Advice for a new dog owner?

[naut]

I was wondering what advice my fellow Orgahs could give me on owning a dog.

[edyzmedieval]

A dog is a man's best friend. :balloon2:

Enjoy your dog. He's a loving and caring pet, especially if he's a German Shepherd. :2thumbsup:

[Lemur]

Watch that show, The Dog Whisperer. Even with a dippy name, the guy has plenty of good advice about owning a dog and being a good master. I know at least one dog idiot who became a pretty good owner after watching that show for a while. Not gonna name names, but it worked out well.

[Stormcrow]

Don't take him to a vietnamese restaurant ~;).

More of a cat person really...
so maybe the best advise : Learn him not to lick every person he comes across, I hate it when they do that...

[Beirut]

Get him as young as possible so that he bonds with you (and you with him) more tightly and sees you as the center of his universe. It will make you better friends and he will listen to your commands better as well.

Also, from my expereince, a few simple commands that he obeys like lightning will save you from disaster. Come here, lie down, stay. If your dog will do those things without fail, you will avoid a world of problems.

I remember years ago I was in the car with my brother and the dog, we stopped on the side of a busy highway at a McDonalds to get something to eat(?). I opened the rear door of his Suburban and the dog jumped out and started sniffing around on the grass for a place to pee. My brother freaked. He thought the dog would tear off onto the highway and certain death. I chuckled. "He ain't going nowhere." I had complete confidence in him. That confidence came from the bonding and from his Gestapo-like obediance to those few simple commands.

As the sig below says...

[stalin]

(Don't even think about it - Beirut)

[Masy]

I think I trained my pooch pretty well, though I'm no expert mind, so here are a few pointers that helped me:

1) If you want a low maintenance dog, one that will not require heaps of medical attention and marathons across the countryside, get a mongrel. Ideally get one from a rescue centre (they're free and you'll be saving it from being put down), but I'f your set on a pedigree, note that they are prone to illness and inherited problems (at least in my experience). A friend of mines labrador had a genetic bone disorder, and another's developed arthritis when it was only 9 years of age.

2) Contrary to a quite expensive book I purchased, spraying a water pistol at your dog is NOT a helpful punishment, my dog loved it...

3) Dogs are pretty single minded, and if they want to chase that squirrel into that wood, then they probably will, no matter how much you peep on a whistle...just be patient, and provide plenty of treats when they are good, then gradually ease off with the treats as they get the idea.

4)Speaking of whistles-get one! Get your dog to recognisee that a peep of the whistle equates to "come here boy/girl", and you'll save yourself from many a sore throat.

5) Put plenty of paper down when they are young, and be prepared to pick up LOTS of poop. Gradually encourage it to go outside and poop (with treats and toys if necessary-congratulate it when it does its bid'ness). My dog's at the stage where she just walks to a woody part of the garden and does a pee, so don't get frustrated when they are young-shoveling the brown is part of the magic!

6) Last of my random advice- if you have adequate space and time (don't bother if you have no garden or are away all the time-it's cruel on the animal), don't hesitate in getting a dog, they are great.

[Drisos]

Most important of all - Be his leader! He/she must be under your command. If you don't know how to achieve this - buy any book on raising dogs, there'll be enough tips in it.

Second, if it's a young dog, have him/her experience all things he/she will later run into. for instance, if you will need to take him/her with you in the car, let him experience it when he is young. also, let him/her meet lots and lots of people, dogs and other animals. let him/her get used to chaos, so lots and lots of people. (in town) and let him/her get used to traffic.

find one good sort of dog food, and feed him/her with it the rest of his/her life. changing food might cause slight disease (I won't tell the details.. yuck..:laugh4: ) teach him/her to come to you on command, to let go of things in mouth on command.

can't think of much more right now..

good luck! :bow:

[Beirut]

Second, if it's a young dog, have him/her experience all things he/she will later run into. for instance, if you will need to take him/her with you in the car, let him experience it when he is young.


Oh Lord... I was heading into Montreal once with my dog. We were in the backseat of a Jeep, not much room. I was 180 and he was 120. His head was in my lap and then he "Urp!"

You wouldn't think a dog's stomach could hold that much.

Un-be-lievable.

[Divinus Arma]

Well, as a former military working dog handler I could give you a whole bunch.

Heres a couple quick ones:

(1)Be consistent. If you don't want him to beg from at the dinner table, never let anyone feed him human food. If you don't want him on your furtniture, never make exceptions.

(2) Develop three distinct voices with your dog: A praise voice, a command voice, and a correction voice. The command voice should be firm, loud, and clear. The correction voice should be very loud and kind of growling and very angry, to be used only with the word NO. The praise voice is easy, just love your pet using a high squeaky voice. NEVER use your dog's name in the correction voice, unless you want him to fear his name.

If you want more detail on behavior training or potty training, let me know.

Many people do not see the use of discipline with your pet, but here are two reasons: (1) A disciplined animal will be less likely to be in danger, since it will follow your commands rather than chasing that rabbit or car, and (2) A disciplned animal can enjoy more time with the family- unlike the dog that jumps on everybody, chews on things, begs at the table, or growls at guests. An obediant dog is far more likely to have a happy and enjoyable life as a member of your family, since it will always be included.

Good luck! Dog's are awesome and will bring you years of joy and warmth, along with a little frustration at first. Get him trained early and always be consistent.

[Crazed Rabbit]

Good advice from Beirut and Eclectic. Train them to completely follow a few commands.

I'll second the advice to get a mutt-unless you're really set on a purebreed.

My family has 3 dogs- 2 mutts and a pure bred Australian Shepard (aussie). The mutts are generally okay (though one goes crazy near feeding time) but the aussie is psychotic.

She will bark at anything new, different, or something she does not approve of (i.e. people hugging-she'll jump up and bite them). If two people are even pretend fighting-she'll jump in and randomly bite. And if they are really fighting, she'll draw blood. She's also not good around strange dogs, and will occasionaly get into a real fight with our other dogs (as opposed to play fighting).

I'd also encourage you not to use newspaper or anything to potty train the dog inside - just start pottying it outside from the get-go.

Crazed Rabbit

[InsaneApache]

One word. Pet Insurance. OK two words then. Can't add better than Beirut and Eclectic.

My oldest (George) is now 15 years old, he's an Heinz [TM] 57 and the bestest dog (and friend) I've ever had.

I was only saying 'tother day to Mrs. Apache that it's a shame that they don't live for another decade, then you could only fit 3, poss 4 into your lifespan.

[Uesugi Kenshin]

Here's my bit of advice, never ever get a black lab mutt from one of your mother's coworkers friends without first making sure he doesn't have megaesophagus. It will save you a lot of cleaning up puke.

Other than that also don't skimp on the training, it helps a ton. We have two dogs, one went through all of the training that the local kennel owner suggested, she is very obedient (when she isn't being a stubborn git, but that's her breed), the other is a bit of a handful when guests come over, though he does calm down eventually.

Also don't be afraid to be loud and angry-sounding when your dog is doing something wrong, just make sure you also reqard them and randomly pet them so they don't only see the angry side of you.

Last bit, ice cubes, being sprayed down with the hose, and trips to the lake are all great summer treats for them. Our lab would eat ice all day if I kept giving it to him...

Enjoy your new dog!

[Conqueror]

This may sound obvious, but take care to never leave any foodstuffs (like chocolate bars) lying where the dog could easily reach it. Such as on a low table.

[macsen rufus]

Keep away from squirrels.....

[stalin]

You... must... love... it...
https://img354.imageshack.us/img354/2296/158b4fd66dc63bd80e56708c2f325733sexydogsg9.jpg

[drone]

^^^^Um, ok.....

Back on topic:
There are some basic rules (already mentioned above) for dealing with a new dog. But not all breeds are the same, and there are some breeds that require a different mindset to control. What kind of dog are you getting/have gotten?

[InsaneApache]

^^^^Um, ok.....

Back on topic:
There are some basic rules (already mentioned above) for dealing with a new dog. But not all breeds are the same, and there are some breeds that require a different mindset to control. What kind of dog are you getting/have gotten?

West Highland Terriers. :sweatdrop:

[Divinus Arma]

You must name him...




"Weenis"

[Reverend Joe]

"Weenis"
:inquisitive:

[naut]

Thanks (for those who were serious), she is a 10 week old black Schnoodle. Which is 1/4 Schnauser 3/4 Poodle. Very smart, very cute and highly social.

[Alexanderofmacedon]

Keep them away from squirels...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4489792.stm

:laugh4:

[naut]

Also I was wondering if there is an effective way to teach them to stop biting? It really pisses me off when she bites my feet, my hands when I pick her up or pat her and other things clothes etc. Is it teething or is she an annoying dog? I know dogs bite stuff, thats why we bought things for her to play with/eat/chew, but its so annoying having something nipping your toes or hands!!!!

[Dutch_guy]

Dogs tend to bite/chew stuff when they're young. My dog used to chew on the table, shoes and of course little heating buttons you use to heat your oven with.

It's normal, though you should teach her the difference between biting her toys and biting a human being, which I take it goes without saying.

:balloon2:

[drone]

My dog used to do that all the time as a puppy, usually to get attention. At 10 weeks, it's probably to be expected (and those puppy teeth are sharp), but if she is just nipping and not clamping down it's not that bad. It is a habit that you want to break soon though, the dog must learn never to use teeth on people. It will get you into trouble with strangers and children, even if there is no ill intent on the dog's part.

We were told to put some pennies in a Coke can, tape the top up, and shake it whenever the dog starts biting. Have several around the house for easy access. Didn't work too well with my dog, she wasn't scared of it at all, but it might work for you. Eventually, I just had to grab the dog's mouth and use the correction voice. Be consistent, don't allow it sometimes and correct her at other times.