothing. Just watch the stitches and if he is a licker you might have him wear a cone or a blow up cone for a few days. The stitches need to dry and him licking doesn't help. Females take longer since they must go internally much deeper and more is removed. 

Michelle, So glad to hear Koda enjoyed her #2 class and ready for the next. We go this weekend to speak to a different facility I found. They offer a wider range of classes so perhaps we can find something we can use more in the country? Don't know but hope so. Also glad to hear you aren't so tiny! My SIL is 6'5" and even though my daughter is 5'7" she looks like a dwarf when they stand together. People always think in pictures she is short. But you are a beautiful couple. 

Did everyone watch Maya's birthday video? Phil Collins in the background (I melted) and so many wonderful pictures. I applaude both of you for your beautiful video's. Even my hubby watch them both. Wonderful.


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## Denlie

(Hope you don't mind if I jump in too. No hard feelings if not.) 

Gracie is almost 5 months old and I swear that she has turned into a terror overnight. Still love her, but not too happy when she decided to "lead" me back home after our walk.


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## Dexter12

Sorry, I don't think Dex is a teenager yet he's going to be seven months in about two weeks. 
He's just born ready to bring on the rebellion.


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## Tucker's mommy

So nice to see some new folks on here! The more the merrier! I'm trying to post a pic of our Tucker here, but my computer is giving me trouble. 

We taught him this trick yesterday in the picture in hopes that it would improve his impulse control. As most of you know, we're having serious issues in this area. He has to "stay" and "look" at me while the treats are on his paws, and he's not allowed to eat until I say "free". We've had a really good day today - which only means that he will be a holy terror tomorrow!

The pic still won't post.  I'll try again later! 

I have to say thanks, Michelle, for starting this thread. There are days where I swear, if I didn't have this thread, I would feel so incredibly alone in my frustration over our crazy dog!

Have a great weekend, everyone!


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## Pammie

Is Tucker back from his snip snip surgery? Hoping all went smoothly. :smooch:

I will be interested to hear how recovery and keeping him inactive goes because Bryley will be getting his shortly. I am so nervous to have it done! My last GR I decided not to neuter because I was too freaked out about leaving him and fear he would die. I will be taking Bryley just in the hopes that even one ounce of his nuttiness is depleted with the loss of his 'nads!! LOL!

It is great to see you newcomers to this teenager thread! :wave:Welcome and jump in...maybe your dog will do something worse than our dog did and make us feel better about our terrors! ...and post a pic so we can all see your pups!

So today I decided really start to teach Bryley 'leave it'. He is totally unreliable in that department. I did the method where you have a treat in each hand and when he leaves the one he gets the other. He was doing great- too great- I was confused!:eyecrazy: so I upped the anty. The item I was now asking him to leave was a small piece of a tissue. The dog loves him some Kleenex! Anyway, he was leaving it. :eyecrazy: Then instead on having the tissue in my hand I put in on the arm of the couch (he was on the couch). Game over!!!! He snarffed up that tissue faster than you can say AAAKKKKK!
Too much too soon!


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## Tucker's mommy

Wow - my computer is really acting up tonight - I can't seem to delete a duplicate message that accidentally posted twice. AAAHAGHGH!


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## Tucker's mommy

Kathlene, I hope your Tucker is doing well, and that the surgery went smoothly! I think for our Tucker, I was more stressed the time leading up to it than after the actual surgery. The first couple nights were stressful because I was so afraid he'd chew out his stitches. We kept his cone on him for almost the whole week of his recovery, which really eased my stress. I'm amazed that he adapted to the cone so readily! Anyway, best of luck and I hope he's well!

One game Tucker loves to play, and we did it a ton for him inside the house during his recovery, was "go find it". We'd have him sit/stay, and hide a treat, and then he'd go on a hunt throughout the house to find it. Great energy burn that involves more of the mental kind than the physical kind.


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## Deber

Scent training is fun for our pups and can be easily taught and really good for getting them to focus. Coop was started for fun when he had his cone on and being treated for the demodex. We put out 4 starfoam cups and put a piece of chicken under one. We let him smell (taste a bit) of chicken and then walked to the cups (he was on lead) and let him smell each cup. Of course he found the cup with the chicken under it and scarfed it up. Lots of praise. We did this multi times a day using various number of turned over cups. Easy for them. Then we went to real glass coffee cups and used different smelling things. We always let him smell it in the kitchen then walked him to the cups. Now we play weekly this game, but we use car keys, a small wallet, a belt..anything I can think of and we hide it behind couches, on top of chairs again anywhere I can think of. He is really good and gets a treat when he finds it. Now teaching him to sit when he finds things, hard for him cause he is still a babe, but a work in progress. This is really a great trick to show off to others and fun to have him have 2 or 3 sets of keys in a pile and he can pull out the one that you gave him the scent of. Hubby will rub his hands over the set we want him to find and drop it into a pile, Coop noses through and always gets the right one.

What we hope he is learning is: One - to focus his brain cells into something he is told to do. Two - learning "Go find it" command. Three - To bring back or sit when object is found. Hoping that getting him to focus will help him past the stage he is at where he doesn't know what to do, so he jumps around, usually all over US and learns to quietly settle. Lots of fun! Kye honestly doesn't have the personality for this, when we worked with her, she would use her paws and swat the whole line of cups all over the place and snatch the food! She hasn't the patience, but she enjoys watching Coop spend time hunting for things, so it is working and giving him a chore to do.

Dexter - You would be surprised at what age they enter the teen times. Kye and Coop each seemed to hit it about 7 mo. We noticed our well behaved dogs all of a sudden became more willful, more selective memory (forgot their training). We all had to pretty much start over like they were little pups and retrain everything. Only thing is in the beginning the pups were under 20 lbs. Now we were all working with dogs from 50 - 80 lbs! All muscle and spitfire, but still babies. By banning together we could talk out our problems, try to find solutions and speak freely (not bother the forum). Wonderful place to have and has been a God Send for me. By the way my name is Debbie or Deb! I would love to hear more of your dog and what he is doing in this stage of life. I learn from everyone.


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## mayapaya

Hi everyone--and welcome to all our new additions to the teenage thread! We're having really crummy weather here today (cold and rain), so my two rascals are going to be handful today. Normally when they can be tearing around the yard for a few hours, it seems to keep their mischief at bay! Maya is back to her countersurfing antics again. The trainer I worked with said I have to keep her leash on and give her a correction when she jumps up, but this is almost impossible with Pay running around, grabbing at the leash. I may have to crate Payton for awhile and just work with Maya. 

Like your scent training ideas, Deb! I think Maya might be good at this, but Pay seems to be more like Kye--she's all about getting to the food--who cares about the game! Pammie, you should see my two with kleenex--you'd think I had a piece of steak in my hand! Both of them start nuzzling my fist, trying to get at it. Any updates on Tucker? Hope everyone has a great weekend!


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## Tucker's mommy

Deb - I love your scent training ideas. We have to move away from food items and try other things as well. It is so obvious Tucker loves his "go find it" games - both inside and outside. I think he prefers it over his hard games of fetch!


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## mrmooseman

I find Moose is maturing, and with that he has decided on his "selective" hearing. Sometimes he listens soo well, others.. not soo much. Today we put in a new back door and for about 15 mins we had no door at all and just a hole in the wall. He just sat on the step in the kitchen (we have about 2 steps from the kitchen into the pourch) and he was soo good! Just watched as they put the door in, making sure it was in right haha. But then after the door was in, and my mom came in, he tried to escape! What is with that! He never tries to do that. Right now there is that strange golden lab in the yard just barking and Moose is sitting looking at him out the window. Only barked twice, we said "quiet!" and that was that. Sometimes I just don't know about him.

Today I had a mini panic attacked because while rubbing his belly, he found a huge lump on the base of his penis. I freaked out and thought cancer (god help me if I ever have kids). Turns out he was just "stimulated" and that it is normal for him to have that. It is now gone. Between that and him getting done Thrusday, I'm going to have a heart attack!


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## Deber

Ha ha Megan, I reacted the same way the first time I was scratching my old RB golden boy and found the "lump". Scared me to death, rounded up DH and was going to take him to the Vet. Called ahead cause it was almost closing time for them and sweet girl on the phone told me to check again and what it may be...she was right, and I felt like an idiot! 

Had to stay home this weekend and go into work. Really hate when we lose our weekends, but needed and all the office was there, so we got things done quickly. Now have the home to myself, goldens and only 3 yorkies...I feel abandoned! Was able to take a nap even. Wow that almost never happens. Now going to call our oldest daughter (lives about 30 min away) and have her meet me for supper. Will be fun to have an all girl dinner.


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## jluke

*Too Long, No Post...*

Wow... between a quick trip to MA to see our DD perform in a college dance concert, house guests and now house construction projects (yes, plural), it's been a whirlwind.

First, belated Happy Birthdays to Kye and Koda! My next stop will be the Puppy Board to see Michelle's video for Koda -- can't wait!

I loved seeing the new photos of Nyah, Koda, Myah and Payton together (they look so proud), Moose and 3 different Tuckers (if I counted right). Izzie looked so happy! Your pups all look so beautiful and well-groomed. Maisie is so light-colored, I feel like she always looks dirty somewhere and a bit scruffy, even the minute after I've brushed her with "crinkles" behind her ears and waves down her back, etc. I'll post a picture soon and you can let me know what you think.

Kathleen -- I hope Tucker has done well with his surgery.

Maisie has been making great progress in her advanced class. The dogs are now doing sit-stays and down-stays for 3 minutes -- we drop their leashes and walk around the room and Maisie actually stays put. She doesn't always do this outside the classroom yet, but it's a start. But with our 3 day weekend away and other confusion here, she got less exercise for a while and "relapsed" into the crazies especially at the end of walks, jumping and biting at my arm, discouraging since she hadn't done it for maybe a month. (BTW Dexter, Maisie started her teen behavior around 7 months.) I've been making sure she gets a lot more exercise in the past few days, including a trip to the DP with a swim today and she's one tired pup.

Katie -- you asked about teaching "that's enough". I sometimes have Maisie do a down-stay for a minute or two to break the cycle of her behavior and sometimes that helps. The things that made the biggest difference was doing the "sit on it" exercise that the teacher led in the basic obedience class that taught Maisie to "chill out" without entertainment for periods of time. Maisie's breeder also used and taught me the "Ack" noise that was mentioned and it also works to interrupt her when she's doing something I want her to stop.

Sorry for the long post...


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## jluke

*Koda's Video -- ??*

OK -- I'm a dunce... I can't find Koda's video. Looked on the Puppy section and the Photos/Videos. Help, please...


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## Pammie

jluke said:


> OK -- I'm a dunce... I can't find Koda's video. Looked on the Puppy section and the Photos/Videos. Help, please...


It is in the Main, here is a linky! 
http://www.goldenretrieverforum.com/golden-retrievers-main-discussion/113640-koda-1-today.html


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## OutWest

Hello all. Tucker is bouncing back quite nicely. Bouncing is the word. I've been walking him but for a boy who's used a minimum hour of exercise each day, he's got energy to spare. Tonight he got the zoomies and the sillies all at the same time. He kept grabbing forbidden object and running around with them. I know he just wanted attention and had "ants in his pants"!

The cone has been difficult. He's sort of OK with it but it makes him knock things over and scares him. He also runs into us. :uhoh: so I tried something someone suggested and put him in boxer shorts. So far it's worked well although he's back in the cone for the night. 

Been working on loose leash walking with him. He's doing pretty well. Has the concept down but he's got so much unspent energy that it's like torture for him. He dances around and whines. I know he wants to cut loose and run. On Friday, he will. 

Can't seem to upload pictures from this iPad, but here's a link to another post where I put a couple photos. http://www.goldenretrieverforum.com...tandard/113822-cone-question-please-help.html

Goodnight all.


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## baumgartml16

First, welcome to the newcomers! You are always welcome!! 

Deb - I love the scent training idea. I am going to try it although Koda might be more like Kye and not really interested in learning, just wants the food! 

Jill - glad Maisie is doing well in class. We are going to be gone this weekend and I am a little worried what it might do to Koda's training habits....we shall see.

Kathleen - glad Tucker is doing good surgery wise! I know it is soooo hard to keep them calm for that long. One day is fine..anything beyond that is just torture! LOL Good luck!

Megan - the selective hearing has hit us here too! It can be so dang frustrating! 

I have not had a chance to upload my pictures yet but plan on doing that tonight from Koda's party! She had a blast...she was soooo tuckered out aftewards we could barely keep her eyes open. Koda won't play with toys much when other dogs are around so we opened her presents with her but she wasn't interested at that time because her friend was over. Once he left we went back to the presents and she went nuts! It was so cute. We would play with one for a minute, then get another new one and it was excitement all over again! The cutest thing!

Yesterday we met up with one of her other doggie friends that couldn't make her party and we went to the baseball field. She started out running and playing with him and then she found a piece of goosepoop...apparently it is like crack to her because then she was on a mission...wouldn't listen to anything! We had to leash her up and get her focus back but it was pointless she wasn't listening and I even had her most prized possession - turkey dog! One time she went sprinting the other way and I called her back and she turned right around..thank goodness she listened at some point. We took them back to our place to play in the backyard where they were much better but then they both started picking up mulch and sticks and digging in the yard....and she just would not listen. I was so defeated at this point. We are now having to focus our training solely on "come" because she thinks it is optional and I am not having that. I am just worried we are beyond the point of fixing it...ugh I just feel so crappy about how we have done things with her at this point...


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## Denlie

Thanks for the welcome! I will upload some pictures of Gracie when I'm at my "big computer." Haven't found a way to upload off my iPad yet.

Gracie suprised me at the vets office this weekend. I brought her in for a re-check of her UTI. We were in the waiting room while they were running her UA. All of the other dogs were jumping around and barking. And my pup was sitting quietly at my feet. :0 Everyone kept complimenting me on how well behaved she is. 

Hello?? Is this the same puppy that ripped my pants earlier in the morning because I had the audicity to bring her inside after her morning walk?? LOL!

Oh well. It was great while it lasted. Gracie's newest game is "keep away" instead of "leave it or drop it." Sigh. And it's so hard to not laugh at her, because she does this little prance when she's trying to keep something away from me.


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## OutWest

Welcome Denlie to the troubleshooting thread known as parents of adolescents. 

Hey, everyone. I just started a thread called "What would you do differently?". Please chime in with your thoughts. So many of the things I'm trying to correct now are things I could have prevented had I known. Thought we could share those with the new puppy people. 

http://www.goldenretrieverforum.com...ion/113860-what-would-you-do-differently.html


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## baumgartml16

Denlie - first of all, what is your name!? 

Second - the prancing, Koda has it down to a science. Koda was our first and we made a lot of mistakes with her along the way like thinking it was smart to chase her with everything she picked up....we pay for that now LOL. But yes, when they have something they are proud of they will prance their way away. She likes to grab our shoes so when she gets one she prances right past us with it holding it up high! It is seriously the cutest thing so I am with you there.


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## Denlie

My name is Julie & it's very nice to meet everyone.

Gracie is my first Golden and my first puppy in 14 years. She's so different from my other dogs and we all just love her. 

She was SO good at leave it and drop it. But I think that we (me included) have all contributed to the prancing behavior because she was so cute and funny when she did that.

But now she thinks that EVERYTHING is one big game of "keep away." Time to start re-training the pup AND the humans. 

Any other advice for a parent just hitting the teenage puppy period??


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## mrmooseman

Welcome to the forum Julie! 
Even though Moose is almost a year, I think we are never getting out of the teenage phase! Although things are way better, he just sometimes doesn't want to listen. We had him in puppy training classes, and of course when he was at the classes he did wonderful, but I swear once we got home he forgot everything! We took him to a few other classes the past few weeks, and again he did great! The lady running it wondered why we were even bringing him. But that was long lived because he isn't fixed, for some reason the other male dogs were getting too out of gear with him. Noone understands why we waited soo long to get him fixed. We wanted to wait longer, but the time is just right now.

outwest: how has it been with Tucker? We were thinking on the cone, but he is like a bull in the china shop now I can't imagine what it will be like with the big cone on his head. At the petstore here they have these head donuts that are not as big, but are for the same purpose. I might invest. I really don't know what to expect.

I haven't had a male puppy in years, and I don't even think I was this involved when we had a puppy when I was younger, it was mostly my dads dog, and them we had females, so I am learned soo much in the past few weeks haha. I'm just waiting until after his surg. for my hair to turn gray. Today he was running at the park and he looked soo grown up! He is getting his "big boy" fur, which is coming in darker, so our house has fur tumble weeds everywhere. I have been brushing him every second day and I swear it does nothing. We are have had nice weather to start yard work, where we use to have a plant, he has dug it up and then dug little holes all around it in a circle. I think he's trying to tell us something. he also got stuck on the front step with his leash and ripped most of the lattice off, good thing we're building new steps this year (which I swear it one thing after another with this house!!!) and he has also broke some of the railing, ohh I can't wait for the fence.. 

Happy Monday!!


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## baumgartml16

Megan - I had heard of the donut thing before Koda's spay but couldn't find one in her size. We bought a soft cone at the pet store which is cone shaped but it will form to their head easier so they are more comfortable laying down on it.


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## mrmooseman

Thanks! I will look into that.


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## Dexter12

Deber said:


> Dexter - You would be surprised at what age they enter the teen times. Kye and Coop each seemed to hit it about 7 mo. We noticed our well behaved dogs all of a sudden became more willful, more selective memory (forgot their training). We all had to pretty much start over like they were little pups and retrain everything. Only thing is in the beginning the pups were under 20 lbs. Now we were all working with dogs from 50 - 80 lbs! All muscle and spitfire, but still babies. By banning together we could talk out our problems, try to find solutions and speak freely (not bother the forum). Wonderful place to have and has been a God Send for me. By the way my name is Debbie or Deb! I would love to hear more of your dog and what he is doing in this stage of life. I learn from everyone.


Hey Deb, I'm Victoria but usually people call me Tor. It really is like starting again, this morning on our walk Dex kept either looking backwards or pulling forward or randomly wandering sideways even though he knows better. Then because I was hard on him for not listening he did something he hasn't done in a couple months, ate his poop. He looked so pleased with himself. I have a feeling I'm going to be using this thread more and more as he gets older. :curtain:


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## Tucker's mommy

Michele - please don't feel defeated! You have amazed me from the day I set foot in this forum, with the amout of dedication you've put forth in your training. Someone told me to expect this in and out puppy behaviour till they're two. And I believe it. I have learned to never get too comfortable with those strings of good days, because Tucker always seems to regress after such a nice, long good stretch! Too too frustrating. Keep working with the recall. It is NOT too late. Just sounds like the stimulation was too much for her with all the goose poop! 

I think about the hours every week I spend working with Tucker, and I wonder what I used to do with all that free time... Thank GOD my kids are getting more independent - I dont know how I'd be doing this if they were any younger! :bowl:


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## jluke

*Wow!*

Michelle -- your birthday video for Koda was truly wonderful. She's so lucky to have you. (Even if she had an over-stimulated moment or two today...)

I'm so glad that Tucker is recovering well. Since Maisie had a lap spay, she didn't have to wear the dreaded cone of shame. We did offer her lots of things to chew on though while she was recovering. Her favorites were an antler (still a favorite, expensive, but they last a long time) and frozen cubes of all natural chicken stock which might be even better now that it's getting warmer.

Welcome Julie and Denbie!

Class tonight -- another good one. A new skill: putting our dogs, one at a time since two of the males aren't "compatible" (luckily it's a very small class of 8), in a down-stay and leaving the room. Tonight I just left Maisie for 45 seconds, but she was the only dog who stayed -- she didn't break and she didn't even whine. (Sorry for the "mommy pride.") Of course, I tried it after we came home -- left her in a down-stay in the living room and came to the kitchen, put on a timer for 55 seconds and she showed up by my side about 45 seconds later. She must have a clock in her puppy brain! 

I asked the instructor why Maisie does so well at obeying and listening in class and at home when we're "working", but when I give her a command at other times it's a crap shoot as to whether she'll respond. The instructor says that I'm delineating our "work times" too obviously and that I need to just start to randomly give commands and reinforce them with treats/play/praise. I guess it's obvious, but a new training approach and phase starts tomorrow.


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## OutWest

Hello all and welcome Tor. Am typing on cell phone, so pardon all typos please!

Tucker did pretty well today. I walked him this evening in an office park and he did well. Not too much pulling but he was all over he place. It was new to him and there were many distractions but he kept the leash loose most of the time. At one point we walked up to a window that was coated and looked like a mirror. He startled himself with his reflection, wearing the cone. Too cute! He jumped then growled/barked. His wound is healing well so I think the cone and boxer shorts are working well. Will be glad when Friday is here and he can run like the wind!

Goodnight all.


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## baumgartml16

Thank you Katie for your kind words! It means a lot. Sometimes we get so caught up in what they are doing wrong that we don't see all the good they do and how far they have come. It takes me a bit to step back and realize that. 

I worked with Koda last night doing comes in the backyard where there is more stimulus. She did fantastic. I need to just keep on this and we need to do it more randomly like Jill said.

Jill- proud mommy moments are the best kind to share here!!  Gives everyone else the inspiration and hope that we too will have those! So proud of Maisie though, the only one in class!! That is awesome!

Tor - welcome!  And yes the age you are at is right when they start testing you which is what it sounds like Dex is doing! Keep on him during the walks, it will click. I had an incredibly strong puller and with lots of work and switching to a prong collar she is now an incredible walker. It is actually enjoyable taking her for walks now LOL. 

Kathleen - so glad to hear Tucker is doing well! That is so cute/funny about him seeing himself. I love when Koda catches her reflection somewhere, catches them so off guard!


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## jluke

*Help -- Maisie's Rasp!*

I'm posting here first and will also post on the Puppy Thread and Health (or whatever it's called to get input). But since we've thrashed out the pros and cons of prong collars I wanted to start here.

DH walked Maisie this afternoon and they met a neighbor and her not-well socialized Lab. Maisie, of course, wanted to "visit". She pulled and lunged against her collar. (I gather.) I was out running errands and DH met me. When we got home, Maisie was happy to see us as usual, but was rasping and coughing sort of like she had something caught in her mouth or throat. I checked -- nothing there that I could see. After, she settled down and drank a little water, it stopped.

I sat on the floor with her and she took it easy and seemed fine. A few hours later I took her for a walk. We ran into a friendly standard poodle. I had Maisie sit and stay which usually works fine, but not today. I caught her around the chest and by her regular web collar (not the prong collar the leash was attached to). She started the raspy cough right away. We walked on. After 5 minutes or so, she stopped. She ate her dinner -- no problem. A little while ago, she started coughing again, just once every hour or so. She's breathing fine and getting enough air (pink "lips" and tongue). She may be a little quieter than usual, but otherwise, she seems fine except for the every-so-often coughing spells.

I left a message for her regular vet who will be in first thing tomorrow. Do you think I need to take her to the Pet ER? (We have a good local one that coordinates with my vet.) And what should I do about walking her? Which collar? How can I keep her from pulling -- there are zillions of dogs in our neighborhood. Should I just walk her on-leash in our small yard (not fenced since the small fenced are is part of the construction zone)?

Thanks for your ideas.


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## jluke

*Maisie -- Not Kennel Cough...*

Someone on the Health Thread suggested that Maisie might have kennel cough, but she's had the vaccine and hasn't been boarded recently, so I think it's unlikely.


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## baumgartml16

Hmmm....sorry I am just seeing this now. I would definitely talk to the vet this morning which I am sure you were going to do anyways.

Koda pulls pretty hard on her prong collar at times but we have never had that happen afterwards so unless she did something completely random and unusual I would doubt thats what it is but I am no expert. Is the collar fitted properly? Did someone adjust it for you when you bought it? That's the only reason I can think something like that could happen. 

I hope you get to the vet today and can get some answers. Hope she is okay!


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## Denlie

Pulling on the leash is a daily challenge for us too. Either that or it's Gracie taking ME for a walk. 

I hope that everything is OK with Maisie!!


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## canine_mommy

jluke said:


> Someone on the Health Thread suggested that Maisie might have kennel cough, but she's had the vaccine and hasn't been boarded recently, so I think it's unlikely.


The 
Kennel Cough vaccine (bordatella) protects only against that strain of bacteria. There are a number of other virus and bacteria that can cause kennel cough. And it doesn't come just from boarding, it can be caught from visiting/meeting other infected or carrier dogs. So don't rule out that possibility. And typically for the symptoms to kick in, ie the bacteria to become active, it takes 7-10 days. So think about where you went or what you did a week back.

It might well be the prong collar, but like I said, don't rule out Kennel Cough.


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## Nyahsmommy

So I have been M.I.A around here lately but it's for good reason... bf and I finally bought Nyah(and us) a townhouse! It's a 3 bedroom with a nice finished basement. The only problem is that since the condo board mows the front and back yardm it is not completely closed off so we will have to put in a chain link with a gate or something. It's also in a quiet neighbourhood and right beside the lake so I think Nyah will like it and maybe even walk better!  We move in 2 months, I can't wait!




jluke said:


> I'm posting here first and will also post on the Puppy Thread and Health (or whatever it's called to get input). But since we've thrashed out the pros and cons of prong collars I wanted to start here.
> 
> DH walked Maisie this afternoon and they met a neighbor and her not-well socialized Lab. Maisie, of course, wanted to "visit". She pulled and lunged against her collar. (I gather.) I was out running errands and DH met me. When we got home, Maisie was happy to see us as usual, but was rasping and coughing sort of like she had something caught in her mouth or throat. I checked -- nothing there that I could see. After, she settled down and drank a little water, it stopped.
> 
> I sat on the floor with her and she took it easy and seemed fine. A few hours later I took her for a walk. We ran into a friendly standard poodle. I had Maisie sit and stay which usually works fine, but not today. I caught her around the chest and by her regular web collar (not the prong collar the leash was attached to). She started the raspy cough right away. We walked on. After 5 minutes or so, she stopped. She ate her dinner -- no problem. A little while ago, she started coughing again, just once every hour or so. She's breathing fine and getting enough air (pink "lips" and tongue). She may be a little quieter than usual, but otherwise, she seems fine except for the every-so-often coughing spells.
> 
> I left a message for her regular vet who will be in first thing tomorrow. Do you think I need to take her to the Pet ER? (We have a good local one that coordinates with my vet.) And what should I do about walking her? Which collar? How can I keep her from pulling -- there are zillions of dogs in our neighborhood. Should I just walk her on-leash in our small yard (not fenced since the small fenced are is part of the construction zone)?
> 
> Thanks for your ideas.


I don't think anything is wrong with her. It is most likely from pulling so hard and so much... This happend to Nyah too anytime we walk her on the collar... not harness or gental leader. She will have weezing fits and trouble breathing for 1-3 days after. As for ways to not pull... well if you find out then please let me know. Nothing really works for me either... the gentel leader did for about a month but then her neck muscles got strong and it doesn't work now.


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## OutWest

Jluke: if it's the collar that's causing the coughing, my guess is that it isn't fitted right. My understanding is that a pinch collar should be fitted up high on the neck, just below the jawline. It should be snug but not tight when put on so that it doesn't ride up and down the neck. If you take Maisie to vet for checking, consider asking the vet or vet tech to look at the fit of the collar. 

Nyahsmommy: congrats on the new home. That is soo exciting. We moved into our home two years ago and I still feel great when we drive up and I can say "mine, all mine."

Yesterday with Tucker: walking on leash went well. He's getting better about not pulling but he doesn't want to stay on one side of me. He goes in front or behind me, switching sides. I try to bring him back to my right side, sit, and then start again, but our walks are very slow. Anyone know how to keep dog on one side so you can walk at a steady pace?

We ended up at vet yesterday. Tucker's got an ear infection and a hot spot. Good news is--he's already wearing a cone! Bad news is the poor baby's got a sore and itchy crotch and a sore and itchy ear. And, he's now taking lots of pills! 

He was a bit of a wild man at the doctor's. They had to bring in help so the doctor could examine him. I think he's got a lot of excess energy stored up!


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## starfox365

Oh, my goodness! Thank GOODNESS I am not alone in this struggle! X_X My golden.....he is so....we've tried EVERYTHING for his pulling--NOTHING WORKS. We started him just like our Corgi, with tiny training-size treats and a clicker when he was good and walked next to us--that didn't work, he'd lose interest in the treats and the clicker and start pulling again. 

Tried the gentle leader. He just worked up his neck muscles so he could pull harder, and figured out how to pull despite the pressure on his face.

Tried a harness--psshhh. It was like we were just TRYING to make it easier for him.

Tried a choke---he chokes himself pulling.

Tried a prong--he was good for like....a week, but after awhile it was like he didn't even FEEL the prongs, and just choked himself.

We now have him just on a loop rope thing, and the only real reason for that is because it has rubber grips on the handle. >_> I don't know what to do with him....


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## Nyahsmommy

OutWest said:


> Jluke: if it's the collar that's causing the coughing, my guess is that it isn't fitted right. My understanding is that a pinch collar should be fitted up high on the neck, just below the jawline. It should be snug but not tight when put on so that it doesn't ride up and down the neck. If you take Maisie to vet for checking, consider asking the vet or vet tech to look at the fit of the collar.
> 
> Nyahsmommy: congrats on the new home. That is soo exciting. We moved into our home two years ago and I still feel great when we drive up and I can say "mine, all mine."
> 
> Yesterday with Tucker: walking on leash went well. He's getting better about not pulling but he doesn't want to stay on one side of me. He goes in front or behind me, switching sides. I try to bring him back to my right side, sit, and then start again, but our walks are very slow. Anyone know how to keep dog on one side so you can walk at a steady pace?
> 
> We ended up at vet yesterday. Tucker's got an ear infection and a hot spot. Good news is--he's already wearing a cone! Bad news is the poor baby's got a sore and itchy crotch and a sore and itchy ear. And, he's now taking lots of pills!
> 
> He was a bit of a wild man at the doctor's. They had to bring in help so the doctor could examine him. I think he's got a lot of excess energy stored up!


Thanks so much, I am super excited... they are doing the inspection so fingers crossed everything is good.:crossfing

I have the same thing with Nyah... she is either pulling full force ahead of me or behind me pulling back because she is scared of something. She also crossed back and forth too. I always trip on her and one of these days I am going to knock my teeth out.

The only thing I can suggest is holding the leash tight right beside you... but you have to be very very strong in order for this to work. I can do this with Nyah for about 4 seconds until my muscles give out. :uhoh:


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## baumgartml16

For people with pulling issues. One thing you can do, this will make your walks not as far but productive, is turn the other way sharply as soon as they pull so they have to turn around and catch up with you. Once they are caught up, praise praise praise. If they forge ahead and pull turn around again, sharp and fast. Once next to you treats and praise. Keep doing it. They will catch on that if they pull they are getting pulled another way. Koda still goes ahead of us and doesn't stay in a heel but if she pulls at all she instantly slows down.


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## OutWest

Star fox: welcome to the thread for crazed parents of teen dogs. 

If your pup has blown through all of those methods, perhaps you need to get a trainer for this one thing. I know some of the trainers in this area will do small Saturday seminars on just one topic such as recall or leash walking


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## Nyahsmommy

baumgartml16 said:


> For people with pulling issues. One thing you can do, this will make your walks not as far but productive, is turn the other way sharply as soon as they pull so they have to turn around and catch up with you. Once they are caught up, praise praise praise. If they forge ahead and pull turn around again, sharp and fast. Once next to you treats and praise. Keep doing it. They will catch on that if they pull they are getting pulled another way. Koda still goes ahead of us and doesn't stay in a heel but if she pulls at all she instantly slows down.


 
I wish this worked for us but Nyah becomes a heavy rock and I am the one who ends up going frying not her. She's really strong. But then again she is pulling in fear and once she is in that starge she will do everything in her power to get home. Hopefully when we move we can start over and it will work.


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## mrmooseman

we are getting better with the pulling. He tends to at first, and then he stops. I think it's just the excitement of going for a walk. Right now our problem is he likes to walk where I walk, causing me to trip over or step on him. He will stay to my right, but I think because I don't walk in a straight line it causes him to move with me and when I move back he is in my line of stepping. But he isn't pulling! thats the main thing. 

Tomorrow is the "big day". I was given a cone by a friend who never used it so we are going to stick with that until I see how he does. I think we are going to have to get the softer one or do the boxer short idea. I am dreading dropping him off tomorrow. Maybe I can be put in the kennel next to him?? lol.

Congrats on the new house!! It's pretty exciting.. until you start to do things over and then its just one thing after another.. lol. Never ending cycle but it is exciting at the same time! .


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## jluke

*Maisie Update, Our Thanks and My Usual More...*

First, we ended up at the Pet ER in the wee hours after Maisie started vomiting phlegm with the hacking cough at about midnight yesterday and continued for almost 45 minutes non-stop. We also saw her vet today. Anusha, you're right -- it's some kind of upper respiratory infection. She's taking an antibiotic plus a powerful cough suppressant. None of us got much sleep last night. DH got about 3 hours, but Maisie was up coughing every 20 minutes and I was worried so I sat on the floor with her... As you all can tell, I didn't realize our pups could get this kind of illness once they'd been vaccinated.

So now Maisie is in turns: behaving normally (including a spell of the zoomies), hacking away and sacking out completely.

Maisie's vet did recommend that we walk her on a harness and avoid using her prong collar for the next week or so. Thanks for suggesting that I check the fit -- I did again with her vet who OK''d it. (It was originally sized by the trainer from our classes.) It's a martingale-style that can only "take up" so far, so she can't "hang herself" on it.

Maisie doesn't pull most of the time. Her two problem areas are when she's so incredibly eager to greet children and meet other dogs -- of course! I talked with the trainer/instructor about these Monday evening at class and she showed me a technique she recommends that I'll try in a week or so when Maisie is allowed to resume normal activity. Anyway, I thought it might help others with "hard pullers". The instructor had one of Maisie's favorite dogs from the class play with her owner about six feet away from where Maisie and I were standing with Maisie on leash. She had me repeatedly tell Maisie to sit and give her a treat, sit and treat, sit and treat, down and treat, etc. I never thought Maisie would pay any attention to the treats. As we worked, the other owner moved even closer with her dog, getting to within about 3 or 4 feet. Now, I have to try the same technique in the real world...

Nyahsmommy -- congratulations on joining the world of home owners. Sounds like your new place will be super for your family, including Nyah! Will Nyah be able to swim in the nearby lake?

Sorry to hear that Tucker has both an ear infection and hot spot to go along with his recovery from surgery. Yikes!


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## OutWest

Megan, good luck with the surgery. I had a hard time with it. Kind of surprised myself. Tucker has bounced back really well. He had his last Friday.


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## mrmooseman

Thanks! We dropped him off about an hour ago, he so willingly went with the girls into the back.. I don't like that. Only for the fact if someone tried to take him from the yard he would go with them with out hassel I bet. Time to have the stranger talk with him! haha. He has lost a pound since we had him in last! He is now 89 pounds haha. They checked him out and said everything was great! He goes for his one year check up on July, so they want to check his hips and joints then. Also, they gave us his next flea treatment. Should I wait until the weekend to give him it? I didn't ask because I was just more worried about giving him his toy lol. The lady at the vets totally understood about the toy. I was worried they would think I was crazy. So now I wait.. I think I will wash down the pourch and clean out some closets!


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## Dexter12

At the veternarian's office yesterday, two people not so subtly recommended getting a prong collar for Dex because it did wonders for their dog. He was a little spun yesterday, he likes people, and dogs and he's just a very happy puppy. 
But more seriously I have been thinking of getting him a prong collar, the harness we got for him worked for a bit and then he went back to pulling an being annoying.


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## mrmooseman

We got moose a prong collar and it is the best thing I think I ever got. it is soo much easier to walk with him. I can actually handle him with it and he is just so happy with it on.


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## baumgartml16

Kim - congrats on the house! I too hope this new location will help some of Nyahs fears of the outdoors!  I agree with Megan though, once you start on something in that house, it never ends! 

Megan - I will be thinking of Moose today!  He will be fine and be so happy to see you later today!! Just enjoy the quiet time to get some stuff done. Koda did the same thing where she just walked happily with the tech down the hallway, no cares that I wasn't with her! I was bummed..but happy at the same time that she is content!  I also left Koda's baby with her when she went for her spay. I am sure the vets office get a lot of that when dogs come in for surgery. It is good you did that, give him something comforting from home!

Kathleen - sorry to hear about Tuckers ear infection and hot spot. Not good timing at all! 

Jill - glad you were able to get Maisie checked out and on some medication to clear that up. Sorry you guys were up all night though, makes for a rough day the next day. Hopefully Maisie is calm enough for at least part of the day that you can get a nap in! 

It is warm here again...80's yesterday and today. Koda is back to getting tuckered out much easier LOL. The dog walker said Koda went about halfway on the walk and was like that's enough and wanted to come home. She was pretty gassed after our walk last night too, we didn't even play downstairs, just laid down there and cooled off. When I got home from work last night I tried to play with her she just had no interest in chasing the ball..she did a few times and that was enough lol. Instead we did some training work outside and then laid in the backyard for two hours! She was very content. 

My husband and I have to go to Ohio tomorrow night through Sunday for his sisters graduation. I am so sad to leave my baby. My parents are coming to stay with her and I know they will take great care of her but won't make me miss her less. My dad has already told Koda she better be ready for long walks...he loves walks and walking the dogs so that is good! Just a tad nervous and sad to be leaving her for two nights..


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## OutWest

Megan and Michelle, I'm so impressed that your pooches went easily to their surgeries. I was badly shaken up because Tucker got so upset. Did not want to go into the crate and started crying when I walked away. Times like this are when his separation anxiety is hardest. I tried to be calm but he may have picked up on my nerves, too. 

Megan, I'd wait a day or two to give him the flea meds. If for no other reason than to let the anesthesia get gone and his immune system kick back in. If its topical, also, probably don't want that stuff near the surgery site. I really want to get my two onto oral flea meds soon. I think they're much better.

Tucker's leash walking is getting better. He walked through PetSmart today, next to me and the cart, with hardly any tension on the leash! Woo hoo! It's one of his favorite places and he's usually waaaaay excited when we go there. We walked in the park today and he did very well. 

Have started using the Pet Corrector air compression thingy at home to work with both dogs on nuisance barking. Today is trash pick up day so I have many opportunities! So far so good, but don't know yet how effective it will be long term.


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## mrmooseman

Well Mr Man is home and sound asleep on the couch. We got him the cone but right now with him sleeping we don't feel the need to keep it on. They said he was a delight and made lots of friends at the vets lol. He was excited to see us, he layed down and showed us his wound, or he was just looking for belly rubs. Of course though once we got him home he let his glands go.. had to be soo gentle with cleaning him. Just used some warm water and only had to wash around the top of his tail. Poor little fella.

Question: how come their eyes always are wet when they come from the vets after something major ??


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## jluke

*This and That*

Megan -- so glad that Moose is home and recovering. Now the challenge of keeping him quiet for a few days...

Maisie is getting better -- tired some, but less coughing. I can tell she's better 'cause she's had a crazy moment today. Argh!

The kids next door who Maisie adores wanted to visit with her and I'm trying to keep her fairly quiet per the vet's instruction. So I had a chance to try the "treat and distract" approach and it worked. I talked to the kids while keeping Maisie in a sit, praising and treating her every so often. We turned to leave, heeling and I gave her a few more treats. It was almost like the kids weren't even there -- almost...

As someone else said, using a lightweight prong collar with Maisie has made a huge difference in training and handling her. As she's progressed, I've been able to trade-off with a standard martingale collar, but since we've been away and I took a fall and she got less training, I can't use it right now. It was interesting to watch in class one week. The instructor helped a 12-year-old boy who is handling his GR puppy (about 6 months). She changed the pup from a martingale to a prong about 10 minutes into the class and it was like magic - the puppy started to heel for the boy without him pulling and yanking the way he had been. As the dog gets used to the prong collar, you can adjust it -- I'm about to put rubber tips on every other prong of Maisie's collar to see how she reacts since I think she has the idea. We'll see.  (All of this after she gets over this illness.) You might want to try it for Dexter.

Good luck with the Pet Corrector air cannister and Tucker's barking. It worked with Maisie and digging. I did re-direct her to something else -- like playing fetch or with another toy -- as soon as she stopped digging. Don't know if you want to try that, too.

Michelle -- have fun on your weekend away. When DH agreed to get a puppy, I agreed that we'd still travel. It's been hard to leave Maisie even though we have wonderful dog care, but she does great -- she really loves her special people.


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## Denlie

So much great advice here! Best thread ever.

I'm glad that you found out what was going on with Maisie. Sometimes I wish that I could take Gracie into the vet once a week just to check her over. I am clearly a freak!

Gracie goes for her spaying next month and I'm so nervous about it.  Good to see the other pups are recoping.

Have a safe trip, Michelle. Just think how excited Koda will be when you get back.

I don't know if we are hitting a fear stage or what, but Gracie is starting to bark more in the backyard. It's usually at "something" that is outside of the fence. She won't bark if a human or dog neighbor comes over to greet her. But she'll bark if it's a dog that's out of reach and sometimes (when it's dark) at objects outside of the fence.

She just started this barking about a week ago.


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## mrmooseman

moose is feeling about 99%. I'm sure of it. We had a rough first night, he was up all night vomiting. Poor fella. But was feeling better friday. Today you swear he never had a surgery, trying to keep him from jumping is proving to be difficult. He isn't wearing his cone.. I know, I know, but one of us is with him and if he tries to lick we stop him. He hates it. He just lays on the floor and cries with it on. It's pathetic. We keep checking the area, it's still red and a little swollen. But that is expected. But he still have some loose skin? Is that normal.. I though maybe they forgot one haha.


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## Pammie

Megan, glad Moose is doing good! I am so nervous to get Bryley done, but reading how Moose and Tucker did so well is helping me!
I read somewhere (here) that the scrotal sac will shrink with time. 

How funny is it that scrotal sac is such a breezy subject here on GRF - along with firm poops & strange discharges!!  :doh:


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## mrmooseman

Haha I agree! I read that online but always like the reassurance. Sounds delightful, it will just shrivel up. lol


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## canine_mommy

jluke said:


> First, we ended up at the Pet ER in the wee hours after Maisie started vomiting phlegm with the hacking cough at about midnight yesterday and continued for almost 45 minutes non-stop. We also saw her vet today. Anusha, you're right -- it's some kind of upper respiratory infection. She's taking an antibiotic plus a powerful cough suppressant. None of us got much sleep last night. DH got about 3 hours, but Maisie was up coughing every 20 minutes and I was worried so I sat on the floor with her... As you all can tell, I didn't realize our pups could get this kind of illness once they'd been vaccinated.


JLuke - Glad that you found out what was wrong... Hope Maisie is doing better now. Take care...


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## Tucker's mommy

Yep - just love it that we talk so freely about all the gross things with our dogs! Glad to hear things are going well for Moose! Tucker had alot of loose skin for weeks after the surgery, with a little shrinkage every week, until after about a month, it was totally gone. Isn't it a relief to have the surgery done? We had our Tucker done at around 8 months - a little early, I know, but with our kids and the crazy behaviour issues we'd been having with his roughness, we knew it was necessary.

As for Tucker's behaviour lately - it's amazing what a month or two can do at this age. He still has his moments, but it is so noticeable to us now when he's getting ramped, and we can quickly bring him back to calm with a down/stay. Just tonight he got real bratty with me inside, and all it took was a couple minutes of a quick timeout to remind him who was boss! 

I can't believe he'll be a year old in three weeks!!! 

To all you newbies on this thread, so nice to have you! And yes - thank you Michelle for creating this thread. I can't count the number of times I've jumped on here to remind myself I'm not alone in dealing with this crazy stage of their development! 

Have a good night, everyone! :wavey:


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## Tucker's mommy

And JLuke - so glad you found out what was wrong with Maisie - it's so stressful when they're sick! (Just like with kids!)


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## OutWest

Tucker is healing well. We took him to the dog park on Thursday evening. He was soo happy...he started talking the car a couple blocks away when he realized. Took him again tonight, and he just pranced all over. Very sweet to see. I'm reasonably certain the wound is good enough that he won't hurt himself, but we're still trying to avoid him doing too much jumping. Giving him bedtime treat of warm goats milk with melatonin which settles him right down. I'm become quite grateful that we got the dog we got. He's a remarkably sweet and easy going guy (excitable though). I've been surprised at how cooperative he is when I'm putting the cone back on, etc., and though he's been cooped up for a week, he never got completely wild. He's a sweet loving goofball.


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## baumgartml16

Glad to hear all the pups are recovering nicely from their surgeries!  

Julie (Denlie) - Koda did the same thing with the barking around that age. It was usually at night when she couldn't see as well and was more defending her and I, I think...I was always out with her though, so I would just distract her with somehting else or if she wouldn't stop she came inside. She had went through a time when she was barking at things outside when she was inside...things I couldn't see...we just ignored it after a while. We would go and look to see if it was anything out there and if it wasn't we gave her a pat on the head, said its okay, and walked away like it was no big deal. She caught on that it was nothing to get excited over and stopped the barking. 

It was hard being away from Koda this weekend but the reuinion was wonderful!  She was SO happy to see us she kept running back and forth between DH and me. Then we spent the afternoon with her the entire time. She was exhausted by the end of the night!


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## mrmooseman

I'm so glad to have it over with! Now I can enjoy my walks with him and not be so worried another dog might attack or he might try to take off. Not that he does, it's just a worry I have that he will smell a female in heat and drag me to where ever she is. We have been checking the area daily to make sure it's healing well. The incision is already scabbed! I can't see the stitches though. I know he never picked at them because even from day 1 we couldn't see them. He is pretty bruised though, but it seems to be slowly, very slowly, going away, I think. Poor little fella.


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## jluke

*Maisie's Improved, but...*

Thanks all -- Julie, Michelle, Austin's Mommy, Tucker's Mommy and anyone I might have missed. Maisie is much better, just a few random coughs, although she's still not allowed any contact with dogs until next weekend, so we'll miss class tonight. And I can tell she's feeling better because she's giving me a hard time in bursts while walking -- back to jumping and biting at my hands when I try to settle her. It's even worse since she's on a harness (at the direction of her vet who doesn't want the prong collar to irritate her throat) and it's hard for me to manage her. Once I can get her settled down, having her heel for the rest of the walk has been helping, but it's not much fun -- I feel like El Commandante! It's discouraging to take a few steps backward, but I'll just have to get back on top of it next week when I can get completely back into training mode. 

Megan -- so glad that Moose is (almost?) all better! I didn't mention, but in one of his recent pictures, he looked very light-coated and made me think of Maisie.

Outwest -- your idea of melatonin as natural sleeping aid sounds really good. What dose do you use? And I didn't realize that dogs could tolerate goat's milk. How much is OK? Thanks.

Julie -- you commented that you're somewhat concerned about Gracie's upcoming spay. When will she have it? I think there's a thread about spay timing, if you're interested, with pros and cons as to before or after the first heat. And as I've posted, Maisie had a lap spay so her incision was tiny. It is somewhat more expensive and all vets don't do it, but the recovery time is shorter and the puppy doesn't have to wear a cone -- at least Maisie didn't.

Michelle -- so glad you enjoyed you reunion trip and that you had a wonderful homecoming with Koda!


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## mrmooseman

jluke: Moose is pretty light. He was a fluffy snow ball when he was a puppy but now I noticed that he is getting a little darker. Not much, but his ears and a strip down his back are a wee bit darker but he is still pretty light! 

Right now he's flinging a toy around while squeaking it.. hard to believe he had surgery thrusday.. lol


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## mayapaya

Hi everyone, sounds like the pups are recovering nicely--Megan, great pick of Moose--his coloring is alot like Maya's--although it drives me nuts that people always ask me what kind of dog she is--when I say "a golden", they always have to comment "but she's so light!"....grrrr....jluke, I am thinking of getting the lap spay for Payton, because I can't imagine how I will keep my two apart and Payton calm for an extended period of time. My vet does not do a lap spay, so I will have to look around--do you recall how much more expensive it was that the regular surgical spay? Since I've been away for a week, I'm going to have to catch up on the posts.
Our weekend was not a stellar one. Took Maya and Payton to Petsmart for grooming and a puppy bath for little Pay. DH went with me so each of us could handle one dog. Made the mistake of not using Maya's prong collar that's been working very nicely on walks and to correct jumping on people. Put her old harness collar on and she was a jumping, pulling maniac in Petsmart. UGH, so embarassing. Enjoyed my nice clean, fluffy girls for all of about two hours. DH was preparing to open our pool and took the cover off, which had disgusting yuck and algae on it, some of which was emptied in the grass, then Maya and Payton, wanted to eat it, so I took the hose out to wash it into the grass, and had forgotten how much my Maya liked drinking from the hose, then Payton joined in, jumping, biting the hose water everywhere, which then progressed into a full blown zoomies event, and mud wrestling. Sigh, got Payton into the tub, once I got her clean. I work on cleaning up Maya outside and Payton pees on the carpet. I just tell myself that tomorrow will be a better day.....have a great week everyone!


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## baumgartml16

Oh my Chris - sounds like those two are keeping you busy!  I had to smile though!! 

Megan - Koda has that same toy!  

We got Koda too many presents for her birthday but there is one that she is obsessed with. It is the planet dog ball. OMG - she won't stop. It is technically the Earth but we had to peel off the green land spots because she was working on them herself. My husband and I wanted to catch up on some TV last night during dinner and she just kept bringing the ball to us, we throw, she brings it back. Koda has never been much for fetching but with this ball it is all she wants to do. First thing this morning she ran out and got her ball!  She is soo funny. She won't play with it outside though..only tennis balls outside. She is so goofy!  I love her personality coming through more and more every day.

We have really bonded over the last month or so. She is my little shadow and wants to cuddle anytime I ask for it!  Makes my heart so happy!!


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## Dexter12

Dex is seven months today. Yay and arrrrrrg.

The past couple walks he refuses to go, he'll try sitting down and putting all his weight into not moving. I got him a prong collar but it's too big and next time we're going to town is a week yesterday, so I have to put up with him on his walks for another week. He refuses to get his feet dried off, he starts snapping at my hands. I tried to get some dirt off his nose with a baby wipe yesterday and you'd think I was trying to wipe it off with sand paper. Hows that for the start of his teenaged period, he's going to be a hellion. 

But, he's eating again and seems much more himself which I'm really happy with!


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## jluke

*My Stuff... including a Tennis Ball Hazard*

Chris -- I'll have to look up what we paid for Maisie's lap spay. (I think it was about $200 -- it's a little hard to tell because she had a gastropexy at the same time which added to anesthesia, etc.) Maisie's vet recommended the lap spay so strongly that we didn't really consider the alternative. They don't do many conventional spays for larger dogs now. As I posted on the the puppy thread, Maisie also had a gastropexy at the same time which, of course, added to the cost. I know that was $400, but we'd heard and read such horrible stories about bloat fatalities, it seemed like the right thing to do. With a lap spay, the gastropexy is done at the same time with one additional incision. The lap spay incision was about one inch or so.

Chris -- you surely had your hands full with two pups! I'm having the same trouble with Maisie on a harness that you did with Maya. Misery loves company...

Megan and Chris -- I know what you mean about all the reactions ("But she's so light!!") when I say that Maisie is a GR. I want to show them the picture of the GRs in a row with colors ranging from snow white to red!

Megan -- I'll have to check on the Planet Dog Ball for Maisie's upcoming first birthday in June since it's such a big hit with Koda!

And speaking of balls -- a warning from Maisie and me. Santa got her a bucket of tennis balls from Pet Smart. Maisie can crush them, open them up and rip the covers off. She can't do this with "real" tennis balls. I don't know if you've found this to be the cast, but they're a hazard.


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## Nyahsmommy

baumgartml16 said:


> We got Koda too many presents for her birthday but there is one that she is obsessed with. It is the planet dog ball. OMG - she won't stop. It is technically the Earth but we had to peel off the green land spots because she was working on them herself. My husband and I wanted to catch up on some TV last night during dinner and she just kept bringing the ball to us, we throw, she brings it back. Koda has never been much for fetching but with this ball it is all she wants to do. First thing this morning she ran out and got her ball!  She is soo funny. She won't play with it outside though..only tennis balls outside. She is so goofy!  I love her personality coming through more and more every day
> 
> 
> 
> I looked at this ball a bunch of times but I figured she has enough balls. I should have gotten it for her bday. Shoot. Out of all of her bday gifts, her favourite is the new tennis ball(I could have guessed lol) because her old one is a bit grungy. It's funny.. she has all these fancy expensive dog toys and she likes the plainest, everyday stuff for toys. That's why I don't buy dog toys not on sale anymore. It either ends up ripped or un touched. :
Click to expand...


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## Nyahsmommy

jluke said:


> And speaking of balls -- a warning from Maisie and me. Santa got her a bucket of tennis balls from Pet Smart. Maisie can crush them, open them up and rip the covers off. She can't do this with "real" tennis balls. I don't know if you've found this to be the cast, but they're a hazard.


Uh-huh. We got her this tennis ball-rope toy for xmas and after 20 seconds, she bit into the ball and it crumbled. ***. She has never has a problem with real tennis balls, just the cheap imitation ones.


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## mayapaya

jluke said:


> And speaking of balls -- a warning from Maisie and me. Santa got her a bucket of tennis balls from Pet Smart. Maisie can crush them, open them up and rip the covers off. She can't do this with "real" tennis balls. I don't know if you've found this to be the cast, but they're a hazard.


 
Thanks for the spay info--I'm going to have to get some recommendations now since my vet doesn't perform them. And, we had the same problem with tennis balls--any kind--I bought one last week attached to a strong braided rope with a handle on the end, thinking Maya wouldn't eat it. WRONG!!!! She had the ball in pieces, thankfully none of which appeared to be injested. Good to hear Maisie;s doing better, and hopefully you can get her back to the prong collar soon--It's obvious I tried to abandon ours much too soon :doh:


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## baumgartml16

We have to watch her with the tennis balls. She has never managed to break any into pieces but she has peeled off the covering. Once she starts at the covering they get taken away. I would assume they are hazardous if they eat too much of the covering?


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## mayapaya

baumgartml16 said:


> We have to watch her with the tennis balls. She has never managed to break any into pieces but she has peeled off the covering. Once she starts at the covering they get taken away. I would assume they are hazardous if they eat too much of the covering?


Michelle, it was the covering that I worried about initially, and why I stopped giving them to Maya--she would literally bite and pull the fuzz off the tennis ball, and then eventually just rip them open. It's so hard to find toys for her to play with anymore. I've gone through 4 of the Kong Wooba's--she eventually works a little hole into the fabric, and then get's at the two balls inside. Now I just put it away after we play fetch so she can't have time to work on it!


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## mrmooseman

For easter we got Moose tennis balls from the dollar store. He looses then soo much outside at the park, and under our couch (I vacuumed under it the other day and took out 5 balls) but then dollar store ones don't last. He doesn't have the desire to tear them apart. He only did that one. He even stopped tearing apart his stuffies!! YAY for no more fluff all over the floor! We got him a rope tennis balll toy for easter too, and we had to take it away. We were scared he was going to break something or knock himself out! He would hold onto the rope and just shake it up in the air and whip it back and forth. He hit himself in the face a few times, but clearly it never bothered him. Silly guy.

I think I might print off that picture of all the colors of the goldens and keep it with me at all times! Just because he's light doesn't mean he isn't a golden. Clearly he looks like a golden. We had a lady at the DP say, he looks like a golden retriever, but he is just wayy to light, so what kind is he? A lab mixed with a golden? or a white husky mixed with a golden?".. what? lol. Then I have to explain how they come in all different colors. I think it would be easier if I have the picture lol.

We're doing good. Moose is getting restless with not being allowed to go play. I took him on a nice long drive today and he had his head out the window and he seems pretty sleepy now. Tomorrow I am going to take him for a little walk, if the rain holds off. I say by friday he will be all set to go off and play. It will be 8 days by then. They said 7-10 he will be fine to go. He is still bruised a bit, and I can't see any stitches at all, and he is doing awesome with not wearing the cone. He hasn't been looking to lick himself. Yesterday I left him home alone with out it on, and came home and it looked like he didn't go near it. So no cone of shame for him!

My only concern is that he is drinking an aweful lot. I called the vet and they said as long as he's drinking, and being active, and eating, he should be fine. Problem is, he won't eat his hard food anymore. We have to mix it with rice, and he eats it all. I think we got him spoiled with feeding him rice after his surgery because he got sick. But he is drinking A LOT. hrmm.


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## baumgartml16

Megan - Koda drank a lot after her surgery, I dont know how long that lasted, but they said it was because of the tube that had been down her throat. Makes it scratchy so they drink to try to ease that feeling. Just like when we have sore throats. Might be why he is doing it.


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## goldensrbest

I would be carefull, about buying dog toys made in china.


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## OutWest

Just all sorts of good stuff on here today...

*Tennis balls*--I've had a problem with Tucker chewing off the covers. He likes to eat them. The day before his second scheduled neuter appointment, he started vomiting. So I canceled the surgery, only to realize he'd coughed up the cover of a tennis ball that he'd stripped. He was fine; false alarm. :uhoh: I let him have them, but keep a close eye on him. Once the cover starts to look bad, out it goes. I've also heard that dogs that get obsessed with having a ball in their mouth all the time can ruin their teeth on them. Sounds strange to me, but I've been trying to not let Tucker get too obsessed with them. 

*Tucker's recuperating well*. We are back to our early morning dog park routine, and he's so happy to go there. It's very hot here and I'd love to put him into the water, but am waiting till the weekend. :crossfing Want to be sure the surgical site is completely closed. Took the cone off him day before yesterday. What a relief--for everyone! Nothing's been knocked over since! :crossfing

*Melatonin dosage*--I went by what I found on the internet. It was sort of general. It said for "large dogs" (no weights given), give 3 - 9 milligrams. I gave Tucker 6 (two 3 mg capsules) stirred into the goat's milk. Here's one of the sources I looked at: Melatonin Side Effects in Dogs. When he was a fussy puppy, I wanted to give him milk. I figured warm milk would work on a puppy like it would on a little kid. But when I double-checked the info on various sites on the interest, I learned that many dogs don't tolerate cow's milk but do well with goat's milk. So I've been giving him that ever since. Usually about a cup, warmed in the microwave. It really helps calm him down when he's antsy or anxious. 

*Prong collars, pet stores and walking*--I've always had a hard time walking Tucker through PetSmart. He gets so excited. But while he was recuperating, I was practicing loose leash walking with him and the one time I took him there, he did great! He was on an easy walk harness, not his prong collar, and I was so happy! And today, at the dog park, he actually walked to the gate without hauling me along... :appl: Now I just need to keep practicing with him. My daughter and I are good about training our dogs, but not good about practicing! :uhoh:

*Colors of Goldens*--It really is too funny, all of this. People usually know what Tucker is, although I've been asked if he's a Lab... I think the people with the deep reds and the very light creams get the most questions. Tucker is a medium reddish gold color. I love the picture of all the different Golden colors. I think someone should do one of the different shapes, too, because they are different. The conformation Goldens and the field Goldens are very different. 

I hope you are all having a wonderful spring day. It's going to hit 80 degrees here and I'm loving it. :dblthumb2

Kathleen


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## mrmooseman

I agree about the shapes! Moose is soo big for his age. Speaking of big dogs.. I look on kijiji a lot, and I always look for dogs. Don't know why, I tease myself, lol anways there is a breeder a few hours away selling bernese/newfoundland/prynaeese (I bet I butchered that) mix. My lord they are HUGE!!!

Michelle : that would make sense. He isn't eating his hard kibble, but will soft food. I feel bad now for mixing his rice with it. I feel like I made him eat the hard scratchy kibble.

Kathleen: how long since you had tucker done??


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## jluke

*More Stuff...*

More on Maisie and tennis balls -- on the cheap ones, she rips off the fuzz, tears a "slit" into them and, if I let her, would then rip them into pieces. I think she'd eat small pieces and pass them in her poop and I'd really worry about her choking on a big pieces.

Kathleen -- thanks for the info on melatonin and goat's milk, both. The dose is interesting. (I take 3 mg.) If we have trouble with Maisie settling down when we travel, I'll definitely try it.

I'm glad you had a better experience with Tucker at the pet store and walking to the DP. Maisie still does better walking to the DP when I have her heel -- on a loose leash she seems overwhelmed with eagerness and really pulls.

Megan -- so glad Moose is recovering/recovered. I can imagine him with his head out the window. But, of course, it made me a little worried. About 10 years ago, I got a convertible -- my mid-life crisis car. When I got it, I got a pair of Doggles for Sadie, or rescued GR. She looked so silly and cute in them, riding in the back seat with the top down and I felt like she was safer. (DH thinks I'm crazy -- he says there's a customer for every product and I'm the one for Doggles! Anyway -- sorry to be a worrywart.


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## mrmooseman

Right now I only have a 2 door car, and when Moose is in the back, I put the passenger side window down, not all the way, enough that he can stick his face and head out, nothing else. My biggest fear with him being in our truck is he will hit the window switch and get stuck in the window. Atleast in my car, he can't touch it lol.


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## baumgartml16

Glad to hear Tucker is back at the park!! 

I will make sure to keep an extra close eye on Koda with the tennis balls..she only gets them outside and she is never out there alone so it would be hard for her to do any damage. 

Don't feel bad Megan - we did the same thing cuz we didn't know. My husband even took the water away until we called the vet and they explained. We gave her a few extra frozen kongs to soothe her throat like ice cream does for us! It shouldn't last much longer! 

Even with the prong on Koda can be a nut in the pet store. She has gotten much better. The guy at the checkout said she is 10x better behaved than his two year old dog. I dont think I give her enough credit sometimes!  Walking into the pet store is a lost battle. My husband used to run with her up to the door so now it is a ritual...one I can live with though!


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## OutWest

mrmooseman said:


> I agree about the shapes! Moose is soo big for his age. Speaking of big dogs.. I look on kijiji a lot, and I always look for dogs. Don't know why, I tease myself, lol anways there is a breeder a few hours away selling bernese/newfoundland/prynaeese (I bet I butchered that) mix. My lord they are HUGE!!!
> 
> Michelle : that would make sense. He isn't eating his hard kibble, but will soft food. I feel bad now for mixing his rice with it. I feel like I made him eat the hard scratchy kibble.
> 
> Kathleen: how long since you had tucker done??


Tucker's surgery was a week ago Friday, so he's been on the mend for about 10-11 days.


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## mrmooseman

I wonder if taking him for a walk would be too soon.. I think he's going shack wacky.


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## baumgartml16

I am sure he would be fine by now. You said its been 8 days? As long as he isn't running I would do it.


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## mrmooseman

No it's only been 5 days..


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## baumgartml16

If his incision is healing up nicely and there are no signs of infection or anything I would take him on a casual walk, nothing fast.


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## mayapaya

I would agree on the walk--after Maya's spay the vet recommended short, slow paced walks after day 3!


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## mrmooseman

ya thats what i'm thinking. everything is looking great down there. he doesn't seem to be having any problems.


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## Ada's Mom

Ugh, I think I've officially graduated to this thread, haha. 

Ada turned 9 months on monday and the past couple weeks she's been acting up. If I do something she doesn't like (like take away her toy if she puts it on our lap...if I don't she will constantly try to make us play with her by putting the toy in our lap and chewing on it and then backing up if we try to take it) she starts barking at me and trying to bite my pants. I usually just put her in her crate for a few mins and let her calm down...not sure what else to do.

And now she's started biting at the leash again (though the fits don't last as long as when she was 4-5 months old and she stops after a few stern "no, leave it"s.).

Here's hoping this doesn't last too long! It will be refreshing if she ever becomes a nice, calm dog.


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## Dexter12

My smarter half figured out that you can make the prong collar fit by taking out a few of links, so Dex had an excellent walk this morning with it on.


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## mrmooseman

We had to take 2 links out of Moose's prong collar. The buggers are easy to take out, but putting it back together is hard!


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## baumgartml16

We put duct tape on one of the prongs so we knew which one to put it on with and take it off with. I was having a hard time getting it on and off her so now that one is easy to get on and off..well not easy, but easier. Just a suggestion!

Welcome Ada's mom!  We are all here to help/support!  Is there a chew toy she can have when she gets in that stage where she is biting your pants? Perhaps she just needs something to distract her. They have lots of energy and she is just trying to get it out! LOL

Koda was a jumping biting machine on walks around 4 months and then again at Ada's age. Keep at her, tell her off or whatever command you give to stop the behaviour. She will grow out of it...again!  That was some of the most frustrating times for me...she actually did it a few weeks ago randomly and nearly knocked me over, she is sooo big now! Hang in there...it goes away!


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## Ada's Mom

baumgartml16 said:


> We put duct tape on one of the prongs so we knew which one to put it on with and take it off with. I was having a hard time getting it on and off her so now that one is easy to get on and off..well not easy, but easier. Just a suggestion!
> 
> Welcome Ada's mom!  We are all here to help/support!  Is there a chew toy she can have when she gets in that stage where she is biting your pants? Perhaps she just needs something to distract her. They have lots of energy and she is just trying to get it out! LOL
> 
> Koda was a jumping biting machine on walks around 4 months and then again at Ada's age. Keep at her, tell her off or whatever command you give to stop the behaviour. She will grow out of it...again!  That was some of the most frustrating times for me...she actually did it a few weeks ago randomly and nearly knocked me over, she is sooo big now! Hang in there...it goes away!


I really should get her a chew toy just for that purpose. She is a very strong chewer so the only things that have survived are her kong and two durabones from nylabone so I leave those with her all day. Maybe I can find some other kind of toy she can't destroy and whip it out when she gets sassy like that.


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## jluke

*Lap Spay $$*

Chris -- you'd asked about the cost of Maisie's lap spay. I remembered right, it was $200. But this is the surgical procedure only, not the fluids, anesthesia, etc., which I'm guessing would be the same for a conventional spay. My bill has each item itemized (including pre-surgical EKG and blood tests, pain meds, ventilator use, etc., and post-surgical pain meds which I think would also be similar with a conventional spay). FYI.


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## OutWest

*Welcome Ada's Mom*--to the terrible teens thread... . You might want to hide the really durable toys and parcel them out so she doesn't take them for granted...She (and you) will get through all this...

Re: *Prong collars*--be sure to save the links you take out. I recently put one back into Tucker's because his neck had grown. The big thing I learned about those collars is that the proper fit is snug, high on the neck, just below the jaw line. It shouldn't ride up and down. My sister's collar was so loose she could put it on over her dog's head and that's all wrong... :no:

Did Moose get to go for a walk? I bet he was happy to get out of the house...

*Tucker* did great again at the dog park. Walked very nicely to the gate. No pulling. Yay Tucker!!! BUT he's doing something weird. He peed on the dining room rug this morning. I realized he's had four accidents in recent days. He's been well house trained for months now. Am thinking he might have a UTI and it might be related to the surgery...? Am going to ask on the main health thread. He seems happy and normal...Can't figure out what's up with him.


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## jluke

*Welcome, Really Missing the Prong Collar and...*

Welcome Ada's Mom! Along with Michelle, I was wondering if you could hand Ada something she'd like to chew when she's bugging you and biting at your legs. Maisie loves antlers and happily chews on hers for 30 minutes sometimes. They're $$, but last a long time. Since they're not messy, she could have one anywhere.

So glad that the prong collar worked this AM with Dexter!

So -- I'm still using a harness with Maisie as she's getting over her cough which is nearly, but not quite, gone. Every walk, she's having at least one spell of the demon dog -- jumping and biting at the leash and catching my forearm when she does. I'm shortening up the leash to the back of the harness, getting her to sit and standing behind her -- it's the only way I can control her on the harness now that she weighs 65 pounds. My arm is bruised and my patience is gone. On top of this, with the construction here, the fenced part of our yard isn't available so I'm taking her out for a short walk at about 11 PM or so. The past two nights there's been a rabbit out there. (Aren't they supposed to be asleep?  ) Maisie has sat at the top of our front steps fixated on it while I stood there afraid she'd pull me down them. Both times I was lucky and she listened when I told her "Slowly" (like when we do a slow heel). But when we got to the yard last night she tore after the bunny -- almost took my arm out of the socket, strained my wrist, almost took me through the hedge and down to the street where the rabbit had raced. I was calling "No! No!" and she stopped just in time.

I guess I'm just venting. I can't start using her prong collar again until this weekend. But if anybody has any ideas, I'd appreciate them.


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## mayapaya

jluke said:


> Chris -- you'd asked about the cost of Maisie's lap spay. I remembered right, it was $200. But this is the surgical procedure only, not the fluids, anesthesia, etc., which I'm guessing would be the same for a conventional spay. My bill has each item itemized (including pre-surgical EKG and blood tests, pain meds, ventilator use, etc., and post-surgical pain meds which I think would also be similar with a conventional spay). FYI.


Thanks! that is helpful--if I recall Maya's was in the $300-$350 range, with everything included--now to find a good vet/facility for the procedure. I will really be a nervous nelly when I take Payton in particularly if we are going to a new office. I love my current vets office, as well as all their techs, but am really thinking the lap spay will be better all around for our situation!


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## Dexter12

Welcome Ada's Mom :wavey:


mrmooseman said:


> We had to take 2 links out of Moose's prong collar. The buggers are easy to take out, but putting it back together is hard!


 It took a bit to figure the stupid thing out. 



OutWest said:


> Re: *Prong collars*--be sure to save the links you take out. I recently put one back into Tucker's because his neck had grown. The big thing I learned about those collars is that the proper fit is snug, high on the neck, just below the jaw line. It shouldn't ride up and down. My sister's collar was so loose she could put it on over her dog's head and that's all wrong... :no:


Yes indeed! I put them in the drawer we have for him in the kitchen. I won't be surprised when he needs them, he's growing so quickly. I put his regular collar on the other day and wondered when he grew out of it, it's almost too tight for him now, lol.


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## Yuki

(T__T) hello everyone, i am joining your bandwagon with Yuki in tow. he is chewing everything, trying to get my hands and feet to chew on, ruined my dresses by pulling on them etc etc. i think finally my boy hit the teenage and i have never handled a teenager before. 

my previous dog Saya was 6 months old when i left her with my mom and went to another country for 8 months. when i came back teenage had already passed. so this is my first time with a teenager.


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## baumgartml16

Welcome Yuki! We are all here to help. Do you happen to have things for him to chew on that are safe? We use bully sticks and have frozen kongs ready for her to occupy herself with...

We have had to move our hamper into another room because Koda loves to steal clothes. She will play with them first but then it usually turns into her trying to rip them apart so we have made sure they just aren't accessible to her.

Feel free to come here with any questions, we do our best to work together on all these issues.


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## baumgartml16

Koda had a playdate last night with a 7 month old Boxer that she has played with a handful of times before and a 5 month old yellow lab. The lab was absolutely adorable, so innocent!  

Poor Koda got picked on by both boys though. The boxer is a mouthy dog and would always play bite her neck and ears and stuff. She held her own with that and we only stepped in when it got too elevated but the puppy was a humper. At one point Koda fell to the ground while the Boxer was going for her neck and the puppy was humping her. She is so tolerant, too tolerant. We broke them all apart and took some time for themselves for a bit to calm down. They had a great play session overall though..

We thought she would be tired and she seemed to be as she laid down whenever she got a chance towards the end of the playdate but then she was up till about 10 still and she woke me up at 5 today. She has been waking me around 530, alarm is always set for 545 of course, but 5 was early especially after such an intense night...what gives!? LOL..


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## mrmooseman

We FINALLY got some nice warm weather this weekend. Can't wait to get the yard work done I have been planning on doing for a few weeks that was ruined by rain. I took Moose for a decent walk yesterday, which made him pretty tired towards the end of it. He was just so excited to be out side! He is great to walk with, minus the odd pulling (even with the prong collar there is some, but atleast I don't get dragged with him), but when another dog is barking at him he just looked at the dog and continues on his way. But he has to smell everything, and I mean EVERYTHINg on our travels. Today I have to much running around to do, so maybe later this evening we will take him for a walk. It has been 8 days since his surgery, soo I think we're safe in letting him play with other dogs. The bruising is gone and everything looks great! 

But we has started a new habit. The past 4 mornings when I wake up to let him out, there is pee on the floor. Now, he always lets us know when he needs out in the middle of the night. The first 2 mornings it happend, I thought maybe the door was leaking, cause it was raining and they were by the door. It was clean and didn't have a smell, so naturally I assumed rain. Yesterday morning it was pee. You could tell by the smell. He is still drinking a lot of water, but not as much as he was since after his surgery. Of course we yell at him and tell him its wrong. I just don't know whats going on with him! Tonight, for the first time in months, we have to put up the baby gate and block him from every room but ours and the kitchen, and hopefully he will let us know he has to go. I really hope there isn't anything major going on.

Michelle: Moose has a thing for socks. Nothing else but socks. His favorite are kyle's black dress socks. He is getting braver, and stealing them out of the hamper so we had to hide it in our closet. Little bugger. Kyle learns his lesson though when he forget to close the door and comes home to a bunch of his socks everywhere. Mine hardly get touched haha. After the snow melted, we found like 3 socks out in the yard. I can hide anything in his mouth.


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## baumgartml16

LOL that is too funny about the socks. Yea she isn't a big sock person but every morning when we are in the shower she will go and take any clothes that were left on the floor. It's actually kind of cute and if there aren't any you can see the disappointment when she leaves the bathroom empty handed LOL.

Maybe Moose has a UTI? Maybe worth looking into. Koda has a minor infection and she would pee in her sleep as a puppy. Gave her some antibiotics and she was all good.


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## Dexter12

Welcome Syd! :wavey:

I know what you mean with obession with socks and clothes, one of Dex's new things is to rush into the bedroom and pick up random pieces of clothes off the floor. 

I get up in the morning and I do a morning routine with him, and the better half sleeps in until at least 11:30. We have two barriers, a baby gate (which is now almost ripped off the wall) and then we have his crate as a second barrier for the hallway so he only has access in the mornings is to the livingroom and the kitchen. He's now big enough that moving the crate is no problem and he can move the crate out of the way, and then prances down the hallway before I can catch him. He can then access four rooms, the utility room with cat kibble and cat poop (but we have a cat door installed so we can close that) the bathroom (which provides him with a toliet to drink out of, another disgusting new habit,) the bedroom, and my office (which he's bored of because in the morning I say "go to work dexter" and he happily prances in and spends most of the day there.) So once he has moved the crate, Dex likes to run down the hallway to the bedroom and jump on my sleeping significant other, who is not thrilled. :uhoh: There's a door that we can put back on but we would have to trim it down so the new carpet wouldn't be an issue and install another cat door.

Morning walks with the prong collar have greatly improved. I just have to gently correct him sometimes and he stops pulling. For most of the walk today he walked next to me with a loose leash!


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## jluke

*Bad Mommy Here...*

After three walks with multiple Maisie whirling dervishes and her biting at the leash and getting my hand and arm, I finally lost it last night. I was completely out of patience and just unloaded, yelling and yelling at her when she was leaping up, grabbing at the leash and me. First I tried to be patient, but I quickly lost it. I finally hauled her home the last half block by the back strap of her harness. DH came out the front porch saying that he'd heard me -- and I think the front windows were shut since it was sort of chilly. I'm really embarrassed. I didn't hurt Maisie -- she was completely oblivious and back to normal the minute we stepped into the house, but I'm still discouraged. We started her back on her prong collar today since she finishes her last dose of the antibiotic at dinner. DH has walked her three times so far and she's been perfect. But I'm feeling worried about taking her out... She and I have spent our together time today playing and cuddling.

Welcome to Suki...

Love the cute stories of clothes thieving pups!


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## Yuki

baumgartml16 said:


> Welcome Yuki! We are all here to help. Do you happen to have things for him to chew on that are safe? We use bully sticks and have frozen kongs ready for her to occupy herself with...


yes i have bought him lot of toys to chew, we dont get bully sticks here so i give him the big knotted rawhide bones and monitor him while he chews so he wont swallow something bad. so far its been working and i am taking him on walks daily and exercise him until he tires out. 

Yuki is acting like a spoiled pup lol in a way i find it sweet but i am not giving in to his taunts and cute-looks he gives me. i am being strict and have started treating him like i would treat a young puppy. 

i am training him everyday and adding new stuff to his routine raising the ante. 

the only problem i am facing is that he pulls at my clothes no matter what i am wearing an tries to rip it. no commands work i have to lift my hand as if i am about to smack him and he drops the act. all my pants and skirts have holes in them now.


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## OutWest

Welcome *Syd* and *Yuki*...

Tucker likes laundry too...his favorite is my DD's dirty underwear :yuck: LOL. That has a great effect tho'--she's much better about picking up!!! 

Tucker continues to *walk* *nicely*. I think I'm going to switch from easy-walk halter to flat collar and see if the training carries over. We could use the halter forever I suppose but I'd like to have it be hard wired as a walking skill not tied to a tool...

*Other* *Tucker* *success*... He's doing well at home without humans, outside the crate. When I need to run an errand I just pick up my purse and leave with no fanfare. So far no chewed up items...I keep both dogs gated in the dining room area, with water. Most I've left him so far is 4 hours. it's nice to be able to do that. 

*Boxers*! One of Tucker's BFFs is one named Lucy. First time we met her we freaked. I thought she was going kill my puppy. After I realized it was just her play style, and after Tucker got a bit bigger, they have the most fun. Tucker does bitey face and Lucy snarls and chomps (and slobbers!) and they wear each other out. Very funny to watch. Other people at the dog park get anxious until they realize both owners are OK wih it. LOL his other BFF is a husky mix named Chloe. 

*Our* *good* *news*! Tucker saw vet today. Surgical site is healed and so is ear--hot spot and inner ear. Vet was amazed at how quickly his ear healed. He is cleared to get wet and go swimming! He will be so excited... Its quite warm here and he's been casting longing looks at the lagoon.

Have a great weekend all.

Kathleen


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## baumgartml16

Glad to hear the pups are all recovering and back to normal!  

Yea - I am assuming that is just the way boxers play. Koda never yelped or hid her tail so I am assuming she was okay with it. She came away with a slobbery neck and head though...gross!!!


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## Nyahsmommy

Nyah got beat up by a 3 months old puppy today at the dp. : It was just play of course, but he kicked her butt and she was on her back surrendering. lol. She's excellent now on recall and dropping others' balls at dp.

We stopped using the gental leader as it was making walking even more difficult and gave her huge matts in her ear so I went back to the harness and she loves it. The only problem is that if she sees a squirral or something then I go flying with her. :doh:


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## Yuki

i just stepped back to square one and started training yuki in basics and am making him follow the routine like he should. no pulling on clothes, no pulling on leash, no jumping on people etc. yesterday was the day i started and today he is behaving well. i have provided him with a hard toy bone similar to nylabone's toys and he has been chewing it. 

so far so good i hope my plan works.


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## Dexter12

*Syd:* Good luck with Yuki's retraining, I hope she listens!

Yesterday Dex was outside in the front lawn "helping" me with cleaning it up. He was on his tether which he didn't pull out of the ground, and he didn't whimper too much this time either. He started digging holes and he actually listened to me when I told him to stop. He was pretty good actually, for the most part he found shade and took a nap in the grass. 
I wish I could let him roam around the property but I think he'd just wander off again.

Our walk today was awesome, he walked right beside me for the majority of it. (although he got a little distracted a few times by butterflys that he wanted to catch lol  )


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## mrmooseman

Hope everyone had a great weekend! We had beautiful weather the entire weekend so we took advantage of it and got a lot of the outside reno done! Got more siding on and moved the bathroom window over. Time to start thinking what I am going to do with the washroom now. Moose was outside with us both days on his leash. He does so well with it. He doesn't pull on it and he doesn't cry when he's on it, only when he can't see us he will but not for long. The bf tried him off the leash lastnight for a bit, I told him not to, but he thinks he will listen to him and not take off. Once he ventured off to the side of the house and we couldn't see him, but he will listen "sometimes" to us. But if he smells something or sees something he won't. Like today we had him down the FMIL and he went off chasing ducks into the swap in her back yard and he just wasn't listening. Still working on that.

Hope all your mom's had a great mothers day! Moose suprised me with a mothers day card from him and chocolates haha. Even though I don't have kids, it's a good feeling seeing that I was reconized for all the hard work I do around here for what sometimes feels like I have two kids.

We have also been accident free for 2 nights!! So I'm thinking he doesn't have a uti. I hope not anyways, but I'm just going to make sure tonight. We put up the baby gate the last 2 nights so he can't go into the livingroom (which is where he was having his accidents.. in the exact same spot everytime) so hopefully that will end whatever is going on.


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## OutWest

We've had an odd weekend...overall nice but odd incident yesterday at DP. Tucker went all Cujo on a 6 month lab puppy. I felt so bad. He just went bonkers and we had to pull them apart. I thought about it and thought about it. Tucker has been a consistently sweet-tempered dog except for three run-ins, all with puppies of about the same age. I've come to conclusion it's jealousy and resource guarding of his humans. My daughter and I go all gaga over puppies. (Thus particular puppy wouldn't leave him alone, either, and kept licking his incision spot.) So we're keeping a close eye on him when he's around puppies to make sure it never happens again. Am trying to figure out his body language better too so I can intervene In time. Can't begin to say how upset I was yesterday. I bet the other dog's owner was more so. I apologized several times, and took Tucker out of the DP. We were there today and no trouble. Several puppies there and I watched him closely. :crossfing

Having a nice mothers day...breakfast out with DD, DP with dogs and Dd (gorgeous day here), and now being lazy on bed with People mag and iPad. :wave:


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## baumgartml16

Megan - my husband was about to let Koda off leash yesterday too even though I told him she was no where near ready...he didn't. I know Koda will stay in her yard 99% of the time but if a bunny came in the yard or something else to spark her attention she might chase it and I am not willing to risk that. We tried putting Koda on a leash outside while we did work and for me she will sit still but my hubby she won't. We did this one other time when we were moving stuff and she couldn't get to us so she was crying...we just ignored it so we didn't feed into it and it got quiet...we turned around and she was in the process of digging to china...ugh! 

Koda has graduated to having the kitchen now when we are gone during the day. She was in the hallway for a while now and we decided she was good enough to earn the kitchen where there is a patio door she can sit by and watch out during the day.

My mother in law usually comes by 2-3 days a week for Koda and we have a pet sitter for the other days or I come home for lunch one day. My mother in law only lives less than 10 minutes from us but they sold their house and have to be out by this upcoming weekend so they are moving to an apartment while they build their new house but she will now be 30min+ away. Soooooo she won't be able to come for Koda as often anymore. We have been thinking we need to start stretching her for the whole day pretty soon because the pet sitter costs are adding up each month. I am so reluctant to do this...I feel so bad that she is going to be alone all day starting pretty soon...i dont know what to do, not sure i can go through with it...


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## Dexter12

uuuurg Dex is being picky about food again. He loved and gobbled up his dry food mixed with wet for a couple days. I even put in warm water to release the scent to make it more tempting and mixed it into a gravy. I've even stopped giving him oatmeal in the morning and he gets very few treats now. What do I try next??


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## Nyahsmommy

So Nyah just almost killed herself and me.  I am so furious... she is spending now until bedtime in her crate except for dinner and to pee. She is so bad... I can't wait to move out of this nieghbourhood. So they are repaving one of the streets of townhouses around here and the road is lined with big construction vehicles, equipment, etc. So I went to take her for a walk and one look at those and she freaked out dragging me down the street so hard that she ripped the leash out of my hands and took off. She normally runs back to the apartment but she wasn't there. I couldn't find her at all anywhere for 15 minutes. I found her at the end of the forest trail hiding and eating a big tomato and pizza on the ground. She is going to get sick tonight but oh well, I don't have money to take her to the vet. 

So I take her home and she hears a big contstruction bang again... tries to take off again! She this time drags me to the ground and runs in the middle of the street again. I was so mad I hit her on the side of the head hard (I know I shouldn't have) and screamed at her so loud it echoed. She is now terrified of me and is cowering. She is so stupid. She does this anytime she hears a loud noise but this is the worst incident yet!!!!!!!!!


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## jluke

*So Sorry about Nyah, but...*

Nyah's Mommy (and I'm sorry I'm forgetting your name again) -- I'm so sorry you had such a difficult, scary experience with her. If you read my posts last week you know I had a really hard week with Maisie. I finally put it in perspective by realizing she was doing the best she could; in her case, she wasn't trying to be bad, she just wasn't getting much exercise since she was sick, couldn't go to the DP and was hard to control since I was walking her on a harness, not her prong collar. And I was doing the best I could, too -- even though it was far from good enough. Reading about your situation with Nyah made me think about this. Do you think given how afraid she is of loud and strange noises that she's doing the best she can even though it seems like she's being bad -- just like it seemed to me with Maisie last week? I know it doesn't solve the problem to "re-frame" it this way, but it helped me to re-focus and calm down.

I couldn't remember what type of collar and leash you're using with Nyah. Could you use something that gives you more control -- at least until you move to your new home where it will be a calmer environment for her? Getting Maisie back on her prong collar and a short (8 foot) leash has made a huge difference -- she's back to normal already. I know you've done a lot to try to resolve the underlying issue of Nyah's reactivity to noises. I think you've posted on the Behavior Forum here -- ?? Have you tried using a "noise can" with her -- one of those cans you shake that has rocks or something heavy in. Some people use them to disrupt a dog's behavior, other's to get a dog like Nyah accustomed to new noises. I'm far from an expert on this and I do remember that you've consulted a trainer. Does your vet have any suggestions? I'm sorry I can't do more to help, but I'm thinking of you as you work through this with Nyah.


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## mrmooseman

Soo.. I think Moose might have a UTI. We had 2 accidents in the house today. The first I figured was my fault for not letting him out, second he just came and stood in front of me and just peed. He is still drinking an access amount of water, and he is urinating quite a bit. Gah. I was in denile, since we just paid abit to get him fixed last week, he's going to have to get a job to pay for all this!

What do they tend to do to see if he has one? Should I try to collect a sample of urnine?


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## Goldens R Great

Nyahsmommy said:


> So Nyah just almost killed herself and me.  I am so furious... she is spending now until bedtime in her crate except for dinner and to pee. She is so bad... I can't wait to move out of this nieghbourhood. So they are repaving one of the streets of townhouses around here and the road is lined with big construction vehicles, equipment, etc. So I went to take her for a walk and one look at those and she freaked out dragging me down the street so hard that she ripped the leash out of my hands and took off. She normally runs back to the apartment but she wasn't there. I couldn't find her at all anywhere for 15 minutes. I found her at the end of the forest trail hiding and eating a big tomato and pizza on the ground. She is going to get sick tonight but oh well, I don't have money to take her to the vet.
> 
> So I take her home and she hears a big contstruction bang again... tries to take off again! She this time drags me to the ground and runs in the middle of the street again. *I was so mad I hit her on the side of the head hard (I know I shouldn't have)* and screamed at her so loud it echoed. *She is now terrified of me and is cowering. She is so stupid.* She does this anytime she hears a loud noise but this is the worst incident yet!!!!!!!!!


I feel terrible for your dog. What are you going to do to her the next time you get mad at her? Is there any chance you would consider giving her to a rescue? Maybe she would be happier in another home and you would be happier without her.


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## Kelly_NC

OK this is the BEST thing I have seen so far! 

Can I just tell you my Banx is nearly perfect....NEARLY I say! He has mastered his CGC, Advanced Obedience Class, Introduction to Rally Class, and we have just started Therapy Dog Class.....Yeah, I think the only way we have passed so many classes is because Banx just hypnotized all of our instructors! He blinks and gives them a lick and they are putty in his paws! "He jumps, but it is such a soft touch!" is inevitably their response when he jumps....this is 3 DIFFERENT instructors mind you! 

We went camping this weekend and as I was taking him for a walk he decides to scratch his ear, then ever-so-smoothly lay down in the MIDDLE of the road and scratch his back, squirming about like a little cute fur-monster! There were 5 cars backed up because I couldn't get him to stop this back-squirm in the middle of the road! Everyone was smiling, laughing and as they finally drove by every single car stopped and commented on how cute it was! How does this dog put every person in the world in some sort of trance! I wish I could say this was a one-time incident, however he has done this repeatedly in our sub-divison.....I mean seriously I have met so many new neighbors due to this dogs back-scratching, it is just ridiculous!
He knows how cute he is and is using it totally to his advantage! What on EARTH can I do about this little show-off?!


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## Tucker's mommy

To Goldens R Great - I don't know if you've been reading this thread through in its entirety, but it's mostly for us owners of teenage pups to rant when we're having REALLY bad days with our dogs (who are trying just as hard to be good dogs as we are to be good owners) and to seek out advice from others going through similar issues. On our very bad days, some of us might come across as ready to throw in the towel, but after positive feedback from the rest of those involved in this thread, we feel a whole lot better and are ready to try again the next day. I love this thread for that very reason. Please don't be too hard on Nyah's mom - I know what she's feeling. Sometimes these dogs can drive us crazy as we're working to help them overcome some serious issues (for mine, it's some serious impulse control problems). 

To Nyahs' mom - hang in there! :wave: I've had days like the one you had today, where I felt ready to give up. Just want you to know that many of us feel that way at times. These dogs WILL grow up - for better or for worse! Tucker will always have his quirks, but we're learning how to work with him. But it's taking FOREVER it seems for him to grow up! :no:


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## Judi

baumgartml16 said:


> I know there are people that started threads with teenage dogs and wondering why there dog is misbehaving...i was one of them!!
> 
> I thought it would be nice to have a thread where you can come vent, tell your latest ordeal, and get that frustration off your back!
> 
> I had a HORRIBLE walk this morning...what would normally take 15 min took 30. It snowed last night so the roads in our subdivision still have a snow layer. Koda pulled/jumped/bit the leash and my arm 90% of the walk. I certainly did my best to ignore her and stay calm but tge little bugger kept walking around me as she held the leash therefore tying my legs up. O the people watching sure got a show lol. O well, over now and have to hope for a better one next time!


Has your dog had Obedience Training?


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## Pammie

Oh my gosh, what is happening in here today? :doh:

Judi, you quoted something from over 4 months ago and there has been 90 pages of discussion since Megan/baumgartml first started this thread. Her _current_ situation with Koda has totally changed for the positive.

and Goldens R Great your reply was harsh. Like Tuckers Mommy said, we all come here day after day to vent and get support. We come here because it is safe. I totally understand how Nyahsmommy felt. She reacted out of frustration, anger and fear. No one is perfect. We are human. We make mistakes, learn from them and move forward.

Nyahsmommy, I really do feel for you and for what happened today. ((big hug for you)) I am so happy that neither you or Nyah got injured nor did she run away. 
Its hard to understand when in the midst of chaos that our dogs are not doing what they are doing on purpose just to make us crazy! jlukes 'reframing' theory spoke to me and is something I will try to grasp onto next time Bryley has me steaming.
Tomorrow is another day. Have faith that all the time, energy and love you are giving Nyah will pay off!!!!


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## OutWest

Seconding and thirding what was said here. We're all parents of dogs in challenging adolescent phase...all are welcome but please join in with the spirit of the thread...we're very candid here, probably because we've gotten to know and trust one another...can't get get feedback and learn unless you are upfront about what's going on...this has been my safe haven for several months and I want to be able to continue...

Tucker update: he continues to do well loose leash walking, but mostly for me. Doesn't seem to carry over to daughter. We'll have to work on that. we went through PetSmart today with no big issues...no problems at the DP today (I watched him like a hawk). 

Mooseman: I think Tucker's developed a UTI too. He's just been peeing weird. He goes straight out the door and then pees for long periods. This afternoon he peed in the car--first time that's happened.m so odd to the vet tomorrow morning at 10. :doh: Really don't want another vet bill right now....

Nyah's mom: Hang in there. As jlukes momsaid, this will get better! May I suggest you try putting a thunder shirt on her before walking outside? Or a tight T shirt? Another thought is giving her melatonin before walks. That calms most dogs down. Hang in there...remember SHE's the one who's scared witless...

Kelly in NC: I know what you mean about cute...tucker was up for playing yesterday morning...I walked in the room, and he just had this look in his eyes...he looked at me and dashed over and grabbed one of my shoes--a big no-no and he knows it, and started prancing around the room as if to say "catch me if you can!" I knew I was supposed to be the mom, but I couldn't help it it. I burst out laughing he was so cute! And welcome to the adolescent parents' thread! 

Kathleen


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## mrmooseman

outwest : that is the same with Moose! He will use the washroom for a long time. ugh. I feel bad when he peed in front of me lastnight because I had to tell him it was wrong, he just went behind the chair and sat there and looked at me so sad. He still has those puppy eyes! and I'll feel even worse because if he does have a uti, he can't help it. But I agree, I can't have another vet bill!


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## Nyahsmommy

jluke said:


> Nyah's Mommy (and I'm sorry I'm forgetting your name again) -- I'm so sorry you had such a difficult, scary experience with her. If you read my posts last week you know I had a really hard week with Maisie. I finally put it in perspective by realizing she was doing the best she could; in her case, she wasn't trying to be bad, she just wasn't getting much exercise since she was sick, couldn't go to the DP and was hard to control since I was walking her on a harness, not her prong collar. And I was doing the best I could, too -- even though it was far from good enough. Reading about your situation with Nyah made me think about this. Do you think given how afraid she is of loud and strange noises that she's doing the best she can even though it seems like she's being bad -- just like it seemed to me with Maisie last week? I know it doesn't solve the problem to "re-frame" it this way, but it helped me to re-focus and calm down.
> 
> I couldn't remember what type of collar and leash you're using with Nyah. Could you use something that gives you more control -- at least until you move to your new home where it will be a calmer environment for her? Getting Maisie back on her prong collar and a short (8 foot) leash has made a huge difference -- she's back to normal already. I know you've done a lot to try to resolve the underlying issue of Nyah's reactivity to noises. I think you've posted on the Behavior Forum here -- ?? Have you tried using a "noise can" with her -- one of those cans you shake that has rocks or something heavy in. Some people use them to disrupt a dog's behavior, other's to get a dog like Nyah accustomed to new noises. I'm far from an expert on this and I do remember that you've consulted a trainer. Does your vet have any suggestions? I'm sorry I can't do more to help, but I'm thinking of you as you work through this with Nyah.


 
Well today Nyah is super sick. Whatever she ate was really bad because she threw up throughout the night constantly and we have to take her out every 20 minutes where she is watery diarreah. I gave her a frozen kong stuffed with wet food this morning so if she gets sick from that, then it's a problem.

The main problem is that I switched back to using the harness instead of the gentle leader... it's better for her but she has way more strength and control with that. I stopped the leader because she was getting massive knots in her ears from it. I used it again this morning and I have soooo much more control again, even when she freaked out. So looks like I will be sticking to this for now. We will see when we move since the neighbourhood is much more quiet. Oh I know she is not being bad intentionally... I was just mad when I posted that. I was considering a prong as well, but I think she will seriously hurt herself with that. When she gets in that horrified stated of mind she pushes through the pain to try and get home. The few times I used just a collar with her, she damaged her throat.

I have tried noise training with her, but everytime I try that it seems to make the situation worse. I tried shaking loud cans, playing sounds, etc and she just runs and hides then won't go outside for the whole day. I did try trainers, etc. and they told me to do what I was already doing. You can't distract her with treats because she is too scared to focus on that.

Thanks for all your help and suggetions though!  I am hoping once we get out of the area she will start to walk better... it won't solve the issue but at least she won't be terrified to go outside.


P.S. When I posted that it had just happend and I was extremely angry and frustrated... I by no means abuse her, I tapped her head when she tried to drag me into traffic, that is all. I was over exaggerating.


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## baumgartml16

Kim - im so sorry Nyah is sick now...hopefully it passes. Perhaps try giving her a Pepto or some pumpkin to get the stools normal again? I know in the heat of the moment you were scared and reacted - out of fear and anger. Perhaps walking her just isn't a good idea? Is there a dog park she can go to in the mean time until you move? I just don't know if putting her in that situation every day is the best for her. She is scared and is reacting, no amount of correction in any way seems to be working on her with this and perhaps just avoid the situation all together. You said your boyfriends mothers house has a fenced yard, can she go over there and play and run to get some energy out? I just would hate to hear her getting away from you and you not catching her or you getting hurt or her fears extending beyond the loud noises...just thought i would throw that out there.

Goldens R Great - there is absolutely NO need for Nyah to go to a rescue. Kim loves Nyah like it is her child, unconditionally. She was upset with her in the heat of the moment and came here to get our help. That is what this thread is for. We come here on good and bad days to share our stories and work through things together. If you go back and read the 92 pages of content you will see how very much Nyah is loved! 

Judi - yes that was the original post I made from quite a long time ago. Things are VERY different with Koda now. But yes she has been through many obedience classes and still is going to class. She is the novice class now. She was going through the teenage stage and testing her mom and dad but 99.9% of the time she is a wonderfully behaved pup! 

Megan and Kathleen - sounds like UTI's to me. Yes, you should get a urine sample and take it into the vet right away. They don't want old pee. LOL. Then if it comes back positive they will put him on antibiotics for a few days and he will be good as new! 

Kelly - that is too cute! They sure do find ways to make it impossible for people to be annoyed, mad at them hey!? I had something similar to this happen where Koda was always laying down, not to scratch her back, but to just take a break. If it wasn't in an ideal location we had to get her up. That is when we started the "up" command. They are actually called puppy push ups. You put them in a down and then get them into a sit, then down, and back to sit...so on...we use the "up" command for when she is in the down position and we want her to get up (she can sit or stand). Then you can proceed on your walk. Might be something you want to teach him!? 

Pammie - good to hear from you! How is Bryley doing these days!?


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## mrmooseman

Already got my sample lol. Heading in now. Best thing about living on a main street is the stares you get as people drive by watching you squatting next to your dog getting his pee. Lol


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## baumgartml16

LOL that is quite the site!  I just remember trying to anticipate it and not scare her. THe first time I went to get a sample from her she heard it going into the cup and got scared and stopped...she didn't want me near her LOL. 

Second time we got it but I had to squat down fast when she decided to go again LOL


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## mayapaya

Hi everyone--lot's of new posts here--Nyah's Mommy--hang in there--we've all been frustrated and angy at our pups at some point during this adolescent period--but tomorrow will be a better day!!

It's been another crazy week with my pups, but we are enjoying the nice weather and spending alot of time outside. This morning I spent more time than usual outside because someone didn't completely close the garage door and Maya pushed it open and went out exploring (guilty mom--I think it was me.) Anyways, I am trying to get my daughter off to school, and keep Payton out of my flower pots in the yard, and I realize the door is wide open--so I am frantically calling Maya, and running around the neighborhood. My heart was just pounding in my chest--thankfully I found her two houses down (thank god she is so predicatable) --sniffing at the fence of Burmese Mountain Dog friend's house!!!! Grrrrr, I was so angry I know she could hear me calling--so much for all our recall work. When she finally see's me, she does comes running to me right away (YEA FOR US), but then I realize the reason she is so happy to come to me is because I have a paper towel in my hand, which for her is about as appealing as a steak, since she loves to shred them. Sigh....I think I aged another 10 years this morning. So, here is why all our dogs should be chipped and tagged!!!! Things happen, dogs get away......hope everyone has a great week, and Megan & Kathleen, if it turns out to be UTI's, hopefully some meds will get your pups to healing soon!


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## jluke

*Whew!*

OK -- I'll speak up, too, in support of our beloved, but sometimes trying teenage pups. Judi -- I think they've all been to obedience class. (But I don't have a checklist here.) Maisie is attending her third, plus the drop-in one we go to from time-to-time. Just like human teenagers, these pups have moments when they test us -- sometimes sorely. I speak from the perspective of a mom who launched an only daughter into her freshman year of college last fall after living through middle and high school with a Type AAA intense kid.

Kim -- just a note seconding Kathleen's thought about a thundershirt. Our trainer/instructor has mentioned that they can make a huge difference for reactive dogs and I know an adult GR who was terrified of thunder (yep!) and the shirt really helped. Even a tight T-shirt might help Nyah.

So sorry that Nyah's suffering after eating her "exotic food" finds. But I'm so glad that she's working well with the Gentle Leader. Given how she darts and lunges, I understand why you're cautious about a prong collar. If you want/need to consider it, you can put rubber tips on the prongs and you can use the martingale type of prong collar so that it can only close so far, not "choke".

So sorry that Moose and Tucker and Moms are dealing with UTIs...

Pammie -- thanks for your thoughtful comment about "re-framing". I'll try to remember it the next time Maisie acts up!

Kelly -- such a cute story! Like Koda, Maisie has a similar "trick". Early on, I taught her to sit to greet people and also when other dogs were approaching. Now when we're out walking and she wants to meet someone she sits -- the person or dog can be almost a block away! She's rooted to the spot since she knows that if she sits, she can have a fun meeting. I have taught her "walk on" to get her moving, but I confess that she looks so cute that unless I'm in some big hurry, we wait for the meeting.

Speaking of cute -- we had our "field trip" class last night. Eight dogs and handlers with the teacher went to a nearby shopping center where we put them through their paces -- heels singly and in pairs on the long sidewalk, politely meeting willing shoppers, 3 and 5 minute sit-stays in rows across the sidewalk from each other, dogs about a foot apart. Then, we went into 2 stores -- PetSmart and REI. Amazingly, no problems! Maisie broke her down-stay briefly when the neighboring GR wagged her tail in Maisie's face, but... None of the dogs jumped up on anyone -- didn't even try.

OK -- I know this is r-e-a-l-l-y long, but one more thing. I walked Maisie this weekend past our small neighborhood shopping center (that claims to be the oldest in the US). As we came around the corner, a large, well-dressed family group was organizing to go into the restaurant, so we waited. One of the men spotted Maisie and rushed over, asking if he could pet her. I warned him that she'd shed her light fur over his black suit and he said, "Oh I know" Pretty soon, about 8 of them were around us petting her and exclaiming how she looks just like "their Hailey" and someone showed me a picture of their light GR -- Maisie's twin! They all went into their Bat Mitzvah luncheon at the bistro covered with fur! (But no paw marks...)


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## mrmooseman

Just got word from the vets moose does not have a uti. Now to just figure out what is going on ! They said they can do some bloodwoo\rk and what not to figure out but I think maybe since we moved his leash he wasnt using the washroom outside. So now we moved it back and are going to see if that helps.


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## Nyahsmommy

baumgartml16 said:


> Kim - im so sorry Nyah is sick now...hopefully it passes. Perhaps try giving her a Pepto or some pumpkin to get the stools normal again? I know in the heat of the moment you were scared and reacted - out of fear and anger. Perhaps walking her just isn't a good idea? Is there a dog park she can go to in the mean time until you move? I just don't know if putting her in that situation every day is the best for her. She is scared and is reacting, no amount of correction in any way seems to be working on her with this and perhaps just avoid the situation all together. You said your boyfriends mothers house has a fenced yard, can she go over there and play and run to get some energy out? I just would hate to hear her getting away from you and you not catching her or you getting hurt or her fears extending beyond the loud noises...just thought i would throw that out there.


Good news, Nyah seems to be acting more like herself now. I was very very worried this morning... she was super lethargic, but bf reminded me that she was up sick most of the night so she is probably exhausted... she had a stressful day yesterday to and had quite a bit of exercise over the past few days.

Yes, I have started to take her to the dp more again... I stopped because the old park around us closed and all the stupid owners from there came to ours, but it seems to be back to normal for the most part. I'm not going to take her today though, she needs to rest. Yes, bf's mom has a huge fenced yard where she goes about twice a week to go nuts, run around and play in her new pool. She spent all of sunday out there. The only problem is that she won't poo unless she is on a walk, but she hasn't been walking so I guess she will have to learn to go across the street.

I agree now. I don't think walking here is a good idea. It's not that she is scared of outside because in any other situation(DP, normal parks, trails, back yards, ect) she loves outside and would be content to spend the whole day outdoors. Even in other neighbourhoods she is fine walking. I think it's just because we are beside a busy road and the train carts constantly are squeeking and crashing loudly. It scared her bad when we first brought her home and she has never gotten over it.

6 more weeks until closing so I hope Nyah can hang in there until then.


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## baumgartml16

SO glad to hear Nyah is doing better! I hate to hear of these pups getting sick. An easy, relaxing day will be good for her!


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## Yuki

two things happened and now i am worried. 

1. Yuki is barking too much. i was at the vet's for a checkup and Yuki barked at every dog and kid he saw. at the vet's clinic he barked non-stop for 1 hour (-___-)

2. he isnt eating food but wants treats!! i have reduced the treats until he starts eating his food on time.

and there is the problem of him jumping on people the minute he sees me coming. i dont have any idea how to make him quit that habit. so far nothing seems to work except doing a recall and treat. but it lasts only as long as the treat.


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## mrmooseman

Glad to hear Nyah is feeling better!! Sick puppies are the worse! Moose use to be scared of big trucks and tractors too, but he grew out of it. Once we walked past one and he stopped in his tracks, I remembered reading on here how someone would pet the object the dog was scared of and say "good boy, nicee (whatever it was)". We did that with the vacuum, and he is no longer scared of it. But I still felt funny petting a small tractor, saying "looks moose! good tractor, nice tractor!" he just smelled it and then slowly became less scared. But noone was in it then, and they had left it for the evening, I'm not sure if that would help you.


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## MarsNPluto

Wow, haven't been here in a while. I guess Pluto has been pretty well-behaved, with silly antics becoming less and less frequent. I've also been busy dealing with his recurring giardia, so there's that 

Nyah's Mommy, while I don't totally understand what you are going through, I do understand your frustration. Pluto has his days where he is afraid of everything for no apparent reason, and other days where he's perfectly fine. Those days he is a scaredy-cat, I do get pretty annoyed and frustrated with him. It's not so fun dealing with fears when you had that "perfect" dog in mind that you could take anywhere and everywhere, and especially when the dog puts itself and you in danger. I'm glad everything did turn out okay after that incident, because it sounds very scary indeed! Just try to cater to her, and hang in there until you move. Congrats on the new place, by the way!

baumgartml16, I'm considering leaving Pluto at home for the entire work day too. I really don't like the idea, either! I am considering adopting an older brother for him as soon as I can get a few things worked out at my place, but we'll see... everything is still up in the air (I have met two great matches, though). It just bums me out that such a social little guy would have to be home alone all day. [Good excuse to get another dog, right? lol]



mrmooseman said:


> Just got word from the vets moose does not have a uti. Now to just figure out what is going on ! They said they can do some bloodwok and what not to figure out but I think maybe since we moves his leaah he wasnt usingthe washroom outside. So now we moved it back and are going to see if that helps.


At about 6 months Pluto had a relapse in potty training. He would have an accident at least once a week, and I thought it was a UTI as well. But it wasn't (yay for unnecessary vet bills!), and I had to potty train him all over again. He would also do the same thing as Moose and pee right in front of me. Sometimes, he would be eating a Kong or chewing an antler, get up, then just pee wherever he pleased instead of waiting by the door like he had previously. It's annoying but just go back to the basics with crating/gating and treating/praising at the right spot, and I'm sure he'll be doing what you ask of him in no time.


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## Nyahsmommy

mrmooseman said:


> Glad to hear Nyah is feeling better!! Sick puppies are the worse! Moose use to be scared of big trucks and tractors too, but he grew out of it. Once we walked past one and he stopped in his tracks, I remembered reading on here how someone would pet the object the dog was scared of and say "good boy, nicee (whatever it was)". We did that with the vacuum, and he is no longer scared of it. But I still felt funny petting a small tractor, saying "looks moose! good tractor, nice tractor!" he just smelled it and then slowly became less scared. But noone was in it then, and they had left it for the evening, I'm not sure if that would help you.


 
LOL! I don't think petting a moving train would be a good idea  lol. When she was little, I took her next to the tracks when it wasn't moving and that apparently made it worse. She is just a big scaredy cat. She is scared of the broom and other random objects too but the large/noisey objects are the worst. I think at this point the best thing is to avoid them. Soon she will never have to see a train again so it's just getting through the next month and a half.


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## baumgartml16

I am the guilty one who posted the idea to pet the object lol...i know it sounds funny and you look funny but it really does work. Doesn't work for a moving train but if you say she is scared of the broom, do it with that.

Koda used to bark and bark and bark at the vacuum, run and hide under the table now it doesn't matter one bit when I pull it out. She usually follows me around and then licks the vacuum when I turn it off LOL..shes a weirdo! 

I understand the things she is scared of outside might not be fixable but the others are worth a shot. And like you said, 6 weeks to go!


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## OutWest

Just got back from vet. Don't have results yet. Managed to get his annual vax done one month early so I didn't have to pay for another visit too soon. But bill ended up at $241. Ouch. :doh:

Doctor thinks the prednisone he's been taking (for bad rash and hot spot combined with ear infection) may be contributing to the urination issue, so we're discontinuing that. Good news is, his Giardia fecal follow-up and heart worm tests are both negative. 

Now for the weird news--he freaked at the doctors' office. As soon as the tech came to walk him into the exam room, he turned and went for the front door. Started scratching at it, begging to go outside. He's never reacted like this before. Very agitated and upset, panting, etc. I think he's just seen too much of vets and medical offices in the past few weeks. Tech was great with him. Spent some time combing his ears and petting him so he'd feel good about the visit. But very strange. 

Good news--I think I've hit on a new remedy for a smallish problem with him. When we get near to the dog park, he gets very excited and starts barking. Very loudly, and in a small car. Hard on the ears. :bowl: Working off what worked with the leash training (where if the leash gets snug, everything stops until it's loose again, then we go forward), I've started stopping the car as soon as he barks (unless there's traffic behind me of course), waiting until he's quiet, then starting up again. He's picked up the message that if he's barking, the car isn't going to take him where he wants to go! I've only done this two-three times and he's already barking much less. It's soooo nice. I just did it spontaneously one days and was surprised how well it worked. 

Have a good day everyone. Both dogs are sleeping by my feet right now. Hope they stay that way for a while.


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## Tucker's mommy

Nyah's mom - I am SOOOOO rooting for you! You must be just too excited to be getting out of your current neighborhood and off of that busy street. 

I honestly don't know what I'd do if I couldn't get Tucker out for his long walks. With all of our young children here at home, those long walks are a godsend for us in terms of burning all that pup energy so he's safer and less excited around the kids outside. Hopefully Nyah will grow to love long walks too once she's out of such a noisy environment. I don't like trains either! You can tell Nyah that! My in-laws live next to a coal train line down in southern PA - at night they just seem to ROAR through the house when we spend the night! 

Tucker will be a year old on the 27th, and I can safely say after not writing any updates for awhile that he is finally growing into himself. He will always have his wild moments - especially when we're being careless or distracted and can't nip those moments in the bud, but he is so much more manageable now. Even when he gets rough on me now, there are no marks on my skin to show for it, which is the best sign that he's FINALLY learning bite inhibition! Sure took him long enough! 

We had a huge party here this past weekend for my oldest son's first communion, and Tucker was fantastic. Even with four overnight guests after the 15 daytime guests left, he was just a happy go-lucky friendly furry guy. I was so relieved. I honestly had no idea how he'd react with all the people. Of course, we had to keep the meet and greet very controlled, and do it AFTER some serious settling and crate time, but he was out with us for most of the day without any issues after the initial arrival of all the guests. 

Another big first for Tucker - he had his first grooming on Friday. I was so afraid they'd call me and tell me to come pick up my wild dog, but they swear he did a great job, and they want to see us again soon. Reminds me of the reports we get back from my middle son's kindergarten teacher. At home, he's the devil - but at school they love him. Go figure. Tucker's the same way! 

Anyway, sorry for the long post. It's been so long since I've been on here. Life is taking over, that's for sure! 

OH - I want to tell you moms good luck, too, who are dealing with the UTI's - that cannot be fun. Although, I chuckle at the thought of getting pee samples using cups! Too funny! Tucker would probably eat the cup mid-stream!


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## jluke

*More from Me*

Kim -- so glad that Nyah is feeling better. Sick pups are so hard. When Maisie was sick last week, I was flashing back to when my daughter was sick a few times as a toddler.

Michelle -- don't feel guilty about petting and talking to inanimate objects like Megan was describing with Moose, too. I've done it with Maisie and shopping carts (when she was really little) and a multi-story scaffolding recently. It worked! DH thinks I'm crazy...

Just took a long walk and endured another Maisie whirling dervish performance as we got close to home. Ugh...

Her birthday is in about a month. Any and all birthday celebration ideas are welcome. I've already ordered a few toys (of course  ) including the ball you recommended, Michelle.


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## mrmooseman

Moose turns 1 on sunday, so we decided to get his puppy friends together and go to the park since it is going to be a nice day out. I found a great recipe online for a cake and some treats too! Got him some new toys (ugh, even tennis balls..) and just plan on letting him play all day and have fun and be spoiled with cake, hugs and kisses!


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## baumgartml16

All sorts of birthdays!  Sounds like Moose will have a good day on Sunday! Sounds a lot like Koda's party!!...which I never posted pictures of...whoops, gotta do that tonight!


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## jluke

*Birthdays...*

Michelle and Megan -- thanks for your comments. I found a Baltimore place to order a bone-shaped doggie birthday cake (since I'm not much for baking except for a few specialties). Our DP is overrun on the weekend when most of Maisie's dog friends could join us -- and when her actual birthday falls. But we finally took up a neighbor on a long-standing offer for a play date today and it was a great success. Sophie is a 3 year old part Dobe, part whatever and very active -- just tore around their yard with Maisie. Hurray! So I'm thinking just the two dogs here in our very small yard with a few chunks of cake and a little take how toy for Sophie.

Maisie's birthday is on Father's Day! Not sure how DH will feel about sharing, although my dad is really enthusiastic about it.


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## Yuki

happy birthday to moose  hugs and kisses from me in advance.

anyone having super shedding problem with their teenage pups? my pup is shedding tons of hair. he has blown his coat and its been a month, shedding wont stop and its not his diet.


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## mrmooseman

I feel shedding is a never ending issue. Once I think it's going to stop, it just happens again! I think now though he is actually getting his "big guy" fur because he is getting slightly darker. Hopefully it will slow down some anyways..


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## jluke

*Shedding...*

Maisie's losing a lot of fur this time of year, too. But I'm not finding lots on the floor or more than usual on my clothes, just when I brush her which now needs to be daily or every other day. Then I'm brushing out handfuls and handfuls of fur mostly from her lower back and haunches and the funny spot above her tail. And brushing here is still a bit of a challenge -- she has to sniff, paw, mouth and otherwise play with the brush before we start and sometimes in the midst of it, too!

My late, great Sadie, who came to us as an adult, left drifts of fur on the floor no matter how often I brushed her. So I guess this is a dog-by-dog thing...


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## Dexter12

Happy birthday *Moose*!

*Shedding*: I know what you mean, I keep finding little bits of Dex's fur floating around the kitchen, under the table it collects and it's like there's a little monster under there. 

I just had a problem with *resource guarding*, one of the cats jumped on the shelf and knocked off a toy mouse. Of course Dex went and got it and then when I tried to get it from him he barred his teeth and snapped at me. My spouse came in the room and told him to "give me the toy" and he just dropped it. I'm obviously not his equal and it's depressing since he's my dog.


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## Nyahsmommy

I have been having huge shedding issues too... I also have 3 cats but it's mostly with Nyah. I can brush and brush and de-shed and hair will not stop coming out. I find tumble weeds of fur everywhere. It's been real bad lately... I don't know if it's the weather or what but bf is really ticked off about it... he hates flying fur... especially when it's in his food. :yuck:

So Nyah's issues are getting worse now because the big construction trucks are now outside the building. Ugh. She won't even go out for a pee. We are taking her to bf's moms tonight for a run.. hopefully that'll last her for a while. :no:


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## OutWest

Someone at my dog park mentioned giving a tablespoonful of olive oil to their dog every in their food...said it helped stop a lot of the shedding...haven't tried it myself.


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## jluke

*Moose!*

Happy Birthday, Moose!!! have a specially fun weekend with your people and have them send pictures, OK?


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## jluke

*Problems...*

So sorry that Dexter gave you a scare and then responded differently to your husband. That can be so discouraging. It's the other way around here -- DH's commands are too gentle (not that yours are). DH sometimes even says, "Sit, please," although I recently suggested he stop and he has.

Both Maisie's breeder and the class instructor have said that when a dog guards a resource, the item should be put away for quite a while (or forever). That may not be fair to your cat though... You're so good with Dexter that you've probably done all the give back and forth "games". But just in case, when you're comfortable, you and your husband might want to sit with Dexter and have him give you his toys and then you give them back, give you something he loves to chew (I do it with Maisie and her antler.), etc. 

Sorry, too, that Nyah has too deal with loud construction noise -- that's all she needs!

Maisie and I were visiting a neighbor when a dog came out next door and romped up and down the fence line. Of course, Maisie joined in. We were invited next door to play which was great. Maisie sat and stayed when I asked -- I was so happy -- but I fumbled putting on her prong collar and she got impatient, broke the stay, pulled away from me and I flew down in a heap. Got up completely muddy. I know the temptation was just too much for her, but it didn't make me any cleaner or less embarrassed. :yuck: We still went next door and the dogs had a fun time.


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## Dexter12

I've had a little sucess with *resource guarding*, Dex got the cat toy again because my partner put it low enough that he could get it. I managed to be firm and not scared and eventually he respected me enough to drop it, but my hands were shaking afterwards. When he was three months old I tried to get a cat toy out of his mouth and he ended up biting my finger so hard that I most likely should have gotten stitches. Cat toys are the only thing he gets really strange about, it's like a switch in his head because usually he's a real sweet heart


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## Nyahsmommy

OutWest said:


> Someone at my dog park mentioned giving a tablespoonful of olive oil to their dog every in their food...said it helped stop a lot of the shedding...haven't tried it myself.


I give her wild salmon pills everday, not sure if the olive oil would help at all.


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## OutWest

I just added this to another thread, but thought I'd add it here, too. Felt like a big accomplishment, and a weight off my mind.

_I've been vacillating about buying pet insurance for months and today finally got it! I had a company I found on the Internet send me a list of all the companies that sell in my zip code, and visited each site to compare. Then I read all the comments I could find here. I ended up with PetPlan Silver, paid for the whole year in advance and spent $360. 

I decided against spending the $$ for my toy spaniel, Tess. The price was much higher because she's 9 and I think because her breed has many problems. she's had a bunch of health issues which would not be covered (pre-existing) so, since I'm out of work right now it didn't seem a good use of $$$. Since Tucker's under a year old and healthy I wanted to get him covered before there was a list of pre-existings to deal with. 

In the past month, I've spent about $350 on vet bills, and I bet I could have gotten about a third of it back if I'd already been enrolled. 
_

Vet called today--no UTI.  But I'm out a bunch of $$ and still don't know what was going on. No accidents today. Maybe just an anomaly.

Nice day today. Got my spring annuals into pots, finally! Tucker was on a lead with me. Could not figure out what I was doing with the dirt.  Tried to eat it. I think I'm going to bed early tonight....


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## Deber

Dexter12 you need to make the commitment to be a higher pack leader. I would ask your BF to let you take command, you feed, you walk, you train. Usually the one who does this moves greatly up the ladder in pack order. Make sure you are the first one to enter/exit a door. All these reinforce to your dog that you are higher up the ladder than they are. My DH is a woosie when it comes to the dogs and they don't mind him near as well as they do me. My worst problem was exiting the door, I was mobbed with two golden pups pushing and shoving. Now we stop and both dogs must sit, then I count to 10 then open the door and call the dogs. It really seemed to help not only save my knees, but they realize that I am above them in the chain and agree with this. Just little things, but mean a lot to a dog to understand who is the humans. Goldens don't bite and hold like fighting breeds do, so you shouldn't let your fear take the better of you. I would bet he is testing you to see if you allow him higher status. I honestly believe most growl for show. It would be good to stand up straight and tall, take a deap breath and train, train. These are loving and good dogs, but teen times will test the best of us. Love and constant training with good solid rewards can take you far, but don't let him know of your fear, he will know this and test it often. 

Sorry I have been gone so long. Got Kye and Coop in new classes and Kye's class is really an active one. It is obedience with pre-agility and specializes in off leash work. We are learning comands from a great distance, spot marking (for thrown balls) and she is loving it. So much work now than we have ever done and we spend hours at night, but she is learning so fast. Coops class is just another obedience class, but trainer is going to help me with his jumping all over people. Hope so, cause nothing seems to stop this. He is still deaf and dumb when it comes to people and wanting to crawl all over them. 

Coop is back to being crated at night since he pulled up all the baseboards in the kitchen and pulled my clean clothes from their hangers in the garage! Know he is bored but getting destructive has got to go. We have added a run at the ballpark just before bedtime and hope this will help him be tired out. He is such a chicken and has always been such a laid back guy, don't know where this is coming from. Hope making him more tired will solve the problem, but since we can't watch him while we sleep feel the crate only makes sense. He hates it, but is settling down quicker each night. Hope this doesn't take long to pass. 

So sorry for the UTI's in our boys! Know the little devils get this easily when young, but quickly over. Honestly try cranberry juice with a bit of water frozen in ice trays each day. They love this and seems to keep infections away, but need antibiotics for an actual infection. My Vet suggested this in my yorkie girl who was prone to infections, works and she gets one every evening. Loves it especially in the hot weather.


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## mrmooseman

I have been looking into pet insurance for a while. But the bf (being an accountant, and very stingy) doesn't think it would benefit us and we would just be wasting money.. after the past few weeks, I'm sure we'd save some!

No UTI for the Moose man, but in the same boat you are with Tucker, now to figure out what is going on! The vet told us she would like to see him and do some bloodwork, and made me feel guilty because we didn't do the kidney and liver bloodwork when we got him fixed. But he seems fine. He's eating and drinking great, playing, he seemed to be having not as long pees outside, and not drinking nearly as much water as he was. So we decided to just keep am eye out. The bf said he is just getting back at us for getting him fixed (lol). We had an accident yesterday.. well I don't really think it was an accident as maybe drool. It was a small area, with a bit of liquid, by the door. I wasn't home and we were after being at the park and he drank a lot of water there because it was soo nice out, and when Milo drinks water, Moose tries to steal it (he's so greedy sometimes! but we're working on that..still.) Of course I corrected him. So right now my approach is potty training.. again.

Deb, I am going to do that cranberry juice thing with Moose. Atleast keep them away. I have been filling the freezer with frozen treats for him, because with the weather getting so hot suddenly, I like having them there.


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## Deber

Hate to admit it Megan, but I too get UTI's easily and I put a couple of cubes of frozen cranberry in my iced tea at night. Crossing my fingers but it has been 2 yrs since I had an infection. Wish my Dr would have told me about it a long time ago. Love my cranberry tea and dogs all like their frozen cube each night. Cheap and helps.


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## canine_mommy

Just want to add about the cranberry juice - use pure cranberry, not the one that's mixed with other fruit juices or has a ton of sugar, like ocean spray or something. Pure cranberry juice is really bitter. It's available only in the organic stores, where I live.


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## jluke

*Today's Antics... Frozen Treats?*

First, so glad that you stood up to Dexter -- I know it takes guts to do that. Maisie is a cream puff, but with our prior terrible experience with our last rescue, I sometimes take a deep breath when I tell her to "leave" her antler, then am so happy when she drops it and I can give it back. I support what deber mentioned about entering and exiting doors -- although Maisie's trainer/instructor doesn't think who goes first is so important (ala Cesar Milan), but maybe it is with Dexter (??) and some dogs. With Maisie, I always have her sit before I open a door and either of us goes through -- I just don't want her charging through a door. It's not safe or controlled.

Glad the pups don't have UTIs -- sorry that you're now puzzled about what set off the peeing. As to cranberry as a supplement, my mom who was plagued by UTIs, swears by it, too.

Now that it's getting warmer, I want to freeze something for Maisie. Do any of you freeze unsalted natural chicken broth or veggie broth for your dogs? Is there something else you use?

I've mentioned that we have some renovations going on. Today, the workers took down the kitchen door that now leads into the partially finished new mudroom where they're hanging a new outside door to what will be the replaced deck. (The old one was falling down.) Maisie thinks she's supervising them! Of course, DH or I are watching her like crazy so she doesn't get into any trouble and we only let her go in there when we have to get something, but it's really funny. She thinks she's in charge -- sits in the old open door way and watches, turning her head back and forth like, "Make sure you get it just right. I'm going to play out there!"


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## Tucker's mommy

*I am SUCH a baby...*

So I was out walking Tucker this morning, as usual, with my two year old daughter in the jogger stroller, and we were just approaching the trail head from the street. As we're walking along the path, I notice something in middle of the path, on the ground, and before I can even try to stop the jogger, I realize it's a snake, writhing and wiggling, right on the ground in front of me. It was too late to stop, so I had to plow right through, stepping over the little bugger. Tucker, dope that he is, didn't even notice the snake. I am DEATHLY scared of and grossed out by snakes. I screamed SOOOOOOO loud, I've never seen Tucker (or my two year old) jump higher in their lives! I was so embarassed. My daughter (speaks quite well for a two year old) asked "what wrong wit you, mommy??" Thank GOD no one was around to witness that! The tiniest little snake, and it scared the crap out of me. And Tucker didn't even notice it! He must wonder what in the world he did to deserve his place in our circus of a home!


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## baumgartml16

Katie - thanks for the laugh. Picturing that was enough to make me laugh out loud...hahaha.

Jill - I am sure Maisie is on top of the renovation, she is queen bee!


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## jluke

*Snakes and...*

Katie -- please don't worry about the snake! When Maisie was little, she and DH were walking and she picked up half a dead one -- :uhoh: Before she knew "Leave it!" Good thing he had to take it from her.  And when my daughter was about your's age, she came running into a picnic with a dead snake in her hands, stretched out between them squealing, "Look what I found, Mommy!" As I backed up, I tried to keep my voice even and said, "That's so-o-o interesting." Didn't want to make her afraid, but don't think I fooled her for a second...

Michelle -- next I think Maisie will be picking out paint colors. I'm a bit worried about her limited range of color sight!


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## mrmooseman

I like to mix mashed up banana's and peanut butter and put a scoop onto a piece of plastic wrap and put them in the freezer as a little banana/peanutbutter treat. I know you can do this with a long, but we never tried it yet. Moose LOVES them! When I made homemade turkey soup, I put some broth into trays and froze them. All the fat surfaced to the top, but Moose liked them too.


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## mrmooseman

At least she is just supervising.. Moose has decided to help with the outside renos, he started digging up the front step so it's easier to move :doh:


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## mrmooseman

Just uploaded a video in the video section for Moose turning 1! Enjoy my "awesome" editing skills haha.


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## Dexter12

I'm glad that Tucker is cleared of an UTI :wavey:




Deber said:


> Dexter12 you need to make the commitment to be a higher pack leader. I would ask your BF to let you take command, you feed, you walk, you train. Usually the one who does this moves greatly up the ladder in pack order. Make sure you are the first one to enter/exit a door. All these reinforce to your dog that you are higher up the ladder than they are. My DH is a woosie when it comes to the dogs and they don't mind him near as well as they do me. My worst problem was exiting the door, I was mobbed with two golden pups pushing and shoving. Now we stop and both dogs must sit, then I count to 10 then open the door and call the dogs. It really seemed to help not only save my knees, but they realize that I am above them in the chain and agree with this. Just little things, but mean a lot to a dog to understand who is the humans. Goldens don't bite and hold like fighting breeds do, so you shouldn't let your fear take the better of you. I would bet he is testing you to see if you allow him higher status. I honestly believe most growl for show. It would be good to stand up straight and tall, take a deap breath and train, train. These are loving and good dogs, but teen times will test the best of us. Love and constant training with good solid rewards can take you far, but don't let him know of your fear, he will know this and test it often.





jluke said:


> First, so glad that you stood up to Dexter -- I know it takes guts to do that. Maisie is a cream puff, but with our prior terrible experience with our last rescue, I sometimes take a deep breath when I tell her to "leave" her antler, then am so happy when she drops it and I can give it back. I support what deber mentioned about entering and exiting doors -- although Maisie's trainer/instructor doesn't think who goes first is so important (ala Cesar Milan), but maybe it is with Dexter (??) and some dogs. With Maisie, I always have her sit before I open a door and either of us goes through -- I just don't want her charging through a door. It's not safe or controlled.


I can do that, make sure that I assert my standing. I'm already the one who walks, feeds and trains him. I've taught him a drop it command but when it comes to the cat's toys it just doesn't seem to do anything for him, but it's something that we need to keep working on togther. I'll try to keep him from charging the door first, that'll need a lot work!

[Edit: I'm not going to be able to deal with this, I tried practicing with him today and he went straight from snarling to biting to hard biting. He's chosen an alpha and I guess I'm not it]

Today we had a little accident on the rug but he was excited because the other half was leaving and he wanted to go with. haha.


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## Yuki

last night Yuki gave me a scare!! he ran away and went down the stairs which lead to the road. thankfully the gates that lead to the road were closed. no matter how much i called him or pulled at him he didnt budge and wanted to go out onto the road. Our roads are filled with traffic and not a safe place for him to run to. took me 40 minutes to push him, half carry him and pull him back into the house when every other trick failed to get him back home. i worked up a sweat and felt like i had taken a shower. he weighs 63 lbs now and it was a tough job for me :no: 

after i got back home with him i was so frustrated that he didnt listen to me, i hit him once  it scared the hell outta me, what if the gates were open and he ran out....he would get hit by some car or bike!! here most people dont care if they hit some dog while driving. my heart was pounding like a drum when he ran out. i did scream "no" loudly and ran after him. 

he never did this before, wouldnt go down the stairs unless one of us was with him. :no:

PS: i swear by the cranberry juice too cuz it works. it worked on my dad and also on my previous dog.  its the best for UTI infections.


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## baumgartml16

Dexter - hang in there, don't give up! I know it is extrememly frustrating but you will get it under control. When he starts the jumping/biting instantly turn your back or if he persists with the jumping go to another room and close the door. Let yourself calm down, I know I am always not in the right mind when Koda does that to me so I need a minute to gain composure. Koda used to this kind of thing and really with a lot of time and work she has come around. Now if she ever gets like that we know she is overstimulated and we need to bring it down a notch. When we turn our back to her she knows to sit and calm down...don't give up!

Last night was Koda's first class in Novice. We have some things to work on. Her attention span is still very puppy like so we need to focus on more long sit/stays and long down/stays. She did pretty good on the sit one, only broke it once but the down one she broke a couple times. Towards the end she wasn't having it at all and just kept getting up. She did okay with her heeling exercises, not as good by the third one (again the attention span) - Brian took her outside to refocus her and she came back much better. She did amazing on recalls. He went all the way across the room and she didnt break it or try to visit the other dogs lining the walls. We were very happy with her! I love being in classes with her, gives us an idea of things we need to work on with her!


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## OutWest

Syd: that must have scared you a lot. And frustrated you. Sounds like he's testing you. Something that might help...a trainer a while back (my 9 year old's puppy trainer) had us teach our dogs a special "come" for use in emergencies. She said we should have a sure-fire way of stopping our dog in its tracks and getting it to return to us, separate from everyday "come." She had us teach the dog using a high-pitched tone of voice that penetrates. Some people used a different word, I used "come" but just in a different tone of voice. The key to cooperation was identifying the dog's all-time favorite treat--the tastiest thing the dog had ever had--and training that command using that treat. And not using the treat for other training. The dog should that sound/word with that tasty treat. It needs a lot of repeat training to keep it fresh, but since you live on a busy road, perhaps this would be a useful thing for you. 

Adolescent bodies: are your dogs' bodies changing? Tucker's waist is getting thicker. He used to have a very narrow waist when you looked at him from above and now it's filled in. His weight is the same. He's losing his slim-and-girlish figure!
:--dumbfounded:


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## jluke

*Some Thoughts and a Question*

Syd -- so sorry you had such a scare with Yuki. Kathleen's suggestion of a special emergency command sounds great and I'd never heard it before. So much to train... Our instructor had another thought, too. In an emergency, she suggests using a command that your dog is solid with. For example, Maisie I won't say always, but as near to always as she does anything, sits. Once when she ran from me, I remembered to call "Sit" instead of "Come". and she sat. I don't know if Yuki has a command like that, but maybe it would work -- ?? I'm going to add Kathleen's suggestion to my ever-growing list of things to train.

Dexter -- I'm thinking of you as you work on dominance issues.

Megan -- loved the video of Moose! (Maisie wishes she could be playing with all these pups who are her age...) Now with Moose's helping with the renovations -- if you have any contractors, watch out. Once when DH was being too helpful like Moose, our contractor warned him that "He was getting dangerously close to losing the nice person discount." 

Michelle -- hurray for you, DH and Koda in her first Novice class. She's off to a great start. We finish our advanced obedience class next Monday. Our instructor doesn't offer anything over the summer, so I've started looking for someone else. Otherwise, we'll be like the kids who forget what we've learned during the school year.

Maisie, DH and I worked on recalls yesterday. We broke up the training with playing with bubbles, then used the bubbles as distractions. Since I know that some of the dogs (Koda, others?) like bubbles, thought you might want to give it a try, too. The bubbles were a great reward for Maisie and an easy to use distraction.

Kathleen -- like Tucker, Maisie has lost her waist somewhat. When she was sick with the cough and saw the vet, I asked about her weight. The vet thought she was fine, then looked at her waist again and said she should lose about 2 or 3 pounds (out of 65). She definitely looks like an adult.

Speaking of how she looks -- I've been trying and trying to upload a signature picture from my PC without any luck. I know several of you have done it. If you have the time at some point to send me a private message, I'd appreciate it. I keep following the directions -- or think I am, but no success. Thanks.


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## Deber

Kye's body too has changed and all the angles are filling in. Will be good to get her weighed at the Vets and see if it is weight gain or just normal body changes, but yes she looks a bit overweight, which is crazy with the little amount she gets and how active she is. Hope it is normal.


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## jluke

*Food Intake?*

Deber -- I feel the same way about Maisie's shape and food intake. She's just eating 2 and a half cups total per day of Annaemate which is a no grain high protein kibble. What does Kye take in?


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## Yuki

OutWest said:


> Adolescent bodies: are your dogs' bodies changing? Tucker's waist is getting thicker. He used to have a very narrow waist when you looked at him from above and now it's filled in. His weight is the same. He's losing his slim-and-girlish figure!
> :--dumbfounded:


yes Yuki is filling in too. weight is the same but losing the slim look slightly. he is 63lbs and 23 inches tall, i believe he will grow a bit more taller. 

Thanks for the training tips  i will start training him from today. he does have a solid command that works its "sit". yuki  doesnt respond well to "come" these days. guess he tuned me out or sumthing.


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## Dexter12

Dexter dug *another* hole in our nice lawn.  

Yesterday Dex and I went back to his biggest hole and looked at grub together....which he then ate. hahaha


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## Rockypointers

baumgartml16 thanks for starting this thread....Our Lucy is 6 months old and has really had no behavior issues until recently....having fun pulling the stuffing out of our fake plants and tearing the heck out of our magazines and puzzle books....small prices to pay, considering that she ISN'T chewing furniture or baseboards....knock on wood.


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## jluke

*Happy Saturday!*

Welcome Rockypointers and Lucy! Ah, yes, teen times... Now that Lucy is finding "more interesting" things to munch, Maisie recommends antlers if Lucy hasn't tried them yet.

Dexter -- grubs, really? That's survival food. Yuck! But Maisie will still eat dirt, so I shouldn't say anything. :uhoh:

Maisie and I are on our own this weekend. DH just left on the long drive to New England to pick up our daughter from college. Maisie and I will be so happy when they get back tomorrow evening. Our daughter is just about Maisie's favorite person -- DH and I are the cake, our daughter is the icing.  (Of course, he and I don't let Maisie jump on us, bite our hair or treat us like a human puppy in too many ways to list!) In the meantime, Maisie and I will watch the lacrosse play-offs (rooting for Hopkins -- me -- and watching the ball -- Maisie), the Preakness since we both like to watch the horses and back episodes of Downton Abbey (Maisie watches Isis the Lab). Lots of walks, too, since it's gorgeous. Sorry to ramble...


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## Dexter12

Hey and welcome Rockypointers!



jluke said:


> Dexter -- grubs, really? That's survival food. Yuck! But Maisie will still eat dirt, so I shouldn't say anything. :uhoh:


Yup, beetle larva..he looooves them. omnomnom :yuck:


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## Rockypointers

Thanks for the welcomes! Saw antlers at Petco the other day and passed. Will try based on Maisies suggestion now though. (Sorry if I misspelled...went by memory.


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## OutWest

Hi all. Welcome Rockypointer! 

Antlers: tucker and Tess have mixed feelings. I boiled and soaked them in chicken broth and they liked them at first. Then lost interest. I could do the broth bit again but its a hassle... Their favorite and my favorite chew remains beef hooves. Cheap, last a long time. Just don't step on them in the dark :uhoh: and take them away when they get small enough to swallow. 

We are heading out the door to get exercise. DD was home sick yesterday. Nobody got enough exercise. Going to try to tire everyone out. 

I think we'll practice leash walking, too.


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## MarsNPluto

Hey everyone! So Pluto and I went to the beach today since we've been off his giardia meds for a couple days and he's doing well, and thought I'd share a photo of him since I haven't in a while. I used instagram to edit it.

Pluto did really well... at first. He fetched his ball over and over, helped me dig some holes, would come when called (I had hot dogs, chicken and turkey), and I think he's finally not afraid of the waves crashing on the shore. Then it got towards the end of the hour, I threw his ball, he went to get it then ran away from it... went up to two people that were hanging around our area (one of which clearly didn't want to be bothered) and all of a sudden went deaf. When I called him, he ran away over a sand hill and picked up a bundle of seaweed to tear apart.:yuck: I kept calling him over, he kept trying to play chase. When he finally came, I praised him and treated him, then attached the leash. As soon as he doesn't listen -> fun over! Other than the fiasco at the end, he did really well compared to recent times with recall and fetch. I can definitely tell he is growing up, but we still have a while to go.

Regarding antlers, Pluto loves them! He has 3 different ones for variety - deer antler and a split elk antler (started with these to build interest since the deer antler is softer and the split elk antler has the marrow exposed), and an entire hard elk antler. He enjoys all 3 and I switch them around for him.

Hope everyone is having a great weekend!

edit to add: Yes, that is one of his holes he so proudly dug up!


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## OutWest

So we went to the big dog park and Tucker ran a lot and chased balls. He played with another dog for a few but seems to be losing interest in playing--more focused on the ball now. My DD put him into the Bay and let him chase the ball there. Gorgeous day--lots of para sailers. Then I went for a swim at the Y. DD is not feeling 100% so she didn't. I think we are all tired though. 

Tucker's loose leash walking continues to improve. I've come to the conclusion I'm not the best amateur trainer around...I think he would be much farther along by now with a better trainer. He walks fairly well for me but not DD. she gets very impatient. Two teenagers at opposite ends of a leash! Tucker has the hardest time walking well TO the exciting thing (dog park, beach, etc.) and does best on the return trip. But overall he's improving and it's so much better than before. At least my leash arm doesn't feel two inches longer than the other!


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## Pammie

Hi Gang!:wave:

Welcome Lucy & Rockypointer! Another vote for antlers from Bryley and I! Try petexpertise.com , that is where I get mine.

Lucky pups who have lakes and bays and oceans so close! We have a plastic pool! YaaHoo! 

First off, Dexter...yuck yuck yuck! Grubs? I would freak out if Bryley ate those. During the summer my cats frequently bring up to the deck their prizes- mice & lizards - to eat them. I am dreading the day Bryley happens to be out there too because I know he will join in the feast! :yuck: 


Today we went on our weekend walk with friends. My friend is dog sitting a chihuahua name Li'l Bill, so he came on the walk too! Bryley and Bill walked well together and Bryley did not even try to snack on hm! I tell ya, my dog does not like the warm weather! It was around 83 degrees or so - not so hot, right? - and every time we were in full sun I could see Bryley scanning for the next patch of shade! He pulled more than he has in months because he was so intent on getting to the shade and grass. I turned on the air in the car and turned it on in the house when we got home. He was a happy camper!! I love the combo of walking and warm weather. I had a perfect dog:bigangel: from 3:15 when we got home until 7:45. His battery was fully changed again by then!!

It's 9pm now and he is antsy for some play time. I will take him outside and we will play with his favorite outside toy- a 1 gallon Coleman water jug. Handle off, lid off and loads of fun! It slides and bounces when thrown and is quite durable to my shark! Out we go...Wish me luck, the mosquitos are out in full force!!

Michelle- I really like your new sig photo! Hot mama!!!

What is going to happen to 'us' when all out pups are not really teenagers anymore? I like this group!


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## jluke

*My Usual Mix...*

Lucy -- Maisie's is a real chewer's chewer. Her antler preference is for hard elk antlers. her second choice is for sticks -- any stick, then roots which she doesn't understand are immobile! :doh:

Dexter -- grubs are yucky. Period. I guess Maisie and I just aren't survivalists.

Maria and Pluto -- loved your beach story (except for the selective hearing). Maisie is going to the beach next weekend for the first time. Anybody have any hints?

Speaking of firsts -- Maisie had her first ride in my mid-life crisis convertible (10 years old) last night. She looked incredibly cute in her Doggles if I do say so myself. (It was dark so I didn't get a picture, but I will.) 

Kathleen -- hurrah for Tucker and loose leash walking! My left arm still fills a little, but just a little longer than my right, after every walk. I know what you mean about the combination of a teenage puppy and a teenager. Mine, 19, returns today and the bedlam will begin!


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## Tucker's mommy

Okay Dexter's mom - that photo you posted is absolutely disgusting. I think grubs are right up there with snakes on my list of least favorite things!!!!! YUCK!!!!! :yuck:

We've been going through a pretty nice behaviour stretch with Tucker lately. He's been getting tons of exercise with this awesome outside weather, which is a huge help. Today we dragged out all the water toys for the kids - sprinkler, water table, little pool, etc., and Tucker was right outside in the middle of it all - very gentle, but active and happy. So nice to see him play so well with the kids. 

He's growing up. Still gets crazy - I think we'll always have to help him deal with those moments he needs to be reeled in from his "crazies" , but we're managing. Knock on wood! LOUDLY! :crossfing:wave:


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## Deber

I feed both dogs 1 1/2 cu twice a day and Coop is almost thin, but Kye looks like a Matron! Since most goldens are overweight I honestly have none her age to compare here to, but she is a bit heavy to me. Don't want to decrease her food, cause it is honestly not much, but guess our months off from classes really helped her fill out. Don't know but curious at what she weighs. 

Really liking our new class with Kye. It is an obedience, but with pre-agility thrown in. Bad thing is I have to trott all over the field. I am old and running is NOT what I consider a Ball of Fun! But Kye loves it and good to work more with her on sounds and non leash commands (can use this at our country place). So new and both of us are a little loss, but feel we will get the hang of this the more we do. She was a little hesitant about entering the tunnel (we have never done this) but they used a small terrier (since Kye is around the yorkies at the house) and she followed him right through! I hope with repetition she will learn that tunnels are fun. 

We are working, with the help of our trainer, to teach Kye/Coop with sounds and less lead. My hands are not good and a dog pulling on the leash is painful, holding on to a leash, not a possibility at times, so we have worked on sounds for sit, words for look at me for a command when on long lead and it is working surprisingly well! Same results but with a twist. Fun to be out there doing with other dogs but working with sounds/words instead of the usual leash and treats. Prob. the same early training for a Service Dog, but adapted to our life in the country. Lot of fun and the dogs seem to pick up on it really quickly. Hopeing to eventually get to the point the dogs are on leash less, but know when they must stay close to me. I want them to the point we can go to the Vets without a leash (know this might be crazy) but know I will get to the point my hands will not allow a leash. DH may not be available so want the kids to know to behave without a tether. Do you guys think this could be possible in a Country Vet situation (not by big roads, no traffic much)? I picked agility training at least for Kye because so much of this will be off lead with her looking to me for instructions? Do you think we can do this? 

Glad to see so many new ones here. This is a special, special place and all here are friends..no more than friends, we are family. Welcome! I am Deb


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## OutWest

Deb: it sounds reasonable to to train them for off-leash commands. I'll be interested in knowing how that progresses, I had been told by trainers that dogs respond better to hand gestures than vocal commands, so I'd be interested in knowing more about it.

Have you seen this chart before: Purina.Com | Dog | Caring | Understanding your Dog's Body Condition. I find it the most useful tool for checking how my two canines are doing, weight-wise. I also weigh them fairly often at the local PetSmart, but the visual and hands on evaluation has become the most useful.


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## Dexter12

Tomorrow I'm going to be travelling back to my home town for a couple days, so we're boarding Dex at the breeders. I'm so nervous, I hope he behaves himself. I know that they'll be used to it, but I've been raising him. In about a month's time, he's going to stay there for a week as my big sister is getting married, so this is sort of practice for him.


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## baumgartml16

Wow. Lots of catching up to do, bear with me! 

Rockypointers and Lucy - Welcome!  Love to hear from new people, we are here to help! We had to put a cover over the stuffing of our fake plants, there was no stopping Koda. She knew she wasn't supposed to get it either. It was right behind the couch and she would every so quietly walk over there and grab some and we never even knew it. She is so sneaky...we would realize it was too quiet and something was wrong lol. We have tried antlers without much success so I might try the split ones to see if those work better.

Jill - Koda and I were on our own too while DH was away all weekend for a bachelor party. We had a tough day Sunday morning trying to walk her but we are working through it..not sure if she had anxiety wtih hubby being gone or if she was scared of all the people out and about (not usual for her) or the heat...

Dexter - that grub you are eating is so gross. It reminds me of Lion King though lol..

I too wish we had some sort of body of water near us. We go to an indoor swimming pool once a month but that is not the same. Koda will be spending a week up north in July on the lake and I am sure she will be in heaven. I might have to invest in a kiddie pool until then though.

Pammie - Koda is the exact same way about the shade. She sets her eyes on shade and we are jogging up to it lol..then she slows to a much slower pace while in the shade, sometimes she plops down saying "this is good here, no need to continue" lol. Thanks for the compliment on the picture as well! That was the day after we got Koda, I was beaming with joy! 

Deb - that agility stuff sounds sooo fun. Koda is so far from being off leash so until she is better off leash she can't be involved in it. She has to be able to listen to our commands first lol. She is still so preoccupied in class, we get close to the equipment sometimes on heel patterns and instead of doing an about turn like she is supposed to she keeps heading straight to go check the stuff out lol. And yes, I do think you can get those off leash commands down. It might take time, but you can do it!  

I am sticking around here for a while. I love the people on this thread and like working through problems and hearing about fun times here! 

Alright that is it for now. Sorry for the long post....


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## jluke

*Monday Morning...*

Deber -- so impressed with your off-leash work with Kye and Coop. I'd like to try it with Maisie, but we don't have a spot (and I don't think she's ready, really.) I may try it, though -- I'm looking for a summer course in either rally or agility. If anyone has input on which to choose, I'd appreciate it. BTW, deber, didn't like the tunnel at first in puppy class, but then I couldn't keep her away from it.

Dexter will be fine at the boarder, but I understand why it's a concern -- like leaving a toddler with a babysitter for the first time.

Michelle -- I'm sure Koda missed DH. Maisie was fine without my DH until bedtime when she looked all over for him, settled on the floor on his side of the bed where she usually sleeps, cried for a moment or two, then came over to the floor on my side. (We're meanies -- she's not allowed in bed, but she has her own that she uses in cold weather.) When DH got home yesterday with our daughter, Maisie turned it into a huge puppy party! Claire brought home a ball for her -- just a regular tennis ball -- but it was special to Maisie and she carried it all the rest of the afternoon and evening and up to bed. I think I'm going to be "chopped liver" for a while...


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## Deber

Jill your description cracked me up! I know Kye/Coop don't like it when hubby and I aren't there I guess just one of us isn't enough! Will keep my fingers crossed that Kye likes the tunnel the next time! Know it just takes practice. Honestly both dogs are getting so much better at long leash, but I need to work on having them stay at my side (much different without a leash). I know it can be done, but just don't know if either are mentally ready, but figure now is the best time to try. Will let you know how it goes. But the agility pre work is so much fun! Can't wait until class this week.


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## mrmooseman

Woah! Haven't been on here all weekend.. very busy!

Welcome rockypointers and lucy! I swear if it wasn't for this forum, I would have been in the nut house long ago! It's so good having other people around who feel the same pain. I don't think I will be leaving anytime soon lol.

Moose turned 1 yesterday! We didn't do a whole lot, we got busy putting in new windows and new siding onto the front of the house. Can't wait to get this done and over with! I took Moose to the park to play though, because he was outside and in everyones way. He had so much fun outside with everyone. He was stealing pieces of wood and putting them into a hole he dug. What a crazy pup. He got a soccer ball, some tennis balls, and stuffed duck and his first elk antler (um.. he might be spoiled). He is chewing it right now and seems to enjoy it. He also enjoyed his cake too! 

Michelle, when Kyle goes away for work Moose doesn't notice him really gone. He sleeps in his spot on the bed lol, same with in the morning when he leave for work. But when he goes outside or goes somewhere else, Moose goes on like a nut! Cries, runs from the back door to the patio door to the front window and does it a few times. When I leave, nothing. I figured I spend the most time with him, he should be some what upset!

I start a new job the end of July, so I'm hoping he will get along with me not being home as often. We will be able to have someone come here and hopefully I might be able to come home for lunch since I will be closer. 

I also didn't enjou the picture of grubs. Yesterday I saw a huge spider. Ugh, I hate bugs. There is nothing about them I like, and of course, june bugs have already graced us. Not looking forward to this at all.


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## GoBigRed

So Husker has turned into quite the theif. He will take anything from papers, magazines, etc. off of the dining room table, bookshelves (luckily not books yet) and the computer desks. He's banned from going upstairs because he will take clothes off the beds, shoes and slippers. 

When he gets something you can tell because he'll start romping around the living room. Once he sees you he takes off running around the dining room table. When he first started this you had to catch him to get the item back. Now I can get on my knees and say "Here" and he will ever so slowly walk to me. If I reach out though he'll bolt and start the "here" over again. Once he gets to me I say "Sit" and he flat out refuses to do this. He'll drop the item but will not sit so I have to push his bum down to sit. 

He just started this about 2 weeks ago. Sure hope this phase wears off quickly.


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## jluke

*Found a Rally Class...*

I found a rally class for Maisie and me that's not too, too far away. We can go and observe a session in a week or so. If I think it looks good, we have to have an evaluation with the instructor to make sure Maisie is solid enough on her basic obedience commands. That should be fun -- not! :doh:

Our final advanced obedience class is tonight, so I really need to line up our next step. I know rally won't help with off-leash work, but I haven't found an intro agility class yet.


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## baumgartml16

Welcome Big Red, sounds like you have a goofy boy! LOL. 

Koda still steals clothes every morning. She gives them up when it is time but we have always let her have those for a bit so they aren't a sacred item to her.

Shoes on the other hand, those are worth a game of chase to her, and us being first time doggy parents used to play this game with her. We regret it to this day and probably always will. Now when she gets those sacred things it takes two in order to get it back. No treat is worth it to her. 

Good job teaching the "here" command. I have tried everything. As long as he is giving up the object I woudn't worry too much. He is just trying to get some attention it sounds like. If it is a big problem I guess you will have to put all of these things out of his reach...

Good luck!


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## baumgartml16

Jill - are dogs allowed in rally without being off leash? I wanted to start stuff with Koda for agility but we can't do those classes till she is actually off leash. Who knows if that will EVER happen lol.


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## jluke

*Welcome and Happy Birthday to Moose the Renovator!*

Welcome to GoBigRed and Husker the Thief. The challenge you describe isn't one I've had with Maisie, so I don't have much to suggest. I do know that I've been coached not to chase her if she won't come when called. I think deber has kept Coop on a short lead all the time to work on some issues and wonder if that might help. She might have some ideas.

Happy 1st Birthday, Moose! You look mighty cute in your festive hat! And I'm really glad you got a mountain of presents from your people since I've been buying a thing here and there for Maisie and now there's a stack. (But I've stopped...)


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## MarsNPluto

Happy belated birthday to Moose! :wave: Sounds like he had an awesome birthday.

Jill - Maisie is going to have a BLAST at the beach. The only hint I can really give you is to take a ton of pictures.  Btw, Pluto and I do agility, and we love it! I actually look forward to it every week, even though class is at 8am... on Saturdays.  I have no experience with rally but maybe someone else can chime in. We, too, have finished the last obedience class offered [at Petsmart], so for now we're taking a break and working on what we know and focusing on agility, then I'll probably try to find a class in the fall.

Deber - good luck with the off leash training! I'm certain it's doable and from the concepts it seems agility will help some (it most certainly won't hurt!). If you have any success or any tips for us, I'd love to hear your experiences! I'm sure we'd all love off leash control in certain situations with our unruly pups. :bowl:

Dexter's mom - I just saw the post about the grubs... all I can say is Hakuna Matata? :uhoh: I'm sure Dexter will be just fine at the breeders - so don't sweat it, and just have a good time!

Welcome to the new members of the forum that I missed! Feel free to vent at any time, and keep saying to yourself it WILL get better. Enjoy the antics , it seems these lil pups grow up way too fast!


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## MarsNPluto

baumgartml16 said:


> Jill - are dogs allowed in rally without being off leash? I wanted to start stuff with Koda for agility but we can't do those classes till she is actually off leash. Who knows if that will EVER happen lol.


I believe beginner agility classes allow you to keep your pup on leash until he/she is ready (at least in my experience and from what I've seen). You may be able to find a class that allows you to do so. I still can't trust Pluto off leash, either. I tried a course with him once off leash, he did great. The second time, he ran away to go sniff for dropped treats, thus interrupting the other half of class. :doh:


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## jluke

*Beginner Rally/Agility*

I think from what I've read and seen on YouTube that both Novice Rally and Agility are on-leash -- but I'm not sure. I'm still learning. Can't wait to go to the observation class -- but it meets on Saturday and Monday and won't meet over the holiday weekend so I have to be patient...


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## jluke

*Beach Bound!*

Maria -- thanks for the beach well wishes. I think Maisie will need to warm up to the crashing waves and get over the shock of salt water. Then, I bet we won't be able to get her out of the ocean! (She's used to swimming in a lake and is a bit of a 'fraidy dog.) My daughter is coming, too, and they're best buds, so it'll be extra fun!


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## MarsNPluto

jluke said:


> Maria -- thanks for the beach well wishes. I think Maisie will need to warm up to the crashing waves and get over the shock of salt water. Then, I bet we won't be able to get her out of the ocean! (She's used to swimming in a lake and is a bit of a 'fraidy dog.) My daughter is coming, too, and they're best buds, so it'll be extra fun!


Pluto is a 'fraidy dog as well - he loves swimming in pools and lakes but the beach used to scare him. We started off slow because he was even afraid of the water "chasing him" on the shore, lol. What I have been doing is running around and splashing in the water with him on shore, exaggerating that I'm having a good time (even though my feet felt like they were frozen). He's still afraid to go deep inside the ocean, but now he loves running and splashing around - I think we will get to the swimming eventually. If you're willing to brave the cold saltwater, you and/or your daughter playing with Maisie and enjoying yourselves may help her to gain some confidence fairly quickly. And don't forget her favorite ball/bumper.


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## GoBigRed

Oh we definitely don't "chase" anymore. He finally has learned the "here" although he's very slow about it, he does come to me. He's onry. : )

Husker does not like the hose or sprinklers. I can't wait to get him by a lake though and see what he does.


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## mrmooseman

Jill, when we first took moose to the beach, he wasn't a huge fan of the waves either. We would have to lift him over the waves (of course he was small then) but once he got past the waves he just swam and swam and was soo excited. This year I was worried he would be like that again. At first he was kind of skitish, but after like 20 mins, he was running in the water and splashing and swimming. The only thing that bothers him is when he runs, his back leg splash the water and I swear he doesn't know where it's coming from.


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## Nyahsmommy

So we got a new harness this weekend. We originally got the easy walk harness which worked great but turns out the large is too big and the medium is too small. The lady said that they don't stop growing for a year so we have to wait for a year to get one. We got this nice comfy hiking harness... only problem is that it's too comfy and gives her too much leverage so she can pull even more. I can't walk her at all for that so I guess bf can use that I will stick to the leader.

A good thing though is we checked out out new neighbourhood and litterally across the street theres this really nice lake path. Theres also this forest path that leads to a little secluded private beach. Nyah was in heaven and we let her off leash there... she was soooo good. I am so happy. It's going to be her own private beach... we can take a few chairs and let her swim off leash. I am so excited. Here are some pics.


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## mrmooseman

What a lucky gal Nyah is! She will sure enjoy her swimming there!


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## Tucker's mommy

Wow - Nyah sure has earned this nice place to go and romp after all the stress she (and not to mention YOU!!!!!) have been through these past months. I'm so happy for you. And just a little jealous.  Looks beautiful!!!!


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## Pammie

Your own little private paradise, what a great discovery! And Nyah looks sooooo very happy!
I am just a little jealous, too!!


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## jluke

*Water, Water!*

Wow, Nyahsmommy -- what a beautiful place! And Nyah already looks so happy -- and beautiful herself -- there. You all deserve the peace it can offer.

Maria and Pluto, Megan and Moose, thanks for the beach thoughts! Do Pluto and Moose try to or actually drink the salt water? Does it make them sick? Maisie, unfortunately, always drinks the lake water -- so far, no problems...


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## jluke

*Trying Again with Signature...*

OK -- I'm trying again with a signature picture....


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## OutWest

Go Big Red: you described Tucker from the other day. He got this glint in his eye (I swear I saw it!) and looked around the living room until he saw the perfect naughty item to grab--my shoe! A big no-no. This is where I'm supposed to be all serious and mom-like, but it just cracked me up so much. He so clearly wanted to play and was willing to risk taking the shoe because he knew I'd react...  I successfully stifled my laughter a bit, found something else to bait him with and saved my good red flat from death by slobber.. Tonight, on his final potty break of the day, he went out back and started prancing and dancing...had the zoomies and wanted to party. It's times like these that I'm glad we have dogs...

Tucker's doing really well on loose leash walking... It's so nice to be able to get him into the dog park without feeling like the caboose of a speeding train! :doh: and I can hold both leashes in one hand and they almost walk together. Woo hoo!

Beach: I think most pups are scared of waves at the outset. Best remedy is to be playing with dogs who are comfy with them. I've heard they will drink the salt water.. Next trip I'll be bringing a bowl of fresh. 

Nyah's mommy: how great to have a beach within walking distance! Re: the harness: you can add a strap on the front and convert it to an easy walk style harness. Take the harness and a photo of what you want to a shoe repair place or add it yourself if you have a sewing machine. I bet you could get the strap and a metal loop at a hardware store. Shouldn't have to wait a year for that....you guys have enough going on with Nyah and moving, etc. 

G'night all. 

Kathleen


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## Dexter12

MrMooseMan: Another big happy birthday to the moose! Aww I'm sorry, about posting bugs! I'm not a big fan either, since we've moved I've been forcefully desensitized to them. I'm still pretty bad with ticks, I make all sorts of girly noises when I'm picking them off Dex.

GoBigRed: haha he's quite the thief, eh. 

MarsNPluto: haha. Last night there were beetles flying at the screen door and he caught and ate two live. I could hear them crunching...hahaha eww. I'm sure he'll be fine but I'm going to miss my monster. He's going to see his mom, dad, grandmother, sister and half sister and they have a great time together, so I'm sure he'll have a lot of fun.

Nyahsmommy: aww, she looks like she had a great time!


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## Tucker's mommy

Happy Birthday to Moose!!!! Tucker's is just around the corner. I look back on the past year - it's been quite an adventure. I'm definitely ready to move on to the adult doggie stages myself! Although, I love this thread, and will probably consider myself in the "teenage years" for a long time, just to keep up with all of you!


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## Nyahsmommy

Thanks guys.  It's not the nicest or sandiest beach but it's clear and clean. I'm just worried that others will have a similar idea this summer. We found two beach chairs sitting there and some firework shells so hopefully not too many people go there.

Yes she does drink the water so we got her that lepto shot when she was a pup and hasn't had any problems so far.

Outwest- What a great idea. It came with a short strap that you attach to the top to walk her short, so I'm sure it can attach to the front somehow. I've noticed that she walks a lot better here in the early morning and evening when it's quiet so I think I'll stick to walking her there until we move. I already know she's going to pull on the lakefront path because she always tries to pull to the water so we are going to have to work on that too. (p.s. I swear she is just a giant furry fish )


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## baumgartml16

Kim - that is awesome you found that beach! Nyah looked like she had a blast! 

We have a in home trainer coming tonight to help us out with Koda. She has seemed to become more and more anxious and showing anxious tendency's that we want it looked at now and not later. Hopefully she tells us it isn't bad enough yet to worry and we can correct the things.

My husband got me really down last night though. I know he was upset that Koda was acting so scared/anxious of things and didn't actually mean to make me get this way but it did. He just was upset that we do SO much for her, give her 100% of our love and attention when we are home and somehow she is still scared of so much. She runs under the table when we go to put the collar on. I think it stemmed from the prong collar which we got rid of last night but she is doing it anytime I reach for any collar. I feel so bad for her. 

He is also pushing so hard for us to give up her lunch time walk and not have the pet sitter come anymore. His family never had pet sitters and their pups were just alone all day without walks from the start pretty much. This was a long time ago and I know times have changed but he thinks it is time for her to be alone for the day. I just cant get comfortable with this and feel horrible thinking about it. Koda is in the kitchen now so she has a big room and a big patio window to look out of. 

Right now she is getting a walk in the morning along with playtime (running) in the basement. We would make her morning walk longer if we did this. She gets a walk or playtime after work right when we get home. She gets a long walk later in the evening and more play time downstairs. There is lots of love and attention in between. If we take out her afternoon walk this would be her schedule. Does this sound reasonable and enough for her? I am so torn with it all right now...


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## MarsNPluto

Jill - Yes, Pluto sometimes drinks a little bit of beach water and accidentally eats sand from playing fetch with the ball. His stool is might be a tad softer than usual during his next bm, but he hasn't gotten sick or anything major like that. 

Nyahsmommy - I'm so happy you guys have found a nice little haven after all you've been through! I'm actually quite jealous; that place seems so perfect. Hopefully you guys will rarely be disturbed.


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## Nyahsmommy

Michelle- I feel for you. The fear thing has been an on going struggle for us and my bf reacts the same way as your husband. He is sick of "dealing" with her so when he gets in these moods he doesn't and I have too deal with her when she is terrified of outdoors(she always walks better when we are both there but he refuses to join us when shes like that). Bf is the same way about not believing in dog walkers. He says they are a waste of money. I am lucky now because most days I work half days or weekends when bf is home but once I find a ft time(and when we move farther away) this won't be possible and he too wants to leave her alone all day. 

I would suggest in investing in a sturdy harness... this is why I have avoided the prong collar... I have heard a lot of bad things about it.

I think she would be ok being left all day, although I too understand you feeling so guilty. As long as she has a walk in the morning and evening I don't think this would be a problem.


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## MarsNPluto

Koda's mom, I think Koda would do just fine without her midday walk. Seems you guys would be providing her enough exercise and giving her enough attention when you are home. Now that she is older and maturing she will probably just learn to sleep all day while you guys are away. I know plenty of people who do this with their dogs and their dogs are just fine. Just wean her off her walker slowly; start off every other day, every two days, once a week, etc. to see how she does, and go from there. If you really feel bad about it, maybe you guys could just break up the work week by taking her to a daycare on Wednesdays?


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## jluke

*Koda Thought*

Michelle -- I'm so sorry that Koda and you are struggling right now. And particularly sorry that my thoughts and good experience in using a prong collar may have contributed to her situation. At her age, Koda can make probably make it thought the day fine as others have posted -- just wondering if you want to change her routine right now. Since the trainer is coming tonight, would it help to get her opinion before you decide? (You're probably planning to ask already.)


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## Guybrush

:wave: Hi Everyone

Just stopping in to rant about my teenager had the first real signs that he is growing up today.

So we went to the park today usually he is good off leash and will come back when called and will not stray more than a few metres away from me.... until he fell in love with Lily the 9 month old spayed lab golden mix. He would not leave her alone for the first half hour they just had some running/playing time then Guybrush found out she is a girl! He could not stop following her the hormones had kicked in. This was fine as Lily was having a fine time leading him on until it was time for Lily to go home. 

Well Lily left and Guybrush stayed with me till I turned my back and then he was off across the road like a bullet straight to his girlfriends side, back on the lead he went and then back to the park, Lily completely out of sight and Guybrush back to listening I thought the other pupd in the park would keep him occupied and happy so off the lead he goes. Does his business which I start cleaning up and he sprints away ignoring my commands to stop! Across the road, down a street, across another road then he lost her scent after that I was able to catch him. Back on the lead and home.

He can walk on heel and do recalls perfectly at training and at the beach but aparently girls are more important than me at the moment! So he has lost offleash time for the forseeable future, luuckily we have a new 8 metre leash on its way so he can have that freedom in the parks.

I felt like such a bad owner! I should have seen it coming :doh:

Oh well I will just have to take more 45 minute drives out to the encloused dog parks in the future.

Thanks for letting me rant 
Jay


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## Tucker's mommy

Michelle, you give your little Koda so much love and attention when you're home with her - I think she'll be fine without the mid-day walk. But I, too, would be scared to death to take that step. It's so hard. I think it would be important to adjust slowly, though, as mentioned by MarsnPluto above. As with any change, you'll probably see issues in the beginning, but as she adjusts to the new routine, I bet she'll be fine with it. 

These dogs really are like kids. Tucker is like my fourth child! We'll be leaving him crated for the longest he's ever been this Friday evening because my hubby and I have made plans to ship our three human kids down to grandma's and hit dinner and a concert in the city. We go out, like, once a year on dates. Truly pathetic. Hopefully Tucker won't go too crazy left in his crate for almost six hours. We're not ready yet to give him freedom inside the house for that long. Eventually, we will, but as with anything, we need to work up slowly to that. He is not used to tons of alone time, as I'm a stay at home mom for the time being. Although, he does manage to occupy himself for hours on end here in the house just watching us for his entertainment. So hopefully Friday night won't be too hard for him. 

And to Jay, welcome to the wonderful world of teenage pups! I myself can't wait to leave thise wonderful world... :bowl:


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## baumgartml16

Thank you so much guys. Hearing from other dog lovers that she will be okay is good to hear. We would definitely be doing this slowly. My brother is off for the summer before heading to college so I want to start by just having him come and let her out and hang out for bit without a walk so she gets used to no walk. Then we will gradually move the time he comes over to later and later and eventually we wont need anyone at all. I am going to probably still come home one or two days a week because I can and there is no reason not to. My mom will probably still come one day so it might only be two to three days a week. 

Also with Koda's anxiety and fears I am afraid to do doggie day care. She is good around other dogs but also relies on us to be around. I dont want to cause any more stress on her right now. We are definitely talking to the trainer tonight about doign this with her too and if we should wait on it.


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## baumgartml16

I managed to get Koda to go for a walk at lunch today, she actually did really well. We saw a man on a motorized wheelchair and I thought it was going to spook her and the walk was over with. She stopped and stared at him till I finally got her to come by me. He said all dogs do that to him, I told him she is a little more afraid of things than the average dog but he was used to it. She kept on walking after he passed. I did feel bad for him. If Koda wasn't going through this I would have tried to have her go by him. 

On the way home she found a branch, yes branch not a stick, to carry home with her, she can be so funny:


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## MarsNPluto

Koda's mom, sorry you have to go through this. It seems our dogs have their good days and bad days when dealing with anxiety/stress/fears. Hopefully in your case you will be able to figure it out and get things sorted! In the meantime, I'm glad you guys had a good walk at lunch!


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## OutWest

Jay, I'd say you have definitely reached the adolescent time. A trainer forewarned me by describing it as "all of sudden all the training goes away and your dog will look at you as if to say are you talking to me?" 

Michelle, I added to your other post about leaving Koda home alone. Glad she enjoyed her walk. The picture made me think...perhaps she's a dog who needs to feel she has a job when she's walking? Perhaps if she had something to carry in her mouth or in a back pack. I've seen dogs with back packs on and their owners told it helped the dog walk around... one said they just put water bottles and dog toys in the pockets but the dog behaved completely differently with it on...

We are having a quiet time today so far. I feel a little guilty because so many on this thread are having hard times but--for the moment at least--Tucker is behaving well. I decided to slowly cut back on his food. I think his body is really maturing. His weight hasn't gone up but his torso is thicker. He's still eating me out of house and home!  last night I bought a small bag of adult food to begin mixing with the puppy food. Ack! Can't believe he's almost a year old!


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## baumgartml16

I remember switching to adult and being sad that she wasn't on puppy food anymore lol. 

Koda filled out for sure around 9-10 months and didnt look as skinny for a while. We feed her 3 cups a day (1.5 morning and 1.5 at night) and she seems pretty good to me. Everyone says she looks healthy. She is 73 lbs which sounds huge but a lot of it is muscle. She is a STRONG girl, seriously scary strong. If you touch her legs, they are hard as a rock all the time.


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## jluke

*Welcome, Koda, Recalls...*

Michelle -- I'll be thinking of you and Koda this evening when you meet with the trainer. One thought -- we worked with a trainer with our first GR and I had a bad gut reaction to her, but didn't act on it, just continued to work with her since she'd been recommended to us. I'm sure it's obvious, but I think this is a situation where it's really important to have a solid rapport with the person you're working with and a high level of trust (sort of like your child's pediatrician -- which I think I remember is in your future). Anyway, when I didn't trust my instincts, we didn't have a good experience with the trainer for Sadie. Sorry if I'm pontificating... (And sorry, again, for suggesting a prong collar, since I've seen some of the comments on the other thread about using a prong with Koda. I hope it wasn't a big source of the problem and that the harness helps.)

Welcome to Jay and Guybrush! Oh, yes -- teenage guys and their love interests! Jay, Maisie is great with recalls in class, but not at the dog park. Our instructor has taught us that dogs aren't good at generalizing and have to be taught commands in many different situations. So Guybrush had a flirtatous friend, the dog park and a different place to respond to recalls -- quite a challenge.

Maisie had her last advanced obedience class last night. We practiced -- what else -- recalls -- in a 4 foot wide screened space with the other dogs lining the outside (to avoid any contention). The instructor put distracting things in the space -- an empty dog bowl, a closed jar of yummy treats, a stuffed pheasant toy and a huge stuffed lifelike looking toy dog (that silly Maisie seems to think is real ) . We each had two tries at recalls. The first time Maisie hesitated just a bit at "Buffy" the toy dog, but came to me. The second time, she came right away. Real progress from the beginning of class. Now to get her to come when there are distractions like other dogs and squirrels...


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## baumgartml16

Jill - do not apologize. I got pointers to use the prong collar from many different places and I do not blame anyone. It just so happened Koda wasn't a fan, some dogs do great on them. I never knew it becuase once it was on she paid no attention and didnt seem bothered by it. So do not apologize, no blame being put on anyone that suggested it. I made the choice and I didnt notice my dogs behaviour sooner, my fault!  

Glad to hear Maisies last class went well though! They haven't added those distractions into our recalls yet, hope they do. Distractions is where Koda needs the most work, go figure! LOL


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## baumgartml16

Jay - welcome! Sorry, I meant to comment sooner. Don't feel like a bad owner, he was in his own world with that pretty lady. Just continue to work on recalls in all situations. As I believe Jill said, they may be great at one place and horrible at the next. We need to keep exposing them to different situations. Good luck!


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## Nyahsmommy

baumgartml16 said:


> I remember switching to adult and being sad that she wasn't on puppy food anymore lol.
> 
> Koda filled out for sure around 9-10 months and didnt look as skinny for a while. We feed her 3 cups a day (1.5 morning and 1.5 at night) and she seems pretty good to me. Everyone says she looks healthy. She is 73 lbs which sounds huge but a lot of it is muscle. She is a STRONG girl, seriously scary strong. If you touch her legs, they are hard as a rock all the time.


We also feed Nyah the same but she still hasn't really filled out. She is 56lbs, the vet said she is on the small side but she's a good weight for her size. She has strong leg muscles though and is really strong considering. If she can drag me down the street at 56 lbs, if she gets to 73 lbs then I am in serious trouble! :doh:


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## Lucky Penny

So I took the dogs for a walk tonight, and Luna my 10 month old pup caught a frog! Ahhh!!!! She played the "catch me" game and dropped the frog a few times, to watch it hop, only to re catch it! EWWWWWW! So I played the "I am going to leave you game". She came running after with no frog. I am thinking/hoping that she did not eat it. Poor frog. I hope she doesn't get warts on her tongue! Yuck!


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## jluke

*Frogs and Branches and...*

Luna -- a frog?? We'll have to team you up with the grub-lover on this board. But Maisie is snapping at and eating moths and trying for bumble bees. Just hope she doesn't catch the stinging things...

Koda -- Maisie shares your love of branches and logs and even roots (which she doesn't understand won't come along for a walk , silly pup). I have a couple great pictures like your mom's of you if I ever figure out how to post them -- Maisie versus the branches.


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## Pammie

Wow, this thread is super active today! I sneak peaks at work and always want to post, but don't because it always takes me so long to compose my thoughts and I am constantly minimizing every time people come in my office and there always seems to be a parade of co-workers when I am trying to enjoy y'alls chit chat!

!:welcome:to Jay and Guybrush! I love to hear about how Guybrush got his name- it's quite unusual!

Michelle, can't wait to hear about Koda's trainer and what they have to say. Koda sure looks cute with her prize branch! Take those positive walks like this afternoon and put them in your back pocket. Pull them out when things aren't going well so you can remember it is something she can do!! Yay Koda!

Love how Maisie did so well with the recall with all those distractions. I have been working with Bryley on the emergency recall- always random, different locations, when he's otherwise occupied and when he comes, and so far he has always come, he is met with yummy meat!! I have a different call for this than regular recall. So far, so good!

Tuckers mommy, I am in the same boat with you! Since Bryley arrived my husband and I have not gone many places together. It really _is_ pathetic! I have this crazy 3 hr max crate rule that has seriously impacted our social life! I work part time, husband is retired so Bryley is rarely left alone. Once he can be trusted in the house uncrated I will feel much better about leaving for longer times. I know he is 15 months and should be trustworthy, but he is still a mischievous boy! 

Hi Lucky Penny!:wave: Yeah, Luna and Dexter the grub eater should get together for dinner!!!:yuck:
Funny how these pups like to eat stuff they shouldn't! Bryley eats moths too-he loves to snap them out of mid-flight! and I am concerned about stinging insects, too. I just recently bought fresh Benedryl just in case!

jluke are you still having difficulty getting your new sig pic to post? I noticed last night you were trying...I am just so curious what you have!!!


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## jluke

*Loose Leash Problems and More...*

You're probably tired of hearing from me today, but here I go again. I posted on the behavior section about Maisie and me and loose leash walking -- yuck! I won't repeat it here, but if anyone has any thoughts for me and my jumping, leash (and accidentally arm) biting doggie, I'd appreciate your suggestions.

Michelle -- so hoping you and Koda had a helpful session this evening.

Pammie -- I'm impressed that you and Bryley are working your emergency recall. Do you use a special command?

Pammie and TuckersMommy -- we're up to about 4 hours max in going out on a date and leaving Maisie gated in the kitchen. I'd be expanding her "territory" while she's alone, but we have construction going on here and it's not safe. We get out a little more often for two reasons -- our daughter is older an away at college most of the year and independently occupied much of the summer and I committed to DH when Maisie joined the family that we'd stil have a "life". He'd expected lots of spontenaiety with DD away and isn't the dog lover in the family, so...

Pammie -- the sig pic I'm trying to load is just a close up of Maisie's current face. I think it's pretty cute and at least you'd get to see what she looks like now, but I'm still having trouble with it. (And I have an engineering degree from way back --  ) I've been trying to post some swimming and branch carrying pictures, too. Oh well...


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## Guybrush

Hi peeps,

I'll introduce myself properly now, I'm Jay and I live with a almost 7month old hell spawn/angel of a golden, 2 cats and my fiance in the lovely land of western australia. It is just starting to get into winter so Guybrush is wondering why there is water falling from the sky and has learned snuggling on the bed is a great activity.

Guybrush is named for the main character of Monkey Island a computer game released in 1992 which both my fiance and I grew up playing and bonded over oin our first date 6 years ago. We have decided our next golden will be called Falcor (from the neverending story, Ah the 80s what a time to grow up in)

Guybrush loves - eating dirt, lusting after Lily, sniffing cats, chewing sticks, eating bugs, digging up grass, munching on arms, looking adorable, going for walks, chewing up leashes, spinning in circles, zoomies, taking flying leaps at arms when in obedience class, licking faces, oh and his people he puts up with them.

In other news the long leash came in today so Guybrush is allowed back at the park, unfortunately for him Lily wasn't there. Did some practice recalls at the park on it and he was very confused about the long red tail following him. 

So we have 3 different leads for our pup, 1) normal leash for walking with chain on the end to stop him mouthing and carrying it. 2) Full chain leash for training sessions, because all the chicken treats and play time is too boring eating the leash and my fiances arms is much more fun. (this only happens when training we had a members comp and he came 4th with no stuff ups by him only had points deducted for holding the leash with 2 hands on loose leash walking). 3) long leash for the park and possibly the beach.

We have an awesome doggie beach near us it has a cafe and dog wash in the car park and there are always friendly pups and people about, took Guybrush there on the weekend, he walked at our side the entire length of the beach about 1 kilometre (slightly less than a mile) We passed some older goldens going for a swim and after watching them for a minute the reluctant swimmer was gone and he became a water baby. Was a great site to watch will have to take photos next time.

Well I think I have typed enough now my fingers are starting to hurt plus its dinner time.

Have a great day/night everyone
Jay & Guybrush:wavey:


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## Lucky Penny

No stinging insects please! That is the last thing we need. To go to the vet, because our pup has a stinger stuck in his or her mouth!These pups get into anything and everything. It is crazy the things they eat/catch. Anyone else have anything their pups catch outside? They can join the puppies grub group! : )


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## Guybrush

Guybrush has caught sandgropers, mole crickets and crickets and also his tail.








<---sandgroper


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## Lucky Penny

Ewww!!! Yuck yuck!


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## GoBigRed

Jay~that thing is funky looking! I don't like bugs and that one would freak me out. :yuck:

Husker will chase moths, butterflies and bees. Luckily he hasn't caught any. He did follow this little beatle looking bug yesterday through the grass and ate it..yuck! Oh and when the worms get stranded on the patio the seem to be a treat for him...double yuck!


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## baumgartml16

*Catch up first..*

Lots to catch up on!  I love it!

Luna - frogs are gross, at least yours was alive, Koda will find dead ones that are shriveled and those are just too good to be true for her...eck!

Jill - I love that Maisie tries to bring roots on her walks, that made me giggle picturing her LOL. I am going to go find your post about walking and reply there!  

Pammie - thanks for the words of encouragement with Koda!  I understand your 3 hour max. Besides the work day I hate leaving her. I won't leave her at night after being gone all day, that is absolute no. Either she comes with, we don't go, or one of our families comes and hangs out with her or she goes there. On weekends I hate leaving her but at the same time we do need a life! We try to do things she can come with for but dinners and such we can't bring her. Those I like to keep it at 3ish hours at most. We usually have no problems with that. She is used to it more though with us being gone during the day! They need their sleep and relax time too! I love that you are working on emergency recall - do you just use something different so he knows it is important to come!? I need to do something like this.

Jay - great job working on the recall at the park. I am sure he was confused what that thing was following him but it could save his life and he will get over it real quick! I am so jealous of your doggie beach! That sounds like an amazing place to take them! I have nothing like that here in WI so I will live vicariously through you - definitely post pictures! Austrailia is my dream vacation actually. I have always wanted to go there, one day we will!  

Koda eats any and all bugs. It is so funny when we sit by the front window and the bugs come up to the window. She thinks she can get them and won't give up but her mouth and nose continuously run into the window. It is very humorous to watch. 

I will make a seperate post about our trainer session!


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## baumgartml16

Had the trainer over last night and my husband and I are SO happy we did it! She gave us a lot of peace of mind and told us not to worry, Koda will be fine in no time. She said she isn't to a point where it will be tough to reverse yet so it is good we are working on it now.

First of all, the prong is gone for good. It turns out she thinks the reason Koda was getting fearful of dogs and people at times was because she was associating the discomfort of the prong pull with the dog/person she was seeing. So now she sees people/dogs and fears the prongs. Makes complete sense. We are going to either get the limited slip or martingale collar to use for her now. 

So on walks we need to take responsibility for the people/dogs instaed of her. So we need to point it out to her before she has a chance to react and make it a happy thing. So we say "Koda, look, a person, yay!" and keep talking in happy voice keeping Koda engaged. If she does happen to sit or down before we can prevent it then we need to act casual and ignore her until she gets up to keep moving along. Even if it takes a while. We did it this morning and she was positively curious instead of hiding. Yippee!!

Also for the collar and her hiding - we are now doing collar conditioning. So when we go to put the collar on we grab some treats and take baby steps. So we reach for the collar, treat, touch the collar, treat, hold it in our hand, treat, move it towards her, treat, touch it to her, treat...so on until it is on. She thinks this part will take 2 weeks tops for her to forget it as a bad thing and think of it as a good thing. That along with the fact that she isn't going to fear the prong will help she thinks!  

We are very excited to start working on this. She also suggested we sit in our driveway where Koda is comfortable and watch people walk by and point them out in happy voices. Then move further and further down the driveway until she is more comfortable. Sounds like these are easy things to work on and we are confident she will be better in no time.

She will always be submissive and more timid and that is fine, we just want her to be comfortable and have SOME confidence in herself!


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## marshallsmom

Hello everyone,

My name is Ann and I finally made it to this thread. We have a 9-mo old Golden. He has some car anxiety issues (hates going near the car, would not willingly jump in) but is drooling and stiffness once inside has been a lot better than before. We are still working on this. DH and I have noticed that he has other fear issues. He hates loud noises (from the road), construction, big semis passing by making loud noises due to potholes on the road, etc. Not sure if you remember my post about his getting really scared recently but this set us back a lot. He is now a little cautious of going outside. This is the same dog who previously do not want to go back indoors after a walk because he LOVED being outside and walking so much. We are working on it slowly. He has been going out to potty without a problem but refuses to walk further from the house. We have not been over 50 ft from the front door since the incident (( 

The problems with selective hearing and a few destructive behaviors in the house is now nothing compared to what we are facing now  I am really mad at myself for making him walk that way and not turning back the moment I noticed the truck and the backhoe


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## OutWest

Jay--I want your beach. What a great idea, to have a washing spot right at the dog beach...

Ann--welcome. You should check out Michelle's (Baumgarten) recent posts. She's dealing with the same things as you. 

bugs, insects, and frogs--interestingly these don't seem to interest Tucker. Now Tess, on the other hand, is our house fly-catcher... She is really good, too.  It's funny to watch this little black spaniel dash around the house and stare at the bug until it gets within reach...then snap! alligator jaws.

So I think we have a problem here. I was hoping not, but Tucker seems to have taken a very strong dislike to a certain dog at our dog park. It's a husky puppy--about 6 months-- so I can't just let the two sort it out. Tucker seriously goes Cujo when he sees this puppy. Snarling, snapping, mean. Very weird because T-man is generally non-alpha and easy-going and hasn't shown a mean streak before.

Today we showed up at the dog park, and the puppy was there. When he came to the fence and sniffed, Tucker went bonkers with the snarling, etc.  I decided to put the dogs back in the car and go to another park. Although I think his behavior stems from the time he got scared by a group of huskies running as a pack, :doh: I have to protect this little guy from his antagonism. I'm thinking of doing the following. The next time we see this dog, I'm going to leash Tucker up, and speak to the owner to see if he'll let me try to introduce them. If Tucker growls, etc., I will have a chance to correct him. If he settles down, he'll get off leash. If not, he stays on leash until the puppy exits the park. What do you guys think? Any other suggestions? I'd like to get Tucker through this, and I'd like him to learn that this behavior in the dog park is not acceptable with any dog.


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## Nyahsmommy

marshallsmom said:


> Hello everyone,
> 
> My name is Ann and I finally made it to this thread. We have a 9-mo old Golden. He has some car anxiety issues (hates going near the car, would not willingly jump in) but is drooling and stiffness once inside has been a lot better than before. We are still working on this. DH and I have noticed that he has other fear issues. He hates loud noises (from the road), construction, big semis passing by making loud noises due to potholes on the road, etc. Not sure if you remember my post about his getting really scared recently but this set us back a lot. He is now a little cautious of going outside. This is the same dog who previously do not want to go back indoors after a walk because he LOVED being outside and walking so much. We are working on it slowly. He has been going out to potty without a problem but refuses to walk further from the house. We have not been over 50 ft from the front door since the incident ((
> 
> The problems with selective hearing and a few destructive behaviors in the house is now nothing compared to what we are facing now  I am really mad at myself for making him walk that way and not turning back the moment I noticed the truck and the backhoe


Welcome.. Koda's mom and I are dealing with the same problem you are having. Nyah is also scared of car rides... She squishes herself below the seat and tucks her head. She will look out when we are stopped but hides again when we move.

Nyah too will not walk due to fear. She is scared of construction, all noises, big trucks, buses, things blowing in the wind. Some days she walks other she won't leave the front door. She has been like this since we brought her home but over the past few months it has gotten significantly worse. We pretty much have to drag her the whole walk or else she would not get any exercise(or very little). Sorry I don't have advice but wanted you to know you are definately not alone!


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## baumgartml16

See my post in my other thread you commented on for some tips.

Same thing would work for a car. Start by walking up to the car, give a treat, repeat that a couple times. Then open the door, give a treat, close the door, repeat a few times...then put the treat in the car ...and so on and so forth.


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## Pammie

Michelle it sounds like the new trainer has great techniques! I like your idea of walking up the street just to the point where she normally gets worried and then turning around and coming home, but then extending the distance as she gets more comfortable passing that spot. Desensitizing her. I have so much faith in the capabilities of Goldens, that combined with the new trainer and your love and devotion to Koda, I know she will overcome this walking situation! 

Michelle and Jill you asked about what my emergency recall 'command' was. Well, I am embarrassed to say I did not thoroughly think thru this new command before I started! Uh Oh! So, I have been using what he already knows "Bryley, come!!". He is definitely hauling a$$ to get to me for the yummy meat treats (its only been 2 days of yummy meat treats), so recall has definitely been reinforced. I have not had to, nor done any routine recall training because I have not decided what my new regular recall command should be! :uhoh: I do not want to confuse him, I should have thought this out better first! :doh: But I have to come up with something today to teach him and the husband!!

Wednesdays are my regular day off and DH does his thing away, so Bryley and I have the house to ourselves! It is about my favorite day of the week! So far all we have done is drink iced coffee on the deck and watched the birds and harassed the cats- well, Bryley did the harassing. He ate the leftover ice from my latte and shared part of my breakfast. Do you guys share food with your dog? I am the worst! He gets a tidbit of almost everything! The rest of the day will be playing on the deck interspersed with me cleaning my bathroom. I would much rather play with Bryley!!

I have no suggestions for Tucker and his Husky nemesis, but just wanted to say that your thought of controlled introduction sounds good. Is the Husky outwardly showing any signs that ignite Tucker, or is the Husky clueless that Tucker is not a fan? Hope is works out well so he can be friends will all!!!

The connection of Nyahs Mommy and Ann/Marshallsmom with dogs that have such similar fears is the magic of this thread!!!


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## baumgartml16

O sharing food is a horrible habit I have formed. My husband hates I do it so I try to be secretive with it. Koda knows to be quiet lol. He has yet to catch on that she never leaves my side though lol. I only feed her the healthy stuff. She gets some egg in the morning if I have that or fruit that I have. String cheese is never just for me, neither is a banana. She is too cute to say no to. She knows if she puts her head down and looks up just so with those eyes I can't resist. To top it off she will put her paw on my leg to remind me which is just so darn cute too!


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## Pammie

I am bad, I even give him potato chips! Well, just _one_ unless they are Lays! 
I don't feed him from the table, but I do in the kitchen or even 2 feet from the table! Bryley does the paw thing too! Do they all know that move? Yes, I melt too when he lays his head on my lap and pleadingly looks up into my eyes. Feed me mommy!!! Cuteness overload!!!


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## OutWest

Pammie--the puppy is clueless. He wants to play, which makes me so sad that Tucker is weird about him. 

Human food--our dogs get some of the stuff that's ok for them, but not while we're eating. From me at least. THey sit in front of DD when she eats so I suspect there is a reason. LOL. A friend had a good technique. she always saved he last bite of her food for her dog but he got nothing before she was done. He learned to sit patiently and not bug her because he knew his tidbit would come.


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## jluke

*Hurray Koda and More...*

Michelle -- so, so glad you, DH and Koda had a very good and productive experience with the trainer last evening. You sound happy and you have such a good plan to follow. It sounds like she's responding already -- wow!

Pammie -- you could always use "Front" for regular recalls. I think that's what I'll use for emergencies. (Lots of people use it for regular recalls -- also "Here!")

Ann -- Maisie used to be afraid to get into the car. Michelle's process sounds great. If your pup (sorry, I've lost the name) isn't too, too afraid, you could try what we did with Maisie, suggested by her trainer/instructor. Every time we had to go in the car, we made a trail of treats leading up to it and put a big bonus of treats in the car. But if your teenager is more afraid, Michelle's recommendation is certainly better since it's more gradual.

All these yucky things our pups eat -- did I mention that Maisie loves dirt? doh: Ugh...


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## mrmooseman

Soo much to catch up on!

Welcome to all the newcomers! (sorry, it's been a long day at work and I am in 'forgetful mode"

Moose wanted me to thank everyone for the birthday wishes from him. He finds it hard to type since he doesn't have any thumbs!

Michelle: glad the at home session went good! We gave up on puppy school and such for a while. But we are still doing recalls and training at home. He has gotten much better with recall. I also have the horrible habit of sharing food. Such a bad bad habit. That's why I think he was stealing food of my plate for soo long. But that stopped a while ago (hopefully), he just now watches me eat, for a distance. Kyle also somtimes is upset about the fact Moose is more drawn to me then him. I say it is because I'm with him more then he is. Which makes sense, and we don't crate Moose. He was free range of the entire house, so while we're working (I work 12 hour days and kyle works 10), he is usually good around the house. We do have someone come up atleast once, to let him out. We have left him home alone for about 11 hours once. He had an accident, so we figured we would need someone to come let him out, even if their only here for a little bit. I hate leaving him but like Kyle says "he's got to learn".

Jill: When we first took Moose to the beach, everytime he swam he would drink the water. He did get sick once though. Threw up sandy water all over the back of my car.. Now we made sure to have fresh water and make sure he isn't drinking it. It was almost like when he first started swimming, he felt the need to also swim with his mouth..

With human food, I do that little trick where Moose doesn't get anything until I am done. He will get the last bite. But I am bad for that. Kyle doesn't do that, but blames me for the dog begging. When Moose watches me eat, if he is too close, I point and say "moose, go lay down" and he goes into the other room. But can still see me. He lays down and watches. I think he watches Kyle too because Kyle is like a child when he eats and seems to drop food on the floor sometimes. Then he point it out to Moose to eat. But yet it is MY fault. haha.

I haven't really seen Moose eating anything gross. The other day he ate a water bug. That was pretty gross. But it was only small. This is our second summer with him, and he was only a pup last summer, so maybe it will be different?? I hope not. I hate bugs!!! I scream like a little girl and run away. He chases ducks. I don't know when this started. Last time he was around ducks he was so scared. All I need now is him leaving a dead duck on the step.

Moose also LOVES the car. He get's so excited when we say "wanna go for drive?!?!". I can open the door to the outside, look at Moose and say "go to the car" and he takes off, right to the car. He has to run around it once and then goes to the door and waits for me to open the door and push the seat ahead. He's such a silly guy.


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## marshallsmom

Thank you everyone for the suggestions. I spent nearly 3 hrs with him tonight doing baby steps. Hung out by the front door. Then a few steps away then further. It help that our neighbor's daughter was playing outside (he loves kids) so it was enough motivation to stay. No fears yet, I have lots of treats! We tried walking but did not get very far, he got scared by a plane so we walked back home. While I was cooking dinner I opened all the windows so he can hear everything outside. We live close to a major highway so we can hear it from the house. After dinner I tried slowly walking, just too see how far he would go (lots of treats!) and we walked all the way to the park across the street!!!! Woohoo! I was so happy! We walked and sat and hung out in the grass, at the tennis courts for over half an hour! I even got him to not be scared of the nets at the courts! It was hard to believe! So well see how tomorrow goes, still going to take is slow and try to not drag him. I think somehow today I made him realize what he was missing out on, or at least I'd like to think that way 

We will work on the car next. Thank you! It is somehow comforting to know we are not alone in this.


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## jluke

*Tucker's Husky Puppy, Marshall and a Good Thing for Trips*

Kathleen -- if the Husky puppy's owner will let you, I think you're right that a controlled intro of Tucker to the puppy is a good idea. I've been using a similar approach with Maisie -- not because she's been aggressive, but because she's too excited with some nice, older dogs in the neighborhood who get upset when she bounces up to them pretty out of control sometimes. So I've been having her sit, giving a treat, going a few feet, and repeating. You don't even have to have Tucker get within 3 feet of the Husky the first time if the owner is too concerned.

Ann -- you made such great progress with Marshall in one day. That's so wonderful.

When a few of you mentioned taking water to the beach, I remember a product we used with our first GR. It's called a Gulpy and it's a dog water bottle, costs less than $10 from REI. What's good about it is that it has a built-in fold-down bowl that's the shape of the bottle, hinged to the top of the bottle. You fold down the bowl part, squeeze the bottle and the water fills the bowl. Our first one lasted for lots of years and Sadie even drank from it in the car. But I'm not going to let Maisie do that because she's the sloppiest drinker I've ever seen. :uhoh:

Maisie is still jumping and biting at the leash (and getting my arm accidentally) while walking on a loose leash. (Although sometimes she does fine.) I'm getting her to sit and stay -- hard because she's sort of crazed when she does it and she's big now. Then I wait until she's seems calm. If anyone has any ideas, please... I know I've raised this already, but we have some new "faces", so I'm hoping that maybe someone has some different techniques.  Thanks.


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## OutWest

Re: Maisie and the leash chewing and mouthing, have you tried a chain leash? They don't like putting their mouths/teeth on them. 

Thanks for the insight about the puppy. Now I just need to time the request to the owner of the puppy...hard to do if my 70 lb dog is snarling...:uhoh:


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## Guybrush

Maisie - Guybrush is a leash chewer, we had an old choke chain from previous dogs we looped it round his collar and attached the leash to it instant mini chain leash this works for walks, going to the beach and dog parks. Infact has worked so well he doesn't even attempt to bite the leash anymore.

Unfortunately doesn't work at training or for bedtime crazytime, so we have bought a full chain leash for the bedtime crazytime and training where pup is so hyper that nothing will distract him from "happy jump biting."

Hope that helps.

Also Guybrush is afraid of dogs barking when he can't see them but only when on a walk. He tries to run in the opposite dirrection and refuses treats, is constantly looking over his shoulder for the rest of the walk. Any ideas?



In closing here is a pic - First time at the beach


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## Nyahsmommy

We feed her people food too. I feed her healthy stuff and not at the table(baby carrots, banana, cooked chicken, sometimes pizza crusts) which bf always feed her from the table(we eat at the coffee table right now cause we don't have dining table now) but he knows I get mad so he does it when I am at work. I know when he does it because the next time I walk her she has the runs(he always feeds her bacon and sausage... grrrr). He better not do it at new house because we bought a table and if she does it when people are over i'll have to crate her.


Guybrush- Oh my! Nyah(and myself) are extremely jealous of your beach!!! I wish we had that here... only a crappy polluted lake. lol.


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## GoBigRed

marshallsmom~great job! Babysteps and lots of patience.


Guybrush~adorable picture, what a cutie!


Nyahsmommy~oh feeding her from the table would drive me nuts too. My family knows that is not acceptable. Good luck with breaking your BF of the habit. 


Husker had a great long leash recall training session yesterday. Brought him inside and gave him a treat. The second the treat was gone he countersurfed the dining room table and had a measuring tape in his mouth. :doh: Silly dog!


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## baumgartml16

Koda is the same way about cars. That is one of things that can stop her doing anything "wanna go for a ride", we dont even need a leash on her to get her out to the car she waits right by the door! so cute!

My husband has been saying that too about Koda being around me more and doing things with me and following and I had to point out to him that I do most things with her. He started stepping up and doing more and now she is getting more split again. I am the one who cuddles her though so she does that with me (i hope that never changes lol)

I really think we could give Koda the house now and she would be perfectly fine but we are going to continue to take it one room at a time. She seems very happy in the kitchen now, watches birds and bunnies and squirrels all day.


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## baumgartml16

Ann - that is so great to hear! He is catching on fast! Keep at it and it will be better in no time!!

Jay - Guybrush is so cute! Such a great smile on that guy! As far as the barking - I would try to know where that happens and expect it. That way you can make sure he is focused on you before it happens and keep treats to distract. Otherwise try breaking into some obedience stuff to get him focused on something else. 

Last night Koda stopped a few times on the walk so first my husband ignored her until she got up and then once she was up he did some training with her to get her to forget whatever was on her mind. It worked out great! 

Good luck to everyone!


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## jluke

*Thanks, Thanks, Thanks and...*

First, thanks to Kathleen and Graybrush's Dad -- I'll go and get a metal leash today!I can't wait to try it with Maisie. I -- and my aching arm -- thank you. 

Michelle -- I'm so glad that Koda did better on her walk with your husband last evening. Sounds like she'll make progress every day. We just have to stay patient with them. Speaking of that, I think you'll be glad that you've chosen the one room and a time approach with Koda. I think you're right that she could handle the whole house, but if you can manage to give her extra space in chunks, it's probably less stressful. That's what I'm planning to do with Maisie if the contractors ever leave here...

Graybush is gorgeous! Now is when I confess that Maisie looks so much like him  -- not just in his light color, but in the gold frosting on his perky ears and his broad chest and the way he's laying with his back legs swung around. I'll try to take a matching picture of her with the Atlantic in the background. (If only I can post it...)


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## marshallsmom

Michelle--yay! I have been trying to distract Marshall on our walk too. Once he hears something he looks over and then has this facial expression where he looks like he is waiting for "doom to happen any moment now". He was less excited about the walk this morning, rush hour traffic is usually louder and I think last night it was a little more quiet when we tried again for the last time.

On people food, we have been great at avoiding giving it to him from day one. Of course we occasionally break the rule. What we do is instead of giving it directly to him we put in his bowl so he knows nothing will come out of "begging". Our meals used to be a nightmare but since he has learned, he leaves us alone during meal time. I can now even sit on the couch next to him without a problem.

I wish we live near the beach...our guys LOVES to swim...he looks so sad when we leave the park (he would rather stay and swim all day long).


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## baumgartml16

The trainer also told me it takes 24 hours or something for the stress from an incident to go down so she said if Koda has a freak out walk we should avoid the next few walks so the stress hormones aren't still there...


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## OutWest

Jay--what a handsome guy, sitting on his sandy beach. I have beach envy. My 16 yo daughter watches an Aussie TV show called H2O (about girls who are magically turned into mermaids at the touch of water  ) and I adore looking at all the beach and water shots...And I live in California, close to the SF Bay!

Went to the DP this morning as usual. The object of Tucker's wrath was not there, but two other puppies were, and he played nicely with them. 

The human food bit ... I think is an issue in every family, and is pretty funny unless the dogs health is compromised. A good friend is adamant that her two dogs eat only the kibble recommended by their breeder and that's all they'll ever eat. But I know for a fact that her kids sneak treats to the dogs all the time... I haven't told her.  Besides which, chicken is chicken, etc. Its food to both species. As long as its not coated with spices or salt, why not give them the scraps? All my dogs and cats growing up survived many meals of leftover people food.


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## Tucker's mommy

Tucker will ALWAYS consider my little daughter his favorite, because every day at lunch, as she's tired before her naptime and very testing of every situation, she will always sneak some of her string cheese or bagel to Tucker to see if she gets the same "appalled" reaction from me.  So cute. Beware, anyone visiting this home who needs to put their toddler in a high chair for feeding - if the dog's around!


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## MarsNPluto

Guybrush is so handsome! Glad you guys had fun at the beach!

We give Pluto pizza crusts, chicken, steak, eggs, and of course carrots, apples, etc. It is always when we are finished eating and we either put it in his bowl or do a training session. He begs from my boyfriend and my plate when we sit on the couch to eat, but he never steals. He will steal from anyone else, though, and managed to jump up and snatch fried chicken from my aunt's plate just last weekend. :doh: I took that away, of course.

My old family dog (Lab/Chow mix)... we gave him all of our leftovers and cooked bones (he usually just buried them) and didn't even THINK about what was bad for a dog. Lived a healthy 14 years until he passed in his 15th year...


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## Dexter12

So I'm back home and so is Dex! He stayed at the breeders for a half day, a full day and then another half day. The breeder thinks that he's one big handsome boy, and thinks he should be a show dog. I dunnoooo.... . :scratchch


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## MarsNPluto

Had a bad morning at the beach  I was throwing his ball into the water for him to retrieve since he is getting less and less afraid of the waves, then he got distracted by a Golden and started jumping all over a lady (the other dog's owner so at least she liked dogs *phew*), then ran away from me, found a dead bird and started picking at it and tried to run away from me with it. I was so annoyed! But it was my fault; I knew he was a little tired because yesterday he went to daycare, so I should have known his focus wasn't there and should have used a long lead. Blaming myself at this point, but it was also kind of embarrassing.

Anyway, we are getting ready to go to the Dodgers Bark in the Park! I'm really excited and hope he doesn't steal too many hot dogs from people. 

Hope everyone is having a great Memorial Day weekend!


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## Dexter12

I've found two ticks on Dex today, and one was pretty engorged and the other one was so engorged that it was a pale white...ICKKKKKKY.


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## Guybrush

Had training today, used a chain leash and he didn't jump or bite the leash yay!

After training went down to the local pet supply store and there were 2 other goldens one we knew from class (Ruby 9months) the other (Aldin) was 14 weeks old so adorable was also training at the local club, anyway we found out they were from the same breeder, different from Guybrush's. They mentioned the mums then they mentions the dad he is Guybrush's dad too. So we were having a family reunion. Small town Perth is


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## GoBigRed

Does anyone else's dog not like the rain? It's just sprinkling out right now but Husker does not like it at all. He'll go outside, do his business, and come right back in. The whole time holding his head down and what appears to be trying to dodge the raindrops...it is quite comical.  He doesn't like the hose or water sprinklers either. Goofy dog.

MarsNPluto~sounds like a typical teenager.  Sorry your day at the beach was a bit stressful. 

Jay~a reunion sounds great! I bet they all have a wonderful time playing.


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## marshallsmom

Marshall is scared of umbrellas! But he loves the rain and would roll all over wet grass  I hate the rain (



GoBigRed said:


> Does anyone else's dog not like the rain? It's just sprinkling out right now but Husker does not like it at all. He'll go outside, do his business, and come right back in. The whole time holding his head down and what appears to be trying to dodge the raindrops...it is quite comical.  He doesn't like the hose or water sprinklers either. Goofy dog.
> 
> MarsNPluto~sounds like a typical teenager.  Sorry your day at the beach was a bit stressful.
> 
> Jay~a reunion sounds great! I bet they all have a wonderful time playing.


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## jluke

*Maisie at the Beach and More...*

Just back from the Delaware beach and Maisie loved it -- running in and out of the waves, jumping into them, chasing her people and the sea gulls. The first afternoon, she drank too much sea water and ate too much sand - silly puppy :doh: -- so she and I had a rough night afterwards. But her next romps, she drank less and didn't eat any sand, so I guess she learned something... It was so much fun to watch her. Jay, I have a picture of her sitting with the Atlantic behind her. She's drenched and not nearly as cute as Guybrush. I'll try to post it later.

Oh, Pluto -- Maisie met lots of dogs and their people on the beach and understands that remembering not to jump up is so-o-o hard. We keep trying...
How was the Dodgers Park in the Park? Is it at the stadium?

Hello to Dexter the show dog! Sorry for you and your mom about the ticks. Maisie got two near the beach, but I got them off her coat before they burrowed in -- whew! Nasty things.

Jay, when you train Guybrush with the chain leash, does he ever catch his teeth in it or does he just avoid biting it altogether? It's so fun that you and he got to meet his relatives! And I mentioned his name to my daughter's boyfriend who plays computer games -- he loved it!

GoBigRed -- Maisie loves rain, mud puddles and anything wet. But if it's cold and wet, I have her wear a Lands End dog coat she got as a hand-me-down from our late GR, just so she gets less soaked. I think they're sort of silly, but they work. Do you think one might help?

Marshallsmom -- Maisie didn't like umbrellas the first few times she saw one, but after sniffing it and checking it out on the floor, she got used to it.


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## GoBigRed

Husker had a rough evening yesterday. Believe he tangled with a bee and boy did his tongue ever pay the price. Poor guy, it started out with a small bit of swelling and went to looking like a big sausage. Some Benadryl and licking crushed ice helped a lot. Hopefully he learned his leson.


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## Guybrush

Awwww poor Husker, trying to play with insects like everyone else silly pup you chose the wrong type! Hope you feel better soon.

jluke - The chain leash is awesome he does even try to snap at it. Also I am sure Maisie is cute no matter how wet she is


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## jluke

*Poor Guy...*

I feel so bad for Husker. Maisie tries to catch bees, too. So far, no "luck." She did catch four moths tonight, though...

Jay -- thanks for the info on the chain leash. With the holiday weekend over, I'm off to buy one tomorrow.


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## Dexter12

Dex is on Avantix, which is supposed to be in his blood and ultimately kill the ticks after 24 hours, but if they're getting to an almost full state I'm doubting this is happening. I find a new tick on Dex almost every time we go out. This is just not working.

MarsNPluto: They seem to want to do the complete opposite of what you tell them at this age.

GoBigRed: Dex doesn't seem to mind rain, and we've been getting a lot of storms.

Guybrush: Poor Husker, sometimes they have to find out about bugs the hard way. We haven't had a bee encounter yet....but it's a matter of time. Dex loves to chase anything and everything like a cat.

Jluke: Sounds like Maisie had a blast!


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## baumgartml16

Catch up post, lol:

Dexter - glad he was good for the breeder while you were gone! Yuck about the ticks, I think that is what Koda is on. Now I am a bit more concerned. I don't worry too much around our hosue because there just aren't any in the city areas but we are heading up north in July where she had one last year and she only had her puppy fur to look through, now she is a full coat adult so that should be interesting...

Maria - sorry about the bad beach time, I know what you mean about the focus issue though. If they are over tired they just ignore everything and bring out the devil dog in them. lol. Hopefully next time he won't be so tired and will listen better! It's a constant work in process. How was Bark at the Park? I wish we had that here, but they don't offer it.

Jay - yay for the chain leash, glad to hear the jumping/biting has stopped. What a small world you meeting Guybrush's relatives! 

GoBigRed - ouch, poor Husker! Probably doesn't know what did it to him which will not help preventing him from doing it again... Koda used to not like the rain and now she doesn't mind at all. We went for a run in it the other day actually lol. We brought out the hose and sprinkler this weekend and she was timid at first but just kept encouraging her to go up to it and now she loves it. I ran through the sprinkler a couple times to show her it is alright and then she couldn't get enough. She bites at it a lot. It is funny when it catches her off guard, she snaps at it like she is going to make it stop by doing that, too funny. I will try to get a video of it next time 

Jill - beach time sounds like fun!! Glad you were able to enjoy the weather and good times with Maisie. Sorry about the rough night though...last year Koda ate a lot of sand as a puppy when we were up north (she was 11 weeks) so hopefully this year she will be more mature about it and not eat as much. It is like she doesn't know how to just lay down, she has to be eating someting, or digging something or exploring. I wish she would just lay down and relax lol.

We had a decent weekend. We did a lot of landscaping and since Koda couldn't relax on her own outside she had to be inside while we did stuff. She wasn't happy but she was either eating every stick in sight, digging, or trying to get into our stuff that we were doing. All were not an option. I feel so bad but I don't know what to do. We had two get togethers this weekend and we gave her a knuckle bone to chew on, she liked that but it cut her gums both times so I dont think we will be using that again. Any ideas on how to get her to just relax outside and just lay and watch us? lol

We went swimming at the indoor pool sunday which wiped her out. She gets a half hour of swim time, by about 20 minutes in she was pooped but didn't want to stop lol. She insists on getting out and jumping in each time too instead of just staying in the pool and chasing the toy so I am sure that makes it harder on her. She is so funny! 

Other than that we had a relaxing weekend. We are continuing to work on her fear training and also regular obedience so we are busy with that.

Hope everyone had a good Memorial Day weekend!


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## jluke

*My Usual Mix...*

Dexter - Maisie is on Vectra 3D for fleas and ticks. We used to use Frontline and another product for our GR Sadie, but the vet thinks Frontline is better. ??

Michelle -- like Koda, Maisie doesn't chill out when outside unless she's really tired out after "bubble time" or a long walk or a trip to the DP. Then, she still wants a stick or antler to chew and she's much better on the deck or patio -- not in the yard. 

Maisie and I have a 15 minute evaluation for a Basic Rally class coming up on Thursday evening -- lots of practice on basic commands between now and then! The instructor wants to be sure Maisie is solid on the basics since this is a different school than where we'd been going. I think she'll have to be on a martingale collar, too, so I've been walking her on one. (I've been using "Watch me" and "Slowly" when she pulls which has been helping.)


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## GoBigRed

Kodasmomma~sounds like a great weekend. I love doing yardwork, sorry though that Koda wasn't able to stay out with you. We cleaned the garage up over the weekend and Husker would walk around and then suddenly run into the house, that was our clue that he took something. Tools, a rock, a leave, etc. : ) He even tried to carry my husbands softball bag away.

So Husker got himself into mischief today. My daughter and I left for 20 minutes. The baby gate went up to the upstairs, things were taken off the dining room table and my son's door was open. My son was home playing his PS3 in his room. Came home and Husker had one of my Longaberger baskets which he was started to tear up. He's never touched these before and they are up on a shelf. GRRRR!!! Both my son and Husker are in the doghouse.


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## mrmooseman

I love reading all the new stories about these teenage pups! Makes me remember when we all use to vent and tell almost the same stories. Kind of makes me miss the old times.. KIND OF. haha.

When we are outside doing yardwork or stuff to the house, Moose is actually pretty relaxed. He does feel the need to be in everyone way, but he doesn't dig anymore when we are outside with him, when we are not, it's like it is fair game! He will lay down and just watch everyone do what their doing. But if we are outside without him, he just barks, and barks, and barks. Speaking of barking, we has started this new thing when I put him out to use the washroom, and he thinks I'm getting ready to go somewhere.. he will go out and do his business and then stand in front of the door and bark, and bark, and bark. *sigh* I can remember a time when I said "Moose never barks!". Clearly when they took his "man-hood" they gave him an attitude.

Training wise: He seems to have stopped with the jumping.. he still has his moments, but while out in public, he isn't doing it. He is also being super good at the dp! After the first initiall "zoomies" (which is basically a run across the park and back) he will listen when I call him. When someone comes into the park, he of course wants to go meet the people and the dog, but I will call him, and he will listen and come back to me. PROGRESS!! He is turning into such a good boy! I don't want to jinx it though..

He is really into playing with bubbles, and I can't find the bacon ones anywhere! The only place online doesn't ship to Canada. On ebay, they have hartz tasty peanutbutter flavored ones, anyone hear about these? I'd like to order them for Moose man.


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## Tucker's mommy

Michele - We have issues with Tucker and yardwork too, but of a different kind. If I go down onto our hillside to pull weeds or do any kind of work, Tucker will leave me be for the first ten minutes or so, but then something goes off in his little furry head that makes him think it's playtime, and it's all out "attack on Mom". He'll jump at me, barking and mouthing uncontrollably, and I'll do my usual grab, , forced sit, then some quick training. It's all over in a matter of a minute or two, but boy is it annoying. For some reason, me working outside gets him really riled up. Now I know to be prepared for it, and to constantly watch for him out of the corner of my eye so he doesn't do the sneak attack on me! I'd almost rather him tear up our yard and eat the sticks than tear me up! :bowl: 

I make him out to be such a monster. But, 95% of the time he's a teddy bear. It's just that 5% of the time, holy moly!!!! 

We'll be doing some serious mulching in another couple of weeks. We are absolutely dreading it, as Tucker will think the truckload sized pile is a special gift, just for him, I'm sure!


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## Dexter12

> Dexter - glad he was good for the breeder while you were gone! Yuck about the ticks, I think that is what Koda is on. Now I am a bit more concerned. I don't worry too much around our hosue because there just aren't any in the city areas but we are heading up north in July where she had one last year and she only had her puppy fur to look through, now she is a full coat adult so that should be interesting...


Dex behaved some what, but apparently an older German Shepard had to put him in his place a couple times.


> Dexter - Maisie is on Vectra 3D for fleas and ticks. We used to use Frontline and another product for our GR Sadie, but the vet thinks Frontline is better. ??


 So is Vextra working well for Maisie? I think I need to call the vet again and ask her for another solution. Good luck with the rally on Thursday I hope it goes well.

Dex is in full on teenaged mode tonight, he's driving us crazy. He's nipping, mouthing and jumping on me and he just won't stop. We've put in him in two time outs tonight, he hasn't had one of those in months.


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## OutWest

Update from sunny but chilly NoCal:
We had a decent weekend. Sort of the usual times at the dog park, etc. but too chilly and (overcast for one day) to really do stuff like the beach. 

This evening Tucker is getting on my last nerve. :uhoh: Was not able to take him to dog park today because I had to take my car into body shop, get rental, and head back to school to get DD. so twice today I took him into back yard and threw balls for him. But wasn't enough and he's got so much excess energy right now he's pacing the house. DD just came in from doing cartwheels in front yard. :bowl: Told her she has to spend some time with T in the back yard now. :doh::doh::doh: 

This is what happens to a teenage Golden when he doesn't get to run around and get tired! well at least one teenager will be tired tonight! :

Tomorrow--it's back to dog park.


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## jluke

*Quick Catch-up*

Dexter's person -- yes, Vectra is working for Maisie. The ticks at the beach didn't even burrow in and she was at the end of her dose. DH and I applied her next monthly dose today. (It always takes two of us -- are we just uncoordinated?  )

Yea, Moose! Coming at the DP with all those distractions -- such a major accomplishment!

Husker -- tools, rocks and leaves -- ?? But I forgot to mention that Maisie wanted to catch and eat toads at the beach and there were lots around. Even the night she was feeling sick when I took her out at about 3 AM, we stepped out the door and there were 5 toads. She had to try to catch everyone. Yuck!

Kathleen -- I know what you mean about not being able to tire out Tucker. It's been so hot here - over 90, so no DP. Maisie barely wants to walk, just goes a block or two, picks up a stick, takes it to the shade, lays down and crunches it for a while. I've been playing bubbles with her in the shaded part of the yard. Also, we've been brushing up on our training, mostly inside. And, I've been working on a few tricks -- sit in front and circle right (or place), just to keep her brain busy.

Speaking of bubbles, I got the bacon-flavored bubbles on Amazon, but don't remember if the company ships to Canada.

Tucker'smommy -- oh, boy -- mulch! When the construction is done here, we have to re-do the mulch in back. Maisie will be joining Tucker in mulch munching heaven! :doh:


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## OutWest

Update a bit later... Tucker is a mad man...have had him chasing the laser pointer around the room ... But DD is not tired after all ... I'm climbing the walls ... I'm putting them all in bed, and soon!!!!!


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## mrmooseman

Jill, we are the same way when it comes to putting treatment on moose, it takes the 2 of us. But it's the same with cleaning his ears and brushing him and bathing him. Well I can bath him myself, the bf needs my help.

Moose still gets the same way with all this enegry. He annoys me so much if we cant go to the dp. He will huff and puff like taking a hissy fit and follow me everywhere I go.


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## Tucker's mommy

*Tucker is now a year old!*

So Tucker's birthday was this past weekend, and I think he had a good one. We all spent Saturday out at my in-laws together - and our older boys and Tucker took their first hike up Ten Mile Creek with us. Hopefully these photos will post. The country down there is just beautiful. And Tucker loved the water! It was 95 degrees that day, so the activity was enjoyed by EVERYONE!

I feel like we're meeting a huge milestone with him reaching his first birthday. We've still got our "hiccups" - like yesterday, he decided to jump on me, mouthing me HARD, outside, for the first time in almost two months. But, it was the first cool afternoon we'd had in a week, so I could understand his excitement! Anyhoo, we're getting there!


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## baumgartml16

Megan - did you use a high value treat when teaching his recall? I am just wondering if we need to focus on a higher value reward to get this to click in Koda's mind lol. She is good one day and the next she forgot what it means to come.

Katie - We are going to remulching everything as well pretty soon and I am sooooo dreading what is going to happen with that. Not only will it be in the driveway in a big heap for her to jump in and take what she pleases but once it is in the new places she will surely have to investigate and she doesn't forget - she is like an elephant. LOL. 

I planted this little pot of marigolds for a work plant competition and every day we let her outside she runs right over to the spot it is and wants to get it. She is so weird lol. 

Yesterday Koda was an absolute gem when we were sitting outside. She wasn't even eating the grass like she usually does. Just sitting, sniffing the air and enjoying her massage from me!  Those are the moments that make any bad ones worth it! She really is a very good girl, I know I post a lot of her negative things but just like Tucker she is good the majority of the time. Of course the negative ones are the ones that stand out and get posted here. 

They are great dogs though! Wouldn't want anything else!


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## baumgartml16

And yes, applying tick treatment takes two, along with ear cleaning, brushing, bathing lol...they are tricky little pups if they want to get away! She does love teeth brushing though so one of us is fine! 

Do your dogs still pull? We got rid of the prong with Koda and she seems to sometimes revert back to the pulling. A simple no pull usually gets her to stop but I still don't like getting yanked in a direction when I am not expecting it lol. We have the easy walk harness and a martingale. We were trying to teach her to walk good on the martingale but I don't want her to do damage to her throat with the pulling. I think we will just have to keep at it. She is stubborn though. If you stop walking when she is pulling she sits but she won't come back to you, she waits until you are ready to go...she is such a snot about it too lol...won't look at you, just stares straight ahead like "i dont know what your problem is, i was just walking" lol...


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## mrmooseman

Oddly enough, I use a squeaky tennis ball. I just say Moose and hold it up. If he doesn't stop once I say his name, I squeak it, he will stop and look at me, and then come back to me and just sit in front of me and wait for me to throw it. But lately, he has just been coming back to me and I reward him with "good boy" and pets and bum scratches. haha.

He is still pulling, so we are still using the prong collar. We do let him out free in the yard, sometimes, and only if we're not busy so we can watch him. He does listen and comes back, but like I said before, I still don't trust it, even though the bf wants him to be able to just had him out and about with him. He is good at the leash. We have one with the peg on the end that screw into the ground. He doesn't pull on it, because he is just to use to being on it. Even if there is another dog across the street or a person, he just sits and stares at them, he is kind of creepy like that. I still don't think we will ever be able to have him without the prong collar.


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## Pammie

I still use the prong on Bryley and don't think I will stop any time soon. He walks pretty good and does really good at sitting when we stop. The friends I walk with on the weekend are continually impressed with him. Makes me feel good!  But then we stop for a water break at a bench and he jumps on the bench and is in everyones face trying to give sloppy drooly wet kisses! :uhoh:

The mulch situation...I know Bryley would make mulch a snack food given half a chance! We will be having a home improvement dilemma coming up here soon that I am not looking forward to. Along with getting our house painted, we will have the deck stained. The deck runs the length of the back of the house and is the access to the dog pen/potty area. We will have to leash and take him out the front door and thru the front gate to potty, he will not have indoor/outdoor access like he does today- which I love because he just floats from inside laying at my feet to outside to harass the cats or stare off at the action outside. I will miss that and it takes 72 hours for the deck to dry!!! Thats 3 days! We will all go nuts by then.

I can bush or bath Bryley myself, but just try to do something to his ears and it's a battle!







it takes two and a bully stick! Same with the feet. I can touch and prod btwn his toes all I want- unless I have medication. He recently had a fungus btwn the pads and the Rx was a spray. You would have thought I was coming at him with a chain saw! crazy dog!

Tuckers mommy- your pictures are great! I am sure Tucker had a great time being with his family and getting to swim! And like tucker, Bryley still is a bit mouthy at times, but mostly when he is excited! He just has to but his mouth around my hands, but at least it is not hard now. There was a time when I was starting to doubt if the time would ever come that he would not bite.







~ So much of what you tell us about Tucker reminds me of Bryley! Earlier you wrote about pulling weeds and him going after you- that is B to a T! Even now I am always cautious about doing anything where my head is down like weeding or picking stuff off the floor. He just sees that as an invitation to get up in my face! Either that or he just has to be in there, in my way!!! I am in a cupboard- he is too. Cleaning a corner of the floor? he is there to help! and did you know Bryley is pedicurist? I did not either until he had to be right there observing and sampling all the products! crazy dog! _MY_ crazy dog that I love, love, LOVE! :heartbeat

I use Frontline on B. 

Can you tell is Wednesday and I am not a work?! I am just all


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## marshallsmom

Happy belated birthday to Tucker! Glad to see a lot of you had a fun holiday!

We had a busy weekend. I was working ( and so was DH! But Marshall and I snuck in some time to go to the dogpark and he got to swim until it started pouring rain and everyone dashed to the car. We left a little later as I was embarased to be the mom whose dog refuses to go in the car 

For pulling: we find the easy walk harness to work really well with Marshall. I had knee surgery 2 months before we got him and it took me a while to recover and injured my other knee when he started getting bigger and pulled me down a hill  After that he never pulled me except for that time that he got scared.

We are still working on the car (very little) since we are focused on dealing with his fear of traffic/odd noise outside. Its has been better except in the morning (rush hour traffic seems to be more noticeable). Otherwise we have been able to walk further and further away everyday in the afternoon/night.

Recent issues: 
1) Sometimes when we are out and he finds a stick/branch...he switched to a "I just want to lay right here and chew on this stick forever". And I can't get him to drop it, it has to be extra special treat to get him to drop it (cheese, hotdogs, which I usually do not have handy)! Ugh! Sometimes I just let him be since we do not have a yard and so I feel like he should enjoy moments outside just laying down, but then I want to walk and ofcourse he's not done chewing the stick yet!! Anyone else with this problem? 
2) Sometimes he cries at his food (like it was hurting him). He goes over, sniff and then does this forward/backward motion like it was coming at him and hurting him and he cries! I dont think the food is bad/rancid as if I had feed him, he eats it. He is pooping fine and acting fine otherwise. I wish I had a video since it is really difficult to explain.


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## baumgartml16

Happy Belated Birthday to Tucker! Sorry I forgot to add that to my previous post! He looks like he had a ball!  I love this season, so much more to do with the pups outside! 

Koda found out what a sprinkler is this weekend, I think that will come out quite often this summer. I will have to get a video of it this weekend maybe! 

Marshalls mom - glad to hear things are coming along with the outside training. Keep at it, it isn't going to change overnight. I have to remind myself that a lot. LOL. 

Koda has gotten to the lay down and do nothing in the middle of the walk too. I dont know if it is the heat or if she just wants to chill but I give her a minute or so and then tell her "up" which is a command we needed her to learn fast and we continue on. The food issue I am not too sure about. Does he wear a collar when he eats, I have heard that some dogs don't like their tags clanking on their food bowl so maybe that is happening to Marshall?


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## mrmooseman

Happy belated birthday Tucker!! Looks like he had a great day!
I still never got around to posting any pictures of Moose's birthday. We have just been so busy now that we're not in hibernation mode anymore..

I want to try Moose with the sprinkler. Even though we live near the ocean, it would still be nice to have that handy for when we can't get there. We tried to play frisbee with him for the first time yesterday, he would run after it, but he wasn't quite sure how to pick him up. So he wasn't too interested. 

It's raining today, which I dread. Prime Moose diggin weather. But he just isn't staying out that long. I think he's jusy having a lazy rainy day. Since we are doing the outside, we took the old gutters off the house, so there is a lot of big rain drops dripping off the roof. Moose tries to catch them, but when they hit his face, he freaks out, so I'm wondering how a sprinkler is going to work..


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## jluke

*Lots of Thoughts...*

First -- Happy Birthday, Tucker! Looks like you're having so much fun with your people. Where is that in PA? (I'm a PA native.)

Michelle and others with "pullers" like Koda and my Maisie. I read this on the Behavior or Puppy thread and have been trying it over the past several days with good results. (And I'm now walking Maisie on a martingale collar almost all the time since that's what we;ll use in the rally class if we're accepted.) When Maisie starts to pull, I tell her "Watch me" and give her a treat when she slows down, turns around and does. Or I tell her "Slowly" (which she learned when changing pace while heeling). Both have really helped. But I'm using lots of treats! 

Marshallsmom -- Maisie is a stick nut. (I think she must be part beaver. :doh She often stops to chew on one and then lays down. Sometimes I let her for a few minutes. Then, I have her her sit and give her a treat. I pick up the stick and correct her if she lunges for it. I give it to her and tell her we're "Walking." Usually -- not always -- she'll carry it along for the walk.

Pammie -- with the construction here Maisie can't go out to the deck and then to her potty place. We've had to go out the front door and then for a walk since the yard near the deck is all torn up, too. It's been a pain, but she's done fine. This has been going on for 6 weeks with 2 more to go.

Dexter and Mom -- I'd said that Vectra was working fine for tick prevention, but I found one on Maisie tonight. It didn't seem to be firmly embedded and pulled right out, but it was on her skin. I don't know if this is the best you can do or not??

Michelle -- sorry to share your pain, but I have to say that I'm relieved that Koda eats grass, too. Maisie chomps on it and she likes fresh mowed clumps best.

And have I mentioned that she tried to chase and eat toads at the beach -- yuck, yuck, yuck!


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## OutWest

Today has been a better day for Tucker. He spent almost two hours at the DP in the morning. Played with his two best friends, and a very cute puppy.  Back this afternoon for another half hour. So far he's behaving much better tonight. Hope it keeps up. :crossfing

Last night he cracked me up after he got into his crate. He kept moaning and groaning in this deep rumbling voice for about 5 minutes before settling down. It was like he was a little kid saying, "Mom, I just can't get sleepy!" 

*Leash* *walking*: Tucker is walking on the front clip harness these days. I still have the prong collar but only use it for walking him in highly stimulating environments. I want to keep working with him to get him to the point of walking well on a flat collar. He could revert to pulling very easily I think. I really do think that pulling is just a natural instinct for dogs so it's hard to train them otherwise. 

*Sticks*: I think he could become a nut for them, but right now he prefers the pine cones from our large evergreen. :doh: they leave lots of woody chunks all over the house. 

*Barking*: both Tucker and Tess are getting pretty bad. I need to get out the canister of compressed air and start using it again. It was working but then I put it away. 

*Sprinklers*: if weather is warm for a few more days, I want to introduce him to them in our back yard. Today I spent 30 minutes cleaning up back there--was way overdue on the pooper scooper duties! :doh::yuck: but I'm going to hook up the sprinkler tomorrow if it's warm and see if he likes it.

Happy birthday, first-born Tucker! Second-born Tucker will have his on June 25. Not sure what we'll do yet. Had hoped to have a get-together with his mom and sibs. Wrote the breeder but haven't heard back, so we'll figure something else out. Maybe a beach trip!


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## Nyahsmommy

Happy belated birthday Tucker!!

I have been super busy. I am feeling extremely guilty lately.. we have been so busy and this next month is going to be so nuts we will be barely home for Nyah. It's all for a good cause though.

Question to all of you who leave your pups home all day: Do they hold if all day or do they sometimes have accidents?

So I finally got the mon-fri job that I was looking for (it's on going temp but I am hoping it becomes permanent at some point). For the rest of the month I will be working pt on weekends at my other job to make extra money for the move(we just bought new furnature, etc). Anyways. It won't be so bad this month cause bf's mom agreed to watch nyah a few days a week, but the other days she will be along for 8 maybe 9(with traffic) hours alone. We have never left her alone that along in her life and I have a feeling she will have several accidents. We are moving futher away from our jobs so this means that she will be alone at new house for even longer(I know most people move closer to work but that's not an option because we both work in expensive rich areas). Bf will be off the first week we move to help the girls adjust but I am worried she will be too bored/have accidents. :no:


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## Dexter12

*ticks sprinklers and rain, OH MY!*



jluke said:


> Dexter's person -- yes, Vectra is working for Maisie. The ticks at the beach didn't even burrow in and she was at the end of her dose. DH and I applied her next monthly dose today. (It always takes two of us -- are we just uncoordinated?  )





mrmooseman said:


> Jill, we are the same way when it comes to putting treatment on moose, it takes the 2 of us. But it's the same with cleaning his ears and brushing him and bathing him. Well I can bath him myself, the bf needs my help.
> 
> Moose still gets the same way with all this enegry. He annoys me so much if we cant go to the dp. He will huff and puff like taking a hissy fit and follow me everywhere I go.


 It always takes two of us to get the treatment on Dex. He's like "mooooooom do I have to, it's smelly!"
I bathe Dex and there should be two of us because he always attempts to jumps out of the tub soaking wet at some point. :doh: By the end of bath time, I'm as wet as he is without even going in the tub.



baumgartml16 said:


> Do your dogs still pull?


 Yes! I'm using the prong collar with him and it has vastly improved, but he still pulls! A little correction and he's ok but I can't believe he still pulls it's so annoying.



mrmooseman said:


> He is still pulling, so we are still using the prong collar. We do let him out free in the yard, sometimes, and only if we're not busy so we can watch him. He does listen and comes back, but like I said before, I still don't trust it, even though the bf wants him to be able to just had him out and about with him. He is good at the leash. We have one with the peg on the end that screw into the ground. He doesn't pull on it, because he is just to use to being on it. Even if there is another dog across the street or a person, he just sits and stares at them, he is kind of creepy like that. I still don't think we will ever be able to have him without the prong collar.


 That's good that Moose listens. We would let Dex out only if we were watching and he ended up playing hide and go seek in the woods. I really want to be able to let him run around the back yard but he's just not trust worthy yet. We also have a teather and 45ft rope for him but the second we don't watch him, he starts digging holes! 



Pammie said:


> I use Frontline on B


 Do you still find ticks on B? If so are they embedded?



mrmooseman said:


> Happy belated birthday Tucker!! Looks like he had a great day!
> I still never got around to posting any pictures of Moose's birthday. We have just been so busy now that we're not in hibernation mode anymore..
> 
> I want to try Moose with the sprinkler. Even though we live near the ocean, it would still be nice to have that handy for when we can't get there. We tried to play frisbee with him for the first time yesterday, he would run after it, but he wasn't quite sure how to pick him up. So he wasn't too interested.
> 
> It's raining today, which I dread. Prime Moose diggin weather. But he just isn't staying out that long. I think he's jusy having a lazy rainy day. Since we are doing the outside, we took the old gutters off the house, so there is a lot of big rain drops dripping off the roof. Moose tries to catch them, but when they hit his face, he freaks out, so I'm wondering how a sprinkler is going to work..


We've just had a downpour, so Dex has been inside a lot and when he went outside for a pee he'd end up a mudball. It took Dex forever to learn how to pick up a frisbee, so he'd just stand on it digging at it. I hope he enjoys the sprinkler! 



jluke said:


> .
> Dexter and Mom -- I'd said that Vectra was working fine for tick prevention, but I found one on Maisie tonight. It didn't seem to be firmly embedded and pulled right out, but it was on her skin. I don't know if this is the best you can do or not??


Oh no! I'm glad the little bugger wasn't embedded.

Something I forgot. Yesterday we decided to walk to the corner store, which took about an hour and a half round trip. School must have just gotten out because the store was swamped with kids, and there was this 11 year old boy and a man who really wanted to meet Dex and he got uncharacteristically shy. They both tried petting him and he backed up towards me and wouldn't let them pet him. May be it was because it was so crowded in such a small space because Dex is almost never that shy!


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## baumgartml16

Do your dogs get excited for food time? Koda doesn't..at all...

I think she used to as a puppy but now she could care less. I say want your food and she does nothing. Sometimes while I am dishing her food out she will lay on the floor. When I walk past her with the food she will get up but it isn't a big deal to her at all...I am starting to wonder if she doesn't like her food or if she just isn't excitable by that stuff?


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## jluke

*Responding...*

Nyahsmommy -- Happy New Job!! I can't answer your question about how Nyah will do on her own for 8 hours. We did leave our adult GR for the whole business day and she was fine, all day, everyday, but she came to us as a rscue at about 4 years old. Will Nyah be in her crate or one room?

Michelle -- Maisie gets happy -- not wildly excited -- at breakfast and dinner time. She comes to where I'm putting the kibble in her bowl, sits and waits, then follows me to where I put her bowl down. Since we reduced the amount she's getting, she's definitely hungry and ready to eat. Seems like she's much more interested than Koda.

Sometimes Maisie's still shy the way Dexter was, but she started out very skittish with men, especially large men. Her trainer had us walk her to the local grocery store and library and have her sit there so she could meet people. I'd have them give her treats and pet her so she got over being so shy. (Be careful what you wish for -- now I have to remind her to sit so she doesn't jump on them.  )

Kathleen -- you mention having Tucker walk on a flat collar. I hope Maisie gets to be that calm, too. I don't know if you've heard this, but the instructor for our classes has urged all of us to have our dogs wear two collars, one with ID tags and the other one for attaching the leash, even if that one is a flat collar. She says she's seen too many dogs slip a flat collar and then they don't have any ID on them except for a microchip or tattoo. For what it's worth... 

Off to practice for tonight's rally evaluation... :crossfing


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## Nyahsmommy

jluke said:


> Nyahsmommy -- Happy New Job!! I can't answer your question about how Nyah will do on her own for 8 hours. We did leave our adult GR for the whole business day and she was fine, all day, everyday, but she came to us as a rscue at about 4 years old. Will Nyah be in her crate or one room?


Thanks  We would like her to have access to the whole house, including finished basement. In the apartment she has access to everything except the washroom and bedroom(we close those doors more because of the cats then her) and she has not gotten into anything or was bad in anyway. She sleeps when we are not home but I am worried she will get too bored and either chase the cats or wreck stuff(like our new furnature). She isn't independant. She will only play with toys if we play with her. I'm planning on taking her for a walk early morning and once in the evening. On the weekend we will take her to her private beach are to swim and lots of walks.

Nyah is good around meal time. I always crate her and get the cats fed first. She never barks or goes nuts. She runs to her food and devours it once we let her out though. lol


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## mrmooseman

Nyahs mom: moose has free range of the house! wo no more baby gates!!. We even can not have the basement blocked off because he just doesn't want to go down there. We work long days with him home alone. We only ever had one accident with him being alone. Currently I only work one week a month, but I work 12-13 hour days. Once I start my new job, I will only work 3 12's a week, but Moose is fine alone for up to 11 hours. luckly, the bf only works 8-9 hours a day. Sometimes we have someone come put him out, but it doesn't happen often. It is nerve racking the first little bit. But I just assume he sleeps. It's what he does when I'm home with him most of the time. You might have some accidents, but you just have to make sure to show her that it isn't good to do that. I know it's not her fault, noone is home with her, but she will learn to not do it. I mean, Moose can go all night, for 10hours, without needing to do out. I think he's just use to it. 

Michelle: Moose is like Koda, he can care less. We free feed him, so maybe thats why. But when his dish is empty and I fill it up he just stares at me. When I ask him if he wants more food, he walks away. I have been thinking on changing the flavor of what we're feeding him now. Maybe spice up his life a little lol. Now when I go to his dish with rice, he like dances. Any other table scrap, and it's the same as if I'm putting kibble in his food.


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## Dexter12

baumgartml16 said:


> Do your dogs get excited for food time? Koda doesn't..at all...
> 
> I think she used to as a puppy but now she could care less. I say want your food and she does nothing. Sometimes while I am dishing her food out she will lay on the floor. When I walk past her with the food she will get up but it isn't a big deal to her at all...I am starting to wonder if she doesn't like her food or if she just isn't excitable by that stuff?


Dex used to love meal time, he would run in the kitchen and get all hyped up. Now I put the bowl down and most time he kinda looks at it, and then if he feels like it, he'll eat a little. I've found that hand feeding him some times gets him a little more interested in his meal but not much.




jluke said:


> Sometimes Maisie's still shy the way Dexter was, but she started out very skittish with men, especially large men. Her trainer had us walk her to the local grocery store and library and have her sit there so she could meet people. I'd have them give her treats and pet her so she got over being so shy. (Be careful what you wish for -- now I have to remind her to sit so she doesn't jump on them.  )


I'm kicking myself, usually I have treats on me and if people want to pet Dex I have them give him one to have a positive human interaction. This is one of the few times I didn't have some sort of dog treat on me.


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## jluke

*Treats*

Dexter's Mom -- I know what you mean about treats. I make a habit to have them with me, then was finding that sometimes I didn't have them when I needed them. And the zip-lock bags I was carrying the training treats in kept ripping and spilling the treats in all my pockets so I smelled like one big dog treat. I finally bought a treat bag from Planet Dog that velcros on a belt loop or clips to a belt. I put it with Maisie's leash and put it on when we go out. Just call me the Dog Treat Woman. I feel like it's one of the many silly things I've added to my routine in the last 9 months!


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## Pammie

Dexter the Frontline apparently works well as I have yet to find an embedded tick on Bryley and I have only found 1 walking around on him. I am surprised about this because I have 2 indoor/outdoor cats that do not get tick treatment and they and Bryley are BFF's!


> Now when I go to his dish with rice, he like dances.


Same here!! The boys loves rice! I made some the other night and he went into the kitchen and layed down in a position where he could keep an eye on the pot! Must admit I love white rice, too! How can something so simple as rice, butter and salt taste so good!!!

Bryley is not _excited_ about breakfast, but he always eats it up quickly. But dinner time he is standing around waiting to be served!

I am so envious of you that are able to leave your dogs alone in the house! I am afraid to leave Bryley for fear that he might turn into DestructoDog! Consequently I have not even given him a chance and crate him when we are both gone.  
He hardly sleeps at all during the day, I wonder if he was left alone in the house he would? I sure miss the days of being gone for extended amounts of time- like all day- to go to the mall and then dinner. I am basically not going anywhere with my husband and it is getting old. I have to either just give Bryley a try at being uncrated or crate him and drink to forget my guilt! LOL!









Jill- good luck with the rally eval. I look forward to hearing about how it went!


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## marshallsmom

Marshall is the same with food. He used to be crazy excited in the morning. When he sees me he knows it is Breakfast time. He would jump on me and we trained him to sit and wait for food that way. Now, he will only come if he is hungry. Otherwise, he just looks over and ignores me! Now he only shows that kind of excitement for cheese and hotdog


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## marshallsmom

Marshall is also allowed all over the house (except the bedroom). He sleeps most of the time and he has also never been allowed alone time for over 6 hrs straight. I think he should be okay holding it for upto 8 hrs now (since last Saturday he slept for 6 hrs during the day while I was home working and he did not need to go out for over 8 hrs). We keep the time short for now for fear that he might get bored and destructive. He has a tendency to chew on the walls (but my husband now has a new theory for why that is! we shall see). Thankfully we work on opposite shifts so he is never alone for over 6 hrs, if not, we take him to daycare.


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## marshallsmom

One last thing to share: 

At some point we gave up and let Marshall on the couch. Ever since he has been sleeping at night on the couch. He thinks it is HIS! At night when we watch TV, he would literally kick us out of the couch. Also, he would stare at you with this "Get off my couch its bedtime" look. As soon as you get up (to get a glass of water) you lose your spot on the couch! 

My husband thinks we should get another couch since he does not think Marshall will really give us the couch back  haha!


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## mrmooseman

Moose is the same way with the couch! He doesn't sleep on it all night (he ties to steal my spot in bed, last night, he succeded.) but as soon as one of us gets up, he is right there in our spot. Same with the bed. The only thing we have to make sure of when he is home alone, is that there are no laundry baskets full, or any socks laying around. That is the only thing of ours he chews.

He never chewed the walls, or table legs or anything. I think we got really lucky with that, and having a ton of toys to keep him occupied! It's just these socks. I don't know what it is! I like to take them and put them on his paws, because I think if he is wearing them, like other things I put on him, he will ignore them and have no desire to chew them. Nope! It is actually quite funny what he's like with them on his feet.


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## Pammie

mrmooseman said:


> I like to take them and put them on his paws,


LOL!!! Oh my!! I want to see that!!!
:worthless


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## AMPM

Finn is just over 9 months and has been limited to our (large) kitchen as his domain. Our trainer believes that he should earn real estate slowly as he proves he can handle the added excitement and opportunity for mischief. If I let Finn out into the rest of the house after the kids are in bed, he makes a b-line for the Barbies and Legos. Just runs and picks up whatever his mouth can get on first! I normally keep him on a leash and give him a bone to chew at my side, which works great-we get to hang out when it is quiet. But will we ever get to a point when he can just walk around without being destructive or have I done something wrong with this approach? Is Barbie forever on the endangered list?


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## jluke

*Hi All!*

Pammie -- like AMPM commented about Finn, can you give Bryley gradual access to one room at a time? That's what we're doing with Maisie. So far it's just the kitchen. (I think I've said that I'd be adding on a room or two since she's doing fine, but with the renovations, it's not safe to let her into other rooms right now.)

Welcome, AMPM. Finn is adorable! I don't know how many items Finn has that are his to munch on, but would it help for him to have some relatively long-lasting things (like antlers which Maisie loves and finds more tempting than just about anything but sticks!) to chomp on?

Love the couch "sharing" stories and the way your pups have their own couches. DH says our mud room addition is Maisie's room -- but I've been pointing out to him that we're moving the laundry from our dungeon of a basement into it, too, and I don't think the dog is going to do the wash! 

Wish I could see Moose wearing socks, Megan! Maisie hasn't ever stolen a pair until Monday morning when my daughter was getting ready to leave for her first job. Unlike her dad and me, she rolls hers in a ball -- of course, Maisie thought it was a ball, just like her soft stuffy ball. Maisie picked up the sock ball from the couch and led DD a merry chase around the house!

And... Maisie and I passed our evaluation for the rally class -- hurray! We'll start the actual class mid-June; it goes for 12 weeks. Maisie was on her best behavior in a really stimulating environment with dogs leaving doggie day care and an advanced rally class going on in the next room. The instructor complimented her obedience and how quickly she executed the commands. I was both really happy and relieved... :wavey: Thanks for letting me share my "mommy pride".

I did talk with two of the trainer/instructors about Maisie's loose leash jumping and leash biting. Jay (and anybody else who's still dealing with this) -- they recommended two things. One was coating the woven leash near the collar with Vaseline since almost no dogs like the taste of it. We put it on Maisie's leash while there and she made awful, funny faces at the smell, but I haven't had her on a long enough walk to test whether it works. (But I'm encouraged -- I've tried bitter apple, cayenne, Tabsco and none of them bothered her at all.) Since you can't use a chain leash in class, I thought you might want to try it. (I've ordered a chain leash and am waiting for it, but can't use it in the rally class either.) 

I'm not sure whether I want to try the second suggestion , but here it is. When your dog goes into zoomie behavior, pull up on the leash, slowly lifting the front paws off the ground. Count to 5 (about 5 seconds). Slowly lower the dog. Walk on. As the dog walks properly, praise and treat. Both of them stressed not to jerk the dog up, of course. They have (and principally train) large dogs like German Shepherds, Belgium Malinois and Boxers. Both impressed me as very experienced with sound training. And they don't recommend this approach for a "soft" dog.


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## OutWest

AMPM--welcome to GRF and to the parents of teens thread... The Barbies may be forever endangered.. But you should probably have your trainer give you some tips on that. I bet you could teach him to leave them alone. 

*Home* *alone*: Tucker's been doing very well. He's home with Tess for up to 3-4 hours at a time. He is always gated into the dining-kitchen area for long stretches. If I'm just running a quick errand, I'll leave him in the living room with the gate to kitchen-dining area open. So far pretty good. No potty accidents, although today when I got home he'd shredded a plastic newspaper bag.  I started doing it on very short trips when he was about 8 months and have been gradually increasing the length. I put my purse, etc., by the front door and when it's time to leave, I check that the gates are latched, pick up my purse and head out with no fuss or goodbye at all. I'm not sure what I'll do when I go back to work. I'm guessing he'll be good for a whole day but ... ? I don't give him the run of the house yet because there are just so many fascinating things for him to put into his mouth... shoes, hairbrushes, etc. no more Barbies, thank goodness! And he still sleeps in his crate in the bedroom. I kind of agree with AMPM's trainer about doing it gradually. That's what I did with Tess. 

*Food:* he's still a land shark.  if it looks remotely edible, he's interested. Sits and watches me fix his food with total focus. He loves rice too. (Some foods are more equal than others!). I thought it was because I always cook it in chicken broth, but maybe it's a Golden thing...

*Couch:* He likes to get up there but I think he's happiest on the rug in front of it. Every now and then he climbs up there and stretches out on top of or next to my DD. very cute. 

*Ticks:* So far, so good. There aren't many around here, outside of the woods and hills. I think he had a couple fleas at one point but those seem to be under control now with a topical. I want to switch to Confortis soon though.


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## KellieTheGoldenGirl

My kellie is now 6 months (7 months june 9th) and is almost out of the leash biting phase. She used to jump up, bite, and bite the leash. She LOVED to bite my gloves and my jacket sleeves. But we found if the dog has a stick or bone in its mouth, s/he won't bite the leash. Try it with yours, it might work but they'll grow out of it soon. Good luck!!


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## KellieTheGoldenGirl

*My kellie is now 6 months (7 months june 9th) and is almost out of the leash biting phase. She used to jump up, bite, and bite the leash. She LOVED to bite my gloves and my jacket sleeves. But we found if the dog has a stick or bone in its mouth, s/he won't bite the leash. Try it with yours, it might work but they'll grow out of it soon. Good luck!!*


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## jluke

*Overcoming Fears...*

Michelle and Nyahsmommy -- when I was with the trainers/instructors this evening, they recommended a very short book by a dog ethologist named Patricia McConnell, How to be the Leader of the Pack and Have Your Dog Love You for It. (It's most definitely not a Cesar Milan point-of-view although there's a book with a similar title by him.) When I went to order it tonight, I noticed another highly recommended book by her, The Cautious Canine-How to Help Dogs Conquer Their Fears. Since Maisie sometimes reacts badly to new things, I read some of the reviews and they made me think of what you've been coping with and working on with Koda and Nyah. I thought you might want to see what you think. (I was looking on Amazon. DH calls it my home away from home...)

Kellie's Mom -- thanks for the stick suggestion for Maisie. No go here. She loves to stop and munch on sticks while out for a walk, but I haven't been able to get her to carry one. Oh well...


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## Pammie

Welcome to AMPM and Kellies Mom!!!











jluke said:


> Pammie -- like AMPM commented about Finn, can you give Bryley gradual access to one room at a time? That's what we're doing with Maisie. So far it's just the kitchen. (I think I've said that I'd be adding on a room or two since she's doing fine, but with the renovations, it's not safe to let her into other rooms right now.)


Sure hope I did not make it sound like he had no freedom in the house :doh:....did I? When we are home he has access to all rooms except our bathroom. He is very good except for once taking a (new, of course!) t-shirt of mine and ripping it and counter surfing paper towels when he gets feisty. He hasn't ever chewed one piece of furniture, or a cord or wall! or anything! So why am I so freaked about leaving him free when we leave?! I would not be happy if he chewed something up, but I truly think I'm afraid of him ingesting something and getting sick or worse. I think I am still having a hard time dealing with my bridge boy Bailey's passing and know I could not go thru that again so soon.








Maybe I should just wrap B in bubble wrap and call it a day!!


> I'm not sure whether I want to try the second suggestion , but here it is. When your dog goes into zoomie behavior, pull up on the leash, slowly lifting the front paws off the ground. Count to 5 (about 5 seconds). Slowly lower the dog.


My trainers did this to B when he was quite young. I don't even remember what behavior it was to correct. All it took was the one time, I do remember that. And I am not sure if that is a good thing or a bad thing.

Congrats to Maise and Jill for passing the rally evaluation! I am proud of both of you!!!:You_Rock_


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## mrmooseman

Pammie, that was my fear too! and it kind of still is. If I'm leaving, I won't give him a denta bone or a busy bone to chew, because I am scared he will choke on them when I'm not home, even though he has been eating them forever and I do give him treats before I leave, why I think he couldn't choke on them, I don't know. We got him an elk antler for his birthday, and I refuse to let him have it when we're not home. Even though he doesn't chew anything like tables and walls, sometimes I'm scared he will start. I don't think I have faith in him much haha. I'm worried I'll come home one day, and there will be half the wall gone, or the table won't have any legs! He never had any desire for it then, so I highly doubt he does now. I'm being super crazy I think.

Even though he has access to the whole house, he only really uses the livingroom, kitchen and bedroom. The bathrom isn't fun for him unless one of us is in there (he likes to sit and stare at us while we do out business, and likes to stick his head in the shower and into the tub if we're in there..weird.) And the other 2 rooms we just don't really use, so I guess he doesn't want to go in them.

My biggest fear (and this will prob happen) is when we get another pup (in a few years), and because Moose was such a good puppy, this new pup will eat and destroy EVERYTHING!

Welcome to AMPM and Kelliesmom and congrats Maise and Jill!!


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## Dexter12

AMPM said:


> Finn is just over 9 months and has been limited to our (large) kitchen as his domain. Our trainer believes that he should earn real estate slowly as he proves he can handle the added excitement and opportunity for mischief. If I let Finn out into the rest of the house after the kids are in bed, he makes a b-line for the Barbies and Legos. Just runs and picks up whatever his mouth can get on first! I normally keep him on a leash and give him a bone to chew at my side, which works great-we get to hang out when it is quiet. But will we ever get to a point when he can just walk around without being destructive or have I done something wrong with this approach? Is Barbie forever on the endangered list?


That's a good idea, I've been slowly opening rooms of the house to Dex as he sorts of proves himself to be trustworthy. So far he has the kitchen which is "his" space, the living room and my office when we're in it. Dex used to get so excited by getting to explore new places that he did some excited piddles and we would have to let him out frequently. I'm going to tell you now that Finn's going to be walking around with barbies in his mouth. lol 

And HI and welcome to the GRF :wave:


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## OutWest

*A modest success with my guy *

One of my worries about getting a large dog was that I wouldn't be up to giving it enough exercise. I'm realistic enough to know that when a child asks for a dog that the parent always ends up doing most of the caregiving.  I'm in good health but have a couple things that mean I can't always go for long walks, hikes, etc.

So I really wanted Tucker to be a good ball retriever. I wanted to be able to sit in our fenced back yard and throw a ball to exercise him. And it's working! Woohoo! I've been practicing with two balls. I throw one, he brings it back and drops it either in my lap or in front of me, and I toss the other. Now we're working on him always dropping it in my lap. He likes it a lot. When he gets tired he plops down and chews on one of the balls for a few minutes and then we start again. I need to get this on video!. I feel like a real trainer.... I'm working with the bright orange Chuckit balls. He adores them, I think because they are so chewy. I like them because he can't seem to get chunks out of them with his teeth. 

:artydude


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## mrmooseman

Today I went into hardcore cleaning mode! Got the house all clean and I feel at ease now lol. But the entire time I was cleaning, Moose was taking his tennis balls, and putting them under things to get stuck, and he would dig, and dig, and dig for it. I would get it, and he would keep doing it. I just yelled at him all day. I would wash the floor, and I would block him off from the vacuum, but he "apparently" isn't scared of it anymore.. ugh. All day, I was cleaning, getting stuck tennis balls and yelling at him. JDSKJF. Anyone want him? haha. Who needs kids when you have a dog! I swear, it's worse then having a kid (not that I would know, I don't have any).


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## Tucker's mommy

Fetching tennis balls is one of our Tucker's favorite pastimes, too - thank GOD. For the same reasons mentioned above - I can't always get him out for long walks if I have all the kids with me. It's good to know that he's getting a ton of exercise in our yard. He has almost an acre to run in, as we have most of our property fenced in with the inv. fence system. We thought he wasn't going to love to retrieve, because he wasn't real into it this past winter. But now that the grass is in, I think he likes the feel of running on the grass more than in the mud. Which is a definite bonus for us!


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## marshallsmom

Marshall just officially lost free range of the stairs and everything upstairs last night! He likes to eat the dry walls right next to the bedroom door (maybe he wants DH to wake up and play with him since he gets up at noon--who knows!?!). There are probably 4-5 2-inch sized holes now. We try and cover it with a gate but then he just starts a new one!

We let him out of the crate at night right around 5.5 months and we had no destructive incidents. This biting only started within the last month. He has been super good otherwise and has not destroyed anything else. We have books, DVDs and shoes all over the living room and he never touched them! Of course I am not counting stuff he destroyed that first month!!!!


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## AMPM

Thanks for all the warm welcomes-so nice!! Finn does have lots of things to chew on and is generally very good about not stealing things. Funny, he does not like synthetic chews so his bone habit is quite expensive! (I don't mind though). I can leave him in the kitchen when we are not in the house and he will not disturb a thing. He still has his crate but the door is always open for him, even at night. He amazing with his training and is such a well-behaved little guy-we just love him! But he is very sneaky when he is out of the kitchen and will pretend to be engrossed in his bone, then saunter off slowly and quietly to see what he can find when he thinks we are not looking. It's like he's on a mission! My trainer has us working on walking around the house on the leash, doing 'leave its' when we come across something that interests him and I think we would probably benefit from doing more of this. We are also moving to a new house in August and I'm hoping to use that as an opportunity to increase his real estate-new place, new rules. Plus the playroom won't be on the main level of the house which I think will help a lot. But my trainer warned us about the teenage stage and so far Finn is still a dream! I realized I've probably just jinxed myself...


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## jluke

*Today's Thoughts...*

Pammie -- I knew you meant that Bryley was restricted just when you weren't home. I didn't think you kept the poor guy penned up all the time!  And thanks for mentioning that your trainer used the "pull the front paws up" correction with him once. I'll probably try it with Maisie -- I'm so tired of having a bruised and scratched left forearm.

Megan -- Sorry you're worried about leaving Moose home with an antler. I leave one with Maisie, but it's a solid one, not one that's cracked open so she can get to the marrow. But Moose probably sleeps most of the time, don't you think? I know what you mean about having four-legged company in the bathroom. Maisie especially likes to visit at shower time when she can catch any extra spray and watch the droplets.  She plays the "stuck tennis ball" game, too. She loves to intentionally "lose" a ball under the coffee table, then whine until DH or I retrieve it for her! And she whines and whine even if she has three other balls lying around...

To the Tuckers -- hurray for the retrieving Retrievers!

Oh, Marshall -- not dry wall... :yuck:


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## Dexter12

So I'm trying again with Dex being off leash in the backyard but this time I have milkbones halves and regular treats. His regular treats are good enough but the boy goes crazy for milkbones and if he knows that I have some on me, he'll follow me quite closely. We do have a nice yard for him to run around in and so I want him to enjoy it, but he'll loss all privileges if he decides to run off.


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## mrmooseman

The antler we got moose is pretty solid. I'm just being a crazy over protected mom haha. And I know the pain with the tennis balls! I always threaten to throw them out. He can have like 4 in front of him but he needs the one that's under something and cries and cries for it. Needless to say, poor hardwood floor is taking a beating.

The funny thing with moose is, he is still skittish around big trucks and things that make loud noises. Also the mop handle fell down yesterday and he took off spilling his water dish, but for some reason if we are using the quad or the ride on lawn mower, he will follow it. It doesn't bother him.


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## GoBigRed

When we leave the house Husker goes into his kennel, he can't be trusted yet with free reign while we're gone. We give him a Kong filled with either peanut butter or banana.

Fetching balls~Husker returns toys inside the house, working on "drop" still. But you can get the toy and throw it again and he'll bring it back. Outside in the backyard is another story. He'll go after the toy but he will not bring it back to you. He'll just go lay down with it and that's that. He does not play outside for some reason. He'll do zoomies for awhile but not play with toys. Odd boy!

Thankfully Husker hasn't destroyed anything with the house, etc. (knock on wood..lol) His big thing currently is stealing stuff from the bedrooms and bathrooms if they are open. Socks, kleenex, a huge blanket last night he dragged up the stairs, hand weights...you name it he'll try to carry it off.

Hope everyone has a great weekend!


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## Nyahsmommy

mrmooseman said:


> Nyahs mom: moose has free range of the house! wo no more baby gates!!. We even can not have the basement blocked off because he just doesn't want to go down there. We work long days with him home alone. We only ever had one accident with him being alone. Currently I only work one week a month, but I work 12-13 hour days. Once I start my new job, I will only work 3 12's a week, but Moose is fine alone for up to 11 hours. luckly, the bf only works 8-9 hours a day. Sometimes we have someone come put him out, but it doesn't happen often. It is nerve racking the first little bit. But I just assume he sleeps. It's what he does when I'm home with him most of the time. You might have some accidents, but you just have to make sure to show her that it isn't good to do that. I know it's not her fault, noone is home with her, but she will learn to not do it. I mean, Moose can go all night, for 10hours, without needing to do out. I think he's just use to it.
> 
> Michelle: Moose is like Koda, he can care less. We free feed him, so maybe thats why. But when his dish is empty and I fill it up he just stares at me. When I ask him if he wants more food, he walks away. I have been thinking on changing the flavor of what we're feeding him now. Maybe spice up his life a little lol. Now when I go to his dish with rice, he like dances. Any other table scrap, and it's the same as if I'm putting kibble in his food.


That's what I thought. Hopefully she will get use to it in a month so should doesn't have any accidents in the new house. She holds it all night so she should be ok. Ya she sleeps most of the day when I'm home too anyways. She plays a bit and I walk her but other than that she sleeps.

Thw couch issue- we let Nyah on the living room couch because it's old but we bought new furnature for the new house and we don't want her on that but she would still be allowed on the old couch which will be in the basement. I have a feeling it won't work but we are going to try


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## MarsNPluto

I've had such a busy week, there's so much catching up to do!

Happy belated birthday, Tucker! Looks like you had a great time!

Welcome to the new members of this thread! Teenage puppies are a joy, aren't they? 

Jill, I'm glad Maisie had a fun time at the beach. I bet she was nice and tired and HAPPY afterwards. 

Koda's Mom, Pluto still eats with zest and will tell me when it is his mealtime. Sometimes he eats so fast, he burps. He's also begun drooling when I put his bowl down and ask him to wait. I'm not sure he'll ever grow out of this.

Dexter's Mom, I am now becoming more consistent about carrying treats around. I realize how bad I've been about that and just ordered a treat holder this passed week. 

Staying home alone with full run of the living room, Pluto and I are gradually working up to it on the weekends. The most has been 3 hours and he does really well. He has never been destructive in any way, of which I'm grateful for. I'm pretty sure he just sleeps on or next to the couch, or in his crate.

Nyah's Mommy, congratulations on the job! Pretty soon I'll be leaving Pluto at home alone on my workdays as well (he usually commutes with me to my boyfriend's house, as that is the town where my job is), so I'll be in the same situation as you. But I think everything should work out fine if done gradually, dogs usually sleep most of the day anyway (what a great life they have, eh?).

Marshall's Mom, sorry to hear what Marshall has done to your wall! These guys can just be so tricky sometimes! I hope he starts behaving better soon and you won't be finding any new holes in your walls.

Pluto loves chasing balls, but sometimes gets distracted by a scent and won't bring it back. This morning we were playing with our chuck-it at the dog park (no one was there, guess it was too foggy for people ) and I realized the only way to ensure he'll come back to me with the ball without getting distracted is if I jump up and down frantically and scream in a happy/fun/high pitched voice for him to bring it back. Hopefully I won't have to do that forever, as I sure do look and sound like a complete weirdo. He does well with fetch at home, however. I just wish he was a little more obsessed with it like some of your dog's are.  He's just got too good of a nose, I think.

Bark in the Park was so much fun! It was an event that the Dodgers held where fans got to bring their dogs to a game (they played the Houston Astros). We got a goodie bag and got to walk around the field. Pluto kept jumping up on the ledge that separates the field and the seats so people could pet him. He thought he was a celebrity! :doh: We were seated in the all-you-can-eat section, so Pluto was happy about the hot dogs we "accidentally" dropped in his bowl. It was a great game too, tied 3-3 until the bottom of the 9th when the Dodgers scored a homerun to score 3. Really exciting (even though I'm not the hugest baseball fan).

A new quirk has presented itself - Pluto has gotten really bad at jumping up to see what's going on on dining tables and kitchen counters (mostly at places we go to visit). He had not done that before and I don't know where it came from because it sure is excesive. It's also really hard to correct because he gets his paws up then gets down quickly after. We'll be working on it, though. I just hope it doesn't progress into full-blown counter-surfing!

Hope everyone is having a great weekend!


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## OutWest

Hi all. We are having an odd time here. Tucker has been so good on his 3-4 hour home alone stays, but the other day we got home to find he'd jumped up and gotten hold of an oven mitt and also a piece of paper and has chomped on them.  oh well. A setback I guess. Don't think I'm ready to leave him in the living room all day though. 

Another thing upset me. Yesterday I left Tucker and Tess in the car (parked in shade with windows cracked) for about 45 minutes while I walked around a festival and bought some fired calamari, etc.  when I got back to car, Tucker was sitting upright watching for me. He was drooling and seemed very agitated and tense. I think the sounds of the carnival--the rides, the music over the loudspeaker, etc,--really upset him, even though they wer a block away. He seemed so anxious. Normally he's pretty mellow waiting in the car. He'd just come from the dog park so he'd been exercising, etc. anyone else experience this? Maybe I need to expose him to more loud environments....


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## Guybrush

Hi Everyone

Just thought I would stop in and post some pics of Guybrush the day after he had a lovely bath and was all clean and fluffy.....

























It rained the night before and mud is so much fun to dig in


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## mrmooseman

What a cute pup. Love the pictures. Get use to the mud, I swear these dogs can find it anywhere!


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## mrmooseman

outwest: maybe something outside upset him? I don't mean the loud sounds, maybe something more close to the car. When we leave Moose in the car (never long, like if I have to run in somehwere right quick or something), I always come back, and he is just sitting up-right, always looking for us.


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## marshallsmom

Love the mud pictures!!!! Marshall loves the mud and loves sharing them with you too 

Funny and sad thing happened today. Though Marshall has been sooooo much better and recovering from a loud noise fear incident a couple weeks ago. We have had great walks where he seldom gets scared and could be redirected to with 50% of the time he will eventually forget that he was scared. We have been walking further and further everyday. This morning we went out to potty. Right when we stepped out the front door, we hear a truck/semi (we actually can't see it from our house). It was making this weird loud beeping noises. I kept walking down the porch...well he did not want to go anywhere squatted and piddled right there! on the porch :doh: So I called him to me..he came down then went back up the porch and piddled some more :doh: I kept walking further, he came over and jump on me (it is his way of telling me "Hey! We need to go!"). So we went back inside and he did his usual hide upstairs routine. 10 minutes later I went outside to hose down the pee. He heard me and came running downstairs. The truck noise was gone so I let him out and hi was able to finish his potty before I had to leave for work! Oh what a morning!


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## jluke

*Monday Ramblings...*

Megan -- I know what you mean about being a crazy, over-protective doggie mommy. As much as I tried not to be a helicopter mom to my only daughter, I'm now overdoing it with Maisie...

Maria -- Bark in the park with Pluto and the other dogs and their people sounds like so much fun! I wish the Orioles would do the same here.

Jay -- the photos of Guybrush are terrific. He wears his mud well! Maisie got mud covered at the dog park today, wrestling with her friend, a Bernese Mountain Dog. (And BMD is now 8 months old and 15 pounds heavier than Maisie, so it's finally an even match.) Maisie got wrestling time yesterday in the neighborhood with a Yellow Lab puppy named Gizmo who we met while out for a long afternoon walk.

Maisie discovered lightning bugs tonight -- and ate a few, then spit them out when she didn't like the taste (or feel?). :doh: Then, before I could stop her, she picked up two-thirds of a snake. :yuck:

I've started reading the book I mentioned about dealing with puppy and dog fear. It recommends just backing off as far as you need to and no further until your dog settles a bit and then stopping there, talking in a calm voice and giving the dog treats if s/he will take them. I don't think that's applicable to the situations that you mentioned today, Outwest and Marshallsmom, but your posts reminded me of the author's suggestion.


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## baumgartml16

Sorry I have been MIA. Had to take a short break from the forum, I was getting overwhelmed with stuff. Not from this thread of course so I still checked in and read your posts. 

Jill - thanks for the book suggestion. Our trainer gave us a list of books to get to deal with Koda's anxiety. If anyone is interested let me know and I will send them to you. 

I am also over protective of Koda and a big worrier when it comes to her and making sure she is alright. I am trying to take a step back and just let her be and see where that takes us. So far things have been going really well.

Our trainer was out again this weekend to give us some tips on Koda's play habits. We were worried it was getting too rough but after the trainer came by, gave us a few tips, we were reassured that she is a normal puppy golden retriever. LOL. She probably thinks we are crazy, we just wanted to make sure the behaviour she had was acceptable behaviour. We like to play rough with her but the main thing is she has to know there is a time and place. So now when we want to play a little rougher we say "Koda wrestle" and then we go for it. She is so happy when she gets to play like this. She is adorable. If she mouths too hard, play stops till she settles. Then we give the command again. My husband always plays with his hands around her mouth and that has also led her to think hands are okay to mouth on. So now when he wants to play slappy game he has to put on gloves, she will learn real fast that hands aren't the play object, the gloves are. Just some little things that will help teach bite inhibition while playing which was her biggest problem. 

We are also working to get a stronger "out" command when playing with toys. When we are playing tug or fetch and wanting to get the toy/ball out we have to get a grip on it, stand up straight and stiff and say "Koda out". Even if she doesn't do it right away you remain in that stance holding the toy/ball. Once she lets go, tons of praise and give the toy/ball right back to her. This way she understands out doesn't mean the ball is getting thrown where she has to go get it but instead she gets it right back in her mouth.

It all makes complete sense but we weren't catching on to these things on our own so we have been working on all of it. She is learning very fast! 

Koda also went to the groomer again on Saturday and she got a MUCH better review this time! The groomer said she did so much better. Got her ears, toes and butt furs trimmed. YAY! 

Anyways...those are my updates. 

Jay - Guybrush is adorable in the mud. Dirty dogs are happy dogs!  

Marshalls mom - sorry about the scares. Hopefully he can get past them fast.

Koda is always sitting upright when I come back after leaving her in the car. She goes in the back seat but when I come back out she is usually in the drivers seat LOL. Ready to make a fast getaway if she needs to I guess.


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## GoBigRed

Jay~love the mud pics!

MarshallsMom~poor guy. I took Husker for a walk and they are ripping up the street that we walked down. Just starting the process so the two machines that drove past us weren't too loud but still noisey. Husker did well, didn't break from his heal but his head sure was turning backwards a lot to make sure those machines weren't going to get us. 

Koda's Mom~the "out" command is basically a "drop" right? Still working on Husker to release toys for us to throw again and keep playing. He'd much rather you just hold the toy and he'll chomp on it while you hold it. 

Took Husker on our daily morning walk before it gets too hot. He's great at walking (healing and stopping when I stop) we don't have many issues there. Come home and he's relaxing. The second he hears my daughter wake up he ran upstairs and ran back downstairs which is my clue that he has something. Yep, a sock. Sure hope this thieving stage ends soon.


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## baumgartml16

Yes it is like a drop except you are giving the object right back. We say drop when she has a stick or something we want her to drop and she will have to leave it alone. "Out" is used for playtime. That is why we instantly give it right back to her and don't throw it for her to get. It is instant reward for letting go. 

Koda is still stealing things. She has started trying to rip the shirts apart now we are going to go buy cheap tshirts at wal mart or something and use those as her shirts she can steal.


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## GoBigRed

Ah, thanks for explaining, that makes sense. : ) 

When Husker steals something he'll immediately run around the dining room table. We will tell him "here" and point to a spot on the floor (same spot every time, it's right on the other side of the table from where he is "hiding"). He'll slowly, like a turtle, come to the spot and then you can take the object from him. So we've graduated from him running around the house from you to this slow routine, but it works. Now to just break him of taking objects to begin with.


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## mrmooseman

We did a lot of yard work this weekend! Which feels great to finally have the yard looking.. like a yard. The bf cut down the stupid hedges in the front yard, of course Moose was right behind him. Then you would suddenly see a huge branch being drug alway from the pile, and walked over to the side of the house, and Moose was in his glory with all these branches. It must of been like christmas for him. I kept saying, he was just trying to help clean up the yard too. 

We noticed that he has stopped digging holes (well, hopefully!). Maybe he is finally catching on that he isn't allowed. Fingers crossed. Found no more socks in the yard, which is a bonus. I joked to the bf about how Moose only steals his socks and eats them, ya because all the ones I owned that he stole, he took outside with him. What a dog.

I feel like letting him have socks, makes him think it is OK for him to steal them. So I was wondering if you let Koda have shirts, if she will think she can take any shirts she wants. Moose is stil stealing socks, if there not in the hamper. For a while he was stealing them from the hamper. That has stopped.

It's been a miserable rainy day here, Moose doesn't seem to like the rain as much as he use to. He comes in the house, and he looks soo cranky when he comes into the house because of the way rain drops falling off the roof his hit face. We are thinking about getting him groomed again the beginning of July. His tail is tangly, and so are his "pants". He hates being brushed. Since he had been shedding so much lately, we have been brushing him quite a bit. He is not impressed one bit. 

funny story though..
On sunday, we were out for a drive (the 3 of us) and the bf got a call for a fire. We dropped him off at the station and I took the truck and came home. I realized that he left his phone in the truck, so I wouldn't know when they were back. I said I would put Moose in the house and then take my car and go down there. I let Moose out, and he peed, and I tried to get him in the house. Now usually he is really good about going into the house, but clearly he just wanted to stay outside. He just stared at me. I said "moose come!" and he started walking slowly, and then he was limping his back leg. I went over to him and checked him out, he seemed sad. So I said "ok Moose, come with me" thinking if he hurt himself, I didn't want to leave him alone. So I opened my car door, he limped over like 3 steps, stopped, and I said "come on moose!" and he pranced over and hoped into the car as if saying "haha, got you!" He was fine! After that he was running all around the yard with the bf like nothing.
Sometimes I think he's smarter then we give him credit for..


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## GoBigRed

Moose~you got one over on Mom!!  That's a great story, what a faker.


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## OutWest

Megan: re grooming, do you parcel out treats during the process? I try to always have handful of kibble sitting where the dogs can see it. They keep one eye on the pile the whole time. I brush the ears, give a bite. Brush the tail, give a bite, etc. It's almost like they're just waiting it out for the treats.

Moose: good one, guy!

We are OK here. I'm still a bit worried about the stressed-out incident in the car the other day. A question for you all--how long do you leave your dogs in the car on average? What's the longest you've ever left them? 

We're getting together with Tucker's siblings to celebrate his first birthday at a local beach. Should be fun!

The backyard ball throwing has been great. Tucker has been getting really good about dropping the ball in my lap, although he just really, really wants to keep chewing on it. . He love those squishy Chuckit balls. Last night he hadn't been out for exercise at all (long story) so I took him in the back yard after dark and threw the balls around for him. He was so silly. The neighbors must have thought we were nuts!


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## Tucker's mommy

Michele - your trainer sounds really great! We are going to use the same tactics you described on our Tucker. As you mentioned, his problem is exactly the same - the teeth come out a little too rough at times when we're playing. Makes me feel good to read your post, because we try to handle things in a very similar way with Tucker. When the play gets too rough, we stop for some training, then start up with the play again. Tucker has gotten so much more manageable in these situations. The real test has been these past few days. The weather took a colder turn, which of course has gotten Tucker so ramped up again! But, we can see that he is much more responsive to us now, even when he's in his high energy state. A real relief. 

So my big challenge lately is an odd one. Now that all the kids are out of school, they all come with me on our longer walks. My boys are almost 7 and 8, so they like to run ahead of me and my little one in her jogger. Tucker does NOT like this. I swear he was a herding dog in another life! He gets so anxious, barking and jumping all over if they get out of his view. Hopefully he'll grow more accustomed to the whole family being out together. Because it sure is a pain when he gets that way! 

I've go to sign off and go get dinner ready! Have a good night everybody!


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## mrmooseman

We do use treats/kibble when grooming, but with Moose, it is still like we are torturing him. No matter if we have the treat in his face or not and it's not like we haven't been doing this since he was a pup and we have never hurt him. 

The longest I have had Moose in the car was maybe 15 mins? If we are just driving around after the DP and I need to run into the grocery store or something, he is fine in the car. I try not to take him to many places where I know I will be a while. My car is just too small for him to get comfy in.

The beach sounds fun! We only took Moose twice so far, we have just been so busy with doing the outside, and then we have been having the weirdest weather. Beautiful one day, so cold and gross the next. Sure doen't feel like summer, and they say this is suppose to be our hottest summer.. they have been saying that for like 3 years!


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## jluke

*Quiet Here...*

Just our daily routine of walks and game time. 

Moose -- it's not nice to fool Mommy! :

Michelle, you're great post has made me think that we should probably use a different command with Maisie when we have her give us her toys or antler. We've always just said "Leave it," but they may be confusing since that's what we say when we want her to leave something permanently. When she gives us a toy, we give it right back like you're doing. I think we'll switch to Drop or Give. Thanks!

Outwest - you're making me fess up. I've never leave Maisie in the car. She seemed too little and now it's hot. Maybe by the fall, the over-protective me will have relented.

Your beach party for Tucker sounds like so much fun! (I still don't have total buy in from the dads -- mine and DH -- for their Father's Day celebration combined with Maisie's birthday. We'll see...)


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## Pammie

Hi all~
I must be having a blond moment because I can't figure out what the 'out' command is for? *embarrassed* Is it so she gets used to giving up stuff, especially the stuff she should not have?

Bryley is a stealer too, and hand towels in the bathroom are his favorite prize! Even though the door is kept shut if he comes in with me and I have not put my towel in the 2nd sink (the sink is enough of a deterrent :gotme he's got it and is so happy. Just today he was right in front of me and I could see him eying the towel, I said No and he said yes yes yes!

I've not left Bryley in the car either. Not sure how he might react if I was gone from sight. He looooooooves me! LOL!

Bryley is the champ at being brushed. He just lays right down and lets me have my way with him with the brushing. The only time he gets concerned is his tail, and all I have to do is pet and brush at the same time and he is cool as a cucumber. 
His other good thing is his love of loud noises. Motorcycles, semis, lawn mowers and last nights riotous thunder. He seems fascinated and wants to see where it is coming from. He is definitely not a fearful dog and I am glad I lucked out in that department. Oh, and along with last nights thunder came buckets of rain which he loves to run around in and of course I indulge him and let him run amuck!! But not as much _amuck_ at Guybrush!!! Cute pic of your guy, Jay. :bowl:

Moose, Moose Moose... :clown:and very smart!!! Megan I have thought of letting him things he loves and should not to see if the novelty would wear off, too. Does Moose try to swallow the sock or just rip it up? and does he prefer clean or dirty ones?

YaY! for double Tucker birthdays arty:coming up! Hope you guys post some pictures for us!

Wonder where Deb is?


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## mrmooseman

He much rather dirty socks then clean ones. He rips the heels out of them, and then he just put them in his mouth and wips his head around so they slap him in the face. He does this for quite sometime. Its pretty funny.


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## OutWest

*Second teething phase*

Did you guys read this thread? http://www.goldenretrieverforum.com...ussion/115574-wanting-opinions-situation.html

There's several mentions in it of a "second teething phase" starting at about 8 months. :doh: I've never heard of this before. It so explains a lot of things.


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## jluke

*Brushing...*

Maisie, like Bryley, loves to be brushed -- except her tail -- and if I pet her that's fine, too. (She and Bryley must have chatted and agreed on this!  ) Early on, I did have to give her a few treats to get started with the brushing though.

Just once last week and once over the weekend, Maisie had one of her crazy spells while we were walking. (The Vaseline on the leash trick didn't make any difference.) So, I did pull her front paws off the sidewalk for a 5 count -- I never saw her quite so startled. When I lowered her, she was completely settled, we walked on, I gave her a jackpot of treats and she's been fine.... Until tonight. So, repeat... again -- one surprised dog. I really don't like doing it, but I'm completely out of ideas, the chain leash hasn't arrived and my arm is one big bruise.


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## Dexter12

*Guybrush*: Adorable mud pictures! Looks like he had a blast!

*Marshallsmom*: Aw poor guy. 
*
Baumgartml16*: I know what you mean, I like playing rough with Dex but it encourages biting so I try to find other ways to play. Once he starts he's having too much fun and doesn't want to stop. 

I've taught a drop it command for Dex and he's fairly good at it, depending on what he has. If he has something that he likes he'll make it into a game where I have to chase him.

*MrMooseMan*: lol that's cute, that Moose wanted to help trimming the hedges. I wish I could get Dex to stop digging holes, he has two in particular that are getting fairly deep. I've almost sprained my ankle on one of them. That story about fake limping is hilarious! What a smarty pants! 

He's had a hotspot so he's been extra crazy, driving us nuts. He won't leave the stupid thing alone so we've bought him powders and a cone. I can't leave the cone on him though because he just sits there looking compeletely depressed and ticked off. He gets a look on his face that screams "**** you man!" 
Dexter has been good, we've been in the yard a lot practising with where the boundries are. He's been listening quite well except for last night. There was a walker who he woofed at and then he wasn't satisfied with that, so he ran after her and chased her, it was so embarrasing. He was doing his deep fierce sounding alert woof, but I'm sure that he was just saying hello.

He just randomly decided to ram the coffee table with his back half and knocked my coffee all over everything. Arg! I'm going to be a cranky in a second.


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## baumgartml16

Happy Birthday to the Tuckers! 

Koda does the head whip when she gets the shirts, towels or any other clothing. Shoes too. I love it, she is so funny. 

Do your guys do anything funny when you give them a new antler or bone. Koda lightly picks it up in her mouth and throws her head back throwing the antler across the room. Then she runs to it, gets in her play bow and turns her head back and forth at it. Jumping around it and just being so silly. It is my favorite thing of hers, she cracks me up! She does it with her chilly bone too. I think I have a video I need to post. She is hilarious.

So sorry Jill to hear about Maisie getting jumpy again. Hopefully she catches on quick and you don't have to do the lifting off the ground thing many more times. I can imagine it is hard to do to her.


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## baumgartml16

I am calling the vet today to see about giving Koda some benadryl. She itches a lot and chases her tail which we started to wonder if it is because it itches. We will see how that goes.

I forgot someone asked about the "out" command. We are going to be using "out" for play time only or with things that she is allowed to have back. So if we want her toy while she is playing with it we say "out", she gives it to us, and we give it right back to let her know that "out" does not mean it is being taken away from her.

"drop" is what we will use for things we expect her to drop and leave it be. This will help her differentiate between getting things back and leaving them alone. We used to ask for a drop and then throw the toy which ultimately led to her holding onto her toys because they were not given back to her. Now she will understand that just because we say "out" doesn't mean we are keeping it, it means we want to inspect and will give it back to her.


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## mrmooseman

I know what your saying about the cone! When Moose got neutered, he looked so pathetic with it on. We only really had it one him for one day. With the holes, he had two. One started to grow a plant around it (a plant I swore he killed lastyear) so he stopped digging there, and the other we filled in. So he must of got mad and stopped digging. I hope so anyways, or he has a evil plan..

He loves laying under the coffee table.. he is too big to lay under it, but he does it and then he will stand up without being completely out from under it and knock stuff over on it. We had to stop putting anything on it haha.

Michelle, Moose does the same thing when he gets a new bone. First though, he runs all over the house with it in his mouth because he just doesn't want to let it go. Then he throws it around haha.


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## jluke

*Antler Tossing...*

...should be a new Olympic sport as far as Maisie is concerned! But it doesn't last very long because it's followed by rolling completely over, back feet in the air, front paws holding the antler in her mouth like a baby with a bottle. Too funny!


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## baumgartml16

Yes, I forgot the baby bottle part. Koda does that too! It is the best thing, they are just in pure happiness!!


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## GoBigRed

Husker does the baby bottle thing too with is chew toys, it is the cutest darn thing ever!!! 

He gets excited and pounces on treats and his fish oil capsule (3x a time). What a nut! But atleast he takes the darn things easily & apparently they are fun.

Going to take him to my husband's softball game tonight. He's had socialization with dogs (daycare) but not so much with people. We haven't made friends here yet so nobodys came to the house, etc. Hopefully tonight goes well.


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## marshallsmom

Love reading everyone's stories! Maisie you need to teach Marshall how to love the brush  He does not care for it as long as I give him a treat every few strokes otherwise he gets annoyed by it. He does not like his legs being brushed no matter what. Brushing time is actually fun as it is how I trained him to "play dead" which makes it easier to brush his side! And he likes it because he gets a treat and I think he is amused because I laugh every single time with how he plays dead (its not quite correct but its good enough).


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## OutWest

The thing Tucker does that I find most hysterical is a four-legged pounce. He'll walk up to a ball, bone, or anything he wants to play with, freezes for a second and then launches himself into the air and come down on all fours over it. Then he grabs it, sometimes growls at it, and starts zooming around. Very, very funny to watch.


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## Nyahsmommy

baumgartml16 said:


> I am calling the vet today to see about giving Koda some benadryl. She itches a lot and chases her tail which we started to wonder if it is because it itches. We will see how that goes.


 
We give one 25mg pill to nyah anytime she gets allergies... apparently she gets seasonal allergies like me. As a puppy she would get half but the vet told us she can get a whole pill a day. I crush it up and sprinkle it on her food.


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## mrmooseman

Its funny how as our pups get older, they tend to get little quirks just like us! Moose gets sick after anaesthetic, like me (I know it's common but still..) and we both take our sleep very seriously. If we get woken up, we are both super cranky about it! Haha. I always say "he's just like his mama"


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## jluke

*Today's Thoughts...*

GoBigRed -- hope you and Husker have fun at the softball game and he doesn't decide to chase the ball! (Maisie is always looking so longingly when we stop by the local high school lacrosse games. And about every other walk, she finds and brings home a lacrosse ball -- we live in the Land of Lacrosse. Not Lacrosse, WI, Michelle.  )

And why does Husker take fish oil? Is it for his coat?

Outwest -- Maisie does the same four-legged pounce that Tucker does. It's too funny! We say it's her cat imitation...

Michelle -- thanks for your thoughts about Maisie's walking issue. Maybe, just maybe, we've gotten past it. She started again today, but I said, "No!" and looked crosswise at her and she stopped -- I was amazed. :crossfing

Back to writing -- need to get my 500 words for the day in -- then off to the DP.


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## baumgartml16

Jill - are you a writer?

So we are hosting my brothers graduation party on sunday and throughout the day there could be about 75-100 people coming through. I am still trying to figure out how we should handle it with koda. It is going to be mid to high 80's here so people will be oustide in the tents and stuff. I am thinking of just putting her long line on her and leaving it on all day even when she is inside and that way if someone opens the back door she can go out on her long line and i dont have to worry about her getting out with nothing on. My husband or I will be on Koda duty the entire time and I am fine with that but its the worrisome part of me that makes me wnat to be ready for it.


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## Tucker's mommy

GoBigRed - I am jealous! I would love to try to bring our Tucker to my seven year old's t-ball games, but I just know he would be a very crazy doggie! I've seen several other dogs there who totally put Tucker to shame with their good behaviour. Tucker has gotten a ton of socialization here at home with neighbors coming and going from our invisible fenced-in yard at all times, so at least we have that going for us! have fun tonight!

We had a cool experience a couple days ago. Tucker is very close/friendly with our neighbors' dog, a lab mix. They play alot together because of our invisible fence situation - it's perfect for doggie playdates. But a couple days back, another young pup found his way into our yard - another neighbor's 5 month old pit bull from a couple doors up. This dog was amazing with Tucker and the neighbor lab. They had just so much fun chasing, rolling, sniffing. Very cute to watch. I guess the pit bull's owner is a college kid home for the summer - so just think of the socialization this pup must have received on a college campus. Pretty neat! 

So tomorrow is Tucker's first experience with being boarded for a short time - three days, while we take a trip with the kids to Washington DC. We usually have my in-laws help with the dog, but my dad in law has some very serious health issues at the moment - the kennel was the only way to go. I am very nervous about this. But we need to attempt it, because we have to board him much longer later in the summer for our beach trip. I so wish we could take him with us to the beach, but with our three kids being so young, having a young dog along would just bring me over the edge with stress levels, I think! :bowl:

Good luck this weekend with your party, Michele! We had similar concerns with Tucker when we had 20+ people over for my oldest son's first communion party. But Tucker was a champ for the most part. He did get very annoying with all the food, though! Let us know how it goes. 

Both my older boys are on summer break now - so Tucker is just LOVING the extra attention. He loves nothing more than to chase my 7 and 8 year olds around the yard while they hit balls to him with wiffle ball bats! Too much fun! Well - off to get the baby up from her nap - take care everyone!


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## MarsNPluto

Interesting, I was going to ask if anyone else's dogs were having the itchies lately, and it seems that they are, unfortunately  Pluto has been scratching extra crazily and has even been biting his paw pads. I've found some red spots on him (a few under his "armpit" and a small one on his cheek), but nothing to indicate infection. I've been giving him the recommended dose of Benadryl the passed week (as well as a Fish Oil pill daily) but it doesn't seem to be working. We're going to the vet next Monday (mostly because of the red spots). I guess it's just that time of the year?

Loving the silly antics of the pups when they get a certain object. Pluto plays with his antler like it's a toy and will have it in his mouth while he is laying on his back and making that low growl. He also likes using the couch to anchor the antler, and I swear he does this on purpose, but he "loses" his antler under the couch... so he can try to "dig" it back out (or annoy me because I have to get it and don't want him clawing at my furniture, haha).

Pluto is a laundry thief as well but has gotten better. When my roommate first moved in, Pluto stole underwear from my room and ran into the living room with it  Pretty embarrassing. Then after that debacle, he went into my roommate's room and stole one of his undies. :doh: Now he usually just takes socks, but doesn't chew them or anything... just likes sleeping with them for some reason.


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## MarsNPluto

Oh yeah, yesterday I brought Pluto to play with my uncle's Husky, Kodiak. My uncle and I were looking at pictures and Kodiak was laying down. After about 5 minutes, I asked, "Why is it so quiet in here?" I go outside to find Pluto digging a huge crater! He hasn't dug in anyone's yard since he was a baby. Quite embarrassing, but luckily it was just in a stretch of dirt that my uncle is getting ready for landscaping...

These teenagers, I tell ya :bowl:


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## Mom of Maizie

Just a quick question to parents of teenage pups...Maizie is going to be 10 months old tomorrow and for the first time I can ever remember she has slept almost all day!!! I'm probably a worrywart but I've never seen her do this. Part of me is wondering if she's just finally catching up after the last couple of weeks of excitement with vacation at the beach, swimming and lots of outdoor time every day. Another part of me is wondering if she's sick, how to take temp, etc. she ate breakfast and dinner with her usual appetite but she didn't want to play. She looks sleepy. I am going to watch her closely, but has anyone else had a teenage pup just take a day off to catch up on sleep?????


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## MarsNPluto

Mom of Maizie said:


> Just a quick question to parents of teenage pups...Maizie is going to be 10 months old tomorrow and for the first time I can ever remember she has slept almost all day!!! I'm probably a worrywart but I've never seen her do this. Part of me is wondering if she's just finally catching up after the last couple of weeks of excitement with vacation at the beach, swimming and lots of outdoor time every day. Another part of me is wondering if she's sick, how to take temp, etc. she ate breakfast and dinner with her usual appetite but she didn't want to play. She looks sleepy. I am going to watch her closely, but has anyone else had a teenage pup just take a day off to catch up on sleep?????


Has it been hotter than usual? Really hot days tend to make Pluto pretty lazy. If she is eating/drinking/pooping/peeing okay, then I wouldn't see any cause for concern just yet. Plus, I know I'm always exhausted after a vacation and I'm sure dogs get that way too, so she probably is just happy/relaxed to be home.  I'd say just monitor closely for now and make sure there aren't any other drastic changes in her behavior and/or daily routine.


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## Tucker's mommy

Our Tucker settles down on very hot days, as well. And as he's getting older, there are definitely days here and there that he just seems to want to be mellow. I treasure those days! 

I wouldn't worry too much, Maizie's Mom. By the way - I LOVED your post with vacation advice. I so wish we could attempt to take Tucker with us to the beach this year, but as I mentioned earlier, I think it would drive me to a nervous breakdown considering the energy level of our young family! So awesome your pup had the experience of it, though!


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## Pammie

Mom of Maizie said:


> Just a quick question to parents of teenage pups...Maizie is going to be 10 months old tomorrow and for the first time I can ever remember she has slept almost all day!!!?


Did Maize get her spunk back towards evening? Evening is when Bryley is his most active -like now at 8pm- he just came running into the house like his tail was on fire! 

Yesterday was a vet trip for routine shots. He was a handful to say the least! While getting weighed he jumped up and popped the tech in the nose. You know how much that hurts!! Then he was just generally a wiggley wing nut! LOL! They did the whole exam in the waiting room (small rural vet) and he did not even flinch at the shots. He just thought we took him someplace fun to meet and greet people. By the end of the visit he was just layed out on the floor being calm. Good boy! I had hoped the shots would kind of konk him out for part of the evening. Nope!


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## OutWest

I took my daughter and a friend to the Santa Cruz boardwalk today, and left both dogs with my sister for the day. I was told they both behaved very well! Always makes me feel proud...

On the way home, had Tucker in the front passenger seat because the girls and small Tess were in back. He really didn't like it. Seemed agitated. The seat wasn't very big for him, but I've seen lots of dogs "riding shotgun" quite happily so was surprised at his discomfort. Maybe just because it was different...? My cars in the shop so we are in a rental right now. Looking forward to getting mine back tomorrow so I can take him for a swim. Haven't wanted to risk messing up the rental car with a damp pup... 

Gotta go. Hope everyone is having some nice weather.


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## GoBigRed

Husker did great at the softball game. Didn't bark at anyone and wasn't bothered by walking back to the parking lot amongst all the people, he "heeled" perfectly along side me the whole way. Now nobody approached us or tried to pet him either so that may be a whole different story if/when someone does. 

Husker is on fish oil and Dasuquin w/Msm for his hips. He has 50% subluxation in his right hip and some in his left hip. 

Michelle~good luck with the party and Congrats to your brother.

Maria~ahh, the sound of silence. They are never up to anything good when it's quiet. 

Curious: Does anyone else use dog seatbelts in the car? We have since our Rainbow bridge Lab.


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## Mom of Maizie

> Has it been hotter than usual? Really hot days tend to make Pluto pretty lazy. If she is eating/drinking/pooping/peeing okay, then I wouldn't see any cause for concern just yet.


Actually it has been cooler here the last couple of days. And I think we're in for a warming spell over the weekend. Maizie isn't quite as interested in food as usual, but she hasn't missed eating her meals as usual. I used a baby monitor last night, so I wouldn't miss any distress she might have at night. It was unusual, but she whined and I took her out for a long pee at about 4 a.m. This morning she's eating and peeing and pooing as usual, but she just doesn't have any zip. She did walk upstairs and back down, but she is laying around again. 



> *Did Maize get her spunk back towards evening? Evening is when Bryley is his most active -like now at 8pm- he just came running into the house like his tail was on fire! *


No, no spunk in the evening, although I know what you mean about running into the house like his tail was on fire. That sounds like Maizie usually, but not last night. 

I tried calling the vet's office this morning, since its a Friday, for advice, but it is a small rural office and they are out doing rabies clinics all over the area today. They had a couple of phone numbers on their answering machine to use for emergencies. So we're just going to keep a very close eye on Maizie today and use the numbers if there's cause for any more concern. 



> *They did the whole exam in the waiting room (small rural vet) and he did not even flinch at the shots. *


-Pammie...this sounds so much like Maizie!!! She's had shots she never even seemed to know about! And never seemed to realize she was microchipped during all the excitement she caused once. LOL! 



> *I wouldn't worry too much, Maizie's Mom. By the way - I LOVED your post with vacation advice. I so wish we could attempt to take Tucker with us to the beach this year, but as I mentioned earlier, I think it would drive me to a nervous breakdown considering the energy level of our young family! So awesome your pup had the experience of it, though! *


- Tucker's Mom - So glad you liked the post on vacationing. While it was a wonderful experience for Maizie, at times it did not feel like a vacation to me and I cannot imagine trying it with three children!!!! We're going to try a camping trip next with my brother and his family (four kids) so I might get some more insight into vacationing with a dog and kids.  



> *Curious: Does anyone else use dog seatbelts in the car? We have since our Rainbow bridge Lab. *


I tried using a seat belt for Maizie when she was very young and she hated it. My DH was convinced it contributed to her anxiety. She didn't really begin to like to ride in the car until she had some freedom in the backseat without the belt. I know it is dangerous though. I wish I could figure out a really good zipline system for use with a seatbelt harness.

Sorry the quotes are not attributed to the particular person...I still haven't figured out how to do that consistently.

Jill


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## baumgartml16

Maizie's mom - I would assume part of it is due to being back in her home and being relaxed again. I am sure she got an abundance of exercise and attention on vacation so she is winding down again. She may also have a bit of a bug but as long as she is eating/peeing/pooping I am sure it isn't anything to be too concerned about. If after a few days it is still like this then a trip to the vet might be needed. I need to go find your vacation post though, we are going to be going up to the cabin in about a month with Koda and we are beyond excited about it. We figure she will spend all her time in the water lol. She will be sooooo tired at night!  We took her last year when she was 11 weeks old so this will be a totally different experience this time!

Kathleen - Koda usually rides in the backseat but when it is just me and her I let her ride up front. The first few times she seemed a bit stressed too but she also didnt want to go to the back so I left her. I think it is just new to them and they need to figure out how to ride up there. She didn't get that she had just the one seat to sit in, now she loves it! I roll the window down and she parks her but right next to me in the passenger seat. 

GoBigRed - thanks for the luck and congrats to my brother! Hard to believe my baby brother is heading off to college. Koda doesn't wear a seatbelt, I know they should but we never did it before and she would probably stress out quite a bit if we tried now. She is very very good in the car. Usually ends up laying down in the backseat and like I said if she is in front she sits like a human lol. If you don't mind me asking, did something happened related to the car to your bridge dog? 

Looking like its going to be a HOT one here in WI this weekend. I dont know where Koda will spend her time during the party but with the heat she will have to be inside for part of the time at least. We will have to play it by ear. I figured I can pull the sprinkler out for the kids to use and I am sure she will have a ball playing in it with them.


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## Dexter12

Dex is 8 months old today! Seriously, where are the months going??


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## marshallsmom

Gobigred: I think I missed your post about Husker's hips before. I am just curious how you found out that he was having problems to begin with? The reason I asked is that we got Marshall from a BYB (we knew very little about dog and breeders and just wanted to get a puppy at the time), as far as I can recall the breeder did not mention anything about clearances in the ad so sometimes I worry about things. And that fact the he was the runt aslo worries me now but so far he has been okay.

I have a question for everyone else: How much exercise/fun/playtime does your teenage pup gets each week??


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## baumgartml16

Victoria - They grow WAY too fast! I can't believe we are going on 14 months with Koda, I still remember the day we brought her home!

Marshallsmom - Koda gets two-three walks a day (morning, afternoon, night) along with running time downstairs twice a day. Then it is usually just playtime when she wants it which isn't as intense. On weekends we take her for longer hikes or to the park to run run run.


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## GoBigRed

Marshallsmom~Husker is a mix, but I do not see any lab in him..lol You can feel his hips "pop", that was the big flag for me. I had some threads about HD back in April and May. Anyhoot, one Vet. said he had HD but wasn't much help after that so I changed Vets., more x-rays and he doesn't have HD yet. But on his right hip is femur head is 50% out of socket. His left hip looked good on x-ray but when you manipulate it you can feel it popping in the socket. That Vet. suggested surgery but we are not going down that path yet. He is still young, etc.  He does not show any signs of pain, he doesn't limp, he doesn't have a hard time getting up nor running, etc. You wouldn't know anything was wrong when watching him.

Michelle~no, no car accidents. Looking back at my post that does sound like the case, sorry. My bridge dog was a 107lb lab whom we had to put down due to a tumor in his spine that caused the loss of function to his whole rear end/legs. We lived in the UK at the time and were not able to pay for a surgery that would've cost over £5,000 (approx. $10,000.00). Towards the end the UK Vet. said she would not do the surgery anyways as she didn't believe it would help him, he was only 8yrs old.

When doing short drives around the base (we are military), etc. both dogs were/are allowed to just sit in the vehicle and did/do great. However anything off-base (town is 20 miles away now) Husker wears a seat belt (so did my lab). They both did/do extremely well with it, no problems at all. I have two kids as well so I didn't want a dog flying around the car in case of an accident. 

Husker is limited a bit in exercise/play. He goes on daily 20-30 minute walks, but nothing strenuous. He plays outside with us all, but we do not play frisbee or throw/bounce balls up in the air. He's not supposed to be doing high jumping because of the hips. He'll do zoomies like crazy in the backyard daily and plays in the house all day long with toys. 

Ugh, I just missed enrolling him in a Beginer Basics class. I'm on the wait list for the next one. He walks really well but stay and recall we need some help with. Hopefully in the next month or two a class will open up.


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## marshallsmom

They grow up way too fast! I can only see a little but off puppy in him (mostly just how he acts is sometimes still pupply like). My husband and I talk about the "Remember when he was little and he did this..." all the time! We miss the furball and the crazies but also thankful that he is growing to be a better behaved dog.


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## jluke

*Today's Hello*

Wow -- lots of activity from everyone.

Jill and your Maizie -- first, hi from this Jill and Maisie! Maisie has once slept for a long time like you're describing. It was the day after coming home after our first weekend at the beach. We got home after midnight. The next day there were lots of contractors working here so it was noisy with people bustling in and out. She slept almost the whole day, but was herself when we walked. She was back to normal the next day. I hope Maizie is herself soon.

Seat belts -- I use one with Maisie, too. I started with our rescued adult GR when DD was only 5 and I was concerned about safety with a young child and a 65 pound dog. Maisie wears an improved version by Kurgo -- it's the harness type that has a slightly padded shield over the chest with a loop that fastens at the back of the harness. The loop can slide up and down the shoulder seat belt which lets Maisie move around some, although she mostly likes to lay down. Anyway, she doesn't have a problem with it.

GoBigRed -- thanks for the info on Husker's use of fish oil and Dausquin. I'm planning to start Maisie on both. I feel like she sometimes bunny hops a little after lots of exercise and her vet says there's no reason she shouldn't take them as a preventative. What dose of fish oil do you use?

Marshallsmom -- Maisie and I go to the DP 2 or 3 times a week for about an hour, we walk 4 times a day (2 long, about 45 minute, 2 about 30 minutes -- and only 3 times on dog park days) and we play when she picks up a toy (she's spoiled) unless I'm writing and really focused. (Yes, Michelle, I'm a fiction writer after retiring from my real day job about 10 years ago.) And Maria, she does the same thing as Pluto, intentionally losing her antler under the couch so she can scrabble to try to get it out, then cry for me to rescue it for her. :doh:

Michelle -- congratulations to your brother! You're a great sister to throw him a big party. Will you tether Koda outside on her long lead so you don't have to worry about her going in and out? I had two other thoughts. Is there any food being served that she shouldn't have? Will there be any small children? I'm just thinking of things I'd have to consider with Maisie. Sorry if I'm a worry wart.

Tuckersmommy -- good luck to Tucker with his boarding. I hope he has a happy time with the other dogs.

Bryley and Maizie -- Maisie is like you. She thinks going to the vet is a party with friendly dog people just for her. 

Husker -- so glad you liked the ball game and were such a good fellow.

And Dexter -- happy 8 months!

Maisie is off to the beach for a second visit. We're hoping to fit in some sun and surf amid finishing up the chores for the rental season that makes the economics work for us. :wavey:


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## baumgartml16

It's so funny because I remember when we first brought her home and going through the puppy stuff people kept saying, you will soon forget all these naughty puppy things and its true. We talk all the time like what could she have done that would get us so upset/mad? LOL...the biting doesn't even seem like it was that bad in hindsight!


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## baumgartml16

Yes I did think about food. That will be in the garage in the front of the house, we aren't planning to have her in the front at all so mostly we will keep an eye out for fallen food. I don't think there will be much of anything that she can't have actually. She will be close by to either me or my husband so we will watch out for it. 

No small children, all around 8-10 at youngest. She is GREAT with kids but again she wont be alone with them either. We will be around. She won't be tethered I dont think just have the long lead attached to her. That way she can go in and out and I dont have to worry about someone opening the door and her getting out without a leash on. I know she wouldn't go anywhere with all the people to see but I need the comfort of the leash.


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## GoBigRed

Husker takes Nordic Naturals Omega-3 for dogs. He gets 3 pills a day (one with each feeding). These are soft gel capsules and he just eats them out of the food bowl. Sometimes he'll take the pill into the living room and pounce on it and play before swallowing it. I buy them off of Amazon as so far I've found that cheaper. Here is what the bottle says for dosage: *
1 soft gel = 1500 mg / 1 soft gel contains 1000 mg fish oilSuggested daily use for dogs: *Use one soft gel for every 20 lbs. of body weight. 1 soft gel contains 150 mg EPA / 90 mg DHA / 310 mg total omega-3 fatty acids.


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## jluke

*Thanks and...*

GoBigRed -- thanks for the dosage info.

Michelle -- hope everyone, especially your brother, you, DH and Koda enjoy the party. (Sorry to worry for you -- I was just thinking about picnic food like brownies.)


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## marshallsmom

jluke-wow! 4 walks a day. Our Marshall goes to doggie daycare 2x a week (6 hrs each time) and 1-2 dog park trips on the weekend. Those days he barely gets a walk other than potty (maybe a quite 15 min one at the end of the day). On other days he gets 2 (30min-1 hr) walks. I think when he was little we were up to something crazy like 6 (10-20 mins) walks a day, it was exhausting and I was working fulltime and was pretty much running on adrenaline!

Something is telling me I might need to up his exercise a bit more especially because on some weekend we don't make it to the dog park. His recent fear incident set us back with how far we can walk but it is getting better and we are able to go as far as a 0.5-1mile from the house now.


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## marshallsmom

Michelle- Congrats to your brother and enjoy the party! We rarely have guests over so Marshall always goes nuts the first 20 minutes of guests arriving. It would be interesting to see him around that many people in the house!

I am working my butt of this weekend as I try to finish my dissertation in the fall. Why did I get a puppy at this time of my life? Hmm..because I am crazy!?!?! But so worth it...the only fun thing I look forward to this weekend is dog park trip with my husband and the furball 

Have a great weekend everyone!


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## baumgartml16

Jill - dont worry, i am glad you brought it to my attention. We will be sure to keep an eye on her and the food that is around!


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## Mom of Maizie

Update on Maizie--- we got in to see a vet this afternoon and am I ever glad we did!!! He thinks Maizie may have picked up a bacteria from an old deer carcass she found in the woods a few days ago. We got her away from it as quickly as we could, but she was off leash at the time and she loved the stink of it I guess. 

Anyway, she had a temp of over 105 and bloodwork helped to direct her treatment I feel so dumb. Never had to take a dog's temp before and never even thought to check it. She got antibiotics and we're working on getting her cooled off. 

So her sleeping a lot was a red flag this time. Thanks for the comments here from the moms of teens. I guess I should direct any other questions about this to the health forum since I figured out its not just a teen behavior. 

Thanks!!!

Jill


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## Pammie

Awww Jill, so glad you got your girl in to the vet! Bryley and I wish her a speedy recovery and back to her mischievous self!

Michelle- Hope the party is a smash! Congrats to the bro and a big thumbs up to you for putting on the party!


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## OutWest

Hi all. Just caught Tucker rolling around on his back playing, with my sock in his mouth. :doh: Funny boy.

We had a simple day. Dog park, etc. Had to ask vet a question about Tess, so took the opp to stop off and do it in person with Tucker. I'm trying to get him comfy again going there. We go in, he gets a cookie from the jar, I chat, and the we leave. He did very well today, although wanted to see what was behind the counter! 

*Hips*: so far Tucker's seem good. My other dog's are not. She has HD both sides. She gets around very well but a big focus for her is always keeping her weight down.

*Supplements*: I give both dogs a glucosamine-condroitin supplement. Tess needs it for her hips--seems to help--and since Goldens seem to get hip problems later in life, I give it to both. I bought a breeder-size bucket of chewables off Internet. Enough to last a year. Was the best way to get the unit price down. I also give Tess salmon oil--spoonful over her kibble. She has a heart murmur and vet said to give it to her. Have not given to Tucker--it all gets expensive! :no: may do so in future. I do give him a coat supplement every day, in a spoonful of peanut butter. He thinks it's a treat. 

*Seat* *belts*: I don't have Tess in one. She's very dependable and quiet in car. Tucker wears an easy walk front lead harness when out of the house, and I clip a seat belt clip to that on the side. Not as good as a seat belt harness, but it keeps him in his seat and away from the driver. :uhoh:

*Exercise*: Tucker goes to dog park once a day, often twice. I try to provide him with at least an hour of exercise a day. Emphasis on "try"! 

Michelle--hope your bro's party is a lot of fun for everybody!
Jill--glad you followed your gut and got Maizie in to see vet. Hope she mends quickly.


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## Dexter12

I know what you mean about having people over, if we have some one who's not over frequently Dex won't leave them alone. He wants to jump on them to say hello and then he wants them to play with him. When that doesn't work, he starts stealing things from them like gloves or things in their purse or pocket. A couple of times I've seen him go into our guest's pocket and then walk away with their gloves. :doh:
In another case, he was about 4/5 months old and we had guys delivering a washer and dryer. He just casually walked by one of them and picked up his work gloves and then he just kept going.

Jill-I'm glad that Maizie is ok. 

Outwest: haha that's pretty funny, silly boy.


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## Dexter12

baumgartml16 said:


> It's so funny because I remember when we first brought her home and going through the puppy stuff people kept saying, you will soon forget all these naughty puppy things and its true. We talk all the time like what could she have done that would get us so upset/mad? LOL...the biting doesn't even seem like it was that bad in hindsight!


I'm almost tempted to do it again and get another little monster.


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## GoBigRed

Maize~feel better quickly!

Seatbelts~I don't use one to control Husker, he sits perfectly in the back seat. I use it for safety on longer drives. 

Husker was a butt last night! I had a small, hand flashlight and dropped it. He immediately picked it up and ran into the living room. I calmly went in there and told him to "sit" but NO! anytime he gets something he just takes off running. Needless to say I lost my paintence and tried to grab him as he ran past me and fell on my knee pretty hard. Finally got the flashlight and then he proceeded to jump on me to try and get it back. UGH!! We went to bed after that. 

Hope everyone has a great weekend!


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## MarsNPluto

Jill, glad you took Maizie to see the vet despite what I said! No one knows your dog better than you  Wishing for a speedy recovery.

Right now Pluto is asleep because he went to daycare yesterday... hope everyone is having as calm a Saturday as I am!


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## Pammie

GoBigRed said:


> Husker was a butt last night! I had a small, hand flashlight and dropped it. He immediately picked it up and ran into the living room!


Oh boy do I know this drill!! I swear Bryley just hangs around waiting for something to be dropped. The sound of something hitting the floor brings him in full speed! seriously! and I hate it. He seems to have forgot 'leave it' or more likely I did not spend enough time training that. :uhoh: So, we are going to start back at square one with leave it. I have been watching youtube vids to brush up on my skills. 

I do use a seat belt on B each and every time he gets in the car. I have the one by Champion K9 Outfitters.

Found a great new 'toy' for my pup right on the back deck... one of those white plastic stacking chairs!! OMG he pushed it all around, flipped it about, got his head and feet thru the arms, barking barking, growl growl, stop to chew it :nono: back to pushing it and flipping it! He had so much fun and it wore him out! YAY! He loves anything that is big and makes noise so this was a great find, however, I now have to use a bungee cord to anchor the chair to the table because he thinks it is *his*!

Have a joyous Saturday! :woot2:


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## GoBigRed

Bryley~those chairs are for your humans to sit on..lol Sounds like you found a great, loud toy!

My Aunts dog (this is ages ago) loved empty milk carton, the gallon plastic jugs. He wouldn't tear them up but he loved pushing them and throwing them all over the yard. His brother (my other Aunt had him) loved to push around big stones (they lived in the woods in WI). The things dogs find to play with!


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## Mom of Maizie

> My Aunts dog (this is ages ago) loved empty milk carton, the gallon plastic jugs. He wouldn't tear them up but he loved pushing them and throwing them all over the yard.


Go Big Red - I found a neat toy that looks like a stuffed animal, a pig, but it's stuffed with a replaceable empty milk jug. The theory is great but Maizie got to chewing on the Velcro that holds the milk jug inside. I'm going to try sewing it in , see how that works. She loves milk jugs but will take a bite of them if I'm not careful! 

Pammie -my theory is it wears them out, let's call it a toy! I think I'll let mine have a go at a plastic chair too!!

Marsnpluto - it was my DH who took the initiative to call for an appointment and I'm soooo glad he did. Live and learn I guess but from now on I'll know to use a thermometer to help gauge seriousness of symptoms !! I'm still a new mom of the 4 legged variety of kids!!!


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## OutWest

Tucker taught _me_ something tonight...I was tossing balls for him in the back yard, to tire him out before bed. I usually work with two balls because he'll drop the one in his mouth to go for the one in my hand. Well, one of the balls disappeared into the darkness so we were working with one ball. I kept trying to get him to give it to me and he kept giving me a hard time about it. I finally said, "If you don't want to chase the ball, I won't bother," and looked in a different direction. As soon as I started ignoring him, he began dropping the ball into my lap again. He realized the game of keep away was over but he still wanted to chase the ball so he started pushing it at me. From that point on, when he came back with the ball, I'd stare off into space, and he'd shove the ball into my lap! Very funny. I got him to do what I'd wanted all along by ignoring him... Silly boy...
:--big_grin::--heart::--big_grin:


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## mrmooseman

We don't use a seat belt for Moose. He just sits in the back seat, in the middle, and breathes on me. We had him in the front, but he got so big that when he was sitting in the seat, he kept hitting my rearview mirror with his head. He does sit like a human in the car, even in the back seat. He likes when I have the window down, he will stick his head out, but lately he has just been sitting there, all relaxed, and letting the wind blow in his fur. What a guy.

We both hope Maizie a speedy recovery!

Hope the party went well and Koda was behaved well. Moose gets the initial excitement, then he just chills when we have company. But then again, we never had that many people over. His thing is when someone comes over, he has to have something in his mouth, like a toy, or my shoes.. he won't chew them, he just needs to greet someone with something in his mouth, almost like he's saying "hi hi hi look at what I got lets play!" and he thinks everyone is there to see him. He also feels the need to rub his toys all over you too if your ignoing him. One day our friend dropped in and we have like 2 little steps going down into the pourch and when he sits on the top he's eye level to her, she was talking to me and ignoring him and then suddenly she got this slobbery toy rubbed all in her face.. lol.

I worry about HD soo much. We have hardwood floors, and he is always sliding across them. We also got him from a BYB, but they said his parents(who were there and were purebreads) had clearence. The vet told us he has good hips, we never had xrays done, we wanna wait til his one year visit which is next month. As for excercise, we take him on 2 walks a day. One if he is going to the DP. Although, the past week has been rainy, so we have only been doing into play. He doesn't seem to be liking the rain as much as he usually does, orr he like to annoy me more. Either or. Yesterday was beautiful! But I volunteered for a golf tournament and got way to much sun, I slept the whole day away. Moose was good and snuggled me, he must of known I wasn't feeling great. So I feel bad and hope it will clear up today to atleast do something with him. I did have him at the DP thursday, but noone else was there and it sucks when its just yous. I mean I chased him all over the park trying to get balls from him, but it just wasn't fun for him I don't think, he wanted to leave pretty bad.

Well happy sunday everyone!


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## Mom of Maizie

Dexter12 said:


> I'm almost tempted to do it again and get another little monster.


Glad I'm not the only one that has this crazy kind of thinking now and then. I used to wonder what people meant when they said they missed the puppies, but now I know!!!


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## dezymond

I went out for most of the day and returned home about an hour ago to find my pup tired and in his crate, parents put him in. Well he sees me so I let him out and he lays quietly ready to fall asleep again. I take him out one more time to eliminate and he does, but he also seems to have hit his "puppy switch" and he was in his crazy puppy mode. Swinging his toys, running a bit, and then more swinging and biting his toys. He started barking at me once I denied him of an area of the backyard (little garden where he likes to jump up to dig) and gave me attitude the rest of the night, even barking at me in the house. He tired out about 20 mins later, but I came home to a crazy pup tonight

He barked at me after I carried him inside, I'm guessing cause I didn't let him play. I had to raise my voice a bit (didn't want to as it was late), but he did have a different type of bark/growl to him, almost defense. He then barked again in a whining way...first time he's done that with me. I told him "No barking!" and he settled and I let him be for himself for the next 5 minutes (still by my feet though). Did I handle this right?

He did get into the little garden at one point and I lured him out with a treat. I didn't give it to him until he did a couple of tricks for me, but am I handling that correctly? I figure I made him do enough to make him forget that he was in the garden in the first place, just want to make sure I'm not rewarding his behavior for going into it. 

13 weeks...think he's hitting his pre-teen stage, been giving me a little bit more attitude this past week...


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## baumgartml16

Jill - glad you got Maizie into the vet, Koda and I will be hoping for a speedy recovery.

GoBigRed - Koda knows the game "something dropped on the floor, I need to get it and run around keeping it from mom game" all to well lol. She is an expert!

Pammie - I agree with others, if it gets them tired, its a toy! Chairs and all..lol

Thanks for the well wishes for the party - it was a GREAT success. Koda was impressive for sure. She was a little excited when the first couple people came over but after a while it was old news when new people walked in. She still greeted every single person lol, but she was much calmer about it and just sat and waited for pets. We had a couple bones and things to chew on so she was content a good chunk of the day. She did not want to go inside though, we tried a couple times and she ran straight for the door and gave me the look like she wanted back outside. She played with some of the kids when they picked up her frisbee. Everyone was so great with her, they would play keep away from Koda but she didn't let that last long. She was amazing with the kids which made me SO happy! Once she figured out where the food was though (in the garage/front of the house) she would casually just mozy on into the front of the house trying to be nonchalant about it. It was cute though. People were careful with their food, I dont think she got too much. She got one meatball, a small piece of sausage and she did manage to get a good lick of the frosting on the cake lol. That she didn't forget. But overall she was awesome. Completely pooped out today. She would not sleep at all yesterday. She was up at 7 and didn't come inside till I did at 10:15 last night. She even sat with us at the bonfire for a while. She was amazing, very proud of her with the amount of people that were there.


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## marshallsmom

Gobigred: Thanks for the info on hip issues. I will always be keeping an eye on that. I bought Marshall some hip supplements over the weekend just to be safe. I always get paranoid with a slight limp  I am definitely going with a reputable breeder next time.

I hope you are feeling better Maizie!! You have a great mom!!

I bought a car harness this weekend but I havent tried it out on Marshall yet. We had an okay weekend. It was in the 90s so we stayed indoors most of the time. We never made it to the park because I got lazy (bad mom!) and had a migraine . So with fewer and shorter walks because of the hot temps, we had to deal with a crazy puppy all weekend long (( Oh boy! My husband took him to daycare today because he really needed to play. I swear he thinks every single person we see outside is someone to play with. I have never seen him this desperate to play with a person in a very long time. lol

My husband and I are already talking about getting Marshall a furry little brother or sister at the end of the year! oops!


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## baumgartml16

Dezymond - at 13 weeks he is going to test you still. He is still a very little baby and is figuring things out. If he is going in the garden just redirect him and distract him to something else outside more interesting. Taking him out of the garden and turning his attention to training is perfect!  I think you are doing a good job. I personally don't like to raise my voice to her, especially when she is just being curious. I tell her "oops" and then distract her from what she is doing. They give up eventually. Gardens have lots of different scents so it is appealing to them. Keep her on a leash if you have to and just give her a little "oops" and work on training like you did!


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## jluke

*Busy Weekends!*

Wow -- everyone has lots of news!

Jill -- so glad to hear that Maizie is improving. Your info has made DH and me more careful about what Maisie investigates since she loves dead snakes, hermit crab carcasses, toads, etc.

Michelle -- sounds like Koda shared the party spotlight with your brother! And what's a party without eating some of the special food?

GoBigRed -- how's your knee feeling?

Bryley and the chair -- that's too funny! I wish you had a video.

Marshallsmom -- sorry about your migraine. I get them, also. It's terribly hot, 90+, here, too. Cooler forecast for tomorrow and hoping for the DP then.

Megan, I share your worries about HD. Friday I got to talk about HD with one of our contractors who's very dog knowledgable. (He has a GSD and a Belgian Malanois that he's trained for search and rescue. One has HD.) He recommended a source of human-quality joint supplements that I'm checking out.

Outwest -- thanks for your story about ignoring Tucker. Our trainer told me that if Maisie every got loose and started to run away, I should sit down and look the other direction, ignoring her (and if that didn't work, I should lie down). She said that dogs come back to their owners to see what's going on with them. Luckily, I haven't had to try it...

We had a great time at the beach over the weekend (even thought we did lots of chores). Maisie loves the waves and water, but still bites the sea foam and swallows some of it. :uhoh: So, she had a bit of an uncomfortable night and I didn't get a lot of sleep. She had her first visit to our beach town, Bethany Beach and mostly liked it, especially the Yuppy Puppy shop where I got a birthday cookie for next weekend!  We went into the store and she was on her very best behavior -- no stealing treats or toys out of bins. And when a BMD puppy came in, she didn't go into wild play mode. She walked though the crowded streets calmly and visited with people and children. But she was a bit spooked by the noisy, motorized toys on display on the sidewalks the first time we walked past. I took her past them a second time and she was much calmer and more curious.

And Dexter, Jill and Marshallsmom -- I'd get another one, too, in a nanosecond, but I think DH would consider it grounds for divorce... :curtain:


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## jluke

*Your Pre-Teen*

Dezymond -- hope you're enjoying the young puppy stage. The teenage stage seems to start at about 5 - 7 months.

I agree with Michelle's post. It sounds like you're doing really well/ If I could change one thing about how I handled my interactions with Maisie, I'd do better at staying calm, but firm with an even voice -- loud when needed, but not yelling. I know it's much easier said than done. And like Michelle said, I'd use Oops as often as possible, saving No for really serious situations.

It sounds like you're doing a good job of being firm when you need to be and following through on your commands -- both are so important so that your pup has structure and knows what's expected.


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## dezymond

baumgartml16 said:


> Dezymond - at 13 weeks he is going to test you still. He is still a very little baby and is figuring things out. If he is going in the garden just redirect him and distract him to something else outside more interesting. Taking him out of the garden and turning his attention to training is perfect!  I think you are doing a good job. I personally don't like to raise my voice to her, especially when she is just being curious. I tell her "oops" and then distract her from what she is doing. They give up eventually. Gardens have lots of different scents so it is appealing to them. Keep her on a leash if you have to and just give her a little "oops" and work on training like you did!


Appreciate your tip as well as everyone else's. He really is a great puppy and actually a lot less work than I anticipated because of everything I've heard. On leash he listens more but once he's up there only way to get him down is opening the treat container, which is a sound he definitely knows lol.


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## Mom of Maizie

baumgartml16 said:


> She was amazing, very proud of her with the amount of people that were there.


It is really wonderful to hear about Koda's good behavior during your celebration party. It does my heart good to know that all our training does pay off and they really do grow up to be the most wonderful dogs we've ever had!!


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## baumgartml16

Yes, they do grow up! LOL...I remember thinking they never would.

The only thing that got Koda in "trouble"...not really..but we had bean bag toss and she thought it was her job to go and pick up all the bean bags. We had to do our best to keep her out of the games and only be a spectator. It was funny though...she would go run in and grab one and run away lol. Luckily she didn't actually ruin any games by taking them off the board haha.


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## marshallsmom

jluke--maybe eventually your husband will warm up to the idea  My husband was on the brink of giving Marshall away between the ages of 10-14weeks. He thought his life was over...the puppy kept following him around, biting at his heel and would not leave him alone. I told him I am leaving if Marshall goes! lol! And now he is the one who WANTS another puppy!!?!?! Because according to him "puppies are so cute and now I know the hell of raising of very young puppy wont last forever". I am for adopting an older dog actually (maybe 2 yrs old, as I hated potty training) but no he wants a puppy!


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## dezymond

marshallsmom said:


> jluke--maybe eventually your husband will warm up to the idea  My husband was on the brink of giving Marshall away between the ages of 10-14weeks. He thought his life was over...the puppy kept following him around, biting at his heel and would not leave him alone. I told him I am leaving if Marshall goes! lol! And now he is the one who WANTS another puppy!!?!?! Because according to him "puppies are so cute and now I know the hell of raising of very young puppy wont last forever". I am for adopting an older dog actually (maybe 2 yrs old, as I hated potty training) but no he wants a puppy!


Puppies survive solely on being cute and cuddly. If they weren't I guarantee you nobody would want a dog LOL


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## Tucker's mommy

To Maizie's Mom- I hope your pup is still on the upswing! 

Michele - glad to hear Koda was a joy at the party! That had to be such a huge relief, and a proud moment for you! 

I've been offline for awhile - we've had some serious health emergencies here with my father in law (serious diabetes complications). We had to cancel our family vacation to DC this weekend - but we ended up kenneling Tucker anyway so my hubby could travel back and forth from the hospital freely and I could take the kids away from the sadness/craziness for a couple days.

I was SO nervous about boarding Tucker - but the minute I walked into the facility, my worries went away. The woman who runs the place is amazing. Her family ran a vet business when she was young, so she's been around animals her whole life. Boy, does it show. The place was soooo clean. And she had huge fenced in areas for exercising the dogs - it was almost more like doggy daycare than a kennel - just with overnight stay included. Tucker was super excited to see me when I picked him up, but he also gave the kennel owner a very cute goodby - so I know he'll have no problem when we have to board him again. The owner told me me did fantastic there. What a relief!

As for my father in law, he pulled through, as well. So good news all around.  I'm emotionally SPENT though. Just exhausted.


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## Mom of Maizie

Maizie is doing much, much better today.  She has her old energy back!! Still on antibiotics for a few more days, but I'm sure she's recovering nicely now. One good thing came of it...while she was sleeping so much, we relaxed our gates at the stairs and a portion of our downstairs. Now that she's feeling better, it seems like a natural progression that she has more freedom without the gates and she's doing fine with it. 

Tucker's mommy - So glad the boarding went well. I know we've considered it, and will need to do it at some point, but I share your anxiety over having to do that. Glad you have such a dependable kennel near you. 
Glad your F-I-L is okay. I can sympathize with the stress of loved ones' health problems. Hope you can take some time for yourself to rest up now.

Koda - so funny about the beanbags! I can see why he'd think they were meant for him to retrieve, though!! 

Jill - Have you ever tried giving your Maisie a little pumpkin in her food when she eats something like the foam from the waves? I did that daily as a precautionary measure during the week we were at the beach because my Maizie loves to take a taste of things she shouldn't. It seemed to keep the stomach/intestinal upset to a minimum.


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## GoBigRed

Marshalls Mom~I take Husker on early morning walks. I haven't found a job yet here so it's still possible for me to do so. Husker does not like the heat, neither do I, so mornings are perfect for us. I'm still contemplating taking him back to daycare maybe once a week for 1/2 day. Husker just doesn't know when to slow down though and I'm really concerned that he'd play to rough and aggrivate his hips.

Michell~so glad to hear the party was a success and Koda was such a good girl! Bet she loved the frosting. 

Jill~thanks for asking about the knee. It's still sore when touched. My daughter keeps teasing me "You shouldn't have grabbed for him". Yes, thanks dear daughter, I know that but I just so wanted him to stop and sit.  Wow, you guys had quite the weekend!

dezymond~oh the treat container, Husker knows that sound well. 

Tuckers Mommy~We kenneled our Rainbow bridge lab often. Did so in Minot, ND a few times and then over in England. It's always nice to be able to see the facilities and meet staff beforehand. Once you find one that you trust it's easier to leave them there. Hope your FIL is doing better. 

Maizie's Mom Jill~so glad to hear that she is on the mend!!

Husker is slowing adjusting to rain. Before this weekend if it was raining outside he wanted no part of it. Over the weekend though there was a short downpour and my daughter took off running around the backyard which Husker just thought was the best thing going. They would run outside then run back inside, back and forth they went. Then today on his own he wanted out when it was lightly raining and stayed out there walking around the yard for quite sometime. He's also starting to like playing in the hose with help from my daughter. Can't wait to get him to a lake for the first time.


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## Dexter12

Sorry about not catching up we've been busy, Dexter's girlfriend Lucy has been over for lots of plays recently since we've met her parents. 

We recently walked over to the local empty fairground with Lucy parents to let them have a romp. After we let them go, Dex and Lucy played for a bit and then she wandered off and Dex stayed close with us. We eventually found her, she had wandered back down the road into our neighbour's yard. We were secretly really proud of Dex for staying with us because he has the habit of following her where ever she may wander.

Also he's been doing fairly well with the yard, the secret word is "milkbone." I've been training him when he starts wandering off close to the road, I say "come, milkbone" and back he trots. 

Today we left Dex in the kitchen, and not in his crate for a couple hours while we went to town for groceries he was a good boy.

So we've had some little victories with the Dex.


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## GoBigRed

Whoohoo!! Husker will start Beginner Basics training next Wed. So excited to get some help with things. He walks great; heels next to me, stops when I stops and is starting to turn well when I turn (circles, turning back around). But his off-lease recall and sit/stay needs a lot of improvement.


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## MarsNPluto

Mom of Maizie - glad Maizie is starting to feel better and act like herself again 

Tucker's Mommy - what an exhausting weekend you've had! Glad to hear that the FIL is doing well. Can't imagine how stressful that must have been.

So we went to the vet for the itches, and the vet found 3 huge cat fleas on Pluto  so we're assuming his crazy itchies are due to a flea allergy, and it's just gotten worse because it's been hotter and there are more fleas out. That is the most I've seen on him at one time and I brush him every two days! They are definitely not from my place because I'm allergic to flea bites as well... really can't have a flea infestation in the home. We got a stronger topical preventative called "Certifect" I think, and a pill called "Program" that stops a flea's eggs from hatching when the mama flea drinks his blood and lays eggs. I think the fleas may be coming from my boyfriend's house because they have an outdoor cat and he is there M-F... and it's kind of out of my control. Sigh. But my boyfriend is allergic to fleas as well and he's going to start getting his cat treated asap, and also do as much as he can to get the environment under control.

I've used a seatbelt/harness on Pluto since I've had him, mostly because we drive 2 hours a day and 5 days a week (for right now). It definitely gives me peace knowing he is safe. He had a little bit of anxiety due to carsickness when he was a baby but I started giving him bullysticks in the car, and now he enjoys car rides. Don't know if that would help others whose dogs have problems in the car? It definitely did distract him from himself.

We left Pluto at my home with free roam of the living room twice this passed weekend, the longest being 3 hours... he did great! The crazy thing is is that I didn't do a great job of puppy proofing before we left (didn't realize that until we got back). There were cardboard boxes everywhere, even a cardboard box with little foam things for packaging, and everything was just as we left it! *phew* I could have really screwed up there, but so proud of my baby boy!


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## Tucker's mommy

*seat belt situation*

I forgot to pipe in about the seat belt question - we've never used a seat belt adapter for Tucker because of all the human kids taking up our car seats (we have both a crossover vehicle and a minivan). But what works great is using one of the "latch" hooks in the back trunk area for attaching/looping around an extra leash. Whenever he rides in the car, we keep his normal leash on, hanging freely to aid our getting him in and out of the trunk, and then we attach the trunk "latch" leash to his collar. It works great for us. He just lays in the trunk next to my oldest son's (he's 8) 3d row bucket seat, and he never puts up a fuss. We've been so lucky with Tucker and car rides. That's one thing he's never seemed to mind. But we did start conditioning him when he was very small/new to our home.


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## jluke

*Tonight's Thoughts...*

Jill -- thanks so much for the suggestion about pumpkin puree for Maisie's beach tummy upsets. How much do you add to Maizie's food? AM and PM? And -- sorry to be graphic -- does it help with both vomiting and diarhea? (On our first beach trip, Maisie drank too much sea water the first day and suffered for it, but learned from that and avoided it the second day. When we went back this weekend, I guess she completely forgot her salt water lesson! :yuck: )

Tucker's Mommy -- so sorry about your emotionally draining weekend. I hope things calm down some and you can rest up. So gald to hear that your FIL is doing better. And you'll have peace-of-mind in the future knowing that Tucker has a wonderful place he can board.

Maria -- aren't fleas just the worst? We dealt with a huge infestation with our first GR. I hope Pluto is more comfortable soon and that you and BF get things under control.

Michelle -- I think those bean bags belong to Koda!  Too funny.

Hurray for Dexter and his secret word!

GoBigRed -- so glad your knee is improved (and perversely glad that your DD talks just like mine :doh. Hope you enjoy your first class with Husker. Maisie and I start Basic Rally on Wednesday -- can't wait.

After a walk in the 90+ degree heat, my furry darling (??) rewarded me with another bout of the jumping and leash biting crazies. This is getting really old. On the other hand, DH and I met friends for dinner tonight and the evening ran really long (despite my reminding him that we needed to come home and rescue Maisie). She managed about 5 and a half hours after dinner without a problem and gave us a huge happy greeting! Don't you feel like the mmost important, best person ever when they do that? And all you did was come home...


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## baumgartml16

Jill - pumpkin is used for upset tummy's but i think it is more to help firm up the poop. 

I love the greeting I get for just coming home. She is always there to greet me with the biggest smile and tail wagging! 

Well after a great weekend I think all of it caught up to Koda yesterday. On a normal Monday she would have the day to recover from her lack of sleep the day before but my parents were over for about 75% of the day cleaning up from Sunday's festivities so she didn't get much sleep. My parents had left about a half hour before I came home. I took it easy with her but I could tell she wasn't quite herself. Sure enough we went outside and were just going to sit and relax and she starts throwing up. OMG I felt so bad for her. She threw up twice within about 5 minutes and after each one just looked at me like "mommy, take care of me"...o those eyes. I felt so bad, I got her away from it and laid next to her while she relaxed. I wanted to get her inside cuz it was hot out still but she didn't want to move. I felt her tummy and she didn't seem sensitive to it. Once I got her inside she laid right down and slept. That was pretty much our night. I think the heat got to her along with the lack of sleep the last two days and all the excitement from the day before. My poor girl. She got some spunk back later last night but we didn't want to push her so we kept it all low key. This morning she was ready to get up right at 5:45 (we dont need to set alarms, her timing never fails lol) and was back to her normal self. She will get some extra rest time today and we should be good to go again tonight! I wondered how she was handling everything from the weekend so well...glad she is normal again though. Seeing them sick is the worst...


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## MarsNPluto

Jill, fleas really are the worst! I cannot stand them and the bites I get from them itch for months afterwards, and leave scars for 1-2 years depending on how bad the bite was and how much I scratched  And of course, Pluto is always miserable and that's no fun! I picked 4 off of him last night  Guess this is just going to be part of our summer routine. *sigh* I do feel better knowing that with the Program pill no matter what fleas he tracks inside, they won't be able to lay viable eggs...

Forgot to mention I had my boyfriend's brother and his family over at my place for a bbq this passed weekend. They have an adorable almost two year old monster that Pluto absolutely loved. Pluto also loved trying to steal the baby's pacifier. lol. Unfortunately the only picture I got of Pluto with the pacifier in his mouth is extremely blurry, but hopefully I'll be able to catch it next time. The baby tried climbing Pluto a few times, and Pluto didn't even seem to care. Haha. Love how good he is with kids! Another thing to be proud of from this passed weekend!

Here's a picture, for fun. Wish Pluto wasn't so blurry.

P.S. Does anyone else's dog forget their manners when visiting someone else's home? It seems to be the trend with Pluto that when we go to a new house, he forgets his manners. Wonder if he is just over-stimulated/over-excited? It's pretty weird. I guess the training never stops!


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## Mom of Maizie

baumgartml16 said:


> Seeing them sick is the worst...


Poor Koda! Hope a little R and R cures every thing.

That's the cutest picture of Pluto !! - I sure wish Maizie was that good with kids.

As for the pumpkin -- I gave it as a precaution -- I've read that it will firm up soft poo, soften up hard poo, and settle an upset tummy. I don't know if it does all that but somehow Maizie went through a whole week of slurping up a little salt and sand almost every day and remained "regular" with no vomiting or stomach ache as far as I could tell. I estimate I put somewhere around a heaping Tablespoon in her food each morning while we were on vacation. I figure it couldn't hurt. I use plain canned pumpkin. I do it now and then when she gets some upset from eating too much raw bones or something.


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## OutWest

Marsnpluto: cute pic! Hope baby's mama wasn't too weirded out aboutnthendog getting the pacifier. . Yes to manners getting lost when visiting others' homes. Last time I did that Tucker and Tess both pooped in my friend's house and Tuckermlifted his leg on a cushion. :doh::doh: I felt soooo bad! We never enter anyone's house now without a visit to the DP or a long walk immediately beforehand. They have to be both tired and emptied. Learned that lesson! 

We are surviving our heat wave pretty well. I just want to nap! Tess is staying under the computer desk. My DDis watching TV. Tucker is prowling around the yard. He was just chewing a pine cone so I traded him for a marrow bone. A while late I hear crunching and he's finished the bone and is working on a big piece of bark. Argghh! I wanna snooze without watching him like a hawk. Guess that's not gonna happen.

We went to the DP today. Tucker did really well on the leash right until we got close to the gate. Interestingly, he's starting to act more puppy-like in his playing. For a while I was afraid he'd grown out of the need to romp and chew face, etc. After we walked all the way back to the car (DP was a ways inside the park), I realized my keys had fallen out of my pants pocket. Panic! But I found them thank goodness, in the DP. I have a rental right now, and I didn't want to pay to replace them!

Michelle: glad fur kid is OK. She may have gotten some food you didn't know about, too. I think one of the disadvantages of the careful diets we have our dogs on is that when they get something unusual, they're not able to digest it easily. I think dogs that are raised on table scraps (like when I was a kid) had iron stomachs (although much poorer diets overall). 

Fleas in Calif. are always around but for me have never been a huge issue. I think the dry climate helps a lot. Tess has a severe flea allergy so I make sure they both stay current on their flea treatments. So far I've not had issues with fleas inside the house. I have had infestations in the past when I lived in other, more humid climates though.


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## MarsNPluto

Thanks, Outwest and Mom of Maizie! It's still one of my favorite pictures from my newly purchased dslr even though it has motion blur. Almost perfect.

I've been staying on top of flea treatment with Pluto as well and have actually never seen so many fleas on him until yesterday! Usually I'll catch one on him but they were few and far between (I brush him at least every other day) so I don't know what's going on. Infestations are the worst. I've dealt with one before and I was absolutely miserable. What flea treatments do you guys use? I was using Advantage, but was told Frontline Plus is better for ticks since we're hitting the summer months and will be going hiking and camping. We've been using that the past 2 months. And pooping at someone else's house? I can't even imagine the embarrassment! Pluto has had pee accidents before in other people's homes, so I definitely understand the lesson learned there.


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## Tucker's mommy

Mars&Pluto - our dog loves binkies too! I've never been successful snapping a pic of our Tucker with one in his mouth - wish I could - it's not like I haven't had the opportunity! 

Your comment about dogs losing their manners when visiting someone else's home -this is a constant struggle for us when we bring Tucker to my in-laws. Thank God they love dogs, because Tucker is a terror there. 

Michele - how is Koda feeling?


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## OutWest

Seems like just when I think Tucker's learned something, he blows up my assumptions... Tonight I made pizza and salad. When I headed back into the kitchen for my last piece, I discovered that T-man had gotten to it first. Absolutely pristine cutting board on the counter. And I was really looking forward to that last piece! I kept the pie out of his reach prior to cooking it, but forgot to move it after cutting it up. My bad. 

We bought him a glow in the dark ball today. We'll test it out in a little while once its dark.


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## Pammie

Can't wait to hear about the glow in the dark ball! I play with Bryley all the time late at night and I think he would love it! gotta Google that and find one.

Do your dogs hate the sun and heat? Bryley hates the heat. :yuck: He will hug the shade when going out to the pen to pee. It's kinda funny how much he tries to stay out of the sun! Even this weekend when we went for our walk at the park he would forge ahead to get to shade. This aversion makes it harder to exercise him during the day because he, well, refuses! So, that means that we are out on the deck and yard at 10:30 pm running our little hineys off! 

T-man got some pizza pie!  We stash food that is being prepared in the microwave or toaster oven just to keep it safe. Bryley has increased his counter snoopiness recently. Not sure what that is all about, but I am thinking of booby-trapping the counters. I have never had a counter surfer!

Michelle, glad the grad party was a success and that Koda is feeling good again! Such a helples feeling when they are not well. 

MarsnPluto, that pic is fantastic! I like how his ears are laid back and he looks so serious.


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## baumgartml16

Thanks everyone for well wishes for Koda, she was back to her normal crazy self yesterday! 

Tucker had a good night!  HAHA..that is one thing Koda has never done or attempted - countersurfing! I am happy with that lol.

Pammie - Koda hates the heat too, since she was a baby! If we are outside or on a walk she will pull pull pull till we are in the shade and then slow down to a normal pace, we enter the sun and it is pull pull pull again lol. We have stopped her middle of the day walks now because of it. Now we go out and play in the sprinkler instead in the middle of the day to burn energy. She LOVES it. 

Maria - love that picture, that is too precious!


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## GoBigRed

Husker does the most annoying thing! It's stealing but it happens mostly when I leave the house. Even with the rest of my family home he'll take something from upstairs or off the dining room table without fail after I leave the house. It's crazy! He's going to have to start going in the kennel when I leave even with someone else home, he's so sneaky about it. Even though we catch him, get the item, etc. he still does it every single time. Left last night just to drive 3 blocks to pick up my daughter and Husker had gotten a piece of mail off the table and tore it up. I was gone maybe 4 minutes. Rotten little guy!!

Tucker~naughty boy, but I bet the pizza was yummy.  Husker will occasionally countersurf but he never gets anything off of it. He hasn't done it in the past week, I caught him just as he jumped up (I was watching and waiting) and really hollered loudly to startle him. Maybe that cured him for the time being.

Maria~very sweet photo!


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## mayapaya

Hi everyone, it's been awhile since I have been able to catch up, so hope everyone is doing well. Working on training with two pups does not leave me much extra time these days particularly with summer upon us, yard work, etc. Does it seem like the "to do" list never ends? Anyway, Maria--I use Frontline for both my girls as well. Haven;t had a problem with fleas yet, but we do occasiionally get ticks in our area, so I'm fairly diligent about checking them frequently. I can't imagine a flea infestation with two dogs!!!! Michelle, glad to hear Koda's doing better and that the party went well. I hosted a wedding shower over the weekend in our backyard, but I had to keep Maya and Pay crated for the afternoon--too much temptation---and I had images of Pay grabbing onto one of the white tablecloths and taking off through the bushes, leaving a trail of dinnerware and party favors strewn across the lawn. And, speaking of "lawn" our new challenge is trying to keep the pups from chewing leaves and flowers off all of our new plants--UGH--a constant challenge. Outwest, I now have TWO countersurfers!!!! Maya was just getting a bit more trustworthy, but now that Pay is exploring, it's become open season on the counter exploration again. Started my beginner class with Pay this week. First she puked in the car on the way to class, and then acted like a maniac and refused to listen to ANY commands when we got there. Here we go again......note to self--you've been here before--remember what you learned with Maya! Still recovering from leash rash on my palms. We spent some time practicing our heels and sits yesterday, and she was a perfect angel. Hope everyone had a great week--we are loving the weather here, although with another warm up on the way, I am considering getting a kiddie pool for the girls...so far the sprinkler has helped to keep them cool, and both of them love to help me water the plants (although it takes twice as long because they have to jump into the stream for a drink!


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## jluke

*Hi All!*

Maria -- Pluto and the baby are just too cute!!

Jill -- thanks for the info on using pumpkin. I'll take it to the beach next time and use it the way you suggest. Maybe I won't have to sleep on the couch or near the kitchen again. 

Michelle -- so glad Koda is back to her normal self.

Tucker -- maybe you're an Italian dog and that's why you just couldn't resist the pizza... 

Hi again Mayapaya. Can't imagine training two. You'r'e a better mom than I am!

Maisie's fine with sun, but doesn't like heat and humidity, so I expect July and August in Baltimore will be tough for her. Today's 80, breezy and sunny and she just romped through a walk. Two days ago, with lots of sun, low 90s and high humidity, she walked half a block, picked up a stick, took it to the shade and lay down to munch on it. After about 3 blocks and 20 minutes, she was beat and ready to go home.

Last night after lots of heavy rain, Maisie enjoyed another al fresco fine dining experience -- before I could stop her, she ate a slug. :yuck: I didn't offer any garlic butter to go with it...


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## mrmooseman

Today has been one of those days! Moose is being a little brat!

First of all, we had company over for lunch, and for some reason, he crawled right under their feet (they were sitting on the couch) and he just cried and scratched at the couch, he wanted a ball. We found him one, but he wanted THAT ball. Ugh. We finally for it for him. We were telling him to stop and lay down but he must of had his ear muffs on because he completely ignored us. When we put him out, he just barked and barked and barked.. ugh. THEN to make things even more wonderful, he decided today was "backwords" days. We would tell him "sit" and he would lay down. We would tell him to "laydown" and he would sit. He did this most of the afternoon, until I finally had enough and left. We bought him this pig toy, and he feels the need to constly rub it on us. What is with his barking and with this constant annoyance! And here I am, baking him dog treats.. sorry for the rant.


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## mayapaya

Megan, I feel you pain--ala "two". Case in point, my experience in beginner class with Pay last night. Somedays I feel like I have a story to tell each and every day on their antics. I am trying to smile and laugh more and tell myself my glass is half full instead of half empty. As I was picking up the remains of my new damaged landscaping following the "zoomies" party they threw last night--I was asking myself if I was truly nuts. Then I went inside and made my weekly batch of banana stuffed kongs. That's what this thread is for! Rant away! (I'd probably do it more often if I had time, LOL!) Jill, love your slug story. My two have developed a taste for moths these days. Mostly just rolling them around in their mouths, and then thankfully spitting them out!


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## mrmooseman

We think about adding another pup, then I feel if we did, I would need to be commited. God love ya for having 2 pups. I just don't know what it is with him sometimes. Yesterday I was washing the car, and everytime I would put the hose down, he would run over and drink out of it and paw at the water and then lay in it. It was so funny. I know tomorrow I will laugh about today.


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## jluke

*Two -- Argh!*

Sometimes I think you can take my one, even though I love her... Like on this afternoon's walk when I endured another jumping and leash biting episode. But Maisie is settling down more quickly when this happens, so maybe -- just maybe :crossfing -- I'm going to outlast her.

I swear that Maisie has put herself on an all natural, raw diet except for the kibble I feed her -- moths, butterflies, lightning bugs, worms -- the slug last night was just the latest! And that list omits the greens and roughage: grass, leaves, sticks, dirt and mud. Her favorite is a viney weed we walk past at a neighbors. It grows about a foot over her head and every time we walk past she jumps up, catches it in her mouth and shreds a few leaves off to chew on as we walk. :doh:

Off to our first rally class -- can't wait. Should be very interesting to be back with 5 other dogs learning lots of new things.

Hang in there! Remember when they're challenging us, that's why they're so cute -- they have to be!


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## Pammie

My Gawd! if I had 2 of Bryley I would be a basketcase and my husband would head for the hills! No. Way. Ever. 
I have had 2 GR's at one time and they were a dream team. :heartbeat I hope it turns out that way for you mayapaya!
Bryley really has been a difficult dog, still is. I think I have mentioned he is my 4th GR, and he is nothing, I say, nothing like the others! So much more active, mouthier, sassy and just a rascal. He has challenged me like no other. I just keep telling myself it will get better, it will get better, time is your friend, time is your friend...

Bryley enjoys eating greens and roughage too. Cat hair clumps, leaves, grasses, an occasional paper napkin, whatever. If its bite size, its in and probably down.

Very hot today so we will be going out to have some kiddie pool and sprinkler fun time soon. B has been an AC vent-hog all day, so some activity is needed!


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## OutWest

Hello all. We had a quiet-ish day. Got a slow start. I get to do that once in a while because Tucker still sleeps in his crate! 

After his pizza consumption last night, Tucker didn't get a full bowl of kibble for dinner. Figured he didn't need the calories!

We had errands to run, so loaded dogs into car and went to do them. Their pay-back was a romp at the dog park. It's warm enough here that neither really wanted to run around much, although Tucker had a very good "bitey-face" session with a sweet pit bull puppy named Bones. What I find fascinating is Tucker's radar for dog parks. If he's been to it before, he remembers it. He gets so excited when we get near it. I've managed to train him out of barking all the way, but he still gets excited once he figures out where we're headed. 

The glow in the dark ball worked well, according to my daughter. She took him out last night and threw it for him. He likes the feel of it in his mouth, too. Chomps away on it. I really like the Chuck-it rubber balls. So far Tucker hasn't been able to chew a piece out of one even though he chomps away on them. The ball-chasing is turning into a great alternative for the dog park. My yard is very shady in the afternoon and breezy in the evening. Tucker really enjoys it, and I'm saving on gas and time driving! 

Hope you all have a good evening. Welcome back, Mayapaya. you really have your hands full! 

Kathleen


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## GoBigRed

We have a family of toads living under our back patio. When we moved in last summer we would see one at nights on the patio and I thought I knew where he was coming from but couldn't never catch him coming out to confirm. This summer I saw him emerging from this hole in the concrete right next to the house. I caught him last weekend and put him in the front yard. Well last night two toads came out of that hole. One was pretty big and Husker was just standing next to it looking at it. He never tried to pick it up (YET!) or anything just had the look of "what the heck is that thing". So now I have to figure out what to do. They don't come out until nighttime so if we're careful and just watch we should be able to avoid Husker seeing them. Or I could try to catch them all and do something about the hole. I wonder though if they are ok in the front yard, if they need that hole to get down under the ground in the day and in the winter. Sure don't want to kill them but I sure don't want Husker eating them as well.

Nope~no way I would have two of Husker running around.  He was such a terror as a puppy!!


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## marshallsmom

Does your golden love rocks?! Marshall is all of a sudden into them! He used to not care about them but within a week ago, he started picking them up and carrying them all over the place. It is impossible to get him to drop it, I usually just let him bring it inside and then I trade for a treat. Still takes time but eventually he will give it up for a yummy treat.


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## GoBigRed

Husker is a rock nut! But also sticks, grass, paper/plastic that blows into the yard, leaves...basically anything that is outside. There is no getting these items from him unless he sees a treat in your hand.


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## jluke

*Rocks and Sticks...*

Marshallsmom and GoBigRed -- Maisie went through a rock phase (or should I say rocks in her head?), but thankfully, it seems to be over. Sticks are a different story -- she picks them up on walks, one after the other, lays down and munches some, prances along with others. I'm working to get her to do a leave it with them since sometimes there just isn't time for a leisurely munch and crunch, but it's hard once she has her teeth into one.

Our first rally class last evening went well and I think it will be fun. We just started with two exercises. One to work on focus and the other to achieve a perfect heel position. The focus practice will be very interesting. For the next 2 weeks, I'm hand feeding Maisie all her meals with a 5 minute time limit. When she looks at me, I give her kibble. If she's not looking at me, no food. When the time is up, feeding time is over. When she succeeds in eating all her food in 5 minutes 3 feedings in a row, that's termed a success and I move the next meal to a more distracting location. We started today in the kitchen and she ate almost all her food -- not quite a success. When we get to 3, I'll move to the family room, then the deck, then the patio, then the lawn (if we get that far...). It seems a bit extreme, but the instructor says it will pay dividends. She talked about the distractions if we progress to a competition -- dogs outside the ring, people eating chips and hot dogs, loud noises, etc. We'll see...


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## OutWest

Jill, that sounds really great. Time consuming, but I bet very very effective.


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## baumgartml16

That sounds like a very effective approach. I might do it just to get Koda's focus on us more for training purposes in general. Do you give a command to have her look at you or just whenever she looks at you then you treat without a command?


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## baumgartml16

The breeder we got Koda from had another litter this spring and the pups are going home this weekend so he has been posting videos of them. I think it is getting to me and made me subconciously think I was bringing a puppy home again. I had a dream last night that we got a second puppy but it was soooo much easier to train because we had gone through it and now knew some of the tricks and things we should/should not do. Koda instantly became the best behaved dog in my dream too because of the puppy. Uh oh..I told my husband and he said he had a dream recentlly too that we got another one. He said it is either baby or puppy, I only get one lol.


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## mrmooseman

We have been talking about getting another pup.. We have been looking to see if the breeder we got Moose from has any more puppies, so for, nothing. Kyle said he would consider getting a puppy from that litter because it would really be his brother/sister. We keep going back and forth between a female and a male. Hahaha there must be something wrong with us..


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## mayapaya

Michelle & Megan--a trip to Maya's breeder that was supposed to just be a social visit is how we wound up with Payton. Having two this young is NOT easy. But, there's good and not so good. On the plus side--live in playmates! They absolutely love to wrestle and play. Pay did not have a bad land shark phase (although I think Maya wound up taking the brunt of her puppy teething). Pay also seems to be a much mellower pup--she is more velcro than Maya, and seems more eager to please-traning is going very well with her. Payton is actually Maya's half sister--same father, different mother--but they bonded together almost instantly. They go from wrestling and bitey faces to kissing each others noses!!! On the not so good side, Maya is reverting back to some bad behaviors (jumping on people, countersurfing) because she see's Pay doing it. So, now I am working on training two at the same time. But honestly, I'm happy we decided to bring Pay into our home. It's alot of work, but I love them both to pieces!!! I vote yes to the puppies, and then you can start another thread, "parents of teenage pups and puppies"-LOL--Jill, the training sounds interesting--would love to continue to hear updates. And, Maya and Payton both love rocks. And firewood. And mulch. And sticks. And leaves. And flower petals.


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## jluke

*Hand Feeding and Having Two!*

Maisie ate her entire breakfast this morning from my hand while watching me. Boy, was she motivated!  Michelle, the instructor says we can give one Watch me! command to begin, but no more. If any food falls on the floor, I cant let Maisie pick it up. (She's on a leash.) She didn't quite get all her dinner last evening, so I think the extra bit of hunger this AM added to her focus on me. I'm glad -- I was concerned about her getting less food even though the instructor looked closely at all our dogs and felt that none would suffer by missing some calories. (I know that's true of Maisie, just hate to think of her feeling uncomfortable -- protective mom...).

All of your posts on thinking about -- and even dreaming of, Michelle! -- a second puppy -- boy, do I understand. I've been putting together Maisie's birthday photos on Photobucket (thanks for the suggestion, Pammie) and looking at the puppy times is such a temptation. But as I've said, DH is really a dog person, so Maisie is going to be an only...

Michelle -- your DH's comment about a puppy or a baby somehow made me remember the discussion my DH and I had years ago when deciding to re-lo from the Bay Area back to his home town of Baltimore. I held out for an old house in a historic city neighborhood, a baby and a dog!


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## Nyahsmommy

Nyah's latest thing is being picky about food. Very very odd for her. We get her food for free bc bfs dad works at purina and gets food dirt cheap(if it wasn't for this we wouldn't feed her proplan). Problem is they have different food every week so she has to eat what he can get. The newest one she has is large breed chicken. She loves the chicken but for some reason won't touch the large breed stuff. Maybe cause the kibble is massive? She never refused food before. So we had to go out and get a small bag of wellness and mix it in. Well she picked out wellness and left the proplan. Sigh. We can't afford to buy that so shes going to have to eat it or starve once the wellness runs out.

I'd love to have two pups now that we are moving to a bigger place but I'm not allowed anymore animals. Bf wants to get rid of Nyah sometimes because of her shedding , he doesn't want another golden after nyah goes because he hates fur. Grrrr oh well I have a long time still to convince him.


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## mrmooseman

I'd get rid of him.. lol. Moose sheds a lot, but our friends have a half lab and he sheds way more then Moose. Today Moose made me go and get his "dad" a fathers day gift! I love how they have cards now for that. I go a mothers day card from Moose. I was pretty excited. We decided we just are not baby people, so dogs it is!


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## OutWest

Michelle--it sounds like you and your husband have you nesting hormones working overtime! Personally, I'd vote for the human baby ... Not that you asked my opinion! LOL. . Life goes by very fast. 

Nyahsmommy--not to worry. Not ideal to change foods so often but she won't starve. My philosophy is we all all have some lumps in our road. Hers are large chunks of food.  proPlan is a pretty good food in my book. My BIL works for Purina too and I get great coupons. Tucker's done very well on it. 

Second puppy: they are soooo hard to resist. I get all puppy-feverish looking at the little ones on this site... But not for us right now. I wanted a kitten this summer but have decided no. I've been out of work and money is tight. If we can sell my parents house this summer, or if a job comes through, then we'll get a kitten. For those of you considering it, I do think it's easier to bring a puppy into a home with a younger dog as opposed to an older one. I think the current dogs adjust more easily at a younger age. Just my observation of different dog families. And, based on recent experience I agree with trainers and behaviorists who say to get the opposite sex of the current dog in the new puppy. 

We had an early birthday party for Tucker today. We met up with his siblings and parents and assorted other canines and humans on a beach at Treasure Island. The weather was perfect and a good time was had by all. The owner of Tucker's dad had us over to his house afterward for a glass of wine and some snacks. He lives on the island with a great view of San Francisco. Tucker was (mostly) a model dog. A little bit of over enthusiasm with people  but he was well mannered. And, of course, he was the best looking Golden there.  I made birthday cupcakes of hamburger and rice. Was going to use oats but didn't realize I was out, so substituted leftover rice. Put into cupcake tin and baked well. Dogs were very happy with their "cake". Am on back patio now waiting for the dogs to dry from their post-swimming bath. 

Hope you are all having good weather!


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## Nyahsmommy

OutWest said:


> Nyahsmommy--not to worry. Not ideal to change foods so often but she won't starve. My philosophy is we all all have some lumps in our road. Hers are large chunks of food.  proPlan is a pretty good food in my book. My BIL works for Purina too and I get great coupons. Tucker's done very well on it


Ya i'm not too worried about the proplan itself, just the fact that she isn't eating much. Although if I had to pay full price for it, I'd be getting something else... can't argue with free though.  It's funny because I thought there was nothing in the world she wouldn't eat! Haha. She will eat some of it when she picks out the wellness but the rest she will leave. I'm trying to minimize treats until she gets hungry enough to eat it... She is just being picky. I agree I don't like changing foods so often but bf's dad said the store only sells the over stock which is why it's so cheap.


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## marshallsmom

Outset, can you elaborate more on why the opposite sex would be a better addition? I have never heard this before and I am curious. We are thinking of getting a girl this time with the assumption that girl goldens tend to be more independent and less needy. Well see how that goes 

Nyahsmommy: Marshall went through a picky eating phase too, he used to eat like theres no tomorrow. I swear he'd eat 10 cups if I let him. Now he only eats when he is hungry and only eats until he feels full. I was so worried at first. I think it's understandable that he picks the wellness, newer tasting food I think always seems more yummy that something they've been eating most of their lives I'm sure.


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## Nyahsmommy

marshallsmom said:


> Outset, can you elaborate more on why the opposite sex would be a better addition? I have never heard this before and I am curious. We are thinking of getting a girl this time with the assumption that girl goldens tend to be more independent and less needy. Well see how that goes
> 
> Nyahsmommy: Marshall went through a picky eating phase too, he used to eat like theres no tomorrow. I swear he'd eat 10 cups if I let him. Now he only eats when he is hungry and only eats until he feels full. I was so worried at first. I think it's understandable that he picks the wellness, newer tasting food I think always seems more yummy that something they've been eating most of their lives I'm sure.


Nyah, being a girl is pretty independant. She loves being around us but isn't really a cuddler. At the dog park she will stay close to us and look back to make sure we are still there but will also go off and play. Not sure about boys as I have never had one.

Ya same... Nyah typically would eat the whole bag if I allowed her. I don't think this is about grazing.... I left the rest of the food out last night and she didn't touch it. This morning I did the same thing and she again picked out the wellness. Anytime she accidently would take a bite of the pro plan she she spit it out on the floor so I know it's the food. Bf's dad is mad that she won't eat it and won't buy her more so once the wellness runs out she is stuck with this until it's finished. We are moving not next saturday but the one after that so she will probably eat even less then because of the big change.


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## OutWest

marshallsmom said:


> Outset, can you elaborate more on why the opposite sex would be a better addition? I have never heard this before and I am curious. We are thinking of getting a girl this time with the assumption that girl goldens tend to be more independent and less needy.


We fostered a puppy last summer, thinking to keep her when she was ready for adoption. I chose a female, thinking a girl would get along better with our little girl spaniel. The behaviorist commented at the time that she would recommend differently. Well, it didn't work out at all (not just because of gender issues). But what I deduced is that while there's a pecking order of sorts within a group of dogs in general, there is also an order within each gender. It seems if there are two dogs of two genders, there is less pecking order stuff to sort out. Since then I've heard similar comments from other trainers and dog people. Not written stone by any means. In the end it comes down to the individual dogs in question.


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## GoBigRed

Nyahsmommy~it could be possible that there is something wrong with the food. Maybe the bag had a small hole in it and the food isn't the freshest. She could be picking up on something like that.

2nd puppy~being Military we are only allowed 2 pets (if you live on-base which we always have). We've had our cat for almost 18yrs now so we've only been able to have one dog. Once we're retired and own a house we'll for sure have atleast 2 dogs. 

It's raining here and Husker will not go potty. He'll step out on the patio and once the rain hits him he's back in the house. He's so funny. He'll have to step out into that rain eventually, he ate about an hour ago so I know he has to "go".


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## Dexter12

I've been pretty easy with him the last couple days about walks because he's been a little under the weather with his skin irritation so we haven't gone ( bad idea I know, routine is always best). I tried to get him up for his walk this morning and he was growling at me, and he just refused to get up. I finally got him up with lots of resistance and got him outside with just his flat collar on and realized that this was a bad idea because he's going to be pulling the whole walk. I managed to get him back inside and get his prong collar on, which he was none too happy about. When we finally got going he gave me this really smug and mischievous look like "I guess you win mummy." I'm almost sure that he was testing me to see what he could get away with.


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## jluke

*Happy Saturday!*

Happy Early Birthday, Tucker! Your Treasure Island party sounds wonderful. I remember that spot so fondly from when we lived in the Bay Area. I'm getting ready for Maisie's party tomorrow -- just people in attendance since it's Father's Day, too, and we're honoring DH and my dad. I have an apple cinnamon doggie cake and a birthday biscuit -- both too much for just Maisie, so on Monday we'll take left-over deliveries to some of her canine friends.

Nyah's Mom -- I'm sorry Nyah is picking at her food. I know it's worrying, and I hope she'll be OK -- I think so.

GoBigRed -- it's so funny how different our pups are about the rain with Husker unhappy and Maisie charging out to get as wet as she can. She likes to sit in a puddle, raise her head and open her mouth to drink in the drops.

Oh, Dexter -- please give your Mom a break!

Marshallsmom -- it's interesting that the prevailing view is that girls are more independent. Maisie is definitely a follow-me-from-room-to-room and stick-to-my-side kind of GR, definitely pure Velcro.

Maisie has definitely figured out the focus for feeding program, at least in the kitchen. She focuses her hungry eyes on my face and gobbles the kibble from my fingers.  She's had the required 3 successes in a row, so the evening we move to the family room for dinner.


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## mrmooseman

Moose made a new golden friend today. Everyone comments on how big of a dog Moose is, but this new pup is 5 and a half months and almost the size of Moose! He is going to be HUGE! But maybe Moose was big at 5 months.. I don't remember how big he was. I was trying to look at pictures, but I can't really figure it out. This new golden is on the light side, darker the Moose, but lighten then the ones Moose has been around. We see a lot of darker goldens around here, none really as light as Moose. 

Today I was told that Moose isn't pure golden.. because he is too light. This never gets old. They said "he's light, like a polar bear or something!" Maybe I will just start saying his dad was a polar bear.. I had to take out the phone and show them the picture of the color spectrum. I'm going to have to just glue that to his back or something..


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## jluke

*Love the...*

...polar bear line, Megan. May I steal it, please?  Actually, no one has told me that Maisie can't be a GR since she's so light. They just say they've never seen a GR her color which is much more polite. Some do guess that she might be a Great Pyrenees, though.


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## Nyahsmommy

GoBigRed said:


> Nyahsmommy~it could be possible that there is something wrong with the food. Maybe the bag had a small hole in it and the food isn't the freshest. She could be picking up on something like that


 
That's what I thought originally but I think she is just being picky. She ate some of the kibbles when I hand fed her and then at dinner she picked out the wellness again and ate some of the pro plan. I hand fed her the rest of the pro plan so she ate the rest of her breakfast at dinner. Hopefully she starts eating it on her own cause I'm not going through that everyday.


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## Pammie

I love the polar bear line! I would say it and then punctuate it with a you're-an-idiot smile and walk away. 

Bought Bryley a Chuckit ultra ball yesterday. He has played with it a lot squish squish squish and so far no visible damage!

He was a pill today right off the bat. Right after breakfast he decided it would be a good idea to play with this water bowl. Pawed at it and spilled water all over the floor. So I am bent over using a towel to wipe up the flood and he decides that I am his new play thing and is nosing in my face and trying to take my glasses and jumping on me! I was not a happy camper! About an hour later I turn my back and out of the corner of my eye I see his feet on the dinning room table and him taking my Klean Kanteen water bottle off the table! Water everywhere (again!) and then he got the lid off and ran about with glee!
Now he is sleeping on the AC vent charging up for this evenings shenanigans!

Happy B'day Maisie! Jill the cinnamon apple doggie cake sounds fantastic! Can't wait to see pics of the party and maybe get a recipe!


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## jluke

*Recipe...*

Pammie -- I'd love to give you the cake recipe, but I confess that I bought the cake from the Baltimore Dog Bakery which makes wonderful all natural biscuits and other treats. It's made with oats and yogurt, no wheat or other grain, and no sugar, and is frosted with yogurt and carob. The cake is in the shape of a big dog bone biscuit. I'll get a picture for sure.

I'm not much of a baker except for a flourless chocolate torte which is fool-proof (and Jill-proof) and people do say it's fabulous. (I pass on shamelessly. ) My cheese cake with fruit isn't bad either. Neither is dog friendly, to say the least...


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## jluke

*Water Dog, Bryley!*

Pammie -- so sorry that Bryley wants to go swimming in your house... For some reason the fire fighters had opened a hydrant today and water was streaming down the side of the street. Maisie jerked me hard to try to go wading, but I didn't have time this afternoon to deal with a wet pooch (had to go clothes shopping with DD...). It was really hard to keep puppy out of the water.


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## marshallsmom

Happy Birthday Maisie!

Oh Bryley give your mama a break!

jluke--I would love to see a picture of that cake 

Marshalls birthday is on Aug22 and I am already starting to think/plan about it. LOL! Is it bad that his 1st birthday will end up getting more thinking and planning time than my husband's 30th birthday?! We are planning to rent out a pool (a dog facility) for a couple hours and invite DH's family so he can go swimming with their kids!

We are having a fun weekend. We spent yesterday morning at the park where Marshall played fetch in the water for an hour. He even went an retrieved all the lost balls in the water. He loves the water, possibly more than anything else in the world (including me!). He gets super sad when we had to leave, when we are almost at the door, he would run back for one last quick swim and come back to me! I wish we had a pool.

I am planning on doing a lot of grad school work today and my husband has to go to work so I am really hoping the puppy just chills and relaxes today


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## GoBigRed

Happy Birthday to Maisie! Husker's b-day is next month. I have a few cake recipes saved and will make him one and probably buy those dog ice cream treats too (never tried those yet).

Bryley~don't be such a stinker today. 

Marshallsmom~sound like a great day! I'm so curious as to what Husker will do around a lake or a pool. Unfortunately there is no dog pool here in the area. There are lakes though so we'll have to go one weekend when we don't have storms around.

Happy Father's Day to the Dads out there (human and doggie daddys both)


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## Dexter12

MrMooseman: I'm glad that Moose is making new friends! Too bad the parent is sort of a dolt
Pammie: Ah those sort of days. I hope Bryley behaves today.
Marshallsmom: Hopefully the play wore him out a bit so you can do some grading today!

Dex is one miserable boy, he keeps getting hotspots. On Tuesday we're leaving for Toronto and then Colorado for my sister's wedding. I'm worried about Dex although he'll be at the breeder's and I know he'll be fine, it seems that when we get on top of one hotspot another one appears. I sprayed him all over with ACV this morning, I really don't like the smell, it's making my stomach turn.


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## mrmooseman

Pammie: I have a recipe for a cake that I made for Moose, he really enjoyed it!


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## marshallsmom

Oh please do share cake recipes!!


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## Pammie

That is a bummer about Dexter's hotspots! Poor little guy!



mrmooseman said:


> Pammie: I have a recipe for a cake that I made for Moose, he really enjoyed it!


We need that cake recipe!! Megan, did you taste the cake, too? 

In another thread I posted a recipe for a delicious summer treat for the pups. In case you all did not see it there I will put it here also.
1 container plain yogurt
1/2 mashed over-ripe banana
1/2 cup or so blueberries
mix together, spoon into ice cube trays, muffin tin, or plop on a cookie sheet and freeze!
Bryley loves them! and I admit to eating them too!


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## Pammie

Dexter12 said:


> Dex is one miserable boy, he keeps getting hotspots.


OMGosh!!! I just read your 'allergic to shampoo' thread you started about Dex. I had no idea he was having such a terrible time with those miserable hotspots! Is Dex wearing the cone of shame?! I sure hope your breeder is as good of nurse to Dex as you have been!







Virtual hugs for Dex and you, too, Victoria! ... and have a happy vacation!!!
I've not heard of AVC, is it prescription or an over the counter medication?

Hotspots scare me. From everything I have read it seems they can go from a little irritation to a full blown sore in a matter of hours. and then they seem to multiply like fertile rabbits! I've not had a dog who ever had one, but I am now prepared with knowledge (Listerine and Goldbond!) if one pops up! Thank you GRF!


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## mrmooseman

I hope Dexter feels better soon . Poor little fella.

I hate to admit it, but I did try a little crumb off the cake.. I know gross, but it is made with human ingredients.

1 cup of whole wheat flour
1 tsp of baking soda
1/4 cup of peanut butter
1/4 cup veggie oil
1 cup shredded carrots
1 tsp vanilla ext.
1/3 cup honey
1 egg

Mix together and bake for 40 mins in a 350F oven.

For icing, I took 12 ounces (one small container) of non fat cream cheese (soft) and 3 tsp of cinnamon, 1 tsp of vanilla and 1 tsp of honey and mixed together and put it onto the cake!

Moose LOVED it. It didn't really taste like anything to me, but the icing was good! I also made him treat, that I once again tried myself. They not to bad I must say. My bf thinks I'm nuts that when I make him treats, I always try one myself first. I guess I'm "testing" on humans haha. We bought him these organic peanut butter cookies once, they smelled like girl scout cookies, and we made with human grade ingredients. I swear I ate more then him. They tasted like vanilla oreos!

..Now, I draw the line at kibble.. haha


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## Dexter12

I appreciate that, I feel like such a bad doggie mommy right now, I think this has all been triggered by the shampoo. We went over to the breeder's today and he told me that most likely that I hadn't fully brushed out his undercoat and it was perhaps causing water and sweat to get trapped by Dex's skin. I must have brushed out at least two dogs from him today, and got rid of his beloved beaver tail. If this isn't the cause I'm going to switch Dex over to the sensitive purina food next. 
Dex has been wearing the cone of shame, the first time we put it on him was hilarious, the look he gave us was like "COME ON GUYS!" He's getting better about having it on, but it's mostly at night when we're not there to monitor his chewing and licking. ACV is apple cider vinegar, I have a 50/50 water mix that I spray on him to relieve his itchy and sore skin. It smells horrid! haha  Goldbond is my saviour, it really has moved the wetness of some of the hotspots along.

ooh! I think I'm going to try those frozen dog treats out.


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## OutWest

We've had a pretty good weekend, but the weather has been quite hot for us. It really wiped us all out. It was close to 100 here yesterday, and in the high 80s today, although with winds. My clothes washer is giving me problems, so we went south to my sister's house and used her washer. It was 102 degrees there. We went to dinner in an air-conditioned restaurant and sat there as long as we politely could.  we left the dogs at the house in the kitchen with the window open, trusting that no one would break in with Tucker right inside the window. 

Tucker's brain went AWOL today. He was running around outside, came inside with his ball in his mouth, and lifted his leg on the cabinet right next to the open door. As my mother would have said, he "made a lake." :doh::doh::doh: My daughter was in the front yard and she heard my yell from there... T got banished to back yard while we cleaned up. I wonder sometimes what goes through his head. 

How do your dogs deal with heat? It doesn't seem to faze Tucker, but Tess stays very quiet. We turned the sprinkler on today, but Tucker wasn't too impressed. He ran through it--to go get his ball. He's become a Chuck-It ball junkie. Whoever Chuck is, he's Tucker's new best friend. LOL


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## jluke

*Busy Weekends...*

Wow -- everyone's been busy!

I sure hope Dexter is feeling much better. Besides all you're doing for him, I've read (and you probably already know) that it's really important to get GRs very dry when they've been wet. I don't do so well with this with Maisie since she hates hair dryers -- I go through tons of towels trying to get her dry down to the skin, but never quite manage it.

Outwest -- just when you think they're settling, they pull some stunt like Tucker's... :doh: Thanks goodness for patience.

Pammie and Megan -- thanks for the cake/treat recipes. They sound like even I might manage them. And Bryley looks so handsome!

Marshallsmom -- I know what you mean about getting ready for Marshall's birthday versus DH's 30th. I heard the same thing about Maisie's versus Father's Day today... (I'd love to know what you're pursuing in grad school, BTW. And did Marshal let you study?)

Thanks for all the birthday wishes for Maisie! We had a fun day on the Eastern Shore at my parent's home celebrating Father's Day for DH and my dad and the puppy's birthday, too. All people, no dogs, except the ones we met on walks; we'll get together with a few dog friends this week. Maisie loved her cake -- just a small piece since the baker warned that it was rich, but there's more for the next few days and lots to share. And, of course, she received a few too many gifts: a replacement for her favorite, but destroyed, plush unstuffed squirrel (known here as Nutty), an unstuffed Canada Goose (it's Maryland!), the Planet Dog ball that Koda recommended and a water toy. Yes, her mom spoils her... I used Photobucket (thanks for the suggestion Pammie) to make a birthday slide show and am about to try to upload it on the Puppy Board. :crossfing


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## GoBigRed

Pammie~thanks for the frozen treat recipe! I mix banana and peanut butter together and freeze little balls of that for Husker's "popsicle", he loves them. 

Dexter~sure hope this all clears up for you soon!!

Jill~sounds like Maisie rec'd some great presents! Not sure what we'll get Husker for his b-day as I think we've purchased all the toys around here that he can't destroy.


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## marshallsmom

jluke--I am getting a PhD in plant biology, and I am excited to say that I am almost done (few more months!). Marshall did let me study for the most part, he was snoozing most of the day


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## GrannyB

*Out of the box training*

Google Bridget Carlsen, she actually works with dogs to get them excited! It's an odd approach but it works. I've been training for years and always took the "they must be calm to listen". Watching this lady encourage the dogs to jump and get excited was fascinating. Enjoying the enthusiasm vs trying to control it is really hard! If you watch some of her videos you can pick up ideas on how to get the dog focused without having the power struggle. She's creative!
I have used this approach on a 14 month, crazy golden girl and have had wonderful results. In just a few weeks she was learning all her basic commands without eating my hand or all the leaping. Hope it helps!


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## mayapaya

UGH! We're in for 95+ degree temps for the next three days. Pay doesn't seem to mind the heat so much, but we're limiting our outdoor activity to shorter periods, and coming into the air conditioning to cool off. 

Jill, saw Maisies slide show--it's so fun to look back at those puppy days. Time really flies, doesn't it? The recipes sound great--I may have to whip some of these up--I've been making the homemade frosy paws, and my two love them!

Maya is driving me crazy with her flower eating. She's been grabbing the buds off of every plant, and then chewing and spitting them out! I had hoped that one nibble in the rose bushes would have cured her, but she is immune even to the thorns (or successfully bites around them). Any ideas on safe treatments to keep your pups from dining on flowers? I've tried bitter apple on a few of my potted plants, but it doesn't last very long--one rain, and she's back at it.

Pay's second beginner class is tonight--she's been sooooo good this week with her heeling and sits on leash. Hope she shows off her stuff in class tonight and that we can make it there without her puking in this car on the way!


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## Nyahsmommy

I am furious. Nyah won't eat the food at all and it got to the point where if any wellness was even touching the proplan she wouldn't touch it. So we gave it back to the parents and are feeding her just wellness. Well his parents are furious. But I discovered why her craps have been so big lately and why she only wants high quality food. His parents have been watching her while we are at work recently and the whole time she is there they are stuffing people food in her. No wonder she won't eat it proplan, so now we have been feeding her just wellness which she loves but it's so expensive so we will have to go back to pro plan once he can get some more.

Oh and they are yelling at us not to waste money on dog food but also say they wont stop feeding her people food. What the hell. I am furious.


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## jluke

*Today's Hello*

Nyah's Mommy -- so sorry that you're having such a hassle about Nyah's food, especially when you must be worried about what and how much she's eating. I agree with you -- it's so annoying when others think they know what's best in handling our responsibilities -- our pets or our kids.

GoBigRed -- don't know if it would work for Husker, but the squirrel toy from the In the Company of Dogs web site lasted about 6 months for Maisie (Christmas until yesterday when she got a new replacement since she loved it so much). Around here, that's a l-o-n-g time for a partially stuffed fuzzy toy. As the months passed, I did have to take out the squeakers, the stuffing (which was in the head -- a lobotomy!) and, eventually, rip off the face before she did... But the body, paws and tail lasted.

Marshallsmom -- your Ph.D. studies sound fascinating!

Maya -- edible flowers, you're a trendy puppy! Pay -- hurray for your progress in class!

Walking this evening, Maisie saw a 1 and a half inch diameter vine hanging down from a tree. She jumped up and caught it in her mouth and then played tug-of-war with it for about 5 minutes, trying and trying to pull the whole vine out of the 30 foot tree. She was so determined. It was too funny.  I finally made her stop -- I thought she'd pull out some teeth! I wish I'd had my phone to take a video.


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## baumgartml16

Kim - I would really wonder if there is just something wrong with that bag of food. It sure sounds like it to me. If she was eating that food just fine and now won't even eat the wellness that touches it I think she is trying to tell you something is wrong with that bag of food. I dont think you should be mad at her. Your bf's parents sure dont have a right to be furious for you choosing to make sure your dog eats especially if they are stuffing her with people food. Wait till the next bag of proplan, hopefully the next bag will be okay and back to normal.

Dex - hope you start to feel better, I feel so bad for you...

Happy Belated Birthday Maisie!  Sounds like you had a great day, hope you enjoy all of your presents.

Chris - we are dealing with those same 90 degree plus days here in Milwaukee area. Yuck..I was off yesterday but we didn't get to spend too much time outside since it was SOO hot. We waited till after 8 to go for her walk and it was still really hot out when we went. Lots of downstairs playtime instaed of all this outside time today and tomorrow it sounds like. 

Sprinkler has been my saving grace during all this heat. Koda loves it. I will start pulling it out and she just bounces all around me waiting for me to turn it on. She likes to go and try to drink the water but she does jump around in there too. It is funny when we put a kink in the hose while she is in the sprinkler and she just looks at it like "what the heck, where is the water" and then we un kink, she goes nuts. She will get down in a play bow when we kink it and bark at it until we turn it back on. Too funny!  Wouldn't kow what to do without that sprinkler on these hot days.


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## Nyahsmommy

baumgartml16 said:


> Kim - I would really wonder if there is just something wrong with that bag of food. It sure sounds like it to me. If she was eating that food just fine and now won't even eat the wellness that touches it I think she is trying to tell you something is wrong with that bag of food. I dont think you should be mad at her. Your bf's parents sure dont have a right to be furious for you choosing to make sure your dog eats especially if they are stuffing her with people food. Wait till the next bag of proplan, hopefully the next bag will be okay and back to normal.
> 
> .



It's not Nyah im mad at, but funny thing happened. When I was over at bfs parents, they tried hand feeding her the food and she ate it. Made me look like an idiot. Then when we got home I mixed it with the wellness and she ate it. This morning however she went back to not touching that or any that was touching wellness. I suggested something wrong with the food and his dad insisted it was fine. It's so frustrating. Well that food she actually never ate before. She had the pp chicken but this is bb chicken large breed . The only difference is that the kibble is larger. They don't stop feeding her. In the hour I was there they fed her 8 dog treats and I know they fed her people food before I got there. Grrr


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## baumgartml16

You know we had Koda on the large breed puppy from proplan and then went to the large breed adult after about 8 months. She didn't want it either. They said it was the fat content that used to be in the puppy food isn't in the adult so it isnt as appealing and maybe she thinks something is wrong with it because of that. The wellness is totally new therefore she doesn't notice the difference in fat content. I dont know if this is true or not but maybe thats why...?


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## jluke

*Nyah's Food*

Nyahsmommy -- I know you have to change Nyah's food often. You may already be doing this, but if not, can you phase in some of the food she's been eating by mixing it with the new food? That's helped when I've changed Maisie's food which I've had to do 4 times -- a lot more than I hoped to...

Michelle -- thanks for mentioning Koda and the sprinkler again. It's supposed to be almost 100 here tomorrow, so ours is coming out and I hope Maisie likes it as much as Koda! (And your birthday slideshow for Koda was my inspiration for Maisie's -- but yours was lots better especially since it had music!)


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## Tucker's mommy

It was 95 degrees here today. Needless to say, the kids spent most of the day in water. So did Tucker, for that matter! Here's a pic of him playing with the kids. Note the red line on him - even though he has run of our property, we still need that long line on him to reel him in when he gets over excited. Anyhoo, fun times were had by all!


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## baumgartml16

Tucker looks just like Koda in the water, always trying to "eat" the water LOL. We can't pull a hose out without her going crazy. If my husband tries to go out and water the flowers with Koda inside, she sits inside and cries. Big baby LOL.

Koda still wears her long line too. She knows her property very well but she doesn't always listen the best and there are areas of the yard we prefer she stay away from so I totally understand you having to keep that on him. I think Koda just always thinks there is one on her...she slipped her collar once and didn't know anything different. 

Glad Tucker had fun...more sprinkler time for Koda later today!  LOVE it, she has fun and it wears her out.


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## GoBigRed

Happy doggies and their sprinklers! Husker still doesn't like it. 

We start Basic Beginner classes tonight. Excited and a bit nervous, wish us luck.


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## OutWest

Nyahsmommy--a thought about the changing food. Perhaps you could buy large cans of a decent wet food and mix two tablespoons or slightly more with each meal? That way the taste would not completely change when you get a new bag of kibble...


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## mayapaya

Whew! Heat and humidity! Maya loves the sprinkler and the hose, but Pay is more cautious and wants to just lay in the sun! I worry about her overheating!!!! I'm thinking of getting a kiddie pool--anyone using one of these? Do your pup's like them? Love the pic of Tucker and the kids! Anyone see the thread in the behavior section with a link from Solinvictis on the YouTube video "It's yer choice"? Worked on this with Maya and Pay last night--what fun!!!! You guys should check it out. Nyah's mommy, you've got a tough one going there--hope you are able to work it out soon! Jill, did you try the sprinkler with Maisie?


I could use some tips on fighting nausea during car rides. Pay threw up again this week on the way back from puppy class. I purposely didn't feed her dinner before we left, but she's still getting a meal at lunch. Need to cut that out soon, but she's such a food gobbler, I like spreading it out over three meals a day. Otherwise, I'm stressing about bloat--even with her slow feed bowl. Any suggestions? (besides continuing to take hubby's car to training classes-LOL!!!!!)

Hope your first night go's well Marty! Pay did much better this week than last--I've found that getting them a bit of exercise before class can be a huge help.


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## baumgartml16

Good luck at the first class tonight Marty! Should be a good time! 

I have not bought a kiddie pool yet but it is on our list of things to do. Not sure what she will think of it but it is worth a shot. 

I saw that same thread about "It's yer choice"..did it with Koda last night. She caught on real fast. I really liked it. I am going to show hubby the video tonight when he gets back in town so he can work on it too. I think it will be a great exercise just to get their attention. Reminds me of Jill's exercise with the food at breakfast and dinner. 

Sorry, no advice on the nausea, never dealt with that. Sure hope someone has some suggestions though, that doesn't sound like fun for her or you...

What slow feed bowl do you use?


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## Tucker's mommy

Pay's mom - our Tucker INHALES his food if he eats from a bowl. So we now feed him every meal from his kong wobbler. He's been eating out of the wobbler for months now (since February) and still hasn't grown tired of it. Totally rids us of any bloat worries. But it takes awhile for him to get through the food - about 25 minutes per meal. What an awesome mental energy burn for him, though. I feel so badly about the carsickness issues. We've never had that with Tucker. Perhaps she'll grow out of it? I guess you'll just have to go light on the food on those days you know she'll be in the car. 

It is 95 degrees here today. Tucker is a zombie. The poor thing. Me and the kids are going to try to do a dusk walk with him tonight. My hubby's been on travel all week, so I couldn't sneak away at dawn to give him his early morning walk. I'm not even sure it'll be cool enough by dusk though to give him the walk. Hotter than blazes!!!


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## baumgartml16

The last two nights were in the 90s and we definitely did not attempt our usual evening walk. It was still high 80's at 8:00 when we went...yuck! 

Even our morning walks were upper 70s at 7:00 am. She isn't having this walking weather at all.


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## baumgartml16

Amazon.com: Wobbler Dog Toy: Pet Supplies

Is this what you feed Tucker out of?


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## OutWest

*Mayapaya*--you might try melatonin for the car sickness. I read someone who gave it to alleviate car anxiety and their dog would sleep the whole trip. I gave it to Tucker to relax him before bedtime when he was little guy. Helped him sleep thru the night. Not sure it it helps with nausea, but it does help with agitation and anxiety. 

*Michelle*--the pools can be great. Tuckers not that interested in his, but have you see the pix of Cathy's Gunner's two dogs? They have a blast in it. At my store they are only $10, so it might be with a shot. 

*All*--are your dogs' bodies changing noticeably? I keep looking at Tucker's waistline and wondering what happened. A couple months ago he had this skinny little waist, and it has noticeably thickened.  He hasn't put on weight, still feels very muscular, AND I've been cutting back on his food, so I can only think its his body maturing. I miss my puppy!!!

A Q for you *all*--is your dog on adult food now? I'm just finishing transitioning Tucker to it. He's moving to Purina Pro Plan all stages. So far it's gone well. He'll be one year on the 25th.


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## mayapaya

Tucker's mommy--I have the Kong Wobbler--we used it with Maya when she was younger and was inhaling her food! She's slowed down alot now, and the slow feed bowl I have for Pay doesn't slow her down as much as I would like. I may have to use the wobbler for her and try and keep Maya away from the food trail. Maya is very good at leaving Pay's food bowl, but when it's scattered all over the floor, I'm sure all bets will be off--guess I'll have to keep working on the "it's yer choice", right Michelle! Neither Maya or Pay had their walk last night. (bad mommy) It was just too hot. Poor Maya barely made it though our short walk on Monday evening! I may have to lengthen the morning walks a bit--at least it is a bit cooler!!! I hate to complain, as I welcome warmth after the long and cold midwest winters, but we rarely get this hot in July/August--much less June! 

Michelle, that link is the same Wobbler I have although it's pretty large. I got it at Petsmart, and I think it was about $20. I liked it The only problem is it is a hard plastic, instead of the rubber material like the regular Kongs. My walls need a paint job because if it--Maya would roll it and smack it against the wall's and the legs of the furniture!


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## jluke

*Responses, Heat, Sprinkler and Question...*

Marty -- good luck to you and Husker in class! Can't wait to hear how it goes. (Maisie and I don't have rally class this week since the instructor is on vacation and I think both of us will miss it.)

Mayapaya -- sorry about Pay's car ride nausea. When we took Maisie on her first long trip, our instructor/trainer recommended Bach's Rescue Remedy which we got at Whole Foods and I think you can get at any natural food store. It's supposed to just "take the edge off". My parents used to have a GNC and they sold the human version. It's from England and has been available for a long time. You just put the specified number of drops on a biscuit and the dog eats the treat. Maisie did well with the ride and wouldn't eat the biscuit, so I can't say how well it works, but I know other people who say it works really well.

You also comment about being worried about bloat. I don't know whether you'd consider it or whether it's even an option for you, but we chose a lap spay for Maisie and had a gastropexy done at the same time. It added to the cost, but completely prevents bloat.

Michelle -- have to check out the "it's your choice" video. Where is it mentioned, please?

Outwest -- Maisie's body has been changing for a few months. When she got the respiratory infection, I talked with her vet about her weight since I felt like her waist was too wide (or going away). We agreed she should lose about 2 pounds (of 65) and I think she has. Still, she looks adult, not puppyish at all.

Thanks for mentioning a kiddie pool -- a woman did on our afternoon walk yesterday. I think she saw Maisie's tongue hanging low, low, low...

Maisie and I just came in from her first romp in the sprinkler (and I'm just as wet as she is :doh. She loved it -- jumping up to bite the water and running through, too. More sprinkler time tomorrow since the forecast is for 105. "Just" 97 today...

It was still 80 when we came in from our walk at about 11 PM last night. And I was really mosquito-bitten -- they were dive-bombing me. Do you do anything to protect your dogs? Is it necessary? I know Maisie got bites during our wet, warm fall last year, but her coat wasn't as thick then.


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## mayapaya

Outwest (Kathleen, right? I am so bad with names, as much as I try to keep up!)
Thanks for the tip. Maya's a puker in the car also. Did the melatonin make him REALLY sleepy? I can't have Pay nodding off in puppy class-LOL!!! I'll try searching the boards as well.

And, yes, Maya has changed alot--I'm afraid she has put on a few too many pounds which is definately my fault, because I am giving Pay so many treats with training, it breaks my heart to not give one to Maya when she responds to a command as well. I'm switching to vegies and fruit, but now poor Pay looks soo skinny!!!!! Maya's been on adult food since around 7 months--we're using Fromm's.


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## jluke

*Forgot -- Adult Food*

Forgot to add -- switched Maisie to adult food at about 7 or 8 months (now I forget exactly). She's eating Anamaete chicken formula, large breed (no grain).


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## mayapaya

Thanks, Jill!! And yes, on the lap spay. I found a vet in my area that is recommended by my vet that will do the surgery. My little Pay is 5 months old today, so her spay is right around the corner, and I'm definately considering mthe gastrophexy!


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## mayapaya

And here's the thred we were talking about..

http://www.goldenretrieverforum.com...dog-eating-picking-up-everything-outside.html


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## Pammie

Wow, I love it when this thread is so active!

Let's see...
We have a kiddie pool and Bryley is not overly impressed when it is used as intended- for wading - what he wants to do with it is what I said he did with the plastic chair, kind of push it around and carry it about! He really is a weirdo! :doh: OMG the hose is his favorite! Like Koda, watering plants can be a challenge because he is right there in between the plants and hose stream trying to bite the water! We have been doing quite a bit of water play because of the heat, too. 

Food- he has been of adult food since about 6 months and eats ProPlan sensitive skin and stomach. He has a food dispensing ball that we still use for about 1/3 of his meal just to occupy him.

Filling out - hmmmm, I think B looks thin but his recent visit to the vet assured me he is perfect! He has a definite waist tuck. One thing that has improved is his tail feathers. He was chasing his tail and pulling out fur for awhile, not sure why, but that has stopped and his tail is looking and full and fluffy again. YAY!

I bookmarked "It's Yer Choice" and hope to get on it sooner than later!

Here he is with his pool doing what he does!


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## mrmooseman

I am so jealous of everyone and their hot weather! I really want to try Moose with a sprinkler. We haven't really had the weather.. EXCEPT for this week, because of course I am working 5 12hr shifts, so of course it would be beautiful! 

We only ever had problem once when we changed food with Moose. I can't remember what it was, but it was after we had him on adult food for a while. We haven't changed his food since. Well no 2 weeks ago we got a small bag of the lamb flavor, and he wasn't a fan. But not problems!

As for treats, he use to love milk bones, and now he wont even go near them! It's so weird, we changed them once, for no reason at all, and he won't go back.


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## Tucker's mommy

Bryley's mom - I LOVE the pic. Too funny! 

As for what we feed Tucker with, yes, Michelle - you posted the correct product. And it IS very hard plastic. Tucker has actually chewed the crap out of it in the past few months. He amazes me with the strength of those teeth of his!!! But, he loves his wobbler. And it gives me some moments of peace in the evening as I'm cooking the family dinner, with the kids all sitting in front of the TV and Tuck eating his dinner right at their feet. So nice. 

As for that you tube link "it's yer choice" - wow - amazing! I wish I started Tucker on that path from the beginning. I'm afraid he'll have trouble picking up on it because we've been using the drop it/leave it for so long. Also - he has always had the freedom to pick up food that falls on the floor in the kitchen. I have a feeling it'll be hard to break him of that habit!

Good night everyone!


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## jluke

*Too Hot...*

Megan -- be careful what you wish for with the temperature. It's still over 85 here, after 10 PM. Maisie walks about 10 feet, then plunks down -- usually in someone's ground cover after nosing open a spot so she's down into the cooler dirt. You're welcome to tomorrow's 100+ forecast...

Pammie -- Bryley and the pool -- too funny! Maisie treats the hose the same way you and Michelle describe Bryley and Koda. She seems to think it's alive.

Thanks for the "It's Yer Choice" link -- wow! Maisie hasn't ever shown any interest in food dropped on the floor -- I don't know why since our other GRs always scarfed up everything. Now that I'm hand-feeding her though, she's wanted to go after what I drop which is "against the rules" -- I pick it up and feed it by hand. Since she loves to chew sticks and leaves, etc., on walks, I think I'd better start training based on the video. I feel like I say "Leave it", then "Good" every three feet on our walks. It gets old... :uhoh:


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## OutWest

*Tucker and his new obsession!*

Am sitting in back yard watching Tucker chomp and chew and toss his favorite ball. It really is funny! I shot some video tonight and will upload it soon. He loves to chase it but loves to have it in his mouth almost as much so he's constantly in a quandary as to whether to let it go or hold on to it. Silly boy! My daughter picked it out because it glows in the dark. Turns out it has a whistle of sorts too, via a hole in it. And when it bounces, it seems unpredictable as to where it goes. Tucker is completely fascinated. He dashes all over our yard after it. It's becoming our regular evening exercise time for him. When I stop throwing it, he keeps tossing and chasing it by himself, then plops down and chomps on it. 

Mayapaya--the melatonin didn't put him to sleep, just took the edge off his high energy. it helped him"chill." if you have some, you could try it on a non training night to gauge how she responds. It works with about 80% of dogs, according to the folks/experts on the Internet. Must be true, huh, if it's on there...?


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## baumgartml16

Good morning everyone! 

Finally we have some relief today from the 90+ weather. I love warm weather but upper 90s is pushing it. I would get by fine, but not for my baby girl, now hot weather is a totally different meaning to me. LOL

Pam - i LOVE that picture of Bryley. That is absolutely hilarious. I am interested to see what Koda will do with hers, we are going to get one this weekend. 

We put Koda on adult food at about 8/9 months. She is on Fromm and I LOVE it. So many options and flavors to choose from and she loves it. Her coat shines.

The It's Your Choice is an awesome thing to teach. Katie, we also have used the drop it/leave it but I feel I am able to reinforce the leave it with this trick. Since she already knew it I throw that command out there and this has really helped her learn this trick much better.

Here is a short video of Koda in the sprinkler the other day. Don't mind all my talking...


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## GoBigRed

Such an eventful first doggie class. Not for the learning experience either but for the tornado warning!  There were only 3 dogs at class last night, should be 6. It was walking, heal and sit when you stop. Husker does all of this really well, I started immediately at 9wks old teaching him how to walk on leash. But it was great to do it with other dogs in the room, he wanted to play with them so the distractions were a good teaching moment. I like the instructor so it should be a really good 6 wks.

Tornado warnings sounded and the kennel wasn't prepared with what to do with people in the event of this. First they told us to run across the parking lot and backyard to the house with the dogs. It was pouring rain! Three of us took off running to the house only to have the ladies inside not let us in because they had dogs running around loose inside. So we ran back to the kennel bldg. We were drenched so much so that even our undergarments were wet.  We just all stood around in the kennel facility, not safe at all had the tornado actually touched down. It was quite the night.

Husker has been eating adult food since about 6 1/2 months. He's now eating NutriSource and doing really well on it & likes it. 

Huskers build has stayed the same for quite some time now. He's thin and lean which is a good thing because of his bad hips. We are supposed to keep him at 65 lbs. Not sure what he's weighing in at right now, need to run him up to the base Vet. to be weighed.

I'll be looking up the "It's Your Choice" video, very curious.


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## OutWest

Ignore this post ... Seem to have accidentally removed my subscription and am trying to reinstate it ...


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## Yuki

today i let Yuki nap with me and he bit my hands  i got bitten and scratched few minutes ago. he doesnt even take his toy when i give it to him.


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## OutWest

Syd, maybe you need to reassert yourself as the head of the pack. You might try the "nothing in life is free" method for a few weeks and see if it helps. It just sounds like Yuki isn't respecting you enough. If you search on here you'll find lots of threads on NILIF. 

Sorry about the bite!


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## jluke

*Weather...*

Marty -- just when I thought our weather was the worst, I read your post about the tornado warning! Glad everyone there was OK. We get them rarely here -- very scary.

Michelle -- love the video of Koda and the sprinkler. She does just what Maisie does -- lots of biting. Does she jump up, too, when the sprinkler is arcing up high? That's one of Maisie's favorite moves.

More sprinkler time here today since it got to near 100. Whew... Just came in from our last walk -- still almost 90 at 10:45. Too hot. Maisie isn't getting enough exercise and she was feisty. She got the zoomies on leash and didn't settle down right away for the first time in a few weeks. I got her into our side yard and she slipped her collar (martingale) which was scary since the yard fencing isn't completely back up yet because of the construction. She didn't seem to realize she was loose. I picked up one of the tennis balls, bounced it and she came back, but then she played keep away and got out of my reach. Just then, my DD drove up to the garage and Maisie recognized the car sound. Luckily, she sat and stayed when I told her to -- very scary with the car there. I said, "Bring the ball to Claire," and she ran to the top of the steps outside the garage where I was able to slip the collar over her head while she waited for DD. More drama than I need before bedtime... :yuck:


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## MarsNPluto

So much catching up to do! I've been so busy lately... I'm actually not even supposed to be up right now. lol

Since I have to go to bed, I just wanted to say to mayapaya that Pluto used to get carsick up until he was about 6-7 months. What helped him was time, of course, but sometimes he did get sick out of anxiety (drooling before we even got in the car) so to cure/prevent that, I experimented by giving him a bullystick to chew on during the ride. It worked most of the time as it kind of distracted him from what was going on and I read prior that chewing helps with motion sickness. It didn't always work because for some pups not getting motion sickness takes time, but it did a great job at curbing it and it definitely happened less often. If she's okay chewing on bullysticks, maybe give that a try? Oh, and Pluto only got bullysticks in the car then so it was "special", and I'd always make sure to get the thickest ones to slow him down. I also heard that sometimes Thundershirts help.

Good night (morning?) everyone! I'll try to catch up soon! And happy belated birthday, Maisie!


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## GoBigRed

I'm going to work with Husker on that "It's Yer Choice" training. He is such a treat hound that I think this will be so helpful!


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## baumgartml16

I am so happy someone told us about that video. I do it every day with Koda now. Just putting them in my hand with it closed took her about 1 minute the first time, now 5 seconds. 

SHe was funny last night when I had my palm open she wouldn't go for it but she was barking at my hand in frustration because she wanted them SO bad but she knew she wasn't supposed to go for them lol.


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## GoBigRed

It didn't take him long at all to stop going for my open hand. Going to do this one and the floor one though for a bit before stepping up to the stand/drop. 

He has already stolen three items this morning from my daughters bedroom. He only does this when we go upstairs to the restroom or if I leave the house. It's like he's trying to get attention but it's totally the wrong attention! So annoyed by this behavior.


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## OutWest

*Does this sounds like a problem to you?*

*A question for everybody*

So, yesterday we went to the dog park (a different one from our usual). A woman was admiring our dogs (we are always up for that!) and talking to my daughter across the fence. A little later my DD mentioned that we knew the woman--she had been the evaluator when Tess (our spaniel) got her CGC. She's a trainer and judge, I guess. She made a criticism about Tucker to my DD which has me wondering. When DD was at the fence chatting and Tess was there being admired, Tucker came running up and inserted himself into the unit. He put his paws on the fence and stuck his face into the group. Pretty innocuous in my mind. The woman commented that he seemed needy and wanted attention, and started offering advice on dealing with it. Well he does like lots of attention, and can be a bit jealous of his humans (especially if we are oohing and ahhhing over a puppy, LOL), but overall he's affectionate but mellow/easy-going. 

Does this sound like an issue you would work with your dog on? I'm just not sure. I'm more interested in working on his leash-walking and his jumping. I guess there's always more work to be done!!!


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## jluke

*Tucker at the Fence...*

Outwest -- just my thought, but I don't feel that Tucker wanting to be part of the group, especially since it included your DD and Tess is an issue. I wouldn't let Maisie jump up and put her paws on the fence, but for me that's a different concern -- I just don't want her to jump up that way near people since I think it can start a bad habit. Unfortunately, I'm at odds with my DD and her boyfriend right now since both of them let Maisie jump up and put her paws on their shoulders (DD) or chest (boyfriend). I let this go when DD was just visiting for short periods during the college year, but now she's home for the summer and Maisie's getting confused -- starting to jump up on DH and me. I'm going to have to change my DD and boyfriend's behavior which will be harder than training Maisie! :doh:


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## baumgartml16

If this is a problem I would have to work with Koda too. I wouldn't be concerned with it. It was because his people were giving attention elsewhere. I know Koda does this when my husband and I pay attention to another dog. If anyone else pays attention to it, she could care less. 

I dont think there is anything wrong with this, he just doesnt want to be left out!!


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## jluke

*It's Yer Choice*

Maisie and I just did our first "choice" training. It took her about 3 times to figure out she shouldn't try to take treats from my hand, then she sat patiently looking at my face like, "So give me one already, I'm being so-o-o patient!" Then, I put some on the floor where I thought it might be a problem. She tried for one, but after that, she just waited until I picked them up and hand fed them to her. I even tried a few on her paws -- she waited for those, too!  Still, we're going to keep practicing -- DH claims this is a "random success"! (Always the optimist...) Sorry for bragging... but something has to make up for her near escape last night.


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## GoBigRed

Outwest~I'm not sure exactly what she's talking about. The only thing that I would've corrected (and this is just one of my things, by no means am I saying everyone should do this with their dogs) is jumping up on the fence. 

Maisie~good job!! I was proud of the accomplishment Husker had with it today and bragged to my husband when he came home for lunch.  

Tried the sprinkler again with Husker and he was having no part of it. But when my daughter just used the hose he'd attack the water stream. Silly dog.


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## marshallsmom

I started training Marshall to "wait" for food since he was 10 weeks old. He has to wait for each meal and not start eating until I say "go". I can line up 10 treats on each of his front legs (when he is in the down position) and WILL wait. If I am taking forever he starts looking away..it seems just to stressful and he can't resist looking at all the treats! So funny!

But I am very interested in trying out that game...I did the first part of it last night and he learned it pretty quickly. I not sure about the rest if the stuff since we have trained him to "wait". Well see how long he catches on without the command because to him, that means he can eat it! eek!


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## jluke

*Husker!*

Husker -- Maisie attacks hoses, too, so I guess you're both silly pups!

And Marty -- glad you can still brag to your DH. Mine is a little tired of hearing about Maisie's improvements. It's not that he doesn't want me to train her, it's just that he's not interested in taking part -- he just wants a well-trained dog. It's part of our deal. But he plays with her and I catch him happily rubbing her belly all the time.


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## MarsNPluto

Outwest - if that was deemed behavior that _needs_ to be worked on, then Pluto and I are in serious trouble. :bowl: lol. He has gotten to the point where if someone doesn't pet him or play with him right away, he will bark at them. He's gotten better lately, though. I think it was just a phase and it's slowly dying off with some correction. Part of the joy of owning a young Golden is seeing their enthusiasm for everything, even if it's excessive. 

"It's Yer Choice" - didn't know that was a type of training. Pluto and I have been doing it for a while now, it's a fun trick to show off.  Now, if we could just get him to stop stealing food from other people...


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## MarsNPluto

Will definitely need to work on walking around food, though! That could be really helpful as he is still obsessed with eating random crud outside on our walks, and it gets pretty annoying. It'd be great focus training as well. Awesome video, glad you posted it!


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## OutWest

Thanks all for the input. His wanting to be included sure didn't seem so strange to me. 

Jill--my Dd and I decided to teach Tucker a command to jump up and that he couldn't do it unless invited. We say "hugs!" and pat our waist, and he jumps up and hugs us. Very sweet. Then we say "off" to say we're done. I decided to accommodate the need for dog jumping since it seemed it was going to happen no matter what. :uhoh: It's hard to get others to honor your rules in dog training.


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## jluke

*Hugs Suggestion!*

Outwest -- thanks for the great suggestion with the Hugs command. DD and her boyfriend are hanging out her today, so I'll suggest it now. You're right -- asking people to help with something works so much better than telling them what they can't do. And getting a dog to do something she wants to do on command fits in the same category.


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## GoBigRed

Bought a childs blue plastic swimming pool yesteday for Husker. My daughter got in it and no amount of coaxing, even with a treat, would get him to go into the pool. After about 20-30mins she decided to get the hose and make it spray inside the pool. After much hesitation he would hop into the pool, bite the water and hop out. He was so funny. He'd put the front feet in and then hop both back feet in together. If he stood in the pool for any amount of time there was usually atleast one foot up in the air. You'd think he was going to melt.  He finally started to have fun but never sat down or stayed in the pool for longer than a minute or two. So silly!!


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## OutWest

GBR--I bet Husker will get into it with joy soon. Sounds like he was "testing the waters" LOL. Someone else on here had a dog that wouldn't touch it or go near it and now she walks over and lies down in it at every opportunity.


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## Nyahsmommy

Nyah is definately sensing something is going on... she has been so good lately up until a few days ago when we pretty much packed the whole aparentment. Yesterday and today we have been moving boxes and small stuff to bf's moms so we can move stuff to the new place during the week in the evenings(makes it easier). Anyways, Nyah has been in the way through the whole process sniffing everything and we have been tripping over her the whole weekend. After we moved a bunch of stuff out she has gotten really bad. When I was vacuuming this afternoon, one of the cats who hates vacuums was in the corner growling and hissing at it... Nyah chose to attack her (all the while wagging her tail) and made said cat crap herself. Nice since I packed away the cat shampoo I had to use this waterless stuff that is crap and made it more difficult. Then she went nuts in the elevator and was lunging/jumping on everything. Sigh. I am worried she is going to become bad when we move. Her whole life is going to turn upside down in a week... I am having enough trouble with the cats so for her to misbehave as well isn't going to work. :uhoh:

Edited to say: She still isn't eating on her own. We stopped the wellness and shes only eating PP again. Funny though she will eat out of your hand (sometimes she wont) but not out of the dish. We thought it was the dish and tried others but she won't teach it still. We don't have time for this during this week so we arn't going to fight with her over it anymore.


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## OutWest

Nyahsmommy:

I have moved MANY times in my life, often with pets. The pets pretty much always pick up on the stress of their owners. And I never moved without a lot of stress involved, LOL! But after a week in the new place with familiar objects, the same people, and the same old routine, she'll figure out that all that changed was the location. The cats will do the same. It makes the move harder on the humans, but everybody will come out OK. I don't envy you the move, but I wish you all the best in your new home! Kathleen


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## Nyahsmommy

Outwest- thanks for the assurance .  bf will be home for the first week and it is a long weekend so I'll be home the Monday. The problem is the routine will be a lot different since now we are no longer in an apartment. As well she will be left alone all day during the weeks now. Bfs mom has been watching her the past month but since we are moving further away, it is not possible anymore. I guess I just worried that everything is changing at once. Oh and we got a lot of new furnature so she might not know its home at first. I know she will adjust I just don't want to overwhelm her.


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## jluke

*Monday...*

Nyahsmommy -- thinking about you as you make your move. I moved 10 times in 10 years at one point, so I empathize. Changing places and routines will challenge everyone -- but Nyah will have her people and that's what's most important to our people-focused GRs. So, it may take a week or two for her to settle in, but given the way you've described your new home and the pictures you've posted I'm sure it will be worth to disruption. Hang in there -- I'll be thinking of you and Nyah.

(Since your BF's mother isn't available for Nyah during the day in your situation, I was wondering if there might be a 12 - 14 year old who might be responsible enough to be a mid-day walker/visitor/playmate for Nyah. Someone old enough to be responsible, but not old enough for a "real" job -- ?)

Marty -- I bet Husker will love his new pool soon. Can't wait to get one for Maisie, but have to until the construction finally finishes up at the end of the week and the fence is back in place.

Maria -- like Pluto, Maisie picks up lots of "random crud" on walks. We haven't progressed to the walking past treats part of It's Yer Choice, but we're working on it and really need to since I'm afraid to think of what she's going to eat. Yesterday, she got hold of a chunk of smoked hickory from the BBQ that DH had thrown out that didn't make it into the garbage. Yum... :yuck:


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## mayapaya

Hi everyone, looks like we are in for more scorching weather here in the midwest. Today is gorgeous, so I plan for two good long walks with Pay and Maya today (seperately, of course). Then off to beginner class with Pay this evening. Good luck with the move Nyah's mommy. GBR, I've been putting off getting a kiddie pool for the same reason! Sounds like Husker might eventually like it though! And, thanks to all for the tips on improving our car ride experience. I am going to try the bull stick tonight, since I picked up a few over the weekend. Hoping the special treat keeps her from puking, and also incents her to hop in the car! She stops dead in the driveway, and firmly plants her butt when she knows a car ride is on the agenda. We too are working on "it's yur choice". Both Maya and Pay have the first part down, and Maya will leave the dropped treat alone, but Pay starts scratching at my foot determined to free the treat! Work in progress over here.....Valerie started a thread on lap dog photos in the pictures forum. Got me to thinking that is would be nice to see a face to associate to the names here! Here's a pic of me and my girls over the weekend. They were worn out and love stretching out on the couch on our patio.


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## GoBigRed

mayapay~sweet photo!

Husker played some more in the pool yesterday. He only goes in it to retrieve toys or to attack the hose that we spray in the pool.  He's having fun though so that is all that matters. He's perfectly fine biting the hose and stepping into the pool but let one drop touch him and he's outta there!!

Nyahsmommy~good luck with the move.


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## jluke

*Swimming!*

First, Mayapaya -- love the really adorable picture. (But I can't show it to Maisie because she'll want to get on the couch here...) I didn't realize Maya and Pay were light colored, too -- very pretty!

It cooled down enough (mid-80s) that we got to the DP today. Maisie was one very happy pup. She romped with an 8 month old, 90 pound Italian Mastiff -- she always picks the BIG ones. Then it was into the reservoir for a long swim. I finally had to lure her out with a favorite treat, bad training practice, I know, but otherwise I think she'd still be swimming in circles there. :doh:


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## mayapaya

ugh, long day. No success with the bully stick. Pay would not even touch it, puked all over the car, and then walked in it. Just finished cleaning up the car. Looks like a calming remedy is next in our bag of tricks. Getting ready to take Maya for a walk before the sun sets. Not sure how I feel about this training class with Pay. I went the treat based/reward route with Maya, and she was hell on wheels as a teenager with no interest in treats. Pay's class is no treats, all pets as rewards with a mild correction/tug--she is wearing the martingale, half nylon collar, half chain. Seems like she's so good for the first half hour, tail wagging, listens to commands, and then just shuts down. I normally only work with her for 15 -20 minute sessions at a time. Maybe this is too much for a young pup, an hour long class?==she is only 5 months old. Then the instructor told me I should consider a prong collar. I think she's too young. I didn't work with Maya on a prong until I really started losing control, and she didn't respond to the treats/rewards based training. Maybe it was 8-9 months old. Having dogs is just like having kids. You think you'll scar them for life if you make the wrong decision, and second guess yourself constantly. Anyways, would always appreciate advise or thoughts on your experiences. Thanks for listening, always helps to have a place to go to vent--often wonder what I would do without you guys and this forum!


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## OutWest

Here are my cuddle pictures ... Me with Tucker at his second puppy training class, and my DD with him during a recent vet visit (for our other dog--they were hanging out in the waiting room while Tess was being seen). 

MayaPaya: I agree with you. The prong doesn't sound right for a training setting for a 5 month-old. I could see using it if walking her is in some way dangerous, but it sounds like this trainer may be a bit too dominance-oriented for Goldens. Perhaps you could use a treat-based method at home to work with her, more like what you did with Maya? I wouldn't think it would confuse her as long as the commands and intent are the same. 

Tucker got to swim today. My DD had planned to wash both dogs, so we let him go into the lagoon. I'm a bit leery of the lagoon because it's not a true tidal lagoon (that gets flushed out twice a day) and because the city puts chemicals into it (which they claim are harmless to all...). But since he was getting scrubbed it seemed OK. He resting at my feet right now. I need to clean out his ears, and then play some fetch with him. He has a lot more energy to dispose of ... 

I'm not sure if I mentioned this before, but I got injured in the dog park several months back. A large, happy, bounding yellow lab ran smack dab into my left knee from the side. It's never been the same. I've been getting by on Advil, a knee brace and physical therapy. Finally insisted on an MRI and I do have an tear in there. On Thursday, I'm getting a steroid injection which is supposed to make it feel better. I can't wait! I know it won't be a permanent solution, but I would really like to enjoy the rest of the summer. I plan to do some hiking, etc., with the dogs and DD. Probably will need some surgery down the road.


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## mayapaya

Great photos, Outwest )aka Kathleen if I have it right?) Tucker is so handsome--reminds me of our first golden--same coloring! Maya and Pay are definately on the lighter side, but Golden nonetheless! I am thinking along your lines, mixing a bit of treat based and reward based/correction on the same commands. Hopefully I don't scar her for life. My Pay is much more sensitive --she is the lover, velcro of my two! And, walks great on the martingale collar--distractions seem to be her biggest challenge. Hope your knee mends quickly, and hopefully, no surgery involved--I feel your pain! In September I turn the big "50"...some days I feel every bit of it.......today was one of them!


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## Guybrush

Hi everyone,

Seems like your summers are going great hear it is starting winter and is getting very wet! Luckily is doesn't snow just alot of rain and Guybrush loves it he goes outside and plays in the mud just so he can sit at the door with a big grin tongue hanging out drenched in mud and water saying "can I come in now?"

We are now onto the 5th level (Level 1E) of our local dog training and have decided to switch from a normal collar to a sporn head halter to stop him pulling us off our feet. When we reach level 2B (only 2 levels away) we can start agility with no jumps, they add jumps in at 18months for bigger dogs so looking forward to that.

We weighed Guybrush the other day he is 30kg which is about 66 pounds so he is getting quite big and he is still growing!

I am going to go curl up under a blanket with my puppy and my cats and think warm thoughts before our afternoon walk!

Jay


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## Nomes

ok, so those of you with troublemaker goldens (let's face it, if you're on this thread you have one!  I recommend an early sunrise run! I got up at 6am yesterday and took my hyper Casey on a run for a few miles...He was so much more manageable today! It's like night and day really. If he doesn't get a substantial run/walk during the day he's so wound up and crazy by the evening that i can't even take him out the bathroom w/o some major attitude adjustment time! So this is big progress for me!


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## Kinjal

( I've posted the below separately in training and puppy forum as I need help):
I'm very confused!
Gabbar got desexed ten days back, we got his stitches removed today and he has had his annoying cone removed today. Hes been acting super super excited all of a sudden.... Jumping non stop on husband and I all day, biting our arms and legs... I'm contemplating bringing in the time out pen again for when he was a younger pup and he used to do such shenanigans...

Whats upset me today is the fact he jumped up a couple of times on me and as I was being a tree he progressed to hump me! He only did this a couple of times when he was 2 months old and he has never done it since! Why is he doing this at nine months? How should I deal with this and the other erratic behaviour?

Heeeeelllllppppp!


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## Tucker's mommy

Gabbar's mom - I have a feeling that your pup is just SOOPER DOOPER excited after having to sit around with that horrible cone on his head for so many days. Our Tucker was a hyper hellion, too, after we gave his freedom back post-neuter. Give it a couple days, and get him some much needed exercise. I bet you'll see improvement soon.

As for our Tucker, he is driving me BANANAS today. The weather has taken a cooler turn, and he cannot seem to deal with the fact that I don't want his mouth on my arm. I'm so sick of his mouthiing me all the time. I can't even pet him for more than a few seconds before the mouth is on my arm or hands. Not painful, but there nonetheless. He needs to learn this is not acceptable. We've tried EVERYTHING these past months. Putting my fingers deep in his mouth/almost his throat when he does it helps, but he always seems to forget and do it again. The stuffing the toy in the mouth thing has never worked for us. He'll drop the toy and go for our arm again. Ugh. Is he EVER going to grow up? He's thirteen months going on six months, I swear!

And yes, we give him a TON of exercise. Three miles of FAST walking a day on average ( I walk a 14 minute mile). Along with running free chasing balls in our yard many times a day. So I know he isn't harboring pent-up energy! He does get playtime with other dogs on occasion - which does seem to really help. But my GOD, I never thought it would last into his first year!


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## jluke

*Today's Thoughts...*

Wow -- lots of us present and accounted for today!

Welcome Kinjal! Sorry that Gabbar is giving you a hard time. I haven't had a male pup, so I don't know if what's going on is related to his recent neuter or not. Maisie has done the jumping routine with me a lot (as everyone here is probably tired of hearing). At just over 12 months, she's finally almost done with it. The only thing that's worked for me is to stay as calm as possible (very hard), tell her a firm, loud No, have her sit and stay until she calms down and then have her walk in heel for at least a block until she's settled. Sometimes I have to do this multiple times which is really irritating... 

Kathleen -- so sorry about your knee and hope you heel quickly and without surgery. I'm always worried about getting clipped at the DP. I try to stand near a tree or rock, but want to be fairly near Maisie in case of a problem, too, and the dogs just whoosh past. I saw a woman get taken down a week or two ago by a big boxer. Love the cuddly picture of you and Tucker -- he's such a big guy! (Not sure I'm going to post one of Maisie and me, though. All of you are so young and good looking -- and I mean the humans. At 56, I'm getting too old for pictures.  )

When Tucker swims in the lagoon, does he drink the water? And does he duck his head all the way under? Maisie does both in the reservoir and it's not the cleanest -- so far, no ear problems or tummy upsets though...

Mayapaya -- since Pay is sensitive, maybe a prong collar isn't for her. Would you consider just going to class for the first half of it since she loses focus after that. Maybe just for the next few weeks, then extending the time -- ?? The instructor in our class did have the owner of a 5 or 6 month old GR try a prong collar (martingale style) and it really helped them, but that puppy was very lively and pulled hard. She was also being handled by a 10 year old.

Jay -- on some of our nearly 100 degree days, I almost envy you winter time. I considered starting in agility with Maisie, but couldn't find a class that didn't progress to full-size jumps by the end and didn't want to do that yet. We started rally instead. Please let us know how you and Guybrush like agility. Oh -- if you want to see them -- Maisie's birthday slide show has photos of her trip to the beach. It's on the puppy thread (Maisie is One). The Atlantic looks lots like the Indian Ocean...


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## OutWest

*Kinjal*--welcome to the teenage thread. :wavey: I also think your guy is expressing his jubilance at being "de-coned." I suspect it will taper off. But you could put a lead on him and step on it when he gets carried away.

*Tuckers mom*--maybe its time for something that shocks him a bit and interrupts the mouthing as soon as he starts. I'm thinking one of those forced air cans, a citrus collar, or even an electric collar if you really can't stop it. I can see why you'd be very frustrated. With a big dog mouthiness just can't go on. 

*Jill*--thanks for the good wishes. Since I've been going to the DP regularly, I've seen and heard about so many accidents--for humans! I don't think he drinks the water but it's possible. He doesn't go under, but I clean his ears out anyway. I'm using vinegar and water, which has helped a lot. He seems prone to yeast infections. :no: I think I'm going to ask the city what exactly they put into the lagoon. Should have done that sooner. 

​arty2:arty2:
​:artydude

*I am happy to announce that ... * Tucker is officially one year old! His paperwork says yesterday was his birthday, but I found out recently that he was born just after midnight on the 26th. So--ta dah! He's one, and I made it through his childhood!. I'm going to post a little photo show later today (when I can get the computer away from my DD! :uhoh. Kathleen


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## Nomes

Kinjal- Casey was just like that when he got his cone off. (minus the humping) It took him a few days to get back to normal. I dunno about you, but i couldn't walk him when he had his cone on and he had SO MUCH pent up energy! take him for a long run and see if it gets better. Obviously, don't let him get away with it, but i wouldn't worry about it for a day or two at least.


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## Kinjal

Thanks all.. But has anyone had a golden at nine months leg hump? What do you do to correct humping?


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## MarsNPluto

Happy birthday, Tucker! Outwest, so sorry to hear about your knee. I was wondering why you mentioned you couldn't take the dogs out on long walks. I hope the steroids help a bit and you can get it fixed up, must be very difficult to deal with. 

Welcome to the thread, Kinjal. Sorry I don't have any advice for you but hopefully someone else will.

Mayapaya - bummer the bully stick didn't work. I suppose the next step would be a Thundershirt and/or meds. I hope something works for you, because I know it is not fun cleaning up all that puke, and on top of that seeing our babies miserable!

Jill - I get really scared of what Pluto will eat as well, and we live in a city. People leave their food and trash all over the place, and once I had to stop him from licking chocolate ice cream off the ground. He is not the best at focusing on me during walks these days, so hopefully this training will help. 

Nyahsmommy - good luck with the move! I know how stressful that can be. I'm sure it'll take a little bit of time for all of you to adjust, but Nyah will adjust sooner than you think. Dogs are usually pretty adaptable to different situations.

I'll be getting a kiddie pool for Pluto to have in my boyfriend's backyard and my parents' backyard (unfortunately I live in a condo ) and I'm sure he'll love it. He's probably half the size of a full-bred Golden and I know he loves the kiddie pool at daycare, so it should be a nice surprise for him. I'll be getting it for his first birthday next week.

Does anyone else's pup act like a complete maniac when starving? This past weekend my stepmom gave him an entire Ziploc of treats (long story, she was sorry afterwards lol) so he's had an upset stomach. I didn't feed him for half the day then started him on chicken and rice (which he is on now). Yesterday when I left for work my roommate told me he was howling for 10 minutes. He tries to sneak chew on my sandals and my sister's sandals when we were visiting (which he hasn't done before, not even when he was a baby) and he is now trying to tear apart his toys (went through that phase for a while, stopped, and now it's back). He also has been running around in mad circles, has been extra mouthy, and last night was barking/whining at me to feed him. I do feel bad for him and will be putting him back on kibble starting tomorrow, but he has been quite interesting these past few days! He has been a pill and hoping some kibble will help calm him down.

Btw, awesome pictures of you guys with your pups! Great idea to know the faces behind these posts. I'll try to find one of me and Pluto, but it might be difficult because I'm usually the one behind the camera. lol


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## Dexter12

:wave: I'm back from the wedding.

Dex apparently was a good boy while I was gone, but had lots of lessons about not jumping up on humans. :doh: He smells like a horse since the dog kennels are in the barn. 

In a week my parents are coming up to camp, which is just under 2 hours away for us. Our camp is on a island so he'll have lots of freedom and tons of chances to jump in the lake. It's going to be aaaaaaaawesome!!!!!


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## jluke

*Birthday Wishes!*

Happy First Birthday, Tucker! You're officially a Big Boy, now! (Although I bet you'll always be a baby to your mom... just like Maisie is to me.) Can't wait to see your slide show!

Kathleen -- thanks for the ear cleaning suggestion. What proportion of vinegar to water should I use? Do you just put it on a cotton ball? Thx.

Mayapaya -- forgot to say that I'm sorry the bully stick didn't work and that Pay was car sick -- such a mess. Good luck with the next try at a solution...

Maria -- with our city pups, it's extra hard to keep them from picking up bad stuff on walks. We're not in a downtown neighborhood. It's near a university campus, tree-covered, 100-year-old houses and lawns, but with some busy streets and schools and lots of walkers, so stuff gets littered unfortunately and it tempts Maisie. More work to do on It's Yer Choice...

You asked about our pup's behavior when they're starving. Maisie doesn't act up -- she rarely gets to that hunger point, I guess. She does whine to let me know that it's dinner time if 6 PM has come and gone and it gets to 6:15 or so... I think she has an alarm clock in her belly.


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## OutWest

*Vinegar and water*

*Jill* The formula I was given is one third vinegar to two thirds water.

I used apple cider vinegar because everyone seems to that's best. Not sure why, but I had it on hand so used it. I mixed up one cup of the stuff in a jam jar and keep it in the fridge. To use it, I warm it to room temperature in the microwave and soak a cotton ball in it. I wipe the outer area of the ear first then gently insert the ball onto the ear canal, pull the leather back down, and massage the ear. Tucker doesn't like it much but cooperates because I keep a small pile of treats next to me and parcel them out.  when I remove the cotton, he goes into a frenzy of head shaking. Probably good--shakes out some of the gunk.

I started doing this because he was developing an ear infection a week ago. One ear was inflamed, black in the canal with crud, and so hot you could feel the difference when touching both ears. Since starting with the vinegar it has almost all cleared up. I think I'm going to continue doing it once a week just to prevent problems. 

Tucker had a nice dinner for his birthday. I had four more of the rice and hamburger cupcakes I'd made for his beach party with siblings, so warmed them up and gave one to Tess and three to Tucker. They ate dinner _really_ fast tonight! Yum! 

'Night all. Kathleen


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## MarsNPluto

Jill, that is too funny! Pluto also lets me know what time dinner is, but usually he will just stand next to where his food is kept, stare at me for 10 minutes, and if I don't move he boycotts me and lays in his crate. Last night he whined/barked at me when I was eating my food, and that was a first. Pluto is REALLY food obsessed (sometimes annoyingly so) so he probably just exaggerates how hungry he is, though I'm sure chicken and rice does not fill him up like kibble does. And yes, getting them to not be tempted to pick things up off the ground is really difficult... I'm right there with ya!

Outwest, I clean Pluto's ears once a week and/or right after he swims, and it definitely helps to prevent ear infections. He came to me with really bad ones so I've tried to stay on top of it since then. Pluto even likes getting his ears cleaned; it did take some getting used to but I think he likes the relief he gets from it (and the treats, of course). I use Vet's Best Ear Relief Wash and Dry but I may try the vinegar idea should I run out and forget to order more.


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## jluke

*Ears and...*

Kathleen and Maria, too, thanks for the ear treating (!) information -- I'll start doing it with Maisie after her swims. Were Tucker and Pluto getting actual ear infections (the type that need antibiotics) or something more like swimmer's ear? Maisie's scheduled for her second grooming next week. I've forgotten whether the groomer does the dog's ears or not...

Dexter -- I forgot to welcome your mom home from her trip. Glad you were a good boy and even learned something new while she was away. How exciting that you're all going to camp together! Have fun!!


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## mrmooseman

We haven't really had good weather as of yet.. This weekend it is suppose to be nice out, with a chance of showers. It's been rainy most of the week. So gross with the humidity, everything feels so "clammy". We are planning on going camping for the canada day long weekend. Moose's first trip since last year when he was just a little pup! going to be different this year. Last year he was so small and fit on the air mattress with us.. this year I assume I will be sleeping on the floor.. haha. 

We have been going on lots of play dates because I did something to my muscle in my leg at work. But I think the humidity has been taking it's tole on him, he has been just restless at night, and has been sleeping all day. Lastnight we finally dug out the fan for him and he slept with it on him the entire night. I felt so bad for not taking it out sooner. Usually we have the window open and we get the breeze, but we must of been hogging all of the air on the bed. 

He has also been shedding so much! We have to get him groomed again, but the groomer we took him to the last time is closing because she is moving away, and not many places are taking bigger dogs. I have to get him in before she leaves. Which seems to be impossible.. and with me starting a new job next week, hopefully the bf's mom can take him in again. I also wasn't sure if they do their ears, so we usually do them ourselves. We have cleaner we got from the vets. Trying to get it done is a huge ordeal anyways!

Sorry for the long post, but I am going to add a photo of Moose and the bf.. this is the reason why I believe Moose thinks he is like 10 pounds..


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## Nyahsmommy

Thanks for the well wishes everyone.  well the move is in a few days, we have the place already and the yard needs work.. It's all dead and tons of weeds. It didn't look like that a month ago :s poor Nyah has been spending a lot of time at grandmas. We went to her house yesterday to pack the car and go to the house and Nyah was so excited to see us. Bfs mom said when we left she was sniffing where we were standing and kept looking down the road.  its been a tough few weeks for all the animals but it'll be better once we are settled and get them back into a routine.

Nyah has been shedding bad too. Seems likely gets worse the more she is outside. She needs to get groomed again too but won't for a while now since we have all these large expenses at once this month.

P.s. love the pic mr moose man


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## baumgartml16

I don't have a ton of time as I am enjoying my few days off here with Koda and my husband.

I wanted to say Happy First Birthday to Tucker though! Glad you had a great one!

I will update more later.

Here is a pic of Koda and I..a little older but I am usually behind the camera:


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## Pammie

Love everyones pictures! Here is Bryley and I- itouch self portrait in the car, so not that great. I have tons and tons of pic of him, but not that many of he and I together. I always regretted that I did not have a good, and I mean maybe even portrait sitting, pic of my bridge boy Bailey and I!

Several of you have mentioned taking your pupsters to get groomed. I have not done so, hadn't really planned on it, but now I am feeling like a bad mom or sumpin! LOL! I bathe and toe nail and now because of the vinegar discussion will start doing his ears more regularly, but my questions is why? To trim up feet and pants?

Happy late wishes on Tucker-boys 1 year Birthday! Were the photos or videos posted of the event and I missed it? :uhoh:

Bryley ate a dried up tulip bulb recently. Not a good thing. They are poisonous and so the vet has us induce vomiting. Someone, somewhere on GRF gave a really good tip when this needs to be done and it worked like magic! Smear a clump of peanut butter on the bottom on a bowl and pour the hydrogen peroxide on top. Bryley drank it in a flash! I was amazed at how violent the vomiting was. Poor pup, although after he was done (6 times) he acted like nothing had happened. What a trooper!

Nyahsmommy Congratulations







on buying a home! Nyah will adjust fine, goldens are happy wherever their people are!

Here is Mr. B and me!


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## mrmooseman

Now I feel bad for not taking pictures of me and him! I'm always the one behind the camera.. I must find one to attach, but I know it will be a old one. 

We get him groomed because even though we trim his paws and clean his ears and brush him, when we bathe him, he doesn't like us drying his, and he will sleep, and get major "bed head". When he got groomed, he looked so nice and clean. His first expierence was great!


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## Tucker's mommy

Thought I'd add a quick pic of me and Tucker - this isn't the greatest photo, but as ya'll said - I'm always the one with the camera!


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## Pammie

It's so fun seeing everyone!!
Who suggested this, I forget! Great idea!


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## jluke

*Pictures and More...*

Wow! The pictures are great! You all are so young though -- I feel very old... And at first, all of you showed up as blonds (not just the GRs), but now some brunettes have emerged, too. I'm always behind the camera with my very dark brown, short curly hair. I'll try to get DH to take a picture of Maisie and me. There's one of him and Maisie to kick off her birthday slide show.

Lots of upcoming vacations -- lucky Moose gets to go camping. (Although Maisie, DH and I think that camping is staying in a dog-friendly B & B!)

Pammie -- so sorry to hear about Bryley and the tulip bulb, but very relieved that he's fine. Thanks for sharing the peanut butter and peroxide tip. I have a first aid kit for Maisie with peroxide and other things in it -- doggie bandages for sprains, breaks or cuts, tweezers for ticks, cotton balls, etc. That ways when we travel, I can just pack the kit. Also, when DH and I are away, the dog sitter and dog walker know where the kit is.

Pammie -- you asked about why I take Maisie to the groomer. (This is just her second appointment.) Two main reasons: her nails are black so I'm leary about cutting them (even though I used to do our rescued GR, but hers were translucent and I could see the quick). The second is to have her anal glands expressed -- which I just think is totally gross. I don't actually know if Maisie will need to have this done routinely. But our other GR had to -- she got really uncomfortable if it wasn't done regularly. In fact, the groomer couldn't do them well enough; the vet tech had to do it.


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## jluke

*Rally Class*

Maisie and I went to our second rally class tonight. We worked exclusively on getting a solid heel position with two exercises: "finding the leg" and walking forward and backward in heel with the dog against a wall. Whew -- not as easy as it sounds, but worthwhile, I think with good "communication" between Maisie and me and pretty good focus for the first 45 minutes or so. Then she just wanted to visit with the GR pup about 10 months old right next to us. When the other owner and I let the two puppies interact for a moment, the instructor gave us two water bottle spritzes -- the people, not the pups -- for violating the dog playing rule!  Oh, well...


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## OutWest

Hi all. Haven't gotten my slide show up yet. Have it about two thirds done but have come down with a summer cold so am taking it easy. Hope to finish it tomorrow though. Has been fun looking at all the pictures of Tucker over the months!

Love everyone's cuddle pictures. Tucker's mommy--I think your Tucker and mine look a lot alike! 

Took my little dog to vet today (almost $300--ouch) but nothing was found. I think she's just plain tiring out. She sleeps all the time, at every opportunity. She laid down and was ready to nap in the doctors exam room! She has a bad heart and vet agrees with me that she maybe just doesn't have any extra energy nowadays. But makes me sad to see my little firecracker get so sedentary.


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## Nomes

*sigh* Casey *was* doing so good until now...I was super busy today and he didn't get a walk and had to spend the afternoon outside. I brought him in just now for the night and he was HYPER! like 11 on a scale of 1 to 10...Whenever i would move he would zoom around me until i stopped moving and popped his leash. Then he would freeze and stare at me in this straaaange way. And as soon as i took a step, he was back to zooming around! :uhoh: So i took him for a little walk around in the dark in which he improved hugely! it's crazy what a little mental and physical exercise will do for my psycho doggie! 

But then we came inside and my older brother was in the kitchen...Casey LOVES him! And i spent 5 minutes trying to get him calm enough to let Caleb pet him w/o Casey killing Caleb! :doh: I CAN'T STAND THIS!! does ANYONE else have a crazy hyper golden?? I can handle the hyperness outside...that was my fault totally for not getting him the exercise he needs, but the crazy exuberance about people...?!?! He just LOVES everyone and wants everyone to pet him! can anyone help? :crossfing

whew, i feel better now... thanks...just needed to get that off my chest...

This is me and Casey a while back


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## MarsNPluto

Jill, Pluto had full-blown infections that required I apply medicine every 3 days for a couple weeks. Poor guy was miserable. His ears still itch but they haven't gotten infected since (suspect he has bad flea allergies or allergies to something environmental).

Don't have many pictures of Pluto and I together, but hopefully that will change as I just bought a tripod [and dslr]. 

This will just have to do for now...
1) Pluto and I at the Dodgers game
2) Pluto and my boyfriend


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## MarsNPluto

Jill, don't know how I missed it at first but I just cracked up at the trainer/water story right now!


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## mrmooseman

Jill : what a great idea about the first aid kit for puppy! We have everything here, just not in a kit, I feel like a horrible mama. I must get one together for camping since he is older now, he won't be sleeping on my lap the entire time like he did last year..

Nomes : Moose was/is like that. He has mellowed down a lot, he still gets super excited when someone comes in, we correct him when he jumps, and tell him no, but sometimes he is just so excited. After about 5 mins of having the person pet him, he just leaves and lays down. I feel we tried everything, but it's a losing battle. But he is mellowing! So there must be hope.. right?? haha.


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## GoBigRed

Ugh, I have no pictures of Husker and I. I'll get the kids to take one today. Then I have to figure out how to attach it, I've tried before and am doing something wrong.

Bryley~stay away from the tulip bulbs! Thanks so much for the tip with pb & peroxide.

Never had a first aid kit before for any of my dogs. Since we've had Husker though I put one together and have really looked into other things as well; like good dog food, feeding real foods (bananas, etc), stuff that I never have done before. Does anyone else find themselves doing more after losing a dog? We lost our lab so suddenly 2 yrs ago and now I'm just a bit obsessed with doing things better for Husker. 

Training class went well last night, no tornadoes.  We didn't do anything new to Husker and I but one task; "Watch me". Husker is an absolute treat hound too so the trainer gave me some ideas on how to desensitize him to treats. Once he knew I had those treats in my back pocket last night he walked next to me alright but kept his head at my pockets..lol 

I've never taken any of my dogs over the years to a groomer. I've never had a dog though that needed haircuts either. 

Nomes~does Casey respond to a water bottle? Husker does not like water sprayed at him so a water bottle works great when he's acting up. 

Hope everyone has a great day!


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## Dexter12

jluke said:


> Dexter -- I forgot to welcome your mom home from her trip. Glad you were a good boy and even learned something new while she was away. How exciting that you're all going to camp together! Have fun!!


Thanks Jill! :wavey:

Apparently Dex was romping around and having a great time with his grandma Mia while we were gone too. 

I've been dreaming about getting him up to the cottage for months now. I think he's going to love it although I'll have my hands full getting sticks off him and keeping him dry. haha

Outwest: Hopefully you're right and your little dog needs to rest up and get better.

Nomes: Casey got a bad case of the zoomies! haha 
GoBigRed: I'm glad that training went well. We've had to stop using a spray bottle to correct Dex because it simply didn't work. I think he started trying to drink it.


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## Nomes

Dexter12 said:


> Nomes: Casey got a bad case of the zoomies! haha


yeah! you could say that again! :

GoBigRed: Yes! Casey does respond to a spray bottle...we usually use it for when he barks excessively in the house, but it just might work for this too...Thanks so much for the suggestion!


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## jluke

*Just a Quick Thought for Now*

Wow -- so many posts... Just one thought for now.

Nomes -- with the excited zoomies. Maisie does the same thing with my DD who is her absolutely favorite person in the world. The pup just goes wild for her and DD encourages it -- too much -- and then gets impatient with the poor dog when she goes overboard. I love how affectionate GRs are, but sometimes too much is just too much.

You might want to consider an aerosol compressed air spray can to disrupt your pup when he gets "over the top". It's just compressed air under pressure -- looks like a can of hair spray. When you push the button it makes a loud whoosh and the dog's behavior gets interrupted because he's curious about the noise. It's called a Pet Disruptor (I think) and you can get one at Pet Smart or PetCo. They're pretty inexpensive. There's a large size and a smaller one that you can clip to your belt. (I used one to get Maisie to stop digging -- finally...)


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## Nomes

jluke- Thanks! i will definitely have to try that! might even work on his fixation with the farm cats...ha...funny joke : i don't think a hurricane could distract him from his cats!


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## jluke

*Casey...*

Nomes -- forgot to say what a cutey Casey is. Such a handsome, big guy! (Maisie loves cats, too. There were two at the breeders and she thinks all cats are her friends. Silly puppy...)


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## OutWest

hi all .... 

Have spent most of the day applying for jobs online. :yuck: What a dull, dry and boring thing to do. But necessary! 

Cold is still with me but didn't turn into a really bad one. Hoping that will remain same. :crossfing

*Nomes*--IMO the most effective way to break the excessive greeting disorder habit is for your brother to help you out... He needs to completely ignore Casey. As soon as Casey calms down and is quiet, he can be petted and fussed over, but not until then. I've been working on this with my DD's tutor, who comes over twice a week, and it really does work. In the case of family members (like my big sis...) who don't cooperate but want to do things their way, it doesn't (obviously).  But then you could try the water bottle, the air can, etc. 

Hope everybody is doing well. Almost done with Tucker's slide show and will post soon. Am going outside now to throw balls for him however. Sometimes it seems like I spend more time talking about him on this board than I do interacting with him...


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## Nomes

OutWest, Yeah, i did get Caleb to play the I-won't-pet-you-until-you-settle-down game...but Caleb doesn't know dogs really well, and his timing was off so i think it might have confused Casey...either way, he calmed down a little bit which was better than nothing, right? 
Today, Casey has done awesome though! He was able to greet Mom in a semi-respectful way. No jumping up, just slobbering all over her hands and wriggling in circles around her!  He actually loves her even more than Caleb! : And he did so good with another brother of mine who comes over every now and then...managed to stay pretty calm and actually settled down to a toy while Nate was still in the room! pretty unheard of around here! (Nate even got him to do high-five! normally he doesn't listen to anyone but me and (yet another brother) Jesse) 
I'm so happeee! 

ok, well i'm off to give him a long walk so he doesn't get the late night zoomies like yesterday!
thanks for all your suggestions everyone! :smooch:

thanks jluke! He's a little poser and a little full of himself! haha!


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## OutWest

Just had to share ... Tucker just came in using his "I'm so naughty prance" ... Had my gardening glove in his mouth. He made sure I saw it and then started the keep-away dance around the living room. I have to learn to be stern but I just couldn't! He was so darn cute! Got him into a sit and we had a stare-down. I gave up and went for a distraction, then grabbed the glove. Too, too funny!


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## jluke

*Late Night...*

Nomes -- so glad that Casey was on his best boy behavior. It really warms the heart!

Kathleen -- sorry about you cold. Summer colds are just the worst. Didn't remember you had a job search in progress. If it happens to be in the high tech or slow food areas, I have some Bay Area contacts from my days out there if you want to zip me a private message.

And I can just see Tucker prancing around with your gardening glove -- so proud! That's the way Maisie carries around her balls. Now she's bringing one upstairs to the bedroom every night and I'm having to wait until she's fallen asleep to pick it up from the floor so neither DH nor I fall over it in the dark if we get up...

DH and I went to an Orioles game tonight and the local GR rescue group, Gold Heart was there raising funds. The specific cause was for a 12 week old puppy who will have open heart surgery next Monday. The pup was there along with 3 adult dogs. The poor thing just lay on the concourse floor, breathing heavily. She is a beautiful little dear, very small and sick, but they expect her to thrive post-surgery. I was so glad we ran into them and were able to contribute. (We tried for a rescue puppy from them, but since we can't fence most of our yard, their foster families didn't see us as a great choice for a young puppy. And because of our terrible experience with our last adult GR rescue, I couldn't ask DH to take on another adult.) Anyway, seeing this puppy made me so grateful to have a healthy Maisie.

The forecast is for 106 tomorrow :yuck: and for 4 days of around 100 after that. I don't know what I'm going to do to get Maisie any exercise other than early in the day walks and evening sprinkler time. These temperatures are ridiculous -- living in Baltimore for the last 25+ years, I'm used to hot, humid July's and August's, but not like this (and it's not July 1st yet).


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## Dexter12

Dex loves cats, he lives with six of them and can't understand why they won't play with him. 

Outwest: I love when they do the "I'm naughty and I know it prance," I've seen more than a couple of those Dex is quite the thief.

Jill: Stay hydrated! It sounds like you some good plans on staying cool.

So......Dex escaped from the kitchen this morning, the plug in the wall holding the clasp for the baby gate finally got pulled out. The first thing he does was, jump on the humans in bed and try to lick their faces. Then, an hour before I get up he decides to randomly start barking at the wind. haha. He reaaaaaaaaaallly wanted me to get up.


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## mrmooseman

I can just picture Dexter jumping on the bed and licking faces! I miss those mornings.. Moose now steals who's ever spot gets up first and just lays and sleeps, til atound 10am. And if we're getting ready for work, he will huff and puff if we have the light on or talking to much. He takes his sleep very seriously. This morning I had to get up early to get camping things together, and I had to drag him out of bed to use to go to the washroom before I had to leave. I made the bed and when he came in, he layed on it, messed up a blanket, and layed down, huffed and puffed, and went back to sleep. He was NOT impressed. Sleeping beauty is now napping on the floor, right in the middle of everything!


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## Kinjal

Got a question - how does one teach them not to go for food on a low table? I'm teaching leave it to Gabbar. He gets it really well when you are in the room.. But if I leave or if I don't keep reminding him hell have a nibble thus setting me back a few steps. Other thing is when we meet people on a walk, if they talk or give him eye contact he needs to greet them.. I'm still working on making him sit or walk on, sometimes he gets annoyed and jumps up biting at the leash or mouthing my arm.


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## Guybrush

I have alot of trouble not laughing when Guybrush does the I'm being naughty dance, he just finished doing it with a treat I just gave him...he is an idiot sometimes.

Kinjal - I haven't tried leaving Guybrush in a room with human food he doesn't have self control yet so no help there. But on the walks are you using a flat collar/slip collar/halti? Guybrush has a new halti which has stopped his pulling and jumping in excitement, its called a sporne head halter it is amazing only $29 aussie dollars.

Love all the photos of cuddly goldens so cute! I will add one of Guybrush and I when I find one


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## MarsNPluto

Ahhh how I love the "I'm naughty" dance! It's so difficult to stay mad at these silly furbabies, isn't it? Nomes, I know exactly how you feel about pup going berserk for his favorite person. Pluto is the same way with my boyfriend's mom, he just cannot contain himself! He "smiles" and whines and jumps and runs in circles, and when I finally get him to sit so she can pet him his tail wags like mad and he trembles because he just can't control himself. lol. Ohhh, the enthusiasm...

Pluto has gone to daycare today so there is peace and quiet in the home.  Here's a random shot I took just now and thought I'd share with you guys...

"These silly humans..."


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## Dexter12

Haha Moose needs his beauty sleep! 
Usually I can sleep in until at least 8:30, but I think it's cause puppy was on Benadryl and he did a lot of sleeping so he was awake early.


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## GoBigRed

Husker knows the dance well! 

I start a job tomorrow so it should be very interesting how Husker takes me being gone for so long. Nice thing is the kids are still home on break but he's my shadow so I know he'll be onry for them.

Great pics & morning stories.


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## Mom of Maizie

Just gotta vent...I figured parents of teenage pups might relate to this and hopefully point me in the right direction...

Maizie will be 11 months soon. I admit we have loosened up on obedience at precisely the wrong time, but we have.

Yesterday we had a very bad storm. Lots of wind and trees down and debris everywhere now that its over. My DH decided to let Maizie run out to potty before the storm hit and she turned into a wild thing, taking off into the woods and not coming when called. :uhoh: He should have had her on leash, but we've come to trust her more than we should. By the time he got her in the house, they both were in great danger from the wind blowing things around. Very upsetting. 

So this morning Maizie has been full of energy. She's got 100 times more energy than I do this morning. Some elderly neighbors came to our door unexpectedly and Maizie was wild. I reached for her collar and missed, just as the door opened and she turned into a whirling dervish right in our entrance way. Thank goodness the neighbors were unharmed, but that was just luck.  I was knocked down trying to restrain her and finally got her in her crate. 

So, these really are human errors and I realize that. I'm thinking we go back to no off leash and working on recall. I'm thinking that a dog could probably sense the energy from the storm and Maizie reacted accordingly last night. I'm thinking I need to have it fixed in my head about what to do when someone knocks. We don't get many unexpected visitors, but I need a plan in place. 

And even though Maizie is quietly napping now in her favorite place, I need to get her out today to exercise her as much as I can. I'm really irritated with myself. We've worked hard to socialize her and do obedience training. But it just doesn't seem to be enough, or consistent enough. Sometimes she's such a sweet loving thing. I'm rambling. 

Jill


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## OutWest

Jill, I think all your ideas about Maizie are right on target. Sounds like she needs skills refreshing.  sounds like you don't have fenced yard. Have you considered an invisible fence? 

IMO, the hardest times with kids of all types is when they have energy and the parents dont. It's bound to happen but it's hard on the parents!


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## Dexter12

Dex has been fairly good at coming back to me if I see him too close to the edge of the property unless this elderly speed walker comes by. When she comes by, he starts chasing and woofing at her and she keeps going. I'm so embarrased, and today she said "it's a problem with your dog on the road." :doh:

I really need a recommendation of an electronic fence but preferably not one with a wire because with our property it would take forever and most likely be dug up by an animal. Should I just get him a shock collar for the few times that he decides to run off?


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## Nyahsmommy

So we are all moved in... everything was super stressful, I did way too much in one day, everything is almost done already but it's taken a toll on me mentally and physically. I dropped Nyah off at bf's moms in the morning and they brought her over to the new house(and to see it) in the afternoon. Normally Nyah adapts to any situation instantly and loves new houses, etc. When she first came in she was excited to see us but after looking around she tucked her tail between her legs, cowered and hide. Anytime we want her to move somewhere in the house we have to carry her. Shes been hiding in the most rediculous of places. I have never seen her like that before. I thought it was because all the boxes, stuff around so I worked my butt off to unpack as much as possible and it didn't help. Not sure what to do. She won't eat at all and hasnt eaten properly in a while(the same issue about not liking her food). Shes sleeping on couch beside bf in basement but only cause I carried her there and she is too scared to move. Hope she gets over this fast because I can't stand to see her like this.


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## OutWest

Nyah will be ok. She's just freaked out about the new place. But she will perk up soon, start playing, and start eating. Hang in there!

Hope you and bf are good. You've done a lot in past weeks. Moving is hard work.


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## Kinjal

Nomes said:


> jluke- Thanks! i will definitely have to try that! might even work on his fixation with the farm cats...ha...funny joke : i don't think a hurricane could distract him from his cats!





Guybrush said:


> I have alot of trouble not laughing when Guybrush does the I'm being naughty dance, he just finished doing it with a treat I just gave him...he is an idiot sometimes.
> 
> Kinjal - I haven't tried leaving Guybrush in a room with human food he doesn't have self control yet so no help there. But on the walks are you using a flat collar/slip collar/halti? Guybrush has a new halti which has stopped his pulling and jumping in excitement, its called a sporne head halter it is amazing only $29 aussie dollars.
> 
> Love all the photos of cuddly goldens so cute! I will add one of Guybrush and I when I find one


Hi, we are using sporn halter harness ( in goes under his arm pits)... Anyone use that?


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## Dexter12

Aww poor Nyah, just give her some time and she'll come out and start exploring.


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## GoBigRed

Nyah just needs a bit more time. Our rainbow bridge lab had a rough time with our big move from ND to the UK. Took about three weeks for him to truly settle in. He wasn't scared like Nyah is doing but he became destructive for a bit, which wasn't like him at all. 

Maize~oh to have your energy.  Glad hubby and Maize came in last night just in time. 

Dex just wants to keep up with the speed walker.  I'm not familiar with all the invisible fence products however aren't they more of a post and collar system not wire? If you have a huge backyard though I wonder just how pricey that would get. Maybe an e-collar right now.

Husband and I went to town yesterday and bought a new SUV. Forgot just how long car buying can take. My daughter said Husker did great with us gone so long and didn't steal anything, etc. We'll see how he does today for the family as I start a new job and am gone again.


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## Pammie

Just wondering how Nyah is today. Hopefully with a good nights sleep behind her and this bit of time she is happier today!!!

Congrats on the new SUV GoBigRed!! What color is it? 



jluke said:


> You might want to consider an aerosol compressed air spray can to disrupt your pup when he gets "over the top". It's just compressed air under pressure -- looks like a can of hair spray. When you push the button it makes a loud whoosh and the dog's behavior gets interrupted because he's curious about the noise. It's called a Pet Disruptor (I think) and you can get one at Pet Smart or PetCo. They're pretty inexpensive. There's a large size and a smaller one that you can clip to your belt. (I used one to get Maisie to stop digging -- finally...)


This is pretty cool stuff!!!!
I got a can of this stuff and had the opportunity to use it this morn when Bryley spied my water bottle on the counter. For some reason he is fixated on that dang KleenKanteen! Anyway, he got that look in his eye and when he went for it I pushsed the button and- SWOOOOSH! He stopped and then was looking around all confused and submissive or timid or something. But then he saw the remote on the table and got 'the look' again and went for it- SWOOOSH! He might be done counter surfing, at least for today!

Have a good Sunday everyone!


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## Guybrush

Oh Nyah the new house isn't going to bite, maybe when the rest of the family get more comfortable she'll start to settle...

Guybrush just spent the last 1.5 hours at the park with his friends Midnight, Barney, Polly and Lily so he is all tuckered out. Which is nice for a change especially after he decided to eat the cat enclosure on the weekend! My cats got out and my partner and I had to go catch them before we could repair and dog proof the enclosure that took a while. **** dog was so pleased with himself because he got to play with his cats during the day when we weren't home.


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## Guybrush

Here are some resent pics of the devil dog...

Guybrush and I








Guybrush and my partner E








Guybrush and his cat Cheezels


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## GoBigRed

Guybrush~kitty cats are fun aren't they?  Husker's cat is old, 18yrs next month, so she only tolerates him sniffing her occasionally. There is no play, no laying by each other, etc. 

Pammie~thanks! It's a 2012 Jeep Patriot Latitude in Cherry Red. My very first "new" car. Good thing I started that job yesterday. 

We have a heat advisory today with temps at 93F. Looks like we're joining the rest of the country with the heat. It was so humid yesterday, even at 10pm you couldn't stand to be outside long the heat and the mosquitos were bad.

Happy Monday!


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## mrmooseman

Hope you all had a wonderful weekend & all you canadians had a great canada day! We just got back from camping for the long weekend. Moose enjoyed himself a little too much I think, he is passed out on the floor. It was so awesome seeing him this summer with the water compared to last summer. I bet if we let him, he would of stayed in the water all day. He enjoyed it so much! Last year, we had to to fight with him to get into the water, this year it was the total opposite! He wasn't a fan of being inside the tent though. It was like he knew he was outside, but just didn't understand why he couldn't see the outside. He escaped on me once, the bf didn't zip down the zipper and mr man opened it with his snout! He was so sly at doing it. Haha. He didn't go far, he just wanted to sit by the fire with Kyle. But not I am up to my eye balls in laundry, we have family from away down, and I start my new job tomorrow! There totally isn't enough hours in a day!

Happy Monday!!*


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## Tucker's mommy

Hey everyone! I'm curious for Nyah update too - how is she doing? Settling in any better yet? I remember making a 10 hour car ride with two howling cats from NY to PA 10 years ago. Took them awhile to settle. They finally did, and now, they're still alive, tolerating three new human additions and one very large furry addition. Animals adapt - but it can take time, eh? 

Guybrush - I LOVE the pics. My hubby and I spent 30 minutes trying to get pics of us with our devil dog, Tucker. He got so riled up as we were trying, almost every shot had him hanging off of one of our arms by his teeth. Tucker, Tucker Tucker! The one successful shot is my new profile pic. I really don't think he's ever going to grow up. But oh how I love him!


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## baumgartml16

Wow, I missed out on a lot these last few weeks...I have been SO busy with my best friends wedding and work that I have just been checking in to read every once in a while but hadn't had time to really post much.

Love seeing everyone's pictures! Nice to see faces with the names!

I too am interested to hear how Nyah is doing, hopefully getting better each day!

Megan - I hope our trip is as much of a success as yours was. We will be in cabin so I won't have to worry about any escapes. LOL but DH wants to let her off leash when we are down on the beach for fear of her leash getting caught in the dock but man does that make me nervous. There will be lots of us around to watch her and where she goes but still gets me worried...

We have a heat advisory in effect until Friday this week. Feels like it is over 100 degrees out today, yuck! Don't know if we will even get a walk in tonight or not...going to bring out the kiddie pool I think. Koda went in my parents the one night and had a blast. I will try to upload a video at some point.

Happy Monday everyone!


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## mrmooseman

We are starting to get some heat now. We have been having thunder storms off and on all day. Good thing Moose isn't phased by them. There were fireworks lastnight at the camp site, and he sat and watched them all. I was worried he would be scared of them. Same with the thunder, I was scared he wouldn't remember them, but he just didn't care. 

Michelle, we had him on a long leash while camping, there was a bunch of us so we had a large area of land. We actually would unhook the leash from whatever we had him on and he would just walk around where he was use to staying. We unhooked him because he would keep wraping himself around a chair or something and we would have to unhook him or have him follow us around to get untangled. But he did great when he wasn't hooked up. Stayed around us.

I have so many bug bites. I think one was a deep sucker, because my muscle in my leg is sore and tight feeling. One thing I hate about summer.. the bugs! 

Question: I posted this else where, but wasn't getting much feedback. We found a lump in Moose's mouth. We think their on both sides, but it seems bigger on both sides. I know I should take him to the vets to get checked out, but we are thinking that since his 1 year check up is coming up, we should wait til then. My thoughts is, with people, they can get this extra bone growths in their mouth called tori. Can dogs get it? What do you guys think it is? I will add the photo here.


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## dezymond

Hi all,

My pup is 4mo and has recently been "pushing my buttons". Yes I am aware he is entering his adolescent/teenager stage and this could go on for months, I'm looking for advice on how to properly handle this. I'm starting intermediate classes with him this Sunday, but I hope to get more advice from my fellow GRF members.

Lately he's been pretty much refusing to walk. We get to our driveway and that's it. I use an EasyWalk harness and when I put it on him I give him a treat, half for putting the harness half on and the other half for when it's completely on. We get out the front door, onto the front lawn, and that's pretty much it, the past 3 walks (past 2 days). I do bring some kibble with me, but luring him with food seems to be becoming less effective, maybe I should try a toy?

Also recent, he's been barking at me more recently. I tend to notice he barks at me when he gets anxious, but I could be misreading it, but it seems aggressive to me. I see him show me his front teeth and then bark, not the bark because he is scared of something, but a bark because he's trying to intimidate me. It sort of escalated by him trying to nip at my shorts (yeah this may not be the best stage to wear shorts, but he even tried while I was wearing jeans). I said "no" or "stop it" in a firm voice and after a few more barks he settles. He tends to start going at the leash, but it ends up being redirected towards me. Am I handling this right?

Yes I do realize his "acting out" can be due to lack of exercise and with his unwillingness to walk the past 2-3 days is definitely showing. I try not to yell, and I am very patient with him, but a few times already he's pushed me over the edge and I did end up yelling at him. He's also been a bit more mouthy compared to a week ago, but it's the barking and "challenging" me that is definitely new to me.

He just started barking at me because I told him to "leave it" and "no" since he went after a plant. I tried redirecting him to a toy, but no luck. Again, I said "no" in a firm voice and got to his eye level and he started mouthing my hands with a bit of force, but not a bite.


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## Dexter12

The bugs are really bad right now here too, just covered in bites. The mosquitoes are in full force, not to mention nasty horseflies. I was out walking Dex a couple mornings ago and I got a big welt from one! 

We're having a full fledged thunder storm right now and I'm worried about the power going out, it's making the whole house rumble.

My parents are over for the night because we're all going to camp tomorrow, as is their 6 year old dog who's randomly attacking our cats, resource guarding her food and not being too pleasant to Dex. Dex is a little overly excited right now having people here and he's getting his guidelines strictly reinforced. 

Going up to camp wooooohoooooooooooooo! 

See you all in a couple days, keep cool!


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## Tucker's mommy

Hi, Dezymond - yes - what you describe is probably what many of us have gone through. Just hold your ground and stay firm. My Tucker is now 13 months old, and he's done everything you've described, and more! We call that barking "back talk" and we've learned over time that it is NOT aggressive, but it's his way of having a little doggy temper tantrum. I have three kids - so I realized pretty quick that's what was going on!  

The mouthing will probably get worse before it gets better. Our Tucker went through such a bad phase that we had some serious marks on our skin - he would tend to, and still does at times, get far too rough when playing with us outside. It's an impulse control issue that's gotten much better with constant work. Just keep up the training that you're doing. Walk away when he barks at you like that, or put him in a spot (we use his crate) for a super short timeout. He'll learn that the barking is not appropriate. Tucker was at his very worse between 8-9 months of age. And we noticed improvement with tons of training and work at about 11 months. But it was a tough phase, no doubt. He's still all puppy - we know we've got a ways to go before this big lug of ours grows up!


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## dezymond

Tucker's mommy said:


> Hi, Dezymond - yes - what you describe is probably what many of us have gone through. Just hold your ground and stay firm. My Tucker is now 13 months old, and he's done everything you've described, and more! We call that barking "back talk" and we've learned over time that it is NOT aggressive, but it's his way of having a little doggy temper tantrum. I have three kids - so I realized pretty quick that's what was going on!
> 
> The mouthing will probably get worse before it gets better. Our Tucker went through such a bad phase that we had some serious marks on our skin - he would tend to, and still does at times, get far too rough when playing with us outside. It's an impulse control issue that's gotten much better with constant work. Just keep up the training that you're doing. Walk away when he barks at you like that, or put him in a spot (we use his crate) for a super short timeout. He'll learn that the barking is not appropriate. Tucker was at his very worse between 8-9 months of age. And we noticed improvement with tons of training and work at about 11 months. But it was a tough phase, no doubt. He's still all puppy - we know we've got a ways to go before this big lug of ours grows up!


Appreciate your help!

What did you do if Tucker did start to nip at your clothing or you during these tantrums? It wasn't so much a lunge at me, but he tried to jump on me so I had to use my knee to block him before his paws reached my body, is that right? I, of course, do not want to hurt my little guy, but I am a believer in "tough love" if it is called for (not as in hitting him, but blocking with my knee to throw him off balance, I'm not kneeing him, just putting my leg up to block him and of course he stumbles back). Getting him into his crate during these tantrums is not easy, and he doesn't go to his crate on command unless he's about ready to fall asleep or is just super tired. When he's wide awake, he only goes in there for his toys lol. 

Maverick is a very calm and relaxed puppy, but he's had these moments the past couple days, guessing it definitely has to do with him maturing and possibly hormones starting to kick in. Other than his recent antics, which were expected, he is an angel and listens very well.


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## OutWest

Well Tucker has had a set-back in the home alone department. He's gotten into things the last couple times, and today he chewed up my check book. :no: I guess we'll have to do a better job of putting things away before we leave. It's discouraging because I really don't want to have to crate him during the day. Sigh. 

Otherwise, he's doing well. He's gotten obsessed with his glow-in-the-dark ChuckIt ball and chasing it has become his second exercise session of the day now. I've trained him to place it on a towel under which I've placed my left hand. I grab it and dry it off before tossing it with my right hand. He's pretty slobbery! I was using garden gloveS but they were getting soaked! :yuck:

I need to do some more training with him. I've gotten sort of lazy. 

I hope everyone has a wonderful Fourth and that your dogs survive the fireworks without too much trouble. We will be having a quiet day I think. My sister is sick, so I think we'll stay home this year. Perhaps have pizza for dinner and then go see the fireworks.


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## Nyahsmommy

Unfortunately nyah is more fearful than ever. She loves the backyard and she has learned to stay within the boundaries of the fence for the most part but we still have to watch her. It's a mess out there now and full of mud but we put a bunch of grass seed down so hopeful she has a lush yard soon.

Inside the house is another story. She keeps looking at the ceiling cowering and hiding. She has her moments when she wants to play but they are rare. She is following us everywhere Nd getting stuck in places because she is trying to hide. She won't walk still even in a new quiet meighbourhood and she is embarrassing when she freaks out and throws herself on the ground... All the neighbours stare at us, we are maxed out for money for the next while so training/behavourists are not an option. I'm at a loss with her now and bf is fed up and doesn't want to deal with her anymore. Sigj


----------



## OutWest

Nyahsmommy said:


> Unfortunately nyah is more fearful than ever. She loves the backyard and she has learned to stay within the boundaries of the fence for the most part but we still have to watch her. It's a mess out there now and full of mud but we put a bunch of grass seed down so hopeful she has a lush yard soon.
> 
> Inside the house is another story. She keeps looking at the ceiling cowering and hiding. She has her moments when she wants to play but they are rare. She is following us everywhere Nd getting stuck in places because she is trying to hide. She won't walk still even in a new quiet meighbourhood and she is embarrassing when she freaks out and throws herself on the ground... All the neighbours stare at us, we are maxed out for money for the next while so training/behavourists are not an option. I'm at a loss with her now and bf is fed up and doesn't want to deal with her anymore. Sigj


Oh. Poor Nyah (and you). I can't recall if you've tried the thundershirt or not. If you haven't, since money is short, perhaps try the really tight T-shirt? It's supposed to work, too. This all puts you in the middle too. If your BF is fed up with her, she must sense his feelings. Sorry this is all going on. I really do think she'll settle into the new surroundings soon but it's all stressful.


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## Nyahsmommy

OutWest said:


> Oh. Poor Nyah (and you). I can't recall if you've tried the thundershirt or not. If you haven't, since money is short, perhaps try the really tight T-shirt? It's supposed to work, too. This all puts you in the middle too. If your BF is fed up with her, she must sense his feelings. Sorry this is all going on. I really do think she'll settle into the new surroundings soon but it's all stressful.


 
I've tried the thundershirt on a few occasions and it didn't help at all so I ended up returning it. She is fine in the yard and once in a while she will play like normal inside but for the most part she runs around and hides. She follows us everywhere and is scared to be in a room alone. When no one is home she squishes herself behind the futon in the spare room and burries her head. Like right now she is fine. I think she will be ok, it's just a matter of when.


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## baumgartml16

Poor Nyah...sounds very stressful for her (and you). Stay patient with her, she will get there. Try placing treats randomly throughout the house so she gets happy surprises when she goes in the different rooms of the house. She will probably be clingy for a while with her being so scared but hopefully she will ease into it. 

Let the neighbors stare, they have no idea what you or Nyah have been through or are going through. Just go about your business and don't let the embarressment get to you!

Good luck!!!


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## baumgartml16

We took Koda to the fireworks this year, well we went to a parking lot down the road so we weren't right in the middle of it and she did great! She didn't really care too much about the fireworks but instead was focused on the kids running around playing games lol. She wanted to join in so badly haha. 

How was everyone's fourth? Any fun events!?


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## GoBigRed

Sorry to hear Nyah is still having such a tough time. I love the idea about hiding treats in different rooms! Hope she comes around soon.

No fireworks or anything here. Typical day in the household.

Today is Husker's 1st birthday! I'm baking him a Peanut Butter Carrot cake and he'll get presents. All of this will have to wait until I get home from work tonight though.


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## baumgartml16

Awww Happy Birthday Husker!  Hope you have a wonderful day and you get spoiled lots when mommy gets home!


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## Nyahsmommy

I love the idea of putting treats in the different rooms! She would love that. She is slowly getting better I think. It seems to be worse in the morning when she first wakes up... I think she forgets where she is. Also when we let her in the front yard she runs to the car and sits in front of the back door(her normal seat) she does this when she's at someone's house and wants to go home... She still thinks the old apartment is home. It's heartbreaking .


Oh I forget to mention... This weekend we took her to her private beach an half way in the path there bf let her off leash. She ran ahead but came back when she didn't see us. All of a sudden she ran towards the beach but ran off to the side. There is a big rock cliff there above the water and a big water bridge thing. She ran off the cliff into the water! It was at least a 50ft drop. I started screaming frantically... I thought she was dead. :s she swam happily like nothing happened and swam around the big rock ravine to the beach. I was shaking for a while over that.


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## baumgartml16

OMG, Nyah....you are one crazy crazy dog! Wow, I would still be shaking from that..yikes.


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## OutWest

Nyah, Nyah ... Stop giving mommy heartattacks! 

Amazing ... She's anxious about all those other things but she'll jump off a cliff! 

We had a fairly easy Fourth. Dinner from a BBQ truck at the farmers market. :yummy: Then to the fireworks. Traffic leaving was dreadful ... Took almost two hours to travel what normally take 15 minutes! 

Decided not to take the dogs but saw quite a few there. We crated ours and turned on the TV before leaving. Felt really bad about being so late getting home! But they survived.


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## mrmooseman

Poor Moose man has an infection in his mouth. He is on antibiotics right now for it. They arn't quite sure what caused it, but hopefully this will help. If not, he has to go back to the vets and get surgery to drain this thing in his mouth. They told us it could also burst. Lovely. But it doesn't hurt him. It isn't bothering him at all. At least it doesn't seem like it. Us constly looking at it bugs him though. Poor little fella! Hope these antibiotics do the trick!


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## GoBigRed

Moose~hope your infection goes away quickly.


Husker loved the cake. I tasted a small piece and it reminded me of peanut butter cookies.


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## Pammie

Happy Birthday Big Boy Husker!








The cake looks great! What was his present all wrapped in ScoobyDoo?

Poor little Nyah.  I am bummed for you both the transition to your new house is not going well. Michell's idea of treats throughout the house is a brilliant idea! I am curious to see what Nyah thought of that!
The jumping off the cliff...OMG I would have had a heart attack right then and there!

Did Mooses's infection stem from the bump you took a pic of? Weird how something that seems so minor ends up needing RX. Glad it does not seem to hurt him. These pups are such troopers!

I need a support group for *me* hating to day crate!
Even tho Bryley is not crated for more than 3 hours and at most 2 times a week (usually no times), I have a hard time. And by me saying I have a hard time it means I have a hard time _thinking_ about it because I am never the one to crate him- it is always my husband. He crates to get errands done when I am at work. If I am home I just don't go anywhere if my husband is not home. It is impacting my life. I need to get over it! At some point I will probably start a thread for others who might feel the same way and for others to kick me in the butt and tell me to suck it up!!


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## Guybrush

Hope Moose is feeling better with the antibiotics and the infection clears up quick.

Happy Birthday Husker! the cake looks awesome.

Nyah stop jumping off cliffs, so brave at the beach! Giving people heart attacks.

Guybrush is currently confused by the thunder outside, he should be use to it by now this is about the twenty storm in 2 months.

Hope all the Americans had a good 4th of July, the rest of the world had to work so we are jealous.

Jay & Guybrush


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## Nyahsmommy

OutWest said:


> Nyah, Nyah ... Stop giving mommy heartattacks!
> 
> Amazing ... She's anxious about all those other things but she'll jump off a cliff!
> 
> We had a fairly easy Fourth. Dinner from a BBQ truck at the farmers market. :yummy: Then to the fireworks. Traffic leaving was dreadful ... Took almost two hours to travel what normally take 15 minutes!
> 
> Decided not to take the dogs but saw quite a few there. We crated ours and turned on the TV before leaving. Felt really bad about being so late getting home! But they survived.


I know right??? She's litterally scared of her own shadow but doesn't think twice about jumping off a ravine into the lake. She's something alright! We took her down there again last night but leashed her until the beach. We were picking rocks for our garden and she was so good. It was really wavey and she loved it... Kept running into the waves and following us around the beach. I'll post pics this weekend.  she's getting better around the house... Still follows us but is acting more like herself. It'll be a week tomorrow since shes been at themes hluse


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## baumgartml16

Hope things start to get better for you Kim!  Have you guys been gone this week or were you home? I wonder if you are home more she might get used to it a little easier?

Pam - I know what you mean! Koda isn't in a crate anymore but I still feel bad. I definitely felt worse when she was in the crate though, such a small space. Is there any way you can leave him in a bathroom or somewhere smaller and see how he does. We started letting Koda into different areas gradually. Now she has the whole kitchen (we have a big kitchen) and it has the patio doors that she can look out of so she is definitely happier. 

I still tend to try not to leave her. Especially week nights I no longer have a life unless she can come along or we have someone to come be with her. My parents live close by so they will usually take her to their place or come to ours if we want to go out on a week night. Weekends I have gotten much better now that she has the kitchen. I figure she sleeps in there a lot of the day anyways so she is fine if we are gone too. 

Hope you can start getting more comfortable with leaving him. I totally understand though.


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## baumgartml16

Husker - I too would like to know what present you got in that scooby doo wrapping paper!


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## GoBigRed

Husker rec'd two presents wrapped. One was a kickball that he popped in less than one minute. We thought that thing would be hard enough that he couldn't pop it, on the contrary I think it was hard enough that his tooth went straight in to it. The present from the picture is a stuffed squirrel that I already need to perfrom surgery on. 

Crating~we crated our rainbow bridge lab for the first year and half or so whenever we left the house. Once he was trusted with free range of the home while we were gone he was hardly ever crated. He actually loved his crate and would go in there for naps and to sleep at night (door open of course). With Husker he's crated everytime we leave the house. He is such a sneak that I can't trust him at all with free range while we're gone. Heck he steals stuff while we're in the house.  Again though he'll lay in his crate on his own at times so I don't feel badly about him being in there for a few hours. He's safe and secure, it has a comfy bed, he gets peace and quiet and can sleep for awhile undisturbed and I know my house is safe.


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## Nyahsmommy

I had monday off because of Canada day and bf took the whole week off to help her adjust an set stuff up. Him and his dad are building a contraption to close off the yard. She's been pretty good at knowing to stay in our yard but she met a mini poodle a few houses down so now she tries to see it in their yard . It's pretty much fully fenced except there's a small gap on either side for the lawn maintenance guys to come through. He's building a removable wooden thing we can take off the days they are cutting grass so now we can leAve her out alone,.. Although we still won't for a bit cause the yard is still a work in progress


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## OutWest

Working on cell with slobbery dog pushing ball at me to throw so please pardo typos. 

Pam, I'll help you. This is Bri talking. Mom, get over it! I like it in there! It's you silly humans who like to have all that air and light around you. I sleep really well in there. A PB Kong makes me sleep especially well.  

But really, remind yourself that we wouldn't like it but they really do. 

HB Husker! What did Scooby give you???

Nyahsmommy (I keep forgetting everyone 's name!)--good news that shes settling down. Occurred to me in addition to hiding treats, you and BF could play the "go to / come to" game from all the different rooms of the house. 

Tucker just keeps bringing me the ball. LOL. I expected him to be tired. We had a really long session at the DP today. Lots of nice playful dogs. He was having such a good time I left him stay for two hours. I didn't get to the gym but that's another story. 

Tomorrow am taking my little dog Tess to see eye And heart specialists at local dog show. She's been slowing down a lot and I'm worried about her. She has a bad heart and that's what worries me most. Her vet thinks she's not ready for meds and I'm hoping the cardio agrees. 

Now am trying to get Tucker to stop chasing the ball. I think hes overdone it but he's persistent. He just lay down under the swing I'm on so maybe he'll snooze now. 

Went to discount pet store with $5 off coupon to buy him food this morning. But fine print on coupon say "no food purchase" as clerk pointed out. Still got pretty good deal on 33lb bag of Pro Plan. 

Hope everyone has a great day.


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## baumgartml16

I want to get Koda to the park SO bad but the weather here has been SOO hot. 100+ pretty much all week so it is early morning walks and then kiddie pool/sprinkler/in house play time the rest of the day. I feel so bad for her, she is handling it well but I am sure she just wants to run! 

We are under an excessive heat warning until tomorrow afternoon...hoping for some relief on sunday and then it will be park time for sure!

Koda would be super jealous of Tucker right now if she could read with his dog park time and ball chasing time...lol


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## marshallsmom

I have not been around much and I just took a very quick read.

Nyah: Hope you settle in your new house (congrats by the way to your mom!) and please don't give her a heart attack with your funny puppy antics!

Husker: Happy birthday! That looks yummy!

Koda's mom: same here! we have been out a lot less and since we don't have a yard, that also means less exercise. Thankfully Marshall has been easier to handle than expected (er...feared!) given the little activity he's had since these extremely hot weather started. 

I will try come back tomorrow and catch up with everyone else's stories!

He is a pic of Marshall which I made and though it is funny. The damage was done over a few "sessions" (maybe 5-6) in a span of 3-4 weeks, usually when my husband is asleep in the room to his right. Thankfully this is all from more than a month ago and we've had no issues with the drywall since.


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## jluke

*Hello Again...*

Happy Birthday, Husker! (Sorry to be late... explanation below.)

Nyah -- hope you're starting to settle in. And, please, don't scare your mom with any more cliff diving.

Moose -- get well, soon.

Our power went out a week ago Friday (before the 4th). By Sunday, the temperature was headed toward 100 and none of us could stand it even though Maisie and I were playing in the sprinkler. The house had already gotten to almost 95. We all moved to a Residence Inn and just got back home Friday (yesterday) when the power came back on.

The good news is that Maisie loved the hotel. We had a small efficiency suite with a tiny kitchen (which was good since I had to cook for her, more on that). There were lots of families there displaced by the power outage and horrendous heat, including one with a 7 month old GR who looks just like Maisie! Turns out they live about 10 blocks away, so we can have some play dates. Cooper and Maisie had fun playing in the hall and in the area near the front desk and outside in the early AM before it heated up. This place was super pet friendly.

It was also about 2 doors from Maisie's vet, which was good since she had a grooming appointment on Monday -- and because she'd gotten an intestinal bug, probably from drinking reservoir water when swimming. Her vet put her on a prescription to slow down her system. And I cooked her rice and chicken. DH was sick, too, mostly from the heat which really bothers him. It was quite a scene for a few days.

But Maisie was on her best behavior -- walked through the hotel at heel, sat to meet people, played well with other dogs. I think I almost have DH convinced that she can come on car trips with us which is a great result of the inconvenience.

Everyone is so glad to be back at home. But it was 105 today and the forecast is for 100 tomorrow. The sidewalk is so hot. Maisie isn't getting any real outside exercise. I hope the high 80's forecast for next week is accurate.

I've really enjoyed reading everyone's news now that we're back and can't wait to catch up more.


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## baumgartml16

Wow Jill, that is quite the experience. so sorry u had to deal with that but glad to hear Maisie was on her best behavior for you guys! Awesome that she made a new friend too!! 

The heat was killer here too, finally broke today so I feel ya on the no exercise! We were so happy to get on a walk tonight!!

Sounds like our break is short lived, upper 90s next weekend and we are heading up north with no air conditioning, yikes I'm a bit worried about it!


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## mrmooseman

Michelle, feel free to ship Koda here for park play.. haha, we are no where near that kind of weather!


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## GoBigRed

It's only 1pm and Husker has been in "time out" four times today. He has stolen a sock from my daughters room, a washcloth off the dining room table, a piece of the newspaper (this is a first for him) & tore it to shreds and now just ran over and grabbed my daughters bagel right after she let him inside (he's never done this before). For some reason he is being quite the brat today.


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## mrmooseman

ohh we went through the "stealing" food phase too! Peanut butter anything was his thing. 

I think I lost my marbles.. the breeders where we got Moose from has a new litter of puppies, and I want one! It must be all the fresh air I'm getting.. haha.


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## Vhuynh2

This is my first post in the teenage thread.. yay?

Molly's walks have gotten a lot better.. and worse. She heels very nicely and has been paying more attention to me rather than sniffing everything, but periodically, she will just STOP walking. I know she's not tired, because she sometimes does this in the beginning of our walks too. I don't want to use treats to lure her and I will wait it out but sometimes she just WON'T budge. She did this in a parking lot once, in a car's way, and I literally had to pick her up and carry her to the car, at 35 lbs, and I'm a petite girl at 110 lbs. I was so embarrassed. I know she probably does it on the way back to the car because she doesn't want to leave the park. However, I have no clue why she does this on our walks around the neighborhood.

Any suggestions??


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## Pammie

Hi Vhuynh2 and Miss Molly!
I don't have any advise for you because this is one problem my Bryley did not have, but just wanted to welcome you to the teenager times! I know several others who regularly post here have had the exact same situation you and Molly are having, so you could read back (pages and pages! :uhoh until someone can give you advise!

Jill, soooooo happy you have power back and are home! That oredeal sounds like a nightmare to me. And Maise gets a gold star







for being such a good girl!

Mmmmmmm puppy breath!!! 
Megan, what ever you do don't go to look at the litter!!! The special powers puppies possess will render you a babbling senseless ninny!  Moose would love it!

Husker must have taken his cheeky-boy pills this morn! That is a lot of mischief for one morning. I hope he takes his afternoon chill pills and settles!

Went on a walk yesterday afternoon with my friends. It was pretty hot at 90 degrees. We stopped a lot in the shade and drank water and yacked. I sure wish my friends had a dog that came with us. The one friend has 2, but one is super old and the other is reactive and a cranky snapper. :no: Walking and talking with my friends has become our weekend routine that is fun for all of us and Bryley gets exercised and socialized! Anyway, after we got home he was wiped out from the heat (me too) and he slept on the AC vent and emptied his frozen Kong while we watched a movie (The Help, thumbs up :dblthumb2) Was a nice afternoon!~


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## OutWest

Megan--go back and read all your posts.  might be a good dose of reality and help you decide. I agree with Pam ... Don't go see them unless you've decided to get one. They will render you weak-kneed and take away all sense of reason.  I get that looking at the pictures On here! 

Vhyun--welcome to the teens thread! If you have, you should poke around and read some of the older posts. Quite edifying!  I haven't had that particular walking issue but others have. 

Today I took out other dog, Tess, to a dog event in another town. Didn't think bringing Tucker was a good idea, so he stayed home alone. His first time being completely alone in the house. He's always had Tess around. I put his breakfast into Kongs and put him into his crate. He did great so far as I know. Maybe he howled while we were gone but i don't think so. By the time he finished the Kongs we were long gone. Right now he's chasing his slobbery ball and having me throw it. :yuck:

Hope you are all having a great weekend.


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## Pammie

Kathleen, what did the specialists say about Tess?

Bryley is glued to the AC vent right now- hardly even wants to go outside to pee because of the heat, and its only mid 90's. We will play with the hose and pool later later.


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## OutWest

I just posted the information here: http://www.goldenretrieverforum.com...ease-send-good-thoughts-tess.html#post1752873

Overall mixed news. Good news is she's probably got quite a few more years left in her.


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## Pammie

I just read the update you posted in her thread and it sound like pretty good news to me! Tess and you will share many, many more happy times together :heartbeat
These little furry ones cause us so much worry, don't they?


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## Dexter12

I'm glad the heart murmur is treatable and you'll have Tess for a little longer.

Hi Molly and Vhuynh2 welcome to the teenaged thread! 

We're back! The cottage was a lot of fun, Dex took his first ride on a boat and he did great! He met a baby was was very curious about him but did great! He's now a pro at jumping in the lake from the dock and even started doing superman leaps. He even slept in the bed with his humans and he hogged the pillows but loved it. Dex did have a few little quirks though, there was one rainy day where we were all reading and you could see him walking around going "I'm bored" like a kid, so instead he started picking up people's shoes. We'd be curled up with our shoes off reading, so he'd go around and start stealing people's shoes or clothing, and walking around with his butt wagging going "haha I've got your shoes, catch me." He's becomming quite the thief actually, one morning mom made muffins and Dex was eyeing them, and mom says to me "I bet he could eat the muffin in one bite," and I agreed that he most likely could. Not five minutes later, my dad leaves his muffin low enough that Dex could get it and sure enough he ate that sucker in one bite! 
So overly it was good although he was a little rambunctious and sometimes got on my and my parent's nerves but it was fun and had a blast.

Today Dex is nine months!


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## Tucker's mommy

Kathleen, that is good news about Tess! These pets sure become family, don't they! We have two cats who've been with us for almost 13 years now - much longer than our Tucker. One has serious behaviour issues - pees everywhere. The other, God bless her, she's our favorite, has renal failure and has been on sub-q fluids for almost 8 months now. (don't even ask how much these meds are costing us!!!!!) But with all the issues, They're with us, they are family, and we love them! Don't know if my hubby feels the animal passion the way I do, though! The kids sure do. Just glad to hear Tess will be around for awhile. For good and bad, these pets add so much to our lives, don't they!!!!


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## jluke

*Tess's News*

Kathleen -- thanks for sharing the mostly good news about Tess. Every day with our furry family members is priceless. They each give so much and ask so little (except for the extra patience the teenagers take!). Please give Tess an extra hug for me.

All -- sorry for not responding to your news. It's a bit disorganized here post the long power outage (and our phone, internet and cable were out for a few days longer). Now that the power is back, we've got contractors coming again tomorrow for the final push and DH and I have spent our time getting organized for them.

Glad the vacationers -- camping trips -- have been good for the pups and their people. Can't wait to see pictures of the dock jumping! My parents live in Easton, MD, where there's an annual waterfowl festival. Among the events are some things for water dogs, including dock jumping. They want us to enter Maisie in the novice group this fall. But she hasn't tried it yet, so we'll see...


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## jluke

*Welcome...*

Vhuynha2 (sp?) and Molly! Sorry that I can't help with Molly's walking issues -- mine with Maisie have been of the jumping and leash biting variety. And, they've mostly gone away (although I may be tempting fate to write that  ).


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## baumgartml16

Kathleen - so glad to hear that Tess is going to be okay!  

Dexter's mom - so glad vacation went great for you guys! I am hoping to have a good experience too next week! 

Pam - that sounds like a WONDERFUL afternoon to me!  

We are heading up north this upcoming weekend for a week and so far every day is set to be in the low to mid-90's! YUCK! I am NOT happy about this at all. I think we are prepared for it...we are planning to bring sheets/blankets to cover the windows and keep the sun from coming in along with 3-4 fans, Koda's cool bed and extra towels to soak in ice water for her to lay on when we are on the beach. We bought a pop up shade hut too for on the beach so Koda has some place to go and get shade. Plus the lake! We are just hoping she stays in the lake the majority of the day and then she will be able to stay cool easier. IDK, though..just worried that the heat is going to be too much and the cabins won't be able to stay cool...I have been so concerned about keeping Koda cool I haven't even had time to think of how miserable I will probably be too lol.


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## Nyahsmommy

Michelle - I wouldn't be too concerned about the heat. Just make sure koda(and you!) stay hydrated and try to keep her out of the sun too much. If you can try to keep her in the water most of the time and when she's in the cabin just keep a fan on her and she will be fine, have fun!!

This weekend was a bit less busy but still had lots of people coming by to see the house all decorated and set up, I think this helped Nyah a lot... To see lots of familiar faces and a few new ones. She is acting at home now, she still follows us around but now it's cause she wants . She is testing the. Boundries though... She dug a huge hole in the back yard already, the yard is a work in progress so I dont care now but next year when our lawn is nice and we have a BBQ and patio set I dont want her to ruin everything.

I think Nyah brought a tick in the house. After we take her to the beach on the way back there's a forest trail to get back home and she alwYs rolls in it. She's on flea prevention so we didn't find any on her. On sat I was petting on of the cats and felt a pimple behind her ear. I thought it was a little scab so I left it. Yesterday I felt it again an it felt like a big skin tag so bf looked at it and it had legs and was moving!! Ick! It was so gross!!! We got rid of it and no one else has any but we looked it up and it was def a dog flea so must've been nyah


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## jluke

*Catch-up...*

So glad that Dexter loved the cottage visit. How did he learn to jump off the dock? Like I said, I have to "teach" Maisie...

Kim -- so glad that Nyah continues to settle in.

Michelle -- good luck and enjoy your upcoming vacation to the lake. I hope with swimming and the pop-up for shade, everybody(!) can stay cool enough. Will it cool off at night? It's been really helpful for us to have an easy way to bring water to the beach for Maisie to stay well-hydrated like Kim suggests. (Keeps the silly girl from drinking so much salt water, too. :doh

She and I just came in from our late walk. She walked through a cloud of moths and it was like an old movie scene of the hero fighting off a horde of enemies -- they kept coming at her and Maisie kept jumping and lunging and biting them. But it wasn't do or die -- she was having a fun time. Very weird though.


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## baumgartml16

Thanks guys. Yea it says it will get to the 60's at night but I think it will be a humid 60's. At least we should hopefully be able to cool off the cottage at night for sleeping hopefully! 

I was laughing at my desk picturing Maisie walking through those moths, that sounds like lots of fun!  Koda chases the few that are in our yard but she has never come across a cloud of them!


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## Dexter12

Bamgartml16: I hope you and Koda keep cool in the lake, it's going to be hot! Hopefully, she'll be in the lake in no time. 

Nyahsmommy: I'm glad that she's settling in. Our cats have moved with us at least three times and as soon as they saw our stuff was all there, they always seemed a lot more settled. 

Jill: To teach Dex how to jump in the lake, all we had to do was to jump in and encourage him to jump in. And when he got that down, we threw a stick into the lake and encouraged him to get it. The key is encouragement, and lots of it!

At night there always seems to be a cloud of moths right outside the door, and Dex jumps and catches them like a cat and then eats them.


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## GoBigRed

Vhuynha~welcome!

Tess~glad to hear the news!

Nyah~so glad you are starting to settle into your new home.

Dex~oh I know that butt wagging all to well. You and Husker could be partners in crime. 

Kodas Mom~have a great trip!!

Maisie~those silly moths. 

Husker didn't steal anything yesterday or yet today. However he did decide to start digging a hole right in front of me last night. And then run for the hills when I approached. Darn silly dog!!


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## OutWest

Hi all. 

Tucker is doing well. A couple behavior things going on but they aren't huge. He seems to have developed some sibling rivalry towards Tess. The other day she was trying to climb onto the couch to be next to me, and he kept zigging and zagging in front of the couch to keep her off. Maybe he was herder in a previous lifetime, LOL! He's done a few similar things other times. I try to let them sort things out but don't want Tess to feel overwhelmed by him. He outweighs her by 50 lbs. I've mostly been telling him to sit and then picking her up but am not sure if that's the best approach. If you have ideas, let me know.

Other issue isn't really one, but he just doesn't know when to stop and rest. I asked in the Main section and I guess that's true of many dogs. I can throw the ball forever and he'll keep coming back for more. So Now I stop after about 20 minutes or if he's panting heavily. Big goofball.  Just adores that ball and the way it bounces around the yard! He looks soooo happy when he's chasing it.

We are expecting a heat wave here (nothing resembling what some of you have been through though) for next couple days, so I think we'll be limiting hard exercise a bit. I'm going to see if I can get to the beach tomorrow.

Tess is doing fine. thanks for the good wishes for her.

Kathleen


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## Dexter12

Yes! Yesterday Dex's friend Lucy was over for the afternoon and she's very good at give paw, and I wanted Dex to learn it too. I had the two of them sitting and I was doing give paw with her and then did it with him and so forth. He did it no problem today with me. 
I've also been finding that when I'm outside with the two of them it was easier to train both of them "come" because one would come and the other would follow.

I really would love a second dog but it really would be too crowded and chaotic.


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## OutWest

Yesterday was very challenging. Tucker acted weird, frantic almost. We were at my sisters house and he didnt want me out of his sight and actually kept looking at the different doors and getting between them and me. I knew he had a bit of separation anxiety but had never seen it full blown like this. I'm going to look around here and elsewhere, but wonder if you all have any ideas. I suspect this is the larger issue involved when he gets jealous of Tess (mentioned earlier). 

My sister didn't help much. Her attitude says that she doesn't think he's well trained anyway, and she keeps giving me little mini-lectures she's picked up from Cesar Milan's show. :doh:


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## Mom of Maizie

OutWest said:


> My sister didn't help much. Her attitude says that she doesn't think he's well trained anyway, and she keeps giving me little mini-lectures she's picked up from Cesar Milan's show. :doh:


That statement made me cringe when I remember how my DH and I did that to some friends of ours before we had a puppy. They had two puppies at the same time, bless their hearts...and we were well meaning, but totally ignorant!!! 

Once we got our puppy, I had to pretty much toss out everything I saw on the Dog Whisper because it didn't work. We go more for positive reinforcement now. 

But, the bottom line is that nobody knows how much time and effort and training you put into raising a puppy until you've walked in those shoes yourself. Then the puppy has a bad day, like they all do, and... Well, just hang in there.


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## baumgartml16

Hang in there Kathleen. Do you have a trainer or behaviourlist you deal with? Could you email for some suggestions on how to handle seperation anxiety or jealousy among two dogs. Tucker just turned one, right? 

We have two days before we leave our comfortable A/C for our week up north on the lake! We are ridiculous and check the forecast every day which is stupid because it changes pretty much every four hours lol. So it has been a yo-yo of excitement with 80's temps and disappointment with 90's temps. I found another tip on the forum about freezing milk jugs and putting them in front of the fan to produce colder air. We have two milk jugs ready for this now too! I think it will be fine, we are taking Koda in to town the two hottest days and finding a pet store to go hang out in for a while. Plus she has the lake every day at her disposale to cool off in!  Now to figure out how to prevent her from eating everything and anything on the beach or just outside in general...she has been crazy about it lately! Driving me nuts, she just looks for trouble.....


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## Dexter12

UUUUUuurg. Dex is going through a fairly new destructive period. 

I had some pretty raven feathers that I had been picking up on our morning walks and he ate two out of three of them. And shoes, he keeps taking our shoes and walking away with them.


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## mrmooseman

Well.. the round of antibiotics didn't work. The lump is still in his mouth. We called the vets today because they said he would need surgery. We are waiting on a call back. Their not sure if he needs another round Or surgery. My poor baby . Other then us looking at it, it doesn't bother him. He's still playful, eating and everything. Ugh I am stressed!


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## Dexter12

Poor Moose, hope the lump is beign or not a bigger issue.


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## OutWest

Megan--hope Moose is OK. It's possible it's a cyst but no longer infected. Hope they don't have to do surgery. But mostly hope it's no big deal...

Victoria--my sympathies! Is he going for chewables out of boredom do you think? Is it when he's been home alone for long stretches, or is he snatching things from under your nose?

So I did research on training for dogs with SA and came upon this site. The information and tips on SA seem reasonable and are positive not punitive so I'm going to try their suggestions. Not sure who writes the stuff, or if it's just a place to generate some ad revenue for someone...but the advice seems sound. Check out the info on SA--was amused (well maybe not) to see that GRs are more prone to it than others! 
How To Train A Dog, dog training tips and techniques for home based dog trainers

I'm going to modify the tips somewhat because what happens with Tucker seems to be that he gets anxious outside the house, not in it. I can walk out the door, drive away, and come back in a couple hours and he's fine. But if I leave the dog park and walk to the car (in his sight the whole time), he panics.


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## jluke

*Oh...*

Megan -- I hope that you can get a clear diagnosis for Moose and clear up the problem with his mouth soon, avoiding surgery, if possible. I'm glad he's behaving like his normal, bouncy self -- that's reassuring. It's so hard when they're not well, just like toddlers who can't say what's wrong, so sad.

Kathleen -- glad you found good, positive advice on separation anxiety. I guess it's not surprising that our Velcro GRs suffer from it often!

Michelle -- good luck with the heat on your trip, you sound really well prepared. Here's hoping you, DH and Koda have a really fun time!

Dexter -- sounds like you're leading your mom a merry chase!

Not much from here.. still very hot and humid with temps at 90+ and headed back up. Ugh... I'm still fighting a migraine which has been winning and DH was losing patience with having all the Maisie duties. A good friend was able to come by and take her for a long walk this evening. She dog sits for Maisie, so our pup was very happy to see her!  I'm feeling like a bad mom, but just doing the best I can for the moment...


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## Pammie

We are dying from heat here!!! 100 plus today.! Poor Bryley is a pent of energy bomb! During the day we are playing in the house, but it is not the same as full tilt running outside! It is after 10 pm and afterI hit the 'post reply' button we will finally go out and expel some of his spunk! He has been a pretty good boy considering.

Poor Moose! I will keep everything crossed that this gets resolved without any problems. I am thankful he is unaware he has a situation and is enjoying all that comes his way! Poor Megan, you are the one fraught with worry!

Kathleen, we deal with some jealousy here btwn my husband, Bryley and myself. Bry gets sassy and mouthy whenever my husband and I get too close to each other! and this is especially true if Bryley is already in 'GO' mode- you know what I mean? He jumps on us and rubs his body on us. Also, when we walk on the weekends I frequently have my friend take him and I lag behind or walk away and he can not take his eyes off me! He is totally focused on me, which I guess is a good thing. He does walk nice and no balking, but he is not a happy camper!

Michelle, sounds like you have thought of everything to keep cool! I think that as long as you and your husband are feeling OK and not overheated, Koda will be fine, too! I hope for all of you the weather cooperates and you have a great time on the vacay! Enjoy!


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## GoBigRed

Megan~hoping no surgery is needed. But most of all hoping everything is good!

Kathleen~poor guy, hope some of the tips work. Husker doesn't like when I leave the house but he'll go steal something or want right outside to see if he can watch me leave. Goofy dog.

Michelle~yeah you can't trust those forecasts, they change every 10 mins. Hope you have a grand vacation!

Dexter~quit being so naughty.  Your mommy and I are in the same boat with wild young boys on our hands.

Husker was quite embarassing at doggie class on Wed. There are only two other dogs in class with us. One is a large male 8mos old Newfie/Lab mix who is so super sweet and playful, the other is a Weimaraner female who has some confident issues. When we were doing our turns and would come close to the female Husker would lunge and bark at her. Over and over he did this. We then changed it up and walked close to the male Husker didn't bark but did try to go towards him to play. The Instructor didn't think he was being agressive but that he was "off" a bit that night. He was so intent on playing with the other dogs. When the next class slowly started coming in Husker would heal next to me and walk the room but his head was always turned towards the new dog. I could've walked him straight into a wall and he wouldn't have known it was coming. 

I stopped taking him to doggie day care when we found out his hips were bad. He jumps and runs around like crazy there so we didn't want him hurting himself. I wonder though if I shouldn't take him for a few hours once a week. He likes other dogs and loves to play but since we stopped the day care he hasn't been around any. Could be my new job throwing him off too. I was at work Wed. from 11am-5:30pm came home grabbed him and we went straight to class. 

Have a great weekend everyone!


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## OutWest

Marty, you might want to give Husker some good exercise before class. Something with dogs would be great, but just plain exercise is good too. I always found Tucker did better in class and had more focus when he'd had a chance to get rid of the "ants in his pants"!


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## baumgartml16

Feel for all of you in the major heat right now..that was horrible while it lasted and is on its way back here I guess in a few days. It is raining now for the first time since June 16th...not much but anything is nice right now. I love the smell of rain! 

We are probably going to have to come back Sunday night until Tuesday now since the temps are supposed to jump to around 100. I am not staying in a non air conditioned small cabin with those temps so most likely coming home for a day or so..no big deal!

Marty - we did that once where we just picked Koda up and went to class - BAD IDEA! LOL...she was a nut and didn't listen for anything. From then on we always made sure she got exercise beforehand and didnt have problems again! 

Megan - so sorry to hear about Moose, glad he isn't showing any signs of pain though! Good luck and keep us all updated.

Kathleen - hope those tips from that research you did help Tucker. They are very people needing dogs which is why SA would be a concern with them. 

This will possibly be my last post till we get back unless we come back in the middle of the week...I am unplugging and being with family. No cell phone, no TV's up there, no computers!  Have a great weekend and week all!


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## mrmooseman

Well, surgery it is. He will be going in wed. I really hope it's nothing. I'm beside myself and so worried. I'm of course, thinking the worse. Ugh, poor little fella.


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## GoBigRed

I'll get the kids or hubby to walk him good or run him around the yard before I get home from work on Wed. before class.  We're all a little off with trying to adjust to me working. It's not set hours, I work all different times and different days.


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## OutWest

Megan--sending good thoughts to you and Moose. Hope it's nothing -- nothing at all!


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## jluke

*Moose...*

Megan and Moose -- Maisie and I are thinking of you as you head toward surgery. When is it scheduled? What's the process and recovery time? Will he have to have a special soft diet?


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## GoBigRed

Megan~will be thinking of you and Moose on Wed!


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## Nyahsmommy

I'll definitely keep moose in my prayers but I'm sure he will be fine.

Nyah has been such a good girl lately. She's pretty well adjusted to the new house but still follows us around... She doesn't have to be in the same room but she has to know where we are in the house at all times. We have been trying to get her to go to the washroom in the park across the street vs the yard for now because we are trying to get the grass to grow and she keeps peeing on it or digging it up. I know the whole point of the house was the yard but she will have to wait a few weeks to play in it un supervised.

I'm so proud of her. We walked her all the was up the busy street where she normally freezes to the beach path where we took her swimming. Yay hopefully now she knows what's up there she will walk there all the time. I'm hoping anyways.


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## Dexter12

Dex is being a terror today he's acting the same way he used to act at 5 months, rowdy and obnixious.


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## Dexter12

OutWest said:


> Victoria--my sympathies! Is he going for chewables out of boredom do you think? Is it when he's been home alone for long stretches, or is he snatching things from under your nose?


I think it's why he picks up shoes because he can get our attention, so it's quite possibly boredom. I try playing with him as much as possible but some times it's endless.


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## mrmooseman

So we just got off the phone with the vet. He has a tooth infection so they have to remove his big canine tooth and a back one and more antibiotics. Thanks for all the good thoughts!


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## mrmooseman

holy cow. the size of his tooth..


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## OutWest

mrmooseman said:


> holy cow. the size of his tooth..


Oh, my. that's enormous! Did the vet have anything to say about HOW he got a tooth infection? I wouldn't expect that in such a young dog. Is that the only problem, then? That's great news if so. I hope the antibiotics clear it all up and he's back to his usual self soon. 

Tucker has been driving me up the wall lately. I haven't been able to take him to the dog park for a morning run for the past two days. He did go in the afternoons but there's something having a morning run that makes a lot of difference. Last night he was into everything and bugging us non-stop. Poor guy just had too much energy. I took him this morning (he was a wild man, chasing all the dogs and playing like a fiend!), and tossed the ball for him this afternoon, so now he's snoozing next to me. "A tired dog is a good dog."


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## mrmooseman

They still arnt too sure. But it's looking like it's from chewing on a stick. I guess it was bad and eating away at his jaw bone. Poor fella didn't even seem like he was in pain. She is pretty sure that that's what it was and he has to take 2 different kinds of antibiotics a day. So 6 in total. I am dreading it. They gave us stronger ones. His other ones were chewable.. not these so I have to get hot dogs! Haha the tooth is huge! I didn't think his mandible was that big. It's going to be his thing.. having only one canine on the bottom. Lol


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## Dexter12

That tooth! Wow! 

I hope that he feels better soon. Good luck with the antibiotics, I hope he behaves


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## Nyahsmommy

Megan - wholy cow! I had no clue a canine tooth went that deep! I hope moose recovers soon 

So we are experimenting with leaving nyah alone. We eventually want to leave her alone all day while we are at work. She went to bfs moms Monday and Tuesday and yesterday went left he alone but bf was in the area for work so went to see her twice. Today he is too far away so his sister is going to come by to let her out, then tomorrow back to his moms. Ugh . Even with me walking her in the morning and getting her to run in the basement , she was hyper as anything last night. She was my little shadow, following me with her ball. Unfortunately it was a busy night but I tried to play with her as much as I could. Fortunately the weekend is almost here.

Oh and we are planning on packing her crate away. Since we moved, we put her crate in the basement and she hasn't used it once. It's just taking up space so I think we are going to put it away and just take the bed out of there and leave it in the basement... Not sure if this is wise or not we we haven't had to crate her in like 6 months.


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## mrmooseman

I didn't think the tooth was that big either! he is back to his self today and had no problem taking the antibiotics. I just shoved them into a piece of a hot dog and he did great. The vet told us soft food, so I bought some, and I dont think it's that filling for him. Well I mean, half of it ends up on the wall anyways.. ugh. The bf said he got into some of his hard food and didn't have a problem. So we mixed a little with the soft and he ate it all. Poor guy must be starved. So we phoned the vet and she said his hard food is fine, just mix it with some water. He's back to drinking a lot of water, not as much as when he got fixed, and he had an accident lastnight while we were sleeping, in front of the door. I guess we didn't wake up when he tried to get our attention. But I kind of remember it, but it felt like a dream to me.. so we're to blame.

Since I started my new job, Moose has been adjusting so well with being home alone all day. I was kind of shocked actually. The bf's mom comes and lets him out or takes him on her days off, but he does soo well just being alone. Hopefully Nyah does the same! I'm sure she will be fine. And taking the bed out would be prob. a good idea. If she hasn't used it in a while, I say she would not want to go back in it and it might be a huge fight with her. Maybe just get some baby gates if you don't want her in a room that doesn't have a door, and gradually she will learn not to go in there. We no longer use baby gates, well only on the deck, and Moose just knows he's not allowed in the basement!


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## jluke

*Wow -- Moose!*

Moose -- that's quite a tooth! I'm so glad you're much improved, eating well and allowing your people to feel relieved. And since you're vet thinks your tooth infection is due to munching on sticks, it'll be no more sticks for Maisie here. She's going to be very sad, but healthier.

Kim -- so glad that Nyah is adjusting to her big transition. You're all really taking lots of extra effort to help her settle in and it seems that's making a big difference. I hope putting her crate away goes well -- bet it does. We'll put Maisie's away as soon as the construction work ends here (if it ever does -- I feel like we've entered the Twilight Zone of the endless project).

Kathleen -- sorry Tucker is giving you a hard time. With my being unwell and DH so busy, I've gotten one of our dog walkers to come mid-day to make sure that Maisie gets a long, long walk. It was getting to the point that she was really unruly and unhappy and I felt really guilty. She's doing much better the past several days.


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## GoBigRed

Wow! Didn't know those teeth were so huge! So glad Moose is ok.

Husker did a lot better at doggie class last Wed. We are all still adjusting to my working. 

Have a great day!


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## Tucker's mommy

Kathleen - I feel your pain regarding changes in exercise routines. I am DREADING the dark mornings that creep up come fall here. Tucker is so used to his 6:30 am walk with me. If the walk happens, but later in the morning, I swear it just doesn't seem to help him as much! So crazy how routine-dependent these dogs can be! 

Tucker seems to finally be settling a bit with the mouthiness. He still has his days - but we can now see that so much of it has to do with his routine - if he doesn't get that long walk in during the day, we have hell to pay for later! But he's growing up. No marks on my hands/arms anymore - which is such a nice thing. And I think we're growing to understand his personality a little more. He will always be a VERY expressive dog - vocal, barky when he wants to play, coming at us to engage. We just have to keep at it and remind him of what's acceptable. The water bottle may make a return here this fall, when the weather cools and his energy level picks back up!

I hope Moose is feeling a little better. And to Nyah's mom - I hope she keeps settling in and things go well for you!!


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## Pammie

Happy Sunday all!
Wondering how Moose-man is doing? That was some big toofer! and the root seems like it is too long for the jaw, I don't get it! For the sake of interest of dog teeth anatomy I have to share this pic of my bridge boys molar. It is, again, amazing how long and big the roots are!

It is 100 degrees here today and we are hanging inside all day. I was thinking that I should do some training with Bryley. Besides having him sit for _everything_ I really have slacked on doing any brush up. Today, in the house, seems like a good opportunity!
Do you guys regularly do practice training?


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## mrmooseman

Moose is back to his 100% self. It doesn't seem to be bothering him that he is missing 2 teeth. Just sometimes his tongue falls out of that side of his mouth haha. I still don't get how it was that big! But I guess with the curve of the roots, it curved into his mandible. 

Today was a hot one! Moose spent his entire day with us at the beach and he had a blast! He really does love the water this year. We could hardly keep him out of the water! I just hate the sand! Right now, he bathed him and he's laying on the deck drying off, and making grunting noises cause we won't let him in haha.


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## OutWest

mrmooseman said:


> Moose is back to his 100% self. It doesn't seem to be bothering him that he is missing 2 teeth. Just sometimes his tongue falls out of that side of his mouth haha. I still don't get how it was that big! But I guess with the curve of the roots, it curved into his mandible.
> 
> Today was a hot one! Moose spent his entire day with us at the beach and he had a blast! He really does love the water this year. We could hardly keep him out of the water! I just hate the sand! Right now, he bathed him and he's laying on the deck drying off, and making grunting noises cause we won't let him in haha.


I think we need a new picture of Moose without two teeth!


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## Nyahsmommy

Sounds like everyone had a great weekend! Our was good too. We had a BBQ on Saturday for bfs family and Nyah loved it of course cause all of her favourite people were there, lol. Yesterday we took her to her beach again and she had a blast. She keeps eating goose poo there when we arnt looking though. Blech! :s we had a huge thunderstorm last night.... We haven't had one that bad since last summer, surprisingly Nyah couldn't care less about it which was great.

We didn't take the crate down yet, probably will this week. I feel sad about taking it down though bc now she is a real grow up doggy . There's no rooms she isn't allowed in really. We just keep the laundry room closed because of the furnace but that's more so the cats don't try to climb into any ducts. 

She's still digging up the yard bad. I don't care this year but next year when we fix it up a bit more I don't want her to dig. She just wont listen. I tell her no she stops then goes to a different spot two seconds later. Grr


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## Nyahsmommy

Sounds like everyone had a great weekend! Our was good too. We had a BBQ on Saturday for bfs family and Nyah loved it of course cause all of her favourite people were there, lol. Yesterday we took her to her beach again and she had a blast. She keeps eating goose poo there when we arnt looking though. Blech! :s we had a huge thunderstorm last night.... We haven't had one that bad since last summer, surprisingly Nyah couldn't care less about it which was great.

We didn't take the crate down yet, probably will this week. I feel sad about taking it down though bc now she is a real grow up doggy . There's no rooms she isn't allowed in really. We just keep the laundry room closed because of the furnace but that's more so the cats don't try to climb into any ducts. 

She's still digging up the yard bad. I don't care this year but next year when we fix it up a bit more I don't want her to dig. She just wont listen. I tell her no she stops then goes to a different spot two seconds later. Grr


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## Tucker's mommy

Happy Monday everyone - I'm trying to do a better job keeping up with this thread - I love it so much, but as Tucker is getting older and my human kids are home for the summer, it's hard! 

Pam - we do take time every day, or at least give it our best shot, at working a little bit with Tucker to keep everything fresh. If we didn't, I'm sure we'd have a monster on our hands!! It is nice to see some of the things finally starting to stick, though. Like on walks, when he sees other dogs, I don't need to tempt him into a "heel" with a treat anymore - all I need to do is say it and he stays by my side (with some complaining of course!). I was afraid we were becoming too dependent on the treats for training. But I think we'll be fine, as long as we mix it up a bit, with treats still now and then to keep him motivated. He still ALWAYS gets a treat for good recall. 

Have a good day everyone!


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## Nyahsmommy

Sounds like everyone had a great weekend! Our was good too. We had a BBQ on Saturday for bfs family and Nyah loved it of course cause all of her favourite people were there, lol. Yesterday we took her to her beach again and she had a blast. She keeps eating goose poo there when we arnt looking though. Blech! :s we had a huge thunderstorm last night.... We haven't had one that bad since last summer, surprisingly Nyah couldn't care less about it which was great.

We didn't take the crate down yet, probably will this week. I feel sad about taking it down though bc now she is a real grow up doggy . There's no rooms she isn't allowed in really. We just keep the laundry room closed because of the furnace but that's more so the cats don't try to climb into any ducts. 

She's still digging up the yard bad. I don't care this year but next year when we fix it up a bit more I don't want her to dig. She just wont listen. I tell her no she stops then goes to a different spot two seconds later. Grr


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## baumgartml16

We are back!  

Kim - we packed up Koda's crate a month or so ago, she never used it anymore so it was just a space waster. She wasn't a big fan of it to begin with though. We will pack it away for any future pups that we may have. 

Megan - glad to hear Moose is back to hiself. That is some tooth! Wow!

Katie - glad things are good with Tucker now, you sure went through a lot with him a while back. It is nice when you get to the other side and get to enjoy them more and more.

Kathleen - sorry to hear about Tucker's resltessness. They sure do love their routines!

Jill - I hear you on the endless projects, we made out our list yesterday and I feel it will only grow as we try to shrink it lol.

Vacation was a HUGE success! Koda had a blast up there. I was worried she wasn't going to be a fan of the water since she isn't used to waves but we took her down to the beach and she went right in...it was so cute, the first time she kept pulling her whole leg out of the water with each step like she didn't know why it kept going down lol. Then she would do a dolphin swim for a while which was hilarious. The next step was getting her off the dock which we thought would be a struggle, last year she didn't even consider it. This year we through her toy off the end and she jumped right off! We were shocked! But she had a blast. We spent an endless amount of time in the water. 

We were also soooo happy because she was able to be off leash while we were down at the dock and she behaved SO well!!! A few slip ups but for the most part she was great! She got a little crazy with the dock jumping and going after things that we had a few problems one day. His sister was fishing off the dock and we had been keeping her in the beach area until she took off down the dock. We lost her focus and she jumped off the dock chasing the bobber...she got it! We had to untangle her from the fishing line and luckily she didn't get hooked. No more fishing with her around from then on. She also chased one of the guys when they got pulled away with the skis....my husband jumped in after her and she gave up on catching him pretty quickly! 

Other than that things went great! She loved it up there so much and got super excited if you asked her to go swimming! She was exhausted all day yesterday from a week straight of swimming and fun times. I am sure she is still enjoying just relaxing today while we are at work! 

That is a good recap of our week! Hope you all are doing well!


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## marshallsmom

Glad to read that everyone seems to be doing well! I am happy to hear you are feeling better Moose--that was one gigantic tooth! 

Marshall has been doing well lately, not so stubborn anymore and no accidents or damages in the house as of late. So we are very happy with this! My visits and posts will likely be even more sporadic from now on. My am gearing to finish gradschool and move to Lousiana (my husband is starting a new job in Nov). We are very excited, for the first time we will have our own house and Marshall will finally have a yard to play in safely (all 0.5 acres of it, fully fenced in!). Our offer on the house was accepted last week and we hope to close in 6 weeks (the next couple of months will be crazy for sure!). Well see how Marshall transitions to his new "crib", I maybe posting for advise on that (especially to Nyah's mom).

All great things comes with a few disadvantages. There are no dog parks around where we live (but then the huge yard is there 24/7 right?). He goes to doggy daycare 2-3 times a week and there is none in the area either  But we already met a couple of people DH will be working in the hospital who have large dogs that we can set-up playdates with. Also, Marshall will get a furry baby sister (or brother! but a sister is prefered) once we get settled in the new house. So hopefully he won't get too lonely and will have someone to play with all day!

I was told that there are very rarely alligators in the area (not where we live as it is 5 minutes from downtown) but this gets me worried about hikes out in the wild. I might ask about this on the main board.

I hope everyone has a great week!


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## marshallsmom

baumgartml16: great to know about the trip! cant wait to see pictures of Koda having fun!! I am jealous, I have been wanting to take a long trip like that with Marshall but we just never have a good weekend, except for a short drive to the lake. Hopefully sometime soon we can make it work. A lot of people go fishing for fun where we are moving so, I'll be sure to keep an eye on that in case Marshall does the same as Koda did


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## baumgartml16

Yea - it was a bummer for my hubby. He wanted to take her fishing with him in the summers but that probably won't happen, at least not at this point in her life. She goes after anything and eveyrhting thrown in the water now lol. We taught her to do it by throwing her toys off the dock so we aren't mad, he is just a little bummed lol.

I will get pictures up sometime soon. My sister in laws boyfriend took AWESOME pictures so I am waiting to get those before i post any!


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## Nyahsmommy

Michelle - I'm glad your little vacation went well... I knew Koda would have a blast, both me and nyah are super jealous! Lol. We want to rent a cottage for a week one summer for Nyah to enjoy because I knew she would love it... It's a shame because bf's parents sold their cottage 6 months before we got nyah. She would love swimming 7 days straight ! We would definitely have to get a doggy life jacket though.

Ya the crate is taking up space in the basement and it looks so bulky and in the way.... Not sure why we even set it up because it was all neatly folded and stuff when we moved. Oh well. Lol


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## jluke

*Hi All!*

Lots of catch-up...

So glad that Moose is back to normal and his happy self!

Nyah -- it's wonderful that you're settling in and loving the lake, but leave that goose poop alone. Yuck! :yuck:

Michelle -- how wonderful that you all had such a great time! We'll be back at the beach with Maisie and DD and her boyfriend soon and your post really made me lock forward to it. I don't know if there's a dock nearby where we can get Maisie started with jumping, but I hope so. Your fishing story about Koda reminded me of an early morning long ago - I was walking Sadie, our Rainbow Bridge rescue GR on the beach. I surf fisherman at least 50 yards away cast and somehow managed to snag his hook in her ear. Luckily, it was in the cartilage and he had a tin snips; he clipped it and we pulled it out from both sides -- she never noticed. just kept wagging her tail, happy to meet him.

Marshallsmom -- Happy times -- almost Ph.D, new city, new jobs, new home, new yard for Marshall to romp in. And really good food in LA! Our city yard is really small, about .25 acres, but we still manage to have sprinkler and fetching fun. And our neighborhood is really good for long walks. I hope you find your new place a wonderful adventure.

Michelle -- you're right about the projects here. But, the painters finished today. So we're down to wallpapering, one cabinet to be installed and a few minor clean-up items like putting mulch down in the back yard so Maisie can play there. Finally...

Thankfully, after a change in medication, my migraine and related symptoms is mostly gone, so I've been able to spend more time with my pup including a few longish walks. Maisie "rewarded" me last evening with a bout of the jumping, leash-biting crazies for the first time in about a month. I think she was sending me a message... :uhoh:

And, her GI upset is back, same as early in the month. So, stool sample to the vet, chicken and rice to eat and the same antibiotic to slow down her system and clear out whatever bug she may have. The lab is going to do a more thorough analysis this time, too. After she finishes the antibiotic, the vet recommended a probiotic, so I'll start her on that, too. The good news is she seems fine -- playful and happy, so I hope this isn't anything major.

Sorry to run on and on...


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## Tayla's Mom

Tucker's mommy said:


> Kathleen - I feel your pain regarding changes in exercise routines. I am DREADING the dark mornings that creep up come fall here. Tucker is so used to his 6:30 am walk with me. If the walk happens, but later in the morning, I swear it just doesn't seem to help him as much! So crazy how routine-dependent these dogs can be!
> 
> Tucker seems to finally be settling a bit with the mouthiness. He still has his days - but we can now see that so much of it has to do with his routine - if he doesn't get that long walk in during the day, we have hell to pay for later! But he's growing up. No marks on my hands/arms anymore - which is such a nice thing. And I think we're growing to understand his personality a little more. He will always be a VERY expressive dog - vocal, barky when he wants to play, coming at us to engage. We just have to keep at it and remind him of what's acceptable. The water bottle may make a return here this fall, when the weather cools and his energy level picks back up!
> 
> I hope Moose is feeling a little better. And to Nyah's mom - I hope she keeps settling in and things go well for you!!


I don't think I've hit the teen years yet (8 months), but I like seeing people with mouthy dogs that leave marks are starting to see some difference. I can only live in hope at this point.


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## baumgartml16

Jill - glad to hear you are on the mend but sad to hear Maisie isn't feeling well again! Poor pup! Glad she is still herself through it all though. They are tough little buggers hey!? They push through a lot that we as humans would probably walk around and mope about!  

We are dealing with two issues again here. Well I don't know if they ever really went away, they appeared to be better until now..

1. She is weird about her food. I can't figure out what the problem is. I thought it might be her bowl so we started feeding her off a plate instead. She took to that the first time but then still sniffed the food on the plate and walked away the next time. Thought it might be a bad bag of food so last night we fed her a sample package we had of a differnet flavor and she gobbled it right up. Then this morning wanted nothing to do with it. She came out took one bite and then walked away. Took 20 minutes before she went and ate it and it was more out of convenience than actually wanting it. I don't know what else to do about this...

2. She is stopping a lot on walks again. Nothing has ever happened to her on the walks so I don't know what is causing the stops. I am not mad at her but it is frustrating and hard to stay calm when I can't figure out why she is stopping. We want to take her on nice long walks on nice days but she won't let us becuase she will put the brakes on. DH is ready to just give up on walking her altogether. I don't like that idea because once we get going and past all the stops she walks pretty good (most of the time). It is just hard because sometimes we are a ways from home when she does this and won't go back home but I can't just stand there forever and I don't want to drag her. I feel bad but she has me stumped. 

I might have to put these two things elsewhere on the forum and see if there is anymore advice...


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## Tucker's mommy

Michele - could the walking issues be temp related? It has been hot EVERYWHERE this summer in the US it seems - I know it REALLY affects Tucker's energy level on his early am walks. He literally drags himself up the half mile hill at the start of our walk every morning. Maybe it's just a summer thing? See what happens when cooler weather hits (if it ever does!!!). I do know that on our more temperate days, Tuck's energy level shoots back up again (so does his mouthiness!!!)


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## mrmooseman

Michelle : Moose said he wants you to take him the next time. He really LOVES swimming too!

He was also the same way with the water this year. Last year he hated it, this year we can't keep him out! He's too funny when he's doing his like "leaps" as he's running though the water! Our problem with the fishing is, he feels the need to walk in the water where we're at. Causing us to catch nothing..haha.

And I agree, they are strong pups! 2 years ago, my bf had a infection in his tooth (first him, then moose..) and he had pain killers and had to be in the hospital. It didn't even phase Moose at all that he had an infection, and you know it must of hurt! I feel bad because he just never let us know that he was in pain! But that's far from his mind right now.. Today he was trying to pick up his deflated soccer ball.. it seems to be the only toy that he had trouble picking up.

I took some pictures of his with out his tooth. I never realized how big his tongue is. It takes up the entire area! But I think we managed to get some. His poor tongue now seems to hang to the side without his tooth..


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## Tucker's mommy

Can I just say that Moose is the cutest guy ever! Great pics. Poor thing - I still can't believe the size of those dog teeth!


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## maryt

Oh my goodness this is too funny, I am laughing out loud! Good story


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## jluke

*Follow-up*

Moose is just too cute -- what's a missing upper canine, it gives him charm and attitude!

Michelle -- sorry you're having the feeding and walking issues with Koda again. I had two thoughts. First, have you ever tried hand feeding her kibble? I'd been doing this with Maisie to strengthen her focus on be (as directed by the instructor for our Rally Class). I just put her kibble in a carpenter's apron from Home Depot (cost about 90 cents) and had her sit by my side, feeding her when she looked at me. If you didn't want to do it as a training exercise, just to get over whatever Koda's concern with eating is, you could probably just sit on the floor with her. I'm not an expert on had feeding, though -- some "experts" on the puppy thread recommend it and could probably say more about it.

Last night, I was reading more of The Cautious Canine-How to Help Dogs Conquer Their Fears by Patricia B. McConnell because Maisie has gotten more upset when people come up to our steps to the door. One thing she recommends is to rub your dogs chest (rather than petting her on the head) when she's upset or afraid. I wonder if this might help Koda when she won't walk with you. Anyway -- just a thought...


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## baumgartml16

Those are both great Jill. I will definitely try them. Last night and this morning she ate her food off the plate. We had been watering it down and we didnt do that either either of her last two meals and she ate them so maybe that was it...idk...she is so complex lol. 

Last nights walk and this morning were great too but next time she stops I am definitely going to try the chest rub instead of the head!  

Moose - you are too cute and look just as handsome without the one canine!!


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## Dexter12

Aww Moose seems to be recovering nicely.


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## marshallsmom

Aww Moose! You look even cuter without the canine ))


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## mayapaya

Hi everyone, it's been over a month since I've been on the boards. Two pups are keeping me hopping, summer break, daughter's 13th birthday (am officially the mom of two "teenage" females now!) Event after event on every weekend, and simply swamped at work! It will take me awhile to catch up on all the activity, but hope you are all doing well. The heat has really been a challenge for us (as I'm sure for many of you). We're just not getting in as many walks as we would like, and that is making for 2 antsy pups. The next big event will be Payton's spay--hoping to schedule that in the next two weeks. Think we're definately going to lap spay route. Maya goes tomorrow for her annual (rabies/distemper) and a weight check. Hopefully cutting down on her food and the green bean fillers have helped! Anyways's that the latest news from me, will be catching up this week on all the activity since the end of June. How did all the pups do with the fireworks this year? Payton was unaffected, but Maya got a bit edgy and was startled. She wasn't bothered by them last year, but I think I've heard that this is something that they can "grow" into with age--generally the smaller pups do better????


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## mrmooseman

Moose wasn't phased by them this year. So I don't think it has to do with size.


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## marshallsmom

Marshall did not care for the New Year's fireworks. This time..well..it depends. He does not freak out but indoors, he barks at them (similar to if someone walks by on our side of the road, but kinda meaner). Outside, he looks at them and appear worried (but not scared).


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## Me11yC

We just started with advanced obedience classes today and it was not too good. Charlie was super hyper and wouldn't calm down. Couldn't get him to focus and listen to me. We used a head halter to get him not to pull. He kept trying to get it off. The rest of the class it seemed like he had enough or was just mad at me for putting the head halter on and he would just lay down and not move at all. So ya, not a good night. Gonna have to do some more work at home. Don't know if he was just being a teenager or just not his day today....ok, vent over


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## marshallsmom

Me11yC: We had two bad days with Marshall in class. One was when he did not get much exercise that day so all he wanted to do was play with the other dogs. He would not listen or would have very short attention span (even worse than normal). After that we learned than he needs to have a loooooong walk before class. The second time we were rushed so he did not eat all his dinner and he was SUPER hungry. He did not leave treats alone (and he is great with the "leave it" command). He barely sit for treats and just want to grab them out of my hands.


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## OutWest

Welcome Mellyc I second the idea of more exercise before class. In fact a good run is even better. I find both my dogs have more focus and less "antsiness" when tired or at least exercised. Especially since in adolescence they're not wild about listening to humans in the first place. 

To all: hope you are surviving the heat. We've had warm weather here but always some cooling wind at the end of the day. 

Tucker continues well with his leash walking. My command for him is "nice walking, Tucker" which gets smiles from passers-by...:

I need to work on his recall though. It's decent but I've never stressed it with him because he's such a Velcro dog. He's more worried about being left out of something or being left behind But a couple times lately when I've called him I can tell he's thinking about blowing me off. It's like there's a thought bubble over his head, "Hmmmm...do I want to go to mom or continue playing with this puppy?" so that's my next training project. I also realized we haven't taught him any tricks lately... I think we're overdue for some new stuff.


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## Guybrush

Hi Guys haven't been around lately but so nice to read all your holiday stories!

Moose is still adorable with the missing tooth! Glad he is feeling ok now.

Sounds like the lakes and beaches are getting a bit of a workout with all the goldens playing in them! The dock diving pups must be quite a site. Wish it was warm enough here to be enjoying the water. I am wishing for summer over here it is so cold. I am snuggled under a doona with my electric blanket on while Guybrush and my partner are out on a walk, when they get back I will get jumped on by a warm fluff ball and then covered in slobber.

Guybrush is great at the moment he is about to start training for his community companion dog title, of course he is in his I'm not listening to anything anyone says phase, making training a little bit difficult. We are volunteering at our clubs agility trial next weekend so hopefully we will learn some awesome tricks for when Guybrush is old enough to start.

I on the other hand am not doing so well, I have a physical disability and have alot of pain on a daily basis so that is getting hard to deal with, on top of that I have just lost my job. Though coming home to puppy kisses helps everything 

In happier news in 2 weeks we are going on holidays (Yay New Caledonia tropical paradise!) and Guybrush is going to be staying with his breeder, and I am already nervous about how he will go. He hasn't been away from us since he was 8 weeks old! I'm sure he will have a great time with his family its me with the problem. : How has everyone delt with this? We are also taking the cats to a cattery near to the breeder, unfortunately it is an hour drive and the cats hate the car so it will be quite the experience with an excited puppy and two yowling cats!

Is anybody excited about the olympics? I can't wait I'll be in front of the gas heater at 3am on Saturday morning to watch the opening ceremony, Of course I'll be alone the boys in my life will both be curled up on the bed, and I'm sure they will not be interested in waking up with me. GO AUSTRALIA!


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## Nyahsmommy

I posted something yesterday but it doesn't look like it posted hmmm. 

I am a bad doggy mommy. Things have been so busy and this past weekend especially that we forgot that Sunday was Nyah's gotcha day,  I think I got confused because we got her on a Friday but this year the day is a Sunday. Poor Nyah isn't allowed in the yard for a few weeks now. We just put in new sod and we don't want it to die instantly so we have been taking her across the street for a pee, she keeps laying in front of the patio doors staring out , poor thing.

Nyah is still following us but it's getting to the point where we are constantly tripping g over her. Especially at dinner time she lays right in front of the fridge/stove etc. idk why. On a good note she is walking amazingly! It's great that I can actually walk her without dragging her the whole way, our new area is so quiet and much nicer so I think she likes it way better than the apartment.

Michelle- we just got over the food thing with Nyah. Maybe Koda is bored of her food? Nyah hated the larger kibble. Bfs dad picked her up new stuff and we mixed it with the old stuff and she ate fine. Now she is eating the new stuff fine but she is actually chewing her food now instead of inhaling so the big kibble helped her in that sense.


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## mayapaya

mrmooseman said:


> Moose wasn't phased by them this year. So I don't think it has to do with size.


Megan--YIKES! Moose's tooth! I have pages and pages to catch up on! How is he doing? I can't stop Maya (or Payton) from eating sticks, despite my best efforts--hope stick chewing was not the cause. :yuck: Payton had cracks in her lower canines, but they were the puppy teeth, so thankfully we had no issues there, although the vet told me to keep an eye on them and watch for any swelling/signs of infection....I agree with Kathleen, gives him more character!!!

Notice alot of you are abandoning the crates, if you haven't already. Maya still does not mind going in her's, and frankly seems to enjoy the repreive from Payton. I have their crates next to each other, so my dining room is now officially the dogs room --with the exception of holidays, we never use the rom anyways, and I like that they have a nice view out the front windows which are low in this location. Maya is probably ready to be out of the crate, but Payton certainly is not. I may have to keep the crates longer having two of them. Once Payton get's past the mischievous stage, I will still worry about their wrestling...well, back to catching up on the other pages I have missed!


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## OutWest

Guybrush--I sympathize with the daily pain and job loss. I am experiencing both as well. Definitely looking forward to the Olympics! Will have to bodily remove clicker from hand of DD who's not interested! 

Nyahsmommy--I did come up with a trick for keeping the dogs out of the kitchen while I'm cooking so I don't trip. I can to you if that will help. Am typing one-fingered in bed right now. :

I still like the crate for Tucker. It gives me just about the only time I have to myself. When DD is in bed with Tess and he's in crate in my room, all is calm and quiet. Like right now! 

Speaking of which, we've all slept in long enough so I had better get everybody up!


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## baumgartml16

Lots of action here! 

Kathleen - I too need to focus on the recall training, in some places though, no treat seems to be good enough for her to come to me instead of what she is doing/smelling. I don't know if Koda will ever be a dog that can run off leash, too scent driven. I also need to find some new tricks to teach her. We haven't been to class in a couple months now, after summer we are hoping to pick it back up. It would be nice to get back into that and get her mind working again. 

Melly - I also agree exercise is the key. We went once after work with no exercise and never again will I attempt that. I will skip the class before putting myself through that again...they are crazy, hyper dogs!! Can't blame them but just not ideal to be in class distubring others.

Jay and Kathleen - sorry to hear about the pains in life and the loss of jobs. Hope things can turn around for you both in the near future!

Jay - as far as leaving Guybrush, I know how you feel. We have had to leave Koda a couple weekends so far this summer and while I think it has gotten easier, the goodbyes are not. I am a sap at saying goodbye to anyone for any period of time so saying goodbye to my baby girl is really rough. But as long as you know he is in good hands there is nothing else you can do. I always give Koda a little extra attention and fun stuff the day before I head out. Some bonding time so I have some good recent stuff to think about while I am away. I am freak and check in a lot when I am gone too but she is either left with my parents or my husbands parents so easy to check in. He will be fine and will be SOOOO excited to see you when you get back. That welcome home greeting they give is what I look forward to the whole time I am away! 

Olympics - we are excited for it in our house! Friday night is the opening ceremony here so we will be tuned in for sure! My husband is already stocking up the DVR with events we would miss due to being out of the hosue at those times!  USA!


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## Pammie

Hi all! Happy hump day! 
Speaking of humping... Do your dogs hump much? Bryley only humps under one specific circumstance. He has this tore up, unstuffed stuffie that he has had since the day he came home and that he only gets when I give it to him- he loves it! Anyway, when he gets it he immediately runs to the couch and puts his front feet on the cushion and then goes to town! If I get the toy and throw it, he retrieves and runs back to the couch to go at it again! Nutty dog!


mayapaya said:


> Notice alot of you are abandoning the crates,


Not us! Bryley sleeps in his crate with the dog closed and when we both leave the house he is crated. At some point I really need to start testing him by leaving him outside the crate for short spurts during the day. The truth is I am afraid to. 



OutWest said:


> Speaking of which, we've all slept in long enough so I had better get everybody up!


11am?! You keep my kind of hours! Bryley has stayed in his crate until 10am with out a peep! Love him for that!



baumgartml16 said:


> Olympics - we are excited for it in our house! Friday night is the opening ceremony here so we will be tuned in for sure!  USA!


Me too! I like gymnastics and swimming. Both so exciting!
Michelle I am bummed for you that Koda is not enjoying her walks! I mean, walks are full of new smells, new people, birds, possible road kill - whats not to love? These dogs can be so confusing! I am sure in time she will move beyond what she is doing now and turn into the best walker ever!!!

Hope you are all having a great day and are getting l(and giving!) ots of love from your pups!
Do you kiss your dog? I do all the time! Usually on the top of the head.


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## baumgartml16

Koda gets LOTS of kisses every day! Her cheeks and top of her head are the main targets LOL. Hugs and kisses all the time from both my husband and myself!


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## OutWest

Re hugs and kisses ... Both mine gets lots. I have to remember to turn it off. I hugged a dog at the dog park the other and realized he didnt like it! Kind of dangerous ...:doh:

We had a nice day with the dogs. We went to a little local beach on the lagoon. Tucker just went bananas with excitement. There was a group of little girls (about 8-9 years old) who wanted to swim with him. Made me a bit nervous but went well. He got very wound up though with all the high pitched excited voices. He jumped up on my DD's back and left welts.  He chased the ball forever in the water, and little Tess got the zoomies too. I almost started to cry, seeing her run like a youngster. She's really not supposed to do that but she was having so much fun I let her. Then she found something stinky and rolled in it :yuck: and then dug a big hole in the sand. We rinsed them off with fresh water at home and went out again. They are still damp so I think we'll need to break out the hair dryer later. 

We walked him with the flat collar not the easy walk front harness and that didn't go so well. He pulled quite a bit and didn't listen very well. We clearly need to work on that. But I think both dog's are tired out. We went to the gym afterward, so I'm tired too.


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## jluke

*Wednesday Hi!*

Jay -- I'm very sorry to learn of your disability and on-going physical pain. The recent job loss must be very difficult. I, too, have a disability; it led to me leaving my full-time work. I struggle with migraines, too. Like you with Guy brush, I find having Maisie to snuggle with really helps pick me up.

As far as taking vacation and leaving Maisie, we're lucky to have a terrific house/dog sitter who stayed with our two Rainbow Bridge GRs and now stays with Maisie. Since she works a "day job", we supplement her with a dog walker who's wonderful. (She has 3 dogs of her own.) Maisie loves both of them and gets lots of exercise and attention with them. So, I miss Maisie when we travel, but I know she's happy and well-cared for. As I've said, since we're empty nesters with our DD in college, my deal with DH in getting a dog was to still travel from time-to-time.

Nyahsmommy -- it's OK -- Nyah won't remember if you were off a day on her gotcha day! (But I'd feel just like you do...) I worry about Maisie getting underfoot in the kitchen. I've finally gotten her to sit and stay across the room when I'm doing things like dumping boiling pasta water at the sink, opening the oven, etc. Could you use a similar technique with Nyah? Maybe by playing hide and seek with her and making it fun>

Kathleen -- I'm with you and Michelle. We have to work more on recall, too. And I was feeling the same way about teaching a new trick or two. So we started working on "Upsie Daisy Maisie" the other day where she rolls over onto her back with her feet in the air. (AKA play dead...) It's a definite work in progress...


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## Guybrush

Re: kissing puppies, always snuggling and kissing Guybrush sometimes he sees me and I get a slobbery lick back on the lips yuck! Partner also gives kisses and hugs to Guybrush have a lovely set of photos with partner sticking his tongue out at Guybrush then Guybrush licking him right back.

We are trying to teach bang to Guybrush he is not interested in it, he only just got the hang of shake and high five. He can be a bit of an idiot sometimes. It seems everyone else has smart puppies, I think I got a dud.

Also Australia is going to beat the USA at the olympics in everything! You guys are going down.  Sure you have more athletes and a higher population but we have the guts! :wave:


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## jluke

*A Few More Things...*

Don't know about that Olympic prediction, Jay... We're big fans here! I was a competitive swimmer, way back, so that's a big favorite and Michael Phelps is a Baltimore boy! But we like it all -- gymnastics, soccer, basketball, volleyball, you name it. And in London -- we were visiting this time last year.

Maisie knows shake, hug and sit pretty, but that's about it except for basic obedience. Definitely time for something new.

And Jay, I eventually had to leave my job due to disability, so you're way ahead of be to be working. Good luck with your job search and enjoy your vacation!!


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## baumgartml16

I just found out the local lake allows dogs to go swimming!  My day was just made. Now we can take Koda on the weekends for more swimming time!!!

Kathleen - your day with the two sounds wonderful. I would of let Tess run too, they are so carefree when they get like that, how can you stop them!?

Jill - that is great about your sitters! It's always refreshing knowing your dog is in good care! 

I really like the upsie daisy trick!! I am still working on play dead with her "bang". She can do it from a down position (knows to lay on her side) but i can't get her to do it from sitting or standing yet. 

So far Koda does shake, high five, touch, peek a boo, roll over...and bang is the work in process right now!  

GO USA!


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## OutWest

Guybrush said:


> Re: kissing puppies, always snuggling and kissing Guybrush sometimes he sees me and I get a slobbery lick back on the lips yuck! Partner also gives kisses and hugs to Guybrush have a lovely set of photos with partner sticking his tongue out at Guybrush then Guybrush licking him right back.
> 
> We are trying to teach bang to Guybrush he is not interested in it, he only just got the hang of shake and high five. He can be a bit of an idiot sometimes. It seems everyone else has smart puppies, I think I got a dud.
> 
> Also Australia is going to beat the USA at the olympics in everything! You guys are going down.  Sure you have more athletes and a higher population but we have the guts! :wave:


Yeah but we have ... California and lots of other beaches! Oh, that's right you guys have a lot of beach, too. Just kidding.... I do enjoy the competition between Aussies and Americans in the pool though...lots of fun...now just watch, another nation will come in and knock both our cocky countries off the podium!


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## mrmooseman

The summer games are never the best for canadians.. soo I don't get to into them.

I give Moose hugs and kisses everyday! I kiss his lips and his nose.. there must be something wrong with me..


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## Tucker's mommy

I LOVE Tucker's fuzzy head. He's almost 15 months old, and I swear his head is still covered with puppy fuzz! So fun to kiss him there. I just love it that Tucker is finally settling down enough for us to even offer him kisses. Up until a couple months ago, any affection more than a couple seconds of petting would just send him into a frenzy! Happy frenzy, but a frenzy nonetheless! Thank GOD dogs grow up!


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## Guybrush

I also love the winter olympics even though it doesn't even snow in most of the country instead we cheer for Canada and Holland as my brother in law is now an official Canadian with a passport and everything and my partners family is dutch 

My favourite moment for the winter games was when Australia won gold in the speed skating because evryone else fell over :doh: not only in the finals but in the the semi finals and the heats :. And that is the only way we get medals in most events, we also get medals in freestyle jumping.

Anyway Guybrush is being slightly neglected right now because Erik (my partner) is sick with a cold & chest/sinus infection and I have a bad back at the moment. Guybrush was jumping on the bed and play fighting with the cat who was also on the bed so all the animals have been banished to the other side of the house with all their toys. I can hear the poor puppy whining. I will have to get my brother over to walk him today.


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## Tucker's mommy

I'm excited for the olympics this year, too. Our three little ones will finally be old enough to take some of it in. My oldest, who's 8, has been taking swim lessons - the level where they really learn how to swim laps across the pool via freestyle. He is going to get a kick out of watching the swim competitions!


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## mayapaya

Hi everyone, still catching up on the month I have missed...
Guybrush, sorry about the pain and job loss--hopefully things turn around for you soon. Puppy kisses do help!
Kathleen, your story about Tess running brought happy tears to my eyes. It's so heartwarming to see them in those moments when the spunk of youth returns.
Nyahsmommy, glad the move went well, and hope you are settling in. I know my two are constantly under foot in the kitchen--I think always hoping that something good will drop. That's where crate time comes in handy. Maya was doing AMAZING with her sit stays in the dining room while I was in the kitchen, but Pay is a bad influence. At 6 months old she has alot yet to learn...Michelle, how's Koda doing with his food now?
Welcome to all the newcomers! Seems like everyone is excited about the olympics. I also like to watch but honestly two pups does not give me alot of TV time, And as Kathleen says, I'd have to pry the remote out of DD's hand. Maya had her check up yesterday--she's down to 59 pounds!!! YEA--it seemed like she was slimming down, but I'm happy the scale validated it! Have a great weekend everyone. BTW loved your dog park pics, Kathleen--have thought often about trying to get together with some of the forum members and their pups--Michelle and I are not too far, but my two are not good car riders!


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## baumgartml16

How far is Gurnee from you Chris? Koda loves car rides so if we decided to get a meetup together we would definitely be willing to go a little further!


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## mayapaya

baumgartml16 said:


> How far is Gurnee from you Chris? Koda loves car rides so if we decided to get a meetup together we would definitely be willing to go a little further!


Hi Michelle, Gurnee is about a 45 minute drive. Maya seems to be doing a bit better in the car, but about 30 minutes is about all we've pushed it. Pay starts puking after 15. :yuck: Heading to the specialty pet store tonight to look at some nausea remedies!!! We probably drive past your house a few times a year when we go up to Door County! Unfortunately, the place we rent doesn't allow dogs. I'd really love to take them up to a house for a weekend on a lake--sounds like you guys had a ball! If I can get this carsickness issue under control, we have to get together!!!


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## baumgartml16

Sounds like a plan!  Hope you can come up with something! Love Door County too, we usually go up there every fall!


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## jluke

*Back from the Beach*

We're just back from Bethany Beach. We fit in a few days between contractors finishing up (until the wallpaper fellow and cabinetry man come) and our next renters arrive tomorrow. DH and I and Maisie all relaxed for three days. Maisie loved the surf and sand. And one evening after having dinner at home, we went into town for ice cream cones for the humans, taking Maisie along. She got to visit with lots of people and had a super time meeting and greeting everyone. Like last time, the only thing that bothered her at all was the sidewalk display of the battery-powered animal toys that "walk" and bark or meow or oink. This time she was more curious than skittish, though.

Her GI problem seems to be better -- just have to finish the prescription. I'll start crossing her back from chicken and rice to kibble tonight.

Don't think I mentioned that with my recent illness and Maisie's, we dropped out of the rally class. The instructor is being kind enough to allow us to re-enroll in the fall.

Hi to all, new and old. Have a great weekend and try to stay cool! We're back to weather in the mid-90s+. Ugh... :uhoh:


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## Tucker's mommy

Jill - we're heading out to Bethany next week! I sure hope we get nice weather. Unfortunately, Tucker won't be joining us. My three young kids are enough to deal with let alone our crazy Tuck! But we're hoping that when he and the kids are a bit older, we can bring him along. Anyway, glad you had a nice time! I'm soooo excited for our own beach getaway!


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## jluke

*Tucker's Mommy and Bethany Beach*

Wow, Tucker's Mommy -- Bethany Beach! What a coincidence. We've been going there since our DD was 9 months old which makes it 18+ years now. It took us over ten years from our first visit to get to the point where we could buy a place to use and rent -- we love it! I'd love to know more about where you stay, dine and what you do, if you want to compare notes via a private message. Our DDs are at different stages since mine is in college, but it would still be interesting...


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## Guybrush

Hi everyone,

Guybrush was promoted to the next level of training (trialing levels) today, but we have decided to stay in the lower level as our drop(down) is still iffy and we can't train for a month due to the club running an agility trial next week and our holiday to New Caledonia for the next few weeks (YAY!). The trainer said his stand from drop was perfect 

Guybrush is a little put out at the moment because our cat has decided the best place in the house to sleep in in the crate. This means Guybrush has decided the next best place is our bed, which is starting to get crowded. I'll post a pic of my lovely cat in the dog crate later.

I'm still worried about my poor Guybrush having to go back to the breeders while we are away. What should I leave with him? Just his toys or something else? I trust the breeder completely and they have my parents as emergency contacts, I just worry.

Thanks for listening Jay. :wave:


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## Dexter12

Hey everyone, the summers been fairly good but there has been one issue, marking. The first time Dex did it was at the cottage, my wife had her bag on the ground and my parent's dog was sniffing around it, so he started peeing on it. The second time was today, we were over at his best friend Lucy's house and he started peeing on a blanket. What is up with that?


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## baumgartml16

Had a great weekend here! The heat finally broke (although back to the 90s today) so we were able to enjoy lots of outside time. Had a puppy play date, lots of walks, a trip to the park!  Koda went to the groomers and they said she did better again, each time improving!  We got the best compliment this morning on our walk. A lady stopped her car and said she was very impressed with the way Koda walks on a leash. Her son has two goldens and he only dreams of them walking as nice. YAY! My husband and I laughed because when Koda was younger we would pass people that had nice walking dogs and think we would never get there and today we were that couple!  YES!

Her walks are better but the food issue is still there so I emailed our trainer and may take her in to the vet just to be safe. She has an appt setup for 2 weeks so maybe we can hold off? Not sure...

Jay - I would definitely send along toys and maybe a shirt of each of yours so he can have your scent and feel comfortable while you are away. My husband travels a lot in the fall and he will always leave one to two shirts that he wore recently for her to cuddle with - and she does! Every night she comes and lays by it or on it!! If Guybrush has any treats that he especially likes you could send some of those as well! He will be fine and be super excited to see you when you get back! 

Dexter - I am sorry this is happening, unfortunately I don't have any advice..never dealt with this! Hope it gets better soon though!!


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## Pammie

Dexter12 said:


> Hey everyone, the summers been fairly good but there has been one issue, marking. The first time Dex did it was at the cottage, my wife had her bag on the ground and my parent's dog was sniffing around it, so he started peeing on it. The second time was today, we were over at his best friend Lucy's house and he started peeing on a blanket. What is up with that?


:uhoh::no: Hmmmm.... Bryley did, too!!!
My bedspread, which is a beautiful quilt made by my bestie girl friend, was in a heap at the foot of the bed- bed made but quilt and decorative pillows not on yet. I was in the bathroom doing makeup and hair and I noticed B hanging around the bed and thought it was weird, but whatever. Well, when I came out to check on him there was a wet spot! At first I thought it was just from him smelling and licking a spot but then when I unfolded the quilt further and and there it was!!! and even a dribble on the carpet!!! My theory is that my girl cat found those folds of fabric inviting and peed first- which is odd, too, because she doesn't pee in the house. I have heard others say that cat pee smell is very pungent but the area was not overly smelly, so did she or not?!! I dunno. Puzzling to say the least. 
Dex is neutered, right? I thought neutering stopped marking? Bryley is not yet, he goes in late next month.

Guybrush~ I would be a wreck with worry, too! But he will be fine. Favorite toys and treats will make him feel connected to his usual. And he will probably enjoy the new people and playing with any of the GR's they have around!
Hope you have a great holiday!


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## Nyahsmommy

Our weekend was ok, too short of course though. Nyah was a bit bored but the weather was too hot to do much. Took her to the beach for the first time letting her off leash by myself. She recalled good but when it came to giving me the stick she was eating she kept running into the water to eat it because she knew I couldn't get it. She also pulled out a big piece of sod this evening. She was out alone eating her kong and when she was done instead of coming to the door like she does I catch her rolling around with a big piece of sod in her mouth. Ugh it's was just starting to look nice. 

Michelle - funny Nyah was booked to go to the groomers too but we decided to hold off because she isn't too bad yet. She also has a vet appointment tomorrow for her rabies shot. It's with a new vet and not sure I like them yet so we will see. If Koda isn't eating at all I would book a vet appointment but if she's just being picky then wait. Nyah is in that phase now too so I think it's normal


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## Dexter12

Pammie said:


> :uhoh::no: Hmmmm.... Bryley did, too!!!
> My bedspread, which is a beautiful quilt made by my bestie girl friend, was in a heap at the foot of the bed- bed made but quilt and decorative pillows not on yet. I was in the bathroom doing makeup and hair and I noticed B hanging around the bed and thought it was weird, but whatever. Well, when I came out to check on him there was a wet spot! At first I thought it was just from him smelling and licking a spot but then when I unfolded the quilt further and and there it was!!! and even a dribble on the carpet!!! My theory is that my girl cat found those folds of fabric inviting and peed first- which is odd, too, because she doesn't pee in the house. I have heard others say that cat pee smell is very pungent but the area was not overly smelly, so did she or not?!! I dunno. Puzzling to say the least.
> Dex is neutered, right? I thought neutering stopped marking? Bryley is not yet, he goes in late next month.


Aww too bad about the quilt, I hope that you were able to clean it up. My cats have a habit of sometimes piddling on things too, man does it stink. It's in the contract with our breeder that we do not neuter him until he's at least three years old. :doh:


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## Pammie

3? I wonder why they want you to wait so long? Are they maybe wanting to see what he looks like fully matured and then want to use him for a stud?

The quilt is machine washable, thank goodness! It is off the bed now and will go to a laundromat later. I took it outside immediately after finding the pee and rinsed it really well with the hose and then set it over the deck railing to dry. Hopefully all the smells will come out once clean.

I wonder what has gotten into our boys?! :doh: 
BRYLEY & DEX...NO MORE PEEING INSIDE NO MATTER HOW DELIGHTFUL THE SMELL!!!!


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## Dexter12

Ah good, glad yoru quilt machine washable, nothing worse than loosing something of importance. Yep, the breeder said that they want him to grow and filll out as much as possible with the full effect of his testerone.


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## baumgartml16

I hope the food thing is a phase. I just feel bad for her because I can't figure out what is causing it. I dont know if it is the food, if she is just not ready to eat, if something hurts...hopefully we can figure this out soon!


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## OutWest

Guybrush--sleep on a large soft towel for a couple nights and then put it into his crate at the breeder's. He'll love being able to smell you at night. 

All--you may have seen my post yesterday about Tucker's rash, pyoderma I guess it's called. I read up on it, figured out what I think caused it (salt water), and have been treating it with Sulfodene. Yesterday went and bought some medicated shampoo. We were going to wash him anyway, so I let him go swimming in the lagoon yesterday. DD washed him when we got home and I said to be sure to do his tummy thoroughly with the new shampoo. Last night, I had him rolled over (with a Licky Stick--great invention) while I put the Sulfodene on his belly, and my DD said "Oh, I didn't wash him THERE. Oops!" :doh::doh::doh: Argh! 

In any case he does look a bit better today, and later we're going to just wash his belly with the medicated shampoo. We're going for a play date tomorrow at a pond--hooray, fresh water!--and he'll get another bath tomorrow. I know you're not supposed to wash them a lot, but the Merck Vet manual said that you should do so for for pyoderma--2x a week or so--using the medicated shampoo. Oh, how we worry and fuss about the fur babies!


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## Pammie

OutWest said:


> Licky Stick--great invention


What is a licky stick?!!! I Googeled and didn't find anything. 

Glad to hear Tucker and his rash and doing better!


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## OutWest

Pammie said:


> What is a licky stick?!!! I Googeled and didn't find anything.
> 
> Glad to hear Tucker and his rash and doing better!


It's called Lickety Stik. Looks like a container of roller-ball deodorant. As the dog licks it, the ball rolls around and more flavor is dispensed. I got the chicken flavor and both dogs love it. I use it when putting stuff on them. They get totally focused on licking it and ignore what else is going on. You can tie it to something if you need to free up your hands. I found it at a local pet store and tried it on a whim. Made by a company called PetSafe. Here's a link: Natural Dog Treats | Liquid Cat Treats | Pet Training Treats | PetSafe

DD's friend just came over, so I tasked them with the belly washing and ointment applying. Much grimacing by DD. The ointment smells pretty bad. But Tucker's crashed next to me. Hope this all works, or we're off to the vet in a couple days.


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## Nyahsmommy

So we just got back from the vet and I already know I am not going to like him... first off he barely spoke english and he could either not read english or had horrible vision because he had to get a tech to pic out the vaccinations from the fridge cause he couldnt see the right ones. :S We got suckered into a lyme disease vaccine. I regret it now but theres lots of ticks in our area and she always rolls around in the forest by our house, plus one of our cats got one a few weeks ago so I panicked. He also basically said Nyah is going to live until 10 and thats it. I don't know why but I am not impressed.

Oh and how much do your pups weigh now? Nyah put on quite a bit of weight. Last check up she was 56 pounds she is now 63 . Is that too heavy? Should I be cutting back?


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## OutWest

Nayasmommy...a different vet is definitely in order. Ten years of life, my a+s! Silly man. Who gives predictions like that. 

I suspect Nyah's weight is just fine at 65 but think you should refer to the Purina body chart. I still think that's the best thing going because it helps determine what is correct for the individual dog. Purina.Com | Dog | Caring | Understanding your Dog's Body Condition. It really depends on bone structure, height, etc. Tucker is at 72. 

I really wish someone would prepare a BMI chart for GRs. There's so much info available--shouldn't be that hard to do.


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## Nyahsmommy

Oh and he also said to put cotton balls in her ears when she swims?? I have never heard of it... I would be worried they would get lodged in her ears when wet. He says if she gets an ear infection its impossible to cure and she will have ear probs for life. :doh:

I'm not sure of her height but I really should find out. Here is a recent pic of her


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## OutWest

Nyahsmommy said:


> Oh and he also said to put cotton balls in her ears when she swims?? I have never heard of it... I would be worried they would get lodged in her ears when wet. He says if she gets an ear infection its impossible to cure and she will have ear probs for life. :doh:
> 
> I'm not sure of her height but I really should find out. Here is a recent pic of her


She looks greato me.


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## Pammie

Nyah looks fabulous!!!!
Bryley weights 68#..

Dump that loser!! I especially don't like the vision thing. That makes me nervous!:uhoh:
I have heard the advice of cotton balls in ears for baths, but for swimming I would be afraid once they got soggy it would be even worse than just water in the ear.

Lickety Stik <--Bryley wants!!!!!!


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## mrmooseman

I wouldn't trust that vet! We lucked out with ours. She is the best and everytime we bring Moose in, the assistant is always so excited and knows him as soon as she sees him (I don't know if thats a good thing or not.. too many visits cause I'm a crazy mom? haha) and after Moose has his teeth extracted, the vet personally called us herself to see how he was doing and I thought that was wonderful.

I hate to admit it.. your pups all seem a healthy weight.. Moose is 92 pounds. But the vet keeps reassuring us that he is a healthy weight for the size of him. To me, he seems short. He does have stubby legs, but compared to other goldens, he is so much bigger, not taller, just I guess in mass? He's my big baby though!


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## Nyahsmommy

Megan - Nyah's old vet was like that, she was sooo helpful and never suggested any shot she didn't need etc. the techs loved. This new place they seemed annoyed that she was so friendly. I wish we could take her back to her old vet but it's so far away now. It's hard to find a good vet... The cats old vet(different from Nyah's old vet) was useless and barely spoke english as well.

I think moose is a good weight. In all of his pic he looks great... It's just like people they have different structures. If he was 70lbs he would probably look really skinny and ill. I was just surprised because last time she was at the vet she was so little.. Although that was back in feb so I guess she grew a lot since then.., plus bfs mom has been watching her a lot lately and I know she's stuffing her with treats. Sigh.


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## jluke

*Tuesday Night Catch-up*

Hi all!

Jay -- congrats on Guybrush's training promotion! That's great news for both of you.

Dexter and friends -- stop that marking... Moms have enough laundry and cleaning up to do.

Michelle -- isn't it great when our pups get such a nice compliment like Koda's for walking so nicely?  On her eating, do you think putting a bit of something really yummy like some bits of boiled chicken breast in with her kibble might get her to eat it all? Or would she just pick out the chicken?

Kathleen -- sorry about Tucker's rash and all the extra care. Thanks for passing on the info about the Lickety Stick. Do you think if I used one I might be able to put on Maisie's flea and tick goop by myself? Right now it takes both DH and me.

Speaking of ticks, DD and I took one off Maisie's snout(!) yesterday evening. We seem to have a lot more around this year.

Kim -- Nyah looks great to me, really beautiful and with a nice tuck. Maisie weighs about the same 63 - 65 pounds, with a good tuck. Her waist is a bit hard to see since she's very "wooly", but if you feel for it, it's there. She's not as sleek looking as Nyah, more an English style build (and, I admit, a bit broad in the rear -- not fat, just wide bones. I don't think she'd show well, but she's not for show...)

Maisie and I enjoyed a sunny walk this afternoon. She sat to greet two older men who were approaching and one complimented her good manners. She looked at him, turning her head like she knew what he was saying. He said, "That dog could be in Hollywood!" Of course, he didn't see the two of us on our way home when she gave me a hard time playing leash tug-of-war. Sigh... Every time I think we've gotten past the teen times, I get an episode that shows we're not. Patience...


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## Guybrush

Hi everyone,

All the pups have gotten so big! They don't look like puppies anymore. Guybrush is 74 pounds! Being an English blood line he is only going to get bigger.

Nyah - that vet sounds like bad news, try and find someone else. We are lucky we have been going to the same vet for the last 35 years longer than I've been alive.

Maisie - Guybrush is just the same, perfect and getting complements one second jumping around biting the leash the next. Yesterday he was after the leash so much that he managed to bite me, I have a really nice bruise and hole in my leg from that.

Tucker - hope your rash gets better. Also Guybrush wants your lickety stick.

Boy Pups - Stop marking things! Its really annoying and smelly.


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## OutWest

As I type this, I'm trying to get Tucker to settle down on my bed. I thought I'd keep him out of the crate tonight so he'd get more air on his belly. In the crate he curls up into a ball. Outside the crate he's more likely to stretch out full length. 

But he's poking around my room being nosy and showing no signs of settling so I think our little experiment is about to end. :no: He's just too excited to be loose in my room because he rarely is. Silly boy! 

I put Gold Bond powder all over his belly to dry it off. Boy that stuff really is medicated! What strong smell it has. :yuck:


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## OutWest

jluke said:


> Kathleen -- sorry about Tucker's rash and all the extra care. Thanks for passing on the info about the Lickety Stick. Do you think if I used one I might be able to put on Maisie's flea and tick goop by myself? Right now it takes both DH and me.


I think you could do it with one person with a little practice. I've done it with Tucker, but he gets so excited to be licking the "stick" that he tries to get up to get to it. But I have successfully done it. I think some groomers tie it to something, and place it in front of the dog to free up their hands. Suspect they use it for dogs and puppies unaccustomed to being groomed.


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## Nyahsmommy

Thanks guys, ya I think she is just find. I was just worried because I know she has been gaining weight since she has been at grandmas so much. Well they go away for a month soon so things will even out again.

I also forgot to mention the vet couldn't tell if she was a girl or boy and when I said girl he kept calling her a he. Oy!


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## jluke

*Vet -- ?!?!?*

Kim -- I forgot to comment on Nyah's vet visit when I posted last night. Boy, that sounds like a bad one. I hope you can find someone you like better and who you have confidence in soon. It makes such a difference, doesn't it? We've been so lucky -- Maisie sees the same vet that we started with over 15 years ago with Sadie our Rainbow Bridge rescue GR so we know the vet so well and have been through many, many experiences with her. Good luck.

Kathleen -- thanks for the suggestion on how to use the Lickety Split.

And Jay, I appreciate the encouragement. Sounds like Guybrush and Maisie are kindred spirits...


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## baumgartml16

Kim - that does not sound like a good vet to me. What is he basing his life expectancy off of? That is ridiculous to say to a dog owner. And the vision, lack of english, overall comments - i would get out!

So sorry to those of you dealing with the leash walking issues! We went through that for quite some time and here and there she will do it still but when she does we make a quick game of it and run, tug, whatever and then we stop and sit and calm down. It has seemed to work!

Koda is 75 lbs. - sounds huge for a girl but she is just that - a big girl! She is very tall and the vet thinks she looks great! She hasn't been gaining anymore in the last few months (we go and have her weighed every couple weeks) so she is at her weight now! It definitely all depends on their build and muscle mass. 

Kathleen - thanks for the suggestion on the Lickety Stick, this might save us some hard times! Also on letting him out of his crate - it took a night or two for Koda to get used to being out of the crate. She would walk around and lay down and sniff..we put her back in the crate and she panicked. So we dealt with it for a night or two and now she comes up in bed for a few minutes, goes to the floor and curls up in the same spot every night! He is just adjusting to new surroundings at his bedtime. Is he allowed in your room at other times of the day or is that a blocked off room?

We have an exciting weekend coming up - puppy play date on saturday with her best friend and our friends new puppy (well she is 5 months now). Then Sunday we are taking her to a lake that we found out allows dogs so she is going to be in heaven!  Can't wait!


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## jluke

*Weekend Plans*

Michelle -- your weekend plans sound like great puppy fun. We have plans, too, though they're not quite so dog-centered. We have some relatives, my cousin's daughter and her family, staying overnight Saturday. There will be 3 children, 2 school aged, but one about 6 months. The only children that age Maisie has met have been in strollers around the neighborhood and in the beach town so she hasn't had an "close encounters". This should be a real learning experience and both Maisie and the baby will need to be closely supervised. But as I told my cousin (or is that first cousin once removed?), if either of them seems overwhelmed, we can use the baby gates to separate them! If anyone has tips for dogs and teenage pups, Maisie and I can use them...


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## Nyahsmommy

Michelle - I think the vet was basing that on the fact that she is a large breed dog and nothing else. At our old apartment there was a lab on our floor that was 15 so ha to him.

Nyah is starting to be picky about food again. She doesn't run to her food bowl anymore I have to coax her to it and try to get her to eat by hand feeding her or sprinkling it on the floor. The problem is that the kibble is smaller so now the cats are eating it because nyah lets it sit all day. We left her alone today and bfs sister is coming over at noon. Which means the cats will eat her food and one of the cats is sensitive to grains so she will have bad Diarreah all night now . :s

In ontario it is a long weekend so I am excited for three days off! Yay! No big plans though, I am going to paint the computer room Saturday and probably take Nyah to the beach but not much else. We might explore and look for a dp in the area, she hasn't interacted with many dogs lately other then ones in the neighbourhood. I think other than that we are going to take it easy.... Every weekend since we moved people have been coming over so I'm hoping for no more visitors this weekend. Lol


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## Dexter12

Nyahsmom: I really think a new vet is a good idea, cotton balls in the ears while swimming is terrible advice. I don't even think you're supposed to have cotton balls any where near her ear canal. Her weight looks good, she looks pretty happy and healthy to me. Dex at this point I think weighs over 75lbs but he's always been a big guy, he's not really growing anymore but it does seem like he has been filling out a little.

Jill: That's awesome that you got that compliment! Sorry that she's giving you a hard time though, those teenaged dogs, eh?

Outwest: I hope that Tucker's rash clears up soon, I always find it hard to watch Dex not acting himself when something is bothering him.

Michelle: playdates are always so much fun! Have a great time!

Dex is in trouble, this morning I took him out for his morning pee which is usually pretty routine. This time, there was a couple walking their husky and he went running across the field woofing at him. I was in my pjs, running down the road after him and finally caught up with him. I was completely out of breath from my unexpected morning jog and was the woman says "can you please get your dog so I can go" and I was mortified. Then instead of coming like he was supposed to, he ran to his friend Lucy's house which was even worse because the lady saw me yet again, running after him yet and must have thought I have no control over my dog, (which I do for the most part.) So I've broken down and I have ordered a Petsafe Wireless fence collar and remote thingy and it should be here in a week.


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## mayapaya

Hi everyone, another busy week!
Kathleen, your story about trying to keep Tucker in your room had me laughing. I've tried to do the same with Maya, and she paces and sniffs like crazy--there is no settling down with her, but once in her crate, she nods off immediately. Hopefully the rash is getting better?
Nyahsmommy, that vet sounds horrible, and Nyah looks perfect to me. Hope you can find a new one that makes you happy!
Michelle, sounds like a great weekend of fun! I'll be doing back to school shopping with my 13 year old--hard to believe the summer is winding down already!
Jill, my brother has a one year old girl, and I have to watch Maya and Pay like hawks. Even though I am successful in keeping them from jumping, at 60 pounds all Maya has to do is bump into my niece and she get's knocked over. My neighbor has a 6 months old, and Maya and Pay will smother him with kisses until the poor little guy starts crying...sigh...I think my two have a ways to go--perhaps Maisie will be more well behaved. In any event, keep a close eye!
Guybrush, sorry to hear about the leash biting injury--thankfully, that is the one thing my two have never done. And finally Dexter12, sounds like a morning sprint was not on your agenda for today? Smiled at your story--I think we've all been there a time or two! Payton goe's for her spay on Monday. I debated on the lap spay at a new vet, or just going with the traditional spay at the vet I've used for years. After reading Nyahsmommy's story, I just couldn;t bring myself to take Payton somewhere new. So, I'll be a basket case on Monday until I know all has gone well. Then the fun week and a half ahead of trying to keep Pay calm and her and Maya seperated......UGH....wish me luck. And for my final vent, my neighbor has three dogs--she can't even afford one, yet continues to add to the pack, and on top of it, she buys her dogs from petstores (GRRRRR)...the one male should be neutered, but now she is saying she can't afford it (who gets a dog without planning ahead). So now this 8 month old male (who frequently escapes their yard is going to be on the prowl. Hence, my urgency to get Pay in for her spay asap! Thanks for listening, and have a great weekend everyone!


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## Nyahsmommy

Dexter - I hate when the pups make us look back when they are great the rest of the time. Let us know how that wireless fence goes... we were going to get one for the back. We built removable fences to close of the yard instead (we are part of a townhouse complex).

Maya - Ya i wouldn't take her to a new vet but from the sounds of your neighbours stupidity I would get her spayed asap. We have decided after nyahs booster in a few weeks we are going to look for a new vet. We don't want to put the cats through the stress of taking them to several different vets.


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## OutWest

You all are having lively summers! It's fun to be able to come here and share "war stories.". :

Tucker's rash is on the way out. I think it was the Gold Bond powder. I've never used it before. It makes a thick coat on the skin. Stinks to high heaven. But it seems to have done the job. I also was using medicated shampoo so that might have contributed. But no antibiotics or steroids which was my goal. 

He did settle down and sleep on my bed the other night. I think the open air helped his rash, too. Thought he might not want to go back into the crate last night but he did, so I let him. 

He's really turning into a water dog. We went to a pond yesterday, with a couple of local GRF folks. Man--he had the best time. All the dogs did. It's a dog park in a larger park that is made up of old quarries. One quarry pond was set aside for dogs. It was great to have him swim in fresh water. Today he swam in the lagoon near our dog park but not part of it. Not strictly legal but many dog owners put their dogs in there. I have to rinse him really well when he gets out, though. 

Jill--I don't have any good advice for you regarding lively dogs and little humans. Thank goodness for baby gates! 

Kathleen


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## jluke

*Tonight's Thoughts...*

Mayapaya -- I'll be thinking of you and Payton next week when she has her spay surgery. I read and responded to your post about lap vs. conventional spaying -- completely understand choosing the vet you know and have confidence in. I'd do exactly the same thing.

And thanks for your comments about managing Maisie with my visiting little one. As my cousin said, it should be a "good learning experience for both baby and pup." But I'll be very close by and she'll be wearing a leash.

Oh Dexter! I can just see your mom doing the pj dash... Why do our wonderful puppies have to embarrass us? Because they're teenagers (just like our kids). It is nice to get the occasional compliment -- keeps me going through the jumping and leash tug-of-war times. Jay, sorry to hear of your bruises. I lived through the same thing, but it's just a now and then thing with Maisie finally -- once or twice a week.

Kim -- I forgot to mention that I thought the vet's comment about the life expectancy of GR's was just awful and also off-base. I think I've read that it averages about 12 years an of course can't be predicted for any particular dog. Our first GR, a rescue, lived to about 14.

Happy almost weekend...


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## baumgartml16

Jill - good luck with the baby! I am sure Maisie's natural instincts will kick in and she will know to be gentle with her! I have heard SO many stories about dogs "just knowing" with babies!!

Kim - we are hitting a good patch with our food issue. We feed Koda Fromm and switch up the flavors so now we have bought two smaller bags of two different flavors and switch it up every few days or maybe at each meal, whatever we feel. Plus we are now putting two small spoonfuls of plain, nonfat yogurt in her meals and mixing it up. She LOVES it. She has actually started to sit next to us while we prepare it again, that hadn't happened in a long time! Might want to try the yogurt!?

Dex - you little stinker. Sorry but I had to giggle a little bit when it got to the second take off by Dex. Picturing the running in PJ's around the neighborhood sounds like its straight out of a movie! LOL We are putting the electric fence in this October too I think. Never had a problem wtih Koda going anywhere but just for our own peace of mind.

Kathleen - so glad to hear the rash is getting better!! 

Chris - thanks for the update! I can't imagine the life of two teenager puppies, I commend you on even finding the time to come on and catch up!  Good luck with Payton's surgery, I am sure it will go fine. The hardest part, as I am sure you remember, is the time afterwards but you went through it not too long ago so hopefully this time will go even smoother!

One last story - yesterday I was in a hurry when I left for work in the morning and gave Koda her kong with a little peanut butter, locked the doors and headed out. My husband calls me when he got home at 5ish and said I never put the gate up that day so she had the WHOLE house! His mom came by at noon to drop some stuff off and thought we had started giving her the whole house so she left the gate down again...Koda was perfect! Not a single thing damaged or even moved. I could tell she had been laying on the couch (she is allowed) and was sitting in the window when my mother in law came back in the afternoon. She was a very very good girl so starting Monday we are going to start doing that every day!  We need to learn to trust her more!


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## jluke

*Hurrah for...*

... Whole-House Koda!! That's great! And it'll make life simpler for her humans, too. We're about ready to start Maisie on the whole house, finally. The wallpaper hanger should start and finish next week. Then we have some travel planned, and then, following Koda's good example, it'll be Maisie's turn.

Michelle -- when DH and I are away, Maisie's dinner time will be pushed a little later due to the sitter's schedule. I've been thinking of giving her a Kong again. What do you -- and others -- use as low-cal Kong stuffers? Thx.


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## OutWest

jluke said:


> ... Whole-House Koda!! That's great! And it'll make life simpler for her humans, too. We're about ready to start Maisie on the whole house, finally. The wallpaper hanger should start and finish next week. Then we have some travel planned, and then, following Koda's good example, it'll be Maisie's turn.
> 
> Michelle -- when DH and I are away, Maisie's dinner time will be pushed a little later due to the sitter's schedule. I've been thinking of giving her a Kong again. What do you -- and others -- use as low-cal Kong stuffers? Thx.


Jill, Tucker's bedtime Kong is filled with the last of his kibble for the day and plugged with PB. Sometimes I take an overripe banana, mash it with a bit of PB and stuff it with that, then freeze it. He's ecstatic with both. 

I think for Tucker to get the run of the house, his humans will have to clean up their respective acts--literally! I've always been a bit cluttery, and my daughter has learned from me. . So there are usually a few things here and there on the floors of our rooms. The items that worry me most for Tucker are my daughter's clothes, which she has a tendency to leave _outside_ the hamper, on the floor. Tucker is fond of her socks. So until we clean up our acts, no freedom for Tucker. although I can't say he really minds because one of us is almost always in the living room or in the computer room which are his rooms.


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## Dexter12

He did it again! 

My mom came over and her and my significant other went to a neighbour's to get some eggs. Dex pushed his way out of the door and then ran down the street after my mom and SO and my mom said "can't you get him training lessons or something." :doh:

Dex has this really bad habit of forgetting any rules or manners when there are people over.. what a dink.


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## baumgartml16

Yay for Maisie! I am excited to start letting her have the house, I won't feel as bad leaving her home. 

For the Kong - we mix it up but banana is always the main part of her kong. I mash up a banana first and then i raid the fridge for goodies. Sometimes it is a spoonful of fat free cottage cheese along with a tablespoon of peanut butter, sometimes i will put some blueberries with a teaspoon of PB with the banana, i do watermelon and a teaspoon of PB...she loves PB so it always makes it a "better" treat for her.

I use banana as a base though for every kong. I have done a fat free yogurt one too once and she likes that. I was just buying too much yogurt and bananas are cheap!


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## Pammie

That Dexter is a mischievous scamp!!! :nono: 
We have worked hard at teaching Bryley to lay down and wait when we go out the door to the garage. (this is our main way we go in and out of the front of the house) The front door we have not worked on at all, so he would probably pull the same as Dex given a chance. Is your street busy with a lot of cars?

Kong filling...my usual is rice, cottage cheese and minced up left-over meat pieces. Always goes over real well. My pup loves rice!


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## Dexter12

Pammie said:


> That Dexter is a mischievous scamp!!! :nono:
> We have worked hard at teaching Bryley to lay down and wait when we go out the door to the garage. (this is our main way we go in and out of the front of the house) The front door we have not worked on at all, so he would probably pull the same as Dex given a chance. Is your street busy with a lot of cars?


He *is* a scamp! 

Usually "stay" works but I could try "down" that might work even better. I've gotten both him and his friend Lucy to come inside and sit before getting a treat so I could probably work on that with him too. Naw, the roads aren't busy at all, there's a car every five or ten minutes. I think the one concern would be people driving down the hill, it doesn't give very good visibility and people like to drive down it quickly.


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## ms_summer

Just wanted to officially introduce myself -- I'm Mari and as of yesterday, both vet and trainer confirmed that my babygirl Summer is a teenager! We've been dealing with a very cute, bratty teenager that also LOVES to run away from the house every time she sees somebody coming in/out of the door. 

She is not crazy stubborn at the moment, because let me be honest, my dog has been wild and stubborn from day 1! She also seemed to forget all her commands (on purpose, I'm sure!) so I enrolled her in obedience classes all over again (since we had a trainer come to the house when she was a puppy and I thought it would be fun to go to a class instead...). So we're back to classes and yesterday little miss was acting up already --- the usual talking back, barking, whining, "I'm so boreeeeed mom, get me outta here!" look while the instructor talked to me. She is my monster dog, but man, oh man, she can be SOOOOO cute all the time it makes it hard for me to be mad at her! 

So, yeah... I'm sure we will be here often, since everyday Summer decides to do something new... Trainer said though, that she will start to calm down around 9 months... so I'm hoping she is correct,


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## OutWest

Welcome Mari and Summer. I think your vet is optimistic about when she'll calm down! But each dog is an individual. 

Dexter you naughty boy! :no::no::no: It's hard to stay mad for long at such a cute face. But it does get old when they decide to be rambunctious with an audience.  I get those looks from my sister too. Sort of, "I thought he was trained. Why don't you try Cesar Millan's tips?"


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## Dexter12

Welcome to teenaged hood, Summer. Welcome Mari! :wavey:

Dex has his moments, he really isn't this bad usually. I think my plan of action is to work on more commands while his collars comes. He really seems to be testing us recently.


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## Pammie

:wavey:Welcome to Mari and Summer!!
around 9 months was the absolute worst of Bryley's naughtiness! :--devil:
and I don't think Bryley really started to calm down until last week! LOL!!!


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## jluke

*Tonight's Hi!*

Welcome Mari and Summer! Sorry, Mari -- I have to agree that Maisie's worst teenage behavior (for her leash tug-of-war and jumping while walking) peaked around 9 - 10 months. Oh well -- like you said, it's a good thing they're so darn cute!

Dexter -- as somebody said, you really are a scamp! I wonder if the down-stay that your mom mentioned would help. I have Maisie do a sit-stay every time before a door or gate opens here -- started from the beginning since we're in a suburban area of the city and I was worried about traffic especially during school traffic times. (We're close to several private and public schools.)

Thanks for all the tasty Kong ideas. I'll have to try them out on Maisie gradually since she's had a few GI upsets. I was surprised the other day -- DD gave her a small piece of watermelon and Maisie loved it! One of our other GRs loved apple chunks. For peanut butter, I guess I can try my low cal version.

Maisie met an 8 month old on our walk today, so she got a mini-intro to a baby before our guests arrive tomorrow. She did fine, although she really wanted to lick his face. But she backed off when I told her she couldn't. We'll see...

Have a great weekend!


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## Guybrush

Hi everyone and welcome to Mari and Summer,

Summer - Stop being a bratty teenager calm down! Some how I don't think she will listen. Good luck with your new teen dog.

Dex - Stop running down the street it makes your owner look bad! Hopefully you will learn with the help of your new collar.

Maisie - Little kids are so much fun, Guybrush isn't allowd around them without his halti and lead so he doesn't get over excited. Though he is much better now than 3 years ago.

The bruise I got looks a lot worse than it is, due to my disability I bruise super easily so it looks like I have had a huge bite! Its about 2 inches in diameter and has a bloody scrape in the middle . This jumpy leash biting only happens when he is not on his halti or using a chain leash.

This morning Guybrush had the zoomies! He normally only zooms at night but he went into the backyard for is morning bathroom break and the proceeded to zoom everywhere! It was quite strange and very funny.

We are off to an agility comp to watch the seniors at our training club compete today, one day that will be my mischeivious pup coming when called and not running away.

Guybrush has had run of the living room, kitchen, family room, master bedroom and computer room when we aren't home for about 2 weeks and so far he is doing wonderful. But then he has never pick up anything of the floor or tables which he wasn't already allowed! He is an angel inside the house and a devil outside.

Have a fun weekend everybody.


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## mayapaya

jluke said:


> ... Michelle -- when DH and I are away, Maisie's dinner time will be pushed a little later due to the sitter's schedule. I've been thinking of giving her a Kong again. What do you -- and others -- use as low-cal Kong stuffers? Thx.


Hi Jill, If you or anyone else want to PM me your e-mail, I can send you a two page Kong recipe list--all sorts of ideas! I actually just found it over the weekend during a much needed paper cleansing session (who needs a shredder, I should have just let my two loose with the pile of paper!!) Anyways, I scanned it into a PDF file this morning, so if anyone is interested, just let me know. 

Happy rest of weekend to all...Payton's spay is tomorrow--I'm already a nervous wreck


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## Nyahsmommy

Awww Payton's spay will go just fine - I promise 

As for kong's we usually stuff it with a high quality wet dog food and put it into the freezer. She loves it, it cools her down in the heat and it keeps her busy for a bit. Sometimes I stuff it with peanut butter and banana and freeze it. 

Today is a yucky raining day but we managed to take her on a little hike to this waterfall we discovered. Theres more to the trail but thats another day. We went to pet smart and we met a 3 month old yellow lab girl. They loved each other and the woman loved Nyah so much... they had to put down their 13 y/o golden a few months ago and said she looked identical to Nyah and that was the best dog she ever had... she was really sad. I felt so bad. She said they got the lab because goldens shed so bad but I can tell she really wanted a golden again.


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## mayapaya

Here's the Kong recipes if this works. I admit I haven't tried many of these. I pretty much stick with banana, a bit of peanut butter, and some cherrios, but maybe it's time to switch it up!


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## OutWest

*My new talent*

I have now perfected the art of throwing a ball while: laying on a patio swing with ice on my knee, typing on an iPad, and snacking on yogurt. I have a large towel on my lap. Tucker's gotten really good at dropping the ball onto the towel (keeps clothes clean). I throw the ball, then wipe my hand on the towel. Neither of us misses a beat. Such talent. 

Hope you all are having a terrific weekend.


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## Dexter12

So much for laying down, he ended up rushing the door as soon as it was opened but I'll keep working on it.


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## jluke

*Maisie versus Baby...*

Well, as you all predicted the weekend encounter was successful. Thanks for your good thoughts, including your recent post, Jay. Maisie did lick the 11 month old's toes a few times, but that just made the little one giggle and Maisie very happy!

One of my cousin's daughters started the weekend as not much of a dog fan and ended it by being very pleased that Maisie would sit and lie down when she gave those commands. She even liked getting slobbery kisses!

In general, Maisie wanted to be in the middle of things, but stayed pretty calm and sat when I told her to -- like when she was getting too close to the little one. Hurray!


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## baumgartml16

Jill - so glad it went that well with the baby!  What a huge success!! On a side note, I buy all natural peanut butter to give to Koda so there aren't all the extra crap in it. Koda LOVES watermelon too! Before Koda I would always eat some when I cut it up, now it goes one in the bowl, one for Koda, one for me LOL. 

Welcome Mari and Summer - hope the teenage phase goes by fast for you! 

Chris - I am sure Payton's spay will go just fine, but I know leaving them anywhere can be hard!  Be sure to update us when you hear how she did!!

Kathleen - I am super jealous of your multitasking! Koda still isn't that gung ho about retrieving and gets distracted easily. Downstairs she does really well and has helped with her getting out of control and losing focus when playing. I bring treats and she gets one if she brings it back and drops it for me. Outside doens't last as long, too many things for her to sniff.

This weekend was tons of fun! Saturday we had a play date with her boyfriend (the neighbor dog) and a 4 month old red fox lab. Koda and the puppy were in love! They got along so great! The puppy looks so much like Koda did because she is a darker lab and she acted exactly like Koda when she was a pup. I think they will grow up as best friends for sure, just like their parents!  Here are two pictures:

















Then Sunday it was beautiful, first nice day in over a month so we went to a state park for a nice hike!  She had so much fun and didn't want to leave, found a shady spot and laid down refusing to go. We sat for a little while with her but eventually got her to leave the park!

















Happy Monday everyone!


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## mayapaya

Jill, so happy to hear your weekend went well. It's on occasions like these that we get to have those proud mommy moments, and are rewarding for all those countless hours of training!!! 

"Tucker's Got Talent"--I like it, Kathleen, multi-tasking at it's best!

Dropped Payton off for her spay this morning, and then got in the car and cried. I'm such a sap. I'm sure she'll be fine, but I miss my baby already. Poor Maya is wandering around the house aimlessly, looking for her sister. I get to check in on her in 45 minutes--fingers crossed all is going well!


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## Nyahsmommy

I have puppy fever! There are two lab puppies in our complex and we found more about them last night. The people with the 3 month old black lab pup just lost their old yellow lab 3 months ago and got a new pup right away. The man next door has an 8 week old yellow lab... apparently he trains guide dogs so he gets a new pup to train ever 2 months... grrrr I am always going to see a young pup around here which is *not* a good thing. Grrrr.

I love long weekends! We took Nyah on an hour long hike early this morning by the beach before it gets too hot and Nyah had a blast. She was trying to pull in the lake but there has been warnings not to swim lately because of some blue algae or something thats toxic? Didn't want to take a chance. We did see a young pup golden on our walk though... he looked like he was 9-10 months or so? He keps pulling to see nyah but the people walking him didn't stop.  She is now passed out in the basement cooling off. lol


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## ms_summer

i am glad y'all had a great weekend! BUT, can i whine a little? 

our weekend was HORRIBLE! summer has received the "world's worst dog" award this weekend, i swear :doh: let me start by saying that she decided naps are overrated. that does mean that we had a very energetic, yet sooo tired pup all weekend driving us c-r-a-z-y! :bowl:

friday - i took her for our morning walk at 5AM and everything was going fine and she was actually behaving really well until she saw my neighbor and her dogs walking from the park. she went crazy then and i made her sit til she calmed down, the neighbor came to say hi with the dogs, they did a little happy dance, jumped yada yada yada and off we went. after that she was ALL over the place -- and although she knows better, since we walk by cactus everyday, she decided to get into it! it was way too fast and i was answering a call from hubby (he is away on training for two weeks!) and kinda blame myself for not getting her away from it like i usually do (although like i said, she knows how to keep away from them!) .... anyway, baby girl had thorns all over her face and tongue and it broke my heart seeing it! i forgot about hubby on phone, and tried to work on her face and she kept crying and crying... finally she stopped and sat still and let me remove all the thorns with my socks (cuz they were hurting SO bad on me too, can't even imagine the pain she was going thru!) so walk was over, called the vet immediately and she told me to keep an eye on her and in case she got an allergic reaction to take her in for some Benadryl. She was great though, and even got to go on her play date with neighbor's dogs. 

However, friday night I get a text from neighbor saying she was going to her cabin for the weekend and was taking summer's BFF with her. i knew then that we'd have a long weekend with little miss. my monster dog p just has too much energy and her walks, swimming and playing fetch alone do not tire that girl, i swear! reason she plays for an hour in the morning and an hour at night with the neighbor's dog everyday, apart from her activities with us... 

ok, so back to the horrible weekend: we took her swimming on saturday, she was pulling like crazy on the leash (never did that before!), ignoring the commands, jumping on dogs, us, whining, barking, a total mess! at night she saw i was getting ready to go out and got upset. it took us 10 trips in and out of the house to make her go potty! i swear she was doing that on purpose so i'd stay home with her! 

sunday though, O-M-G! i took her on a hike and she was going crazy seeing the bunnies, ducks and other dogs and people. pretty normal for a puppy, i'd say! she pulled sooooo much my arms are sore (and it took us three hours instead of one and a half to complete the trail because i had to stop all the time to work on the loose leash technique :doh after like two hours, she decided she was no longer a dog, but a duck! and tried to jump in a canal to go after them! of course, she took me with her! :doh::doh::doh: 

i did the horrible mistake of stopping at dunkin donuts on my way home to get some breakfast and monster dog stole a donut from a toddler and yeah... first time that happened! she usually does not steal food from people, especially people she doesn't know, lol! :bowl: 

we came home and she was still going strong, no naps for 3 days and her eyes were so red, but she kept fighting sleep hard! at night i figured she'd relax around bed time, but nope! i went to bed at around 10pm because well, no naps for her = no naps for me and i was TIRED! woke up at 11pm, 3am and 5am with summer barking at NOTHING! at 5.30 i just gave up and got ready for our walk... again, pulling like crazy. however, there's hope!!! neighbor's dog is coming home tonight so we will have play dates again! 

gotta congratulate myself though for keeping my cool and being consistent with training (although i did say OFF 10918313 times and she got like a million treats every time i had to trade something with her... she got into a lot of bad stuff this weekend lol!) 

it will get better, just gotta remind myself that everyday! now i'm off to try and take a looooong nap (she finally decided naps are good for her again!!!) and hopefully when i wake up she will be a 2 year old already 

hope y'all have a good Monday! :smooch:


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## ms_summer

mayapaya said:


> Dropped Payton off for her spay this morning, and then got in the car and cried. I'm such a sap. I'm sure she'll be fine, but I miss my baby already. Poor Maya is wandering around the house aimlessly, looking for her sister. I get to check in on her in 45 minutes--fingers crossed all is going well!


Praying everything will go excellent for your girl


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## OutWest

*
Dropped Payton off for her spay this morning, and then got in the car and cried.*

Not to worry--I did that, too. I felt bad all day! Sending good thoughts to you baby girl.


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## Pammie

mayapaya said:


> Dropped Payton off for her spay this morning, and then got in the car and cried.


I would (will!) cry, too! 
Did you hear anything yet? Can't wait til your baby is back home all safe and sound!

Summer has me exhausted from all her antics! But I laughed and gasped at her stealing the toddlers donut!!

Cute pics of Koda and her gang!

Good girl Maisie!!! Love the toe licked giggling little one!


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## OutWest

*Neutering* when I left Tucker he started whining and crying. It was the worst. I spent the day a nervous guilty wreck. But he came out of it just fine. Except that now he's afraid of the vets office. We've been working on that by visiting for no reason, giving him treats, etc. 

*Mari* have you checked out the nothing in life is free (NILF) info on here? It might help you with Summer a lot. I think the hallmark of adolescence is that they get selective hearing and blow off anybody who wants them to do anything (just like human teens!). Sometimes you have to go back to basics, and NILF might help. Also, you might try giving her some melatonin. It's a harmless natural supplement many people take as a sleep aid. In dogs (about 80% of dogs supposedly) it acts as a calming agent. Some people give it before road trips, walks, visits to the vet, etc. I used to give it to Tucker when he was a hyper puppy, right before bed. I think it helped him a lot. I opened the capsules and mixed the powder into warm goats milk. 

*Michelle* your weekend sounds great. I've never heard of a red fox lab but that puppy sure is cute. I loved the pictures. 

*Dexter*--enough already with the door dashing out stuff! Maybe he just needs to be on a short lead at all times? So you can step on it before opening the door? 

Our weekend was pleasant but unexceptional save for one thing. My DD got a job at a crafts store! She's 16 and this is her first. I'm very proud of her. She had the interview yesterday morning (who gives interviews on Sunday mornings???), and got called in the afternoon to come in for orientation today at 10am. I have decidedly mixed feelings. Glad for her , but I still don't have a job! :doh: :bowl: Sometimes life is strange.


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## ms_summer

Thank you for the tip!!! I will definitely look into it! And yeah, we are now doing the NILF with her, and it goes pretty good usually! She has to work for her food, toys and time in the backyard, walks and so on 

My trainer said she just gets bored very, very easily and basically can get into trouble fast  plus, she is a stubborn one!! but i love her so much and wouldn't change a thing about my naughty girl!


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## ms_summer

Oh, by the way, do you think the melatonin would actually make her sleep a little longer? She has (at least I think so and will post a picture so you can see also) bags under her eyes and I wonder if that's not from sleeping too little. The girl goes non stop!!! 

_PS: The horrible white blanket is not always on my car trunk, but until i find a better solution to prevent all the hair in my seats and trunk, that's what we're going with lol!_


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## Guybrush

Summer! You do not steal doughnuts from children!

She sounds like she was over tired all weekend, does she have a crate for enforced naptime? Teen pups can be so stubborn about something.

We have a treadmill which we put Guybrush on to help drain his energy, as well as going on 2 walks a day and a head halter to stop pulling. Walking without the halter is a nightmare!

Called Guybrush's breeder yesterday and found out his brother was just finished a stay with them and had to stay inside the house on the last day so he didn't turn into a muddy black dog. Sounds like Guybrush is going to have a ball when he goes there in a few days. Yet I am still nervous


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## OutWest

ms_summer said:


> Oh, by the way, do you think the melatonin would actually make her sleep a little longer? She has (at least I think so and will post a picture so you can see also) bags under her eyes and I wonder if that's not from sleeping too little. The girl goes non stop!!!
> 
> _PS: The horrible white blanket is not always on my car trunk, but until i find a better solution to prevent all the hair in my seats and trunk, that's what we're going with lol!_


It might help her sleep more--worth a try! When I first gave it to Tucker he slept through the night in his crate for the first time. I got the impression it didn't make him sleepy so much as just a bit mellow and relaxed. The warm goats milk might have helped too. Working on the theory that warm milk makes human kids sleepy, I wanted to give him some. Found out that many dogs don't digest cows milk well but have no problem with goats milk. So combined the melatonin and warm goats milk and voila! Snoozy puppy.


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## mayapaya

Thanks for the support, everyone! I posted an update in the puppies section. I'm pooped. It was a rough night, but Pay is already jumping around this morning, and looking no worse for wear. Keeping my two apart is like an aerobic workout. Set up gates on the first floor, gave Pay a bully stick, and Maya a bone, and ran upstairs to brush my teeth--sure enough I hear noises other than bone chewing, and Payton is trying to leap over the gate to get to Maya and her bone. Back in the crates they go, and looks like I am off to the pet store at lunch to get the cone of shame. Tried putting a tshirt on Pay, but she is still going at the incision. Going to try the soft one...wish me luck--I may be absent from the boards for awhile--these 10 days can't go fast enough for me! Kathleen, that is great news about your daughter getting a job. It's a tough market out there with alot of competition, so she must have made an amazing first impression. Hope Guybrush enjoys his visit--sounds like he will be well taken care of....hmmmmm. Melatonin----may have consider an evening beverage for Pay....


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## jluke

*Tuesday...*

Chris -- looking forward to hearing about Payton and thinking about both of you.

Michelle -- the pictures of Koda and her friends, canine and human are too, too cute! Thx for the tip about natural peanut butter for Kongs. I have a natural, low-cal type I get for myself and figured I'd share it with her. 

I loved hearing about Koda's boyfriend (although I don't know what a red fox Lab is). Maisie has a boyfriend in the neighborhood. Tuck (named after the Tucahoe River), a black Lab - Great Dane cross, was in the same puppy kindergarten. He's tall, dark and handsome and Maisie is blonde and curvy, so they make quite a cute couple!

Kim -- I know what you mean about puppy fever with the neighbor who has the guide dog to be puppies. There was a teacher at DD's former school who had a series of GR puppies from 16 weeks to 4 months who she did the basic training with then handed off for guide dog training. There were so cute -- and well-behaved and socialized since she was an expert and they came to school every day.

Summer -- stop wearing out your mom! You wore me out just reading her post!! I don't know what type of collar you're wearing, but maybe your mom might want to try a different one to help with pulling. Among those of us who post here, we use a variety -- head collars, martingales, martingale-style prong collars. And lots of us have done a lot of training to stop pulling. I'm finally getting through to Maisie with a combination of a "watch me" and a "good walking" praise/command.

We just got in from a late afternoon hot walk when we passed the rear of a house we often do. It has what I now call the "ball bush" -- a hedge about 6 feet thick. It must be too deep for the kids who play there to retrieve the lacrosse and tennis balls they lose in it. But Maisie walks right up to it, wiggles herself all the way in and always comes out with a ball. Today, it was a squishy tennis ball. Yuck! She carried it all the way home and now it's leaving dirt on the kitchen floor. Sigh...


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## jluke

*Tuesday Night...*

So happy to hear that Payton is doing well enough that she needs the cone of shame. Maisie liked her antler "extra much" while recovering from her spay. That's when I gave her some dog puzzles to do, too. But I didn't have two to manage... I'll be thinking of you.

Mari -- I have a lot of trouble with sleep management myself and routinely use melatonin. It works very well, but mainly affects sleep onset, not duration, although some scientists think it helps people (and dogs, I guess, stay asleep for longer periods during the night, reducing what's called "night time awakening"), but not the total length of sleep. My doc's direction to me was to take 3 mg of continuous release melatonin about 3 hours before I wanted to fall asleep. I think Kathleen is knowledgeable about the dose for dogs.

And I like your white blanket. We used something similar until Maisie gave my DH a PetSmart backseat cover for Christmas!

Kathleen -- congrats to your DD on her first job. That's a major achievement. Hang in there -- it's a tough market, but your time will come. A friend here just had a breakthrough and commented that she thinks things are finally easing up a bit. My DD just finished her paid (just a bit) summer internship at a material science company, an ideal fit for a young person who thinks she wants to major in chemistry. (Maisie actually "found" the job since the co-owner of the company teaches the Beyond Basic drop-in obedience class we attend from time-to-time and I learned about the opportunity chatting with her.  )


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## baumgartml16

Chris - continued thoughts for you and Payton as she continues to recover!  Hope things get easier with each day!!

Jill - I love how you descirbe Maisie and her boyfriend with the tall/dark/handsome and blond/curvy attributes! Too cute! 

Mari - for summer's pulling I would try an easy walk harness. We did the prong collar for a while but we felt it might be hurting her neck when she did still pull plus my big scared dog developed a fear of the prong collar so we switched to the harness and i love it SO much more. I know it isn't hurting her in any way and it keeps her from straining her neck so much because the leash is attached to the front of her chest. If she tries to pull I don't even notice because she corrects herself. Something to consider!


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## mayapaya

Thanks, Jill and Michelle--I think your good thoughts are working! I didn't need the cone after all. Payton has started to leave it alone, and it looks like it is healing nicely. They SOOOOOO want to play with each other. I have gates up seperating the living room/dining from the kitchen/family room, and keep alternating them from area to area, and outside to inside. Today the were licking each others faces over the gate (where's my darn camera when I need it!) It was so sweet to watch. then they started biting each others noses and faces--sisterly love!!!! 8 more days and counting.........have a great week everyone!


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## Guybrush

Well yesterday I dropped Guybrush off at the breeders, she was so happy to see him and was amazed by his looks and size. There were puppies there only 4 weeks old, Guybrush was amazed by them! I want one!

I felt bad leaving him there, but he was fine puppy watching and the breeder gets to show him off to prospective puppy owners 

Well I have to get packing for my trip. Have a fun few weeks without me


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## mayapaya

Guybrush said:


> Well yesterday I dropped Guybrush off at the breeders, she was so happy to see him and was amazed by his looks and size. There were puppies there only 4 weeks old, Guybrush was amazed by them! I want one!
> 
> I felt bad leaving him there, but he was fine puppy watching and the breeder gets to show him off to prospective puppy owners
> 
> Well I have to get packing for my trip. Have a fun few weeks without me


Safe travels to you, and it sounds like Guybrush will be well taken care of! I'm afraid I will not be making any more trips to Maya's breeder--that's how we came home with Payton! Puppies are irresistable!!! Michelle, I may need to try the easy walk with Maya. She was doing well with the prong, but suddenly is starting to pull again on our last few walks....


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## jluke

*Hi All!*

Maya and Payton -- I can just see you two playing kissy face over and through the gate. Too cute! (That's what Maisie and her "boyfriend" Tuck do after they tire themselves out...)

Jay -- have a wonderful vacay! Guybrush is so handsome, the prospective puppy buyers will be bowled over. And he will be a happy boy at the breeders until you come to fetch him. (When Maisie and I visited her breeder, Maisie remembered her -- got all wiggly and excited. I was lucky -- no little puppies at that time or I'd have wanted another one, too.)

It's been so hot here for the past week+ that I just scheduled a swimming time for Maisie at the indoor(!) pool. I have a coupon from our obedience class which was at the same facility. So, we'll go up there for a dip and then come home to root for the US women's soccer team.


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## Dexter12

We went and picked up the invisible fence for Dex today, and I've set it up.

The Petsafe Wireless fence is not bad besides some interference causing the boundries to move. I really wish that the boundary was just a little bit bigger and it would have been perfect. We've had to take him around and show him the flags three times because the first two times he completely ignored the collar with just the sound and then the first setting but he definitely paid attention to the collar with the second buzz setting. I'm going to show him the flags tomorrow morning and set the boundry with him again and keep doing that until he gets used to it.

I have lots of concerns and anxieties about the invisible fence, and it causing behavioural problems in Dex. I don't want him to become fearful of the yard and I really don't want him to become more agressive especially when we try to put the collar on him. Dex has a habit of becomming slightly aggressive if he does not want to do something; getting brushed, getting his feet dried or if he does not feel like having burrs taken off of him. 

I've tried the collar on, it was pretty funny and I should have made a video. The setting we have Dex on it feels like a tickle/tingle at first then it feels like a mild battery zap, it's sort of weird.


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## jluke

*Invisible Fence...*

Good luck with the fence training with Dexter. I'm sure he'll get the hang of it -- and probably pretty quickly, too. We trained our first rescued GR to a classic buried wire invisible fence and she learned in 2 training sessions. She was very reliable -- but she came to us at about 4 years old and hadn't been socialized with other dogs at all, so no matter what we did with the setting, she charged through the fence at other dogs. She didn't pursue squirrels or cats or rabbits though.

When we trained her, we did things like have my DD walk on the other side of the boundary with tempting food like real hot dogs and treats. Also with toys. All to make sure she was solid and wouldn't run through after things like that. It was all no use, though, since we could never trust her with other dogs walking past in our dog friendly neighborhood.


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## jluke

*Swimming!*

Maisie's swimming outing was great fun. She plunged right into the pool -- she sort of does a little leap of the end of the ramp (which makes me think she might leap off a dock, we'll have to see). The pet store that has the pool has a huge bucket of water toys and Maisie loves to swim after them, bring them back to me and give a huge shake to get me very wet. 

They have a self-service bath -- that part didn't go so well. Maisie is still somewhat afraid of metal things and she didn't want to go up the ramp into the tub even though she's done it before with me and at the groomers. But I eventually got her in an shampooed. I skipped the hair dryer which scares her. Fraidy pup!


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## Dexter12

Thanks Jill!

I'm glad that Maisie had just a great time swimming! Hopefully grooming will go better next time.


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## Dexter12

He seems to be getting the concept of the collar very quickly, his friend Lucy is over and at first he went over the boundary once or twice.


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## Pammie

Good that Dex is getting the hang of the invisible fence! Did Lucy run past the boundary and cause Dex to? _It's all Lucy's fault, mom!!!!!!_:

Jill, I think it is so cool that you guys have a dog pool in town! We have nothing like that around here in the boonies! Were there other dogs there for Maisie to play with?

It is freakin hot here! 100 degrees. A lot of playing in the hose outside and playing inside with the AC. The heat spell won't break until after the weekend. ugh...


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## jluke

*Water Dogs!*

Love the photos of Bryley in the hose!

And good for Dexter getting the hang of the collar -- he's a quick study.

No other dogs in the pool -- the rule is one at a time, I guess to prevent any problems with poorly socialized dogs. But that didn't seem to "dampen" Maisie's fun. She just kept retrieving the various toys and balls, dropping them at my feet -- throw it again, Mom -- and shaking so I was almost as wet as she was. 

DH and I saw Hope Springs and brought dinner home. Mid-way through eating, Maisie announce that she needed a walk, so out she and I went. She walked politely, visited with some neighbors, but when we got close to home, I was "treated" with a little outburst of jumping and leash tug of war. I think it was my reward for having a date with DH. :uhoh: At least these days the episodes don't last very long.


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## Dexter12

Guybrush: I'm sure he'll be fine and have a great time.

Pammie: Great pics, Bryley looks like she appreciates the cool off. 

Jill: What a goof! Way to interrupt a nice evening.

Pammie; yes, Dex saw Lucy go into the field and he really wanted to follow because usually it's where they do their buisness and he wanted to follow to supervise. The collar started beeping and he sort of had a little panic moment, so with a little tug of his leash I got him out of the zap zone. For the rest of the time that we were out though he wouldn't go close to the flags. It's going to take him a couple days to get the hang of it, but I do think he's starting to recognize the meaning of the flags. Last night we went over to the neighbours and he had a moment where he stopped before the flags and looked at me to make sure it was ok and then pulled my arm out of its socket (because he was told that we were going to see his beloved Lucy again.)


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## baumgartml16

Pam - love the pics of Bryley cooling off!  Sure looks happy!!

Jill - Maisie runs that household hey!? It's the same here with Koda...lol

Dexter - good job with the electric fence! Keep up the good work!

We were camping/tubing this weekend with our college friends that we do every year so I missed Koda like crazy! I was so glad to be back home yesterday...although now my husband is away for work this whole week. I am definitely out of my element when he is out of town...not a huge fan of being home alone and I just feel anxious/tense when all the responsibility of koda falls on me. I am always so concerned if she is okay without him around, if she is missing him or wondering where he is, i worry i am not doing enough for her and she isn't happy with just me...i know it is all so silly but i cant help it, i do this every time. I setup a playdate tonight, we are going by my parents tomorrow night and they are coming by me on wednesday night and then my husbands family is coming over thursday night to hang out so we will have stuff to do for sure. I just always want her to be happy and sometimes i dont feel like i am enough or i do too much and wear myself out...i feel like i make owning a dog into more work than it needs to be...


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## Nyahsmommy

Michelle - dogs are simple, we concerned momma's worry waaaay too much. Especially goldens who are very easy going... it takes a lot to make them unhappy.

Our weekend was great. We met up with a forum member/Nyah's littermate and it was great. It was raining so their play date kind of got ruined but we met up at a pet store instead. They look identical and personalities are identical. They definately knew they were sisters... I have never seen nyah kiss a dog's mouth so much before. Hopefully we can set up a real play date soon. 

We have been practicing having her off leash and recalling. She has done great. We take her on a quiet path near home and we let her off to run as she had sooo much energy. She ran to me and then bf and when we were walking she would walk ahead. If she was too far we would yell Wait and she peeled off to the grass to wait for us. Here are some pics.


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## Tucker's mommy

Hey, everybody! It's been a VERY long time since I've posted here. We've had a rough go of things lately. I had to make the decision three days before we left for the beach that it was time to help one of our kitties, Josie, who has been suffering from renal failure for 8 months, over the bridge. I have NEVER done anything more wrenching in my life. I HATE playing God. And that's what it feels like to me - playing God. She had stopped eating/drinking/accepting her iv meds for several days, and we knew she was telling us she was tired of the fight. It would have been selfish of me to hang onto her any longer - especially with us leaving her away with our kennel for over a week. 

Our other kitty had to be taken to the kennel with Tucker the week we were gone because we knew she would FREAK OUT alone in the house without her sister kitty for that long. Now we're back from vacation, and both Tucker and Booboo look fantastic. I just love our kennel lady! She brushes all the animals every day, plays with them every two hours and she even cuddled with Booboo our kitty during her paperwork times during the day. A real animal lover. I feel very lucky we found her. 

But now that we're home, I am just so sad, feeling Josie kittie's presence everywhere, and Booboo is still looking for her sister. I know we'll get over it, but twelve years is a long time to have to up and change our happy karma around here! 

Tucker's growing up. It's about time. He was a little wild after coming home from the kennel today (tore one of my hubby's old shirts while they were playing). But all in all, no complaints! He always takes a day or two to come back down to earth after those times away from home. 

Sounds like so many of you are having fun times with your pups - so nice to hear! I don't know about you all, but I really love this puppy age. Tucker is almost 16 months old now, and his personality is really starting to show through. We just love enjoying the outdoors with him, and we hope that as he gets older he can travel with us and our three human kids alot more!

Have a great week, everyone!


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## OutWest

Tucker's mom--so sorry about your kitty. I've done that also, and it really is wrenching. Will you get another cat to keep Booboo company? 

I agree with you about this age with dogs. My Tucker can be quite a handful and still needs a lot of exercise, but he's also so sweet and loving, and sometimes so funny, that it's hard to imagine the house without him 

Hope your family had a great time on your vacation. It really feels like summer is suddenly coming to a halt. My daughter starts school tomorrow.


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## OutWest

_Michelle_--I have no doubt that Koda has you completely figured out! She probably loves that you fuss over her to make her happy. LOL. Be careful though, when the human kids come along--once they figure out the guilt and worry buttons in their parents, the parents are DOOMED! Well maybe that's a bit overboard  but kids are so good at manipulating. I bet Koda really enjoys having you all to herself. 

_Nyahsmommy_--sorry I forget your name so much :doh:. That is one happy looking Nyah running along the path. I bet she's having a blast at her new home now. 

Tucker just jumped up on the bed. May get hard to type! We took him to the beach this weekend with his mom, dad, uncle and three of his siblings yesterday. I was the chauffeur but didn't get down to the beach--too much walking, hills, stairs, etc., for my knee. :no: One of Tucker's brothers came that we hadn't seen since they were 9 weeks old. He's been rehomed back with the breeder. He and Tucker are a similar build and have very similar faces. Tucker is just a bit redder, leaner, and of course has his wonderful cowlick on his nose. My DD said the three sibs had a great time chasing each other on the beach. They definitely focused on each other and not on the adults. Dd took some pictures and I'll post some after I look at them. Tucker is of course the handsomest of all the siblings. And I'm not prejudiced at all. : DD said he was the only one who had a concept of how to play fetch with the ball! It's been very nice to have them all close by so we can get together once in a while. 

Tucker has plopped down and placed his head in my lap. I'm supposed to be petting him now. 

I can't believe the end of summer is almost here. Have a good evening all. 

Kathleen


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## Nyahsmommy

Tuckers mommy- I am so sorry for your loss. It's such a difficult decision but you made the right one. Once an animals quality of life is no longer making the animals happy, then they are telling you it's time. I never lost a cat before yet but even thinking about it makes my eyes water. She is happy and pain free now and is waiting for you on her big soft cat perch in the sky.  *big huge hugs*


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## baumgartml16

Kim - i am SO jealous of Nyah being off leash! I want to do it so bad but when Koda gets her sniffer going she doesn't hear a word we say so I am not comfortable with it at all...plus if there is wildlife near by (rabbits, squirrels) she WILL chase them lol. I don't know if she will ever be an off leash dog...

Katie - so sorry to hear about Josie, losing a pet is never easy but you did the right thing! She wasn't living the quality of life a pet should anymore and it was her time. She enjoyed her 12 years with you so very much!!

Kathleen - Tuckers play date sounds like a blast!  That is so nice you can get them together so easily!

Thanks for the kind words you guys! I am doing much better today, first day blues yesterday! Koda and I had a really fun night and she is definitely sensing my loneliness without DH and doing her best to make it all better. She was my little cuddler/clinger last night! Made my heart very happy! I set up a play date with her boyfriend to tire her out which I think helped a lot! She decided to come up in bed early this morning and cuddle with me the last hour of our sleepy time!  It was SO nice waking up to that face! They really do know how to make you feel better...a year ago I was still getting to know her and her getting to know me...now this year I see the bond we have formed and all of our hard work paying off. 

I agree Katie - this stage of puppyhood is pretty awesome! I love that I know my dog now and we know how to make each other happy!


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## Nyahsmommy

Michelle - Nyah use to be like that with wild life to but bf trained her to stay and be submissive. He uses a deep serious voice so she listens better to him than me. We use words like 'uh uh' or 'Nyah right here' and point to where we want her and she does it(most of the time) . We only did it a few times but she has been doing well. I think we will only do it there during 'off' hours because there are a lot of bikers there and I don't want her to run in front of one and get killed. :s so far she knows to wait for us on the grass but we are still working on it.

I think the dp really helped with that. We use to practice recall there because there were so many distractions. Plus she always wants us to be in our sight. I think she's scared of being left alone.


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## jluke

*Help -- Maisie Ate Part of a Tea Bag*

Maisie ate part of a used caffeinated tea bag. She picked it up on a walk while I was distracted for a moment by a very nice passing person who wanted to visited with her(!). (And usually her leave it command is so good...).

Anyway, I took the bag out of her mouth and brought it home. There was about a teaspoon or so of grounds left behind. I opened up a fresh tea bag at home and compared it with the one she picked up. It looks to me like she couldn't have swallowed more than a tablespoon of grounds, probably less.

I also called her vet who said that if she'd swallowed half the bag I should induce vomiting, but if she didn't vomit, at her size (63 pounds) it wasn't a big deal. 

Since I think she ate a fair amount less than half a bag, I'm just watching her closely. Do you think this is OK? (I posted on the Health Board, too.) I just hate to make her puke if I don't have to.

Sorry to be AWOL for a bit -- I'll catch up soon.


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## baumgartml16

Awww Maisie! It's hard to say when we dont know how much she actually ate. I would be sad making her vomit if she didnt need to either but it would be better than finding out later that she had eaten more and having problems later on. Vomiting only lasts a few minutes...i am always the kind to go the better safe than sorry route though.


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## Lucky Cooper

Hi Everyone

My lil brat Lucky is reached his terrible teens! I'm catching up on some of the postings here but wanted to say hi, and my name is Kimberly  I know we are mostly known as the moms but names arr nice too!!!


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## jluke

*Thanks...*

Michelle -- thanks again. Since she seemed fine and based on the vet's comments, I decided to watch her. She's been completely normal and is now having "Honker Goose time" with DH.

Silly puppy...


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## Dexter12

Dex is going through a phase where he expects you to entertain him or he starts being destructive. If he's outside and you're not entertaining him, he'll either pull up grass or start digging holes, and if he's inside he'll try to destroy pillows. He gets lots of attention and we have him run outside numerous amounts of times. Also, in the middle of playing he'll drop his ball and start doing something else. 

Is he just being a bored teenager?


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## baumgartml16

Dexter - OMG i feel like you are describing Koda..I dont know what is getting into her! She does the exact same thing. I spent the entire night last night focused on her. I played with her, took her to the park, took her on a walk, played downstairs so she could run some more, took her for a ride..and she still wasn't satisfied. She kept trying to play at 10-1030 at night. I couldn't believe it! LOL. I try to ignore her and she starts tearing the toy apart she brought me to play with! 

The focus she once seemed to have has gone away. 

My plan is to start working on more and more training! We stopped going to class over the summer therefore our time spent training has gone down too! I am hoping if i can get her back on the track of focusing on me and wanting to work she will fix this bad habit. My husband is not happy at all with the backyard right now. It is so random when she digs too that I am never expecting it and she moves fast with those little paws! I keep telling him the only thing I have ever heard that works for digging is to give her a designated digging spot but he is determined to fix it. I told him good luck...lol


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## Nyahsmommy

Wow this is so weird... Nyah has been the same! She seems to have an endless supply of energy lately. She wants to be outside 24/7 but when we let her out she stand there with the ball in her mouth staring at me to come outside. So I go outside with her and run around. I go in and she's standing there doing the same thing. She won't come in unless I drag her. But if I leave her alone she pulls up grass and digs in the garden. Arg. We walk her, play ball with her in the basement, outside, etc. she has been chasing and wrestling with the cats lately too. She only does this when she is super would up.


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## Bentleysmom

We had the same digging problem with Ky. It went on for 2 yrs and I was tired of twisting my ankle in her holes so I discussed it with her vet and this is how we stopped it.
I went to Joe's Army/Navy store and bought a VERY loud airhorn. She truly hates that thing but the secret was to not let her see us use it. We would let her out back and watch her, me in 1 window, DH is a different window. When she started digging we would give that horn a loud blast out the window but bent down so she couldn't see us. She was so confused it was funny to watch. It took about 2 weeks of doing this constantly (it's a lot of work but worth it) and we haven't had anymore holes in the last 2 yrs. Before the horn we had tried so many different things but nothing would stop her. It's funny to watch her now when I dig a hole to plant in my garden she runs away, apparently still waiting for that awful noise to happen LOL



baumgartml16 said:


> My husband is not happy at all with the backyard right now. It is so random when she digs too that I am never expecting it and she moves fast with those little paws! I keep telling him the only thing I have ever heard that works for digging is to give her a designated digging spot but he is determined to fix it. I told him good luck...lol


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## Nyahsmommy

I forgot to ask. What do you do about pee spots in the yard? The new sod finally merged with the rest of the grass but now it's all dead again with big yellow dead spots all over the yard. It looks horrible!


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## baumgartml16

I forgot to say Welcome Kimberly! There is lots of stories, advice, help on this thread so feel free to browse or ask anything and we all try to work together to find a solution!


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## mayapaya

Hi everyone! 10 days finally has passed! WOO HOOOO! Payton and Maya have been reunited :wave: Payton really healed nicely from the spay--no issues.

TuckersMommy, sorry to hear about Josie. One of the hardest decisions you will ever make. Sending good thoughts and hugs your way!

Nyahsmommy, gorgeous pictures!

Jill, glad to hear Maisie had no ill effects from the teabag incident. My goodness. what will be eaten next? Maya is starting to get a bit better, but Pay is moving right in to take her place. Oddly, she won't touch shoes, which used to be Maya's favorites, but her sink surfing is out of control. I've lost 3 tupperwear measuring cups, and two plastic colanders! Not to mention two telephone handsets...sigh....

I'm with you Michelle, time to get back on track with the training this fall, we've been "summer vacation" slackers. Dexter, went through the same thing with Maya--and still going through it. If not entertained, she resorted to hole digging, log chewing, and plant eating.....hubby does not want to give up on the yard, but between the burned grass spots and numerous holes, our year looks alot more like a mine field....Welcome Kimberly, aka Lucky Cooper! We'd love to hear about your teenager!


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## baumgartml16

I have a pet corrector air can that i used a few times but probably improperly. I will go back to trying that again!  Thanks!


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## mayapaya

Nyahsmommy said:


> I forgot to ask. What do you do about pee spots in the yard? The new sod finally merged with the rest of the grass but now it's all dead again with big yellow dead spots all over the yard. It looks horrible!


Nyahsmommy, we used a mix to repair our spots. I think it is made by Scotts-- Easy Seed--has grass seed, fertilizer and mulch--WARNING--don't put it on too heavy though...hubby raked out the dead grass and laid it on thick...after they were watered, the spots blew up like rising cakes in the oven!:uhoh:

We just did it a week ago, and the spots are starting to fill in, but with two female dogs, it may be a losing battle.


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## baumgartml16

Yay for Payton! Glad she healed nicely and I am sure the two are over the moon to be reunited again!

Good job to you too for getting through it, I am sure it wasn't easy!


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## mayapaya

Michelle--It was a challenge to be sure--I was counting the hours and days! What collar/harness are you using for Koda? I think I mentioned Maya is starting to pull on walks again, out of the blue---


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## Nyahsmommy

mayapaya said:


> Nyahsmommy, we used a mix to repair our spots. I think it is made by Scotts-- Easy Seed--has grass seed, fertilizer and mulch--WARNING--don't put it on too heavy though...hubby raked out the dead grass and laid it on thick...after they were watered, the spots blew up like rising cakes in the oven!:uhoh:
> 
> We just did it a week ago, and the spots are starting to fill in, but with two female dogs, it may be a losing battle.


Ugh. We used regular quick grow seed and before it even grows there's several more burn spots so it's almost pointless. Bf wants to wait until spring now to do anything to it but he wants to get a roll of sod dig out the old spots and put new grass in. This is almost pointless too because she will just burn that as well.


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## Dexter12

I love the commiseration in this thread, thanks muchly. He's been driving me crazy!

Michelle: I know what you mean, Dex dug this deep hole in our yard and I've almost sprained my ankle in already and I've really been meaning to fix it.


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## baumgartml16

We use the easy walk harness. It is a gem! She is an excellent walker now. She tries to pull occasionally but comes right back when she feels the tension on the leash!


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## baumgartml16

Dexter - yes I am terrified of spraining my ankle every time i run outside with her!


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## Dexter12

Dex just left for the weekend up to the cottage and I was excited to be able to work through the weekend with little distractions. Then our neighbour comes and drops by Lucy, who's a sweetheart but also a teenaged pup, exactly a month older than Dex. She can't be left alone because she starts destroying EVERYTHING, when I come to pick her up in the morning sometimes I have to spend twenty minutes cleaning up all the things that she's ripped apart.

Oy!


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## Mom of Maizie

I was just feeling so frustrated with entertaining my Maizie constantly, when I drop by here and find everyone else is having the same exact thing!!! It must be something in the air...or the time of year...or something!!!! I'm hoping she's not found a way to gobble the treats I left cooling on the counter while I type this!!! I don't want to wish her adolescence away, but some days I run out of steam and she can keep going and going and going!!!


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## OutWest

Hello everyone, and welcome to Kim.

Re: pee spots on the law. I remember reading here somewhere there is something you can give your dogs so their urine is less acidic and doesnt burn the lawn. I think it was vinegar. Might be worth asking that question in the main discussion area. I give it to Tucker every day for other reasons and I haven't noticed an improvement, but I haven't really gone and looked. I'm hoping to do some landscaping next spring, and haven't paid all that much attention to the back yard lately. What I'd really like to do at some point is establish "the potty spot" that both dogs use consistently so they don't use the entire yard. I don't have the digging problem with Tucker, mostly because he's not out there alone much--really likes to be wherever I am, and he's become so ball obsessed he doesn't stop moving when he's out there long enough to dig. But when we're at the beach, he'll dig furiously in the sand. 

Attention seeking behavior (aka "attention suck" ) Tucker does this mostly in the evening. I get frustrated sometimes because in the morning he gets to play in the dog park where everyone fusses over him. And he gets a nice ball throwing-chasing session at midday and/or late afternoon in the back yard. So by the time the evening rolls around, I'm ready to do other things than fuss over him. He can be a real pest, but I mostly ignore him. He's slowly getting better about calming himself down. He often ends up laying next to me on the ground. 

Air horn--my DD got one at the local Dollar Store recently. I think it might prove useful in inhibiting barking in the back yard. When Tess goes out in the evening, she starts and doesn't stop until she's comes inside. I had her well trained for a while, but it involved going out there and herding her back into the house. That works, but in the dark I don't really like to walk around the yard. I could use the horn but that thing is SO loud--I don't think I should use it after 8 pm or so. 

Leash walking--I really need to work with Tucker more. I generally take him to the DP and he's gotten really good about not pulling me between the car and the gate. My knee seems to be improving, so I'm hoping to start walking him in the neighborhood soon. I think he'd like that a lot. I really think a bit of variety in scenery, people, and type of exercise is good for dogs (and people!).

Hope you all have a great weekend. We have no huge plans here. Probably will find a body of water for Tucker to jump around in. 

Kathleen


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## Nyahsmommy

I heard that females pee is stronger than males so it kills grass more? Not sure if it's true. I found a bunch of vitamins/pills that supposedly stop burn marks but I somehow doubt it and don't want to pump her full of useless stuff. 

It could be the type of grass I think too. It's much more noticeable on our lawn compared to bfs moms house. Although could be the fact that our yard is tiny. We try to water the spot she pees in if we see it but it's not always possible


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## OutWest

Nyahsmommy said:


> I heard that females pee is stronger than males so it kills grass more? Not sure if it's true. I found a bunch of vitamins/pills that supposedly stop burn marks but I somehow doubt it and don't want to pump her full of useless stuff.
> 
> It could be the type of grass I think too. It's much more noticeable on our lawn compared to bfs moms house. Although could be the fact that our yard is tiny. We try to water the spot she pees in if we see it but it's not always possible


There's another thread going right now on this very topic! Someone linked to this article.. Old but very good explanation and offers solutions: DOG-ON-IT LAWN PROBLEMS | Archives | Aggie Horticulture


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## marshallsmom

crazy pups lately? hmm...must be everywhere! I was just going to stop by and complain about the crazy-hyper-I'm-about-to-lose-my-mind doggy  Marshall currently has oral papilloma. It looks...eeew! He has a huge one on his right lip (the size of a blueberry--maybe a little bigger) and one on the corner of the mouth (same side). This means NO daycare, NO dog parks as it is very contagious to other dogs, especially puppies. It has been 2 weeks of being home bound and just walks as exercise and me and the husband are about to go CRAZY!!!!! Some days are bad, some days better, nights are 90% awful annoying nonstop play with me!!! Bad parents, gave him melatonin last night because we are exhausted and then I woke up early to take him for a 2.5 mile walk this morning. He is calm and resting now so I am able to do some work 

The worst part is Marshall's birthday is on Wednesday...poor boy can't have any fun at the park. We planned a pool party but that's obviously not going to happen  So I think we will just celebrate it with cake and a really LOOOOOONG walk! haha!

About the grass: We have spots all over, but we are renting so I am not too worried and so far we have not gotten in trouble! eek! But when we move to our new house in Nov I will need to start thinking of ways to fix this, maybe train him to pee in the same spot? Our yard will be HUGE we'll see if this works out.


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## MercyMom

*Now, officially a member of the teenage pups club*

My Mercy is now 6 1/2 months old. That should count as a teenager now. One thing I've noticed is that she is jumping on people more than before. She jumps on me when I let her in now when she didn't use to. I am striving to find a Canine Good Citizen prep course for her. I am so frustrated that the only local Golden Retriever club in Virginia is Potomac Valley Golden Retriever club of which my breeder is a member. PVGRC is based in Maryland more. There are a total of three Golden Retriever clubs in Maryland. I am like come on! Virginia is bigger than Maryland. Virginia should have more localized clubs. 

I so badly want to be part of the Golden Retriever community and AKC obedience training community where I live, especially since I am raising Mercy to be a Therapy Dog. My goal is for Mercy to pass the AKC Canine Good Citizen before she is a year old, perhaps as early as November or December when she will be 9-10 months old. I am trying to find some obedience school or program where Mercy can take classes from A to Z which includes not only CGC but Novice (CD) and Agility since she takes to the agility course like a pro. She has already had AKC S.T.A.R. Puppy and is currently in Basic Obedience at a Northern Virginia AKC training club. This training club has two locations. The other location is too far for me. The next level class will only be at the further away location. So I am waiting to hear back from some trainers as to whether they will be holding CGC classes this fall. I don't wish to drive more than 15 miles for training. I just thought I'd vent. 

I get concerned about the Sitting Politely for Petting part of the CGC test when Mercy jumps on me and other people.:uhoh: I have been training her not to jump from day one since she was 7 weeks old. I know to expect some exuberance in a young Golden, but it seems like she is backsliding. When I came back from being away all day yesterday, she was all over me!:yuck: I am striving to raise her to be a therapy dog, and I wish to get the jumping nipped in the bud! My goal is for Mercy to pass her TDI between a year or two of age.


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## marshallsmom

Jumping is our BIGGEST problem with Marshall...it does not help that we rarely have guests over so he does not meet a lot of new people. And on walks we try to make him sit calmly. We occasionally let those want to pet him come closer, this is when he gets too excited and can't contain it and then obviously we start walking away  We are still working on it but it had been our biggest hurdle so far.


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## OutWest

Welcome MercyMom. :wavey: What you'll find most indicative of a teenage mindset is backsliding. It's like everything they used to be so good at just has flown out of their brains. Most of us on this thread have pretty much gone back to basics for things like jumping, waiting at the door, etc. It's just a time of challenging everything. I also think it a time of testing limits and trying things they haven't done before. This is all to say that _your_ timetable and Mercy's may differ!  

We have discussed jumping a couple times on here and certainly in other threads, so I hope you can find some good info to help you. My primary tactic to get Tucker through adolescence has been to emphasize "nothing in life is free" or NILF, which has helped a lot. It helps reinforce the pecking order and I think makes dogs feel secure in their place in the family.


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## mkbarnes1775

I have found the right thread! We have an 8 month old male named Watson and his energy knows no bounds, I'm am continuously amazed at how much playing he can do and how much attention he demands. It sounds like maybe this is normal and is already making me feel better


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## Dexter12

Welcome Mercy's mom and mkbarnes1775.

We're supposed to wait to get Dex neutered until he's at least three years, but he's been marking in other people's house, humping and sometimes acting agressively.
I think when he's a year old, he's getting neutered like it or not!!


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## Gwen_Dandridge

*Maddie*

For what it's worth, mostly my four month old is wonderful. She did bring a flowering maple (including the roots) into the house yesterday. It was three feet long and about two feet wide. It won't be flowering ever again. 

She understands during puppy school that there are treats involved and she WANTS them. So her behavior is usually stellar. The only time she gets snarky there is when she is confused about the command, the rules change and she is indignant and barks (the trainer wanted to teach 'heeling' on the right and Maddie wasn't amused)

Yeah, she grabs for the leash when we first go out on a walk sometimes. And, yes, when she is off leash she may decide to ignore me for a 'come,' but mostly she slides into 'come' position like a baseball player heading for home.


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## MercyMom

I took Mercy to her third AKC Basic Obedience class last night. I was commented on how well I must be training Mercy by another student since she was sitting by my side and not moving. At the end of the class however, Mercy was being the class clown. She goes into these fits in which she chews and mouths her leash. She has already been doing this as a younger puppy. At 4 1/2 months of age, Mercy decided that she was not going to down any more. Last night in class, I patiently pushed out her shoulders to make her sit then stay. She rolled around on her back, mouthing the leash. :no: My previous dog did these antics too when he was young. Eventually, she did slowly down on her own without my pushing her, so there is hope. When I was practicing in between puppy classes and basic obedience, she would only go down with food. This AKC class does not use food. They use choke collars also, which I don't have a problem with, but at the same time, based on my research of the Golden Retriever breed, they thrive more with positive reenforcement. My previous dog really needed a correction collar. So it is just as well that I am changing schools. I pray that Kathy McCoubrey decides to have CGC prep courses starting in mid September. It would compliment the last two classes of my basic course very well. I am going to the throne of grace to ask God for a CGC course by Kathy McCoubrey in Broad Run Virginia, which is near the Prince William/Fauquier County line. Warrenton KC and Liberty Hill Pet Resort are just too far, and besides I have an important meeting at church that I attend on Tuesday nights when Warrenton KC has classes.

As for jumping, my AKC S.T.A.R. puppy trainer recommends turning away instead of commanding "off" I am trying that now.


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## MercyMom

My Mercy is a snuggler. She nuzzles up to my husband or me when he or I are driving. She is in her seatbelt, the Champion brand as suggested on the board, but she still reaches her head to the front leaning it on the storage bin. My husband and I both have depression. It is so wonderful to see that she can sense when we are sad already, giving us comfort and compassion. I am so emotional about things, so I feel mild depression alot over various things on my mind. Since we decided it made no sense to have husband and wife attend the AKC basic course, I now have started driving there myself. I saw Mercy laying her head on the storage bin again at me last night when I was driving her to class. I was already depressed about losing my driving glasses and praying that I would make it to class and back safely. The roads were still wet. I was also depressed about driving to this class knowing that I will not be continuing with this club. I was worried about not finding a CGC class. Usually when I am worried about 2 or more things at once, depression sets in. It is so sweet that Mercy lays her head near me. This is the reason why I got a Golden in the first place, because of the comfort and compassion they bring to people and my desire to share these traits with others, hence the name Mercy. 

I often fantasize about bad things happening as a result of my dramatic emotionalism. I was thinking that if I have an accident, Mercy would still be there leaning near me or on me, depending on the severity of the crash, even though people are shaking their fists outside and I am inside bleeding and unable to move. :bawling: I know that you may not have been expecting such drama in this thread. Don't worry, I don't have a depraved mind or anything like that. I have a talent for making up drama stories. I have had it since I was a teenager. I snapped back to reality and kept driving. I don't really fear that happening, but was thinking what if? I have been thinking of going back to school and taking drama classes, but I will probably end up being an author, with maybe some photography and music to add to the storyline. I am very artistic. 

Anyway, when my husband had the stomach flu, Mercy also laid her head near him while driving.


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## baumgartml16

Welcome to the newcomers! We are here to help with any problems your little one might be causing you by working together!


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## mayapaya

Welcome to all our new friends! The day has finally arrived--I am officially the parent of two furry teenagers, and one human teenager.....my little Pay pulled her first "teenage" stunt today.....selective hearing when Mom says "come"--she ALWAYS comes immediately, but today she decided to continue eating the rose bush petals instead.......time to start beefing up the training--thankfully, Maya is being a perfect angel these days (well, almost--except for the exuberant greeting syndrome and an occasional counter surf). I think I may have my hands full with Pay.....


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## mkbarnes1775

I have to chuckle at Watson (8 months old) we haven't walked in awhile due to the weather this summer but last night as soon as I put on my baseball cap he was at the door looking at me. They're so smart and they remember all the subtle cues


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## Tucker's mommy

Sorry everybody - I'm catching up on this thread after awhile off again - I have to warn you all regarding holes in your yard - I DID break my ankle falling in a hole in our yard. Took a year to heal, and I'll probably never do a long distance run again. But - one of the reasons I decided to bring Tucker into our fold was because I wanted an exercise partner around to make my new-found love (I'd much rather be running!!!!!) of long walks more enjoyable. So, just be careful! Those holes can do you in!!! 

Michele - I LOVE our easy walk harness, too. We've been using it consistently since Tucker was 9 weeks old. We tried other things when he was at his very worst with the biting and jumping, but now we're back to it and our walks are my favorite part of our relationship. 

I can't believe August is nearing an end! My boys go back to school next week. Tucker is going to be in for quite the change when our house goes from crazy all-the-time noise from 7 and 8 year old boys always around, to NOTHING. Well, my three year old makes some noise - but nothing compared to my two monster boys :bowl:! It will really interesting to see how Tucker takes to the change. He has really matured this summer. Even my hubby tells me he's a "keeper" now. We sure do love him!

I've posted a pic of Tuck from over the weekend - he stole one of my mom in laws gardening baskets and was just oh so proud of himself! My in- laws adore him.


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## MercyMom

Tucker's mommy said:


> Sorry everybody - I'm catching up on this thread after awhile off again - I have to warn you all regarding holes in your yard - I DID break my ankle falling in a hole in our yard. Took a year to heal, and I'll probably never do a long distance run again. But - one of the reasons I decided to bring Tucker into our fold was because I wanted an exercise partner around to make my new-found love (I'd much rather be running!!!!!) of long walks more enjoyable. So, just be careful! Those holes can do you in!!!
> 
> Michele - I LOVE our easy walk harness, too. We've been using it consistently since Tucker was 9 weeks old. We tried other things when he was at his very worst with the biting and jumping, but now we're back to it and our walks are my favorite part of our relationship.
> 
> I can't believe August is nearing an end! My boys go back to school next week. Tucker is going to be in for quite the change when our house goes from crazy all-the-time noise from 7 and 8 year old boys always around, to NOTHING. Well, my three year old makes some noise - but nothing compared to my two monster boys :bowl:! It will really interesting to see how Tucker takes to the change. He has really matured this summer. Even my hubby tells me he's a "keeper" now. We sure do love him!
> 
> I've posted a pic of Tuck from over the weekend - he stole one of my mom in laws gardening baskets and was just oh so proud of himself! My in- laws adore him.


Ohhh! He looks so cute!


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## Dexter12

Tucker's mommy said:


> Sorry everybody - I'm catching up on this thread after awhile off again - I have to warn you all regarding holes in your yard - I DID break my ankle falling in a hole in our yard. Took a year to heal, and I'll probably never do a long distance run again. But - one of the reasons I decided to bring Tucker into our fold was because I wanted an exercise partner around to make my new-found love (I'd much rather be running!!!!!) of long walks more enjoyable. So, just be careful! Those holes can do you in!!!


Yikes! I'm sorry about your ankle, that's really too bad. Really cute picture of Tucker.

Welcome to all the new people!!


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## Tayla's Mom

I guess I should start posting some things here as Tayla is now 9 months old and well into her teenage years. She is our first puppy as we have always adopted older dogs. We adopted Tayla when she was 4 months old. At 7 months we discovered that she has hip dysplasia so that limits us in what our active girl can do in the future. Wednesday night we completed the STAR puppy class and much to my surprise did pretty well and passed. She is actually a pretty good puppy except she is over the top in the mouthy department and I have the bruises to show for it. We also do K9 Nose Work with her to help her gain confidence and work on some frustration issues she has. We hope to compete with that next year.


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## OutWest

Welcome to Tayla's mom (Barb?)--I can't help with e mouthiness. Tucker is sometimes mouthy--especially first thing the morning, it's like he needs to taste us or something--but stops when told to. But I'm sure someone else inherent will have something to share. 

*All*: I decided its time to do more training with Tucker. Found a class at local dog club working on focus and basic obedience. Should be fun! I decided this time I wanted to be the handler--in the past, it's always been my daughter. I think he'll enjoy it once he realizes its not a play date! LOL. I'm going to take him to dog park beforehand to tire him out.


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## Pammie

Lots of new people and pups lately!









Kathleen the training class sounds great. I think you will really enjoy being the handler! I know I did!

Bryley has been _really_ good lately. He was a very bitey guy waaaaay past 1 year- nose scrunch, teeth, lunge - the whole ugly nine yards. Tough to deal with and made my heart sad. Then, all of the sudden, he stopped. It's been 2 months or so. Very wierd, but very welcome. My heart is now super happy!!









Have your registered your dog with AKC? I have not and am not sure why I would. He won't be competing and the piece of paper is not important to me. 

Foot licking btwn the pads is here in full force. Sometimes he gets going and is so into it that he won't move or stop. Anyone else have pups plagued with seasonal foot licking allergies? Do you have any remedies? Bryley would appreciate your wisdom!

He is walking pretty well on the prong, but I am thinking of trying the Easy Walk Harness. It is hard to tell what size to buy. If any of you have one, what size do you have and how much does your dog weigh. Reading other threads on GRF have not helped to make a decision! Medium or Large?

Hope everyone is doing well and enjoying the dog days of summer!!!


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## Guybrush

Hi Everyone,

Guybrush and I are back from our holidays! I had a great time and so did Guybrush he was the sweatheart of the kennels, luckily all the new puppies have owners lined up so I didn't bring one home. His sister was also staying at the kennel so they had fun together. She is half his size but a darling!

My animals haven't left me alone since I came home currently I have a cat lying on my feet and a dog lying next to me staring at me with puppy dog eyes.

Wow so many new people about welcome and hello. Try not to get to frustrtated with the teenagers I'm surely they'll grow out of it....hopefully. 

I have to go and take something out of the blooming dogs mouth again, talk to you all later.


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## mayapaya

Welcome back, Guybrush! Glad you had a great trip and sounds like your guys was well taken care of. We're heading out of town for 5 days, and I have fortunately been able to secure an in home dog sitter--a friends daughter, who is a vet tech and loves animals (until she spends 5 days with my two hellions, that is!):doh: I'm gonna miss then to pieces though! Pay's sink surfing has really gotten bad, and she is fast--she actually grabbed a glass bowl in her teeth over the weekend and dragged it into the living room to lick clean--on the plus side, no pre-rinsing required when I load the dishwasher anymore, lol

Pammie,
Maya has been licking at her pads for the last week. One of our previous golden girls had allergy issues, and she would really go at her pads. I'm going to keep on eye on Maya and if it doesn't improve, I'll take her in. Are allergies seasonal in dogs too?...I know our mold count is high here, and I've been suffering. I don't recall any over the counter or other miracles for allergies--my girl was on prednisone for awhile....I'm also thinking about the easy walk for both Payton and Maya, so any tips on what size purchased would be appreciated

Kathleen, I've got to get back to training times 2 in our house. I've always been the handler, but am thinking of getting my daughter more involved this time....

Wishing you all a safe and happy holiday weekend with your pups!


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## OutWest

*front walk halter* I'm pretty sure I bought tucker the Large one. I believe I tried it on him in the store. If I recall, the labels have weight ranges on them. I bought the PetSmart brand version--it has pads on the shoulders and was a bit cheaper. 

*paw licking* Yes-- Tucker's been doing this for a few weeks. I've tried putting "stuff" on them but didn't help. I think Bitter Yuck is next. I read the threads on here about paw licking .... I do feed him ACV with his breakfast, and was hoping it would help. Not sure it does. I think I may start washing his feet when he comes home from the dog park, too. Can't hurt and it might help. Now I need to train him to let me wash his feet. :uhoh: He wasn't so interested the other day when I treated them with ACV. He has an ear infection now, too. It's getting better. I've been cleaning it out with diluted ACV. 

I'm really hoping the class will be good for both of us. I realized lately that although he's perfect for us and fits right in, there are times I don't take him out--to other people's homes, etc.,--because he's not quite perfect in other environments. We need to fix that so he can go everywhere possible. And at some point, I'd like to have him certified as a therapy dog. 

He had a great play date yesterday at the dog park. A very cute 10 month-old Doodle with red fur...She was about his height, but about 20 pounds lighter. They had a great old time playing bitey face. And I was proud of Tucker. Other dogs kept coming up to try to horn in and steal the puppy and he told them off. He's normally such a wuss and gets pushed around so much, I'm glad to see him standing his ground a bit. 

I need to post some pictures soon. I do so much posting from the iPad that I don't get many up. I guess I can put pictures on flicker and post from there but it's a hassle. I never did post my little birthday slide show on him...  But I intend to. Better late than never. Have a great week all.


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## GoBigRed

I haven't been on here in weeks and weeks, darn job. 

Husker isn't feeling well and I just made an appt. for him at 10am. He started feeling off yesterday and was just moping around. Last night my son said he cried out the two times he put his front feet up on him. (Husker likes to sit by you and put his two front paws up on your leg to be petted). This morning he did it with me. I can't tell where the pain is, I don't think it's the front paws or anything simple like that. He's been laying in the same spot for over an hour now, just follows you with his eyes. Poor baby, I'm a wreck.

I'll be back to catch up on everybody's post and to post results of Huskers appt. today.


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## GoBigRed

Husker should be fine after 5 days of rest and Rimadyl.  The Vet. believes he has hurt his neck and shoulder muscles. It was the only part of his body the Vet. could not get full movement out of. Luckily his hips are just fine, which was where my concern was at. We've been dog sitting for 3 weeks now and Husker has been playing like a crazed dog whenever he can get the other dog to play. Thankfully the other dog goes home tonight and Husker can spend the next few days just lounging around the house recouping.


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## baumgartml16

Quick post: koda has a size large harness and she is 75 lbs. 

On vacation this week and koda is tugging my arm right now for more pets...gotta go


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## Pammie

Poor Husker! So glad to hear he will be fine. What will he think of 5 days rest?!! :no::greenboun
Kathleen and Michelle, Thank you for the sizing info. 
I did buy a large and it fits well. Not sure yet if he does better on it than the prong. 



> *I need to post some pictures soon.*


Kathleen.....:worthless


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## Nyahsmommy

Haven't checked in here for a bit so wanted to say hi . Nyah has been going to bfs sisters during the day now while his mom is away for a month, she loves it there but runs to the car and hops in when we pick her up. I've been walking her in the mornings now and it's been good except there's lots of bunnies in the area an she goes nuts trying to play with them. 

I've been adding blue wilderness duck to her food and she has been eating with gusto , like she use to. Guess I have to keep buying small bags of it...

Going to a wedding this weekend so she will be at the sisters for Saturday again but bf starts his vacation tomorrow so she has a week with papa and I don't have to get up as early now yay . Lol


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## Mewprofile

i love my goldies to death! but sometimes they make me wanna kill myself! i am from a small town and we unfortunately dont have any trainers here.. so i have to raise both my trouble makers myself!
when i go on walks, they make sure that they ahead of me! not to mention both of them want to go in different directions!! i get pulled all over the place.. plus they are not that big but their strength is incredible! 
i always heard that goldens were very gentle in nature.. also my 7 month old ikuto just doent get the "DOWN" command.. no matter what i try!!


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## Dexter12

:wave:

Dex is driving me nuts and about those, they're about to be going soon.. poor poor Dex 

When we're on his walks, he's walking almost loose leash with help with his prong collar. It has taken him a long time but he is so much better on it!

We've had some issue with his invisible fence and having Dex respect boundaries but after turning it up higher, he is doing fantastic. He sees the flags and stays well away from them and there has only been one or two times where he has tested it but ended up coming back. Get this, he a actually gets excited when I put the collar on him, it makes no sense but I'm quite happy.


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## Guybrush

Hi All

Just popping in to say hi. Guybrush is settling back into life with us after his stay at the breeders, unfortunately he has picked upa few bad habits like resource guarding but that is getting better everyday.

At the moment he is having a walk on the treadmill while my bf has breakfast, then they will go on a real walk. Its amazing Guybrush loves the treadmill he sits and waits for it to turn on and when it stops after 20mins he looks at us with pleading eyes to turn it back on. It has been great for the days when my knees don't allow for a afternoon walk and for those rainy days.

The other day bf bought a nylabone type thing for Guybrush to chew,the dang dog had it for 1 minute and had bitten chunks out of it! :doh: that was $20 down the drain, turns out Guybrush is an extreme chewer and requires extra tough chew toys. At least he has never chewed our underwear or shoes!

Hope everyone has a nice weekend


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## OutWest

Hi all. Mostly what I've been up to is being upset about what happened at the dog park yesterday (http://www.goldenretrieverforum.com...75-very-very-upset-shaken-up.html#post1791595) and trying to get past that. If you haven't read my post and the responses, I'd be interested in your thoughts on some of the advice since you know Tucker better than most on GRF. 

I haven't heard from Animal Services, but thought I might not until Tuesday, after the holiday. In the meantime, we're staying close to home. I'm throwing the ball in the back yard for Tucker's exercise. 

This whole thing has become such a downer, and it happened in an instant. I'm afraid it has completely changed how my dog will be allowed to interact with the world around him.
:bricks1: :banghead:


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## OutWest

I think it's great that Guybrush likes the treadmill--what a great way to wear out a dog! Especially in bad weather. I can't use one anymore due to injured knee but used to really enjoy it, and wanted to get one for home.


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## MercyMom

OutWest said:


> Hi all. Mostly what I've been up to is being upset about what happened at the dog park yesterday (http://www.goldenretrieverforum.com...75-very-very-upset-shaken-up.html#post1791595) and trying to get past that. If you haven't read my post and the responses, I'd be interested in your thoughts on some of the advice since you know Tucker better than most on GRF.
> 
> I haven't heard from Animal Services, but thought I might not until Tuesday, after the holiday. In the meantime, we're staying close to home. I'm throwing the ball in the back yard for Tucker's exercise.
> 
> This whole thing has become such a downer, and it happened in an instant. I'm afraid it has completely changed how my dog will be allowed to interact with the world around him.
> :bricks1: :banghead:


I'm so sorry dear!


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## MercyMom

Even though Mercy is a 6 month old, she is so well behaved in restaurants and lays down. I could have never taken my Lab mix in a restaurant at a such a young age. She is low energy, although she gets excited like a normal young retriever would (jumping on people sometimes). She almost reminds me of the energy level my previous dog had *only* after he had calmed down at 6 years of age! My Lab mix was all zoomies and mouthing all the time. Mercy has not even yet had one case of zoomies. My breeder chose her for us on purpose because of her being low key since we have a toddler. She likes to lay down alot, much like an older dog, yet she is a perfectly normal healthy pup.


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## OutWest

Hi all. We are overall fine here. I am slowly coming back to earth after the incident at the DP (see earlier thread). I would encourage all parents of teens to read all the comments posted there....in particular one GRF member said that dogs' personalities and temperaments continue to shift and change through their adolescent months. I am very intrigued by that idea, and wonder if any of you have noticed changes in your dogs? I don't really see that in Tucker. He strikes me as being very much like he was as a puppy. 

We are playing a lot of ball in the back yard since he can't leave the property. I can tell he's not as tired out as he normally is. I think we're going to get really bored of fetch, really soon! :doh: well, at least I'm going to be tired of it...Tucker keeps bringing me the ball.


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## baumgartml16

Kathleen - I need to go back and read your thread when I get a chance, I have been off the forum for over a week now with vacation and getting back into things at work. 

My husband is gone till next Friday (left this past Monday)  so my life has been turned upside down taking care of everything on my own. I do not handle this stuff well...

Koda actually went to the vet on Friday because she was having a lot of yellow gunk in her eye, she has an eye infection. While she was there my husband asked about the paw licking so they did a skin test on it and sure enough she had a yeast infection on her pad and a bacterial infection. I guess ragweed picks up in August and it affects a lot of dogs seasonally. Can't wait for that first frost. So now Koda gets six pills at night, five pills in the morning, paw spray twice a day and drops three times a day. We have to shampoo her paw with a medicated shampoo twice a week too...yowza. And of course my husband is gone! Everytime - it never fails! Hoping the next week and a half fly by! 

Other than that stuff, Koda has been doing pretty well. Her fears are never ending though and we are STILL dealing with her eating habits. I am just doing what I can to get her to eat and we will reevaluate when my husband gets home. I am thinking we might need to switch foods, she loves all of her treats - never refuses anything but the food. This girl - she has me wrapped around her little paw! 

I am going to go read your thread Kathleen and get back to you!!


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## Tucker's mommy

Wow, guys. So many things going on. Kathleen, I am so very sorry to hear about what happened at the dog park. You know it could be any of us that are going through this - it has nothing to do with your Tucker. It sure makes you think twice, though, doesn't it!!! I read through your entire thread. I sure hope things turn out okay. 

Kathleen - Regarding personality changes in our dogs, I have definitely seen it in Tucker. For most of his first year, he was so obviously trying to figure out his pecking order with our family. And then at about 13 months or so, it's as if he suddenly figured out he's at the BOTTOM.  He hardly ever challenges us anymore. He's turning into a real sweetheart - the only time he gets bratty is when he does his sit in front of us and begs for petting with his barking. But our issues with him the first year were pretty overwhelming regarding the whole testing/adolescent brattiness thing, it was a huge relief to see the change. Your Tucker seemed much more settled in his place of things from the very beginning - very different from our dog. I wonder if the amount of change you might see depends on the personality/confidence level of the particular pup. Interesting to think about, eh? 

Michelle, good luck with your hubby gone. I know how you feel. It's always harder dealing with things alone. I do like having Tucker around though with Ron gone - I feel so much safer. My kids are definitely my bigger headache when my husband is on travel.

Things here are crazy, but moreso because of my kids and their new school years, not so much Tucker. ALTHOUGH - this morning my 3 year old daughter and I took him to the vet for his yearly checkup, and OH MY GOD. We cleared the waiting room, he was soooooo hyper. We really ticked off a family that was there with a lab puppy, and I'm not even sure why! Tucker didn't even go near them. It's as if his wiggly, panting energy stressed them out, as if he was plotting to go after their pup or something. Incredibly annoying. They'd better get used to big dogs quick - their lab pup isn't going to be a little guy for long!!!! 

One surprise was finding that at almost 16 months, Tuck only weighs 65 pounds. Everyone tells us what a big dog he is, but we even checked the scale to make sure - he's just all fluff, the big bear! 

Well, sorry for the ramble. Have a good night everyone!


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## OutWest

Tucker is on day five of his house arrest/quarantine. He's doing OK but I think he's actually a little down about not getting out of the house. But I could be projecting. 

I've been throwing the ball for him several times a day, but he could use more exercise. He's pretty wound up in the evenings. And he's so used to having other dogs to play with, he's been trying to play with Tess, who's not interested. She's small with bad hips so I have to keep an eye on their interactions. 

It's funny, because the car seems weird without the dogs. I'm so used to having them with me when I'm out and about. And this confinement is confining me, too, because I don't like to leave them home for hours on end if I can avoid it so I find myself cutting things short.

Anyway, if you have some ideas for a game I could play with Tucker to give him more exercise, please let me know. Has to be do-able inside a medium sized back yard. thanks!


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## Tucker's mommy

One of our favorite pastimes is "go find it", where we put our Tucker in a sit/stay while we hide a treat out of his view, then we make him seek it out with the "go find it" command. Give it a shot, although you might play this one already. I can't remember. 

Hang in there. This has got to be so hard for you (harder for you than for Tucker, I'm sure!!!!!)


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## Pammie

Is Tucker allowed to go for a ride in the car without getting out? You could just go for a ride to get him out of the house, he could see and smell things in the air and maybe go thru a dog-friendly drive-thru and get a biscuit! It would break up the day and provide a little bit of a different kind of stimulation.


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## OutWest

Pammie said:


> Is Tucker allowed to go for a ride in the car without getting out? You could just go for a ride to get him out of the house, he could see and smell things in the air and maybe go thru a dog-friendly drive-thru and get a biscuit! It would break up the day and provide a little bit of a different kind of stimulation.


I could probably get away with that...but I'm reluctant to do so. I don't want any more bad marks on his record!


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## jluke

*Hello...*

...to all and welcome to everyone who's new! And welcome home from vacation Guybrush and his person!!

Kathleen -- I'm so sorry to learn of the incident in the DP. I posted on the other thread with some thoughts I hope might be helpful, including some things we learned about liability when our last rescued GR badly bit my DH.

Maisie and I have been off-line, first with 2 week at the beach in DE which she again loved (except she tried to eat a tea bag and got a UTI --unrealted-- and had to go out to pee every 20 minutes which was tough on DH and me). But she asked politely every time and woke us up at night or at 5 AM(!)...) There was lots of ocean swimming, sand digging and beach town visiting where she always gets attention from visitors who had to leave their dogs at home. She even sat outside with us at a restaurant for the first time.

Then last weekend DH and I took DD back to college. Maisie stayed home with her favorite house/dog sitter and walkers. She was wiggly and bouncy when we got in last night, but has a bad case of diarrhea (sorry :yuck, probably because she ate some acorns when no one was looking. It's lasted about 2 days, so her vet said no dinner tonight -- I heard some pitiful whines around dinner time, but she'll get boiled chicken and rice for breakfast, so I think I'll be forgiven. What is it with this pup's GI system? Her one year wellness exam comes up in about 2 weeks, so I can check in with her vet.


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## Tayla's Mom

I'm glad Tayla's digestive system seems to be pretty good as she eats everything. At 9 months old I didn't think I'd have to still watch her so closely. Two days ago I was outside brushing her sister and took hair out of the brush and put it on the shelf of the BBQ grill. It was a good sized clump. Tayla jumped up and ate it. Come on, it's hair. I spend good money on food and you eat hair and leaves like they were major food groups. Well the hair came back out yesterday along with a small piece of fleece from a toy. So, so far what goes in seems to come out.


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## baumgartml16

I am the same way Tayla's mom - Koda will eat anything and everything (hair, used kleenex on the side of the road - yuck, leaves, dirt..) except her food which I know we discussed on facebook lol. But no problems yet with getting sick...

Hope Maisie feels better!  

Kathleen - we too love the find it game, maybe he can start working on scent training that I think Deb posted about quite a while ago. Start with stinky treats and as he gets better and better you can hide other random objects for him to sniff out and find. Koda loves this game!  

Katie - glad things are going so well with Tucker - not sure why that lab puppies family was so scared of sweet Tucker though - I am sure that lab will be the same way and as big in no time!  

I think I have officially spoiled my dog to the point of ridiculousness - last night I gave her my undivided attention from 5:20 when I got home till 8:30 when I had her settle down with her Kong and once she was done with that she still brought more toys for me to play with her with. Seriously - I couldn't believe it! We went to the park at 5:30 for a good 20-25 min (running/walking/sniffing), from 6-7:15 she had outside time, lots and lots of pets and dinner, then 7:30 she went for a half hour walk, then 8-830 she got time downstairs chasing her ball and running around/playing....and then rest time at 830 but she still wanted more...i created a monster!

She gets way more than most dogs do with parents that work all day and it still wasn't enough for her..and when I didnt want to play at 930 she gave me the sad puppy eyes and let out a deep sigh like I was letting her down....i am in trouble! LOL


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## Tayla's Mom

baumgartml16 said:


> I think I have officially spoiled my dog to the point of ridiculousness - last night I gave her my undivided attention from 5:20 when I got home till 8:30 when I had her settle down with her Kong and once she was done with that she still brought more toys for me to play with her with. Seriously - I couldn't believe it! We went to the park at 5:30 for a good 20-25 min (running/walking/sniffing), from 6-7:15 she had outside time, lots and lots of pets and dinner, then 7:30 she went for a half hour walk, then 8-830 she got time downstairs chasing her ball and running around/playing....and then rest time at 830 but she still wanted more...i created a monster!
> 
> She gets way more than most dogs do with parents that work all day and it still wasn't enough for her..and when I didnt want to play at 930 she gave me the sad puppy eyes and let out a deep sigh like I was letting her down....i am in trouble! LOL


I'm that way because Tayla just can't amuse herself for long periods and not get into trouble and that trouble is usually biting hands and being a pain in the butt to my husband. I get up an hour earlier every morning to make sure she gets inside/outside play time and breakfast. Come home at lunch for 35 minutes of outside play time and inside obedience. At night she is my focus from 6 - 10 when I can no longer function and she goes in her crate for the night. Then I have to get laundry done or some other pesky household chore. We have started doing a few outside chores at night and I leave her unattended for 10 to 15 minutes at a time, check on her and if she is good, go back out. We've had her for almost 6 months now and I have to start doing something else with my evening besides entertain her even if it is just for a little bit at a time.


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## jluke

*Spoiled Pups and Tucker Activities??*

I, too, am a charter member of the Spoil Your Local Puppy Club! Latest example -- Maisie didn't go to MA for the DD college drop off, but DH & I brought home a too cute doggie football shirt that says Wide Retriever! I'll see if she l wear it when we watch games -- she likes to follow the ball. And Halloween is coming.

Kathleen -- I don't remember if Tucker eats things from the ground, but with Maisie recent tummy trouble, I've started training It's Yer Choice again. (She's much better today.)


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## OutWest

It's hard to ignore them--feels mean--but I think sometimes it's a really good thing. After I became a (frazzled) mom, someone told me that "being bored isn't a bad thing for a child because they learn to be alone and how to entertain themselves". To that end, there are times when I ignore my DD a bit, and both the dogs (while secretly watching and listening  ). Tucker has finally learned that when I start focusing on something else and refuse to give him attention, he needs to rustle up his own entertainment (something legal I always hope). But I've become very dedicated to having some chunk of the day, usually in the evening, when I'm not in charge of caring for or entertaining anybody except myself. .


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## baumgartml16

I need to set some time for myself. I have been doing that nightly routine for over a year and am feeling overwhelmed. I am not going to leave her because I feel too guilty after being at work during the day but I need to start getting her used to just being around us wihtout us having to be doing something with her. If I want to sit down and watch TV for a little while after work I dont want to feel guilty. It's tough but I can't keep going at this rate or I will go insane, I need some me time too...


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## Tayla's Mom

OutWest said:


> It's hard to ignore them--feels mean--but I think sometimes it's a really good thing. After I became a (frazzled) mom, someone told me that "being bored isn't a bad thing for a child because they learn to be alone and how to entertain themselves". To that end, there are times when I ignore my DD a bit, and both the dogs (while secretly watching and listening  ). Tucker has finally learned that when I start focusing on something else and refuse to give him attention, he needs to rustle up his own entertainment (something legal I always hope). But I've become very dedicated to having some chunk of the day, usually in the evening, when I'm not in charge of caring for or entertaining anybody except myself. .


I agree. I need to let her make some choices. Last night when I came in after about 15 minutes outside she was tossing her own toy around. Went back outside and came back in 15 minutes later and the house was still in tact. She was wandering around. She just can get into so much trouble that I hesitate to let her alone without lots to chew on and I'm down to my last bully stick. I buy them bulk and only have one beef trachea and beef tendon left. Back to frozen kongs for a while till Mommy can get some money together for another truck load of bully sticks.


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## baumgartml16

See I leave Koda with the house all day and I know she won't touch a thing. If we are working outside at all she is at the window/door watching us the entire time, she doesn't like being inside alone. We leave toys for her during the day and she doens't even touch them. We strategically place them to see if they move and they don't...


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## Tayla's Mom

baumgartml16 said:


> See I leave Koda with the house all day and I know she won't touch a thing. If we are working outside at all she is at the window/door watching us the entire time, she doesn't like being inside alone. We leave toys for her during the day and she doens't even touch them. We strategically place them to see if they move and they don't...


 You are so lucky. At the rate we are going Tayla will be a senior before I can leave her for even an hour on her own. She is the biggest challenge in my life with dogs.


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## Pammie

Tayla's Mom said:


> You are so lucky. At the rate we are going Tayla will be a senior before I can leave her for even an hour on her own. She is the biggest challenge in my life with dogs.


Haha- you are talking about my Bryley here! 1 1/2 yrs old and has not been left out of crate during the day _alone in the house_ yet. :no:
I think he will do OK. We will get there. I just have to trust as he has never been a chewer of stuff in the house. He might try to get a placemat, telephone or for sure a dish towel so I will have to plan ahead and straighten up the joint!

I am a spoiler too! How can you not be when they look into your eyes like they do! Golden eyes have special hypnotizing powers!!!!


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## jluke

*Confessed Spoiler...*

I got home from jury duty and after Maisie greeted me at the door with a ball in her mouth, we took a walk. We spent much of the evening with me sitting on the floor and her sitting on or near me -- when she wasn't bringing me a series of toys. (To be fair, she did play on her own some.) But like you said Pammie, they're just too cute to ignore.


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## OutWest

baumgartml16 said:


> I need to set some time for myself. I have been doing that nightly routine for over a year and am feeling overwhelmed. I am not going to leave her because I feel too guilty after being at work during the day but I need to start getting her used to just being around us wihtout us having to be doing something with her. If I want to sit down and watch TV for a little while after work I dont want to feel guilty. It's tough but I can't keep going at this rate or I will go insane, I need some me time too...


It is very hard but the "me" time is important and helps recharge your batteries. That's one reason I still crate Tucker at night to be honest. Once my DD's in bed with Tess and the dog gate is in her bedroom doorway (Tess will wander around the house at night and bark at things :doh and Tucker is in his crate, I feel like this huge load is lifted. I don't have to be watchful or tuned into anyone else. Aaaaahhhhhh. I've also figured out that once Tucker realizes he's not drawing me into playing with him, he finds something to chew or he crashes, usually right next to me where I can reach down and touch him. So we _are _together, we're just doing separate things next to each other...! 

I sympathize and hope you can find your own balance soon.


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## Tucker's mommy

Kathleen, I am on the same path as you when it comes to that necessity for "me" time. It is so so important for both my hubby and me, as our three human kids just SUCK the energy out of us, while Tucker SUCKS that remaining energy, if there's even any left on some of our crazier days ! We still crate Tucker at night and when we're out errand running during the day (he's almost 16 months old) for similar reasons as you - mostly just peace of mind, and he doesn't complain about it one bit. We know he gets his love from us, but we need our space, that's for sure! I probably devote about 2 hours a day to Tucker for solid Tucker time - that includes the 3 mile or so walk we take every day. So he gets his love from us. I swear our crazy house helps him, too. He always has something to watch here at home while he's lazing around on the floor, whether it's one of our kids having a blow-out temper tantrum :bowl:, or my older son practicing piano (he howls to the music ) or just following me around while I'm doing all the laundry and chores while the older boys are at school. And now that he's getting older, he loves to just hunker down with his nylabones or antler and chew away. I'd never thought we'd get there, but we are definitely seeing Tucker now as more of the adult dog and less of that annoying teenager! Doesn't it feel at times like these dogs of ours have taken us through some sort of dog-ownership hazing exercise???!?!? Crazy times, that's for sure!


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## Dexter12

Welcome back Guybrush! ( I can't remember if I've said that or not...)*

Re: Personality changes*
Dex has had a ton of them but there has always been an underlining obnoxiousness. In the past month, it seems that he has calmed down and he has finally found his place in the family which I've found has helped a lot. 

Outwest, I'm sorry about your current situation. Right now, I'd be nervous to be in the same position because I don't know how Dex would react if he were in the same situation that you were in.

Michelle: it sounds like chaos, I hope that you're ok with your husband gone, hang in there.

Jill: Welcome back. I hope that Maisie's UTI heals quickly.

Dex is 11 months old today, he's growing up so quickly.


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## Nyahsmommy

baumgartml16 said:


> See I leave Koda with the house all day and I know she won't touch a thing. If we are working outside at all she is at the window/door watching us the entire time, she doesn't like being inside alone. We leave toys for her during the day and she doens't even touch them. We strategically place them to see if they move and they don't...


Nyah is the same way... She is actually scared to be left alone in a room and will follow us promptly... same with the yard, she sits there and watches us... so do the cats... it's a funny site to see... a golden and three cats squished infront of the patio screen watching us. lol.

She doesn't touch toys when we are home either.. even as a pup I would put them in certain places and they were still there when I came home.


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## Nyahsmommy

baumgartml16 said:


> I need to set some time for myself. I have been doing that nightly routine for over a year and am feeling overwhelmed. I am not going to leave her because I feel too guilty after being at work during the day but I need to start getting her used to just being around us wihtout us having to be doing something with her. If I want to sit down and watch TV for a little while after work I dont want to feel guilty. It's tough but I can't keep going at this rate or I will go insane, I need some me time too...


Don`t feel guilty... I use to do this for a long time but once the cats were screaming for attention and nyah at the same time, it became super stressful. If you give her attention, she will always want more. Walk her and play with her a bit but when you have stuff to do or want relax time, just ignore her. She will be confused at first but she will learn to just lay there or play alone... you can`t keep that up for the rest of her life, that`s for sure... even then you will still give her more attention and care then most dogs get.


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## OutWest

We went to Tucker's new obedience class today. It's his first day out the house! I tried to wear him out by throwing balls beforehand, but that boy always has excess energy. 

He made his huge entrance and wanted to meet everyone of course, but the teachers didn't want any socializing so we went to our spot and settled in. Today we worked on focusing on the handler, how to reward the desired behavior, and using the mat. The trainers have a lot of years training experience between them, and do mostly obedience trials with their dogs. It was interesting to hear them talk about their backgrounds and experience. They both were talking about things they'd learned recently and different trainers they respected, so they sound thoughtful and up on current training. 

Tucker did very well, especially on the leave it exercise. I could tell they didn't think he would and were surprised how quickly he complied. But he only gets treats and food when he's polite and waiting, so he had that one down. 

Anyway, it was nice to be out and about with him. The car has seemed very empty without the dogs, and I missed their company! (I left both home while Tucker was in quarantine. He likes having Tess around.)


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## jluke

*So Glad...*

...that Tucker is able to be out and about now, Kathleen! And it sounds like he did very well at class, too. That's a big deal given how confined he's been.

Maisie and I have been getting lots of work on "leave it" because there are so many acorns on the ground and she wants to eat them. I'm pretty sure that's what caused her latest GI upset (not the UTI which is gone, thank goodness). She seems to be past the "poopy problem", too, and I don't want it to come back. :yuck:

It's been interesting to read all your posts about the time and attention you devote to your dogs. It's a real balancing act here since I'm much more a dog person than DH (who loves Maisie, but wants to do other things, too). Today, she had a mile walk first thing, a play session, a quick walk, DH and I went out to the Orioles game (she stayed in the kitchen for about 4 hours), then a medium walk and another play session. Now she's sacked out. Since I want to watch the FB game tonight, Maisie and I will sit together on the floor, then take a half-time walk -- not very long, I know. But, I work at home, so I guess it'll even up tomorrow. But she seems content, in good shape and not overweight...


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## baumgartml16

Thanks for all the support!  I feel my dog is overly spoiled and she knows it lol. 

With the cooler weather she wants to be outside NON STOP! She will come up to me and look at me till I acknowledge her, then walk to the door and wait, then come back and look at me....until I take her out. I never know if she has to go or if she just wants to be outside. When I take her out there she just plops down. I wish I could leave her out there but if we aren't sitting and petting her or keeping an eye on her she starts the digging and misbehaving! Then trying to get her inside is another problem - she lies completely on her side and "plays dead" or pretends she is sleeping...such a stinker. It takes a lot to get her inside - overly spoiled!!!!

Anyways - so glad to hear Tucker got to get out of the house and did SO well at his first class!! Great job Tucker! I think that is what we need to do in our house - get back to classes, keep her brain working!

Jill - acorns are going to drive me crazy this fall lol..Koda always wants them too, I can usually get her to drop it but they usually are in her mouth before I can finish saying "leave it" LOL, I feel you!!

Katie - sounds like Tucker has a lot to watch/be a part of in a day! I am sure the hustle and bustle of kids in a house tires him out too!! 

DH comes home on Friday - thank goodness! We are on the downhill now. I think a lot of Koda's issues this last week have stemmed from the fact that she HATES her eye drops and paw spray so she is very scared that everytime I take something off the table or go near that I am going to do something like that to her. I am working on getting her to trust me again - hopefully she gets it that I am not out to hurt her at all!! 

Have a great week everyone!


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## Dexter12

We've been puppy sitting Lucy a lot again and I swear that they wear me out much faster than they get worn out.


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## Guybrush

Hi everyone,

My evil teenage puppy did a runner out the front door yesterday, then decided to pick up a brown paper bag with something disgusting :yuck: looking in it and merrily gobbled it all up, while running circles around me and wagging his tail! As soon as he had finished eating he came right back with drool hanging from his smiling mouth. I just wanted to strangle him :banghead:

I notice there are a lot of spoilt puppies here, mine is not spoilt at all :uhoh:. He just has a million toys, is currently sleeping on my bed and has had sooooo many treats today that I can't count them. But I get me time every morning, as Guybrush gets 20mins on the treadmill followed by a 45minute walk, while I am asleep , I tend to wake up with a dog passed out on my legs! He gets lots of love throughout the day and at least 1 more walk at night.

Have a nice day everyone. Have some updated pics.

His newest toy (Already lost an arm and had to be humanely disposed of in the trash)







The treadmill is awesome! Guybrush loves it.







Our obedience class, that is one level we have over 150 dogs enrolled that train at the same time!


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## jluke

*Acorns and...*

Michelle -- thought of you and Koda as Maisie and I ran the gauntlet of acorns in front of our house again today. I have a new approach and wondered if you'd tried it. Now, I just move as fast as possible past any place with acorns on the sidewalk or ground while keeping her head high. (I know this might be harder for you since Koda wears a front harness, but Maisie and I worked on this during training this summer -- it's part of the heeling for obedience trials so she's used to it. She still sneaks an occasional one, but it's better.)

Jay -- scary that Guybrush dashed out (although I don't if you have a street close by). Don't know about Guybrush or the other pups, but Maisie doesn't seem to have any fear of cars. Our trainer suggested that I teach her to sit at every corner and I've done that (although DH doesn't reinforce it -- sigh...). Her thinking is that if Maisie got loose, she might hesitate at a corner and that could make a life-saving difference. Probably not, but it's a comforting thought...

And, glad to know that Guybrush is with Maisie among the spoiled pups. (And I know I posted about Maisie's football jersey. Just to add -- defensively! -- it only cost $6 from Target where we were shopping for DD's college room items and I don't really like clothes for dogs. Honest...  )


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## jluke

*Forgot to say...*

Guybrush is very handsome!


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## baumgartml16

Guybrush is SOO handsome and so cute walking on his treadmill. I wish Koda would do that, she has taken a few steps on ours and then jumps off. LOL. She would much rather have the real thing outside - she would stay outside forever if we let her!  

Jill - thanks for the advice on the acorns, I do try to keep an eye ahead of me at all times to watch for them and will either move her off on the road at those houses or do my best to keep her head up and pick up my pace LOL..i must look pretty funny! I also really like the idea of always stopping at corners - I need to do more of that, I used to be better than I am now.

Oh the digging - my poor yard and poor hubby who is not going to be happy when he sees what she has done the last two weeks. It is getting so bad - there must be some scents underground at our place because she just can't contain herself. She will be walking around nicely just sniffing away and bam she is digging and man is she fast. When I see her I will try to call her off but as I get close she grabs the biggest chunk of grass/dirt mix and runs off with it! Little stinker - I tell you one thing, Koda does not respond AT ALL to me raising my voice in any way or sounding angry - doesnt phase her! She thinks its all fun and games at our house! I really don't know how to scold her because no matter what I do she keeps at it! I have tried everything - spraying an air horn, spraying the spots with bitter apple (helps for that spot, but there are many more she can make new ones in), calling her off of it (pointless), taking her inside....nothing works!!! I want snow so I dont have to worry about it anymore LOL......until next spring that is! I just want to be able to be outside with her and not fear that our yard is going to get torn apart if I turn away for one second....


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## Tucker's mommy

Oh, Michelle - I feel your pain. Tucker has started in on the digging again. I know it's the cooler weather. He has so much more energy. Some of the nippy nippy has come back too when he gets over-excited - thank GOD he has better bite inhibition than he did five months ago!!!! 

As for acorns - Tucker threw up three times this past week, and I'm almost positive acorns are the reason. There's only one spot on our street when we walk him that I see the acorns. I have to be more careful. On that note, if we still lived in upstate New York, we'd be in big trouble. Our house there several years ago had some big, beautiful, HUGE oak trees in the front yard. I loved them. But the acorns were so big and plentiful, we had dents on the roofs of our cars!!! 

My kids are now back in school full swing, and my little lady started her two-morning a week preschool class. I have me-time for the first time in years - it's only 5 hours a week, but it's still something!  Tucker is still trying to get used to my running around all day picking up the kids. It's been a great opportunity to practice leaving him out of the crate for short periods when I leave. So far, he's been an angel in the house. We'll see. Something tells me that evil little brain of his is working out a grand, destructive plan. I hope not!!!! 

Have a good day everyone!


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## Tucker's mommy

Oh - Jay - I forgot to mention how cute your pics are of Guybrush! I just love the one of him sitting proudly with his new toy. You can just see that look in his eyes - "This is ALL MINE to RIP APART!!!" So cute. Our Tucker is funny with his toys. He destroys them to just the point where we should thow them away, but then he stops being rough with them and uses them more as "loveys" to lay with. As if he knows he'd better be careful, or we'll take them all away! Too funny.


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## OutWest

Tucker is free...Animal Control officer stopped by for a visual check, last step in their process. I picked up the police report yesterday...pretty straightforward. So I'm hoping this is all behind us. I suppose it's still possible I could hear from the woman's attorney or her health insurance company...but I sure hope not. 

I took him swimming yesterday with a good friend and her two dogs (doodles). they had a great time. Tucker has excellent "place memory." we'd only been to this place once before, but he perked up and looked excited about a mile before we got there, and then put his head on my shoulder and started talking when we were about four blocks away. He clearly remembered the place! 

I want Tucker to walk on a treadmill, too. Seriously, I think it's such a great solution for dog exercising in bad weather!

We're having some nice, end of summer weather here. Hope you all are too.


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## baumgartml16

Katie - did you do anything specific to work on the bite inhibition or did it just kind of go along with all the other training you were doing for him?


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## baumgartml16

Kathleen - that is great news!!! So happy Tucker is free and happy at the swimming spot with his friends! I can just picture the talking from him "mom, i am so happy we are out of the house and i get to go swimming and play with my friends" LOL...


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## Guybrush

Yay Tucker is free again, that must be a releif!

Guybrush has an ear infection and an itchy paw at the moment, and is hating his medications. Hopefully these will clear up soon so he can be back to his normal self.

Does anyone have any suggestions for a good chew toy that doesn't fall apart in a day? We have nylabones and kongs but Guybrush is only slightly interested in them and all his other toys have been destroyed in a matter of minutes or hours. We will be out shopping tomorrow for new toys. Luckily he doesn't chew anything but his toys inside the house, outside is a different story.

My beautiful backyard has been destroyed by my horrible yet cute puppy! The other day I let him out to play went inside to grab a different toy came back outside and there was a foot deep hole in my lawn and a puppy happily eating grass with dirt all over him! I was inside for less than a minute! Now we are keeping him an long leash outside so it is easier to correct him when he digs and chomps on the lawn, instead of the usual game of keep away or chase! So frustrating.

Hope everyone has a good weekend or friday depending on timezones. :wavey:
Jay


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## Tucker's mommy

Good morning, everybody! Happy Friday! 

Michelle - I think what helped Tucker is constant, consistent reinforcement every time he would get too rough with us outside. When he was at his worst, we would put our hands around his muzzle and hold him tight until he was calm, then have him sit/down/stay/look/kiss - over and over, with positive reinforcement every time he did the right thing. Over the past few months of this, I think he's just finally getting it that we don't enjoy his hard mouth on us. When he just can't seem to reel it back in, inside he goes (these episodes are always outside when he gets rough like this) for a short timeout, and then we allow him out again, and he almost always behaves for the rest of the evening. The crazy episodes would almost always happen after dinner, as well, as if he is over-tired. We've learned that he just doesn't need as much running around in the evening as we thought - sometimes it just over-stimulates him with all the kids outside running around him. 

With the cooler weather returning, he will get crazy with me outside in the morning after I get the boys on the bus. But I notice now that he listens to me, where he didn't a few months ago. When I say, "enough - stop it" and walk away, he backs off. And just last night, he did get very rough with me outside due to our neighbor next door (a wonderful 13 year old who happens to love our dog!) getting him a little too wound up. But I just shoved a tennis ball in his mouth and brought him back inside until he settled. Then we went out again to play some fetch. Last spring, I didn't have near this level of control over him. I really think he's finally growing up. My arms are proof - once in awhile, he'll give me a bruise when he gets too mouthy outside - but not anything like he used to. I wager to bet that in another six months, he'll be even better. 

Are you noticing improvement with Koda's outside excitement? I know she and Tuck are about the same age - they always seem to be going through similar phases at the same time. I have to mention - even Tucker gets a bit anxious when his leash comes out, and I have no idea why. He is not an anxious dog. I have to coax him out from under the table with a treat in order to get his harness on! Go figure!


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## baumgartml16

Wow that is so weird about the harness/leash. That is exactly what I have to do lol...at least I am not alone!

And yes, Koda is improving. My husband is a good energy outlet for her and she LOVES to play with him but is much more disciplined with him. He has been out of town for two weeks so the "rougher" play just isn't happening or I am trying but reeling her back in hasn't been easy. I have three good bruises from this last week but I am working on it and it is probably good that I had this play time with her so she understands how to treat me too. That is pretty much what we have done too when the over excitement happens - and I agree it usually is the time when she needs a good nap or to settle down for a while!

Jay - my favorite toy is the one I made Koda. I went and bought fleece at the fabric store but strips and braided them tightly. Then I took three of the small strips I braided and bradied them together tightly! It is an awesome toy and she loves it! Plus if she ruins it I make another. Fleece is tougher for them to tear apart so they last much longer. I have seen some fleece toys being sold in the stores now too but i just chose to make my own instead of buying!


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## OutWest

We went to the second of Tucker's classes today. The course is about focus and control. I've been very impressed by the trainers. They're teaching shaping techniques and have talked about its your choice, etc. they've been very complimentary about how quickly Tucker picks things up. I've always known he was pretty sharp. If he knows what's wanted, he's very good about doing it. It's his humans who need the training and practice! :doh: these trainers seem to understand that, too. They have the handlers come 15 minutes ahead of time, leaving the dogs in the car, for a little lecture about what we'll be working on. then we set up our area, and then we bring in the dogs. 

The class has been working on having the dogs use mats. We'd done that before but never kept it up. Tucker picked it up again very quickly, and it came in very handy later in the day. He got very muddy playing and I had to rinse him off in the back yard. Usually I leave him in the kitchen to dry, but today I put a towel next to my chair, put him on it, and he stayed there a long time.


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## Tucker's mommy

Kathleen, that class you and Tucker are taking sounds so good. Wish I could find something like that around here!


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## mooselips

Good morning!

So happy that Tucker is out of his house arrest. Poor fella....

Bridget is 10 months old today, heaven knows how time went by so quickly.

We are back in Ohio from the cottage in Canada.
We sold it this year, after 27 years, and it made me more sad for the dog, than myself.
I know she will miss the lake.
But we're looking for somewhere south, maybe we'll find somewhere on a lake...hahahah looking for a house more for the dog, than for us!

What a difference a few months make, Bridgie is settling in well, seems to understand English much better.
Less jumping up, but still easily excited when she sees someone.
She hasn't seen the 3 year old grandson since we came back, and I can't wait for that....!

We may have to wait a while, since she started her first heat on the way back from camp...(Murphy's Law I think)

At camp, she was sleeping on the floor next to my bed, so we were UP every a.m. at around 6:30 a.m.
I was kind of worried about sleeping arrangements when we came home...
we sleep upstairs and I really want to contain SOME tumbleweeds to the downstairs, but the first night she immediately went into her crate in the kitchen and we all slept until 7:30!!!!! Yahoo.

I'm hesitant at all to walk her with her in heat, so it's going to be a LONG month trying to keep her busy...............

She'll be back to classes starting October 8th......


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## jluke

*Back Home...*

Hi all! We're back home from the beach where everyone, especially Maisie had a great time with sunny, crisp days perfect for long beach walks -- her behavior was great with very few zoomies, no salt water drinking and only a little sand eating :doh: . And she's now comfortable staying in the house there by herself for a few hours, so DH and I can go out for dinner sometimes.

Kathleen -- so glad that everything is back to normal for you and Tucker. What a relief after such an ordeal. The obedience class you're doing sounds terrific. I plan to re-register for the rally class with Maisie for later in the fall. (We had to stop this summer after just 3 classes because she got sick and then I had an illness, too.)

Jay -- sorry Guybrush is having a bit of a hard time and hope he feels better soon. As far as toys, Maisie has always loved antlers for munching on. They're a bit expensive at about $10 - 12 and last about 3 - 4 months. And I got her a new toy at the beach in August that's made from the same material as fire hoses. It has noise makers in it and seemed really sturdy. It's held up better than a stuffie, but she's managed to open up one seam in about a month or so.

For all of you who have diggers, I was able to break Maisie's digging habit with the Pet Interruptor air canister. When she was digging, I whooshed with the canister. As soon as she looked up, I threw a toy or ball to get her doing something else. It did mean I had to be in the yard with her the whole time while breaking the habit, but once she stopped, she hasn't gone back to it (even though she's been digging on the beach). The whole process only took about a week -- I think our GRs are really smart and catch on quick!


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## OutWest

Jill--that's interesting about the canister and the digging. I was working with both my dogs on barking using one and it seemed to be working. I think I need to start back up! 

All--I think I've figured out what Tucker's hot button is, why he got into the scuffle that turned into the biting incident at the DP. He gets very possessive of his playmates. If he's playing with a dog and another comes up to join in or to try to take him or his playmate away, he gets bent out of shape. Now that I see the pattern its very obvious and I can't believe I didn't see it before. :doh: Hindsight is 20:20. 

But now that I see the pattern, it's much easier to monitor him around other dogs. With Tucker, three's a crowd. It started to happen earlier this week when he was playing with one of his good boxer friends. A Malinois came in that nips at dogs. When he started trying to insert himself into the playing and was nipping at Tucker, I jumped in with the other dogs owner and we gave them a cooling off period. Hadn't escalated to anything...was just nipping it in the bud. Ironically, the other dog was trying to play with Tucker, not his playmate. At one point I took Grace out of the mix for a few minutes and let the two males chase each other around. But Tucker really wanted to play with Grace so that didn't last. 

It's funny to me. We all spend so much time watching and caring about out dogs, but some of the simplest things don't become apparent for a long time! 

I'm only taking him to the small DP where the problem occurred early in the morning when we know the people and the dogs really well. On the weekend we do other stuff and sometimes go to another, very large dog park where there's enough room for the dogs that there don't seem to be many issues. I'm staying out of the smaller dog park when there are lots of strangers around. So far it seems to be working out. 

Hope everyone is well, and your dogs are behaving!


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## jluke

*DPs*

Kathleen -- so glad you're working out the DP social scene with Tucker. We, too, avoid our DP on the weekends -- now, we don't go at all. It's just too crowded then and for some reason, owners seem to be less engaged and watchful, as well. 

We're also really lucky with our DP -- you have to fill out an application with attached verification of your dog's shots and pay an annual fee of $35/year for two dogs. The dogs wear a tag showing that they have been approved for use of the park. And the park rangers check the dogs for tags every few hours. There is a coded lock on the entry gate -- you get the code when your dog gets his/her tags. I don't know if you have an opportunity to make any improvements in the way your DPs are managed -- or if this might help, but thought I'd pass this along.

OK -- Maisie is squeaking her football...


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## Nyahsmommy

Wow seems like I haven't been here forever! Lol

Kathleen - that's great about tucker, glad things worked out in the end 

Nyah is back in her routine. She is back to going to bfs moms house again meaning she isn't as hyper anymore because she gets tons of exercise there. That also means her digging is back. It's funny because she doesn't dig at home just there. This morning she dug a hole half way to china , she doesn't listen at all when she is digging just keeps going until I throw a ball or physically touch her.


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## Tayla's Mom

Good morning teen age parents. Weekend update - after a couple weeks of pretty good behavior with 10 month old Tayla, all my bruises were just about healed, we have a bad weekend. Two shirts ripped, new pinch bite bruises on me, items stolen and guarded, every time we let her out back she grabbed a rock to chew and the worst - she stole my husband’s Rx glasses from the counter. He was outside and didn’t see this incident. I almost had a heart attack. He wants to get rid of her anyway because she has been so horrible and our lives have been so stressful with her the past 6 months. Anyway, she grabbed them and ran. I ran to get some clothes from the hamper to trade (bad Mom, but she loves grabbing them when she can), but wasn’t interested in anything but the glasses. I got some garden gloves to use to pry her mouth open and I’d have had to broken a jaw she was holding so tight that her bottom jaw was quivering. Finally I put her in her crate and grabbed a bottle of bitter apple. We haven’t had to use it for a while, but she remembers and finally dropped them. I’m not overly religious, but I was praying harder than I’ve ever prayed that she hadn’t damaged them. My prayers were answered. Not a scratch. I cleaned them and put them farther back on the counter. No one ever has to know but us.


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## OutWest

Barbara: I promise I won't tell your husband! That's a shame she regressed. Do you attribute it to anything in particular? 

All: Tucker is doing well overall. He class is quite good and we both enjoy it. It's hard to get him tired enough beforehand, though, which means he's pretty antsy during the class. In most classes, the trainers want the dogs to come to class hungry, but always feed him a full breakfast. He's so treat motivated that being full is never a problem, but being hungry makes him antsy. LOL

I'm still watching him closely at the DP. I think I've put my finger on what bugs him (described above) so I try to keep third party dogs away when he's involved with a friend, but it's challenging. The third dog doesn't always listen to me... I've taken to standing up and heading to the least crowded part of the park because Tucker always has to be near me. He follows me and the play friend follows too, and then I can usually shake off the third dog. Sigh. I think I'm going to hire a behaviorist. I want to solve this if it's solvable. Don't want to spend the rest of his life being ready to run interference at all times...


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## Tucker's mommy

Ugh. Just reading your post makes me feel so bad for you, Barb - but I really think things are going to get better. Your pup is at the age our Tucker was when he was at his very worst. I never want to re-live that again. I was very afraid that Tucker would unintentionally hurt our two year old daughter - especially when we were all outside. Even now we still have our moments at 16 months. Just today, on a walk, he got over-excited after seeing a Halloween decoration (skeleton popping out of a treasure chest - YIKES), and he got all jumpy and nippy with me. But I was able to redirect him with the "heel" command and a little piece of cheese. That NEVER would have been possible five months ago. We've had our regression days, for sure. Just hang in there. Hugs to you!


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## jluke

*Gotcha Day!*

We enjoyed Maisie's Gotcha Day over the weekend -- nothing much in particular, just lots of walks and play time. She had her one year wellness exam today and got a great report from the vet, always a relief. She's now 66 pounds which her vet says is ideal, so I'll work to keep her there. (The special diet to prevent UTI's can cause weight gain.) She got her annual shots except Lyme's which will come next month, didn't want to do too much at one time. And we started her on Dausequin, just as a preventative.

Her vet recommended that I find a vegetarian training treat since that would be best with her diet (preventing kidney stones). Do any of you know of one? I give her Science Diet treats now, but they're too big to use for training and are hard to break into pieces. If I can't find any, I think I'll try bits of apple.

Barbara -- hang in there with Tayla. Maisie is the same age as Tucker at 16 months and just when I think the teenage behavior is gone, she has another outburst. The other day, we were walking, stopped to talk with a neighbor who commented on how well-behaved she was and she went crazy with the zoomies, running wildly around me and jumping up, right on cue. He actually apologized to me like it was his fault... 

Kathleen -- Maisie is the same way as Tucker. I have to feed her at least most of her meal before class or she's just nuts about the training treats and can't focus on the tasks.


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## Tayla's Mom

Why is it worse, I don't know. I knew the few good days wouldn't last. We just have to cherish them and string more together. 



Tucker's mommy said:


> Ugh. Just reading your post makes me feel so bad for you, Barb - but I really think things are going to get better. Your pup is at the age our Tucker was when he was at his very worst. I never want to re-live that again. I was very afraid that Tucker would unintentionally hurt our two year old daughter - especially when we were all outside. Even now we still have our moments at 16 months. Just today, on a walk, he got over-excited after seeing a Halloween decoration (skeleton popping out of a treasure chest - YIKES), and he got all jumpy and nippy with me. But I was able to redirect him with the "heel" command and a little piece of cheese. That NEVER would have been possible five months ago. We've had our regression days, for sure. Just hang in there. Hugs to you!


I am also better able to redirect in walks even when we are having a bad period they are not as bad as they were. The worst was camping and on a walk I think it was almost 5 minutes that I "was under attack". Completely didn't know how to handle it. Kept jerking my arms and hands away, kept turning away from her, etc. Didn't realize she saw it is a fun game. I came back to the RV in tears and bleeding from her sharp still puppy teeth. I was hurt, mad and embarassed. Now I watch carefully for the signs and I don't jerk away. If my timing is right, I can grab her collar on each side of her face and say sit at the same time. She sits, I let go and will usually tell her down. By that time I have a treat in my hand and once she goes down she gets a treat. Then we walk on. If I don't catch it before it escalates it talkes longer, but maybe 20 seconds to get her under control. At home she still will pinch bite if over stimulated, but now I just say "we need a nap" and you go in your crate for 15 minutes or so.


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## OutWest

Jill--I wish my vet had given me better instructions when Tess was put onto prescription diet years ago. I continued feeding her the same amount, and over a period of three years she put on about 4-5 pounds, a lot for a toy dog. I've got it under control now but I didn't even realize she had gained so much and why for a long time. Also, no one ever told me to skip meat-based treats, but that makes sense. She gets very few treats in any case... 

Also--the brand Tess eats came out with a reduced calorie formula not long ago. Same price, but only comes in a very large bag. 

For veggie treats, does Maisie like raw veggies? Tucker views carrots as a treat. Also, perhaps a cracker type treat if she doesn't have problems with grains. I take the stale Cheerios that my daughter leaves in the bag and use them in the training class. Very tiny, but he works for it... 

I am really bummed about stuff that is going on with Tucker. I really can't relax when he's playing with more than one dog. I've put out feelers to find an animal behaviorist to help me out with him. There are only two I've found in the Bay Area and neither are taking patients right now. I'd really like to work with a trained behaviorist and not a standard trainer. I have nothing against trainers, but I'm trying to work with him on something major. I feel like I need to be sure the person knows what they're doing.... Next step, I'm going to call his vet. Perhaps she'll have a referral for me.


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## Tayla's Mom

OutWest said:


> I am really bummed about stuff that is going on with Tucker. I really can't relax when he's playing with more than one dog. I've put out feelers to find an animal behaviorist to help me out with him. There are only two I've found in the Bay Area and neither are taking patients right now. I'd really like to work with a trained behaviorist and not a standard trainer. I have nothing against trainers, but I'm trying to work with him on something major. I feel like I need to be sure the person knows what they're doing.... Next step, I'm going to call his vet. Perhaps she'll have a referral for me.


I think you are wise to go with someone who has more of a behavior background. I love the lady we found who does several classes in various things for Tayla and she is so patient with her and sees much more than the average person/trainer would see.


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## mooselips

Such an exciting a.m.
Our invisible fence (Dogwatch brand) was put in, and training has begun.

Already, Bridget is hesitant to go near those white flags....
And we've only trained twice. Once with the trainer, once with me.

Bridget is coming along pretty darn good, I can see she's starting to settle down quite a bit, except when overly excited...which is when ANYONE comes in the door. Lots of repetition to sit, stay, no jumping.

It's been a difficult 2 weeks staying around the house because of her first heat, but so far we've managed....


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## OutWest

Tucker's class ended today. I think he enjoyed it; I know I did. They're going to do another 4-week session, and I think we'll do that. It's so helpful to have the structure and the homework assignments. Im not always the most disciplined about doing the homework :doh: but it's more structure for us than "just living" day to day. I got a lot of compliments on how well Tucker did in the class. One person was surprised that he was so young! Thought he must older because he acted so calm. (These things are all relative! I didn't think he was all that calm...) 

Since this was the last class, several of us gathered in the parking lot to chat and meet each other's dogs. We had been encouraged to not have the dogs meet, etc., because the message to the dogs was that when they go to the training center, it's for work and not play. Anyway, one woman pulled out a dog I hadn't seen before--she must have been keeping it in her car. It looked like a large poodle. She said it was a curly coated retriever, the ancestor of most of the retriever breeds of today. I was fascinated. It was older and a bit reserved, but had a sweet face and kept coming to me for pets. 

One suggestion from the trainers was to put a list of things to work on onto a white board in the kitchen, and then check them off each day after you're worked with the dog. I think im going to try that...need the list to keep me going! :bowl:

Hope you are all doing well. We are having very un-fall-like weather here. Next week it's supposed to get up to the 80s. So I'm planning on a couple swimming parties for Tucker.


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## jluke

*Catch Up*

Kathleen -- thanks for the suggestion on veggies as treats. I'd just tried giving Maisie a few small apple chunks which she loved. So, now I'll try some carrots and green beans. And I appreciate the mention of the low-cal version of the special food. There's one for the version Maisie is on, too. Her vet would rather not make another change if we don't have to.

I hope you find a behaviorist -- I think you're right that it's a good step to try.

I'm impressed that you're getting so organized to continue Tucker's training. That's great! After some travel, we're ready to re-start Saturday drop-in classes. They work really well for us. A walk, breakfast, a walk 15 minute walk through the neighborhood to the school where the class meets and then class when Maisie is a bit tired out. This fall they're starting an off-leash class, too, so I'm really looking forward to that.


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## Guybrush

Hi everyone! Just popping in with a Guybrush update.

Jill - I would love to give him antlers unfortunately we are in Australia and we would have to import them, same with canned pumpkin! I tried making a toy by strongly plaiting denim but he started to eat it so in the bin it went, he is a mad chewer.

So today the temperature here is 35 Celsius (95 to you guys in the US) so we are chilling inside not really prepared for the heat as it is still 2 months till summer starts. Tomorrow it cools down to 25 (again that is about 77). Guybrush is currently munching on an ice block, so he is in heaven.

We went to the vets for his ear infection (whih has cleared up nicely) and weighed the monster, he is 33kgs (73 pounds) and has seemed to have stopped growing. Our breeder says we can stud him but we want him neutered soon.

He has definately grown up the last few weeks, started lifting his leg and marking on walks and humping! I can't wait till he is a year old and he can be snipped.

I have to go stop him chasing his tail now, so bye.


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## Tayla's Mom

Good Morning All. I was sick all weekend, but we did manage to take Tayla to a local Petfood Warehouse. She was actually very good. She smelled everything in the bins, but surprisingly didn’t take anything. We got her a couple knucklebones and a new toy. I don’t know if she picked up on me being sick or she was just having a bad weekend, but that was her only good period. She was super bitey the rest of the time. We took her for a walk last night and I deliberately went a different direction for part of the walk and that threw her into a frenzy of biting hands. I’m better at getting her under control, but those of you who have these bitey mouthy dogs know it’s rather embarrassing when it happens in public. We are getting ready to go on a long weekend trip and any change in her routine causes an upswing so I’m trying in the 10 days leading up to it to change out a walking routine ever couple days in hopes she finally gets used to it and will settle down. We take the dogs with us on vacation and Tayla is a wholly terror when we travel. I’m hoping the more we do it she will eventually get used to it.


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## Nyahsmommy

I hope everyone had a better weekend then I did. Nyah was horrible. On Saturday BFs friend came over with his new 7 week old boarder collie puppy. He was so cute and well behaved... More so than Nyah, :s she kept trying to play with him like he was an adult dog, was shoving him over with her snout, barking at him to chase her etc. she didn't understand that he was a baby. The pup was scared of her but loved my one cat and was following her everywhere it was so cute! 

Also on our walks she pulls to every dog we see even pulled me across the street. Other owners were not impressed.

Sunday we brought her to my moms and the neighbours son was over with his gf and their new chocolate lab pup. The pup was trying to play but Nyah was being too rough again. She played with the parents golden lab better . She apparently isn't good with puppies which is good to know, not that I want another puppy anytime soon now anyways. Sheesh


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## Tayla's Mom

Nyahsmommy said:


> I hope everyone had a better weekend then I did. Nyah was horrible. ......., not that I want another puppy anytime soon now anyways. Sheesh


I'm right there with you Nyahsmommy. I will say that with all of Tayla's bad issues when she is not "attacking" me on a walk, she pretty much ignores other people and dogs. If we stop to chat for a second she will sit or lay down on her own. I don't dare stay and talk for long because as soon as she gets bored or frustrated with not moving then she jumps and bites at me. NO MORE PUPPIES FOR ME. I'm just not cut out for it apparently.


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## Nyahsmommy

Tayla's Mom said:


> I'm right there with you Nyahsmommy. I will say that with all of Tayla's bad issues when she is not "attacking" me on a walk, she pretty much ignores other people and dogs. If we stop to chat for a second she will sit or lay down on her own. I don't dare stay and talk for long because as soon as she gets bored or frustrated with not moving then she jumps and bites at me. NO MORE PUPPIES FOR ME. I'm just not cut out for it apparently.


Lol! We should make a no more puppies club.  funny because I was considering a second one for a while but bf said a firm no and I'm glad he did because I can barely handle her ad it is plus two crazy young cats and an older cat that hates Nyah. I'm done for a loooooong time. Lol


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## mooselips

Not sure if any you used to follow my JBG post...(jumping, biting, grabbing...lol) but I actually have scars on my arms. Tried everything, INCLUDING a nutty personal trainer.....(.hang the dog, what an idiot he was.......)

Thank goodness we're over THAT craziness.

And seriously, I remember back thinking, I may have to let her go, cause I'm losing alot of blood here, but I persevered, (and bled)and life is so much better, she's just an absolute dream dog, and she's only 10 months right now. 
(Other than stealing everything she gets her sights on)


If I ever got another, I'd sure make sure I get her at the very end of Summer, so it would be Fall and Winter, and I don't look like a fool with 3 layers of long sleeve shirts on all Summer..........

I've had plenty of dogs, but none so much of a challenge........


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## Tayla's Mom

Tayla is 10 months now and I'm hoping she will be better in a few months. I don't pull away as much and I don't think I make it look like a game anymore. I've become a lot firmer because I'm just tired of being her chew toy. She is easily frustrated and any change in routine can bring it on. The last two nights I changed our walking route. Last night I got "attacked" several times. Tonight went the same route and it only happened once. Every four nights I'm going to change up the routine. She has to get used to changes and how she deals with them. We vacation with our dogs and she is no joy to travel with so far. 


Sent from my iPod touch using PG Free


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## mooselips

And I'd be firmer.

(and grow taller...at 5 foot, I am an easy target)


It was REALLY (sarcastic) fun when we were at camp, she was off leash all Summer,and knocked me off my feet 3 times! Got the 88 year old neighbor once.....

a full run and BAM! Much more fun that the biting....lol


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## baumgartml16

Sorry for those of you still dealing with the jumping/biting on walks. Koda went through it at like4-6 months, then stopped for a while and then again at 10 months. At 10 months it wasn't as often at all and we had learned what triggered it and what worked to stop her. If we caught it before she actually was jumping we would quickly turn our back and that was enough to stop her train of thought and we would wait a minute and continue walking. If we weren't lucky we would get down to her level so jumping wasn't an option and grab a treat. I wouldn't give it to her but she knew if she wanted it she had to be good. So i would hold it out in front of her until she sat and I would tell her to wait. I would pet her chest with the other hand and once I felt she had calmed down I would stand up and give the treat. Sometimes it happened again right away and I would repeat. I don't recall having to do it more than twice though. Just something that might work for some! 

Koda is good now, haven't had any of that in a very long time and walks are such a joy with her. She is much more timid so she has never been the type to try to get to other people and dogs, thank goodness! 

These puppies do put us through some crazy stuff but Koda is now a testament to it being all worth it in the end!  I have been sooooo happy with her lately, she has become what we dreamed of having from the day we brought her home! Her listening is back after those teenage months, she is quick to just settle if we are busy, she is eating again, she is improving off leash which I NEVER thought would happen!  There is hope everyone!! I was the one who started this thread thinking I was going to be dealing with this stuff forever - seriously!  And it improved - A LOT!

Hang in there!  They are by far the world's best pet/breed/family member out there!


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## Tayla's Mom

baumgartml16 said:


> ....I wouldn't give it to her but she knew if she wanted it she had to be good. So i would hold it out in front of her until she sat and I would tell her to wait. I would pet her chest with the other hand and once I felt she had calmed down I would stand up and give the treat. Sometimes it happened again right away and I would repeat. I don't recall having to do it more than twice though. Just something that might work for some!
> 
> ...


Nice suggestion. Sometimes in the midst of things you don't think of simple things. I always make her sit by grabbing her collar so she can't jump. I hadn't thought of holding the treat for her until she makes the decision to sit. :doh: I might get a few more bites, but it would be her decision to actually sit and that may be better than forcing the issue. Thanks.


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## Nyahsmommy

I really don't know what I am going to do with Nyah. We had thanksgiving dinner at my sister's house then both sisters and one family came by to see our house (they never saw it before). I knew nyah would be hyper after being alone after a few hours and she always is after meeting new people but she is rediculous!!

I had her locked in the yard and she was barking and lunging at the door. We let her in and she went insane. Bf had to hold her back and she was lunging at everyone. The kids were absolutely terrified. My sister and brother in law had to hold the kids and go in another room. I went to show them the house while bf held her. She escaped and charged them. I had to grab her and throw her in the bedroom for the rest of the time they were there. The love the cats but are all scared of Nyah. This was the worst I had ever seen her. This is rediculous that I can't even have family over or host family events. 

I am shaking I am so mad. The funny thing is as soon as they left she settled and went to sleep. She does this when I walk her to. I am beyong frustrated. The sit and stay doesnt work, she gets too excited and won't listen at all. Bf had to throw her to the ground and pin her she looked like a crazed wild dog. I am still in shock. :uhoh:


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## Tayla's Mom

Nyahsmommy said:


> I really don't know what I am going to do with Nyah. We had thanksgiving dinner at my sister's house then both sisters and one family came by to see our house (they never saw it before). I knew nyah would be hyper after being alone after a few hours and she always is after meeting new people but she is rediculous!!
> 
> I had her locked in the yard and she was barking and lunging at the door. We let her in and she went insane. Bf had to hold her back and she was lunging at everyone. The kids were absolutely terrified. My sister and brother in law had to hold the kids and go in another room. I went to show them the house while bf held her. She escaped and charged them. I had to grab her and throw her in the bedroom for the rest of the time they were there. The love the cats but are all scared of Nyah. This was the worst I had ever seen her. This is rediculous that I can't even have family over or host family events.
> 
> I am shaking I am so mad. The funny thing is as soon as they left she settled and went to sleep. She does this when I walk her to. I am beyong frustrated. The sit and stay doesnt work, she gets too excited and won't listen at all. Bf had to throw her to the ground and pin her she looked like a crazed wild dog. I am still in shock. :uhoh:


I'm so sorry you had such a bad experience. Maybe you should have a behaviorist come in and work with you. We decided to do that tonight. It's a lot of money, but its less expensive than the hundreds of $$$ we are spending on chew treats to keep Tayla's mouth occupied. Her biting is just not getting better at a rate that we are happy with. I don't remember how old Nyah is, but puppyhood is not for us. I guess we are lucky she isn't overly excitable with strangers, but that is one of her few good points. I hope you get this fixed. 


Sent from my iPod touch using PG Free


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## Nyahsmommy

Tayla's Mom said:


> I'm so sorry you had such a bad experience. Maybe you should have a behaviorist come in and work with you. We decided to do that tonight. It's a lot of money, but its less expensive than the hundreds of $$$ we are spending on chew treats to keep Tayla's mouth occupied. Her biting is just not getting better at a rate that we are happy with. I don't remember how old Nyah is, but puppyhood is not for us. I guess we are lucky she isn't overly excitable with strangers, but that is one of her few good points. I hope you get this fixed.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPod touch using PG Free


Nyah is 17 months. She was always excitable but it's worse with new people. It was a bad situation since she was alone all day and we didn't get a chance to say hi then a bunch of strangers she didn't know piled in the house. Unfortunately a behaviourist isn't in our budget right now but we are started to train hard core. A lot of people encourage her to jump so we have a lot of training to correct then. Also no more getting her excited and ignoring her when we get home. Hopefully we start to see improvements. She also is very high energy which doesn't help


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## Tayla's Mom

I understand completely. I have the problem that Tayla isn't a dog that does well in the heat so she only gets one walk a day during the week. Hopefully cooler weather is on the way to FL and then I can walk her on my lunch hour. Good luck. 


Sent from my iPod touch using PG Free


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## 2tired

Nyahsmommy said:


> I had her locked in the yard and she was barking and lunging at the door. We let her in and she went insane. Bf had to hold her back and she was lunging at everyone. The kids were absolutely terrified. My sister and brother in law had to hold the kids and go in another room. I went to show them the house while bf held her. She escaped and charged them. I had to grab her and throw her in the bedroom for the rest of the time they were there. The love the cats but are all scared of Nyah. This was the worst I had ever seen her. This is rediculous that I can't even have family over or host family events.


Have you tried keeping her lead on in the house? That way you can have better control of her when she tries to get out of control.


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## OutWest

Nyahsmommy, it sounds like a really bad ending to a nice day.  I think your assessment of what happened was on target--too much pent up energy and bored from being home alone combined with a whole bunch of people rushing in. I wish I had magic advice to offer but I really don't. I hope you can find some solutions. Probably the next time you have company over, you'll know what to expect and can arrange the timing differently. Hang in there. {{hugs}}


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## Dexter12

Yesterday Dex was a terror he wouldn't leave us alone and I felt like some of his behaviours were like a regression. All day no matter how much I played with him he wouldn't leave us alone. When he couldn't get our attention then he would either bark at us or jump on the couch right on top of us. For the first time in quite a while he got time outs and of course when we would try to put him there he would flop over and demand tummy scratches. Even his walk yesterday was terrible, he was all over the place. 

Urrrrrrrrg.


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## mooselips

Started our new set of puppy classes Monday night.
Gee, I sure wish I would have begand classes here instead of the other two places we've been.

We started at petsmart, but actually, all she learned was sit, stay, down...
really could have accomplished that on my own...

Next we went to Air Dog, I was interested cause they had a pool....
but we never SAW the pool, (they were moving locations) and it was a chaotic, melee..disaster, with little training.........

So, I started taking Bridget to daycare (Central Bark) on occasion, was talking to the owner, she suggested classes there.
SO.....soooo much better, well organized, annd there is probably 20 pups in this class.

This is a no nonsense approach to training, you are the boss, and the dog needs to know it's place........much better....

Just wish I would have started HERE instead of the other places....darn.

But (BIG smile) we're there now!

ALSO....(sorry to make this so lengthy)
Bridget now has her invisible fence put in...2 weeks now, flags still in place.
Got zapped at level 3...twice chasing the pretty deer..into the bush a couple days ago....
Got shocked this a.m. level 5 once...chasin those dreadful, rotten deer...into the bush, *but immediate recall I was proud of...!*

She is now set at 7...so let's give a silent prayer it works.


If anyone has any suggestions, I'll sure take them....


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## murphy1

My guy is six months and gets two walks a day. Jumping isn't too bad but biting the leash wass awful. My trainer said "get a chain leash until he stops". It worked,,,,no more biting and tugging at the leash. Bought it at Petco. I bought the heavy leash but go with the lighter one it'll do the job. Good Luck!


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## ms_summer

Hello all! haven't been in this thread in a while, as we had a good month with Summer girl.. however, when she turned 9 months old last week, she has been absolutely horrible! 

The jumping is officially back! and she will go crazy whenever people ring the door bell. The whining is still present, the barking that was getting much better is back full force, ah!!!! that drives me crazy! 

She hasn't growled or snapped much, but only because we have been very careful. This week however she has growled twice when corrected, but we noticed that if we don't physically touch her (for example, if she's trying to chew on the couch and we touch a hand or a finger to her shoulders to get her attention because she COMPLETELY ignores us), she won't growl. we've been working really hard with the leave it command, and she is great at it most times, however if she's "in the zone" oh boy... only Jesus to help us lol! 

She has also started chewing on everything again! I actually asked the vet last week if her teeth was full grown because there was no reason for her to be chewing on stuff like a tiny baby when she exercises a lot and has nylabones, antlers, rawhides, chewing toys, etc. Vet said that yes her teeth is full grown at 9 months so it's just a bad habit... Off to the store I went to get some bitter apple to apply everywhere (haven't used it in SO long, but she is destroying ALL my new furniture!  ) 

Summer girl has also been easily scared/excited lately! This morning on our walk she reacted so funny when she saw the trash truck and was trying to run away and hide under this huge white truck parked in front of a house. After that, she went crazy when she saw this witch thing on someone's tree and barked and growled like crazy at it. Hair on the back up all the way!! Pretty funny how worked up she got because of the witch, lol! Apart from that, she has been super bitey! it's not even funny! We have to use "no bite" allllll the time, but she is specially bad with me! she bit me on my forehead two days ago when I came home after a 4 day trip (she stayed with my mom) and I guess she was excited to play and yeah.... have a bruise on my forehead now and lots on my arms and hands... Although my mom said that she behaved pretty well while I was away (although I heard from my baby sister that she growled at the pet sitter when she tried to move her from the couch ---- and yes, Summer is not allowed on the couch so I have no idea what she was doing there to start with since I left a long list of things she is not allowed to do for the sitter.... :doh:

Whew, I'm tired. I thought we'd be a little better at 9 months, but guess I was wrong. Don't get me wrong, she has calmed down a LOT, but we are nowhere close to having proper manners. Summer girl is still a monster dog. :bowl:

Hope everybody is okay and your dogs are behaving a lot better than mine. 

Mari & Summer


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## Nyahsmommy

2tired said:


> Have you tried keeping her lead on in the house? That way you can have better control of her when she tries to get out of control.


It was all rushed so I didn't think of it at the time but that would have been a great idea. I think everyone still would have been scared though, she was sliding around on the floor trying to get to my 3 year old nephew. It was embarrasing. I wanted to leave her outside but she was about to break down the screen so bf let her in and she went insane. She always gets excited when people come over but that was definately a bad combo. Especially since they were new people to her. She was good the next day at bf's family's dinner but then again his mom dog sits her everyday and she sees the family often. She just lays theres and is good. Oh well next time I will know what to do.


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## Guybrush

Hi everyone,

Guybrush is finally starting to train for CCD and Rally-O novice. We had our first lesson last weekend and the start was great we learned the command Jackpot where the dog runs to its special food treat bowl for awesome best treat ever! We are using it because we need a couple of commands in a row in competition where food treats aren't allowed in the ring, but as soon as we exit its Jackpot time! It works so well why haven't we done this before! We use it on recall in the backyard when he is being too boisterous and jumpy. Come! Sit......Jackpot!

So at training the trainer decided to use Guybrush the youngest in the class to demo figure eight around some toys and her own CDX dog, of course my idiot dog decides the treats in the trainers pocket are the best in the world and after licking the trainers face and jumping around like a lunatic decides to just put his nose and tongue in said pocket. Before trying to engage the very well behaved CDX dog in a game. It was a great teenage moment. He was perfect the rest of the class.

Also we are having problems with Guybrush jumping up, but only when there aren't toys around for him to carry in excitement (we call it the happy mouth, so happy to see people just have to carry something typical golden). So we have to make sure there are toys around the front door when people come over.

Thanks for letting me rant abit and also brag 
Jay


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## Tayla's Mom

Good morning everyone. Hope you had a good weekend. I have to share a little bit of good from a 4 day camping trip we took with Tayla this past weekend. This was her third camping trip to Disney’s Fort Wilderness Campgrounds. We have an RV and live 90 minutes away so we camp there often. Her first trip was in May a couple months after we got her and the second was 4th of July week. Both trips were a nightmare of jumping and biting on walks, ripped shirts and cuts and bruises. I came back from every walk in tears and looked like a battered woman when I came home. She is a routine girl and any change causes an upswing in bad behavior and back then I just hadn’t figured out how to handle her. Some of her “attacks” on walks lasted from 3 to 5 minutes and I was actually afraid to walk her myself. But in the last month or so I’ve gotten tired of being her chew toy so we have been working really hard on walks to stop this behavior. We have had some success at home, but, we were expecting the worst from this trip because she was going to be in unfamiliar surroundings. What we got was a dog that jumped and bit a few times, but no ripped shirts and when she started to jump and get excited (I watch for her triggers now) I gave her a firm sit and 75% of the time it worked. The rest of the time I put a treat in my hand and we did the control game where if you bite at my hand it stays closed and it only opens for good behavior. That worked the rest of the time. I came home bruise free for the first time. She still bites hands when frustrated or excited at home and we are only having limited success on stopping that, but if I can stop the other or at least control it, then it gives me hope that someday she will be a good dog.


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## Bentleysmom

It sounds like she's coming along great, congrats! It should only get better from here


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## mooselips

Good training!

It makes it so much more enjoyable when you're not bleeding all over the place!

Bridget is almost 11 months now, and the JBG's are GONE!

Like you, I had my doubts that it was ever going to get better, but it did!


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## murphy1

Murphy is now six months. He pulled terribly on walks. The trainer suggested a harness that attaches in the front chest area and would tighten around his body if he pulled. Well he wouldnt walk at all with that. I found a twenty year old harness I had from a golden years ago. Went around the neck and body. Much better. Found a "step in" harness at Petco. It's great!!!! We also use a chain leash so he doesn't bite it. Things much improved. Regarding the prong collar, I used that with my 150lb mastiff. It pinched him once and he got the message, we walked the neighborhood every day. I thought they were barbaric but the trainer said it was a must with such a powerful dog. What you use depends on the dog and situation.


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## baumgartml16

Glad to hear you are all getting some relief from your "kids". It is such a rewarding feeling when they start to "get it".


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## Tucker's mommy

I, too, have been dealing with much more of the grown-up dog these days than the old adolescent beastly Tucker he used to be. Just today, he started jumping on me as I was walking out of the garage. (many of you will recall we used to have HORRIBLE issues with his jumping and biting us). I told him to settle. He then took a short pause, put his mouth on my hand, and literally walked me that way to the corner of the yard where we always start our games of fetch. And he let go of my hand, sat and waited for me to throw the ball. I was absolutely shocked. Then I laughed out loud. The older he gets, the more we love him! And I've been sick lately, not able to give him as much exercise, and we can see he's over that phase where he'll go absolutely bonkers without that long walk. Nice to see he can handle a break from it now and then! 

So glad to see others on this thread are seeing their dogs grow up into well behaved goldens, too!


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## Tayla's Mom

Poor Tayla is sick. Came home last night to a puppy in her crate who had projectile diarrhea. Happy Anniversary to me. She was trying not to stand it it. I felt so sorry for her. I got her outside, cleaned up her crate and then gave her a bath. No food last night and I slept on the sofa next to her crate in case she had to go throughout the night. She did. This morning she is just not Tayla. She did drink some water and after she was up for a little while played a little with a toy, but not with her normal vigor. So it's off to the vet tonight. Jesse has a 6:00 appt. for her annuals and I called to say I'm bringing in Tayla. Today is the last day our vet is in the office for 3 weeks. He is going to China for education as he does acupuncture and herbs as part of his practice. Stuff always happens when he is on vacation. This time I caught him at the last second. I hope it's nothing serious. She is such a horrible puppy, but she kind of grows on you after a while.


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## MyBuddy22

this is a great thread!

Alright, here is my vent:

Bauer has to be the center of attention all the time! I love the guy, but its annoying. I feel people get annoyed by it too at the dog park. He has no care for people's personal space! At the dog park, he has to go up to every human to make sure they like him BEST and leans on them and nudges them ( not in a cute way). If people give affection to other dogs, Bauer wedges himself between the other dog so the person will pet him and not the other dog.

Buddy..... my other golden that passed in 2010 =( .... LOVED humans too, but never had to be the center of attention. I hope Bauer will grow out of this...


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## OutWest

MyBuddy22 said:


> this is a great thread!
> 
> Alright, here is my vent:
> 
> Bauer has to be the center of attention all the time! I love the guy, but its annoying. I feel people get annoyed by it too at the dog park. He has no care for people's personal space! At the dog park, he has to go up to every human to make sure they like him BEST and leans on them and nudges them ( not in a cute way). If people give affection to other dogs, Bauer wedges himself between the other dog so the person will pet him and not the other dog.
> 
> Buddy..... my other golden that passed in 2010 =( .... LOVED humans too, but never had to be the center of attention. I hope Bauer will grow out of this...



I'm not quite sure how to work on this. Tucker does it too, but more moderately. 
The obvious thing is to make sure he gets little to no reward for barging in. We do that at home, but it's harder at the dog park where you can't expect everyone to help you train your dog... :no: it would be good to have one of the trainers on the board chime in...


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## OutWest

Tayla's Mom said:


> Poor Tayla is sick. Came home last night to a puppy in her crate who had projectile diarrhea. Happy Anniversary to me. She was trying not to stand it it. I felt so sorry for her. I got her outside, cleaned up her crate and then gave her a bath. No food last night and I slept on the sofa next to her crate in case she had to go throughout the night. She did. This morning she is just not Tayla. She did drink some water and after she was up for a little while played a little with a toy, but not with her normal vigor. So it's off to the vet tonight. Jesse has a 6:00 appt. for her annuals and I called to say I'm bringing in Tayla. Today is the last day our vet is in the office for 3 weeks. He is going to China for education as he does acupuncture and herbs as part of his practice. Stuff always happens when he is on vacation. This time I caught him at the last second. I hope it's nothing serious. She is such a horrible puppy, but she kind of grows on you after a while.


Hope Tayla feels better soon. 

I bet at some she's going to turn into the perfect calm dog.


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## mflag714

OMG this thread is a godsend!!!

Our golden just turned one 3 weeks ago and we have been wondering where the pretty well behaved, well trained puppy we had disappeared too!
Cooper had gotten very good at sit, stay, leave it, down, drop it immediately, or almost immediately on command. Now, it is more of a "welll...let me think about this for a few moments...um, no not right now":doh:

Eating stuff on walks and jumping have became issues again. The putting stuff in his mouth seems to be going away but jumping on people as they approach has not. Also, if he doesn't get his way on a walk it is jump, grab/bite leash, sometimes going for the arm but not really connecting and a sudden HUGE interest in being on our bed!!!!!:uhoh: For 4 weeks everytime he gets up we take him off or say down. He gets pretty po'd about this. 

I think it is complicated by the fact he has been on restricted activity for 6weeks due to limping and we are now able to gradually increase that but not quick enough to disperse the crazy energy bursts he gets at times!

We've started doing some more "re mediation" type training with him, have a "pact" that with the jumping we will not talk or acknowledge him, just turn our backs and ask the neighbors to do the same. Am trying to find a training class to get him into as well because I think he may be bored.

Good thing he is cute and we love him like crazy because the last few weeks have been tough:bowl:

This thread makes me feel less crazy and alone, thanks!!!:wave:


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## Tayla's Mom

The one thing Tayla rarely does is jump on other people. I don't know why, but it's nothing we have done. We still have the dog that when she doesn't have something in her mouth she bites on us. In her crate she is just about perfect. Rick had the idea last night to work on letting her out a little bit and praising her for good behavior. Then letting her out a little farther and if she is good, again praising her. If she starts to bite, put her back in and wait a few minutes and try again. She is perfect if her mouth is occupied, but I can't keep feeding her bully sticks, and kongs forever. We work on impulse control, but I guess we will have to step it up even more. At 11 months I am starting to expect better behavior than we are getting. She is great when playing tug. She tugs like a maniac, making horrible growling noises. When I tell her to sit, she drops the toy, moves several feet away and sits waiting for me to toss it to her and start playing again. If we could just get that kind of response for No Bite I'd be a happy mom.


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## OutWest

mflag714 said:


> OMG this thread is a godsend!!!
> 
> Our golden just turned one 3 weeks ago and we have been wondering where the pretty well behaved, well trained puppy we had disappeared too!
> Cooper had gotten very good at sit, stay, leave it, down, drop it immediately, or almost immediately on command. Now, it is more of a "welll...let me think about this for a few moments...um, no not right now":doh:
> 
> Eating stuff on walks and jumping have became issues again. The putting stuff in his mouth seems to be going away but jumping on people as they approach has not. Also, if he doesn't get his way on a walk it is jump, grab/bite leash, sometimes going for the arm but not really connecting and a sudden HUGE interest in being on our bed!!!!!:uhoh: For 4 weeks everytime he gets up we take him off or say down. He gets pretty po'd about this.
> 
> I think it is complicated by the fact he has been on restricted activity for 6weeks due to limping and we are now able to gradually increase that but not quick enough to disperse the crazy energy bursts he gets at times!
> 
> We've started doing some more "re mediation" type training with him, have a "pact" that with the jumping we will not talk or acknowledge him, just turn our backs and ask the neighbors to do the same. Am trying to find a training class to get him into as well because I think he may be bored.
> 
> Good thing he is cute and we love him like crazy because the last few weeks have been tough:bowl:
> 
> This thread makes me feel less crazy and alone, thanks!!!:wave:


Yes, adolescence really is a phase and there are many similar things that dogs do and their owners experience! 

Another thing you might try is Googling tricks to teach your dog. There are soooo many videos out there for things to teach that can be done indoors and require little physical activity. It's a lot of fun and keeps the dog's brain engaged. A big lesson for me about GRs is that they really need physical outlets but the mental outlets are very important too, especially when they have to remain quiet.


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## OutWest

*Doing adolescence all over again...*

I hope some of you have read my posts about the new GR we acquired three days ago. Overall Bella's absorption into our family has gone really well. She's very shy and is scared of women. Right now she is on her best behavior. At some point, when she's really settled and has gotten over her fear of me, I'm expecting to see a different dog. She just one year old--born 9/26/11--so still in her teens. Tucker over the past weeks had been calming down a bit. I am a bit concerned that I may be going back to the terrible teens with Bella ... only time will tell. She has a very different personality (so far). She's calmer, gentle, less rambunctious (although she holds her own in playing bitey face). She's had no training at all, so that will be a project. We started yesterday with leash training and "sit" training. More to come!


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## Tayla's Mom

OutWest said:


> I hope some of you have read my posts about the new GR we acquired three days ago. Overall Bella's absorption into our family has gone really well. She's very shy and is scared of women. Right now she is on her best behavior. At some point, when she's really settled and has gotten over her fear of me, I'm expecting to see a different dog. She just one year old--born 9/26/11--so still in her teens. Tucker over the past weeks had been calming down a bit. I am a bit concerned that I may be going back to the terrible teens with Bella ... only time will tell. She has a very different personality (so far). She's calmer, gentle, less rambunctious (although she holds her own in playing bitey face). She's had no training at all, so that will be a project. We started yesterday with leash training and "sit" training. More to come!


I'm a little behind on new dogs, so Congratulations. We adopted a dog 12 years ago (she passed in February at 15) that was afraid of everything. It took a long time and a lot of work, but the 12 years she spent with us she showed us nothing but gratitude. She was the best dog. She still had a few issues that were never resolved (fear of bouncing balls), etc. but she lived a full rich life. Good luck with your new girl. I know she will be a wonderful addition to your family.


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## LilBitBit

Oh my goodness, God forbid there be a leaf in the path on a walk, because Buddy must have it! It's hilarious to watch him prance once he has the leaf but my poor husband has had his arm wrenched more than once because a wind-blown leaf crossed our path.

And I swear my dog is part basketball player, cause for such a big animal he can JUMP. He gets some serious air - I'm 5'8", my husband's 5'11", and he can jump high enough to be eye-level with us!

I'm looking at all of this with a sense of humor because otherwise it would drive me insane.


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## Dexter12

Hi everyone. I've got to catch up, see how all the teenaged pups are behaving. 

I've made a post but no one has answered yet and I think it can be called a teenaged problem. Dex is on a humping spree. He just won't stop, the last couple of days he's been humping the pillow and me non stop and it's driving me batty! He's also got his nose firmly planted in my butt and crotch and he just won't stop. What is a really effective way to get him to stop?


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## LilBitBit

Is he fixed?

I'd re-direct it - obviously that's not necessarily a behavior you want but is there something he's allowed to hump? A toy or a stuffed animal?


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## Dexter12

LilBitBit said:


> Is he fixed?
> 
> I'd re-direct it - obviously that's not necessarily a behavior you want but is there something he's allowed to hump? A toy or a stuffed animal?


No, he doesn't have anything to hump, it's behaviour we don't really want to encourage but I guess it's better than getting dry humped. When we got him, the breeders said that they didn't want him fixed until he was at least three years old. :doh:


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## OutWest

Dexter12 said:


> Hi everyone. I've got to catch up, see how all the teenaged pups are behaving.
> 
> I've made a post but no one has answered yet and I think it can be called a teenaged problem. Dex is on a humping spree. He just won't stop, the last couple of days he's been humping the pillow and me non stop and it's driving me batty! He's also got his nose firmly planted in my butt and crotch and he just won't stop. What is a really effective way to get him to stop?


It's really hard to stop humping--they're hardwired for it. Personally, it doesn't bother me so much in the dog park, although others are adamantly opposed and say it must be stopped!  Before Tucker was neutered his did a lot of humping and I was greatly amused at how appalled some people were. And then there were those who said, "leave them alone, my dog will deal with it." 

I think what I'd do with Dex is what I've been doing at home with Bella with the many habits she came with that need to end. Most involve jumping. When she starts I say "Ah!" loudly (she's learned that means stop and reconsider), when she goes back to what she's supposed to be doing (usually having 4 feet on the floor), I say "Yes! Good girl" in a happy voice and pet her a lot. The timing has to be spot on. It really helps to mark the unwanted behavior clearly and to mark the wanted behavior clearly. She's only been here 5 days, but she's figuring it all out pretty quickly. I suspect it will work with Dex, but since its a hardwired, hormonal behavior, it will be challenging. 

Good luck!

P.S. Wanted to add--you might try one of those compressed air cans. They work well by interrupting the dog. Available in pet stores and instructions ar eon the can or in the package.


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## quilter

Humping - get him fixed. Three years is unreasonably long.

Casper hasn't humped even one time since he was fixed, and he'd been doing it since he was 9 weeks old, every day. He pulled out his favorite pillow one time after his surgery, looked at he, thought "what am I doing? I forget" and then just went on to something else. He also stopped his rude sniffing at me and mostly at other dogs. He's not nearly as interested in other dogs and the other dogs aren't nearly as interested in him. He was fixed at 13 months.

If you want to try to train him out of it, you could try to let him have one special pillow. Then take away the pillow when you are tired of it. That worked for us. We let him have his favorite pillow for a few minutes a day. However, we couldn't totally train him not to be a male dog.


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## Pammie

OutWest said:


> you might try one of those compressed air cans. They work well by interrupting the dog. Available in pet stores and instructions ar eon the can or in the package.


This stuff really works! Some might say it is the easy way out to use it instead of training, but I find it invaluable. There are times when Bryley is in the zombie-zone and no amount of my shrieking will divert him and this does. He hates it! I use it primarily for when he has gotten ahold of something of high value to him- like a paper towel - and I know he will not trade. I just show him the can and he gives it up. 

Bryley is still not neutered and he is 1yr 8 mo. He is not around many dogs so I do not know what his humping habits would be. The only time he humps is when I give him his soggy doggy stuffie. He runs to the couch and kinda humps the couch with the stuffie in his mouth! :doh: I take the toy, throw it, he retrieves and back to the couch. I admit to laughing because he is so specific in his humping habit!

Its interesting that your breeder recommendation for neutering is for 3 years. I wonder what they feel the dog further gains from that long of time?


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## Guybrush

Hi everyone, It is Guybrush's 1st birthday today! And so far he is sleeping it away, not that I blame him its 95 degrees here, my partner is on the roof getting the airconditioner ready for summer! 

The poor dog has to deal with my house being over run with kittens, we are fostering a mum cat with 5 kittens at the moment. My cats are very standoffish and don't approach Guybrush at all, this new cat decided to jump on the bed next to him and headbutt and purr at him, Guybrush had no idea what to do it was so cute! He is also unsure about the 5 day old kittens he backs away from them and hides when they squeak! Silly dog.

Outwest - congrats on the new addition, looks like you need to change your sig here 

Hi newbies and welcome

Now that Guybrush is a year old we are allowed to have him neutered. Finally he has very specific humping requirements - must be a female dog he has know for more than 1 month, blonde and able to chase him. 

He has also started to inappropriately sniff me, its very annoying when I'm at the table eating.


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## Tayla's Mom

Happy Monday everyone. I hope you had a great weekend and those of you in the mid-Atlantic areas are prepared for the next few days. Good Luck.

We are having our first really cool snap in Florida, thanks in part to the big blow in the Atlantic driving cold air down our way. The weekend was windy and cooler and I remember with my past dogs how excited they got with wind and cool air. Tayla is no different, she just doesn’t need the added excitement to ramp her up. Lots of walks over the weekend, some better than others. She was on smell overload because of the wind and I must say she was very good on our morning walk on Sunday. Jumped up only once and put her mouth on my hand. A quick No Bite and sit and we were on our way to a lovely 45 minute walk. Sunday afternoon hubby and Jesse, our 15 year old Golden mix, went with us and Tayla was HORRIBLE. Jumping and biting every few minutes. I try to be consistent. She gets a stern No Bite, followed by the command Sit. When she sits she gets a “Good Girl” and a treat depending on how well she follows the commands. Quick compliance gets the happy voice and quick treat. Poor compliance (I have to physically guide her into a sit and hold her there until she settles) may get a “good girl”, but no treat. Tayla is a smart dog, I just don’t know why she doesn’t get it. She is 11 months and I know many on here have had similar issues that have lasted well into the first year. It just gets frustrating at times when she is so terrible and especially when she demonstrates CUJO in front of people. Oh, well today is another day and we will do a walk on my lunch hour.


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## OutWest

Barb, hang in there. I really do think that at this age, many GRs have marbles for brains . Her being good one day and not so good the next is pretty typical. Im betting all the info is in there, but it just doesnt get used every day. 

I'm dealing with these things all over again with Bella. She's relaxing in her new home, and a few bad habits are emerging. For example, she's a stealth jumper. She comes right up underneath us to get close to our faces and ends up smashing her nose into ours. Ouch! Her bad habits are different from Tucker's so we're having to find new ways to train and cope. 

She doesn't want to go into her crate anymore. I think she was formerly crated as punishment. . We continue to crate her at night but it's a challenge. She's next to Tucker in her crate, so I'm hoping his presence helps her out.


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## Tayla's Mom

I will say this is making me a much better trainer. With my other two, training out bad habits was a breeze compared to Tayla. Looking back on them I really didn't do much in the way of training. Sit, stay, down, come, don't pull on leash when walking. Tossed in a little back yard agility and they were happy dogs. Cheyenne was a bit different because she had trust and fear issues when we got her but patience was all I really needed with her. For as frustrated as I get with Tayla I realize I'm learning so much more with her. She will be a year old in about 3 weeks. I figure I have another tough 6 months and then maybe a better 6 months and she may, maybe, by 2 be something of the dog we want. Please from my mouth to God's ear let it be so.


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## Bentleysmom

I feel for you. I think the more we have to put in from the beginning, the more we are rewarded in the end. Sometimes it's just hard to see the end from where we're standing  As much as I have taught Ky..she has taught me SO much more! Hang in there, Good luck


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## Tayla's Mom

Well, it looks like the wind generated by Sandy has finally lessened in Florida. I’m amazed how much wind we have had for the past week from a storm that was nowhere near us for most of the time. We’ve had much cooler temps than normal because of it also. I remember with Jesse and Cheyenne how they loved the wind and cooler weather. Really got them excited. I loved watching them. Tayla is the same way, except she doesn’t need any more excitement to ramp her up. The last few days of walking have been pretty hellish. Jumping and biting so many times. Leaves blowing would start her. Wind in her face would set her off. I came home last night from walking her for 40 minutes just exhausted from the whole thing and trying to maintain my calm and enforcing commands in a stern voice while not screaming at the top of my lungs, “what don’t you get about NO BITE, SIT.” But I managed to remain calm, enforce the commands and make her sit when she wouldn’t, praised her nicely when she did and gave her a treat when she stopped before she started. I keep chanting in my mind….someday she will be good, someday she will be sweet. Isn’t it some day yet?


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## OutWest

Tayla's Mom said:


> Well, it looks like the wind generated by Sandy has finally lessened in Florida. I’m amazed how much wind we have had for the past week from a storm that was nowhere near us for most of the time. We’ve had much cooler temps than normal because of it also. I remember with Jesse and Cheyenne how they loved the wind and cooler weather. Really got them excited. I loved watching them. Tayla is the same way, except she doesn’t need any more excitement to ramp her up. The last few days of walking have been pretty hellish. Jumping and biting so many times. Leaves blowing would start her. Wind in her face would set her off. I came home last night from walking her for 40 minutes just exhausted from the whole thing and trying to maintain my calm and enforcing commands in a stern voice while not screaming at the top of my lungs, “what don’t you get about NO BITE, SIT.” But I managed to remain calm, enforce the commands and make her sit when she wouldn’t, praised her nicely when she did and gave her a treat when she stopped before she started. I keep chanting in my mind….someday she will be good, someday she will be sweet. Isn’t it some day yet?


Take a deep breath ... It will be all better really soon. She's definitely making progress but still has bad days. Hang in there. I can think of things you could try but suspect you already have done them. Hang in there.


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## Tayla's Mom

I'll take any suggestions. I have hit her in the head with a 2 x 4 but that just broke the board in half and didn't phase her much. She just grabbed the broken end and started chewing on it.


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## OutWest

Here are some thoughts--haven't looked back at old threads so you may have tried. In order of trying; used always with treats for good behavior:


Compressed air can (can get at pet store--interrupts dog's zoning out)
Air horn (if compressed air can doesn't work)
Choke collar
E-collar (not fond of them but as a last resort and if they'll keep Tayla in her home and you safe ... )

Good luck.


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## Tayla's Mom

OutWest said:


> Here are some thoughts--haven't looked back at old threads so you may have tried. In order of trying; used always with treats for good behavior:
> 
> 
> Compressed air can (can get at pet store--interrupts dog's zoning out)
> Air horn (if compressed air can doesn't work)
> Choke collar
> E-collar (not fond of them but as a last resort and if they'll keep Tayla in her home and you safe ... )
> Good luck.


First, no matter how awful she is, she will always have a home with us. She may not have free run of the house if she continues to be so extremely mouthy and my husband may never warm up to her if she continues to do it, but she will always have a home. Second I have not tried either the air can or air horn and I may try them. I'd probably start with the compressed air first because she is noise sensative and I don't really want to scare her, but it's a thought. I've also thought of the E-collar, but I just can't. I'm afraid it would have just the opposite effect with her; making her agressive which she isn't. She just is inappropriately mouthy. A friend who is very fond of Cesar Milan and trains dogs at one of our local dog clubs told me how if I just kneed Tayla in the chest when she jumped at me and grabbed her collar and sat her butt down a few times I wouldn't have this problem. Well kneeing her just caused her to ramp it up a notch. I did it several times inside and out and her behavior was even worse. She saw it as some sort of game because if I didn't make good on my first grab it was like a game. End result a broken vase inside and prolonged jumping, running and biting outside. I will grab her collar if we are out walking and it's the only way to get her to sit. I'll give her the command No Bite and then tell her to sit. If she still is jumping and biting I'll grab her and guide her into a sit and hold her there until I can see the excitement leave her a little. I can't believe we are still having this issue with her because contrary to what my friend says, I'm very firm with my commands and when she isn't in the ramped up excitement state she is becoming a pretty good dog. We work on a lot of impulse control things at home (inside and out), on most walks we also practice Nose Work as a way of getting her to focus. Everything I do with her is some type of training. She LOVES to tug so she knows we have rules. She can bring me the tug, but then moves off and sits before I toss it to her and we start to play. Several times during the game I give her the sit command and she must drop the tug and move off and sit and wait to resume play. If she doesn't, then I stop. She has to sit for meals before she gets them, she must sit before going outside, etc. I've talked to some other people who have had similar issues and they say by 1.5 to 2 years of age it gets better if you are consistent. I can only hope they are right.


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## Pammie

Sounds like you totally already know how to train your pup, so I will echo Outwest's suggestion of _patience_ being your most valuable tool right now! If she isn't doing what she should right now, stop and shift positions- even a foot or two and try again! Eventually things will simmer down. 
Some pups are just more feisty than others, and I have one of those ones. He was a biter for a looooong time- over 1 year. It was bad, but now it is good!!  Fortunately, leash walking was never an issue.
Not to bum you out but Bryley is 1 yr 8 mo and I am finally being able to take a breath and relax! He has been a hellion! And he is not my first, but my 4th GR so I am not new to this rodeo! LOL! He was like none other.
She will come around, just make your mantra Patience and consistency...patience and consistency...patience and consistency...and lots of love!!!! :heartbeat

So I am going to try and put some sort of costume on Bryley today. If successful, and I doubt I will be, I will post a pic. He is not fond of anything being put on his head. He_ is_ fond of taking the head gear and running it around the house though!! LOL!
Anyone else dressing up their pups? (there probably is a whole thread devoted to this that I haven't seen yet, right?!!!) Oh well, never too many pics of our puppers!!!

edit: Gah! just saw your posted while I was typing. I will now read your post...


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## Tayla's Mom

The amount of time it will take doesn't discourage me so long as I know somewhere down the road there is a payoff. All my dogs have been adopted from different places and have all presented some special challenge. Tayla is just my biggest challenge because of the biting. She would actually be a pretty good dog if it wasn't for that. She doesn't jump on other people when we are out, doesn't pull to see people or dogs on walks, she is great in her crate and has stopped stealing books and magazines from the shelves.


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## Pammie

I totally feel ya on the biting. My husband asked me to get rid of Bryley twice because he did not believe it would stop. (I did not even discuss this any further with him- talk to the hand, man!) And like I said, I am not talking about 5 mo old puppy biting, but 1 year old biting. It was such a stressful time that I really do forget the specifics, but I do remember he would lunge at our hands/arms when we would try to stop him from doing something. That scrunch nose was not my favorite look. :no: I would also caution you against grabbing her collar in discipline mode. We always did that and now Bryley is very sensitive to having his collar held when holding him back from something. If you can use a short leash on her at all times and grab that instead. This was just my experience with the collar grab.

I wish Bryley would stop stealing the newspaper! and paper towels! and mail! my god, paper is not safe in our house!!!! LOL
Did you guys have this cheer in high school? It takes on a whole new meaning in my world...push 'em back, push 'em back, way baaaack!!! (everything on tables & counters) 

I forget, how old is Tayla?


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## baumgartml16

Koda has been good with the jumping on walks for months now and all of a sudden this week she started it up again. She is much easier to manage now but still the fact she started doing it threw me off. But the weather has been funky this week, there was a full moon on Monday and she has an upper respiratory infection so I think her senses are a little off making her a little more on edge.

Regardless we went right back to what we did when she did this in the past. If we can tell it is coming we turn our back really quickly and 9 times out of 10 that is all it takes. Other times we don't catch it fast enough and that is why I make sure to always have treats with me on a walk. She sees my hand going in the pocket and I say okay koda, sit. She sits and then we tell her to relax. I bend down to her level and rub her chest for 30 seconds using a calming voice. She settles pretty fast, gets her treat and we are on our way. 

With the wind lately this has happened a few times a walk but she knows...they are just testing you!

Koda is 1.5 and we still deal with this on occasion but the improvement is there and it continues each time we correct her. She is a mouthy one too, always has been. I blame this on DH because he has played with his hands with her from day 1 when I told him not to, now he wonders why he can't lay on the floor without getting attacked.

Our biggest thing is working on bite inhibition right now because sometimes you can tell she loses control of herself and she bites a little too hard for me liking!! Hopefully we can overcome this obstacle eventually....


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## Tayla's Mom

Pammie said:


> I totally feel ya on the biting. My husband asked me to get rid of Bryley twice because he did not believe it would stop. (I did not even discuss this any further with him- talk to the hand, man!) And like I said, I am not talking about 5 mo old puppy biting, but 1 year old biting. It was such a stressful time that I really do forget the specifics, but I do remember he would lunge at our hands/arms when we would try to stop him from doing something. That scrunch nose was not my favorite look. :no: I would also caution you against grabbing her collar in discipline mode. We always did that and now Bryley is very sensitive to having his collar held when holding him back from something. If you can use a short leash on her at all times and grab that instead. This was just my experience with the collar grab.
> 
> I wish Bryley would stop stealing the newspaper! and paper towels! and mail! my god, paper is not safe in our house!!!! LOL
> Did you guys have this cheer in high school? It takes on a whole new meaning in my world...push 'em back, push 'em back, way baaaack!!! (everything on tables & counters)
> 
> I forget, how old is Tayla?


You do know. Maybe she has a twin. Same discussions with hubby. Tayla will be a year old November 17. She is the same way with papers, etc.


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## mrmooseman

Wow! I feel like i have been gone for months! a lot to catch up on.. I read these stories about these pups and it makes me giggle, I remember those days, sometimes I miss them, but Moose is at this great age where he is just more relaxed and I love having not to worry if he's getting into anything when we're not home, but he still can be stubburn when he is being walked, he has come along way, he no longer jumps on anyone, only when they allow him to, which is what I do when I come home so he can give me kisses, he just takes his huge feet and walks all over peoples feet, I swear he doesn't realize how big he is (98 pounds!). 

I think the last time I was on here was just after his tooth surgery, he bounced back from that 100%, poor fella everytime he pants his tongue falls out of the side, but we thought it was over, but it wasn't, about a month later he got another one :/. Of course I was in a state thinking the worst, but they now think it wasn't from chewing on a stick, but they figure he had baby teeth that never erupted and as the time went on they slowly came up through the gum and caused 2 infections, and I'm hoping that is the end of this..

Its fun to read where these pups are now!


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## mayapaya

Hi Megan and all, I need to catch up! It's been months (literally) since I've been on these boards. Raising two "teenagers" and then on top of it, dealing with some family health issues---life has been busier than I can handle these days....My Maya is finaly setltling down a bit and is "crateless", most days and nights...not so much for my little Pay, who is a full blown teernage--counter surfing, and finding trouble everywhere she can...what's funny is watching Maya---she's willing to join in the fun, but then gives me the look--oops, I shouldn't be doing this--it was Pay's idea! I'll try my best to catch up in the next few days! Hope all is well with my "parents of teenage pups" friends...


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## Tucker's mommy

To all of you who are dealing with a bit of regression on walks, and mouthing/bite inhibition issues - we, too, have had a bit of a regression with Tucker these past few weeks. I'm going to blame the change of weather from a very hot summer to a sudden, very cool fall for most of his troubles! But, with that said, it is still frustrating! I read your post, Michelle, and I swear I could have written it. Tucker has started up with some over-excitement on our walks. But, like you, it is much more easy to manage than when he was younger (he's just about a year and a half now). And in the yard today, I had to work with him over and over and over on the mouthing/biting at my hands thing while we were playing. 

Just these past couple weeks, I've been trying to de-sensitize him to me being on the floor with him. I am so tired of him going into the crazy mode as soon as I sit on the floor. We did make a bit of progress recently. I was watching a movie with my kids, and after sitting on the floor for about 30 minutes (and many timeouts for him in his crate because of him mouthing me over and over) he finally settled next to me on the floor, put his head on my lap, and fell asleep - snoring and all. It was the most wonderful feeling. I truly envy all of you who have lap dogs. Our Tucker is just so exciteable, we've never been able to snuggle. Maybe those days are yet to come. I sure hope so. 

Anyway, I fee all of your teenage puppy pain! We're still there, too, in the thick of it recently! Hang in there!


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## baumgartml16

Koda gets over excited when DH is sitting on the floor, luckily I dont get much of that mouthiness while sitting/laying on the floor. Once in a while she brings a toy over and her way of inviting you to play is climbing all over you with the toy in her mouth LOL....but other than that I am lucky that she is pretty good about settling with me. 

I really think it is the briskness outside now that is getting these pups to act up a little bit again. It is comfortable for them and they get excited to run and play!


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## Tayla's Mom

Not a bad weekend with Tayla. A little cooler so walks were pretty good. We worked a lot on the “out command”. Playing tug got the out command a lot. She did very well. She still will not give up easily something she deems a high value item. Case in point. We were walking on Sunday afternoon. About 10 minutes into our 45 minute walk she finds a pair of little girls under ware on the street. I know icky and what are the chances she finds on the street her favorite clothing item. Anyway before I could say leave it and pull her away she grabbled them. A trade for treats and an out didn’t work so we cut the walk short and went home. She actually pranced all the way home. Neighbors laughed at her. Inside she ran up to my husband with her little “look what I’ve got” growl. Nothing worked, including peanut butter until I said, OK, time out and started walking her to her crate. Under ware came out and I gave her a treat and tossed the offending things in the garbage. So goes life with Tayla. She was a little mouthy on her walks, but not too bad. Someone on here suggest that when she gets really mouthy with my husband and jumps all over him to use a can of compressed air; an air horn or an e-collar. Completely ruled out the e-collar and the air horn, but thought about the compressed air. We had a small can at home and when she jumped on him and started mouthing his hands I got up, went around the corner so she could not see me and sprayed one shot. I did not spray it at her and in fact went into the other room so she wouldn’t know it was me or where it came from. Got her attention really fast. She jumped down and was a little startled. I don’t know if we will use it again or not. Rick felt bad cause she was startled, but she did stop biting him and that’s a plus and she had no idea where the sound came from. She was pretty good Sunday night because we got her another knuckle bone and she spent hours chewing on that last night. I limited her to 30 minutes at a time, took it away and gave her something else for a while then gave it back. She has the most incredible need to chew, but is picky about what she chews on. Hope you all had good times with your teenagers this weekend.


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## jluke

*Hi All!*

Hello to everyone after being AWOL for weeks and weeks. DH and I spent a long weekend in my home town where my brother (a wonderful guy if I do say so) was inducted into the local sports hall of fame and we went to a family reunion. Then we vacationed for 2 weeks in Turkey and Greece -- a long-planned trip. Maisie stayed home with our regular house and pup-sitter and had I had her two favorite walkers come morning and afternoon each week-day, so she was completely spoiled by the time we got home.

And it shows! I, too, am having trouble again with her jumping up and playing tug-of-war with her leash on walks, usually just at the end or when she doesn't get to do something she wants -- visit with a person or play with a child (or stick!). The past two Saturdays, we've gone to the Beyond Basic drop-in class to "brush-up" -- we really need it. Maisie really acted up last week; the instructor handled her for part of the class (while I handled her perfectly-behaved rescued greyhound). When Maisie got that devilish look in her eye, before she even started to jump, the instructor would calmly and firmly say, "Knock it off!" But she didn't yell since that seems to rev Maisie up. Maisie kept giving me a hard time, so we agreed that anyone of the 4 other handlers in the class could correct Maisie. It worked well -- she got corrections from all directions and I was the "good guy." I've started carrying treats again on walks that I'm using when she's behaving well.

Tayla's Mom (I hope I have your name right) -- I used compressed air to teach Maisie not to dig. It took less than a week. When the "whoosh" distracted her, I threw her a ball or a toy, so she didn't get upset by the noise.

One more thing (just back and I'm already running on)... We were all staying at my parents this weekend and DH and I went out to dinner, leaving Maisie with them. They said she seemed a bit skittish. Then my mom bumped a springy door stop -- Maisie has never liked new things or anything metalic and she ran to the other end of the house. My parents were getting ready to leave and Mom was going to gate Maisie into the kitchen. When she approach to about 12 feet, Maisie rumbled in her throat -- Mom said not a "real growl", more like she was scared and she didn't bare her teeth. Still, not good. When DH and I returned and then my parents got back after us, Maisie was fine with us and them. When we next visit them, I'm going to sit with her on the floor and show her the door stop and make it "twang" to try to condition her -- I'll feed her treats if she'll take them. Do any of you have any other thoughts? I wondered if some of her skittishness was because she wasn't at home and because DH and I had been away for a few weeks not so long ago. Thanks.


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## Tayla's Mom

I have to share a breakthrough we had last night with Tayla. As many of you know we have a mouthing issue with our little landshark and it is worse with my husband. He can’t sit down that she isn’t flying across the room at him and biting his hands. As I posted someone had suggested using compressed air to deter her. Well the compressed air can really startled her and I didn’t even use it anywhere near her. I actually went around the corner and sprayed it, but it worked to completely distract her. Since it seemed to startle her so much we weren’t sure we would use it or not. I found out that making a psssssst sound has almost the same effect. So last night around 9:00 when she was getting mouthy with Rick, I turned my head away so she couldn’t tell where the sound was coming from and went “pssssst”. She stopped immediately and looked all over for where the sound came from. Here is the startling thing, after that she was good the rest of the night. At 10:00, when I normally put her in her crate for the night, Rick laid down on the floor with her and started petting her. That usually lasts for about 30 seconds and then she gets mouthy and he has to stop. Last night she let him pet her for 15 minutes. It was incredible. She rolled over on her back and got a little squirmy, but did not bite and was very sweet. I can’t believe the sound had that much effect on her, but I don’t know what else it could be. It’s the only thing we have tried that had any effect on her at all. Might just have been a fluke, but it was a nice one.


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## OutWest

Jill, I bet Maisie's reaction was just nerves. Not in her own home and you and DH were already gone. Strange startling noise. Then your mom approaches. perhaps give your mom a way to relax Zmaisie when she gets anxious like that. Not sure what--a Kong as lure perhaps?

Taylasmom-- that's great that the sound works. It will be interesting to see if it will continue to work. At least your DH got to pet her without getting bitten! 

Bella's jumping is getting better, but she still does a stealth jump once in a while. She got me good this morning--her little nose is hard when it whacks your face! I've been mostly correctling her gently when she jumps or puts her feet on the counter or gate...I say "ah!" or "no" and wait, when her feet hit the floor, I say "yes!" She's getting the idea. 

But she's gotten really good about getting into the car and waiting to be tethered. She seems to enjoy the dog park although she still a bit anxious. And in general she's relaxing. She let a complete stranger--a woman--pet her today. I think she's starting to understand that most women don't bite or hit.

This morning I put them in the back yard after we got back from the dog park. I looked out the window and saw them having zoomies together. So cute--two GRs dashing around in circles, jumping, and being silly.  Tess just watches... They are all snoozing right now as I fold laundry and watch election news.


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## Cari

Gosh, I guess I just got lucky with Yukon. I rescued him at 6 weeks and its like he came already well behaved. He walks perfectly and doesn't pull, he has never chewed anything up in the house (and I don't crate him, he roams free when I'm gone) Doesn't jump on people, loves cats, slept all night as a pup (he is 6 months old now)

Only thing is he likes to roll in mud. That is the only thing that I've had an issue with lol and its not just a little mud in his fur...he goes ALL out! Look!


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## Tayla's Mom

I would take the mud any day. We have a friend with the most incredible Aussie. My husband just loves Scout and Robynn said that was how Scout came, just a perfect puppy. We always wind up adopting the dysfunctional, although I will say Tayla takes the cake (or the pizza).


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## baumgartml16

Well we caved and called the personal trainer to come out again for the jumping/biting. It is bad again - outside when we play, inside when we play...we just never really fixed it I guess. 

We were going to do it on our own but my husband is traveling a lot and I just can't handle it anymore on my own. She takes me out lol. And just other circumstances that have come up where we need to correct this now.

Basically Koda will fetch the toy perfectly and bring it back CLOSE to us but not quite right. She takes it, lays down, and chews on it. So we give her a little time to do that and then go to get it from her again. It is either a tug of war to get it back or if we do grab it she is jumping at us and biting at us (trying to get the toy) until we throw it. We refuse to throw it while she is doing this so we end up enduring the torture until she decides she is done and will sit - sometimes it is too long lol. And it continues this way....sometimes she is really good and will just start running as soon as we grab it and we try to make a big deal and let her know that is good but it is not getting through to her there is a difference in our reactions lol. So we are calling in help.

I explained to the trainer what we are experiencing and she said Koda still does not get impulse control, nor does she know how to share lol. DH and I take full responsiblity for this and therefore try our best not to get mad at her as we started this behaviour. She is our first dog so we didnt know not to play tug when she first came home - problem number 1. We have no kids or anything else taking up our lives so she is it, she has gotten our attention 100% of the time since she came home - problem number 2. For some reason she doesn't pick up on us being disappointed in her, it doesn't matter to her, she doesn't understand that we are mad lol - problem number 3. And it is our fault, we didn't know how much of an impact those things would have down the road, she was just a cute lovable puppy that we were obsessed with and still are haha..

So now we have to go back and fix what we did - hopefully it doesn't take too long.

Any of you dealing with the jumping/biting on walks - my trainer said this is likely due to them being bored. She said to try to change the route or amount of time on the walk and to make it structured. So stop every 5-10 minutes and make them do some obedience. Some sits/downs/stays. And then continue on, it keeps them focused on what they are doing and keeps them ready for something else instead of being bored! Thought I would pass that along

Sorry this is so long - had to get it out there!  Thanks!!!


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## Tayla's Mom

The last couple walks with Tayla have been pretty good which amazes me. She has jumped a couple times, but has not actually jumped on me, more like a little leap in the air and then she remembers not to jump and on she goes. Same with biting on walks. Nothing the last two. She has been some better at home also. Maybe she is going through a phase, but I hope it's one that lasts. Tug is a game she loves but we have very structured rules. She can bring me the toy and initiate play, but before we start she must sit and give me the toy. We will tug like crazy for a little bit and then I say out and she must give it to me and move off or I say sit and she must give me the toy and move off and sit and then her reward is I toss her the toy. We do this 10 or 15 times we play and we play a lot. It has helped a little on her out command and her sit is much better. It's hard, much harder than I thought it would be. She will be a year old on 11/17 so I know we are not out of the woods yet, but the last couple nights have been better and she can stay out of her crate longer with no timeouts.

Impulse control is one of her most difficult things to learn and we work on it enough that she should be perfect by now, but isn't.


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## baumgartml16

What did you do to make play time so structured. Did you use treats to teach all those commands and for her to understand what she should be doing?


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## Tayla's Mom

I've worked a lot on "out" with her and as an impulse control thing when we would play tug I would make her sit. All of it done with treats. To be perfectly honest, Tayla is a strange dog in many ways. She is incredibly smart in things, but is quirky in what she picks up. So we play tug and she just kind of learned to bring her toy to me. No big deal most dogs will do that. Because of the problems we've had with her mouthing/jumping we work a lot on the Nothing in Life is Free. So she had to learn to sit if she wanted to play, again no big deal. When I tell her to sit during play she just kind of learned on her own that if she backs off and sits I'll toss her the tug and she likes that. The same way with out. We work a lot on out because she is a clothes, etc. grabber and she can resource guard so we are always working on out. She also learned on her own that if I say "out" she will back away and go sit so I toss her the tug. Now we work on it to reinforce each behavior. Her reward is the continuation of the game. I'll do it with tennis balls also, because while she sucks as a retriever she is great at catching stuff with her mouth.


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## Tucker's mommy

Michelle and Barb - we're still working here, too, on all the same things you are - maybe a little more subdued now that Tuck is almost a year and a half old. But like Koda, Michelle, he still gets very rough outside. For awhile, I was taking him out to play without his long red line on, but now we've reattached it due to his increase in energy level whenever he goes outside, even though he's real good about staying within our invisible fence. That line is just so much easier to grab when he starts to jump, and it's much easier to give a very quick direction/command with that lead on when the mouthing starts. For the fetching and dropping of the toy, we have always had to use treats for the game to be fun for him. He bores way too quickly and starts with the jumping/biting if we don't use the treats. With the treats, he'll return it and drop it every time until he tires and lays down. But, boy, we've been working for so long on all of this. And it looks like we'll be working FOREVER on all of it! Somebody told me that dogs will always have their bad or "off" days, even into adulthood. I believe it! I hope the trainer helps, Michelle! 

Sometimes I wish my husband hunted, because I have a feeling our dog would have loved to be trained to retrieve in the field. But my hubby doesn't have a single hunting bone in his body (at least not since he was alot younger!)


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## baumgartml16

Yea Koda was bred for hunting so I wish we had that outlet for her too. My sister suggested getting her agility to get her mind working harder. She is bored I think in a lot of things we do so we have to find a way to stimulate her.

I went home on lunch and started mixing training and play. So far so good. "Out" is going to take some work. If I am holding the treat she will let it out which for now I am okay with. She will hopefully eventually make the connection that I am saying out every time she drops it and gets a treat. I tried one time without a treat and that didnt work, she pulled harder lol. I am going to continue bringing treats to play time so I can reward her for good behaviour. Once I had the treats though, if she started jumping, and I said "ah ah" to her she was backing down and sitting so at least for that part the treats are doing their job for now. It is a crappy day out so it was probably good we did all of this inside today. Once we get it down inside I will venture outside. DH comes home Friday so I just need to get to Friday and then I will have some help with all of this LOL...

Anways, thanks guys for being here again!  I can always count on this thread to pick me up when I am feeling down about how things are going with her!


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## Pammie

Tucker's mommy said:


> For the fetching and dropping of the toy, we have always had to use treats


I always have my baggie of treats for fetch and I am totally OK with that. It works to keep the active game going and to wear him out and that is always my goal no matter how we get there! Here we 'trade' the treat for the ball or rope or whatever the toy du jour is. Super reliable to trade even when playing tug.

Bryley still does a vertical leap on walks too! And they just come out of the blue, do yours? We will be walking and all is great, nice heel and paying somewhat attention to me. Then KABLAM! I've got a freakin Jackin the box at the end of my leash! LOL! What puzzles me is usually there is nothing evident that spurs it- no people, birds, loud noises that fascinate him- nothing! I have started to take the compressed air can with me. This works to make him stop, but I just want him to not do it!!!  
What is in the minds of these strange furry creatures we love so much?!

Michelle I sure hope you get the answers you want from your Behaviorist. We saw one and she was worthless! Wish I had that cash back to go spend on some cute winter sweaters! LOL!

Lets all take a collective deep breath and know that the older they get and with the continued training and love we lavish on them things will get better and better! Right? RIGHT?!!


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## baumgartml16

LOL Pam! Taking deep breaths here. 

Koda's jumping on walks is completely random too although I can tell when she is going to. She sometimes will stop and shake but it always starts with her trying to sprint and then when she gets to the end of the leash she comes back at me with full force jumping away lol. I am sure it is highly amusing to anyone driving by or looking out their windows.

Thanks for the well wishes. I know if I continue the training it will pay off. She has come a long way already. I am going to continue the treats with fetch, she sometimes gets so excited though she doesn't chew them fully and then goes to run after the toy and stops to cough it back up. Soooo we have to be careful that she has chewed and swallowed before she can go again lol. Goofy dogs!


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## OutWest

Well I just spent 10 minutes typing an update on Bella, and Tucker came over and licked the iPad screen. Somehow he made everything disappear! :doh:

Will write it later, on computer. :


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## Pammie

baumgartml16 said:


> she sometimes gets so excited though she doesn't chew them fully and then goes to run after the toy and stops to cough it back up. Soooo we have to be careful that she has chewed and swallowed before she can go again lol. Goofy dogs!


Bryley does this too. I've had treats coughed back onto me! :yuck: 

Sure can't be girlie-girls whilst playing/training with our dogs, can we?! Dog slobber on my clothes and all the constant hand washing have done my nails in. Oh, and the dog hair on clothing, especially all the black I wear. Sheesh, its amazing I get out the door to work looking decent and pulled together!

*waits for Bella update*
I would love to have another GR playmate for Bryley but my husbands head would explode if another dog was brought into the mix!


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## Tayla's Mom

Pammie said:


> Bryley does this too. I've had treats coughed back onto me! :yuck:


Happens with Tayla all the time. Must be a Golden thing. My Aussie never did this.


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## jluke

*Jumping & Tug-of-War*

You all are singing Maisie's and my song, especially you, Michelle and Koda! :doh: Maisie and I had this all figured out before DH and I went away in October, but I got back and the jumping and tug-of-war was back, mostly at the end of walks and when Maisie doesn't get what she wants (like a toddler or teenager!). I've varied our walking routes and am still doing this, but it hasn't helped. Michelle (or was it Tanya?), I'm going to try the great idea of mixing training and play into our walks, starting immediately. Because...

...we had a scary time earlier today. As we got to the front of our house at the end of a walk Maisie went into her nutso jumping and leash biting. I had her sit and praised her, but she'd go off again, I'd settle her, she'd go off again, etc. Eventually, I was holding her close to her collar and rubbing her chest since that often calms. Somehow both her prong collar and the back-up safety strap let go and she was off leash on the sidewalk next to the street -- luckily, no traffic. She started zooming all over the place along side the street. I pulled a few pieces of kibble from my pocket (that's what I'm using for treats because of her special diet) and asked her to sit. She did -- 15 feet away in the ground cover. I turned my back and walked up our steps with the kibble in my fist and she dashed past me into the front yard, then zoomed around -- definitely a game. But she followed me to the backyard gate and when she sat there, I gave her some of the kibble, then the rest when she went through and up to the back door. She was a happy devil, but I was scared and spent. It may be time for a one-on-one with the trainer for us, too.


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## baumgartml16

Jill - yikes, that was scaring me reading it! Koda will do that where she just runs circles around me. I end up getting dizzy trying to hold the leash tight but not get tangled up LOL...makes me nervous every time that she is going to slip her harness somehow. Glad Maisie was good enough to follow you to the back eventually. If we are in our yard I am fairly confident in Koda staying there. She knows her yard more than we give her credit for that's for sure. But still scary to think about!


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## Tucker's mommy

Pam - you are so right on the lack of girlie girl thing around these dogs. I broke down this week and went out and bought a second winter jacket. I was sick and tired of being out and about, only to realize way too late that my back was covered in muddy paw prints. Sooooo, now I have my Tucker jacket, and I have my "cool mom" jacket.


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## jluke

*Back from a Walk and...*

success!  This time at least...

Pam -- thanks so much for passing on your trainer/behaviorist's suggestion. I had Maisie do some training -- sits/downs/stays and comes/tricks every so often and her behavior was great, even when we passed a rowdy Boynton Spaniel who she always wants to play with. When we got within half a block of home, Maisie picked up a stick which is sometimes a trigger -- and it started to rain and blow since the Nor-Easter is sweeping in and that doesn't help either -- but she kept it together.

I fed her LOTS of treats, including a jack-pot when she was so good around the other dog, so I'm going to be careful how much I feed her. But if I can get her past this problem behavior everyone will be so much happier.


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## Pammie

YAY! for success! Good girl Maisie! :rockon::You_Rock_

I think it was Michelle's suggestions you tried, not mine!  
Michelle rocks, too!


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## baumgartml16

Yay for Maisie! Yes I really think that works - I have been doing it with Koda too and haven't had a jump in quite a couple walks!


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## murphy1

Murphy is now about seven months. The mouthing was getting out of control when I'd sit on the couch to enjoy some TV. I sprayed my hand with bitter apple, he got a mouth full and didn't like it at all. Now the bottle is right next to me and I just have to pick it up and he backs off. He'll cuddle up next to me and get a lovin instead of constant "no's".


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## baumgartml16

I tried the bitter apple on my hand, it worked one time but she forgot about it 15 minutes later and we were back at it. She is a persistant one. Glad it worked for you though!! Cuddles are sooo much better than mouthing!


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## Tayla's Mom

Bitter apple never worked with Tayla either. First taste she found it yucky. Second taste was not as offensive and after that I think she acquired a taste for it. Strangely what has worked the best for us is a sound that we make....psssssst. Kind of sounds like air escaping from a balloon or can of air. Stops her in her tracks and since we've been doing it once or twice is all it has taken to get her to be much better at not biting hands. Had I known that 8 months ago I could have saved a lot of money on band aids and not been so badly bruised.


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## baumgartml16

How long do you hold the sssst part? LOL...I tried doing it last night but maybe I didn't do it long enough or loud enough hahahaha.


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## Tayla's Mom

Maybe 2 seconds. I don't know why, but Tayla is disturbed by the sound (not afraid, but concerned). Maybe her prior owner had a Cesar Milan thing and made that sound with punishment, but she just doesn't like that sound. I can't say it terrifies her, but it gets her attention like nothing we have done before and she immediately stops what she is doing and will not go back to it either. So if she is biting Rick's hands I will turn away from her like I'm watching tv and make that sound. She stops what she is doing and looks all around for where it came from. She will come over to me and I smile and tell her she is a good girl and give her some love. She is much calmer after and will go play with a toy or chew on something, but she doesn't go back to biting. Since we discovered that sound over the weekend I've used it maybe 5 or 6 times and these have been the best 5 days that we've had her. She is out of her crate longer, hasn't had any timeouts and seems to amuse herself better.


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## Pammie

That is such great news! Happy for you and your hubs, and Tayla!!! :yipee:

Maybe when you are make the pssst sound Tayla thinks you are going to tell her a secret and thats why she comes to you! LOL!:listen:


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## Tayla's Mom

Pammie said:


> That is such great news! Happy for you and your hubs, and Tayla!!! :yipee:
> 
> Maybe when you are make the pssst sound Tayla thinks you are going to tell her a secret and thats why she comes to you! LOL!:listen:


I like that. I do tell her a secret. I tell her I love her and she is going to be the best dog someday.


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## jluke

*Hurray...*

...for you and Tayla!! 

Well, the training, tricks and treats -- my new 3 T's -- have continued to work on Maisie's and my walks today!!  She has turned into a bit of a treat hound, looking for them whenever I tell her she's a good girl or say, "Good!" which is our marker word, but I can live with that.

As to bitter lemon -- Maisie thinks it's yummy, too -- :doh: She even likes tabasco. But another trainer suggested Vicks Vapor Rub. She told me that 95% of dogs hate it and Maisie did -- but so did I. I did put it on her leash for a while and it helped. (She's never been a land shark, though, so I'd probably try it if I was desperate.)

Thanks again for the "3 T's" suggestion, Michelle!


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## klee

Just an idea you might want to try. I got Sawyer (now 8mo.) a gentle leader front harness. He doesn't like it much but I use it anyways when I take him on walks, car rides, Pet Smart , dog park. It is much calmer with it on. We went to a friends for lunch the other day. He was way overexcited so I put his harness on and leash. He calmed down. Then last nite I had 11 ladies for dinner most he didn't know. Again overexcited wanting to get into everyones face as they entered. So again I put the harness on and leash. Held him like that for about 5 mins. again calmed down. Not sure why it works but it must signal something in his brain. Anyway its worth a try.


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## Jen & Brew

Oh wow, I am NOT alone!!!! I walk Brew to pick up my son from school everyday, today was terrible!!! He was jumping up, biting at the leash, chest bumping the back of my legs, trying to bite my butt. I have holes in all my pants now right on the bum, same cheak every pair. Today he started doing like a wild bucking bronco thing at the end of the leash jumping and spinning. So many kids wanted to come up and say hi to him, but I couldn't allow it he was just far too excited and I'm sure he would have nipped someone with those puppy teeth.


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## Tayla's Mom

Jen & Brew said:


> Oh wow, I am NOT alone!!!! I walk Brew to pick up my son from school everyday, today was terrible!!! He was jumping up, biting at the leash, chest bumping the back of my legs, trying to bite my butt. I have holes in all my pants now right on the bum, same cheak every pair. Today he started doing like a wild bucking bronco thing at the end of the leash jumping and spinning. So many kids wanted to come up and say hi to him, but I couldn't allow it he was just far too excited and I'm sure he would have nipped someone with those puppy teeth.


Tayla was our first puppy as we have always adopted older dogs. I'm sure she will be our last. If this is starting to be her "I'm growing up into a good girl" phase I don't ever want to repeat these last 8 months. If she continues to be good all my bruises should be gone in another week and I might be able to break out clothes that don't have holes in them. There is a novel idea.


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## Tayla's Mom

So, parents of teenage pups, how was your weekend? Anyone do anything fun? Time for my Monday morning post on how we are doing with Tayla. I am glad to report that last week was a great week with her. No mouthing and the issues with my husband with jumping and biting have gotten much better. When she jumps on him he tells her to sit and she does. Maybe not for long, but she does it immediately. The fact that she is listening to him is a huge plus. She has had much more out of crate time since she is not being put back into her crate for time outs and can now be off leash in the house which makes it much better for me, too. Now she just gets put in for rest periods because she just never settles down outside the crate. Yesterday she had two long walks, several sessions of tug, lots of ball toss and retrieve, etc. and after 5 hours she still would not settle down for longer than a minute or two. Walks are 99% better as she is not biting and jumping and we are working on obedience during the walks. Watch me, come, sit, leave it are all parts of our walks now instead of “No Bite and Sit”. She is heeling better on leash and not pulling so much. I can feel my stress level go down because I’m not acting as referee between her and my husband and I haven’t had a new bruise from her all week. Let’s hope for another good week.


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## baumgartml16

Things were getting better here. My husband has been traveling so last week I was the sole trainer. I tend to be more calm when things get crazy so it was a good thing I was the one handling her as she is a sensitive pup. She hadn't jumped on walks all week last week and play time was calm and controlled but still fun. It was great.

DH came home, I explained how things were going to be done right now while we were getting her into this new routine. He agreed but of course as soon as they get outside he took the toy from her and the jumping began. Instead of using the techniques I had told him about he got riled up and started yelling/trying to grab her collar to get her to stop. I told him this wouldn't work but do they ever listen? Well after about two session so this he finally tried it my way and what do you know, it worked!!! LOL...so after that he did his best to keep things my way. He doesn't have the same patience I do. 

Anyways I think it set her back a little bit which sucks but he is gone again this week so back to the drawing board I go. She did a jumping/biting session this morning that got pretty crazy. I dont know where all the energy came from, it was so random and it was really hard to stop her today. I need to step up the training on her walks, thats for sure. We got back from the walk and instead of going downstairs like we usually would i figured she needed to run more so I took her out back. Wow - she did about 5 laps with the toy in her mouth on her own. She was a firecracker. She wasn't listening at all this morning - something was off with her. Perhaps watching DH leave again - she was frustrated. I dont know, but hopefully that was just an off morning and things will be good at lunch and later tonight. 

I also think we are going to enroll her in some agility - she needs something to keep her busy and get her mind thinking again. That is her biggest struggle. She isn't in the training mode anymore and we have to get her back to that. 

So here we go again, Monday is here and we are off!  Hope everyone has a great week.


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## Pammie

Hmmmm :thinking:, Bryley's and my weekend was a mixed bag of good and bad!

First the good! He got a new stuffie toy, it looks like a bear skin rug- only the head is stuffed and its big and wide. Bryleys usual MO with a stuffie is to immediately picking a hole into it by pulling the fur out. For some reason he is not destroying this one! He has had it for 3 days and it is still intact!









Now the not so good... he swallowed a Swiffer duster thingy. :doh::uhoh::yuck:
WHY would he want to swallow a dry, 'feathery', toxic chemical coated, covered in dust Swiffer???? I just don't understand. My husband and I both were freaking out trying to get it from him- at first he had the whole thing, wand with Swiffer attached, then I pulled the wand and the Swiffer thingy stayed in his mouth. We went into super freak-out mode which probably prompted him to swallow even faster. He would not trade, sit, or anything and was running from us. Makes me feel like a training failure. Anyway, out to the backyard for a vomit session. I got my bowl with peanut butter on the bottom and put 2 T hydrogen peroxide in the bowl. Last time this worked great and he drank it all. Well, this time he took about 3 laps and backed away. I went to get my syringe to squirt more in his mouth. By the time I got back outside he was already in the process of bringing it up! YAY! I was happy that so little of the peroxide brought it up! Potential emergency diverted! Sure wish he was not an eater of non-food items.  
Bet you're happy there are no vomiting pictures!!! LOL!


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## Tayla's Mom

Pammie said:


> Hmmmm :thinking:, Bryley's and my weekend was a mixed bag of good and bad!
> 
> First the good! He got a new stuffie toy, it looks like a bear skin rug- only the head is stuffed and its big and wide. Bryleys usual MO with a stuffie is to immediately picking a hole into it by pulling the fur out. For some reason he is not destroying this one! He has had it for 3 days and it is still intact!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Now the not so good... he swallowed a Swiffer duster thingy. :doh::uhoh::yuck:
> WHY would he want to swallow a dry, 'feathery', toxic chemical coated, covered in dust Swiffer???? I just don't understand. My husband and I both were freaking out trying to get it from him- at first he had the whole thing, wand with Swiffer attached, then I pulled the wand and the Swiffer thingy stayed in his mouth. We went into super freak-out mode which probably prompted him to swallow even faster. He would not trade, sit, or anything and was running from us. Makes me feel like a training failure. Anyway, out to the backyard for a vomit session. I got my bowl with peanut butter on the bottom and put 2 T hydrogen peroxide in the bowl. Last time this worked great and he drank it all. Well, this time he took about 3 laps and backed away. I went to get my syringe to squirt more in his mouth. By the time I got back outside he was already in the process of bringing it up! YAY! I was happy that so little of the peroxide brought it up! Potential emergency diverted! Sure wish he was not an eater of non-food items.
> Bet you're happy there are no vomiting pictures!!! LOL!


I'm sorry, but I had to laugh at the last part. We have never had to go the proxide route, but good to know it works. Rick had the vacuum cleaner out yesterday and was cutting clumps of hair off the roller. The clumps of hair were laying next to him and I had just let Tayla in from playing outside. She made a bee line for Rick and spotted the hair and that was all they wrote. Rick said why would she eat a clump of dirty dog hair. Same reason your's ate the swiffer.....because it was there.:yuck:


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## Dexter12

Dex is having quite the time recently, not listening being hyper and chewing everything in his sight he is driving us batty. We've had people over and he's had overly excited greetings. He'll jump on them, he brings them their shoes and he won't leave them alone.

His highlight in the past couple days is that we had a friend over and besides constantly pestering her, he decided to take out a tissue and then eat it and then took a menthol cough drop out of her bag and eat it. :doh:

The second that we turn our backs, he's trying to chew up anything that he can pick up no matter now many times we tell him to stop. He starts woofing and becoming overly mouthy so he's been getting more time outs than he's ever gotten. He has stopped listening to us, when we're outside I tell him to come inside and if it was a couple months ago he would have but he has decided to stop listening. Dex is so obnoxious that I can't stand it sometimes. 

We've had enough, he's going to be booked to get neutered as soon as we get some money. Our cat Biff has what looks like to be a mammary tumor and we've had a needle biopsy on her and planning for surgery so things are a little tight right now.


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## OutWest

Barb, so glad that Tayla is making progress! Victoria, check out your local SPCA or humane society. They are usually very good at neutering and very affordable. 

We have an overall good weekend until today. We took both big dogs to meet up with Dezymond and Maverick. Tucker did not behave well. He jumped a puppy that was licking his private parts and scared the wits out of him and one of his owners. Then he growled at Maverick, who he knows and has played with several times before. He had a time out in the car and then I brought him back in to the park with his leash left on. I walked to far end of the park because he usually stays close to me, to keep him away from the puppy. No further problems (although he growled at Mav as we were leaving). I think he's becoming protective of Bella. I'm hoping he'll chill a bit after she's spayed. Bella is doing well. She is a really amazing jumper and runner. People were amazed how high she can jump and hdow fast she is. I think we're going to try agility or dock diving with her when the finances alow it. The two of them together remain very sweet and dear. They like to be near each other all the time. I'm a bit worried about our Tess, though. We were told to watch her carefully and bring her in if she started coughing a lot because that's a sign of congestive heart failure. Well, she's started coughing a lot, and I'm pretty sure I hear fluid n her lungs. So in to the vet we go. They'll put her on meds and she could last a while with those, so nothing is imminent. It just hurts to think that she's winding down.


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## baumgartml16

Kathleen - so sorry to hear that about Tess. Hopefully she can bounce back! Will be thinking of her.

Dexter - I know what you mean, something is in the air, I swear. 

I am really on my last straw with Koda. I dont know what to do anymore and I hate getting mad at her because really this is all my fault, not hers. We didn't teach her right when she was little, we were always too soft with her, and now we are paying for it. I get so frustrated in the moment and then get so mad at myself because she is doing what is natural, she doesn't know any better. But I just dont know what else to do. She jumped and bit and went crazy both on last nights walk and this mornings walk. I think it has to do with the weather but does this mean we can't walk her at all in the winter months because that is going to make for a very long winter. I dont know...I am out of ideas. I am afraid to walk her when that was my favorite thing to do with her before all of this. I just feel defeated. DH comes home Thursday so I think I am going to try to just play outside in the mornings and set up as many doggie play dates at night as I can to avoid walks until then...I dont know what else to do.


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## Tayla's Mom

baumgartml16 said:


> Kathleen - so sorry to hear that about Tess. Hopefully she can bounce back! Will be thinking of her.
> 
> Dexter - I know what you mean, something is in the air, I swear.
> 
> I am really on my last straw with Koda. I dont know what to do anymore and I hate getting mad at her because really this is all my fault, not hers. We didn't teach her right when she was little, we were always too soft with her, and now we are paying for it. I get so frustrated in the moment and then get so mad at myself because she is doing what is natural, she doesn't know any better. But I just dont know what else to do. She jumped and bit and went crazy both on last nights walk and this mornings walk. I think it has to do with the weather but does this mean we can't walk her at all in the winter months because that is going to make for a very long winter. I dont know...I am out of ideas. I am afraid to walk her when that was my favorite thing to do with her before all of this. I just feel defeated. DH comes home Thursday so I think I am going to try to just play outside in the mornings and set up as many doggie play dates at night as I can to avoid walks until then...I dont know what else to do.


I know just how you feel. I took pictures months ago of the bruises that I got walking Tayla when she was about 8 months old. I was covered and afraid to walk her by my self but I persisted after a short break. Our trainer told us not to walk her for at least a week to two weeks so the biting on walks would not get to be a habit. During that time we worked on lots of things at home. At least now you can probably wear a jacket or coat. My issues were in the middle of summer. Lots of easy skin areas. I don't know what happened with Tayla and why we had a breakthrough all of a sudden. I tried so hard to be consistent in what I was doing and maybe it just clicked with her. I don't know that giving her the command No Bite wasn't doing anything for us until I coupled it with a command that I wanted her to do instead and that was sit. It probably took a couple months of almost daily walks and biting and telling her to No Bite and then Sit and having treats available all the time to reward her with when she sat. I also worked on getting her a little excited at home and on walks and having treats in my hands and showing her that she could only have them if she sat and didn't put her mouth on me. We worked on this impulse control technique every place we were. We also did other things on walks like I'd hide a treat and she had to find it (part of our nose work) and we are now working on lots of obedience on our walks, ie. come, sit, down, etc. I know how hard this is because I never expected to get a puppy with these issues, but it has made me a better trainer because of it. Work with specific commands all the time that you think will be helpful in calming Koda down. Sit or down or some other command that she can use when calmer that will eventually translate to more excited situations. Good luck. I know Koda will snap out of it and be a great dog.


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## baumgartml16

Thanks Tayla's mom for the words of encouragement. I know we can get past this, it just seems like a long road right now. We already learned last year that walking on snow was a no-no for Koda - she always freaked out and started this behavior if there was snow on the ground but I just wasn't expecting it due to the cold. 

I got a suggestion elsewhere to try taking a can of pennies with me and when she does it I shake the can to distract her. I am hoping this has kind of the same effect on Koda as your "pssst" noise did for Tayla. Might take a break from walks tonight but try this tomorrow morning.

Thanks again!


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## Tayla's Mom

I still cringe if Tayla has to walk in sandy soil and will avoid it at all costs because that was one of her triggers. I'm waiting a while before I walk her in sand.


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## baumgartml16

Hmmm sounds like Koda and Tayla are quite alike. I actually have that pet corrector spray, I tried using it for her digging but she was too persistant with that. I might try it for this though. She might take to it in this form. I will bring it out and see what happens. It will definitey be easier once DH is home so one of us can just worry about spraying while the other one walks her. Right now I am covering for two people LOL...


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## OutWest

baumgartml16 said:


> Kathleen - so sorry to hear that about Tess. Hopefully she can bounce back! Will be thinking of her.
> 
> Dexter - I know what you mean, something is in the air, I swear.
> 
> I am really on my last straw with Koda. I dont know what to do anymore and I hate getting mad at her because really this is all my fault, not hers. We didn't teach her right when she was little, we were always too soft with her, and now we are paying for it. I get so frustrated in the moment and then get so mad at myself because she is doing what is natural, she doesn't know any better. But I just dont know what else to do. She jumped and bit and went crazy both on last nights walk and this mornings walk. I think it has to do with the weather but does this mean we can't walk her at all in the winter months because that is going to make for a very long winter. I dont know...I am out of ideas. I am afraid to walk her when that was my favorite thing to do with her before all of this. I just feel defeated. DH comes home Thursday so I think I am going to try to just play outside in the mornings and set up as many doggie play dates at night as I can to avoid walks until then...I dont know what else to do.


Michelle, I can't recall if you've ever taken Koda to a dog park. That might give you some relief from the leash issues. Another idea--you'll think I'm crazy but...--consider getting another dog? I wouldn't have thought this a couple months ago, but I really don't need to do much with Tucker anymore because he plays constantly with Bella. I still take them to the dog park but I probably don't need to. I have a medium-sized back yard. They go out there but do most of their playing in the living room. In fact they're doing it right now, and we just got back from the DP.


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## Tayla's Mom

OutWest said:


> Michelle, I can't recall if you've ever taken Koda to a dog park. That might give you some relief from the leash issues. Another idea--you'll think I'm crazy but...--consider getting another dog? I wouldn't have thought this a couple months ago, but I really don't need to do much with Tucker anymore because he plays constantly with Bella. I still take them to the dog park but I probably don't need to. I have a medium-sized back yard. They go out there but do most of their playing in the living room. In fact they're doing it right now, and we just got back from the DP.


Getting another dog is something we are thinking about for sometime next year. Maybe May? Rick wants another Aussie and I want another GR, but the most important thing is getting the right dog and one that will play well with Tayla and be a little older (maybe around 3) and more mature. Can't go through with another one what we went through with Tayla.


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## OutWest

Tayla's Mom said:


> Getting another dog is something we are thinking about for sometime next year. Maybe May? Rick wants another Aussie and I want another GR, but the most important thing is getting the right dog and one that will play well with Tayla and be a little older (maybe around 3) and more mature. Can't go through with another one what we went through with Tayla.


That makes a lot of sense to me. Though I have to say that Bella, although untrained, in some ways is more manageable than Tucker. Be sure to remind your husband how much running those Aussies need every day.


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## baumgartml16

We have lots of play dates with her friend (he is actually coming over tonight so I won't need to walk) but our dog parks aren't very good here. I dont trust them. So that isn't going to happen and two dogs just isn't going to work right now. We have some other circumstances right now that are not permitting us to get another dog and probably won't for a while. I would have loved it otherwise. I think it would help her out for sure but just not possible right now.

I appreciate the suggestions.


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## jluke

*Our Update...*

So glad to hear that Tayla had a good weekend with lots of progress.

Michelle -- hang in there. When Maisie backslides, I always remind myself that her trainer says that dogs need so much repetition and that they don't generalize at all well: that they need to repeat the behaviors we want in lots of different circumstances before they understand that they should do them all the time, everywhere.

I love Bryley's cute new toy (and Santa is starting to collect ideas here). And, just like someone posted, he ate the Swiffer because it was there -- for the same reason Maisie crunches acorns, picks up trash, used tissues -- but only stuff outside. I've taught her not to pick things up from the floor inside, even her food. (It's Yer Choice -- have to get back to it...) It's a start... 

Kathleen -- I'll be thinking about Tess and you. It's so hard when they get elderly. I wonder what got into Tucker at the park? And you mentioned Bella and dock diving...

DH, Maisie and I went to the annual Waterfowl Festival in Easton, MD (where my parents live) this weekend. Such fun! It included Dock Dogs. Maisie jumped (really plopped) off the dock into the water on her two practice jumps -- then didn't want to get out, just wanted to swim around, of course. But she wouldn't jump for either of her contest jumps. (I think she didn't like the crowd noise -- at least that's my "mommy excuse".) You should see the dogs who've been trained jump -- some of them go out 25 feet! And there's a "high jump" event and they go up over 6 feet.

It's a wonderful weekend for dogs -- they're allowed into all the venues, even the art and sculpture exhibits. Maisie went to her first restaurant and did a good job laying quietly by my side even though at another table a retriever was barking. There were lots of retrievers and spaniels and pointers, as well as other dogs out and about.

And lots of people had more than one dog -- but that would be grounds for divorce here, I think...


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## Guybrush

Hi everyone,

Sounds like everyone is having fun and frustration with their pups.

We have been quite busy lately.

At the moment we are fostering a mum cat and her kittens (3 are hers and 2 extras), Guybrush has no idea what to do with them. Our cats tend to run from him but the mum cat rubs up against him and butts his head, while this is happening Guybrush stays absolutely still and watches us with confused eyes. With the kittens he runs away, will not stay in the same place as them.

Then a week ago my partner and I were driving on the 6 lane highway and we spotted a husky/akita mix on the side of the road, thinking the dog would kill itself/cause an accident we tried to get it off the road and over a fence. Unfortunately the dog decided my partner got too close and bit him a few times on his arms/hands, aswell as biting another guy who had also stopped to help. So off to the hospital we went, my partner ended up having surgery on his right hand, where part of his little finger was amputated and all the holes were cleaned and stitched. We met the other guy in the ER and he also needed surgery to his wrist to check for tenden/nerve damage. We don't know what happened to the dog apart from it causing a minor accident on the highway.

So with my partner in hospital for 3 days and my legs not being at their best (knee surgery in 2 weeks yay) Guybrush hasn't been getting nice long walks so he has been acting up a bit, jumping and play biting and chasing my cats and digging holes in the backyard, finding rocks and concrete in the garden and deciding to chew on them, then playing keep away and refusing to trade for his favourite treats. :doh: And I can't taking him to the dog park as I can't drive and my partner can't drive with his hand, so we are all a little stir crazy at the moment.

Hope everyone is doing better than us at the moment.

Guybrush and family.


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## Tayla's Mom

Wow, Guybrush your family has had a bad go of it. Just goes to show no good deed goes unpunished. Hope your partner is doing better.

Tayla is still doing well. She had her 1 year birthday on Saturday and got some new toys and a lovely frozen Kong filled with peanut butter and applesauce. Over two weeks now and teeth have not touched skin and when she has her mouth opened and she looks like she is thinking about mouthing a quick “uh uh” works just fine. She is now out of her crate all the time when we are home, except for at night. She is still not the most trustworthy of dogs, but I’m sure that too will get better. She has been good on walks and is now giving lots of kisses instead of biting on hands. It’s been a great two weeks with her. I hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving.


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## OutWest

Wow, Guybrush you've been busy! I hope your surgery goes well, your partner's hand heals quickly, and Guybrush figures cats out! 

Barb, glad to hear that Tayla is maintaining. That's huge... Hope she keeps on keeping' on. 

We are having a quiet day. Tucker has a sore paw. Saw the vet for it on Friday, but it's not healing quickly, in fact today he doesn't want to put weight on it. So no running at the dog park today. I see a cone or sock in his future, plus some medicine from the doc. 

Bella's giving us some problems with her jumping. I posted another thread about that. I think she's highly excitable, and when she is excited, has little self control. We're trying to read her and predict her jumping better, but she is a handful. Suggestions welcomed!


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## baumgartml16

We just met with the trainer this weekend regarding Koda's jumping. She suggested we keep a leash on her at all times and if it gets out of hand where she loses control and doesn't here our commands that we have to step on the leash to prevent her from jumping up. We have only done it twice now and she hasn't jumped since.

I know Bella is a sensitive dog so I am not sure how she will take to that but Koda is also a pretty sensitive dog and she is no worse for the wear!


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## Dexter12

Dex has been behaving himself a lot more, and getting lots of praise and treats.

One of the things we're working on right now is having visitors over. We have a very patient neighbour, Wendy who comes over for weekly movie nights, partially for company and partially for training Dex about behaving and not being annoyance.
The first time we did it he was awful, he woofed and whined the whole time and jumped on Wendy. Last night was about the third time, and he was a whole lot better. We have a rope choke collar that we slip on Dex when she's over to prevent him from jumping on her with the command "Down" and he seems to be getting the hang of it. He had to be put in time out and he whined a little but was a whole lot better than the first time we did it.

I'm so glad that she's so patient with him because I seriously feel really embarrased when we have people over at times.


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## Dwyllis

Great thread. What age do they officially become teenagers? Loki turns sixteen weeks tomorrow. Does he qualify for the title yet? Foundation Canine Good Citizens third lesson this morning. First lesson ......he rushed over to the only other dog there .....leapt all over him, & then to my absolute horror, began to hump him. The poor six year old spaniel didn't know what had hit him & his mum was even more horrified than me. Second lesson, last weekend ..... Surprisingly spaniel & mum were absent. No-one to hump. Thank goodness. But puppy class arrived early, & we left late. Big mistake! Loki leapt, bounded & generally cavorted all around the room, bouncing off small breed puppies to the horror of their mums & dads, who looked on very disapprovingly. Embarrassed, I rounded him up, bundled his squirming body into the car, harness on & off home. Today ....still no spaniel .....but a gorgeous pair of Akitas ...brother & sister ...four months old ....perfect manners ......obedient .....eager to please their young mum & dad. Loki .......four months old (almost) .....somewhat dubious manners ......not so obedient (disobedient springs to mind, but I don't want to say that out loud ) .....not bothered in the least that I was running round in circles after him, frantically trying to get his attention to at least get some semblance of training done ......not eager to please his mum or dad .....intent only upon having fun & wreaking havoc. One small blessing ...no humping. I am learning to be grateful for small mercies. 'He does come when I call his name at home' why doesn't the trainer believe me? 'He is good at sitting/downing/staying ( at home ) . I can see she still doesn't believe me. We try walking calmly on the lead, handing out treats to keep Loki at our sides, with the trainer looking indulgently on. He does it very well ....until the treats run out. Then the dancing & the prancing begin, with the Akitas, distracted from their perfect walking on lead, joining in. Disgraced again. Dashing off before the puppy class arrives. Lesson four next weekend.


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## OutWest

Dwylis, 
Ha! Your post made me laugh. You definitely have a young Golden on your hands. He doesn't sound so much like a teen as a puppy though. You know they've entered the teen phase when things they have done perfectly for months go out of their heads, and you start all over with training the basics. Feel free to join in here, we have a lot of fun discussing (and sometimes dissing!) our dogs.


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## Tayla's Mom

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving and your teen ageers were behaving themselves. We enjoyed some time off work and getting to spend more time with the dogs. 

Jesse our 15 year old is having some issues with super high lipase levels, but is showing no signs of being sick. She is going in on Thursday for an ultrasound of her abdomen so see if anything shows up. She had an “emergency” X-ray on Saturday because our vet was so concerned with her last blood test going from 1,000 to 4,000 in two weeks, but nothing showed up and he was surprised she seemed so healthy. Not sure where we go from that point, but I will probably wait to see if she starts to feel sick. If not, then I think we are done with tests.

Tayla was a good girl over Thanksgiving. She had to spend some crate time while my parents were over, but she got lots of free time the rest of my 5 days off. We have now opened up the bathroom and bedroom for her exploration. She has been bringing us a few items like shoes, and pants that are left out, but gives them back when told to “out”. I figure if she is shut out of those rooms she will never learn what she can and can’t touch. It will be an ongoing process. She has gotten much better with a lot of things. She did get over excited a couple times and started the hand biting, but a stern NO stopped her quickly. She is also getting a little better at amusing herself and does really well when we sit down to eat. She either lies by my husband’s chair or goes to play with a toy. That surprises us in a good way.


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## mich4242

this is a great thread! Tyler is out first puppy, we adopted him at 6 months. 90% of the time he is a lovely, sleepy, cuddly teddy bear. The other 10% a terror, always when he can make me look the most foolish!

He flattens himself to the floor when we are on walks if he sees someone, they think 'oh look at that puppy behaving so well and make there way over to fuss him'

he jumps, they get muddy!


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## MarsNPluto

Wow, I have been MIA and really have a novel to catch up on!

Outwest, saw in another post that Tess hasn't been doing well as of late... I hope the meds work out for her and she continues to live a happy life!

Guybrush's family, sorry to hear about your partner's hand, what a bummer. I hope he recovers well and that you will recover well and quickly once your surgery happens. And I really hope Guybrush calms down a bit for your sanity 

Not too much has been going on in mine and Pluto's life, I think we are getting closer to adopting a brother or sister for him, however. He's alone for 10 hours a day because I commute and I really hate that. I'm also looking to find a job closer to home so I can visit him on my lunch breaks.

He has become a bit territorial/protective lately. He does not like being "backed" into a corner, doesn't like strangers coming into the house, doesn't like strangers that are just sitting or standing outside of our community on our walks, etc. He will growl and/or bark at them. Usually he is good enough to listen when I say enough, but sometimes he is past that point. We are trying to work on it and I've seen some mild improvements but I haven't seen enough to be satisfied just yet. I honestly don't even know why this started, but it did start a few months ago, not too long after his first birthday. Hoping it's just a phase?

Anyway, hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving weekend and I'll try to stay updated more often!


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## baumgartml16

Koda has become more vocal with people getting close or in our yard. Especially at night. She is excited when strangers come in but when they first pull up or walk up the driveway she is a bit confused what they are doing on her property. 

Might be a phase but she doesn't seem to be easing up. I don't let it bother me as long as she is friendly when they walk in...


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## MarsNPluto

Yeah, I don't mind the warning barks but when he barks/growls sometimes he is just out of control. He is not always friendly once the visitor walks in and will continue to bark like crazy. I've gotten to the point where if I can predict someone is going to visit I tell him to go to bed (his crate) and lock him up for 10 minutes so that he can see that the visitor is not a threat. He barks for a bit but I don't let him out until he stops. When I finally let him out he of course begs the visitor for pets.

What is annoying is when he growls out on walks... I can never pinpoint similarities between the people he growls at however. Sometimes I expect him to growl, and he acts friendly. Sometimes I expect him to act friendly and he growls. What gives?! lol


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## OutWest

Maria, I wonder if Pluto thinks he should be protecting you, rather than the other way around? I don't know how you'd train to reverse that, but there must be a way to do it. Just a thought.

Our house is busy right now but manageable. I need to start seriously with some training for Bella. She's a very sweet dog, but her manners need improving. I guess I'm a little distracted with the holidays, and worrying about Tess. Tucker has been pretty easy lately, but I should be doing more training with him, too. Arghhhh.


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## Lorie1958

I have also had 3 other goldens, although they were all females. My male, Floyd is 7 months old and is so CRAZY!! He has become such a brat. He terrorizes my other almost 8 yr. old golden. We had him neutered 2 weeks and am hoping this will calm him down. He was great in puppy class, but was terrible in basic dog obedience. Very treat obsessed and wouldn't listen to anything. Tell me that he will outgrow this??


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## Pammie

Lorie1958 said:


> .  Tell me that he will outgrow this??


Welcome to the teenager club Lorie! Floyd will outgrown this, but if he is anything like mine it might be a while...like a year or so!! :uhoh::uhoh::uhoh:
Bryley is my 4th GR, all males, and he is by far the most active and energetic of the bunch! 
I would love to see a picture of Floyd!

:wavey: and a big welcome to newcomers Dwyllis and mich4242 :wavey:


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## baumgartml16

Yes Lorie, you sound just like I was a year ago! My girl was great in puppy class and couldn't pay attention for anything in obedience. She is much better now, keep practicing!


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## Tayla's Mom

Only 19 more shopping days until Christmas. Hope everyone had a great weekend. We had a fun Saturday going to our local botanical gardens that were decorated for Christmas and managed to get a nice Christmas picture of both the girls. We can mark that off our things to do list. I got all my Christmas cards so that is another thing done. Jesse and Tayla had a fun time at the botanical gardens and the attached Heritage Village which has some old Florida homes from the early pioneer times and a little later set up with their Christmas finest. Lots of socialization opportunities for Tayla. Several people stopped to pet her and many were kids. She is not a dog that is overly excited about people. She just sits and lets them pet her but she doesn’t get all excited and jump on anyone which is fine with me. So they were out walking about 1.5 hours. Jesse, our 15 year old did fine with it as it was a slow walk and Tayla had a nice outing although it didn’t really tire her out. Sunday she was a typical puppy all day getting into everything. She is just a big “galoot” as my SIL called her greyhound. Tayla just hasn’t figured out she is way too big to be a lap dog all the time. She thinks she can just jump up on your lap and you should be fine with her 60 lbs. pressed against you. We are working hard on keeping her from doing that, but so far our success rate is less than perfect. She actually had a few time outs as Rick wasn’t feeling well and she was just being a pain in the butt all day. Oh, well she is just a year old so I think we have some time yet before she will have more settled days than puppy days. I hope everyone has a great week with your teenagers.


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## OutWest

Our weekend was a little bit boring, because Tucker was confined to home. Doctor wants him to not run for a week, to see if there's any soreness in his joints that might have caused his mood swing of a few days ago. I think it was the steroid but am glad he's being thorough. 

We took Bella to the dog park a couple times. She's getting better at being out without Tucker, although she's still a bit anxious with all the other dogs. She's getting better each time we go. Tess has perked up with new meds, but is still coughing bit. Right now Bella's asleep at my feet, and Tucker is getting X-rays to see if he swallowed pins when he chewed up my pincushion. :doh: When we showed up at the vet's office, the receptionist said, "Oh, Tucker!" He's becoming a regular over there.  

Tucker's modd seems to have improved. He took the last steroid pill yesterday (doctor tapered him off them over three days). He was more playful today, although still a bit grumpy-ish. 

Life is not boring at our house.


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## Guybrush

Hi everyone, welcome new people!

Here is an update on Guybrush the some times horrible some times beautiful dog.

He has really calmed down these last few months, we still can't walk him on a flat collar, he just feels the need to pull and bounce and twirl! But he is much calmer in the house not jumping up on us unless we say the command. He just gets a little over the top when playing with the foster cat, they love each other but he weights 32kgs and she ways 4kgs so a bit of a difference there, and with the less than a kg kittens getting underfoot we really have to watch the play.

He is doing okay in class but has developed a fasination wth black poodles doesn't matter the size or gender. A couple of weeks ago we were doing 3 metre recall after a 30 second stay with leads on the ground and after 25 seconds he broke the stay and ran right for the 2 poodles just to see what they were doing, since then he has to stay where he can't see them so as not to be distracted, but all the other dogs in the class stayed right where they were so the instructer was quite impressed with everyone else. Guybrush is the class clown actually he shares that position with Alto the 4 year old black labrador who thinks he is a puppy. Just like our goldens, labradors never grow up.

We had our Christmas wind up at dog training, Guybrush wore his special christmas bandanna and our instructor loved him, we turned up 40 minutes late with me being on crutches, partner still recovering from dog bite (looking much better, only missing part of the tip of his index finger and some scarring on his palm), getting the foster kittens and their mum in their bedroom! We had lots of fun playing doggy games and winning prizes. We won first place in the raffle, our instructor had baked a lovely Christmas cake it was delicious! And all the dogs got treat bags from Santa.

Today was a big day, Guybrush went to the vets to be neutered. My partner took him and his cat sister (she needed a tooth removed) to our vets at 8am on his waay to work. I had a boring day lounging around in bed with ice packs on my knee and kittens running around. At 5pm the kittens went to their room and my partner went to pick up my poor boy. He looked miserable wearing his cone of shame and being a bit wonky on his feet, he has never worn an elisabethian collar before so he's having trouble navigating around the walls and doors. He hasn't figured out how to eat or drink with it on yet so we are helping him with that. Looks like he will be spending the night in his crate which he hasn't done for a few months. He seems very confused when we taking him outside for bathroom breaks he thinks about going then just sits down, he knows something is not quite right.

Hopefully this will stop some of his male behaviour, such as getting a little too close with his many female admirers, and hopefully it will stop random people asking us to breed him with their backyard breed dogs. I just hope it will help calm his teenage hormonal behaviour!

wow quite the update! I have to go stop my poor dog from running into walls! Poor thing.


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## jluke

*Awol...*

Hi all... especially Jay, your partner and Guybrush -- I hope everyone feels much better soon.

Maisie is doing well with much improved walking behavior. I've been struggling with almost daily migraines so have been checking the board every so often, but not posting as my PC time has been limited.

She and I just started working on two new tricks today, trying to get them together before DD returns home from college next week. Maisie is doing really well with "Crawl" on her belly -- looks like a commando GR, very silly. She's not as good yet at the other, jumping over my bent knee -- she's still trying to sneak underneath : (That's what inspired me to teach her to crawl).

And I've been doing some shopping for some doggy Christmas presents -- how about you all?


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## OutWest

I confess all we've done lately is maintenance stuff with the dogs--no training. Bella really needs it. Overall she does very well. Is somewhat excitable, and really needs work on her leash. She gets spayed next week so I'm really hoping to have time then to walk her. She's turned into a wonderful retriever--loves to get the ball and now consistently return it to me. 

Tucker seems to be pretty much out of adolescence. I hope I didn't jinx myself by saying that! :crossfing. He's still very playful though and he and Bella do bitey face for what seems like hours. 

Jay--hope you and yours are all mended soon. Jill--I love the crawling trick. You should tell us how you taught it.


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## Guybrush

Wow Jill coinciedence or what Guybrush has been learning to crawl aswell! And he is learning twirl (turn around clockwise) and circle (turn anti clockwise)


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## jluke

*Tricks Book...*

Jay -- too funny that Guybrush and Maisie are both learning to crawl on command! :wave: I plan to teach her to circle and reverse, too, but felt they were too hard to accomplish in the week I had before DD arrives home.

Kathleen -- so far, teaching crawl has been easy. You put your dog in a down and get on the floor in front of her/him (a carpeted surface or grass is best). Put a yummy treat in your hand and pull it in front of the dog's nose while saying, "C-r-a-w-l," in a calm, long, drawn out way. Give the treat if the dog stays down and moves along on her/his belly. If s/he pops out of down, re-position. After the dog does this reliably, you stand up and move about 3 or 4 feet in front of the dog, placing a treat under your foot. Lift your foot and give the crawl command. Allow your dog to retrieve the treat by crawling up to your foot. If you're big on signal-only commands, you can move on to only the foot signal, eliminating the voice command. How are you teaching it, Jay?

I've been using Kyra Sundance's "101 Dog Tricks" book and finding it really good. It has photos for all the tricks -- she has a Weimaraner named Chalcy -- and does all the tricks in a step-wise approach. And, the tricks are rated easy, medium, advanced so you know what you're getting into. It's in paperback, about $15 or so on Amazon.

How's everyone doing with Christmas trees this year? Maisie did well last year at 6 months. We took her along to pick out the tree this year -- boy, was that an adventure! So many smells!! She picked a beautiful Douglas Fir.  It's up, but not decorated. We'll put all the wooden and other unbreakable ornaments at the bottom again.


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## OutWest

That sounds fun. I may have to get that book.

Our Xmas has been greatly delayed. My sister and I recently sold our parents' home of many years and cleaned out the cupboards, garage, etc. Right after (during, really), my DD got a really nasty cold then I caught it. We are just now getting out heads "above water." We bought our tree, and it's been in a bucket on the front porch for four days! :doh:


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## jluke

*Silly Christmas Question...*

Jay (or anybody else with an English Standard) -- have you had any luck in finding a Christmas ornament with a light-colored GR? All the ornaments we have are of golden GRs like our first two dears who have crossed the bridge, so they don't look like Maisie. It's silly, but I'd like to get one that looks more like her. I've ordered an ornament frame in the shape of a dog house that I'll put her photo in, but if I can find one that is a lighter color, I'll get it, too. Silly, indulgent Mommy. (Since my DD danced in The Nutcracker for 12 years, I just order a Nutcracker GR ornament! Maisie will give it to her.  )


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## jluke

*Feel Better...*

Kathleen -- hope you and yours all feel better soon. We've been struggling here, too, and will soon have a houseful, so day-by-day we're trying to do a little to get things looking Christmas-y.


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## Guybrush

Sorry even in Australia the golden retriever ornaments are of the darker variety! Check some online english stores they're big into puppy ornaments.

Guybrush is learing to crawl in a similar way to Maisie, drop position then slowly move the treat in front while saying c-r-a-w-l. Still in the beginning of teaching that one as I can't bend down very well yet. But twirl is great just place the treat right near his hip while saying twirl when he does the full circle reward.

This year we aren't putting up our xmas tree (being in Australia we don't even use live trees just plastic ones!) With 5 kittens in the house and a dog with the cone of shame it just seems like inviting trouble. So far Guybrush has 2 presents in the middle of the dining table and will get more from both sides of the family he is so spoilt!

Have fun trimming your trees and putting up Christmas lights!


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## jluke

*Ornaments and Presents!*

Jay -- thanks for the response. I'll check to see if I can find UK sites for some English Standard ornaments.

I'm glad to hear that Guybrush is to be spoiled with presents. So is Maisie -- gifts from Santa, DD, DD's boyfriend and the "grandparents". But all her toys from last Christmas and her birthday are so bedraggled that I don't feel too bad. Her favorite squirrel toy (known as Nutty) is in two pieces, the tail and body, and the body now only has one paw left! And Doxie Dog, a toy stuffed dachshund, has just lost all his stuffing, his last rattle and ear -- he's just a long piece of fabric with a tail.

Since it sounds like "twirl" is easy to teach, I'll add that to our list! :wavey:

Hope everybody else is having a good weekend. We went the hour and a half to visit my parents, a good trip for all since Maisie is an easy traveler and good, polite visitor these days.


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## Tayla's Mom

Busy, busy, busy time of year. I hope everyone is doing well. Tayla has been pretty good, but she certainly isn’t a trustworthy little teenager yet. If she can grab it she does. She has even jumped up on the front door where we hang the Christmas cards and pulled some down. They are all hung at the level of the wreath and above! She has really long legs. At least she is better about giving stolen items back.

Walks continue to be good with her with the exception of Saturday morning where she got a little jumpy and bitey for the first time in 6 weeks. She wasn’t as bad as she had been and we had it in check in about 30 seconds but I let her know teeth on hands were not happening again. Probably a little my fault cause due to rainy evenings and busy schedules she hadn’t been walked much the prior week and was very excited to be out again. The rest of the weekend went well and her walk Sunday morning was spectacular with some very good heeling during most of the 45 minutes. 

I finally found her some great “tennis” balls that she loves and she carries them with her most of the time inside. I got her the ChuckIt rubber type balls. No fuzz to pull off. She has 2 medium and now 1 large one. She is officially ball crazy in the house, shoving that ball at you whenever you are still for a moment. If you can’t pry it from her mouth to throw it that’s fine with her and she will sit with you (or on you) holding it forever.

Have a great week everyone and a wonderful Christmas.


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## baumgartml16

Jill - you might want to consider having an oranment made of Maisie. There is a woman that has been suggested on here for sure who does ornaments of a picture you send her. Last year I got one of Koda that we will hang on our tree forever and this year I ordered a bunch as Xmas gifts of dogs that have passed in my husbands family. Plus my mom wanted one of Koda and my sisters dog. She does a GREAT job.

You can email her here at: [email protected]

You just send her a picture of Maisie and she will paint it and ship it out to you. They are $6 each and $6 shipping for 3 ornaments or $10 shipping for more than 3 ornaments. 

Just something you might consider so you can get a nice light colored golden ornament that will be special to you forever!

Koda too is being visited by Santa and both grandmas!! She is a spoiled little girl. I hope they continue to remember her after her human brother/sister is born! 

Koda has come around again and has been my sweet little angel girl. She has been so good to me since this pregnancy has really wiped me out so far. I am in the 2nd trimester which they say should be when I get my energy back but I am still waiting for it to return! LOL..she has been a patient girl and my little shadow! We are expected to get some significant snowfall Thursday so I am excited to be able to go out and play in the snow again!  She is so happy when she is running and playing in the snow! We might have a White Christmas here afterall! 

Hope all is well with you all! Merry Christmas if I dont make it back here before then!


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## OutWest

Woo hoo, Michelle! If you posted the baby news before, I somehow missed it. Congratulations and best wishes! What wonderful news. I bet Koda is going to be a great big sister. 

Tayla's mom--I love the Chuckit balls. I truly hope whoever invented them is becoming very rich.  It's so great to be able to give your dog a ball that he can't take apart and really enjoys having in his mouth. tucker does the same thing--pushing it into my lap--and I ignore him for a while and he'll stop. Then he just lays down and I hear the sound of a ball squishing in his mouth for a while.


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## jluke

*Wow!*

Michelle -- best wishes!! Such happy news for all of you --  If you're like most of us who've been through the process, your second trimester should be a time of renewed energy and great spirits. I remember the pregnancy glow very fondly.

And thanks for the Christmas ornament suggestion. I've been considering doing something similar. The mother of one of DD's ballet friend's does hand painted ornaments. (She even got a shout-out on the Oprah Show a few years ago!) DD gave me one with our GR Sadie in a Santa cap about 5 years ago and it's very special. Having one of Maisie would be terrific.

Tayla's Mom -- every so often Maisie does the jumpy walk bit, too. I just have to make a quick correction now, but the misbehavior isn't completely gone. Sigh...

Jay, I did find one "white GR" ornament at zazzle.com . It'll be hanging on our tree this year.


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## baumgartml16

Thanks guys, maybe I didn't mention it. This pregnancy brain isn't a joke, I forget what I did and didn't do a lot! LOL We are very excited and hoping and praying that Koda handles it well. She is our life right now and we devote so much attention to her that I don't ever want her feeling left out. She is my biggest concern with all this change for sure! And yes - i keep hearing the 2nd trimester is supposed to give me energy back but I am still waiting on it! Getting sick of being tired that is for sure!!

Koda too still does the jumpy thing once in a while - we have targeted it to cold weather/high winds! She is a weirdo! So now if it is below freezing we tend to just play ball outside and forget the walk at that point!


----------



## Golden Babies

Oh my! How wonderful it is to read these little stories about the misbehaving little teenaged Goldens. We have 2 now, ages 15 months & 16 months. Wow. Recently took in a foster 11 month old golden who is soooooooooo well behaved, he makes our pups look awful! It's embarrassing. We never noticed how bad they were before, only how "cute" they were. Now he comes in - with a horrible background- and looks like a perfect angel. Poor baby, aside from being so timid, has to be the most well behaved pup I have ever seen. He behaves like our 10 year old Golden did before he passed- which was PERFECTLY! Little stinkers. I guess these are the times that we will eventually forget about once they mature and calm down a bit


----------



## Guybrush

Awesome news Michelle! I'm sure Koda will handle the new pack member fine with you to help her along 

Golden Babies - I'm sure you 2 aren't that terrible atleast not 100% of the time. Hope your foster pup starts feeling more secure and becomes less timid soon, maybe when he's more at home a little devil will come out.

Well Guybrush is out of his cone of shame, and is so happy! His wounds are sealed and so are mine so we can go swimming at my parents house tomorrow. It is going to be a scorcher 40 degrees celcius which to you Americans is 104! So we have the traditional Aussie Christmas swimming in the pool, sitting in the airconditioning and more swimming! No ugly Christmas sweaters, instead we get to see budgie smugglers and bikinis.

Merry Christmas, Happy holidays and all that.

Jay & Guybrush


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## Pammie

Oh Guybrush, 104 and swimming in bikinis and budgie smugglers (is that like a Speedo? LOL!) sounds divine! Its hoovering around 40 here and raining non-stop. We are sick of it. Happy to hear your pup is all healed up and ready for some big fun!

Bryley and I wish everyone a happy, happy Christmas!!!


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## Guybrush

Merry Christmas Pammie & Bryley!

Budgie smuggler is the Aussie term for speedos, cause it looks like you are smuggling a budgie in them : Aussie Slang is fun!


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## Molly's Momma

Molly is a huge "puller" durring walks. Her trainer suggested using a gentle lead. I love it!! It makes walkes so easy and I am in control.


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## Abby2012

Hello and Merry Christmas everyone! This is my first post on the forum, and I've spent the last few weeks going over this fantastic thread. Our GR, Abby, is a 7-month-old that we got from our local shelter. We love her, but she can be a real handful lately--constantly jumping up and counter-surfing. We're working with two trainers, and have tried knee-to-chest/cans full of pennies "booby-trap on the counter". Any other suggestions?









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## baumgartml16

Abby2012 - welcome! Glad you could catch up!

For jumping (mostly on people) we fixed it by putting a leash on koda and when she would jump we would just give her a little tug and say no jump. Plus we had to have people that were willing to help us and just ignore her until she stayed down. It really does work! No more jumping - sometimes an occasional one but nothing what it used to be!!

Hope your trainers are able to give you some advice too!! 

Counter surfing - we didn't deal with much - we just always push EVERYTHING back then she has no need to look for anything!

Good luck!!


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## Guybrush

Welcome Abby 2012.

To help with the jumping up we taught Guybrush the command up and the command down. So if he forgets himself and jumps up we just say down and he does back to all four paws. Up is his favourite command he will always do that one so he can lick our faces!

In other news Guybrush is being annoying, with zoomies and constately wanting to be in my lap, not fun in 100 degree weather! So we had 7 days with weather above 100 (the range was 102 to 108). Of course we can't walk Guybrush in that weather not only is the air to hot, the pavement would burn his paws. We have been swimming a few times but he is still bored and wants to run, we don't want him to get heat stroke so he has to stay indoors with us in the air conditioning. At least tomorrow the temp will only be 84, yay catching the tail end of a cyclone can't wait.

Hope everyone else had a good new years eve with out fireworks to scare your pups! Guybrush was very interested in the illegal fireworks that went off at the local park, but not scared luckily.

Have a great 2013!
Jay & Guybrush


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## Jtpllc

My golden retriever ended up eating his brand new bed we bought him for Xmas, when we leave for work we put Van Gogh in our guest bedroom, he has already eaten all the pillows, chewed a huge hole in the bed, then we flipped the mattress and he did it again...

I don't want to leave him in his cage for 6 hours when I'm at work so i resort to leaving him in his guest bed room. He's 8 months old, our trainer hasn't given me any advice on his disruptive behavior. Will bring it up this week; but I know others who are having issues with walking your golden let me give some advice.

Get a head halti / gentle lead -- and a spray bottle of water, when he / she pulls or misbehaves spray the bottle of water, if they pull shorten the lead. Tell him or her to sit and allow it to gather its composer and calm down, any negative behavior such as biting , etc gets the spray bottle keep all of your orders firm and reward good behaviors with treats.


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## Jtpllc

Molly's Momma said:


> Molly is a huge "puller" durring walks. Her trainer suggested using a gentle lead. I love it!! It makes walkes so easy and I am in control.


Use a spray bottle if she starts to try to fight the lead. It gets eaiser and once you bring the lead out they know that it's business and they become calm for the walk.


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## Kobe's mom

Hi everyone,
So I've been watching this forum closely as many of the issues here sound exactly like what I've been going through with my 11 mo old Kobe. 
He's sweet, friendly and all, but lately has proven to be more challenging than I can handle. The main issue now is the humping. He's not neutered and probably won't be, and after speaking to several golden owners who say the neutering did not change the humping behavior too much, I'm not convinced that's the best thing to do. 
Yesterday on our walk he decided on the way back home to hump on my leg the entire time. He's 85 pounds and hard to handle when he's humping on my leg, I didn't know what to do, just looked like an idiot pushing him away. I was so frustrated I couldn't help but to start sobbing like a child. 
Any hints on ideas on how to handle this? I'm beyond frustrated and am signing up for classes starting at the end of the month, but meanwhile I need help.... Please and thanks! 


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## Jtpllc

Spray bottle! As soon as he Kobe goes to hump, give a firm NO, and spray him with water! Instantly don't wait 


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## Kobe's mom

Jtpllc said:


> Spray bottle! As soon as he Kobe goes to hump, give a firm NO, and spray him with water! Instantly don't wait
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Petguide.com Free App


Thanks! I have thought about that but the problem is I would need to carry one around with me, and that's not as easy. I will see if maybe I could get a travel size bottle...


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## Jtpllc

Look for one with a pouch or one You can hang from your neck... Heck better yet get a water gun!


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## Sadie53

I was told by our trainer that a good dog is a tired dog. If I exercise Sadie before class she is then great but omg if I do not tire her out????? She is really wacky. If we want a quiet evening I have to go out with her tennis ball and tire her out. It really works for all of us.


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## Jtpllc

Hey guys, when I play with Van Gogh he growls alot and is really vocal, he's not growling to be mean he's doing it as if he was talking; 

If you walk into the house and he has his toy in his mouth he's wagging his tail and growling as if he's trying to tell you something.


How can I curve him from growling or will he just stop doing it over time, he's 8 months old.


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## Pammie

My bridgeboy Bailey use to 'talk' when excited and happy and I loved it!!! I wish Bryley did it!!

Why do you want VanGogh to stop?


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## Bentleysmom

Jtpllc said:


> Hey guys, when I play with Van Gogh he growls alot and is really vocal, he's not growling to be mean he's doing it as if he was talking;
> 
> If you walk into the house and he has his toy in his mouth he's wagging his tail and growling as if he's trying to tell you something.
> 
> 
> How can I curve him from growling or will he just stop doing it over time, he's 8 months old.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Petguide.com Free App


This is something that I never want to stop personally. It's one of my very favorite things to watch. When a dog is playing and 'growling' it reminds me of a small child playing with her toys and singing because she's so happy in the moment.

Ky was here for 8 months and then one day out of the blue she did that, I was so happy I cried like a baby!


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## Karen519

*Van Gogh*

Van Gogh is talking and having a good time!


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## OutWest

Kobe's mom said:


> Thanks! I have thought about that but the problem is I would need to carry one around with me, and that's not as easy. I will see if maybe I could get a travel size bottle...
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Petguide.com Free App


You might also try one of those compressed air cans. They do help stop undesired behavior in its tracks. Not sure why the work but they do. or a noisemaker of some kind--plastic bottle with rocks, etc. hassle to carry around but hopefully won't be needed forever.

BTW, I know all dogs are different, but Tucker's humping pretty much ended after neutering. He still does it a bit but it's part of playing (the dogs take turns! :doh.


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## Pammie

OutWest said:


> You might also try one of those compressed air cans. ).


I second this suggestion! I used it on Bryley with great success.
It's called Pet Corrector Amazon.com: 50ml Pet corrector: Pet Supplies


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## Swede

Jtpllc said:


> Hey guys, when I play with Van Gogh he growls alot and is really vocal, he's not growling to be mean he's doing it as if he was talking;
> 
> If you walk into the house and he has his toy in his mouth he's wagging his tail and growling as if he's trying to tell you something.
> 
> 
> How can I curve him from growling or will he just stop doing it over time, he's 8 months old.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Petguide.com Free App


 
Sounds like he's happy when he's doing this. Why would you want to stifle his joy? 

Our Annabelle does the same thing. It's always cause for a chuckle.


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## Jtpllc

I didn't know if it was normal, he growls and didn't want others to assume it was aggression 


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## Abby2012

I have to agree with that comment about a tired dog being a good dog. With Abby, 2 LONG walks or an hour or so at the dog park pretty much guarantees that her bad behaviours disappear! She jumps up less, responds quickly to commands--but miss a walk and can you ever tell! The recent snow is helping to tire her out more, I've noticed. 


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## Kobe's mom

Pammie said:


> I second this suggestion! I used it on Bryley with great success.
> It's called Pet Corrector Amazon.com: 50ml Pet corrector: Pet Supplies


Will definitely look into this.. My husband is helping more now because he saw how frustrated I got the other night. If Kobe tries to hump on my leg and my husband is around, he comes to help and Kobe stops immediately. And, I was able to take him to the park the last two days for at least an hour each day and it's amazing the difference. We've been getting lots of rain which is why he was home and bored.


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## murphy1

The humping is a dominance issue. He's trying to put you in your place,,,,below him in the pecking order. My almost nine month old is not neutered yet and now just occasionally tries to hump me. My husband wouldn't stand for it and put him in a submissive position on the floor a few times. He won't do it to my husband and now I'm putting in down on the floor and keep him there for a minute. It's all about respect! My last dog was 150lbs and tried to hump everyone but me,,,,I was the boss. Neutereing played no roll in stopping it. My youngest daughter was his favorite target, he just hated being low man on the totum pole. 
Fifteen years ago I had a four year old male golden and a one year old female. She humped him every chance she got. She was boss!! Good luck!


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## Jtpllc

^ hahahah 


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## Tayla's Mom

Tayla growls all the time when we play tug. You would thing she is a mad dog by how she growls. She is just having fun doing the one thing she loves most, playing tug. She also will growl a little when I try to get the ball out of her mouth, but her tail is wagging and she loves the ball more than tug.


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## itried

I'm just wondering at what age is a golden retriever called a teenager?


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## OutWest

murphy1 said:


> The humping is a dominance issue. He's trying to put you in your place,,,,below him in the pecking order. My almost nine month old is not neutered yet and now just occasionally tries to hump me. My husband wouldn't stand for it and put him in a submissive position on the floor a few times. He won't do it to my husband and now I'm putting in down on the floor and keep him there for a minute. It's all about respect! My last dog was 150lbs and tried to hump everyone but me,,,,I was the boss. Neutereing played no roll in stopping it. My youngest daughter was his favorite target, he just hated being low man on the totum pole.
> Fifteen years ago I had a four year old male golden and a one year old female. She humped him every chance she got. She was boss!! Good luck!


I really disagree with you on this. I've seen a lot of play humping that has very little to do with dominance. My two GRs take turns with it. If one was truly pushing the other one around I'd put a stop to it. And there are dogs who are trying to dominate by humping--but it's not always that.

Also, IMO, the rolling the dog over and forcing him to submit is just not a good tactic with Goldens. Personally I don't think it works well with most dogs but I'm sure there are times when it's a useful tactic. By doing that you're just forcing your dog to comply. It takes a bit longer to use positive training but the human-dog relationship and the ego of the dog turn out much better. almost all Goldens want to please their humans--using force really shouldn't be necessary.


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## OutWest

kikisdeliveryservice said:


> I'm just wondering at what age is a golden retriever called a teenager?


Most Goldens' hormones kick in around 6 months. But the adolescent tag is mostly used to label their behavior. There are dogs who never display rebelliousness. (Lucky owners!) 

A trainer described it to me once as all of a sudden you'll tell them something like "come!" that has worked for months and they look at you as if to say "You talking to me?" and take off in the opposite direction. It's not too different from human teens--testing limits, etc. Most people find they end up going back to basic obedience training techniques to just keep their teenager grounded and cooperative.


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## OutWest

Jtpllc said:


> Hey guys, when I play with Van Gogh he growls alot and is really vocal, he's not growling to be mean he's doing it as if he was talking;
> 
> If you walk into the house and he has his toy in his mouth he's wagging his tail and growling as if he's trying to tell you something.
> 
> 
> How can I curve him from growling or will he just stop doing it over time, he's 8 months old.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Petguide.com Free App


I'm guessing he'll grow out of it somewhat, but like Bentleysmom, I love the play growling. It is important that he not do it around strangers though who could mistake it for the real thing. My little spaniel still play growls. But she scared the wits out of a visitor to our house one day who thought Tess was going to chew on her ankles. LOL


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## Bentleysmom

murphy1 said:


> The humping is a dominance issue. He's trying to put you in your place,,,,below him in the pecking order. My almost nine month old is not neutered yet and now just occasionally tries to hump me. My husband wouldn't stand for it and put him in a submissive position on the floor a few times. He won't do it to my husband and now I'm putting in down on the floor and keep him there for a minute. It's all about respect! My last dog was 150lbs and tried to hump everyone but me,,,,I was the boss. Neutereing played no roll in stopping it. My youngest daughter was his favorite target, he just hated being low man on the totum pole.
> Fifteen years ago I had a four year old male golden and a one year old female. She humped him every chance she got. She was boss!! Good luck!


I absolutely disagree with this statement. Humping has _nothing_ to do with dominance .
I also would *NEVER *put my dog on the floor to dominate him. Your are correct IT IS ALL ABOUT RESPECT but you will not get your dogs respect by treating it like that.
I will apologize in advance if you think I sound mean but let me tell you this, I have rescued the dogs that were "dominated" by their previous owners after the people created a scared, frightened, confused, pitiful dog. It's not a pretty sight to see a 130 lb dog cower in the corner when you lift your hand to brush your hair. THAT is the dog you are creating.

Whomever started this "you MUST dominate your dog" crap needs to wear a collar and sleep in a kennel for a few months!!!!!!


/rant


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## Tayla's Mom

Bentleysmom said:


> I absolutely disagree with this statement. Humping has _nothing_ to do with dominance .
> I also would *NEVER *put my dog on the floor to dominate him. Your are correct IT IS ALL ABOUT RESPECT but you will not get your dogs respect by treating it like that.
> I will apologize in advance if you think I sound mean but let me tell you this, I have rescued the dogs that were "dominated" by their previous owners after the people created a scared, frightened, confused, pitiful dog. It's not a pretty sight to see a 130 lb dog cower in the corner when you lift your hand to brush your hair. THAT is the dog you are creating.
> 
> Whomever started this "you MUST dominate your dog" crap needs to wear a collar and sleep in a kennel for a few months!!!!!!
> 
> 
> /rant


I agree with you 100%. When we got Tayla she would hump my leg and Rick's leg. Our trainer/behavorist said that it's what they do when they are unsure. It's a fall back position. It happened for a couple months after we got her, but once she became comfortable with us and what we wanted the behavior stopped. Tayla doesn't have a dominent bone in her body.


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## itried

I think if humping HAD  to do with dominance, my dog would always be trying to show dominance over her bed...


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## Kobe's mom

Tayla's Mom said:


> I agree with you 100%. When we got Tayla she would hump my leg and Rick's leg. Our trainer/behavorist said that it's what they do when they are unsure. It's a fall back position. It happened for a couple months after we got her, but once she became comfortable with us and what we wanted the behavior stopped. Tayla doesn't have a dominent bone in her body.


Well, whether it's dominance or not I'm so tired of it. Not only he hurts my leg but it looks so bad when we're in the middle of the street and I'm fighting my dog to get off me. 
Thanks for all the tips, I'm going to get the dog corrector thing and the water spray and see if either work, wish me luck! 
He doesn't hump on anything other than my leg and this ONE dog at the park that he always plays with. Do you guys know if there's a reason why he picks on this other male dog and nobody else? And also it's usually when the other dog is playing with someone else, not devoting 100% of his attention to Kobe. They're really good buddies but it annoys me when he starts humping this dog. It also seems to bother their owners too. I just get him off and hold on to him until he calms down and let him go play again. 


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## OutWest

Kobe's mom said:


> Well, whether it's dominance or not I'm so tired of it. Not only he hurts my leg but it looks so bad when we're in the middle of the street and I'm fighting my dog to get off me.
> Thanks for all the tips, I'm going to get the dog corrector thing and the water spray and see if either work, wish me luck!
> He doesn't hump on anything other than my leg and this ONE dog at the park that he always plays with. Do you guys know if there's a reason why he picks on this other male dog and nobody else? And also it's usually when the other dog is playing with someone else, not devoting 100% of his attention to Kobe. They're really good buddies but it annoys me when he starts humping this dog. It also seems to bother their owners too. I just get him off and hold on to him until he calms down and let him go play again.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Petguide.com Free App


I'm not sure about why dogs single out another for humping. I wish I knew. I say all the time that Tucker has a sign on his back, visible only to dogs, that says "Hump Me." He gets targeted all the time, and that's one reason I neutered him a bit earlier than planned. Helped some, but didn't end it.


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## Tucker's mommy

I have to pipe in about the humping issues. Our Tucker has some issues with this, too. When I take him for walks, if he sees either a person or another dog that gets him overly excited (usually if he knows it's a friend of mine!) he will jump on me in the middle of the road and hump hump hump. I pull him off of me immediately and bring him into a sit position, with treats if necessary. It works every time. But, it is truly embarassing when this happens. I figure that at 18 months, he's still got some growing up to do. I'll tell you this - I would much rather have this negative behaviour than the jumping and BITING that he used to do to me when he was younger! He's an easily exciteable dog - he always will be. He's our little work in progress, as are all of our human children as well!


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## Tayla's Mom

It is so embarassing, I agree. I also agree I would rather have that than the jumping and biting Tayla used to do. Everything we work on for Tayla that has a "no" attached to it we add a desirable behavior to it. No jumping, gets a sit attached so we don't just tell her what not to do, but tell her what we want her to do instead. It has worked well for us. When Rick get's home and she is really excited she has started to self correct. She will jump a few times and then she will sit and get praised. I agree with Tucker's mom. Tayla is a work in progress and will be for a looooong time to come.


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## Bentleysmom

I agree that humping is rude and I would not tolerate it however, dominating a dog by forcing it to the ground in a submissive position to "get it's respect" is what bothered me in that post.


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## murphy1

Bentleysmom said:


> I absolutely disagree with this statement. Humping has _nothing_ to do with dominance .
> I also would *NEVER *put my dog on the floor to dominate him. Your are correct IT IS ALL ABOUT RESPECT but you will not get your dogs respect by treating it like that.
> I will apologize in advance if you think I sound mean but let me tell you this, I have rescued the dogs that were "dominated" by their previous owners after the people created a scared, frightened, confused, pitiful dog. It's not a pretty sight to see a 130 lb dog cower in the corner when you lift your hand to brush your hair. THAT is the dog you are creating.
> 
> Whomever started this "you MUST dominate your dog" crap needs to wear a collar and sleep in a kennel for a few months!!!!!!
> 
> 
> /rant


Please don't think for a minute I mistreat my dog. He lives like a king! He sits on my lap and sleeps at the foot of my bed, all 81lbs of him. He is NOT a cowering frightened dog, anything but that. When a large dog jumps and humps constantly over a period of a few minutes, yes, I put him on the floor for ten seconds. I know its a phase he's going thru and it will pass. I'm not a first time dog owner.
Regarding it not being a dominance issue I disagree. In my post I spoke of a very large neutered male still humping years after the surgery, and of a spayed female humping a neutered male. Two different trainers have told me in the past it is not sexual.....its dominance.


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## Tayla's Mom

murphy1 said:


> Please don't think for a minute I mistreat my dog. He lives like a king! He sits on my lap and sleeps at the foot of my bed, all 81lbs of him. He is NOT a cowering frightened dog, anything but that. When a large dog jumps and humps constantly over a period of a few minutes, yes, I put him on the floor for ten seconds. I know its a phase he's going thru and it will pass. I'm not a first time dog owner.
> Regarding it not being a dominance issue I disagree. In my post I spoke of a very large neutered male still humping years after the surgery, and of a spayed female humping a neutered male. Two different trainers have told me in the past it is not sexual.....its dominance.


Some trainers are more old school than others. Modern thought on the subject is that humping is neither sexual nor dominance. I had a poodle when I was a kid that humped a pillow all the time. She was one of the least dominate dogs I've ever had and she was fixed years before the behavior started. She did it when she got nervous.


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## OutWest

I don't really think the humping is _always _about dominance although _sometimes_ it is. My dogs do it and I mostly ignore it when it's just in the realm of playing bitey face. But they don't attempt it on me or my DD, so I might have a different set of feelings about it if that were going on. I didn't think you were mistreating your dog... but I still don't believe that alpha-rolling him is the best solution to what you're dealing with. I'm not a professional trainer so this is JMHO.


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## Tayla's Mom

Tayla Update: I think I posted that before Christmas (4 days before) Tayla had major surgery because she ate a rock. She came through fine, but it changed a lot of our plans for my Christmas break. No tracking training . She is as spunky as ever and our backyard is covered in plastic chicken wire until we can find an easy way of removing all those little white rocks we have as decoration all over. Sigh...

On another note Tayla had her first 5 minutes of out of the crate alone time today. Rick and I come home every day for lunch on a staggered schedule. I arranged my time so that I left 5 minutes between when I left and Rick got home. This was her first test. I left her a Kong and said good-bye and left. I actually pulled down the street so I could make sure Rick got home in an allotted time and he pulled in exactly 5 minutes after I left. He said she didn’t even greet him at the door so her first test period was good. We will do 5-10 minutes this week and gradually increase it to the normal 20 minutes that separate our lunch hours. My goal is that she is left uncrated in the afternoon after he leaves until I get home. That is 3.5 hours. We will need to put Jesse in the bedroom on the bed and close the door as I don’t want Tayla getting rowdy and wanting to play and inadvertently hurting the old girl. Up until this point Tayla has been very untrustworthy, but we have to start someplace. If we are home we can leave her when we are ouside working in the yard, but I check in often. This is just the start of what I hope is some freedom for her.


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## Tucker's mommy

Good luck, Barb, with Tayla. I feel for you. We went through the build-up time out of Tucker's crate this past fall. We learned something very interesting - Tucker loves mischief, but only when we're around! We have had absolutely no trouble with him for hours at a stretch now when we leave to run errands or to do things with our kids. BUT - at home, in the evening, when we're all trying to relax in front of the TV or play the wii, that's when Tucker just loves to go crazy. He's such a goofball. Hopefully you'll discover that Tayla is the same way. 

I haven't been on the forum much these past few months - Tucker is still our little work in progress, but the good times are FAR outnumbering the issues we have now. He's getting close to two years now, and it's definitely starting to show. Some of the grownup brain cells are starting to make their way to the surface. It's about time! 

My human family is causing me far more stress and headache in recent months, between constant strep/croup infections being passed among the three little people, not to mention my issue of not knowing how to say "no" when it comes to being approached to volunteer for scouting, school boards, etc! Ugh!

Have a good day, everyone! :smooch:


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## murphy1

one more thing on the dominance thing. My last dog was a very self assured french mastiff. One hundred and fifty pounds of muscle. He didn't growl or carry on when someone came to my door. He dared them to open it. When you were invited in he was your best friend. He tried to hump everyone but me. I was his superior in the pecking order. Except my youngest daughter. She was a target until the day he passed. You cannot have a dog that size think he can be boss. So I don't think at all it is a sign of being unsure. My Shamus was a sweet yet very tough guy. Just my opinion.


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## baumgartml16

Barb and Katie - Koda is the same way! When we are home, she does what she can to find something to get into. She will grab shoes and run or grab a shirt and run - anything she can do to get our attention but when we aren't home she is an angel. We shut up the bedroom doors and put most of her toys away (the ones she could destroy) but we probably dont need to. She just lays around. We have strategically placed toys in certain spots in the house so we would know if they had been moved and they hadn't. She is soooo good. She has had the whole house for at least 6 months now if not longer! It's great! 

For all of you mom's out there - to humans and furry friends - if you had dogs when your kids were born how did you handle that? I am in constant stress thinking of how this is going to be on Koda when baby gets here in June. I want to believe things won't be dramatically different with her routine but then I feel like I might be kidding myself..right now she gets a morning walk and an evening walk and some playtime in between. Someone usually stops home around lunch and if its nice will take a walk or play downstairs with her (that won't end). But I never want her to feel like we dont want her around or that she isn't feeling like she is getting enough attention. I know there will be two of us and one baby and one dog so there is one of us to always give love to one of them but is it unrealistic to believe we can keep a somewhat normal schedule for Koda?

Just looking for a reality check if I need one...


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## Pammie

It's so wonderful to come to this thread and see how far our pups have come over the last year! If the new people who are just starting to see emerging teenage behavior read back at all our struggles they will have written documentation that there is hope!! - either that or they will run away with their eyes shut and their fingers in their ears screaming la-la-la at the sometimes harsh reality of it all!! :curtain:

I am so very happy for you Barb that Tayla did well! baby steps 
I _still _have not left Bryley alone in the house when we are both gone. He is frequently left in the house when just my husband is here with him and the husband is doing stuff outside. Bryley has been alone then for over 1/2 hour with not problem in that circumstance. That should give me some confidence but it doesn't. Bryley knows someone is home and most times he can even look out the window to see my husband. Someday....

What Katie wrote about the _adult brain cells making their way to the surface _it made me laugh and nod at the same time! Bryley has finally turned into the great dog that I knew he could be and I will love for ever and ever and ever!! :heartbeat 
I think Katie's Tucker and my Bryley may be brothers from another mother! Your description of your evening together are spot on. All day Bryley can be pretty mellow but come evening- hold on to your hats! He has no interest in relaxing or napping when I want to watch Downton Abbey!!!! He stands and stares unflinchingly into my eyes willing me to move to get my coat and get a move on! It works. Every time. 

I have no advise for you Michelle since I have not been in your situation but I just want to say how happy I am for you and your husband! I am sure Koda will do wonderfully because you are so devoted and concerned for her you will do everything you can to make Koda always feel like number 1!!

PS~ Monday is was 2 years since my boy Bailey left my side. I still have his picture and a snip of his fur (in a little bag) out and when I dust I hold the photo and sometimes 'pet' it and then I inhale the fur- which smells like dust, but whatever. Bailey was really a gentle guy and just so easy. I still miss him.


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## baumgartml16

Thanks Pam! And yes it is great to see how far these pups have come! I couldn't love Koda more - or I say that now but I am sure every day I will say I love her more!! She is such a joy to have around. There is so much more of us talking about how good she is or how cute she is or "come look at her" now than ever before. It used to be "come help", "she's crazy" but now we have pleasant conversations about her! We love her and wouldn't trade anything - it shows the time and dedication will pay off!! 

I look at my friends who have a yellow lab - 8 months maybe now and have not done any training with her. I feel horrible. They just had a baby 3 weeks ago and it seems the dog is locked up more than it is out and about because they failed to train the dog and make the dog understand there is a time for fun and a time for calm. Poor pup.

Makes me proud though! Of all of us!!


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## OutWest

Michelle, I haven't had to juggle dog and baby, but I did juggle an older dog who had been solo for many years before Tucker's arrival. I think the best thing you can do is keep things as normal as possible and include Koda as much as possible in whatever is going on. She will figure out quickly enough that the baby is not supplanting her. Your biggest issue may be with family members who don't understand your desire to keep Koda feeling like part of the family. You should rent and watch "Lady and the Tramp".  The plot line in there about the visiting aunt is pretty funny. And of course part of parent training is getting tuned back in to those Disney classics. LOL. :curtain: My DD is 17 and I'm still watching Disney on a regular basis. :doh:


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## baumgartml16

I think our family knows where we stand with Koda. They already think we are crazy at times with how much we do for her and treat her like a human lol but they go along with it. They keep teasing me that things are going to change and koda isn't going to be the center of attention and blah blah blah so that is probably what got to me. I dont want her to feel left out but I get now that it is a choice for us in how we handle it. If we want to keep things normal for her then we keep it normal!!

I am sure there will be a little transition but at least it is summer time - lots of walks and outdoors time for Koda still!! And me home all the time for 3 months!!


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## Tucker's mommy

I think Koda will be fine, Michelle. So many of my friends have successfully added a baby to the mix when the dog was there first. And these are friends that REALLY loved their dogs/treated them like kings and queens before the baby.  None of that changed - the dogs are still part of their growing families. There were definitely some transitional issues, but that's to be expected. None of my friends had negative outcomes. In fact, every year, I look forward to seeing all the family christmas cards with the now-older dogs in the middle of the pile of kids, looking happier than happy.  I think most dogs are real troopers when it comes to adapting to new things. Especially when it comes to babies. The key for you - Koda is so well trained, and she knows her boundaries. That will be so huge for you in a very good way! 

Here are some tips I can think of - buy your stroller a little early, and, as silly as this sounds, start walking Koda next to the stroller so she gets used to the feel of the wheels next to her. And of course, all those "textbook" tips of getting Koda used to the smells will definitely help. Get those diapers into the house early (they have a certain smell) along with some desitin, a baby blanket, etc.

You'll be fine. I am so excited for you - such a very special time in your life - treasure it!


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## Tucker's mommy

OK - I can't resist posting a pic or our Tucker with our youngest daughter, with all this talk of babies (I have to admit I wish our Izzie was still a baby - they grow way too fast!). This pic was taken a few days ago. My older sis titled the pic "beauty and the beast".


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## Jtpllc

What age do goldens stop growing?


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## OutWest

Jtpllc said:


> What age do goldens stop growing?
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Petguide.com Free App


My understanding is that they reach their adult height at around 10 months, and then continue filling out and gaining weight. That seems to have been what Tucker has done. But I have heard people say their dogs grew up until two.


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## Guybrush

Hi everybody,

Guybrush just got out of his "cone of shame" from neutering and now he is back in it with a belly rash. He just had a break to eat a treat and I caught him trying to lick. He looked up at me put his head on the tiles and slowly licked them. His eyes just saying I wasn't licking the rash mum, I was licking the tiles see .

Lately we have been able to leave him alone in the house for about 5 hours without anything going wrong, yet we can't leave him alone in the garden for 5 minutes with out huge holes mysteriously appearing or trees suddenly being eaten...Guybrush tells us he didn't do it, I don't beleive him.

Took him to the vet yesterday for his annual vaccinations and the vet was delighted to see a retriever who wasn't over weight, he is perfect for his height...unfortunately he has stinky, gunky ears and a rash but other than that he is our perfect little guy.

So much better than even 2 months ago and he is much more polite around other dogs and people, it makes those teenage months almost worth it almost.


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## Abby2012

Abby had a yeast infection in one ear before the holidays--sounds like what Guybrush's ears look like. Lots of brown gunk. The vet gave us something called OtiScrub to rinse out the gunk, then you had to wipe it out gently, then we put an antibiotic ointment for 10 days. It didn't work, so back to the vet for different ointment, oral antibiotics and antiinflammatories. That did the trick. But now we've learned that Abby has a lower canine coming in the wrong way, and she needs x-rays and possibly surgery! Anyone else experienced this???


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## murphy1

Muprhy will be nine months on Jan 20th and is 81lbs. I was shocked because he's very slim.
Regarding the ear infections. I had two Goldens in the early and mid 90's. Fed them Science Diet, a food I thought was high quality. Now I know its garbage. Murphy is eating Brothers grain free. His ears look like the day I brought him home at eight weeks. I've read many dogs that eat food with grain have allergies which can cause yeast problems in their ears. Just a thought!


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## Jtpllc

murphy1 said:


> Muprhy will be nine months on Jan 20th and is 81lbs. I was shocked because he's very slim.
> Regarding the ear infections. I had two Goldens in the early and mid 90's. Fed them Science Diet, a food I thought was high quality. Now I know its garbage. Murphy is eating Brothers grain free. His ears look like the day I brought him home at eight weeks. I've read many dogs that eat food with grain have allergies which can cause yeast problems in their ears. Just a thought!


Van Gogh just turned 9 months, he weighs 60lbs -- how much do you feed him daily? 


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## murphy1

He gets 3 to 3 1/2 cups a day with some canned topper. As I said I feed him a very high quality food "Brothers Complete". He walks at least two miles a day. As I said he's not heavy at all,,,,,alot of hair though. If I remember how to post a picture I'll put up a recent shot. He's a beauty.


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## Tayla's Mom

I hope everyone had a good weekend. Tayla is moving into the next phase of her training – distractions. She does well at home with sit, down, come, etc. We work inside and outside. We work on it when we walk through the neighborhood. I was a little surprised that when we went to a park close to us to walk it was like she had never heard any of the commands before so we will be walking lots of new places over the next months and working on commands. We also took her to a local pet food store in our area that has isles and isles of food, treats, toys, etc. to work on her attention to me. She did horrible (which I expected), but I was able to get 2 “watch me” looks, a few good isle length “comes” and a pretty good sit and down so for the first time I was okay with that, but it showed me that this is an area where we must do much more consistent training. We will be doing that every week until all I have to do is say the command and she does it in a reliable way. I will say to her credit that she didn’t snatch any treats or toys from the shelves so that was good. We also need to work on the fact that she just loves to jump on us when we are sitting watching TV. She is allowed to be on the sofa and there is room to jump on it without jumping on us first so we are also working on the “off” command. When I’m sitting she can’t so much as put a foot on me. I have RA and at 65 lbs. she hurts when she lands on us or just stands with a couple feet on a leg. So every time she is near us and puts so much as a toe on us she gets the “off” command. She can lay quietly next to us and she can lay with her head on us, but that is going to be the extent of that.


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## dwiley

Hello everyone - just wanted to introduce myself. My name is Diana and my fiance and I recently rescued a 5-6 month old Golden. We have been so blessed thus far and have had an almost perfect experience with Tucker. He has been potty and crate trained from the start, and we have a very calm, well behaved puppy. I am constantly amazed because my 5 year old Yorkie was NOT this way and was probably a "teenager" for the first two years of life. I joke that God is finally paying me back for Franklin by giving me such a great puppy. Anyway, I know that this is probably just the calm before the storm and that things may change once we hit the "teenage" phase, so I thought I'd go ahead and start posting here. Any chance we'll bypass it completely? :crossfing


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## baumgartml16

Barb - I need to work more on distractions with Koda as well. She sounds like she is in the same spot as Tayla in that regard! We are planning to get her back into training classes now that the baby is coming soon so hopefully that will help us get back into the mode of training more at home too!

Diana - welcome!! So glad to hear you have yourself a well behaved dog! Not every dog will go through this - it isn't a given. Just a majority of them seem to! Even if he does it might not be that bad. Just keep him trained and you may never run into problems! Glad he is such a blessing to you!!


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## OutWest

Diana--welcome! As Michelle said, you may just get to pass adolescence entirely. What I found though was that all our dogs just did it differently. Tucker (mine!) had issues with focus--very distractible. Michelle's Koda had issues with leash walking and confidence. Others had issues with basic commands. It's all very individual to the dog. 

Bar--I like the idea of how your'e training Tayla with the distractions. I might do that with Bella.


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## DieselDog

Diesel is driving me crazy! He wants to chew... He chews on his soft crate while we are sleeping, he has almost destroyed his blanket that he sleeps with, he wants to eat any and all paper including my books/papers for school, magazines and paper towels. He stole a woman's mitten at the dog park the other day. Not OUT of her hand but literally OFF OF HER HAND! He ran right by her and like a ninja jumped up and snagged it. On top if that, he won't come when he's called! So we had to chase him around the park trying to get it and the only thing that worked in the end was tempting him with her other mitten! He snuck out the front door the other day with a tissue in his mouth and, in true Diesel form, would not come back when we called him. He took off across the road(thank god there were no cars) and ran around the field with the tissue until I was able to convince him that the stick I had was way better than his tissue. I don't trust him as far as I can throw him and at 67lbs I can't throw him very far! He pulls when we walk, jumps up on me and others and tries to trip me from behind when I'm walking! He did all of this when he was a small puppy and then stopped and now I swear he is the devil dog sometimes! Sweet Jesus, Help Me!!!!!!


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## Tayla's Mom

DieselDog said:


> Diesel is driving me crazy! He wants to chew... He chews on his soft crate while we are sleeping, he has almost destroyed his blanket that he sleeps with, he wants to eat any and all paper including my books/papers for school, magazines and paper towels. He stole a woman's mitten at the dog park the other day. Not OUT of her hand but literally OFF OF HER HAND! He ran right by her and like a ninja jumped up and snagged it. On top if that, he won't come when he's called! So we had to chase him around the park trying to get it and the only thing that worked in the end was tempting him with her other mitten! He snuck out the front door the other day with a tissue in his mouth and, in true Diesel form, would not come back when we called him. He took off across the road(thank god there were no cars) and ran around the field with the tissue until I was able to convince him that the stick I had was way better than his tissue. I don't trust him as far as I can throw him and at 67lbs I can't throw him very far! He pulls when we walk, jumps up on me and others and tries to trip me from behind when I'm walking! He did all of this when he was a small puppy and then stopped and now I swear he is the devil dog sometimes! Sweet Jesus, Help Me!!!!!!
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Petguide.com App


Sounds like you need to go back to the basics. We are doing that in distracting places, but I am so thankful that Tayla has stopped the jumping and grabbing stuff off us. Shirts are now safe and I'm working with her on hand towels and paper towels. Unfortunately, toilet paper is not safe. DH was in the bathroom and the door was not shut tight and she broke in grabbed the tp roll that was on the counter, got the end of it and dragged tp all through the house. I've lost a couple rolls that way.


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## DieselDog

Tayla's Mom said:


> Sounds like you need to go back to the basics. We are doing that in distracting places, but I am so thankful that Tayla has stopped the jumping and grabbing stuff off us. Shirts are now safe and I'm working with her on hand towels and paper towels. Unfortunately, toilet paper is not safe. DH was in the bathroom and the door was not shut tight and she broke in grabbed the tp roll that was on the counter, got the end of it and dragged tp all through the house. I've lost a couple rolls that way.


We've been trying to but and he does good sometimes but others he just gives his Diesel-tude! He knows what he is supposed to be doing but just looks at you and continues on instead. It's making me crazy because I know how smart and good he is (or used to be) but just can't seem to get him past this! I hope it ends soon and I get my sweet Diesel back full time instead of part time.

Ps we have TP issues too ?


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## Tayla's Mom

I have found that just because Tayla knows something one place it doesn't always translate to some place else. That's why we are ramping up our training to include lots of places. On walks no matter where we go, in pet stores, vet's office, etc. I'm determined that she will be a very well trained dog by age 2. Ten more months to go so I need to hurry!


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## OutWest

DieselDog said:


> We've been trying to but and he does good sometimes but others he just gives his Diesel-tude! He knows what he is supposed to be doing but just looks at you and continues on instead. It's making me crazy because I know how smart and good he is (or used to be) but just can't seem to get him past this! I hope it ends soon and I get my sweet Diesel back full time instead of part time.
> 
> Ps we have TP issues too ?
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Petguide.com App


You have a classic golden teenager. . As Barb said, best you can do is go back to basics, but be very consistent--no gray areas, rules are the same all the time. A lot of people have liked a training technique called "It's Yer Choice." You can find info on here and on the Internet. It's a great way to get back to basics with a teen. 

Good luck! Your descriptions gave me a great laugh!


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## Tayla's Mom

OutWest said:


> You have a classic golden teenager. . As Barb said, best you can do is go back to basics, but be very consistent--no gray areas, rules are the same all the time. A lot of people have liked a training technique called "It's Yer Choice." You can find info on here and on the Internet. It's a great way to get back to basics with a teen.
> 
> Good luck! Your descriptions gave me a great laugh!


A similar program is Nothing In Life's Free. Tayla has to sit before feeding, sit before I let her in and out for potty, sit before I put the leash on her for walks. She has to sit before I'll throw her ball that she ALWAYS has in her mouth, etc. I slacked off on my other dogs' training and I'm not going to do that with Tayla. I want to get at least some Novice titles in obedience on her. My goal is a Basic Novice title, Rally Novice, and CGC and then I want to work on Nose Work titles. I want to be one of those people that can eat at outdoor cafe's and have their dogs lay at their feet quietly.


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## DieselDog

Thanks for the advice Tayla and Outwest! It's good to know that this a normal thing and that Diesel is not just a bad dog (which I know he isn't). I will look at both of those training helpers you posted and be as consistent as possible! I will not let teenage angst get the best of me or my dog! ?


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## OutWest

DieselDog said:


> Thanks for the advice Tayla and Outwest! It's good to know that this a normal thing and that Diesel is not just a bad dog (which I know he isn't). I will look at both of those training helpers you posted and be as consistent as possible! I will not let teenage angst get the best of me or my dog! ?
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Petguide.com App


Your mantra should be: He's gonna be a great dog! He's gonna be a great dog!


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## Jtpllc

Anyone know what I should do to train Van Gogh to "come" he listens to every command by "come" what are some advice you can give?


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## OutWest

Jtpllc said:


> Anyone know what I should do to train Van Gogh to "come" he listens to every command by "come" what are some advice you can give?
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Petguide.com Free App


I've been working with Bella on this by offering her little treats when she trots over to say hi. I keep some kibble in my pocket. Sometimes, as I see her walking toward me, I say "come" because I know she's doing that. Then I praise her for it. I try never to use the word "come" unless I'm sure my dog is going to obey, and never call them over for anything negative. 

Another thing is to play the "go to/come" game with another person and some high value treats. One person stands at one end of the room says "Go to John!", and John says "Come!" right after. Puppy gets treat upon arrival. Reverse and repeat. Tess loved this game when she was little. You gradually increase the distance so one is in another room, at the end of the yard, etc. 

There are lots of other games like this--if you search for "recall" you will find many.


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## Tayla's Mom

First you start in a distraction free environment using really good treats and stand a few feet away (2 maybe). Once they are consistent with that move back a couple feet and then a couple more. Add in a distraction or two. Once he comes every time you can try it outside on a lightweight leash or clothsline. Again, go back to basics. 2 feet, 4 feet, 6 feet. If at some point he doesn't come, tug on the line and reel him in. Once you are consistent there take him someplace out in public, a walk or pet store or anyplace with lots of distractions. It's a time consuming thing, but you want a consistent result and you will need to do it in many places before you will get something really reliable. Good luck. We are at the public distraction phase.


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## Claudia M

Jtpllc said:


> Anyone know what I should do to train Van Gogh to "come" he listens to every command by "come" what are some advice you can give?
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Petguide.com Free App


I started with Rose indoors like every other command. I put her in a sit and told her to whoa(stay). Move a couple feet away and pointed my finger to my toes and held a treat so she could see it. The moment she moved towards the treat I said "come". Then increase the distance until you are actually out of her sight. Go into a different room, upstairs or in the basement. You are actually working two commands: Whoa (stay put) and come. 
Then you move the command outdoors with a long rose. What I found useful is that when our pup is running around not to call her otherwise you expect the pup to not only stop but to turn around and then come to you. So I give the Whoa command first and then come. If I feel that she will not come (ie - her body is not turning towards me) I would not use the come command; I either use the rope to reel her in and then say come or just release her back to play with an OK.


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## Dexter12

An update on our goof Dex, he's 16 months now but still very teenaged....uuuuh does this end? Haha
He's a great dog, he has taken to cuddling and now it's almost every night of Dex wanting to cuddle on the couch. He has a new favorite activity, snowshoeing, we've been going out almost daily and he just loves it. The last time he found hare's legs and he was delighted no matter how disgusting it was. We managed to get them away from him before he tried to take them into the house.

Whining. 
We take him for long walks and extended plays but still he walks around whining telling me how very bored he is half an hour after coming back in. He also like whining when one of us leaves the room, he'll stand at the gate and whine until we come back. I think it's almost time to let him have run of the house during the day but he always seems to find something to get into trouble.

Toy posession
We still have an issue when we give Dex a chew, toy or bed....the list seems to be growing, he gets all possesive of it. I've started just sitting near him or petting him when he has a danger item and trying to show him that we don't always take things away. I think it's because when he gets a toy, a lot of times he's destroying it within minutes of having receiving it and to avoid any chocking danger we have to take it away. We're stuck between letting him have the object and either have him destroy it and putting him in danger or taking it away which seems to be teacing him that we give him things and then take them away again. 

Being mouthy.
If Dex and I are going outside, he loves picking up one of the pieces of clothing that I'm going to put on, like a glove or my snow pants and showing me. He also seems to like picking up anything that's small enough to tell me how bored he is, and he'll come show me and then make a game of it.

He doesn't know it but in two weeks our mr Dex finally has an appointment to neuter. We would have done it sooner but we have a cat who's had two operations for mammary tumors so we haven't had the funds. 

Now some exciting news. We were over at a neighbour's snowshoeing on their trails with Dex and my SO saw how happy he was with their three dogs and mentioned getting another dog. I really do think that Dex would benefit from a companion, he's got so much energy which may be from being intact? I've caught SO looking at rescue dogs even, so I know that she means it. I'm trying not to push the issue but I'm also now going to give it up, hehe.


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## Guybrush

Nice update on Dexter sounds like he's still a handful but with him being fixed and a possible playmate maybe things will calm down.

So here is a Guybrush & Kaylee update we went to training today and Guybrush was a star he walked in heal, did recall off lead, sit stayed for 1 minute all without treats! Only problem was he broke his down stay. He has been an angel lately no more jumping up and mouthing no more leash biting and twirling on walks so much better!

We have had Kaylee for less than a month and for the last 3 weeks she has been in heat! Luckily that shall be ending soon we know she still smells attracive to other dogs as the intact Alaskian Malamute nextdoor was very interested 2 days ago, but they just moved out so we don't have to worry about him knocking down the fence to get to our girl. Kaylee is very excitable at the moment she jumps and twirls and yelps and whines and yodels! We are trying to teach her that she only gets attention when she is calm so far we have made little progress. She has learned some commands and next week will start training with Guybrush. She had her first night out side of her crate last night and she was perfect let us sleep in till 7am!

We are making progress with our pups, half a year ago we were ready to throttle Guybrush! He has shown us that teenagehood does pass.


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## OutWest

Jay, sounds like things are hopping at your house but in a good way. I'm Kaylee has worked out so well as a playmate for Guy. 

Dexter12, re the whining: you'll probably just have to ignore him if you want it to stop. It's hard but he must be getting something out of it (attention) or he'd give it up. The problem I had with Bella was that she'd grown up without gates, had no respect, and just knocked them down. Tucker wasn't and still isn't really ready to have complete run of the house because he puts everything in his mouth. So I've just gotten really good about keeping the bedroom and bathroom doors closed, and keeping as much out of the way in the other rooms of the house. He's still picking things up but there just aren't as many option. I still use the gates for when I want to keep them out of a room for a short while, but otherwise I'm letting then run around the house. 

The possessiveness is a more serious problem though, especially if you are thinking about getting another dog. At his age there ought to be a way to keep him from destroying his bed, but I can't think of one... Perhaps ask in a freestanding thread to get greater response? Re: taking toys away from him, the best you can do is to offer something of equal or higher value--a treat or an even better toy. But Ido think this could become a much greater problem if he's showing possessive behavior with his humans, he'll probably do even more when a new dog comes on the scene.

Getting another dog: yay! Dex will have a great time with a playmate. Both Guy and I did that, and several others on the forum, and it does give the first dog a great outlet for all that energy. Just choose very well if you get a rescue and make sure Dex approves. See my update following for why... 

To all: We are bumping along here. I love having Bella here but she has changed our lives in bad ways I hadn't counted on. Having been kept in a back yard with limited human or animal contact, she's very insecure "out in the world." The dog she is inside our home--loving, sweet, funny and playful--is the dog should be all the time but isn't. So we're working with a trainer who is helping me socialize her in a safe way. The other issue I wasn't prepared for was that Tucker has developed resource guarding issues. He adores Bella but gets almost manic when high value treats are brought into the picture. He can be quite mean to her and to Tess. So we are working on that, too. The upshot of it is that meals are carefully orchestrated, we don't go out into public very often, I don't go to the dog park unless it's empty, and more. I really hope we can get a grip on these issues very soon because I want to have a nice summer and go places! 

As I type this, the two GRs just effected a change of ownership of an antler with no grumbling. Tucker had it, and now Bella does. Perhaps it's all do-able!


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## Guybrush

So much for well behaved dogs, Kaylee ripped down some wallpaper today. :doh: Now that her heat is over she can hang out in the yard with Guybrush when we are not home instead of being cooped up in kitchen.

Currently both of my guys are running around and jumping in the kiddie pool outside. At least they are having fun.


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## Tayla's Mom

I haven’t posted on this thread for a while, so I thought I’d do a Tayla update. From monster puppy to normal teenager we are seeing changes slowly, but they are there. We are giving her limited access to our bedroom which is the safe zone for our 15 year old Golden so she is not happy, but it has to be done sometime. I make sure all the socks and under ware are picked up and shut the closet door and bathroom door and she has been pretty good. We have found her a couple times just laying on the bed with Jesse. A few times she has grabbed something and brought it in to us, but she drops it when we tell her and sometimes before we can say it so she knows. She hasn’t grabbed anything off the counters for a while so that is good. She can still be a bit bitey when over excited and we are continuing to work on that and she will launch herself from across the room on us when we are sitting down and that has to stop, but we have had limited success with that yet. A 65 lbs. bullet is not fun. We were vending at a dog event on Saturday and we took her for the socialization experience of lots of people and dogs. She did great. When she was in her crate she didn’t care if people or dogs approached her and walking through crowds she was fine with people stopping to pet her and other dogs approaching her. She greeted politely so that was good. Pulled a lot and didn’t heel much, but I cut her some slack because of the situation being so new to her. All in all it was a good experience for her. 

I hope everyone had a great weekend and will have a wonderful week.


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## murphy1

Use an extra special treat when training the "come" command. Cheese or hot dogs work great.


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## Pammie

I just love it that a handful of us that were so active in this thread still post updates! 

Everyone sounds like things are going well except for a bump here and there! 

A couple of you mentioned possessiveness around high value items. I am not sure if this is why or not, but Bryley does not get possessive about anything- I think it is because I have always held his bully sticks when he chews them -and those are his favorite things in the world!- and when I am done holding I just take it away. No convo, no eye contact. And just last night we had a steak that had a big sturdy bone- well, I held that and let him chew and chew until my hand ached and then just took it away no fuss no muss. I dunno, I just think all dogs have such diff personalities and some are more possessive than other no matter what you do. Like everything, we just have to manage those behaviors.

Kathleen, sure hope you get what you want and can have that wonderful summer you envision! You have worked so hard to mesh your 3 fur-babies that is just has to work out!

Taylas mom bet you never thought you would be typing those words you shared with us!! She is doing great!! and you did great with all the hard work you put into getting her to be a wonderful girl!

Guybrush I am happy to hear how well your little Kaylee is doing. It will seem like life is a breeze when she is out of heat and you are not having to separate the 2.

I am thrilled to report that the magic 2 year mark really is true! Bryley is so much more calm and a bit less mischievous. But make no mistake about it, he still has his wackadoodle moments! 

arty:arty:But the best news is that today my baby boy is 2 years old! arty:arty:
He got a Jolly Ball Bounce N Play (it smells like blueberries!) and a 6in Teaser ball. Both durable and are winners!
He will be loved and spoiled even more than usual today!


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## OutWest

Pammie said:


> I just love it that a handful of us that were so active in this thread still post updates!
> 
> Everyone sounds like things are going well except for a bump here and there!
> 
> A couple of you mentioned possessiveness around high value items. I am not sure if this is why or not, but Bryley does not get possessive about anything- I think it is because I have always held his bully sticks when he chews them -and those are his favorite things in the world!- and when I am done holding I just take it away. No convo, no eye contact. And just last night we had a steak that had a big sturdy bone- well, I held that and let him chew and chew until my hand ached and then just took it away no fuss no muss. I dunno, I just think all dogs have such diff personalities and some are more possessive than other no matter what you do. Like everything, we just have to manage those behaviors.
> 
> Kathleen, sure hope you get what you want and can have that wonderful summer you envision! You have worked so hard to mesh your 3 fur-babies that is just has to work out!
> 
> Taylas mom bet you never thought you would be typing those words you shared with us!! She is doing great!! and you did great with all the hard work you put into getting her to be a wonderful girl!
> 
> Guybrush I am happy to hear how well your little Kaylee is doing. It will seem like life is a breeze when she is out of heat and you are not having to separate the 2.
> 
> I am thrilled to report that the magic 2 year mark really is true! Bryley is so much more calm and a bit less mischievous. But make no mistake about it, he still has his wackadoodle moments!
> 
> arty:arty:But the best news is that today my baby boy is 2 years old! arty:arty:
> He got a Jolly Ball Bounce N Play (it smells like blueberries!) and a 6in Teaser ball. Both durable and are winners!
> He will be loved and spoiled even more than usual today!


Love the Bday picture! Too cute.


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## Tucker's mommy

It is nice to read all of these updates! I thought I'd post a quick one too, as I don't spend nearly as much time on this thread anymore. Our Tucker is definitely growing up and showing lots of positive changes. He will be two years old in May. He is so much calmer now in a general sense, and shows us much more affection, coming up for spontaneous pets and laying his head on my kids tummies as they watch tv. But, as with Tayla's mom - he still has those overexcited nippy moments outside, especially when a game of fetch is involved, so it's constant working on that. We've come to terms with the fact that Tucker will always have to be managed outside during these play sessions, but as long as we're aware of that and keep working on those impulse control issues with our games and training, I think we'll be fine. 

We're able to keep him outside of his crate all day now, even when we're not at home with errand running. He has been wonderful about knowing what's his and what's not - at least when we're NOT home. When we ARE home, and we want to take a break, like in the evening, he can still be a clown, grabbing at pillows, napkins, chasing around the house with socks, gloves, etc... he can be a little devil between the hours of 7 and 8pm! Then he'll just crash. It's so funny! So if we have to run out and about between 7 and 8, we do still crate him, as we're afraid of what might happen! He still sleeps in his crate, too, more because he likes it than anything else. 

We definitely have more good stretches than bad now, and they are much longer in duration. It's nice to see that he's finally growing up! 

I don't know about you all that are experiencing winter at the moment, but I am so ready for spring, and so so tired of all the mud! We have to wash his paws off in a tub of water every time he comes into the house from outside because our yard is such a mess! Thank goodness he's so good about having his feet washed! 

So that's what's going on in the life of Tucker. Not perfect, but not bad, either. He's a funny bugger, that's for sure!

Have a good night everyone!


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## baumgartml16

Guess it's update time! Happy Belated Birthday Bryley! You look so happy in that bday picture! 

So happy for those of you that were able to make the transition to two dogs - albeit a few bumps here and there...still sounds like it has been good in the big picture! 

And all of you that were long time posters here - so glad that all of our pups are now getting to that full maturity stage!  Soo good to hear!

I feel like I sometimes jinx myself when I say good things about Koda in here but I really am sooo happy with how far she has come!! Like many of your pups Koda too is acting like an adult pretty much full time now...there are always going to be those puppy times. She still gets mouthy/jumpy with my husband when playing but he brings it on himself most of the time! She is easily stopped though now where before it would take a while. Overall she has been awesome, hangs out while we do things (cook, clean) and doesn't try to tear something up. She enjoys love so much more and has become SUCH a cuddle bug! We, of course, love it!!!  This has all been perfect timing as baby is due to arrive in less than 4 months! Time is flying. I still worry every day that we will still do enough for her but with all the planning we are doing ahead of time I think she will be great!

Again - so happy for all of you! Loved loved loved hearing all the updates!!


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## Dexter12

Holy cow Dex is trying to hump EVERYTHING tonight, so gross.


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## Pammie

:lol:  :bowrofl: I know it is not funny to you (please forgive me) but your post make me LMFO!!!
I do hate that look they get in their eye when they are _in motion_!
Did something set him off- female nearby in heat? cooped up more today than usual? exciting guests visiting? I dunno, these dogs can be wacky!


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## Dexter12

No, nothing out of the usual, I think he was just being a weirdo. He tried to hump my pillow (which he does a lot anyways,) my blanket and then tried to mount one of our male cats.... poor poor kitty. It's annoying but I can see the humor in it.


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## baumgartml16

OMG, my husband was looking through old photos of Koda and sending me some of her puppy pictures through like 6 months. I miss that stage so much. We laugh about how stressed we were those first few months - not knowing how easy things were and how much we were about to go through. 

Now that Koda is our amazing dog we have dreamt about I am finding myself with puppy thoughts - I am crazy! And then so many of you taking the plunge into the two dog lifestyle!

I am lucky I have this human baby coming in a few months to distract me from these thoughts because man do I miss that bitty puppy stage!!!


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## OutWest

baumgartml16 said:


> OMG, my husband was looking through old photos of Koda and sending me some of her puppy pictures through like 6 months. I miss that stage so much. We laugh about how stressed we were those first few months - not knowing how easy things were and how much we were about to go through.
> 
> Now that Koda is our amazing dog we have dreamt about I am finding myself with puppy thoughts - I am crazy! And then so many of you taking the plunge into the two dog lifestyle!
> 
> I am lucky I have this human baby coming in a few months to distract me from these thoughts because man do I miss that bitty puppy stage!!!


You'll have time for another puppy down the road, but believe me the human puppy condition lasts a lot longer than the canine one--you're going to have your hands full for several years! Hope you are feeling well. Do you know boy or girl? What's your due date?


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## baumgartml16

Yes, I do know the human baby part will last me longer! 

We are having a baby boy!  We are so excited. I am due June 14th - 3.5 months to go!! I can't wait to meet this little guy. DH is excited too cuz he will have his little mini me and is already planning the fun things him, baby boy and Koda can do together - like play baseball and koda can be the one to get the balls for them LOL..

I am feeling good though, all things considering. Getting tired a little more easily these days but that is to be expected. Other than that I have not had much to complain about this entire pregnancy...hope the last couple months treat me just as good!!


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## Dexter12

^congrats! 

Dex is getting neutered tomorrow morning...is it weird that i'm nervous for him? :doh:


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## baumgartml16

I was a nervous wreck when Koda got spayed. I felt horrible sending her to the vet thinking she was just going for a visit and we just left her there all day....BUT she was fine. More than fine. So don't worry or stress too much. Just be ready to give lots of love and hugs and kisses when he gets home!


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## OutWest

Dexter12 said:


> ^congrats!
> 
> Dex is getting neutered tomorrow morning...is it weird that i'm nervous for him? :doh:


Not at all.. I've had a bad time every time I've had a pet neutered. With Tucker it was the hardest. Just be sure you fake it somDex doesn't pick up on your anxiety... Won't help him at all! Best wishes. Come back and let us know how he does.


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## baumgartml16

Yes, definitely keep a happy attitude when dropping him off. I made DH do it cuz he is much better at that stuff and he said she happily walked down the hallway with the lady not knowing what was going on.


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## jluke

*Dexter -- Not Weird...*

...at all.

Michelle, so glad to learn the happy news of Koda's soon-to-be baby brother!! 

I've been checking in with all of your posts every so often, but haven't written my usual tomes.

We're well here, just very busy with daily walks and many dog park visits and lots of play time, plus many hours working on a major revision of my novel-in-progress. Maisie is much more settle although there's still an occasional teen-age zoomie outburst, but very infrequent now which is good since she's about 70 pounds -- much bigger than I thought the runt of the litter would get! But the vet says she's a "3" on the body shape scale, so all is AOK.

Maisie is a snow hound and has loved hiking through the few storms we've had with small amounts of accumulation: an inch or three at most. She's also learned to catch snowballs and I'm hoping that will translate into catching tennis balls...

DH and I have also done some traveling, an annual trip to the Caribbean and will ski for a week with DD during her college spring break. Now that Maisie is settled into a routine with her three special people when we travel, our house/puppy sitter (who also stops in mid-day) and a morning and afternoon walker, I'm pretty relaxed when I keep my pre-puppy commitment to DH to travel with him. Of course, I still check in at home just about every day.


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## Dexter12

Hey. Dex is doing ok, but the poor boy hates the cone of shame, he has been wearing it for pretty much the whole time that he's been home since he just doesn't want to leave the spot where they had the IV or the operation site alone. Dex has been a little bit of a baby, he's been moping around and keeping really close to us. 

He's found little games though, and this doesn't surprise me one bit. The first one is running while scooping up snow with his cone and flinging it around, and it is hilarious! The second game is to punish us and it's; lets find disgusting things that I can rub my cone in because I don't want to wear it.

He's on some antibiotics for a persistant hotspot but it 's not agreeing with his stomach..I have a thread going about that one in the main discussion area. 
Hope all my fav teenaged pooches are do ing well and behaving themselves..-yea right. 

:wave:


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## Tayla's Mom

As we are still not sure of the outcome with Jesse, our 15 year old with pancreatitis who still won't eat without being force fed by syringe, I don't have a lot to post about Tayla. Kind of like when you have a sick kid the other kids get the short end. I decided to stay home yesterday from work to watch over Jesse and to let Tayla have a day out of her crate all day. She fell asleep on my lap for about an hour and then I had to go to the store to get Jesse some baby food. I have never left the house and left Tayla out of her create, but I thought what the heck. I took Jesse on two little walks and left Tayla out each time and it was fine so we would just see if our teenager was maturing. I was only gone for 20 minutes, but when I got home everything was still as I left it and she was just sitting waiting in the kitchen. She passed that test with flying colors. She is keeping us sane during this trying period and I never thought I would say that!


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## OutWest

Hello all...My two are overall well. I had a handyman over today, and both were rather agitated. I'd forgotten how unnerved Tucker gets when there is a worker in the house. I expected it to be Bella who had a problem but it was Tucker. Tess didn't help--she's the agitator. She gives out a sharp little bark and the others chime in. Arghh. But we are doing OK. Bella is progressing with her socialization training, but it's slow. It's much harder to put the behavior in that you do want and remove the behavior you don't want when they are older. I confess sometimes I fell like it will all never end... I just want to be able to go out with my dogs and have a relaxed time! (Insert playing violins here... poor me... )


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## Guybrush

We are still going good, on Monday Kaylee is getting spayed my poor little girl. Guybrush is starting Dancing with Dogs with my fiance on wednesday and in a week or 2 Kaylee and I will start aswell. We had a long weekend just passed and we went to the dog beach and a cafe with the inlaws, the pups behaved beautifully at the cafe getting pats and snuggles from everyone sitting near us. The beach was a bit too crowded for Kaylee she was a little over excited by the number of dogs and the space to run, so we aren't going back for a while. Kaylee has her first proper obedience class on Sunday which she is going to breeze through she is already the favourite of at least one instructor!


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## mrmooseman

Congrats Michelle on the baby boy!! I'm sure Koda will be great with the baby. She will make the best big sister!!

I guess I will post an update on the Moose guy..

Hard to believe he will be 2 in may! Yikes!! I still have my moments when I wish he was that little fluffy puppy that I could pick up and hug and kiss.. now he's that 105 pound "puppy" who lays on me in bed and hogs the blankets, but still gives the sweetest kisses. He is super affectionate and I love that! That is one of the main reasons we decided on a male dog. We have completely passed the jumping stage! yay!! he only will do it if we allow him, which is great because he has passed his test and he is.. A THERAPY DOG!!! I'm such a proud mama  but we had our struggles with him and getting him to this point.. but I wouldn't change it for the world! Poor fella has been through a lot in his 2 years.. 3 dental surgeries because our origional vet extracted the wrong teeth.. ugh, poor baby, but it's his thing.. missing some teeth, it what makes him.. him! It hasn't stopped him any, he is still eating everything and anything that he can.. But he really wants a sister.. haha - so we have been approved to adopt a dog from the NSGRR (nova scotia golden retriever rescue).. so we are just doing a waiting game for a little one to come our way .. :crossfing fingers crossed! But that is really everything that is new and exciting with us right now. Hope you enjoy some of these recent pictures of my fella, and I hope the treat one doesn't border on animal abuse.. hehe.


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## Sadie53

*Need help with obedience. PLEASE!!!*

I need advice. I have a 20 month golden. She will not listen when we have a certain person over. We have spoke to the man but he does not help enforce what we are trying to accomplish. We are wanting a down stay not jumping all over and licking this man's face. Are we right to expect him to co-operate with training or is it totally up to us. Please help me out as I cannot get over last night. WOW. IT WAS A HELLISH VISIT!! Anxiously waiting or some advice.:curtain:


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## OutWest

Corine Dokic said:


> I need advice. I have a 20 month golden. She will not listen when we have a certain person over. We have spoke to the man but he does not help enforce what we are trying to accomplish. We are wanting a down stay not jumping all over and licking this man's face. Are we right to expect him to co-operate with training or is it totally up to us. Please help me out as I cannot get over last night. WOW. IT WAS A HELLISH VISIT!! Anxiously waiting or some advice.:curtain:


Yes, you are right to expect him to go by your rules for your dog. But ultimately, you dog needs to learn to listen to you and not others. If the man is frequent visitor and you really can't prevent him from egging your dog on, then I think you need to work a lot with your dog. Work with him or a rock solid down-stay, then practice with him in situations where you have other people come over and try to get him to come out of it. Keep working and you'll get to the point where he will listen to you and not the visitor. (I think the visitor is mean, BTW. I'm guessing he's a grandparent, parent or an in-law...)


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## baumgartml16

Agree with Outwest on the above topic.

So glad to hear the rest of the updates! Sounds like all the pups are doing very well!!

Megan - that is great that Moose got his therapy dog certification. Did you do a class to get him ready for it or just worked on it at home on your own? We are looking into doing this with Koda very soon!


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## mrmooseman

We worked with it on our home for a bit, but we had to go in for a day and do a test with him while he was around people in different scenarios that he might encounter and he did awesome! He just sat there and wanted people to pet him.


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## duckie

Charlie ( Chassie's Golden Third Chance Charlie AKC), age 15 months....well, we were kicked out of training classes- not only booted out- they rolled their eyes at us. all the leaping, jumping, jerking and pulling can be almost alleviated by putting the dog in a harness that connects with a loop in the front- under the chest. honest! they also said charlie was just too young. an idea i agreed with at the time- he was 8 months. hey, these guys are lil cowboys till they're two.


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## staffgirl68

duckie said:


> Charlie ( Chassie's Golden Third Chance Charlie AKC), age 15 months....well, we were kicked out of training classes- not only booted out- they rolled their eyes at us. all the leaping, jumping, jerking and pulling can be almost alleviated by putting the dog in a harness that connects with a loop in the front- under the chest. honest! they also said charlie was just too young. an idea i agreed with at the time- he was 8 months. hey, these guys are lil cowboys till they're two.


Eh?! Were these regular obedience training classes you were kicked out of? Or have I got the wrong end of the stick?


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## BrinkleyMom

I am so glad this thread exists. We were having some serious challenges with Brinkley during walks and recently invested in a training session. That has made a HUGE difference! He gave us a choke collar, which has helped a great deal, and really taught us that there are NO EXCUSES! You tell her to stay, then she HAS to stay- not move or lay down or anything- and if she does move, walk straight over and correct her. It is an ongoing process but we are making some great strides. I am so ready for this rebellious teen phase to be over!


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## Lacie's Mom

I think Lacie has just hit this phase! For about the last week, I've really been concerned something was wrong with her ears! She doesn't even twitch when I call her name. I've been wiping her ears several times a day thinking maybe she got water in them from swimming in the lake. And she was doing so well on walks...not so much these days. It's a constant pull - let's move...with me doing the pulling! She'll plant her butt and not move. She's gone from being able to walk in the woods and fields off her leash to having to be on it since she's decided not to listen to me. When I tell her to sit, she just continues to stand there looking around. Forget down or stay... Love my girl dearly, but I really hope this doesn't last forever!!


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## OutWest

Lacie's Mom said:


> I think Lacie has just hit this phase! For about the last week, I've really been concerned something was wrong with her ears! She doesn't even twitch when I call her name. I've been wiping her ears several times a day thinking maybe she got water in them from swimming in the lake. And she was doing so well on walks...not so much these days. It's a constant pull - let's move...with me doing the pulling! She'll plant her butt and not move. She's gone from being able to walk in the woods and fields off her leash to having to be on it since she's decided not to listen to me. When I tell her to sit, she just continues to stand there looking around. Forget down or stay... Love my girl dearly, but I really hope this doesn't last forever!!


It won't last, but it's important to go back to basics. Don't get frustrated with having to repeat things she did perfectly two weeks ago. She's developed a teen's selective hearing. I got a good laugh thinking about you wiping her ears... that's very sweet. This teen thread is pages long, but you might want to read it through. Much of what you describe is covered somewhere in here. And you will feel right at home.


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## Davidrob2

OutWest said:


> This teen thread is pages long, but you might want to read it through. Much of what you describe is covered somewhere in here. And you will feel right at home.


I'm about half way through and I see Harry on every page!


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## Mollymoo

I haven't been on for awhile but after yesterday's visit to the dog park where Molly (now 18 months old) just thought great I'm free and am deaf to all you say to me I thought I'd come on here and read some teenage stories to cheer me up abit and tell myself she is normal lol. I was all set to ring a one to one trainer to come tell me what I'm doing with this recall training but today she was the model dog who came back everytime I shouted her and sat perfectly for her marmite chicken treat. It is a struggle to get her attention the new word I've been shouting is "bye Molly" and just walking away from her hopefully she will realise I mean business when I shout that at her. Will this teenage faze ever end? She is so perfect in most things but getting her attention is so hard sometimes. She isn't toy orientated so keeping her with me with a toy is useless I usually meet up with her sister so she has a playmate this then keeps them both with us but she does like to run up to people for a fuss shes very submissive flopping onto her side and lifting up he back leg for all dogs to have a sniff she is definately known in the dog park lol.


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## quilter

duckie said:


> Charlie ( Chassie's Golden Third Chance Charlie AKC), age 15 months....well, we were kicked out of training classes- not only booted out- they rolled their eyes at us. all the leaping, jumping, jerking and pulling can be almost alleviated by putting the dog in a harness that connects with a loop in the front- under the chest. honest! they also said charlie was just too young. an idea i agreed with at the time- he was 8 months. hey, these guys are lil cowboys till they're two.


Sounds like a great story! I do have to wonder at a place that can't work with training a golden, though. Casper's worst month at dog school was at 8 months. He was so distracted and excited by everything. He sailed through basic obedience at 15 months. We moved to a new training place with a huge room that only 10 allowed in class. The extra room made a huge difference. We were even able to put up his crate and do some crate training. Makes a terrific spot for down time.


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## Tayla's Mom

It’s been a while since I posted on this site, but we just got back from 8 days camping at Disney with Tayla and what a change in her from our previous trips. She was a pretty good girl the entire time. She had lots of exposure to little kids who always came up wanting to pet her, sometimes 4 and 5 at a time. She had exposure to other dogs when walking – some tiny and some bigger. She had lots of exercise so that may have helped, but on past trips when she was a holy terror she had lots of exercise too. She didn’t bother a towel we had hanging on the stove door and in the past that would have been one of her first things grabbed. She didn’t bother with magazines or with any of the cords or electronics on the table. She grabbed toilet paper a couple of times, but that was no big thing. She sat quietly looking out the window or just laying peacefully. She sat outside with us and watched people and animals go by our campsite and didn’t get up. She never barked at other dogs although she was barked at by about ever dog under 20 lbs. everywhere we went. She was polite when we walked and stopped to talk to someone she just sniffed or lay down. All and all she was so much better than we thought she would be. Things are looking up for our girl. In fact when we got home yesterday I think she was happy to have more space and last night she curled up next to us on the sofa and fell asleep. She never does that at night so I think we wore her out.


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## Tayla's Mom

Good Morning and a belated Happy Mother’s Day to all you Moms of two and four legged kids. Hope you had a great weekend. We had some milestones recently with Tayla. We are now starting to leave her uncrated when we are running errands on the weekend. Both Saturday and Sunday she was uncrated from 7:45 in the morning until 10:00 at night. That is her longest uncrated time she has had since we have had her. She was perfect. We are, however, still working on some of her biting issues when she is frustrated. I was going to put her back in obedience classes since she has been good about the biting lately, but over the weekend I started training her on a few new things and when frustrated she still is jumping and biting. I can get her under control easier but it looks like we need more work on that before I spend money and put her back in a structured class where she had her issues in the beginning. I’ve been trying to teach her a few fun things (weaving through my legs in a figure 8 and weave poles from agility) and she gets overly excited. Back to some basics for control and frustration issues. Other than that she has been very good lately and at 1.5 years I’m only hoping for better days to come.


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## lynn0624rj

*Isabella's walks*

I have been walking Isabella to the park everyday. Along huge walk we have to pass a boat launch, several businesses, and a school. She has been doing so good on the walks. It is almost loose leash for the majority of the time except for when she has to sniff something. The guy that owns the boat launch has been seeing us pass by and from a distance seemed to take a liking to Isabella. He was leaving his store/boat launch and drive over to talk to us. Something that never happens. He's well known and high influential person in our town. It was quite a surprise when he stopped talked to us. Isabella was behaving pretty good and was so proud then she jumped up to see his little dog in his truck. Oh my. Now a scratch on his truck. He then with a disappointed look said he had to leave and drove off. Isabella hasn't jumped on anybody's vehicle in such a long time that I didn't expect it. I feel so bad. Now we back to walking in the neighborhood. I'm still trying to decide if I should go talk to the guy about it. It's driving me crazy. Maybe I could let my husband take care of it. Lol


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## Tucker's mommy

Hi, everyone! Barb - I just read your update on Tayla. Our Tucker is close to two years now, and he and Tayla are definitely on the same track! We've been able to leave Tucker out uncrated during the day while we run errands for quite awhile, but what's funny is that between 6-8pm at night, we can't trust him at all, because that is still his CRAZY time. He loves to go after every pillow in the house that time of day :no: (but only that time of day!!!! SO strange!) So, he's been spending a couple of hours in his crate a couple evenings a week while we take one of our sons to his ball game, but Tucker seems no worse for the wear. He's really mellowing out compared to last year. BUT - we, too, still have the overexcited/impulse control issues when he's outside playing with us. On occasion, he'll still come running at us, jumping and nipping at our hands and arms. He doesn't do it hard enough to leave marks, but boy is it obnoxious! 

My latest frustration has been the older neighbor kids next door and their tendency to get him overexcited while playing - they go at him with their hands in his face doing that "keep away" game I see so many owners do with their dogs (they do it with their own dog with no issues) but Tucker CANNOT handle this kind of play. I had to send them home a few nights ago because things got so out of hand. I really believe that if it weren't for our neighbors (who we love dearly) who have a tendency to play too rough with Tucker, he would be a much calmer dog. It's so frustrating, because their dad is the same way with Tucker. It's not that what they're doing is wrong, it's just wrong for OUR dog because of his impulse control issues. Hopefully they got the message last week after I sent them home! I don't want to ruin our relationship with them - they are wonderful people, and their dog is Tucker's very best furry friend. Many more good things than bad can be said about them! So, all in all, things are going pretty well for us. Tucker is growing up!

Anyone else out there dealing with excessive amounts of ticks this spring? YUCK!!! We had to pull FOUR off of him a couple weekends ago!!! Thank goodness for frontline!


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## Gracie2012

My puppy is 11 months old and it's sooooo nice to hear other people's comments about there dogs. Gracie was a monkey at training classes she barked and just wanted to play with all the other dogs big or small. She could do the training once I could get her to focus which obviously wasn't for long but made me feel so good when she did it.


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## baumgartml16

So glad these pups are growing up!

Barb - Tayla seems to really have matured. I have seen your posts on facebook too about her nosework - that is awesome! Has made me think of getting Koda into that! 

Katie - We still have episodes of impulse control too with Koda and she is a little over 2 now. But they are much much more manageable these days! Glad to hear Tucker's are too! Still frustrating - yes - but when you can control it easier it takes less time to get over it! 

We have less than 4 weeks till our human baby is due to arrive so we have been very busy preparing for him to be here. Lots of nesting going on and since hubby won't let me do much he has been clearing that list for me while I hang out with Koda! Her and I spent most of the weekend laying outside watching him do the work around the house! She loved it of course!  Just hope she adjusts easily when the baby gets here. I am getting more and more nervous but excited for him to be here and to see how Koda reacts to this big change. I think she will LOVE the fact that I am home for 3 months - even if the attention isn't on her 100%, just having me home will probably make her much happier! 

Gracie2012 - welcome to this thread! Feel free to vent your frustrations! We have all been through them in one way or another. It's nice to have a place that lets you know you are not alone and others have gone through the same thing. Training was a place Koda definitely would be a monkey at times too! She would focus for a while but then get all hyper and want to play! You will get through it!


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## Nyahsmommy

Wow it feels like I haven't been on here forever! I haven't had much need to because Nyah is such a good girl now. She is now too, and a well behaved mature doggy. She is also *very* smart. She now walks without much issue... still scared of garbage trucks but has gotten better. She now pees in the backyard on command too.

Michelle- you must be soooo excited! I am almost 6 months now and am getting impatient for our girl to get here... had another ultrasound yesterday and she is 1 pound 9 ounces so far and super super active(uh oh! lol). If Koda is anything like Nyah, she is going to loooove the little boy. I am not worried about Nyah with the baby, she loves babies and kids. I am more concerned about the cats. 

P.S. Have you picked a name out yet? We have


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## baumgartml16

Yes - getting very excited and anxious. This 37/38 week timing is getting to me LOL...enjoy your energy while you can!  

I am sure Koda and Nyah will be very similar with their new baby siblings! They were the same all along so far LOL. 

Yes we have a name but keeping it secret till he is here!


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## Nyahsmommy

baumgartml16 said:


> Yes - getting very excited and anxious. This 37/38 week timing is getting to me LOL...enjoy your energy while you can!
> 
> I am sure Koda and Nyah will be very similar with their new baby siblings! They were the same all along so far LOL.
> 
> Yes we have a name but keeping it secret till he is here!


What is your actual due date? Mine keeps changing... first it was Sept 19th, then 20th, now its 17th-20th. Sheesh! I guess I will except her anytime around then. I have energy for now but I am already getting super uncomfortable tummy wise and I am only 24 weeks this week. I can't imagine how you feel.

Awww, we couldn't keep our name a secret, our family was hounding us with suggestions and bugging us to know constantly. haha


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## OutWest

Aha, we have two new human pups on the horizon on GRF! Well, you both know the rules--we require pictures and announcements, etc. 

Best wishes to you both.


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## Nyahsmommy

OutWest said:


> Aha, we have two new human pups on the horizon on GRF! Well, you both know the rules--we require pictures and announcements, etc.
> 
> Best wishes to you both.


Thanks, and haha will do.


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## baumgartml16

Due June 14th. 17 days!  

What is the name going to be??


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## Nyahsmommy

baumgartml16 said:


> Due June 14th. 17 days!
> 
> What is the name going to be??


Wow the next few weeks are going to fly by before you know it! Is your little guy still moving lots? Mine is kicking and punching non stop, I can't wait until September . And we have decided on Hailey... No middle name yet. It was between that and Madison but we liked Hailey better. Funny because we had a boys name picked out all along(Brayden) but no girl until like a month ago lol. We are hoping for a boy next time so most likely will use that. 


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## Lacie's Mom

Is there something in the air or what?!?!?! Lacie has done some serious back sliding the last couple days. Her leash walking is not great (actually it's pretty horrible) but she has gone back to the 3/4 month old phase of jumping on me while we're walking and grabbing the leash. We are providing tons of entertainment walking down the street: Lacie jumping on the backs of my legs; me almost falling on my face; and then the tug of war with the leash...yeah, some good entertainment going on  But she's also started chewing things she's never touched like my couch! She chewed a hole in my couch cushion this morning - took her 30 seconds. She's never gone for the couch. Now, I have two wall corners that I have to keep covered or she'll tear them down but she's never gone for the couch. And she's digging everything: the couches, my rugs (I have hard floors), the balcony walls... I play with her, we walk a lot - she gets at least a 2 mile walk every day off leash in the woods during the week and up to 5 miles a day on the weekends with several shorter walks throughout the day/evening since we live in an apartment. So, she gets plenty of exercise and weekly play dates. I know reading this, it sounds like she's horrible, but she's really a sweetie and I love her to death. But I don't know if the fact that we finally have sunshine and warm weather is playing into this, or if it's part of this teenage phase, or possibly a combination of both. But...OMG!!!!!!


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## OutWest

Oh Michelle, I sympathize. Tucker and Bella aren't dong those things so much anymore but I remember clearly. Can you practice the leash walking somewhere safe--in your hall or something, and really drill it in to her?


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## Lacie's Mom

OutWest said:


> Oh Michelle, I sympathize. Tucker and Bella aren't dong those things so much anymore but I remember clearly. Can you practice the leash walking somewhere safe--in your hall or something, and really drill it in to her?


The apartment building is a 3 family house - each floor is an apartment and the hallway is only the stairwell so there isn't a real hallway. I have worked with her in the apartment and she's great! We step outside and out comes the goofball


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## Tayla's Mom

We certainly hit a milestone this weekend. I let Tayla out of her crate on Friday morning and she has not been back in since unless it was her idea. Previously she has been crated at least a few hours during the day and all night. At 19 months old she now has the freedom to choose where she wants to spend her time. We still gate off the bedroom at night and the first two nights she slept by the door in the hall. Last night at some point she got up and went in her crate. She is finally starting to mature to the point where we feel comfortable giving her more freedom. We are even leaving our bedroom door open when we are home so it is not such a forbidden temptation. I just make sure there are no socks or undies laying around and our closet door is closed. She is even falling asleep on the sofa at night while we watch the news before bed. The first few times she did that I thought she was sick then I remembered all of our other dogs did it all the time. She just has more energy then either of them put together.


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## OutWest

Tayla's Mom said:


> We certainly hit a milestone this weekend. I let Tayla out of her crate on Friday morning and she has not been back in since unless it was her idea. Previously she has been crated at least a few hours during the day and all night. At 19 months old she now has the freedom to choose where she wants to spend her time. We still gate off the bedroom at night and the first two nights she slept by the door in the hall. Last night at some point she got up and went in her crate. She is finally starting to mature to the point where we feel comfortable giving her more freedom. We are even leaving our bedroom door open when we are home so it is not such a forbidden temptation. I just make sure there are no socks or undies laying around and our closet door is closed. She is even falling asleep on the sofa at night while we watch the news before bed. The first few times she did that I thought she was sick then I remembered all of our other dogs did it all the time. She just has more energy then either of them put together.


That's great. Yay Tayla! I just collapsed one of our two crates and moved the other into the dining room. I have a much bigger living room now. Tucker still likes to sleep in his at night but Bella has become a human bed sleeper... They still aren't very trustworthy left alone though--we close bedroom doors and police the other rooms pretty well. I wish I had enough space to have both crates up permanently though--I'm the one who misses them!


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## Dexter12

Archer is my favorite little teenager. He pulls on his leash and we've had to put him back in the crate at night. He was just escaping before and when I woke up in the morning, he had jumped over the fence and was hanging out not in the kitchen. He would sometimes be in my office or he was hanging out on the wrong side of the fence and when I came out of the bedroom he would either jump over or wag his butt. When he started destroying things we had to put him back in the crate at night which he's ok about he knows to go in. 
We're still trying to figure out a permanent solution. What would be ideal would be a fully mounted metal gate (40 inches) with a cat door.


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## Dexter12

The only flaw in this gate is that it's not mounted.


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## Dexter12

Archer woke us up at 6am this morning, he wanted to tell us how bored of his crate he was...uuurg. Walking is a little better, I've noticed that although he did't like it at first, his walks were 100 percent better with a prong collar, so we bought him one. I had gotten him a martingale collar but it did nothing.


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## Ripley16

We've been having to use a facial halti while walking Ripley since she was 6 months old. It's been over a year, and today, we were finally able to complete a full 30 minute walk just on her regular collar! Hopefully this isn't a one off!!! Also, has anyone noticed their golden having an obsession with socks? I do not own a matching pair of socks anymore. They are all full of holes and buried in the yard! I have no idea how to stop it!


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## JessCDoyle

A little back story first: My parents live about 7 hours drive away and we left thursday night and came back on monday afternoon. During this time, we had to change Laika's schedule who is now a little past 4 months. She was out of her crate a bit more often, had the freedom to roam around in a large backyard and go swimming in the inground pool. She would drink water past 6 because sometimes we forgot to take up the other animals' water, and she would wake up at 2am and cry. Normally we would just let her cry, but she was in the same room with us (also abnormal, she's usually in the living room at home) and there were other people in the house so I was quick to react and let her out (when she quieted down). 

Her walks there were still loose leash. She's been doing great with it.. until yesterday. A day after we came back, and all of a sudden she's pulling. We wanted to go out on a nice stroll after dinner, but nope! had to turn around because of the amount of pulling which she continued to do even after corrections. She seemed to be even more distracted by things that normally wouldn't catch her eye.

We're probably going to take her to the park today and try to release some energy, because I kind of think she's just not agreeing with being cooped up anymore after enjoying this past weekend... but I'm wondering if she can also be entering the teenage phase and it's a little early? She also lost a bunch of teeth as well this weekend..


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## Dexter12

Archer is escaping and waking us up early for the past three mornings! At first it was just a cute and low butt wiggle by the door but it has evolved to jumping on the bed and walking all over us! He tried to wake me up at 6 this morning, but we managed to get him to get back to the kitchen until 7:30.


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## Dexter12

Archer is being really mouthy, he loves saying hello by having your arm in his mouth. It's not all all vicious, it's actually the furthest thing from it, while he has your arm in his mouth he madly walks around wagging his butt. We've started calling him "monster mouth"


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## tiffersduncan

This is the best thread I have seen on here. It's really perfect for us with those teenage goldens running around with the zoomies and pretending not to hear you when you tell them to do something.

Sheldon is adorable, loving, loves to be close to you... sometimes too close too often...at times when he shouldn't be close...usually when we are eating, or showering. We can't leave the bathroom doors open anymore, and have since had to lock the doors since he knows how to open the doors now. He usually goes into the tub, and grabs the loofah, goes to his bed like nothing happened, as if he thinks he is a ninja and no one saw anything. Other times he is just a tornado in the tub, not knowing the strength of his tail, whacking everything off the shelves leaving shampoo, conditioner, and other things everywhere. If for some reason we do not close the door all the way, if there is just a microscopic gap between the door and the doorway, and we are taking a shower, or letting the water run to get hot enough, he WILL enter the shower, and WILL take a shower with you, or come out completely drenched, then go up to the couch, and lay in it hoping we don't look over at him, and when we do, we can see his eyebrows going up and down, and his eyes going back and forth just to glance and see if you are still looking so he doesn't get in trouble.

Goldens, smartest dogs ever. Funny, energetic, goofy, a pain in the butt. Gotta love them, and we love our Sheldon. More to come soon I am sure.


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## SadiesWorld

My teenager is so rough when she plays. And, when people come over she greats them a little too harsh, like jumping on them. It is aggravating and she knows she's done wrong, but she won't stop it. ?


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## gmammad

at what age does the puppy turn into a teenager?


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## DieselDog

I wanna say Diesel was around 9-10 months old when "The Change" occurred. 


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## OutWest

Tucker started a bit earlier--around six months.


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## OutWest

SadiesWorld said:


> My teenager is so rough when she plays. And, when people come over she greats them a little too harsh, like jumping on them. It is aggravating and she knows she's done wrong, but she won't stop it. ?
> 
> 
> Sent from Petguide.com Free App


She's continuing to do it because in some fashion she is being rewarded for it. Even saying no and fussing at her is a reward. You need to turntable he tables on her and completely ignore her. I literally fold my arms over my chest and turn my back. 

Please search on here for excessive greeting disorder--you will find lots of good training strategies to help you. It's not easy--at all! I'm still working with mine.


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## JessCDoyle

OutWest said:


> She's continuing to do it because in some fashion she is being rewarded for it. Even saying no and fussing at her is a reward. You need to turntable he tables on her and completely ignore her. I literally fold my arms over my chest and turn my back.
> 
> Please search on here for excessive greeting disorder--you will find lots of good training strategies to help you. It's not easy--at all! I'm still working with mine.



EGD! My 6 month old also suffers from that but we're doing better. Essentially practicing with friends and leash correcting each time, pulling her back and wait til she sits for the person to come closer to her. Takes a lot of time, still working on it. But it's better!


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## nellie3

Our Millie, 8 months, shredded her entire pillow in her crate last night!


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## DJdogman

Derek is just about 10 months and a real terror teenager these days. He was such a well-behaved puppy, but now he pulls ridiculously on the leash and often hurts my back or almost gets my knocked down, he won't come when I call, he will only sit half the time, he tears up everything in sight and is venturing places he's never been interested in before like up on the kitchen table!! He jumps at my feet when I walk down the stairs and almost trips me. I'm almost at my wits end with him. 
But once his energy is expended, oh my god he's the sweetest thing ever, so gentle and timid and loving. Aren't they just like toddlers!!


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## baumgartml16

Koda was the same way - we did what Kathleen did. We actually had people come over and purposely work on it with her. Now she is usually pretty good. We still get those visitors that encourage her to do it even though I ask them not to but for the most part Koda knows to stay down now! 

DJdogman - you have yourself a teenager!  hang in there - it will pass! Do you have him on a flat collar? We switched to the easy walk harness and it made a world of difference. Still use it today and she is about 2 1/2. Is he in an obedience class? Now is the time to keep enforcing commands and working hard on his training!!! It will pay off soooo much down the road. Koda has turned into the perfect dog and if you go back and read this whole thread you will see she had some very very difficult times. I was the originator of this thread so trust me I have seen a lot of it!


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## DJdogman

Thank you so much Kodasmom, I needed to hear that! Even though I knew it deep down already, but most of the people I know are not dog people, and they just keep telling me how misbehaved our dog is. But I had seen this thread when he was much smaller so was half expecting it! We did take him to classes when he was smaller but I think we need to go again to re-enforce everything.


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## baumgartml16

You're welcome! I remember how tired and frustrated I was and thought I just had a dog that was always going to be naughty LOL. Nope - they grow up! She is still a stinker at times but for the most part she is a great dog! 

Yes - defintely do the class if you can! Keep his mind working and tire him out!


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## Tucker's mommy

Haven't been on this thread in a LOOOOONG time! Tucker is 2 1/2 now, and slowly over time, kind of without us even noticing, he's turned into an adult dog, who only acts like that crazy teenager occasionally now! With visitors, he's still a beast, constantly bugging everyone for the first hour, with constant crate "timeouts" until he chills - but really, that's our one remaining issue with him. He's still a crazy boy outside sometimes, but a good game of tug usually helps with that right away now. So yes, they do grow up! I love Tucker so much more now as a grownup doggie - he drove me absolutely nuts as a pup. Those moments that he comes over, just to show affection and ask for a pat never happened when he was younger. I just love seeing how he's bonded with us the older he gets. 

Just keep up all the training and exercise, and before you know it, you'll have that grownup dog, too!


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## Articuno

Uh oh, I've just taken on a 4 month old girl, what have I gotten myself into? Hehe..


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## MrsKuhn

This thread is hilarious! I have an almost 5 month old golden. When do these 'oh so wonderful ' teen rebellion start? Lol 


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## Dexter12

^ Sooooon. You won't miss it once it starts.

Archer is now ten months and he has been getting so mouthy recently. He has replaced putting my arm in his mouth when he's excited with just nipping and he does not have a soft mouth either. I've been trying to get him to stop but he's just being so stubborn about it. 
Walks are annoying he pulls like a maniac even with his prong collar, he gets better and then worse. The problem is that it's like he had ADHD, he sees something and he has to go investigate it, or if there is a patch of long grass he has to run through it. We're working on it, but it sometimes feels as if we're going backwards.
The boys have also been having more time outside, they need at least an hour outside in the morning and then another one in the evening so that they're not completely crazy when they're indoors. They've been a lot better, but it seemed that I had to get them more in sync with each other so they depended more on running around with each other rather than with me.


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## JessCDoyle

At first I really wanted to believe that this wasn't a -real- thing (as I guess there's a school of thought that doesn't believe in this teenage phase) but by golly we're starting it. Laika is now 7 months 

Most people tell their trainers that their dog is perfect while at home - and don't judge them based on what the trainer is seeing. Where as my belief is Id rather see Laika at her worst with a trainer present in order to help! But noo, not this girl. She has been perfect right when class starts. Prior to it beginning she'll be playful and not really listen but as soon as the trainers start she turns into the model student. (We've done the puppy class and just finishing basic obedience) 

Now on the days that we are able to provide her enough exercise - usually when my bf has a quiet day working from home which is a few days out of the work week and of course the weekend - she is obviously more manageable. However unfortunately this week really seems to be the proof of her entering the teenage phase. I've been sick and bf's been busier than normal which means she hasn't been getting the usual 2+ hour walk and playtime in the park. She has gotten into the habit where if she wants to play - but we don't - she will bark and growl a little to try to instigate us chasing her around the table. We set up the chairs so we can catch her the first round and down her. At this point I'm just trying to ignore and hope the neighbour's don't hear lol. She's also has become more brazen with testing her boundaries - like crossing the line in the kitchen she once respected. Feel like we'll have to put something physical back up. Attention span, even with food when practicing fetch / recall seemed to be shorter today. 

Still love her to death, still an amazing pup... But I certainly hope this passed soon! 




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## MargeT

Just started reading thru this (long) thread from the beginning.... What a sense of Relief that our Golden is not The Only One !!!
I laughed until tears ran reading the early posts about the pups grabbing and eating sticks... Penny-pup chows thru sticks, pine cones, grass, my rocking chair ! yet with her toys she is remarkably gentle. 
Oh... and the Cat is a chew toy as well... but that's another story....

I get frustrated with her new attitude that "COME" is only a suggestion... and we have had a couple discussions about the necessity of responding.......What completely throws me... is she gives me a look that i have only encountered from my teenage daughters !!!!! ( guaranteed to raise the blood pressure ! )

She adores DH... i am merely the walker of dogs, provider of food, disciplinarian ...but HE has her undying devotion....*sigh*....

Reading these posts... gives me hope that over time....she Will mature and develop.... and we Will come to an understanding.....


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## Tricia

I read this thread at the beginning and felt very complacent as Charlie was not showing any signs of teenager-hood. She was nearly 9 months.

Now, at 10 months we have had a seriously awful time. biting on her lead, jumping, running away and generally behaving like a 12 week old puppy. I have increased her exercise and hope this helps, but we have just started a new life on a canal boat and it is so very different to the freedom she had before. I suppose this coupled with the teenage months is going to give us some interesting times.

A plus for her is the increased amount of mud she can wade around in on the canal bank. hasn't learnt yet to jump in but I expect that will come.


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## Kat70

Midas is now 8 months and at dog training decides half way through he has had enough and just lies down. When he is up and ready to go he will almost do what he is told, but likes to look around when they keep saying he needs to keep his focus on me. I figure he is still staying like he was told, and he doesn't move until I tell him to, so what's the problem  Not an attitude they seem to like....my bad. I figure I can't sit still for long, so I understand when he doesn't. Like I said, he doesn't move, keeps sitting just moves his head around to see what is going on. Doesn't even move to follow the kangaroos anymore.


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## jluke

*Long Lost Hello*

Hello all,

It's been ages... Maisie and I are still here. She's 2 and 1/2 and her teenage times are mostly past. We've had a few moments in the excitement of the snow this week, but that's about it. I think of all of you and your Goldies, wondering how you are. I ended up back on this part of the forum accidentally when I searched for Christmas ornaments of light-colored Goldens like Maisie and Jaybrush. My search brought me to my post from last year!


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## OutWest

jluke said:


> Hello all,
> 
> It's been ages... Maisie and I are still here. She's 2 and 1/2 and her teenage times are mostly past. We've had a few moments in the excitement of the snow this week, but that's about it. I think of all of you and your Goldies, wondering how you are. I ended up back on this part of the forum accidentally when I searched for Christmas ornaments of light-colored Goldens like Maisie and Jaybrush. My search brought me to my post from last year!


Nice to see you back on.


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## DJdogman

Derek is 1 today! And as much as I just wanted to put a birthday hat on him this morning and treat him so lovingly, he decided to eat the bobble off another new hat, that's 2 in the past week. He also ate a tin foil cake wrapper last night, pulled branches off our xmas tree and growled when I tried to take a decoration out of his mouth. He stayed out in the garden in the rain, eating god knows what, and refused to come in for 10 mins even when being shown treats.
I can't wait til he goes to daycare tomorrow, the evenings are so much more peaceful after he has been running around all day!


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## Articuno

Hi all, getting some confusing info about the teen phase. I heard it only lasts "a few months", yet if it starts around 8-10 months and the dog isn't fully mature until 2 years... that's a LOT more than just a few months LOL!
How long does it last then?


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## lhowemt

It really depends on the pup. Some have no teenage phase at all.

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## murphy1

Murphy is now about 19 months. When I put him out before bed he refuses to come in. I want to scream when I have to go outside in twenty degree weather to throw pieces of cheese or chicken to lure him inside.


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## Articuno

lhowemt said:


> It really depends on the pup. Some have no teenage phase at all.
> 
> Sent from Petguide.com Free App



Ahh so there's a chance it could last a full year or more then? LOL


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## olliversmom

It is good thing for Olliver he is sweet and beautiful and fun and a love. I would definitely balk at most dogs or humans if they nonnegotiably insisted/ needed hard long play every morning, crack of dawn, before the day can begin. 
And last thing of day too.
Recognizing these excessive energy outlet times was key to our sanity and the rest of the days good behavior, but I wish he could lend me some of that bright spark, as I stand bleary eyed in dark, subzero temps, hitting tennis balls with tennis racket to tie the little hellion out so he is biddable rest of the day.
I love him to death. But some of these particularity frigid mornings I am reminded of another pup who would still be snoring, on his third REM dream Lol. Adore my Olliver, all of him.


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## Articuno

Help me, it's happening. Poppy is ignoring me and today she ran WAY too far backwards to see another dog in the distance, absolutely wouldn't even turn around when I called her name.
She also went right up to the flooded river (which has currents...) and I had to yell NOOOO at her when it looked like she was going to jump in.. what am I going to do with her?!


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## Dexter12

Archer has been crated for when we go out and are asleep because he was pulling up the vinyl flooring in the kitchen. Well when we went to town on Friday and last night we let him out of his crate. He managed to behave himself both times! I'm very proud of him.


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## OutWest

Articuno said:


> Help me, it's happening. Poppy is ignoring me and today she ran WAY too far backwards to see another dog in the distance, absolutely wouldn't even turn around when I called her name.
> She also went right up to the flooded river (which has currents...) and I had to yell NOOOO at her when it looked like she was going to jump in.. what am I going to do with her?!


You need to start again with basics, and until you're sure if her recall, no off leash activity. Please read through the many posts in this thread...it's lengthy but there is a lot of good info. Good luck!


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## Articuno

Cheers, luckily I have a 10m training lead and it's finally time to use it. Recall has been very good up until now


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## Thalie

I threatened Col (in my sweetest voice) to put her head between her two ears (all my girls have been so threatened, lol) during our afternoon walk and was ready to do the same to my DH when he gave his absolutely useless advice when we came back.

Come on, Col. You are a dream on the morning walks and an imp on the afternoon ones. You are fed three times a day; you do not need to swallow as many pecans and acorns as you can. Why do you ignore them sometimes and obsess about them on other times ? ARRRGH, this too shall pass.


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## Shellbug

My pup is not a teen yet (13 weeks) but I am getting a kick out of this thread. I don't know if I should laugh or run from my future circumstance lol 


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## Thalie

Laugh now, you will still laugh later but also pull your hair. It is not all bad; the shark stage is over, the need to potty right now is over but they are at the point you think they know better and they show you they do not. DO NOT TRUST THEM ! but love them anyway.


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## JillBW

So glad to read this thread...just had the most horrendous walk ever with my 7 and a half month old. He was jumping and biting at the lead and me so much that we had to turn round and go home. Am at my wit's end. Just cried all the way home. He never does this with my husband.


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## MargeT

We have finally convinced Penny-pup that our hands and jackets are Not permissible for biting. She still dearly loves to do a wonderful imitation of a kangaroo at the end of a walk. She is so comical .

I have managed to break a trail around one of our fields, to the point that one can get around it without wallowing thru too much sn*w. Penny gets free run time in the fields... and while i am completing One time around... she takes off in Full Run to make an Extra circuit all by herself ! Gosh she is something to watch in full run !!!!!


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## ktkins7

My Ella is entering this stage. Commands that I know that she knows she is now deciding to ignore when she doesn't want to do it. She is pulling during walks which she wasn't doing before. She is biting at the leash like crazy. Even if she does listen to leave it and drops it, she goes right back to it. She keeps wanting to play tug with the leash. Thankfully she is still small so she isn't dragging me behind her. She randomly peed on her bed the other day (maybe she didn't like that things were moved to wash the kitchen floor?). She is becoming more clingy (which I don't mind). And at least she has stopped trying to use body parts a chew toys. Much more licking. She does still like to put hands in her mouth, but she has learned to be gentle about it, more like little nibbles.

And to think she is only at the beginning of teenage phase right at 6 months.


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## Articuno

Poppy is behaving better already at nearly 7 months, I know it comes and goes in waves though!!

Still working on recall with other dogs and she's doing great, still also working on her fear of the dark but that was never a teenage problem, it's just worse now at her age!


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## SusanLloyd

Hi all. I was directed here from the puppy forum. Harvey (7 months) has been transformed from a very contented and pretty well-behaved boy to somethng rather more difficult to handle. My emotions are switching between frustration when he suddenly refuses to do even something as simple as a 'sit' to slightly hurt feelings when he completely ignores me when I come home and yet leaps up excitedly when my partner reappears after a 5 minute trip to the bathroom. Sigh.

It's very odd to suddenly see a look in your boy's eyes that you've never seen before. Just plain defiance, followed by a toothy lunge at the hand holding a treat. I found myself wondering if someone had come in the night and secretly swapped my sweet placid boy for a street-wise hoodlum


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## ktkins7

Most of it sounds familiar. Ella had been doing really well. Hasn't had any accidents since she was on her own too long for Christmas. Yesterday she peed in the house 3 times in 24 hours (twice want her fault don't know what happened the third time). She destroyed the pre pad that was left out for her. And she destroyed her bed yesterday. And ripped the bottom of the couch. And ripped part of the carpet. Not a very good day. 

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## SadiesWorld

I'm sorry to say that I love reading these stories, because it makes me feel better about my teenager (1 year and 8 months) Sadie. She is a wreck! She eats everything in plain sight (twigs, leaves, toys, shoes socks....the list goes on!) she is mouthy, she doesn't listen to a word you say(she is really REALLY good at staring at you and just ignoring you) and she gets way too excited and almost uncontrollable when guests come over. I love her more than words can describe. And, honestly when she gets to be about 9 or 10 I will miss this behavior. Lol good luck everyone! 


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## golden_732

So glad to see this thread. Sometimes when I tell people that Cooper is going through the teenage phase, they just look at me like I'm a crazy dog lady that gives life stages to her dog. (They are clearly not dog people)

My main focus with Cooper right now is polite behavior and loose leash walking. We are being consistent, but it's extremely slow process. I plan to take him to the pet store tomorrow, it has a bench out front and just sitting there with him for 10-15 mins to try to get him to just chill out! 

Cooper rings a bell on the back door when he needs to go out. Lately he will ring the bell and I expect him to sit until I can put his collar on him before I open the door to let him out. He has decided not to sit anymore and it has been so frustrating. I'll tell him to to sit and he will just stare at me then walk away! I've been pretty firm about this whole thing but again its just really slow progress.


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## thorbreafortuna

New on this thread, because now Thor is fully in the teenage phase. He is challenging basic commands that he has been solid on for months. I mean, he has been sitting instantly when asked since 10 weeks and now he actually tries to blow you off sometimes! So far he has ended up obeying but not before a good attempt at defiance. To be fair, this happens only when he is over excited but it seems he is getting over excited every evening now, primarily because he wants the cushions and throws from our living room to bite and hump. We have had to limit access to his mat and beds because he will destroy them and now he's going for our stuff. We try to redirect and play with something else and he responds most of the time, though he will try again in a few minutes. It takes patience and energy, I tell you. Now we have learned that since this is a pretty predictable time specific problem we hide all the cushions and throws between 5:00 and 8:00. Incredibly, this has been very helpful. On walks he has resumed his early habit of trying to get the leash and randomly jumping. He can go from the most perfectly polite loose leash walker to jumping, leash biting crazy brat in seconds. Sometimes he will let it go if asked to drop and rewarded, sometimes I have to step on the leash until he calms down. THe weird thing is, while all of this is going on, he has also become increasingly affectionate and sweet when not in crazy mode. And when you think he's not going to be able to get control of himself (Like last night at training when toys were brought out as a distraction... He went NUTS at the beginning!) he'll turn himself around and totally master it in the end. We are just staying consistent and praying that it goes by quickly.


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## SusanLloyd

My partner asked me despairingly yesterday how long the stroppy defiant teenage phase lasts! I said I would ask the GR forum.

So, how long does it last?


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## ArchersMom

I assume the duration depends on the dog but I sure hope it ends quickly! My almost 1 year old boy just about pulled me into the road yesterday. There was about a foot of snow and he refused to heel, a command he's known since he was 3 months old.


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## Thalie

I expect everything and anything from around 9 months to 18 months. Spip the Lab had a full blown case, Flem did not (at least I have no memories of it), and Col is halfway so far... wonderful on some things some days and no so wonderful on the same things the next day. I am just reinforcing (and even taking a few steps back) on all the basic training we did through classes.

One day, you turn around and you realize ... he/she has not done X and Y (which was making you pull your hair out) in Z months and you both smile and get a bit teary eyed because you now have a full grown dog with all the brain cells active.


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## ktkins7

In the mean time Ella is going to drive me nuts and she had hit it at only 7 months. You would think I never taught her leave it and drop it. She had turned into a little thief for did she shouldn't have and doesn't want to give them back. I'm having to bribe her for some stuff with high value treats. We are working on it in training. Hoping she will get better when I'm healed and am back to my regular work schedule so I can give her more exercise. I know she isn't getting enough but there is only so much I can do with a sprained ankle and removable cast thing. 

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## Thalie

Aaah, the stealing! Yep, seven months is about right because that's when the imps realize they now can reach loooots of new stuff. Nothing on outside tables was safe; she even ended up jumping on and off the patio table to get one of her toys. Fortunately this did not translate too much to the inside; well that is if you forget the mouse from the desk, the ear muffs from the cabinet, the paper (don't they all looooooove paper) from the top of the scanner (what was that important number again, lol). One trick I have found is to calmly acknowledge the steal and basically ignore it. They come prancing close by and that's when I do either the quick switch or the grab.If it is something that cannot hurt them (or you wallet too much) it is not worth the highly rewarding chase the puppy game.


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## SusanLloyd

Yes I agree about picking your battles! I only try to retrieve what I know is bad for him from his mouth now. Just not worth the hassle.

Harvey has suddenly started jumping up at us almost to eye level, something he's never really done before. He's also biting at the same time (he particularly likes biting the upper part of my arm which really hurts now he has his big teeth) and I am struggling not to lose my temper with him. I have to keep telling myself that getting angry only makes him worse. I seem to spend a lot of time standing in a corner with my back to him listening to the sound of snapping jaws as he leaps up and down behind me. 

The weather here in the UK is dreadful at the moment, pouring with rain every day and howling gales. It's a grim task trying to get Harvey exercised enough which really doesn't help matters now he's so teenager-y.

There was I complaining the other week that he was ignoring me and now I can't get him to leave me alone


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## ktkins7

Choosing battles is helpful. If I don't think she will swallow it then if I ignore her she loses interest after a few minutes. 

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## olliversmom

Ollie was the star pupil in his first three obedience classes. Smart as a whip and consistency focused on his commands. Would run thru a line up of dogs and people on either side of him, off leash, to get to me without being distracted. 
This last class we took, he was so totally driven by teenage angst and testosterone, he could barely focus and was a real pain.
Not a great time had by me at all 
So, we're working solo now, boot camp as Bentleys mom sez. 
I've had 3 human teens so this is no surprise. But ugh.


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## SusanLloyd

olliversmom said:


> Ollie was the star pupil in his first three obedience classes. Smart as a whip and consistency focused on his commands. Would run thru a line up of dogs and people on either side of him, off leash, to get to me without being distracted.
> This last class we took, he was so totally driven by teenage angst and testosterone, he could barely focus and was a real pain.
> Not a great time had by me at all
> So, we're working solo now, boot camp as Bentleys mom sez.
> I've had 3 human teens so this is no surprise. But ugh.


Sigh, yes! Harvey was the best behaved by far at the first set of classes we went to from 15 weeks old to about 20 weeks. Focussed, eager to please, eager to learn.

Then we enrolled in another set at 6 months old and he gets so excited now that he distracts the whole class and it takes us both all our efforts physically to keep him in any sort of order. It's an hour of utter shame every week.

Still love the little beggar though


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## golden_732

Venting…and maybe some advice?

I'm currently watching our neighbors dog for the week while they are away. I usually go over there 3-4 times a day between feedings and letting him out/checking on him. I go down the driveway and Cooper usually outside when I go over. When I walk up the driveway, Cooper is always sitting waiting for him. As soon as I reach him, he turns into a crazy dog. He jumps on me, nips at me, he grabbed the bottom of my snow pants this morning and tried to drag me down. He nipped at my hand through my gloves hard enough to leave a mark. I ignored him (no looking, no speaking, no touching) until he stopped. But as soon as he calmed down and I praised him, he would go at it again. I thought he was going to put a hole in my snow pants the way it was going at it. This is how he is ANYTIME I go into the yard with him. If I am outside shoveling/snow blowing…he is good until I'm done, but when he knows I'm done, he will start getting all crazy and jumping and nipping. He's not like this anywhere else, I can take him to the dog park, the pet store, training..he's great. Doesn't jump or nip while in the house, just when I go into the yard with him. 

I'm stumped.


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## OutWest

golden_732 said:


> Venting…and maybe some advice?
> 
> I'm currently watching our neighbors dog for the week while they are away. I usually go over there 3-4 times a day between feedings and letting him out/checking on him. I go down the driveway and Cooper usually outside when I go over. When I walk up the driveway, Cooper is always sitting waiting for him. As soon as I reach him, he turns into a crazy dog. He jumps on me, nips at me, he grabbed the bottom of my snow pants this morning and tried to drag me down. He nipped at my hand through my gloves hard enough to leave a mark. I ignored him (no looking, no speaking, no touching) until he stopped. But as soon as he calmed down and I praised him, he would go at it again. I thought he was going to put a hole in my snow pants the way it was going at it. This is how he is ANYTIME I go into the yard with him. If I am outside shoveling/snow blowing…he is good until I'm done, but when he knows I'm done, he will start getting all crazy and jumping and nipping. He's not like this anywhere else, I can take him to the dog park, the pet store, training..he's great. Doesn't jump or nip while in the house, just when I go into the yard with him.
> 
> I'm stumped.


Does he do this after he's been exercised or before? If after or both, I'd say he's decided that somehow whenever you set foot in the yard, you are there to play with him. I'd suggest actively desensitizing him ... Go out into the yard with him off and on for something minor or nothing at all, and then go back into the house, without paying attention to him at all. The same way you might if he was showing separation anxiety when you were leaving. Just keep going out and coming back in, ignore him completely unless the point of going out is to play with him. 

Hope that helps... Did your neighbors really leave their dog home alone in the house for a whole week? That would make mine so sad.... I'm glad you're going over there so often... He's probably waiting at the door for you when you get there...


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## bcumming

I'm right there with you! Max is such an ANIMAL! Teenagers - sheesh!


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## golden_732

OutWest said:


> Does he do this after he's been exercised or before? If after or both, I'd say he's decided that somehow whenever you set foot in the yard, you are there to play with him. I'd suggest actively desensitizing him ... Go out into the yard with him off and on for something minor or nothing at all, and then go back into the house, without paying attention to him at all. The same way you might if he was showing separation anxiety when you were leaving. Just keep going out and coming back in, ignore him completely unless the point of going out is to play with him.
> 
> Hope that helps... Did your neighbors really leave their dog home alone in the house for a whole week? That would make mine so sad.... I'm glad you're going over there so often... He's probably waiting at the door for you when you get there...


It's both. We normally to play in the yard. So I'm guessing he is associating the yard with playtime. Great idea on desensitizing him, I'll start working on that. My fear is that he will do that if someone else comes into the yard, especially when the summer comes around and we have more visitors just dropping by.

And yes…my neighbors went on vacation and left the dog at home. He's an older chocolate lab and I think he prefers being at home rather than at a boarding facility, less anxious for him. But he does wait for me by the door every time I go over. I don't really know how well socialized he is, otherwise I would have suggested their dog stay at my place. But I just make sure he has plenty of chew toys when I go over there.


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## ktkins7

golden_732 said:


> It's both. We normally to play in the yard. So I'm guessing he is associating the yard with playtime. Great idea on desensitizing him, I'll start working on that. My fear is that he will do that if someone else comes into the yard, especially when the summer comes around and we have more visitors just dropping by.
> 
> And yes…my neighbors went on vacation and left the dog at home. He's an older chocolate lab and I think he prefers being at home rather than at a boarding facility, less anxious for him. But he does wait for me by the door every time I go over. I don't really know how well socialized he is, otherwise I would have suggested their dog stay at my place. But I just make sure he has plenty of chew toys when I go over there.


Unfortunately I don't have any suggestions, but when my family went away for a little less then a week we left our senior sheltie at our house and the neighbor came by and took care of him. At that point in his life he was very uncomfortable going to different places for him. He was much more comfortable at home. 

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## Articuno

Argh!!!!!! I just got word from my husband that while Poppy was off the lead today, she saw a person WAY off into the distance, like about a ten minute walk away. She RAN ALL THE WAY OVER to him without stopping and it took him ages to get her back!!
Good thing we only let her off in secure areas, too bad the secure areas are so long!!!
Obviously she thinks she can go where she wants now, so we're going to have to put her on the long line all the time (something I dread because she needs off lead exercise)..

What a naughty dog, she's obviously got no recall at all anymore, guess we're now going to have to work on it harder.
Wonder how long we'll be able to keep this up before she stops running off, being on lead 24/7 is a terrible fate!


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## SusanLloyd

Harvey now behaves really badly when we meet people when he's walking on the lead. He leaps up really high and puts his full weight on whoever is nearest. I've tried to avoid this happening by keeping him on a short lead but that just means he leaps on me!

It's only over-excitement I know but it's still a pain in the youknowwhat. It's very hard to have a conversation with your neighbours at the same time as wrestling with a 50lb dog. And I can see the look in people's eyes; the one that says 'Wow, your dog is a complete hooligan. Have you NO control over him?' 

Answer: no not at the moment!


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## quilter

golden_732 said:


> Venting…and maybe some advice?
> 
> I'm currently watching our neighbors dog for the week while they are away. I usually go over there 3-4 times a day between feedings and letting him out/checking on him. I go down the driveway and Cooper usually outside when I go over. When I walk up the driveway, Cooper is always sitting waiting for him. As soon as I reach him, he turns into a crazy dog. He jumps on me, nips at me, he grabbed the bottom of my snow pants this morning and tried to drag me down. He nipped at my hand through my gloves hard enough to leave a mark. I ignored him (no looking, no speaking, no touching) until he stopped. But as soon as he calmed down and I praised him, he would go at it again. I thought he was going to put a hole in my snow pants the way it was going at it. This is how he is ANYTIME I go into the yard with him. If I am outside shoveling/snow blowing…he is good until I'm done, but when he knows I'm done, he will start getting all crazy and jumping and nipping. He's not like this anywhere else, I can take him to the dog park, the pet store, training..he's great. Doesn't jump or nip while in the house, just when I go into the yard with him.
> 
> I'm stumped.


Casper did this, but the "fix" wasn't very easy. We went on vacation and our two week vacation turned into a month. (Long story.) So, no playing in our backyard for a month. He completely forgot this behavior! Just gone and never came back.

One thing I've noticed about Casper is that people walking straight up to him and looking at him gets him excited. When I do it to him, I give him the Stay command. Then I say Gotcha before I reach for him. Given his height, reaching out for him almost always means your hands are somewhere around his head and eyes. Messing with the head gets a lot of puppies wound up. By saying Gotcha, he knows that I'm going to reach out and pet him. When I've been playing with him and I want him to settle down, I make sure I do not reach for his head.


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## Tucker's mommy

Cooper's Mom, we still struggle with this with our Tucker, who is 2 and a half. He's gotten much better, but there are still moments when I'm outside with him, and it's like a switch flips in his furry little head, and he goes at me. We have resorted to keeping a line on him when the whole family is out playing together and he's out, in case he goes jumpy/crazy/nippy on us. All we have to do is grab hold of the leash/line, tell him to sit/down/stay, and wait for him to calm down. If he does it again when we "free" him, he goes inside the front door for a short timeout. It seems to work. But it hasn't fixed the problem completely. I swear, our dog will be 8 years old and the only dog that age still wearing a training line! I should add - he is far worse with me than anyone else in the family - he must love me most!


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## Shellbug

What is the official teenage age? Thor is hovering over 6 months now and I am wondering when all this will start lol 


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## golden_732

I think I started seeing it around 6 months. Small things...like not sitting while waiting for me to put on his leash, being impatient and not sitting when letting him out, etc. But now at 10 months old…I'm definitely seeing a full blown adolescent phase.


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## tine434

Well,
I am officially joining. Rem is almost 7 months old and boy is it starting...
He is bratty and won't let our other dog have any chews. Now he is biting too hard during play and making her cranky...
On our walks he wants to pull, very unlike him, and even standing still doesn't help. He acts like he can't hear you and trying to physically move him is impossible!
He is barking at anything he can, although thankfully he quiets when I ask most times...

We went on a walk and there were kids running and playing, he barked at them! LOUD. He loves kids, but boy the kids were terrified. Finally I got him to quiet and continue our walk, one girl went up to pet him and while she waited for him to sit, it took about 10min and when she walked away he tried to jump after her! It ended with him on his hind legs pulling on the leash. Omg.... horrfying....

I just pray that he remembers how to behave once teenage mi the are over....

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## Annerose95

Well Freddie entered that stage a few weeks ago, he is 7 months now. It's terrible, he doesn't listen at all, and I know he knows the commands. He just doesn't wanna listen. Whenever he sees another dog when walking he will drag me along. Keep in mind that he is 55 pounds and I'm barely 95 pounds. I look ridiculous when he sees another dog ..
And just yesterday (Actually made a post about it) he decided to run away and to go in my neighbours' yard. It was 0 degrees out and I was in shorts. It lasted 30 minutes before I managed to catch him.


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## tine434

I think I need some testimonies of those who conquered this stage cause right now I'm feeling totally hopeless haha. We start advanced obedience today! Maybe it will help. We should probably be doing basic again at this rate haha

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## bcumming

*17 Months and Still a Teenager!*

My Maxwell Edison is 17 months, 97 lbs and such a huge baby! He can behave ... when he wants to... and other times I've got the same problem as everyone else with these precious animals. I have found that walking him with a body halter has helped, and using that collar that goes around his nose is awesome, but we don't use that very often. All in all, it's a joy, but exhausting at times. Just go with it. One day they may slow down!


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## olliversmom

I now have two teens. Ollie 13 months, rescue Tyson 16 months. Olliver has gotten better in last month +. He is doing really really well with loose leash walking. Thank goodness cause Tyson has had no formal training and he is following Ollie's lead.
The one thing last trainer said is that it is imperative to keep working thru these teen months on basics every day. They will not just grow out of them totally.


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## golden_732

tine434 said:


> I think I need some testimonies of those who conquered this stage cause right now I'm feeling totally hopeless haha. We start advanced obedience today! Maybe it will help. We should probably be doing basic again at this rate haha
> 
> Sent from Petguide.com Free App


While I don't think I have completely conquered this phase, I really think I might have gotten past the worst part (or maybe it just doesn't seem as bad anymore). Working with them constantly is really the key. I made a solid effort to make sure Cooper got extra exercise, even if it was just playing tug and throwing a ball around the back yard (in addition to walks 2-3x daily). I found that mental stimulation also goes a long way. I have 5 kongs, as soon as the last one is used, I spend 20 mins to stuff all of them and pop them in the freezer, so I have them on hand. He also gets a couple meals a week out of a Kong Wobbler. 

Lastly, I started really playing impulse games with him. I would have a bunch of treats in my hand, when he tried to get them out, my hand would shut firmly. When he backed away, it would open, then when he made eye contact, he got a treat. He quickly learned that not lunging for the treats were in his best interest. I never said a word to him during these games, as it was his own actions that were teaching him. We started getting more advanced…like balancing treats on his paws etc. Even small things like that really went far as far as teaching impulse control and helping us with this teenage phase. When I think back to how frustrated I was a month ago, I would have to say, it's gotten at least 75-80% better.


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## Annerose95

golden_732 said:


> While I don't think I have completely conquered this phase, I really think I might have gotten past the worst part (or maybe it just doesn't seem as bad anymore). Working with them constantly is really the key. I made a solid effort to make sure Cooper got extra exercise, even if it was just playing tug and throwing a ball around the back yard (in addition to walks 2-3x daily). I found that mental stimulation also goes a long way. I have 5 kongs, as soon as the last one is used, I spend 20 mins to stuff all of them and pop them in the freezer, so I have them on hand. He also gets a couple meals a week out of a Kong Wobbler.
> 
> 
> 
> Lastly, I started really playing impulse games with him. I would have a bunch of treats in my hand, when he tried to get them out, my hand would shut firmly. When he backed away, it would open, then when he made eye contact, he got a treat. He quickly learned that not lunging for the treats were in his best interest. I never said a word to him during these games, as it was his own actions that were teaching him. We started getting more advanced…like balancing treats on his paws etc. Even small things like that really went far as far as teaching impulse control and helping us with this teenage phase. When I think back to how frustrated I was a month ago, I would have to say, it's gotten at least 75-80% better.



Wow ! And how old is your baby ? 



Anne x


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## SusanLloyd

golden_732 said:


> While I don't think I have completely conquered this phase, I really think I might have gotten past the worst part (or maybe it just doesn't seem as bad anymore). Working with them constantly is really the key. I made a solid effort to make sure Cooper got extra exercise, even if it was just playing tug and throwing a ball around the back yard (in addition to walks 2-3x daily). I found that mental stimulation also goes a long way. I have 5 kongs, as soon as the last one is used, I spend 20 mins to stuff all of them and pop them in the freezer, so I have them on hand. He also gets a couple meals a week out of a Kong Wobbler.
> 
> Lastly, I started really playing impulse games with him. I would have a bunch of treats in my hand, when he tried to get them out, my hand would shut firmly. When he backed away, it would open, then when he made eye contact, he got a treat. He quickly learned that not lunging for the treats were in his best interest. I never said a word to him during these games, as it was his own actions that were teaching him. We started getting more advanced…like balancing treats on his paws etc. Even small things like that really went far as far as teaching impulse control and helping us with this teenage phase. When I think back to how frustrated I was a month ago, I would have to say, it's gotten at least 75-80% better.


Stuffed Kongs are a sanity saver! One thing that keeps Harvey quiet is a Kong bone or nylabone with one end jammed into one of the holes in a large Kong ball. He absolutely loves it and spends ages trying to get them separated again. 

The impulse games sound like a really good idea. I'm going to try some today. I read that for a pup mental exercise is as tiring as physical exercise and I think it would help Harvey (and me!) a lot. His recall is much worse than it was when he was a little pup (he's nearly 10 months now) and it's hard to find safe places nearby where he can run off the lead to get rid of all that energy.


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## Deber

Its been a long time since I have come back to this thread and as one of the originals in this, it has been so good to see this thread continue! Boy did I need help back then as I had 2 golden pups just 3 months apart in age, so when the teen time came it came in two's. This thread helped me work through it and survive.

Update: Now my two are almost 3 yrs. Both hit the teen times at 6-7 mo. and it lasted for about a half year but the younger months were the worst. Honestly I dedicated this time to figuring out what would work and keeping them busy was the best. We went back to beginning training sit, stay, down and long line stay over and over many times a day. Found a field far from town I could take the kids on long leash to run and play/swim. Kongs frozen were my best friends and I kept them in classes (any I could find). Lots of work but slowly the dogs changed and in class they quickly became the stars. From frustration we slowly saw success. 

Now we are retired to our country place and both kids are enjoying swimming and running the pastures. Their commands are slacking, but we are isolated so this is alright. We survived those months and think we all became more bonded. They are my best friends and we are happy. I am so glad I pushed through those teen times and envy those who don't go through it, but you DO get through it with work.


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## bcumming

*School Yards are great*

Try going to elementary school yards - they are usually fenced in, and I've been able to take Maxwell off leash and let him run around. It's also good if you have a dog friend - they have the freedom to run and sniff and just be dogs. Also, high schools sometimes have football or soccer fields and that's also a good place to let them loose. 
I'm fortunate that I live close to the Chesapeake Bay and we go to the beach all year. The dogs just love it! I do too, except when it's time to wash all the sand off in the freezing cold - but it's worth it. Good luck.
I'm going to try your suggestion of stuffing a kong and freezing it. Thanks for the tip.:wavey:


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## golden_732

Annerose95 said:


> Wow ! And how old is your baby ?
> 
> 
> 
> Anne x


11 months as of Friday!


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## golfgal

Which is better during this stage. Let them run off leash on a trail or somewhere safe knowing recall is not 100% as they are bratty teens or just always keep on leash. I admit to feeling guilty if i don't as I don't have a huge yard. I've gone to the local school and only let off leash when no other dogs around but sure enough some person brings their dog by and one takes off cuz the world will end if he does not say hello. 

Listening to me is not a priority. This too will pass I hope along with digging and climbing into things to get shoes to chew which is a new bratty behavior. Yikes.


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## thorbreafortuna

golfgal said:


> Which is better during this stage. Let them run off leash on a trail or somewhere safe knowing recall is not 100% as they are bratty teens or just always keep on leash. .



I feel the same way as you do, I feel bad that my Thor doesn't get a lot of off leash play because I have no yard; I am not going to dog parks because it didn't feel safe for my intact teenage pup when I did go a couple of times. I have let him off leash on trails, and usually he is really good at not getting too far from me, but he does lose his mind if another dog engages him in a game of chase. He would totally follow that family home after their dogs before he realizes I'm calling him. I didn't want to accept it but I have concluded that he needs more time on the long line for me to completely trust him off leash. If he gets used to being able to blow me off when I call, his recall is just going to get worse.
My new strategy is to bring him in on the long line (30 ft), train train train for the first part of our outing, then if there are no dogs around let him off leash for a while. Leash him up if there is the slightest sign of company approaching, and walk back to the trail head on the long line. This amounted to a bit less stress for me as well. I worry a lot when I can't be 100% sure he'll respond to me.


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## tine434

Ugh! I know just how you feel. Rem would jump in the car of anyone who had a playful dog right now before he ever realized I was speaking. Which is dangerous! I've heard all too many people comment about "make sure he doesn't get away from you or someone will take him home" and give him that look like they really wanted him. This has happened a good 10 times at least, and not the people gushing lovingly about wanting to take him home ya know

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## golfgal

I guess what doesn't help for me is that I only have for another month or two where it will be full on training. He'll get off leash playtime of course but no trails, no beaches or anything unless he goes home with someone for weekend. So let him enjoy what freedom he has right now strikes a guilty note.


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## golden_732

Are there some kind of athletic fields which are fenced in that you could take your dogs to? I also have the issue with Cooper being bullied due to being intact…so I usually go to the park during times I know it will not be used as much. 

Also, if you have a treadmill at home, you could also try to treadmill train your dogs. I got Cooper used a treadmill and although I don't use it much, he is more than happy to go on there to walk for a little when needed. I only used it during some pretty nasty ice storms we had here in NY, during which I just couldn't take him outside. Keep in mind, I don't let Cooper run on it, it's strictly a walk and not more than 30 mins at a time…but its better than nothing when we can't go outside.


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## thorbreafortuna

I read about people taking their dogs to the school yards and school athletic fields. Unfortunately all those spaces have a "positively no dogs allowed" sign in my town. 


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## golfgal

That's not fun. Ours are restricted during school hours/days 8-4. Only issue is animal control making sure you have leash with you as technically they are not 'off-leash' areas and keeping out of playground area. They are generally pretty good about it. I hate that fact that people don't pick up deposits or garbage on them. Would hate to a be a kid playing on fields and step/roll in dog poop, yogurt, banana peels, you name it.


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## tine434

Oh man... we had two guys show up to move furniture into our house and Rem went nuts. He was running at them and not jumping ON them, but bulldozing them. Normally I have him on a leash but they showed up while he was in the backyard and I went to open the backdoor to put a leash on him and he bulldozed me, knocking me back, and ran inside  so embarassing.... and he has started being mouthy/licky with people again. And they don't listen when I say IGNORE him. 

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## Mini Cooper

I am so glad to know our Cooper isn't the only one who does the jumping, biting, growling, and shaking the leash. One day we got about 2 blocks from home and I was so proud of how he did. Then we turned around and started to walk back. It was like I had a completely different puppy on the leash! Oh what the neighbors must have thought! I was almost in tears. It was the longest 2 blocks back home in my life. Now we are sticking to walking around our Cul-de-sac until he learns some better behavior. Our last Golden, Rudy, was such a good walker from the beginning. How can they be so different? Rudy became a Therapy Dog, but I'm not so sure Cooper will ever be that good. Do you think I just forgot all the bad puppy behavior or that Rudy really was that good? I'm beginning to wonder. I do have to admit that Cooper does not chew furniture or anything like that. He is so good all day but has about 2 hours in the evening where he is a holy terror and I can't wait to put him to bed.


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## Eclipse

I can't walk Penny very far - as soon as I start to feel good about the progress we're making, she does the jump, growl and leash grab routine. I also don't like going far because she loves jumping for the full poop bag and has almost ripped it open a couple times.


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## golden_732

Not to completely change the topic, but I had a quick question about the gangly/awkward phase (I didn't think it really needed a whole separate thread). Around what age does it normally occur. I thought that it was around the 5-ish month mark when the their legs get really tall and they look all disproportionate. Cooper is 11.5 months and today I was noticing that he looks incredibly thin. I can see his hips pretty easily and feel his ribs easily as well. He eats around 3.5-4 cups of food. Even if I give him more, he stops eating on his own because he is full. However, his chest and shoulders look all full and muscular. Thoughts?


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## tine434

How much does your bag suggest to feed a day? I'd say if you do by chance need to feed more then you should try feeding another small meal a day And not more at one time. Have you asked your vet about his weight? I think the awkward stage can last till then and even past then but I don't think seeing hips sounds too good on a long haired breed especially. But can't say without a pic haha it may sound different than it looks. 

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## thorbreafortuna

Eclipse said:


> I can't walk Penny very far - as soon as I start to feel good about the progress we're making, she does the jump, growl and leash grab routine. I also don't like going far because she loves jumping for the full poop bag and has almost ripped it open a couple times.



My Thor does the crazy jumping and grabbing the leash routine on walks as well, though thankfully not all the time. I've tried various things that work so that we can finish our walk: My favorite just ask him to drop it and click treat. Sometimes this works and after a couple of rounds he sort of switches back to normal. When he's really crazy this doesn't do it; in those occasions I step on the leash as close as I can get to the harness, fold my arms and turn my body away from him, not looking at him until I feel him settle. Then I treat and try to keep walking. Sometimes it takes several rounds of that plus a bit of the former but eventually he keeps walking normally. Thank goodness he is no longer interested in the poop bag. I have long stopped giving any consideration to what the neighbors think. I figure one day when he's mature and a perfect dog they'll get to see that, too. 


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## golden_732

tine434 said:


> How much does your bag suggest to feed a day? I'd say if you do by chance need to feed more then you should try feeding another small meal a day And not more at one time. Have you asked your vet about his weight? I think the awkward stage can last till then and even past then but I don't think seeing hips sounds too good on a long haired breed especially. But can't say without a pic haha it may sound different than it looks.
> 
> Sent from Petguide.com Free App


The bag says 3 1/4 - 4 cups of food for his weight. He actually was a the vet yesterday and she didn't say anything. I'll be going back to the vet in the next few weeks, maybe I'll bring it up..


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## tine434

Usually there isn't a charge just to ask about weight, my vet there isnt... I've been very adamant about showing up every couple weeks and getting him weighed and just making sure he was on the right track. Why don't you call her up and ask? I'm sure she will remember him and be glad to tell you about his weight! 

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## golden_732

tine434 said:


> Usually there isn't a charge just to ask about weight, my vet there isnt... I've been very adamant about showing up every couple weeks and getting him weighed and just making sure he was on the right track. Why don't you call her up and ask? I'm sure she will remember him and be glad to tell you about his weight!
> 
> Sent from Petguide.com Free App



Good point. I'll call in the morning and ask. Worst case she will ask me to come in. 









Here is a top view picture of him...excuse the blue thing on him- it's the "cone of shame," he got fixed yesterday.


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## tine434

Doesn't look bad to me...? 

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## golfgal

Its funny. Rosco at 5mths weighed slightly more than Murphy at 6mths. Murphy turned six months on Apr 7th and was 45lbs give a or take a day. He is all legs and length. It was about 3 months that he quit looking like a camel and developed a bit of body and looked more puppy like. He now just looks like this totally skinny, gangly dog. He also eats 4 cups of food per day and is on Proplan Puppy Lamb/Rice. Rosco was at 5 cups at the same age. Murphy I swear is a poop machine so I admit to a little fear in increasing his food as I want him to absorb what he's being fed. He's grown at 1.5-2lbs per week which is what my vet likes. Just wondering about your experiences.


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## golfgal

To the other note - I came home yesterday to chew marks on my door from Murphy. He's been gated in the kitchen for 2 months so I guess he's officially a teen as this a new behavior for him. My 13mth old today decided to grab mail off the kitchen table and chewed it into pieces. Dog did not eat my mail but he did a good job shredding it. Oh what fun it is to come home. 

And yet I feel guilty for leaving them alone for 3 hours and just want to get far, far away from them sometimes. Instead I sucked it up and took them for a walk to a park we had not been too before. How many more months of this?????


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## Sadiegirl128

What are the teen age years? Thanks.


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## tine434

It is where your awesome pup turns into a banshee doing anything they shouldn't. Haha. It is anywhere from 6 months - 1.5 years or so I guess

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## ktkins7

Ella was having some teenage moments yesterday. I wanted to work on her recall. So when I took her for the walk around the neighborhood I put her on her long line and every so often during the walk I would call her. A few times she did OK. Other times she came towards me but then went right past me a couple of feet. Other times it was as if she didn't hear me at all. No rhyme or reason to what she would do. So aggravating. I was hoping to be able to take her off leash on hikes this summer but so far that doesn't look like it's going to be able to happen. Didn't happen yesterday because we didn't come across anyone, but I know the second she sees someone she will want to go over and say hi and not pay attention to a word I say. 

I'm just going to keep working on it. 

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## meadows

thorbreafortuna said:


> I read about people taking their dogs to the school yards and school athletic fields. Unfortunately all those spaces have a "positively no dogs allowed" sign in my town.
> 
> 
> Sent from Petguide.com Free App


This is the case in our city too. No off leash in the fields, parks or baseball diamonds... however, I've found some school grounds with no signs posted so we take him there in the early morning on weekends. And there is a big soccer field that we take him to during the week and bend the rules a bit as everyone else does! No park employees have said anything so far and there are tons of people who do it. As long as no one is using the field, I let him off leash and he stays close and is good at recall. I bring his chuck it so he can run like crazy. 

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## Debrab-h

Oh My does this thread make me feel better. Our Jack, 9 months fits right in here. We only adopted him a month ago at the age of 8 months, but the last 4 weeks have been quite an adventure. He wasn't crate trained, and I'm not sure if it is too late at this point? the first time we had to leave him for an unexpectedly long period of time, we returned to a scene of ''Marly and Me'' he had eaten a bunch of bananas, peel and all, about 6 tomatoes, only leaving the vines, a lemon, a wireless phone and three books. The following Sunday, upon returning from church, because of a forgotten bathroom door, we had 30 rolls toilet paper was spread throughout the house. Thankfully, each roll is individually wrapped so they were still intact, but my Rolls all have Jack's teeth marks in them....

Today, I arrived home to find a box of saltine crackers, neglectfully left on the kitchen counter, crunched up on the living room carpet. Ahh, but he is such a sweet dog, and we love him dearly already... 

Anyone know if I can still crate train him?

Thanks


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## tine434

Yes! I crate train fosters that are 2, 5, 7 years old!

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## GRluver

Shay ( 10 months old ) had a moment last night at my sons little league baseball game, he seen a huge stick in the distance broke free from my daughters hands ran picked up the stick and proceeded to bring it to my son on first base! I was mortified luckily everyone including the coaches thought it was funny.


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## Debrab-h

tine434, 
thank you...I will be working on this. I also started following a trainers suggestion of making him do 50 downs a day...like making him do push ups, for military training. And it is working wonders. He is much more submissive and obedient when walking and training. and challenges us much less.


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## Mini Cooper

Took Cooper to the Memorial Day Flag Ceremony this morning where he sat and let people fuss over him for almost an hour. I was so proud of him and then all of a sudden he grabbed the leash, shook it, growled at it and me, jumped up and bit me in the arm. I had to walk away with him so he would settle down. I felt embarrassed when he bit my arm but better days are ahead. He's only 5 months old - I keep telling myself that. Some days it's hard to remember a puppy that size is so young.


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## tine434

Bite you? ... man. I'm sorry. Are you OK? Did he calm down? 

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## SusanLloyd

Update on Harvey the teenager. He has stopped the biting! No more lightning turn of the head and bite. The walking away and ignoring every time he did it definitely worked.

He's still a nightmare on the lead but we'll work on that too.


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## Sadiegirl128

*Updating discussions on teenage years*

Just reading these posts now. They are so funny, but it is scaring me knowing I am approaching these years! I keep hoping that my "good dog" will never do these things. Am I kidding myself?

Also, I noticed this thread was started a few years ago, so I hope my post helps to bump it up to more recent times and that all of you who posted here in the past have survived your teen age years and are now enjoying your well behaved goldens 

When exactly does the teenage years begin??

Thanks. Feel free to continue to vent here :bowl:


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## ktkins7

I think Ella started (but not bad) around 6 months. Hasn't really gotten worse until the last couple of weeks though. She'll be 11 months June 6. 

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## tine434

Rem started at 6 months... improved a bit and is digressing a little now around 9 months lol

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## Penster

hahahaha love this thread!

Boo can be a right terror sometimes (he is 7 months). sometimes when I walk he will grab my laces and not let go so every step I take I have a dog attached to my shoe, that is pretty embarrassing! He eats the stairs, the couch, the chairs, the cables, the radiator and of course shoes and slippers. He bites during play, he bites when we try to dry his paws. Time outs are redundant, don't help at all. oh and he barks in the night to get me to come back........lucky for him he is cute!


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## Sadiegirl128

Yikes, Penster, you are scaring me! LOL


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## tine434

Oh my goodness.... I used to latch onto my boy Rem and never wanna let go.... Now I cry and wish I could just make him disappear for an hour lol. He's being so bad today!  Torn clothes, towels, pulling stuff off shelves, jumping on the table, running out the door...

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## Debrab-h

Jack will be 10 months in a few days, and we adopted him at 8, he was a real terror for the first few weeks, (see earlier post about our Marley and Me experience) but I've been reading alot of books by Ceasar Milan and Brian Kilcommons, I especially recommend Brian Kilcommons ``Good Owner, Good Dog`` one of his suggestions for teenagers is to make them do 50 downs a day, teaching them to lay down, and then every time you have an interaction with the dog, you make him lay down, being a sign of submission it reminds the dog, whose in charge. That and alot of exercise and Jack is much more agreable...he still test me every day, but with loving discipline we're getting somewhere. He's such a good puppy.


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## Articuno

Wow, some of you guys have got it really bad!! Poppy is 11 months old and for a time she was actually behaving brilliantly, just a bit of ignorance at times. 
The worst we see now is refusing to do things and a step backwards in some of the behaviour we thought we'd trained out of her (jumping up, digging the garden a bit and running off), this is mostly due to my husband damaging his foot and not being able to walk her in the middle of the day though, it's been like this for a few weeks now. 
I found a good solution for the time being, an empty cricket field which is completely enclosed and has few distractions.. plus a ball-throwing stick thing and some high value treats, Poppy is now going crazy for fetch when she was rubbish at it all this time!! 
I think the stick made all the difference as it makes the ball go SO far and fast!! 
Been doing this for 3 days now and it's tiring her out in only 30mins!! Much better than taking her on a 1.5 hour walk!!


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## Penster

Please please please tell me this gets better?!?!?

Boo is becoming a nightmare and to be honest (and this is not going to sound very nice of me) but sometimes he's just not fun to be around anymore. Evenings are the absolute worst, between 8 - 10.30pm really. He jumps, bites, grabs clothing, counter surfs, bossy barking, lunges on walks, doesn't listen in general, grabs leash (see vid). It feels as though he is really testing me at the moment and at times I feel like I'm losing the battle and I find myself losing my cool, he responds much better to positive reinforcement so I know this doesn't help. Our trainer always said that when this stage comes there will be days you hate your dog lol but it's not his fault, it's hard to remember that sometimes.

He's alone in the day but we have a dog walker who takes him out for a good run and he gets about an hr of walks in the evening in total

Any ideas on games to oak to release some of this pent up energy before I lose my mind? Ha

http://youtu.be/pQ3u7FlULII


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## Pammie

I really do feel your pain, but I have to admit to chuckling at Boo's behavior! My nightmare is way behind me but want you to know you can rest assured it does get better!!!! I had a rough time of it with Bryley and my frustration and venting is document many, many times in this thread!! 

Mine was never a leash biter, but I have seen others suggest spraying Bitter Apple on the leash or switching to a chain leash. And since you know the evening is his trigger (seems like they all get wilder in the evening) do some training around the time, but before he gets ramped up, with high value treats that will keep his attention. Or get him out and play a game of fetch over and over. Anything to wear him out! Do read back in this thread, there are a lot of good suggestions and it feels good to read about dogs that maybe are worse than yours!!

These guys can be a major challenge during the teenage months and sometimes all you can do is hold on tight and have a cocktail!


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## SusanLloyd

Yes, it does get better.

The worst thing in the world as a dog owner is (temporarily) feeling you really don't like your dog any more. Harvey is far from the worst behaved ever, but he has driven me to distraction on occasions. I've lost my temper several times which only makes things worse in the long run I know. Usually the answer is exercise exercise and more exercise. Unfortunately Harvey has far more energy than me and I'm the one who ends up exhausted. Mental stimulation of any kind really helps. I take Harvey in the car with me everywhere I go now, just so he gets a change of scenery and different things to look at.

You just have to remind yourself that it will pass and that one day you'll look back and laugh at the stuff that drove you crazy at the time. Even that little clip of Boo tugging at his leash will make you smile some day.


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## tine434

Penster said:


> Please please please tell me this gets better?!?!?
> 
> Boo is becoming a nightmare and to be honest (and this is not going to sound very nice of me) but sometimes he's just not fun to be around anymore. Evenings are the absolute worst, between 8 - 10.30pm really. He jumps, bites, grabs clothing, counter surfs, bossy barking, lunges on walks, doesn't listen in general, grabs leash (see vid). It feels as though he is really testing me at the moment and at times I feel like I'm losing the battle and I find myself losing my cool, he responds much better to positive reinforcement so I know this doesn't help. Our trainer always said that when this stage comes there will be days you hate your dog lol but it's not his fault, it's hard to remember that sometimes.
> 
> He's alone in the day but we have a dog walker who takes him out for a good run and he gets about an hr of walks in the evening in total
> 
> Any ideas on games to oak to release some of this pent up energy before I lose my mind? Ha
> 
> http://youtu.be/pQ3u7FlULII


Have you got a trainer involved for these behaviors? It works miracles to hire a professional  I speak from experience.

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## dkshaw

Oh, misery loves company. My sweet boy has become a raving maniac in the past couple months. At 3, 4, 5 months he was managable ... did okay at obediance class ..now 7 1/2 ---- nearlt 8 months I just want him in the crate ALL THE TIME !!!! Beginning new session in about 10 days ... praying for even moderate success.


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## dkshaw

Sounds just like my 8 month old Echo ... and my 4th Golden as well .... if he was the first one he would have been the last ... hah


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## Lise123

I'm so glad to have found this thread! Bailey hit the teenage stuff a little early, and I hope that means he's done early, because I want my original dog back! The one that liked to cuddle and play is gone... the one that suddenly thinks Mom likes a nice chomp in the butt every so often is here.

The weirdest part is that every so often, I get a few nice, calm days with him (not tied to exercise), and I'm reminded why I love him to pieces. Then he wakes up in a teenagery mood and leaps all over my children, chases the cat, eats the mail, gets mouthy, and no amount of exercise wears him out.

I feel so guilty for getting aggravated with him, but sometimes, like when it's midnight and I have a house full of guests, and Bailey decides he'd like to play, barking like a madman, I would like to send him back to his breeder and pick him up when he calms down.

It has been a long puppy summer.


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## Tiff L

Yes it has been a long puppy summer! One of mine turned 9 mo today and the other is 7 3/4 mo. Double trouble. I've had two good injuries in the last two weeks from their antics. I would hope a 3 mi. walk and swim would do it, but....not always. We're doing basics again,, but I swear those two contemplate waiting me out. Right now, prompts to sit at the door are met with rolled eyes. (Well not really, but it sure feels like two human teens)


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## Penster

Hi everyone

So I find myself returning once again to this thread due to a terrible evening with Boo! He is now 9 months and he is a terror at times. 

We have really good days too where he is a sweetheart, tonight was not one of them, I had my in laws over and it's almost like he was showing me up on purpose lol I know this is not possible but it sure felt that way! He was counter surfing, jumping on the fireplace, humping his bed. I'm really not sure how to correct these behaviors, we have always taken the positive reinforcement approach and I don't want to change that but I also don't want him inking he can push me around. I also incorporate the nothing In life is free method however I'm sure boo's idea of that is "what's in it for me" he seems to only listen to commands these days when it suits him, it's like I give him the command and he deliberately ignores me. We are doing classes and we do have good days so I guess I just want to double check that this is normal teenage phase behavior? Typically my in laws left and 5 mins later he is fast asleep.

It might also be worth mentioning that we have had some aggression issues with him, mostly around guarding or fear aggression and we have on average 1 incident per month and they are becoming less frequent. Sometimes it's hard to tell if it's aggression or something else, tonight he was humping his bed and I tried to get him to stop by grabbing him by the collar which he hates and he snapped his head around at me Ina land shark sort of movement but when I didn't quit he showed all his teeth and growled, he does this too when I dry his paws and it's usually when he gets over aroused so I'm thinking it's not aggression but more a form of dominance perhaps, I try to combat it by taking him away for the situation and give him some commands to get him to snap out of it. This could be normal landshark teenage behavior but because we have had aggression issues in the past I am always cautious. The good news is that not every day is like this and tomorrow is a new day


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## Goldylover2

My 6 month pup has been doing all the things you all have mentioned in your posts. He's even shown aggression a few times. Being locked up in a crate 9 hours a day has a lot to do with it. We took him to daycare last week for 3 days. He has made a HUGE improvement. He's not bouncing off the walls at night any more. He's not as stubborn on walks at the park. I've tried the gentle leader and harness. Both haven't worked. I made my own make shift harness and it works the best. He drops things he shouldn't have when asked. Day care has helped tremendously. It's only 10 bucks a day. He has about 8 to 10 dogs at nine months old or younger to play with.


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## Mos20

Love all the stories. This is what I am dealing with now. lol. 
Climbing onto the table https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s4OBQUvhS_c 
and this is how she does it https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yeMMdCr29WY


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## tine434

Mos20 said:


> Love all the stories. This is what I am dealing with now. lol.
> Climbing onto the table https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s4OBQUvhS_c
> and this is how she does it https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yeMMdCr29WY


Bless!!! Hahaha.

I am dealing with Rem and his MOUTH! He took my sports bra from the dryer (the door was open as we were unloading it and couldn't carry it all in one trip) and tore it to pieces!


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## Lise123

Just when I thought my teenager couldn't get any more difficult, Bailey peed on the floor in Obedience 3 last night. And no, he does not have a UTI. He was just venting.

(slaps head)

I also lost the wooden lid to my recipe box, which he countersurfed and shredded while I was in the bathroom. And my hat and gloves -- shredded. He likes to steal gloves off people's hand and shred them, and I don't know how to begin training this out.


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## mooselips

I think...(which may be wrong) I would start with a firm "leave it." Start with dog treats and move up to gloves.....lol


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## thorbreafortuna

Mos20 said:


> Love all the stories. This is what I am dealing with now. lol.
> Climbing onto the table https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s4OBQUvhS_c
> and this is how she does it https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yeMMdCr29WY



Oh dear! He's so cute while doing it though????Thor has not tried THAT! I think since our dinning room chairs have no padding and are always tucked under the table he couldn't manage it. Phew! 
We are doing great inside the house aside from the occasional sock stealing and attempt to play keep away. But at 16 months he has resumed his jumping and tugging at the leash during walks, which we had not dealt with for months. Sigh!
We seem to be getting there though, gotta keep a sense of humor!


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## Homers Mom

No more beds! Homer has taken to destroying any bed I give him. His original two lasted 4 months! I fixed one, he destroyed it. I got him a new one, he destroyed it. Fine. You don't want a bed, you don't get a bed.


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## trinn

> His original two lasted 4 months! I fixed one, he destroyed it. I got him a new one, he destroyed it. Fine. You don't want a bed, you don't get a bed.


That made me laugh, my Max is just the same he had a lovely nice soft bed when we brought him home he destroyed it, we then bought him a nice plastic bed he chewed it, we then bought a so called indestructible bed he killed it so now he either sleeps on the floor or on the settee


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## twillobee

Sebastian has become a full teenager at 9 months. All the cute tricks I taught him have gone by the wayside. Our walks have become a game of wills. Recall is a look of defiance and he'll ignore me. He had just gotten very consistent with free run recall. I'm having to backtrack training. When I unleash him for his free run, he'll book it as quick as he can to the farest part of our pasture. I had him coming to a whistle, now he ignores it. The pond is his favorite place where as soon as he's unleashed he'll run and dive. I prefer to make sure there isn't anything swimming in it first (like snakes or gators). Even my 11 yr old Daisy has gotten to just run to the pond without permission lately.

During the last week, he's gotten where he would rather sit outside and chill vs coming inside. He decided he was a big boy and it was boring sitting in my office all day while I worked. At least I work from home.

My little boy still shows his love in the mornings. So happy to see me when I get up, however it's to bring me his leash and my shoes. He knows the leash is for walks and I need shoes on to take him for a walk. My hubby does get a kick out of that. He pouts when I have a problem going out before I get dressed.

I feel like he's trying to train me. The other day he must have still been hungry because he brought me his bowl after I fed him. He's using the cute tricks I taught him for his own purposes......lol. He also started climbing on the coffee table because the cat does. He learned real quick that was not acceptable.


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## Mos20

They are just too smart. My Pixie tries to climb onto the table and I don't let her she will climb onto the chairs under the table.







http://youtu.be/gQuKimiRdlI


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## Pammie

That is a fantastic photo! Pixie is a clever cutie!


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## Wholly Chao

So glad I stumbled onto this thread! Max is 7 and a half months old now and pushing the boundaries every which way. He's like a kangaroo when I get his lead, no matter how much ignoring I do, jump, jump, jump. Today it took him ten minutes to lay down and get the lead on, then more jumping! It took me half an hour just to get out the front of our house! After that he is generally a lot more placid - until he sees birds! Then try imagine a 5'2 me getting dragged across the grass yelling! He is also trying to nip my hands whenever I pet him, which is probably the one that gets me the most. Nothing worse than feeling like I can't even give him a pet at the end of a long day. On the bright side, he is an absolute champ with my 4 year old son with complex needs. Max just lays down beside him and listens to his chatter


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## OutWest

Wholly Chao said:


> So glad I stumbled onto this thread! Max is 7 and a half months old now and pushing the boundaries every which way. He's like a kangaroo when I get his lead, no matter how much ignoring I do, jump, jump, jump. Today it took him ten minutes to lay down and get the lead on, then more jumping! It took me half an hour just to get out the front of our house! After that he is generally a lot more placid - until he sees birds! Then try imagine a 5'2 me getting dragged across the grass yelling! He is also trying to nip my hands whenever I pet him, which is probably the one that gets me the most. Nothing worse than feeling like I can't even give him a pet at the end of a long day. On the bright side, he is an absolute champ with my 4 year old son with complex needs. Max just lays down beside him and listens to his chatter


Max sounds like he will be a great dog when he settles down a bit. The best advice for parents of adolescent dogs is to think about him like he's a puppy--you need to go back to basics and re-teach him many things you already have. This phase passes, and most of them grow an "off switch."


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## Wholly Chao

OutWest said:


> Max sounds like he will be a great dog when he settles down a bit. The best advice for parents of adolescent dogs is to think about him like he's a puppy--you need to go back to basics and re-teach him many things you already have. This phase passes, and most of them grow an "off switch."


Thank you, I agree, I just keep remembering the 'terrible twos' with my son and repeating "This too shall pass" whenever necessary 

I've also invested in a few new toys, and a bigger Kong because his old one seems tiny now! He also enjoying eating the neighbours' hedge, he stands up against the fence and literally tears branches off! Our poor old cat is getting chased out of the garden if he dares enter it - funny thing is, if the cat's asleep Max will just walk over and lick him, cat jumps a mile, dog wags like "hahah, gotcha" and runs off like he just won the lottery :


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## Mos20

Mine has been so horrible lately and it seems to come out at night. She's found a spot that she can squeeze behind the couch even though I stuff the spot with pillows. She looks at me and drives through contorting herself until she can back there to the point I'm worried she's going to twist a leg. If I'm sitting and she can get behind me, she'll jump onto my back and throw her paws over my shoulders, which at first was adorable, but now she thinks nibbling on my ears is fun but she doesn't realize how hard she's bitting. She steals everything not nailed down and has of course, trained me , to give her a treat in trade for everything just like my last golden. She is the sweetest, most adorable thing in the morning when she just wakes up, but cant wait for this phase to pass.


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## debbiedoglover

omg I am so glad I found this thread. Bear is 9.5 months and has turned into a terror at times. Bites my arm on walks - really a nip but I have the bruises! At times so sweet and lovey but...I try to use training class rules but she isn't living with him! I have had to hold his mouth shut - flip him on his back - he gives me those eyes and I let him up and wham - right back at me. Right now he is under my desk being a lamb - of course - the lion will walk up soon.


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## Pammie

Debbiedoglover, my Bryley was just like you described! I have many posts in this thread about his naughtiness! He was the worst! Hang on, it will be over sooner or later! Mine was later LOL! 
Clamping the mouth shut, even though it seems like a good idea when you are being mauled, just tends to escalate the situation. Better solutions are to freeze, ignore with no eye contact and tuck in all appendages until the storm subsides, or try to get him to comply with obedience command like sit, or get a can of compressed air and startle him. I had a product called Pet Corrector bought from Amazon.
Your lion will soon be a full time lamb!


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## Articuno

Poppy is ignoring us and playing ignorant a lot while we're out on walks lately! Also, while she now leaps straight into the bath tub when I want to wash her, she is refusing to jump into the car all of a sudden!!
She'll deliberately stand a few feet back and stare at us, takes us a few mins to encourage her and sometimes we have to put her on the lead and drag her over lol!

She is definitely most ignorant with other dogs around.. but she's ALWAYS been like that and thankfully has improved so much.
She's also stopped barking at everything in the dark! Got her confidence! Yay! Overall progress with her so can't complain!


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## KayBee

I've noticed that Riley is much better when we are at class; he seems to get into his "training zone." That's also when I realize how much progress he has made since he was 10 weeks old. That's what I try to keep thinking about, instead of all the things he HASN'T learned yet!


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## chrissy0219

*Mouthing Puppy When on Walks*

Hi!
I just joined this group. I have an 8 month old English Golden. Her one issue that I can't seem to break is this jumping and mouthing problem. She doesn't do it in the house just when I walk her on a leash and only when she gets bored bc I'm talking to someone or I said "leave it" too many times or she didn't get to play long enough with the dogs we pass by so she takes it out on me. She doesn't jump or mouth on anyone else, just whomever is walking her, which is mainly me and my mom. I have tried everything. I become a tree...she just bites my butt, I can't walk away bc I'm in NYC and it's dangerous so I'm stuck w her and she knows there isn't a time out place outside. I have tried flicking her nose, knee lift, yelping, water spray, I even spanked her on the butt, folding her lip in so she would get herself too if she bit me, can of coins.....NOTHING works. I am desperate to stop this. I would love to bring her into stores or just have a walk where I can trust she won't go into puppy tantrum mode. She doesn't do it every walk. Sometimes she will go a few days being perfect and then a couple days where she is a gremlin. I am at my wits end. She has always done this and now she is 8 months and 64 lbs and I swear she laughs at all of my attempts. Nothing phases her. Help????


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## ktkins7

chrissy0219 said:


> Hi!
> I just joined this group. I have an 8 month old English Golden. Her one issue that I can't seem to break is this jumping and mouthing problem. She doesn't do it in the house just when I walk her on a leash and only when she gets bored bc I'm talking to someone or I said "leave it" too many times or she didn't get to play long enough with the dogs we pass by so she takes it out on me. She doesn't jump or mouth on anyone else, just whomever is walking her, which is mainly me and my mom. I have tried everything. I become a tree...she just bites my butt, I can't walk away bc I'm in NYC and it's dangerous so I'm stuck w her and she knows there isn't a time out place outside. I have tried flicking her nose, knee lift, yelping, water spray, I even spanked her on the butt, folding her lip in so she would get herself too if she bit me, can of coins.....NOTHING works. I am desperate to stop this. I would love to bring her into stores or just have a walk where I can trust she won't go into puppy tantrum mode. She doesn't do it every walk. Sometimes she will go a few days being perfect and then a couple days where she is a gremlin. I am at my wits end. She has always done this and now she is 8 months and 64 lbs and I swear she laughs at all of my attempts. Nothing phases her. Help????


Just keep at it. It will pass. With Ella when she was jumping (still does occasionally) I would turn my back on her and ignore her. When it didn't always work when she was in teenage mode I used the can of compressed air called Pet Corrector. It's available at the large pet stores and online. If you try it just make sure to spray it away from the dog.


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## pb2b

All. Weekend. Long. My teenager has been one hot feisty mess. We actually went out to lunch today to get a break from him. He is lucky he is cute!


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## Gratitude14

Oh good grief I think all of you on this post have my 4 month old puppy! There have been times I would have given him away to the first person that knocked on my door. I love reading all of your posts. It reassures me that we are all on the same path, doing our best 
And waiting out these crazy puppy stages.
We have trained our pup to "touch". It is working but you have to be fast with the treat.
It goes like this. Someone wants to pet your little land shark. They put their hand out you instruct quickly tell you puppy to touch. He will stop and you put the treat in from of his nose and praise him like a crazy lady. Next step ask the petter to tell him to touch and have them give him a treat. This is fast & he doesn't have to sit for this command.
I have used it when he wanted to play with our toddler grand daughter and he stopped and softly touch her. Lots if treats for that one.
Also when people come up to him we tell him to sit and step on his lead to keep his jumping at a minimum height. Sometimes when someone one asks it they can pet him I tell them "no". What a concept! Works for me! Puppy raising is exhausting! Thank you to all of you
Golden moms & dads for posting!


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## lhowemt

Would you people please just STOP! Pearl was the sweetest and easiest pup I have ever had, and can ever imagine. Oh I hope hope hope we don't get a wild crazy land shark!! You are all making me very nervous..... :crossfing:crossfing:crossfing


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## WineALot

Ugh we're dealing with a very very mouthy 10 month old too. His latest teenage behavior? BARKING at us non stop when he wants attention or wants us to play with him and we're otherwise preoccupied. We've got him re-enrolled in obedience class, and that first class (so far) was so embarassing- he barked at all the other dogs and the trainer because he just wanted to play and have fun!

tell me this ends someday ....?


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## pb2b

WineALot said:


> BARKING at us non stop when he wants attention or wants us to play with him and we're otherwise preoccupied.
> 
> tell me this ends someday ....?


Yep... barking, mouthing, chewing. Henry does it ALL. The dude gets plenty o' exercise too.


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## WineALot

the past few days have been terrible... nonstop "demand" barking, mouthing/biting, and nonstop action has left us exhausted! And before anyone mentions it, he's getting a TON of exercise, so it's not for lack of exercise. Can't wait for the little man to grow out of this teenage stage!

Thankfully he is adorable and I love his face


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## pb2b

WineALot said:


> the past few days have been terrible... nonstop "demand" barking, mouthing/biting, and nonstop action has left us exhausted! And before anyone mentions it, he's getting a TON of exercise, so it's not for lack of exercise. Can't wait for the little man to grow out of this teenage stage!
> 
> Thankfully he is adorable and I love his face



Ha ha. I know how you feel about the exercise comments! I got called lazy on the board because I said something about Henry's teenage behavior. He gets training and exercise by the plenty! What he really needs is another 12 months of living under his belt


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## pb2b

How is it that Henry always seems to make it so that the days we are the most tired are the ones he's the most, well, not tired :/


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## Rkaymay

Zelda is making me crazy today. The last few days she's been an ANGEL, leaving food on the floor/table alone if I tell her to (when she would much rather be eating it), her recall has been wonderful, she's been calm... NOT TODAY! Today she ran off after we played fetch - our backyard is fenced but we don't have a door that opens into it, so we have to walk around the house - usually she walks from the front door to the backyard and back without a leash or a problem but today after we were done she took off for the neighbor's yard. THEN she stole food from my roommate's plate on the table when he walked away from it for 2 minutes, and THEN she tried to steal Hershey's kisses from right beside me! She's napping in her kennel right now because I was just tired of dealing with it. UGH.


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## Loukia

Forgive me for my ignorance, but at what age is a puppy considered a "teen"? 

My 6 month old started biting my calves the past few days and he's barking and jumping and acting all sorts of crazy. I feel like someone took the puppy I've been tirelessly working with on obedience and switched him with a sharky jack russel (nothing against jack russels... they are super cute, but Goldens shouldn't be jumping like a JR). And as much as I wish I could attribute it to lack of exercise, it's not the case. We've kept our same schedule and he's probably actually had a bit more mental exercise because I got him a food game and he loves eating his meals from it.

I ask when the "teen" starts because I'm worried that at 6 months he isn't there yet and it's only going to get worse. 

I don't know if he has joined my kids in having the pre-Christmas crazies or if this is a phase. :crossfing My fingers are crossed that he's just excited for Santa. :artydude


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## pb2b

I'm not sure you really want the answer to that question  

The teen phase typically lasts from age 6 months to 18 months. 

Patience, training, exercise and patience are key. Did I mention patience? We had to add an additional 45 minutes of exercise to his routine and some days it still doesn't feel like enough. 

I catch glimpses of the dog he will be someday though and I know it will all be worth it.


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## KayBee

pb2b said:


> I catch glimpses of the dog he will be someday though and I know it will all be worth it.


 Me too, and some days that's all that keeps me going. (Says a mom of a 9-month-old.)


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## Cookie's Mom

Oatmeal's handiwork yesterday. All of a sudden, she was scared of the stairs so she wouldn't come up from the basement. Then after a while, she got frustrated and decided to tear up the basement carpet. Gotta love teenage Oatmeal. Sigh.


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## Loukia

pb2b said:


> I'm not sure you really want the answer to that question
> 
> The teen phase typically lasts from age 6 months to 18 months.
> 
> Patience, training, exercise and patience are key. Did I mention patience? We had to add an additional 45 minutes of exercise to his routine and some days it still doesn't feel like enough.
> 
> I catch glimpses of the dog he will be someday though and I know it will all be worth it.



Thank you for your honest answer. I would rather know what's in store. He has settled a bit since Christmas concluded, but I do think we're in the midst of a teenager. He's still a complete love bug though, so we'll keep him in obedience, keep him exercised, keep him loved and I'll practice my deep breathing. lol!


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## GoldenSkies

Just turned 6 months a week ago, I'm truly blessed he's an angel.. he has a never ending wanting to cuddle every single person ever (I mean this...he will walk up jump on you if you're sitting on the couch and curl up in a ball with his butt in your face) and constantly interrupting everyone with his "woo woo" seal sound . He pulls quite a bit on our walks but he doesn't run away if we let him off leash. We've really focused on re-call. Lastly, although he doesn't steal food, he will walk by and lick it...:


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## Chritty

anastasia said:


> Just turned 6 months a week ago, I'm truly blessed he's an angel



Enjoy this time and cherish it. Our 7 month old has just started to hit her strides. Our princess is gone and replaced by a devil.







This is when she is her nicest these days, at least she still sleeps like an angel


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## pb2b

Today was a good day! Henry must have known on some level that we needed a break - or the universe did. He has been a full-time counter-surfing, barking, chewing fool for weeks. But TODAY, he was so calm and peaceful. Just hung out near me when I got home.

It gives me hope for the future


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## Dexter12

My sweet little angel Archer seems to be going through a teenaged phase. :no: He has stopped listening and doing what he wants, he's digging and acting obnoxiously. *sigh* I was some how hoping that we could skip this because he is so sweet and sensitive but he is driving me nuts right now.


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## Anon-2130948gsoni

Well, in keeping with his usual habit of doing everything a month ahead of schedule, just-turned-four-month old Mr. Griffey has been a suddenly deaf, humping, leaping, cat molesting, dog bed destroying teen for the last two weeks. I knew it was going to happen...just not so soon!!! i though I would at least have a week off between peeing on the floor and this, but no...

He's even got the bored teen look down. All he needs is an iPhone and some ear buds.

Fortunately, I have help. Alex, my BC mix, is the Rules Police, and he will block Griff down off the counter or out of the dishwasher...and then hump him. Good dog.

This too shall pass...


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## Cpc1972

At what age do you consider your pup a teenager?


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## Anon-2130948gsoni

Eh, chronologically he probably isn't one, officially. But the behavior is very teenish.

For Griffey, teenhood is a state of mind!


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## Cpc1972

Ha ha. I was just wondering. Chloe will be five months soon.


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## Anon-2130948gsoni

My all-time favorite dog training quote, from Brian Kilcommons:

"Somewhere around 4 1/2 to 5 1/2 months old...your sweet, loving, compliant puppy will have a thought and that thought will be, 'no.'"

Amen.


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## Cpc1972

Funny. I do think that with chloe sometimes.


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## lloyddobler

Reading some of this post has helped me go from crying to laughing! My almost 8 month old pup has turned into a complete jerk in the past month or so. I cannot put his leash on him without him going nuts... he bites the leash, pulls on the leash, jumps and bites my hand, then my arm... and last but not least, my butt. My jackets have puncture wounds and so do my arms and legs!

He's always been mouthy, but it has taken a turn for the worse in the last month and I'm so frustrated I just don't know what else to do but cry.

Thank goodness for this post for some laughs and feeling less alone. 

Like everyone else, I want to smack people who laugh at his behavior. I just ran into a couple in the elevator when I was bringing my pup back in after his last potty of the day and they thought it was hilarious that he was jumping all over me and really lost it when they learned he's not fully grown. "Whoa..... ha ha ha.... just wait until he's bigger!! What are you going to do then.... ha ha ha!" 

I wanted to put together a long strong of four letter words and tell them where to go, but I laughed with them... it was either that or cry. LOL!


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## Cpc1972

Right now Chloe won't walk. She litteraly lays down and will not get up. Sometimes even with treats. It is a circus to try and get her seatbelt harness on her. In time we keep saying it will pass.


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## Rvdogs

I threaten Kai on a daily basis with putting a "Free Dog -- NO Returns" sign out front but she seems not to believe me. But honestly aren't there those days/minutes that you can see the wonderful dog they will be some day. I mean, they'll do something, behave a certain way, listen perfectly and you think " my gosh she's going to be the best". Then she decides the sliding door screen should be a doggie door and you think " if I don't pinch her head off first". Gotta love em.


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## Goldylover2

Rvdogs said:


> I threaten Kai on a daily basis with putting a "Free Dog -- NO Returns" sign out front but she seems not to believe me. But honestly aren't there those days/minutes that you can see the wonderful dog they will be some day. I mean, they'll do something, behave a certain way, listen perfectly and you think " my gosh she's going to be the best". Then she decides the sliding door screen should be a doggie door and you think " if I don't pinch her head off first". Gotta love em.


That's funny that you mention a sliding door screen as a doggie door. My 16 month old golden Caleb put his paw right through the screen the other day. One of the screens was already ripped on the bottom. We didn't open that side of the french doors. But once he put is paw on the bottom of the other screen door. He ripped it and made an escape. I replaced both screens and added a metal screen on each slider. He leans up against the screen doors when he wants to go outside. Hopefully this will work.


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## pb2b

I haven't been on this thread in a couple of months, but I needed to come on here today and say I'm so over the teen dog thing!

I love Henry with every cell in my body and everyday, I see the good dog in him peek through for about 2 seconds. I just wish he'd hurry up and get here.

He takes Excessive Greeting Disorder to Olympic levels and while it's nice our dog loves people THAT much, it's getting freaking obnoxious. Yes, we are working with him but some days he puts in his puppy ear plugs and forgets we exist. 

Someday I will be able to shower without having to crate him. Someday I will be able to leave the room without wondering what trouble he is causing. Someday he will not look me straight in the eyes and then do something bad just to get a reaction out of me. Someday...


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## lloyddobler

My dog's latest obsession is barking and nipping at me when I'm on the couch. Usually after he starts playing with a toy (usually a tennis ball) he will come up and sit down right in front of me like he wants to have a conversation. He'll look at me and bark extremely loud. He has the kind of bark that goes right though you... very deep and loud. He will then reach in to grab my shirt sleeve or pant leg and pull. I think he is doing it because he wants me to play, but he won't stop nipping and barking even if I do start to play. He will also go for my arm or leg and seems to get more excited and aggressive if I let it continue for even 10 seconds. One trainer told me I have to stand my ground and not let him invade my space as he needs to know I respect my space and then he will too. She suggested I then move into his space verses back down. Previously, I would leave the room when this started and it hasn't seemed to help. Me stepping into his space only seems to amp him up more, so I am going to go to the next level and put him in the bathroom without his toys every single time and hope that teaches him that behavior won't get him what he wants..... hopefully. 

It's almost like he's trying to engage me like I'm a dog.... which I am not. My guy turns 9 months old today and I know I'm entering the worst of it now. I'm going to amp up my exercise routine and probably some good wine and hope they keep me balanced. Ha!


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## pb2b

lloyddobler said:


> It's almost like he's trying to engage me like I'm a dog.... which I am not.



This!!! Yes I deal with this too.


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## Cpc1972

Chloe does this too. It's the one thing that frustrates us the most.


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## Calgrl54

I call it the nighttime crazies! Our Golden would about drive us nuts with this crazy night time behavior. We consulted a trainer who came out to our house (best $80 I ever spent)the trainer said we had to show our dog he couldn't invade our space. Our trainer had us jump up from the couch, throw our arms up in the air, stomp our feet and yell OMG (or something like that...I guess you could sing a LOUD song too ;-), while turning in circles never looking at the dog and walk away into another room and close the door. Stay in the other room for 2-3 minutes. Then quietly walk out and go back to doing whatever you were doing before, never interacting with your dog. You will feel like a complete fool but it works. We had to do it twice with our boy and it solved the problem. The few times he might begin to forget himself all we had to do was throw our hands in the air and say "Ah" or "OMG" and he would back right off and leave us alone.
He is now a well behaved 6 year old sweetheart who occasionally decides it's time to play right in the middle of a good movie but now all we have to say is "Go lay down"
It's all worth it to share your life with one of these sweet, beautiful creatures but the puppy and teen years are rough!!!!


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## Rvdogs

Calgrl54 said:


> I call it the nighttime crazies! Our Golden would about drive us nuts with this crazy night time behavior. We consulted a trainer who came out to our house (best $80 I ever spent)the trainer said we had to show our dog he couldn't invade our space. Our trainer had us jump up from the couch, throw our arms up in the air, stomp our feet and yell OMG (or something like that...I guess you could sing a LOUD song too ;-), while turning in circles never looking at the dog and walk away into another room and close the door. Stay in the other room for 2-3 minutes. Then quietly walk out and go back to doing whatever you were doing before, never interacting with your dog. You will feel like a complete fool but it works. We had to do it twice with our boy and it solved the problem. The few times he might begin to forget himself all we had to do was throw our hands in the air and say "Ah" or "OMG" and he would back right off and leave us alone.
> He is now a well behaved 6 year old sweetheart who occasionally decides it's time to play right in the middle of a good movie but now all we have to say is "Go lay down"
> It's all worth it to share your life with one of these sweet, beautiful creatures but the puppy and teen years are rough!!!!


Calgirl54 I am SO going to try that! Kai's nighttime crazies are driving me crazy. It starts at 5/5:30 and goes thru 9 or 10, we take a walk, I play with her in the yard, we train....nope not enough. Now she's taken to dropping the ball so it rolls under the couch and barking til I get up to get it. It took me a while to figure out she was doing it on purpose (stupid human) so I nipped that in the bud. If goes under the couch more than once that's where it stays.


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## lloyddobler

My 9 mo old dog does the same thing to me! I will NOT make a move to get the darn ball until he's calm and quiet and has forgotten he wants the stupid thing.  He had me trained in retrieving for him for quite some time and his demand barking got worse and it seemed he was barking for everything. Thankfully, I caught on before it was too late. Humans can learn too. 



Rvdogs said:


> Calgirl54 I am SO going to try that! Kai's nighttime crazies are driving me crazy. It starts at 5/5:30 and goes thru 9 or 10, we take a walk, I play with her in the yard, we train....nope not enough. Now she's taken to dropping the ball so it rolls under the couch and barking til I get up to get it. It took me a while to figure out she was doing it on purpose (stupid human) so I nipped that in the bud. If goes under the couch more than once that's where it stays.


----------



## Anele

I think this thread is going to be my new home.

We've been dealing with jumping/biting on walks and outside in the yard since my pup was 4.5 months old. He is now 6.5 months. Early for teen behavior-- I am dreading the next few months because I will predict I have not seen the worst.

We finally made it through one full week without this behavior on walks/outside, though he was about to start with some minor jumping/biting (clothes) the other day inside-- we caught it immediately. 

This is what is helping, a lot.
(1) Management to prevent behavior. This has been #1. Since his behavior is fairly predictable (a too-long walk is a problem, we keep him on a short lead, etc.) then it's easier to stop it from ever happening. 

(2) Regular, frequent, and more challenging mental stimulation. I bought yet another food dispenser, have been having him wait while I hide food (the food dispensers themselves), having him dig through boxes, etc. 

(3) This is strange, but I also started throwing food on the ground on walks. I used to hand-feed most of the time instead, but throwing it on the ground keeps him extra mentally stimulated without getting aroused by what is going on. Sometimes we will stop on the grass and he has to wait while I scatter food-- then I release him to go sniff. That helps calm him a lot.

(4) More tug! I think this is helping-- it gives him a mental and physical workout and he "gives" on cue almost immediately. 

(5) Endless frozen Kongs when visitors are here. We had company over, and even with 12 kids and 5 adults-- he didn't jump once. He was so happy being near us (being petted) but so involved with his Kongs that he kept it together the whole time, with trips to the ex-pen to watch when we couldn't be with him. My mom and sister said he was a great dog, so well-behaved, etc. Hahaha-- they know all about my struggles but he looked like an angel that day!

I am also getting him back into classes after having slacked-- and running out of money with all the money I've been pouring into him. The one we are signed up for now is a beginning agility class for junior handlers. My 13 y.o. is so fantastic for him so I can see this being a great experience for them both.

If I drank wine, though, I'd be drinking a lot these past months and likely a lot more to come!


----------



## SwimDog

Anele said:


> (5) Endless frozen Kongs when visitors are here. We had company over, and even with 12 kids and 5 adults-- he didn't jump once. He was so happy being near us (being petted) but so involved with his Kongs that he kept it together the whole time, with trips to the ex-pen to watch when we couldn't be with him. My mom and sister said he was a great dog, so well-behaved, etc. Hahaha-- they know all about my struggles but he looked like an angel that day!


No jumping! Very impressive!


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## lloyddobler

That is awesome! I'm very happy for you and your family and Kevin! You are definitely making huge strides!


Anele said:


> We finally made it through one full week without this behavior on walks/outside, though he was about to start with some minor jumping/biting (clothes) the other day inside-- we caught it immediately.


----------



## rabernet

Anele said:


> I think this thread is going to be my new home.
> 
> We've been dealing with jumping/biting on walks and outside in the yard since my pup was 4.5 months old. He is now 6.5 months. Early for teen behavior-- I am dreading the next few months because I will predict I have not seen the worst.
> 
> We finally made it through one full week without this behavior on walks/outside, though he was about to start with some minor jumping/biting (clothes) the other day inside-- we caught it immediately.
> 
> This is what is helping, a lot.
> (1) Management to prevent behavior. This has been #1. Since his behavior is fairly predictable (a too-long walk is a problem, we keep him on a short lead, etc.) then it's easier to stop it from ever happening.
> 
> (2) Regular, frequent, and more challenging mental stimulation. I bought yet another food dispenser, have been having him wait while I hide food (the food dispensers themselves), having him dig through boxes, etc.
> 
> (3) This is strange, but I also started throwing food on the ground on walks. I used to hand-feed most of the time instead, but throwing it on the ground keeps him extra mentally stimulated without getting aroused by what is going on. Sometimes we will stop on the grass and he has to wait while I scatter food-- then I release him to go sniff. That helps calm him a lot.
> 
> (4) More tug! I think this is helping-- it gives him a mental and physical workout and he "gives" on cue almost immediately.
> 
> (5) Endless frozen Kongs when visitors are here. We had company over, and even with 12 kids and 5 adults-- he didn't jump once. He was so happy being near us (being petted) but so involved with his Kongs that he kept it together the whole time, with trips to the ex-pen to watch when we couldn't be with him. My mom and sister said he was a great dog, so well-behaved, etc. Hahaha-- they know all about my struggles but he looked like an angel that day!
> 
> I am also getting him back into classes after having slacked-- and running out of money with all the money I've been pouring into him. The one we are signed up for now is a beginning agility class for junior handlers. My 13 y.o. is so fantastic for him so I can see this being a great experience for them both.
> 
> If I drank wine, though, I'd be drinking a lot these past months and likely a lot more to come!


What are you putting in his Kongs? Noah gets bored quickly with his. First try was plain fat free yogurt with some kibble (which swelled and he got frustrated with it). Second try was plain fat free yogurt mixed with some canned pumpkin. A little more interest, but gave up on it too in short order.


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## Anele

SwimDog said:


> No jumping! Very impressive!


Mind you, he was on leash! When family first came in, he was in his ex-pen in the living room with some treats, and then we brought him out on leash with the Kongs. 



lloyddobler said:


> That is awesome! I'm very happy for you and your family and Kevin! You are definitely making huge strides!


 It is not all sunshine and rainbows and does not feel like huge strides! I had the local trainer come over this Friday, and she could not believe how he was never able to settle himself down, compared to other puppies his age. He isn't hyper in the sense of jumping around, but he always needs to be busy-- so when he is engaged (in training, in chewing) he seems calm but if not, he has a really hard time relaxing. Of course, I observed with new eyes just how chaotic my household is (so much activity!) so maybe it is not so surprising. I don't know. 

Anyway-- it does take a LOT of management, a LOT of planning, a LOT of time, and he is still really young, only just looking toward (not having entered) the really tough stage. 

I should try to focus on the little improvements, keeping in mind that we may (WILL) take more steps backwards before going forward-- but it's easy to get discouraged. Today, though, I was happy-- my 3 y.o. went up to pet him and I tried to be relaxed, take deep breaths-- and Kevin SAT DOWN to be pet by her, licked her arm. I could not believe it. I hope it is a glimpse of more to come, at least eventually. He will never be a therapy dog, but who knows-- maybe we can get some other title on him!



rabernet said:


> What are you putting in his Kongs? Noah gets bored quickly with his. First try was plain fat free yogurt with some kibble (which swelled and he got frustrated with it). Second try was plain fat free yogurt mixed with some canned pumpkin. A little more interest, but gave up on it too in short order.


Well, this is what I do-- I put something (not a lot) in first that is really exciting, like a bit of hamburger, chicken, sardines, etc. My family is terrible with leftovers and I'm a vegetarian so there is always something! Then the next layer is often canned food. I use it in place of kibble most days for the evening meal. The best price I found was on Chewy, for this: Natural Balance L.I.D. Limited Ingredient Diets Sweet Potato & Venison Formula Canned Dog Food, 6-oz, case of 12 (different flavors, but that one is the best price). I also mix in surprises like blueberries, maybe a little shredded cheese, some apple, kibble. Then, the last section is almost always pumpkin because it is low-cal and good for him. Sometimes I do use yogurt, too, but probably not with wet food b/c of calories. BUT THEN, to get him interested, because pumpkin gets boring, I coat the very top of the Kong (in it) with something like PB or cream cheese . . .or you can sprinkle the dusty bits that get left with the freeze-dried liver treats. Then I freeze them. I use Kongs as well as hooves, though I do worry that freezing them might split them . . .the benefit is that he starts to get interested in chewing on the hooves a little again, too, after he's done eating. (With the hooves I put a lot less in.)

So, I usually aim for a mixture of something hard (like kibble, apple, blueberries, carrots), something wet (yogurt, pumpkin, wet food, broth), and then the enticers at the beginning and end.


----------



## rabernet

Anele said:


> Mind you, he was on leash! When family first came in, he was in his ex-pen in the living room with some treats, and then we brought him out on leash with the Kongs.
> 
> It is not all sunshine and rainbows and does not feel like huge strides! I had the local trainer come over this Friday, and she could not believe how he was never able to settle himself down, compared to other puppies his age. He isn't hyper in the sense of jumping around, but he always needs to be busy-- so when he is engaged (in training, in chewing) he seems calm but if not, he has a really hard time relaxing. Of course, I observed with new eyes just how chaotic my household is (so much activity!) so maybe it is not so surprising. I don't know.
> 
> Anyway-- it does take a LOT of management, a LOT of planning, a LOT of time, and he is still really young, only just looking toward (not having entered) the really tough stage.
> 
> I should try to focus on the little improvements, keeping in mind that we may (WILL) take more steps backwards before going forward-- but it's easy to get discouraged. Today, though, I was happy-- my 3 y.o. went up to pet him and I tried to be relaxed, take deep breaths-- and Kevin SAT DOWN to be pet by her, licked her arm. I could not believe it. I hope it is a glimpse of more to come, at least eventually. He will never be a therapy dog, but who knows-- maybe we can get some other title on him!
> 
> 
> Well, this is what I do-- I put something (not a lot) in first that is really exciting, like a bit of hamburger, chicken, sardines, etc. My family is terrible with leftovers and I'm a vegetarian so there is always something! Then the next layer is often canned food. I use it in place of kibble most days for the evening meal. The best price I found was on Chewy, for this: Natural Balance L.I.D. Limited Ingredient Diets Sweet Potato & Venison Formula Canned Dog Food, 6-oz, case of 12 (different flavors, but that one is the best price). I also mix in surprises like blueberries, maybe a little shredded cheese, some apple, kibble. Then, the last section is almost always pumpkin because it is low-cal and good for him. Sometimes I do use yogurt, too, but probably not with wet food b/c of calories. BUT THEN, to get him interested, because pumpkin gets boring, I coat the very top of the Kong (in it) with something like PB or cream cheese . . .or you can sprinkle the dusty bits that get left with the freeze-dried liver treats. Then I freeze them. I use Kongs as well as hooves, though I do worry that freezing them might split them . . .the benefit is that he starts to get interested in chewing on the hooves a little again, too, after he's done eating. (With the hooves I put a lot less in.)
> 
> So, I usually aim for a mixture of something hard (like kibble, apple, blueberries, carrots), something wet (yogurt, pumpkin, wet food, broth), and then the enticers at the beginning and end.


I bet part of my problem is I probably need to upgrade the Kong to a larger size. We're using the same as the puppy size, but in red. I remember it only held like 1/4 cup of kibble in it. And so the hole is a bit small for him now. 

Thank you for the suggestions!


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## Chritty

We have 3 different sized kongs which give me options as to how long I can keep Millie busy. 

Something else you can do is freeze the kong in a larger container full of water. Recycle an ice cream container or something, fill it up with water and drop the kong in there. It adds an extra challenge to Kong time as they try to get through the ice to get to the kong


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## SwimDog

I'm impressed with the kong techniques - that should go in it's own thread so others can find/reference it later!


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## Rikki

*Pulling*

Bella is 14 months old now. We are still working on her pulling on the leash. Some days she does real well while other days she forgets that I am on the other end of the leash. It gets frustrating. I keep hearing "she will grow out if it". I hope so.


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## Goldylover2

Rikki said:


> Bella is 14 months old now. We are still working on her pulling on the leash. Some days she does real well while other days she forgets that I am on the other end of the leash. It gets frustrating. I keep hearing "she will grow out if it". I hope so.


I let my 17 month old golden out in the back yard today. He was running and jumping on me. This is not normal. I thnk he had some built up energy. I just ignored him and walked into the house for a couple of minutes. I walked out with his leash and the shock collar control. He didn't have his shock collar on, but he knows what it and usually lays down. He's a high energy golden for sure.


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## bixx

My biggest challenge during group training is keeping Amber's focus on me and not on the other dogs she wants to play with. While others are walking in a straight line, i am usually zooming around in zigzags with a wide eyed panting pup on the other end of the leash.

today, the exercise was for the pups to lie down and stay while owners let the leash go and walk away.

i have been practicing this intently with Amber with much success...but i have never done it in the presence of my nemesis...other dogs!!!

So when the trainer said, ok...let the leash go, I dropped the leash. Imagine the slow motion drop of the leash to the ground, with Amber's eyes following it. Then her head snaps up as it hits the ground. My eyes connected with Amber's eyes which suddenly gleamed with mischief. 

The rest is history.


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## ktaylor320

Calling all parents of teenage pups:
I need advice, a cold one, something because I am at my wits end. 
The teenage phase is hard, they said. They'll grow out of it, they said.
no amount of reading, or preparation can prepare you for the level of terrifying frustration you experience when you see that change. When your sweet golden becomes....something unrecognizable.

For example, I took Rex for a walk today. I have a big exam and thought "hey, this will relax me, right?" WRONG! We walked along the street (cars whizzing by) and he got a burst of the zoomies, grabbed the leash, started SNARLING, biting the leash, grabbing it to try and yank it out of my hand, biting my sleeves, jumping and growling at me and running around in circles. The people driving along and running alone sure did get a view.... 

I tried to grab his collar to calm him down and he FREAKED, thrashing around like a fish out of water. 
This happens all the time and it makes exercising him difficult, because he can't be off-leash anymore due to his sudden onset of doggie deafness. Lack of decent exercise exacerbates the issues, and I'm left on the constant verge of tears. 
He also doesn't wanna cuddle or let me love on him as much which just bruises my ego to no end. 

I know-take him to see a behaviorist. Well folks, that's expensive, and while I can afford to have a dog and provide necessities and some extraneous items (he doesn't NEED the flannel bandana, but it just looks so CUTE) for him, right now I can't just drop hundreds of dollars on a specialist and I don't think that makes me less of a dog parent, so no judgement please? I'm doing the best I can with what I have, and right now, that is a misbehaving teenage dog, a high level of frustration, and the hope that someone can help give me comfort and PRACTICAL tools/solutions. 

Any ideas??


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## Anele

Ktaylor, the good news is, you don't need a behaviorist. Or at least not yet. There is enough info on this forum to get you through it.

My dog started doing what your dog is doing at 4.5 months. It wasn't puppy nipping, but it's not aggression. Dogs have individual energy levels, and they also have arousal levels. We both have dogs with high arousal levels-- mine can be super calm one minute, then revved up the next.

The root cause varies. Some dogs are aroused because of anxiety-- if the anxiety is bad enough, then you would need to see a behaviorist. Look up "calming signals" to get a better understanding of your dog's body language. Keep an eye on patterns and triggers.

Some people say the cause is more exercise needed. If you research, though, this is not always true. Some dogs are exercised a lot, both on and off leash, and still do it. Some say they need more dog playtime. Again, this varies. Some dogs have regular playtime and still do it. IME there is not one cause because I have not yet found any consistencies. I thought it was first-time owners, but no. It is the luck of the draw. 

I was at the end of my rope with my dog. It was no fun taking him in walks and fear he'd start biting me. So we stopped walks for awhile. At least a month. It reset him and now we take them, though we keep them short. Many dogs seems to do better with short walks. We also always take a tug toy for him. Now, while he does get aroused for other reasons (see below) he hasn't done the jump and bite thing on walks since??? I don't even know. And it was bad, very bad. So don't give up hope.

We are still struggling with arousal with new people. He gets very jumpy and mouthy even without having the chance to do it-- he will try. We have tried to curb this since he first came home We tried ignoring, preventing, etc. Sometimes he is fine, sometimes he's not. I can't figure out a pattern. Yesterday he was awful and I could not control him with guests even on leash, so he wore his gentle leader-- made a huge difference. From now on we will put it on with new people. But, for the next several months, I am going to have new people completely ignore him. Not even look at him. This will be while he wears it. He needs to learn not to try to be the center of attention! That will give him a chance to mature.

I have other threads about my arousal issues but this one is the main one: http://www.goldenretrieverforum.com...ver-arousal-biting-puppies-support-group.html

You are not alone. It's not normal but it's not rare!


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## JonandPhyllis

I love, love, love this thread!! I've been reading for several pages now and look forward to continuing as I've learned a few tips and secrets while reading y'alls hysterical stories and posts of frustration. Now, you can hear mine...

Sunny is just 5 months old so not technically a teenager yet but he sure can test my patience. We managed (somehow) to graduate from the STAR Puppy Program and start Level 1 Obedience this Thursday evening and I'm terrified! He was THE brat in the STAR Puppy Program...you know the one, the one pulling at the leash so bad that he's no longer on 4 feet but just the back two with his front paws outstretched to whoever and whatever he is lunging for? He's the lumbering, long-legged, ball of fur who stole everyone's hearts because he was so darned goofy and mis-mannered. He was the only one who never tired out after practicing when the instructor was going over new stuff and giving our assignments for the following week...he would be up on all fours and panting at everyone while all the other dogs laid quietly at their owners feet...anyway, I think you get the idea.

We've had a few weeks between classes and I've been keeping him busy and practicing what he's learned so far but he still has the issues of lunging to people and other dogs. So bad that I hate to take him for walks through the neighborhood where we might meet another dog or human and I know this is what he needs most of but it's embarrassing. Nothing seems to work. I bought a Gentle Leader and have been working with him with that the past couple of weeks...he does ok sometimes but once they get close, it's all over. Maybe I'm not using it right. If I tighten it up too much his breathing sounds like a pig rooting in the pigpen.


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## Anele

JonandPhyllis said:


> I've been keeping him busy and practicing what he's learned so far but he still has the issues of lunging to people and other dogs. So bad that I hate to take him for walks through the neighborhood where we might meet another dog or human and I know this is what he needs most of but it's embarrassing.


My daughter and I joke that, "What were we thinking when we didn't want a breed that was more inclined to be _polite _with people and dogs????" (I said, I want FRIENDLY!!!) I know there are plenty of polite GR out there, from training and/or temperament, but some of us just have to work a LOT harder than owners of other breeds!

On walks we just keep at a distance. We pull off to the side on grass and, with training, my dog now goes into an automatic down. People appreciate this. If you are in a high-foot-traffic area then it's much more difficult!!!

One thing you can practice at home (we did this in class tonight) is to set up distractions. The teacher put out two cones, and in between lined up tempting items like rawhide, toys, fake skunk, etc. We had to walk our dogs past these and practice rewarding for an automatic leave as well as eye contact. 

My dog was HORRIBLE at first with this exercise. Horrible! On my next turn, I remembered what I read in a book about showing dogs-- something along the lines of, "you paid to be in the ring so take your time starting." So, I took a deep breath, put him into a sit, he waited for my "walk" cue, and then-- because he was in training mode-- he did it perfectly! Best in class, if I do say so myself, haha!

He was awful with the instructor (as usual) so I think from now on, I am going to ask all future instructors when they come up to us to practice not looking at him, not talking to him, etc. See how close they can get w/o eye contact. And then NOT give him eye contact until (someday) he is calm.


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## BuddyinFrance

Anele said:


> My daughter and I joke that, "What were we thinking when we didn't want a breed that was more inclined to be _polite _with people and dogs????" (I said, I want FRIENDLY!!!) I know there are plenty of polite GR out there, from training and/or temperament, but some of us just have to work a LOT harder than owners of other breeds!
> 
> On walks we just keep at a distance. We pull off to the side on grass and, with training, my dog now goes into an automatic down. People appreciate this. If you are in a high-foot-traffic area then it's much more difficult!!!
> 
> One thing you can practice at home (we did this in class tonight) is to set up distractions. The teacher put out two cones, and in between lined up tempting items like rawhide, toys, fake skunk, etc. We had to walk our dogs past these and practice rewarding for an automatic leave as well as eye contact.
> 
> My dog was HORRIBLE at first with this exercise. Horrible! On my next turn, I remembered what I read in a book about showing dogs-- something along the lines of, "you paid to be in the ring so take your time starting." So, I took a deep breath, put him into a sit, he waited for my "walk" cue, and then-- because he was in training mode-- he did it perfectly! Best in class, if I do say so myself, haha!
> 
> He was awful with the instructor (as usual) so I think from now on, I am going to ask all future instructors when they come up to us to practice not looking at him, not talking to him, etc. See how close they can get w/o eye contact. And then NOT give him eye contact until (someday) he is calm.


Anele have you seen this video? It was taken at a real competition in Finland. Look how the Golden manages faced with distractions.. 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5iTTNRE-njM


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## Anele

BuddyinFrance said:


> Anele have you seen this video? It was taken at a real competition in Finland. Look how the Golden manages faced with distractions..
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5iTTNRE-njM


Haha!!! Yes, I sure have! When I described how our dog was in training to my daughter last night, she asked-- like the dog in that video? 

We had a good laugh about that! It is funny every time I watch it!

OMG-- look at this amazing dog!!!! 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nAePbWhcP_A


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## Cpc1972

That video of that golden cracks me up everytime.


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## Anele

Cpc1972 said:


> That video of that golden cracks me up everytime.


Me, too!

Did you see the one I just posted? I am cracking up how the man trained him in just 3 weeks to do that-- I am pretty sure age and temperament have a lot to do with it, given how long he's had him! If not, I am sending my dog to that man for 3 weeks and will let him work his magic! I will expect him to sit nicely at Target unattended to be pet!


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## Cpc1972

Yep I watched it also. It's amazing what we can train our Golden's to do.


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## quilter

Anele said:


> He was awful with the instructor (as usual) so I think from now on, I am going to ask all future instructors when they come up to us to practice not looking at him, not talking to him, etc. See how close they can get w/o eye contact. And then NOT give him eye contact until (someday) he is calm.


What is it with instructors?! Casper can spot them a mile away. In dog class, he actually sits and watches them and listens to their lectures. And if they walk too close by, he's going to visit. 

Actually, at the beginning of every session of classes, we get to ask if we need anything special consideration for our dogs. I always ask that people not look Casper in the eye. It's well known that dogs find direct gaze stressful, but it's hard for people not to do it.


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## Lambeau0609

Ktaylor, the one comment you made jumped out at me. Walking near a street with cars buzzing by. I have a 5 month old that loves walks and is actually very good on a leash EXCEPT near high traffic roads. The cars buzzing by just freak him out. Try your walks if possible on a quiet road. I started out on a road with no cars or people around and than slowly started on sidewalks with only a few cars near.


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## Anele

quilter said:


> What is it with instructors?! Casper can spot them a mile away. In dog class, he actually sits and watches them and listens to their lectures. And if they walk too close by, he's going to visit.
> 
> Actually, at the beginning of every session of classes, we get to ask if we need anything special consideration for our dogs. I always ask that people not look Casper in the eye. It's well known that dogs find direct gaze stressful, but it's hard for people not to do it.


I think Casper and Kevin are two peas in a pod but I suspect Casper has far greater impulse control!

Kevin will sit or even lie down if the person is at the right distance. Too close and eye contact is a signal for him to get riled up. If I had more friends or money to pay people, I would hire people to line up and go through polite greetings with him, day in, day out. I would keep the changing the threshold gradually but I think we'd get there with a LOT of practice. Problem is-- I don't have people with whom to practice! 

That is a great point about eye contact-- so true. I wonder why they do it?? There was a dog in our class who was reactive to both dogs and people. We had to practice going up to him and throwing treats. He did bark at other people, but never me because I'd always curve my body around when approaching and never look at him!


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## DebHow

Just joined the forum this evening and I love this thread. It makes me feel like I'm not alone. There is so much I can relate to it is just ridiculous!


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## Maya_22

Our pup is now 1 1/2 and, if you were to see us in our walks from a distance, 95% of the time you would think he's the best mannered dog on earth. If a stranger of his liking walks close by, he will very politely go into an automatic sit – regardless of whether I want to keep going or not– he'll make the sweetest face and wag his tail ever so slightly. This is his "pet me please!" pose, especially good for luring naive people. The person will remark, "what a well-behaved dog! can I come say hi?". I always reply "only if he stays sitting, he tends to jump (nervous smile)". People never seem to believe me that he will jump!! I guess because he's so good at deceiving them...sometimes he tricks me into believing that he will not jump on people. As the person gets closer, I'm telling him to stay while tightening my grip on the leash and then, on a split second, all bets are off and he's on a mission to give bear hugs and face kisses!! Then he's like "Ok, I said hi, we can go now", and I just go "sorry, uh....thanks for saying hi, bye!". It's specially bad when I see he left paw prints on people and they didn't notice. Oops.

The interesting thing is that he doesn't jump on people in the off-leash dog park. He goes and says hi to people who make eye contact, but no jumping!

I gotta say, despite some embarrassing situations he's put us through, he makes life so much better. I LOVE having a dog that loves people and life with such enthusiasm


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## DebHow

I am feeling discouraged with my 3 yr old, Rusty. I thought we were making progress and he wasn't jumping up, wasn't trying to climb on me and now all of the sudden he has regressed and he is doing it all over again. He even starting pooping in the house again - occasionally. *sigh*


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## Lise123

Maya_22 said:


> Our pup is now 1 1/2 and, if you were to see us in our walks from a distance, 95% of the time you would think he's the best mannered dog on earth. If a stranger of his liking walks close by, he will very politely go into an automatic sit – regardless of whether I want to keep going or not– he'll make the sweetest face and wag his tail ever so slightly. This is his "pet me please!" pose, especially good for luring naive people. The person will remark, "what a well-behaved dog! can I come say hi?". I always reply "only if he stays sitting, he tends to jump (nervous smile)". People never seem to believe me that he will jump!! I guess because he's so good at deceiving them...sometimes he tricks me into believing that he will not jump on people. As the person gets closer, I'm telling him to stay while tightening my grip on the leash and then, on a split second, all bets are off and he's on a mission to give bear hugs and face kisses!! Then he's like "Ok, I said hi, we can go now", and I just go "sorry, uh....thanks for saying hi, bye!". It's specially bad when I see he left paw prints on people and they didn't notice. Oops.


I had to laugh when I read this, because that sounds like my dog, too (except for the part about not jumping on people at the dog park). Bailey is now almost two, and he can sit nicely to greet people -- for about 10 seconds. They'll say something like, "Your dog is so calm!" And I'll sigh and say, "Not really." And then he'll either stay calm and make me look ridiculous, or he'll try to jump up for kisses and they'll see why he earned the name "Wildman" at his agility foundations class.:doh:


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## quilter

Maya_22 said:


> The interesting thing is that he doesn't jump on people in the off-leash dog park. He goes and says hi to people who make eye contact, but no jumping!
> 
> I gotta say, despite some embarrassing situations he's put us through, he makes life so much better. I LOVE having a dog that loves people and life with such enthusiasm


At the dog park, I think the other dogs send a clear message - "stay off my owner!" Also, no leashes at the dog park. I really think a lot of the excessive greetings are due to a tight leash, the same way a tight leash can makes dogs more reactive to other dogs.

At dog school, all the people are banned from giving Casper any eye contact.


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## DebHow

Quilter - Oh my, how funny he is looking in that picture! Looks like he had fun!


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## CheriP

My baby, Ted, is 7 1/2 months old, & is just starting this stage. Fortunately, we have doggy daycare, & a great place to exercise him. He's still manageable, but I can see the short circuit going on...LOL! He is still unaltered, as I have read the testosterone is good for his bone development.


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## Elsa Cholla's Mom

CheriP, What an adorable pup. Love that face.


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## MoltenGirl

I'm going through the dreaded teenage phase with my boy now as he's 8 1/2 months old and reading through this thread has given me hope!

He's unaltered and I plan on keeping him that was until 18-months....if I can make it :crossfing


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## Maya_22

MoltenGirl said:


> I'm going through the dreaded teenage phase with my boy now as he's 8 1/2 months old and reading through this thread has given me hope!
> 
> He's unaltered and I plan on keeping him that was until 18-months....if I can make it :crossfing


Hang in there! Our boy calmed down only a liiiiiittle bit after neutering, so I think aging and maturing play a bigger role in overcoming the terrible teens. Lots of exercise is key. We can pretty much tell when our boy starts getting "crazy eyes" and needs to go for a good swim


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## Porsche"s Mom

*And I thought I was crazy*

Reading through this post has been wonderful, now I know its not just me, lol. We have never had a golden before, so Porsche is our first. She is 7 months old now and has been an absolute joy. So easy to train and so smart, I was bragging to everyone. But then last week she started what I thought was gonna make me crazy. She started all of a sudden pulling my arm out of socket on a walk, jumping on everyone, and not listening to any commands at all. I couldn't figure out what was going on with her. I do bring her to an indoor dog park every week in order to get her exercise, along with regular walks, but even the dog park stated last week, this dog needs some intense training, I was so embarrassed.
And now as of yesterday, she has just started her first heat, so no walks and no dog park this week. I live in China right now and there are way too many strays here to risk taking her out. But at least I now know that it may just be hormonal and we can get back to normal hopefully in a few weeks.

In regards to the training, I am totally alone doing that here in China. The only training I have found is at the indoor dog park I mentioned, but they require to take your dog and keep her there for 30 days, you do not even bring her home to sleep. Plus it is only done in Chinese, no english. Well this just scares me to think what they may do to her, plus she would never understand my english commands. So I am on my own with this one.


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## ktkins7

Porsche"s Mom said:


> Reading through this post has been wonderful, now I know its not just me, lol. We have never had a golden before, so Porsche is our first. She is 7 months old now and has been an absolute joy. So easy to train and so smart, I was bragging to everyone. But then last week she started what I thought was gonna make me crazy. She started all of a sudden pulling my arm out of socket on a walk, jumping on everyone, and not listening to any commands at all. I couldn't figure out what was going on with her. I do bring her to an indoor dog park every week in order to get her exercise, along with regular walks, but even the dog park stated last week, this dog needs some intense training, I was so embarrassed.
> And now as of yesterday, she has just started her first heat, so no walks and no dog park this week. I live in China right now and there are way too many strays here to risk taking her out. But at least I now know that it may just be hormonal and we can get back to normal hopefully in a few weeks.
> 
> In regards to the training, I am totally alone doing that here in China. The only training I have found is at the indoor dog park I mentioned, but they require to take your dog and keep her there for 30 days, you do not even bring her home to sleep. Plus it is only done in Chinese, no english. Well this just scares me to think what they may do to her, plus she would never understand my english commands. So I am on my own with this one.


Check out Fenzi Dog Sports Academy. I haven't done any classes through them but I think I'm going to do the nose work one with my Ella (she's past the teenage stage though). Fenzi is all online classes. They have different levels of participation. Here's the link for more info: Fenzi Dog Sports Academy - Home

From what I've seen other members have had good luck with them. Here's a thread on it, and I'm sure there are others as well. http://www.goldenretrieverforum.com/golden-retriever-training/389810-fenzi-fans.html

Good luck!


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## Wicky

Porsche"s Mom said:


> . But at least I now know that it may just be hormonal.


Ahh yes Sona went a bit 'hormonal' before her first heat - she starting mouthing and doing the whole jumpy snappy thing. She returned to her sweet natured self a couple of weeks after her season. Calm consistency in training was what I needed - boy was that tough while trying to clip a leash on my little Cujo in class....
I think the online training courses are a fantastic idea!


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## Panama Rob

Dakota seems to be getting an early teenage start. He can be such an angel in training then there are times he is going to nothing except what Dakota wants to do. He is 10 weeks plus 1 day. When do the teens officially start? He is exceptionally smart but can give me such an attitude. I love this thread BTW


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## kmb

oh how glad I am to find this thread!! Mia is definitely in the teenage stage. she is now 9 months. inside she is wonderful 98% of the time. outside is another story. she knows all the commands sit, stay, come, down and will do them inside, once outside forget it. I've had to wrap my trees in wire due to her pulling off the bark and eating it. when she does get something she isn't supposed to have she runs from me as if to say catch me if you can. then she is starting to jump and nip at us outside also. we leave her loose as we have an invisible fence. the other day I was outside with her and she was running circles around me and trying to jump and nip at me. I just bought a 30 ft lead and plan on putting that on her outside so I can catch her and correct the behavior. 2 weeks ago she tore open her blanket and ate batting! luckily she came through that ok. I've started reading this thread to my husband and he was like "we have ANOTHER year of this!!! we survived 4 kids as teens I guess we can survive a teen dog too


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## Rvdogs

I. AM. SICK. OF. THIS. RAIN. 
I'm sick of being stuck in the house. I'm sick of walking in the rain. I'm sick of trying to think of things to occupy Kai. I'm sick of playing ball in the house. I'm sick of the mud. I'm sick of washing towels that have wiped the mud. I love my golden girl but I'm sick of that "play with me face" and "play with me bark". I'm sick of training. I'm sick of the wildness because we haven't been able to get enough exercise because of the darn rain. WE ARE GOING HIKING TOMORROW if it's the last thing I do and I DONT CARE IF ITS STILL RAINING.

On the bright side....Kai has finally learned to bring me the ball, drop it and leave it. It only took a solid week of rain.


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## Rvdogs

I. Love. Tired. Dogs.
Long, hike this morning --- in the rain. Chaised sticks and birds in the field, boy did we need that! We were wet and muddy by hikes end,and when I say we I mean we. Our hike is by a large creek and usually Kai goes swimming on our hikes but the water was not only up to the banks but it was really moving so for safety sake it was a no swim day. Unfortunately Kai wanted to throw caution to the wind and go in anyway, so she kept heading down the bank. I was paying more attention to keeping her on the path than I was my footing, stubbed my toe on a rock, and down I went. Into the mud. It would have been a great slide had I been on a ball field. Kai came running over looking all concerned, she put on a good act but I could tell she was laughing like crazy on the inside. She's been an angel since we got home and hasn't brought me the ball once. I love me a tired dog.


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## Elsa Cholla's Mom

Hello kmb and Rvdogs!

kmb, I read, never get into the chase game with your dog, in spite of your invisible fence, I would keep a leash on your dog outside. When you need to go correct her, never 'chase' her. Put your hands on your hips and stalk her down with a stern look on your face. When you get to the leash, step on it. and when you are close enough, firmly correct her, or remove whatever from her mouth. The point is, take all the fun, (her reward), out of the game. Some dogs, like children will trade off the punishment for the reward of attention. The redirect your dog to a game you can both find fun. So that she sees their is a choice of ways to get your attention. 

Rvdogs, do you live in an RV? I had my Elsa on the road for 6 weeks. We got her in Arizona and we are from Canada. It was so hard to have a pup on the road!! I was recently reading an article on how to get your dog to "punch back into you with a toy"! I was so confused. Why, oh why would anyone want to teach that, I am getting hurt constantly from my 62 lb. puppy doing that. It turns out a lot of pups don't want their owners attention that much! They actually have to teach, Play With Me. So I am guessing like me, you need to teach the opposite. 
I finally got to the point that I started teaching, Enough! I put my hands out and make a crossing motion, like in baseball, for Your Out, and turn and walk away. When Elsa comes back at me, I say, No. Enough. Go Play. and I throw something she can play with away from me a little ways, give her a peanut butter filled bone or Kong, or just a bone. I pick and choose my needed breaks. I have been pretty consistent and she is learning it finally. She has been spending more time doing her own thing finally. I wish I had started teaching that to her at a younger age. What size of an RV are you raising Kai in?


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## LDBgolden

Charlie has started marking ON people's feet, legs, and even shirts when they bend down at the beach.


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## Frankie's mom

Frankie started the barking stage. Yikes, I am waiting for the neighbors to complain!


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## Frankie's mom

*Stop drop and roll*

Frankie is 6 months old and has a new game. It is called stop, drop, and roll. On our walks, he suddenly stops, drops to the ground, and does the wiggle roll until he is done, then he gets u to walk again. Ten steps later, I feel the weight on the leash change...he leans, then it is stop, drop, and roll. We do this at least 10 times on our walk. He does not care what surface he drops on, grass, rocks, sand, street...
He also refuses to come in...sits and stares and if you head towards him, he rolls on his back and wiggles. He knows I can not get him up, especially when he goes totally limp. This picture is from this morning's walk


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## Carlotta Gumbin

Bailey loves to kill anything with a rope, stuffed animals his starts and the back side.


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## CedarFurbaby

I can post in this thread everyday honestly! Today I made the mistake of not taking cedar to the park and just going for an hour walk, thinking the extra training will cover it.

Well he was super over excited when my dog sitter came to take him out in the afternoon, barking and jumping, which he got much better at not doing. He's usually nice and calm and all tail wagging when I get home, but nooo today he was not!! 

He barked and barked, which he never does, and I saw the remains of a bag of treats that he left alone almost all day. My fault - I must have left it within reach. Then we went out for a walk and he jumped and bit the leash, while we were crossing the road!!? And then, at night for some reason he thought I was leaving the house, I just pick up the keys to put away, and he made a big fuss about it. I've been telling him to settle down all night, and at one point he settled and I then spent the next 30min crying from I'm not sure what, probably dealing with time out after time out. 

Luckily he is so cute. He isn't a big cuddler but he's just gone to sleep with his head touching me.


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## oceanlady

I guess 4 month old is pre teen but my Robbie has decided to try rebellion. Where he use to come when we call in back yard while out going potty he now will run to area he is not supposed to go and refuses to come out of bush. We had to go back to leash and he wants to be off leash biting it.

Then on walks he will go from walking nicely to stopping or pulling. At the ocean no matter how many treats and times i have said leave it he want to eat every tiny bit of crab or other thing on beach. Its gotten to where I went from loving ocean walks to hating them.

And he has found his voice, wow such a loud bark it scared me! He barks at kids playing next door, the cat, a balloon blew in yard yesterday and he was scared of it until we slowly brought it to him.

Please tell me he grows out of this!

But other than that he is adorable sliding to lay down because he is all lanky and legs too long for his body. He rolls over on his back and practically has a orgasm with his freesbee. He is already velcro dog and follows us around laying at our feet.

He loved the small town parade yesterday and open house at firehouse the fire men and women loved him. And lots of kids.


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## Maya_22

He will grow out of this!! 

Four months is very young and he's still learning social skills, and the rules around the house and outside. I think the best strategy with puppies is to be very patient, consistent, and have a sense of humor. Our golden is almost 3 years old and still has his puppy moments too. I don't know that goldens ever grow up, really! They make it up with all the love and devotion they give us though!

Sounds like your puppy is more toy-motivated than treat motivated (?). Maybe you can use his frisbee as a reward instead.

Have fun! They grow fast!


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## mylissyk

He is not rebelling. 4 months old is much to young to expect him come when he's called. That is a long term work in progress part of training. He is just a baby, he has EVERYTHING to learn still. You've just begun training him, none of it is solid and won't be for several more months, and will actually be a lifelong process. 

Keep him on a long lead line, 30 feet, and let him play, but then call him to you and reel him in. When he gets to you, praise him and give him treats. Make coming to you the very best thing that ever happens to him. Never get mad or reprimand him when he comes to you. 

Practice recall at home, make it a game, hide from him and call him. Call him and when he starts toward you run away from him, so that he chases you. When he gets to you always praise and make it a good thing when he comes to you.


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## Mama

OMG so glad to have found this thread! I know it's old but you know you're desperate when you're googling "my teenage golden is crazy" - haha!

My 14 month old Golden is driving us absolutely crazy lately, he's being such a little monster! On some walks he can walk just perfectly, and suddenly - he snaps and jumps and bites and it can really hurt! I try ignoring him but he's actually managed to almost rip my pants off, and I'm full of bruises. Not very charming! He just got neutered 6 weeks ago and he's not luckily not as interested in females anymore, but has started to bark at other males. Has anyone else had this experience after neutering/in teenage years? I'm so afraid I'll end up with a terrible, misbehaving and aggressive huge dog...


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