Hello I've just joined - i have a 5 month old chocolate girl called Charlie. She is really lovely and not at all barmy as they are reputed to be. She is calm and gentle. The problem is me . I last had a puppy when my kids were little and we lived on a farm. Now I'm on my own and I live in an urban area. I just hadn't realised how different it would be and how hard it is. I worry about everything - and the Internet makes it worse - there are so many things you should an shouldn't do. I tried letting her off lead in the park but she was chased by a big dog that the owner had no control over - I thought I'd lost her . She loves to say hello to other dogs but gets worried if they are too pushy or bark at her. So now I keep her on a lead. My garden is quite big and we play there every day. I don't know anywhere that is fenced where I can take her. We do go to a class which is good for her confidence but I do worry about the future. If I knew someone with a nice gentle dog to walk with I'm sure that would help. My kids think I'm worrying too much which is probably true but that's me. I do wonder if I'm the right owner for her - she should be with a family in the countryside. But I do love her and want to do the best for her. Hopefully this site will help to reassure me .
Re: Worrying Hello and welcome from me, two year old Sam and rescue Millie I think all of us worry at some point , are we enough for our dogs , are they happy etc . But most of the time , the worry is unfounded . Like you , I lived on our farm but in France, our dogs had complete freedom and so I can understand your fears, but when we brought our dogs back to live in the UK , they all adapted to a more orderly life very quickly . What our dogs want/need are : To be with us To be loved To be cared for To have regular food and exercise So , ok you are now in an urban environment, but your dear girl doesnt know that, she is calm and laid back so she is obviously happy and content with you . Can I recommend that you read Pippas ( the owner of this site ) book , you can get it from Amazon , its called Total Recall and will take you through a step by step guide to finally achieving a good level of obedience with Charlie so that she can enjoy being off lead in safe areas . Hoping you stay around , this is a lovely forum
Re: Worrying I agree, you are enough for her and she is so lucky to have an owner who cares so much about her wellbeing. I too would recommend Pippas book 'Total Recall' there is some great advice on there. Love Emma and Charlie (10 week old chocolate lab)
Re: Worrying Hello! I have a choc boy Charlie! 9 months now. He is as nutty as a fruitcake. Totally barmy and a hooligan. I last had a lab in North Yorkshire, but now live in London. Thankfully escape to Cornwall when work allows. I don't know how much of your worry is about being in a urban area. I find it stressful at times, and it drives me to being a bit manic over Charlie's training. Not that I'm very good, or Charlie is particularly well trained, but I believe training is the only way forward - so I try very hard. There are SO many other dogs, litter, people, busy roads, joggers, kids...and rules! I try to pour all the worry energy into training to cope with these things, the more confident you are about controlling your dog in the busy city, the easier it gets. My boy isn't over confident with pushy dogs either, despite much socialisation - he met hundreds of dogs! We just try to find the nice ones to play with and he just avoids the ones he doesn't like. I'm pretty bullish about pushing another dog away if it's bothering us, or being firm with the owner. stay on the forum - you'll gets lots of help, advice and support! And if you can, try get away for a break in the country, that keeps us sane.
Re: Worrying Hi and welcome from me Helen, Hattie 6 years and our rescue Charlie nearly 3 years. I think Kate summed it up beautifully . Just a thought, if you drive you could always take Charlie for country walks and you could both enjoy those off lead walks again Again I recommend Pippas Total Recall which will really help you. Don't read too much on the internet as most of it is complete rubbish just stay with us on this forum and there will always be brilliant advise which covers just about everything. Please just enjoy your puppy and rest assured you are definitely doing the right thing for her which is being with you as you clearly lover her. Best wishes to you both. xx
Re: Worrying Hi RosH, I've got Dexter a 14 month old yellow boy who is our first dog....He's the 4 legged love of my life over and over,but I had a bit of a wobble on Thursday,feeling sad for him living with us in a city that is so dog unfriendly( we live in Dubai where it is illegal for him to be off lead ANYWHERE and I'd had a bad walk )so I totally sympathise with your worries.....but I got over it,thinking about exactly what Kate has just said,they want company,love,safety,protection,exercise and food......and an owner committed to providing these. The internet can drive you mad,it has it's place and can be very valuable but don't forget that anybody can write anything and put it out there to terrify us ;D....you just don't need to believe it all ;D This forum has been so valuable to me.....you can ask anything and members with a lot of experience will answer with their thoughts and suggestions....you will get a lot,of help. We've now got a chocolate drop couple!lovely ;D
Re: Worrying Welcome to the forum! It sounds to me like you and Charlie are a good match. I'm sure that Charlie loves you to bits. Dogs can live anywhere as long as they have all the things Karen mentioned (edit, sorry, that was Kate ). I've only ever had dogs in a city environment and it's worked just fine Most of our dog walks are on lead (with off lead components). My dog goes to a local dog park, to our dog club and to daycare for off-lead playtime with other dogs. I wonder if any of those options might be available to you?
Re: Worrying Thank you all so much for your kind and wise words. It helps get things into perspective and it is so good to know that other people understand. I will keep reading the info on this site x
