Posted on 03/20/2008 10:33:13 AM PDT by processing please hold
Grace wants to please me and Lilly wants me to please her. I can see we're gonna have an alpha female problem. lolol They are a stubborn and hardheaded breed. My first full day and it was fantastic.
The night was great. The multiple piles waiting for me in the morning were something else. I’ve been taking them outside every thirty minutes to relieve themselves. I’d say we made great process in that area. Still needs working on but I’ll housebreak them.
Every evening toward dusk, Darren, our rescue border collie/mix goes out on our deck and waits for the deer to come into our yard. Sometimes they cooperate and sometimes they don't but he doesn't give up. He's out there every night. Our dogs have the doggie door in our bedroom door so they can come and go as they want.
That's how I've been doing it today. Grace will sit on command, stay, if I stand next to her and won't move until I command 'come' and start walking. She is so eager to please.
Lilly, oh Lilly! Stubborn, headstrong and wants to be alpha female to me. Ain't gonna happen. She keeps trying to walk me instead of the other way around. I'm establishing my dominance over her and she isn't liking it one iota.
I would like for Grace to be the alpha female between them. I'll give it a few more days to see who comes out on top between them.
I'm a good tired. :)
And still growing...goodness.
I've been looking at pictures of full grown GP's. They will be huge. I'm glad they're both females, they won't be as large or heavy as males.
Labs are beautiful dogs. Ours are Great Pyrenees.
Thank you. You’re right, they are FReeper dogs.
You're right. I don't know if they have a sixth sense or something but they will lay down by her feet and stay. If she starts to get up they move away from her very quickly.
She can lead Grace on the leash but I won't let her near Lilly on one. Lilly wants to pull you and that's something my little girl can't handle, she doesn't have the stability for that.
Thank you so much. It's been a very tiring day and I smell like a dog. lololol
LOL.
Getting to know their little personalities (doggienalities? lol.)...I'd say they are appropriately named.
Sounds like you're going to be busy for a while...tiring, but worth it. I'm imagining puppy smiles. Ha.
I'm fixin to take the girls out one last time before turning in.
It's not even nine o'clock yet and I'm ready for a shower(*holds nose* phew) and bed.
Our dogs have the doggie door in our bedroom door so they can come and go as they want.
Hubby was telling me that Lowes has a doggy door that has a repellent on the outside of it that is supposed to keep critters from coming inside your house. I don't know if I want to try that. Somehow that doesn't sound feasible in the long term of it. Seems like the repellent would eventually wear off.
God bless you for that post. It’s so true. God works in mysterious ways.
Did you see my post about the Roomba Dirt Dog? I got really discouraged about all the dog hair until I got Mildred (we named ours Mildred). I keep her battery charged and she goes around gobbling up dog hair. I wouldn't be without it.
Roomba Dirt Dog?
I saw it, I thought you were kidding. No, I've never heard of it. Is it good for pet hair?
Check with a pet supplies specialty dealer like Doctors Foster & Smith. There are pet doors that only allow opening from the outside with a signal from a transponder on the dog’s collar.
Dunno if those come big enough for your big girls’s adult sizes, though.
If Lilly continues to take you for a walk instead of the other way around, a prong or choke collar may do the trick.
I don’t suppose you’ve considered crates to help with housebreaking?
Sounds like your first full day with them was a fun one, if a lot of work. :o) Sleepy tight!
I just told hubby tonight I was going to try a choke chain on her. Is there a difference between a choke chain and choke collar?
I don’t suppose you’ve considered crates to help with housebreaking?
I just found out about crating today. I might go that route.
Sounds like your first full day with them was a fun one, if a lot of work. :o) Sleepy tight!
It was fun and now I really have to take them out for the last time tonight. I stink to high heaven.
Good night. :)
We got a larger door raised higher off the ground and he immediately stopped limping.
The Roomba is GREAT for picking up dog hair. My husband cannot live without a dog and yet the hair was discouraging. The Roomba made all the difference in the world.
I got the Dirt Dog that is really made for garages, etc. Our floors are hardwood and it is doing a fantastic job.
That was THE best thing we did when we got our puppy. No worries if we leave for a couple of hours that the sofa will be in shreds when we return, etc....
When she sees us get our coats out of the closet (or when I get my purse and keys); she lets herself into the kennel and waits for her treat. She's almost three now; and still sleeps in it at times.
You will need very large kennels, however. A friend of mine has several large dogs; she built a 6x6 kennel in her basement.
Nah, no difference between choke “chain” or “collar.” There also are slip collars/leashes of nylon that work on the same principle but are meant more for quick leashing & control rather than correction of stubborness. Only use such devices on them during training sessions.
My dogs permanently wear martingales, aka “greyhound collars,” now that they are finished growing. (Nylon with a limited choke. Adjusted so the dog can’t pull his head through yet it wouldn’t choke him to death if he hung himself by it. In the absense of tension, you can easily slip the collar over the dog’s head.)
Gotta use caution with those because many that I find now are of thin guage. I got a lesson on how playful dogs and thin nylon collars are a bad combo. The bigger dog got a tooth trapped as it punched through the smaller dog’s collar. As that dog tried to pull away, she was strangling the puppy. It turned into a tumbling tug of war that swapped ends and produced panicked yelps from both before I could find an opening to separate them. No permanent damage, just a lot of fright on the part of all involved.
Yep! No problem getting my youngest (3-ish) into the crate. She trots in and turns around to get her treat.
They both cram in there (by their choice and mine) when they’ve been naughty.
Get a prong collar. And my dog trainer had us sharpen a couple of the teeth for my Golden who loves to pull. THey are not exactly a choke collar as they are designed somewhat differently. But don't allow them to run around outside unleashed when wearing a choke, or a prong, collar -- it is just for training. Those prongs look evil, but they won't hurt the dogs. They are just a reminder to be used with your commands. One quick jerk reminds the dog to listen.
It would really be a good idea to take a puppy class with a qualified trainer while they are in their rambunctious stage. And purchase their training collars from a good pet store where the owner can help you sort through all of the possibilities.
Another type of collar/leash for a dog that pulls is the "easy leader". It is a nylon affair that goes around the nose, instead of around the neck. It looks a little strange and people will ask if it is a muzzle (it is not.) I've never used one, but people swear by them. All the pressure is on the nose, and the dog quickly learns that it is uncomfortable if he pulls and stops doing it. Their necks and shoulders seem to be able to take a tremendous amount of pressure without bothering them. That is why you will see a dog pull on his collar and choke and cough. It never seems to occur to them to stop pulling. For some reason the easy leader makes them more manageable. And that is also why my dog trainer had us sharpen a couple of prongs. A little prick did wonders to manage a large dog that nearly pulled my arm out of the socket the first week I had him.
Look up Petco on the web and type in Easy Leader, if you do not have a good pet supply near you.
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