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Old January 25th, 2010, 05:09 PM
dannyg1001 dannyg1001 is offline
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Training Tips Needed!

Hi Everyone... obviously im new here but I have been reading through the boards and it seems like a really good forum!

I am about to begin my adventure with a new puppy and am looking for some advice on training. I grew up in England, in a house that had a large garden, and lots of fields near by. We always kept Border Collies, and my favourite, Lucy passed away last year, and even though I had since moved to Canada it hit me hard and I had talked about getting a puppy ever since.

I trained Lucy myself, with great success. She was a friendly, smart and loyal dog, we were very much best friends but because of the milder weather and lots of places for her to run and explore, its going to be a lot different this time around due to location, weather and size of dog, and for these reasons im looking for the advice of dog owners that are more used to the Canadian life.

Heres the situation so far.

I live alone in a downtown loft. Its a large condo with lots of room for a dog to run around and play inside, but no garden. My girlfriend suprised me with a puppy for my 30th birthday last week.

Casey was an abandoned puppy, she is a 4 month old Pappillon/Yorkie cross, on the small side (weights 7lbs) with scruffy black hair, white white socks and a little white beard. She almost could be a border collie pup, and funnily enough she has the exact same markings as Lucy had!

She came to us with no training at all, but she is a lovely natured and affectionate little thing and I cant wait to bond with her.

She was very nervous at first but soon settled down, she loves to play and explore just as much as she likes to lie next to me and have her head scratched! No problems there!

I am crate training her... something that i did a lot of research into as I had never heard about it before coming to Canada. So far she has LOVED her crate! Its probably a bit too big for her, but she absolutely refuses to eliminate in there, in fact she has not had any indoor accidents since Saturday morning (and that was my fault, I knew she had to go and then i got a phonecall as I was getting ready to go outside). So house training is going really well... no problems there either!

Food!!!.... she did not eat for the first 2 days i took her home. The vet gave me different foods to try but she wouldnt seem to try any of them. Finally I can get her to eat but only if i add chopped Banana's and feed her from my hand. Need to get out of this habit fast. Any ideas???

Going for walks. I have no idea what to do in these Canadian Winters. She will go outside for a pee or a poo no problem but them want to come back inside right away.
I think its the cold weather/snow, because when it was a bit warmer yesterday she was better but today - no chance.
Any tips for me on getting around this? not a situation I've come across before with a dog! Do I drag her through the snow? I dont want her to freeze half to death but at the same time I dont want her to be type of dog that knows she can get her own way with stubborness!

Finally, anyone with experience of papillon puppies before, any general training tips. Like i said, I've only ever had Border Collies and they have been very smart and easy to train, no sure what to expect with this type of dog, especially in this new environment for both of us!!!

Anyway, thanks for your help!

Cheers,
Danny (& Casey)
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Old January 26th, 2010, 01:19 PM
dannyg1001 dannyg1001 is offline
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Here is a pic of Casey!
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Old January 26th, 2010, 01:27 PM
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bendyfoot bendyfoot is offline
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What a cutie!!! I love scruffy pups!!!

Sounds like she's a lovely pup.

She smaller breeds tend to be more sensitive to cold. You DO want to get her started with good leash habits while she's young, so even brief walks would be idea. Perhaps she would "warm up" to the idea if she had some winter gear: a nice cozy coat and some boots?

It could also simply be that she is not accustomed to being outside...what was her history there? When we got our GSD she actually very frightened of the outdoors...she's never BEEN outdoors in her first 3.5 months. If you can find either a treat or a toy or a friend (another pup-pal) that is very desireable and motivating for your little one, use that as a lure/reward to get her walking. I wouldn't resort to pulling her...that could make it negative for her, and you want it to be fun. Keep your own demeanour upbeat and happy, sing-song voice, lots of praise, and yummy treats for being a good girl.

Food...hmm. We did have one fussy eater (again, the GSD). We couldn't get her to eat to save our lives, she was a bonerack. She'd go days without eating, unless we handfed and pleaded. We tried several kibbles - nope. Sometimes adding wet food was helpful to get her started. What really did it, though, was switching her to a raw diet. The day we handed her a chicken quarter she never looked back and hasn't missed a meal since. We now feed all our pets a raw diet of meat, bone and organ. There's lots of good info on raw diets, and good food suggestions in general in the food forum here.

I've never personally had a Pap, but I've heard that they are quite intelligent and very trainable.
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Old January 26th, 2010, 05:07 PM
dannyg1001 dannyg1001 is offline
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Im not really sure of her history, I believe she was an abandoned or unwanted puppy. She shows no obvious signs of abuse and she is extremely friendly towards humans (although for some reason petrified of a yogurt i was eating last night ha ha).

I took her to the vet for the check up when we got her an she had slight dandruff and a parasite in her ear but otherwise completely healthy.

Funny thing happened last night when I went home... after all the problems walking her in the morning and again at lunch yesterday, the whole walk-on-a-leash thing just seemed to click!!!

Ive taken her out 7 times since then and she has been brilliant! Walking right beside me, no dragging or pulling, as if she's been doing it for years.. she's gained quite a few admirers too, one girl even showing me photo's or her own dog on her phone

Still struggling with food though, although I have found she loves chopped banana's... so now i at least know its not that she is refusing to eat, its more that she hates the food.

Thanks for the great diet advice I'm going to look into the raw diet as you suggest!!!
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Old January 26th, 2010, 09:06 PM
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hazelrunpack hazelrunpack is offline
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Casey is a doll! I'm glad she's gotten the hang of that pesky leash thingie Sounds like she's found herself a wonderful home, Danny!

Welcome to the board!
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Old January 26th, 2010, 09:14 PM
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What a cute puppy !!!

welcome to pets.ca by the way !
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Old January 27th, 2010, 10:15 AM
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mona_b mona_b is offline
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Awwww what a sweetheart....

Have you tried any canned food? There are some good ones out there.

Chicken soup for the dog lovers soul
Wellness
Innova
DVP Natural Balance

I would be carefull with giving her to many bananas....As for the vet food, ummmmmm NO.LOL

And not knowing her history, she may have been fed crap food...It may take time for her to get used to it....Just give her a bit till she gets used to it.

More pics please........
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Old January 27th, 2010, 10:26 AM
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happycats happycats is offline
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Welcome!!
And what a cutie you have there!!

As others suggested, boots and a coat, would help with the cold winter walks (for you and pup )

As for food, I use Orijen dry, but mix some canned as mine wouldn't eat just dry either . So maybe try mixing some canned.

Good luck with the cute pup
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Old January 27th, 2010, 10:36 AM
dannyg1001 dannyg1001 is offline
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THANKS EVERYONE FOR YOUR ADVICE!!!

Yeah i want to get away from the vet food but I should introduce new food slowly so as not to upset her stomach... its hard to introduce something she wont eat!! ha ha grrr....

She actually wasnt too bad last night... i took the hard line approach. She Wouldnt eat at breakfast so I took it away, she wouldnt eat when I got home either apart from a few small banana chunks I was using to teach her to sit (which she figured out after about 3 attempts...smart dog!).

By about 9pm she was going crazy for my bowl of cornflakes so I put her puppy food down and she ate most of it, so shes getting there!

Im having a lot of fun training her and watching her settle in!!!
I will get some new pics on here then
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Old January 27th, 2010, 10:42 AM
dannyg1001 dannyg1001 is offline
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Heres a picture of Casey with my girlfriend... you can really see the Papillon in her, with her big ears sticking out! (and Caseys ears as well ha ha)

She only does that when she is investigating something, the rest of the time just one ear sticks up and the other flops down... looks really funny.
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Old January 27th, 2010, 11:38 AM
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mona_b mona_b is offline
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AWWWWWWWWWWW look at her...........LOVE the ears...........

It's good that she is starting to eat....

Like I have mentioned, be carefull with the bananas..Too much isn't good..Everything in moderation..Bananas have alot of sugar(yes natural) but dogs don't need sugar really...Also there is alot of potassium in them, which to much can cause digestive problems..You can also give her carrots, small pieces of hotdogs and cheese and boiled chicken..Again, everything in moderation...
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Old January 27th, 2010, 12:14 PM
dannyg1001 dannyg1001 is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mona_b View Post
AWWWWWWWWWWW look at her...........LOVE the ears...........

It's good that she is starting to eat....

Like I have mentioned, be carefull with the bananas..Too much isn't good..Everything in moderation..Bananas have alot of sugar(yes natural) but dogs don't need sugar really...Also there is alot of potassium in them, which to much can cause digestive problems..You can also give her carrots, small pieces of hotdogs and cheese and boiled chicken..Again, everything in moderation...
thanks Mona... im not going to give her so many banana's... i was just being too soft at first because she wouldnt eat her food and I didnt want her to be hungry. Once i showed her who's boss she was a lot better!
Im not used to a dog who is a picky eater... my last one would literally eat anything! Lucy lived to be almost 16 years old, so last time I trained a puppy I was only about 13. I'm determined to do things properly though.
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  #13  
Old February 3rd, 2010, 05:47 AM
marilynmarilyn8 marilynmarilyn8 is offline
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Advice

Well it's true that she is soooo cuteI also love these scruffy puppies.I think initially you should take her to walk then consider other types of training.Pay attention to her diet as well.
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Old February 15th, 2010, 01:38 AM
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Maybe try wetting her food in hot water (make sure it's cooled before you give it to her) I had to do this with my puppies for a little while, but they loved it.
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Old February 19th, 2010, 11:22 AM
deedee_599 deedee_599 is offline
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For feeding, the raw food diet is great. But in the meantime, you could also try mixing some tripe into her dry food, rather than banana. I haven't met a dog yet who didn't go crazy for it. Mine try to lick the stainless right off the bowl!

You can buy it canned from many pet food stores - I know that Global carries the Trippett brand. Yep it smells, but that's why they love it!
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Old February 23rd, 2010, 12:09 PM
dannyg1001 dannyg1001 is offline
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Thanks for everyones responses!

Seems like I was overeacting... Casey is completely settled in now, and I cant stop her eating!

She has gained weight and is looking a lot more healthy and less scrawny.

I know im biased, but she is really is a great puppy... extremeley smart and well behaved. She is VERY trainable, doing all kinds of tricks for toys and treats.

Her house breaking is coming along nicely, I was originally taking her outside every 2 hours during the day, now im up to every 4-5 hours and no accidents for a while.... at my house anyway.

She does however still think its ok to pee in other peoples houses.... we just need to catch her in the act and correct her. Easier said than done when she moves at 100mph most of the time

In summary, she's a great little dog and I couldnt be happier with her! Lets see how she is after she gets spayed next month!
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