Doing it all wrong

[leashedForLife]

Join our free community today.

Connect with other like-minded dog lovers!

Login or Register

.

It's just U, @JudyN - i'd never give a dog a tidbit of my food whilst at the table, for instance... except when i DO, in public, while training dogs at outdoor cafes. It's done quite deliberately; we're teaching solid downs around food, & yes, they learn that if they're really good, they get a bit.
But only of they're really good - & elbows stay on the mat, there's no whining, no begging gaze, just patience.

- t

.

 

[merlina]

Yes but, no but - I'd really like to know how to turn off the spaniel begging gaze! My mother used to call it 'charity face.' I need blinkers dealing with cocker.

 

[Nanny71]

.

I do use crates - for housetraining, as safe confinement for dogs who are recovering [illness, surgery, injury...], to prevent pups or dogs swallowing or chewing dangerous items, & so on.
I've used 'em for my dogs, my pups, my clients' dogs, & for dogs in foster care who aren't adoption-ready & need B-Mod, staying with me.
I've had many ppl tell me that i'm evil - Crates are cruel, how could U?!, crates are lazy, etc.

No, my dogs don't LIVE in their crates; generally, i've owned only one dog at a time, & the crate's ajar when i'm home. But not always! - when i rehabbed wildlife in my home, an Akita pup at large, or at least my Akita pup!, would have meant a corpse, toot sweet.
She was exceptionally predatory as a young dog; she had to learn a lot of self-control to become safe around others. A crate was part of preventing serious injury, until she learned it.

I also highly recommend airline-approved shipping crates with rigid sides for transporting pets in the car, or anywhere else - except, of course, on public transit, when they - like us! - wear no seat-belts or other safety restraint, & are subject to the indifferent & powerful forces of momentum, mass, & force.

Soft-sided crates are silly, IME - they can collapse onto the pet, they don't hold up to chewing, or even claws - they're a waste of money, IMO; even a pet-purse of ventilated stiff leather is more protective than a mesh & nylon "carrier".
I saw a cat in my vet's waiting-room rip his way out of a soft-crate in under 3-minutes, :lol: - then he took off down the hallway, to hide under equipment in an open exam-room. It was an impromptu rodeo.

If U own a car, I'd recommend a proper shipping crate. A seat-belt harness is another option, with the codicil that it's not as protective, for the pet, or for the other passengers; it's up to the owner to choose.

- terry

.

Thinking about public transport we don't go on buses but my husband is a steam train fanatic and we spend quite a bit of time on various steam trains. Dudley tends to sit on my knee so he can look out of the window, Theoretically he should be on the floor but strangely I don't like the look of the floors. In pubs , however he always sit/lies under the table.

 

[Biker John]

JudyN, agree, for example I know the idea about not making a fuss when leaving the dog at home. And I can understand the reasons and would tell newcomers it. But we have always locked the back door, give the dog (s) a treat and said see you in a bit. It works for me so I carry on doing it.

 

[Flobo]

Yep I do the same and when I get home and they greet me with enthusiasm, dancing and barking, instead of ignoring them I fuss them all, get them to sit and give them a treat... then I get the shopping in or get on..

 

[arealhuman]

Yep I do the same and when I get home and they greet me with enthusiasm, dancing and barking, instead of ignoring them I fuss them all, get them to sit and give them a treat... then I get the shopping in or get on..

Guilty as charged - we do the same here!

 

[Mad Murphy]

oops , first thing I do when I walk in is ask ... did you miss me darling?

 

[leashedForLife]

.

I get home & say something casual, like "Hi...", set my stuff down, leash the dog, & get 'em out to pee.
THEN, after they're empty, we visit - pets, scritchies, cuddles, tug, whatever.
And of course, after that, it's time for a walk!

- terry

.

 

[JudyN]

I had read that you should completely ignore your dog when you came home for 15 minutes - to my mind that would just stress your dog as they'd wonder what on earth was going on. It's like the difference between the casual 'hi' to your OH when you come home and completely blanking him, leaving him to wonder what on earth he's done wrong. So I do pretty much the same as LfL - a casual greeting, sort my stuff, and then give J whatever attention he needs/wants.

We do need the confidence to listen to/read the advice, consider it in terms of our own dog, and then do what we think is right for our dog. So I don't, for instance, crate J or 'trade' for anything he perceives as having value, but I'll still suggest these for other people.

 

[Caro Perry]

I'm generally far more pleased to see Harri when I get home than he is to see me. He rushes up with a bit of a tail wag and that's about it. A friend of mine though - he sees her and practically leaps into her arms!

 

[Sezzy]

I don’t make a fuss when I go out, but always tell her what time I’ll be back just in case she can tell the time When I come home I’ll be greeted with a very waggy bum and whatever today’s toy of choice is, then we have a cuddle on the floor and I ask all about her morning, but it’s a very one sided conversation

 

[Josie]

I don’t make a fuss when I go out, but always tell her what time I’ll be back just in case she can tell the time When I come home I’ll be greeted with a very waggy bum and whatever today’s toy of choice is, then we have a cuddle on the floor and I ask all about her morning, but it’s a very one sided conversation

I definitely believe that they can tell the time

 

[lynyona]

When I had my previous dog from 8 weeks until he was 15 he was babied he really was to an extent where he couldn't be left alone by himself or he would howl the house down so someone always stayed behind. I was devastated when he died but he was weaned on Weetabix and warm milk then wet dog food he didn't like dry he had leftovers from our dinner plates he had a collar and lead not an harness crates weren't the in thing then he also slept on the foot of our bed unfortunately he didn't get taken out much because I couldn't manage him and if he went out he d then tend to escape once he d got a taste of freedom we have a big garden so he did get a lot of exercise outside. Nearly seven years after I lost him I got Betty(or Beelzebub I call her). she has a collar and lead she only sleeps in her crate when she wants to during the day or for time out ,I was going to not make the same mistakes she is completely different to how I remember him but it could be her breed she's a pug x staffy and he was a Rhodesian ridge back cross daft as a brush .I know Bettys only a baby I cant remember him being so nippy chewy bity barky and whiny she s got eyes like an hawk zoom in to anything she shouldn't chew she has a lot of chew toys to save us but she doesn't chew on them long she loves nothing more than to hang on to our skin or feet and socks and trousers bottoms .Even with training she loses interest after a while so only short training sessions She s can be a loveable dog but she can also be a nightmare she loves cuddles but only on her terms. Yes she sleeps on the bottom of our bed she loves toast and any leftovers she can find she loves them filled bones from the shop, she barks at everything but she s a baby and I expect all this but hopefully there will be a light at the end of the tunnel lol. These forums I find really helpful an I know what works for one dog doesn't always work for another but the advice is valid and like everything trial and error like with your children you find the best way forward

 

[JudyN]

We don't give Jasper food from the table when we're eating - he's shut out the kitchen or he would try to help 'clear up' the pans while we're eating, then when we've finished we'll put down plates and/or pans for him to 'clean' with a few leftover bits. However, when we have our usual Saturday meal (rolls & a pud) on the sofa, we have different approaches.

OH will leave a bit of his food for J and give it to him once he's finished, which sometimes means he has to deal with puppy-dog eyes and a pool of saliva by his feet. I'm mean, and though he can lick my plate/bowl, there's very slim pickings, so he doesn't get his hopes up.

Sometimes he will often lie on his bed while we eat and is then too bone idle to come over for OH's leftovers - he'll whine, and OH will get up and take them to him. It gets worse - sometimes, when I put my bowl down, he'll look at OH and whine and OH will get up, come over to my sofa to pick up my bowl, and take it over to J. Sometimes he'll even hold the bowl at an angle so J can lick it without having to go to the effort of lifting his head from the floor...

It's fine though - it doesn't mean that J thinks he lords it over OH and can take over his finances or his side of the bed. Sometimes it's fine to make a rod for your own back as long as you are happy to have that rod. OTOH, I think that sometimes giving your dog treats in certain situations and sometimes not can be very stressful for the dog. Imagine if you were perpetually hungry and every evening there was a big chocolate cake sitting on the side and you didn't know if you were going to get a piece or not... That would be more stressful than knowing from the start that you weren't going to get any cake. Which is why, when we've finished our usual meals, if our plates are already practically licked clean we'll have to get a few bits of cheese or a smear of mayo to put on them.

 

[Biker John]

JudyN, yes Folly always has a bit of every meal I have. She follows me into the kitchen knowing their will be a tasty bit for her.

 

[Nanny71]

I definitely believe that they can tell the time

Of course they can

 

[lynyona]

JudyN, yes Folly always has a bit of every meal I have. She follows me into the kitchen knowing their will be a tasty bit for her.

Same with Betty on some of the other forums people are mortified that you d even consider giving your dog anything but dog food and dog food only . We ve always had dogs since I was little and they thrived quiet happy on dog food and left overs

 

[JudyN]

One thing I really like about having a bigger dog is that any leftovers, greasy pans, etc., are only going to form a very small percentage of his diet. If you had a small dog, just one greasy pan or half a sausage and a couple of chips could give them all the calories they need in a day, but not all the nutrients!

 

[Dinky Dillon]

I use a collar
I also use a Dogmatic head collar, mainly because Dillon is so big and strong, there is a loop under his chin which can be held to give a little more control if needed.
I will not feed raw
I will not use a Flexi lead

 

[Caro Perry]

Same with Betty on some of the other forums people are mortified that you d even consider giving your dog anything but dog food and dog food only . We ve always had dogs since I was little and they thrived quiet happy on dog food and left overs

Harri gets the crust from my breakfast toast and marmite and if we are having anything that is suitable then he gets a little but in his own bowl. That is rare as I always cook vegetarian so most of it is not very dog friendly. Given the chance though he'll prewash the dishes when I'm loading the dishwasher...

I don't feel too bad for him though as he's now back on Butternut Box so it's real cooked food for him twice a day anyway.