GruntPuppy
pfm Member
I may keep chubbly on Harringtons's puppy food, it seems to suit him. He certainly prefers it to Eukanuba.
All this behaviour is quite normal however you are not helping matters.
When I was rehoming greyhounds, remember these were adult dogs, with pretty entrenched ideas so "old dogs, new tricks" comes to mind but we got there in the end.
Your dog trainer will give you some pointers but what I would say 90% of dog training is training the human and not the dog.
I always used to recommend "The Dog Listener" by Jan Ferral, it'll give you a fair idea of what is going on between his not so little ears.
As to the aversion therapy we always used to use an empty coke can with 30 x1p pieces or pebbles and a swift shake and "NO"
The "Mary had a little lamb" syndrome is quite natural, you dog sees you as pack leader and quite naturally wants to be with his pack 24/7.
Btw attention must be given on your terms and not his, so no petting on demand.
Check out http://www.hantsgreyrescue.co.uk/adopt_a_greyhound.html
Last but not least in the past I did a lot of work with Roger Mugford, the TV Vet and behaviourist, who has his own company which specialises in all things pet and they are great and the site has a mega amount of info and quite happy to have a chat.
https://www.companyofanimals.co.uk
GP thank you, profoundly for post #47, it had me grinning from ear to ear. I'm delighted to hear that this has all the makings of a mutually beneficial relationship.
On food, we use Tails.com as it's largely hassle-free, but there's a cost premium. If not Tails, then we found our 3 labs tolerated James Wellbeloved best of all the mass market kibble brands. The fishy one, in particular, seems to be widely tolerated (our second lab had a sensitive stomach - perhaps from eating all our !%$%*€£ staircase spindles as a nipper. She had a penchant for wood, and would graze on fallen twigs all the way round a walk given half a chance. We're convinced she wasn't a pedigree Lab, but actually a Lab-termite cross).
Our current dog also refuses to do her business in the garden. Her predecessors had no such scruples, but it's quite common, apparently, that dogs refuse to soil their own area. Makes sense, really. What we have done is define two different 'walkies'. There's the 'shall we go and do a thing?' walk, which is a 5 minute stroll round the corner, do the biz on the grass verge, collect any solids, return and dispose. There's a fine hornbeam tree 100 yards away, where we cross the road and return at that point, so she knows that duty needs to be done before we get back. Then there's the 'walkies!' which involves more time, probably parks, and running about. She absolutely knows the difference, and knows that the last one at night before retiring is absolutely not the time for dicking about, sniffing and loitering. It's about establishing routines, innit.
Sounds like he's a biggun, alright. Are you sure he's a dog? Does he have feet, or hooves?
GP Yes that is the book.
Sorry about the spelling, I lent my copy to a new owner way a few years ago and forgot to chase them up to return it.
Yes, as you are finding out dogs can be a "babe" magnet so enjoy the attention!
If he needs mental stimulation, then it doesn’t really matter which book you choose, because teaching him to read it should provide all the mental stimulation he can handle.Although at this time of year they're more likely to be MUD MAGNETS.
I'm pleased to report a certain puppy is tucking into his evening meal WITHOUT ANY CORNED BEEF.
Dog trainer hasn't responded with a recommendation for a book to work from until I get Chubbly to obedience classes, so, soddit, going to go and find one. Mental stimulation is obviously needed now
If he needs mental stimulation, then it doesn’t really matter which book you choose, because teaching him to read it should provide all the mental stimulation he can handle.
Mine's good at footy.It's problematical... gets as far as "B is for BALL" and wants to go and play fetch instead.
Tell him: if he concentrates hard you might get to S for squeaky toy, and stick.It's problematical... gets as far as "B is for BALL" and wants to go and play fetch instead.
Tell him: if he concentrates hard you might get to S for squeaky toy, and stick.
Big dogs and small children, I have read too many stories of docile big dogs taking a bite out of small kids. Be careful please.