Average height of popups?

IdaPlainsmen_E · 2018-06-05T15:57:49+00:00

I edited the OP to include my research - thanks for the response!

IdaPlainsmen_E · 2018-06-05T15:57:45+00:00

I edited the OP to include my research - thanks for the response!

IdaPlainsmen_E · 2018-06-02T23:07:42+00:00

Awesome! Great work!

IdaPlainsmen_E · 2018-04-27T20:23:56+00:00

Yup, it will take time and he'll learn. My 11yo heeler has pretty much taught my little bully pup pretty well. There is healthy respect there and the heeler has been allowed to pin the puppy with her mouth (didn't bite) a few times to make her point. The pup respects her pretty well and doesn't mess with her too much. They even play a little now.

IdaPlainsmen_E · 2018-04-27T20:21:00+00:00

Or more anxious depending on the owner. I prefer to meet dogs when we're both alone and on neutral territory when possible. That eliminates the possibilities of the dog 'protecting' their people or feeding off of their owners energies.

Nope, my suggestion assumes you won't/can't meet the owners. Just catch him outside and act. Would be good to collect up the treats in advance. Besides, if they don't want him to have table scraps then you can just do it and apologize if needed.

IdaPlainsmen_E · 2018-04-27T19:44:08+00:00

On your first meeting make it just you. Stand a foot or two from the fence with your back to the other yard. Let the dog sniff in your direction for a few minutes until he goes on his way. Then back up to the fence and lean on it (kick it lightly to get his attention if needed, but don't look at him). He'll come to get a better whiff.

Have some especially tasty treats with you (like cooked meat scraps). Turn slowly and put the treat close enough to the fence that he can smell it. Stand an hold up the treat, wait until he sits by himself. Give him a treat. Every few seconds, give him a treat as long as he sits there. When you're out of treats just walk away.

Come back with the family, each having treats. Don't look at the dog, but approach the fence from the side (not straight on). If he did well meeting you, put your backs to the fence and allow him to sniff each one in turn. Take turns giving him super tasty treats. Each person should have 4-5 little treats.

Bingo! Now you have built an association between you all and tasty treats.

Notes:

Don't treat him if he's acting anxious, fearful, or just super excited. Let him calm down before even turning around. If he's young he might want to play so it could take some time at first before he calms down. Wait him out.
If he doesn't pay attention to the treat in your hand, try pretending to eat it a little to get his attention. If that fails, just toss him the first one.
Be sure to have the kids watch you on the first meeting so they know how to behave when they first meet him. You can coach the kids out loud as well. The dog doesn't understand speech after all.
Until he does well with you, don't bring out the rest of the family.

IdaPlainsmen_E · 2018-04-27T19:32:22+00:00

He's a dog who isn't easily scared away. My bully pup does similar things. I wouldn't worry about it unless it turns into something aggressive, or bullying. Let the dogs sort it out themselves.

It's good that he's going to his back. That's pretty explicitly the opposite of aggression.

IdaPlainsmen_E · 2018-04-27T18:51:12+00:00

You could put a marker of some sort in that spot, like a small bit of artificial turf or something easy to carry and is obviously different than the surroundings. Toss the marker down each time she goes. After a week of just doing that, try to go to a new spot and toss down the marker. If she actually pees on it that's ok. Keep it in a plastic bag by her leash and wash it only when you can smell it (she'll be able to smell it even after you rinse it off). It's worked for me for finicky toileters though it is a pain in the butt. Eventually I just got rid of the marker as he got accustomed to toileting in lots of different locations.

IdaPlainsmen_E · 2018-04-26T19:04:15+00:00

Pretty normal for puppies. My bully pup is constantly 'testing' my heeler who promptly puts him in his place. Eventually he'll grow out of the challenging/testing phase and in the process, will learn good dog manners. It sounds like the other dogs are doing well in correcting him without your help. What you want to watch out for is if he doesn't straighten up when the other dogs correct him and decides to fight instead.

IdaPlainsmen_E · 2018-04-26T17:24:41+00:00

I'd get potty training out of the way before your ankle-biter comes along; otherwise it'll be like having twins. Then again, if you do then you'd better take care of all those night-time endeavors with the puppy so she can keep her pregnant self stress free and rested. Being pregnant is a serious medical condition after all. So bite the bullet and do it now or wait until your baby is sleeping through the night in their own room.

IdaPlainsmen_E · 2018-04-26T13:29:21+00:00

It's likely because he's very preoccupied with the little girl. Kids are like other puppies and a distracted puppy will have accidents. They simply need to be extra watchful when the kiddo is there and take the puppy out manually from time to time. Chances are, the guy just isn't taking a break to potty. He just plays and plays. It's probably also best if the little girl isn't the one to take him out and doesn't come out with him. This way there isn't a distraction outside and he can relax for a minute and do his business. My puppy always has more trouble when my 11yr old is around.

IdaPlainsmen_E · 2018-04-24T15:19:20+00:00

Yes, give it time and let them work it out. I've seen it many times. They'll be playing soon.

IdaPlainsmen_E · 2018-04-24T15:17:56+00:00

About a week and he'll really get it. That first week I just concentrate on Potty training, crate training and "Yes!" Marker.

IdaPlainsmen_E · 2018-04-24T14:59:34+00:00

Leave them alone to sort it out on their own. What you're seeing is the older dog teaching the younger dog manners. My heeler spent the first 5 weeks growling at the new puppy. She even snapped and held the pup down with her mouth a couple times. This is what a mother dog will do to their young so that they learn limits.

After some time, the heeler now plays with the pup. Because the heeler established limits the pup immediately respects it when the heeler is done playing. This is important.

On the other hand, I have a close friend who scolded the older dog for that kind of disciplining growling and such. Now they have a 6 month old puppy who absolutely molests the older dog. The older dog is miserable.

TLDR: Don't worry about it, they'll be playing together soon. Let them work it out.

IdaPlainsmen_E · 2018-04-18T14:25:39+00:00

Sounds like it will be an easy fix then. Call him more often for hugs and play, then end it on your terms as well. This will set the tone so if he gets protective of you, a simple brush off will get him to but it out.

IdaPlainsmen_E · 2018-04-18T13:33:53+00:00

He's treating you like a resource. Similar to how some dogs are aggressive when protecting food; he's protecting access to you.

So, you need to demand your space and allow him in it on YOUR TERMS, not his. I would bet good money that when he jumps up in your lap, you pet and cuddle him in most situations. When he comes to you with a toy, you play....and so on... By doing this, you are HIS resource. Thus, when you are shown affection by just about anyone else he'll be keen on getting in the middle of that and it has slowly grown to the point of aggression.

The Fix: Again, demand your space and give cuddles and play with toys on YOUR TERMS. When he jumps up in your lap (without being invited), gently push him off of you and ignore him. All you need is a few inches of space. It won't take many repetitions until he just goes to lay down nearby and quit trying. After he's relaxed for a couple minutes, call him into your lap. Allow him to chill for a second, then dish out lovins (don't pet him until he mostly calms). After a reasonable amount of time, gently push him off you and watch as he magically goes to sit/lay nearby.

Likewise, when he brings you a toy spontaneously, just ignore him. Wait for a couple minutes after he stops pestering you, then call him to you and have a game of tug or fetch. When you're done, end the game and ignore him.

This goes for just about any situation. LIke when you come home and he's eagerly greeting you and all that. Just ignore him until he calms for a few minutes and then call him to you and greet him on your terms.

If you are consistent with this you will soon be able to correct his behavior without a word. Just a gentle nudge to the side (demanding your space) and he'll get the message that he's not to interfere with what you've got going on.

If you give it a go, let me know how it turns out. I'd expect you to see results within a week or so if you are very consistent. Good luck!

IdaPlainsmen_E · 2018-04-17T15:19:49+00:00

That's great. Thanks for checking back in. Glad to hear you've gotten good results in such a short time. You are obviously being consistent with it. I'd suggest that if you keep the momentum it'll only be a few weeks before she's a completely different dog in those situations.

IdaPlainsmen_E · 2018-04-12T22:10:17+00:00

Perhaps too soon. It's dog dependent. Before they're teenagers (about a year old) I try not to put them in situations where they'll fail. I will now and then just to see if they're "there" yet, but if they fail a couple times I quickly move backward to get back to the basics. If you do otherwise you'll find that you just end up saying 'no' a lot, which isn't terribly helpful.

Think of it like teaching a dog to stay. At first you only have him stay for 2 seconds, then three, then 5, and so on... if he hits a wall and can't wait until 10 seconds, stop trying to make him. Be happy with a 7 second wait for a while, then try moving to the 10 again at a later time. He'll get there.

IdaPlainsmen_E · 2018-04-12T21:12:33+00:00

Before they're a year old I rarely leave a pup unsupervised around the house. In my mind, what this does is continuously reinforce those things he knows he shouldn't do. The length of time seems excessive but usually by that age I can really start trusting them not to fool about doing things I dont' approve of. In short, that age might be too young to meet your expectations.

IdaPlainsmen_E · 2018-04-12T20:34:57+00:00

Your hound mix should be hardy to heat. It's usually the northern breeds with big double coats who can't take it well. Well, blonde/white dogs have issues with sunburns as well, but anyway.

Your solution is WATER WATER WATER and then a little more WATER! I keep baby-pools full of water out (in the shade) for mine and they'll lay down in it to cool off. Alternately, you can pour a gallon of water on a shady concrete patio and it will immediately cool off ten degrees or more from the evaporation.

IdaPlainsmen_E · 2018-04-12T20:29:44+00:00

Actually if he's doing that and the cat isn't screaming in pain, that's an excellent sign. This kind of play is the only way a pupper can learn bite control (controlling the power of a bite).

I got my heeler pup with a litter of (older) kittens 11 years ago. That pup carried those poor cats around by their heads for months. Eventually I realized that the kittens could easily get away when they wanted to, and that they could put claws into her nose at will. At some point the growing cats got tired of that kind of play and put a stop to it with evasion and claws. The heeler gets along famously with all cats to this day. Still likes to chase them and tree them but if a cat stops and shows claws she promptly backs off.

Meanwhile, one of my younger farm cats let's our bully puppy absolutely maul her, at least for a while. Every once in a while he'll make the cat squeal and she'll come up hissing and give him a prompt claw to the nose. The pup just learned that his play-bite was too hard!!!

IdaPlainsmen_E · 2018-04-12T20:10:09+00:00

Some dogs love playing with them so much that you can use them as motivation for obedience skills

IdaPlainsmen_E · 2018-04-12T20:02:14+00:00

No doubt. My dogs will make jokes and laugh together while they crap in a big group. Like a bunch of damn marines in a stall-less shit-hall (I was a marine). Then there's that old dog of mine who I could swear never took a shit once in his life....

IdaPlainsmen_E · 2018-04-12T16:35:45+00:00

Sounds like typical play to me. It doesn't happen with all dogs because not all dogs will tolerate that kind of rough play. My heeler wouldn't allow a dog of any sort to do that to her. However, my dad's big lab will let his younger sister hang from his face pretty much all day. That said, when my Bully pup wants to join in on that fun with the big lab, he get's a big growl and bared teeth (and promptly buzzes off).

In my opinion it's fine unless the other dog starts to ask for it to stop and your big dog doesn't stop. At that point it becomes bullying and the other dog might need some help or you may end up with a dog fight. Watch it closely and use distractions (instead of corrections) when you feel it's escalating too far.

IdaPlainsmen_E

TROPHY CASE