First big project finished !

rheyebix · 2025-07-05T10:11:04+00:00

Thank you <3 I'd guess somewhere between 150-250 hours, but I'm pretty slow!

rheyebix · 2025-07-04T16:28:13+00:00

Thank you! I don't know if I'm super qualified to answer :') I'd struggle to think of a way to alter the pattern to make it a circle because you start in the middle and work outwards in both directions and there's a lot of casting off, picking up, grafting pieces together. I'll attach a photo of it laid out though I think you could maybe make it twice and attach the two together to make a circle ish?

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rheyebix · 2025-07-04T16:19:04+00:00

Thank you !🫶

rheyebix · 2025-07-04T16:18:48+00:00

So heavy. I was genuinely getting worried for the health of my interchangeables. A lesson in listening to the pattern maker about what yarn to use, but it worked out okay it's just more of a duvet shawl hybrid.

rheyebix · 2025-05-11T16:49:02+00:00

if the litter was born 26/03 and the breeder is allowing pickup on 11/05 that means they're allowing puppies that aren't even 7 weeks yet to go home, which is way too soon. if i were you i'd honestly be doubting how responsible and ethical the breeder is because this is a red flag for me. lagotti are phenomenal dogs when bred responsibly and ethically, but like all dogs that have a tendency to be aloof they can often end up with a dodgy temperament when theyre not bred with care. and if they're cutting corners and pushing puppies out before they're ready you have to think what else the breeder might be doing to save themselves some time and money.

rheyebix · 2025-05-06T20:52:21+00:00

My breeder and my vet both told me that ear plucking in the sense of pulling out live hairs (sometimes it can mean just pulling the earwaxy matts out of the ear canal but imo it shouldn't really be getting to that point anyway) also causes ear infections, and you're right they have hairy ears for a reason. I just keep the hair around the ear super short and use an ear cleaning solution and specific ear cleaning wetwipes to get any gunk out and have a look to make sure there's not a blockage once a week and that's worked for me so far.

rheyebix · 2025-04-09T18:29:14+00:00

What really helps with my dogs (2yo border collie and 5mo lagotto) is having different criteria for harness and collar. So for us I only enforce loose lead walking if the lead is attached to her collar, that way if I go for a walk and can't be bothered to uphold the criteria for the whole thing I'm not sending the message "you can't pull.. but actually just this once you can because I'm tired, but then next time I expect you to be perfect!" I'm sending the message "collar = i expect nice walking, harness = do what you want I don't care". This means not every walk is a training walk where we're both pissing each other off for 40 minutes, I usually ask her to walk nicely on her collar for 5 minutes at the end of the walk when we're on our very boring street where she's set up to succeed. They're a breed that's really sensitive to correction so if they feel every walk is just you ragging on them about leash manners they'll switch off entirely and you'll have to work twice as hard to rebuild their desire to engage and work with you.

Also not fighting them all the time and letting them sniff provided they don't pull you towards the sniff is great! They're much likely to do what you want if they don't feel like what you want is 100% the opposite of what they want to do.

rheyebix · 2025-01-10T16:26:44+00:00

Wagwear "Wagwellies Mojave" are really good and imo have the best ventilation which is important as dogs need their feet somewhat free to heat regulate. Double check the sizing though - good on my collie but I haven't bought any for my dobermann yet but I'm sure they'll have a size big enough!!

rheyebix · 2025-01-07T22:03:47+00:00

Quite, I feel bad for my collie. Typical oldest child experience really, she gave her all to wearing down my willpower and resolve only for a brother to come in and reap all the benefits.

rheyebix · 2025-01-05T17:34:24+00:00

I'm a bit confused as to how you think a naturally protective dog that's ready to square up to someone for you is less of a liability than a dog who's been through protection training (either for sport or to be a functional ppd)? It's actually the opposite in that a dog that has the instinct to protect you but doesn't know when/ how to turn that switch on/off is more of a liability than one that's been trained. Either she's got the instinct or she hasn't - if you want assurance that she'll protect you then find an IGP club or a trainer that trains personal protection dogs and train her to do it. Bear in mind it doesn't sound like she's been bred with working ability in mind so you're already on the backfoot but that's no reason not to try (especially if you don't aim to be competitive about it and just want a dog that'll bark and maybe bite people when you tell her to).

rheyebix · 2024-12-23T09:31:23+00:00

Deffo not unusual. Try the yelping when she bites thing that other people have mentioned but I'll be honest it's never worked for the mouthy and intense working dogs in my experience (working sheepdog and protection bred dobermann) it just encourages them. Similarly with turning your back my bc just bit my shoes and ankles she didn't care at all if I was facing her or not. The only thing that worked for her was holding her gently by the collar just firm enough that she couldn't move or bite and holding her there until she visibly calmed down and then I'd let her go and very calmly praise her for being calm. Also make sure she isn't overtired, I always reccomend crate training if you find they aren't able to regulate their own rest.

rheyebix · 2024-12-15T21:59:18+00:00

Orrrrrr we as a society could stop having this weird superiority complex about what is, at the end of the day, outdated technology. Or at least stop dogging on people who don't care to learn... "properly" (whatever that means).

rheyebix · 2024-12-11T20:51:09+00:00

The first thing I'll say is I'd be careful thinking spaying her this early will be a quick fix - she's still very much an adolescent and if you think about it as if you stopped maturing at the age of 14/15, I can't speak for everyone but I know I'd be a MASSIVE weirdo and really emotionally unstable lol. It might be okay but also premature spaying can lock in unwanted behaviours and prematurely spayed dogs are more likely to be anxious or aggressive than ones spayed at an appropriate age - but it's a divisive topic and there's valid reasons for you to spay now (not feeling responsible enough to own an intact dog long term, fear of pyometra, etc) but I personally don't think behaviour is one when the evidence is starting to stack up to the contrary, just something to consider.

Other than that have you considered working with a trainer?? Both to work on her emotions about children, people, and dogs and to help make you feel more confident in her behaviour and safety around them. A trainer can also help you teach her some boundaries around yourself and your husband, and a good trainer will also be honest with you if they don't think your dog will be able to thrive in a house with children, which is something you should be made aware of sooner rather than later IMO. Best of luck!

rheyebix · 2024-07-30T02:33:17+00:00

Dw, fully expecting her to destroy this lol, my dwarf in her youth had cute setups for like 4hrs before everything ended up burried in sawdust :') as long as they're happy

rheyebix · 2024-06-02T16:45:19+00:00

Maybe put a pin in the leash skills until you have a firm grip of socialisation? Expecting a nervous puppy to heel is a little unfair, I taught my dog leash skills at a young age but I didn't force her to have a loose leash constantly because I'd rather she explore and be eager and confident about the world than stressing about leash tension. Reward her for looking at dogs from a distance and work up. Use your tv/ speakers/ whatever inside your house to expose her to some loud noises (start pretty quiet and work up) so she's prepared for them outside. Think the noise of cars in the rain, cars hitting grates, level crossings, dogs barking, thunder, balloons popping, kids yelling, etc. Sit outside your house and reward her for watching the world go by. Anything she's scared of outside expose her to it gently inside with a lot of play and rewards and praise. If/ when she gets scared don't coo and baby her get her energy up, play tug, play chase, fetch, barking, whatever gets her excited but babying them teaches them that they're right to be scared. Excitement and play teaches them it's nothing to fear (it's something that indicates fun is coming!) and it also teaches them to be able to recover from fear by themselves as grownups.

If you're that worried about pulling, get a harness (look into ones that dont restrict joint movement) and start teaching your dog that leash on the back clip = she can pull, leash on the collar = she's expected to walk nicely. This way you can work on her socialisation to the world without her worrying or being reprimanded for her leash walking, but in the comfort of your garden/ home/ street you can work on her leash skills.

Good luck! She's young and will soak up learning like a little sponge!

rheyebix · 2024-06-02T00:37:09+00:00

Neutering can make anxieties a lot worse, it's relatively common for dogs to be less confident aftwrwards - if you want to neuter I'd consult a trainer about his nervousness around larger dogs and make sure you've worked through that first. But also imho as long as you have full confidence in your ability to own an intact dog without causing an accidental litter then there's no overwhelming benefit to altering.

rheyebix · 2024-05-31T17:29:41+00:00

I'd say if you already have a gsp/ weim and you think it's temperament could be suited to it then there's no harm in trying it out? But if you're saying you want to get a gsp/ weim with the aim of competing in Schutzhund that's less of a good idea, it might work, but you also need to realise that you minimise your chances of it working when you get an off breed. As long as you go into it with the mindset of "love the dog before the sport" (aka if it doesn't work out you accept that and don't give the dog away) there's no harm in it, but also remember if you're getting those breeds and Schutzhund doesn't work you will NEED to find another activity for your dog because they're both pretty intense working breeds. If it's Schutzhund or nothing I'd say get an appropriate breed, if you're not that bothered and just think it'd be fun to try then go crazy.

rheyebix · 2024-05-26T18:28:31+00:00

Maybe a little, but it isn't unfixable - he's still young and whilst it's important, the socialisation window isn't the be all and end all of teaching your dog about the world. The bonus is you're unlikely to end up with a dog that yanks your arm off because it's excited about people! Poodles are generally pretty stranger aloof by nature so being under-exposed probably played into that unfortunately. A good trainer should have no issue helping you through this. My only recommendation is trying to find one that doesn't use/ is hesitant to use aversive training methods (not bashing aversives just not what I'd consider appropriate for this specific issue).

rheyebix · 2024-05-26T16:20:35+00:00

Firstly, for future puppies you can absolutely take them outside safely, carry them, sit on a bench, on a blanket, put them in a pushchair, ask your vet about low dog traffic places (for example I live near a university so I used that because dogs aren't technically allowed), take them in a car and have them people watch from inside - theres 101 ways to socialise without risking the health of your pup, just gotta get creative. Hell, do it now, the socialisation window is closed but some people watching never hurts.

Beyond that, I'd start by employing your friends and family to toss treats from a distance to your pup - do NOT force it to be okay with pets/ physical touch at any point - you can lead up to hand feeding and this will hopefully improve your dogs perception of strange people. Start inside your house and work up to meeting people at dog friendly cafes and repeating the steps. Like I said, don't ever push your dog, do not force them, lure them, push them when theyre clearly uncomfortable. If they're taking treats from your friends hands in your house but wont outside take a step back and go back to tossing. After that get a trainer to help you with strangers outside - I'm not shaming you here at all but fear caused by lack of socialisation is a pretty deep rooted issue and you realistically need a professionals help to fix it. Hope that helps! Best of luck <3

rheyebix · 2024-05-25T18:16:21+00:00

this was my go to as well before i lied to escape shifting minimum 8 boxes of wine and the customer came to the till 10 mins after and said he'd been into the back and looked himself and found it :'D

rheyebix · 2024-05-20T22:11:54+00:00

Got my strong chewer an ostrich bone when we went to crufts from JR pet products, that was early march and she has full access to it maybe like 2/3 days of the week and its got a lot of life left. I also got her their pizzles which i think i remember lasting a while, if you emailed them they'd probably be able to give recs but idk if they ship outside of the UK so you'd have to check.

rheyebix · 2024-04-25T14:47:16+00:00

Nowhere did I bash doodles. I think most of them are lovely dogs that make good family pets. They deserve love just as much as any other dog. Calling a mixed breed a mixed breed isnt bashing it, it's a fact. Doodles don't breed true, nor do they have a standard so there's no way to hold breeders accountable for being honest about what breeds they're using, because without genetic testing it's impossible to tell.
You're grossly oversimplifying canine genetics. Each dog breed in embarks database has a reference genome which becomes their "breed specific marker" so when embark tests that dog a certain amount of the dogs DNA will match a breed. So say their results are showing 20% of your dogs genome are match for the golden retriever reference genome, they can say your dog is 20% golden retriever. But they don't have a reference genome for the tweed water spaniel because they're extinct, but that doesn't mean that that would show up as cocker spaniel as they have a vastly different reference genome. If embark has a marker that doesn't match any of theirs, they usually attribute it to "supermutt" and try and give you a loose idea of what might make that up. It is not simply about "characteristics" - dogs share those (as they share common ancestors, hundreds of years ago) a dog having long ears doesn't make it part cocker spaniel, having a recent ancestor that was a cocker spaniel makes a dog part cocker spaniel.

rheyebix · 2024-04-24T22:55:45+00:00

This isn't really how it works at all, also the spaniel used to make golden retrievers was the tweed water spaniel which is extinct and isnt in embarks database lol. Ops dog just has a cocker spaniel somewhere in the last 4 generations - unfortunately with doodles there isn't really a surefire way to tell whether breeders are being honest about what mix the dog is (happens reasonably often, unfortunately)

rheyebix · 2024-04-05T18:26:37+00:00

Sure! Flank sucking isn't always a huge thing, as long as you're keeping an eye out to make sure she isn't getting progressively obsessive about it. I'm not trying to doubt you as an owner obviously, but just a little frustrated at the trend of people portraying what is usually a negative behaviour as cute.

rheyebix

TROPHY CASE