A dog & canine forum. DogBanter

If this is your first visit, be sure to check out the FAQ by clicking the link above. You may have to register before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages, select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below.

Go Back   Home » DogBanter forum » Dog forums » Dog behavior
Site Map Home Register Authors List Search Today's Posts Mark Forums Read Web Partners

The Hows and The Whys



 
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
  #1  
Old March 23rd 05, 01:18 AM
Suja
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default The Hows and The Whys


This one is directed to people who enjoy their puppy experience, or like
their dogs to be little firecrackers. Just how do you do it, and why?
The reason I am asking is that Titus has been with us for a week now,
and I will admit that I am exhausted, the dogs are exhausted, and even
my neighbor's two kids, who are home because of spring break, are
exhausted from giving him a workout. The only one not exhausted is Titus.

Typical of what we've been doing - Rajesh took him for an off-leash walk
in the morning, about 45 minutes. He covers about 3 miles, Titus about
twice that, and at full speed. After breakfast, and a little chew
session, I went out in the garden to work on Spring clean-up and
building my new flower bed. The dogs are of course out with me, and
basically my two took turns running around with Titus and playing
wrestlemania. By then, my neighbor's two kids came out (ages 7 and 10),
and they played with him, pretty much non-stop for the rest of the time
we were out there. All told, we were outdoors for about 4 hours, during
which he did not sit or lie down at all. After we came in, I assumed
that Titus would take a nap. WRONG! He chewed for a bit, and when Jade
came over, continued to play with her inside the house for the next 45
minutes. Then we went to the dog park (around 4:30), and just got back,
and the little Munchkin is sitting there, chewing away at a bone. I
believe that he will go to sleep around 10:00 tonight, after we have had
his training session, and a ball playing session (up and down stairs).
The only time I've seen him truly exhausted was on Saturday, after
keeping up this kind of schedule for 4 days in a row.

So for those of you who enjoy this sort of stuff, how do you do it? And
why? Oh yeah, lest you say that there is a lot of physical work-out,
and not a whole lot of mental stuff, keep in mind that in addition to
dedicated training sessions 5-10 minutes at a time, several times a day
(talk about attention span of a gnat), I am taking every opportunity I
get to teach him things a good dog should know.

Tomorrow, it is supposed to rain all day long. *shudder*

Suja
  #2  
Old March 23rd 05, 02:59 AM
Suja
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default

Handsome Jack Morrison wrote:

I can exhaust the little rascals pretty quickly, too, and never even
spill a drop of my beer.


Maybe this is harder because he is an older puppy (10 or 12 months old)
who has gone too long with no training or guidance? Besides, how long
does it take to exhaust the pups your way, Jack? Titus is getting
somewhere between 6 and 8 hours of exercise, with at least half of it
being the full-out running variety. He does play fetch with a ball or
frisbee, but that doesn't do a darn thing to put a dent in him. I
generally lose either my patience or my arm strength long before he
gives out.

Besides it being so much fun? Besides having the chance to put my own
stamp on the pups? Besides having the chance to earn their trust as
soon as possible? Besides the joy derived from giving them the best
possible start in life? Besides helping to prepare them for their
life-long pursuit of "things" that fly? Etc. Etc. Etc.


Maybe this is different because most of the above don't apply. While I
am getting one hell of a good workout, my ankle has given out from all
the soccer playing. And to me, there is no fun in throwing something
over and over and over and....

Besides all that, I don't know. Maybe because I'm nuts?


I figured there has to be at least a little bit of that involved.

And I would react to rain in the forecast with a: Yay! A chance to
socialize the pup to rain!


Trust me, he has no problems with rain. Nothing really fazes him. Not
for long anyway. I'm worried about little ole me. I am generally okay
with rain, but spending 8 hours in it at a time is most definitely not
my idea of fun.

Then again, some of the busier trails will most likely be empty
tomorrow, and we can go on a nice long hike.

Suja
  #3  
Old March 23rd 05, 03:04 AM
Robin Nuttall
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default



Suja wrote:


So for those of you who enjoy this sort of stuff, how do you do it? And
why? Oh yeah, lest you say that there is a lot of physical work-out,
and not a whole lot of mental stuff, keep in mind that in addition to
dedicated training sessions 5-10 minutes at a time, several times a day
(talk about attention span of a gnat), I am taking every opportunity I
get to teach him things a good dog should know.


You know how I did it? Crate. Cala slept fine--if I put her in a crate.
Whether or not she liked it. I taught her from very early on that she
never, ever got out of the crate if she was noisy. As soon as she
learned that, she would crash immediately after I put her in it.

For young, very active dogs, finding an off switch can be difficult. And
if they're easily stimulated, they'll fight it. It sounds like you are
such a *fun* house that Titus simply can't succumb to tiredness. So you
help them find that switch by putting them in a nice, cushiony crate for
at least an hour or so, a couple of times a day. And at night too. My
bet is, once you do that he'll very quickly fall asleep.

  #4  
Old March 23rd 05, 03:32 AM
Suja
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default

Robin Nuttall wrote:

For young, very active dogs, finding an off switch can be difficult. And
if they're easily stimulated, they'll fight it. It sounds like you are
such a *fun* house that Titus simply can't succumb to tiredness.


That's possible. I spoke with his foster today, and she was saying that
he stays on the couch a lot more when he is with her. She is definitely
not as active as I am, and he probably learned quickly that nothing is
going to happen. He is a hell of a lot more obnoxious and ill behaved
with her though, and I am not sure if that is just the lack of
training/guidance, or if the lesser amount of exercise plays into it.

So you
help them find that switch by putting them in a nice, cushiony crate for
at least an hour or so, a couple of times a day. And at night too. My
bet is, once you do that he'll very quickly fall asleep.


He sleeps great at night if he has had adequate exercise during the day.
Otherwise, I'll wake up at 5:00 in the morning with a cold nose
poking at me, and big brown eyes asking if it was time to start some fun
again.

I will admit that I am a little afraid of confronting a well rested
Titus. I had house guests on Sunday, didn't have those extra 2 or 3
hours to spend with him, and paid for it big time. He caught up on his
sleep, and was all set to go at 8:00 at night. Thank goodness for
stairs - he played fetch for an hour, at which point I got too bored to
continue. Then, he woke me up at 4:45 in the morning, all set to go, by
standing on my face. He is learning quickly that some people don't
appreciate having 20 pounds of dog attached to their face at ungodly
hours. Whenever I leave the house, and he catches up on his sleep, I
have to run him *hard* when I get back to make sure that he is
reasonably mellow at night.

Lastly, I am stubborn. Hell if I let a little 20 pound monster puppy
beat me. I will swallow my pride and try to tone things down a bit
tomorrow - 8 miles total is all I have planned for the day. My ankle is
shot at the moment, so I may not have a choice.

Suja


  #5  
Old March 23rd 05, 07:32 AM
Christy
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default


"Suja" wrote in message
news:AY30e.5568$Z37.1263@lakeread06...

Maybe this is harder because he is an older puppy (10 or 12 months old)
who has gone too long with no training or guidance? Besides, how long
does it take to exhaust the pups your way, Jack? Titus is getting
somewhere between 6 and 8 hours of exercise, with at least half of it
being the full-out running variety. He does play fetch with a ball or
frisbee, but that doesn't do a darn thing to put a dent in him. I
generally lose either my patience or my arm strength long before he
gives out.


I find that simply running and playing will not wear out my dogs anywhere
nearly as quickly as training, even in short sessions. A good balance
between physical exercise and mental exercise should help keep everyone
sane.

Christy


  #6  
Old March 23rd 05, 02:17 PM
Janet B
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default

On Tue, 22 Mar 2005 19:18:59 -0500, Suja wrote:


This one is directed to people who enjoy their puppy experience, or like
their dogs to be little firecrackers. Just how do you do it, and why?


They're little sponges. They make me get up and enjoy the day. I
love to watch them learn, I love to teach them. I love to watch them
change and grow. I love to mold them to my lifestyle and my schedule
and watch them learn really quickly. I like experiencing new
discoveries through them.

So for those of you who enjoy this sort of stuff, how do you do it?



Impose rest with a leash or a crate. DOWN time is something really
important and a lot of puppies are just having too much fun to do it
themselves.

And
why?



See above. I love having puppies around.

Tomorrow, it is supposed to rain all day long. *shudder*


OMG is it pouring! Good luck to you. Use that leash and crate -
everyone will benefit.


--
Janet B
www.bestfriendsdogobedience.com
http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/bestfr...bedience/album
  #7  
Old March 23rd 05, 02:18 PM
Janet B
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default

On Wed, 23 Mar 2005 00:52:41 GMT, Handsome Jack Morrison
wrote:



And I would react to rain in the forecast with a: Yay! A chance to
socialize the pup to rain!



Franklin adores rain. I don't adore the mud that comes along with it
right now!


--
Janet B
www.bestfriendsdogobedience.com
http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/bestfr...bedience/album
  #8  
Old March 23rd 05, 02:22 PM
Janet B
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default

On Tue, 22 Mar 2005 20:59:42 -0500, Suja wrote:



Maybe this is harder because he is an older puppy (10 or 12 months old)
who has gone too long with no training or guidance?



That's not a puppy - that's an adolescent. Very different needs. And
really a need to impose some settle time if he's never learned it
before. THAT is the great advantage of little puppies - they DO sleep
and learn to settle and play and work with your lifestyle. You have a
teenager who doesn't know how to self soothe ;-D.

Besides, how long
does it take to exhaust the pups your way, Jack? Titus is getting
somewhere between 6 and 8 hours of exercise, with at least half of it
being the full-out running variety. He does play fetch with a ball or
frisbee, but that doesn't do a darn thing to put a dent in him. I
generally lose either my patience or my arm strength long before he
gives out.


My dogs would play, retrieve, swim, etc, all day. That isn't an
option most days. Some of that needs to be taught.


Like with small children, an adult human providing constant
entertainment is NOT a good thing.



--
Janet B
www.bestfriendsdogobedience.com
http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/bestfr...bedience/album
  #9  
Old March 23rd 05, 02:25 PM
Janet B
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default

On Tue, 22 Mar 2005 21:32:53 -0500, Suja wrote:

I will swallow my pride and try to tone things down a bit
tomorrow - 8 miles total is all I have planned for the day


that's ridiculous. I have a very high energy dog. He spends a lot of
the day sleeping on the couch or at my feet. He gets play and
training sessions, but if I challenged myself to "wear him out", I'd
be in big trouble. STOP entertaining this beast and stop jumping
through hoops for him. He needs to be responsible for himself. As I
and others have said - make use of a crate - suddenly the choices
become YOURS.

--
Janet B
www.bestfriendsdogobedience.com
http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/bestfr...bedience/album
  #10  
Old March 23rd 05, 02:28 PM
Robin Nuttall
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default



Suja wrote:
Robin Nuttall wrote:

Then, he woke me up at 4:45 in the morning, all set to go, by
standing on my face.


Sorry, but I so do NOT allow puppies (or any dog!) to do this to me.
When I'm sleeping, they are to LEAVE ME ALONE. That's the rule. The dog
doesn't get to decide when we get up. I do. The dog doesn't get to
dictate the exercise either, I do.

Honestly, I'll go back to crate, crate, crate. If he's crated at night
he's not going to be standing on your head unless the crate is too....

 




Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

vB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Forum Jump


All times are GMT +1. The time now is 04:06 PM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.6.4
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.Search Engine Optimization by vBSEO 3.2.0 (Unauthorized Upgrade)
Copyright ©2004-2024 DogBanter.
The comments are property of their posters.