E E Needs A DOG BLOG!

[andi9899]

Awwwww. How sweet. Have fun with teething.

[msventoux]

Mar 13, 2017 10:20:30 GMT -5 andi9899 said:

Thanks. There is a spay/neuter place here that I think does obedience training. I was going to sign Jackson up for obedience class, but then I found Macy. It's so expensive for one, let alone two. I can't pay $200/hour for private lessons and I don't know how well Macy will behave yet to take her out to group classes. I know I'll have to practically wrestle Jackson.

I don't know what it's like where you're at, but here there's a lot of dog breeders that offer group obedience training relatively inexpensively...like well under $200 for a several week course.

A lot of instructors here are not out to make a profit, they care more about teaching skills to owners so the dogs don't become problems and get abandoned. In the classes I've been in, if a dog becomes too unruly the instructor will take over handling the dog, use them as an example to the class, then when the dog has calmed down a bit they'll give them back to the owner to handle. And in most classes everyone swaps their dogs around after a few weeks so the dog can get used to behaving for strangers.

You might see if there's any American Kennel Club Puppy classes or Canine Good Citizen classes offered in your area. Or check with any local kennel clubs. They often have classes that are more affordable that "professional" dog trainers.

[zibazinski]

Even Petsmart has classes. DD and her dog took them. Well worth it and not that expensive.

[chiver78]

not really sure where they think I am going to sleep....

[zibazinski]

Floor?

[chiver78]

ha, no. they both just lost their minds over a huge gust of wind, and the golden settled in the living room. Little Dog is back in here with me again, but I have most of the bed back to myself now.

[ginpin]

Often times the animal shelters have inexpensive obedience classes, or there are trainers that offer discounted classes for rescue pups.  

[andi9899]

Mar 13, 2017 22:39:01 GMT -5 zibazinski said:

Even Petsmart has classes. DD and her dog took them. Well worth it and not that expensive.

Jackson goes to puppy daycare there. The obedience training person they have is a joke. We had a private lesson with her and she spent the whole time telling me he had to go to the bathroom and that I should take him outside. I'm not wasting the money on her. There is a dog trainer here that does a 5 week course for $150 which is cheaper than petsmart. I'll go to him probably. I first need to find out if we're getting Macy. If we do, I'll see who needs the most help and take them first. I can't handle both by myself.

[andi9899]

And since I fail as a puppy mom, I completely forgot to take Jackson to daycare today. No wonder he looked at me weird when I put him back in his crate. Daylight saving has me all messed up.

[zibazinski]

Must depend on the Petsmart. DD's was great.

[wyouser]

Mar 13, 2017 22:55:00 GMT -5 chiver78 said:

not really sure where they think I am going to sleep....

Awwwww, they are just exhausted "little" lap puppies!!!

[andi9899]

I think I may have found a reasonable training option for Jackson and/or Macy. Now to figure out how many dogs I'm going to have and who needs the most help.

[spartyparty]

Those of you who have multiple dogs, do you have fencing (invisible, physical, other)?

We've been kicking around the idea of getting another puppy - playmate for the current puppy, and I've always wanted a purebred German Shepherd, so I'm thinking maybe now is the time.  The problem is that we already have a decorative fence around the back yard (3 rail western red cedar) so putting up another fence would look kind of silly (back yard is probably a little under an acre in size).  I'm thinking underground invisible fence, but I don't like the idea of having the dogs wear those collars all the time, and I wonder if it'll contain a GSD (if it's determined to get out).  I've been able to have Luna off leash in the yard and she hasn't shown any indication of wanting to take off (not yet anyway - seems pretty good for being just under 5 months old).  A couple of weekends ago my neighbor, who the puppy has already met, was in her back yard (only 50 feet away) and Luna just sat there and watched her for a minute and then went back to playing.  Anyway, I imagine it would be easier to train a GSD to stay in the yard...

We always used a tie out for the last dog we had.  He was part Beagle and he would bolt whenever he got the chance, plus he had a history of escaping his old owner's yard even with the invisible fence (if I recall correctly, I think they told us that he figured out how to run down the battery and voila he was free), so we never bothered to install one in our yard.  Now that we are thinking about another dog, I don't want to use 2 tie outs (too much to go wrong), so I'm trying to figure this out.  They will be indoor dogs, other than when they want to be outside.  Ideally, they would be trained to stay in the yard, but even if they were trained, I don't like the idea of just letting them out to go potty or play or whatever and not being out there with them.  

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!  TIA!

[andi9899]

I've never had an electric fence, but my friends has one and one of her dogs still get out. Then once they're out they won't come back in because whatever they were chasing was worth the shock to get out, but not to come back. She pretty much gave up on it and took the collars off. My GSD would roam the neighborhood and was kind of the neighborhood dog as she played with all the kids. I have Jackson on a tie out and the little bugger still manages to get loose. He doesn't leave the yard and the one time he did, he only went a block over and came back when I called him. Sorry, I got nothing.

[spartyparty]

Mar 14, 2017 13:20:51 GMT -5 andi9899 said:

I've never had an electric fence, but my friends has one and one of her dogs still get out. Then once they're out they won't come back in because whatever they were chasing was worth the shock to get out, but not to come back. She pretty much gave up on it and took the collars off. My GSD would roam the neighborhood and was kind of the neighborhood dog as she played with all the kids. I have Jackson on a tie out and the little bugger still manages to get loose. He doesn't leave the yard and the one time he did, he only went a block over and came back when I called him. Sorry, I got nothing.

Yeah, I'm thinking the invisible fence isn't going to work...I just remembered that we have moles and ground squirrels galore and I wonder if they would chew through the wire.  Although they might go away if they are in the dog's area!  LOL!  

[wvugurl26]

My aunt has three dogs and has an invisible fence. The big one can escape but he's not the one she worries about running in the street. And he can escape because her back yard is super steep and sort of terraced. This wouldn't be an issue if it were closer to flat. They take the collars off inside. And each dog has their own setting.

[weltschmerz]

My sister's chocolate Lab went to classes.
He was fantastic in school.
Unfortunately, he felt it didn't apply at home. Max is still a terror.

[spartyparty]

I suppose a decent sized kennel wouldn't be bad...I'd still want them trained to stay in the yard, so that they can be out and about if we are outside.... 

[wyouser]

Mar 14, 2017 13:20:51 GMT -5 andi9899 said:

I've never had an electric fence, but my friends has one and one of her dogs still get out. Then once they're out they won't come back in because whatever they were chasing was worth the shock to get out, but not to come back. She pretty much gave up on it and took the collars off. My GSD would roam the neighborhood and was kind of the neighborhood dog as she played with all the kids. I have Jackson on a tie out and the little bugger still manages to get loose. He doesn't leave the yard and the one time he did, he only went a block over and came back when I called him. Sorry, I got nothing.

You speak here to one of the first in our neighborhood to install an invulnerable, impossible to penetrate, impossible to leap over, impossible to dig under  solid fence around the entire perimeter of our lots............then, we got a Lhasa-poo (the 18 pound canine Houdini) who proceeded to show us the folly of our ways......a true escape artist.

[Spellbound454]

Don't you have obedience classes you can go to with the dog?

My dog is a Border Collie and they can be a bit of a handful when they are teens.
It was great to have that extra support......and even though I have had Collies before it was nice to hear
"Its just a phase, she'll grow out of it" etc
Shes a very well behaved adult now because we have been going since she was a pup.

[andi9899]

Ugh! Jackson's tie out had him all tangled up this morning. I was holding his collar with one hand and untangling with the other hand. A dog ran down the street and Jackson tried to take off after it. I managed to hang on, but slammed my arm against the railing and have a huge bruise starting on my bicep. It still hurts.

[zibazinski]

   Dogs

[andi9899]

Why on earth am I thinking about getting another one? Oh yeah. Because I'm a sucker.

[zibazinski]

Mar 15, 2017 9:55:51 GMT -5 andi9899 said:

Why on earth am I thinking about getting another one? Oh yeah. Because I'm a sucker.

Welcome home!

[tractor]

Mar 15, 2017 9:55:51 GMT -5 andi9899 said:

Why on earth am I thinking about getting another one? Oh yeah. Because I'm a sucker.

Because if Jackson had a friend, he wouldn't have to chase new ones down the street.

[andi9899]

Mar 15, 2017 11:07:10 GMT -5 tractor said:

Mar 15, 2017 9:55:51 GMT -5 andi9899 said:

Why on earth am I thinking about getting another one? Oh yeah. Because I'm a sucker.

Because if Jackson had a friend, he wouldn't have to chase new ones down the street.

I really hope he's nice to her. I feel really bad for her. She deserves to be spoiled like he is.

[andi9899]

Well, today's the day. We're going to see if Jackson gets along with Macy. Fingers crossed.

[andi9899]

There was a March Madness party at daycare today. They sent me a picture of Jackson. He's so cute.

[moon/Laura]

Here's Andi's photo of Jackson.

[weltschmerz]

Mar 16, 2017 9:32:11 GMT -5 andi9899 said:

Well, today's the day. We're going to see if Jackson gets along with Macy. Fingers crossed.

I suspect he will.
Congratulations on the new dog!