jdpudge
Oldies but Goodies
Posts: 824 
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Post by jdpudge on Dec 30, 2014 21:05:30 GMT -5
Okay, so the more I read, the more I'm a little concerned we may have bitten off a little more than we can chew. Dh & I grew up with dogs, but haven't had one since we married (though our parents each had dogs until they both passed of old age).
We're acquiring a Shiba Inu, & the pups were born Christ-mas afternoon. From what I read, they're easy to potty train... and, like a cat, are very clean & independent. However, everything seems to encourage training (collar, leash, etc) early... like 6-8 weeks old, b/c they can get their own ideas about things and training later (or worse, retraining) can be EXTREMELY difficult. Apparently the female is the more aggressive (esp with other dogs), so we're looking to acquire a male (there are quite a few other neighborhood dogs around).
Any thoughts? Everything I read makes me more excited to get the little guy... but apparently they have the memory of an elephant, so anything I do "wrong" is going to be a pickle to undo. |
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Post by Elliefunt - Debbie on Dec 30, 2014 22:01:46 GMT -5
Find a trainer in your area. We thought we had it under control. Our pup is 5-1/2 mos. and is becoming more of a handful. We had our first puppy class last night and for the first time in 2 weeks I have faith that she is trainable. He gave us some really good tools (commands/leash handling) to use.
We don't have housebreaking issues, we have rough play, eating and leash walking problems.
We found our trainer through my sil who works at a small pet accessory/food store. Good luck! It's been very stressful in our house with the new puppy.
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Post by kidsandpets on Dec 30, 2014 23:08:38 GMT -5
What has already been said.  I'm not super familiar with Shibu Inus - have only met a few. But my neighbor has one that is trained/certified as a therapy dog (goes into nursing homes, etc.) - I believe as Bronte's dog has been trained. |
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yakky
Oldies but Goodies
Posts: 794
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Post by yakky on Dec 31, 2014 3:21:59 GMT -5
Good luck! Puppies are so much work. Thankfully your kids aren't "puppies" anymore and you aren't dealing with "an extra baby/toddler" in the house! Our lab is almost 6 and still acts like a pup half the time when it comes to energy.
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jdpudge
Oldies but Goodies
Posts: 824
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Post by jdpudge on Jan 2, 2015 9:19:49 GMT -5
Thanks! I'm feeling a little more confident and we've talked with the kids about rules, consistency and actual "command words" so they don't use things that will mean different things for the dog. "Down" will mean "Lie down", but "Off" will mean "Get off" (like the person, the sofa, etc).
Our current confusion is as to whether the dog will be allowed upstairs... and while my first thought is "no"... Dh actually seems a little more lenient on this one. I'm glad we have another month or more to figure that one out.
Bronte, what do you mean by "Take him everywhere"? We'll do lots of walks around the neighborhood, but before he's trained on a leash, socializing in that arena is going to be difficult enough b/c there are so many other people with dogs around. |
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jdpudge
Oldies but Goodies
Posts: 824
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Post by jdpudge on Jan 3, 2015 10:29:28 GMT -5
Thanks! I'm feeling a little more confident and we've talked with the kids about rules, consistency and actual "command words" so they don't use things that will mean different things for the dog. "Down" will mean "Lie down", but "Off" will mean "Get off" (like the person, the sofa, etc).
Our current confusion is as to whether the dog will be allowed upstairs... and while my first thought is "no"... Dh actually seems a little more lenient on this one. I'm glad we have another month or more to figure that one out.
Bronte, what do you mean by "Take him everywhere"? We'll do lots of walks around the neighborhood, but before he's trained on a leash, socializing in that arena is going to be difficult enough b/c there are so many other people with dogs around. I mean, I loaded him up in the car when I got the kids from school. I took him to games (it as fall so there was soccer). I took him to the pet store and home depot (because at that time they allowed dogs - ours closed so I don't know if they do anymore). I walked him around the mall parking lot and the strip mall sidewalks just so he could see lots of people. I took him to classes. I took him on errands - however it WAS fall/winter so there was not a concern for a super hot car! Basically, I tried to expose him to as many different people as possible in as many different settings as possible. It's really important to do that in the first 6 months. A lot of people don't do that and then wonder why their dog barks at everyone all the time. Oh and training on leash is pretty simple. Most puppies want to be with you, so it's easy enough. Please, please, please do not get one of those retractable leashes when he is a puppy. They are terrible to train with. Seriously. I started with a light nylon leash but Kip graduated to his leather leash at about 5 or 6 months. I've had that thing forever, too, so it was a good investment. I hope that helps!
Well, I'm not sure there are many places I frequent that would allow dogs in... does it really help if the pup just sits in the car?
We're currently just getting a nylon leash, and eventually getting a metal stake with a 30' coil for the backyard. We have a fenced in yard, but it's only 4' high... Shibas can easily jump that and a squirrel running along the fence will provide the perfect incentive to jump out... but not necessarily jump back in. Right now I don't see a benefit to those retractable leashes.
Thanks, Bronte.
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Post by kidsandpets on Jan 3, 2015 18:44:25 GMT -5
My parents used to take take their young german shepherd to a busy park. Doing that frequently exposed her to all kinds of people and all kinds of other dogs as well.
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jdpudge
Oldies but Goodies
Posts: 824
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Post by jdpudge on Jan 4, 2015 6:43:10 GMT -5
Okay... so "just a trip to the store" is enough.
I have about a mi walk to get up to a grocery store shopping center... and while a 2 mi walk would be too far for a young pup, it's certainly somewhere we could venture to when he's older. Otherwise, he may be peering out the window a bit... and I'm certain the kids would LOVE to let the pup take a ride in the car with us.
Of course, with 4 kids, more people may just overwhelm the little guy - ROFL! |
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