Since I will have a pup soon, I am reading a lot about dogs - watching videos on YouTube related to dog behavior, training, dog food etc. I also joined this forum few days back and I am glad I did - because I got to read many posts that are relevant for me and it has been a great education. While I do love the way experienced dog owners, trainers, behaviorists go about explaining their methods, I also see that so much of what they speak is so common yet so different in many ways. There are so many varied opinions - to crate or not to crate, how to house train, the first few days etc. Sometimes I feel - what has worked for someone else may not work for me. I might have to find my own way. I am just giving an example: most articles I have read or videos I have watched - say that you crate train your puppy from the first day - that he should sleep in the crate near you - in your bedroom. I understand the logic but something inside me - tells me I can't do that from day 1. I feel a puppy who has just parted from his/her mother and litter mates needs at least 3-4 days to settle. I think for the first Few nights - he can sleep with me - rather I can sleep with him. I can leave my bed and go and just sleep next to him - which would be better than him sleeping in my bed - no big deal. I may be wrong - I may find that when he is not in crate - he chews up a lot of things during the night - he creates a havoc. My idea may fail but at least I will have no one else to blame. Now that I know this is not right - I can fall back on the tried and trusted methods. Having said that I could also connect to most of what I read - and I feel that is the right way and I am going to do the same. I may need to find the right balance - where I think I can do things differently and still succeed. This is just a thought I wanted to share with all of you - a vision that I have for me with my buddy And again - thanks to all. You may not even know which of your posts in this forum - I read and learned from!
I think being open to new ideas and methods is a great approach..if things go a bit awry with a pup it is usually because we have asked to much, or just taken our eye of the ball..easily done! There is nothing wrong with sleeping with your pup, I am sure it will be very reassuring for the pup, maybe a bit exhausting for you though! Looking forward to reading about your new pup when it arrives
I think you're right Sudhanshu. You and your puppy are unique. The advice and guidance we read is just that, ADVICE and GUIDANCE, not set rules. It is about being adaptable to you and your pup's needs and ways. Sticking with kindness, force-free methods of course, but being open to ideas and suggestions, seeking help when stumped, trying alternatives - you and your puppy will grow together. Looking forward to reading about your new arrival
You hit the nail on the head. Every dog is different and so might need a slightly different way to train etc
I agree with the others, that when it comes to the finer points, it's really what feels best for you and your puppy. Puppies are really challenging, but one of the neat things is that they keep you on your toes. What works in the training video you like may go a completely different direction when you try it out yourself. There was a discussion here a short while back about the sleeping in the bed thing (I know you are talking about something a bit different) and there were lots of different perspectives. I had both my Rotties in my own bed for at least part of the night from the day I brought them home and they slept full time in my bed and out of their crates from about 16 weeks onwards. But I had foster puppies that would have weed on my head and ripped my house to shreds if I would have tried that with them, so into the crate they went. Other fosters went right on the bed with me and my own dogs. Every dog is an individual, so part of the fun is figuring out the best path for each one.
I think your idea of sleeping next to your puppy for a few nights is good. I've had three puppies over the years and each have slept in my bedroom to start with. None have done any damage during the night - though I do always make sure I haven't left anything precious or dangerous at floor level (blocked access to sockets). They've also all slept through after three nights maximum and have moved downstairs after a few weeks. I've never used crates but that's as much to do with lack of space as anything. During the day time my experience is that a puppy left alone will chew things up!
I've decided against pups in the bedroom. If a pup was unsettled I would set up my airbed next to the pup downstairs for the first few nights. Touch wood, all five have settled really well from day one. One good tip is to get the pup in the morning so that s/he has quite a few sleeps in his/her new bed before bedtime. Sit by the pen/crate while they settle. So far this strategy has worked really well. Yes - they are all very different. My present pup, Mollie, is the most laid back, easy going pup I've ever met! ...
I brought my new puppy home on Tuesday. I slept on a dog bed(!) next to her pen the first night. She was quite restless and needed to toilet a lot. Last night - the second night - she was a little superstar, only needed one wee and only moaned a couple of times, for a few seconds each time. Tonight, I'm moving back to my bed
Good to know...so when she whined, you comforted her? Or just waited her to be calm and then praised her - just curious to know
I didn't comfort her, no. The first night, I simply went and cleaned up every time she went to the toilet - I hadn't intended this, because I'm happy for her to use the end of her pen to go to the toilet at night; in fact, it's the whole point of the crate-in-pen arrangement, but she went in places where I knew she'd roll in it, so I thought it best to clean her. I didn't speak to her, because I want her to know that night time humans are boring. She wasn't in distress, just being very vocal. She chatters away to herself all the time! Last night, she only whined a couple of times. I just waited for her to stop (which was only a couple of seconds) and then put my fingers in so she could have a smell, but only for an instant.
Welcome, welcome to the forum! You are absolutely right - your puppy is unique, and you will find the right way to work with him. But this forum is a fantastic place to ask for advice when what you're doing isn't working, or if you feel your pup isn't happy. It is also a wonderful place to find out how to train your puppy with kindness and positive methods, that are the ones that REALLY DO WORK, rather than the cruel, old-fashioned methods you'll see on some YouTube and television shows. I found this forum just after my puppy arrived, and it has opened my eyes. And there are some lovely people and lovely dogs here - friends across the world! Where are you based?
Hello again. I have a question. The pup I will be raising (in 2 weeks time) - I saw the pedigree of the parents. I recon it is very good but unfortunately I am not very good at reading pedigree. The pup's father - is Sam - I see he is Champion sired - Mandigo's Poplar Forest Play It Again (Sam) and Mom is also Champion sired. Now I don't understand these titles much. I saw it on Google that it means they probably have championship titles. But why do breeders have such long names - something related to ancestry? Also I see they are priced above average and I assume because the parents are champions. A naive question What does that mean for the puppy? Is it that his temperament will be better or he may have similar traits and can help him achieve the same feats. Anyways I am just looking for a household buddy - unless I change my mind later
Hey there! It's been quite a while since I had a pure-bred puppy from the US, but I can also remember being rather put off by the strange names. The first part of the name ("Mandigo's" in your example "Mandigo's Poplar Forest Play It Again Sam") is the registered breeder name, the second part is the dog's registered name. "Poplar Forest" may be to do with the litter - in other words, all the pups in that litter may have that "prefix" of sorts (so maybe another dog in the same litter would be "Mandigo's Poplar Forest Say It Ain't So". Or "Poplar Forest Play It Again Sam" may be this dog's unique registered name and the owners were simply very long winded. The call name - so the name you actually use every day - could be "Sam" in this case, or could be something completely unrelated to his registered kennel name. My first dog's name was something like JaNel's Dream a Little Dream of You (his lovely dam was named "Dream" so it was a nod to her) but his actual name was Duncan. I say "something like" as I honestly can't remember exactly what it was. It was on his AKC registration papers, then never used again as I didn't show him. So if your little pup comes with some hideous long name, don't sweat it. You'll never need to think about it again if you don't show him. "Champion" is a good thing when going for US bench lines because it means the dog has been shown enough to earn all of its "legs" to become a champion. Beyond that, I really can't remember what it means...maybe someone else help or just Googling can help give you more details. In my albeit unprofessional opinion, NO sire/dam should be bred until both are champions and have passed all prudent health exams plus be of a certain age. Otherwise breeding unproven, untested dogs even from good lines is not really far off from BYB (Back yard breeder) practices, which is never a good option. Breeding pure-bred dogs should always be about improving health and temperament with each generation. Some kennels are going to charge more for certain very proven bloodlines. If you're looking at hunting dogs, I'm assuming that means that they have earned their stripes in field trials or if they are stud dogs that they have a proven to consistently throw excellent litters who go on to also perform well. Even with an excellent breeder, there are no health or temperament guarantees. But to answer your question, yes - that is what people who buy from a well-researched responsible breeder are hoping for, that their puppy from those lines will have a better chance at a long healthy life and the temperaments of the sire and dam. And if someone wants to show for conformation, they are looking for a dog that physically matches the breed standard. This may have changed, but US breeders used to sell puppies at two separate price tiers: one for "show" (a dog that they deemed had conformation potential) and another for "Pet". Don't ask me how they know which is which when a puppy is less than 8 weeks old! But if you just want a "household buddy" you can simply say you'll take either. My first dog was deemed completely unsuitable as "show" because of his big ears and overbite, and I loved every inch of him.
It depends. You can expect the puppy to have some characteristics of the parents - but the parents being champions is no guarantee that you will like these characteristics. Some show (bench) champions are dreadfully heavy, not at all athletic, and they are not dogs I would want to own. Others are smashing dogs. Same with Field Champions - some are amazing dogs, that I'd love to own, others appear to have dreadful conformation, are ugly, and are mainly nervous wreaks. So you need to meet the parents, really. Sometimes it's difficult to meet the sire because he will be a stud dog and might be far away. But you should look him up and make sure he looks like the kind of dog you'd want to own. I agree that only dogs that are a good representation of the breed should become parents. But not that they should both be champions. Breeding 'the best to the best' is a bit outdated, it leads to the loss of too much genetic diversity. I've no problem with people breeding pets from parents that have reasonable conformation, excellent temperaments, that are free from phobias and fears, and have full and clear health tests.
Thanks for the clarification - the whole showing world is not my speciality, plus outdated as I've not been even around it for twenty years. Back in the day, I understood "champion" in the US simply to mean the dog had been shown enough to complete all legs of conformation showing (whatever that meant, lol) not that he/she was the absolute best of the breed in a geographic area. I agree that if "champions" meant a very limited number of dogs, breeding from that small gene pool wouldn't be optimal at all. I really did pick my dog's breeder because I thought she was super-ethical and I met and loved all her dogs and found them to have exceptional temperaments, especially the dam and sire for "my" litter. I also liked that she competed in obedience, which for me was much more important than conformation. So I freely admit I didn't pay much attention to the whole "champion" thing. So @Sudhanshu , listen to @JulieT on this one.
