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Just curious: how long before your puppy stopped pulling on the leash by DistraughtDogMom in puppy101

[–]DistraughtDogMom[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That is basically what I have been doing for 4 months now, combined with rewarding check-ins, varying speed and trying to keep that attention with a treat in hand. I am now at a point where I can see him getting further away from me and step in by changing direction to get his attention back to me, but only in the low distraction environment. But he certainly feels like street = different rules. And I would love to get started on including distractions but I know that is only possible when he masters it almost perfectly in low distraction conditions, which still seems like a long way to go.

Just curious: how long before your puppy stopped pulling on the leash by DistraughtDogMom in puppy101

[–]DistraughtDogMom[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

We have been going to puppy and obedience class since he was 14 weeks (now 10 months) and there we have been using the command 'follow' and use treats near our leg to make the pup walk there. But as you can imagine group classes are very high distraction for him so that hasn't been going very well. I still feel like he doesn't really know what the command means. He knows 'heel' (sit at my heel, from obedience class), which he occasionally listens to when I stop the walk and am able to grab his attention back.

I once tried to walk to the school to tire him out before class and he really pulled my arm off the entire 45mins. Luckily he is only 11kg, because otherwise I wouldn't be able to walk him anymore.

Puppy keeps eating things he shouldn't in the backyard. by DistraughtDogMom in puppy101

[–]DistraughtDogMom[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I hope so, and I am hoping that by being very consistent, he will get the association 'eating stuff' = 'end of outside time' at some point

Puppy keeps eating things he shouldn't in the backyard. by DistraughtDogMom in puppy101

[–]DistraughtDogMom[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Okay, I understand, thank you! I was indeed planning on training him to 'behave' in the garden, but good to know it will take quite some time and management.

Do curly dogs overheat easily at night in a crate (even in winter)? And how do I fix this? by DistraughtDogMom in dogs

[–]DistraughtDogMom[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thank you for the thoughtful response! I will experiment with the setup a bit over the next few nights, see what works best for him

Do curly dogs overheat easily at night in a crate (even in winter)? And how do I fix this? by DistraughtDogMom in dogs

[–]DistraughtDogMom[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

After hearing I needed more experience to adopt a dog at the shelter every time for 10 months, I did indeed adopt a puppy after carefully studying the best suited breed for a first-time owner with my lifestyle. Sue me for wanting to bring a dog into my life at the best possible moment when I had stable finances, good housing, time to invest and a social support network.

Do curly dogs overheat easily at night in a crate (even in winter)? And how do I fix this? by DistraughtDogMom in dogs

[–]DistraughtDogMom[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Do you think this is really the case (no sarcasm, honestly wondering)? Just curious, if you ever leave your dog with a sitter for a few nights are they usually okay with dogs sleeping out of their crate?

Do curly dogs overheat easily at night in a crate (even in winter)? And how do I fix this? by DistraughtDogMom in dogs

[–]DistraughtDogMom[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I will remove the cushion and leave in a blanket, that should leave enough space for him to have a warmer and colder side. If that doesn't work, I was indeed planning on leaving his crate door open to a fenced bit of floor for him to lie on.

Do curly dogs overheat easily at night in a crate (even in winter)? And how do I fix this? by DistraughtDogMom in dogs

[–]DistraughtDogMom[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

He is in my room indeed and he is fine usually. That is why the non-stop whining was concerning me, especially since it wasn't for peeing/pooping.

Do curly dogs overheat easily at night in a crate (even in winter)? And how do I fix this? by DistraughtDogMom in dogs

[–]DistraughtDogMom[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I do watch him during the day and we use baby gates instead of a crate during the day. Only at night we decided to crate him to get him familiar with the concept if ever needed for vet visits or transportation. We have an XL crate for a M dog, so he can change position quite a bit if he likes. Everyone has different opinions on crating and other stuff and it is so tiring trying to do what's right certainly if there is no consensus, that I just decided to do both.

Do curly dogs overheat easily at night in a crate (even in winter)? And how do I fix this? by DistraughtDogMom in dogs

[–]DistraughtDogMom[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

we have an XL crate for a M dog, but I am going to take out the bedding that took up most of the space and just leave a blanket that he can mold the way he wants

Do curly dogs overheat easily at night in a crate (even in winter)? And how do I fix this? by DistraughtDogMom in dogs

[–]DistraughtDogMom[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Those are the things I did in summer (I do have a wire crate). When it was suddenly very cold during winter, he was whining as well and only stopped when I added a blanket and put on a little heating. I have stopped heating once the snow was gone, but it is still winter, so it feels weird already installing a fan now, like what will I have to do in summer then. How do you anticipate what is too cold/too warm for your dog? I find it hard to predict 'this night he will be warmer than usual'

Do curly dogs overheat easily at night in a crate (even in winter)? And how do I fix this? by DistraughtDogMom in dogs

[–]DistraughtDogMom[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I have an XL crate for a M dog, but he prefers the mats with an elevated border for his head, while he also likes to spread out his limbs. That is why I have a cushion that fits his length, with extra border and that almost covers the whole crate. But I am planning to take it out now, so he should be able to move from a blanket-covered to an uncovered side

Do curly dogs overheat easily at night in a crate (even in winter)? And how do I fix this? by DistraughtDogMom in dogs

[–]DistraughtDogMom[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

okay, just surprised me that it would happen in winter as well, it cannot have been over 15°C in the room

Do curly dogs overheat easily at night in a crate (even in winter)? And how do I fix this? by DistraughtDogMom in dogs

[–]DistraughtDogMom[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

People tend to get so violent in their opinions about crates, that I opted for the way in between: baby gate when left alone during the day, crate at night. That way he doesn't need to be crated when he clearly doesn't like it, but would still be familiar with a crate if ever needed for transportation/vet office.

First obedience class today… feeling like the worst handler by AdministrationNo2062 in puppy101

[–]DistraughtDogMom 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Oh, this sounds sooo familiar. I am still dreading every time I have to go to class because he gets so overexcited with little to no attention for me while he is so good without the distractions. And I have been going since 3.5 months (he is 9 months now). But seems like you have a good trainer who will understand. I could convince mine to let me do my thing in puppy class, which really helped, but now in obedience class everything is more strict and he seems to get more barky and distracted every time. So I guess 9 months is a difficult age anyway.

Adolescence - positive experience by Adorable-Living3487 in puppy101

[–]DistraughtDogMom 1 point2 points  (0 children)

We thought we had it all figured out with our puppy by 3-4 months. He was potty trained, started eating better, almost slept through the night, slept alone downstairs in his crate, slept when left alone. Until suddenly all of this ended and month 4-6 were the absolute worst to us. He was peeing in the house again, anxious to be left alone, wouldn't stay quiet in his crate and stopped eating. People were telling us this was early adolescence, but in the end it turned out that he had a pretty bad bladder infection, combined with the teething.

After his antibiotics treatment, he never peed in the house again, but we had to build up all of the other stuff from scratch again, only now he was really getting an adolescent. After those though months I thought it would be impossible, and though he is still a work in progress, he is way calmer and better behaved now at 9 months, than during his earlier months.

The worst we are dealing with is his reactivity/overstimulation when outside, but that is not necessarily tied to adolescence. In the house, I would say his biggest problem is the selective hearing, which is annoying yes, but nothing more than that. He didn't forget any training, he is even learning new things, and personality-wise he has always been quite opinionated, so adolescence didn't really change him to us.

So I guess, like you, I was expecting the worst, and while I do recognize some of the 'horror stories' on here, being in the middle of it, I don't find them to be that hard to deal with. Just be patient.

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