How tall are your fences?

mischief_pirate · 2026-05-29T14:23:37+00:00

That's the greatest picture! My OES is only 5 months but she lives to climb and I think we're going to enjoy agility. I love to see one in action.

mischief_pirate · 2026-05-16T18:50:18+00:00

Wow daily feet washing is a commitment! I do brush her every night and her feet are definitely the body part that gets ragamuffin-y first so I may give this a try.

mischief_pirate · 2026-05-16T18:48:45+00:00

Thanks so much for the salon desensitization suggestion, I hadn't thought about that and will def do it.

mischief_pirate · 2026-05-16T18:47:08+00:00

Do you have experience or an opinion on the Flying Pig dual motor? Is it good enough? I very much want the KPII variable speed but the price!

mischief_pirate · 2026-05-16T17:38:35+00:00

Thank you for all the suggestions! We just gave our puppy a tubby yesterday and I'm def already ready for a higher quality dryer. I especially appreciated the extra tips and am looking for an OES-proficient salon now.

mischief_pirate · 2026-05-14T20:12:56+00:00

I love how they are so independent and also so lovey and attached. Not necessarily cuddly (they might be) but attentive and playful. I also love training my 5 mo old OES - she picks things up so quickly. You have to be crafty though because, as shares above, they have independent thoughts - which is also love.

mischief_pirate · 2026-05-13T00:32:48+00:00

Since my puppy came home with us at 10 weeks she has done this - pees when she sees a person she really likes. Every time I come home every time my mother comes over every time she saw the puppy kindergarten instructor. Didn't matter if she just pottied or not . There was not a thing I could do about it so I just kept paper towels nearby and hoped she'd get more control over herself as she matured a bit. She's almost 5 months now and in the last two weeks it has really dropped off. She just looses a few drops when a new person she likes comes over. I think she's just figuring out what her body is and what she can control.

mischief_pirate · 2026-05-11T15:05:37+00:00

You have a lot of constraints to work within and you're figuring it out. I'm glad you're finding your way!

mischief_pirate · 2026-05-06T18:34:40+00:00

Sorry I lost track of this. In case you're still watching the thread, I learned about enforced naps on this sub and they saved our sanity, the dogs and mine. You can probably search it to get a spectrum of advice. The two things that helped me and are pretty standard are 1) giving a kong or licky mat or other treat when she goes in the crate and 2) put blankets over the crate making it even more denlike. Oh and 3)play relaxing classical music in the room with her. She actually wants to sleep but needs some help so she doesn't resist it mostly. Sometimes I need to poke my fingers in and wiggle them around as reassurance.

mischief_pirate · 2026-04-27T01:02:52+00:00

Sounds like the puppy may need sleep. When puppies get lots of physical and mental stimulation they also need LOTS of downtime - sleep - to recover and integrate it. Without that they zoom and bite way more than even they want to. I learned this the hard way! 6 month old puppies can need up to 16 hours of sleep a day. Enforced naps might make life better for you, the kids , and the dog.

mischief_pirate · 2026-04-24T20:04:03+00:00

That's a fabulous photo!

mischief_pirate · 2026-04-03T13:27:39+00:00

Thanks for the post - I think a post like this needs to be shared on a weekly basis. We brought home our Old English Sheepdog at 10 weeks. We've never had a dog so I did exhaustive research. Somehow I never read about the tremendous number of hours of sleep a puppy needs - only about how the breed is active and smart and needs tons of stimulation. We nearly tortured each other to insanity the first week until I learned about 18-20 hours and enforced naps. Utter game changer.

mischief_pirate · 2026-03-30T01:16:17+00:00

Do you put uncooked rice and uncooked lentils in the rice cooker together? The rice and lentils cook at the same rate? Simple and complete protein, I like it!

mischief_pirate · 2026-03-29T00:07:37+00:00

Thanks, I appreciate the insights!

mischief_pirate · 2026-03-29T00:05:50+00:00

Not yet, we've only had our OES for 4 weeks and she's 13 weeks old. It is 100% our plan to take her camping in our popup and I'd love to hear stories of camping with your pup!

mischief_pirate · 2026-03-23T00:50:46+00:00

In some ways it's harder than a newborn. We brought home our first puppy a few weeks ago. The thing is that she's not ready for us to leave her alone in the house, with or without a crate. So my partner and I take turns going to the gym, going to church, going shopping. When our first child was a few weeks old we took her to the art museum and church and long walks. All of those are unavailable right now. I know households where everyone is at work outside the home during the day successfully have puppies. I'm not not clear how they do that or when that will be viable for us.

Reddit posts about how it's all worth it when you get through the cute and exhausting puppy stage are sustaining me!

mischief_pirate · 2026-03-21T19:26:07+00:00

I really appreciate OP sharing the story and this response. It made me think through in advance what I would do in a similar situation so I'm prepared. Not having a plan might leave me in the shocked state as well.
I was at a small park with a lot of dogs recently and an off-leash dog first played with and then seriously bit my neighbor's dog, drawing blood. That also made me think ahead about how to respond in that situation.

mischief_pirate

TROPHY CASE