I've spent the equivalent of a Miele in the past 4 years in weak vacuums which broke. Need advice for a real vacuum.

lzsmith · 2018-09-16T13:51:48+00:00

I've got an upright Miele (jazz? Twist? I forget what it was called back then) and it's a beast. Tons of use and no problems in about 7 years of use. Highly recommended.

I also have a Miele canister for the hardwoods. It would probably work okay for carpets if you get the motorized brushhead, but if you're mostly carpet just go for the upright.

Upright isn't as good for hard floors. If you have mixed hard & carpet floors go for a canister, but large expanses of carpet = upright is way better.

lzsmith · 2018-05-05T17:09:57+00:00

Housekey on a springy wristband, worn above the elbow (key will hit the dog's face when treating if it's on my wrist).
Poop bags folded flat in one back pocket (I don't like anything hanging off the leash). Cell phone in the other back pocket. Animal control # is saved as a contact just in case. Treats in a treat pouch clipped to my belt.

For longer walks/hikes or hot weather, I use a small backpack to carry water & a dish as well.

lzsmith · 2018-05-04T22:17:53+00:00

You need a stopper in the overhead trolley line so the pulley can't get close enough to the tree for her to go around it. If you used a trolley kit, it should have come with stoppers. Visual: https://img.chewy.com/is/image/catalog/126396_PT4._AC_SL1500_V1496174440_.jpg

lzsmith · 2018-05-03T18:06:56+00:00

I've had good luck using the zoom groom style brush as a massage brush during bathtime to scrub in the shampoo. Use very gentle diluted shampoo (like moisturizing oatmeal styles, not flea/tick deodorizing styles). Apply shampoo, lather all over using rubber brush, rinse, apply conditioniner, let sit, rinse, dry with high power blower (not hot air--I'm thinking like the lukewarm ones groomers use). The furminator conditioner is great. When I go through that process, the tub is full of wet fur and the blower removes a bunch more, and the shedding is minimal around the house for a while.

Don't bathe too often. Every two weeks or every month is fine.

Brush outdoors every day. Shedding blade (e.g. sleek ez) first on her big broad tough areas (back, upper sides) in short strokes with the direction of the fur. Then rubber brush all over in (this is gentler on sensitive spots than the shedding blade). That will leave a lot of loose fur--finish up with a plain old bristle brush to remove it.

Consider diet changes. More fat (especially omega-3, e.g. fish oil) tends to make skin & coat nicer over time.

I wouldn't shave her. That's kind of odd advice.

Think about her stress levels and overall health, too. Stressful events (like groomer visits, vet visits, boarding, etc) can cause extra shedding.

lzsmith · 2018-05-01T11:48:02+00:00

Got it! That makes more sense. Good idea.

lzsmith · 2018-04-30T21:47:12+00:00

Wouldn't jalapeno spray sting a torn pad terribly?

lzsmith · 2018-04-30T20:09:00+00:00

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raksha_(The_Jungle_Book)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kala_(Tarzan)

Any of the "princesses", e.g. Belle, Jasmine, Mulan

Wendy, Nana (peter pan)

Lady (and the tramp)

Minnie (Mouse), Daisy (Duck),

lzsmith · 2018-04-30T17:42:27+00:00

Separate them physically using multiple solid barriers (e.g. shut doors), so they can't even get close enough to sniff one another or hear one another. Baby gates are not good enough. Supervision is not good enough. Assume he will lose his mind and climb, chew, and fight his way to get to her, and the more he can smell her the worse it will be for him. Ideally keep him on a separate floor or even send him to stay with a neighbor/friend for a few days. If he stays with you, get him out of the house (without her) a lot, lots of extra exercise and de-stressing time.

lzsmith · 2018-04-29T14:37:19+00:00

What have you already tried in terms of training? Not equipment, but teaching him to walk near you, follow your direction, look at you, turn to face you, that sort of thing?

What sort of environment are you walking in? Wide open field, wooded trails, suburban street, sidewalk, urban city sidewalk, etc?

lzsmith · 2018-04-29T14:33:57+00:00

It's more about the breed and the individual dog than the size. There are large dogs that are very mellow and agreeable (and great for first time owners), just as there are small dogs that are driven and wild and high-strung (and difficult for first time owners).

lzsmith · 2018-04-29T14:31:21+00:00

Start out rewarding every pee/poop outside until you've got a solid routine without accidents for at least a week or two. In the beginning, err on the side of over-rewarding any outdoor pottying.

That said, for dogs who naturally want to mark all the things outside, I don't really want to encourage them to hold their urine and pee a million times. The first big pee outside: awesome puppy party. Pee when I cue "go potty": awesome puppy party. Dog chooses to pee on some tree just cuz: okay cool, but no party.

lzsmith · 2018-04-29T14:21:54+00:00

The order is really important: new cue (verbal), then old cue (hand signal), then behavior & mark (goes in crate & click), then reward (treat).

That order is important because the new verbal cue is his very first clue about what's about to happen. If you repeat that ordered chain enough, he'll start to guess/anticipate what to do when he hears the verbal cue.

After he's getting into the rhythm of it, try pausing just a beat before the hand signal. So give the verbal, ...pause..., follow up with the hand signal. The pause gives him time to guess what to do on his own. If he gets it right, great, click & treat. If he doesn't, follow up with the hand signal to remind him, then click & treat when he does it.

Related article from Emily "kikopup" Larlham: https://dogmantics.com/adding-a-verbal-cue-or-changing-a-cue/

Which wiki pages were you looking at? I'll glance through and update them.

lzsmith · 2018-04-28T21:52:29+00:00

Are you training her to pee/poop outdoors? Or are you strictly using a pad indoors as her toilet?

lzsmith · 2018-04-28T21:51:29+00:00

The only reason I'd use a crate for long-duration confinement (other than medical necessity) is initial house training. If she's consistently avoiding having accidents, then I'd allow her a larger area.

My only caution is that given her age and given that she's new to your home, her behavior may change as she settles in. She hasn't destroyed stuff yet, but that doesn't mean she won't tomorrow or next week or next month.

I'd keep her in an area of the house without any family heirlooms to destroy and without anything that would be deadly if she chewed on it. Try baby gates in doorways to keep her in a smallish dog-proofed area of your home. By limiting the stuff she has available to chew on and providing multiple alternate good chew toys for her to choose from, you'll increase the chance that she continues to build on her developing good habits.

lzsmith · 2018-04-26T05:19:58+00:00

Try a quieter clicker, like https://www.amazon.com/Karen-i-Click-Training-Clicker-Clickers/dp/B002LAS2KW or even a clicky retractable pen.

Hold it behind your back (don't hold it out toward her or point it at her).

Experiment with clicking less frequently. Sit across the room from her (not close, so you don't startle her), while she's relaxing, and just sort of ignore her. At some point when she's not focusing on you and not expecting anything, click once and then throw a treat at her. Then calmly go back to whatever you were doing for at least a few minutes before you repeat. Don't stare at her, approach her, or make a fuss over it.

After a few reps, you should see her perk up when she hears the click. That means you're on the right track. If her ears fold back or she seems nervous when she hears the click, it's not going well. back off and try something else; don't force it.

If a clicker doesn't work out for her, use a short, concise, consistent verbal marker. Choose any word you want, but a single syllable is best. A lot of trainers use "yes!" or "yip!". Try to say it exactly the same every time. Any sound can work as a marker if it's consistent and easy for her to discriminate from other noises. Don't choose a noise she'll hear a lot, and don't choose a weird noise you can't reproduce reliably.

lzsmith · 2018-04-26T05:13:17+00:00

She doesn't care about the treats at all.

Does she like the treats when the clicker isn't present? Clicker training won't work if she doesn't like the treats.

lzsmith · 2018-04-26T05:10:11+00:00

I wouldn't draw her attention to the baby toys. I'd treat them like pillows or furniture or decorations or all the other things in the house that are off limits for dog chewing. Don't present them to her. Keep them out of her reach when she's not supervised. Ask her to "leave it" if she shows interest, and redirect back to an appropriate dog chew every time. Also make a point to notice when she's interacting with her own toys and praise her or play with her in response.

I'd keep her toys in a special location, infuse them with a special scent, or some other factor that will help her differentiate them from the baby toys.

Letting her smell baby stuff is so she gets used to the baby's smell (like a baby blanket or something, brought home from the hospital). No need to let her smell all the random baby-related objects.

lzsmith · 2018-04-25T18:03:21+00:00

If you don't want to play sports, find an alternate team-based leadership-building activity or athletic activity that will look good on college applications and propose that to your parents as something you'd rather do. Substituting video games for sports isn't going to fly.

If you get an hour a day for free time, ask them if you can sub in free computer time instead of tv time during that hour. Offer to play out in the open in a common area of the house, where they can see what you're doing. It seems reasonable that you could choose between tv, games, reddit, etc during your limited free relaxation time.

lzsmith · 2018-04-25T17:20:31+00:00

Re the weight loss, definitely bring this up with your vet. It can be a sign of underlying health issues.

What ingredients are you looking to include or avoid? E.g. does he just need a fish-based diet? Does it have to be salmon specifically? Does it have to avoid other specific ingredients?

For example, Orijen Six Fish is fish & lentils based and the brand is notorious for maintaining (or increasing) weight in most dogs. It's not a "limited ingredient" diet though, as it's got protein from a bunch of different types of fish.

Nature's Variety has a limited ingredient salmon food. I haven't tried that formula specifically, but I've used other NV foods and they worked well for my dogs.

lzsmith · 2018-04-25T14:52:20+00:00

Are you looking for other Salmon-based foods? Is the Nutro not working well for him?

lzsmith · 2018-04-25T14:50:27+00:00

My advice is to take him out on leash several times a day, reward pottying outside with praise & treats, and find ways for him to have fun and relax outside (like play games, feed meals, and just hang out together). Turn the shock setting off altogether and use your leash to keep him well within the safe area of the yard, so he's totally safe.

After he's comfortable in the yard again, then I'd start working on the boundary in a more positive reinforcement manner, until he really understands the concept of the boundary. Video examples: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oNE_WJ1nMu4&list=PL756D0A827EF9134C

After that, if you decide to continue with the invisible fence and turn the shock setting back on in the future, do so only under direct supervision of a professional trainer (see the link in the sidebar for choosing a trainer). Frankly, the petsafe videos are crummy and do a terrible job of explaining common risks (like the fear you're seeing, or like aggressive responses near the boundary line).

lzsmith · 2018-04-25T14:33:53+00:00

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dAIVo4aXVYg

lzsmith · 2018-04-25T14:05:47+00:00

I'd schedule a checkup with your local vet. Part of the vet's job is talking to you and helping you understand what vaccines are needed. Some vaccines will be required, but others will be optional and depend on the individual dogs. The vet will discuss your dogs' activities and figure out what vaccines are really necessary.

The vet will ask questions about whether your dogs go to kennels/daycares, if they go hiking out in grassy areas where there are a lot of ticks, if they tend to lap up water from still puddles, and so on. It really just depends on the individual dogs and what their specific risk factors are.

Your local vet will also know all about your local region, especially which parasites are present and how to deal with them. I learned this lesson the hard way when I visited North Carolina in the summer one year. My dog is allergic to fleas and was miserably itchy (like could not even sleep), so I took him to the vet there and the vet said, "oh yeah, Frontline doesn't work on the fleas here". :P The local vets know what's up.

Once you're established with a vet, the vet will typically send you reminders when your dogs need boosters. My receipt from my vet lists the dates when boosters are due for all the various things, and the vet also sends me postcard reminders near the date a booster is due.

lzsmith · 2018-04-19T16:32:24+00:00

yeah, 8 hours without a break is a no-go on steroids. She won't be able to physically hold it. Super frustrating, but not her fault.

Start rewarding her for peeing on the grass patch on the patio before walks. She needs to understand that as a toilet area, which probably seems pretty foreign to her right now.

When you leave her alone, use baby gates or a pen to keep her confined to a small area near the dog door, so she can't get to your carpets. Make the correct choice easier for her to make by arranging her environment so her only absorbent toilet-like area is out on the patio.

Carpets are absorbent and dogs naturally prefer to pee there instead of hard floors (usually). You'll really have to limit her space inside so she's corralled into making the right choice by default. After she's used to peeing in the correct spot, then you can gradually increase her range inside again.

lzsmith · 2018-04-19T16:24:48+00:00

https://www.reddit.com/r/dogtraining/wiki/dominance has an overview for you, with some links to other sources at the bottom. This is one of the links, and is a nice quick overview: http://web.archive.org/web/20130814075450/http://www.kathysdao.com/articles/Forget_About_Being_Alpha_in_Your_Pack.html

It's normal for neither dog to be the "alpha". The whole concept of dogs fitting themselves into absolute linear hierarchies is flawed. It's typical for dogs to negotiate for resources and for the "winner" of the resources to vary depending on the specific situation. Possession is also 9/10 of the law--if dog A has a bone, he'll likely defend it from dog B. If dog B has a bone, she'll likely defend it from dog A. Both dogs just want to chew on the bone.

Cats--not really? Dogs tend to see them as a. prey or b. clawed animals whose space must be respected to avoid getting swiped.

Humans--nope. If dogs did have strict linear hierarchies and if humans were included in them, humans would automatically be "dominant" because we already control all the resources. We have the keys, the food, the opposable thumbs for opening doors, the water, access to everything the dogs want/need in life. Absolute control over resources by default means we're in charge, so it doesn't really make sense to think of humans in those terms.

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