What do you wish you had known...

[emmabeth]

Further to the discussions of the production of one of those things with all the pages and pics and stuff...


What do you wish you'd known/been told, wayyyyyyyyyy back, when you were thinking about a dog or had just got a dog...

[JudyN]

... that not all dogs are like the easygoing undemanding ones I grew up with, and genetics can play a large part in this
... that once you've got to the stage of saying 'If I say sit, you're going to SIT you little poo bag, if I have to wait all day,' you're way past the point where you should have taken a few deep breaths and gone and put the kettle on
... that a puppy may appear to hate you, to want to hurt you, and to defy you at every turn, but he's simply being a puppy and isn't able to cope with your demands & expectations... yet

[Ari_RR]

... That even if your dog doesn't have SA, you most likely will - and that will have very negative impact on all non-dog aspects of life

[JudyN]

non-dog aspects of life

Que?

[Suzette]

I thankfully knew these things by the time we got Piper, but with all the dog's before her, I wish I had known:

1. That a dog's growl is communication, not necessarily aggression and definitely not a reason to freak out and just shut it off.

2. The power and value of early socialization.

3. The phrase (and training philosophy) don't tell them what you don't want them to do, teach them what you do want them to do.

4. That positive training has immense benefits, but to me none more so than the strong bond of love and trust you get when you train positively.

There's more, but these four especially would have been wonderful to know earlier. All my dogs lived happy, loved and loving lives, but how much better it could have been for all of us had I known all this and more sooner. But at least I know it now, so it's all good.

[katej215]

Don't put your dog in a situation where they can practice unwanted behaviour ...when Hattie overnight transformed from super glue puppy to ' stuff you, I'm doing my own thing' puppy, I should have put her straight back on a long line till we'd proofed her recall through her adolescence...I for some reason had some bee in my bonnet about her having to be off lead at every opportunity ..we had some highly embarrassing moments..she knocked over a toddler by running up to say hi, she rampaged through 30 or so 6 year olds out for a picnic in the woods, working them as diligently as a sniffer dog, nicking their lunch from their hands, licking their faces, pilfering things from their bags....she also once ran onto a golf course, picked up this guys golf ball , and started dancing in circles around him , tossing it in the air..I could go on, the list is long, but saying that, we were lucky , things could have been a lot worse..

I think the other thing I've learnt looking back is not to expect too much from them when they're pups..it's easy to forget how young they are sometimes..

[JudyN]

That management is often part of the 'fix'.

[Nettle]

Everything the rest of you have said, and:


Puppy zoomies. I've even now only read one book that mentions puppy zoomies.

That most of the things you don't like they grow out of anyway.

That it doesn't matter if it's a bribe or a reward as long as they work happily for it.

Other people's opinions on what your dog should be doing are worth diddley-squat - your dog only has to please you (within the boundaries of good manners of course).

It doesn't matter if your dog sleeps on your bed as long as you are okay with it.

Different dogs have different motivators.

[gwd]

Puppy zoomies. I've even now only read one book that mentions puppy zoomies.

I can't tell you how many calls I've fielded from new puppy owners that were worried their dog had some neurological issues........ they'd describe the wild-eyed run though the house and the yard........... "honest, it seems like he can't even hear me during these 'episodes'. .........it lasts for about 10 min and then he collapses"

The other question that often came up is that the puppy had some serious orthopedic issues............. they didn't understand when the puppies would go high in the rear. Sadly, often the vets concurred that something was amiss. Those were the hardest calls because they figured, I, as a breeder, was less reliable than their trusted vet. I'd assure them that the rear often grew before the front and the puppy would even out..........I could tell they were skeptical.

[WufWuf]

It's a small thing but it's something a lot of people don't seem to understand, dogs may growl when they play. I see lots of people giving out to their dog when they growl while playing tug or getting freaked out if a dog growls while playing with another dog.

I'm so excited at the prospect of book from you Emma I'm sure I've mentioned before that I love the way you explain things. Your human analogies in particular are excellent and I often find great ways of explaining complex concepts from your posts (and then use them in real life, I'm sure you should be getting royalties of some kind at this point )

[emmabeth]

I have actually written something. (THats not why ive bin quiet today, i spent til 5pm in bed with my flipping gallstones!)

[gwd]

i spent til 5pm in bed with my flipping gallstones!)

You really should have gone rent to own rather than rushing to buy.........

I've not had gallstones but I can attest to the pain of kidney stones......... no fun, none at all.

[Nettle]

What's the score on these gallstones, Emms? Is your Dr. giving you enough support?


Well done on starting The Book

[ClareMarsh]

That socialisation can just mean being in the presence of something and it being no big deal, it doesn't mean your pup has to meet everyone and everything.

And that people are idiots

[emmabeth]

I suspect I have to wait until the local hospital that scanned me, send a letter to my gp saying 'yeah she has gallstones, loads of 'em' and then my GP has to send a letter to a consultant to get me an appointment...

And in about 6 to 18 months someone might do something.

What I shall do is ring my GP tomorrow (it having been a bank holiday, again, today) and say 'I have um, start whatever ball rolling plz' and ill probably have to go see her and she will tell me I am too fat and liable to die to have surgery, and then I dunno!

Im going to go and write down more things.